Chapter – 7
Doran Martell
His brother was fuming, cursing the usurper and his lackeys. Doran understood his brother's pain and for the first time he felt useless as the ruler of Dorne. They have heard news of Viserys Targaryan's death, which forced them to change their plans now that Daenerys is wed to a Dothraki Khal.
But both Doran and Oberyn felt cheated of their vengeance by the old lion's sudden death, but celebrated it nonetheless, but their joy quickly turned to ashes when a letter from the Crown arrived warning them to withdraw their support of Daenerys Targaryan and reconfirm their loyalty to the Baratheon threatened to burn Sunspear to the ground as he informed that he was aware of the contract signed with Darry all those years ago and scheme to support Viserys.
Doran was dumbstruck as he could not understand who had betrayed the secret to the Usurper, which only he and Oberyn knew, mayhaps it was the eunuch who was arrested for treason along with Baelish. This put Dorne in a precarious situation. Doran was commanded to send his second son as a hostage to Kingslanding to ensure his good behavior.
Oberyn raged when reading the letter and asked leave to go to Kingslanding and kill the usurper wh threatened them with war. Doran knew Dorne alone cannot fight the rest of the kingdoms even if greyjoy joins him as the Usurper is set to marry Mace Tyrell's daughter and brought in the Reach as an ally.
Doran felt defeated as years of planning have gone to waste and now he has no option but send his son as a hostage but also considered sending Oberyn to Braavos to contact the Faceless men. Once Robert is dead without issue , the realm will fall into Chaos and they can take revenge on his enemies.
"Oberyn, you will go to Kingslanding, take Trystane and Tyene with you. Tell the Usurper that dorne will pledge their loyalty to him in return for the heads of Gregor Clegane , Amory Lorch and a seat on the small counsil for Dorne" he told his brother who looked interested.
Doran would not risk war or his family anymore just for the sake of Vengeance, but he will wait for the right opportunity to strike 'Unbowed, Unbent ,Unbroken' he repeated to himself.
Lord of Casterly Rock
Tyrion Lannister was having the time of his life. His bannermen including Clegane and Lorch accepted him as the new lord of the Rock after he showed compelling evidence of his siblings crimes. It also helped that his uncle Kevan and aunt Genna backed him. He quickly send the lord who supported Cersei back home to collect the last yield before Autumn.
Tyrion was amused by Lady Margaery's efforts to win the King's heart as she behaved more like Arya Stark while befriending Sansa. The Tyrell girl started wearing blue winter roses, riding horses, always dressing in grey, cursed freely, always surrounded by the stark girls acting wild and unladylike, even feigning to practice swords with her brother Garlan. Tyrion attributed this drastic change in lady Margaery's behavior to the meeting Lady Olenna Tyrell had with ser Boros Blount.
The not so fat Stag observed this and started courting her and even went hawking and riding with her which delighted the fat flower and Renly. Ser Loras along with some hundred men are send in disguises to Essos to capture this supposed son of Aegon and Jon Connington.
He visited Jamie, who refused to talk to Tyrion for not helping him or Cersei. Tyrion quickly pointed out Jamie's betrayel of Tysha , which his new friend told him on that fated day near the crossroads inn, while negotiating the deal. Jamie was stunned asnd asked how long did Tyrion knew about it. Tyrion ignored Jamie and told him to confess the truth about the murder of Aerys, which stunned Jamie into silence.
Tyrion is technically not a kinslayer as he did not send a killer to kill his father but Jamie need not know that. He went to see Cersei one last time before she is beheaded after the trial tomorrow. Once he went to her cell followed by guards, his sister spat at him and tried to attack him. He slapped her hard and before she can speak shouted "You stupid whore, Jamie is the Valonqar, not me" and left the cell leaving an engraged Cersei who kept shouting "No".
He visited Tommen and Myrcella and explained the situation, offering comfort to them. The mad fool Joffrey blamed him for his misfortune but Tyrion slapped him as a well, wishing him a good future at the wall. His mood was foul as he got drunk with Bronn and had a bunch of whores brought to his chambers to forget about his siblings.
The old crone lady Olenna Tyrell tried to buttock broker her other grandchildren but he refused. He never expected to be a lord but found he was chastised by Kevan for his behavior who reminded he needed a wife. He saw that many of the same westerland lords who refused to marry their daughters to him before are now falling over each other to make their daughters 'lady of Casterly Rock'.
Tyrion thought about marrying one of his young and supple cousins Myrielle or Cerenna as his father did but felt he needed a strong match. His uncle suggested lady Alysanne Lefford to satisfy the westerman, which Tyrion taught was a good idea.
