Alright, here's the next chapter for you guys. Hope everyone is staying safe.

Darkness Reborn

Chapter 12: The Cold Dread.

"Dany please!" She remembered her brother's desperate cries as he was dragged out of the tent. She remembered clear as day the threat in her brother's eyes as he pointed his sword at her pregnant belly and threatened to end the life of her child, if her husband did not give him what he wanted.

Khal Drogo had been able to settle Viserys by telling him he'd get all that he desired. This seemed to placate her brother but the moment he let his guard down, some of her husband's men, grabbed Viserys and broke his arm.

As her husband approached her to ensure she was alright, she locked eyes with him, and for the briefest of moments, pity filled her gaze. She pitied what her brother had become, she pitied how far he'd fallen from the boy she used to know. The feeling had vanished almost as soon as it formed, but her husband had obviously noticed it, and it was due to that pity, that Viserys' death became something far more painful.

Her husband saw that some part of her still cared for her brother, and thus he saw Viserys' actions as even more of a betrayal. Khal Drogo ordered his men to break Viserys' limbs and then ride him out to somewhere far away from Vaes Dothrak. They were then to leave him there, where he would lay, unable to move with all of his limbs broken. With any luck he'd survive for three days before dying of dehydration.

It felt like a lifetime since then. Daenerys Targaryen sometimes couldn't help but wonder in quiet moments what her brother's final moments were like? Did he actually survive that long? Was he attacked by some sort of carnivorous beast? Was he found by another wandering Khalasar and could that mean he possibly survived? Did her late husband's man, simply slit his throat once outside of the city and leave him to be devoured by the vultures? Unfortunately, she'd never know.

It was the last time she'd seen him, and it was the last time she had felt anything other than contempt and displeasure at the thought of him.

She was broken out of her thoughts as the doors to the audience chamber opened and the first of her many subjects began to enter.

She glanced to her side, earning a look from her handmaiden and interpreter Missandei, whom had obviously noticed her spacing out earlier.

Daenerys smiled and brushed it off, and glanced to her other side, where Ser Barristan Selmy stood, ever vigilant. A few feet below her, sitting on the steps, and staring down at the entering smallfolk, was her occasional lover Daario Naharis, he was halfheartedly twirling his favorite dagger between his fingers, keeping to himself. A rarity for him, as he was usually trying to do something to impress her. Most likely he had taken note of her disinterest earlier and was keeping himself amused until she was more receptive.

With a gesture, she began her daily ritual of tending to the needs of her subjects.

The day carried on as many others had, and every hour that went by without a report of a murder in the streets due to the Sons of the Harpy, Daenerys counted as a blessing.

It was closing in on time for her midday meal and despite the looks she kept receiving from her beloved best friend and handmaiden, Daenerys chose to hear from one last group.

Before her, a clutch of figures were led forward, numbering five in total. The one who led them was a man, dark of complexion, with silver facial piercing in his lips, his nose, and even his eyebrows. Upon his face were strange tattoos painted in reds and oranges. He was a large man, standing a head taller than most others in the room, he was broad and muscular and his eyes were black and hard. Those by his side were harder to see, each one covered in hooded cloaks. They were small, and sickly appearing, hunched, squat, and bowlegged. From beneath their hoods, Daenerys could see that each of the four held discolored skin, a dark mucky green, that she had never seen in a man before.

From the creature's jawline she could see it's pointed features, and sharp teeth jutting out of a small mouth. It's lips were a blotchy purple in color, and when it glanced up at her, Daenerys spotted wide, inhumanly big, yellow eyes.

The sight of the creatures behind the tall man unnerved her, and it obviously set her guards on edge as they too noticed the creatures.

"Greetings, Queen Daenerys of Meereen." The Tall man began, his voice a low baritone, that came from deep within his chest.

"Welcome friend. Your accent does not mark you a local." Daenerys began, noting that he sounded like he had come from western Essos, given his way of speech and his use of the common tongue. Despite his coloring, he didn't sound like he was from around Slaver's Bay.

"I do not hail from these lands, Queen Daenerys. I am Juro Tehelis, Captain of the Viper's Claw. I sail the seas in honor of the Dread Lord of Arcem Ossa." Juro responded.

Daenerys gave a curious look to her handmaiden, uncertain of what Arcem Ossa was.

"Arcem Ossa is said to be a fortress birthed from the ruins of Old Valyria. Sailors speak of a mysterious fortress rising above the smoking sea, one that overlooks the peninsula there and lures sailors to their doom in attempts to reach it. No one knows for certain who lives there, but I have known my masters on previous occasions to sell slaves, weapons, armor, and even ships to sailors who claim to come from the Fortress." Missandei reported earning a nod from Daenerys. She hadn't ever heard of this fortress before, and that it lay in the ruins of old Valyria was incredibly fascinating to hear. She wondered if the people there had any connection to the Valyrians, or if they were simply pirates and sailors who managed to find and hold a small chunk of the peninsula?

"I've fought against men from there before. Soldiers claiming to serve the Dread Lord. Good fighters, vicious. They often buy up Unsullied from Astapor and train them in the use of long pikes, and great round shields, like your men only bigger tools." Daario noted.

"To what do I owe your arrival, sea captain? If you've come looking for slaves, you will find none here." Daenerys inquired.

"We do not come for slaves. The Dread Lord commanded that we come and offer terms of territory, and trade to Meereen's new queen. This great city holds many wonders, and valuable resources, beyond it's lowly offerings of flesh. We would like to maintain trade with the city, though my master is more concerned with recent events pertaining to your sacking of Astapor and Yunkai. He wishes to extend an olive branch, in the hopes that our two peoples do not come into conflict with each other." Juro offered, withdrawing a sealed parchment from his robes and offering them to the nearest Unsullied.

The soldier glanced at Daenerys, whom offered a nod to him. He retrieved the parchment and marched it up to her, offering it to her with a bow.

"Your Dread Lord wishes to avoid conflict? Not exactly the kind of thing one expects to hear when you have the title of 'Dread Lord'." Daenerys noted as she passed the parchment to Ser Barristan for him to read, as she continued to eye the sailor with curiosity.

"My Lord is no mad dog. He will not wage war against every person in the world. Daenerys Targaryen is a name chanted in the streets by the people, someone beloved by the lowliest, and admired by the highest born. My lord does not wish to have to destroy you, or your noble cause, and wishes to be clear on where he stands if you decide to keep marching west. If you make any moves towards his territory, he will respond in kind, and your Unsullied and mercenaries will meet a true foe on the battlefield. But my master wishes to avoid such business, and expresses hope that when the time comes for Daenerys Targaryen to sail west, that she leaves her gentle heart behind, and treads not where she is not wanted." Juro responded, his gaze hardening as a smirk touched at Daenerys' lips.

"I have defeated the masters of Slaver's Bay and outlawed slavery here. If your master wishes no trouble from me, he would be wise to accept the change in the way of things. I have seen the cruelty inflicted onto the slaves of these lands, and I do not wish to see such acts perpetrated further." Daenerys replied, her tone tempered and direct, with only the slightest hint of superiority, just enough to earn a smirk from Daario whom stared down at Juro, just waiting for the man to make the wrong move.

"You have managed three victories against pitiful slave armies. Your soldiers have won no great battles, and last I heard, Astapor and Yunkai had fallen under new leadership since your departure to Meereen. What you've accomplished young queen is a momentary hiccup in the world. It is no great change. It is no revolution. The strong will dominate the weak as they always have. From what I've heard your own city has seen it's fair share of chaos and rebellion. You beat three foes, who were stuck in their ways, and unable to change. None of these cities held great leaders, nor true armies. All you have done, is wipe away the old masters, and paved the way for chaos to birth new ones. You are no great queen, nor are you a conqueror. You're just a little girl, that got lucky. Turn your gaze towards Arcem Ossa, and your luck will vanish. Enjoy the benefits of our cooperation until you return to Westoros. And remember, when you do decide to go home, to keep your eyes on the west. If they turn to Valyria, we will show you the true meaning, of fire and blood." Juro stated, absent fear, absent concern, absent uncertainty. His gaze was hard, and carried with it an ominous dread to it.

Daenerys stared down at the man, admiring his brazen foolishness, but his words were nothing she hadn't heard before. The masters of Yunkai and Meereen had both felt the same in regards to her conquests, if this 'dread lord' of old Valyria, wished to make the same mistake, she would let him.

