A/N: Hope you are all staying safe. We're about to reopen slowly, but take care to not disregard safety.
And sorry, I've been busy with my graduate program (almost done). This is a slow chapter, but I hope this is worth the wait :)
Aegon IX
Aegon walked amongst the field outside the citadel on the Blackwater Rush, the same field where Orys killed Gawen Gardener and on which his body alongside nine thousand corpses from the Reach lay. After giving them proper burials, he ordered the men to collect their armor and their swords, all of which were to be joined by the others stashed away along with those taken from the dead ironborn at Harrenhal and the dead men at the Red Fork and outside Raventree Hall.
For the time being, the lines in the riverlands had remained stable. They had elected not to advance on Riverrun or on the parts of the region that were not under their control. Even though Riverrun was an impressive fortress and allowed whoever was in control to exert power over the Red Fork, those were the only advantages that it had. Therefore, it would have taken an army and some time to take it from Edmyn Tully, both of which that they couldn't afford to give at this stage in the war.
The threat remained from the west and from the Reach, however. Loren Lannister could still upon an army to strike back, which had the potential of reversing all of their progress in the riverlands if applied at a certain point. Plus, there were thousands more that Mern Gardener could call upon and they had to retain their advantage gained thanks to Orys.
As Aegon thought on all of the dangers that lingered against them, his thoughts turned on a rather innocuous matter.
"Not sure what to do with all of the blades, Jae," Aegon told Jaenyx.
"What do you mean?" Jaenyx asked.
"It seems rather… burdensome for us to possess such a high volume of swords if they have no wielders. There might be some value in melting them down and turning into more swords or other things that could be used, but seems like a waste still," Aegon thought aloud.
"You're right," Jaenyx agreed. "So, we have to make a new use for them, one that no other ruler has ever thought of."
Aegon turned to Jaenyx, his eyebrow raised in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well… you are a king after all. You have to have a throne, as all rulers should."
"Wouldn't the dragonglass throne on Dragonstone be sufficient?" Aegon saw no problem with that.
"Maybe, but we are bringing about change in Westeros. And the throne on Dragonstone has been around since before we were both born. If we used a throne that already exists, that would defeat the purpose of what we're trying to do, wouldn't it?" Jaenyx asked.
Now that his good-brother brought it up, Aegon saw the sense behind his words. "So, what do you suggest?"
"For now, we continue using Dragonstone as a capital until the war is done. But once our station as rulers has been cemented before all on this continent, we have to start thinking about a new capital, and thus a new throne," Jaenyx pointed out.
"How?"
"Well, the citadel behind us is a good start," Jaenyx pointed to it. "It's located on three hills, it commands the entrance to the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, and it's already defensible. Since it was built with our own hands, we should relocate all of our activities from Dragonstone to this citadel. That way, we can say to all that the new capital was built using our own efforts instead of relying on the efforts of those who have lived past our time."
"Any suggestions on what we should name the citadel after all of that is done?" Aegon inquired.
"Well, this is the first place where we landed on Westeros as we struck back against the ironborn and King Argilac. Something that symbolizes that moment would suffice, but it should also be a name where anyone can understand the meaning," Jaenyx added.
Aegon rubbed his chin and thought about the name. "What about… Dragon's Landing?"
"Hmmm," Jaenyx said aloud before shaking his head. "As tempting as that sounds, doesn't exactly have that punch when people think of places of importance. How about this? What do you think of when you hear the name 'Harrenhal?'"
"It's a large fortress that was supposed to represent Black Harren's control over the riverlands and show to all that he is unstoppable," Aegon answered.
"Exactly, Egg," Jaenyx nodded. "And what do you think of when you hear 'Storm's End?'"
"A mighty place where even the gods couldn't drive out Durran despite all of their efforts, proving that he was a match for the gods," Aegon replied.
"As you probably learned, the places mentioned have a deeper meaning behind them, but all represent the history behind them. Well, Harrenhal had a rather short history compared to Storm's End, but you seem my point, right?" Aegon bobbed his head. "Good. So, the citadel behind us. It has to have a name that represents the history behind it, even though it was only several moons ago."
Aegon scratched his head in contemplation. "But isn't Dragon's Landing representative of that?"
"That would imply that only dragons live there and that is the only place that they would rest, which isn't true. Dragons can land anywhere and can be everywhere, which is what we want people to understand. The meaning has to represent us, the dragon riders," Jaenyx explained.
