A/N: Sorry for the slight delay. This week was tough for me, as I attended my grandfather's funeral. I know now he's in a better place
Myrcella watched as the small council was assembled, but the atmosphere was more panicky than usual. All of them knew that the coming of the dragons was all but inevitable, and that there was little that they could do to stop them from making a landing. And everyone knew that once they landed, they would have to fight battles, battles that everyone doubted that they could win. By the gods, how did we get to this?
Besides her grandsire Tywin there as the Hand of the King, there was the small council with the new members: the Grandmaester was still Pycelle, the new master of coin was Harys Swyft, who was also the goodfather of her uncle Ser Kevan, Lord Orton Merryweather was made as master of laws as a concession to the stormlords, Lord Reginald Lannister from Lannisport was made the new master of ships, her uncle Ser Kevan becoming Master of Whisperers, and Ser Robert Strong was made Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
As for the newest member of the small council, it was the High Sparrow, who Tywin maneuvered to become head of the Sept of Baelor. Myrcella might not have had the most expansive knowledge when it came to making deals, but even she could see that her grandfather was attempting to prop up the Seven Kingdoms under the rule of the Lannisters by any means necessary, which meant that he was going to use the new Faith Militant to supplement the depleted Lannister armies. Grandfather always hated the devout types, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
As for Ser Robert Strong, he was eight feet tall, with legs as thick as trees, a chest worthy of a plow horse, and shoulders that would not disgrace an ox. His armor was steel plate enameled white, over gilded mail. A greathelm hid his face, with seven silken plums in the rainbow colors of the Faith streaming from the crest. A pair of golden seven-pointed stars clasped his white cloak to his shoulders. Ser Robert never showed his face, hiding it constantly under his greathelm. He apparently had no physiological necessities, consuming neither food nor drink. And Ser Robert had made a vow of silence, supposedly one of not speaking until "all of Queen Myrcella's enemies are dead and evil has been driven from the realm." That's not reassuring, she thought to herself, and she found him more frightening than everything else that she had seen, as even Joffrey could not come close to what she was felt towards the new one in command of the kingsguard.
"This is not good," Harys Swyft was the first to speak. "The dragons will soon come to our shores, and we will not be able to stop from landing."
"Peace, Lord Harys. The Seven will give us the blessing and the comfort that we need to gain peace in the Seven Kingdoms, even fight and triumph against the dragons," the High Sparrow told him. "All we need to do is to ensure that we will devote ourselves to their will."
"But in the meantime," Tywin showed is lack of patience. "We need to show that to the realm that we can muster men. Reginald, what say you?"
Myrcella knew that Reginald was not highly regarded by her grandfather, only tolerated because he was blood.
"Well, my lord, I have spoken to the riverlords, the stormlords, and any Reach houses that can be reasoned with. We can muster… sixty thousand men in total."
"And that's including the banners that can be assembled from Oldtown?" Tywin asked.
"I can call upon my cousins to assemble the City Watch, which should increase our strength by about a few thousand more," Myles Hightower offered. "It is all a matter of assembling and maintaining morale, which should be easy with the High Sparrow at the helm of things."
"But do we have any ships that we can call upon, any at all?" Tywin turned back to Reginald.
"Only the remnants that can be called upon and the additions made after the battle on the Blackwater that long ago," Reginald answered him. "Perhaps about two hundred ships in total, but that will obviously be not enough to prevent the landing from occurring anyway."
"Then, all that is left is to discuss how to set up an elastic defense," Myles offered. "If we can stop the dragon's banners at the beaches, we have to ensure that our defensive lines are as flexible as possible, so that they can be extended for miles, perhaps hundreds of miles, so as to contain them and then exhaust them."
"That is a good plan, if we can allocate our men in the most efficient manner possible," Lord Merryweather pointed out.
"But there is also one other problem," Harys Swyft told them. "The Iron Bank is losing their patience with us. They sent me a message on them threatening to call in their debts, after which our entire realm will be put into chaos."
