Hey everyone I'm back. First off I would like to thank all of you for your reviews and pms that have given me so many ideas. That being said I am writing this story for how I want it to go. I know I can't make everyone happy, and I am trying my best to make this a good story for my readers, but if something you wanted to happen doesn't, than all I can do is apologize and say that I hope it's not bad enough that you stop reading my story. Disclaimer: I do not own a song of Ice and Fire, that honor belongs to George R.R. Martin.
I would like to thank NikHighlander for mentioning my story as inspiring one of his chapters and would like to add that his own story A different choice changes the whole storyplayed a large role in inspiring Empire of Winter
The Wolf meets the Dragon and Sun
The Pact of the Titan
In the North the practice of slavery had long been forbidden, its practice one of the few affronts to the Gods of the Forest. Slavers were either sacrificed to the weirwoods or sent to the Wall. Under northern influence, the practice of Thralldom in the Iron Islands would eventually die out, while the practice of taking saltwives would still be practiced, though largely abandoned by the time of the Conquest.
With this in mind, when a large Valyrian slave force took control of a vast fleet and fled North, that the Queen of Winter and Iron at the time, Queen Arya II, sent the Eastern Wolf Fleet to protect the refugees from pirates and the slavers of the Free Cities. With the Northern Fleet's help, the slaves were able to safely lead themselves to the vast Lagoon that would become Braavos. The north lent further aid by sending money and men to help fund and build the City of a Hundred Isles. Some Children of the Forest even carved Runes along the walls of the cliffs sheltering the lagoon to add protection to the city. These actions would forever endear the Northmen to the Braavosi and the two nations would become staunch allies. On the island that would become the Isle of the Gods, the Children of the forest planted a grove of Weirwoods, with a heart tree in the center with a joyful face carved into it, representing the joy of freedom for the escaped slaves.
The Northmen would keep the location of Braavos secret for two hundred years, the city serving as a resting Harbor for trade vessels, Northern Expeditions, and raiders and reavers from the Iron Islands and the Sisters, being the one city outside the Kingdom of Winter and Iron safe from their raids. Also the Iron Bank offered special deductions and fees for the people of the North that was available to no one else.
The Pact of the Titan was a treaty stating that should either Winterfell of Braavos be threatened, then they would come to the others aid and that they would always stand back to back against the world.
The Dragon Finally Acknowledges the Wolf
For close to Five thousand years, the Valyrian Freehold had ruled supreme over the world from atop the backs of their mighty dragons. Their fabled Valyrian Steel, the amazing spells and works of magic they were able to create and the glory of their city was second to none. But as the ages passed, more and more tales from across the sea reached the ears of the Dragonlords of the Kingdom in the north of the Western Continent, ruled by Kings and Queens atop wolves larger than horses, rulers of Giants over twelve feet tall with hairy elephants perfect for the cold and harsh land. Tales of beings the size of Children with great and powerful magic and of men who became one with many great and powerful beasts, using them to rip apart their enemies.
But what really grabbed the attention of the dragon lord were the tales of fearsome warriors wielding blades pale as ice and as sharp as any Valyrian Steel blade, and the stories of warriors astride massive gryphons, their claws encased in the same pale metal and capable of leaving large slashes in solid stone, without their deadly claw weapons which only added to their power.
As more and more of these tales filtered over to Valyria over the centuries, many of the dragonlords became curious of the tales of this Kingdom of the Frozen North, of cities eternally covered in snow and were the harsh land wiped away most ceremonies and the extravagance usually synonymous with great and prosperous lands. A land ruled by the same family for neigh eight thousand years, whose symbol was the mightiest of all wolves, the great direwolf. Many dragonlords had originally scoffed at these stories, for there could be no land of such power, be it politically, militarily, economically, or magically in the savage and backwards west. But still the stories came, keeping the same tones and message as they had for centuries, and the scoffing turned to contemplation.
Finally, twenty years after the founding of Braavos, the Valyrians decided to see if this Kingdom of Winter and Iron was all it was meant to be. Sending a message to the city of White Harbor, a diplomatic mission was sent led by a Dragonlord of one of the greatest of the forty families, and two dragonlords from houses loyal to him. Their names were Aurion Bealon of House Bealon, Meraxiya Voltares of House Voltares, and finally Ayex Targaryen of House Targaryen. With their dragons and four hundred attendants they arrive in the Trade hub of the eastern North. They are shocked and amazed by the size of White Harbor, which at that point held over one hundred and twenty five thousand people and it the Winterlands greatest port city. Easily seen within the city was the Runelodge, the home of the Druids, the northern equivalent to the maesters But among their welcome guard was what surprised them the most, One thousand men at arms, two hundred wargs with various beasts by their sides, twenty Giants in iron armor and wielding war mauls as large as a grown man. And atop the wall of the Harbor were two hundred Gryphon riders.