Aegon sighed. So, this is what I have to worry about. Setting precedents. He didn't deny the sense behind his good-brother's words, but he never thought about having to deal with such matters for a long time. But if I am going to set a good foundation for our rule, I have to set a good example for others to follow, including my children.
"How about… King's Landing? Although we didn't set foot on Westeros to become rulers, that is what we will be in the end. I could say 'Rulers' Landing,' but doesn't have that kick in the words that we want others to feel," Aegon proposed.
Jaenyx pursed his lips in thought before bobbing his head. "I like it. Although Rhae might be a bit offended that you said 'King' instead of 'Queen.'"
"You know what? That's not a bad idea also," Aegon said before acting like a herald. "Make way, for the queen is landing!"
Jaenyx snorted. "I'm going to tell her that you said that. You might have you bend the knee to her after that."
Aegon snickered. "Oh, gods. Don't I do that already?"
"Wait, what?"
Shit. "Um, nothing."
"Wait, wait. Do you… do the… thing with your tongue?"
Aegon laughed nervously, knowing exactly what he meant. "Um, Rhae does that more than I do."
Jaenyx shook his head in amusement. "Oh, my. So different from Vis then."
"How do you do it with Vis? She's not an easy woman to please, as you know," Aegon crossed his arms.
"Well, after our first time, I did this to her," Jaenyx wiggled his fingers into a hole that he made with his other hand. Ah, so that's his secret.
"So, you pleasure her before you both do your business?" Aegon concluded.
"I'm not sure if we should discuss this out loud, but yes. And then sometimes, she pleasures me," Jaenyx admitted.
Aegon chuckled. "My gods. Thanks for the ideas, Jae."
"My advice," Jaenyx put his arm on Aegon's shoulders and pulled him for a whisper. "Go all in with your fingers. You're both dragons, so she should handle it."
Aegon slapped his good-brother's chest before nodding his thanks. "Now about those swords we have, any idea on what we can use them?"
"We need a new place to conduct our affairs besides Dragonstone, and we also need a new throne. We can't use gold or wood or any other trinkets because that would debase our rule from the start," Jaenyx said.
"How so?"
"We need a throne that is special, that can't be made by other's efforts, or the meaning of the throne would be erased since anyone can make a seat of gold. The material has to be something that cannot be easily molded and only by us, since it shows that only those with dragonblood can sit on it," Jaenyx explained.
He keeps giving such good ideas, Aegon mused. "The swords, then?"
Jaenyx smiled. "Now we're talking. But we should wait until our enemies are vanquished. That way, we have all of the swords from our foes, which we can use to forge the new throne. A throne made of iron and steel."
Aegon nodded in approval. "I like it, Jae." He then snapped his fingers. "That reminds me. You were going to teach me on how to conduct proper information-gathering."
"Right," Jaenyx remembered. "Follow me."
Walking back to the citadel, they went into their manor and the solar, where pieces of parchment were laid out across the table.
As the master of whisperers, Jaenyx was responsible for collecting all of the information that the family and their allies needed to stay one step ahead of their adversaries. He taught Aegon to organize any tips and other pieces of information in a chronological order, as any other categories would make organizing their sources into a cohesive network more difficult.
"But why do you have so much parchment?" Aegon asked. "What if someone sneaked in and grabbed them?"
"Well, I have a solution to that," Jaenyx said as he grabbed a bunch of parchment and threw them in the burning hearth. "There's a process for each parchment written. You have to write down every piece of information onto them until you judge which to retain and which to burn. A clear objective is important to any information you gather, as that will narrow down which sources to trust and which tips to act on. And having several parchments allows me to cross-reference each report and see which tips are the most trustworthy. Do you understand, Egg?"
"I would like a demonstration," Aegon requested, which Jaenyx nodded to.
"All right. Take, for example, this report I got from one of my agents on the lines near Riverrun. She told me that the Lannister cavalrymen have gone silent ever since Gawen Gardener died and that there is talk about the Reynes being angered at Lord Weslar's son Ser Bailen being imprisoned at Casterly Rock."
"Why was he imprisoned?" The case regarding House Reyne was very interesting to Aegon ever since he met the Lord of Castamere near Harrenhal alongside King Loren and his other lords.
"Apparently, he was the castellan of Casterly Rock when we rescued Orys and he was punished for dereliction of duty," Jaenyx answered before picking up another piece of parchment. "Now, this report talked about the movements of the Reyne cavalry retreating back towards western mountains instead of resuming their positions near Riverrun. If the cavalrymen sworn to King Loren remained active, we'd hear about their movements in either the riverlands or in the Reach. From these two reports alone, what conclusion can be drawn?"
