Coming of the Red Anchor
Unleash the Dogs of War
Late 298 AC
Kings Landing
Five Days after Robert Died
The news shocked everyone. They had been minding the warehouse when Harry had called down from the attic and even Arya looked excited for the first time in a few days after hiding away from people. "What's going on?" Sheppard asked, strolling up to Harry who watched the camera screens.
"Throne room, they've all gathered. The Queen Mother and the new King have been announcing a few things. Mostly lordships and the like. Apparently Tywin Lannister is to be the new Hand."
"How do you know that?" Arya asked.
"The camera tells us, plus we can listen in. Here" he answered from his seat in front of the screens. He fiddled with a few things before they then heard what was said in the throne room.
"Lastly, in these times of treason and turmoil, it is the view of the Council that the life and safety of King Joffrey be of paramount importance" Pycelle spoke before rolling up his scroll as he finished reading.
"Ser Barristan Selmy" the Queen mother spoke regally as she stood. Ser Barristan left the row of Kingsguard and stood before the throne.
"Your Grace, I am yours to command" he replied as he knelt before her.
"Rise, Ser Barristan." The group watching could just make out a smirk gracing her lips.
"She's planning something" Arya commented worriedly, recognising that look. Ser Barristan slowly removes his helmet after a command from the queen.
"You have served the Realm long and faithfully. Every man and woman in the Seven Kingdoms owes you thanks. But it is time to put aside your armour and your sword. It is time to rest and look back with pride on your many years of service" the Queen says to much murmuring and Ser Barristan's confusion.
"Your Grace, the Kingsguard is a sworn brotherhood. Our vows are taken for life. Only death relieves us of our sacred trust" he says, clearly baffled by how he could be asked to go.
"Whose death, Ser Barristan? Yours, or your king's?" she questions mockingly. Barristan looked insulted by the questioning of his ability.
"You let my father die. You're too old to protect anybody" Joffrey added, pouring salt in the wound.
"Your Grace -" Barristan starts but is interrupted by Cersei.
"The Council has determined that Ser Jaime Lannister will take your place as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard." More murmurs start and even Ser Jaime looked surprised by his new appointment. Ser Barristan stood there looking even more incensed and insulted.
"That man profaned his blade with the blood of the king he had sworn to defend!" he argued as he gestured at the man in question. Even Ser Jaime looked down, perhaps guiltily, at that.
"Careful, Ser" Cersei cautioned menacingly.
"How could they? Ser Barristan is the best knight in the realm, father spoke highly of the man" Arya said in confusion while the other two looked on in growing surprise.
"We have nothing but gratitude for your long service, good ser" Varys spoke in sympathy. "You shall be given a stout keep beside the sea, with servants to look after your every need.
"A hall to die in and men to bury me you mean" Ser Barristan replies angrily before Sheppard and the other two watch him very forcefully removing his cape. "I am a knight! I shall die a knight!" He throws his cape, his helmet, and his gloves at the foot of the Iron Throne.
"A naked knight apparently" Littlefinger comments sarcastically, causing many to laugh at this. That was clearly the last straw for Ser Barristan who then angrily draws his sword and points it at Joffrey. The crowd hushes and gasped in surprise as the remaining Kingsguards drew their swords as well and pointed them at him, Ser Jaime only slowly doing so.
"Even now I could cut through the five of you like carving a cake!" Barristan says boldly to his former brothers, even Jaime appears disquieted by going against The Bold. There is tense silence in the room. All eyes are on Ser Barristan and several Gold Cloaks have their hands on their swords now too. Ser Barristan turns to Joffrey angrily "Here, boy!" and he throws his sword at the foot of the Iron Throne. "Melt it down and add it to the others!" He then storms out of the throne room. The crowd letting him pass as he leaves as the remaining Kingsguards sheath their swords.
"You gotta admit, that was bold of him" Harry says admiringly. Arya nods her head fervently. Sheppard just hums thoughtfully. She reaches to press a small ear piece and presses it gently. "This is Sheppard to outlooks. Find Ser Barristan Selmy and bring him here." Arya looks up sharply at her.
"Why do that?"
"Lets just say Lord Warrington might have a few words for him."
