So I'll be honest with you… the next month for me is probably going to be taken up with both work and the European Championships, so this will be the last scheduled update for a while. I do have one more chapter ready in reserve but I'd rather I keep that for when I'm back with a decent writing schedule. I'm sorry, but with football on every day at times that I'd often be writing, I just can't promise I'll get chapters done at the speed I do usually.

That being said… this is an excellent chapter to have a small break on! I really hope you all enjoy it.

I own nothing but the OC's. All locations and characters are the property of George R R Martin or HBO.

The Chamber of the Painted Table was filled with the sound of fierce rain hitting the balcony outside, but all of Tyrion's attention was focused upon the tense stand off between Daenerys Targaryen and Varys the spymaster. The eunuch had explained himself to her, stating that he had been working for her and her brother since she had been born, keeping her away from Robert Baratheon's knives while sowing discord inside the court ready for her arrival. Daenerys hadn't believed him at first, but Tyrion's words had made her decide to let the spymaster live… for now.

"What news of Westeros do you bring?" Daenerys asked. "We have heard little since our arrival."

Varys bowed his head. "Since Lord Tyrion left the Stormlands much has happened. Tyland Lannister was murdered barely a year after Lord Tywin."

Tyrion sucked in a breath. He had heard rumours of course that Tyland had died but to have it confirmed was another thing. All eyes were on him then, and Tyrion gulped. "Who killed him?"

"Officially, Obara Sand." Varys smirked. "Unofficially, even I am unsure, though I have my suspicions…"

"Speak plainly, spider, or despite our agreement I might just feed you to Drogon now." Daenerys said firmly.

Varys bowed his head again. "Forgive me, Your Grace." He turned to Tyrion. "I have my suspicions it was his wife, Lady Sansa."

Tyrion actually smiled at that. "Good for her." He said quietly. "So Loren rules in Casterly Rock?"

"And the last I knew whilst in King's Landing, he was caught in a stalemate on the Dornish border after House Martell rose up in rebellion." Varys nodded. "Now that Cersei has taken the throne, it seems that he has retreated to Casterly Rock to pledge to Myrcella who has fled to the Westerlands, though I need that confirmed. My little birds will take time to get their whispers to me on Dragonstone after all."

Tyrion turned his attention to his Queen who was moving the wooden carvings around the Painted Table. "Lion fights with Lion." She said softly. "So Cersei's eyes are focused to the West and King's Landing is there for the taking."

"I would advise caution, Your Grace." Tyrion noted. "We do not know enough."

"We know that Lannister fights Lannister." Dany said firmly.

"But who does Dorne fight for now? What about the Reach?" Tyrion said. "We could quite easily conquer King's Landing of course, but without prior backing from the Great Houses it will be difficult to hold without turning Westeros into a slaughterhouse."

"House Tyrell has retreated to Highgarden." Varys explained. "An alliance there might be fruitful given Cersei's murder of Mace Tyrell, though there are many Reach Lords that have marriage alliances with Casterly Rock."

Tyrion gaped in shock. "Cersei was so bold?"

Varys nodded. "Loras Tyrell wishes for revenge, though, so he will not join with Cersei."

"It is not Cersei we must worry about. It is Loren." Tyrion surmised. "He holds Myrcella and the might of the Rock."

"Then he will bend the knee to me or die." Dany said firmly.

Tyrion gulped again. "Your Grace… allow me to pen the letter to Loren…"

"He is your family and my enemy." Dany said bluntly.

"Yet he is the reason I serve you now freely and happily instead of wallowing in the shadow of my Father and Brother, in a miserable marriage I did not want." Tyrion explained. "Loren trusted me enough to tell me the truth of our families misdeeds and I would try and convince him of the benefit of joining you before we start sending threats."

Dany looked thoughtful, before she nodded the once. "He has one chance. Make him see reason." She agreed.

"There is also a matter of the Northern regions." Varys said. "The Vale are isolated. Lady Lysa is locked away in the Eyrie in fear of her sons life, but she will not ally with the Lannisters after they executed Lord Baelish."

