Alright here's the next chapter. Got a lot of exposition out of the way for the last one, so this one can focus more on the story and get me back into the groove of things, I hope you all enjoy.

Darkness Reborn

Chapter 20: The Fall of King's Landing

Margaery Tyrell stood upon the deck of one of her family's ships as it sailed into Lannisport.

Her eldest brother Willas Tyrell, as well as her grandmother Olenna Tyrell both stood by her side as they gazed up at the looming castle of Casterly Rock, that stood towering over the port city. For nearly six hours now, they had been sailing in relative darkness, as thick black clouds hung in the sky. No rain fell, but the ominous booming of thunder occasionally filled the air.

It was around midday, and the seas were calm, despite the heavy cloud cover. The ship captain made note of how gentle the ocean was, despite what seemed to be an encroaching storm. Thankfully they would make landfall before it actually started, so any worry in regards to the possible storm were quickly fading.

Now though, the worry about the storm was being replaced by the excitement of arriving at Aegon Targaryen's main encampment. The castle he had torn quite literally, from the hands of the Lannisters.

"The port seems alive with movement." Willas noted.

"Indeed it does. No doubt in preparations for the eventual march east." Margaery noted.

"Are you ready for this, my dear?" Olenna inquired to her granddaughter.

"Yes. I look forward to seeing my intended once more. We didn't get to spend much time together during our first meeting so I'm hopeful he and I can begin forming a bond during out trek east." Margaery replied with a cool smile.

"And are you ready for the sorceress?" Olenna questioned, knowing full well that the sorceress herself would provide the biggest obstacle in Margaery's attempts of ingratiate herself with the Dragon-Wolf.

"Yes grandmother. I didn't get the chance to know lady Lilith very well, but I think I got a good read on her intentions. I think the two of us will become fast friends." Margaery responded, still cool and confident.

In her minds eyes, the daughter of House Tyrell vividly remembered the intense and passionate images that had flashed through her mind, courtesy of the sorceress. If those images were any indication, than Lilith had no intentions of playing the separation game, and instead intended to draw Margaery into bed, no doubt as an avenue to assert dominance and exhibit some sort of control over her.

For the last several weeks since that meeting, Margaery had been mentally preparing herself for such a day. While she didn't share her brother Loras' proclivity towards the same sex, if it was required of her in order to get what she wanted, she wouldn't hesitate to partake.

She had to navigate Renly's unique tastes that put her at a disadvantage in their marriage, and she had to learn how to appease Joffrey in order to ensure he remained cordial with her. Now she was ready to deal with the Dragon-Wolf and his sorceress, to ingratiate herself and house Tyrell, to the new king, and his wintry queen, in order to secure her house's future and it's position as rulers. What form that exactly took, she didn't know, but she was hopeful that some plan was already in place, so that she could learn exactly what she was getting into and how best to use it to her advantage.

"Just be careful Margaery, who knows what this sorceress could do if you upset her." Willas offered a word of warning.

"Worried she'll turn me into a frog?" Margaery inquired, lightheartedly, shaking off her brother's concern, despite knowing and already acknowledging the disadvantage that came with her opponent in this, having magical powers.

"Plenty of worse things she could turn you into, like a pile of dung." Willas responded, earning a smile from his younger sister and a scoff from their grandmother.

"Bah, it doesn't take magical powers to do that. A sharp knife and some pigs, and I can turn someone into dung too." Olenna noted, her joke, earning an actual chuckle from Margaery, while Willas let out a sigh.

Slowly, the ship pulled into port, and the Tyrell entourage exited their ship. On either sides of where they had docked, towering constructs were forming, massive ships, unlike anything any of them had ever seen.

"What manner of ships are these?" Margaery asked her elder brother as she walked alongside him along the dock.

"I don't know. I've never seen such massive vessels." Willas responded, his eyes passing over the large ships as they slowly neared completion. Three of them, would soon be completed, maybe in a month or so, given the size and shape.

They were absolutely incredible to look upon, the sheer size of the ships that neared completion vastly eclipsed any vessel that the Tyrell host had ever even heard about, let alone seen.

"Ay, who are you!?" Came the growling question of an orc who stood in their path along the docks leading into Lannisport.

"I am Willas Tyrell, son of Lord Mace Tyrell, lord of Highgarden. We come as guests of your king, Aegon Targaryen." Willas responded to the creature, who eyed them with sickly yellow eyes, and a menacing grin filled with twisted teeth. Several of the knights who stood beside and behind the Tyrells themselves, placed their hands upon their swords, ready to draw their blades if the creature made any threatening move towards them.

The orc eyed them for a moment, before barking at one of the neighboring men, who was busily laboring on a wooden post.

"You! Fetch the overseer. Let him know the Tyrell lords have arrived." The orc barked at the man who offered a quick nod and ran off. "Welcome to Lannisport, my lord. The King has been expecting you."

"Thank you for your welcome." Willas responded calmly. While the Tyrells maintained an air of composure around themselves, they were still unused to the fearsome sight of the orcs, and the lumbering trolls that moved about the port assisting in manual labor.

A few moments went by before the man returned with the overseer. A tall, burly man, heavily bearded, and broad in the shoulders. He was dirty, sweaty, and wore a hard look upon his face.

He offered a quick bow of the head to Willas before addressing them. "Welcome to Lannisport, my Lord. We've been expecting you. A wheelhouse, and some horses have been fetched to take you to the castle. I've sent word ahead to inform the king of your arrival."

"Thank you, we'd appreciate seeing our journey come to an end after so long at sea." Willas replied to him.

"Come, I'll see you through the port, this way." The overseer motioned for them to follow him.

The Tyrell troop did so, keeping on his heels as he led the troop of around one hundred through the port itself to where horses and a wheelhouse had been prepared for them.

As they walked, Margaery being the ever curious one, decided to make conversation with the overseer of the port.

"Seems a storm is coming." She noted.

"It always seems that way my lady. The orcs don't like the sun, so the dark lady keeps the skies covered in clouds. A bit darker than usual, but it's ordinarily like this." The overseer responded, earning surprise from the Tyrells.

"These clouds are an act of magic?" Willas questioned him, as his gaze lifted to the sky.

"Yeah, that's what the orcs say. They say their Queen can cover the sky in darkness, and blot out the sun. They say even now she's sending blackened clouds east, over the continent, in preparation for the march to King's Landing. Orcs fight better in the dark. Direct sunlight is blinding for them so they don't do well during daytime if there's no cloud cover." The overseer explained to them.

"That's incredible." Margaery noted with amazement. She shared a glance with her grandmother, who remained calm, though a flash of worry did appear in her eyes.

They knew that the Queen of the Far North had powers, but to be able to blacken out the sky with clouds to create darkness for her army, that was a scale of power beyond what they had been aware was even possible.

They eventually made it to the wheelhouse and horses, where Willas, Olenna, and Margaery settled into the wheelhouse while the remainder of their entourage road horses. They then traveled through the city which was surprisingly active, despite the dark and gloomy cloud cover, before passing out of the gates and up the road that led to the castle.

For a few long moments, there was silence. After several minutes, Olenna opened one of the windows and peered up at the castle, her eyes widening and a hand coming to her mouth as they pulled onto the road leading up to Casterly Rock.

"It's truly gone… I didn't believe it, but… it's really gone…" Olenna muttered to herself.

"Grandmother? What is it?" Willas asked.

"The Lion's Mouth. It's just like Tywin's sister said… it's gone." Olenna answered as she closed the window and took in a breath. She could vividly recall the large earthen structure, the cave that held the outermost entrance-way into Casterly Rock. A natural fortification that was almost impossible to breach, and now the whole tunnel/cave was entirely gone. The small mountain that once stood as a carved Lion's Mouth, had completely vanished.

Silence passed as they made their way into the castle. As they traveled up to the castle's peak, Margaery opened one of the windows of the wheelhouse and gazed out at some of the goings-on around them.

They caught sight of orcs and men, hard at work. In many places they were clustered around forges, hammering away at swords, or axes, or armor and helmets. At another place, a cluster of orcs sat putting the fletchings on arrows.

As they moved higher up the castle and closer to the main keep, the sights became more unnerving. They passed by a large open square where a cluster of orcs and even a few men were knelt in prayer. In the center of the square was a twisted statue of iron and wood. A towering armored figure that stood nearly ten feet tall. Who it was meant to be wasn't known to the siblings, but those around it stared on in reverence, praying as one would to the Seven.

Even higher they passed by several small training yards where men and orcs drilled in formations, to the roar of orc battlemasters, and mannish masters of arms. There were kennels where dogs and horses were once held where now beasts resided. Terrifying creatures, large furry creatures, with stout dog-like appearances, while other hairless beasts, that looked like large muscular cats, growled and howled at one another, all the while they were drown out by the roar of their riders who kept the beasts in line.

Not long afterwards they finally made it to the main keep. The trio exited their wheelhouse and joined with their knights, guards, and servants. Waiting for them outside of the keep was a trio of soldiers, the leader of which addressed them.

"Welcome, my lords and ladies. King Aegon awaits you in the main hall, allow me to escort you there." The soldier said to them, earning a nod from Willas, who walked ahead of his sister and grandmother into the keep.