"Do not allow your pride to lead you on a path to your doom. Your ancestors were nothing more than a minor noble house amongst the Valyrians. And they fled in terror upon the encroaching Doom. The heart of the destruction of your kind, now lies in our control. Temp fate, and find the Targaryen line extinguished by a flame so hot, even dragons melted in its tempest." Juro added, turning his gaze away from her, and leading his troop away.

The creatures at his back let out sickening little cackles, that sounded almost childish if not for the curdling bloodthirsty hunger that seemed to accompany it.

As Juro marched away, he felt a presence that drew him to a halt. He turned his gaze to the side, past the unsullied and into the shadows behind them. He stared deep into these shadows for several long moments, before suddenly letting out a growl and beginning to back away, walking backwards, back towards the bottom of the stairs.

A few quiet seconds passed as his troop of small creatures let out vicious shrieks as a figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light.

"The Dread Lord of Arcem Ossa, is that what it is calling itself now?" A voice came into the hall, filling the air in an unnatural way, the voice could only be coming from the hooded figure that stepped from the shadows behind the unsullied and stood in the path leading out of the chamber.

It was an odd movement, as from his position, the unsullied on the opposite side of the room should have seen him, but they only reacted when he stepped out into view.

Those closest to him raised their spears and shields, surrounding the unknown man as he strode forward, towards the pirates.

This man was old, older than Ser Barristan. His face was heavily wrinkled and his nose was long and curved. Despite his old and worn appearance, the man's eyes were vibrant, and his gaze was powerful. He had the bluest eyes Daenerys had ever seen. He was short, hunched, and leaned heavily on a staff to keep him upright. He had a white beard and mustache that grew long, and fell down to below his waist. The man was draped in several layers of dark blue robes, his outermost layer being a deep blue, hooded robe, and his hood when pulled up, let to a long point. At his side the man carried a large satchel filled with various items poking out of it.

The only other noticeable feature of the man, was his boots, which were heavily worn, indicating that he had been traveling for quite some time.

"Who are you?" Daenerys asked as her unsullied surrounded the man. The old man showed them little concern as he stepped into the middle of the room and stared up at her.

"You may call me Rómestámo. I have come here to this ancient city to offer you aid, Daenerys Targaryen. You are going to need it, if you hope to survive." The old man responded, his eyes locked onto Juro and his orcs.

"You snuck into these chambers, to offer me your assistance?" Daenerys began, as she sensed the growing air of hostility between the pirate captain and the strange old man.

"I did. I would have waited in line, but when I saw the enemy coming in to speak with you, I had to know what they were here for. Unfortunately, you've earned their attention. If they haven't already, they will be preparing to attack Meereen and destroy your army." Rómestámo responded dryly, earning a hard look of concern from Barristan, while Daenerys rose to her feet, concern and suspicion filling her gaze.

Juro let out a snarl at that, and drew a hidden dagger from his robes, as did his orcs.

All of the unsullied instantly raised their guard at the sight of the weapons, those closest to Daenerys formed a wall at the base of the steps leading up to her, while the rest surrounded the old man and the pirates.

"You were unwise to come here, old man." Juro hissed before motioning to his orcs.

With a shriek the vile creatures rushed forward. To the amazement of all in the room, the old man reacted with impossible swiftness, lashing out with his staff, drilling it hard into the side of the first orc's head, killing it instant with a skull cracking blow.

The old man quickly advanced, blocking a swipe from the second orc, and quickly striking it in the gut with his staff sending it stumbling back.

The next fell to a similar blow, while the fourth circled around the old man and tried to come at him from behind while he engaged the former two.

With incredible swiftness, the old man spun around and jabbed his staff at the incoming orc like a spear, releasing a wave of pale gray light that sent the orc flying back. It flew hard and struck one of the pillars with a sickening crack. It fell to the ground lifeless after that.

By the time the old man turned back around, Juro was on him lashing out with his own knife. The old man quickly backpedaled and avoided the slashes. He was finally able to retaliate when the knife-wielding pirate over extended during a slash. With a swift strike to the side of the head, Juro fell to his knees.

The two still living orcs rushed back him, but were quickly struck down by the old man's staff, one with a blow that shattered it's ribs, and the second with a strike to the neck which broke it.

The battle was over in less than a minute, and the old man let out a huff as he began to approach the kneeling ship captain.

"You were unwise to come here." Juro muttered as he spat blood onto the ground.

"Perhaps, but I will know of your master's plan. Speak!" The old man demanded, pointing his staff at Juro, causing him to arch his back painfully as if he was being bent by some unseen force.

"What the hell is this?" Daario muttered to Ser Barristan, both of whom had their weapons drawn and were standing guard before Daenerys.

Ser Barristan could only shake his head in response, watching the situation carefully.

"You don't get it do you, you old fool! Your time is done, Darkness shall reign!" Juro roared, as his eyes began to light up, and his tattoos began to glow.

Everyone watched in amazement as this happened. It was like a fire had erupted within the man, his eyes glowed orange, his tattoos began to shine like flame, and smoke began to flow out of his mouth, ears, and eyes.

Slowly, Juro rose to his feet and the old man took several steps back, fear flashing in his shining blue eyes.

"You were unwise to come here. The kingdoms of men shall fall! Darkness shall reign!" A hellish voice billowed out from the pirate's mouth. It was a sound that caused many in the room to immediately cry out in fear. Missandei's hands went to her ears and she started to scream, Daario fell back again the stairs shaking, as terror overwhelmed his senses, Barristan Selmy nearly dropped his sword as his body froze and he found his hands trembling. Daenerys felt her blood begin to burn at the sound of this hellish voice. Something about it lit a literal flame in her veins and it caused her to physically double over in pain.

The only ones who seemed unaffected were the unsullied, they remained stone-faced and detached from any concerns towards their own safety. They had no fear of death, or pain, they worshiped it, in fact, it was life for them, and due to this, they remained upright, with little more than a sinking of the gut, to show that they were still affected by this like everyone else.

"It is you who shall fall servant of The Accursed! The kingdoms of men shall not fall to you!" The old man shouted in response, his voice booming and seemingly pushing back the terror in the room. Barristan felt his grip steady and Daario was able to pull himself back onto his feet.

A hellish chant began to froth forth from Juro's mouth, the voice not his own. What words were said was unknown, but the tongue caused everyone's ears to begin to burn, as if hot water had been poured within them.

The room seemed to darken, the sunlight coming in from the windows was seemingly pushed back as the shadows of the room, grew and deepened in their blackness.

As this chant proceeded, Juro's veins began to glow, like fire was running within them. His eyes suddenly burst as flames erupted from his sockets. His chant did not cease, even as flames began to erupt from his mouth and his skin began to burn. Soon his clothes caught aflame, but his chants did not cease.

"Go back to the abyss, foul creature!" Rómestámo growled, leveling his staff at Juro.

The chanting grew louder, Daenerys had fallen off of her seat and was curling up in the fetal position clutching at her chest. The fire in her veins had spread to her heart, and it felt like she was burning alive from the inside.

"Go back! The kingdoms of men shall not fall!" Romestamo shouted, driving his staff hard into Juro's chest, causing his body to explode in a shower of flame and ash. A haunting roar of rage tore through the room at this, causing even the unsullied to back away at it's intensity and wrath.

Silence filled the room then, Daario and Ser Barristan stared down in amazement at the sight of the man now turned to ash. It wasn't long before the shadows of the room returned to their natural state. The moment they did, Missandei's screams of fear could be heard. Both men spun around finding Missandei on the ground, covering her ears trying to block out the horrible noise, and they also spotted Daenerys, hyperventilating as the pain in her body receded.

Both men quickly raced up to her, and knelt next to her, Daario reached out to touch her, but pulled his hand back as he found himself burned by the heat of her flesh.

He and Barristan shared a look of amazement with each other, as Daenerys' breathing slowed, and she began to regain her senses.

"She is recovering, that is good. I've never seen such a reaction before, but then again, she is unique." Both men heard Rómestámo say. They glanced down the steps to find him standing before the unsullied shield wall staring up at them.

"What has happened to her?" Barristan demanded as he rose to his feet.

"The dread of the Balrog has seemingly invaded her very flesh. I know not how it was done, but the effects seem to be fading. She should recover presently, as should the other girl as well. She needs only to a few moments to settle down." Rómestámo replied, his breathing deep, his age showing as he leaned heavily on his staff.

The room remained silent for several moments as Missandei ceased her screaming and began to quiet down. She remained shaking even as Daario helped her sit up.

