The Princesses War

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AN: What's this, an early update. Well, as the last chapter was late and this one was already done I decided to put this one out a bit earlier for
you. I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.

Chapter Eight

The Storm of Iron

Jon stood in the throne room again in his usual spot as he watched Radwen holding court, sitting on the Iron Throne and listening to Alyn Orkwood, the delegate from the Iron Islands, speak loud and clear of his lord's intentions.

'The might of the Iron Islands has been unleashed against the North,' he loudly proclaimed, twenty of his guards standing behind him with weapons drawn. 'We are armed with muskets and cannons, are armies storm keeps and plunder villages, we take treasure, we kill men, burn houses and take thralls. While Ned Stark runs around the South taking orders from that pompous twit Renly we have taken his lands.'

'That's not completely true,' Colonel Donnah stated from his chair. 'Didn't the garrison at Moat Cailin resist your peoples attack?'

'If it hasn't fallen already that ruin soon will.'

'Please remind me why this is any concern of mine,' said Radwen, sounding bored but Jon knew her well enough now to tell when she was putting on an act.

'We know you Farosi want to conquer all of Westeros,' Orkwood stated bluntly. 'My King has sent me here to tell you this. The Iron Islands belongs to none but the Ironborn. The North is now ours, no different from a ripe maiden waiting to be taken. Fight us and we'll match you gun for gun, leave us be and we'll kill any of Ned Stark's men we see.'

'Are you proposing an alliance?' asked Radwen.

'Sort of. We agree to stay out of each other's way and kill our shared enemies.'

'You expect the might of Farsos to fear a gang of up jumped plunderers?' Curn asked him mockingly.

'We are not mere plunderers. We are the Ironborn. We live for battle.'

'Enough,' Radwen silenced them both. 'Lord Orkwood, as an ambassador you will be treated fairly while you are here. I will bring my decision on your proposal to you in the morning.'

'Thank you, Your Highness,' he said and bowed before turning to leave.

'Lord Orkwood,' Donnah spoke up, 'give Colonel Freman my regards.'

The lord from the Iron Islands allowed the slightest expression of surprise onto his face before he quickly left the throne room.

'Next,' Radwen stated, expecting everyone else who had come to bring issues to the throne that day to not bother anymore thanks to the massive issue brought forward by Orkwood.

'Just one,' Donnah said, looking at his notes. 'Ser Alliser Thorne of the Nights Watch.'

'Let him step forth,' she said and the man whose face seemed moulded to fit a scowl exclusively, and dressed in black leathers and a cloak, stepped forward.

'Your Highness,' he said and bowed slightly.

'Ser Alliser, if you are here for new recruits than I must inform you that Farosi law prohibits conscription into organisations such as the Watch.'

'I am not here just for recruits, though the Watch needs every man it can get. I am here to tell you that the Watch needs the armies of Farsos to come to their aid.'

'You are aware that we are in a war?' Curn asked him.

'Of course, I'm bloody aware of that! I've travelled through the Riverlands and you know what I see? Lannister soldiers looting villages, Stark soldiers looting villages that backed the Lannisters, bandits attacking innocent people and harvests going uncollected. Outside of this city the country is burning and all of that will be nothing if the Wall cannot be held!'

'If you are concerned about the Wildlings we see no reason to worry,' Donnah informed him. 'They are a nuisance.'

'I don't just speak of Wildlings,' Thorne declared. 'I mean of what's worse.'

As he said that Jon felt a chill run down his spine, fearful of what he meant. Of course it couldn't be what he thought.

'What are you saying?' Radwen asked him.

'What do you think? Before I left the Wall we found the bodies of some of our Rangers who went missing. Their hands were black and their eyes blue. Later that night they attacked the members of the Watch and nearly killed the Lord Commander.'

'You're telling me that corpses wondered around Castle Black and attacked your leader?' she asked him, her expression almost amused.

'It's the truth,' he declared as the nobles and soldiers there began laughing. 'The King Beyond the Wall gathers his people into a massive army, the Wall is undermanned and the dead walk! Help defend the lands you want to rule and send soldiers to the Wall.'

'Farsos has better matters to deal with than children's stories,' said Curn. 'In all likelihood this is just an attempt by the Stark's to distract our armies from the real war.'

'I agree,' said Radwen. 'Get this man out of here.'

Two soldiers marched on Throne who shoved them away.

'I'll walk out myself and find Ned Stark. He might actually want to help the Watch.'

Thorne began to walk towards the door and Radwen stood up.

'With that over we can finish up for today.'

Radwen and the other members of the Provisional Council began to walk to the council chamber and everyone else began to file out. Jon however began to quickly walk after Thorne and soon caught up with him in a hall outside of the throne room.

'Ser Alliser,' he said to him.

'What do you want?' he asked angrily and then he noticed the Wolf. 'Jon Snow?'

'Who know of me?'

'Yes. Ned Stark's bastard and the Princesses pet Westerosi.'