Leading this procession were five Children of the Forest, including the High Greenseer Bracken Wolfsight, now reaching an old age even for a Child of the Forest. The Valyrians were surprised to say the least that the many rumors about the North were all true, their gaze lingering on the Gryphon riders for a few moments longer before they greeted the High Greenseer. Bracken merely bowed to them before asking them to follow him to the New Castle, the home of House Manderly. After the welcome feast the Valyrians began the trek North. Flying would have only taken about half a day but they were to present their gifts to the Queen of Winter and Iron in person, and so they tolerated the week long march, the Gryphon Riders following to make sure the dragons did not rampage in the countryside.
Some might have scoffed at the idea that the Gryphon riders were a threat to the Dragon lords, but that would have been a gross underestimation of the North's airborne warriors. It is very true that a gryphons feathers are incredibly vulnerable to regular fire, let alone dragonfire, and that the greatest dragons easily outclass the largest gryphons in size. But the great flying creatures make up for it with sheer maneuverability and speed, capable at rolling a full 360 degrees and turning sharp angles at a moment's notice. This combined with their smaller size makes them hard for a dragon to hit. Also their talons were often given weapons called "war claws" metal talons of Winter Steel fitted over a gryphon's talons to give them an even more terrible weapon.
Their riders were also armed with deadly weapons capable of wounding a dragon. Armed with blades and spears of Winter Steel, a gryphon rider could slash through a dragon's thick scales.
Also, while not as strong as the fabled Golden Wood bows of the Summer Islands, Weirwood bows pack almost as devastating a punch as the great trees can live millennia and are without a doubt a very strong wood. The arrows used by the Gryphon Riders are made of weirwood and Winter Steel, the Arrowheads engraved with the runes for "pierce" and "rend" and are tipped in a poison found only in the depths of the Neck.
True one dragon may equal as many as ten gryphons, but when one well placed arrow can kill its rider of pierce its eyes and bring it down with deadly poison it may not matter.
Upon arriving to Wintercity, the beating heart of the Kingdom of Winter and Iron and the culture of the First Men, the Valyrians were impressed. The City that had sprung up around the ancient stronghold of Winterfell was a massive place, easily home to over two hundred thousand Northmen and Wargs, over three thousand giants, and eight hundred Children. The city had a well developed layout and sewage system, so the city did not reek of shit. Instead, the smell of wood smoke lingered over the city, giving it a earthy and rather pleasant feel. It had five giant parks, each with a massive godswood for public use and tended to by members of the Green Men, still based on the Isle of Faces, whose members were treated with great respect North of the Neck. The city was constantly patrolled by the ever vigilant Ice guard and their wargs. The day that the Valyrian party arrived, the city was covered in a fresh layer of summer snow, with a thin mist enveloping the the city and Winterfell itself.
Ayex would later write down in his journals, "The city of the Northern Westrosi had a ethereal and magical feel when we first saw it, covered in white snow, smoke from the many fires giving the city the smell of pine and oak combined with the morning mists, and seemed to embody the spirit of the land itself."
The castle of Winterfell itself had become a massive construct, three times the size of Highgarden and with far stronger defences. Originally enlarged for the benefit of the Giants, the castle was further expanded and fortified as the Winterlands became more powerful. The First Keep had long been repaired and turned into the barracks of Winterfell's elite guard, The Wolf Fang Guard, the personal bodyguards to the royal family and the guardians of Winterfell. Inside the massive citadel were also the Beast Hold and the the Giant's Den, the first the stronghold of the Order of the Beastmen and the second a dwelling made specifically to house the Giant Magnars and their warriors when visiting the Capital. And beside the Great Hall and the main keep rose the Wolf Pen, the home of House Stark's great pack of Direwolves, including the personal companions of each Stark with the remainder of the mighty beasts being used by the Wolf Fang Guard as watchdogs. The castle was surrounded by three curtain walls and a moat, Winterfell was built to take any assault thrown against it. And of course, at its heart, the primordial Godswood and its ancient heart tree that had remained untouched since before the First Men had arrived to Westeros.