Slowly Daenerys began to recover as well, her focus returned and she was able to pull herself to her feet with the help of Ser Barristan. The old knight noted as he helped her to her feet that the heat of her body had faded, but it was still hot enough to be uncomfortable to the touch.

"What was that?" Daenerys demanded, turning her amethyst gaze down towards the blue wizard.

"A Balrog, your grace. The Dread Lord of Arcem Ossa, as it refers to itself now. That man was an acolyte of some sort. A close servant. Those tattoos acted as a sort of runic pathway that allowed the Balrog to possess him. As you can see, it's power far outweighed what a mortal body can withstand." Rómestámo responded, glancing back at the pile of ash with concern in his eyes.

"You've made yourself a dangerous enemy by freeing the slaves of these lands. This demon will not take kindly to you getting in the way of it's plans. I have no doubt that it sends forward that amicable offer you hold, just to give you the impression that it was just like every other enemy you've faced. It intends to lull you into a false sense of security, before it attacks. You'd do well to raise your patrols, and examine all those who enter your city. There's no telling how many orcs have already infiltrated this city's underbelly and are waiting for the moment to crawl out of the muck and raise all kinds of hell." The old man continued after a few moments as he turned and began to walk over to the body of one of the dead orcs.

"You know of these creatures, and the monster that puppets men? You know of this thing that may seek our queen's life?" Ser Barristan inquired, sharing a glance with Daenerys.

"I do. I fought against it long ago, during the War of Wrath. And now I stand in the service of the kingdoms of men, in the war against it, and those that share in it's vile nature." Rómestámo responded, turning his gaze back up to them.

"I would hear what he has to say your grace." Ser Barristan whispered to her.

"As would I." Daenerys agreed, her eyes locked on the pile of ash, and her memory vividly replaying the nightmarish terror that bellowed out from within the man it had once been.

A few short minutes later, and Daenerys and her council were gathered within the audience chamber. Those that hadn't been present for the incident were informed of what happened, and some now stood over the orcs, examining their twisted features.

"This is the last time I go absent from such audiences." Strong Belwas muttered, poking at the body of one of the orcs.

"I feel much the same." Greyworm growled out, his eyes dancing from the bodies, to his queen, to the woman he held to heart, the queen's handmaiden, whom was still unable to stand, her body had yet to stop shaking.

"These things did not come here to attack us, yet you confronted them?" Daario inquired to the old wizard, Daenerys and many in her council listening in as the question was asked.

"They noticed my presence in the shadows. I had thought to confront them before they reported my presence to their master, but once I got a good look at their leader, I knew such hopes to be folly." Rómestámo responded with a sigh.

"You claim that the Dread Lord of Arcem Ossa seeks war with our queen? How certain are you that this thing will make an attempt on our position here?" Ser Barristan inquired.

"I am completely certain. Your queen's attempts to end slavery in these lands is commendable, but you have no doubt hindered the enemy's ability to support itself by cutting off the supply of slaves they were no doubt purchasing from these cities. It's actions are born of deception to your queen. It puts forth this decree to give the impression of defense, it wants you to think that it will remain in it's lands and do as it pleases and if you leave it alone, then it will leave you alone. This is nothing more than a ruse. I have no doubt that it is already setting to work on plans to see your conquests end here. It no doubt has ambitions towards your dragons as well. Such beasts will make powerful war machines if added to it's ranks. You must be prepared for whatever it has in store for you." The old man explained to those around him though he spoke mostly towards Daenerys.

"Why do you call the dread lord, 'it'?" Missandei questioned during a moment of pause, her first spoken words since the incident.

"Because this dread lord is no man. The markings on the corsair captain's face, indicate that he is a high ranking servant to a Balrog." Rómestámo replied, a chill entering the air, as he did. This chill was noticed by all, as many, save for the unsullied glanced around the room to search for it's source.

"What the fuck is a Balrog?" Daario inquired, staring the man down.

"A fire spirit. Fire and shadow, incarnate. They are shapeshifters, able to alter their form, but not it's composition. In ancient times, they appeared as giants, and fought with swords and whips, but in later days, they altered their fighting forms to be more monstrous, more bestial. Allowing them to fight with claw, and tooth, and tail, along with their chosen arsenal. This particular Balrog has already brought low one great kingdom, and will no doubt do so again if given the chance. If the beast is building an army, then it no longer seeks to slumber. It will invade the rest of Essos and possibly even further if allowed, spreading fire and death to all corners of the known world if it isn't stopped." Rómestámo answered, his tone conveying a seriousness to the situation that those present found difficult to believe.

"A fire spirit?" Daenerys reiterated, sharing a glance with Missandei who shook her head in disbelief.

"That's a fancy story and all, but what I'm more curious about is how it spoke through that man like a puppet? It was almost like it's words burned through him." Daario questioned.

"As I said, those markings upon the ship captain's face, mark him as a high-ranking servant to the Balrog. Those markings are part of a ritual that bound the man to the beast itself, and when I confronted it, the beast passed it's essence into the man, and you saw the effects. The creature is a demon of fire and shadow, it's power far outweighed that which a mere mortal can withstand. Its presence so horrible that it can drive mere men to terror." Rómestámo noted, glancing around at those in the room.

"When it spoke, I felt a burning in my veins, like fire, cutting through my flesh. When it began to chant in that strange language, I felt the heat seize at my heart. It was pain unlike anything I've ever felt." Daenerys stated, drawing all attention in the room, onto her, as she gazed at the old man, her eyes filled with worry, uncertainty, and concern.

"I apologize, your grace. I cannot speak on your reaction. What your guards felt, that was what I would call a typical reaction to coming across the essence of a Balrog. It may have something to do with your unique connection to dragons. From my travels I have heard that the Targaryens, are known to have dragon's blood." Rómestámo mused in response.

"What would my blood have to do with this?" Daenerys inquired.

"Dragons were created by the Enemy, your grace. The same master that the Balrogs once served, created those vicious serpents and gave rise to the mighty terrors long ago. These Valyrian dragons hold some sort of ancestry with the Great Dragons of old. If you truly have dragon's blood in your veins, and that blood is descended from the Great Dragons, then that may have some correlation." Rómestámo speculated in response, earning a curious and somewhat concerned look from Daenerys.

"You hold magical abilities?" Daenerys decided to move down a different line of questioning.

"I know a bit of magic. My friends often jokingly refer to me as a Blue Wizard, given the robes and all. I am as servant of the Istari order." The old man offered in response.

"Why did you come here to Meereen?" Daenerys inquired.

"To seek your aid, queen Daenerys." Rómestámo answered.

"Against this Balrog?" Daenerys guessed.

"And it's army, yes. You have worked hard to free the slaves of these lands and that works counterproductive to the Balrog's plans. Without fresh slaves to feed it's war machine, they will be forced to rely on orcs to make up the bulk of their army. Orcs are unreliable to all but their true master, and even then, their loyalty is questionable. This foe will not sit idly by and allow you to continue hampering it's agenda. It will move against you, and I do not wish to see you fall to it's wrath. Not when I believe you can help stop it." Rómestámo responded, his eyes locking with hers.

"You believe I can stop this creature?" Daenerys replied, her eyes flickering to the pile of ash, then back to the blue wizard.

"I believe you're the only one, this side of the Bone Mountains, who has a chance at succeeding. And I would offer my aid in that endeavor. If you would have me." Rómestámo offered. Daenerys stared down at him for several long moments before finally nodding.

-Arcem Ossa, Valyria-

Deep within the heart of the dreaded lands of Old Valyria, the Balrog Dathrag sat upon a throne of black fused stone, staring deep into a burning glass candle that sat beside it's throne.

Using the ancient Valyrian artifact the Balrog pressed it's thoughts towards the mind of it's master. It had something very interesting to report to her.

Khulvar had been correct, the blue wizards had been watching, and now one of them had found his way into the service of Daenerys Targaryen. Such a thing would prove quite interesting to his master. A dark chuckle filled the air, the anticipation of facing one of his kin in battle once more, excited the ancient demon.

Soon the Istari would number four, and the broken corpse of this blue wizard would be paraded before the kingdoms of men, as a sign to mark the collapse of their age, and the rise of Morgoth once more.