"They are still in the Eyrie during winter?" Tyrion looked alarmed. "She will kill her son before any Lannister will…" He turned to the Queen. "Perhaps you could visit her yourself? The Eyrie will be impossible to get to now by road, but by dragon…" The story of Queen Visenya was in his mind.

Dany nodded at the suggestion. "I will leave tomorrow, but you are coming with me." Tyrion gulped again. His single night in the Sky Cells had scarred him enough to want to never go back to the Eyrie.

"The Riverlands are fractured. House Frey are split between following Casterly Rock and King's Landing, whilst the other Riverland houses could be amenable to follow you, but I cannot say for certain." Varys explained. "Most of them will follow whomever the Vale and the North follow."

"The North?" Tyrion asked. "I thought that alliance died with the Starks."

Varys grinned. "The Bolton's are dead and overthrown. The last piece of news I kept from King's Landing was that of a Stark uprising. Cersei has no idea that Winterfell now belongs to Rickon Stark.."

"Rickon Stark is dead." Tyrion countered. "Roose Bolton was very explicit about that."

"Two boys are dead, but Lord Manderly rescued Rickon from Last Hearth when the Wildlings attacked the Wall." Varys told him. "Together with Jon Snow and Sansa Stark, the North has gathered and Roose Bolton is now without a head."

"The Starks overthrew my family." Dany said coldly.

"Only because your Father murdered Ned Stark's Father and Brother and then demanded his head." Varys explained. "It was a dark time, but if any of the rebel Houses had just cause to rebel, it was House Stark." Varys countered. "An alliance with House Stark would be beneficial, Your Grace. Lord Rickon is the son of a Stark and a Tully after all."

Dany nodded. "I must make it clear that I am not my Father." She said softly. "Thank you, Varys. I will consider your words."

Varys bowed his head. "I am here to serve you, Your Grace."

Dany sighed then, looking at the updated table. "Westeros is at a crossroads." She said thoughtfully. "And we must not hesitate. Write your letter quickly, Tyrion, and I shall write to Highgarden and the North. Then you must get some rest, for we leave for the Vale at dawn."

Myrcella Baratheon stood atop the walls of Casterly Rock looking out at the Lion's Mouth with worry etched all over her face. The men of the West were trailing back within the castle looking bloodied and bruised but with a sense of urgency about them. Next to her stood her cousin's wife, nervously rocking the one-year-old heir to Casterly Rock in her arms, as behind Myrcella stood Ser Jaime, her now ever-present shadow.

"There he is." Cerenna Lannister pointed out solemnly, and Myrcella saw it too. Loren had attached his horse to a cart and was wheeling a sole body back inside the gates of Casterly Rock. "Come, we will greet him together.

As Myrcella nodded and followed the Lady of the Rock she thought on the last few weeks. They had ridden hard for the Westerlands and arrived in time to have to sort through numerous letters. Cersei had demanded Loren's fealty and requested that he send Myrcella back to King's Landing where she belonged, while over in Dragonstone a letter had arrived from Tyrion, suggesting that in order to save themselves they should bend the knee to Daenerys Targaryen. Cerenna hadn't even entertained the idea of either letter, but it had given Myrcella pause for thought.

They reached the ground level as the men of the West collapsed into the courtyard and Myrcella tried to find Loren immediately. He wasn't difficult to spot in the end, his armour having more gold on it than anyone else and he had immediately gone to barking out orders as soon as the gates had been shut. Myrcella followed Cerenna in making their way over to the Warden of the West.

"My Lord." Cerenna greeted, a nervous worry on her face. Loren looked angry despite his warm smile as he embraced his wife and took his daughter in his arms.

"My Lady." Loren greeted Cerenna. "Hello Jeyne." He kissed his daughter. He then spotted Myrcella and handed his daughter back to Cerenna, bending to one knee. "My Queen."

It still hadn't sunk in for Myrcella to have people bowing and bending for her. She quickly gestured for Loren to rise back to his feet. "Cousin, I am glad to see you well."

Loren looked pained as he looked back at the cart. "Not all of us are." He said solemnly. "Kiran!" He called to somebody. "Go to the city and fetch the Silent Sisters. Benarr needs to be prepared to return to Feastfires. Myrcella could see the body that Loren had been carrying on a cart at that moment and gasped as she recognised Ser Benarr Prester, Loren's friend. "Jason, run to Maester Creylen. Send ravens to Feastfires and to Redramble. Lady Joanna needs to know she is widowed."