Within the halls were servants busying themselves with work. Things seemed slightly more normal within the walls of the ancient keep.

They were led into the main hall which was bustling with activity. Lords and warchiefs sat in clusters, speaking and debating about plans and strategies, though silence quickly spread through the hall as the Tyrell procession entered.

The three Tyrells did a quick scan of the room before their gazes all fell onto the head table where sat, Aegon Targaryen, and his sorceress bride.

A cool smile spread across Aegon's face as they were led before him and he rose to his feet, his actions silencing what little chatter remained.

"Welcome, lord Willas, lady Margaery, lady Olenna. I am happy to see you've made it here without issue." Aegon greeted them.

The three offered the king a bow, as did their servants before Willas responded. "Your grace, we thank you for your welcome."

Aegon offered them a nod and as he did, two servants approached with trays of bread and salt, an offering as old as the history of Westeros. The Tyrells were a distant relation with ties existing only with their loyalty to Aegon's father and grandfather. They had been enemies with many of the men in this room during the Rebellion, even if the Tyrell army only ever truly fought the Baratheons. So in order to show them that he truly intended them no harm and fully welcomed them into the halls he had claimed as his own through right of conquest, he would abide by the sacred pacts of guest right. And as the Tyrell ate of the offered bread and salt, that oh so sacred of pacts was forged before the eyes of every lord in this room. The Tyrells were the king's guests, and would suffer no harm while under the roof he called his own.

"Be welcome in my keep, and at my table." Aegon offered to them.

"We are most grateful for your hospitality, your grace." Willas replied.

As the last of the bread and salt finish passing through the procession, Aegon addressed the crowd.

"Lay to rest your works for the day my friends. Soon we will begin our march and we will no longer have time to rest or be merry. So drink your fill and eat to your hearts content. Sing and be merry, and bask in the company of soldiers, and warriors, war-chiefs, and lords. Enjoy these last few moments of peace. Within a fortnight we will begin our march. We will cross the continent and set fire to the Crownlands. We will march with fury in our hearts, and righteous vengeance will be our battle-cry. The Lannisters have taken so much from us all. Riches, land, friends, and family. They will pay for all those who have died for their greed and ambition. Drink now my friends, and toast to the glorious dead. For soon we march to war, and we will not stop, until our enemies have been washed into the sea!" Aegon declared, his speech earning a roar of cheers from his lords and war-chiefs

"Come, lord Willas, lady Margaery, lady Olenna, I have a place for you here at my table. Let us drink and feast in final celebration before darker days consume us." Aegon offered to them, earning nods from the trio.

The three sat alongside the king, with Willas sitting closest. The two chatted animatedly about the goings-on in the Reach, and how the land was faring. Olenna and Margaery quietly listened in as the two spoke, both ladies taking note of the future king, and his aristocratic demeanor. He was a pleasant conversationalist, and an elegant speaker, despite his thick northern accent.

While Margaery attempted to listen in on their conversation more often, she was partly drawn away by the presence of Sansa, the two having struck up a pleasant friendship while in King's Landing. Seeing her here, back with her family, it was definitely enjoyable to know that the kind young woman who'd been treated so terribly at the hands of Joffrey and Cercei, was now back with people that loved her.

The Tyrells enjoyed their time at the feast and were shown to rooms not long afterwards where they could settle in and rest.

While sleep did come, it was interrupted by a roar that shook the castle. Margaery was quick to the balcony of her room, her eyes on the sky. She could not see it overly well, but in the darkness of the night, she could make out the beast, a dragon.

Margaery must have spent hours, staring up at the pitch black night sky. The dragon was impossible to spot but she could hear it on occasion, hearing the beating of massive wings, hear the occasional roar. She spent so long out on the balcony that she eventually fell asleep there, only awakening when a servant entered the room and found her laying out on a lounging chair on the balcony.

That morning she quietly broke her fast, alongside her brother and grandmother. The sky was still darkened with clouds, but they seemed a bit clearer today, more light shined down than the day before, so it wasn't so foreboding out.

It was that morning when Margaery first saw the sorceress again. She hadn't spotted her the night before at the feast, and hadn't thought to ask on her presence. Margaery watched as the woman passed through the great hall, men and beasts submitting to her as she passed, bowing, or nodding, as she glided by with a supreme elegance.

A curious smirk touched at Margaery's lips as she took note of just how lovely the sorceress appeared. It was something she had noted during their brief interaction at Bitterbridge, but here and now, she got another look at the woman, and couldn't help but admit, she was truly gorgeous.

It was odd, the nature of the sorceress's beauty. She had the looks, yet showed very little of it. Her way of dress was odd as well. She wore a pure black gown, and that was essentially it. No jewelry, coverings, headpieces, hell she didn't even wear shoes. She was barefooted, in only a pure black gown, it showed almost nothing of her body, it wasn't low cut or anything like that. The most skin the sorceress showed was her arms which were completely uncovered. Her gown clung to her body, and from certain angles, you could tell that Lilith was quite curvaceous, but unless you caught her at a specific angle, almost none of that was shown. Her gown appeared to be no thicker than a few layers of silk, yet it was so black, it revealed absolutely nothing of her underneath it.

The outermost layer of her gown, hung less form fitting than the rest, hanging down off of her. It this external covering was so thin and translucent and with how it flowed with her as she walked, that it almost appeared like a shadow was drifting along her legs, and trailing behind her. It definitely added to her mystique.

Beyond that, Lilith had pale white skin, pure black hair, that reached down to her mid back, and glowing eyes that seemed to shift color from blood red to fiery orange.

It was definitely an oddity, but she was gorgeous, none the less.

Margaery could definitely see why King Aegon had agreed to take the sorceress as his bride, if nothing else, she had the beauty and elegance of a queen.

"Lady Margaery, lady Olenna hello, I had heard of your arrival, apologies for being unable to greet you at yesterdays feast, I was otherwise held up, by pressing matters." Lilith greeted the two who she recognized upon seeing them.

"Greetings, lady Lilith, or is it your grace? I don't think we ever asked, I understand you and King Aegon have yet to be wed, but some of the… orcs… called you queen." Margaery inquired pleasantly.

"You're right, not exactly something that's been settled. I am a queen of my own kingdom, yet Aegon and I have yet to be wed, so while I am a queen, I am not your queen… yet. So for now, lady is fine, all of the men address me as lady." Lilith responded, equally as pleasant.

"Would you like to join us for morning meal? We are about finished, but I'd love the chance to speak with you, it must be quite amazing having lived so far beyond the Wall, I can't imagine the things you've seen there." Margaery offered, retaining a gentle and cheerful attitude, one that seemed unfazed by the heavy air of the castle.

"I would very much enjoy such discussions, but I actually came to retrieve you, your brother, and grandmother. King Aegon has asked for a meeting, a matter of great importance needs to be discussed, and he would like to put your speculations as to the nature of this engagement to rest." Lilith responded, earning curiosity and bit of surprise from the trio.

The three were quick to join Lilith as she led them through the castle, about halfway to their destination, Margaery again spoke up, after sharing a mental conversation with her grandmother, the two communicating through glances.

"Did the king offer any insight as to the nature of this discussion?" Margaery asked.

"Yes, I believe he intends to inform you of the role you'll play in this union of ours. You and Sansa Stark for that matter. Aegon does not fear the powers a woman could command, and seeks to ensure you both are ready to fulfill your roles, when the time is right." Lilith responded, earning a bit of confusion from the trio.

"Forgive me, lady Lilith, but what does young Sansa Stark have to do with this?" Lady Olenna inquired.

"Oh, you hadn't heard yet? Well you've only been here for a day so I shouldn't be surprised, but word does tend to travel quick around these parts, the nature of castle life, I guess. Aegon holds feelings for his cousin, as is the nature of the Targaryens, and intends to make her one of his wives, given her place among the Starks, mirroring your own Lady Margaery, Aegon sees no reason not to give into those feelings and not only secure the North, but draw the northerners out of their icy homes, and into the game of politics. A bond that began with him, but will now be cemented by his marriage to Sansa, and his close friendship to Lord Robb." Lilith explained, surprise was the reaction from the trio, and Margaery and her grandmother shared an uncertain look with one another, but Margaery quickly schooled herself, hiding her uncertainty.

"Interesting. What roles did King Aegon intend for us to fill, beyond the obvious, of course?" Margaery asked.

"To rule." Lilith answered with a smirk as they arrived at their destination. Aegon's war room.

Inside Aegon waited, with him was Robb Stark, Edmure Tully, and Sansa Stark as well. Sansa seemed uncertain, which quickly told the Tyrells that she didn't know why she was there either.

"Lord Willas, Lady Margaery, Lady Olenna." Aegon greeted them, his eyes though, quickly falling to Lilith as she circled the room, and stepped over to her seat.

"I brought them." Lilith hummed, as she passed him.

"You didn't need to do that. I would have sent someone." Aegon responded to her.

"It was on my way, now, shall we begin?" Lilith replied, earning a nod from Aegon as he turned back to the lords and ladies gathered before him.