He did not know what to do. He was old yes, but still a master with a blade. He could still serve or instruct, however that did not resolve what to do. He could try going to Stannis he supposed, a capable commander but not one who would be considered worthy of kingship. Robert was a bad king but had been a great warrior. Stannis would likely be the same but would be too stern for the people to accept. Renly was just an idiot. A charming and polite one but he knew nothing of ruling. He'd failed his own duty as Master of Laws for seven's sake. The Starks he could go to he supposed. Eddard Stark had been a good and honourable man, his son would likely be the same. But still, what to do.
As he wandered the city making his way to the harbour in worn clothes which he hoped disguised him he spotted two men coming his way wearing light armour and chain mail under boiled leather plates, on their arms patches with a red anchor on a blue background. They seemed armed with swords and daggers, guards or soldiers then, maybe sell-swords? It was then, as he glanced about, that he saw two more coming from his left and he knew they after him. Why else so many in one spot? Was the Queen trying to kill him already? Or arrest him like she had the previous Hand? Before he could draw his recently acquired sword one of them raised his hands and spoke.
"Peace Ser Barristan, we mean you no harm. In fact, consider it an opportunity to get out undetected" the man said calmly.
"How can I trust you?" Ser Barristan replied suspiciously.
"I serve House Britanican. Is that enough?" Barristan could grudgingly admit that it likely was enough since he doubted they'd aid the Lannisters after what they did to the Starks. He nodded slowly and followed them to the harbour, keeping a hand on his sword's hilt, before approaching a large warehouse. Ah, the famed warehouse of House Britanican. The warehouse both Varys and Baelish had failed to put a man inside, much to his amusement.
Once inside he was then escorted upstairs via some secret passage and led to an attic space where a man sat in front of some glowing squares with a woman stood hovering by his shoulder. On a reclining sofa, to one side, a dark haired girl sat. She looked up and he saw her long face and grey eyes and instantly knew who she was, the missing Stark girl. Well at least she was with good people if they were harbouring her.
"Ser Barristan" the girl said happily, gaining the attention of the woman. "It's an honour to speak with you and so good to see a familiar face again."
"Thank you for your kind words Lady Stark but I'd really like to know why I am here" he said addressing the woman standing nearby as she turned to him.
"I am Major Hannah Sheppard, I lead the various guards and soldiers based here. We are currently planning a way to extract Lord Stark and his remaining daughter but we do not know our way around the keep well enough nor do we know the guard patterns or numbers inside. I was hoping you could fill in the gaps? There is also another matter that I think you might be intrigued by that I will tell you of later." The thought of Lord Stark in the Black cells was enough to bring grimace to his face. He nodded, a man like Eddard didn't deserve to be there for long.
Twelve Days since Robert Died
Major Sheppard woke with a start. She could hear faint talking as well as the hustle and bustle of city life beginning outside the window, it was just gone seven in the morning. She stretched and got ready for the day all the while worrying about how to retrieve Lord Stark and his daughter. Thankfully one daughter had made it to the warehouse and told them everything she knew. It wasn't much but it had prompted them to check all the various cameras that they had placed around the Red Keep. The camera from the throne room revealed all, including who betrayed who and who was on which side. Baelish, Joffrey and Cersei were now their main targets of opportunity. It wasn't mentioned that Lord Warrington had already issued a kill on sight command for Joffrey due to his ordering of Bran's murder.
For the past twelve days they had bickered and argued while trying to come up with a workable plan to free both Lord Stark and his other daughter. Unfortunately having only ten men, albeit armed with guns and swords, was not really enough of a force to safely get in and out without massive loss of life on either side or raising the alarm. The knowledge Ser Barristan provided was invaluable but it raised more problems. The guards were revealed to be enough in number and in patrols that causing a ruckus near Lord Stark would bring down tens, if not hundreds, of guards and men-at-arms upon them that even with their guns it was not great odds. That being said, it was highly likely that an incursion to retrieve Lord Stark would lead to a mass slaughter of Lannister guardsmen, which they'd rather not do if it could be helped. Special forces did precision not blunt invasion. That they lacked any clear idea of where Sansa Stark was held either did not help though Barristan was vaguely sure she was on the same floor as the Queen and under guard. They continued with their planning of how to reach the Black Cells when a guard came in with a worried look on his face. "Ma'am there's talk around the city of an execution in the square by the Sept of Baelor. I think it's Lord Stark." Arya seemed close to tears at the news of her father's possible execution.
"He wouldn't dare, if he did that the whole North, the Riverlands and the Vale would ride down on the capital in numbers that even Tywin Lannister couldn't hold back" Ser Barristan exclaimed.