Alongside these were Winterfell's massive glass gardens, used to grow food even in the harshest winters. Glass gardens had become more common in the North, Wintercity had several glass gardens covering over two hundred acres to help provide some food during winter and the North even created its own version of glass. Northern glass differed from Myrish glass in that it was usually thicker and tougher to break, but was harder to make and more time consuming.
Within the city were orphanages for those whose parents had died, place that prepared the children all the skills they would need to survive in the harsh Winterlands. The orphanages were protected and funded by the royal family, and any strike against them was seen as a strike against the king of Winter.
Upon seeing the city, Meraxiya said that, "We had come to the North of Westeros expecting to find a barbaric and uncultured parody of a city. And while it may not match the size and splendor of Volantis and Myr, only a fool would deny the beauty and majesty of this place."
The Valyrians were led into the Great Keep before King Jon Stark II, son of the late Queen Arya II, who had died just two years prior. To his right was his wife, Queen Thora Stark nee Umber, a tall woman with brownish red hair, hard blue eyes and dressed in the same furs and mail as her husband with spear at her side, but was quite easy to look on, with a form and assets many women would kill for. She had pale, fair skin and seemed every bit an equal to her husband.
Ayex would write about the young Northern King and the throne room in his journals, "The King of the Northern Westrosi was a tall man, with dark brown hair and a well trimmed beard. Upon his head was a crown of bronze and iron, the only ornamentation upon it were the runes engraved upon it and three shards of amber embedded in the front. Before the stone seat that served as the Winter Throne stood twelve guards. These men and women, along with one giant could only be the Ice Swords, the greatest members of the Wolf Fang Guard and its captains in times of war."
"The Queen was a beautiful creature to look at, and I could not help but feel some envy towards the Northern King for having a wife that could give some of the most beautiful Lysenei pleasure slaves a run for their money. Upon her head was a circlet of bronze engraved with runes and embedded with five pieces of amber and engraved with a silver rune I would later learn stood for beauty. It was probably the most decorated piece of metal with the entirety of Northern Westeros.
"Unlike his fellow men however, the King's skin had a brownish tint to it, and where a man had nails he had sharp claws on his hands. But it was is eyes that caught your attention. They were a piercing steel gray, as cold and unreadable as steel left just outside the keep in the snow. His eyes were slitted like those of a cat, and seemed to give the impression he was staring through you. And by his side was a titanic wolf larger than even some of the gryphons we had seen and more akin to a bear, a beast of dark brown and grey fur with intelligent yellow eyes. I would later learn that the creature was the greatest direwolf ever bred from the Wolf Pens, the result of a pairing form the finest female direwolf the Starks owned and a massive wild male direwolf. The creature's name was Skagron, King Jon's ever present companion who had been with him since childhood. Flanking the throne and their king, were two Giants garbed in mail and wielding two-handed warhammers larger than a man is tall. They along with the Ice Swords were most likely the Wolf King's personal guard."
"As for the throne room itself, it was a shockingly bare and plain room. The occasional tapestry lining the wall and several banners displaying the gray direwolf of the king's family was all that occupied most of the walls of the vast throne room. But behind the throne were many old crowns and swords, torn tabards of houses long extinct, on shelves or hung along the wall, trophies collected by the Starks over their long past and taken from their defeated and dead enemies. Some crowns looked as if they had been there for millennia, their age showing even from a distance and some of the older swords were made of bronze rather than iron or steel, some having turned green with age."
"And all along the room were the various lords of the North and the Isles, men and women forged by the harsh conditions of their homes. Several had great beasts beside them, showing that they were either wargs or had simply raised the creatures from birth. Some of the northern women were actually quite pleasing to look at, the fact that they dressed in leather and mail instead of silk doing nothing to diminish their beauty. The brutish giants and the small Children also lined the wall, every bit the equal of the men and women in the hall."
Upon entering the hall, High Greenseer Bracken Wolfsight bowed before King Jon before speaking in the Old Tongue, "King Jon Stark, Second of his Name, Guardian of the Winterlands and the Isles, Protector of the Gods of the Forest, Magnar of Winterfell, and King of the First Men, the Giants, and the Children of the Forest. I bring before you the ambassadors from the Valyrian Freehold Aurion Baelon, Meraxiya Voltares, and finally Ayex Targaryen." He quickly Translating into the Andal Tongue so that the Valyrians could understand. As very few from Essos baring the Braavosi cared to learn the language of the North. Taking their queue, the Valyrians politely bowed to the Stark King.
