Chapter – 8
Lord Commander
Ser Barristan looked at the monstrosity that was being displayed in the dragon pit. He always believed in the seven as a knight but never believed in white walkers and northern myths. The lords and ladies witnessing the horror gasped and offered prayers to the seven after seeing the undead corpse with bright blue eyes screeching as it was dragged by chains. The high septon looked terrified as he tried to dismiss the rotten body as northern mummery but quickly changed his tune, accusing dark sorcery of the old gods to be the reason behind the screeching corpse.
The King and the Queen looked shocked as well before Robert pulled his war hammer and stood up and called for silence. Mace Tyrell looked to be shaken and the new grandmaester Marwyn looked intrigued at the scene. Ser Allister Thorne then proceeded to explain the rumors of the white walkers returning beyond the wall and raising the dead wildlings as their army while everyone stared in disbelief.
Luckily the ranger explained that fire and dismemberment can slowdown these 'wights' while valyrian steel and dragonglass weapons can kill the others, which helped relax the crowd. Lord Stannis vowed to mine the dragonglass and have them forged as weapons to arm westeros for the upcoming war. Ser Barristan saw that even Oberyn Martell was stunned at what he saw and pledged to support the wall.
Barristan hoped ser Boros was present here to give them some valuable information but the kingsguard along with five thousand men went on another secret mission to capture Daenerys Targaryan and her 'Dragons'. The king raged for hours after ser Boros informed them that Daenerys have hatched three dragons on Khal Drogo's funeral pyre and wanted her killed along with the three hatchlings. Ser Boros convinced the king to keep her as a prisoner as a warning to the realm and subdue her dragons using wargs which made Ned Stark bristle and glare at the kingsguard.
The Tyrells were none too happy hearing that Dragons are reborn into the world while they have married into the royal house, but vowed to support the king. Now as he saw the screeching corpse being kept in a steel cage with rags thrown into it's mouth, he did felt hope that dragons can burn the dead. He saw poor Lancel who was kept as a hostage in the red keep shiver and praying to the seven for comfort. Queen Margaery looked shaken as well as Sansa Stark but Arya Stark bravely pulled her little sword and pointed it at the wight.
The Reacher lords such as Tarly, Rowan, Redwyne, Florent and Costayne were stunned into silence by the horror they saw. Even the young Vale Lord, Harrold Arryn looked afraid with lord Royce who had his hands on the recently rediscovered Valyrian blade 'Lamentation', a family heirloom found while digging the dragonpit. Lord Edmure Tully and the riverlords looked tense but stood firm along with the blackfish who brought Lysa Tully to the capital. Both Tully lords looked sad after Lysa Arryn was executed for treason and her bastard was sentenced to the wall when he reaches manhood.
After the corpse was locked away, the king assured his lords and people that destroying the others and their undead army was his priority and together they can throw back the demons back to their cold hell. The hand looked worried as well and promised to send help to the wall immediately. An urgent small counsil meeting was called by the King and lord Stark to prepare for the upcoming war and lord Stannis suggested planting a final yield and buying food from Essos to support the war in the North. The King sent a decree to all the lords of the seven kingdom to secure their legacy with marriages as this war will be long and hard and many houses may go extinct if they are not careful.
Barristan always saw the king drilling and fighting multiple knights at once, even wielding a battle axe and a sword recently. His son's Gendry and Edric are training with lord Tarly's heir Dickon, Edric Dayne, Harrold Arryn under ser Aron's watch. Even with the lannisters gone, the red keep was filled with guests who came for the King's Marriage. Young lords and ladies roamed the red keep, heirs and spares, knights and squires, the royal wedding served in bringing lords of the realm together again and new alliances are being formed with the blessings of the king.
Lord Stark agreed to betroth lady Sansa to Willas Tyrell, lord Edmure will marry lady Desmera Redwyne in a moon's time while Beric Dondarion left the capital to marry lady Allyria Dayne. The red viper even found a match for two of his bastard daughters, lady Tyene to the King's natural son Gendry and lady Nymeria to the Lucas Blackwood. The Brackens and Blackwoods began competing for influence at court as lord Jonos and lord Tytos scrambled for marriage alliance for their children but Ned Stark put an end to their rivalry by ordering each house to set their fueds aside. The Queen ordered a marriage alliance to be formed between the two houses causing both lords to leave the capital in anger.