"It's all Joffery's and Cersei's fault, I knew they hated us and wanted us gone. We should never have left home" Arya sobbed. The men and women of the secret floor looked on sympathetically. It was fortunate that all who worked here were northerners or honourable people otherwise Arya's location may have leaked, the same with Barristan's. They had kept both out of sight regardless in this loft section with the special forces team.
"What do we do now ma'am?" asked one soldier.
"We will try to free Lord Stark at the execution. The rest of you should continue loading stuff onto the two ships and prepare this place for demolition. How are we doing with those barrels Captain Evans?" she asked, turning to one man who had been in the city since the warehouse had been set up.
"You...you know about that?" he spluttered, blinking in surprise.
"Yes, Lord Warrington and General Marks briefed me since I was to be based here and overseeing our operations" Sheppard replied.
"Right, okay, understood Major. Well, we've been shipping it North discretely for the last few years Major, ever since we found them under the city while we were checking out the passageways and catacombs. An island out in the Sunset Sea is their final destination with a few guards there to monitor it." Ser Barristan looked at them with both curiosity and suspicion.
"Good, make sure we get what we can along with our trade goods out of here" Sheppard said firmly.
"Yes ma'am. We are down to the last barrels apparently, they should be brought up into the warehouse in a few hours."
"Er what about the camera relay Major? We could need intel on the future goings on inside the castle?" pointed out one of her team.
"Hmm that is true Jenkins. Alright, can one of you rig up a relay or a booster so it can reach a different relay?"
"Sure all the signals come here, we just need to place the receiver on another nearby building and then direct the signal towards the Westerlands. There's a signal booster up on one of the high mountains there. From there it should be relayed back home. There'll be a time lag of a few minutes or so most likely but it should work." Sheppard nodded in approval.
"Snap to it."
"Yes ma'am."
"Right, as for Lord Stark, I was thinking we do it this way." And she explained her idea.
Sept of Baelor
It was a bright sunny day approaching midday and the white stone walls reflected the light around as a massive crowd grew in front of a platform used for speeches. Being a holy site executions were held in front of the Red Keep but this time an executioners block was placed on a podium. Watching nearby King Joffrey, the Queen Mother Cersei with Sansa in a pale blue dress stood just off centre away from the block. Sansa looked quite nervous while Cersei and Joffrey stood smugly and regally. Lord Baelish stood off to the left, near Sansa, smirking while Lord Varys, Grand Maester Pycelle and the High Septon were gathered to the right with the Hound and two kingsguard, including Ser Jaime Lannister in his gleaming gold armour. Meanwhile a number of gold cloaks stood guard; both in front of the platform keeping the crowd at bay, and a couple on stage with the nobles.
A dirty, tired looking middle-aged man with a long face and long hair along with the makings of a beard was dragged out from a side corridor to the jeers and cat calls of the crowd. "Traitor!" "Barbarian!" and other names were shouted at the man as he was marched by two goldcloaks to the platform. He was taken through the crowd and around to the platform where he was placed in the centre of the stage.
As the two guards left, unseen by anyone else, some light flashed in his eyes, catching his attention as he looked about. Ned looked up to see a woman dressed in dark clothes kneeling on a roof nearby. The woman had another two people crouching beside her with what Ned could just make out as being what House Britanican called rifles. He then noticed a few people in the crowd dressed similarly to those on the roof and realised what was going to happen. He nodded slightly and began to speak the required speech to buy time. "I am Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King." He paused and as he looked about he saw that the two beside the woman on the roof were now lying down while those in the crowd were slowly inching forward through the crowd. He glanced at his daughter who smile encouragingly at him. 'Oh you poor girl, I should never have brought you here' he thought bitterly. "I come before you to confess my treason in the sight of gods and men. I betrayed the trust of my king and best friend Robert. I swore to protect and defend his children but before his blood was cold I plotted to murder his son and seize the throne for myself" he paused again as the crowd screamed at him, slightly considering if he should say something else but he carried on regardless. "Let the High Septon, and Baelor the blessed, bear witness to what I say: Joffrey Baratheon is the one true heir to the Iron Throne, by the Grace of all his gods, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm" he concluded though looked bitter saying the words. The crowd continued baying as Pycelle took a few slow steps forward.
Up above Sheppard spoke to her team. "In position?"
"Ground team ready to extract" came one voice over the radio.
"Sniper one on Cersei" came a second voice from beside her.
"Sniper two on Joffery" the third man on the roof said.