Tyrion also freed the Hound who still sulked after he was defeated by ser Rolland Storm and Brienne of Tarth. He asked the hound to guard him as a sworn shield and promised him lordship of Clegane Keep and revenge on his older brother , to which the burned man agreed.
King Robert constantly called him to drink with him after a long spar with Selmy or ser Balon. His new friend Boros told him some of the most damning secrets about Ned Stark's bastard, which he used to make the honorable hand agree to his propositions and put him in his place to have Jamie pardoned and sent to the wall.
Tyrion took ser Boros's advice which he found advantageous and used the opportunity to legitimize Joy as a lannister. He betrothed his cousin, willam to lyanna mormont of bear island and sent him north to foster at Winterfell. He created new alliances for the Westerlands by ordering repairs of Castamere and Tarbeck hall, giving them to uncle Kevan and his nephew Tyrek.
Tyrion and ser Boros convinced the king and Ned Stark to pardon Lancel as he did not know Cersei's treason and convinced Robert to set aside Tyrek's marriage to Ermesande hayford and marry her instead to his newly Legitimized son Edric baratheon. Robert agreed with glee to the match while the hand glared at Tyrion.
Tyrion also written to Lord Bracken and asked his daughter Catelyn Bracken's hand for Tyrek, the new lord of Tarbeck hall to which the riverlord agreed. Tyrion spoke to ser Rolland Storm and the knight agreed to make Tommen his squire and promised to look after the boy.
Uncle Kevan agreed to his plan of Marrying Lancel to mace Tyrell's neice Ellinor Tyrell as well as Myrcella to Martin. Tyrion tried to convince Lord Stark to marry his son Rickon to his cousin Rosamund lannister but the dour lord rejected it, though he agreed to ask lord Karstark for betrothing his daughter Alys Karstark to cousin Daven.
Tyrion tried to marry Myrielle or Cerenna to Edmure Tully, but the Trout refused. The Tully name was sullied when it was known that Lysa Tully cuckholded Jon Arryn and her sickly child was Baelish's. The Blackfish escorted the boy to Riverrun and Lysa Tully was brought to the capital half mad, kicking and screaming.
The King have made his son Gendry, a squire to Lord tarly and agreed to send him to Hornhill, which is a shame as Tyrion tried to get the lad fostered in the westerlands and marry Joy to him rebuilding Summerhall as her Dowry. He came to know that lord Redford agreed to marry his son Michael to the king's newly legitimized daughter Mya Baratheon.
The King himself have beaten Baelish to death after he confessed to the crime of killing Jon Arryn and planning to throw the realm into chaos. There was an attempt to free Baelish by Luthor Brune and a bunch of sellswords called the Kettleblacks, but they are captured and thrown into the black cells.
Lord Tyrell's uncle 'Garth the Gross' found a lot of irregularities n Baelish's books and found that the brothelkeeper was stealing from the Crown for years. All of Baelish's businesses were handed over to the crown and baelish's known associates are captured and questioned. The Master of laws execute both Janos Slynt and Allar Deem for corrupting the gold cloaks.
Most surprising of all was the Eunuch who was tied upside down in a tower cell using chains with twenty armed men and there has been five attacks by over ten children without tongues to free Varys. When ser Boros threatened the eunuch after informing him that King Robert knows about Connington and Young Griff.
The eunuch was stunned at this revelation and king Robert broke both of his legs in anger at the deceit. The red keep was scoured for secret tunnels along with Kingslanding and three dozen of his little birds were captured and imprisoned.
The hand and the king's brothers were angry with Robert for once again favoring deceptive lannisters but the king shut them up. Jamie was brought before an angry King and his brothers, lord Stark, lord Tyrell , the High Septon, lord commander Selmy and the new grandmaester 'Marwyn'.
The king punched Jamie in his face and proceeded to choke him before his brothers and lord Stark restrained Robert. Jamie finally told the reason why he killed the mad king and everyone in the room was stunned by the revelation of the mad kings plan to burn the capital.
Ned Stark in particular was said to have apolozised to Jamie and convinced the King to send Jamie to the wall. Robert ordered the search and removal of the wildfire caches from the capital and tasked lord Stannis to find them.
Tyrion left with his lords and army before Jamie's trial as he knows that his brother would be send to the wall along with Joffrey. Tyrion cannot face his brother and eventhough he hated her, cannot watch Cersei's execution. The new lord of the rock left the capital with his sworn swords and uncle before dawn.