"I am so sorry my love." Cerenna said sadly, looking at the body of the Prester heir.

"He didn't die in vain." Loren whispered angrily. "The Golden Company are no more."

"You destroyed them?" Jaime asked, impressed. "The Golden Company are formidable opponents, the Targaryen's struggled to truly defeat them."

Loren nodded. "We broke them in the mountain passes, we took heavy losses, but they didn't break our lines. When they went to retreat, Lord Olyvar's forces took them in the rear. Maybe a few stragglers escaped, but the damage is done and they won't be strong enough to threaten anybody for a generation."

At the mention of Olyvar Frey, Myrcella remembered that he had been given Harrenhal and all its lands after Loren had negotiated a marriage with his former betrothed. "We have news too, news for your ears only." She explained, looking around.

Loren nodded again knowingly. "Allow me to bathe and change, Your Grace. I fear I am ill dressed for your presence."

She honestly didn't care, but Myrcella nodded. She and Jaime left the married couple have a moment alone as they moved inside the giant fortress and made their way up to Loren's solar. They were the first ones there, and Myrcella immediately made herself comfortable in pouring out some wines. Jaime had sent out a messenger to collect Kevan Lannister, himself having arrived only a few days beforehand, and the elderly knight joined them before Loren and Cerenna entered the room, with Loren clearly having dressed hastily in a simple oversized undershirt and slacks. "Forgive my attire, Your Grace."

"We are in your home, Loren." Myrcella insisted. "And please, you do not need to be so formal, we are family."

Loren smirked and nodded once again. He moved over to retrieve a map of the South and moved some pieces around. "The first thing we need to do is ensure that the naval defences are secure and ready for an imminent attack. Ser Kevan, you will command those."

"Are we expecting a naval attack?" Kevan asked.

Loren nodded yet again. "After the slaughter by Deep Den we found Captain-General Harry Strickland's body and on his person were orders from Cersei. If we were to resist joining her he was to siege Lannisport from land while Euron Greyjoy bombards us from the sea. I've heard enough stories about Euron Greyjoy to feel that he will likely keep to that plan if only to finish what he started last time." Kevan paled as he remembered the slaughter. "My mother died in a Ironborn attack, I would have no civilian casualties if I am right and the attack is coming."

"I shall leave at once, My Lord." Kevan bowed his head. Loren nodded his assent and the elder man departed.

"I have already sent riders to Riverrun. Together with Harrenhal we will reinforce the Gold Road. Cersei has few followers, but she may still try and force our submission." Loren explained. "I doubt we'll get much help from the Riverlands, but we may get some."

"We can't rely on them." Cerenna said softly, knowing that Loren angered enough of the Riverlands in his campaign there.

"Which is why I will send ravens to the Reach too." Loren said bluntly. "Tommen may be dead and our direct alliance with Loras Tyrell broken, but we still have significant allies in the Reach, I would remind them of that."

Cerenna nodded. "I will write to Myrielle personally, if we can get her goodfather on side then we could push more houses."

"Lord Randyll has links to Oldtown, who are the maternal family of Loras." Loren nodded. "You write to Ella, I'll write to Randyll Tarly myself and remind him that his daughter lives within the Rock."

"Be careful, My Lord." Jaime warned. "Randyll Tarly will not respond well to threats."

"It won't be a threat. It will be a reminder." Loren said firmly. "And one will go to the Arbor. Desmera Redwyne is also within my walls with Daven."

"If we can join our own fleet with the Redwyne fleet, we may have a chance." Jaime said, nodding his agreement.

"We have other issues, Loren." Cerenna said quickly. "News from Dragonstone."

"Dragonstone?" Loren asked, confused. "That's been empty since Father put the Baratheon's to the sword."

Cerenna shook her head as she turned towards the drawer with all the figures inside. "Now it hosts Daenerys Targaryen, Shireen Baratheon and an army of Unsullied, Stormlanders, and three fully grown dragons." She placed the relevant figures on the map.