"Sniper three on Baelish" reported the third sniper who was placed on a building further away from the square.
"As we sin... so do we suffer. This man has confessed his crimes in sight of gods and men. The gods are just but beloved Baelor taught us that they can also be merciful. What is to be done with this traitor, Your Grace" Pycelle said slowly and with the occasional stutter. The crowd yelled, screaming out words that blurred with their shouting. Then Joffrey raised his hands to silence them.
"My mother wishes me to let Lord Eddard join the Night's Watch. Stripped of all titles and powers, he would serve the realm in permanent exile. And my Lady Sansa, has begged mercy for her father." He paused, as he seemed to enjoy the crowd hanging on his every word, he savoured the moment. "But they have the soft hearts of women, as long as I am your King, treason shall never go unpunished. Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!" the young boy said viciously. Cersei and Sansa were momentarily stunned by the command before both began calling on Joffrey to stop. The crowd shouted and jeered applauding the order.
Suddenly Joffrey collapsed to the ground and Cersei began to run towards him before crying out as her arm spurted blood and she collapsed to the floor. Baelish followed Joffrey barely a second later. Faint pops being all that was heard. Ser Ilyn, who had been approaching Lord Stark with the Valyrian great sword Ice, then too collapsed, only a few seconds after that, dropping the Stark family sword with a clatter. When Ned eventually noticed, slowly coming out of shock, he looked down and saw blood running from the Ser Ilyn's head. Seeing the two guards who had previously held him down for Ser Ilyn approaching him, he quickly picked up his family's fallen sword and used it to kill one approaching goldcloaks, spearing him in the chest, before then swiping the blade in a wide arc to kill the second man by removing his head.
With chaos and panic sparked, three men charged through the crowd and stormed up onto the stage dressed in dark clothing with a red anchor patch on their right arms. They darted over to Lord Stark and helped him towards steps leading down into the square. The crowd was wild and confused, running about franticly as their king and his mother lay still on the floor. Ser Jamie was knelt down cradling Cersei's head, crying over her injury and comforting her, as he tried to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile more guards rushed around in confusion as two more approached Lord Stark and his would-be rescuers with drawn swords. One of the dark clothed men raised what Ned knew to be a rifle of some sort and fired at the two goldcloaks. Two loud bangs erupted from the rifle making the crowd panic even more and run in every direction away from the bangs and the square. The two approaching goldcloaks jerked backwards before falling to the ground, blood starting to pool at their backs. Another of the dark dressed men rushed passed a distracted Jamie, a dead Joffrey and an injured Cersei, who moaned in pain and shouted for guards, towards Sansa who was cowering on the floor trying to look small and invisible. "Come with us and we'll get you out of here girl" the man said quickly. She nodded weakly as she saw her father being helped away by the other two men.
The group hurried away from the podium when a number of guards tried to approach the five escapees, including the Hound, but three of the goldcloaks dropped down suddenly like puppets with their strings cut. Clegane and two redcloaks just stood there baffled and slightly fearful at the random deaths thereby allowing the five to flee into the city, leaving chaos and confusion in their wake. Around the square half a dozen more goldcloaks dropped down as they tried to approach the escaping Starks or coral the panicking crowed which had emptied greatly since Joffrey was shot.
"Sansa keep your head down and follow these men, we'll make it out of the city my daughter, just keep moving" Ned said encouragingly to his daughter. She whimpered an affirmative as the group kept moving through into the city. There they met a woman and a man, both dressed in dark clothes with the anchor patch, holding dirty travelling cloaks.
"Put these on my lord, my lady. These will help cover your faces and bodies making it harder for them to track us" the woman said as they passed out the travelling cloaks with hoods for all to wear. With that they then made their way through the city and down towards the docks.
Back in the square before the Sept Varys and Pycelle looked at the body of the new King. "He's dead by some strange method" Pycelle wheezed out after standing up again. "I am not sure how but he possesses a hole in his head, the forehead to be precise, while those two guards over by the block seem to have a large hole in their chests. The other citywatch members have ones to their heads as well, though a couple seem to have been hit in the chest. It is most peculiar. They were dead almost instantly however. As for Queen Cersei she has a similar wound to her shoulder. My guess is she moved so quickly on seeing Joffrey killed it saved her from a fatal blow."