Tywin sighed while rubbing his forehead. "If only they had more patience… were you able to stay their hand for the moment?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Good. At least you are showing yourself to be a credit to House Lannister, even though you are not part of this family in the beginning. But we need the Iron Bank to remain on terms with us, because we need to keep things as they are for the moment. And press them that if the dragons win, they will not be able to get any of their money back."
"And lastly, there is the problem of the Tyrells," Myles had to add. "My house told me to tell you that they have observed the Tyrells' making double deals with us. They are about to make an alliance with each other."
"For what purpose?" Kevan asked him.
"For the purpose of uniting with the dragons against us," Tywin growled. "They have shown themselves to be as duplicitous as their forefathers had been when they allowed their Gardener overlords to die in the Field of Fire. Therefore, I believe that it's time that a new leadership in the Reach take place." He turned to Pycelle. "Send a raven to Oldtown. They are now the new Wardens of the South from this day forward."
"Yes, my lord."
Myles smiled, while Myrcella gulped, since she knew that such a move would permanently make an enemy out of the Tyrells and give them all the reason in the world to fight against the Iron Throne.
"Now, as for the rest, all that should be focused on is to prepare for the coming invasion. We need to figure out where they will most likely land. Therefore, consult your captains and commanders, and bring this council whatever suggestions that you have," Tywin told them all. "What about the situation in the North?"
"Well, my lord, Jaime has reported on the difficulties of crossing the Neck, especially at Moat Cailin, and they are suffering heavy casualties from the crannogmen," Kevan told him.
"Tell Jaime to come back to King's Landing. Right now, bringing the North to heel is of secondary concern to the defense of the Seven Kingdoms," Tywin commanded him. "And also, tell Lord Bronn Daggett to start recruiting more men, and give him a command position."
"As you wish, my lord."
Myrcella looked at Myles, who was listening in on all that the council was saying, and she could feel nothing but frustration towards him. And she fought the urge to go to sleep, as no one was asking for her input in anything. What the fuck am I doing? she asked herself, as she began to understand what her role was, and she wanted to jump off the highest point of the Red Keep, had it not been for her father. I must stay alive for him, she reminded herself.
Bran walked with Jojen, Lyanna Mormont, and Leaf as they made their way through the northern reaches of the wolfswood, just far enough from Deepwood Motte and the seat of the treacherous Glovers, and close enough to start making a move on the northern approach to Winterfell. They had to start putting pressure on Winterfell and the forces of the northern houses aligned with House Bolton. We waited too long, and now we are about to make a move to retake home, he thought to himself.
Bran had a good opinion of Lyanna Mormont. Despite her young age, Lyanna proved to be a competent, effective, and intelligent leader of her house, in the mold of her mother Maege Mormont and especially Lord Jeor Mormont. From what Bran had heard prior to their meeting and then observing in action, she was proved the notion wrong on old age equaling able leadership, as she contrasted herself with the dead Joffrey and Bran's cousin in the Eyrie. While she possessed strong confidence in her own abilities, she did not hesitate to consult her advisors if she saw the need. At the same time, she learned to not become overly reliant on her advisors and did wave aside her maester if she had reached a firm decision already. As a female and the only living heir of House Mormont after the Red Wedding cut down the numbers of the house on Bear Island, Lyanna faced many challenges and strove to live up to the expectations placed upon her, and behaved in a stern, no-nonsense manner when negotiating with other houses. She also showed that she was extremely proud of her house, and she was devoted to protecting Bear Island's people, indicating that she viewed this responsibility with the utmost solemnity. Though Lyanna shares her family's fierce loyalty to House Stark, she was initially reluctant to offer any help to Sansa fight the Boltons until she saw how the North went down the drain under the administration of House Bolton.
However, it took Bran a while to persuade Lyanna Mormont on his abilities, which was understandable because extraordinary abilities required extraordinary evidence.
"Well, Lord Brandon, prove that you are the Three-Eyed Raven. Tell me something that only you would know, and no one else," Lyanna challenged him.
