Hi,
Can you let me know what you think of the new summary for the story – Is it better than the original – more encompassing of the story? Or do you hate it?
Chapter 96: The North Remembers
A few minutes later …
City Streets (Middle level), Casterly Rock, Westerlands
All the wights in one pulsing wave either crumbled into a pile of bones or thudded to the ground. The surviving soldiers started to cheer and even tears of joy were falling from some hardened warriors' cheeks.
The living had won. The nightmare had ended.
But Tywin knew better than to celebrate; for this war was over but the next had just begun. His eyes flicked to Lord Royce who nodded at him before looking to the sky nervously.
The two leading Lords had already discussed what to do in the event of the Night King's defeat. The only thing stopping Tywin from giving the signal to attack the Dornish was the two bleeding dragons above him. The beasts were clearly injured but they could still rain fire down upon them all the same.
Luckily the decision of how to proceed was taken away from him as lava shot into the sky, engulfing the summit of Casterly Rock in flowing red liquid.
"What in the Seven Hells!?" Lord Royce boomed, standing beside Artys who was equally looking upwards in awe.
A wave of heat passed over the men in the street and smoke could be seen floating upwards into the sky.
"We need to leave," Tommen said, eyes trained on the lava that was slowly gushing from the summit before noting the Dornish were already fleeing down the street that they had spent most of the night defending.
"To the docks!" Tywin shouted to his men while Lord Royce bid the Vale and Northern troops to follow their Lannister counterparts.
The Northmen looked like they were about to argue but the appearance of Robb and Jon with Grey Wind and Melisandre put them at ease.
"King Robb, Lord Snow, I'm glad you're both alive," Lord Royce stated as he brushed past the Stark men.
"Where are you going?" Robb said, clearly thinking they should be following the Dornish down the Rock.
"We can use the lifts to get to the docks, it will be a quicker escape than running the length of Casterly Rock and squeezing through the Lion's Mouth. We can board the Lord Redwyne's ships once we get there," Tywin said.
No argument came back as all there knew there was little time to debate and even if they didn't trust Tywin's word, they could count on the man's desire to survive the night to lead them to the best possible escape route.
Twenty minutes later …
Docks (lowest level) facing the Sunset Sea, opposite end of Casterly Rock to the Lion's Mouth, Westerlands, Westeros
"You still want to do this?" Jon asked Robb as they jogged through the tunnels of Casterly Rock with the Stark bannermen at their backs. "They outnumber us."
"I gave my word to Queen Daenerys. Wait for my signal," Robb replied as they stepped into the open cavern that housed Casterly Rock's docks.
The five piers were brimming with soldiers waiting to board the longboats and cogs that would transport them to the Redwyne fleet. The booming voices of Lord Royce and Lord Tywin could be heard over the din of the queuing soldiers. Robb gathered that the Tyrell host and its commanders had already been ferried to safety and it was now the turn of the Lannisters and Arryns to be shuttled across to the waiting galleys in the distance. It looked like most of their forces were already on their way leaving behind a few hundred souls. Robb was surprised that Lord Tywin hadn't already left but it was time that fortune smiled down on him.
"They don't outnumber us now," Robb said with a wolfish grin, "and Daenerys's Meereen fleet will crush the Redwyne Fleet on the open sea."
Jon only nodded as they led the Northerners forward towards the piers that were stacked with waiting Arryn and Lannister men. Robb's eyes were trained on his target.
Tywin Lannister. He stood at the beginning of one of the piers shouting orders to his men and turned his back to walk towards one of the longboats docked by the pier when Robb's shout stopped him.
"Lord Tywin!"
Robb marched towards the Lord discreetly eyeing the few guards around him hoping no one noticed how his hand twitched near the pommel of Trident's Vengeance.
Tywin turned and watched the young wolf's approach, "You better start getting your men aboard. I don't know for how much longer this area will be safe for and you have a lot of men behind you."
Yes, I do. Robb thought, keeping the toothy grin on his face.
His hand curled around the handle of Trident's Vengeance but before he could begin to unsheathe the sword Jon asked a question that halted his movement.
"Where are Queen Daenerys's ships?"
Robb looked to the sea, and indeed he could only see the sails of the Redwyne Fleet, no Meereenese ships were in sight.
A large hand landed on Robb's shoulder causing him to flinch and spin around.
He came face to face with Artys who clasped him into a friendly hug, "Can you believe we survived?!"
When the young King released Robb, he walked onwards to stand beside Lord Tywin and they nodded politely at each other.
"To answer your question Lord Snow," Lord Royce said passing by Jon left shoulder and stepping onto the pier, "We decided to attack them during the Long Night so they wouldn't play a part in the war for the Iron Throne."
"Why didn't you inform me of this plan?" Robb snapped.