Loren gulped. "Fucking dragons…" He whispered, finding a chair to throw himself into. "As if we didn't have enough problems."

"Tyrion is with her." Myrcella explained. "He wrote to you directly, imploring you join her."

Loren shook his head. "You are my Queen, Myrcella, not some foreign invader." He explained before he yawned loudly. "Forgive me, I fear I am tired and famished, My Queen."

"We have enough plans to go along with for the moment." Jaime nodded, his strategic knowledge vital for Myrcella. "You should rest, Loren."

"Unless My Queen has any further need of me?" He asked, looking at Myrcella. She shook her head and so Loren rose out of his chair and started walking further into his solar to the door that indicated his own personal chambers before he stopped. "Any word on the whereabouts of my brother and Lady Sansa?"

Cerenna shook her head. "She seems to have completely disappeared."

Loren frowned. "Odd." He muttered, before he continued through the door, closing it behind him.

The Godswood of Winterfell looked beautiful at the best of times, but in the snow it looked divine. Sansa walked softly in the fresh coating of the cold white powder as she followed the larger footsteps that she knew belonged to her brother.

The Northern Regency Council had been decided. Sansa and Jon were of course a part of that as they spoke for Rickon and House Stark's best interests, but also involved were Lord Wyman Manderly, Lord Robett Glover, Lord Harald Karstark, Lady Lyessa Flint, Lord Howland Reed, Lady Jonelle Cerwyn and Lady Barbrey Dustin. Nine Lords and Ladies in the Regency for the nine points on the former Northern crown had sounded poetic to Sansa and thankfully the majority of the Northmen and women had agreed. She was still a bit cautious around the Lady of Barrowton, but she was one of the major nobles in the North and by all rights deserved a spot on the Regency after not showing any signs of disloyalty since she had killed Roose Bolton.

She saw who she was looking for as Sansa neared the Weirwood tree, and she walked closer towards the brooding Bastard of Winterfell, her footsteps crunching in the snow to give her away. Jon turned his head and acknowledged her.

"A letter has arrived, you'll be needed in the council room soon." Sansa explained. "It's an interesting one."

"Aye?" Jon asked.

Sansa got level with him and handed her the parchment, watching as Jon's eyes widened in both surprise and… anguish? She looked at him, confused. "Is something the matter?"

Jon ignored her. "Daenerys Targaryen wants us to meet to discuss an alliance." He surmised the letter. "This is what you wanted, is it not?"

"She is our best hope of beating the Lannisters." Sansa nodded. "And she has three dragons."

Jon thought for a moment. "Fully grown dragons will be helpful if she will fight the White Walkers with us."

That was a newer development. Ever since the retaking of Winterfell Jon had been proactive in ensuring the defences of Winterfell were up to scratch whilst also ensuring that the supplies for a prolonged Winter were accessible. He had told the fellow Lords of all his experiences, and she still had nightmares over his tale of Hardhome. "And Dragonstone is famous for its obsidian mountains." Sansa added. "That is her seat as of now."

Jon nodded. "Then I must go. We need her Dragonglass, and we need her dragons. I need to explain to her the true threat."

He didn't look happy at that, in fact Sansa noticed that he seemed exactly the opposite. "Meeting her troubles you." Sansa commented.

Jon nodded. "It does." He sighed. "I know who my Mother was."

That knocked Sansa back. "That's wonderful." She said with a smile, but Jon looked gloomier than usual. "Isn't it?"

Shaking his head, Jon said. "I have to tell you something, but you need to swear to never tell another soul."

Sansa scoffed. "I cannot swear to keep a secret when I don't know what it is."

"Sansa." Jon said warningly, and Sansa could tell exactly how serious Jon was at that moment.

"I swear." Sansa said softly. "Jon, what is it?"

Jon sighed. "Lord Howland knew my Mother. I was born in Dorne, and my Mother died in childbirth. Only he and Lord Stark know the truth, everyone else is dead. I'm not your brother, Sansa. I am your cousin. Lyanna Stark is my Mother, Rhaegar Targaryen my Father. They married in secret on the banks of the trident after running away together. My name isn't even Jon, it's Aegon. Aegon Targaryen."