Aegon caught on. "There are problems within the ranks of the Lannister bannermen."
"Correct," Jaenyx set both reports down on the table. "Now, the next step is to find a way to exploit that. While we remain united, we must seek discord among our enemies. And once disunity reigns, the fight will become much easier for us."
"How do you suggest we cause discord?"
"Using the right person at the right time, but I'm still thinking," Jaenyx answered.
"Konno Haru must've taught you well. You know everything there is to know about manipulation and getting information, it seems," Aegon noted.
"Well, you don't become an assassin without learning at least a few tricks," Jaenyx said. "And once this war is over, you're going to have to do some manipulation on your part. Peace is not really peace, as it's just fighting without all of the bloodshed."
Aegon had to agree. There were tensions whenever he saw his father deal with his partners around the Blackwater Bay and if it went the wrong way, there could've been open fighting between them. My father learned how to operate amongst lords and now I will have to put all of my knowledge to the test.
Then, Aegon saw a piece of parchment on the table that had the title "Words from His Lordship Harlan of House Tyrell, High Steward of Highgarden." Pulling it from under the other parchment, Aegon read the rather large piece thoroughly:
"The Valyrians cannot be trusted when it comes to families. The most notorious example is that of the one who calls himself a prince, Jaenyx Belaerys. He is a man of repressed tastes, all of which are only aimed at others who carry the blood of old Valyria. He isn't loyal to his wife Visenya Targaryen and in fact seeks comfort in the arms of whores from Lys, which he visits every week on his dragon and spends most of the week with them. It is said that he draws more pleasure from between the legs of Lysene whores than he does his own wife, which says much about what kind of a man this Jaenyx Belaerys is, as he seeks to introduce Valyrian traditions to Westeros and thus foster disloyalty to our wives and husbands by giving in to our pleasures."
Aegon was shocked. He knew that this was not true, but here was a parchment that had the seal of the High Steward of Highgarden. He then continued reading:
"This pretender king, this Aegon Targaryen, who claims to rule over us because he crowned himself before northern barbarians and other Valyrians, is a sinner of the highest order. He takes his own sister to bed, but only sees his wife, who fashions herself a queen, as someone he can easily control. Rhaenys is said to a delicate woman of fine complexion, which Aegon uses to his advantage by making her bend to his well. And it was said that he was supposed to be marry his other sister Visenya, the wife of Jaenyx the whoremonger, but he didn't like it because Visenya was just like him. They both like to fight and they both have no mercy for those that slight them. Aegon chose Rhaenys because she was an easy woman and that is what dragons do. They go after easy prey because they can."
Aegon's nostrils flared at such falsehoods. Who the fuck had the gall to write this? He crumpled the parchment in his hands while his arms shook in anger at such slander at his family. There was more, but he couldn't read without losing his temper.
"I wouldn't rip it apart if I were you," Jaenyx said.
That surprised Aegon. "You knew about this?"
"Of course. It's part of my responsibilities," Jaenyx replied nonchalantly.
"And you're not… angry about it?"
"Of course, I am angry," but Jaenyx was quite emotionless about it. "But I know the truth and I won't let others say what my marriage and love for Visenya is like. Just a pack of lies in order to discredit us. You shouldn't let it get to you."
"How can't I? They insulted Rhae and me!"
"This won't be the first time you'll have slander like this," Jaenyx grabbed his shoulders. "When you have power, people will try to take it from you. No matter how much good you do, it's a fact. And this is just one of the ways our enemies try to tear us apart."
"And you're not bothered by what they said about you?" Aegon had to ask.
Jaenyx scoffed. "If I get angry at every slight that comes my way, I won't last very long. Besides, these people have an understanding of family that is based around such a backwater religion. And they're letting their prejudices dictate their thoughts. And this slander is not very impressive."
"But we have to respond to this. I can't let insults to Rhae go unpunished," Aegon meant that.
"And we shall, but in due time," Jaenyx pulled up the parchment that contained the slander. "For now, we know who wrote it and thus we know who to deal with when we eventually march to Highgarden. We'll decide whether to kill this… Harlan Tyrell or punish him severely for such slander at that particular time. But for now, we have to focus on the war."
"And how goes our progress in the Vale?" Aegon asked.