Varys looked on worriedly. Who could have affected the escape of a lord and his daughter while also carrying out the assassination of the King and injure his mother? The red anchor patches did hint at who it might have been and if true then they were truly a great threat to any who went against them. The fallout from this would be terrible. At least Baelish was out of the way, 'that flesh-peddler was causing too much chaos. At least it seems he fell from his ladder' Varys thought with a small smirk. Indeed the kingdom might be safer in young Tommen's hands rather than the increasingly mad ones of Joffrey. 'Oh dear, the fallout will be quite terrible indeed' Varys thought while looking about the chaos of the square and the injury Cersei glanced over up towards the Red Keep where Tyrion kept Tommen and Mycella company, 'the poor dears' he thought, Jaime looked after his sister who was shouting commands and trying to stand but just looked weak and pale from the blood loss instead. He just held her close and swore to protect her better.
On the other side of the city, down by the docks, a group of people in travelling cloaks arrived at a warehouse. After being brought inside Lord Stark looked about. The workers here were busy packing up items and moving things about to be loaded up onto the two ships moored by the warehouse. It was controlled chaos as men and women rushed about, clearing out the place in order to leave nothing behind. "Father!" came an excited yell and Ned turned only to by rushed by a small dark haired blur. He looked down to see his youngest daughter alive and well, if a bit tearful.
"Hush my brave daughter as you can see I am alive and mostly fine. As is your sister Sansa" he said kindly as he stroked her hair. He pulled Sansa into a hug too as both girls cried in relief.
"Lord Stark, it is good to see you again" Ned looked up to see Ser Barristan standing nearby in a plain grey and brown gambeson with a longsword at his hip.
"Ser Barristan? What brings you here?" he asked in confusion.
"Your friends in House Britanican brought me here my lord. They asked for my aid in getting you out though it seems unneeded now. They also mentioned there's something else to tell me but apparently I need to be cleared for it, whatever that means."
"I see, my thanks for what aid you gave them Ser Barristan. And if my understanding of their ways is correct, the person here wants to report to their superiors to see if they can tell you."
"Lord Stark apologies for interrupting, but we need to get you lot on board now. The sooner you're away the better" came the voice of a youngish woman in her late twenties or early thirties.
"Forgive me but who are you?" Ned asked as he turned towards the woman. He was thankful for the rescue but that didn't mean he trusted blindly, not after what happened with Baelish.
"I'm Major Hannah Sheppard Lord Stark. I lead the special operations team that was sent here to reinforce your position after the incident at the Inn-at-the-crossroads and also given general goings on in the capital. Lord Warrington wanted a team ready in case things went pear-shaped. We arrived just after the tourney finished so we were well entrenched but the events of the throne room caught us off guard. Luckily Arya here managed to make her way down to the docks and found our warehouse and informed us of what was occurring. I'm sorry for the loss of your people." Ned nodded in appreciation. "Now we really must go."
With final commands given the group were bundled on to one of the waiting ships, both were carracks though one was modified with the addition of cannons, and the ships both set sail. Barely minutes since casting off the now empty warehouse exploded in a large fireball as the three Starks and former Kingsguard looked on in both surprise and awe. With no distractions or hindrance the two set sail heading North along the east coast.
"Major Sheppard, we should head to Dragonstone. Given the nature of the now-king and princess Lord Stannis is next in line. I intend to pledge him my support as he is the rightful king with the Cersei's children being bastards born of incest." Ser Barristan gasped in shock.
"I see. Are you sure you wish to do that my lord?" Sheppard asked hesitantly. She'd been ordered to get Lord Stark North ASAP.
"Of course. It is the right and legal thing to do" Ned said firmly. The old kingsguard nodded slowly in agreement too so Sheppard nodded and headed to the helm to adjust their course.
Fourteen days since Robert died
Tywin was confused. It had taken over a week to reach the Ruby Ford, where he was now encamped with his host of around 17,000, and he was still waiting to hear word of the wolf pup's movement south but instead he had heard nothing. In fact, when he had initially left the Westerlands he had thought he would hear news of the Stark boy beginning to assemble a host to take South but he had heard nothing. Indeed it was only after he had been marching for five days and Kevan was almost to Riverrun that word came of the Stark boy only then assembling a host. It confused him and Tywin did not like being confused.
It was then that he realised one of two things must have happened. The boy had either been waiting for something or was wise enough to not want to engage the Lannister armies. That had obviously changed now. With him invading the Riverlands he had thus forced the wolf pup's hand to summon his banners and come south to aid his grandfather and uncle. 'Damn, the boy is more patient than I thought,' conceding a point in the green boy's favour.