-Moat Cailin, Westoros-

Aegon marched through the interior of the castle being led towards Robb's room. Night had fallen and he had just returned from a meeting with Lilith where she informed him that one of the blue wizards had been spotted in Essos, in the city of Meereen now ruled over by Daenerys Targaryen. An interesting development, one that led the two to shifting some of their plans regarding the east. If the blue wizard had found a way here, than it was possible that others may soon follow, they needed to keep their eyes peeled for such incursions.

He had also given orders for Dathrag to dispatch Aegon's true mount from the fiery depths of the Valyrian Peninsula and send it to him.

While Lilith had been busy breeding her Great Dragons, Aegon had been busy refining a nightmarish beast of his own. A dragon that had been born on Dragonstone over two hundred and sixty years prior, that had been given the monstrous title of 'The Cannibal'. This beast had been one that Aegon, under the guise of Annatar had taken to personally. Having fed his magic into the beast's egg, long ago, and binding it to him. Over the years he had continued to use his magic to mutate the creature, resulting in a pure black abomination that fed upon other dragons, and knew no true master other than Annatar. After the Dance of the Dragons, Annatar had sent the beast to Valyria where it lived to this day, being tended to by the Witch King, and now being overlooked by Dathrag.

With Aegon beginning his march south he would recall his true mount and head south in the image of his ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror.

It would take a few days for the beast to arrive, but Aegon was patient, he gifted his personal Fellbeast to the Witch King, as reward for his services, and when the time came, he would join Lilith in the skies, with the Cannibal and Midir leading the charge into the south.

Aegon and Lilith had held their meeting away from the castle to discuss their plans away from all others, and upon his return he was asked to go to Robb's room. From the sounds of it, his cousin wasn't having an easy go of things.

Aegon arrived at Robb's room to find him there sitting next to his wife on his bed, he was breathing heavily and was digging his hands into the bed sheets kneading at them to try and keep from shaking.

Benjen stood over him, quietly talking to Robb, trying to help him remain calm. Lady Catelyn was present as well, watching her son with worried eyes. The room itself was trashed, indicating that Robb had thrown a fit shortly before Aegon's arrival.

"It's his wolf's blood." Aegon noted, entering the room and earning all of their attention.

Robb glanced up at him, panic, fear, concern, anger, and bestial hunger flashing in his gaze.

"That's what I thought." Benjen noted with a sigh.

"What's happening to him? He's been having strange dreams these last few months, and he's been sleepwalking but this is the first time he's ever shown such aggression." Jeyne asked, worry marring her face as she rubbed at her husband's back trying to get him to calm down.

"His wolf's blood is activating. Just like mine and uncle Benjen's. The Starks are descended from werewolves, half-man, half-wolf. Lilith and her magic are reawakening long dormant magics in the world. Such as the old Stark blood. Robb is having a reaction, he's starting to turn. Given a few more weeks he'll begin shape-shifting into a werewolf against his will. He needs to learn to control it, lest the beast take over and rule the man." Aegon explained.

"He can come out with me, I'll show him how to transform, how to control it." Benjen offered.

"You've come far in your training uncle. If you think you're ready, then I wont stop you from trying, but if you encounter something you do not understand, or he begins reacting violently, I want you to come to me." Aegon ordered, earning a nod from his uncle.

Quickly Aegon advanced on Robb and knelt in front of him locking eyes with his cousin.

"Settle down Robb. You can control this. The beast is part of you, a piece of the whole. You command it, not the other way around." Aegon said to him, letting some of his own wolfish features emerge. The sight of the partial change caused Robb to begin to settle, he licked at his lips and nodded, releasing the bedding he had been tearing at with his hands.

"Will he be alright?" Jeyne asked.

"He will be. He's stronger than the beast. He'll learn to control it, just like I did, just like uncle Benjen." Aegon replied reaching out and placing a hand on Robb's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze as he rose to his feet.

"That makes three of the Starks now. What are the chances that the little ones will start to show signs of changing?" Benjen asked.

"It's a dangerous possibility. Right now Sansa is the one I'm more worried about. She's around the right age to begin turning." Aegon replied glancing towards Catelyn who's eyes went wide at the implication.

"Luckily she's farther south, away from the powers here, but she'll need to be retrieved quickly as we advance on King's Landing. Werewolves are highly resilient to damage, but I would not have her subjected to torture at the hands of the Lannisters. Lady Catelyn, when you return to Winterfell, I would ask that you keep a close eye on Bran and Rickon. They shouldn't show signs of transforming until they're closer to Sansa's age, but there are no guarantees when it comes to things like this. If they begin to show similar symptoms as Robb, send word to us immediately." Aegon commanded, earning a nod from the woman as she stepped up next to her son.

"Jeyne… is she in any danger from this?" Robb asked, after a few quiet moments.

"From you? Depends on your bedroom antics." Aegon replied after a moment, offering a chuckle at the look he got from Robb, Jeyne, and Catelyn.

"She's your wife. In animalistic terms she's also your mate. If you were to fully turn, you'd be more inclined to hunt, then anything else, in which case she wouldn't have anything to worry about. Though in a partial human state, such as what your were experiencing before, you may be more inclined towards other pursuits such as breeding. You may be a bit rougher with her in the pursuit but you wouldn't hurt her, so its possible she wouldn't even know the difference but knowing you Stark, you strike me as a gentle lover, so I'd get it under control before then." Benjen smirked at hearing that while Catelyn looked affronted, Robb and Jeyne both blushed at the implication of his words.

"Others though, will be in danger. I doubt you'd hurt your mother in that state, or any of your family members, but everyone else is fair game. Adhere to Uncle Benjen's lessons, and come to me if you have any questions he cannot answer. We march south in two days, I'd get to work on learning to control this as soon as possible." Aegon instructed earning a nod from Robb.

Aegon was quick to depart heading for his room, and leaving the Starks to handle this situation. He'd planted the seeds and given them support by training Benjen, now it was time for his pack to slowly take form.

The following days were stressful for Robb. He spent his free time away from the castle learning from Benjen how to control his lycanthropy, when he'd returned from his first trip, tired and bruised, he accidentally walked in on an argument between Jeyne and her mother. The latter of whom was none to pleased with Robb giving up his kingship. Jeyne was now the Lady of Winterfell, instead of the Queen of the North, and her mother wasn't exactly to happy about it.

Robb chose not to get involved and thankfully the two ceased with their arguments upon his arrival. Jeyne was even kind enough to assure him that she still loved him no matter what he was, be it lord or king, she was just happy to be his wife, and she would do her best to be a good Lady of Winterfell.

Robb was happy to hear it, and her reassurances helped him remain calm that night, and led to him having his first restful night of sleep in weeks.

The day before they departed from Moat Cailin, Robb had to decide how he was going to handle the Karstark prisoners and see to exactly what he wanted done with Theon.

When it came to the Karstarks, Robb made them all an offer. If they bent the knee and swore to serve, then these men would be offered a place in their army and would march south with them. If they refused, he would have them hung as deserters.

Many agreed to join, fearing for their lives, though some spat the offer back at them, refusing to serve a king of monsters, or Robb Stark for beheading their lord. These ones were immediately executed by group hanging as beheading them all one by one would have taken far to long.

Their immediate execution instilled in the northern men that their new king and queen, were no pushovers, and would punish disloyalty, and they encouraged all of the lords under their command to do the same.

Later that day, Robb went to see Theon. Few words were exchanged as Theon begged for his life. Robb did little more than stare and condemn his one-time best friend for his actions.

Despite his cold outward appearance, it had obviously broken Robb's heart to see his old friend in such a sorry state. He had gone to see Aegon after it was all said and done, and the two spent the night discussing the meaning friendship and loyalty, and what it meant to consider someone a brother. A bit of wine, helped further their long discussion but by the end of the night, Robb was more steady than he had been at the start of the day.

At dawn the following day the army set to move out and begin moving south towards the twins. An hour before they were set to begin, Aegon's mount arrived.

From the clouds the beast fell, a giant of a dragon rivaling Balerion the dread in size. The dragon was Valyrian in shape, and black as coal. The only distinguishing color besides black upon the giant beast were it's menacing emerald green eyes which glower like wildfire.

The dragon itself was imbue with a cursed blue-green flame. These morgul flames were filled with a malevolent dark magic, that would inflict unending suffering onto those burned in it's flames. A burn from the Cannibal's fire, would leave a wound that would never stop hurting. The victim would forever feel the agony of the injury and ever more so, disease and vermin would be drawn to the wound, filling it with sickening rot, and infection.

