Jon III:

I've been married for 3 months now, and I found I was liking it. Margeary was nice enough and we got along pretty well. She was great at politicking, something which I needed to get better at. I had little patience for pageantry or false words, but she was a natural at it. No doubt one of the benefits of learning at the knee of the Queen of Thorns. Using her charisma and beauty she could control a room like few others, and it certainly helped that she was a great conversationalist. She was kind as well, something which made the marriage more bearable, not to mention we had developed a good relationship in bed. Nights were certainly enjoyable now that I was married, and although there were no signs yet, we had hope that she would soon start to bear children. Her family had left soon after the wedding, all except her grandmother, Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns, and her brother Loras.

I had been able to form opinions about the Tyrells, and to say the least they all ended up being positive. Mace was a fool, but he was a good man. He was a proud man, but he deeply cared for his children. I remembered his face the day of my marriage, once me and Margeary were pronounced husband and wife. I had never seen a man as happy as him that day. It was touching. Loras was a good man as well. Honorable as well, he always tried to present the image of a perfect knight. He was enamored by tales of great warriors in war, and was highly impressed with some of my Stark ancestors after reading of their deeds in our Library. He was a buggerer as well, although I didn't have a problem with that. He had been ordered by his father to stay with Margeary here in the North, most likely to make sure she was safe and happy. His mother, Alerie, was a kind woman, although I hadn't shared enough time with her to make a complete opinion of her.

Willas was good company. He was one of the smartest persons I had ever known, something which more than made up for his disability. When he was four and ten he had ridden in his nameday tournaments, where he suffered a crippling injury at the hands of the Red Viper, Prince Oberyn Martell. It was purely an accident, and since then he and the Prince had become fast friends. He was very politically savvy (it seemed only him and Margeary had gotten that from their Grandmother), and example of this being his choice of marriage, the Tarly girl. With his upcoming marriage to Talla Tarly he had the loyalty of the three most powerful houses in the Reach, those being the Redwynes, Hightowers and Tarly.

Olenna Tyrell, well she was certainly something. Truly a pleasure to be around, her tongue was sharp as a sword. Disparaging comment after comment, she was a breath of fresh air. No matter who you were, peasant or King, she had no care for propriety. I remember the first time I spoke to her, a few hours after beating Loras in the training yard.

"I heard you knocked my grandson into the ground like the silly little boy he is." she greeted me, smiling.

"Lady Olenna, a pleasure to see you." I replied.

"Oh I'm sure Your Grace. Truly it must be a pleasure. Tell me, how do you do?"

"Well enough I suppose. I have had a relatively pleasant couple of days, and you Tyrells truly do make good company. My uncle has taken on some of my duties to help lessen my workload, and so that has certainly helped." I said.

"I am so flattered at your kind words on my House Your Grace." she replied in an obviously sarcastic tone. "If I may ask a question Your Grace, how exactly do your magics work? My granddaughter has been wondering the same thing, but you hadn't been that all that forthcoming when asked."

I replied, "Some magic is inherent, such as that of warging and that of greenseeing. Others, such as the ones performed by more dark practitioners and the Children involve…. other requirements. Such practices are usually forbidden unless allowed by royal decree, and with the Three Eyed Raven working in our favor they cannot be done in secret."

I could see she was a bit disturbed, to be honest I was as well when I had first heard of it, but at least those sacrifices, and they had to be sacrifices since blood was the universal currency for magic, were always picked out from the worst criminals that could be found. I tried to reassure her: "Do not worry, your granddaughter will never be subjected to these dark practices while I rule as King, I personally have never practiced them, nor am I fond of them." I said.

"I see. At least I can say that my dear Margeary will be safe here, and I figure I will as well." she said.

I was confused at that last thing she said, so I asked her to clarify that. She responded in turn: "Well, you didn't think I would leave my only granddaughter alone now did you? Of course I will stay here. Besides, I have such a fascination with your culture now, well I just have to satisfy it." She suddenly looked to the side, my cousin Robb walking right up to us. "I will leave you to talk with your cousin Your Grace. By your leave?" I nodded at her and she left.

Most of our conversations tended to go like that. A few sarcastic remarks, some questions about the North or what I thought about Margeary and her trying to unbalance me by saying something I didn't know. I truly did enjoy those conversations.

