At Castle Black…
"Mance's army was closing in on Craster's Keep when we left" Jon Snow told the gathered brothers in the mess hall while Rolfe scarfed down a questionable stew. It could hardly be called "food", but after forty years of living on the stuff, the Ranger had grown to see it as a delicacy. "We saw their campfires from Osric's Hill. They'll reach the Wall before the next full moon".
"I'm surprised you didn't ride over and say hello" Janos Slynt derisively remarked. "The King-Beyond-the-Wall is your old friend, isn't he?"
"We need to prepare" Jon Snow warned.
"We've been preparing" Ser Alliser countered.
"We should seal the tunnel" Snow suggested, eliciting a murmur from the others. "Plug it with rocks and ice. Flood it and let it freeze".
"And how would we range north?" Ser Alliser asked.
"We wouldn't".
"You would cut off our legs, pluck out our eyes, leave us cowering behind the Wall hoping for the storm to pass?"
"We can't defend the gate against 100 000 men" Grenn countered.
"This castle has stood for thousands of years. The Night's Watch has defended her for thousands of years. And in all those centuries, we have never sealed the tunnel".
"Have you ever seen a giant, Ser Alliser?" Snow asked. "I have. The tunnel's gate won't stop them".
"The bars on those gates are four inches thick. Cold-rolled steel".
"And they won't stop them" Snow countered.
"Remind me which order you belong to, Snow".
"The Stewards" Snow replied.
"Are the Stewards responsible for maintaining the tunnel?"
"No".
"Who would that be?"
"The Builders".
"Ah, the Builders. First Builder Yarwyck, Lord Snow here recommends sealing the tunnel, leaving us unable to carry out our duties as sworn brothers of the Night's Watch. Do you agree with him?"
Yarwyck nervously glanced at Ser Alliser before replying "No".
"Given your deep knowledge of the Wildling army, Lord Snow, you and Tarly will take night duties atop the Wall until the full moon. Moving on…"
In Blackwater Bay; near Dragonstone…
Drakon struck the man in the face with the haft of his Valyrian Steel battle axe before sinking one of the heads into his chest. As the corpse slumped onto the floor, the muscular man took a moment to see the fight all around him. He and 300 of his men had infiltrated Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of House Targaryen and current seat of Stannis Baratheon, by way of secret tunnels that led to one of the small villages on the island. Alvyn's information had been correct; Stannis had indeed taken nearly all of his men and left, for a token force was trying to resist them at the moment. Having read about and studied Dragonstone during his childhood, Drakon knew the island fortress inside and out. Another of Stannis' men charged him, and the muscular man steeled himself. He ducked below the man's sword before cutting his leg clean off with his battle axe. As the man screamed in agony, Drakon swung his weapon back and imbedded one of the heads into his opponent's back, killing him instantly. The Blackfyre man was then shoved against a wall by a shield. Turning to look at his newest attacker, he saw a man wielding a sword and shield, with a thick beard and scars across his face. All around them, Drakon's men were slaughtering the meagre garrison Stannis had left behind, and he could tell that this man must be the commander. "Any last words, before you die?"
The other man cracked his neck. "Fuck you!" he spat as he launched into an attack. He brought his sword down in an overhead chop, one that Drakon blocked with the haft of Dragonbreath. The muscular man then shoved his opponent's sword back, only to be shoved to the ground by his shield in turn. Rolling to the side, Drakon avoided another attack as he stood back up. Shouting, he sank his battle axe into his opponent's shield; unfortunately, his weapon became stuck, and the other man wrenched the axe from his grasp. Ducking below a sword slice, Drakon threw his body against his opponent, tackling him against a wall. He then drew his Valyrian Steel dagger from the sheath on the back of his belt, stabbing the man in the neck. The bearded man spat blood on Drakon's face before finally dying moments later.
As Drakon withdrew his dagger, one of his men approached him and said "My lord. We've taken the castle".
The muscular man wiped the blood from his dagger on his dead opponent's sleeve, smiling in satisfaction as he said "Search every inch of the castle, and make sure that all of Stannis' men are dead". The guard bowed before he and the others went about securing the castle. Drakon sheathed his dagger before retrieving Dragonbreath. He then took the time to examine his surroundings; since he was a boy, he had dreamed of visiting the ancient fortress of Dragonstone, to walk the halls that Aegon the Conqueror had walked before the Conquest. Making his way through the halls and corridors, Drakon eventually arrived at the Chamber of the Painted Table. The sounds of crashing waves and seagulls came in through the open wall at the far end, but his attention was focused on the table in the centre of the room. The Painted Table was one of the greatest Targaryen relics in all of Westeros; exquisitely carved in painstaking detail to resemble the continent, it was the greatest map of Westeros in the world. Drakon slowly walked along its side, dragging his fingers across its surface.
"My lord" a voice called, breaking his reverie.
"What is it?"
"We've searched the castle, and all of Stannis' men are dead".
Drakon nodded. "Have 200 men remain here as a garrison along with two of the ships. I'll take the remaining 100 men on the last ship and sail for Claw Isle".
The man bowed before walking away. Drakon had sailed from Dragon's Rest three days prior with four ships and 400 men; he had left 100 men at Driftmark, the castle of House Velaryon situated on the island of the same name, along with one ship. Now that he had taken Dragonstone, he would take the remaining 100 men and sail for Claw Isle, the last island in Blackwater Bay. Once all three islands were secure, he could begin moving more men and supplies to them. Several problems would be solved with this move: he would secretly resume trade from the east and keep it all for himself and the Lords of the Point, he would have secure refuges should the need arise, and he would have a place where Rhaegon and Maelion could grow as large as possible without any prying eyes. With a deep breath, he turned around and walked out of the chamber.