"The North has no ships. Therefore, your involvement in naval matters is unnecessary," Lord Tywin stated, noting the Starks' aggressive tone and stance.
"Don't worry Robb," Artys said pleasantly, still riding the high of victory, "The Meereen ships were all sunk. We can sail straight back to King's Landing while Queen Daenerys regroups her forces and has to march over the land. With any luck, starvation and exhaustion will cripple her host and mayhaps her dragons will die of their injuries too."
Robb forced a smile at the joyous young King as he considered his next move. He knew he had roughly over a thousand Northmen at his back while there couldn't have been more than five hundred Arryn and Lannister men combined left on the piers.
"Where is King Tommen?" Robb asked, forcing himself to remain calm.
"He already boarded the galleys, alongside Ser Loras," Artys said, looking behind him to see men stepping onto the four longboats that surrounded the pier, "Something we should really be doing."
"Why would you want to know where my grandson is?" Lord Tywin asked, his eyes narrowing on the Stark man.
"Because my Queen demands a meeting with him," Robb roared as he released Trident's Vengeance and swung at Tywin.
He was too slow to strike his intended target. Tywin had jumped backwards and Lord Royce had raised his own Valyrian sword to meet Robb's.
"You fucking traitor!" Lord Royce roared into the younger man's face.
The Northmen started to engage the remaining Arryn and Lannister soldiers on the piers and the sound of clashing swords and clanging armour once again filled the open cavern.
Lord Royce pushed Robb away from him, ending their clinch as Jon warily raised Long Claw out at Artys who in turn drew Silver Fang.
Robb looked beyond the two Valemen who were blocking their width of the pier to see Tywin running along the wooden walkway towards one of the remaining longboats.
"Move aside. It isn't you; I want."
"You'll have our heads all the same though," Lord Royce said darkly, understanding that Robb Stark had switched sides.
"You have betrayed House Arryn and Kenna!" Artys thundered not moving an inch as Jon and Robb squared up to him and Lord Royce.
"Kenna betrayed me first by siding with the Lannisters!" Robb shouted.
"She didn't side with them over you, you foolish boy! She sided with you and them to defeat Daenerys Targaryen," Lord Royce said, easily parrying Jon's thrust.
"You bastard!" Artys snarled at Robb as the two halves of Ice clashed together.
"Artys you don't have to support Kenna; you are your own man. Join Daenerys Targaryen and she will name you Lord of the Iron Islands. You will be pardoned when she claims the Iron Throne," Robb near pleaded over their crossed blades.
"Fuck you," Artys spat, "I owe my Aunt everything!"
Robb kicked out at Artys shin causing the younger man to stumble backwards. He used the resulting vulnerability to instinctually lash out with his sword. The tip dug into Artys face and Robb could feel the slight resistance as Trident's Vengeance sliced across his former friend's face from chin to ear.
The cry Artys let out echoed around the cavern and Lord Royce swept the area before him with Honour's Edge causing Robb and Jon to jump backwards.
"Artys?" Lord Royce called out but couldn't take his eyes of the two Stark men in front of him.
Artys let out a moan of pain in reply as he knelt on the floor with one hand clasped to his face with blood seeping between his fingers while his other hand loosely gripped Silver Fang.
"Go to the longboats," Lord Royce demanded knowing the young King was now useless in a fight, "I can hold them off. Leave me!"
Artys pushed himself up as Lord Royce swung Honour's Edge again to ward off the two Starks from advancing. He staggered back along the pier, his vision blurry with blood and pain until a firm hand yanked him into the waiting longboat.
He heard Lord Tywin's voice beside him, "Is Lord Royce coming?"
"He is holding them off for us," Artys grounded out.
Tywin gave the order for the longboat to leave and when Artys protested below him he grabbed the young King's shoulder and forced him down so his back was flat on the bottom of the boat.
"We need to leave now or we'll all be dead and that wound on your face needs a maester. My grandson still needs me as your aunt still needs you."
Artys wanted to fiercely rebuke the elder Lord but as he moved his head a sharp pain racked his entire being and his world went black.
Next day …
Lannisport, Westerlands
"Queen Daenerys requests your presence."
Robb tore his eyes away from the smoking mountain in the distance that used to be Casterly Rock and turned to the dark-skinned Unsullied commander. He nodded and patted Grey Wind, telling the direwolf to stay. Robb spied Jon and Ygritte talking intimately as he walked with the Unsullied through the makeshift camp.
A few moments later he found himself being guided down one of the abandoned roads of Lannisport to an area that looked like it could have been a thriving market place once. Now it functioned as a newly claimed dragon lair.
Daenerys's two remaining dragons were curled against each other, appearing to be sleeping as the silver-haired Queen lightly brushed her hand against one of her children's heads.
The Unsullied commander gestured for Robb to approach. He gulped then started a slow walk to stand just behind the Mother of Dragons.
