Alright, here's the next chapter for you guys. Hope everyone is enjoying themselves. Deeper story to get into with this next chapter, everything is winding up for major war, i hope you all are ready for it. Any questions feel free to ask. Otherwise let's get this show on the road.

Darkness Reborn

Chapter 14: The Burning of the West

Screams erupted as villagers fled in advance of Aegon's army. Another village was sacked as his forces marched deeper into the Westerlands, closing in on Casterly Rock and Lannisport.

As they moved through the Westerlands, materials were gathered in preparation for a siege. Aegon had no intention of burning down the Rock, or the port, both were too valuable to destroy, and had something he wanted. Ships.

With control over the Lannister fleet, they could begin plans to attack the Iron Islands, and bring a retaliatory force to bare on Balon Greyjoy. That would also allow them to get rid of Theon as well, once the Greyjoys were defeated and he no longer had value as a prisoner, he'd most likely be executed for his crimes. For now though, he remained as a hostage in Riverrun, held there by Bolton men.

They encountered little resistance as they marched through the Westerlands, occasionally Lannister scouts would be caught and killed, or sent back to their masters with instructions to deliver warnings. It was obvious that Kevin Lannister intended to hold his ground at Casterly Rock and Lannisport. There he could split his forces between the two vital areas, both of which had access to the sea, meaning that Aegon couldn't cut them off, at least that's what Kevin thought.

He'd most likely only heard rumors about Aegon's dragon, and what it had done to the Golden Tooth. Considering they didn't leave anyone alive during that attack, not many knew about what had truly happened there outside of Aegon's army.

The plan, as far as most of his generals were concerned was to split their forces in two and have one force lay siege to the castle on the hill, preventing reinforcements from sallying forth from it's gates, while another force attacked Lannisport and took it. Once the port was taken their forces would reunite and attack the castle, where Aegon would use his dragon to break through it's defenses.

That was what everyone thought the plan was, though Aegon and Lilith had other ideas. Lilith intended to make a show of force at Casterly Rock, one that would see her new followers, serving her with blind obedience out of fear of her incredible abilities.

Aside from besieging the port and the castle, Aegon intended to have Umbra and Midir keep the ships from leaving either location. Any ship that tried to leave would be burned in sight of others, one after the next until they realized that they weren't leaving.

It wouldn't be long before the army arrived on the Lannister's doorstep, and when that happened, they would learn the price of enraging the wolves of winter.

-King's Landing-

Another day, another session of court. This one was markedly more refined than recent ones, due to the presence of Tywin Lannister and Margaery Tyrell. King Joffrey sat with a look of boredom, as he took in the day's audiences.

At the back of the room, a man drudged his way into the chambers, walking with such a noticeable limp that he immediately drew attention from those gathered around.

Slowly he made his way across the chamber until he collapsed to the ground in sight of Joffrey and Tywin.

The sight of the man caused Joffrey to straighten up in his seat, while several Lannister men moved towards the fallen man.

"Your grace… my lord hand…" The man muttered as he raised himself off of the floor, though remained half sitting. His appearance was heavily marred with mud and his right leg was dirtied with dried blood. Around his calf a brown strip of cloth had been tied around some sort of wound.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tywin demanded as two of his men, pulled the injured man to his feet.

"My lord… I came from the Golden Tooth. The enemy has breached the Westerlands!" The injured man proclaimed, earning surprise from the court. Tywin's eyes widened at that, and his face hardened.

"You're a man of house Lefford?" Tywin inquired.

"Yes, my lord hand. I was dispatched from the castle as the Stark army approached down the River Road. I barely made it a mile before I heard something roared in the skies. It was a dragon, my lord! A monstrous beast, bigger than a town! It fell out of the sky and burned the whole castle!" The Lefford man cried out, his face marred by hysterics.

Surprised whispers spilled out through the crowd of highborn lords and ladies.

Margaery Tyrell and her brother Loris, shared a look with one another at hearing that.

"The Golden Tooth has fallen?" Tywin asked, his voice cold and steely.

"Yes, my lord hand. I saw the flames consume it as we rode away. Myself and two others, meant to deliver warnings to the Rock, and King's Landing. Enemy scouts found us as we rode away, peppered us with arrows. They were riding on the backs of giant wolves… the howling and the roaring… I was the only one who made it away, but I caught an arrow in the leg. The passage west was cut off, so I rode here as fast as I could to warn you, and the King. The enemy marches on the Rock, even as we speak." The Lefford soldier answered, his voice tired and haunted.

Tywin was silent as he took in this information, after several moments he spoke.

"Grand Maester Pycelle, due look after this man. See to it that his wounds are tended to. I wish to speak to him again once he is of clearer mind." Tywin ordered, earning a quick nod from the old man as he rose from his seat and motioned for the two guards to help carry the wounded man out of the chamber.

Tywin slowly turned away from the lords of ladies of court, his face hardened, and his eyes filled with focus. For a brief moment his gaze fell over Tyrion and Cercei, both of whom did not hide the concern in their eyes.

"We must gather for a Small Council meeting immediately." Tywin commanded after a moment of silence.

A half hour later, and the Small Council was gathered to discuss this recent news.

"The young dragon's army is moving much faster than we anticipated." Varys noted, once the council was assembled. "Word has reached my ear that Aegon has sent a small army to retake Castle Pinkmaiden and to attack the Gold Road."

"This isn't good. They are moving much faster than we anticipated. We must determine a way to halt their advance, if they take Casterly Rock and Lannisport, what does that say about us? If House Lannister cannot even defend it's own lands, than how are we to defend the remaining kingdoms?" Tyrion stated, earning a nod of agreement from Mace Tyrell.

"Yes, we must find a way to halt them at once. If the Westerlands fall into the enemy's hands, how long before they march on the Reach and attempt to cut us off from supplies?" Tywin agreed, his words causing Lord Tyrell to go stiff as he realized that his own lands would then be in danger.

"Well I could send word to my son Willas and command him to raise an army to help aid the Westerlands." Mace Tyrell suggested, knowing that with his daughter due to marry King Joffrey, it simply wouldn't do to sit by and allow half of the king's royal family to be attacked. That would bring to question this new alliance, and lord Tyrell still held faith in Tywin's cunning and his ability to beat this upstart dragon.

"That might work, a siege on the Rock would take months, possibly even longer." Cercei offered in response, while Tywin reflected on the offer.

"Not if what the Lefford man says is true. We still don't have an accounting of the enemy's forces. It could be twenty thousand, it could be fifty thousand, but according to the man, a dragon set upon the Golden Tooth. I don't think I need to remind anyone what happened the last time we thought that a castle could withstand a dragon attack." Tyrion countered, reminding everyone of Harrenhal. The thought made Cercei fidget uncomfortably as she imagined her girlhood home, reduced to nothing more than a ragged burned out ruin, just like the once great fortress.

"If the boy has any intelligence, he wont set fire to either location. Lannisport is a valuable strategic location, especially if he wishes to attack the Iron Islands, and the Rock is a symbolic victory. It would mean far more if he captured it, rather than burning it." Tywin stated, placating Cercei, though Tyrion stared back at his father, not believing his words, and noting that Tywin himself did not believe it.

"Whatever we choose to do, it must be done with haste. Word has reached my ears that Aegon has garrisoned forces at Harrenhal, and along the roads leading into the Crownlands, the corpses of Frey Men have been found, skinned and headless, hung upside down at random intervals along the roads." Varys informed them all.

"There is also another danger… beyond the attack on the west. The Martells. If Aegon's campaign turns against our favor, they may seek to join the young Targaryen in his attack. As far as we know he's unmarried, so there's the opportunity for a political alliance. With that being said, simple revenge has always been a good enough motivation for the Dornish, and they have more reason to hate us then most." Tyrion noted as well, locking eyes with his father. Tywin stared back, unblinkingly for several long moments before offering the smallest of nods in agreement.

"Yes they could betray us at any moment, and they have my daughter thanks to you." Cercei agreed, sending a hellish glare Tyrion's way.

"We have to keep a close eye on Prince Oberyn. If he disappears suddenly I want to know about it. If he starts acting strangely I will hear of it." Tywin commanded, Varys nodding in response.

"We still have the Stark bitch as a hostage. We should send word to the dragonspawn that if he continues his campaign into the Westerlands, pieces of her will start to follow." Joffrey suggested, his offer earning a glare from Tyrion, while Tywin considered the option.

"Your grace, lady Sansa is your aunt by marriage." Varys noted.

"It was just a jest, Joffrey did not mean it." Cercei tried to defuse the situation.

"Yes I did. The Starks no longer have Uncle Jaime, so why should we care what happens to her?" Joffrey reasoned.

"Enraging the dragon's has never worked out very well for anyone. Not to mention most of our family is at Casterly Rock and Lannisport. How long until they have Uncle Kevin or Aunt Genna, how long until they have half of house Lannister in their clutches. Then what will happen to your threats? There's far more Lannisters for them to torture then there are Starks for us to. As far as the enemy knows, we still have Sansa and Arya. The moment they realize we only have Sansa, they will be furious, beyond measure. And to learn that we married her to me, of all people… well, we'd best hope the Lefford man was delirious, because I remember Aegon, I traveled with him up to the Wall and I remember him at Winterfell. If he loves his family like the rest of the Starks do, then any harm we bring onto Sansa he'll return a hundred fold." Tyrion warned, glaring openly at Joffrey who glared right back.

"There is also the danger of him turning his wrath onto your subjects your grace. One cannot be king of a kingdom that no longer exists." Varys offered as a warning of his own, knowing full well that the people would flock to Aegon's side, if only to avoid his wrath. If Joffrey provoked the Dragon King, it would only lead to suffering and chaos for them. Right now, Sansa was their most valuable piece to use against him, removing her from the board greatly reduced their chances of victory.

"For now, we must keep Sansa close. Until Aegon Targaryen is dealt with, she will be our shield against his dragon." Tywin commanded after a moment, earning a relative sigh of relief from Tyrion, though Joffrey didn't like it.

"For now, we must focus on securing our borders. Lord Tyrell, send word to your son and command him to raise an army in the Reach. Me must maintain our supply lines at all cost, and prepare to send a raven to Casterly Rock, we must warn them of this new development and coordinate a plan." Tywin ordered earning nods from those present.

It seemed clear to everyone that the War of the Five Kings was now back on in full swing.