He looked almost in tears, and Sansa was just shocked. The ramifications of everything ran through her mind. "Robert's Rebellion was started on a lie…" She whispered. "You… you should be King."

"No." Jon said adamantly. "If I claim the truth then I pit myself against everybody else. I don't want to be King, I don't want to rule. I definitely don't want to be the only thing between a Queen with three dragons and the Iron Throne. No, I will never be King, and you will never tell a soul."

Sansa nodded. "I won't, but Jon. If you tell her and bring her the North at the same time… we could forge this alliance without any marriages, without hostages." She nodded defiantly. "I will join you. I will help you with explaining this so that we both live afterwards." She moved in to hug him. "But always remember, you are my brother. No matter your parentage, you are always going to be a Stark of Winterfell."

Loren had been correct, and less than a week after his arrival back at Casterly Rock he found himself on the balcony of his solar staring out at the Sunset Sea as hundreds upon hundreds of Ironborn ships were docked in the distance outside the harbour, in a form of stand-off with the thirty ships that sat in a line protecting Lannisport that all bore the crimson and gold sails of House Lannister, the product of Tyrion's final act of loyalty towards his family. In his gloved fist he could feel the parchment that had recently arrived from King's Landing that he had immediately scrunched up, a final demand from Cersei to lower his own banners on Casterly Rock and surrender by midday that day or Euron Greyjoy would attack. Looking to his right, he stared defiantly at the largest lion banner atop the walls flying at full mast.

A look upwards at the sky told him that time was nearly up. Sighing, he sent a mental curse over to Maester Creylen who had instructed him to rest for a couple of weeks after his ordeals in Dorne and on the road home. He should be on the ships defending his people, though he knew that Kevan and Daven would do a fine job of it.

"You shouldn't pain yourself so, Loren." The voice of his beloved sounded from behind him. Loren turned and saw Cerenna walking over to him looking as exquisite as ever dressed in the crimson of their house. She had a letter in her hands too, and she handed it to him. "The Maester ordered rest."

Loren just grumbled as he read the words. Ser Reginald of the Lannisport Lannisters had written that the defences were ready and the people knew of their instructions for when the Ironborn broke through. "Finally, competence from him." Loren muttered quietly.

Cerenna scoffed. "I hear Lord Tywin in that tone, Lor, you're better than to judge a man from where he comes from. Don't let your frustrations get the better of you."

She was right. "I know, I'm sorry." He sighed. "I should be down there, not up here reading letters."

Cerenna snaked her arms around his waist. As she leaned into his side. "This is the outcome that we have chosen, and it is the right outcome despite the blockade we face." She looked out at the Ironborn ships. "Though I wonder if it is all worth it."

Loren pulled away from his wife. "How could you think that? You would have us fight for Cersei?"

"Never." Cerenna said defensively. "Myrcella is our Queen, I pledged myself to her just as much as you did my love. But I've spent more time with her than you have since Tommen died, she seems aloof."

Loren nodded. "It is a shock, we all felt it."

"It's more than that." Cerenna said kindly. "The weight of responsibility killed Tommen more than the tug of war over his favour did and now that burden has fallen on Myrcella. We need to ask ourselves if we are willing to lose another cousin to a throne that she may not even want?"

Loren frowned. "Myrcella is the best hope for Westeros." He commented bluntly. "Cersei will ruin the entire realm, the Targaryen will burn the Westerlands in retaliation."

Cerenna nodded. "Our best option is Myrcella, I will not disagree with you there, but is the Iron Throne what Myrcella wants? Is she willing to condemn thousands to death over the chair that destroyed her family?" Cerenna kissed her husband on the cheek. "She trusts you Lor, perhaps deep down she still fancies herself in love with you I know not. But if anybody can allow her to be honest about what she wants, it is you."

Loren let silence settle for a moment as Cerenna's words settled in, though that silence was broken when the first whistle of a fire missile left the Iron Fleet in the direction of Lannisport. Sighing, he nodded. "I will speak to her." Cerenna smiled, though her eyes were filled with worry as they both watched more missiles flying towards both the city and the defending fleet. "Though it may not matter what she wants in the end, Cersei will still look to depose and kill us all."