"Alright… thank you all for coming so early, I wanted to get this discussion out of the way, so we are all on the same page. I don't intend for our new allies to be left in the dark, nor do I wish for my longtime comrades to not know the nature of my plans." Aegon began, drawing them all in.

"I'll be frank, I've had this conversation with Robb, but I'm not sure if you're aware Lord Edmure, or if the Tyrells are, I doubt it, so I'll just make it clear. I've decided to take Sansa as one of my wives." Aegon made it clear, the blow being softened for the Tyrells, thanks to Lilith's heads up. Robb already expected as much, given that the two were together, so the only one who was left surprised was Edmure, despite the fact that he had heard some rumors in regards to Aegon being seen with Sansa, the two sharing intimate interactions.

Sansa herself, lit up at the news. Despite hoping that he'd marry her, the two had never actually discussed it, so this was the first she was hearing about it. She wore her excitement openly though, smiling widely at him.

"Sansa and I have had feelings for each other for many years, though for the longest time, we couldn't act on those feelings. Things are different now. Not only due to my station, but the benefits it could bring to the Seven Kingdoms. A marriage to Sansa would unite houses Targaryen, Stark, and Tully, and through your sisters marriage to Jon Arryn, the Vale as well. One marriage, bringing together three great kingdoms. And from that, my marriage to Lady Margaery, will introduce the Reach into the fold, securing the unity of these four kingdoms through familiar ties." Aegon explained, Robb and Willas slowly nodding at his logic, Edmure joining soon afterward.

Such a unity would be assured, and that would mean that the North and South would once again be united through blood ties, and no one in the room had forgotten that it was through those blood ties, that the Targaryens were brought down during Robert's Rebellion.

Margaery once again shared a glance with her grandmother, against shared a conversation with their eyes. After a few moments of quiet contemplation, Margaery chose to speak.

"Such an alliance would bring great prosperity to all of our kingdoms, once the war is over. Sansa and I have already forged a friendship during out time in King's Landing, I can see no reason why we cannot seize upon this opportunity to further unite our kingdoms and ensure that our people no longer have to suffer such violent conflicts." She expressed.

"I've already made peace with the necessity of sharing a husband with a stranger. I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to share him with a friend." Margaery added after a moment, casting a friendly smile towards Sansa who smiled back and nodded in agreement.

Aegon and Lilith watched the exchange with calculating gazes, Lilith even allowed a smirk to creep across her lips.

"Good, now that, that's been made clear, I wished to inform Sansa and Margaery as to the roles they'll be expected to fulfill in the days to come, and after our marriage. As their family, I suspect they'll appreciate having your wisdom to aid them." Aegon continued on his discussion.

"Yes, what roles did you intend for my granddaughter? It's obviously not the usual for a queen. Or at least, not what the rest of us had in mind." Lady Olenna asked.

"You're half-right, Lady Olenna. My intentions for the two of them are not what you were expecting, but it is actually the usual for a queen just no so much a queen consort." Aegon answered, earning curiosity from the old Queen of Thorns.

"Westeros is massive, only more so now that Lilith's kingdom, and the lands beyond the Wall have been added to it. The lands beyond the Wall will become a new Kingdom, as house Stark can't rule all of that territory. In fact, the Gift, New Gift, The Wall, the Lands beyond, and the Land of Always Winter, may be split into two kingdoms, raising the total to Nine kingdoms of Westeros. That territory cannot all be ruled from King's Landing." Aegon explained to them.

Looks were shared amongst the group, questioning stares, or looks to gauge other's reactions.

"You intend to move the capitol, your grace?" Edmure inquired, slightly confused.

"No, I intend to add a new one." Aegon replied, earning further confusion, which only served to earn a chuckle from Lilith as she sat back in her chair, smiling down at them.

"I'll make this very simple, and we can expand on it from there. With new lands added to Westeros, the continent is to large to be ruled from the South. The North already feels like an outsider most of the time, and I doubt the Wildlings have anything in common with Southern folk. My intentions are to split the ruling of Westeros in half. A Southern and Northern Kingdom. From the South, at King's Landing, the Targaryen-Tyrell lineage will rule, while in the North, the Targaryen-Stark lineage will rule from Winterfell for now, until a new capitol can be built further north. As it stands, my intention is for the North, the Riverlands, and all of the lands north of the Wall to be included in this Northern Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Southern Kingdom will consist of the Eyrie, the Crownlands, the Stormlands, the Westerlands, The Reach, and Dorne. I will move between these two kingdoms, assisting both of you in ruling and I will give you both an heir, once that's done, you'll rule in that child's name until they come of age to be anointed. Either child will be fostered in the other kingdom with each other. Learning the way of their half-siblings people, and forming bonds with one another. Thus when the time is right for them to rule, they will do so, having formed powerful and lasting bonds with each other." Aegon laid out his and Lilith's plans for Westeros. Ensuring the this massive expanse of territory was properly governed, and seen too. No more having the North pretend it was it's own separate entity due to everyone just ignoring it. The kingdoms would be easier to manage in this capacity, especially now that there were more territories to be added to it.

There was silence in the room for a while, as this news was digested.

"So… if I'm understanding this correctly, you intend to install both Sansa and Margaery as Queens of separate halves of Westeros, essentially ruling the peoples they come from? An unprecedented measure, but I actually think it has some merit. These two kingdoms would still be bound together through you though?" Willas surmised.

"Yes. I should be clear, there is another reason for this, beyond just the requirement for ensuring this continent can be reasonably governed. When I first encountered Lilith, it was when I was beyond the Wall. I was found by an orc scouting party, and they brought me north to the Lands of Always Winter. Lilith told me of my true heritage, revealed who I was to me, and she told me of her intentions to invade Westeros. Hearing of what she intended, I made her an offer, mostly likely it was one she already intended to exploit, which is why she brought me there. I offered to marry her, in exchange for allowing me to unite the Seven Kingdoms under my banner. She'd win the continent, without having to invade and conquer each kingdom. Thanks to that offer, only two major campaigns have so far been needed. One against the Wildlings, and one against the Westerlands. Because of my name and my familial ties, we now have the North, the Riverlands, the Reach, and just recently, the Eyrie offered to side with us. Had Lilith invaded, the number of dead would be astronomical. Make no mistakes, my lords and ladies, the force I brought south with me was only a portion of her total forces in the Land of Always Winter. Had she wanted to, she could have unleashed them all, and washed over the entire continent. The choice we both made, saved countless lives. But… I cannot forget my part of the deal. I will bring Westeros under my command, and through our marriage, she will have it, but one day her sights will turn towards the rest of the world. Her armies will march on Essos, and those lands will fall as well. I'm setting things up this way with the Northern and Southern kingdoms, because one day, I'll march into the east with Lilith, and more kingdoms will rise. I'll take another wife, and her children will rule a kingdom in Essos." Aegon explained to them all.

Robb and Edmure had heard parts of this plan before, how Lilith intended to build an empire, and would use Aegon and his Targaryen blood as the linchpin for it all. The Tyrells were quiet as they took in all of this information, and so was Sansa, as she reflected on the nature of the situation.

Lilith had already showed kindness to Sansa, and the two appeared to be becoming friends, if Sansa had any read on the situation, but there had always been a darkness there, an underlying threat that Lilith posed, and now Sansa knew what it was, as did the Tyrells.

"I think I understand. You wish to bring the world under your control, your children will rule this great empire, while we will produce the kings and queens who will rule the various lands beneath them." Margaery concluded.

"Indeed. Aegon may be a king now, but one day, he will be an Emperor, and I his Empress. When he says that the two of you will need to rule, it is because when things are settled here in Westeros, my beloved Aegon and I will march into the east, and bring the Essosi to heel. Essos will most likely be split into two, maybe three kingdoms, much like how Westeros will be split in half. So Aegon will take a bride for each, and his blood will be what unites these kingdoms together. Each kingdom's ruler will be a half-sibling of each other, and each will be subservient only to those of the Imperial royal family, the children Aegon and I will have. Four or five kingdoms, uniting east and west in a way never done before. I intend to build the greatest empire this world has ever seen. You and the children you bare, will stand as pillars that support that empire." Lilith explained to them, smiling mischievously as she did.

"You truly believe you can bring all of Essos under your control? The Dothraki, the Free Cities, Slavers Bay, even your own aunt has martialed forces there." Olenna turned the question to Aegon.

"It wont be easy, but it can be done. Lilith already has a foothold on the continent, and has amassed an army there. When the time comes, they'll spill out from the ruins of Old Valyria, and begin striking out at all of our foes. As for my aunt, I cannot say whether she knows of my existence or not. She may be inclined to submit if she realizes that her brother's heir has reclaimed the throne, and if not, than I will do what I must to ensure she and her dragons are brought to heel." Aegon responded, earning curious looks from many of those around him.

"You have forces on the Valyrian Peninsula?" Robb asked Lilith.

"Yes. I sent an army there years ago in preparation for an invasion of Essos. A fortress lies in the heart of that ruined land, and within that fortress my army grows, orcs and beasts breed in the darkness, and a Balrog commands my forces there. Over one hundred and fifty thousand, have gathered in Valyria, so, to answer your earlier question, Lady Olenna, yes, I do believe I can defeat the armies of the east, and bring the continent under my dominion." Lilith responded, her answer drawing surprise from the surrounding lords.