-The Westerlands, two weeks later-

Lilith moaned in delight as she reached her peek, she felt Aegon pull out and lift her up onto her knees where he began to massage her clit as she came.

She sank into his embrace and let out a laugh as he continued to massage her center and began to kiss at her neck.

Lilith let out a playful growl as she reached between her legs and began stroking his slick member earning a husky grunt from her lover.

Lilith smirked as she began to roll her hips, and press Aegon's cock against her throbbing cunt. She was able to get a few repetitions in, before she moved her hips forward so that his tip was poised at her entrance.

He wasted no time in entering her, lifting her a bit as he slipped into her folds. Lilith leaned forward, placing her hands onto the cool grass as Aegon grabbed her hips and began to thrust into her, quickly and aggressively.

The two continued for several minutes, Aegon taking her roughly, and Lilith reciprocating, bouncing back against his thrusts.

Lilith soon began to balance herself on one hand and use the other to rub her clit, urging her orgasm to begin building once more. This continued for another two minutes before Aegon roughly pulled out of her, earning a growl of displeasure from Lilith.

She wasn't upset for long as he flipped her onto her back and lay in the grass beside her, his lips finding their ways to her nipples, while his hand found it's way between her legs.

Lilith bit her lip and shook as his fingers rapidly thrust in and out of her opening. He was able to locate her most sensitive depths, and when he did he pulled away from her breasts and moved down to her clit, taking the small nub in his lips, kissing and licking at it as he thrust his fingers in and out of her.

Lilith soon began bucking wildly as she reached her peek once more, cumming hard and with a cry of pleasure, her hands digging into the grass as her body spasmed from the sweet throws of release.

Aegon let out a breath, and met her in a searing kiss. Lilith smiled into the kiss, as one hand encircled his head, slipping into the dark locks of hair and holding him close. Her other hand quickly found it's way to his cock, using her own fluids to lubricate him, she quickly stroked his cock, eager to get him to his second release of the night.

Aegon grunted and pulled back from the kiss, though Lilith continued to stroke him, staring deep into his eyes as she did.

Aegon grinned at her for a moment before reaching between her legs and running his fingers along her wet center. After a few moments of gently caressing her, he removed his fingers from her and brought them up to her lips, where she immediately took them into her mouth.

Aegon stared at her for a moment taking in the sight, before smiling and laying back in the grass, Lilith stared down at him for a moment, before smiling as well. She began to move, climbing on top of him, placing her legs on either side of his head while she lowered her body on top of his. She felt his head between her legs, his lips beginning to kiss at her clit, as she continued to stroke his cock. After a moment she took it into her mouth, allowing his member to sink deep into her throat.

The two continued this way for a few minutes until Aegon's breath grew ragged and his body began to twitch.

Lilith didn't slow down as she felt his hips begin to shake, and soon he let out a groan and released into her throat.

Lilith drank down his release greedily, earning a moan from her beloved brother as he finished his release.

After several moments, she pulled back and rolled off of him, letting out a musical chuckle as she turned her eyes up to the night sky.

She could hear Aegon shuffle, moving around to lay next to her.

Both lovers spent a few moments staring up at the night sky, admiring how bright and full of stars it was.

"We should be getting back soon." She heard Aegon noted.

"Always work with you." Lilith let out a sigh.

"I'm a busy body, you know that. Besides… you're either going to go to sleep out under the stars, or in the warm comfort of our bed, either way your desires are well known to me." Aegon responded, both still staring up at the stars.

"You could just go back, leave me here to enjoy the night sky." Lilith replied, her eyes catching a shooting star streaking through the night sky.

"I'm not going to leave you out here by yourself." Aegon stated.

"Worried something may happen to me?" Lilith inquired, amused at the thought that anything could cause her trouble in this world.

"No. But it simply wouldn't be right to leave my beloved alone in the forest, naked and cold." Aegon said to her as he rolled onto his side and looked down at her.

Lilith smiled at him, enjoying his attempts at being romantic. He was a busy body, and their army would arrive at Casterly Rock by midday tomorrow so she understood his need to keep busy. Still she did like that he was willing to put that aside and spend time with her if she wanted him too. In the end, that was what ultimately mattered. If the two desired it, they could leave this all behind. Venture off into the great unknown, build a simple life with one another.

It was an amusing thought. But that wasn't them. Maybe long ago, when he was still Harry Potter, and she was someone far different. The two of them had changed since then, they were harder, stronger, more ruthless, they had ambitions beyond simply living. Lilith wanted to rule all of creation and get revenge on the man who ruined her life. Aegon wanted to bring order to the chaos of the world around him. He saw all of the carnage and bloodshed, all of the pointless conflicts and he reviled it. Chaos, for chaos's sake was an ideal that Aegon simply did not agree with, and never would.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Aegon inquired as he reached out ran his fingers along her cheek, brushing several loose strands of hair away from her eyes.

"Oh yes. I've been waiting a long time to flex my powers. Let tomorrow be the first of many such showings." Lilith replied, leaning into his touch.

"It'll be good to see you return to form. I have longed to see you in action once again." Aegon said to her, offering a smile which she returned.

"Let us get back to our army, and set about our final tasks, tomorrow we show the world what true war is." Lilith stated, earning a nod from Aegon. The two quickly dressed, and took a few moments to take in the grassy field they had found in the forests not far from the ruins of the Golden Tooth. It was a quiet place, and one they would return to in the future, as it had filled them with good memories.

After a few moments to take in this gentle place, the two apparated back to their army, arriving at the location where they had left their horses. They quickly mounted the beasts and set about riding, quickly catching up to the massive force and setting about final preparations for the assault.

During the night, Lilith set forth drawing great black clouds into the sky overhead. Under normal circumstances, orcs did not do well in sunlight, it weakened them and cloudless days were near blinding, so often Lilith's and Aegon's mere presence would fill the sky with dark blue clouds, often leaving the impression of rain, though it rarely came. The shadows were enough to urge the army forward especially with their masters at the helm, but now that it came to a true battle, they would need every advantage.

The rising of the sun almost went unnoticed as blackened clouds spilled out over the sky, as the army marched upon Lannisport and Casterly Rock.

The large port city and the massive castle, both stood as imposing sights to the advancing army.

"Casterly Rock..." Robb muttered eyeing the towering castle with a bit of trepidation. It was far larger than he had imagined, and far more imposing than even the stories of it spoke.

Casterly Rock was a large castle, it's main keep was situated at the top of a large rocky hill overlooking the sea. This structure towered above Lannisport which sat less than a mile to the south, and even it's main entrance sat hundreds of feet below the main keep.

In order to assault the Rock, one would need to first attack the Lion's Mouth gate. An external defensive structure carved out of an earthen cavern made to resemble a snarling lion. This cavern alone was two hundred feet high, and filled with defensive structures including a wall and gatehouse guarding the entrance into the cavern. Once you fought your way through the Lion's Mouth you then had to cross a long bridge to actually assail Casterly Rock's lowest defenses. The bridge crossed a long drop to the stone below, and was wide enough for about twenty horse riders to cross in line.

While the main keep sat high on top of the stone hill, it's defenses stretched down the hill facing east, crisscrossing in levels down the hill to settle at the bridge crossing from the Lion's Mouth.

These layered defenses, plus the bridge, and tall cavern ensured that siege weapons would basically be useless when it came to attacking the castle, the only way through was to brute force your way with a battering ram, but that only guaranteed access to the first level. Once in, you'd have to fight your way up the defenses, watching out for the numerous hidden entrances into the mines nestled below the castle where enemy soldiers would no doubt be waiting to storm out and assault any passing forces.

Far below, at the base of the hill was a large natural cavern carved into it by the sea. Within was a decent sized port, filled with ships, and soldiers. With this route to the sea, the only way to starve out the inhabitants was a blockade by land and by sea, and the nearby port city, would make things doubly difficult as one position would provide support for the other.

Lannisport itself was a large, walled city. It's gatehouses were reinforced, it's walls high and made of stone. Watchtowers guarded the city from attack, ensuring that any enemy force would be spotted long in advance of an engagement.

It would take an army, roughly the size of the one that Aegon and Lilith had at the moment, to initiate such an endeavor as taking both castle and city. And even then, most would have been hesitant to mount such an attack knowing how difficult and costly it would be. Without the dragons, and other great beasts within their army, many would have counseled against attacking the Rock and Lannisport.

"Truly a marvelous sight." Aegon hummed at the sight of the castle, remembering it's splendor from long ago when he and Lilith had traveled these lands.

"It will soon be ours to enjoy to at our leisure." Lilith noted with a smirk.

"First we must take it." Robb said to them, drawing both out of their reverie.

"Yes. Lord Robb, give the order for twenty thousand of our men to form a defensive line around the entrance to the Lion's Mouth. Midir and Umbra will take to the sea and stop their ships from leaving." Lilith commanded, earning a quick nod from Robb.

"The rest of our forces will march on the port. It'll be the easier of the two to take, and it's resources will help aid us in the battle to come. Order the siege masters to set out the materials per my exact instructions. They will understand my meaning." Aegon ordered as well, their generals quickly setting out to fulfill their task.

"The Port wont last long once trebuchets and siege towers are up. We gathered enough lumber to build a hundred damn stone throwers." The Greatjon noted to his son as they set about their duties.

Overhearing him, Aegon and Lilith smirked.

Over the course of the next few hours, materials were set out at the siege line around Lannisport. To the intrigue of many of Aegon's generals, a multitude of supplies had been set out in a rather large groupings, about eight to be exact. This was confusing to many of the more experienced Northern and Riverland generals as these supplies were far too clustered to be used for just trebuchets, unless of course Aegon intended to build trebuchets that were taller than any seen before, but such a project would take weeks, months even.

"My Lords… come, allow me to show you the skill of your future queen." Aegon had commanded his war council several hours later, as the battle line was established.

His generals followed him out of the command tent, whispering curiously amongst themselves. They came to one of the large stacks of materials, gathered on good placing surrounded by orcs, men, and olegs.

Waiting for them was Lilith whom had taken to examining the pieces and preparing herself for this delicate showing of magic.

"I know you've been curious about what we intend to build with all of these materials. Allow our lady to show you." Aegon stated as everyone gathered.

