A/N: Happy New Year! Let's all hope that 2022 will be kinder to us.
Been busy with family and also preparing for the semester. But don't worry. This will be updated!
Jon found himself marveled at how fast the Dothraki could move, over thousands of miles. They could travel hundreds of miles a day and still fight, and they had to travel for many weeks on end. He, Daenerys, and Rhaenys all flew from dragonback and saw the massive horde move as one, towards the south. Towards Volantis.
However, Jon found Volantis in the distance and looking around on the back of Meleys, he and the others realized that they had arrived too early. Shit.
Assembling in the tent, Jon, Daenerys, Rhaenys, Arya, Mingyu, the Hound, and Kovarro all got together to discuss their options.
"We came too early," Jon spoke the obvious truth. "The plan was to attack with the ships and the slave rebellion, but obviously, the plan has to change."
"We should start the attack now," the Hound suggested. "It's obvious that we have the advantage. One hundred thousand horse fuckers can easily break through the defenses of Volantis."
"One hundred thousand against thick defenses?" Kovarro asked him rhetorically. "We have no way of getting through their gates."
"And we also have no way of contacting the slaves who will help us," Mingyu added. "We have to be able to coordinate with them now."
"What about just burning through them with our dragons?" Rhaenys asked. "We can break through to them easily."
"We could, but we will also throw things into more chaos," Daenerys stated. "Our plan is not going well, but we also have to accept the fact that we have to attack now than later."
"Should we sneak in? Find a way to open the gates?" Arya asked.
"That can work, Arya," Jon said to her. "With Mingyu and your Jade Order companions, we can sneak past the fortifications and open the gates to allow our troops to go through. But how do we distinguish our friends from foe in there is the question. I'm sure the Dothraki have seen slaves before, but in the heat of battle, I'm not sure if they will be able to distinguish clearly between them."
"We'll do our best," Rovarro promised.
"Now, we have to find a way to inform the slaves in there to start the rebellion."
Another Dothraki bloodrider came into their tent. "Excuse me," he spoke the common tongue of Westeros with a deep accent. "There is someone who was come. She says that she has come from the Red Temple."
Everyone glanced at one another in surprise. "Let her in."
In came a red priestess with red hair and a fair appearance. Jon felt something stir in him, as if he had seen her before.
"At last, I look upon the Targaryens. An honor to meet the ones blessed by the Lord of Light." She bowed her head deeply.
"Who are you?" Daenerys asked her, and she was also wary.
"I am Melisandre, advisor of the Lord of Light to Stannis."
Jon and everyone else recognized that name. "You're a long way from the stormlands, Lady Melisandre," Arya told her. "What brings you here?"
"Have you not heard?" Melisandre asked with surprise. Everyone was just as confused as each other. "Stannis Baratheon is dead. Killed by a Faceless Man, along with his wife Selyse Florent Baratheon. Fortunately, Shireen Baratheon, his daughter, is safe in the city, protected by my fellow brothers and sisters of the Lord of the Light."
Jon felt shock go through the tent. They had expected to fight Stannis Baratheon along with the Lannisters if they had failed to come to terms upon their return to Westeros, but it seemed as if they now had only one opponent left to fight.
"So, Stannis is dead. We now have only Myrcella Baratheon to deal with," Daenerys let out. "Let's hope that she will see sense before we have to fight her."
"Persuading her to not be queen anymore would be easy to do," Melisandre explained. "She does not want to be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and without her grandfather Tywin Lannister, she will not last long along on the throne. But it is the people around her that must be dealt with, especially her betrothed from House Hightower."
"What is going on? What betrothed?" Rhaenys asked firmly.
"Yes, she is betrothed, to Ser Myles Hightower, a distant relation to House Hightower from Oldtown but still connected to them."
"This is so boring," the Hound groaned. "Do the Hightowers really believe that a marriage to Myrcella will allow them to overpower the Tyrells? How stupid are they to think up such a plot?"
"It is all an indication of how the darkness has thrown everything off balance," Melisandre spoke. "For the last few centuries, the darkness has been spreading through the world and it has been overcoming the light for too long. That in turn affected everything else and we are bearing witness to the worst of people. That is why the Lord of Light has blessed the Targaryens, for they are the only ones left who can restore balance."
"Balance? What are you on about?" Mingyu was skeptical of the spiritual, even though she did see the dragons fly.
"I am not going to spend more time than is necessary to explain, since I have to go back soon and prepare for the slave uprising."
"Wait? You will help us with that?" Daenerys asked with hope.
"Of course. Your arrival might have been earlier than planned, but it's better that it happens now than later. But going back to the point. There must be balance between light and dark, and the balance must be brought back. And I must warn you, you are fighting against darkness itself."
"Darkness? What do you mean?" Jon was curious.
