AN: Well, here is the next instalment for you all. I hope you enjoy it!

AN: Also I know that I've probably gotten some of the details a bit off and I haven't covered some of the bases, but this chapter is mostly just me setting the foundation for future events. That and providing details so that anyone who reads this story hopefully doesn't get completely lost. here's to hoping I didn't butcher it too much. As usual please don't expect perfect editing.

AN: Please be aware that my timeline is still a bit off and my writing is a bit rusty. Maybe I should take more in the way of notes... Yeah, that would probably help.

AN: Last editing job done on 1/6/14


Chapter 1

Almost Two Years Ago:

It had been a simple patrol with very little business for Xander Harris. He knew he shouldn't have been out there by himself; it was undeniably dangerous after all. But he couldn't help himself, he had to do something. Buffy and Willow were both off to college, UCC Sunnydale, and even though they were still in town he felt like he was intruding every time he tried to hang out with them, if even only a little. It wasn't a feeling he had very often and it didn't affect him overly much, as a rule, but it was there regardless.

So to help fill in his ever increasing empty hours he took to doing something he really shouldn't have doing by himself. The buddy system was nothing if not effective when fighting the undead after all. But Buffy only seemed to patrol the college and its surrounding area now-a-days. It wasn't like he blamed her though. No, if anything he was happy for her, happy that she was able to move on somewhat with her life. Granted not entirely, she was still the Slayer and she still had her duty whether she wanted it or not, but at least she had a lot more going on for her now. She had additional activities that better helped her take her mind off her calling and, hopefully, help her not be as stressed as she was in high school.

The more pessimistic part of him part of him kind of doubted it, but it was still a nice thought…

Regardless, his friends were happier now and with them always hanging around the college it gave him an excuse to do what he was currently doing, seeing as he didn't think that the usual areas were being checked as thoroughly as they once were. Now Xander was under no delusions, he knew he would never be able to match up to the Slayer in the amount of sheer ass-kickery that she was able to dish out at any one point. No, for the most part he was still plain old ordinary human. So in order to compensate for the fact that he would never be able to blow for blow with a vamp or other night time resident he drew on what little was left of the two possessions that he'd been through in the time since he'd met Buffy.

Memories, training, and flashes of experience from the soldier he'd gone as for Halloween years back were the first thing that he focused on integrating into himself. It had taken months to be able to make full use of what he could remember from that night and to do it properly he'd had to get off his ass and work for it. It also helped that he could almost imagine a drill sergeant in his head giving him the directions he needed. Then there was the hyena…

He could remember everything he had done under its influence and it still scared him the ever-living crap out of him. But that didn't mean he wouldn't use what remained of it so that he could better take the fight to the Dark. What he was able to safely secure within himself after some trial and error wasn't much, but it was enough. The scraps of primordial instinct he had gained after a time had been worth it if for no other reason than they had helped to keep him alive so far. And while he had regrets about having to use these things that had brought so much pain to begin with, he didn't regret that they'd resulted in his furthered ability to contribute to what he considered to be the greatest cause of his life.

So there he was, walking through one of his usual routes when he heard something rustle a little bit behind him. It's a good thing Xander decided to duck because right then a vamp in somewhat ratty clothes came charging out, and if its haymaker had connected it would've taken his head clean off.

And so the usual song and dance had begun for the night and, despite himself, Xander had to admit that this particular vamp was good. Not like outright Master good, Buffy would have thought this one to be a complete non-issue, but it was certainly no fledgling. Over the course of a few minutes the vamp had gotten in a good couple of blows so Xander figured that it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to hurry up and dust this thing.

…Then something changed. The universe had apparently decided to make an adjustment to how things were, because anyone watching Xander fight against his vamp of the night would have seen him and the vamp disappear in the blink of an eye without any form of warning. There was no epic sound or tiny pop, and there was no vortex of swirling light to warn of the transition; it just happened. One moment he had been in one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries and the next he wasn't. This was just enough of a distraction for the vamp that had somehow come along with him to get in a solid blow to his head. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it was enough to knock him through a loop so that the vamp could make a clean break for it.