"How are they?" he asked softly.
"They are injured and need food," Daenerys replied curtly.
"Can they feed themselves?"
"Not right now," she sighed, "They can't fly. They need time to recover."
"To the south, there is Crakehall woods. I'm sure there is a lot of game there."
"Thank you," Daenerys said turning to look at him, "I'm sorry to hear about your brother and sister."
Robb steeled his face to show no emotion, "Thank you, my Queen. My condolences for the loss of Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan. They were fine men."
"I will miss them deeply. They taught me so much of my homeland and what is expected of me as ruler of Westeros but I didn't ask you here to discuss our losses but the future of my reign."
Robb politely waited for Daenerys to continue as she returned to stroking the cheek of one of her dragons.
"Tywin Lannister and Tommen Waters still live?"
"Yes," Robb admitted, "Your fleet was destroyed during the night and Lord Royce blocked us from pursuing Lord Tywin when I attacked."
"A shame. Did you kill this Lord Royce?"
"No, captured him. He is held in the highest regard by Queen Kenna. A useful hostage considering my sister, Lady Shireen, Lord Robin, Princess Myrcella and Prince Oberyn's daughters will most likely be prisoners in King's Landing now."
"What of her nephew?"
"I … cut him but he escaped too," Robb said with a hint of regret in his voice as an echo of Artys's scream rang around his head, "I'm not sure if he will survive the wound I inflicted though."
"How many men do you think they have left?"
"Including the Tyrells, anywhere between ten thousand to twenty thousand. I know the Arryn and the Lannister forces took a battering but the Tyrells were relatively protected from the worst of the fighting."
"Prince Oberyn tells me I have his three thousand Dornish spears, you say you have three thousand Northmen. I have roughly five thousand Dothraki riders and two thousand Unsullied left. Will this be enough to take King's Landing in your opinion?"
"With two fully recovered dragons, yes," Robb calculated in his head.
"Good, that is what Prince Oberyn said as well."
"I would advise we move our forces into the Reach and maybe even take Highgarden. We need supplies for the men."
"I will not move until my dragons can fly again."
"Understandable but we will be handing more time to the Crown to prepare for our assault on King's Landing's walls."
"More time will not spare them from my dragons and do you not want what you bargained for?"
A tight smile crossed Robb's lips, "I did not presume to push the issue as you tended to your dragons."
"There is never a convenient time to bring up marriage to a Queen. You joined my cause and bent the knee with one condition, that I marry you."
"I will be a good husband to you."
"You were once King of the North will you be happy with being my consort? I will not share power."
"I will always want what is best for the North, I can't deny that and hope you will allow me to lead you on all matters that relate to my people but as your consort, I will give you honest advice on any matter you seek counsel on."
"Prince Oberyn tells me you are an honourable man like your father was, and one that can be loyal and trusted. But you just betrayed your allies. What am I to make of that?"
"I'm sure Prince Oberyn told you of how my father lost his head to Cersei Lannister's bastard son and of the Red Weddings where I lost my mother, my wife and unborn child. Tywin Lannister was behind that. I joined Queen Kenna against you because she promised to deliver the Lannisters to me but I doubted her sincerity in that promise after I learned that her children were fathered not by her husband, Jaime Lannister, but by Tywin Lannister."
Daenerys couldn't keep the shock off her face and fully turned from her dragons to give Robb her full attention.
"I'm sorry for what your family have gone through," she linked her hand with his, "But I promise that with me upon the Iron Throne House Lannister will be obliterated and that Queen Kenna and her bastard spawn will not sully the Arryn name any longer."
Robb looked down at their intertwined hands to hide his face, "Thank you, your Grace."
"We will have the wedding ceremony today and tomorrow we can reassess our forces and move on Highgarden."
Author's Notes:
This chapter was all about the reset after the Long Night and establishing the new sides for the 'Last War'.
Did anyone see that Robb betrayal coming or the fact that Daenerys and Robb will be married? I have been foreshadowing it for like half the story with the way Kenna was treating Robb and the breakdown in that relationship recently. Daenerys, imo, marries Robb because she knows she lacks knowledge about Westeros herself and needs a husband that her allies (Dorne) would approve of and he gives her more men to take KL, she would have hoped Tywin and Tommen would have died in Robb's act of betrayal as well but it wasn't to be. Robb married Daenerys because Lannister revenge.
I worry for Lord Royce; I don't think he suits being a prisoner and Artys has his first real taste of friendship betrayal with Robb :(
As asked for, the army strengths are listed below. The Reach army is by far the largest surviving force because they were in the Docks that wasn't the main focal point of fighting/in the Night King's direct path unlike the city streets and walls where the Dothraki, Arryn, Dornish and Lannisters were and I think the Dothraki's style of fighting and lack of amour and experience in fighting in the cold would severely hamper them in the Long Night.