"Very good," Jaenyx was glad to switch the topics. "Visenya won and thus presented a grave danger to the Eyrie. I got reports that the Vale lords are sending more of their troops to the Vale proper to deal with Vis and Lord Umber. This will allow the troops under Rhae, Lord Snow, and the Mormont sisters to make their way to the Eyrie relatively undetected."
"Good," Aegon nodded. "I also heard from Orys that they're about to launch a major offensive against Prince Edmund along the Slayne."
"About time," Jaenyx responded. "The stormlands have to be liberated before we deliver the lethal blow."
"Agreed. So at this point, we have to start moving on the northern Reach," Aegon looked at the map.
"The sooner we do so, the sooner we can press our advantage," Jaenyx assented.
"I shall inform Lord Torrhen and the northern lords of our plans," Aegon concluded.
Later that day, Aegon informed Torrhen Stark, Larence Karstark, Ethan Reed, Warrick Manderly, Joseth Glover, and Rogar Bolton about their strategy while Jaenyx told Rhaedar Tarareon, and Aevor Rahitheon.
The next morning, twenty-five thousand men marched from the Blackwater Rush towards the Mander, with Warrick Manderly showing a particular excitement over visiting the river from which his family took its name. Aegon and Jaenyx flew above the army on Balerion and Cloudwynd, both making their presence known through their rowars.
The Reach shall see what happens when they try to provoke us, Aegon promised.
Aegon stood in front of the walls of the castle of Tumbleton. The army had just come within sight of the market town of Tumbleton, which was near the source of the great river of the Mander, and this was only the first step into assaulting the most important kingdom sworn to the Faith coalition.
The town, founded during the famed Age of Heroes, was about fifty leagues or over one hundred and seventy miles southwest of their citadel on the Blackwater Rush. But that town was not the major lynchpin for control of the entire northern Reach. It was merely a steppingstone towards their first major objective, Stonebridge.
Aptly named after the old stone bridge that spanned the length of the Mander, Stonebridge was not a particularly well-fortified town, with its castle not especially tall, and would not be too difficult to take once Tumbleton was secured. At the same time, it wouldn't take long for the Reachmen to ascertain their goals and once Stonebridge was taken, they would respond accordingly.
Aegon knew that the enemy knew that the key to triumph in the Reach was to control the Mander and then Highgarden, the castle built by House Gardener in the days of Garth the Gardener and from which his descendants expanded their control over the regions near the Mander. All of the areas north of the river represented the literal breadbasket of the Kingdom of the Reach, in which all of the harvests were stored within Highgarden.
But taking Highgarden and the Mander would not be easy tasks by themselves. Despite the death of Prince Gawen and the decimation of the Reach's reserves, the Reachmen still had Mern the Ninth of His Name and his heir Prince Edmund to rally around. They also still commanded forty thousand men, some of whom could be diverted back to the Reach even though it might weaken their positions along the Slayne in the stormlands. Also compounding their difficulty was the city of Oldtown itself, probably the largest city on Westeros besides Lannisport.
Aegon had been there before in addition to the Arbor, both of which he was accompanied by Visenya. It was a massive city made of stone and cobbled avenues, with activity down at the ports bustling day and night. Goods and people from all over the known world had congregated on the docks, the only place within Westeros where they could, and Aegon remembered purchasing some silk from a Volantene merchant, which he gifted to Rhaenys on her name-day. How she smiled over her brother-husband giving her such a rare commodity was one of the things that Aegon kept remembering. Well, before they became a married couple and they made love, which resulted in their child. Hope she's doing all right in the Vale.
Going back to the strategic situation, taking Oldtown and the parts of the Reach further south required expertise that they did not have at that moment. Sieging a castle was already filled with much complications, as the besiegers had to be regularly supplied and their equipment remaining in good condition. There was no telling how long a siege would last, and there were many castles deep within the Reach that would require efforts that would dwarf their actions at Harrenhal.
Sieging a city, on the other hand, required an army that would vastly outnumber the city garrison and any member of the population that would take up arms. For a port city, they would need ships to cut off all supply routes from the sea and ensure that all fishing boats were destroyed. They would also need thousands of siege equipment and good information on where to strike in order to minimize casualties, but heavy casualties were still unavoidable in sieges. The only reason why Harrenhal was burnt was because they had dragons.
Balerion, Meraxes, Cloudwynd, Vhagar, Oceanwave, and Vermidrexes could easily burn the city to the ground, and Aegon wouldn't mind if the Starry Sept or the Citadel both disintegrated from dragonfire. Regrettable, since I did enjoy learning what I learned from the maesters there. At the same time, Oldtown was the center of the Faith of the Seven and destroying such a city would validate the Faith's perceptions on the dragons and their family. So, they would have to resort to a more gradual process of introducing people to the Valyrian faith without sparking widespread unrest for which the Valyrians were ill-prepared to handle.
