Game of Thrones

Blood Betrayal

Winter's King: Chapter II

"The last Marsh King died at the hands of King Rickard Stark, and House Reed has held the swamps of the neck ever since."

A scream went out as a man's leg was torn from his body, a huge scaley lizard with long snapping jaws and an armoured tail pulled itself from the murky swamp onto a raft. It's hard scales made it hard for the bronze swords to pierce its side. The creature lurched forward knocking a large bearded man into the swampy waters, more of it's kind pulled the man down into the murky waters and briefly the green brown sludge had a current of red run through it.

A small man with a long trident pierced the lion lizards side and kicked it off of the raft. A great battle raged around them, men leapt from raft to raft in combat, desperately avoiding the muddy waters of the neck. Crannog man fought crannog man, as poison tipped arrows hissed through the air, and clashing tridents rang in the air. "Your men are falling too quickly." The warning came from a small man, wild brown hair and a messy beard, he wore boiled leathers and a cloak of moss covered green wool.

The man he was talking to was a giant compared to him, thick black hair tied on a pony tail and a thick full beard. A pair of cold grey eyes stared from beneath his brow, he wore leather and furs, he carried a shining blue blade of thin ice "What's wrong Crannogman, are you regretting betraying your King now?"

"He betrayed us first!" The Crannogman called back as he dodged a flying arrow "He put The Children to the sword, robbed us of our magic, our Gods."

"Have no fear my little friend" The larger man smiled slightly, "Get me before The Marsh King, and the lands of The Neck will be yours to worship how you wish, bring the Children back if you so desire. Just get me to The Marsh King. The Crannogman and his brethren put their poles in the water and guided their war raft, through the bogs and sink holes, they clashed spears and poles with other war rafts, and forced the ferocious lion lizards back into the depths.

The long haul finally paid off, their raft, and several following them finally came to a floating island, a huge wooden and thatched structure built atop it. "Greywater Watch" The Crannogman called to his larger companion.

He smiled, and leapt from his raft onto the island, he brought his icey blade down in arc, he cut through Crannongman after Crannogman, until one man emerged from the wooden structure. Though short in stature he was broad, flaming red hair cascaded down his back. Blue steely eyes shone beneath his brow, adorned with a crown twigs and leaves. He wore a cloak of leaves, and carried a large trident. "Rickard." He nodded as the larger Ice wielding man stood before him.

"The Neck is no longer yours." He spoke plainly "You will be the last Marsh King, Winter has come for you."

The Marsh King nodded "So this is your war is it Stark?" He sighed "Your father had the Warg King, his brought The Kings of Last Hearth and the Wolfswood to heel, and his cast down The Old Barrow King. So, now you come here to bring The Marshes into Winters Realm… and what, take my daughter to wife? Well then Stark, let's see what Ice can really do, Let's see if you wield it as well as the Walkers did." He whistled, four lizard lions waddled out of the wooden structure, drool dripping from their razor sharp teeth. They lunged forward snapping at The King of Winter, he pierced one with Ice, brought it down in a sweeping motion taking the head off another, he thrust it into the mouth of another and pierced the head of the last. The Marsh King lunged at him, he thrashed his trident forward causing Stark to dodge, he swung it round, Stark got Ice up, the metal trident hit the crystal like blade, it froze and shattered. The Marsh King lunged forward with a fist only to have Ice pierce his heart. He sank to his knees, he looked up at his larger opponent as his eyes closed for the final time. He fell face first to the deck of the floating island.

Stark bent down and picked up the crown of leaves and twigs, hanging it on his belt he turned to the Crannogman that had brought him here. "The Marsh King is dead." He spoke coldly "You are free to call the Children back, to worship your Weirwoods, The Greenhand will be bought but a memory now. Tell me Reed, will you keep your word… will you kneel before me and proclaim me King of Winter?"

The smaller man dropped to a knee "To Winterfell we pledge our faith My Lord. Hearth and heart and harvest we wield up to you My Lord. Our swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to our weak, help to our helpless and justice for all and I swear we shall never fail you. I swear it by earth and water, by bronze and iron, by ice and fire."

"Then rise Reed. Claim Greywater Watch as your own, and hold the neck for me." He turned as a series of light foot steps approached them, a maid of about sixteen years, dressed in green wool, with fiery red hair and shining blue eyes stopped just short of him. She looked down at the fallen body of her father, and with tears in her eyes looked to the man who had slain him.

"My King" She bowed

He looked her up and down and brought a gentle hand to her face "You're pretty." He observed coldly "Kissed by fire as well… you know you'll be coming with me now." She swallowed hard and nodded. He took her father's crown from his belt and placed it atop her fiery red hair. "You'll have a new crown when we reach Winterfell, for now the Crannogmen must know, you and I are one through marriage… one Kingdom at peace."

The girl nodded "Will we be allowed to keep our Gods?"

"Forget The Greenhand, The Drowned God and The Storm Gods, The Old Gods of the Forrest are the True Gods of the land."