He had made camp by the Ruby Ford, setting up a strong defensive line on the south side of the ford in order to block the Stark boy when he finally came south. To keep his people occupied he sent them out to deal with a number of Riverlands forces that tried to assemble in order to challenge his presence. They in turn had been routed and forced to retreat back to their keeps such as Harroway and Harrenhall. Kevan had done the same while on the move thus preventing them from uniting into a sizeable host which could challenge either Lannister army. It was now a waiting game.
He was disturbed from his thoughts when a guard stuck his head in the tent. "Sorry to disturb you my lord, a rider has arrived with a message from Kings Landing. Says it's urgent my lord."
"Send him in immediately" Tywin commanded, eager to know the latest from the capital. The man bowed and left. A minute later a redcloak came inside with a hurried look on his face. "You have the message?"
"Yes my lord. Here my lord" the man replied and handed over the rolled up parchment.
"Do you know what is said?" Tywin asked, curious for a hint while he examined the seal. It was Pycelle's.
"Er...no my lord?"
"You sound hesitant, you either do or do not know, which is it?"
"I do not know the exact words written but given what has occurred in the capital I can guess my lord."
"Bad then?" The messenger gulped nervously and nodded slowly. "I see. Dismissed."
"Yes my lord" the man replied, he bowed and then almost ran from the tent. Tywin felt a deep sense of unease come over him as he broke the seal and read the message. The messenger had understated how bad it was. It was awful. He let out an annoyed shout before he took a few deep breaths to steady himself and then poured a cup of wine and downed it quickly. Informing one of the guards on duty to gather his lords he sat at his meeting table to wait and consider his options. Over the next few minutes they arrived and settled at the table, most taking in Tywin's stone-faced demeanour and sat there nervously. "I have had news from the capital" Tywin informs them coldly one the last arrived.
"Good news?" asks one man hopefully.
"Unfortunately not Ser Marbrand. In fact there is no other word to describe it but a disaster."
"Surely Stannis or Renly have not proclaimed themselves king and taken the capital already?" asked another man worriedly.
"No Lord Lefford, not yet anyway. No, in all his great judgement, Joffrey decided to execute Lord Stark. Or rather try to." Muttering broke out amongst the assembled Lords and commanders. "King Joffrey is dead and my daughter injured. And both Stark hostages are gone!" Tywin thundered, shocking the group.
"How my lord?" one asked nervously.
"A group of armed soldiers freed Lord Stark and his daughter while killing Joffrey and Lord Baelish."
"Baelish is no loss" one man muttered, loudly enough for Tywin to hear and level a glare at him.
"My grandson, our King, is dead! My daughter injured, almost killed! That is the important point here Ser Fleamont. Now we have no leverage over the northerners, we have been shown to be weak in our own capital and we now know why the Stark boy was slow to assemble a host and come south."
"But the North is always slow to assemble?" one lord pointed out.
"True but they usually start immediately assembling a host once they decide to. The Stark boy didn't appear to summon his banners until a few days after receiving the raven demanding fealty" Tywin corrected. "In fact it seems it was only when we had progressed some distance into the Riverlands that he began marshalling troops. He was waiting for something to occur, obviously this" and Tywin threw the message on the table disgustedly. "We pre-empted him and forced him to come support his family here with our invasion." Ser Marbrand picked it up and read it before blanching.
"They were clearly well trained and equipped. They suffered no causalities and escaped cleanly, if killing a dozen people is clean. They also caused the warehouse that House Britanican uses to explode thus covering their escape and sowing more confusion. I don't want to admit it but they pulled it off impressively well my lord."
"Indeed" Tywin grudgingly conceded. "But now we must decide what to do now."
"We must engage the Stark boy before his father can get to him. Put him down hard and the northerners will return to their frozen wastelands before Lord Stark can rally them" Lefford suggested. Most nodded knowing how well Lord Stark had fought in both rebellions and was a capable commander that could not be underestimated.
"We could sue for peace, with Stark gone there is no need for war, the boy hasn't even come south yet. Sue for peace now and we can focus on Renly or Stannis when either try something" another proffered.