"Darkness…" Melisandre stopped herself. "I promise you all, that I will explain the rest later. But I will get the slave revolt started. What is important now is that you get the attack on the city started as well. Once Volantis is secured, then I will answer all of your questions then."
"Fair enough."
After Melisandre snuck back into the city, the Dothraki spent the night preparing for the attack and waiting for the signal. While Jon was scratching Meleys' snout, he felt Rhaenys come near him.
"I still can't get over the fact that she is yours. I would have thought Rhaegel would be the one that you would bond with, given that he was named after our father, but it was me that got it and you got the fast dragon."
"It doesn't matter. He was our father as well, so if anyone deserved a dragon named after him, it would be you."
"You want to walk with me?" Rhaenys asked.
"Sure."
Jon remembered what Daenerys told him about Rhaenys. First, he had to be a brother to her, for she had no one growing up. And that was exactly what he wanted to be as well.
"How do you feel? Now that we're about one step closer to getting home?" Jon asked her.
"It feels strange, if I am being honest with you. I would have thought that we would have to work harder to take back what is ours. But with Stannis gone, we now have one left to deal with. I know it's not going to be easier, but just one more obstacle left."
Jon nodded. "I wonder how we'll go about fixing everything wrong with Westeros. Robert Baratheon, when I first saw him, had led Westeros to ruin. He lusted after my mother, and that was the first of his sins. But he's dead, and now there's Tywin to deal with, for he was the one that killed off what was left of our family and had the Mountain kill your brother and your mother. There can be no forgiveness for him."
"You don't need to tell me that again," Rhaenys was angered at the mention of his name. "If the Mountain can survive the fire when we first come, I will take great pleasure in feeding him to Rhaegel. Then, our father can take his vengeance on his bones."
"That is a sight that I will be willing to see happen." Jon had heard many things about the Mountain, but he knows that at the end of the day, he is simply another mortal man and thus will die like any other.
"Perhaps with our aunt, I will be the first to see our nephew or niece, whenever they come."
Jon smiled. "Yes, I very much want to see her be with child again. It will help her overcome the pain that came with Rhaego."
Rhaenys scoffed. "If I ever saw our uncle Viserys, I would have taken a vase and smashed his head in. How desperate he must have felt in making such a pact with the Dothraki, but I heard things about this Drogo and he was beneath our aunt."
"On that, we are agreed. How dare he think that he could be the one to make Dany happy?" Jon sneered at that thought. "Well, it doesn't matter now. And he didn't have her happiness to think about in the first place, so not a loss after all."
"But you… we're Targaryens and only a few others outside of us can truly bring us happiness," Rhaenys told him. "And I know that with you, she has already become happy."
"Are you happy now, Rhaenys?"
Rhaenys exhaled. "I am. I am happy now that I have you and our aunt again. And I keep thinking what would have happened had the world decided not to fuck with us and allow us to live in peace."
After hearing of his true heritage, that was all that Jon could think of. Knowing Daenerys from when they were in the cradle, playing with his brother Aegon and his sister Rhaenys, knowing his father and mother as well as Elia, and spending time in Winterfell with his uncles and cousins.
"On that, we are of the same mind. I too wonder what could have been. But that doesn't mean that we should stop that from being what we can be. We can start being the brother and sister that we should have been, and I shall work harder to make you an aunt."
Rhaenys giggled. "How harder can you work? I've heard you both moan and grunt from outside of the tent, so it must be happening soon."
Jon shrugged. "Still, I made a promise to you now. I shall lie with Dany more often and—"
"Okay," Rhaenys put her finger on his lips. "I will take your word for it. No need to hear how else you'll violate our aunt."
Jon laughed at her jest. "I wonder if you were always this funny. This is a side that I want to see more of."
"Perhaps this is what my mother was like. She did tell me many jests before, all of which I remember."
"Is there any more jests that you can tell me?"
Rhaenys rubbed her chin and searched her mind. "Ah, here is one. What has a bed that you can't sleep in?"
"What?"
"A river."
"Seven hells." Jon took a moment to figure out the punchline, and it made him think, Witty. "All right. Another?"
"How does the ocean say hello?"
"How?"
"It waves."
"Oh, gods," Jon said. "Not only are you funny, that's pretty witty."
And that was how they spent the rest of the night, with Rhaenys telling him the jokes that Elia taught her. It made Jon wonder more, about how else he could have laughed growing up. Lots of laughter in Winterfell, but more could have been seen in the Red Keep.
Gendry pulled the hood over his head as he saw the armed men associated with the tiger party march on the group of slaves carrying pitchforks, clubs, and torches. Only this time, they were outnumbered by the slaves, and they were exposed due to the destruction of most of the tiger party's men in the Bay.
"Fuck you, tiger!" a slave threw a vase filled with a flammable liquid lit on fire and it spread flames on the shields.