The creature truly was a marvel, his first attempt at breeding such a beast, in the image of his beloved sister's hard work. As the beast came to a thundering land before Aegon, he got to enjoy the coo of Lilith as she took in the beast an it's power. While not one of the Great Dragons, it was a beast far beyond anything nature could produce. A true terror, fit to be Aegon's personal mount.

"You did well with this beast, baby brother. I look forward to seeing what other terrors you unleash upon the battlefield." Lilith noted with approval, earning a smirk from Aegon as he approached the beast.

The dragon let out a vicious growl as Aegon approached it. The menace in the air that radiated off of the beast was almost able to choke the breath out of onlookers who watched the dragon appear.

"Hello Umbra… are you ready for war?" Aegon inquired as he approached the beast.

In response the dragon let out a hellish growl.

Aegon smirked at that, and from his lips, sprung forth a command in parseltongue. The dragon's response was instant, it lowered it's head as it to bow, and with quick use of apparition, Aegon was upon the beast's back.

He shared a look with Lilith, earning a nod of approval from her as she called down Midir and the two took to the skies.

Immediately after, their army began marching south, passing down through the Causeway, and towards the twins. Immediately upon their departure, a raven was sent to Riverrun, informing the Blackfish that he was to send a rider from Riverrun to the Twins with a command from Edmure Tully, demanding the Freys bend the knee, and allow King Robb passage across the twins from the West.

The message carried no further details, but the Blackfish was clever enough that he would understand the ruse. The Freys didn't know that Robb was in the North, and still thought that he was somewhere in the Riverlands or Westerlands. This message would make them believe that Robb was approaching from the West towards the twins, and cause them to fortify the western castle more heavily.

This plot, would act as a precaution, if Walder Frey replied with open arms, and had his gates open, then it wouldn't matter, but if they were sealed, they could attack attack the eastern castle, which would be more lightly defended, and which also housed Walder Frey himself. Capturing the old man, and many of his family members, would end the battle without having to take the other castle.

And so the plan was put in place. As they marched south, Aegon began training Robb, Edmure, Roose Bolton, Ramsay Snow, and many other newly acquired commanders, in the capabilities of his army. He instructed them in how the army functioned, what skills were possessed by the beasts within, what roles they were best suited for with their skills.

On top of this training, Robb continued learning from Benjen as they moved south and slowly gained control over his wolf form. Catelyn had left them with a small contingent of loyal men to ride north to Winterfell to look after her children, and Howland Reed would join the army in moving south, lending his word, to Aegon's claim, at Robb's request.

Their arrival at the twins was met with sealed gates, and guards stationed upon the walls. The scouts had reported back to Aegon and company the sights they spotted as the army approached.

Edmure was furious, taking Aegon's words to heart. The Freys were his subjects, Walder Frey fell to his command, and to refuse a direct order was treason.

"So now we storm in there and drag the old cunt out by his breeches, right?" Greatjon Umber offered as the army came to a halt, only a few hours travel from the Twins, still out of sight and unknown to their now confirmed enemy.

"Yes." Aegon responded after sharing a quick look with Edmure, who nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Alright then, what is the plan. The twins are heavily fortified and if the western castle hears of our attack on the eastern, they will seal the inner gates, and we wont be able to cross without a prolonged siege." Robb noted.

"Capture Walder Frey is a good plan, and may provide us with a means to secure the western-most castle, but if one of his elder sons is in the western castle at the time of the attack, he may see this as an opportunity to take over. Walder Frey is old, and not long for this world. We cannot count on the Freys acting with any sort of decency or honor." Roose Bolton stated, earning a nod of agreement from the Greatjon as well as Aegon.

"You're right. Capturing Walder Frey could be our key to victory, but I wont hedge our bets on a possibility. We have to take both castles, or at least try." Aegon agreed as he stared down at a map of the area.

"Attacking either castle will alert the other, and they'll seal the innermost gates. There's also the gate on the Water Tower in the center of the bridge. Two lines of defense in either direction. We have to take the water tower and the innermost gates to have free access to both castles. The problem is getting there." Edmure noted, staring down at the map that showed the twins and the Green Fork.

"It's almost like we need to attack the castle from the center. If we had the time we could construct rafts, and try to sail them down the Green Fork." Robb said as he ran scratched at his chin, working through several ideas in his mind.

"The Akul demonuk." Aegon stated with a smirk, sharing a glance with Lilith whom sat back, upon a small throne overlooking the meeting tent. A smile touched at her lips, agreeing wholeheartedly with his idea.

"The what?" Robb inquired, sensing inspiration sparking in Aegon.

"Long ago when Lilith came to the Land of Always Winter, she was forced to defeat those that dwelled there already. She claims to have defeated the White Walkers and taken their powers for her own. I can't speak to the validity of her claim other than to say that I've seen some of the orcs that she's bred with this power. The power of ice and cold. Blue icy eyes, a frigid aura that seems to pour off of them, with the power to animate the dead as wights. According to our legends, those are all traits the White Walkers were said to have." Aegon explained, earning dumbfounded amazement from all those in the room, who turned their gaze towards the sorceress who offered a prideful smirk in reply to their gaze.

"These orcs can freeze over the waters and allow a small force to walk down the green fork and they can scale the bridge, seize the Water Tower and actually attack the castle from the bridge. All we need is for them to take and hold the innermost gatehouse on the western castle, while pushing through and opening the gate on the eastern side, with all of the gates open we can swarm inside and take the castle before they even realize what has happened." Aegon offered after a moment of further thought, earning a slow nod from Robb as he recovered from his surprise after hearing about what supposedly happened to the White Walkers.

"That could work. You said the lighter orcs, the goblins, they're excellent climbers. If the waters beneath the bridge freeze, they can scale it, take the water tower and the lightly guarded innermost gatehouses." Robb agreed.

"We send in some goblins armed with climbing ropes, they take the water tower, toss down the ropes to the ice below, more men climb the robes and invade the castle's interior. In fact, if these orcs can freeze the waters, you could send our horse cavalry across the river, to the western bank, and have that force approach from the southwest under the Stark and Tully banners. The Freys would fully garrison the western castle and leave the eastern one even less defended. Our forces could sneak into the eastern castle, take the inner gate, take out the guards on the walls, raise the gate and rush in a force of soldiers to overwhelm it, light fast cavalry could be sent through both gate houses and across the bridge, where another force has taken out the guards watching the bridge. If there are no guards to see the attack coming from a distance then even if they close the gate, we could have one of your trolls already across it with a nice heavy warhammer to begin battering it down before they could get archers in place." Roose Bolton stated, earning a smirk from Aegon, whom quickly turned towards some of the guards stationed around the tent.

"Fetch Grath, and Ramsay Snow." Aegon commanded to the orcs, earning a swift nod as some departed to retrieve those in question.

"What you called these white walker orcs earlier, Akul… what was it?" Robb inquired.

"Akul demonuk. It's from the black speech of the orcs. It means Ice Demons. That's what the orcs call them. We have a small clutch of them traveling with us. About a dozen or so. All of them together should freeze the ice thick enough for a force of a few hundred to cross at a time, and about as many to attack the bridge." Aegon explained, earning a nod of understanding from his cousin.

"If I may your grace, what role do you intend for my son to play?" Roose Bolton inquired curiously.

"You son has shown some exceptional skills. I wish to see how he truly affords himself. I have a special mission in mind for him. I'll send him with our force, his mission will be to find and capture Walder Frey. He's still our best chance to seize the castles without a prolonged battle." Aegon explained. "Do you have any disagreement?"

"No your grace. I trust that he'll manage this assignment well." Roose responded, as Ramsay entered into the tent, followed shortly after by a sight that caused all of the Northern and Riverland lords to gasp, or mutter profanities out of shock or dread.

A towering uruk, almost a foot taller than Aegon, had been led in. this uruk had pale blue flesh that was pulled taught across his body, almost looking mummified. His hair was a pale white, and tied into a long ponytail that reached the middle of his back. His eyes were an icy blue, all the way across, looking more like sapphires then actual eyes. The presence of this uruk carried with it an aura of dread, and frigid cold. The temperature in the room plummeted quickly, and the fires of the surrounding torches that lit said tent, quickly dimmed with the closest ones sputtering out as the heat was sucked from the room.

Only those opposite the creature, nearest to Lilith felt any heat remain within them, and that heat seemed to emanate from Lilith herself who continued to watch her generals plan and coordinate with a calculating eye.