'Have I really been here for almost two years?' Xander thought to himself sardonically as he studied the view in front of him, having just been jerked back to the present and out of his thoughts. The capital of the Seven Kingdoms was indeed expansive as it sprawled before his eyes. Unfortunately, he was unable to thoroughly enjoy it because the day had been anything but peaceful. The entirety of King's Landing was essentially being plundered and burned to the ground. Fuck, innocent people were dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had struck a deal with every major house to never interfere with their business, and they, in turn, would never hinder his hunt for vampires. He had never regretted the deal he'd made any more than he had that day, but he knew it was necessary.

Getting overly involved with the politics of the realm would only get in the way of the fight, and would only allow the Dark to gain more ground on them. He couldn't afford to let that happen when the Wardens were so newly formed, their position in the world was too tenuous at the moment to risk such things. Still, he knew he would have to throw as many Wardens as could be spared at King's Landing for at least a year. Vampires would be drawn to this blood soaked city like moths to flame for a while even after everything was said and done.

The vampire was a creature that had never before existed within the Seven Kingdoms or any of the lands surrounding them until his arrival. Xander had been fighting a single vampire, and he had been winning. Then there was a change of some sort and they had both appeared in a new world as they continued to go at it. The vamp ran for it when he noticed that he was no longer where he was supposed to be, and seeing as Xander had just been knocked nearly unconscious he got away. That had been all it took. Vampires had just infested somewhere new.

That single spark had quickly begun bursting into a flame, a plague that continued to spread rapidly until someone finally listened to the outcries of their people. That someone had been Rhaella Targaryen. And it was with Rhaella's help he was able to get the ear of Tywin Lannister who'd helped them with a great deal of their initial funding.

Over the next months since he'd found himself in a new domain Xander had attempted to learn as much as he could about it as he tried to track down that original vampire and any he might have turned. What he discovered about Westeros however had not given him any great amount of hope. It was a medieval place that ran on a feudal system that was nothing if not bloody; where the few ruled over the many more often than not with an iron fist, and the people just tried to get by as best they could. Living conditions generally remained the same, but such things did turn for better or worse depending on where one went. Some lords and ladies were kind while others were cruel, that was just the way of it.

Regardless, over time, wherever he went searching for the undead, he had somehow or another gained support. Everyone from farmers and smiths to scholars and warriors began to seek him out for his help. In return they taught him more about their world and he taught them how to defend themselves. Of course there were those who thought themselves better than him, and yes they had inevitably killed more people than him, but he fought with a necessary ferocity that they had no way to compensate for. Xander had to fight brutally and hard every time in order to survive against something naturally stronger than a man could ever really be. He was quick and had a practical kind of cunning about him that those who confronted him had never really seen except in rare instances.

His 'challengers' usually hadn't lasted long against him, though he often had to remind himself that those who kicked up a fuss were regularly still wet behind the ears 'knights' or soldiers looking to prove themselves. That or they were just trying to vent some steam out on a stranger. Most with any real battle experience generally just left him alone. After all, why bother with the man who hunted monsters? He hadn't done anything to them, and he was just trying to help. But the oddest thing for Xander was when some people had started to follow him around. Soon he found himself responsible for a whole slew of people, then one day he somehow found that he had a standard and the people traveling with him were saying that they were under his command. Truthfully, he only remembered mentioning the colors his people now wore (which were predominantly of deep green, silver, and black) in passing, and then not a few days later he noticed that everyone was wearing those same colors.

He eventually just sucked it up, stopped saying that he wasn't really in charge, and started training them in what he knew. Well, more seriously than already had been anyway. Before he knew it he even had a recognizable standard of a lone silver sentry on a field of dark green to a black sky. He also found himself drawing more and more heavily upon what soldier memories he still possessed and along with what little was left of the primal within him. He had needed those few scraps leftover from his previous experiences. Hell, he still needed them most times. But he fought tooth and nail with himself to not get swept up in the moment and forget who he was before coming to Westeros, to a world that was, in many ways, so unlike his own. It had been worth it though; if for no other reason it made it so he could still laugh when he needed to.