"Forgive me, my lady but… how long have you been around?" Willas asked, wondering just how long ago she could have sent forces to Valyria, for their numbers to have grown to that magnitude.

"I have lived a very long life, Lord Willas. To go into specifics would be far less amusing, so lets just say I was around to witness the death of the Valyrian Freehold, and leave it at that." Lilith responded, smirking as she did.

"You witnessed the Doom?" Willas asked, amazement filling his voice.

"I was there when it happened. I witnessed the mountains erupt and the greatest civilization this world has ever known, brought to it's knees in a single day. I witnessed the rise of the Targaryen dynasty here in Westeros, I've been around for every major conflict this country has seen over the last five hundred years. I have lived a very long life and seen a great many things. I have endured since long before these lands were first united by the Targaryens and I'll continue long after all of you are gone." Lilith proclaimed, the hellish glow of her eyes, confirming in all of their minds that she was speaking the whole truth, and meant every word.

"There are a great many things to discuss in the future, but for now, I'll let you all take some time to digest this information. We'll speak more on this, after we take King's Landing." Aegon declared after several moments of silence. After he finished dismissing them her turned to Willas, "Lord Willas, before you depart, I wish to offer you a gift. An early wedding present to my future bride, I have asked my lady Lilith if she could heal your injured leg, as she healed my brother Bran, allowing him to regain his mobility."

Surprise was the immediate reaction as Lilith rose from her seat and began to approach the man.

"I'm… sorry. You say… you can heal my leg?" Willas responded, sharing a glance with his sister, who was equally as surprised.

"Indeed. Healing an injured leg is child's play for one such as I." Lilith responded as with a wave of her hand, two chairs sat around the outskirts of the room, slid across the floor, coming to rest beside the heir to Highgarden, both chairs facing one another.

The act of magic drew a gasp from Margaery, the chairs seemingly moving on their own.

"Please, sit. Rest your leg on the other chair. This shouldn't take more than a moment." Lilith instructed.

Willas was silent for a moment before slowly complying. Robb and Edmure both watched with great fascination as Willas sat in one of the chairs and lifted his injured leg to prop on the other, Margaery offering him a bit of assistance before stepping aside as Lilith knelt next to him and held a hand over his leg.

"Try not to fall out of the chair, this will hurt for but a moment." Lilith commanded, glancing up at him. Upon hearing her instruction, Aegon approached the two, and stepped up behind Willas, placing his hands on the man's shoulders and helping him to brace himself.

A loud crack was heard as Lilith's hand began to glow red, Willas let out a gasp of pain as he felt bone snap and than almost immediately fall back in place. Lilith's work took no more than a half minute, as she reshaped the bones and healed any an all internal injuries that had been hindering his mobility. By the time she was finished, Willas was breathing heavily, but the pain was quickly fading away into nothingness.

"There. It'll feel tender for a short while, but you should have your full mobility back." Lilith informed him as she rose to her feet.

Willas was shaky for a moment as he reached out and massaged his leg. His sister and grandmother knelt by his side, as he slowly lifted his leg and set in on the ground. He shared a look with them, taking in a deep breath before rising to his feet.

The man had previously walked with a cane and leg brace, and though he still had the brace on, he didn't need his cane to stand.

He took several steps around the chair, his eyes wide in amazement before turning towards his family. "It doesn't hurt anymore…"

"That's amazing." Margaery said in awe.

"I appreciate this, my lady." Aegon quietly said to Lilith as she passed him, smirking as she did.

"As thanks, for our alliance, and a gift to my bride, her brother's mobility back. May it be the first of many gifts to come." Aegon expressed to them, before turning, offering Robb and Edmure a nod, and Sansa a smile, he then quickly departed, Lilith trailing not far behind, drawing Sansa over to her, the two walking arm in arm.

"I can't believe this." Willas muttered to himself, continuing to walk around the room with seemingly no difficulty.

"Well believe it. It is far from the greatest act of power we've ever witnessed from her." Robb stated to the Tyrells before he and Edmure both began to depart.

Not long afterwards, the Tyrells returned to their own quarters, Margaery and Olenna were currently sitting while Willas chose to stand, taking great pleasure in his renewed mobility.

"King Aegon and his sorceress are more capable than we first imagined." Olenna noted.

"When father and mother learn of this, when Loras and Garlan hear of it, they'll all be deeply grateful." Margaery agreed.

"Yes, giving the heir of Highgarden his mobility back, will earn the king and his sorceress the respect and love of many of our own allies. It was a calculated offering, one that could easily be seen as a kindness, but it will definitely benefit him. The boy is smart, I don't know who taught him because it wasn't Ned Stark, rest his soul. He knows how to play the game. He knows how to offer gifts that will benefit him, more than the receiver. He knows how to be brutal, how to make people fear him. The things he did to the Mountain still hold fresh in my mind, and story will spread of it. Brutal, and cunning. Clever and ambitious. He is more Targaryen than Stark, yet unlike his father in so many ways. He reminds me more of a young Tywin Lannister, yet with his father's grace, and a cool temperament. I do believe this continent may know a bit of stability once this war is over." Olenna offered her initial thoughts in regards to Aegon. Her opinion wasn't set in stone, but she was a very good judge of character, and from what she'd seen so far, Aegon Targaryen was most definitely capable.

"I agree. His plans may serve to bolster relations between the North and South. He may be splitting the kingdoms in two, but let's be honest, the North never really considered itself part of the Seven Kingdoms, they've mostly kept to themselves since the Targaryen conquest." Willas noted, speculating on his own thoughts.

"Having Sansa as a Queen in the North, will secure the loyalty of the North, and the Riverlands. She has the blood of both in her veins, and they'll happily accept her as their queen. When this war is finished, house Tyrell will be one of only three houses in the Southern Kingdom that could hold the power to command and rule. The other two are the Arryns, and the Martells. The Eyrie has apparently sided with us, and the Martells will most likely join us as well. Now I doubt that Lysa Arryn's refusal to aid Robb Stark when the war broke out will garner them any favors in court, so this move is no doubt just to save face, and ensure they aren't the next targeted, plus they have no daughters to wed to the king to ensure the Vale's allegiance. The Martells on the other hand, do have a daughter to marry to the king, Prince Doran's eldest daughter, so the chances are good it would have been either us or them, me or her. Either one of us would have been acceptable to rule the southern continent." Margaery noted, taking count of the strategic points towards Aegon's acceptance of the Tyrell's offer for marriage.

"Indeed. He may even still take a Martell bride. If he plans to conquer Essos, he may see their Rhoynar blood as the perfect expression of power. He's a clever man, with an even more clever woman at his side. The king is dangerous, I can see it in his eyes. He's every bit as vicious as Tywin Lannister, and yet, there is something else there, something that worries me." Olenna noted, earning a curious look from Margaery.

"What do you mean, grandmother?" Margaery asked.

Olenna was quiet for a moment, as she composed her thoughts. In her mind's eye, she could see the Dragonwolf and his sorceress. The two had been together for a time, so perhaps their unity was born from that time, but Olenna didn't think so. She had no reason to doubt Aegon's story of how he came to meet with the sorceress, and yet, something about the two, and the way they were interacting, the closeness shared between them. Olenna had been around long enough to know that such closeness wasn't born of infatuation, it was something built over years of knowing someone. She felt that from the two of them, despite them only knowing one another for over a year or so, based on what she knew.

"I can't quite place it. Something just seems off to me." Olenna responded after a moment more of thought.

Her grandchildren continued to stare at her for a moment so she decided to dismiss the thought. "Bah. Never mind. You shouldn't worry about such things. Instead you should focus on impressing the Dragonwolf. You have competition there, so I'd get to work if I were you."

Margaery smirked at that, offering a coy smile. "Don't worry yourself grandmother, everything will work out."

"I hope so my dear, I hope so." Olenna responded quietly.

The following day, Margaery set to work on getting in good with Aegon, starting with his family, namely the one she had the most rapport with, Sansa.

She met her early in the Great Hall, sitting with her and engaging in conversation. She started her questions by bringing up the rumors that circulated around Sansa's escape from King's Landing, how she turned into a wolf and the like.

After a bit of prodding, Sansa admitted that the rumors were true, and that she was a werewolf. When asked what that meant she explained how she could shape-shift into a wolf form, how her brother and uncle could too, and how Aegon could also change himself. The information came as quite the surprise to Margaery, who hadn't expected the rumors to hold water. Learning that her future husband as well as her future sister-wife were both capable of shape-shifting into beasts completely derailed Margaery's intentions for the morning.

Instead she spent the better part of the morning asking about what it was like, how it felt, what Sansa experienced while she was in the form of a wolf.

After their discussion Margaery stepped away for a bit to try and center herself and focus her thoughts. That revelation had proved very distracting, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as when she stepped away she ran into Aegon, who greeted her kindly.

"Lady Margaery, hello." Aegon offered to her.

"Your grace, it's good to see you again. How are you?" Margaery responded with a pleasant smile.