"Walder Frey has chosen a fight. I have a task for the two of you." Aegon began offering the two a smirk as he did.

Upon the night of the following day, their plan was set in place. The Akul demonuk gathered at the river early in the day and using their combined ice powers, froze an ice bridge across the lake. This ice bridge allowed for twenty men or so to cross at once on horseback. Once around two thousand had crossed, the majority of their horseriders, taken from Robb's personal guard, as well as the captured horses taken from the Karstarks, the Ice bridge was abandoned. The mystic tribe worked long and hard, using their magic to draw forth a dense mist, and a covering of blackened clouds. Both tasks could have easily been accomplished by Lilith or Aegon, but the two decided to show off the power of their army as well.

As the sun set over the horizon the dark clouds blotted out the moon, and along the river, an unbearably dense fog rose up and soon washed over the entire castle.

Under the cover of fog the army would advance. With the strike force heading to the river band a few hundred yards upstream where the water would be frozen and they would march across it to the center of the bridge.

The dense fog would block out all sight of their actions, it was so thick that one couldn't see more that a few feet in front of them, so they were in no danger of being spotted, as they made their approach.

Slowly but surely the force trudged across the ice bridge, approaching the Twins under cover of darkness and dense fog.

Soon they were at the base of the bridge, and a set of goblins began to climb the slippery stone.

Despite the slick rock, they reached the top of the bridge in a matter of moments.

Slowly the lithe little goblins peeked over the edge of the bridge, their faces less that a foot to the side of one of the two sentries that stood on either side of the Water Tower gateway.

One of the goblins made a motion to his fellows, and they began to move into position. The lead goblin pulled back and slid around the side of the Water Tower, climbing higher along the stone and the circling the edge and climbing across, silently pulling himself along the vine covered stone until his directly above the guard on the opposite side of the bridge.

The fog was so thick at the moment even glancing from one side of the bridge to the other left little more than a dark shadow for someone to see in the darkness.

This goblin heard the sound of a blade slicing through flesh and then the collapse of a body. The man beneath him turned in that direction. Before he could speak or advance to investigate the goblin fell upon his back and drove a knife into his throat, silencing any words before they could escape.

The body fell from his grasp, landing hard on the stone bridge. The sound of rushing water helped to mute the distinct noise from traveling to far, but there were no guarantees that a patrol wouldn't pass by soon.

Quickly the goblins hooked climbing robes onto the bridge and tossed them down to the men below.

Ramsay Snow and a few of his cronies were quickly up the rope and onto the bridge.

"Well what do you fucking know, it worked." One of his men whispered to him, earning a smirk from the wild Bolton bastard.

"I'm starting to enjoy having these strange folk around." Ramsay noted, as one of the White orcs, climbed up the rope and scanned the surroundings, bringing with him an unnatural chill.

He locked eyes with Ramsay for a moment before turning his gaze towards the eastern castle.

While some orcs and men began to secured the Water Tower in the center of the bridge, others quickly headed for the eastern and western castles, intent on fulfilling their missions. Those headed towards the western castle could clearly hear loud noises coming from the castle itself, fully indicating a large number of bodies moving within. It was quickly made apparent to them that those within had spotted or heard the horseriders they'd sent across and were busy keeping an eye out for an attack from the west.

Those approaching the western castle had one goal, take the inner gatehouse and hold it without drawing too much attention.

On the eastern side, Ramsay and the White orc chieftain led a collection of nearly fifty men and orcs quietly across the bridge, keeping low and using the dense fog to mask their approach.

As they approached voices filled the air.

"Why is it so fucking cold all of a sudden?" Came the voice of a Frey guard.

"Quit bitching. I don't want to have to hear this all night." Another responded.

Quietly, Ramsay and one of his men drew bows, knocked an arrow and slowly inched forward. The moment they could make out the vague outline of the guards standing beside torches on either side of the bridge, they drew back their bows and loosed their arrows.

Both guards fell to the ground dead.

Ramsay smirked as did his companion, though both were left speechless as the White orc passed them and stood between the two dead men. He lifted his arms up, as if encouraging something to rise, and in response the two bodies began moving. Lifting off of the cold stone and standing upright, their eyes now an icy blue.

In unison, both gripped the arrows in their chests, and pulled them free, before marching into the gatehouse.

"The legends are true..." Ramsay's comrade muttered with a shake of his head.

"Even the White Walkers bow to the will of the Sorceress from the North. Now that is true power." Ramsay noted with a gleeful smirk.

Quickly the men began to pour into the eastern gatehouse, easily falling upon the guards who were far less observant than those on the western side. A few slit throats later and the guardhouse fell. Now all they needed was to take the outer gatehouse and the attack would commence.

While the White orc led his troop along with a now dozen reanimated Frey men, towards the outer gatehouse, Ramsay and his troop vanished into the interior of the castle.

Walder Frey was their goal, and they intended to get a hold of the old lord before he heard the commotion and had a chance to barricade himself behind locked doors.

Quickly Ramsay led his troop through the interior of the castle, armed with short bows, swords, daggers, and axes, they made their way towards the lords room.

Anyone who got in their way, be it guards or servants, met a quick and bloody end. Within minutes they had arrived at the lord's chambers and dealt with the two guards standing outside.

With little in the way of ceremony they burst into the room, startling old Walder awake, along with his young wife who let out a scream of fright as Ramsay as his men fell upon them, tearing them out of their beds, binding their hands, and gagging them.

Outside, the sound of a horn blowing, filled the air, the signal that the outer gatehouse had been taken and was now open. With that sound, a force of warg, caragor, and spider riders would swarm in, many of them rushing through the open gates, across the bridge and through to the western castle who's gate should be open.

Screams of terror and pain quickly filled the air as thousands of beasts swarmed in through the gates, the mounted forces immediately raced across the bridge while foot soldiers and trolls swarmed into the castle cutting down anyone who got in their way.

In the western castle, Frey men attempted to reach the inner gatehouse to close the gate and drop the portcullis. They had heard the horn blowing from across the river, and could now hear the roar of the advancing army. Men were quickly making their way to the gatehouse, or the walls overlooking the bridge. Some were able to fire down onto the bridge though the dense fog made any sort of marksmanship impossible. Few were even aware of the intruders who now held the gatehouse open, and killed all those that approached the gate or entered into the gatehouse to drop the portcullis.

Soon the rumbling passed onto the bridge and quickly raced across it. Within seconds, warg riders reached the western gate and swarmed into the western castle.

Both castles had now been breached and the battle was now in full swing.

Outside of the castle on a hill overlooking the barely visible outline of the twins, sat Aegon and his generals. The torches upon the castle allowed a dim orange glow to illuminate the area of the castle, which was the only reason they even knew where it was.

Their generals stood around them listening to the battle rage below. After a few moments another horn sounded, indicating that both castles had been breached and a few second after three consecutive horn blasts sounded, indicating that Walder Frey had been captured.

"Shall we go and see what the old man has to say for himself?" Aegon inquired, glancing at Robb and Edmure.

"Yes your grace." Edmure responded.

"Aye. Let's go and see him." Robb agreed.

The group began to make their way down to the castle, led by Greywind and Ghost. Both direwolves had grown by a great deal, since leaving Moat Cailin. Since that time, Lilith had begun infusing her energy into both of the wolves, causing them to grow in size, and awakening their ancient werewolf blood. Both wolves were once again growing, with Greywind nearly as tall as a horse now, and Ghost as large as a pony. Ghost was now as large as Greywind had been when they had arrived at Moat Cailin several weeks ago, and Greywind was much large.

Their size had not gone unnoticed by others, especially Robb who spent a great deal of time with his beloved wolf. Both of their size increases were attributed to their awakening werewolf blood. Aegon chose to keep Lilith's direct involvement a secret, and instead left it as a natural development of magic's return.

He fully intended for the massive beasts to reflect the monstrous wolves of old, such as Carcharoth who once guarded the gates of Angband.

The party made their way into the eastern castle where the battle was slowly winding down. The most intense fighting now lay in certain sections of the castle where men had barricaded the doors and were using the narrow passages to hold off the much larger force.

Aegon and his generals made their way to the great hall, where Ramsay sat waiting at Walder Frey's high table.

The table itself had been flipped over and onto the floor below, so Ramsay was visible on the seat, with Walder Frey, bound and gagged, on his knees beside the chair. Within the room, surviving and wounded Frey men were being gathered, tossed into the chamber and corralled along it's edges.