"Gives us freedom!" another slave shrilled as he threw rock at them, which bounced off a shield. This was followed by more rocks and debris, which the tigers had to protect against such overwhelming weight.
"You sure about this?" Gendry whispered to Arya. "They're going to be killed if this keeps up."
"We just have to make sure that they distract them, until the ones with the ceramic casings and the tanegashima come forward. It should be anytime now," Arya answered him.
After it was decided that Davos would supply the slave revolt, Gendry volunteered to accompany him. Prince Kaijin allowed him to do so, if he was supported with four hundred men from the Jade Company.
"How will I be able to hide among the Volantenes with four hundred men?" Gendry asked. "We have to achieve surprise with the revolt, and that number of men will not avoid detection."
"That is why you are now a sellsword leader for the duration of the revolt, until we arrive," Kaijin told him while he passed him a paper written in guanhua. "Of course, that is not the truth and no person west of the Bone Mountains can even read that, so they will take your word for it."
"And you will be able to blend in," Robb Stark added. "The slaves need as much help as we can give, and you can be able to coordinate them."
"But who will be inciting the rebellion?"
"My fellow brothers and sisters, all of whom follow the Lord of Light," the Yi-Tish red priestess said. "They are the ones closest to the slave population, and the slaves have all of the reasons in the world to follow them. I shall inform them of your arrival, and to have no harm come to you."
"Well appreciated."
Gendry and Davos sailed back to Volantis, under disguise. But they found it unnecessary, for security at the ports was lax.
"There's a lot less guards than before," Davos noted.
"Maybe the consequence of the tigers being wiped and Malaquo captured?"
"That's very likely. Let me ask." He stopped a trader. "I beg your pardon, but what's going on here?"
"What do you mean, Andal?" the trader recognized what Davos was.
"There should be a hundred men guarding the docks now. But I see only twelve. What is this?"
The trader held out his hand, causing Davos to groan before he gave him a silver stag. "Well, you know what happened in the Bay, right? With the dragons wiping out Malaquo's army and capturing him also?"
Davos nodded. "I have heard of that."
"Well, from what I've been hearing, the remaining of the tigers have moved their remaining troops to guard over the slaves and defend old Volantis. But if what I hear is correct, there's unrest forming among the slaves. It's not going to be long before they rise up, so that is why I'm still here."
"Why are you still here?" Davos asked.
"With unrest comes more demand. These fat fucks behind the Black Walls will be demanding more goods, which will be harder to get through the streets these days and thus increasing the price. Has to come with a little risk, don't you think?"
Davos and Gendry glanced at each other, not surprised that men like the trader would find opportunities to become rich whenever possible and that was going to be commonplace at any time.
"Well, wish you the best of luck," Davos shook that off and shook his hand.
"Yes, you as well, Andal." With that, the trader continued his business.
Then, another man came towards them. "Are you Davos Seaworth?"
"Yes. Who are you?"
"I come on behalf of the Red Temple, and I bring a message from Lady Jaenyra. She told me to tell you, that when the bread stops being sold, the time will come."
"What? What do you mean by that?" However, the man did not answer and turned around to leave.
"Bread stopped being sold…" Gendry whispered. That was when it hit him. "They're going to starve the slaves and the smallfolk in this city. I think that's when we'll have our chance."
Davos nodded. "All right. I guess we have work to do."
The next few days, they were guided by the red priestesses and priests, all of them following Kinvara's orders, and they distributed the ceramic casings and some of the tanegashima to the slaves. Meanwhile, Davos went to the Red Temple and hugged his wife and sons for the first time in a long time.
What Gendry did not expect to see was Shireen Baratheon there as well, after she ran to hug him. Davos hugged him like she was his own daughter and they both laughed.
"You are well, thank the Seven." Davos chuckled at her. "Soon, we'll be able to go home and see your father again." That was when Shireen's face fell. "What's wrong, Your Grace?"
"You didn't know?" Gendry noticed tears in her eyes. "He's dead."
"What?" Davos was stunned.
"They killed him, the Lannisters. And they put his head above Storm's End. I just got the word yesterday."
Davos fell flat on his ass, not believing it. "It can't be," he shook his head. "It can't be."
"It's true, husband," Marya Seaworth told him. "Our king is dead, and now we have no other choice but the Targaryens."
Davos blinked rapidly and put his hand over his mouth. "He was the toughest man I ever knew."
"But it was not enough," Melisandre stepped forward. "Shireen Baratheon, I am sorry about your father, and I know that what I say will not bring him back. But he is with the Lord of Light now and we must go forward."
"Why weren't you there?" Davos barked. "I thought you were supposed to protect him!"