Aegon offered Lilith a nod, and she let out a chuckle, drawing forth her wand to aid in the delicate nature of this magical act. It wasn't necessarily needed, but it was far easier to focus on more minor details if she used her wand to aid her, and this was meant to impress the observing lords, so the quicker she could accomplish the task, the better the result.

So with that in mind, she gestured with her wand, aiming it at the collection of materials. Then with an upward flick, these objects began to lift off the ground. Slowly, deliberately, nails, rope, wooden beams and planks rose up into the air.

Gasps of awe rose up from the crowd as Lilith raised the several tons of material into the air, she ran her eyes over them all and then smirked. With another gesture, pieces began to move into place.

Aegon couldn't hide his grin as over the next few minutes, the mighty war machine he had designed, rose up before them.

As Lilith set about constructing the war machine, she wove spells into it's construction, strengthening it, and filling it with a vile magic that would terrorize and ultimately weaken the enemy's defenses.

A few other basic spells were need, special sizing charms to increase the size of certain parts, while other charms increased the weight. It took almost twenty minutes for Lilith to finish, as she took her time, ensuring that every detail was to Aegon's exact specifications.

As she finished, she let out a chuckle and took a step back, admiring the massive war machine that now towered above them.

There, now standing before them, was the largest trebuchet any man had ever seen. It was built in the spirit of Ludgar, the War Wolf. This mighty war machine towered over the surroundings, and could easily hurl stones close to four hundred pounds.

Normally, such a construction would be costly, and take an incredible amount of time, but with the aid of magic, and Lilith's understanding of creation, it was easy for her to shape and reform certain basic objects, imbuing them with magic and altering their properties. She infused magics that made the structure of the trebuchet more resilient to damage, she increased the weight and density of normal stones, turning them black, and making them fit to act as the proper counter-balance for the war machine.

Such things were simple for the one who had once held knowledge over all aspects of creation. Lilith, as Melkor had learned quite a bit about all there was to creation, and while she would never be as good at certain things, as the masters of those particular arts, she was exceptional.

Lilith's creations may never be as splendid as those made by her counterparts among the rest of the Valar, but they didn't have to be. Lilith's abilities were such that her own personal creations far outweighed what could be accomplished by mortals, and her powers were such that if she ever saw something she coveted that the other Valar had made, she would simply need to reach out her hand, and take it.

As she would when she returned to Arda. During her first war against the Valar, her powers had been limited, finite, everything she did, expended part of her, and by the time the war had ended, she was a shadow of her former self. Such a thing had obviously been intentional, a precaution Eru had placed to keep his creations in line. No matter what they did, no matter how hard they tried, eventually evil would diminish.

He would have no such advantage this time. Lilith's abilities had been restored along with her memories, and now she was free to unleash her full power, and this battle would see such powers shown to all.

She took a moment to admire Aegon's creation. She understood the spirit of it's design, though it had been improved based on his own ideas, as well as those taken from his enemies. A siege engine of terrible power.

A towering trebuchet, infused with malevolent magics, and manned by a team of trolls, led by an orc siege master. Enough materials had been gathered, that with the aid of magic, Lilith could construct eight. One would have been more than enough to bring down the walls of Lannisport, but Aegon intended for them to break under the force of this siege, long before any of their servants stormed through the breach.

With a content smirk, Lilith moved onto the next, and for the next two hours she patiently raised these great trebuchets.

After the creation of the first, an emissary was sent from Lannisport to try and parlay, but he was denied a meeting, Aegon had no intention to parlay and would accept nothing less than a full and unconditional surrender.

By mid-afternoon, the final siege engine was up.

And by nightfall, munitions had been set up.

"Let us hope that Ser Kevin is watching. I want him to feel the walls closing in on him." Aegon began, mounted on the back of a horse alongside his generals. In the far distance the sky lit up with flames as Midir scorched a ship that attempted to flee the port. This had been the fifth throughout the day, and each time Aegon felt his anticipation grow. He wanted those ships, and now it was time to claim them.

In total the actual Lannister fleet consisted of only a few dozen vessels. Around thirty or so, but there was also merchant vessels within the harbor, and the harbor itself had the capacity to construct ships, all of it was valuable to their war effort, and now it was time to claim their first great prize of this war.

"Lord Edmure, in honor of all your people, murdered, raped, and brutalized by the Lannisters, I ask that you give the command." Aegon offered after the anticipation reached it's peak.

Offering a determine nod, Edmure Tully turned his gaze over to one of the siege masters. "Bring down their walls." He commanded.

"Yes, my lord! Light!" The orc siege master commanded, one of the trolls ignited the projectile, and a few moments later, the final command came. "Release!"

With that, the flaming projectile was released from the towering siege engine. The remaining seven immediately followed suite. Five of the eight flaming projectiles sailed over the city walls and lit up the darkness of the night as they crashed into buildings. The remaining three struck hard against the outer walls of the city.

To the amazement of many an observer, from what could be seen in the darkness, one section of the walls immediately began to collapse. The sheer power behind these massive war machines meant that nothing short of magically infused walls could hope to withstand their onslaught.

Roars of approval went up from the crowd as the troll teams setup for another volley.

"With siege engines this powerful the external defenses wont last long." Robb said from his place by Aegon's side.

"You're right. We'll keep hammering them until we clear most of the defenses around the main gate, then we'll have the rolls batter it down and storm inside. Come dawn, we'll have demoralized the defenders." Aegon responded. "In the meantime. Let's give them something to fear."

With a command, a loud horn was blown. Quickly more horns joined it and soon the army began to chant. Sometimes in unison, sometimes sections would spew forth their own vitriol, but the army began to hurl vile and cruel insults towards the defenders of Lannisport, filling the air with thousands of voices.

The orcs and uruks were the first to begin, though howling men began to join them quite quickly.

As their chants filled the air, the next volley was prepared, and flaming projectiles were flung into the city.

This bombardment lasted for several long hours. The design of Aegon's war machines allowed them to be rotated on their placement, it was a slow, cumbersome task, but they could alter their trajectory, this meant by midnight, well over half of the towers facing the east, were knocked down, and there were multiple holes in the walls.

Most of these hole were plugged with debris, and thus weren't feasible for entrance.

The gatehouse that led into the port had received significant damage, with the outer portcullis torn wide and the gate itself blown open from a direct hit which took most of the night up to that point, to achieve.

The strikes against the gatehouse had knocked out the outermost defenses, but the internal gate was most likely still sealed, and probably had a portcullis of it's own, providing one more layer of defense.

The Lannisters did not skimp on displaying their might, so those defenses would be of the highest quality.

The easternmost section of the port was in flames, and those flames provided some of the only light in the darkness of the night, with clouds covering whatever illumination the moon may provide.

"The time has come, I believe." Aegon noted as another volley was loosed onto the city.

"I agree." Lilith hummed as she basked in the death and destruction around her.

"They've received sufficient demoralization, and we dare not wait longer, lest their despair turn to rueful resistance." Aegon noted, drawing forth the attention of his generals.

"We must hit them hard and fast to avoid them intentionally destroying whatever supplies may reside within." Roose Bolton agreed.

"Yes. Gothmog will lead the charge into the city. He will personally break through the gatehouse and allow our forces within. Two additional forces of goblins, caragors, and spiders will storm through the breaches made along the eastern walls. Once within you will carry out your assigned tasks. Gothmog will lead the charge, directing our main force right into the heart of the port. Lord Robb will take his cavalry and a force of uruks and push through whatever openings are available and attack the harbor itself. Lord Edmure will take two thousand of our soldiers and secure the southern gatehouse, once that is done he'll move towards the harbor to aid Robb in his attack. While Gothmog leads the charge against the bulk of whatever forces lay within the city, I will personally seek out the enemy commander, with his capture or death, the enemy forces will break and surrender. We charge after the next volley." Aegon commanded his forces.

Everyone quickly set about their tasks, and as the next volley of flaming projectiles was launched, the shadowy figure of Gothmog erupted into flames as he swelled in size and assumed a larger, more draconic form.

The mighty Balrog placed his hands upon the ground, and for a moment all stilled, then with a roar, he dug his fingers into the dirt, and pulled free a great earthen axe. Fire erupted within it, burning the weapon black, and super heating the air around it.

Gothmog lifted the axe high above his head and let out a hellish roar before charging forward.

In unison, thousands of orcs, goblins, uruks, and trolls, roared in unison, they were quickly joined by their mannish companions, as blood lust and fury filled the veins of every warrior within their ranks.

Aegon drew his sword and was one of the first to give chase after the mighty Balrog.

He was quickly followed by thousands.

Lilith held back, smirking to herself. As her army rushed towards the city she turned her eyes up to the castle upon the hill. Letting out an almost musical chuckle she turned away from the city and made her way up towards the castle. It would be a few hours still but once the port fell, the attack on the castle would follow only hours later.

And the opening move of that attack was hers to make. She would need to decide what great showing she would offer to her servants.

It was the intention of both her and her beloved Aegon that when this battle was over, no one would dare question her might.

Lilith smiled as she rode away from the city. Musing on the future, and the days when Aegon would cast aside his self-appointed limitations and unleash his full might alongside her. She most definitely hungered to see the day, for now though, it was her time.

Gothmog's target was to breach the gate. The great demon had two options for doing it, one was to compress his size and charge right through the gatehouse and out the other side, the second option was to go over the gatehouse.

Deciding on the latter, the fire demon stretched out it's wings and with a mighty flap, he rose high into the air, soaring over the walls as the army at his back raced behind him, watching in awe of his actions.

Just as had been expected, the gatehouse had an inner gate, and an inner portcullis. Surrounding the internal gateway was a force of Lannister troops, assembled alongside a gathering of city guards. They could hear the enemy charging and were awaiting the assault on the inner gate. The damage to the walls and towers made it almost impossible for archers to find many places to fire back. Only a handful of men even remained on the walls, and many of them were trapped, due to the damage done to the towers or the walls itself.

Screams came down from the those on the walls, trying to warn those below, but few heard their cries.

Instead, they felt what was coming, long before they heard it, or saw it.

Heat washed over them, and quickly grew in intensity. Slowly the area began to grow brighter and brighter, until a rush filled the air, and from the sky, something descended among them, slamming down with incredible force, sending dozens of men to the ground while others were turned to ash, as flames erupted out from the towering entity.

With a hellish roar and a mighty swing, Gothmog drove his axe into the internal gate. Flaming stone hewed through metal and wood, cutting through iron bars, and timber planks. One great slash had torn a hole through the gate itself and melted through a large part of the portcullis.