"Your Grace!" Ramsay greeted, rising to his feet, "Men if you would, show lord Walder to the king."

In response, several men that had been standing nearby seized Walder and pulled him down from the high seat, tossing him painfully onto the ground at Aegon's feet. The old man let out a howl of pain and no doubt sustained decent injuries from the blow.

"Lord Walder." Aegon greeted as he stared down at the man.

"Bring him up." Robb ordered to the men, who quickly pulled Walder up onto his knees, and then lifted him onto his feet, where they held him up so that he wouldn't collapse.

"I am Aegon of the houses Targaryen and Stark. Why have you refused your liege lord passage?" Aegon inquired, gesturing to the men to remove his gag.

"Targaryen? I thought they were all dead!" Walder Frey snapped out, as soon as the gag was removed.

"Not quite. Your men in the western castle seem quite fortified. Almost like they're preparing for a siege. You intended to fight my cousin?" Aegon asked, tilting his head curiously.

Walder Frey was silent for a moment as his gaze left Aegon to drift over to Robb, and then past Robb to Edmure. Seeing both of them here, Walder paled significantly.

"I did you a great wrong Lord Walder. And for that I deserve your resentment..." Robb began.

"But you turned your back on me. On house Tully. This isn't the first time either. You sat back and waited until the battle was already won at the Trident before joining us. You refused my nephew passage into the Riverlands to aid Riverrun when the Lannisters laid siege to it. And now you've turned your back on me again. I don't blame you for turning your back on Robb when he broke his oath, but I am still your liege lord. House Tully, has been your liege lord since the Targaryens conquered Westoros, and you lord Walder, have taken every opportunity to side with someone else against my house. There are many who wanted you dead, but honorable men decided to give you one last chance to show your worth and loyalty, and instead you bar your gates and leave us to rot." Edmure seethed, having taken Aegon's and Lilith's words to heart. This man was one of his bannermen, and yet he had done all he could to undermine house Tully as often as possible.

Walder Frey sputtered out a few nonsensical words as he tried to organize a response, as he did, a northmen approached and offered a parcel to Robb, indicating that he should look at it.

"Where did you come upon this?" Robb asked, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"The Maester, my lord. He offered it in exchange for his life. He thought the orcs were going to butcher him whether he surrendered or not." The northern soldier answered.

"What is it?" Aegon inquired as Walder Frey paled even further.

Robb glanced at Aegon, then at his uncle, then he turned his gaze towards Walder Frey, his eyes filled with fury.

"This is a correspondence with Tywin Lannister. He offers house Frey a full pardon for their assistance against us." Robb explained, handing the letter to Aegon.

Aegon quickly read over it's contents before handing it to Edmure who did the same. A devilish smile spread across Aegon's face as he turned towards Walder Frey who had now gone as white as a ghost.

"You let him know that Robb was on his way to the Twins. After you received word that he was coming to cross from the west you sent word to Tywin Lannister. What was your plan exactly? Fight your liege lord and his king to the bitter end, let them bleed against your walls and when the battle was done, the Lannisters would grant Riverrun to you?" Aegon inquired.

"Answer the question!" Edmure snarled turning towards the man with fury in his eyes.

"I took a chance at dealing with my enemies. Anyone else would have done the same. I wasn't the only one to receive such an offer, why don't you look to your own ranks, young wolf!" Walder Frey spat in response.

"Those that committed treason in my ranks faced punishment for it. As will you." Robb replied.

"And what of those plotting against you? What of those that were to be my ally? I was to make you an offer when you came here, in exchange for your way over the bridge, you were to give me the Tullys, and while everyone celebrated, my men would have killed yours. But they wouldn't have been alone. The Boltons would have aided me." Walder Frey spat out, angrily throwing a triumphant smirk towards Roose Bolton.

Edmure, Robb, and many of the Northern Lords sent looks towards Roose Bolton, his face was stone cold, and showed no emotion on it. Ramsay himself tensed up at that, but before anyone could say anything further, Aegon let out a laugh.

"You think I care for the words of a viper, or those of Tywin Lannister? The Boltons helped to capture you. They helped to rescue Bran and Rickon. Lord Bolton's bastard was the one who found you for me. Lord Bolton has done nothing but offer his advice to my cousin in this war, and now he does the same for me. I take their actions, over your words!" Aegon replied, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"The Boltons have long been rivals to house Stark. We've been enemies for a lot of our history. But King Aegon is right, the Boltons have been nothing but loyal to us since this war began. I can think of no one better for Tywin Lannister to finger as an ally within our ranks then my house's greatest ancestral rival. He's a clever man, but we see through his ploy. As King Aegon said, I trust their actions, over your words." Robb agreed, breaking the tension fully in the room.

Aegon simply let out another chuckle, as the anger on Walder Frey's face vanished and was replaced by fear. He was beginning to understand that he wasn't going to hurt them, not even as a final curse before his end.

Roose Bolton and Ramsay, both settled at that, both of them sensing something from Aegon's reaction. It was almost too good for them. With a few words he had removed suspicion from their names, and yet, something about the look in his eyes, the way he spoke, it was like he knew that Walder's word were the truth. The way he turned to Roose Bolton an offered him a nod, to a lesser man it would appear as a look of reassurance, but Roose was left staring deep into his eyes. There was something there that chilled him to the bone. Aegon knew the truth, he knew Walder Frey had been right, but in an instant he had dismantled his claim and dismissed it, freeing suspicion from the minds of the other Northern lords and helping house Bolton save face.

Aegon himself continued on as if completely unfazed. He knew that Walder was telling the truth. Tywin Lannister had definitely contacted the Boltons, and the Boltons most likely considered his offer. And the moment they saw Aegon's army, they changed their minds. What one considered doing, and what one actually did were two entirely different matters. Aegon didn't care if the Boltons had considered betraying Robb, because at the end of the day, that would have been the intelligent move.

Robb was losing the war, and had lost his hold on the North. Anyone who wasn't a blind fool would consider other options in the face of such odds. What mattered was that the Boltons maintained their loyalty the moment they saw Aegon's army.

And so Aegon had spoken up, quickly defusing the situation and not allowing a rift of suspicion to form in his army. Aegon didn't care what people thought about doing, it was what they did that concerned him.

"Your attempts to sow discord into my ranks, on behalf of Tywin Lannister of all people just goes to show the depths of your betrayal." Aegon muttered, earning mutterings of agreements from many of his generals.

"Wait! Wait! I'm willing to forget all of those past transgressions, I'll even offer the Tullys and the Starks free passage across my bridge forever more." Walder quickly offered as Aegon drew his sword.

A moment of silence passed as Aegon seemed to mull over his offer.

"More." Aegon stated after a moment.

"A percentage of the revenue taken in from tolls. Say thirty percent?" Walder Frey offered again.

"More." Aegon repeated, his cold wintry eyes piercing the old man with a death glare.

"Sixty percent? Eighty? You can have one of my daughters? Two? All of them?" Walder Frey tried once more, growing more fearful as Aegon's visage darkened further.

In the background many shook their heads and let out sighs of disgust. The man truly was a coward and a craven, and now he was offering his own daughters in exchange for his life.

"You see Lord Walder, the funny thing is, everything you just offered me, I can take by simply killing you. So why would I keep you around if I wanted any of that?" Aegon inquired.

Walder Frey stared blankly at him for several moments as he tried to think of a response, but before he could Aegon simply let out a sigh and drove his blade into the man's gut. Walder Frey let out a howl of pain and agony as his belly was sliced open. His guts soon fell out on the floor, as the ancient lord began to scream in pain and terror.

"Take him up to the top of the castle and hand him over the edge, let the crows feast on his traitorous corpse." Aegon commanded.

Walder Frey's screams continued to fill the hall long after he had been dragged away.

"It's better than the traitor deserves." The Greatjon muttered, spitting on the nearest wounded Frey man to show his contempt.

"What'll we do with them?" Robb inquired, eyeing some of the actual Frey family members who had begun being corralled into the room.

"They planned to murder us all your grace, I say hang the lot of them and let the family die out." The Greatjon growled, earning a roar of agreement from several of the orc warchiefs who were in full agreement.

"Not all of them were involved in his plot." Robb noted.

"But some of them could have been." Roose pointed out.