'Listen to me, my father has always spoken well of Lord Commander Mormont.'

'So?'

'So I know that Lord Mormont wouldn't send you all the way here on a fool's errand.'

'What are you saying? You believe me?'

'I don't know that, but I do know what I can do. The princess trusts me, I can persuade her to at least send someone to look at the condition of the Watch.'

'And while they're looking Mance Rayder is marching on Castle Black.'

'The Farosi can move soldiers quickly. If they find there is a risk they can send a few regiments at a moments notice.'

'Lieutenant Snow sir,' a young member of the Military Police said as he approached Jon, 'the Provisional Council wants you to attend their next meeting at once.'

'I see,' he turned to face Thorne. 'I give you my word for what it's worth.'

'You better,' he responded and walked away, his expression still frustrated.

So, putting thoughts of his usual afternoon drink with Sergeant Osoni out of his mind which he now knew would be delayed, he headed towards the Provisional Council Chamber where an argument had already broken out.

'Why did you do that?' Radwen snapped at Donnah.

'Because it's expected of me,' he answered coolly.

'Expected of you?' she asked, disbelief on her face. 'What is expected of you is to use every advantage you possess to help win us this war. You had an advantage, you could have used your knowledge of Colonel Freman's presence to give us an advantage. Now you've wasted that for what? To boost your petty ego?'

'Your Highness,' he said slowly and stood up from his chair, seemingly towering over Radwen, 'Freman probably knew when I would work out his deception. He and I are spies. We have rules that we follow, customs that must be observed. Since the Military Police was founded by a few outcast Braavosi we have played by the same rules. All I did here was put it out in the open, I moved another piece on the board.'

'You made it open that we know about what they're up to?' Radwen asked him. 'Why?'

'His main advantage was that he was able to operate in the shadows but that was also a problem. He was restricted in where he could move, what he could do and say. Now I have made it official that I know what he's doing he will move into the light and we can find him, his movements will become more overt, much louder than before. When he makes his next move, we can find him and kill him. Unlike some I never do anything for my ego. Every action I have done has been for Farsos. My only reason for living is to protect Farsos from the darkest of nightmares. All respect to you, Your Highness,' his voice almost became a hiss, 'but never accuse me of vanity.'

Jon looked down at Ghost, his loyal wolf appeared to have moved back a few inches as the man talked at Radwen who appeared rooted to the spot.

'You asked me to be here?' Jon said loudly, breaking the spell which held the Provisional Council in captive silence.

'Yes, we did Jon,' she said and walked to her chair at the head of the table. 'Please take a seat.'

Jon sat at one of the free chair further down the table and looked up at Radwen who had apparently recovered from Donnah's rhetoric.

'The Ironborn attack on the North changes things,' she stated to them. 'The reason you are here Lieutenant,' 'is to provide us with advice. Ned Stark is your father and we need to know what his actions will be. How will he respond to the Ironborn invasion of the North?'

This is ridiculous, he thought to himself as he thought about the madness of the situation he was in. His father had asked him to act as a spy, which at the moment he was failing at, and now Radwen was asking him to advise her over what actions his father would take because of the Ironborn attack on the North. At this rate I'm going to loose track of who I am spying for.

'He's a Stark,' was his answer.

'Thank you for stating the obvious,' Wrenwood said to him, clearly impatient.

'You don't understand what I mean Mister Wrenwood. Have you ever heard of Wintertown?'

'No.'

'I thought not. By Winterfell is a town that's empty in the summer, when the winter comes the people of House Stark's lands flock to the town and shelter there through the winter.'

'Your point is, Lieutenant?' asked Curn.

'The point I am making is that every leader of House Stark, for thousands of years, has shared one trait, a sense of duty to their people. From the last King in the North to my father they have always sought to defend their people above all else.'

'Meaning you think that Lord Stark will move to defend the North?' Radwen asked him.

'Nine chances out of ten I'd say yes.'

'In other words, there will be nothing keeping the Lannister's pinned at Harrenhall,' Curn concluded. 'They could force their way back to the Westerlands and fortify themselves there, gather reinforcements and strike back at us or Renly.'

'So what do we do?' Radwen asked him.

'We can't do anything,' he told her. 'Unless Lord Stark wants to assist us we are stuck in this pigsty of a city.'

'Actually,' Radwen realised, her eyes growing slightly wider. 'I need a raven ready to be sent to Oldtown at once.'

'For what?' asked Wrenwood to which Radwen shot first him and then Jon her coy smile.

'To tell Admiral Greenman to get ready to sail north.'

AN: And the Ironborn storm the North, Colonel Donnah is focused on his private war and Radwen had prepared a new scheme to win over
support. What will happen next? Find out next time.

As ever, I hope you enjoyed and please review, I love reading feedback. Have a great day.

Review Responses:

Tertius711: Yes, Jon does have a good claim but what will he do with it? Thanks for the review.