Using his free hand the Balrog reached through the hole he had made in the gate and grabbed onto the bars of the portcullis, with a growl he ripped the metal defense apart sending bars flying through the air.

By now most of the guards had risen to their feet and were fleeing from the demon.

It took only a few more seconds for the portcullis to be torn apart and the inner gate to be ripped free from it's hinges.

The first through the gate were the cavalrymen, Gothmog quickly led them after the fleeing guards.

Forces began to spill over the walls and many bottle-necked as they pushed through the ruined gate.

Aegon's army washed into the city, cutting down anyone who got in their way. The battle quickly turned to chaos as Lannisport was sacked. Men and women were dragged out of their homes, kicking and screaming, buildings were looted, whole streets were pillaged. Anyone who resisted was killed as the battle raged on.

By dawn it was over. The port had been captured and the ships within were ordered to dock or be burned by dragonfire. In total twenty seven warships were seized as well as over two dozen merchant vessels.

Many a distant cousin of house Lannister were captured during the attack, and most of the garrison and city guard were put to the sword. As the darkness grew lighter, the sun rising behind the black clouds in the sky, Aegon found himself sitting on a piece of rubble, wiping the blood from his sword while prisoners were corralled and buildings were looted around him.

"The battle seems to be over." Benjen noted as he stepped up beside his nephew.

"That it does. The easier of the two is now out of the way. Tomorrow the hard part begins." Aegon responded as he sheathed his sword and rose to his feet. His armor was caked in blood and grime, and his face blackened by ash and soot from the flames.

His uncle shared in his reflection, both looking terrible, yet neither feeling the drain of the battle due to their unique gifts.

"We'll give the men a day and night to rest, tomorrow we take Casterly Rock." Aegon stated, turning his gaze up towards the nearby castle that overlooked the city.

Benjen followed his gaze up to the castle and let out a quiet sigh. He knew full well that this was the easy part, what came next would be far more difficult.

For the remainder of the day Lannisport was sacked, the damage done to the port was immense but it wasn't beyond repair. Aegon reorganized his forces and held a feast, stealing from the larders and storehouses of the city and butchering fresh meat, either that of wounded animals, or in the case of orcs, uruks, and the other vicious beasts, they were allowed to feed on the dead.

An unnerving sight to be sure, but the eventual consensus spread that letting the orcs eat the dead was better than having to bury, or burn them. So long as the men didn't have to watch, it was something that could be overlooked at the moment.

By nightfall most of the army left the city and marched up the hill to meet with those that had been left to oversee the blockade of Casterly Rock. A token force was left to hold the port while the rest prepared for the hardest battle of their campaign yet.

That night, Aegon gathered all of his generals.

"Plans have changed." Aegon began, "Now that I've seen Casterly Rock and it's defenses, breaching it with dragonfire will not be as easy as I first assumed. My Lady Lilith has offered another means of granting us access to the castle."

Many eyes turned towards the Dark Lady who stared down at them with an alluring and yet frightening smirk. Excitement danced in her hellish gaze, and it definitely set many on edge.

"What means can you provide my lady?" Robb was the first to ask.

"I will clear the way past the Lion's Mouth and offer our forces a direct opening to attack their walls. The hows are unimportant, all you need concern yourself with, is preparing your forces for the fight within." Lilith responded, her eyes glowing even brighter.

"She'll give us a way in. The Dragon's and the Nazgull will assault the defenders from the air. Goblins, and spiders will be held in reserve until we can push towards the main gates of each defensive position. Trolls will be useful for battering them down, and the goblins and spiders can rush over the defensive positions and keep them at bay long enough for the trolls to batter them down. We push through, layer by layer, level by level until we reach the main keep. There will be one of two outcomes as we close in on the final defensive position. The enemy will either turtle up, and we'll be forced to dig them out, or they will surrender." Aegon explained to his generals.

"Forgive me your grace, but why not just burn down the keep itself? I understand the network of defenses will make it harder for us to breach the castle with the aid of your dragons, but why not avoid a siege all together? Surely the destruction of the keep itself will demoralize the defenders enough to avoid a battle." Lord Edmure inquired.

"You are right lord Edmure, that would be easier. But… my reasoning for not doing so is two-fold. Firstly, Casterly Rock is a powerful defensive position, and can be used to defend the port. It would also strike the Lannister pride harder if we seized it and hung our banners from it, rather than just burning it down. Secondly, all anyone remembers about Aegon the Conqueror's conquest was his use of dragons. The Targaryen legend was born on dragons. I've shown their power at the Golden Tooth, I've shown my willingness to use them, now I intend to show the world the wrath of my army. Let it not be said that the Lannisters fell to dragons alone, but to the full might of this great host!" Aegon answered, his final words earning a cheer of agreement from orcs and Northmen. The Riverlords were a bit more timid but accepted his answer nonetheless.

"Taking the castle, as well as Tywin Lannister's family will also give us access to bargaining chips, that could be useful for a great number of things, such as ransoming Lady Sansa." Lilith hummed as well, her words earning a nod from Aegon, as well as Edmure and Robb, both of whom agreed that rescuing Sansa was paramount when they turned their attention onto the Crownlands.

"So… prepare your forces for a castle invasion. This fight will not be easy. I will personally lead the charge against our foes. If any of you have any further questions, seek me out before the night is done. Come dawn, we attack." Aegon informed them, dismissing his generals and turning his attention to Lilith.

"Are you ready?" Aegon asked.

"Oh yes, and I have the perfect plan in place. I know exactly how we're getting in." Lilith responded.

"Will you be joining us then?" Aegon inquired.

"Yes. I will fight by your side, my love. Together we will take this magnificent castle for our own." Lilith replied, offering him a smile that he returned.

"Well then, we should retire for the night, and rest. Come dawn, we raise hell." Aegon stated, his own eyes glowing a fiery orange.

Soon after, Aegon and Lilith found themselves resting. As they rested Aegon relayed the goings-on of his avatar in Middle-Earth. Shortly after it's creation, Aegon had sent it north, and through the portal back to Middle-Earth. Once there it traveled to Dol Guldur, where it took up command of the castle and began working alongside Azog the Defiler.

At his side were four of the nine Nazgûl lead by Khamûl the Easterling. From Dol Guldur, his Avatar began to work on forging an alliance with the spiders of Mirkwood as well as building up an army at the fortress.

The fortress itself had been repaired to a certain extent but those repairs were hidden from sight due to a concealment spell. Besides that, his Avatar also worked on Thráin the former dwarf king. Using his magics he began to torture the king, seeking to learn the secrets of the Lonely Mountain and the Kingdom of Erebor.

Controlling the Avatar was a strange feeling, one that Aegon still wasn't used to. It was like being in two places at once, and yet at one of those places, you moved like you were trying to slosh through hip-deep mud, and every reaction seemed to be on a time delay, like he was drunk.

It was a strange feeling and Lilith teased him about it.

It was as he was about finished explaining the recent events of his Avatar that something strange occurred.

Through his ties to his Avatar, he felt something powerful approach it.

Aegon sat up in bed, and focused his attention through his avatar, Lilith sensed something amiss and sat up beside him.

"What is it?" Lilith inquired.

"Aiwendil." Aegon whispered in response. "Radagast the Brown."

-Dol Guldur, Middle Earth-

The frightened and nervous Istari, slowly crept through the decrepit fortress. As he made his way deeper and deeper into it's recesses, he found himself being stalked by malevolent spirits.

This frightened him even more and he quickened his pace.

As he made his way forward, he felt a presence emerge from the darkness behind him.

Spinning around, the Brown Wizard was just in time to swat away a thrust by Khamul. The Nazgûl was armed with a Morgul blade, and he quickly took another swipe at the wizard.

Let out a frightened gasp, Radagast again blocked the strike, and drove his staff hard into the side of the Nazgûl releasing a burst of magical energy as he did. The power behind it was enough to momentarily dissipate the Nazgûl's ethereal form. The Morgul blade was all that remained of the weakened wraith.

Radagast retrieved the blade, picking it up and examining it. He suddenly felt a dark presence overtake his senses. He spun around, spotting three remaining Nazgûl rising from the ground, also in ethereal form. Emerging from a hallway between them, a living shadow. A pure black figure, seemingly made of darkness itself.

"Radagast!" The Shadow hissed as it advanced on him.

In response the Brown Wizard let out a cry of terror and immediately fled from sight.

The Dark Lord stared after the fleeing wizard for several long moments before using his power to aid in reforming Khamûl's spirit. Being so far away from the actual dark lord, weakened the Nazgûl quite a bit, the presence of Aegon's Avatar was helping their powers to grow, but without their rings, and being so far from their master, they only possessed a fraction of their total power. They were also not garbed in their black cloaks, making them invisible to those who couldn't see into the Wraith-realm. Only when close to Sauron did their spirits appear, as they did now.

As the Lieutenant of Dol Guldur reformed by the Avatar's side, he let out a vile hiss in the Black Speech. "Do we give chase?"

"No. Let the coward flee. He will bring greater prey to us in the future." The dark spirit hissed in response.

-Casterly Rock, Westoros-

"Well that's interesting..." Aegon noted, a smirk touching at his lips.

"What happened?" Lilith inquired.

"Had a visitor stop by Dol Guldur. Radagast the Brown. One of the Istari. He encountered the Nazgûl and my avatar. He fled though… I suspect to report what he found to his fellow wizards." Aegon explained.

"So your avatar is fulfilling it's purpose? Drawing the gaze of the enemy back to Middle-Earth?" Lilith noted.

"Indeed. It will be interesting to see what comes of this." Aegon replied as he cracked his neck and rose to his feet.

"Restless?" Lilith inquired.

"Yes. This new development has got me all wound up. I need to reflect on it. Rest now, my beloved. Go to the land of dreams and envision the world we'll build." Aegon said to her, earning a snort of amusement from Lilith but she did as he suggested as receiving a lustful and passionate kiss.

Aegon soon departed their tent, heading out to wander aimlessly as he thought on this newest development and how to best capitalize on it.

He spent the night wandering, spending most of the time in his own head, devising plans based on what Radagast's appearance could lead to. Before he knew it, his army began mobilizing as dawn quickly approached. Time was hard to determine due to the darkness of the night, though for a few brief minutes sunlight could be see on the horizon, signaling the start of a new day.

