As usual don't own Game of Thrones or A song of Ice and Fire. A few side notes, the Dothraki do not speak proper English so the writing for him is how I want it to be. I will update usually 2 times a week but this week will be 3. I will go through everything after episode 10 of this season and branch off to probably AU. The battle will happen quite soon but things maybe different than what happened in the show. It kind of depends on episode 10. I will not follow other people just the main character's story, so when they branch off we will follow Brian. Lastly thank you for reading, let me know how you feel about it.
Chapter 1
The ship was gently rocking back and forth while I was meeting with three of my commanders. There was a Dothraki named Dako. I taught him how to speak the Common Tongue and he is surprisingly good at it. He joined me soon after I got to Braavos the first time. He was disgraced and was on his own when I spotted him in a fight against five other men and Red and I saved him. He has been loyal ever since. The second was an ex-mercenary who goes by Jorro. He lost his best friend after his mercenary group let him die to complete their mission for the money. Jorro refuses to tell anyone the name of the group he worked for. The third person is actually a woman named Hellela. Her past is mostly a mystery, but she has told us she was born in Pentos to a wealthy family and that family was going to set up a marriage to another family in Westeros to start an alliance to benefit trade and standing in the realm. She fled and learned how to fight by being taught the Water Dance. I will never question these three's loyalties as the 5000 soldiers that followed me even when they were given the chance to leave. Before leaving Braavos, I gave them a choice, join me and fight for a land they most likely have never seen, or leave and start a new life away from a chance of dying. This is one of the reasons why I called a meeting between the four of us.
"When we disembark at White Harbor, I will request a meeting with Lord Manderly. This meeting will be to gauge whether or not he is siding with the Boltons or Starks. If he is staying out of it, my job will then try to get him to fight alongside us to take back Winterfell for the Starks." I stated.
"What if he refuses to side with anyone. What if he wants to wait it out and pledge fealty to whoever wins?" Hellela mentioned.
"Then I will trade these ships for his loyalty. I do not like buying someone's loyalty but taking back Winterfell is the important mission and to do that we need to have men. I do not know how many men Jon has, but Lyanna Mormont mentioned the Umbers and Karstarks joined the Boltons. These were some of the bigger houses in the North and if they joined the Boltons then it means Jon is already outnumbered." I acknowledged.
"These men not know how to shoot on horse like us. They already outmatched even if more men." Dako stated proudly.
"If they have a larger amount and retreat into Winterfell, then we will have lost because they can hold out and we cannot." Jorro mentioned.
"That is why I believe we need to hit him from the south and ask for House Cerwyn's help. They too were fiercely loyal to the Starks and next closest to Winterfell. Snowfall was just north of Winterfell and most likely deserted after my family's destruction." I solemnly answered.
"So the plan is to bribe the Manderly's for their loyalty and ask for the Cerwyn's loyalty all they while marching behind the Bolton lines to pincer them." Hellela summarized.
"No, I will ask for the Manderly's help and if that happens, I will ask them to get the Cerwyn's support. If both fail, then you will ride north to pincer the Boltons." The three looked at me in bewilderment so I continued, "I had this dream, it felt real and that I was standing and watching it all happen. I know it sounds crazy but if it is real then Rickon will die and that cannot happen. I will not fail the Starks, they have been through just as much as me and they were like family. I was there for Bran, Arya and Rickon's births. Even if it means my life I will save Rickon Stark. You three will have control of our soldiers when we split up." I pronounced.
"Loyalty can be a downfall, just look what happened to me and my best friend. But sometimes it is the greatest thing in the world because it keeps us living even if we should not be alive." Jorro answered back.
"There is one other thing I wanted to ask you guys. Why did you stay even though you know you could die for a place you have never seen or know? What is it that kept you here." I asked.
All three looked at each other with their eyebrows raised before Hellela answered for the three of them. "We stayed and are willing to die because of you. You gave us a new life and helped us when we struggled. In my instance I wanted to get away from my family and you provided me with the opportunity and did not ask for anything in return. You did not even try to take advantage of me but instead taught me how to fight with more than just the Water Dance."
Jorro answered. "You reminded me of my best friend. He may have been a mercenary but he still had honor. He died saving one of the other mercenaries but the group just to desert him. I found out what you were like and joined thinking maybe I can see if you could remind me of him. You have done more than just that. He would gladly have given up being a mercenary to join your ranks."
Dako in broken Common Tongue, "You save me and treated me equal. I through you now know life more than pillaging. You give me greater purpose. I am grateful to fight beside you. I die for our home."
All three agreed, and I could not hold back a few tears thanking them and giving them command to rest because we will be marching the minute we make port. We were only a day away from White Harbor and I was already shaking because I was worried how everything could go. I will ride in from the west because it will be easier to get to Rickon from there. Before turning in for the night I turned to Red.
"You have been my companion since White Harbor and now our journey comes full circle. I wish our family could be together again but your brothers and my brothers are gone and it is just us. I promise that nothing will happen to you. You are my only true family left. The Starks may have been like family just like the men I have now but you have been there with me for everything."
Red looked at me with eyes that seemed like he understood everything I was saying and at the same time trying to show he reciprocated the sentiment. He jumped up on the bed and waited for me to join and get some sleep. The next few days was going to be long and hard but I was hoping the end prize would be worth it.
We reached White Harbor in the time I expected and requested a meeting with Lord Manderly almost immediately after docking. I told the man who was helping us that it was urgent. He was saying he did not have the power to request meetings and that Lord Manderly was sleeping.
"Wake him up then and get me a meeting with him it is urgent!" I exclaimed.
"I am sorry sir but I do not have the power to meet with him at all." The dock worked replied.
"Then tell whoever can tell him the Lord of House Frost requests a meeting of utmost importance and should he refuse I will take that as he is loyal to the Boltons making me his enemy."
The dock worker's eyes grew and immediately went to what I assumed was his boss and his boss ran to what I assume again was to the lord's home. I told my men to meet me outside the city to the north and I will tell them everything after my meeting with Lord Manderly. My men took all the armor and horses off the boats and moved north. It took only a few minutes after they left that a few Manderly soldiers found me and took me to see their lord.