"It was a Faceless Man that killed him," Melisandre told him, causing more silence from the Onion Knight. "Out of all the outcomes that I saw, that was not one of them. And I will have to live with that. But we have the Targaryens to support and if you want vengeance for Stannis Baratheon, you must kill the Lannisters. The only way to do that is to help the dragons take back what is theirs."
Davos closed his eyes, his gut twisting in grief over the loss of his friend and king, before Gendry squatted down and patted his back. "Ser Davos, she's right. He was my blood as well, no matter how little I knew of him personally, so we should get vengeance."
Davos nodded slowly before he got back up and went towards his family. Meanwhile, Gendry was left alone with Shireen. "So… you must be the Gendry Waters I have heard of," she said. "That makes us cousins."
Gendry was not used to that. "Forgive me, my lady, but I have never met my father and I have never met you. That… has been difficult to accept."
"Why?" Shireen asked.
"Because I grew up not knowing who my father until she," he eyed Melisandre. "Told me of it. I never had a family before, so I wouldn't know how to behave around family."
Shireen hugged him. "But I did. And I am happy that you are here. I don't know anyone else, and I have no one else besides Ser Davos and you."
Gendry hesitated before he returned the hug. It was still uncomfortable, but he accepted that she was his cousin. Need more time.
Then, a few days after they arrived, they heard people throughout the city be thrown into panic. Gendry and Davos walked out of the Red Temple and looked to see crowds running in terror. That was when they saw the dragons flying above, with their three riders directing their mounts to roar.
"No, no. It's too early." Gendry knew of the plan, with the objective being that the Dothraki horde, the Jade Company, and the rebellion among the slaves would happen at the same time. But if the dragons were flying above, that meant that the Dothraki had arrived earlier than planned.
Davos grabbed one of those fleeing. "What's going on here?"
"Haven't you heard? The horselords have come outside the gate! They're going to kill us all!" She pushed his hand off her and continued running.
"Shit," Gendry cursed before he and Davos ran back into the Red Temple. "Kinvara, the Dothraki came early! What do we do?"
Kinvara nodded. "Prior to that, we organized a riot at the bridge. I suggest you get there."
"What? A riot? Before everything was in place?"
"The Lord of Light's will doesn't always respond to our needs. But this could be good for us, since we have also caught the enemy by surprise. And with your support, the slaves will succeed in building the new world."
Gendry and Davos didn't waste time. Grabbing horses, they rode towards the bridge. Indeed, they saw a mob move through and burn everything. Before they got a closer look, they were pulled off their horses and dragged behind some stalls.
"Shhh," Gendry recognized Arya's voice. "I know. We came early, but better now than later."
"Arya, what are you doing here?"
"Doing what we planned to do." Gendry then noticed Mingyu and Arya's Jade Order companions reveal themselves.
"Now, who are these fine women?" Davos asked. "Wait, I apologize. I must have forgotten—"
"No time, Ser Davos," Arya told him. "We got a rebellion to lead and a bridge to take."
"That's the plan? Taking the bridge?"
Arya then revealed a ceramic casing in her hands. "We got to push. Meanwhile, the Dothraki are going through the gate as we speak."
"Wait, already?"
Mingyu shrugged. "Funny what happens when you kill some of the guards after climbing up."
Gendry tittered. "All right. Let's go."
Seeing the shielded tiger men about to collide with the slaves, Arya made the first move by throwing a ceramic casing, which exploding and causing the unfortunate few close by to fall to the ground. Some other slaves saw the signal and threw their ceramic casings, which was enough to break through the first few ranks. The slaves charged and it was not hard to overwhelm them, hacking at their wounded enemies with their pitchforks and their knives.
Arya, Mingyu, and the Jade Order companions made the process of moving through the bridge easier by slashing their way, and thus the path towards the Black Walls laid open. And Gendry also noticed the Hound cutting down a few other tiger men while using a club to bash another's skull. He also recognized Yongpo, the Jogos Nhai guard from Yin.
Gendry saw one about to jump on Yongpo with a dagger, and he instinctively pulled out his pistol and shot him dead. Yongpo turned around and looked at Gendry, stunned.
"What are you waiting for? Continue fighting," Gendry told him.
"Much obliged, General. I've got your back."
Gendry nodded before they both pushed their way towards old Volantis.
Sandor grabbed the tiger by his collar and headbutted him, watching him fall to the ground. Meanwhile, he watched as the other slaves were using a battering ram that they fashioned from wagons and a wooden beam against one of the doors that led through the Black Walls, which protected what was called "Old Volantis." There, the remnants of the tigers and those of the Old Blood who had not heeded the atmosphere of the city had barricaded themselves inside.
"Smash it down!" one of the slave leaders shouted as the battering ran was wheeled backwards before it was pushed forward again and collided with the door. It still stood, causing the process to be repeated all over again.