For the moment, Aegon and the family had to resort to conventional styles of siege, particularly for Oldtown. But at that moment, they had neither the ships nor the manpower to take on such a large city. To get both, they would have to get from any houses that would defect to their side, which was easier said than done given that the dragons had no intention of becoming followers of the Faith among other things.
Another way that they could gain additional numbers for their army was to destroy those that would resist them. At least for the Reach, Aegon knew that the Gardeners had to be eliminated, as their hold over the Kingdom of the Reach would make them dangerous foes even if they did surrender. They were not ironborn, but they were too well-entrenched within the Reach and should the Gardeners get ideas to rebel, tens of thousands of men would flock to their banner. But who would gain Highgarden and rule the Reach for us?
Since the Valyrians and Northmen were outnumbered, they needed to show their strength and how numbers were irrelevant. The dragons helped gain and regain the riverlands, and the dragons helped take the stormlands from King Argilac. The same had to happen for the Reach and only after the kingdom is secure would the family engage in other activities such as dealing.
The best way to accomplish that was to draw out as much of the Reachmen as they could. Striking at Tumbleton and then at Stonebridge would accomplish that, as the northern Reach, particularly the parts that go along the Mander, represented the most populous and fertile lands of the kingdom besides those around Oldtown. It was in front of the walls of the small market town did Aegon and Jaenyx, along with Torrhen Stark, Larence Karstark, Ethan Reed, Warrick Manderly, Joseth Glover, Rogar Bolton, Rhaedar Tarareon, and Aevor Rahitheon, gather in front of its small castle. From they gathered, only forty men were garrisoned in it at any given time. In the face of at least twenty thousand men and two dragons, Tumbleton falling was an absolute certainty.
However, Aegon didn't want to deny the castle a chance to see reason. "You sure you want to do this, Your Grace?" Lord Larence asked. "We can take them before supper."
"I appreciate your zeal for combat, Lord Larence," Aegon said. "However, there is a time to fight and a time to talk. In this instance, let's give words a chance."
"He has a point, Larence," Torrhen turned to the Lord of Karhold. "There's less than fifty men there. You really think that they have a chance against us?"
"Also, we can't afford to spend more time and expend more effort than necessary on small skirmishes," Jaenyx added. "We must get to Stonebridge with all possible haste."
"Exactly," Aegon nodded. "Before the Reachmen react to us, we have to secure as much of the Mander as possible. The more lands we seize, the better our position becomes."
"Understood," Larence finally bobbed his head.
The doors of the small castle opened, from which a small band of men each carrying the sigil of House Footly, a field of silver caltrops on a black field, stepped through. An older man, presumably Lord Footly walked up to Aegon before stopping at a safe distance. Seeing Balerion cast his shadow over the small town and Cloudwynd circling the sky with him, the older man looked back at Aegon and sighed.
"Who are you, my lord?" Aegon asked him.
"I am Abelar of House Footly, Lord of Tumbleton," Lord Footly introduced himself.
"You are speaking to Aegon Targaryen, the King of Westeros, Lord Abelar. Address him as 'Your Grace!'" Jaenyx hissed.
"And who are you?"
"My good-brother, Prince Jaenyx Belaerys. You know him as the Blue Dragon. Address him with respect!" Aegon scolded him.
"Respectfully, I know no king but the King of the Reach and Lord of Highgarden, and he is not here at the moment," Lord Abelar tried to put a strong front, but was somewhat shaking at how much power he was facing.
"Brave man, aren't you?" Aegon had to admire his defiance, even though it was misplaced. "But perhaps you don't know the situation, Lord Abelar. I am here to unite this continent under one ruler and make the Seven Kingdoms into one, but I do not intend to have a quarrel with every small lord that comes my way. You have an opportunity here, a chance to set yourself in a very good position under my family's rule, and maybe come out ahead of your rivals."
Lord Abelar looked unconvinced, but Aegon saw just a little part in his eyes shift. Appeal to their selfish natures, as Jae suggested.
"Of course, honor is something prized among the pious and I would not stop you if you chose to resist on behalf of your king. Then again, I would not interfere should the troops that you see here right now storm your castle, kill every man within the walls, and take what they want from the town. In times of war, such things happen, and I hope such an eventuality does not come to this beautiful town," Aegon said with some half-heartedness. Come on. Just say you'll surrender.