I had just been informed of an emergency council meeting. Apparently we had gotten word of important events which had just happened. I got to the council chambers, the rest of them waiting for me. I sat down and they were all grim faced. I figured it must be serious then. They all stood up and greeted me: "Your Grace."

"Sit my lords. Someone, tell me what exactly is going on?" I replied.

They all looked back at each other, until Bran decided to end the silence. "Viserys Targaryen, son of the Mad King, has died. I heard of it while warging through Pentos. It is said that he was killed by Baratheon assasins about one week ago. There has been no word of his sister, Danaerys Targaryen."

I was confused. "I do not mourn the man but neither do I hate him. They would've been a problem for the South, not us. Why is it that there was a council meeting called so urgently after we were informed on this?"

It was the Royal Justice, Roose Bolton, who answered me. "It is important, Your Grace, due to what has happened to the King on the Iron Throne." he said, and then looked at Bran, annoyed. "Lord Brandon, please proceed with the rest of the information."

Bran smirked, clearly amused by Lord Bolton's annoyed state, but then sobered up quickly. "Your Grace, yesterday morning, exactly one week after Viserys Targaryen's demise, Robert Baratheon died in his sleep. Officially his heart gave out due to his debauched lifestyle of drinking and indulging in whores daily."

I grew stonefaced at this. This was no coincidence, something was amok. "And unofficially?" I asked him.

"He was poisoned. It is our thinking that these two events are connected, and this means that someone is actively trying to create chaos. The only problem is that we have no idea as to who that is." he answered.

I grew frustrated, seeing the writing on the wall. "Our intelligence says that the soon-to-be crowned King on the Iron Throne, Joffrey Baratheon, is essentially a religious fanatic. He's reported to have a strong hatred of our Kingdom, either due to his religious belief or to jealousy of our power. This does not bode well for the peace we have with the South. My lords, what are your recommendations going forward?"

Greatjon Umber was the first to respond. "Your Grace, I recommend we start preparing for war. I believe it prudent we march 4,000 men of the Royal Army to join the 1,000 we already have garrisoned at the Twins. A force of that size should be enough to hold any army at bay while we fortify the Neck and Moat Cailin should anything happen. I also recommend we notify lords to begin preparing their men. 60,000 men added to the Royal Army in a march South would be enough to defeat the Southerners." I nodded at that and addressed the council.

"Any against this motion?" No one spoke out. "Very well, Lord Umber, have those men sent out to the Twins. Maester Aemon, send word to the lords North of the Wall to begin preparing their men. Tell the clans and Lords Northstark and Skagstark that they are to stay North looking out for the ancient enemy. They will take no part in our fight down South." I told him. The Free Folk clans and the Northstarks and Skagstarks had almost never been included in wars. Their duties were to shield us against the enemy, the Others. Only 3 times had they ever been called to war. First, during the Andal Invasion of Argos Sevenstar, where Theon the Hungry Wolf would acquire his name. Later, during the Second Andal Invasion, about 200 years from then, where the combined kingdoms of the West, Reach and Vale sought to invade the North, and finally, during the War of 73 AC.

"Lord Benjen, what will be done to fortify our coasts?" I asked my uncle.

"I will order 20 ships cross the Northern canal and join the 50 stationed on the Western Coast to patrol the sea for any Ironborn raiding parties. The other 30 will stay in the Eastern coast, supplemented by Lord Manderly's ships as well, if he is amenable. The Skagstark and Northstark ships will stay deep North in continuing trade and guarding the back end of our Eastern Coast." he responded.

"Very well, carry out your orders. Lord Manderly, are you amenable to the Royal Admiral's proposal?" I asked him.

"Yes Your Grace, I am willing to protect our coasts. I will provide 20 ships to aid the 30 stationed int he East." he replied.

"Lord Manderly, how damaged would you say our treasury would come to be should war manage to break out?" I asked the Royal Treasurer.

"Well, Your Grace, should war break out we must rely only on food we ourselves produce. The Reach will not be able to feed us according to the negotiated Dowry due to geographical locations so we would have to make do with what we produce, that being mostly Rice in the Neck and Riverlands and potatoes in the colder parts of our Kingdom. We would need to buy more food from Bravos and Pentos should that happen, or our people will starve. Should we deploy 60,000 men to join the Royal Army, we it could cost us up to 1 million dragons, reducing our treasury's amount by 1/4." responded Lord Manderly.