Sandor moved through the throngs of the slaves, while passing by the tigers who became prisoners. They were tied up and their mouths gagged, while a few of the Jade Company men who had followed Gendry stood guard. They couldn't trust the slaves to watch over them, because they would kill them, and they were more useful as a labor force than dead corpses.
Sandor looked up and fully appreciated how high the Black Walls were. Over two hundred feet, no one besides those belonging to the Old Blood were allowed through. On the other side were the palaces, the pools, and others that they and other such houses ruled from for the last six hundred years after the fall of Valyria. But today, hopefully, would be the day that the Black Walls were finally breached, allowing the boundaries to no longer be separate a group that had long become decadent.
Sandor did not care for such trivialities, but he was fighting and he was able to enjoy some good wine and food while he was at it. Pummeling cunts to the ground and breaking into their kitchens to roast chicken… what is better than that?
By this point, the Dothraki horde was able to march quickly from the northern part of the Rhoyne and were surrounding the city from the land. The only problem was, the Dothraki came a little earlier than the ships from the Bay and that caused the slave rebellion to be started before its original starting point. The plan relied on coordination, and Daeron, Daenerys, and Rhaenys all agreed that two parts out of three had to do.
Daeron, Daenerys, and Rhaenys all rode their dragons and flew above the city, causing fear among the tigers. While they were distracted, Sandor, Arya, Mingyu, and the other members of the Jade Order that followed Arya, threw up a rope ladder and they were able to climb through in the dead of night. Mingyu and the Jade Order companions killed the guards near the gate and opened it, allowing the Dothraki to gush forth. In the meantime, Arya found Gendry and Ser Davos Seaworth, both of whom had already instigated the slave rioting with the help of the Red Temple, and the riots then turned into a rebellion. Armed with tanegashima and the ceramic casings, they were able to overwhelm the initial garrison and push their way through to the city.
And that was when the problem started. They had moved much faster than they had anticipated, and they arrived at the Black Walls without the proper equipment to break through. While the dragons would have made the job easier, they had agreed with the elephant party, represented by Jaenyra Vhassar, to spare that part of the city from destruction. While some of the slave leaders grumbled, they were won over with the promise that some of the palaces would go to them. Just like Bronn at the Blackwater Bay. How predictable.
Finally, word came that the ships of the Jade Company were about to arrive by the end of the day, and they would unload some of their cannon onto the docks and move it through the streets of Volantis. Once they were set up, blowing through the gates should become a straightforward process.
Hearing someone yell behind him, Sandor spun around and responded too late, for a wounded member of the tigers pierced his thigh with a dagger. By instinct, Sandor grabbed that man by the neck and punched him hard with the other hand, knocking him out. When he pulled out the dagger, he found himself falling onto one knee. Fucking cunt cut my leg!
Arya ran up to him, as did Mingyu, who was still going around the city and hunting down any stragglers who had not managed to get into the Black Walls. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"What the fuck do you think?" the Hound blurted out with annoyance.
"Oh, that is a deep wound," Mingyu noted. "Arya, sit him down."
"What are you doing?" Sandor was surprised at how strong Arya had become, and how unable he felt when he felt his ass get onto the dirt.
Mingyu straightened out the leg that had been pierced and took out a few pieces of cloth. "I'm sure you know what I'm doing, so it'll be quick." Tying it around his leg, she tightened it to stop the bleeding. Sandor simply sat through it, with only a grunt escaping his mouth. "That should stop the bleeding for now, but I would suggest seeing one of the physicians. They should be at the bridge."
"This is but a scratch. I can continue."
"Come on. You've done enough. Once the cannons arrive, it's over," Arya told him. "Get some rest."
"Don't tell me what to do, girl," the Hound snapped.
"Perhaps you can spend some quality time with that physician of yours."
The Hound was silent, but he did want to do that. Getting himself up, he got a cane and moved back to the bridge. There, they were slaves, soldiers bound to their cause, and others who were being treated by a mixture of red priests and priestesses and other physicians from Volantis. Fortunately for him, the Hound did not take long to find the one he was looking for, the one who helped him overcome the obstacles that made him smoke yapian in the first place.
She ran over to him from another man that she was treating. "You're hurt."
"Some cunt managed to cut me. And he was too short to get anything else," Sandor grunted.
"Still, let's sit you down and get you treated. That can become serious if not taken care of well." The physician got him down onto a mat that had been set up, and she took off the cloths that stopped his bleeding. "That is a deep cut. But I'm going to pour some wine on it, to ensure that it remains clean."
"All right." Before the physician was able to do so, Sandor snatched it from her hands and took a sip, only to spit it out. "What the fuck is this?"
"Not all wine tastes good, but even the bad wine can save your life." She took the bottle back from him and poured it on his wound, causing it to string and the Hound to grunt some more. "Yes, it hurts. But better be that than your wound getting infected and you dying very slowly."