"What about your dragons?" Lord Abelar pointed up to them.
"If you are afraid that I will burn this town if you don't surrender, let me say that your fears… are well-founded," Aegon stated, to Lord Abelar's surprise. Why would he be surprised?
"You will burn this town and the smallfolk within?" Lord Abelar was beginning to fail in hiding his fear.
"As if you'd care about them," Jaenyx said. "You probably never interacted with most of them in your worthless, pathetic life and the only reason why you'd be concerned about them is because they fill your pockets with taxes."
Lord Footly blinked, not expecting Jaenyx to say such cutting words to him.
"There are many ways for this to end, Lord Abelar, most of which will not end well for you and your house," Aegon continued. "But surrender and swear fealty at this moment and not only will all of you be spared the pain of fire, you may expect due rewards to come for your loyalty. I understand that you have standing rivalry with House Caswell at Stonebridge."
"And is this where you promise my house his seat?" Lord Abelar continued to be defiant, causing grumbles among the commanders. Jaenyx groaned, becoming increasingly bored at Lord Footly's stubbornness.
"No," Aegon shook his head. "But join us and House Caswell shall be your rival no more. You have much to gain by siding with us, rather than the nothing that awaits you if you continue to act like this."
Lord Abelar exhaled, fearful of the possibilities that would come no matter if they were beneficial or detrimental for his house. "The word of a Footly means something—"
"What does it mean exactly?" Jaenyx cut him off. "I never heard of your house until I came here and I'm sure that the rest of the men here did not even know your name." Torrhen and the northern lords chuckled at Lord Footly's expense. "If you're going to talk about honor and all that, at least support your words with past examples. As far as I can remember, you don't have any."
Lord Abelar gulped, giving Aegon his final opening. "Now, do you see my point? It's possible that your wisdom in the face of our strength will be recorded and your house can have words that mean something. Because as of now, you don't."
A few moments passed as Lord Abelar Footly thought through his options. Finally, he drew his sword, causing Aegon, Jaenyx, Torrhen, and the northern lords to reach for theirs, before he knelt down and buried his blade in the dirt. "I, Abelar of House Footly, Lord of Tumbleton, swear fealty to Aegon Targaryen, King of Westeros, and to Prince Jaenyx Belaerys. May the gods bear witness to my oath."
The rest of the party followed suit, drawing their swords from their scabbards and kneeling before Aegon and Jaenyx. Resting his hand on Blackfyre's pommel, Aegon walked up to Lord Footly and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"As King of Westeros, I accept your surrender. Tell your troops to hand over their arms to the troops and tell your factor to give me an accurate reporting of the food stores within the town. The army will need it," Aegon ordered him.
"But, Your Grace," Lord Abelar gulped before saying the proper address. He's getting used to it. "You can't just take our food. The people need it."
"We can," Jaenyx corrected him. "You might have seen reason, but don't forget that you answer to us now."
"That's right," Aegon agreed. "But rest assured. I have no intention of starving the townspeople. We will take only what we need, and we'll move on. You have my word on that."
"Thank you, Your Grace," Lord Footly dipped his head while still on the ground. Aegon bid him to stand up before turning to Torrhen.
"Have the men find quarters in the town and send scouts to Stonebridge. We move on that town by first light," Aegon ordered the Lord of Winterfell.
"Yes, Your Grace," he complied before following Lord Footly into the castle alongside the northern lords. As for Jaenyx, he issued orders to Lord Tarareon and Lord Rahitheon in High Valyrian, which Aegon understood as him getting both to fortify the town in case of attack.
"Easy start, Egg," Jaenyx noted.
"But it'll get harder from here," Aegon replied.
"I know. I have a feeling that the course of this war will be decided in the Reach. We must win here, or we'll face a longer war," Jaenyx warned.
Aegon sighed before nodding in agreement. "Let's get some rest before we move on to the next town. Much work to be done."
A/N: And thus, we have our first mention of House Tyrell. But given their canon behavior, did they really publish that piece of slander because they actually believe it or is something else going on?
So, now we have a three-pronged assault on the Faith. Aegon and Jaenyx are moving on the Northern Reach, Visenya and Rhaenys on the Vale, and Orys on the stormlands that are occupied. Only the dragons can accomplish this.
And I hope that I covered the King's Landing and Iron Throne background well, especially the logic behind it.
Next, we have Rhaenys being the diplomat in the Vale