At this the King of Winter and Iron rose from his throne, showing his full height of 6'9 and that he was a broad in the shoulders as he was tall. His wife rose with him, showing she was only three inches shorter than her husband, and showing the Valyrians a round and growing belly, showing that she was pregnant with the next ruler of the North. Gently taking his wife's hand, King Jon led himself and her down the steps of the throne the great direwolf rising to follow its master, as did the giants who followed closely behind. The Ice Sword parted to allow the King and Queen to come before the Valyrians.
Nodding his head to the ambassadors King Jon spoke in heavily accented Andal, or Southron as it was called North of the Neck, "Welcome to Winterfell sons and daughter of Valyria. I must say I never expected to see the masters of Essos come here."
Rising his head to look at the the King, Aurion Bealon spoke "We were intrigued by the tales of the the North of Westeros and decided it was finally time to meet with its rulers. If we are the masters of Essos, you are quite clearly the masters of Westeros."
This sent the King into a barking laugh and he quickly translated the message into the Old Tongue, causing the entire room save for the Ice Swords and the two Giants guarding the King and Queen into a fit of laughing.
"If only, I am only the Master of the Winterlands and the Isles, let the Andals rule the soft South, besides Dorne none of them have a spine between them and are to used to living in soft lands. But enough of these pleasantries, let us get down to business." The laughter left the King's face and was instead replaced by a solemn and grim look as he lead his wife to the throne and allowed her to sit and rest, placing her hand on her swollen belly and turned a grateful look to her husband. He smiled kindly to his wife, before turning to face the Valyrians and his face once again became a frozen mask.
"I see the stories about the Northern Westrosi not being ones for ceremony and going right to the point have not been exaggerated." Aurion said with a laugh before going serious.
"Valyria would like to start peaceful relations and trade with the Lords of Beasts and Winter, and trade right between you and our own Dragonlords. Our lands are the only ones who practice true magic and benefit from it. We would also like to assure the Northmen we mean no ill will towards you. A war between our lands would most unwise and hard to support for both our forces it is hard to transport not only giants and mammoths, but dragons across the Narrow Sea."
"Also we would like to extend trade relations to your kingdom, this would bring welcome profit to both our nations and allow for a deeper friendship between our peoples."
Nodding his head to the terms the king decided to list his own terms, "These can be easily agreed upon save for one thing, the men of the Winterlands and the Isles do not engage in slave trade, and if we catch any slavers, we either send them to the wall or sacrifice them to the Weirwoods. We will not tolerate any attempts to trade slaves in our lands ambassador, is that clear?"
Surprised for a second, Aurion bowed his head to the King, "This is no problem my lord, we are well aware of the West's dislike of slaves. It is one of the few things, if you don't mind me saying, that your people and the Andals share."
Growling at being compared to the Andals but nodding in agreement, King Jon stayed silent waiting to see if the Valyrians had anything else to say.
As it turned out the Valyrians had nothing much else to say and the rest to say was working out the finer details of what would be known to history as the Treaty of the Wolf and the Dragon. It was basically a trade agreement and an agreement not to declare war against each other signed between the Valyrian Freehold and Winterfell. Spices, silks, food, exotic fruits, and gems from Essos were traded for lumber, amber, and rare furs from the North were traded. This agreement would never grow into a true alliance however and no more major delegations would be sent between either land, before the doom.
The Children of Sunspear and Winterfell
After the Valyrians left, the Northmen returned to their usual isolation from the rest of Westeros. In time King Jon and his wife Queen Thora would have three children, Brandon, Ygritte, and Maege. During his reign King Jon noticed the growing power of a unified Dorne under the reign House Nymeros Martell. The fact that the large Rhoynar population entering the Kingdom of Dorne a still the presence of many Dornish houses that proudly claimed descent from the First Men left the King to decide to entreat with the new Princes of Dorne. As it turned out, the reigning Princess of Dorne, Princess Arianne Martell had similar ideas regarding the ancient power that slept within the North.