She tied more cloths around his wound to cover the bleeding. "Just stay here. I'll be right back."
The Hound nodded and watched her attend to another wounded man. She was just as warm and comforting as during the first time that he met her, when she helped him overcome the symptoms that came with withdrawal and overcoming all the wounds that had plagued since his boyhood.
The Hound had thought long on it. He wondered what it was about this woman was that made him become fond of her, and how she was able to break through to him when he never wanted that from anyone else. Arya saw how he reacted to the fire, and that was about as vulnerable as he ever was in his life. But for this woman, she knew everything about him, and Sandor never told that much.
When she came back to him, Sandor grabbed her forearm tightly. "What's this?" she asked.
"I have… I was addicted and I told you about my brother, about my father, about everything. And I thought that I was under influence from the yapian, because I never do that."
"Look, I have others to attend to."
"No, I have something else to say." Sandor was not going to be interrupted. "I've seen you with other men in my position back in Yin, but you put so much effort in helping me. I know that you are fond of me, because you would not have followed me if you weren't. But why help me so much, out of the others?"
She sighed. "That question… why? I would answer, 'Why not you?' But I feel that would be inadequate considering your situation."
"It would be," Sandor affirmed.
"If I had to be truly honest with you, it is because I saw another who was tortured, someone who had to endure so much pain," she revealed. "Besides what I had done before I came to Yin, I was… forced to do things in my hometown that made me ashamed. Things that I had to do in order to survive."
"What would that be?" Sandor asked, curious.
"I… had to look the other way when assassins came to my hometown and killed some of the ones I treated because someone else paid them to kill. I couldn't help them, because I was powerless to stop it. Being a doctor and seeing that makes you question everything."
Sandor was stunned. So, it's still guilt. But more guilt than I had thought.
"With you, I found another way to atone for my inabilities and in the process, I found someone that I could truly share in my feelings. We both know what it is to be powerless, and we could do nothing. But now, we can do something and we can forever end those who made us powerless, unable to defend ourselves, once and for all."
Sandor closed his eyes, the feelings becoming too much for him to handle. But unexpectedly, he felt her arms wrapped around him. Slowly, he returned the hug and took in her scent, which was as comforting as he could want, or had experienced for as long as he could remember.
"Make way!" Their mutual moment was interrupted by shouting, and they turned to see who it was that dared to do that. However, they saw more of the Jade Company marching through the bridge, with cannon from the ships being wheeled towards the Black Walls.
"It's over, then," Sandor let out. "Those bastards won't stand a chance once they heard the cannons burst."
"I would have preferred it if the dragons burned them, but this will be just as entertaining to watch."
After the cannons came battalions more of the Jade Company, the ships having arrived at last and were unloading their troops onto the docks.
Benjen Stark and his subordinate, Minoru Lim, also arrived, both riding on horseback. They both noticed the Hound and the physician together.
"Enjoying ourselves, are we?" Benjen asked while he was still moving.
"You're late," Sandor responded. "You missed a good fight."
"Plenty of that to go around. But I'll be seeing the last of the tigers finally be vanquished. However, you will have to sit here and watch the spectacle from afar."
"I got all that I need to see right here, thank you very much," Sandor replied.
"As you wish. General," he turned to Lim. "Tell the cannoneers to hold fire until they are given the order."
"As you wish, my lord. But should we give the tigers one more chance to surrender?"
Benjen shook his head. "They had their chance to do that. No more." He turned back to the Hound. "I will see you later, then." Both he and Lim continued onward.
Meanwhile, the physician sat next to him and they both hugged. "Good to be here… Sandor."
Sandor chuckled while he held her more tightly. "I feel the same… Jung-Hwa."
Myrcella sat in the solar, her solar, as she had to meet with Ser Lyonel Frey, the second son of Lord Emmon Frey, who ruled Riverrun after the Tullys were displaced. She found him disgusting as all the others in his family, but she had to endure the disgusting sorts if she had to rule from the Iron Throne.
"Your Grace, I present Lyonel Frey, second son of Lord Emmon Frey and Lady Genna Lannister and second son of Walder Frey, Lord Paramount of the Riverlands," Grandmaester Pycelle announced.
"Your Grace," Lyonel Frey bowed his head to her. "I come on behalf of my father and grandfather to report on the situation with the campaign against the Northern rebels. It has been long and difficult, and much Frey blood has been spilled to bring the North to heel."
"Then, is this not under the purview of the Lord Hand?" Myrcella gestured to her grandfather, Tywin. "I would have thought that the Lord Hand would have taken much care regarding the campaign against the Northern rebels."