"They are a treasonous lot, but I am not without forgiveness. Every man and woman over the age of twenty is to be executed for the crimes of their house. Every Frey member over the age of fourteen is to be questioned and commanded to bend the knee, if they prove disloyal or show any signs of disobedience they are to also be executed. There are far too many Freys in the world, and the older generations have been fed on a diet of backstabbing and blackmail to gain position by Walder Frey himself. The Twins will not be held in such turmoil." Aegon commanded as he began to wipe the blood from his blade.

"What of the surviving Frey soldiers?" Came the question from one of the orc warchiefs.

Aegon was silent for a moment as he gaze out over them. After several long seconds he glanced over his shoulder at the warchief. "There are no survivors."

The orcs and some northmen let out roars of bloodthirsty glee and quickly set about cutting throats.

As Aegon and his troop of generals began to exit the great hall, Aegon began to speak. "Never again will house Frey hold any sort of military power in these regions. I will place a warchief here to secure the crossing until house Tully decides on a fitting replacement. As of this moment, the surviving Frey will be split and sent to loyal bannermen of the Riverlands to be held as hostages until Lord Edmure decides what he wants done with them and their house name."

"A harsh treatment your grace, but deserved I believe." Roose Bolton noted.

"The Karstark men were offered reprieve because they only abandoned their liege lord. The Frey planned on betraying us, and bringing their blades to bare against us. Not only that, but Lord Edmure was correct, in that Walder Frey has had a long history of betrayals and suspicious behavior. Mercy and wrath must be shown in equal measure to ensure that your enemies never know how they will receive you. If your foes do not know how you will react, then they cannot know how to counter you." Aegon responded as they all began mounting their chosen beasts, as the battle began to wind down around them. By now most of the eastern castle had fallen, and the western castle was being overrun.

"Tormund." Aegon stated as he mounted his horse.

"King Targaryen." The Wildling warchief responded.

"I have a task for you and your men. There is a castle to the southeast of here. A great ruin called Harrenhal. Lord Bolton left a few men to garrison it but it cannot withstand any sort of major assault. Take your men and scout it out, if you spot any banner other than the flayed man, or the direwolf flying above the castle, we'll know it was retaken in our absence. If not, we can send a garrison out to it, and use it as a staging ground for our attack into the Crownlands. I'll have maps delivered to you before you leave, when you're finished scouting it out, head for Riverrun." Aegon commanded.

"Alright then, we'll go check on your ruin, see if these southern nancies managed to keep it without their mighty lord watching over them." Tormund responded, earning a not so amused look from Roose Bolton

"Well done on capturing Walder Frey, you can expect to be greatly rewarded for your accomplishment." Aegon directed at Ramsay, whom offered a bow in response.

"Always eager to please." He replied, sharing a glance with his father who offered the slightest of motions with his head, to show his approval as well.

"Warchief Goruk, you are in charge here for now. See to it that this castle is secure, and the Freys are dealt with. Have riders sent down to King's Landing with a special gift for King Joffrey. Show them all what happens to those that betray us." Aegon ordered, earning a devilish smirk from the Uruk warlord.

"It will be done, my king!" The orc replied.

"Come, let us see an end to this battle and prepare our forces to rejoin with our comrades in the Riverlands. It's time we take this fight to the Lannisters." Aegon ordered as he began to ride.

As his final words left his mouth, the castle shook as Midir and the Cannibal roared overhead. With the Freys now dealt with, the war was ready to begin.

-King's Landing, Several Days Later-

Tyrion Lannister was the last to arrive at the Small Council meeting, as usual. With Tywin now holding the meetings in the Tower of the Hand, it was quite a lot of steps to climb in order to reach it.

To Tyrion's surprise Joffrey was there as well. The pompous boy-king was impatiently pacing back and forth while he waited for the meeting to begin. Queen Cercei was there as well, quietly staring off, while she waited with just a bit more patience then her son.

Besides her, the rest of the Small Council was also present. Lord Mace Tyrell, Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Varys, and of course, Tywin Lannister himself.

"Sit. The Spider has news." Tywin commanded as Tyrion did just that.

"Oh what wonderful news would require the presence of our illustrious king?" Tyrion inquired as Joffrey ceased his pacing and approached the table, throwing a nasty sneer at his uncle as he did.

"Yes, what is so important that you pretty much demand my presence?" Joffrey demanded of lord Varys.

"Word from the North, and the Twins, your grace. Information I thought it prudent that you hear, along with all of the Small Council." Varys answered.

"Continue." Tywin ordered.

"Theon Greyjoy has been captured by Northern forces, and the Stark flag now flies over Winterfell again. According to my little birds, the rumors of Bran and Rickon Stark's deaths were greatly exaggerated. The boys are alive, and Brandon is once more Lord of Winterfell." Varys informed them.

"How is that possible? The Greyjoys murdered the Stark Garrison, and Bran Stark is little more than a child." Cercei inquired.

"They were aided by the Dragon-Wolf. Aegon Targaryen." Varys responded, earning complete silence from the entire room.

"Aegon Targaryen is dead, the Mountain saw to that." Tyrion noted, as Tywin pierced the Spider with a skin-peeling look.

"Yes I am aware, my lord. Rumors I've heard is that this Aegon is actually Aegon the Eighth, younger brother of Aegon the Seventh. Though if he's calling himself King he'd technically be Aegon the Sixth of his name. According to little birds, this dragon claims to have wolf's blood. The blood of house Stark." Varys responded, again spreading silence throughout the room.

"Lyanna Stark." Tyrion noted what most were thinking.

"The babe Eddard Stark brought home from the war." Tywin responded, his eyes filling with fury at the thought.

"Lord Stark… who would have thought him capable of such a deception." Tyrion sat back in his chair and let out a mirthless chuckle.

"What are you all talking about?" Joffrey demanded, only understanding half of the conversation.

"Do you recall Ned Stark's bastard? You may have seen him while we were at Winterfell? If these rumors are true, he's not Lord Stark's bastard, he's his nephew. Son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen." Tyrion explained. Joffrey looked thoughtful for a moment before his eyes widened and filled with anger and disbelief.

"He'd still be nothing more than a bastard. Just the bastard of a dead prince instead of a dead lord." Cercei reasoned, hoping to settle her son as he began fuming.

"Not so my Queen. According to reports I've been receiving, Rhaegar and Lyanna were married in the light of the Seven. The Northmen claim it and believe it, and so do the Riverlords. According to my little birds, Robb Stark has bent the knee and now serves King Aegon. Whether they were married or not, this Aegon Targaryen, is now King of the North, and the Riverlands. And if word is accurate, he has crossed the Twins and put house Frey to the sword." Varys explained to them all, emphasizing how dire the situation was.

"Two of the Seven Kingdoms are now aligned with this Dragon-Wolf. What kind of army does he field?" Tywin asked.

"Reports differ, my lord hand. Some say ten thousand, others say fifty. All I do know is that he had a large enough force to retake Winterfell and leave forces in the North to repel the Ironborn invaders. And he also has a large enough force to take the Twins. By my understand he's joined up with Robb Stark, and the two are moving into the Riverlands as we speak. I hope to have an accurate count of their forces her in the near future, but regardless, Robb Stark's army is back up to the strength it was at the beginning of his campaign, at the very least." Varys answered his question, glancing around at everyone as he replied.

"Possibly fifty thousand?" Tyrion demanded, leaning forward in his seat.

"It's just speculation at this point." Varys tried to placate them, but both Tyrion and Tywin knew the Spider well enough to know that he wouldn't have said any number if their wasn't evidence to back it up.

"We need to get a full counting of their forces. If this Aegon Targaryen truly is who he says he is, our enemies will rally to his cause." Tywin noted with a dark look.

"There is one more thing, my lord hand, my King. Whispers I've heard claims that he has a dragon." Varys informed them.

"A dragon?" Cersei replied.

"Yes my queen. A full grown dragon. I have my little birds gathering what information they can but for now all we have is what they have provided as well as our own speculations." Varys stated.

"We have to get a handle on this situation, and we have to do it now. Our first step is verifying the validity of these claims. We need to know who this Aegon Targaryen is, what he's planning, how large his army is. We cannot afford to operate under speculation if these rumors are even remotely correct." Tywin commanded, earning a nod from Varys.

A dark air descended over the room at that point, as Varys shared a look of concern with Tyrion. This was not something either of them had anticipated, and now it seems the War of the Five King was back in full swing.

-To Be Continued-

Alright, how was that, hope you all enjoyed, and I hope you look forward to what's coming next. If you have any questions, please let me know, I'd love to hear them and I'll answer them if I can. See you next chapter, and stay safe everyone. Later!