Missiles were thrown back at the Iron Fleet at that moment, and the faint cheers of the Westerlands could be heard when one of the Ironborn ships cracked and was set aflame. Greyjoy may have had the numbers, but the Lannister ships looked more formidable by far by design. "Let her try." Cerenna said darkly, echoing Loren's own thoughts as he thought on his daughter being subjected to his deranged aunt.

Naval defensive warfare was a different beast to what Loren had grown used to on the mainland, and he spent most of his day watching as missiles were flung between the ships. He had chuckled when one Ironborn captain had grown bold and had sailed towards the city only for the ship and its crew to now lie beneath the waves. It wasn't all good news for the Lannisters though, as two of their own fleet also now sat on the bottom of the bay as charred husks.

As dusk fell on the third day Loren finally left his solar and walked throughout his castle. He greeted the people that were working as he walked, stopping for small conversations here and there until he ended up inside the Hall of Heroes. The crypt of House Lannister was a massive underground labyrinth. The first levels had the oldest graves and Loren had explored them thoroughly as a child, so he elected to ignore the resting place of the Casterly's and his earliest ancestors and instead walked downwards, past the levels housing the Kings of the Rock and into the large corridor that depicted the most recent deceased. The first tomb was King Tyrion II Lannister, a despicable man that delighted in torturing women before bedding them. Loren noted with distasteful amusement that it was no wonder his uncle was named as such if Tywin had known his histories. Further down the hallway lay famous individuals such as King Tommen II who had lost Brightroar, Lord Loren the Last who famously knelt for Aegon the Conqueror after the Field of Fire and his grandson Lord Lyman who refused to hand over Aegon the Uncrowned, yet also refused to raise his banners for the grandson of the Conqueror against Maegor the Cruel. On and on Loren walked, walking past the tombs of the twins Jason and Tyland who had died in and after the Dance of the Dragons, past Damon the Grey Lion, Gerold the Golden and Loren's Great Grandfather Tytos before finally he reached the two graves that he had come to see.

Surprisingly, he wasn't alone. Myrcella was there too laying a candle down at the foot of Loren's Father's golden sarcophagus. She had definitely noticed him, though she was continuing her prayer to the Stranger, before offering one to the Crone.

Once she had finished and returned to her feet, Loren spoke. "You seek wisdom." He stated.

"I do." Myrcella nodded. "A month or so ago I was but a princess looking to do all I could to ensure Tommen had a long and prosperous reign. Doing so for myself should be easy, but it's not."

"We do not have the luxury of peace, not even a war we cannot lose." Loren said calmly. "But I fear my Father cannot help you from beyond the grave."

Myrcella rolled her eyes. "Perhaps not, but despite your relationship with him, he always treated me well."

"He did many unforgiveable things in his life." Loren admitted. "Many that we are paying for at this very moment."

"I am not blind." Myrcella said shortly. "I know what he was and what he did. Many have a right to feel glad he is gone and angry at his actions, but he never showed me that side. He treated me with a respect that not many men give a woman despite her being a princess." She sighed. "I wonder what he would do now."

Loren knew. "He would abandon Casterly Rock and Lannisport and march on the Capital. If you have the Iron Throne and keep it, you have legitimacy that you can only dream of. We could always retake the Rock after all, nobody knows it better than a Lannister." Loren sighed. "But I won't do that, I won't abandon my people to the terrors of the Ironborn again, not while I have an army strong enough here to keep them out."

Myrcella smiled at that. "You will be a fine Lord, Loren." She said calmly.

"And you will make a fine Queen." Loren returned the compliment. He noticed Myrcella's face shift into a frown at his words, however. "But that's not what you want."

"What I want." Myrcella scoffed. "I've not had what I wanted since I was a child. I was sold to Dorne to bring about a peace that could never hold. I've been forced to tear my betrothal apart for the sake of a family that no longer exists, and now I am a Queen without a throne. What I want is for my brother to return to the living, to rule as King in the midst of an alliance that will keep us safe long until after our grandchildren's bones turn to dust."

A dream, Loren thought, though he didn't say as such. "You don't have to rule if you do not wish to, Myrcella."