Much to the surprise of the Dornish, the Flagship of the Western Wolf Fleet The Tide Hunter arrived in Sunspear, on it was Queen Thora Stark herself along with her daughter Ygritte, and she had come to treat on her husband's behave, who could not attend himself as he had fallen terribly ill, with Dorne. Welcomed into the court of the sun, the Queen of Winter meet with the Princess of the Desert.
The court historian of the Sunspear recorded their meeting, saying that it was one of respect between the two most powerful women in Westeros at the time. A great feast was held to accommodate the Northern Queen Princess and their guard, which consisted of two Ice Swords and four Harbingers along with one Giant. Such a creature had not been seen in Dorne since the time of the First Men's arrival and cause much stir among the Dornish, although he proved to be quite popular with the children of the castle. The giant, named Theren rather amusedly allowed the Dornish children to play on him.
While the children had their fun, the Queen and Princess would meet and discuss something that would forever change the fates of the two harshest yet prosperous lands in the West.
"So Queen Thora, your husband would like to deepen ties with the most Southern of the Kingdoms. But I have to ask, why?" Princess Arianne asked in genuine curiosity.
"Our lands are far different from the rest of the Kingdoms, and your people or more Rhoynish now than Andal, and the blood of the First Men still flows thick in the lands of Dorne. That and your lands also bred a tough people much like our own, strengthened by trials of creating a life from the sand as my people make their life by battling the snow and ice. Our peoples are looked down on by the Andals in between the Winterlands and Dorne, but they also envy our wealth and power. An alliance between our kingdoms could forever deter attacks from central Westeros." Queen Thora replied with a strong voice, her Andal also thickly accented and at times difficult for the Dornish Princess to grasp.
Nodding her head the Princess decided to speak once more, "I noticed you brought your eldest daughter with you. I imagine the looks my son Prince Davos kept giving her were all part of some plan?" The sly grin the Princess of Dorne gave was matched only by Queen Thora's smirk.
"Well I would not expect to come to your home without something to offer so here are the terms my husband would like. A marriage agreement between our Kingdoms, your daughter Obara for my Brandon, and my Ygritte for your Davos. Also we will stop our subjects from raiding your ships and trade routes and in return our people will trade with yours and help guard your shipping lanes. For centuries our peoples have had an unspoken agreement, the southern trade routes are yours and the Northern ones ours. This will remain unchanged and our lands will enter a new period of friendship and peace."
Silently mulling over the terms of the proposed treaty the Princess of Dorne smiled and looked to the Northern Queen before speaking, "I believe I can agree to such an agreement that could only bring benefits for my people." And together the Queen and Princess shook hands and the Pact of the Wolf and the Sun was formalized the next day.
That night during the celebration feast Princess Ygritte Stark was alone on one of the balconies of Sunspear glancing at the unfamiliar southern stars. Dressed in a combination of silks and leathers that did well to show off her ample bosom, a silver and amber direwolf necklace around her neck, and her long reddish brown hair tied into a simple ponytail, she heard someone approach behind her. Turning she found herself staring into the chest of the Crown Prince of Dorne, Prince Davos Nymeros Martell. A true son of Dorne with olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes and with a lithe muscular build that made the Northern princess unopposed to the idea of marrying him, During her stay here he had also treated her well, and played along well with her many flirtations, something she very much enjoyed.
Crossing her arms underneath her chest and smirking, knowing full well the effect of her actions, she spoke in a flirtatious voice, "So what brings such a handsome Prince out from such a feast."
Smiling and staring with no sense of shame at the Princess Ygritte's well shown assets, before staring into the captivating gray, slitted eyes of the Northern Princess, the Dornish Prince cupped her face in his hands and spoke in a voice that sent a slight jolt up Ygritte's spine, "Why simply to look upon my beautiful betrothed lovely face and beautiful body. And to do this…" then without warning the Dornish Prince brought his lips to her's and kissed her until the both were begging for air.
Gasping for breath as she grabbed on to the the man's shoulders Ygritte couldn't help but smile as she spoke, "Well played my Prince. I must be honest with you, I do not know if I will ever come to love you but keep treating me like this and my physical attraction to you may become something much deeper with time."
"We have only meet Princess, and I can only say I agree with you for we have only just meet and one day is not nearly enough time for us to truly fall in love. But you have been honest with me so I shall be honest with you. If such a day ever comes for us, I would count myself a lucky man." Davos said with a serious but also friendly look.