"I'm doing well. Would you mind walking with me?" Aegon inquired, Margaery perking up at his request.

"Of course, your grace. I would love to." Margaery responded, offering her arm which he took, guiding her out of the hall and out along the battlements that overlooked the expanse of the sea.

The two enjoyed a quiet walk for a few moments, before Aegon finally spoke up. "Forgive me, if I seem a bit too forward my lady, but I hoped to take what time we have left before the march to King's Landing, in order to get to know you. I'm afraid beyond what things Sansa has told me, I know nothing about you."

"Well I'm more than happy to share a bit about myself, if you'd be willing to reciprocate." Margaery responded.

"I don't see why not." Aegon offered with a smile.

The two chatted for a short while as they walked along the battlements. Though the sky remained covered in clouds, it was decently brighter than it had been the last few days. Occasional rays of sunlight would push through, lending greater brightness to the advancing morning.

Aegon and Margaery discussed bits and pieces about their lives, discussing general likes, dislikes, bits about their families, and things of that nature. It was all rather simple, but it helped the two begin to form an understanding about each other.

"Tell me, my lady, how do you feel about wolves?" Aegon inquired.

"Wolves? Well I seen one, once before, beyond that though, I can't say I have much experience with them. I do think they are quite beautiful, though I've never tried to approach one." Margaery returned, earning a smile from Aegon.

"Well, I'd like to introduce you to someone. A good friend of mine. This is Ghost." Aegon said to her as they round a corner and found the giant white wolf, sleeping on the battlements. Margaery let out a gasp at the sight of the creature. The wolf was absolutely massive. A beast unlike any she'd ever seen.

It lifted it's head at their approach and slowly pulled itself up. The wolf was huge, it's size truly showing as it rose to it's feet.

The wolf's head sat just above Margaery's, it was larger than a horse, pure white, with blood red eyes.

The wolf stared at her for several long moments before turning to Aegon. Aegon smiled and reached out, running his hand through the wolf's fur causing the giant beast to nuzzle against his palm. His actions served to settle Margaery's rapidly beating heart.

She had of course heard stories involving a massive wolf, but those stories were tied to Aegon's cousin Robb Stark, and after learning about Sansa being a shape-shifter, she wondered if that was the source of the rumors surrounding Lord Stark. Now though, she saw that it was far simpler, there just really was a massive wolf with the Starks.

"He's… truly magnificent. I didn't realize wolves could get this large." Margaery responded.

"Well Ghost isn't a regular wolf, he's a direwolf. They are far more common north of the Wall. We found him, along with his siblings in the North, their mother having somehow circumnavigated the Wall, only to end up dying to a stag. I've raised him since he was a pup." Aegon explained to her.

"Amazing. Truly. My brother would surely go crazy at the sight of such a magnificent creature. He's spent much of his life training hawks and horses and dogs. An animal lover, through and through." Margaery replied, as she ran her eyes over the pure white fur of the towering wolf.

"I'd be happy to introduce the two." Aegon noted with a cool smirk.

The two stood in the presence of the giant wolf for several long minutes, not long afterwards, a howl was heard from elsewhere in the castle, most likely Greywind. Ghost trotted off to go find his brother, leaving the two to continue their walk.

Aegon took this time to get to know the young rose of Highgarden, and understand her. The more he learned about her, the easier it would be to manipulate and control her when the time was right. So for now, he'd play the charismatic and charming northerner, and he'd seduce her.

The following few days continued that way, with Aegon taking some time to get to know his new bride, while final preparation were put in place for the march east. Margaery and her grandmother would travel with the army, while Willas returned to Highgarden in order to relieve his brother Garlan who would most likely ride east to join up with his father and youngest brother, both of whom were at Bitterbridge and would march on King's Landing, along with the army at Harrenhal, once the signal was given.

Given that Tywin had no army beyond the gates of King's Landing, nor did he have any friends, there was basically no danger to any of their forces while they crossed the continent. The only possible incidents that could arise would be a sudden attack from Stannis, who was apparently still on Dragonstone, a major uprising in the Stormlands, in which case those forces would first have to face Randall Tarly and his army, and then face the army at Bitterbridge, before than going after their main force, or an attack from Dorne or the Eyrie. Dorne had no reason to stab them in the back, and would most likely sit back and watch as the Lannisters were defeated, and the Eyrie would first have to face the army at Harrenhal, if they intended an attack, and in doing so, they would ensure that they would be fighting alone against basically every other kingdom, so that was incredibly unlikely.

Aside from the possibility of being harassed by mercenaries or bandit groups Tywin had paid off, there was no one left to hold off the Targaryen host.

So with that in mind, aside from scouts to ensure that there were no traps set, the army was simply intended to march straight across the country. Aside from something beyond the realm of likelihood occurring, there was little to be worried about. So speed was the preference.

Little of major interest occurred over the short time leading up to their departure aside from fielding Margaery and her brother's many questions about Aegon and Lilith's dragons.

Beyond that though, Lilith made preparations for one of the many dark sorcerers at her command to remain behind to tend to her dark creation growing in the pools beneath the castle. By the time they departed, the vicious creatures had eaten away at each other for many weeks. Now only the strongest of these creatures remained, and Lilith had formed a bond with it, tying it to her as a familiar. Aside from keeping it fed, she could continuously channel her power into it, even over great distances.

For now it needed time to grow, but one day, it would be unleashed from those caverns, a true kraken, one that would become the terror of the seas. The infant kraken grew quickly, already the size of a dog, not counting it's tentacles, being tied to Lilith had sped up it's growth process. It would remain in it's cage until she returned from the conquest of King's Landing. When she did, the creature would no doubt be massive, and more than ready to be unleashed into the sea.

Finally the day arrived. Willas said his goodbyes to his grandmother and sister and departed back to Highgarden, while the army began it's march across the continent.

It would take some time for their forces to cross the continent, though thankfully, the Gold Road lacked in major hindrances and could be easily traversed so things proceeded far quicker than they would have otherwise.

So with everything set, the forces of darkness began their march.

-King's Landing, two days later-

Tyrion arrived at the Tower of Hand, finding the Small Council gathered in part. Maester Pycelle was there, as was Varys, but Cercei wasn't present, nor was Joffrey. Tywin sat in his usual seat, looking worn. Each passing day, hammered down on the ancient lion, and the signs were starting to show.

Tyrion took his seat and no sooner had he, when Tywin nodded at Varys who began to speak.

"The Dragon-Wolf is on the move. My little birds can confirm his army is now marched east, heading across the Gold Road. They'll be here in a month or so. The Knights of Vale are riding to Harrenhal, it seems Littlefinger has turned on us. Randall Tarly's forces have surrounded and laid siege to Storm's End, and we can confirm without a shadow of a doubt that the Tyrell's have turned traitor and sided with King Aegon." Varys laid everything out, information that was suspected had now been confirmed.

Most of that was already known, even if there was no proof. The disappearance of the Tyrells spoke volumes, they didn't need Varys to tell them what that meant.

"Well… shit. So… we're more fucked than we were yesterday. Anything else?" Tyrion asked with a mirthless chuckle.

"Yes, my little birds had informed me that Aegon Targaryen appears to intend to marry his cousin Sansa, and has formed a marriage alliance with the Tyrells as well. Those two coupled with his sorceress, raises the number of brides to three." Varys offered as additional news.

"None of that is overly surprising." Tywin noted, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"If the Tyrells have sided with Aegon, that means Aegon will exploit the Redwyne fleet. They could be here any day." Tyrion stated, glancing at his father.

"Yes, indeed." Tywin agreed, as his gaze lifted up to the ceiling.

"Father, surely you must have some sort of plan. We can't just sit here and do nothing while the Targaryens march on us. We heard about what happened to the Lannisters he captured in the taking of Casterly Rock, he'll do the same and worse to us. We need to come up with a plan." Tyrion pressed his father.

"And I have one." Tywin responded, still staring off.

Everyone shared glances with one another before focusing their attention on Tywin. After several long moments the Hand of the King lowered his gaze and met the eyes of each person individually.

"What I say now will not be repeated. Tonight, under cover of darkness, every ship we have will sail out of port. On board, will be Tommen, he will be smuggled across the sea to safety." Tywin began to explain his plan.

"You're sending him to Essos? Why Tommen, why not the Joffrey and Tommen?" Tyrion asked the question most of them were wondering.

"You know why. Joffrey cannot be controlled. He'll endanger any plans made to keep him alive. The boy is a fool, and rotten to the core. He is a coward, and he is without an ounce of humility. Tommen is still young, he has not showed any signs of the lunacy his brother displays, and he can be taught how to be strong." Tywin answered.

"You're talking about abandoning the King." Tyrion stated.

"I'm not. Tommen will be King, in the not to distant future. And it's up to you all to ensure that he survives." Tywin declared.

"What is it you intend, my lord Hand?" Varys asked.

"You all will travel with Tommen, as well as a retinue of our most loyal soldiers. Cercei will accompany you, as will my sister Genna. Few others will be sent on this voyage, where you're going, you'll need soldiers, not servants. These ships will be weighted with everything of value we can fill them with, along with food and other necessities. You will sail for Essos, and find a safe place to settle yourselves and rebuild our strength." Tywin laid it all out, earning incredulous looks from many of his subordinates, as well as his children.