And so, despite everything, including more than a few personal delusions, Xander Harris, also now known as simply Alexander to those who didn't know him, had founded and become the Lord and Commander of Wardens. A name that greatly confused and almost offended quite a lot of people until they figured out that he wasn't trying to claim that he was a High Lord. From there word of him and his mission rapidly began to spread, and before long stories of the exploits of him and his group had begun to reach the ears of the real big boys and girls of the kingdoms.

Eventually even the highest in the realm had taken notice of him. The Targaryen's had summoned him to the Red Keep for the first time…

Before the fateful day when the kingdoms had 'officially' learned the truth, Xander had only about 50-60 men and women at his command. They had been the only ones that had come to really acknowledge the truth and be strong enough to actually do something about it. Afterwards Xander found that his forces started to grow at a steady rate, if still slowly, instead of just sporadically and at certain intervals. He was just grateful that most of those new recruits had some sort of training when he'd first found them (or when they'd found him), but regardless he had taught them more, taught them what he knew because he was the closest thing to an expert their world had. But unfortunately, no one of 'higher' birth had taken these new monsters very seriously at first. After all he wasn't a real lord and he held no lands at that time, so in many of their eyes there was nothing about him that they would ever have to take seriously. To them the new vampire problem was a small folk and lesser house difficulty, and therefore nothing for them to be concerned about. They had mostly thought that just having a few of Alexander's Wardens around would be enough to scare these new men shaped beasts off and that would be that. At least until the Queen herself had been attacked.


Flashback:

These men and women fought monsters. She hadn't really believed the majority of the rumors, thought them to be about nothing more than a talented mercenary group with delusions of grandeur, but they were true. Everything Alexander had said the day he met her husband before the Iron Throne was true. These monstrosities, these vampires, looked to be like men, but they only came out at night and only fed on human blood. They were said to be stronger, faster, and difficult to kill. And they were currently trying to tear her encampment apart. Sadly, it looked like they were going to succeed. She and her entourage had been no more than three days away from the Capital and had settled down for the night when they'd been attacked out of nowhere and without provocation. She'd had almost 30 knights and other men at arms accompanying her, not including assorted types of servants, and now it looked as if they had been cut down to no more than ten. Then came the roaring of men accompanied by flaming arrows and bolts…

Around a dozen men and women wearing black, green, and silver poured into her camp just as the last handful of her King's Guard were about to be overwhelmed and quickly turned the tide. These people moved in a way she'd never seen before, is if they controlled a sort of fluid grace that was beyond the grasp of most. It was like she was seeing a new type of predator that she'd never observed before. They knew no mercy; they knew no hesitation or quarter. And if there was any fear to be found amongst them she could not see it from where she looked out beneath her tent while clutching a small dagger. Her guards could not have matched them if they'd tried. Then it was over and all was quiet again. A man stepped forward and immediately started to issue orders. She recognized him instantly as Alexander. The one who fought monsters.

"See to the wounded and make sure the area is clear! Remember to travel with your partners at all times!" He was dressed in a suite of chain with only light plating covering his more vital areas instead of all over like most would. It was a unique style that she saw a few of the others wearing if they were not wearing simple chain and leather, but his were of a noticeably finer quality. Alexander's expression was fierce and dangerously focused as he observed his surroundings with a clinical eye, and Rhaella found herself thinking that this man was something different. That he might truly be something new. She hadn't thought him to be too special before, but she had remembered him none the less. Now she was glad his claims and evidence had been unique enough to BE memorable.

"Who's in charge here? Who commands?" the brown haired man asked, his voice still firm as his eyes scanned the handful of survivors.

"I do." Rhaella spoke out as she stepped forward and away from her tent, still wearing her riding dress from earlier that day. She hadn't taken the time to change before the attack, which she was particularly glad for at the moment. Why a riding dress though? Well, she wasn't much of a carriage person. The few of her men that were still standing immediately surrounded her as they were still distrustful of the strangers who saved them. Understandable, but in this case she thought it to be unnecessary. If he wanted her dead she highly doubted he could be easily stopped.