"I believe that Ser Lyonel is attempting to communicate his family's position," Tywin said to her. "And as the vanguard against the Northmen, it is the responsibility of House Frey to report to us on the progress of their campaign. But as I recall, your family's bannermen have been facing trouble at the Neck at the hands of Lord Howland Reed and his crannogmen. Is it really that difficult to cull a bunch of swamp rats?"
Lyonel Frey cleared his throat, but he was close to stammering. "My Lord Hand, the men of House Frey might be able to hold their own in battle, but the landscape of the swamps is not conducive to a conventional campaign. We cannot march through the swamps without suffering heavy casualties, because they attack from the water and behind the trees while moving out of the way before we are able to respond effectively. And all of our scouts that managed to make it through the swamps were cut down by the ones who are occupying Moat Cailin."
Tywin sighed. "Of course, they were. No army, not even the Andals of old, were able to break through that cursed place. And the crannogmen know the land well, as that is their home. I should have expected that."
"What do you suggest that we do, Lord Hand?" Myrcella asked him.
"Your Grace, we should draw up a decree. Lord Howland Reed must come to King's Landing and present himself for explanation. Failure to do so will result in House Reed forfeiting their lands and becoming enemies of the realm," Pycelle offered.
"That will do nothing," Tywin hissed. "Howland Reed is among the last survivors of Robert's Rebellion, and he accompanied Ned Stark to the Tower of Joy, so his loyalty to House Stark is not questioned. Therefore, the northmen will not abandon him and certainly the people he is responsible for. And besides, his castle is known to be moving from one point to the next, so it's pointless to try to besiege him. He will not be defeated through the normal means."
"That is why I humbly ask Your Grace and Your Lordship for more troops in the campaign against the neck."
"Are you that thick, man?" Bronn Daggett asked him with disdain. "You heard him say that the swamp rats can't be defeated with normal means. Adding more men would only mean that more men would get killed. And I have seen your family organize a siege before, so you will not be able to last against one that can float on water."
Lyonel grimaced at him. "How dare you talk to me in that manner, cutthroat! You are just an upjumped sellsword who only had a lordship due to Lord Tywin's good graces."
"And you are a disgrace to the Lannister line. I have no idea why the marriage that spawned you took place at all!" Tywin raised his voice, causing Lyonel to retreat further into himself. "We might have similar blood running in our veins, but we are not equal. And given the chance that you have been offered, you and your lowly father squandered it. However, without the involvement of Lord Daggett here, these Seven Kingdoms would be in even worse shape than before. You better show him the respect he deserves."
Lyonel gulped and was pale at Lord Tywin's admonishment, but he kept silent and accepted it.
"I apologize, my lord. Forgive me… uncle."
"Don't use that word," Tywin scolded him. "As I said, we might have similar blood, but we are not equals and you don't have the Lannister name with you. Understand?"
Lyonel nodded shakily. "I do, my lord."
"Now, perhaps, you will be able to enlighten us with any good ideas that can resolve the situation with House Reed and his crannogmen?"
"Perhaps… we can use a portion of the royal fleet to transport the Lannister bannermen from the southern end of the Neck to the northern end," Bronn suggested. "We have to bypass the Neck, since we will never be able to penetrate Moat Cailin. We should send a raven to Lord Jaime and tell him of the new developments. That way, the Lannister bannermen would be able to land on the other side of the Neck and conduct themselves in the best manner possible, in open battle."
Tywin rubbed his forehead, as if scolding himself for not hearing that proposal for the first time. "And it took us that long to finally concur on that?"
"My lord, I—" Lyonel attempted to defend himself.
"Out." Tywin slammed his hand on the table. Lyonel did not try to defend himself further and merely bowed his head while he walked out of the solar. "So, write up the parchments to be sent to Lord Jaime. He is to await the royal fleet to transport him and the bannermen sworn to Casterly Rock."
"But my lord, won't that not entail sailing around the Vale to attack White Harbor?" Pycelle pointed out. "That will carry its own dangers."
"The Vale has no navy to speak of that can challenge the royal fleet, and the same applies to White Harbor," Bronn answered him. "Uninterrupted, the journey will not take long, and it should give us the advantage that has been evading us for many years now."
"Indeed. And in the process, we should eliminate House Bolton and the last vestiges of House Stark. Both houses have been causing trouble for us as of late, the former for failing to keep the North in line and the latter for being too stubborn to die. The North should no longer be hospitable to the wolves anymore."
Myrcella had seen her grandfather angry before and vindictive during the trial of her uncle Tyrion, but it was a look that she did not want to see again. And she knew that she had use of her grandfather, because he was the only one keeping things together while no one would respect her or listen to her at all without him at her side. While he was kind to her most of the time, Myrcella was not naïve to think that he would tolerate her shortcomings whenever they come up.
"If I may say something, my Lord Hand, perhaps it will be more prudent if we just blockade the Neck and let the North go its own way, because the Targaryens will be coming. We need to have as much troops as we can available."