"No, for now we will camp here" Tywin said firmly. "Suing for peace now is pointless since we have already attacked the Riverlands and the boy rides to aid his grandfather. Plus we do not know what Lord Stark has planned or where he is. He will likely come to fight for his father-in-law so we best be prepared. Kevan is nearing Riverrun so he can ensure their compliance and we are south enough that we can journey to the capital should things change. We can also easily reach Riverrun should the Stark pup try anything. He is still assembling a host and so is days, if not more, away from engaging either of us. We shall continue to enforce the kings peace here while we wait and it allows us to deal with Renly should he come north with the roses before the wolf comes south. Kevan can deal with a bunch of northerners if he has to" Tywin said confidently.
Stoney Shore
Jon was worried, his father and sisters were possible hostages and the North was going to war. Warrington had informed him of what had occurred in the capital shortly after he'd heard. Jon had been angry and hurt knowing there was little he could. He could only pray and hope Warrington's people could save his father. That had turned out to be true but by then Robb had called his banners after receiving calls for aid from his uncle and grandfather. And so the North went to war.
Here in Stoneyport it mostly involved readying the war fleet and assembling all the marines who would travel, some 5,000 soldiers. Left behind would be less than a thousand men to guard the city, the castle and the naval base north of the city. The city and surrounding lands had been drained of men and women as House Britanican readied for war. Being able to use the entire populace regardless of gender allowed for larger military forces.
Jon himself was going to be part of a squad of soldiers stationed aboard the Silence. The marine commander, a General Frank Marks, wanted him close for some reason. He felt like they were grooming him for command which he was flattered by but also he felt unworthy since he was a bastard. He'd heard that Lord Warrington had gone to Winterfell with a hundred men to join the host of his brother and provide a link to the forces here. Indeed, Houses Mormont and Glover along with Glover vassals Bole, Branch, Forrester and Woods were sending men here to be shipped south with house Britanican raising their total men to just over 7,500. Apparently Warrington wanted to use the fleet to bypass the Twins and disembark at Seagard, joining up with Riverland forces there. That force could also then be used to 'encourage' House Frey to let Robb through with little payment.
He got himself ready, grabbing his armour; which included mail, leather plates and a brigadine, as well as his bastard sword, made by Mikken in Winterfell. He nodded to a few others who were queuing by the gangplank to board the Silence as the various deckhands and harbour staff hurried about loading up vessels with provision. Jon was lucky, he only had to come to the harbour here, most had to travel to the naval base north of the city to board their ships. He got talking with a couple of the marines since they apparently were staying aboard the fleet regardless of any land combat since their duty was to protect the ship from boarders, that seemed to be his duty as well. He sighed, he wished he could serve with Robb but he apparently was going to be sitting out the war mostly safely on a ship.
"Don't look so down Lieutenant Snow" came a voice from the deck. Lieutenant, a strange name though he had learned it was a rank of command. He would take charge of a five men.
"Sorry General" he said trying to stand more alertly.
"You will see combat lad and help your brother."
"We will?"
"Aye we will lad. From my understanding of Lord Warrington's plan, the Mormont and Glover forces will be dropped off at Seagard along with a special detachment of our troops. The fleet will then proceed to harass and raid along the Lannister coastline, assuming the orders are confirmed."
"But I'm a, er, marine you call them. Don't they just stay on board the ship?" Jon asked confusedly.
"Oh no, they go ashore as well. Think of marines like better quality Ironborn raiders, though no pillaging or raping. They blow things up or invade and capture strongholds for the main army to sweep in afterwards. Marines are the best of the best, the toughest bastards all around who can beat anyone, well except special forces, those guys are just…" the general trailed off fondly. "Anyway you'll earn your stripes soon enough Jon Snow. Get stowed away below and then help the crew. We have a voyage to prepare for."
"Aye General."
"What's happening out there?" she asked softly from the deck of the ship, looking out into the busy bay. All around them ships and small boats were moored up or dashing to and fro delivering equipment, men or provisions.
"Lord Stark seems to have called the banners. The North marches to war Lady Targaryen, thus House Britanican mobilises its fleet" the man beside her explained. She shivered slightly. It was cold in the North so she wore a grey, almost white, fur cloak over similarly coloured warm clothes which made her stand out a bit on the wooden ship.
"The harbour looks busy, where do we go then?" she asked, seeing no chance of her getting there unnoticed.
"We are to travel a little further north to another harbour, a secret harbour, there you can rest up and learn about Westeros or whatever you like" Major Zack Cartwright replied.
"I see, and I can do anything? Who does Lord Stark go to war with then? I thought he and the Usurper were friends?"