Selmy still remembered the formed queen Cersei's trial where she screamed and wailed for mercy for her children before accepting her fate. The Kingslayer, Pycelle, Trant , Greenfield and Joffrey were sent to the wall as Tommen was sent to the stormlands with ser Rolland storm. He wished that Trant and Greenfield will regain their honor by serving as black brothers. Only ser Richard Horpe and Balon remained in the capital as ser Blount, ser Moore and ser Loras are in Essos taking the red priest Thoros and Stannis's red witch with them. The Royal wedding is a grand affair which provided some much needed joy after the former queen was beheaded.
The new queen looked regal as well as humble as the king said to have enjoyed his bride for a full day after the bedding. Bets are placed on Tyrell fertility and a new crown prince being born within a year. Even Barristan danced with the queen as she praised him to the sky. He hoped that this marriage provides the King much needed happiness and motivation which the former lannister queen failed to provide.
The king shedded three stone weight and was constantly drilling even encouraging Arya Stark to show her new bravoosi moves much to the horror of the lord hand. Lady Sansa was constantly showered with attention and gifts by the new queen and her ladies after her new bethrothal. Members of the citadel and faith came to the capital to see the wight and some eager masters took a white's moving hand with them to OldTown to have it examined.
Barristan entered the small counsil chamber when he heard shouts of joy from the King when the new master of whispherers, lord Manderly informed them that they received ravens from ser Loras and ser Boros from essos informing them of successfully capturing the fat Magister, the blackfyre boy, Jon Connington, Daenerys Targaryan and her baby dragons. Ser Loras and prince Renly did fight overwhelming odds when a fat magister along with two dozen unsullied , a hundred sell swords and a large pit fighter ambushed their men and tried to free the blackfyre boy. Two dozen knights were killed by the sellswords and a fat fighter named Belwas including ser Mandon Moore and the two dozen unsullied cost them some fifty knights and thirty soldiers.
Barristan was worried what would Robert do once they are brought to the capital but Ned Stark reminded the king to show mercy and imprison them. He wondered how the mad king's daughter looked like and eager to see dragons. Young Arya Stark was boasting that she is a warg and she can tame one of the the dragons which caused lord Stark to frown and amused the king who promised to let her try. Secretly he would love to see dragons roam the skies again and fight the cold monsters of the north.
Ser Boros
They made voyage quickly taking the prisoners in a large war galley named 'Conquest' with three score drummonds , whaling boats and carracks following them through the summer sea for a long voyage back home. The princess was subdued along with her handmaidens and kept in a large cabin sulking and cursing the usurper. Their grueling journey had paid off as they ambushed Daenerys and her few hapless bloodriders in the dead of the night.
Even without their horses Aggo, Jhogo and rakharo took out twenty soldiers and two knights with arrows and arakhs. Ser Jorah killed four knights including ser Amory Lorch before he was beheaded by ser Vardis Egan of the Vale. Daenerys tried to escape by freeing her dragons but the dragons were subdued and knocked out by the sleeping darts created by the red priestess and Marwyn the mage. The Khaleesi surrendered to protect the women and children seeing as all able dothraki were killed.
They have taken all the captives and quickly moved them to the boats and confined them as groups in the Carracks and Drummonds. He gave strict orders to his men to not rape or kill any dothraki under threat of death but found out that many of these dothraki slave women willing slept with knights and soldiers once they are freed.
Their journey was hard and gruesome as they evaded pirates and horrors of new Ghis and the smoking sea. The dragons are kept docile in cages under the care of Melisandre and Thoros and fed fish enough for their survival. He had doubts regarding the red witch's loyalty and asked Thoros to keep an eye on her. Daenerys was always crying and cursing Robert despite his assurances , he was frightened by how quickly the dishelved girl went from crying to raging breaking things in her cabin. He had to return Irri and Jhiqui to keep the bitch quiet.
The girl threatened vengeance when her dragon grow up and returned to her but quickly broke into tears when he informed that they have skin changers and wargs waiting to enslave her dragons. He had denied the red witch's request to meet Daenerys and changed guards constantly to thwart her seductive ways. Thoros warned him that the Red witch no longer believes Stannis is Azor Ahai and ranting about Danerys being the 'Princess that was Promised'. No surprises there, he would love to see the look on Stannis and his wife's faces when they know the old cunt abandoned them. He decided to have the red bitch thrown into the sea if she tries to overreach and decided not to stop in Volantis at any cost.
He started a rumor among the men that the witch is a thousand years old and sex with her will resultin death after she births a demon. Men have been wary since and avoided the priestess but still he kept eyes on her. So far his plan had worked perfectly, they need dragons not Targaryans Jon snow, Bran Stark and any of the Baratheons will do for the remaining dragon. He planned to oust the Blackfyre bastard in front of Connington once they reach the capital.