His army soon began mobilizing, they had been ordered to amass at the bottom of the hill leading up to the Lion's Mouth. The distance was quite extreme, far outside of the range of any siege weapons, or archers.

Yet it needed to be so, to avoid harm befalling his solders. Once his army was amassed, Aegon and Lilith took their position at it's lead.

All of the cavalry had been ordered to the rear of the army, they were now stationed the greatest distance away from the foe, again another concession that had to be made to avoid the beasts breaking and fleeing when Lilith unleashed her might.

Aegon stood alongside Robb, Roose and Ramsay Bolton, and the Blackfish as the leaders of the center of the army.

Lilith stood before them all, gazing up at the castle, her eyes alight with anticipation.

"Spread the word, everyone should drop to a knee and brace themselves, standing could cause them harm." Aegon ordered his men, as he lowered to a knee. His actions were quickly mimicked by his army, many dropping low to the ground, as the anticipation built.

"What is she going to do?" Robb whispered to him.

"Upend the earth." Aegon quietly responded, reverence evident in his voice.

Slowly, Lilith advanced, striding forward boldly and with unmatched pride. As she advanced, flames and shadows erupted out from her body, and from the chaos she emerged in her towering armored form. She appeared larger than she had the last time, standing at nearly twenty feet in height. A titan of terrible power.

Light began to flicker in the sky as lightning started to streak across it.

Low rumbles filled the air as thunder billowed out from the heavens.

The towering armored form of the Dark Lord advanced before her great army, her gaze fixed upon the Lion's Mouth far up the hill.

She continued to stride forward until she was almost fifty meters ahead of them.

Shadow and fire began to roll off of her body and out of her armor, slowly she began to extend her influence into the earth, pressing her power deep into the stone.

The sky began to grow brighter as the lightning grew more intense.

A low chant began to build among the orcs.

It started small, a few voices at once, but then it began to grow and spread. Louder and louder it grew as the dark army began to chant.

"Morgoth! Morgoth! Morgoth! Morgoth! Morgoth! Morgoth! MORGOTH! MORGOTH!" Louder and louder their roars became as the servants of darkness heralded their master's assault.

These chants continued, growing further in intensity. The lightning grew more intense and a red hue filled the heavens above them.

The clouds began to bleed red, as the clouds almost seemed to burn with flames.

The chants rose in volume as Lilith extended her arms, as if gesturing towards the Lion's Mouth. The action caused a pulse to rip out from her body, expanding out in all directions and silencing the chants.

The silence that fell over the land was near deafening, even the roar of thunder ceased.

Everyone stared in fixated anticipation, eyes wide, many beginning to shake unable to take the intensity of the moment.

"Let us be reborn in this battle. The Lords of Darkness." Aegon whispered in the Black Speech.

"Let it be so my beloved Sauron." Lilith's voice echoed within his mind, earning a devilish smile from the Dark Lord.

Lifting her arms into the air, the earth rose with it.

The hill before them lifted upwards, cracking and tearing filling the air, as the ground rose up.

The cavernous Lion's Mouth, collapsed in on itself as the walls splintered and the ground rushed up to meet the ceiling.

The shaking of the earth swept across the army, the few who'd chosen to stand were thrown violently to the ground, while those kneeling let out cries of terror and amazement.

The earth began to shift and move, upturning and heaving upwards.

The cavern that had once housed the Lion's Mouth, disappeared into a sea of dust and smoke as the world continued to shake.

The violent shaking continued for what felt like an eternity before it subsided.

When it did, the silence truly was deafening. Many were left staring straight down, unable to even lift their gazes as they endured the earthquake.

Aegon and Gothmog were the first to rise to their feet, taking in the wall of dust that hid the destruction that their Dark Lady had wrought.

Soon others began to rise, letting their gaze fall of the destruction.

Slowly, the dust began to roll off the hills down to the ocean below, as the dust retreated, the destruction that she had wrought was revealed.

The Lion's Mouth was gone, the whole towering cavern, vanished. The earth had been upturned and forced outward, to the amazement of all, a great land bridge now stretched out before them, rising right up to the top of the walls at the base of the Rock.

Just from what could be seen from a distance, it looked as if the gorge that had once separated the castle from the mainland, had been filled in, and now the earth formed a ramp, over a hundred meters across, that led right up to the ramparts of the castle. At most places where it met the wall, it would take little more than a large step to rise up onto the crenelations, and then onto the wall itself.

Aegon placed his helmet upon his head and turned his gaze towards his generals, all of whom were staring in dumbfounded amazement.

"Now you understand, against the kingdom of darkness… there can be no victory." He said to them, slowly drawing their gazes to meet his own.

"Such… power…" Ramsay Bolton stuttered out in disbelief.

"A sorcerers? This is no mere sorcery. This is the power of gods." The Blackfish uttered in dumbfounded amazement.

"Sound the horns… and let us see the Westerlands fall." Aegon commanded.

"Sound the horns!" Robb shouted after a moment to compose himself.

The order was quickly shouted through the ranks, and soon horns filled the air.

Aegon and his host began to advance first. He would lead the first vanguard, then Gothmog the main host, and Edmure Tully would command the cavalry to advance once the beasts could be brought back under control. The shaking of the earth had no doubt set many of them to fright.

Lilith fell in line with Aegon, her size reducing until she appeared to be her normal height, though still clad in armor. Her greatsword, and warhammer appeared in her hands, as Aegon drew his sword.

"A truly astounding display my love." Aegon whispered into her mind.

"I haven't had the chance to flex like that in ages. It felt so good..." Lilith replied, her voice filled with lust and excitement.

"Let us drown this castle in blood." Aegon stated as he began to charge, his forces quickly falling into line behind him as they raced up the hill.

Across the rough terrain they advanced at a brisk pace until they got within meters of the wall and broke into a full charge.

Once they broke into a charge, a terrible screech fell out of the heavens, as the Witch King led the Nazgûl in an aerial assault against the castle.

The wraiths and their Fellbeasts fell upon the defenders, sweeping across walls to snatch up archers, or ripping up siege weapons such as ballistae, scorpions, and other heavier weapons that would have been used to bombard the bridge leading across the chasm, had the Lion's Mouth been successfully breached.

The cry of the wraiths drove the defenders away in terror and filled the invading army with greater wrath which was soon amplified further as the Dark Lord and Lady prepared to unleash their rage against the defenders of the castle.

As one would expect, the defenders upon the wall were completely shattered by the otherworldly display of power that had just reshaped the land. The upending of the earth had been so loud that many of these men were bleeding from the ears, and lay in heaps upon the battlements, screaming and clutching at their heads.

Aegon's forces fell upon them quickly, cutting them down and putting them out of their misery. While forces quickly descended from the wall, Aegon, Lilith, Robb, and even Benjen simply leaped from the top of it, down into the courtyard below where many Lannister solders were in a similar condition to those on the wall.

The outermost defenses fell with incredible ease. Those few who weren't deafened by the earth slamming into the outer walls, were left completely broken by the unimaginable act they had just witnessed.

The fighting began to increase as they advanced deeper into the castle away from the external defenses.

Aegon fought alongside Lilith the two cutting down scores of Lannister men as they advanced deeper into the castle.

Whenever they encountered a blocked entrance or a barred gate, one of the two would simply blast it open with magic.

To keep up appearances, Aegon stuck to more basic spells, such as utilizing Bombarda to blast open locks, and Bombarda Maxima to blow large holes into gates, though aside from keeping his true powers limited, Aegon fought with incredible ruthlessness. Using his newfound skill with a sword, he would rush into groups of Lannister men, spinning and twisting as he lashed out with his sword, whenever his steel sword would snap, he would simply grab a new weapon from one of the dead.

As the battle raged on, Aegon went from a sword, to a spear, to two knives, to a mace, then back to a sword, then a sword and axe, before finally ending up with two swords.

Aegon and Lilith cut down countless soldiers as they fought together through the castle. At one point they had entered into the interior of the Rock itself, and fought within the passageways that led to the mines within.

Eventually they found their way back outside, where they continued to press up the castle's defenses.

At one point they passed Greywind tearing a Lannister Knight in half and were soon joined by Ghost who stalked alongside his master, joining them when they would encounter foes.

"You've shown decent skill with two blades." Lilith noted, as he blocked a two handed sword strike with one sword and stabbed out with the other, driving his blade straight through chainmail, and deep into the flesh of the soldier he was fighting.

He released his stabbing blade and simply took the one from the soldier, noting that he actually enjoyed using two swords. His strength, speed, and agility made it far more practical for him to use two blades. Even with one hand, he still hit harder than any human could, and he had developed his sword skills enough that he was actually halfway decent.

Perhaps he would have to refine his swordsmanship and learn to fight with two blades? It was definitely something to think about.

He offered his twin a look and let out a chuckle, which she returned.

Both quickly returned to the battle, fighting alongside their forces, cutting down swaths of defenders. It soon became clear that the most stalwart of Lannister men were the ones who were fighting them right now, because as they advanced further and further, more men broke and fled rather than fight the twin Lords of Darkness.

It took only a few hours, but soon the army of darkness had pushed it's way up to the top of the Rock, and surrounded the main keep.

It must have been early afternoon at the least, as Aegon and Lilith approached the keep. Two trolls stood on either side of the main entrance which was sealed shut. Both wielded heavy stone warhammers and took turns beating against the gate, slowly breaking through it.

Perched atop the keep, the Witch King sat upon Skausan-Eaavas, uttering dark curses which bled into the keep, filling it's residents with terror, and ripping at their spirits. Atop the keep, were scores of goblins, many armed with axes, chopping away at doors on the roof. The keep itself had dozens of spiders crawling along the walls, and even several goblins that clung to the walls near arrow slits, waiting for an arrow to come flying out of the stone, at which point they would jam long thin blades into the narrow opening hoping to cut or slice at whomever was within, injuring them with poisoned blades.

The only two major areas of resistance left on the Rock were the main keep, and the internal networks of tunnels and mines that stretched below. Unfortunately for the defenders, orcs and goblins were very good at fighting in the dark, and even better at fighting in caves, where they often liked to nest and hide to avoid the sun.

"They've barred the gates, and sealed them, no doubt barricading them with everything that isn't nailed down." Ramsay Bolton informed the two, pushing his way up to them as they approached the entrance.