Bran searched through his mind and then grabbed onto a nearby weirwood, after which he felt his eyes roll backward and he saw himself be transported to the Twins, with a large camp around and then going into the keep, where festivities took place. That was when he saw Robb, which made him realize what he was seeing.
His gaze turned upon Dacey Mormont, Lyanna Mormont's eldest sister who died at the Red Wedding. But what he was about to see, was how she died. Oh, no. Why did it take me to this?
"Your sister Dacey was one of my brother's guards during the wedding feast at the Twins when my uncle Edmure married Roslin Frey, and she danced with him during the festivities," Bran heard himself speak aloud, causing Lyanna Mormont to be silent. "Dacey was kind enough to ask Edwyn Frey, a great-grandson of Lord Walder Frey, for a dance, but he refused. His refusal to dance with her became one of the last signs of tension before the Freys did what they did to those who were there to celebrate in the Red Wedding." Bran wanted to stop, but he continued to see the bloodshed unfold before his eyes, and he had to persuade Lyanna Mormont. "Your sister Dacey was brave, as she managed to fight off Ser Benfrey Frey, a younger son of Lord Walder, smashing a flagon of wine in his face, but she was killed when Ser Ryman Frey drove his longaxe into her belly. She is… bleeding out on the floor there." Bran then saw Dacey as her pulse weakened and the last breaths were let out before the life was forced out of her. As the main hall was cleared out, Dacey's body was dumped in a mass grave, something that Bran was wise to not speak on. She doesn't need to know that.
But Bran began to regret that he said anything at all, which was confirmed after he came back to the real world and saw Lyanna Mormont's eyes filled with tears. She was not sobbing, remaining still for those sworn to her, but she closed her eyes and the tears started to fall from her face. That was when Bran thought something that he never thought he would think when he first saw himself flying. Oh, by the old gods, why did I ever become the Three-Eyed Raven when everything that I would know would only cause pain?
Lyanna quickly composed herself and looked at Bran straight. "Thank you… for telling me how my sister died. I only heard rumors, but to hear from your lips that she died defiantly and did not go quietly… she did our family proud. For that, I thank you, Lord Brandon."
"If you didn't want to know how your sister, you shouldn't have asked," Jojen told her.
"I never asked that specifically, Lord Jojen," Lyanna snapped at him. "But whatever the case, I know now what Lord Brandon is saying is the truth. And I should have trusted that House Stark is not capable of siring liars, even though their stories sound outrageous."
"Well, my father was an exception, given that he had to hide Jon Snow as his bastard son when in fact, he is the rightful king of these Seven Kingdoms," Bran reminded her.
"He might descend from the seed of the dragons, but he has no authority over the North," Lyanna was determined. "Haven't enough northmen died because of that cursed metal chair, your own grandfather and uncle included?"
"That was not just the Mad King's fault, Lady Lyanna," Bran said to her. "Varys, the master of whisperers during the time of the Mad King, plotted to exploit his madness by preparing the way for his true family, the Blackfyres, so he only made sure that things went the way they were supposed to go. However, that matters not anymore, because very soon, the Targaryens will return. We got to show him that we will support him, that the entire North will."
"The entire North?" Lyanna questioned. "If I must remind you, Lord Brandon, the North is very divided. I might have agreed to support Sansa Stark out of consideration for you, but we are still very much outmatched by those aligned with House Bolton. And we have over one hundred thousand wildlings south of the Wall, so any chance of us controlling the entire North is unrealistic."
"That's not true, Lady Lyanna," Jojen said to her. "Lady Sansa has reached an accord with the Free Folk. They will now work together to defeat the Boltons to reunite the North and prepare for the coming winter, and the threat north of the Wall."
Lyanna sighed. "Look, I am prepared to believe you when you talk of a great threat coming, a threat in command of a large host of the dead, since you have convinced me of your abilities and because of this… child of the Forest," she pointed to Leaf. "However, this is still wildlings we are talking about. Am I to forget that they have raided Bear Island for as long as there were Mormonts?