Myrcella was young, but the way she looked at Loren then made him feel like a child once more. "Sweet cousin, what do we do if I am not?" She asked him. "Mother will lock me away or worse and she will kill you, Cerenna, Jeyne and any other Lannister that defies her. The Targaryen woman will only see me as a threat and will burn her enemies, of which you would inevitably be one of them." She sighed. "I have no choice."

Loren hated that phrase as it sounded too much like his Father's excuse of murder. "We always have a choice, Your Grace." He told her. "And whatever you decide, I promise you that the might of the West will stand behind you."

With Sansa and Jon gone, Rickon had been left with his wife and the new Regency Council overseeing him. He liked most of them well enough, though being forced to attend his lessons was frustrating. He didn't care about this Lord or that Lord in the South, not when he could learn how to fight like Jon. The new Maester, Wolkan, however, didn't let up as he lectured Bran about the history of House Targaryen. The stories were interesting of course, but the way the Maester explained them wasn't. After two hours of listening to the old man, Rickon yawned audibly.

"Am I boring you, My Lord?" Wolkan asked with an eyebrow raised. "Your lady sister has gone to ally us all with Queen Daenerys on your behalf, so in the future you would do well to know as much as you can about her House." Rickon just frowned, ignoring the old man as he returned to his lecture. Sighing, Rickon tuned out of the lesson and heard a commotion going on outside the window. Standing up and walking over to the glass he spied a gathering in the courtyard around a cart. "Lord Stark, I must insist…"

"Something is going on." Rickon countered.

Wolkan huffed and joined him by the window, taking a look before saying. "Nothing that cannot wait until we are finished with your lessons. Please, sit down and we will finish sooner."

Rickon did as he was told, but he had a smirk on his face. He had noticed a certain black Direwolf amongst the crowd and so he shifted comfortably in his seat to ensure he didn't fall off, and then he felt his mind flee his body to arrive outside in the cold. He snarled to make room between the people so that he could get to the centre, and he noticed Lord Reed desperately hugging a girl.

"He needs food." The girl was saying, and Rickon recognised that voice. He felt his tail wagging and he pushed further forwards so that he was in the clearing, and there stood Meera Reed looking tired. She noticed him and grinned. "Shaggydog!" She cried, and Rickon made sure to bound forwards and let her hug his fur. "Bran will be delighted."

At the mention of his brother, Rickon stepped backwards and sniffed the cart. The smell was familiar to Shaggy, Rickon noticed, and he moved around to where the gathered Lords were, and Rickon was surprised to see Bran sitting upright comfortably, his eyes pure white.

"What is he doing?" Wyman Manderly asked nervously.

"Warging." Osha said bluntly.

Rickon could feel the shudders of many in the crowd. "Warging what?" Wyman asked.

Suddenly cries and screams were heard closer to the gates. "Don't hurt it!" Meera cried loudly, pushing her way through to make a walkway. Rickon peered closer, and he was horrified to see a rotting corpse covered in smelly fur stumbling over towards them. It groaned the once, pointing to Bran's still body before pointing back to himself. Rickon looked at Bran as worriedly as a wolf could look, but Bran didn't move. "Bran will take it to the dungeons, then you will see." Meera explained.

That took no more than a couple of minutes, though Rickon stayed close to Bran throughout that time. Only the Karstark Lord had followed the dead man as the rest stayed close to the Stark, who came back to life almost with a loud gasp. Meera was quick to his side, forcing solid food down his throat and Bran gratefully gulped as much down as he could.

"What was that?" Wyman Manderly asked again.

Bran turned to face Rickon with a half-hearted smile before turning to the Manderly Lord. "You've heard all about them from Jon." He said monotonously.

Wyman gulped. "They're real…" He whispered.

"Very real." Meera nodded, giving Bran more food. "And they're coming for us."

"Jon and Sansa have done well in seeking an alliance with the Targaryen, but that won't be enough." Bran insisted, though his voice remained calm. "All of us, all the living will be needed."