"Anything you like within reason I believe. And I don't rightly know who my lady, I only know that this is the sight of the fleet going to war" the man answered honestly. He had not been informed of any conflict though given how they had been north of the Iron Islands for the last few days, and thus in controlled waters, it would not have mattered. Daenerys sighed. She hoped this would be better than Viserys and Ilyrio though she was regretting leaving behind the warmer weather. "I just want to be home and safe and not have to worry about assassins" she said sadly.
"Aye that is a dream many would like."
"And revenge on the usurper?"
"Can't blame you for that but from what I know about the rebellion it was justified. Your father burned lots of people alive including Lord Rickard Stark and his heir Brandon leaving the current Lord, Eddard, the heir. Then the king accused Eddard and Robert of treason and demanded their heads. What was Jon Arryn to do but rebel? Meanwhile your brother Rhaegar did whatever it was he did with the Stark girl. In short your family did too much wrong at once which condemned them to their fate. That being said, neither the children nor Elia deserved the fate they got though it was unsurprising."
"Unsurprising?! They killed an innocent boy and girl plus their mother! And my father was a good king betrayed by traitors or so Viserys said."
"Aye but that sort of thing has been done before when monarchs get overthrown. The new monarch either wants to remove all traces of the previous king to prevent rebellion to restore them or they keep one of the King's sisters or daughters alive to marry to secure their throne and unite the realm." Danny took a moment or two to follow what the man had spoken of before slumping in defeat, she could see the logic of either position even if she hated it. "As for your father, he was truly mad according to all the histories. Burning people for imagined treachery. The worst was when he did so to Lord and Heir Stark. That was the final straw. War was inevitable after that" the man concluded sadly. Daenerys looked sadly out at the North, had her father been truly that bad? What did it say about Viserys then she wondered as the ship sailed slowly up the coast.
Moat Cailin
The castle was impressive. The ancient fortress had been slowly rebuilt over the past few years and now stood proud, a sentinel and shield against anything from the South. The work of House Britanican and his father's other bannerman had been most impressive and he was thankful for their loyalty and hard work. Still, Robb felt afraid. Asha had said that was good when he admitted it and that it showed he wasn't a fool. He had hoped that by not taking any direct action the Lannisters wouldn't either but it was a naive view. He'd hoped too that his father would be free long before now meaning that the Lannisters would withdraw since he hadn't come south and his father was free, but it had taken longer than he'd expected and now the Lannisters raided the Riverlands and forced everyone inside their keeps. So now he had to march south to save his grandfather and uncle and free them from Lannister armies. He knew too that Tywin would likely want him, or Warrington, to pay for the death of Joffrey and injury of Cersei. Still, for what they tried to do to Bran and his father he felt it warranted.
The last of the troops he could expect had arrived earlier this day bringing his total forces to 18,000. He expected a few more from the Flints of Flint's Fingers and those of House Reed as he went towards the Twins. Lord Warrington had informed him of the 7,500 at Stoney Shore including Mormont and Glover troops. The idea to send them round to Seagard and then over to the Twins to encourage the Freys to oblige was smart he felt. The Twins could only be taken from both sides which he'd be able to do with two armies.
The good news was that his father and sisters were free. Word of his father liberation had been celebrated that night by a feast in the Moat and the camps outside. Now he just had to end the Lannister campaign in the Riverlands and they could sort out what was going on. He just had to beat a Lannister army. He scoffed, so very simple. To complicate things even more there were two armies from what his scouts and the letter from Riverrun had said. He sighed. Yes this was not going to be an easy war. Indeed some of his war council, Lords Bolton and Karstark among some, had advocated just returning home now that Lord Stark was free. Meanwhile both he, his mother and a few others, Lords Umber, Manderly and Warrington for example, had brought up the request for aid from the Tully's and his grandfather and that they should honour their alliance. It had taken Grey Wind giving an impressive display to Lord Karstark to get him to back down and accept commands from Robb but they had all fallen in line. His wolf had nearly bitten the man's hand off. Now it was time to plan a war. Gods he wished his father was here now.
AN: So I hope you liked what could be considered the closing of season one. The war begins but with only three kings currently; Joffrey or rather Tommen, Stannis and Renly. Ned being the honourable man he is is planning to go to Stannis which may change a few things, we shall see. I was tempted, so very tempted, to kill off Cersei but felt that the story could go better with her still scheming and plotting plus having Tyrion face off against her as acting Hand.