"Essos, are you being serious right now? Your plan is for us to simply run away and hide" Tyrion questioned

"Yes. There is no other option. I will not allow our family to be slaughtered by the Dragonwolf. You'll head for Essos and remain in hiding. Do what you can to survive." Tywin replied with a hard look.

"You're staying behind?" Tyrion realized, having noted the strange way Tywin had referred to most of these plans.

"Yes. I will remain behind and try to inflict as much damage on the Dragon-Wolf as I possibly can. Considering the size of his force, I have no delusions about how this battle will end. But I will make him hurt for it. Joffrey will remain here with me. He will serve as a symbol for our forces to rally behind, until the bitter end. Come nightfall, you will all depart this city. Varys I expect your knowledge of Essos will ensure that these plans can achieve fruition?" Tywin said to them all, causing Tyrion and Varys to share a look with one another.

"Of course, my lord hand. I will do everything in my power to ensure that we make it safely across the Narrow Sea." Varys replied with a bow.

"Wait, even if this all works out, you know Cercei will never leave without Joffrey, and Jaime wont abandon his duty." Tyrion began.

"We'll tell them he's on another ship. They wont know the truth until it's far too late. Tell them you thought he'd be there, tell them I held him back to discuss something. Tell them I'm responsible, I don't really care." Tywin responded.

Tyrion stared at his father in disbelief for several long moments.

"Make your preparations and say nothing of this to anyone. Everything is already in place. Those ships set sail at midnight. Do not be late, or you'll be left here when Aegon arrives." Tywin commanded darkly, dismissing them with a gesture.

The one who remained behind the longest was Tyrion, who stared long and hard at his father for quite a while.

"Our family must survive. This is the only way. Our name will be dragged through the mud, but if even one of us survives, than one day our house may rise from the ashes, and we will repay the Dragonwolf for all that he's done to us." Tywin declared with fire his eyes. All Tyrion could do was offer a slow nod and pull himself to his feet. As he made his way out of the room, it began to dawn on him that he was unlikely to ever see his father again.

That thought carried with him for hours.

That night, Tyrion met with Varys, Shae, and Bronn, whom Tyrion had told about the ships and offered a way out of the city. The four made their way to the ships, several having already set sail. They were there when Tommen was escorted onto the ship, dressed in his sleepwear, and holding his cat, the boy looked tired, meek, and confused.

Cercei and Jaime were soon led onboard, and not long afterwards, the ship began to depart. It didn't take overly long for Cercei to question where Joffrey was.

Tyrion said nothing as the soldiers lied and said that he and Lord Tywin had already been evacuated, and were on one of the ships that was already sailing across the Blackwater.

Cercei threw a minor fit, but settled down and spent her time with Tommen.

Most people who weren't soldiers had no idea what was going on. They just did as commanded, only a few of Tywin's most trusted, knew what was happening, what they were doing.

Tyrion offered King's Landing a long look as they sailed away from it. He knew now, without a doubt, that he'd never see his father again, nor would he see Joffrey. He didn't quite know how to feel about either of those realizations. So he just sat in quiet contemplation alongside Bronn and Shae.

-Four weeks later-

Tywin stared our over the battlements of King's Landing. Before him sat a massive host, nearly one-hundred thousand strong. Tyrells, Vale Knights, monsters from the North, all marshaled around the city. Within hours, an even greater host, nearly the size of the one already present would join them, doubling the force.

For days now, the vanguard host had busied itself with building siege engines, most notably siege towers, which was a curious sight, given that the city was now surrounded with a water filled mote

It would be quite possibly the largest army ever assembled. At the very least, one of the greatest of the era.

Within King's Landing were some forty-five thousand soldiers. Though well over half of that number were conscripted peasants who barely knew how to hold a spear, let alone fight. Most of those forces were guarding the outer wall, with most of the actual soldiers gathered in the Red Keep, which was where Tywin intended to hold his ground the longest.

Already, many of his men, especially the conscripts had tried to abandon their posts. The sight of the towering giants in Aegon's army, along with their sheer numbers, drove many to despair. The constant roaring and shouting that had become a common place over the last several days, was a drain on morale.

Any man who attempted to flee was simply killed. Tywin intended to make Aegon Targaryen bleed for every inch, and that was what was going to happen.

Despite the impressive numbers that the city fielded, it had very few archers by comparison. And even fewer well trained ones.

So the best chance he had to inflict maximum casualties was to funnel the enemy into choke points and hold them at spear point, using shield walls to form barricades. He had to use every idea in his arsenal, in order to inflict the greatest possible damage. If he could kill Aegon's dragon, that would be the greatest achievement.

Slowly, Tywin and his guard turned away from the massive army, and began the march back towards the Red Keep. It would be some time before the attack began, until than, there was more that could be done. Always more.

Within the Red Keep, Joffrey was kept, basically as a prisoner. Tywin had no intentions of a repeat of the Battle of Blackwater Bay. He wouldn't have Joffrey flee from the battlefield and further demoralize their army. Better to not have him involved at all.

On the horizon, the rest of Aegon's force slowly began to crest it. The skies above the army, filled with pitch black clouds, that were accompanied by the distant boom of thunder. Within hours the two forces would be joined, and not long afterwards, the greatest battle of the century, would soon begin.

-Several Hours Later-

"Wow… there is so many of them." Sansa noted, as she stared out over the massive gathering of soldiers, as the two forces began blending together.

"Yes indeed. Quite the magnificent showing." Lilith agreed as she watched their army slowly fall into position, surrounding the city from nearly every side. Out in the bay, the Redwyne fleet had arrived to blockade the city.

"Shall we begin?" Aegon inquired.

"Yes, let us see your ancestral throne returned, and your house restored." Lilith responded, giving him a smirk, which he returned.

Once the armies were in position, Aegon and Lilith would set about setting up the same type of massive trebuchets they'd used against Lannisport.

With a moat having been dug around the entire city, it would be extremely difficult to breach the walls without incurring thousands of casualties. Despite the size of their force, neither dark lord intended to lose half their army taking this city. They needed to ensure they had the forces to capture the capitol while also having the force necessary to attack the Red Keep.

Within hours, siege engines were up, the towering trebuchets quickly began sending massive flaming stones over the walls and into the city. These trebuchets sat far outside of the range of the defenders, and thus, those on the walls could do very little but watch as the city was slowly set ablaze.

For a full day, the city was bombarded, as was the outer walls. The mighty trebuchets managed to bring down the walls in several place, as the bombardment continued.

As the day progressed, siege towers were moved into position in preparation for an advance on the walls, no one yet knew what Aegon and Lilith had planned, but some among their ranks had a sneaking suspicion of how the two intended to circumvent the issue of the water filled moat.

Come sunset of the following day, Aegon and Lilith gathered with all of their generals.

"Within the next few hours, we will begin our attack on the walls of King's Landing. I'm sure some of you are curious about how we intend to circumvent the moat surrounding the city. We freeze it." Aegon began, addressing his various generals.

"The Akul Demonuk?" Robb made note, earning a nod from Aegon.

"What's an Akul Demonuk?" Mace Tyrell asked.

"It means Ice Demon. They give of a frigid chill. We used them at the twins to freeze the waters and attack the castle from the Water Tower." Robb replied, having suspected that this was what Aegon and Lilith intended. It worked fine before, no reason it couldn't work again.

"We had twelve then, Gothmog brought forty more down from the Far North. They'll freeze the moat, allowing our siege towers a straight shot at the wall. They can't be harmed by arrow fire so there's little that the defenders can do to hurt them. Gothmog will lead the attack on the western walls, and provide the opening for the rest of us. He'll focus on taking the walls, and clearing them of the remaining defenders. From there, we open the gates and launch attacks throughout the city. The Nazgûl and their Fellbeast will clear the walls where they can. Here's how this is going to go. We know Tywin is likely to have his best forces held in the Red Keep, which will be heavily guarded by Scorpions and Ballistae in order to shoot down the dragons and fellbeast. So we're going to have to focus our efforts on taking the castle by foot. The Gate of the Gods, the Lion Gate, and the King's Gate, and the walls between them, are where we'll focus our attack. Lilith and the dragons will attack the southern, northern, and eastern walls, clearing them of any enemies using dragon fire, and creating a partial ring of flame around the outer most edges of the city. We attack from the west, free of dragon fire, and push east, making our way to the King's Square and than up the Dragon's Way towards the Red Keep. Part of our forces will break off once they meet up in the middle and proceed further east, catching what forces are there and pinning them between themselves, and a wall of dragon fire. Once we make it to the Red Keep, Gothmog, or one of the Graug will break down it's gates, allowing us inside. Tywin and his forces will fight viciously for every inch of the castle, and so must we. Today, we see an end to this." Aegon laid out the entirety of the plan to them all, ensuring everyone knew everything.