I nodded at him and said: "Begin preparations then, although I wish we could avoid it, it is likely that war will break out soon. Lord Commander Mormont, will the Watch be able to keep the Peace should any war break out? Will you need any assistance from the crown?"

Jeor Mormont responded: "No Your Grace. The Watch has no want for food, drinks or equipment. The taxes collected from Lords Winterstark and Snowstark, not to mention the percentage of taxes paid to the crown that we receive has been more than enough. We are fully prepared to man the North should the time come."

I smiled, happy with his answer. Suddenly, the captain of the Winterguard, Cregan Snow, entered the chamber, looking frazzled. He had a raven in hand, and as soon as he saw me he dropped to his knees in a bow. "Your Grace, an acolyte received this raven while this meeting was taking place. It is addressed directly to the King in the North, from the Iron Throne."

I nodded at him and extended my hand. He gave me the scroll and I opened it, and read it. I grew furious and punched the round table, denting it. My Uncle Eddard looked worried. "Your Grace?" he said. I just handed him the scroll, and once he read it he grew furious as well. Captain Cregan Snow was still present in the room, and he went to leave, but I raised my hand and said: "Stay." and he did. He was loyal to my father, often spoken about as a good source of advice by him. I would want to hear his thoughts on this later, and I knew he would keep this secret.

I nodded at my Uncle and he started to talk. "King Joffrey Baratheon has demanded that Margeary Tyrell presents herself to Kings Landing to marry him in the light of the Seven. He proceeds to claim that a marriage in front of the Old Gods is not binding, and that should they refuse dire consequences will follow." he snarled. Everyone was shocked at the utter arrogance that the letter showed. I looked at Bran and told him:

"Bran, warg into birds down South and try and get a grip on whats happening. We will discuss our response while you gather more information." he nodded at me and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, signifying that he was warging.

We discussed a couple of potential responses while he did that. Greatjon Umber argued for a declaration of war immediately, citing that such an insult could not go unpunished. Roose Bolton argued we pay for the services of assassins, either the Faceless Men or the Sorrowful Men, who were much cheaper than their Bravosian counterparts. My uncles advised caution and that an insult be fired back. We deliberated on these for a while until Bran stopped warging, a shocked expression on his face.

"The South is in chaos. Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon have both fled to the Stormlands and declared themselves Kings, citing that Joffrey Baratheon is the bastard son of Cersei Lannister and her brother, the Kingslayer. The Stormlands have split, the Lannister army is assembling themselves to march towards King's Landing. Dorne will either stay neutral or fight against the Iron Throne, the Reach has decided to stay neutral except a few houses, such as the Florents, the Riverlands have split between the Tully's who wish to stay neutral and the houses closest to the Crownlands who have declared for Joffrey. The Ironborn are stirring as well, and they a significant amount of ships at their disposal." he said. All of us were shocked. He continued:

"The Lannister's host will number about 60,000 men, added to the 20,000 men of the Crownland lords who have declared for Joffrey. Stannis has the Lords of the Narrow Sea behind him, numbering about 10,000 men (100 ships) with about 10,000 Stormlanders behind him as well, while Renly is said to be gathering 30,000 men under his banner."

It was chaos, bloody chaos. I thought on what to do and reached a conclusion. "Lord Umber, Maester Aemon, your orders remain the same. Send out the Ravens and march those men South to hold the Twins. Uncle Benjen, coordinate the defense of our coasts as you planned. For now we wait. The North need not involve themselves in the matters of the South." They nodded at that. "I believe this to be time to conclude this meeting. Inform me should anything else of importance happen. You are dismissed."

They all bowed and mumbled a "Your Grace" as they left the room. I stayed behind, sitting in my chair. Captain Cregan standing to the side in the wall, Red Rain hanging off of his belt, a conflicted look on his face. As my Uncles were leaving they both gave me approving looks, happy with my decision to wait and not declare war needlessly. They each gave me a pat on the back and left. Once we were alone I asked the Captain the following:

"Captain Snow, you have served my father since Robert's Rebellion. Tell me, what do you think about what was just discussed. Please, be honest."