Nobody knew what to say to that, but Wyman, as the most senior Lord there, took charge. "Lord Stark needs to know what is happening. Wylla, go and fetch him from his lessons…"

"There is no need, Lord Manderly." Bran said calmly, looking once more at Rickon. "He is already here." All eyes turned to Shaggydog then, and Rickon felt like he was in trouble. He hopped up onto the cart however and sniffed Bran before giving him a quick lick. "Hello Rickon." Bran said calmly.

"Send a raven to Dragonstone." Howland Reed said to somebody. "Lady Sansa will want to know…"

"Yes." Bran nodded. "Include a warning about the wight. The issues in the South must be solved soon, for the dead are coming." He looked directly at Rickon then. "As is our family, Rickon. Arya is coming home too, and she's bringing a surprise."

With the Lannisters at each other's throats Riverrun had been a mess of activity for weeks. Arya Stark had hated every moment of her captivity with the weasels of House Frey and the departure of the fighting force had given her an opportunity. Thankfully, her husband had gone too so her nights were spent without interruption and her days were spent planning. First she gathered dining knives, then coins, and then she gathered bedsheets. After killing the guards at her door she had managed to escape to the tower nearest the Red Fork in the dead of night and scale the walls down, gathering a sword, a bow and an arrow quiver before swimming out under the cover of darkness and running to the nearest village for a horse and some supplies.

That had been weeks earlier, and her path Northwards had been an interesting one. After staying in the Inn at the Crossroads for one night she had reunited with an old friend in Hot Pie who had been sold to the innkeeper after Arya and Gendry had escaped. Then she had been reunited with another old friend, though this time that friend stuck around. Nymeria was huge now and fearsome in her own right as the leader of a large wolf pack. At first the Stark had been nervous around the group, but after a night and a day of travelling she recognised that Nymeria had them under her control, and Arya's link with the direwolf remained as strong as it had once been.

That had all led them to the Neck, and Arya was grateful to see the three crumbling towers of Moat Cailin in the distance. As her horse trotted along she turned over to see Nymeria and spoke to the two-year-old brown-haired girl fastened to the Direwolf's back. "Here we are Aly." She called out to her young daughter that she had named Alysanne after the famous Blackwood wife of Cregan Stark. "Welcome to the North. Welcome home."

We will learn more about Arya's past with the Frey's in a future chapter…

The first scene almost directly follows the Varys/Dany discussion from the show, but that didn't happen exactly obviously, but most of the points would only have been copied (Dany not trusting him and promising that if he betrays her, he will die etc) so I didn't add that in. That scene though lets Dany and Tyrion know the lay of the land however, as Varys, of course, has eyes and ears everywhere…

Jon knows who he is. I'm a bit surprised nobody commented on that hint in the last chapter as Howland Reed needed to speak to Jon, but here he discusses it with Sansa. Obviously things differ here too as Jon finds out before meeting Daenerys, so how will that affect things… Obviously Sansa knows that Robert's Rebellion was built on a lot more than just Lyanna Stark, but remember that's what caused Brandon, Elbert etc to travel to King's Landing in the first place.

I didn't show the battle of the Gold Road because there's more important battles to get through, one of which is imminent next chapter! The important thing is that Loren's tactics won, though he got injured in the process and learnt that Euron is coming for Lannisport.

Finally, and a moment that a lot of you have been looking forward to… Arya is back, with a certain surprise. As initially stated you'll learn more about what happened later on in the story, but I can imagine a lot of you will be pleased to see her.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Next Time: As the Siege of Lannisport continues Loren learns more about his Mother's past, while Dragons meet on Dragonstone…

Reviews:

Rolling Mist 13: Don't worry, I know you're swamped with your own story coming to an end (to any readers that haven't read Dance of the Falcon, go and check it out!) It's an interesting prediction for sure…

McMysterio: There wouldn't have been enough time for the Dornish or the Reach to join that battle, they're busy elsewhere… The Golden Company fought for gold. In the show they aren't quite as rigid in their support as they are in the books, and this is primarily a show fic.

Silver crow: Dany could have done that in the show too, but her personality and the White Walker problem got in the way of that…

Vwchick: fAegon isn't around in this story. Myrcella feels resigned in order to ensure her families survival because every other Queen will kill at least some of them.