Emperor Tytos Tully was standing over a map of Westeros, next to Lord Paramount Tybolt Lannister and Warden of the Neck, Rickard Reed when Theon entered. Lannister and Reed bowed their heads and said: "My Prince"
"My lords" replied Theon and studied the map.
"I could take our fleet and a third of our forces, then I could sail up the sunset sea to conquer Bear Island. From there I can then lead assaults on Deepwood and Sea Dragon Point" offered Theon.
"A good plan, your grace" said Rickard Reed to the Emperor.
"It is. But I will not let the Prince lead the army. Ser Bryce and Qhorin Mallister will go"
"Your grace, I can lead an army same as Lord Mallister!" shouted Theon.
"You can not" said Tytos with a stern, matter-of-fact voice.
Theon stormed out of the chamber in anger. Ser Bryce sat on a bench outside the council chamber with a serving girl in his lap. Ser Bryce was just about to bury his face in the girl's bosom when he saw Theon.
"My prince" he said, "what is wrong?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, Ser. Return to your tits" replied Theon and walked away.
Eight months later
It was noon when the last of the troops arrived at Riverrun, it was Garth Oakheart and troops. They arrived two days after Daryn Rowan, bringing a thousand men.
King Daemon Targaryen had sent envoys to Riverrun when he heard that the Empire was massing their troops. The Emperor had sent the envoy off with vauge assurances and soothing words.
At dusk the lords assembled in the great hall of Riverrun to hear the Emperor explain the plans for the conquest. Theon entered the hall last. He was wearing a black doublet with the arms of House Tully embroidered over his chest. On his head he was wearing a silver circlet, inlaid with sapphires and rubies to reflect the Tully colors.
"Lord Qhorin Mallister and Ser Bryce Reyne will take a third of our fleet and sixteen thousand men, they will sail to Pyke and take a third of Lord Greyjoy's fleet and men. From there they will sail to Bear Island and conquer it, from there they will assault Sea Dragon Point and Deepwood Motte" Tytos took a sip of wine.
"Meanwhile Lord Jonos Arryn will take twenty thousand men and sail with his fleet to Skagos, conquer the island, Last Hearth, Karhold and the Dreadfort. Lord Jason Marbrand joining him as well as Lord Jon Corbray and Lord Lyonel Royce.
"The rest of us will march up to Moat Cailin, where we will split our army in half. One will march on Barrowton, the other on White Harbor. After the towns have fallen the army that assaulted White Harbor, led by Lord Rickard Reed will march on Ramsgate and the other on Torrhen's Square"
Martyn Blackwood raised his voice
"Who will lead the army besieging Torrhen's Square?"
"I will"
The voice came from behind the lords, it was authoritative and decisive. Theon recoqnized it instantly. It was his older brother, Brynden the heir to the Empire.
Brynden was tall with muscular arms and legs, he wore his auburn hair long so it brushed against his shoulders. He was wearing armor as he so often did, it was silvery steel with the leaping trout of House Tully hammered out over the chest, upon his pauldrons the trout was featured once again, in minature models. Brynden carried a helm under his left arm. A greatsword was sheathed upon his back, the sword was half a head taller than Theon with a blade as wide as a man's hand.
"My prince" echoed the voices of the lords in the hall.
"My lords" replied Brynden before he turned to Theon.
"Brother!" he shouted and ran up to Theon and engulfed him in an embrace that punched the breath out of him.
Brynden's wife, Lady Alysane Arryn entered the room with her blonde hair flying around her.
"How many men did you assemble, my son?" asked Emperor Tytos. Brynden had been across the Narrow sea for the last four months, hiring sellswords for the war to come.
"Thirteen thousand lone swords, as well as the Long Lances, the Company of the Cat and the Second Sons"
"Seventeen thousand, a good number" said Garlan Bracken.
Brynden nodded and said: "They're camped four leagues east of here"
"What use are you going to make of these sellswords, father?" asked Theon, intrigued.
"Do you think Targaryen is just going to let us take the northern part of his kingdom? We're lucky he's too much a fool to have gathered his strength already. The sellswords will guard our southern borders" replied the Emperor.
Theon left the hall after dinner and went to Riverrun's battlements and sat down.
"Looking forward to your first battle, brother?" Brynden came walking up to him slowly.
"Father will not let me fight" replied Theon.
"Piss on that, I'll smuggle you into my army"
"How?"
"Leave it to me, brother"
Three weeks later
The Barrowlands, the North, 417 AL
Brynden roared as his sword tore through the northman's mail, leather and skin and intrails, seperating his torso from his legs. Brynden turned around and stabbed a Dustin soldier in the gut.
The prince tightened his grip around the hilt of his greatsword and charged into a mass of Dustin and Ryswell soldiers. He slew four and the remaining ten were felled by Reyne arrows.
Brynden slogged through the snow towards Lord Eddard Ryswell. The lord of the Rills was dressed from head to toe in grey steel and was wielding a mace. Brynden smiled inside his helm before he charged. Ryswell blocked Brynden's first blow, but it split his shield in half and the second broke Lord Eddard's arm.
Lord Eddard fell to the ground clutching his arm. Brynden gathered all his strength and then plunged the point of his swords through Ryswell's armor and chest.
At the death of their lord the Ryswell soldiers abandoned their Dustin fellows to their fate and ran away like a spooked horse. Brynden charged at Rodrik Dustin with his sword raised over his head.
After Brynden's first blow shattered his shield, Dustin threw down his sword, raised his hands and shouted: "I yield! I yield!"
Brynden stopped his blade in the middle of a blow and sheathed it.
"Tully!" he shouted "Tully! Tully! Tully!"
His men didn't echo the call, but instead chanted: "Hostsmasher!"
The northmen had thrown four armies at them that day. The first had been a mixture of the remaining Umber troops, some Stark cavalry, a few Manderly knights and the Karhold spears that escaped the massacre. The second was Stark's main forces, two hundred Tallhart swords and a few hundred Flints, Wulls and Liddles.
The third had been surviving Dreadfort men, the remaining Mormont men and five hundred Norreys, Harclays, Knotts and Burleys. The fourth had been the Barrowton men and the Ryswell swords that Brynden had just battled.
Brynden had Dustin chained up and ordered his men to build a pen for him.
Brynden and his host were four leagues southeast of Barrowton when the first army had descended upon them.
"Send a raven to Lord Roose Dustin, inform him that he will open his gates and surrender his garrison, if he ignores this command I will execute his son and heir"
Maester Eddison nodden and ran off towards his ravens.