Jon Snow
Jon cannot believe his luck as he and Samwell Tarly are leading the two wight's that attacked castle black , bound and kept in ice boxes to Winterfell. Ser Allister was also a part of their retinue but kept quiet as Robb had send a honor guard to receive him.
Lord Commander Mormont received a raven from a friend whose name is not known that the two brothers who went ranging with Benjen Stark will come back as corpses and attack at night after rising as Wights. The stranger advised Mormont to bind the wights in chains and trap them in cages till night and have all the watch witness their resurrection.
The lord commander instead of dismissing the letter had done so much to the mocking of Ser Allister Thorne. The entire Castle Black was shell shocked when the two dead bodies rose as wights with blue eyes and tried to escape the cages. The lord commander ordered the wights to be stuffed in ice boxes and preserved and ordered to send one box to the North and the other to Kingslanding.
Hence Jon, ser Allister, Glenn, Pyp, Edd and sam along with four others made the back breaking journey on horses pulling the carts for more than two weeks and finally saw Winterfell. Robb himself had rode with a welcoming force to receive them.
Robb dismounted and hugged him and asked if these are the boxes he brought the dead men after looking at the moving boxes with fear. Jon nodded and asked if all the lords are assembled in Winterfell. Robb nodded as Grey wind and Ghost chased each other. Jon introduced his friends to Robb.
Jon could not believe he would visit Winterfell so soon but found it a buzz of activity in wintertown as many banner flew from the ramparts. Jon saw that Ser Rodrick and Lady Catelyn waiting for them, lady Stark gave him a look of hatred but wished Ser Allister and led them in.
The great hall was filled by lords as Robb called for order. Many of the lord japed and called Robb a green boy for wasting their time. Ghost and Greywind bared their teeth and growled causing the lords to be silent.
Jon let Ser Allister explain the threat but the northerners had little love for Targaryan loyalists. Bran and Rickon greeted Jon with their Direwolves and he hugged his little brother. Bran was excited to see the wight but Robb ordered all the lords to come to the courtyard.
Great Jon Umber , Roose Bolton, Rickard Karstark, lord Cerwyn, lord Glover, lord Tallhart and lady Mormont are watching carefully as both the boxes were brought from the cart. The direwolves started growling as everyone observed that the boxes are moving.
Once the boxes are opened the undead wights pushed through the ice and dropped out of the boxes still bound terrifying everyone in the courtyard while Jon and Grenn caught the chains of one wight and Ser Allister and Edd caught the other pulling at the crawling whites.
Lady Catelyn screamed and many lords shouted after watching the terrifying proof of tales of others and wights come true. Bran especially looked troubled listening to the screeching corpses and Robb had his sword out but controlled the lords who are praying to the old gods and calling for the wights to be burned.
"My Lords , the stories are all true, our ancient enemy is back and another long night is coming" Robb shouted after recovering which calmed everyone. Jon joined his brother and spoke "There is only one war that matters, the battle for the Dawn. Are we not the blood of the legendary Northmen who protected the world 8000 years ago. Will we be scared by the enemy and let the whitewalkers overwhelm us" he asked addressing all the lords who were stunned by his words.
Robb spoke then "As acting lord of Winterfell, I ask all the brave Northmen to defend the wall and protect the people of Westeros from our ancient foe. I say we give them fire and steel and prove our worth" which got cheers and shouts from all present in the courtyard.
"they can be destroyed my lords and ladies" jon said as the wights are forced back into the boxes "we know fire and steel hurt them and we were told that Valyrian Steel and Dragon glass can kill the Others." Many of the lords were relieved knowing the ice demons can be killed and Jon saw hope on everyone's faces.
Robb then continued "But we need all of Westeros to stop these monsters, we need the Vale, The Riverlands, Dorne, Casterly Rock, the Reach, the Iron isle and Kingslanding to come together as one army and destroy the white walkers for once and all" eliciting shouts from the lords.
"My lords, gather your men, collect your harvests and gather your weapons because the long Night is coming and the dead come with it" Robb shouted "We are at war and I intend to win this one for the sake of all the people in Westeros. Go my lords, tell of what you saw here to everyone smallfolk and lords alike, Winter has come for all of us and we will survive it as we had always done, together."
Jon could see lady Stark smile at Robb as all the lords and ladies cheered him and cursed the Others and their undead when suddenly Jon wondered where was Theon Greyjoy.
Note : Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I know we have not heard from Boros but trust me this is still his story. Expect extreme action in the last three chapters as the first Arc comes to a close. Enjoy and keep reviewing.