The moment Alexander turned to face her she saw his eyes widen a little in recognition. It seemed that he remembered her from his short time in the Capital. Good. And judging by the look on his face he hadn't been expecting her presence despite the fact that the Targaryen banners should have been a dead giveaway. To his credit though he recovered quickly as he took a few steps towards her and said,

"Queen Rhaella, I can honestly say that we weren't expecting you here when we saw this encampment being attacked by the group of vampires we've been tracking. Last I heard you didn't leave the Capital much."

"Well, I was just returning to King's Landing after a short trip to the surrounding regions. We were not expecting this assault so we were unprepared for when they fell upon us." Rhaella Targaryen said as she tried to offer her savior and his people a small smile. Unfortunately, it appeared to be forced despite her efforts because the strain of the night's events, and the savagery they entailed, were beginning to catch up with her. Alexander noticed this and gave her a kind and understanding smile to try and comfort her. If anything he silently applauded her; most in her position would be a wreck after seeing just what a group of vampires was capable of. All things considered she was holding herself together remarkably well.

"If you would be willing, we would be more than happy to escort you back to the Capital." Alexander offered, the kind smile never once faltering. Rhaella almost couldn't stop herself from sagging in relief at his words. Of course she would accept, especially now after what she had seen of this new and dark enemy.

"I would appreciate that and will gladly accept your assistance. But what of your work in the area, surely there must be more of them?"

"There always are, but don't worry I have more Wardens in the area. They'll be stretched a little thin for a while, but they should be able to hold things down in this region while we're getting you home. It shouldn't take more than a week to get you there and get back." Alexander explained. Queen Rhaella's men had finally started to relax and had allowed him to get a little closer to their charge as he spoke.

"Very well then, I accept your company on the rest of my journey, gratefully so."

End Flashback:


Despite knowing better, the reception that greeted him when he and the other Wardens had shown up to the Red Keep with the queen in tow had not been what he'd expected. If anything he'd thought that when he got there with her safely he and his would be rewarded with some much needed supplies or coin. He'd ended up with that and so much more.

Before that time the newly formed Wardens had pretty much been nothing more a small roaming army without any central place of operation. Everyone wanted at least a couple of them around, but no one wanted them to follow any rules but their own. So Alexander and his people had to keep moving or risk falling under the yolk of some house or another that only thought of itself most times. But without a real place to settle and rest there was no way for him to set up any true training regiments or structure outside of the very basics for the majority of his people. As a result many new recruits either died quickly or went home when they realized that the glory they thought they could obtain by fighting monsters instead of men was harder won then they'd expected. The ones who stayed and survived though eventually became true wonders on the battlefield. They had grown used to fighting creatures that should have only existed in nightmares. So what were a few men to them?

When they had reach King's Landing after rescuing the Queen it had been like a massive wake up call to the higher echelons of the Westeros nobility. If the Queen of all people could be nearly taken by these creatures then so could they. Suddenly Xander found himself practically flooded with requests and gifts from those who wanted to gain any protections that might be offered by the Wardens. Men and women alike came by the dozens at some points to see if they could make it as Wardens, or failing that to see if they could somehow otherwise be of assistance. But the largest contribution came from one Lady Whent. She had given them the most important thing that they had needed from the very beginning. She had given the Wardens the ability to put down a real foundation; she had handed them Harrenhal. Of course when she had first approached Xander with the idea of housing the Wardens within the ancient fortress he'd been justifiably cautious before he learned of her circumstances.

She was the last of her line, she had no heirs and her husband had died soon after the ill-fated tourney that had helped result in the Kingdom's current high levels of tension. She didn't want the lands to go to another, most likely unworthy, house when she was gone when it could be used for a much more important cause then a simple showing of wealth. And so it was decided that Harrenhal would become the home of the Wardens, where Alexander could better train and maintain those under him. But this gift was not without its drawbacks. The castle and its surrounding acreages was the largest in the land and said to be impossible to garrison, keep warm or cool, and nearly all in ruin even before Whents became nearly extinct. That and it was supposed to be cursed. So if Alexander accepted this offering he would have his work cut out for him.