Aegon nodded to show that he understood and stared at the towering keep. Despite being one of the last major points of resistance, taking the keep would not be easy.

"Stand aside." Lilith commanded stepping past him. It seemed she had little concern for the battle ahead. A path was quickly cleared, as their forces moved back. She drew forth her wand and let loose a powerful blasting spell that shot forward and ripped the entrance-way free, sending it exploding into the interior of the castle and no doubt mortally wounding those that lay within.

A roar of triumph and rage rose up from the army and many stormed in.

"Ramsay… I have a task for you." Aegon commanded as he watched his army storm into the keep.

"Your grace." Ramsay replied.

"Find Ser Kevan Lannister. Dead or alive, I want him found. We didn't manage to locate him below but some of the orcs report having seen someone matching his description a few hours ago. I think he's still alive and inside." Aegon instructed, the young Bolton offered a nod and quickly corralled a few dozen men and orcs to carry out their king's command.

Aegon continued to stare after them as he felt a large presence stalk up next to him.

He turned his gaze to find Ghost hovering by his side. The great wolf's fur was heavily matted with blood. He sported the remnants of a handful of injuries, all of which had healed over already, save for a single barbed arrow, lodged in his side.

The dark powers that had been placed within him had greatly increased the wolf's power. He and Grey Wind were proving to be immensely useful assets. Aegon definitely intended to offer such powers to the rest of their litter, the only one of which was missing was Nymeria. Lady was in the hands of one of Aegon's servants after it was set loose to save it from King Robert's Justice, and Shaggydog and Summer were back with Rickon and Bran.

"Ghost..." Aegon began, drawing the wolf's attention to him. He met the blood red eyes of the wolf and then reached out, grabbing hold of the arrow. With a swift pull, he dislodged the arrow earning a growl and yelp from his direwolf but the beast quickly settled as the wound began to heal.

Ghost offered a few licks to Aegon's helmet, earning a snort of amusement from the King whom rubbed at the wolf's neck and then turned his attention back to the keep.

To his surprise, Ramsay was already on his way back, wearing a big smile and dragging a bloodied, wounded, but still very much alive, Kevan Lannister, Smalljon Umber, by his side, aiding him.

"Ser Kevan?" Aegon inquired as the man was tossed at his feet.

"Was bravely standing with his men on the other side of the entrance." Ramsay replied, earning a snort of amusement from Lilith, who was already out of her armored form, and was standing elegantly amongst the chaos.

Aegon titled his head, and let out a noise as Kevan Lannister crawled onto his knees with great difficulty.

Aegon removed his helmet and stared down at the man, both of their eyes meeting.

Kevan was bruised, battered, and shaking. Fresh blood coated his face, and blood trickled out of his mouth and pooled around his gums. He had no doubt received a few injuries during the battle and had then taken some hits when Lilith blew in the entrance to the keep.

The man looked terrible.

"Ser Kevan… I am Aegon Targaryen. I will accept your surrender now." Aegon stated, his gaze filling with a malevolent wrath that caused Kevan Lannister to let out a breath and visibly deflate.

"Finish securing the castle, cut down any man or woman that puts up resistance." Lilith ordered Smalljon as she sauntered over to Aegon's side and stared down at the enemy commander, her own hellish gaze, matching Aegon's in intensity.

The man offered a nod and quickly turned to carry out his orders.

"See Ser Kevan to Maester Aemon. Have his wounds tended to." Aegon ordered after a few moments of staring between both battle commanders.

Several orcs quickly surrounded Ser Kevan, they bound his hands and quickly dragged him off.

"Who was that?" Robb inquired as he approached them, having caught up with the two through all of the fighting.

"Ser Kevan Lannister. One of our main tasks is accomplished, now we need only flush out what remains of the enemy." Aegon answered.

Robb offered a nod at that and turned his gaze towards the keep.

Aegon began to move, Robb and Ramsay both following behind him as he made his way into the keep.

It was well into the night when the battle was officially over. In total, Aegon's army had lost nearly six thousand, while the Lannister force at both Lannisport and Casterly Rock had lost a total of nearly twenty thousand. A near unprecedented outcome for a siege, but these men were simply outmatched. The forces of darkness had broken them in nearly every engagement, and with Aegon and Lilith leading the charge, it was almost no contest.

Thousands more had been taken captive, the ferocity of the attack, Lilith's show of power, the presence of the Nazgûl and the wrath of Aegon and Lilith's servants, had completely broken more than a few enemy soldiers, who began to throw down their weapons en masse, the moment they saw their enemies taking prisoners.

When the option was either die, surrender, or be eaten alive, most chose to surrender, and hope Aegon showed them mercy.

The castle was searched top to bottom, servants, prisoners, captured solders, lords, and knights were all removed from the castle and corralled in large pens built outside of Lannisport. Aegon ordered the castle looted and it's riches plundered. The dead were fed to the servants of darkness, while the men feasted on the castle's storehouses.

Two days went by before Ser Kevan Lannister and his sister Genna Lannister otherwise known as Genna Frey, were ordered to be brought back to the castle.

The two had been kept separate and in their own pens, for the duration of their imprisonment, and were now being escorted back into their childhood home, which had been taken by an enemy force for the first time in ages.

As the two were escorted through the castle, they were treated to the ghastly sight of orcs feasting on the bodies of the dead or feeding said bodies to the beasts. Men interacted with the ghastly creatures as if they had long been friends. Fighting together, and taking the Rock had forged a bond of camaraderie between the Northmen, the Riverlords, the Wildlings, and the various servants of darkness. They had all been united against the foes of their dark masters, and treated with one another, singing songs, drinking alcohol, and engaging in merriment. King Aegon's army was in high spirits, and they reveled in their conquest, and were united in their vitriol towards their captives.

As Ser Kevan and Lady Genna were led up towards the keep, leading a troop of the most valuable prisoners, they received quite the bit of harassment as they made their way through the castle.

Spit on, jeered at, curses, and even threats to their lives, were uttered by those that caught sight of them.

As they made it higher and higher and approached the Main keep, things became more twisted, and the unnatural sights grew worse.

They had the opportunity to gaze at some of the Fellbeasts that were resting atop walls or towers, many of the higher ranked warchiefs, and generals in Aegon's army, had taken certain parts of the castle for their own, using them as makeshift camps for their various tribes, and an air of malevolence hung in the air.

The servants of darkness were hastily erecting crude statues of Aegon and Lilith, often formed of twisted metal, broken wood, and torn cloth. Still, these statues were an imposing sight, and were almost as effective as Aegon's personal banners that now hung over throughout the mighty castle.

As they closed in on the keep, they spotted warchiefs knelt before a Nazgûl, performing some kind of ritual. They also caught sight of a White orc, raising several dead Lannister men as wights.

There was a dread that gripped at the hearts of all Lannister men and servants, as they were escorted back into the keep that had once been their home. The horrible sights they had seen would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

They were led into the great hall, which was packed with men and monsters. These creatures were not celebrating, instead they stood ready, waiting for what was about to happen.

Sitting at the high table, was Aegon Targaryen. He had purposefully taken the seat of the head of house Lannister as his own, just to rub salt into the wound.

While several high ranking Lannister supporters were led forward, most of the others were dragged off to the side, where they were set in lines, and forced to their knees.

Once the Lannister party was placed before the high table, Aegon rose to his feet, his ascension silencing the whole room.

"Ser Kevan… as acting Lord of Casterly Rock, I welcome you." Aegon greeted the man as he moved down from the table and stepped down from his position, placing himself directly before Kevan and his sister.

"What is to happen to us now?" Lady Genna asked, speaking first while Kevan winced and sent a glance at his sister.

Lady Genna, despite her unkempt appearance, held herself like a lady, prim and proper. Her gaze was focused, and she blocked out the sounds of the beastly creatures that surrounded her.

She was quite bold, and hid her fear well.

"Lady Genna, correct?" Aegon inquired, turning his gaze towards her.

"Yes." Genna responded, meeting his gaze.

"Genna Frey?" Aegon emphasized."

Genna nodded at this.

"Your husband..." Aegon began, his gaze shifting from her to some of the men at her back, many of whom were captured lords, or landed knights.

A man let out a grunt as one of the Riverland men who was guarding them, shoved him forward to stand by Genna and Kevan.

"And you are?" Aegon inquired.

"...Em… Emmon Frey… Ser… Ser Emmon Frey." The man replied, his eyes were filled with fear, he had trouble standing due to a leg wound, and he was very dirty, his skin blackened with mud, and dried blood.

Aegon stared at him for a moment before a dark smile spread across his face.

"You are the second son of Lord Walder Frey, by the laws of gods and men, that makes you heir to the Twins… I'm sure you've heard by now that I've made some changes to the line of succession." Aegon said to him, causing the man to begin shaking.

"I… you… I… didn't… I wasn't…" He began to stutter.

"And those changes don't involve you." Aegon stated, as he held a hand out. One of the nearby uruks, who guarded the high table, let out a dark chuckle and passed Aegon his blade.

The moment the blade entered into Aegon's hand, Emmon started to beg. He barely got out a word, as with a single, lightning fast strike, his throat was slit.

The hall filled with cheers, as Aegon handed the blade back to the uruk who let out a chuckle and then proceeded to lick the blood off of the blade.

Emmon grasped at his throat as he went down, blood managed to spray out, some of it landing on Aegon, much more getting onto Genna who's guarded demeanor broke as her husband's blood sprayed onto her face and side.

She turned away from the gruesome sight and grabbed onto Kevan's arm, while he only closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, mustering every ounce of his courage to keep from breaking down.

"Now… for the two of you..." Aegon stated, turning his attention back to Kevan and Genna. "What do you think I'm going to do with you?"

"Ransom us… for the return of your sisters." Kevan guessed, as Aegon met his eyes.

"Yes. That sounds about right. Though… your brother is a cruel man, and Sansa and Arya are worth more in the political sense than two aging siblings. Besides… Sansa and Arya are now out of harms way. Tywin needs them as a shield to stop me from using my dragons to burn King's Landing to the ground. He wont hurt them… he needs them far more than I need either of you." Aegon responded, eyeing the two closely, a dark smirk touching at his lips as his eyes almost seemingly began to glow. A sight that caused the two siblings to slink back, as dread began to rise within them.

"What is it you want then? You've already seized our ancestral home, you have our vaults, you have everything you need to seize the Westerlands, so what more do you require?" Genna asked in response.