"I'll lead the attack on the Gate of the Gods. Lord Robb will lead the attack on the Lion Gate, and Lord Mace will lead the attack on the King's Gate. I'll command the largest force, leading them down the main thoroughfare The God's Way, and the Dragon's Way. Our force will most likely face the largest gatherings of enemies, but have the easiest path. Lord Mace will lead the next largest force, and take them east towards the Fishmonger's Square. From there he'll split his forces bit by bit, taking each of the main road ways leading towards the King's Square and the Dragon's Way. Robb will have the smallest force. No large roads off the Lion Gate, just a lot of small streets, and back alleys. It's much tighter, more cramped, you need to be more flexible and maneuverable. Can't afford to cram to many people in there, lest you bottleneck." Aegon continued, addressing the two lords directly, so that they knew what part they'd play, both men nodding in understanding as they eyed maps of the city.

"Lord Mace, ensure your men are ready to deal with fire. That southern wall will be set ablaze as your forces march beside it. Maintain your focus and move quickly. No telling if the fires will start to spread or not." Aegon offered a warning to the Lord of Highgarden and his sons.

"We shall be ready, your grace! For whatever we may encounter." Mace responded proudly, Aegon nodding and turning his gaze back towards the map.

"Once our forces take the western half of the city, we'll need to deal with those enemies still on the eastern side. They should be few in number, but I want no surprises. Warchief Grimuk will take a force down the Street of Seeds, and secure it. The Blackfish will lead a force down the Street of Sisters and secure the Dragon Pit, we need to ensure that no enemy forces are hiding amongst the ruin, waiting to charge out and assault our flanks. Lord Yohn Royce, you'll take your forces to secure Aegon's Way, leading to the Iron Gate, it'll be the last major roadway in the city left to secure. Once each location is secured, you'll leave forces in place to hold those locations and take the rest of your forces towards the Red Keep." Aegon addressed the three, receiving nods of affirmation from the trio.

"Once we make it to the Red Keep, everything is going to break down. As soon as we're inside, our only goal is end the battle as quickly as possible. You kill any man who so much as hesitates to surrender. Our major targets are the Lannisters. Capture Joffrey, Queen Cercei, and Lord Tywin, above all else. Aside from them, I would like the boy Tommen spared, he's only a child, and he's yet to display any of the monstrous tendencies his elder brother has, so he may serve as a useful tool in securing the Westerlands. Ensure he's brought to me alive, and unspoiled. Beyond that, sack the castle. Cut down anyone who refuses to submit. They are going to fight to the last man, unfortunately, they know there is no escape, so they'll keep fighting until the last man falls. Ready yourselves, our attack begins at nightfall." Aegon finished his orders, earning bows from his generals and lords, who quickly departed to gather their forces and prepare for the attack.

Aegon was left alone in the tent with Lilith and Tauriel.

"The time has come, Westeros stands poised to fall." Lilith hummed, letting out a dark chuckle as she did.

"Yes. Soon, my love. If everything goes as planned, than by this time tomorrow, I will be King of this continent, and you and I, can finally start planning our wedding." Aegon said back to her.

"Oh, how wonderful. I look forward to it. Until then though, let us bring fire and death, you the kingdom of men." Lilith responded, taking great pleasure in the thought of all those who would perish in the next few hours.

From there, both Aegon and Lilith left to set about their final tasks before the battle, with Aegon taking a moment to stop by and speak to Sansa, Arya, and Margaery, all of whom offered his their best wishes for his safe return.

Afterwards, Aegon went to his forces, and prepared for battle to begin.

Come nightfall, it commenced.

The siege towers began the slow traversal towards the western wall, all the while the trebuchets continued to rain fire down on the city.

Ahead of the towers, all fifty-two of the Akul Demonuk that had been brought, marched down to the edge of the moat. The moat itself was twenty feet across and went up to almost the base of the wall. It was around fifteen feet deep, and there was little in the way of a current, so it would be easy to freeze it solid.

The soldiers on the walls, immediately spotted the strange pale orcs, and began attempting to shoot them with arrows. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the orcs as they approached the water's edge and placed their hands into it's depths. The presence of so many of them, caused the air to go cold, the men up on the walls could feel the chill that the creatures gave off, and slowly, panic began to set in as many began to realize that their arrows weren't doing anything.

For many long minutes, the white orcs focused their attention on freezing the waters of the moat, while the siege towers drew ever closer.

The chill that was present in the air, grew more intense with each passing moment, as the orcs froze more and more of the water. Soon the pale orcs were stepping out onto the froze waters, slowly walking across them, freezing them further, and then all the way through.

It took only about a half hour to freeze the entire stretch of water solid, and by the time they were finished, the siege towers were only a few dozen meters away from the edges of moat. The defenders on the walls were quickly beginning to panic. Flaming arrows were launched at the towers, through they had little effect. The number of experienced archers was quite minimal so any attempts at a coordinated volley of flaming arrow fire on one of the towers, ended in failure.

Hundreds of orcs and men were struck down by arrow fire, as they closed in on the walls, but once the siege engines passed over the iced over moat, the battle quickly changed.

A half-dozen siege towers reached the wall at the same time, and from within them spilled out dozens and dozens of orcs, and men.

No sooner did the first tower reach the walls, did a blaring screech rip through the sky, as the Nine descended from the heavens on their Fellbeasts. The screech of the Nazgûl sent many defenders on the walls scrambling for cover or attempting to flee. Across certain stretches of the wall, the Fellbeast raked their talons along them, snatching up a half-dozen men, and knocking a dozen more off the battlements.

A few seconds after the Nazgûl began their attack, the dragons began theirs.

Lilith rode on the back of Midir and guided him down towards their target, across the sky she watched as Smaug and Umbra fell from the heavens directly above the Red Keep. Smaug had the wider firebreath so he targeted the eastern wall, where he could indiscriminately torch it, without fear of collateral damage, while Umbra had the narrowest firebreath, and focused his attack along the southern wall, where the Tyrell-led forces would have to march, so they needed to ensure their path wasn't entirely blocked off by dragon fire. The two dragons began their attack from the Red Keep and worked their way away from it. Allowing them the element of surprise and preventing the defenders in the castle from using their scorpions or ballistae to shoot at the dragons because by the time they realized what was happening, the two dragons were already flying away from them.

Midir and Lilith were left with the northern wall, which was quickly consumed, turning it into a wall of fire.

Back on the western side of the city, the fighting continued.

Gothmog attacked on the northern side, jumping over the walls and attacking the Gate of the Gods, using his brute strength to tear them apart and allow Aegon's army in. On the southern side, the Iron Titan was doing the same to the King's Gate. The towering giant having simply climbed over the walls.

At the Lion Gate, an Uruk beastmaster and his tamed Graug crossed the icy moat and began ripping the external gatehouse apart. Once the gate and portcullis were shredded, a heavily armored Oleg-Hai was sent through the gatehouse to begin battering down the other side with a heavy metal warhammer.

All three gates fell in relative sequence, north first, than south, than the center one four minutes afterwards.

As soon as the Lion Gate was opened, a barrage of warhorns were sounded. All three major forces began their charge towards their intended target.

The battle continued in earnest. Lannister forces waited on the other side of each gate, though they were far from organized by the time the charging armies passed through the gates. Gothmog and the Iron Titan were viciously slaughtering their foes at their individual sector, while the men at the Lion Gate, were more organized but still having a rough time in dealing with the single Oleg-Hai that had broken through their gate, and he was quickly joined by the Graug and his beastmaster as they climbed over the wall. By the time Robb's forces passed through the gate, the Lannisters, and gold cloaks were already beginning to slowly pull back.

Aegon himself fought from horseback for a short time after passing through the gate but soon hopped down and proceeded to continue to lead the charge on foot. As he had during the battle for Casterly Rock, Aegon chose to fight with two swords, finding that he was able to cut down his enemies far quicker going this route. He was far more refined now, than he was than in the use of two blades at once, and actually showed a degree of skill.

He fought alongside Ghost, as well as Euryale, the massive Direwolve skulked by his side, tearing through groups of enemies in a vicious assault, while Euryale quietly trailed alongside her master, the basilisk now ten feet long. She kept back, only attacking actually engaging an enemy who was alone, otherwise, she simply used her killing gaze to drop a number of gold cloaks or Lannister soldiers as they marched through the city.

Aegon led his forces deeper into the city, passing through Cobbler's Square and than further along the God's Way. As they approached the King's Square, a large force of Lannister soldiers and archers could be seen gathering there, though before Aegon could come up with a plan to deal with them, Midir fell out of the sky, landing amongst the hoard of soldiers.

The massive dragon clawed and bit through the ranks of soldiers. His size and strength crushing men or sending them sailing through the air. Men in full plate armor were cut in half by the dragon's claws, as it tore through them.

Aegon and his forces held back for several long moments, watching as Midir shredded the gathered enemy force. Upon the dragon's back, sat Lilith. She watched as her mount scattered the gathered forces, breaking their formations to pieces in mere moments. Once the enemy was routed from the square to rose from the dragon's back and leapt off of it, transforming in the air, and landing in her armored form, standing at roughly ten feet tall. The armored knight offered Aegon a look as Midir let loose a roar and lifted off into the sky.

Once the dragon was airborne again, Aegon and his forces entered the square. He then joined Lilith as they proceeded towards the Dragon's Way, which led to the Red Keep in the distance.