The small speech brought a small blush to the Princess's face before she smirked again and batted her eyes suggestively at the Dornish heir. "If my Prince doesn't mind I am very tired and would like to rest, but my chambers are so far from here. If my future husband would be so kind as to guide me towards a close chamber, say his own which is so close to here I would be most grateful."
Hearing her words loud and clear, Davos led his betrothed toward his own bedchambers, with neither being seen the rest of the night. But outside the Prince's room one could easily her the moans and cries of pleasure that came from within.
Weeks later in the sept at Sunspear the Wedding that would be the first step to unifying the North and Dorne was held as Houses Martell and Stark were united by the Marriage of Crown Prince Davos Nymeros Martell and Princess Ygritte Stark. For his new wife Prince Davos would plant a weirwood in a new Sunspear Godswood for his wife. In time the two would come to love each other deeply and be the basis of a Dornish tune, The Sun and the She Wolf. They would have four children, all with their father's dark hair and eyes, slitted like their mother's eyes, and with the now slightly brownish skin of their mother. The Giant Theren would stay within Sunspear to act as the protector of the Princess and her children, and would spend the rest of his life faithfully carrying out his duty.
In the North Crown Prince Brandon Stark would marry his betrothed the beautiful, voluptuous, and gentle Obara Nymeros Martell would marry in Winterfell's Godswood. The two would also come to deeply care for each other with Obara being one of the few people who could get Prince, later King Brandon "Steel Eyes" Stark to smile.
The Alliance between Dorne and the North would solidify into an unbreakable bond, the two becoming staunch allies. Dornish ships would trade and dock in the cities of White Harbor and Lordsport, often hiring Ironborn and Sistermen to protect their ships, helping led both groups even further from their pirate roots into something more like coastal guardians and patrolmen.
The Pact of the Wolf and the Sun would heavily affect the outcome of the Targaryen Conquest that would occur within a few centuries.
Steel Eyes breaks Skagos and raises a Warrior
Groaning as he opened his eyes the newly crowned King Brandon Stark XII woke up an immediately smiled at the sight of his lovely Dornish wife sprawled on top of him deep asleep. He didn't know how long he spent admiring her beauty before she stirred. Opening her alluring gray eyes sleepily before she found the eyes of her husband and tiredly smiled at her husband of now four years before she cupped his face and kissed him lovingly.
"You had a smile on your face this morning, that's new." She teased as she kissed him again, a passion starting to build between the two.
Smirking as he grabbed her waist and flipped her over that she was now under him and causing her to yelp in surprise the King of Winter and Iron stated, "When I have such a vision to admire each morning when I wake up it's damn near impossible not to smile."
A smile graced his beautiful Obara's face as they kissed again, this time more urgent as the two found a new reason to love each other as moans and grunts filled the bed chamber. A few hours later, after a very relaxing morning, the pair strolled to the nursery of Winterfell. Within were their twin daughters, both looking like their mother but with grey slitted eyes and a nut brown skin. The twins were barely two years old and already the most precious things to their father besides their mother.
"How are my little Lyanna and Nymeria today? How are my two little beauties?" Their mother cooed causing the twins to giggle as Obara began to play with her daughters while Brandon watched, a gentle smile gracing his face as he leaned on the doorframe, watching the three most beautiful women in his life since his mother and younger sisters he had once been so protective of.
As he watched he heard footsteps and turned to see his father's Head Captain of the Ice Swords and Wolf Fang Guard, and now his right hand man, Harbinger Jeor Cassel come up before him and bow. "Your Grace a matter has arisen and requires your attention."
Turning to look at his wife and daughters one more time, King Brandon nodded and headed to the Throne Room, Jeor right behind him.
Sitting on the Winter Thorne, his Direwolf Wraith by his left side and Jeor on his right, Brandon listened as the Froststark and Stane messengers brought forth the latest in a series of incidents that was trying his patience. "Your grace the Skagosi of Southern Skagos refuse to heed your laws and have not only continued raiding House Stane's lands but also attacked our shipping. House Crowl and Tide refuse to heed our warnings. They even continue to practice the outlawed First Night and refuse to allow their daughters to inherit."
Deciding enough was enough the King rose from his throne as said in a strong voice, his eyes resembling the steel he was named for. " I have been patient, I have been lenient, and still the men of Southern Skagos refuse to learn their place. Send word I want a host gathered to smash them and remind them why they bow to Winterfell. Send word to House Stane that they have my full permission to retaliate any way they see fit and that their loyalty will not be forgotten. This ends NOW!"