Aegon was silent for a moment before turning his gaze towards something that hid in the far back of the chamber, after a few quiet seconds he offered this figure a small nod before turning his gaze back to the Lannister siblings.

"Lady Genna, you will be bathed, dressed, and sent to King's Landing to deliver a message to your brother. If he wishes for Ser Kevan to live, he will return Sansa Stark to me at once." Aegon commanded.

"You only ask for Sansa Stark, not both sisters?" Genna asked with confusion, neither sibling was aware of the fact that Sansa was all they had.

"Arya is just a child. She wont bloom into womanhood for several more years, any attempts to use her by securing a marriage will not be viable until then. Sansa is my first concern, as she is right around that age, and I would not put it past Lannister filth to try and saddle her with a husband and child. You will carry this message to your brother, I will offer you one of your servants to travel with you along with my guards. I would choose wisely though..." Aegon explained, as out of the crowd, the Witch King emerged. Unlike Aegon and Lilith, both of whom suppressed their dreadful nature, the Ruler of the Nine, offered no such reprieve, his mere approach sent most prisoners cowering away, many unable to even look at the dreaded wraith.

"Choose your one servant wisely, lady Genna, they will have to take care of both you and your brother." Aegon explained, causing both to share a glance.

"You will be taken to King's Landing by my men. Once there, you and your servant will be released into the care of Joffrey and Lord Tywin. You will deliver my demands to him, in exchange for his brother's life, he will hand Sansa over to my men, and Ser Kevan's life will be spared. If he refuses, then Ser Kevan will be killed. Are my demands understood?" Aegon said to them.

Slowly, Genna nodded, her eyes briefly flickering to the Witch King as the dreaded wraith passed a short straight blade to an Uruk who took it and offered a bow in response.

"See her properly tended to, and then see them on their way." Aegon instructed. Immediately his servants seized the siblings and dragged them away, leaving Aegon to stand before the remaining high-value prisoners.

"Now the rest of us, get to play a game. This game is called, 'who has something to give me, that's worth their life?' You'll all get to be our first players." Aegon stated, earning a dark chuckle from his servants, as the lords and knights were organized into a line, and commanded to swear fealty to the King, and prove their loyalty by paying ransom.

Aegon returned to his seat as this was happening, placing himself back in the lord's chair, between Lilith and Robb.

"Do you think lord Tywin will hand over Sansa?" Robb inquired.

"No. He'll let his brother die. He'll doubt my abilities, test my skills. I'm sending another transport of prisoners to go with them in secret. When they arrive at King's Landing, the second batch of prisoners will be commanded to guard Ser Kevan. That way when Tywin refuses and sends his own men to kill ours and free his brother, he'll only end up killing his own men. And also… that blade passed to the uruk captain… it's a Morgul Blade. Cursed. Any wound inflicted by it, will fester, and poison the victim. Very special medicines and magic are needed to heal such injuries, and Tywin Lannister does not have access to them. He'll be forced to watch his brother rot, and slip into the Wraith-world, becoming a wraith. Once that happens, Ser Kevan will be little more than a thrall to my will. He will attack his family, and during the chaos, our agents within the city will free Sansa from it. She will be safe very soon." Aegon explained his plan to Robb, who offered a nod and sat back in his chair, reflecting on what he'd learned.

If Aegon was wrong and Tywin did agree to the trade, than they got Sansa back, if he refused, than they still had agents on the inside and had Ser Kevan as a hostage, and if Aegon was right and Tywin did exactly as he said he would, than they still had a plan to rescue Sansa.

So long as it worked, he didn't much care at this point.

The longer he spent by Aegon's side, the more Robb Stark was realizing that honor and rules meant nothing in war. You treated your allies with justice, nobility, chivalry, and valor, and to your enemies, you offered them no quarter. War required ruthlessness, and that had been where Robb had failed during his campaign. He had tried to be a good man, in all things, and that had led him on a path to ultimately losing the war, had he continued to walk it.

Aegon was showing him a better way. It was harsher, darker, and filled with death and carnage, but they were winning. They were winning and that was all that mattered as far as history was concerned.

-Meereen, Essos. That same day-

Rómestámo stared out into the west, a terrible dread settling in his heart. It hadn't been long since he'd felt a menacing and twisted evil, echo across the world. Something had happened, something very far away, and whatever it was, it did not bode well for the forces of the Light.

At around the same time as this dark echo was radiating throughout the world, the Balrog in Valyria unleashed it's own dark powers. The blue wizard didn't know what to think of this, was the Balrog organizing some sort of dark ritual, or was it trying to cover the source of the original evil with it's own?

While he wasn't aware of it's intentions, Rómestámo knew that it had succeeded in the latter. The Istari had no idea what had caused the original darkness, but it was eerily familiar to him, and he couldn't help but imagine it was the act of Sauron.

And yet it had felt so far away. Further than Valyria, much further. The only possibility that made sense was that this was Sauron's doing. So either Sauron was not with the Balrog in Valyria or he had left it to travel somewhere further into the west, which was where he was currently.

Again, he didn't know anything for certain. And not knowing disheartened and worried him greatly.

His worry did not go unnoticed.

"Rómestámo? Are you alright?" Came the question from Queen Daenerys' handmaiden and translator.

"Yes, Missandei." He responded, turning his gaze away from the west, and to the young woman.

"You seem bothered by something?" Missandei noted, worry dancing in her gaze.

"I feel as if something terrible has happened. I cannot explain what it is, I only know that it unnerves me deeply." The wizard explained, his gaze heavy and his uncertainty visible.

She stared at him for a moment, knowing that when he said 'feel' he was referring to something far more magical than just the odd inkling. The powerful wizard had shown them many minor acts of magic since his arrival, making things move, shaping smoke, creating light when it was dark. None of them had any doubts about his abilities, so when he made a claim about feeling something terrible, such a claim was to be taken seriously.

"What do you believe it was?" Missandei inquired after a few moments.

"A darkness has echoed across the world. Something incredible has happened. An act of power far greater than any this world has seen in centuries. Most likely, not since the Doom of Valyria. I am deeply concerned by this, yet I know not it's source." Rómestámo explained to her, earning a slow deliberate nod from the woman as she took in his words, but was left just as uncertain as he was.

"Has something happened?" Came the question from Daenerys Targaryen as she entered into the room alongside her loyal defender Ser Barristan Selmy. She noted the unease that the wizard carried about him, and deduced that something was wrong.

"No your grace. I was simply reflecting on that strange and unnatural occurrence from a few days ago. It troubles me, and I don't like not knowing what the enemy is after. To many uncertainties." The wizard answered.

"No greater insight?" Daenerys inquired as she took a seat and gave the old man a questioning look.

"I know now that the event occurred far to the West. Most likely in Westoros, and I felt the power of the Balrog in Valyria at the same time as the event. This leads me to believe that this could only be the doing of the Dark Lord Sauron." Rómestámo responded as he took a seat across from the Dragon Queen.

"The Dark Lord? You believe he has come to these lands as well?" Daenerys asked, having learned a bit about Sauron during the Wizard's stay in Meereen. An evil entity of pure malice, one that claimed dominion over all free peoples. A vicious tyrant, and a bloodthirsty warlord. Of what little she knew about the Dark Lord, one point had been emphasized beyond all others, and that was that the Dark Lord was a master manipulator. He never did anything without greater cause. He was a genius tactician and a master strategist. He was not to be underestimated, even if he was supposedly only a shell of his former self.

"What would he be doing here. Your homeland of Middle-Earth, you claim that it is far from here. So far that it cannot be reached by ship even. Why would he come all this way to Westoros?" Ser Barristan asked.

"I have two ideas, both with some merit. There are ancient magics in these lands. Magics that are reawakening for the first time in a long time. Perhaps he is here to search for a way to restores his powers? He was greatly weakened after his defeat during the War of the Last Alliance. He may be searching for a way to once more assume physical form in this world." Rómestámo offered his first speculation, earning unease from Daenerys and a hard look from Ser Barristan.

Supposedly this Sauron was more than just a man. He was a being far beyond the realm of understanding. According to Rómestámo, Sauron had once walked out of the void, to join with Rómestámo's people, long ago. He befriended them, and they treated him like kin. One day he turned on his friends, siding with a great evil and becoming it's chief servant. That original evil was gone now, and Sauron was left to inherit it's legacy. According to Rómestámo, Sauron was thousands of years old, possibly tens of thousands of years old. A force so dark and terrible, that even the might of the demonic Balrog would hesitate to face him.

Daenerys and her party were uncertain as to whether they believed these things, but Rómestámo's magic was proof enough that such powers existed. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that they hoped that it wasn't true, though that meant that they did believe it, on more than one level.

"What is your other idea?" Missandei asked.

"That he has come here to build an army. To raise a force of darkness and conquer these lands." Rómestámo responded.

"What use would an army be here? If he cannot ferry them back to his lands, than even as a staging ground, it would not benefit him in his ultimate conquest of your homeland." Ser Barristan noted.

"Yes that is one of the problems with that idea. Even if he were to conquer these lands, travel back to Middle-Earth is extremely difficult, he could not send forth armies from these lands to those with any manner of ease. There are only two possibilities that coincide with this second idea, and neither bode well for you or your people. The first is that he has turned his attention away from Middle-Earth, and seeks to strike at a weaker foe. In that case, he has no intention of returning this army to his lands. The second possibility is that he is searching for a way, or has found a way, to make travel easier. No ship may cross that distance, no horse may traverse it, but there are powers in this world far greater than any of us can fathom. I know not what one could do if such powers were seized. If the latter is true and he finds a way to form a bridge between these lands and his own, he will unleash darkness upon all of Westoros and Essos. He will seize both continents and use them as a breeding ground to amass the greatest army to ever exist." Rómestámo speculated once more, his ideas, earning dark looks from his companions.

"Needless to say, the presence of the dark lord is not a good sign, no matter his intentions." Daenerys encapsulated his point, earning a nod from the wizard.

"Do you have a plan for how we'll deal with this threat?" Missandei inquired, eyeing the wizard with a curious look.