And so he did. After taking Lady Whent up on her offer he had quickly gotten to work on repairing the massive keep and creating a sustainable infrastructure for the Wardens to thrive in. This had taken the most work he had ever willingly done in his life, and more than a few sleepless nights. The first thing that had to happen was the moving of skilled farmers and ranchers onto the lands surrounding Harrenhal and setting up the newly minted Warden Lands' internal economy. This proved to be difficult so he ended up having to call in a fair deal of help. Fortunately, Xander had made an ally and friend out of Queen Rhaella over the months since her rescue and she was now often found at Harrenhal when she wasn't at the Capital. This had initially caused a number of uneasy stirrings within some circles as the rumors regarding King Aerys' increasingly erratic behavior continued to grow in prominence, but they subsided after a handful of months.

The next thing Xander had to turn his attention to besides making sure any new recruits, craftsmen, farmers, or servants were coming along as they should (along with keeping those already there up to snuff) was the keep of Harrenhal itself. Simply put, it was too big. They had no need of the space provided so the very first thing Xander did was begin downsizing a good deal of the structure. He took any part of the keep that was truly unneeded or too ruined and had them torn down so that the materials from those areas could be used to repair and strengthen the parts of the keep that would actually be used. It had been a massive undertaking, but because they already possessed many of the raw materials they needed from the old castle itself it was nowhere near as expensive as it could have been. It had taken months of hard work from everyone involved, but it had been worth it as Harrenhal now looked downright respectable.

The walls and gates were now twice as thick as any know structure short of THE Wall itself. It was thoroughly stocked for a lengthy siege, let alone standard day to day operation. And, most importantly all ceilings except those that needed to retain heat, stay dry, or be particularly secure (Libraries, personal quarters, armories, and the like for example.) had a roofs that kept rain out, but let sunlight stream in at angles freely. This was better, if only for making it slightly more difficult for any braver than usual vampires to wander their halls. Granted it wasn't much, but at least it was something. Especially since Xander had noticed a small difference in the interactions between vampires and the sunlight of this world. In his old world a vampire could hang out in thick enough shade during the day and be relatively safe from the sun's output, but before this new sun they were almost just as vulnerable in the shade as out of it. They had to be out solely at night or completely concealed from the sun's fiery gaze. Chock up one more advantage, even if it was seen as a somewhat slight one, for the good guys.

In the end though the resettlement of Harrenhal and its surrounding lands, the supplying of those that had the ability to become Wardens, the establishment of a standing/trained militia, and insuring the security of the Warden Lands for those who resided within them had cost more money than he had to spare. This was despite several healthy donations from the Targaryen coffers via Queen Rhaella and the resounding lack of attention from an increasingly unhinged King Aerys.

That was when Tywin Lannister first truly introduced himself to the new Warden Lord. The two of them had met briefly a couple of times when Alexander had first been brought to King's Landing, and then again with the rescue of the Queen. Xander's first impression of him had remained true from the very first time he had met the man onto when he suddenly showed up at Harrenhal with barely a two day warning. He knew that Alexander would need financing to finish securing his place in the Kingdoms, and he also knew that the Wardens would start to become more and more prevalent as time passed. One might have been able to say that the Head of House Lannister had a nose for opportunity, and he saw opportunity in Alexander and his Wardens.

Xander hadn't liked the idea of striking a deal that would end with the Wardens in debt so soon after they'd emerged, but at the advice of the Queen, who he was in regular contact with, he had accepted the offered loan and assistance. To smooth things over and to give a good showing of 'appreciation' for the help Xander sent two whole troupes of 16 fully trained Wardens a piece to patrol Lannisport, Casterly Rock, and the surrounding areas for the undead. Seeing as most areas had maybe 4-7 Wardens to patrol whole towns and rural areas this was quite a lot. Especially when one took into account the fact that there were no more than 300 Wardens to begin with at that time, because of the severe training that they had to endure in order to become one.

As expected this had the effect of getting many Houses to start thinking that the Wardens were now in Tywin Lannister's pocket. This wasn't true, and both the Warden Lord and the Lion Lord knew it, but Alexander had just taken a 250,000 gold dragon loan from the man and he wasn't sure he'd be able to pay it all back in any less than a few decades. So he made an effort to put forth some good will; a gesture that was more than appreciated from Lion of the Rock.