Tywin simply smiled at her suggestion and patted her shoulder. "Look, I understand that you are trying to make your own decisions, and that's good. But that is not a good idea, and you are still learning. Allow me to take the lead in the war and you have a wedding to handle."
Myrcella grimaced, but she knew better than to argue with him and nodded.
After that meeting was concluded and Tywin had to attend to other matters, Myrcella found herself walking throughout the Red Keep, with Bronn keeping closely behind her.
Myrcella grew to appreciate the company of the man that tended to her closely. Having seen what her brother had become, she could say with honesty that she did not miss him at all. And she grew very lonely ever since Tommen died from the poisoning at Joffrey's wedding to Margaery. While she had her own problems with the man on personal grounds, she found him forthcoming and unafraid to speak the truth in everything. That was something that she found to be nonexistent for as long as she lived, and she wanted him close to her. How often will I see such a man here, like that?
Myrcella had to meet her betrothed, Ser Myles Hightower. The House of Hightower, she found to be a very influential clan, but she also saw that Myles Hightower was just like his namesake, the one who reported to have robbed from the Hightower vaults during the Dance of the Dragon. Only instead of coin, he was greedy for something far more addictive, power. And she could see that whenever he walked around the Red Keep and saw him charming the young ladies at court by presenting himself as "King Consort of the Seven Kingdoms."
The reason why she had to meet him was to make things clear for him, and she was glad that Bronn was coming with her. And she had to overcome the feelings of inadequacy her grandfather just filled her with.
Finding Myles playing the lute for some giggling maidens, they all stopped at her arrival. The maidens curtsied while Myles stood up straight and stopped playing the instrument.
"You may go," Myrcella dismissed them. "We must talk, Myles."
Myles, usually confident and having a stride about him, saw the change in her attitude and immediately became anxious since she was Tywin's granddaughter. But I'll make sure to show I'm more than that.
"Yes, of course."
"Myles, what do you think that I am?"
Myles raised his eyebrow at that. "What do you mean by that, Your Grace?"
"What do you think I am? It's a simple, yet important question."
Myles searched his mind for the answer, but he only hesitated. "You are the Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men. Lady of the Seven-"
"I don't think she wants to hear that, you cunt," Bronn interrupted him.
"Hey! You don't talk to me like that, you cutthroat." Myles suddenly raised his voice at Bronn's addressing of him.
"Speak to Lord Daggett with respect, Myles," Myrcella suddenly found the courage to correct her betrothed.
"Daggett? Of Tarbeck Hall? What is he now, the lord over dead bones?"
"Quiet!" Myrcella barked at him. "You know, I would have thought that the good people of House Hightower at Oldtown would have taught you a good lesson in manners. But are you this angry and vindictive to anyone who doesn't treat you how you don't expect to be treated?"
"You should be able to understand, Your Grace, considering that your grandfather taught you much on respect and your father none."
Bronn stepped forward and punched him at that insult and kicked him in the stomach while he was still on the ground, letting him cry out in pain.
"That's enough," Myrcella stopped him while she leaned forward towards him. "By the Seven above, have you really lost control of your tongue, or are you this impertinent normally?"
Myles stood up and straight, while he was more intimidated by the steel that he had not expected Myrcella to have. "What do you wish for me to, Your Grace?"
"First, apologize to Lord Daggett. He might be a new lord, but he is a lord nonetheless. And he has the ear of my grandfather, who you know you should never displease. As for me, I might not look like much despite wearing my crown, but you will do well not to cross me And you will show me the respect that I am entitled to. Because if you don't, I will do much more terrible things to you that you would never possibly imagine. I didn't cry at my brother's death, and I had to endure all his abuse for many years. What do you think that will do to someone like me, someone who survived?"
Myles nodded. "I shall keep that in mind, Your Grace."
"Good. Now, I should expect to see you at dinner. Do not make me see that kind of behavior from you ever again. And I will keep watch over you through the servants that I have granted you. Any deviation from the behavior that I expect, expect consequences."
Myles nodded and walked away cautiously. "Before that, what do you think I am?" He turned around, now less confident than before. "You are… a lion. I should be more careful." He then continued walking back.
For Bronn, he leaned in to whisper into Myrcella's ear. "Well done, Queen Myrcella. You should put a cunt like that in his place. If you don't, he'll get worse."
Myrcella chuckled. "Thank you, my lord. Keep talking to me like this from now on."
"I know no other way of speaking."
Myrcella held her head up high while she continued her stroll through the Red Keep.
A/N:
Jon is having that good time with Rhaenys as siblings while Gendry and Sandor witness Volantis' fall. And we also see Myrcella trying to be strong on her own, but will that be enough?
Again, Happy New Year!