Within a two weeks, a host of twenty thousand men and seven hundred giants had been gathered to crush the rebellious Skagosi. Kissing his wife goodbye and promising to return to her soon, a hand on her stomach, his wife having recently revealed she was with child once more, nodded tears of worry falling. Kissing aways her tears Brandon promised to return to her.
Sailing from White Harbor to the seat of House Stane, King Brandon led the charge against the rebels. In the battle for Skagos, the skagosi fought viciously, both rebel and royal, using unicorns covered in iron as miniature mammoths, their great horns and muscular bulk causing much damage. In the fighting all of house Stane save four Magnar Stane's only daughter was killed. During the battle the self declared King of Skagos managed to separate King Brandon from his guard and Wraith.
Surrounding the King of Winter and Iron with his own personal guard, the boastful skagosi bragged about how he would take and rape Obara and his daughters with his head mounted on his sword before sending his vicious guard against the wolf king. In a display of marital prowess and anger, however, the enraged Brandon Stark killed all twelve of the "Skagos Guard" but suffered many injuries. Before the rebel could attack the wound and exhausted king, a lone warrior of one of the Free Folk tribes that served Winterfell came to his King's defense, his spear and shield dueling with the rebel king in a deadly dance. Finally, using his shield to knock the Skagosi off balance the young warrior stabbed his spear through the rebel warlord's head, killing him and ending the rebellion.
King Brandon would sentence all member of Houses Crowl and Tide to be either sent to the Wal or sacrificed to the Weirwoods. After the battle he had the young warrior who saved him brought before him. The last surviving member of House Stane, Maganara Lyra also present.
"What is your name son and how old are you?" The King asked his savior.
Kneeling before his king the young lad spoke. " I am simply Bael my king, I come from no great family. My father was a hunter and my mother a basket weaver. As for how old I am I have only seen seventeen winters and after my parents died have no family to call my own."
Nodding to the boy the King said, "And fine professions they are for the good folk of the north, you have nothing to be ashamed of my boy. You save my life and I intend to reward you. You have become quite famous Bael "Spearborn", not only for Killing Magnar Sigunr Tide but also in saving me. The man you killed was responsible for this whole war and single handedly destroying all but one of the only loyal Skagosi house. The sole survivor of House Stane, Maganara Lyra Stane stand right here.
Turning to look at the rather beautiful young woman, Bael couldn't stop himself from staring at the red haired, green eyed beauty before him. And if he couldn't help notice that she stared at him with much interest as well, along with a rather bright blush.
Hearing the King grunting, the young Free Folk warrior quickly looked to his king who he found smiling. "You two are about the same age. I intend to name Maganara Lyra her Warden of the Shivering Sea and Skagos and she has agreed to one condition of this. She has stated that she would be honored to take the man who avenged her father and brothers as her husband and allow her children to carry his name. Congratulations lad, you are now Magnar Bael."
To say the young man was surprised was an understatement. His shocked sputtering made both the King and Maganara laugh, which made the young man realize how lovely he found her laughter.
"This is how I reward those who serve me well. As long as they uphold the King's Law and protect the North your descendant shall rule Skagos in the name of my house. Now rise Maganar Bael, you and your future wife have much to talk about."
Staring at the woman who would be his wife, Bael found that, honestly, while becoming a Magnar would be amazing, she was what really enticed him to accept the king's offer. And from the look she was giving him, he was guessing she didn't have much to complain about either And so rose a new house, House Spearborn of Spearhold, Lords paramount of Skagos and Shields of the Shivering Sea. Their banner was a black spear on green and their words will "Faithful We Will Stay." To replace the other skagosi houses that were destroyed, two new houses sworn to house Spearborn were born, the Houses Wave of Tide Hall and Horn of Shivering Port.
Shivering Port would become an important trade hub between Hardhome,Karhold, and Bravoos. While House Spearborn would become some of the Starks' most loyal bannermen with the Umbers, Reeds, and Mormont, their warriors well known for their bravery and zeal.
As the Skagosi rebellion was ended and Skagos was brought closer to the North as a whole all looked well for the North. But the time was soon coming when the lands of Westeros would hear the flapping of Dragon wings, and life as the people of Westeros knew it was coming to an end.
And so the North Rose.