It had been no more than a year and a half since Alexander had come to their world and his rise to prominence was seen as nothing short of meteoric by most. Unfortunately, the tensions that he had fallen into the moment he came to be noticed by the so called elite exploded when not a year after the Tourney of Harrenhal, and the essential fall of House Whent, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen abducted Lady Lyanna Stark of Winterfell. War soon followed, and where there was war Xander knew that there would be an increase of vampire activity, which made him start scrambling to strengthen his reserve of Wardens as much as he could while increasing all efforts so as to keep the undead population from booming amidst the carnage. This, unfortunately, had the side effect of drawing his gaze away from King's Landing, where had he started to hear some rather disturbing things, and towards the rest of the country as he and his lieutenants started having their attentions, and the attentions of every other Warden, stretched thinner and thinner in an attempt to keep up with the escalating violence of what they were now calling Robert's Rebellion.

And then it happened; he heard from the few Wardens left in King's Landing that the Targaryen King had just turned his cruelty up several notches one day for no apparent reason. By all reports the throne room and royal quarters were completely blanked out so as to keep out the sun, and the sounds coming from the throne room and the dungeons both were said to be truly horrific. So when the Wardens stationed in and around King's Landing hadn't heard from their compatriots stationed in the Red Keep for almost a week and couldn't get in themselves they sent an emergency message to request for immediate reinforcements. Xander heard this and instantly knew what it meant.

At the very least the King had been turned. And so, for the very first time since their official founding almost a year ago earlier, the Wardens picked an army to join up with and marched in force. It didn't take overly long for King's Landing to fall with help from the inside via Grand Maester Pycelle and the few Wardens left in the area. Sadly there were many more than a few missing because King Aerys had attempted to have them hunted down over the last while. And if it hadn't been for his own Queen swallowing down her fear of him and secretly interfering he would have succeeded in getting all of them.

As it was Xander almost felt sorry for Prince Rhaegar and the situation he probably walked into upon returning to the Capital after almost dying at the Trident. Keyword being almost… If it hadn't been for him thinking with his little head instead of the one on his shoulders none of this would have happened. King Aerys would have eventually been disposed of and peace would have taken hold again. Well, at least until someone else did something stupid anyway. But that was neither here nor there.


"My Lord! Lord Alexander!" Briant, one of the very first Wardens that he had ever trained, and one of his best and most trusted lieutenants, called out as he came rushing over to Xander as his commander tried to find at least a little peace for himself after speaking with Cersei. The only thing we can think of while he walked was that if she wasn't a Lannister he would eat his boots. It had taken a moment for Xander to stop and realize someone was calling out to him; he still wasn't used to this whole 'My Lord' business.

"What is it Briant?" Xander asked as he came to a stop. He was immediately put on his guard when he saw the expression of panic on his fellow Warden's face. "What's happened!?"

"Not what's happened sir, but what's happening." Briant replied as he attempted to catch his breath.

"What's happening than?" Alexander asked again. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"It's Queen Rhaella, my lord. Robert Baratheon has just arrived to the city and is demanding her head along with heads of her children." Briant responded. He immediately had to spring forward to catch up with his commander as Alexander had started in the direction of the Queen's quarters before his subordinate had even finished speaking. After a few minutes what Xander saw when he arrived to his destination was NOT good news in his book. As he turned the final corner before the Queen's rooms he witnessed over ten of his best wardens guarding the entrance to the royal quarters as another larger group of men at arms, bearing the stag of the Baratheons, tried to stare them down.

Straightening his spine and firming his gaze Xander took on the persona of Alexander fully as he started to move forward at a quick stride while calling out,

"Stand down!" He had thought something like this might happen, so the moment he had the people to spare he sent some of his best to guard one their most stalwart supporters (even if it was mostly covertly) and one of the few people in the known world that he could actually call a friend. She had stayed in King's Landing despite the dangers so as to better assist the Wardens as a whole, and her help had saved many lives. Rhaella and he had grown close over the year that they'd known each other and he would not see her or her children harmed.

The Wardens owed her a debt; they never forgot their debts. This new king would not be getting his way today.


AN: So what did you guys and gals think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Hoping to see you all next time. ~Relim