The wights would have already done their job in uniting the kingdoms save the Ironborn but Euron Greyjoy will find his doom in Westeros, glass candle or not. The mad man's Valyrian steel armour itself is invaluable and worth many swords. The tree hugger Bloodraven had tried to frighten him in his dreams but he had thwarted him. His men shot down any ravens, strange fish or birds that came near their fleet. Kraster is a problem still along with Ramsey but given the North rallying to the wall he can arrange for an accident for the bastard. He warned Jeor Mormont to make peace with mance raider and until the dragon glass weapons reach the wall no ranging should take place.
He hoped his message reached Bran Stark before Bloodraven turns the boy into a vegetable. When given a choice between controlling a large dragon or freezing in the North to learn from an old man, any kid will choose the dragon. Of course the Reed children are vital but he can coax the boy by sending 'Drogon' north. He had sent another raven to the capital to be wary of the the Dornish and keep the Tyrell's close as many of the reacher lords are Targaryan sympathizers.
Sometimes he felt guilty for changing things but focused on the real enemy. The wall will be provisioned and even if the Night King is not the weakling he is made out in the TV show, he got another surprise planned just in case. If only he could kill Balon and make Asha Queen of the Iron Island many more lives will be spared but even he cannot change everything. He still dreaded the butterfly effect that he caused by made up his mind to fight till the very end. If everything else fails there is still Lys and the Summer Isles for him to visit before the world ends.
Protector of the Realm
'Seven Hells, this is what life should have been fighting and fucking' Robert thought as he remembered plowing his new wife till she passed away from exhaustion. He was going to be a father again but this time through his own seed. His young queen sixteen year old was full of energy and passion to keep him on his toes or cock as she gave him pleasure even the best whore in Kingslanding could not provide. He was wary of his pretty flower before their marriage but once he saw her wild side he could not help himself.
Since she was pregnant Robert worried that he had to stop visiting her but bloody hell his pretty flower offered her tight arse and pert breasts to please him. If anything his new wife became more adventurous in bed and could not get enough of him. He felt genuine love for his queen even though Lyanna's face brought back painful memories.
For the hundredth time he thanked Renly and ser Boros for reigniting his spirit after years of wasting away. He no longer felt fat and dropped five stone weight in the last three moons after hours and hours of drilling and practice with the best knights of the realm. He swung his hammer besting ser Garlan, Dondarion, ser Arys, ser Richard Horpe, Massey, ser Templeton, Blackwood, Ned and Stannis almost with ease. He may not be as fast as he used to be but he has his strength back, he started using axes and swords facing lord Yohn Royce's lamentation, Celtigar's axe and Tarly's Heartsbane using Ned's Ice.
Gods why didn't his family bought a Valyrian steel weapon, these are the only weapons that can kill the ice demons. He bristled remembering the screeches of the rotten corpses and shuddered to think what a Whitewalker looks like. Ser Boros told him that the creatures are strong and fast wielding Ice swords that can shatter steel. He ordered the entire street of steel to create obsidian weapon's after the first shipments of dragonglass arrived from dragonstone. He made Tarly 'Master of Laws' as Renly was off to Essos to catch the feigned he will crush the craven Magister with his bare hands but not before recovering Blackfyre and forever making it a Baratheon weapon.
Ser Boros assured him that with Westeros united, they can end the threat of the others but also had a back up plan to fall back to Essos if they fail. Gods, he spent a lot of time training his sons Gendry and Edric, played with little Barra, by the gods he failed his chidren abandoning them to cruel fate, he cried when ser Brynden Tully brought his daughter Bella who was a whore in the Stoney sept. After make amends with his children, he dowered Mya with baelish's land and keep in the Eyrie along with secret coin stashed by the worm in his brothels.
His son Gendry who was a blacksmith toiled away in a forge after performing his squire duties to Tarly and made him a new War hammer that has jagged Edges coated with Obsidian spikes and a secret dagger at it's end. He was filled with paternal joy when the boy also made a large steel shield reinforced with dragonglass. Edric followed him everywhere along with Arya who reminded him of Lyanna. For a long time he missed taking care of his family due to the golden bitch and her bastards, but now he found new purpose in his life he will protect his children, his friends, his people and his country from any threat be it human or demon with his life. He is the king the Storm King and nobody takes what is his and gets away with their lives. He smiled and asked ser Barristan for another duel with a smile on his face.
Note :- Apologies for the delay. Two more chapter till the first arc ends and I promise they will be crucial to the story. The next chapter will see a time jump to 300 AC and heralds the beginning of the long night. I deliberately avoided using the SI's POV's but fear not the final chapters of the story will see ser Boros shine. As always thank you for the support and Enjoy.