Army Numbers and remaining commanders as they stand at the end of this chapter, for those at King's Landing I have put in brackets:
Targ - Daenerys, Daario, Grey Worm, Melisandre (Shireen, Davos, Robin)
Injured Rhaegal & Viserion; 5,000 Dothraki; 2,000 Unsullied
Meereen Fleet completely destroyed by Redwyne Fleet
Dornish – Oberyn, Trystane (Myrcella, Myriah)
3,000 Dornish spearmen
Starks – Robb, Grey Wind, Jon, Ygritte (Sansa, Jojen)
3,000 soldiers
Tyrells – Loras, Paxter Redwyne, Randal & Dickon Tarly (Margaery, Steffon, +300 guards)
15,000 Reachmen & 50 ships
Arryns – Royce, Artys, (Kenna, Yohn & Jorge, Qyburn, +100 guards)
1,000 Valemen & 80 ships (at Blackwater Bay)
Lannisters – Tywin, Tommen, (Tyrion, Genna, +100 guards)
1,000 Westermen & 10 Lannister ships
Reviews:
Antares Graceford – Too kind! Thanks :) A volcano was a unique and fitting way to go for me but as the writer you never really know if the readers are going to like what you are doing. LOL Royce literally dislikes all of them and now he is stuck with Robb and the Targaryen camp :(
Supremus85 – Cheers, I just think the Long Night was more about the Children of the Forest and the Night King than it was about any of the human characters. Yes, he has and House Lannister in general which is why I get annoyed with Lannister wank (hate this term) accusations for this story.
David Daniel B – Boom! Will there even be an Iron Throne left? ;P Thank you, I seem to have gone very poetic in the last few chapters :D
Guest (commented 4/03/2021) – Is it possible that you are even more bloodthirsty than me? We'll find out somewhere in the next ten to twenty chapters ;)
Mister LaGuardia – Oh wow this was a massive compliment, my face is absolutely beaming! Thank you so much! You've made my day, possibly my entire week! I don't want to comment on the dragons' fate but I don't think their well-being is intrinsically linked to magic, I treat them more as like massive lizards, that can fly and barbecue everything.
Ser Dorito of Aisle 13 – I really wanted to show what the Long Night was about not from the perspective of the humans but from the Children and the Night King's perspective because it was so much more than just a fight for survival. Very tragic to be honest, the Children were trying to save their way of life and the Night King was turned into a monster that lost all feeling with the desire to kill his own kind. Jon the Dragonslayer isn't Targaryen friendly is it lol.
True on Tywin, family is everything, event stunted fools and bastard Kings. I felt Oberyn would have made an attempt to get revenge when he thought the wights would just overwhelm them but Lord Royce is playing defense for everyone.
Deaths are all about timing. I think Tywin's death at the Long Night would make it harder for the Crown Alliance to oppose Daenerys, especially with Robb's betrayal.
Guest (commented 4/03/2021) – GOT is set in a feudal society where inheritance, bloodlines and legacy are everything so sadly it does matter if Tommen is a bastard (if people know). How likeable a character is, is subjective but I think Daenerys's downfall into madness in the TV show needed more episodes to be portrayed but most character aren't entirely 'good' or 'evil'.
NightlyRowenTree – Oh well we'll just have to wait and see. Thanks :)
Death Lantern – It is more Targaryen restoration vs Crown Alliance and what is a 'win' in this universe I wonder …
Ksyuangel – The NK's story ended up being quite poetic. Oh, you know Melisandre always needing someone to serve and obsess over :P I think with the Tywin freezing moment no matter how strong a person you are there is a limit and Tywin's was seeing his two golden twins in wight form rushing at him to remind him of all the failures of his life. I don't think in the moment Tommen knew who he killed so that emotional trauma will have repercussions later on. Everyone loves Lord Royce! He is like a very loyal teddy bear! Well, there really is only the Red Viper left as far as snakes go.
BlackWatcher1234 – Casterly Rock is fucked just like the Eyrie & Dragonstone is but I do believe a volcanic eruption in terms of minerals it brings from the earth's crust is quite beneficial to arable land and mining. Multiple alliance are over it seems ;) 'The sake of balance' that is a simplistic way to look at war casualties but Oberyn does get his hands dirty later on. The Second-to-Last war doesn't sound very catchy and as you'll note from this chapter Robb and Kenna are no longer on the same side so maybe there is only one war left … or a new one yet to brew ;)
Next Up: The identity of the person who released the Sand Snakes is revealed, Sansa finds herself in a dangerous position, while Kenna suffers an emotional loss and retaliates in anger.
If you are enjoying this story please *Toss a coin to your writer, Oh valley of readers* and review, follow and favorite!