More intense fighting began from there. The more experienced Lannister soldiers were clustered in and around the Red Keep. Large formation had gathered along the Dragon's Way, and Aegon and Lilith were forced to deal with them as they approached the Red Keep.

As Aegon has suspected, despite their fear, and their terror, the Lannister men fought to the bitter end. They knew there was no escape, and they'd probably had it hammered into their heads, that Aegon would kill them all, regardless of if they surrendered or not. So they fought, with reckless abandon, despite the terror they felt, despite the screams of the wraiths and roars of the monsters, they kept fighting because they believed that they were dead anyway.

Thousands died on both sides as they pushed towards the Red Keep. The city was awash in battle, clusters of enemy soldiers held points throughout the city, and were doing everything in their power to be as big a nuisance as they could be.

As they closed in on the Red Keep, they were forced to contend with heavy artillery in the form of scorpions and ballista that fired from well defended locations along the battlements of the castle. They were tucked away into alcoves and had tree branches and other makeshift covering the hide them from the sky.

Any time Lilith spotted one of these positions, she would let loose a bolt of magic that would shoot through the air, and strike these positions, eradicating them a powerful magical blast.

Their forces quickly closed in on the Main Gate leading into the keep, Gothmog, who'd caught up to them at some point during the battle, wasted no time in charging the gate and tearing it to shreds. He didn't stop there though, as soon as he punched through the gate, he was met on the opposite side by a small army of Lannister soldiers. They had formed a shield wall around the inside of the main gate, and were ready to meet whatever charged through. Unfortunately, they were not prepared for the Lord of the Balrogs. Gothmog charged through the ranks of men, many of which turned to ash or burst into flames simply due to his proximity, and he charged straight towards the entrance-way into the castle proper, once there he began to tear that apart too, and he was in the midst of that, when Aegon and Lilith charged through the gatehouse with their forces and began to tear into the army Gothmog had just barreled through.

The fighting within the Red Keep was bitter. Aegon and Lilith's forces quickly punched through the outermost forces, and by the time they had, Gothmog had basically ripped the entrance of the Red Keep apart. Orcs and men stormed into the castle with blind furry. Fighting carried on with brutal intensity. The best of the Lannister's forces held the line here. They blocked off corridors, formed shield walls in narrow passages, and in some locations, their positions were so well defended that hundreds of orcs, goblins and men died, before finally a warchief or a general got someone to call int the wights. It quickly became the go-to for the attackers to unleash the nearly unkillable undead upon the defenders of the castle.

The wights could only be killed with magic, by fire, or with an enchanted weapon of some sort. The Lannister has exactly one such tool, as far as the attackers knew, and that was the other half of Ice, that no doubt was in Tywin's possession.

The deciding battle was held in the throne room, where hundreds of Lannister soldiers were gathered, led by Tywin himself. Aegon and Lilith both led their forces into that throne room, and cut their way through dozens of men, before finally Aegon cornered Tywin Lannister himself.

No words were exchanged between the two, and Tywin probably had no idea who Aegon was off of appearances alone.

He challenged Aegon alongside two King's Guards, two of only four who were in the room as far as Aegon could see.

Unfortunately, no great stories would be told of this battle. The three men charged Aegon, but one of the Kingsguards was immediately caught by Lilith and incinerated in an instant, and Aegon cut the other one down almost as fast. Tywin made to attack Aegon, but again, his resistance was short lived. Aegon was simply too powerful, and his newfound skill with a sword meant that he infinitely surpassed the old lion. Tywin got in two swings of his sword before Aegon disarmed him, and knocked him to the floor with a punch.

Aegon stood over Tywin for a few moments, before glancing around the room at the continuing carnage. Of the remaining two Kingsguard present, one was being eaten by a giant spider, while the other thrown against a pillar by Tormund Giantsbane, who then proceeded to pin the man and start stabbing him wildly in the throat with a knife.

Of all the screams of death and pain throughout the room, one caught his ear. He gazed at it's source and found himself smiling as Ghost dragged King Joffrey through the room by his leg. The massive Direwolf had the boy-king's knee in his mouth and from the amount of blood pouring out, it was obvious that the knee had been shredded.

Ghost dragged the bastard king through the room, no one on their side daring to stop the towering wolf as it pulled him over to Aegon.

"Good boy, Ghost." Aegon said with a smile, as Ghost deposited Joffrey near to his unconscious grandfather. Joffrey himself was howling with pain, his knee and lower leg, a shredded mess.

Aegon stared down at the boy with hatred in his eyes. He felt more than saw Lilith step up beside him, still in her armored form.

Silently, Aegon used a stunner to knock Joffrey unconscious. He then grabbed a few nearby soldiers and ordered them to remove the two, and take them out of the castle to a secure location.

Once Tywin and Joffrey were secured, Aegon and Lilith continued with the storming of the castle.

Fighting continued well throughout the day. The battle through the city had taken hours, with the assault on the Red Keep, taking just as long. From the moment the first siege tower hit the wall, to now, nearly twelve hours had passed.

It was many hours later when the last holdouts within the Red Keep were snuffed out.

Victory was declared in the main hall by Aegon himself.

The roaring cheer of their army was earthshaking. House Lannister had fallen. The bastard king, Joffrey had been dethroned, and the capitol was now theirs.

On this day, the Targaryen Dynasty had been restored. Every man and orc present was now a part of history, and Aegon made sure they knew it.

"The Red Keep is ours. The City is taken. We've won!" Aegon declared to the chamber of soldiers, lords, war-chiefs, and monsters.

Roars of approval deafened the room, as cheers flooded outward throughout the whole castle.

Thousands had died in the taking of the city. Tens of thousands had no doubt perished on the Lannister side alone, add onto that all of the civilians who were killed in attack, those that were killed during the early bombardment, or who got in the way of the invading armies. It would take quite a while to fully determine just how many were lost this day, but it was without a doubt, the bloodiest battle of their campaign.

The time for celebration would come soon enough, for now though, they needed to finish clearing up the handful of stragglers left, and get their forces organized. No doubt soldiers were greedily looting the city and the keep, and it was time to get everyone under control.

Aegon set his officers to task, making sure that they were all ready to put the finishing touches on this siege, and see it officially brought to an end.

Not long afterwards, Aegon was left in the Throne Room of the Red Keep, with Lilith by his side. Robb was there, as was Benjen. All four of them were staring up at the Iron Throne, the thing so much of this blood had been spilled for.

"That is the ugliest chair I've ever seen." Lilith hummed, her statement, earning snorts of laughter from the three men.

"Oh yes. It's fucking ugly. But it's mine now." Aegon responded.

"I think it'll suit you. Maybe polish some of the guts off of it." Benjen offered.

"Yeah, could probably do without that." Aegon agreed.

"My King!" An orc shouted.

Aegon glanced back at the orc as it slowly approached.

"Yes?" Aegon inquired.

"Uh… I have uh, good news, and bad news." The orc began hesitantly. Aegon and Lilith simultaneously raised eyebrows at it's statement.

"Go on…" Aegon commanded, dead faced.

"Well, the good news is, uh, one of the boys found this Valyrian sword here in the throne room. Actually it was laying over there, and we was told to keep an eye out for one, so uh, here you go." The orc offered up the sword, which Aegon took. He recognized it as the blade that Tywin was carrying. The sword having escaped his notice during their brief bout, as he hadn't been paying attention to the sword, but rather it's wielder.

Aegon took a look at the blade, confirming that it was Valyrian Steel. He then handed it to Robb. "I think that belongs to you." He offered, Robb nodding slowly as he eyed the blade.

"What's the bad news?" Lilith inquired.

"Well uh… one of the servants, she spilled her guts when we asked if she knew where the princeling was. Said she heard rumors that he was shipped off. Sailed away with his mum…" The orc replied, drawing the gaze of all four of them.

Aegon let out a sigh and massaged his temple while Lilith let out a chuckle.

"Well, he's known as a clever man for a reason. Clever men don't just barricade their families in a death trap." Benjen noted, earning another sigh from Aegon.

"You're right, of course. We'll just have to find out where they went." Aegon responded.

"Prince Tommen is just a boy. He wont be a major threat for several years at least, and the only place he could go is Essos, they have no friends there." Robb stated.

"Yes… if the lions wish to run, let them. We'll catch them someday. For now, we have a victory to celebrate, and a kingdom to repair. The Iron Islands will still need to be dealt with." Lilith reminded him.

"Of course. We'll let them go, for now. But one day, we will find them, and they'll face retribution for whatever plots they had a hand in. Until that time though…" Aegon responded, before slowly advancing on the Iron Throne. He then climbed it's steps and finally seated himself upon his family's ancestral throne.

"Until that time, we have a kingdom to rebuild." Aegon said from atop the Iron Throne.

Lilith offered him a smirk, while Benjen and Robb smiled. Their war was finally drawing to a close. Westeros was now theirs.

-To be Continued-

Alright guys and gals, how did ya like that? Two halves of this chapter, one a meeting with the Tyrells, and than the battle for King's Landing. Hope you all enjoyed, look forward to the next one.