"One is slowly taking shape. I've been here long enough, and delved into the dredges of this city, I believe we can begin taking our first steps. Securing Meereen must be our first priority. So long as the Sons of the Harpy hold power here, the enemy will have an ally within these walls which will make any attempts to defend ourselves from them, that much harder. I aided tribes of men for years in countering Sauron, fighting the Balrog in Valyria will be a similarly difficult task. I understand these Harpies very well. I've faced their kind many times before, and I know the nature of their hearts. We must purge their foul corruption from this city, and in doing so, we will deny our enemy an easy victory. Once that is done, we can expand our gaze to the bay itself, securing it, will need to be a priority. Make no mistake, Queen Daenerys, if you wish to ever sail into the west and reclaim your homeland, the Balrog in Valyria will have to be dealt with first, otherwise it will harry you every step of the way, and may even destroy any hopes you have amassed in preparation for such a day. Allow me to share with you what I've learned of these Harpies, and I will show you how they may be beaten..." The Wizard explained to the Dragon Queen, earning a resolute look from her as she returned his gaze. If she ever wanted to claim her birthright then this evil would need to be vanquished.

Somehow, deep down, she did not believe it would be as easy as just that, but for now they needed to begin moving. Step by step. Piece by piece. No matter what it took, no matter how long it took. One day she would return home.

-Middle Earth, Rivendell, three weeks later-

Gandalf the Grey was led up to the meeting with the White Council, he was well aware that his colleagues that sat upon the council would be questioning him about his recent formation of a dwarven company that intended to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. He was almost certain that his old friend Saruman would be the first to voice his disapproval, but he would simply have to bare it.

Gandalf had something to share with his colleagues, a discovery that had been brought to him by Radagast the Brown.

Elrond escorted him into the meeting chamber where Círdan, Glorfindel, Galadriel, and Saruman were waiting. Gandalf had expected them, what he was not expecting was the addition of another individual. A very old friend.

"Alatar?" Gandalf inquired upon seeing the Blue wizard. This had been the first time he'd laid eyes upon either of the Blue Wizards in thousands of years. To see one of them here, was definitely unexpected.

"Hello Gandalf it has been too long." The Blue wizard responded, offering a smile.

"To what do we owe your presence? We had long since thought you lost in the east?" Gandalf inquired.

"A point we had gathered to discuss when news reached us of your plots with the dwarves. As luck would have it, we can discuss both situations." Saruman noted, gesturing for Gandalf to have a seat.

They discussed the lighter point of topic first, Gandalf's encouraging the Dwarf King-in-Exile to form a party of fourteen to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and deal with the dragon Smaug.

"Most of the part held silent, though they did offer hesitance when Gandalf voiced his concerns in regards to the growing threats, as well as the dangerous possibility of Smaug allying himself with the enemy.

Gandalf explained to them, that his company had been attacked on the road by orcs, trolls had come down from the mountains to raid villages and devour farm animals, the disappearance of the Balrog in Moria, and news of a dark figure trying to entreat with Smaug, all of it together pointed towards a great danger brewing.

His final point though was a warning, brought to him by Radagast. Something had taken up residence in Dol Guldur. An entity the locals were called 'The Necromancer'.

There was concern to be shared amongst the members of the council, though Saruman was not totally convinced that these events were all connected. His rationale was simply that the stirring of the Balrog had been what led to the strange movements of the orcs and trolls. Nothing greater than a simply cause and effect playing out. And that there was no proof that the entity in Dol Guldur was anything more than a human sorcerer.

Gandalf did have proof, provided to him by Radagast.

He set his proof on the table between the various member of the council.

A cloth bundle, which Elrond carefully unwrapped revealing a Morgul Blade.

The sight of it, earned unease from the council. Elrond's gaze filled worry, as did Galadriel's. Saruman stared intently at the short sword, as did Alatar. Glorfindel let out a quiet sigh and leaned forward in his seat, while Cirdan brought his hands together and set them on the table, his gaze dropping from the blade and his thoughts turning inward.

"Radagast claims to have encountered four wraiths within Dol Guldur. One of them attacked him with that very blade. And he claims to have seen a shadow, a living shadow, dark as night and filled with a vile malevolence. I know he's a bit odd, but I believe him. I believe he saw the things he claims to have seen." Gandalf offered to them.

"These wraiths… did he get a measure of them?" Alatar inquired as he rose from his seat and circled the table, standing beside Gandalf now and staring intently down at the blade.

"Powerful. Vicious. They stalked him upon entering the ruined fortress. One attacked him armed with that blade. It was little more than a spirit, weak, yet there was a potency to it. A threat of greater proportions." Gandalf responded.

"Only the servants of the Witch King carry such weapons. The Nazgûl and Cargûl, chief amongst them." Glorfindel noted.

"What is Radagast's suspicion? That he encountered servants of the Witch King within Dol Guldur?" Saruman inquired.

"Perhaps it was the Witch King, acting as this 'Necromancer'. We have received troubling news that shadows are gathering in the north, whispers that the Dúnedain have had skirmishes with men and orcs coming from the North. There are even whispers that something stirs within the desolate lands of Angmar." Elrond offered to them as well.

"What we have now is nothing more than whispers, and speculations. Uncertainty will not aid us. Alatar, what news do you bring? What has driven you so far from the lands you have called home for millennia?" Saruman directed the conversation towards the Blue wizard.

Alatar lifted his gaze from the Morgul Blade and glanced around the room. After a few moments he finally spoke.

"I have received word from the West." He began, his words earning surprise from Gandalf and Saruman, and causing all of the elves to focus on him, eager to hear what he had to say.

"The Lord of the eagles, risked life and limb to deliver a message to Pallando and I. This message came on the heels of a troubling occurrence. We sensed the departure of the Balrog in Moria. We felt it vanish from those depths. The message we received indicated that the Balrog has left Arda entirely, and has ventured to another world." Alatar expressed to them.

"Another world? Such a thing is unheard of. To travel away from existence and brave the great emptiness. Why would one of the Balrog take such a risk?" Saruman asked.

"The message did not say. It only delivered word that our mandate has changed. If this Balrog raised it's own kingdom and manages to form a pathway between our two worlds, then we could face an attack of a magnitude not seen since the First Age of this world." Alatar explained, leaning on the table as he did, imploring for them all to understand the magnitude of the situation.

"Was there any news on Sauron? Any hint that he's returned?" Gandalf inquired.

"None. As I said, the message implored that we investigate, and prepare. There are stirrings in the West, whispers of something terrible about to happen. A shadow has fallen over Mordor. A terrifying evil pours out of that place, something so dark, not even the sight of the Valar can pierce it. I worry that their fears are well founded. I suspect that the servants of darkness are busy trying to make contact with this other world, if they haven't already." Alatar responded.

"We are offered no choice then. Such a threat must be investigated at the nearest opportunity. I will go to Mordor and burn a light into this shadow myself. Sauron may be diminished, but an alliance with a Balrog, could give him the strength he needs to once more pose a threat to this world. There is also the possibility of an alliance with the dragon Smaug." Saruman began, turning his gaze to Gandalf who nodded in agreement.

"What of the Dwarven company? And the dragon?" Elrond inquired.

"Gandalf will oversee it. He helped to set this in motion, so it falls on him to see it carried out. I would recommend that you take some time to investigate Dol Guldur. I believe Lord Elrond may be right. This 'Necromancer' could very well be the Witch King. I am still not convinced that Radagast's warning is completely accurate, but I will concede the need to investigate before taking further action. If the Lord of the Nine has taken up residence in the fortress, he will need to be expunged. Investigate, and report back on your findings. What will you do Alatar?" Saruman responded, earning a nod from Gandalf as he rose to his feet.

"I will journey into the North. Lord Elrond's warning about Angmar concerns me. Those lands should be desolate and barren. If danger rises in those lands, I worry what it could lead too. There is evil that dwells there, and something far worse, that lies beneath that accursed realm." Alatar replied, his words earning a solemn look from Gandalf and Saruman.

"Of what evil do you speak?" Glorfindel asked.

"The one and only threat the Istari ever faced together. A threat encountered not long after we arrived in these lands, before we separated. Something we encountered in those lands before Angmar was founded. Deep beneath those accursed lands, lies the only other known Balrog." Gandalf explained, earning surprise from the elves.

"A elf had long stood guard over where it slumbered after the fall of Angband. It began to stir in the darkness, perhaps sensing our arrival. We felt it too, and traversed there, the five of us. Together we forced it to submit, and we imprisoned it deep beneath the earth. That same elf-maiden has stood guard over it's prison since that day. It was never uncovered, even when Angmar rose to power. Not even the Witch King would dare trifle with a Balrog. Though I am concerned. Deeply concerned. With dark powers rising again, the Balrog beneath Angmar may begin to stir once more. If it does, I fear what may happen if it attempts to join it's kin. The five are now three, if what you've said about Radagast is true. Having both Balrog unite would be a terrible cataclysm. I will go to Angmar and investigate these stirrings for myself, and I will report back what I find." Alatar finished Gandalf's explanation.

"You must all tread with great care. I sense danger in all of your endeavors." Círdan warned.

"Yes… I feel it too. We must act accordingly, and investigate these occurrences. We will reconvene once all of our tasks are accomplished. I must go now, and see to a few things before my journey. I would advise you all to begin your own investigations. If the West is stirring, than things are far more dire than they appear." Saruman commanded the White Council, earning agreement from the elves.

Right then a messenger stepped in.

"Apologies. Lord Elrond, the dwarves… their gone." The messenger informed them.

Elrond stared back at the messenger with a curious gaze before glancing at Gandalf.

Galadriel raised an eyebrow at the Grey wizard who shrugged sheepishly, earning a smirk from her in response.

Saruman narrowed his eyes and shook his head, but decided to ignore it. He had his reservations, but he would not sit idly by if word was coming from the West to investigate.

The members of the White Council quickly departed, setting about their tasks.

Gandalf moved quickly to rejoin with the dwarven company. With the Balrog now absent, they could sneak through the Mines of Moria and make quick timing across the Misty Mountains. Once across, Gandalf could venture off to Mirkwood to carry out his investigation into Dol Guldur while the dwarves continued on to Erebor. With any luck he would have his confirmation and rejoin them quickly.

Things were starting to become quite troubling, it definitely did not sit right with any member of the White Council. They needed answers, and now, otherwise this avalanche of uncertainties would bury them.

-To Be Continued-

Alright here's the next chapter, just as another side note, as I said I will be using parts taken from lotro so that includes Thaurlach. I hope you liked it, let me know what you think.