He looked surprised I wished to seek his council, but he was known to be both a great warrior and wise. He was 50 years old, yet had few equals in the battle field. "Your Grace, I think that you have made the right decision. Your father used to speak of you, told everyone you were a better version of him, as good with the sword but with a calmer mind. Seeing you perform just now, I find myself agreeing with his sentiments. You seem to care for your people, and when reminiscing on the war, King Brandon would often mention how he told you of his experiences." he said, a kind look on his face.

I nodded, a pensive look on his face. "Aye, if there's one thing he crammed into me it was the horrors of war. It is no song or tale, it is blood and gore and shit and suffering for everyone involved and many innocents. I have no wish to put my people through that, but it seems I will have no choice." I smiled sadly at him. "Come Captain, escort me to my chambers."

Margeary was waiting for me, dressed in an almost see through nightgown. I smirked as soon as I saw her. Tonight promised to be good. It was already dark, and if not for the few candles scattered throughout the room I would not be able to see her. It was quite as well, no ambient noises of animals or servants to disturb us.

"Wife!" I said.

"Husband!" she replied. I walked over to her and kissed her. It soon became intense, but I noticed and quickly put a stop to it. I wanted to tell her what had transpired and hear her thoughts on the matter. She looked at me confused, and I pulled her into my lap. She smirked at me, and went for another kiss but I reluctantly stopped her so I could explain what had happened.

"Margeary, I have news to tell you. Many things have happened South and I wish to hear your thoughts on them." I told her. She looked at me, surprise visible on her face. I didn't blame her. While we had most certainly developed a good relationship through the months of our marriage, we still didn't love each other, and it was still rare that I relied on her counsel. I proceeded to explain all that had happened and she responded:

"I see, and you then decided to wait till more information on the coming war would be made public? I agree with your decision. An insult back and neutrality is currently the best course of action. I loathe to say it, since my family will soon face a choice on who to declare for, but I am Queen in the North, and must look out for our people first. You made a good decision." she told me, smiling.

"I am glad that you think so. It eases my heart a bit." I replied. I didn't know what more to say, and I think she noticed that as well, as she started kissing on my neck while she spoke.

"You know, I wish you would take me to Long Lake one of these days. I've heard its incredibly beautiful out there, and I do want to see the Northern equivalent of Summerhall." she said, smirking at my sure to be glazed expression. She then kissed me again. We separated and I said:

"I think… I think I will do it soon. You have my word Margeary." I replied and stared at her. The conversation was effectively over. We looked at each other silently, neither of us saying a word. Suddenly she leaned in and started kissing me. I kissed back and we proceeded to have a great night together.

Authors Note:

I mentioned a couple of things here that I want to explain here so there is no confusion. First, the Northern cannal is a cannal that was built by previous Starks which goes from White Harbor to Moat Cailin, where it connects to the Fever River, which then connects to Saltspear and opens up to Blazewater Bay. Second, Benjen sent out 20 ships to the Western Coast. Each ship contains about 100 men, so thats about 7,000 men of the 10,000 sailors in the Navy who are posted on the West Coast. The other 3,000 will be joined by 2,000 men Lord Manderly loaned out (20 ships). Third, those 60,000 men who would be deployed would join up with the 20,000 men in the Royal Army, making the first host one of 80,000. Fourth, remember, here the Twins and the lands which belonged to the Freys belong to House Stark and the North. The Twins are used as a garrison to keep the South from invading.

Fifth, Cregan Snow is basically Ser Barristan in the North. Dude's a badass Old Dude who's seen some shit and has accumulated knowledge. He has Red Rain because every captain of the Winterguard (basically the Kingsguard) has that sword passed down to him after it was taken in a war versus the Ironborn. Sixth, sorry to the horny bastards reading this, but at least for now I'm not writing any lemons. I don't feel that comfortable writing them. I'll try to work on it, since I know they can be used to enhance emotional development, but for now they're a no-go. Seventh, Long Lake has a castle there which is used as a retreat for the Royal Family, kind of like Summerhall.

With that finished, I just want to thank everyone for reading this. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited or followed this story, it really means a lot to me. Hope you guys liked this, and please leave a review if you can. Have a nice day guys!