"Yes, because your very survival depends on it," Leaf finally spoke. "I appreciate you believing in what we have to say, and for heeding our warnings. But whatever conflicts that you had with the Free Folk must be put aside, because the entire world depends on it. Jeor Mormont was wise to heed the threat north of the Wall very seriously and look where we are now. Yes, the Free Folk are south of the Wall, but that is one hundred thousand less corpses and scores of giants that you will not be facing. And because of that, the Night King has been delayed in striking the south. Nevertheless, the North must be united, because the Night King will simply find another way to breach the Wall and attack us."
"What other way can he use to attack the North?" Lyanna asked the Child of the Forest.
Leaf shuddered, while Jojen gulped and Bran was petrified. He only saw glimpses of what other foul creatures were in the world, and the most terrifying one would never leave his mind no matter how hard he tried. Why did my abilities make me see that?
Jojen saw that Bran was too scared to even speak of it, so he took charge. "There is one way that the Night King can use to attack us, which is why we should all be thankful for Jeor Mormont for letting those people through the Wall. What the Night King will seek is something called a sea dragon, which is what Sea Dragon Point is named after."
"What exactly is a sea dragon?" Lyanna could sense their collective fear.
"It's not a dragon like we understand, Lady Lyanna. But it is a beast of massive proportions," Jojen started to explain to her. "It has white eyes, long thin things protruding out of its neck, and capable of unleashing death and destruction from its mouth. It's so large that not even all the Iron Islands will be spacious enough for it to rest upon. And unlike the dragons who are reliant on fire, all this beast needs to nourish itself is water. And its teeth possess a poison that can kill even a dragon if it is unlucky to get close enough to it."
Lyanna's face got white, the fear making all the warmth dissipate from her body. She knew from their faces that Bran, Jojen, and Leaf were not exaggerating, even though she very much wanted to believe in that.
"But surely, there is a way that we can defeat this beast," Lyanna said hopefully.
"I'm sure there is, but we don't know how yet," Bran merely told her. "What we do have in our advantage now is time, because the sea dragon has not awoken yet and even the Night King doesn't have enough power to summon it from the depths where it rests. In the meantime, we must prepare the North, and the way to do that is to defeat the Boltons, unite with the Free Folk, and make way for my brother Jon to return with his dragons."
Lyanna was still unsure on supporting the dragons, but even she could see that there was no other choice. "All right. What do you suggest that we do, then?"
And that was how the men of Mormont, along with those assembled from the northern mountain clans, were moving through the wolfswood just far enough from Deepwood Motte. Their intent was to take the castle, punish the Glovers for siding with the wrong house, and then push onwards towards Winterfell. And once Deepwood Motte had been taken, they would unite with Free Folk already occupying the northern stretch of the kingsroad above Winterfell and start to surround the castle. Of course, everyone knew that was not an easy task, since Ramsay Bolton could still command a deadly force made up of Umbers, Karstarks, Glovers, and others who saw more benefit in siding against House Stark.
"Are there more of your people around, child?" Lyanna addressed Leaf, since she did not know how else to address a being that had previously been restricted to childhood stories.
"Not as much as before the First Men came, Lady Lyanna," Leaf told her. "But there is enough of us to start anew, and also help you for when the Night King finally comes."
"Good. We will need that."
"Don't forget, Lady Lyanna. We must take Deepwood Motte in order to secure the entire northern reaches of the North, in order to help Sansa," Bran reminded her.
"Worry not, Lord Brandon. I know how to do this," Lyanna assured him.
Let's hope that the taking of the Deepwood Motte will be quick, since it is getting exhausting, all this waiting and whatnot, he thought.
Kaijin watched as the main training serjeant over the freedmen from Volantis, with Hoon Ti and Gong-Er listening to the man shouting orders to the new recruits of the Jade Company. He knew that he had to toughen them up, so he made sure to select the man most able to train the men under pressure and present them the rigors that would most resemble those facing them when they would face when they were about to enter battle for the first time. And he knew that he could not afford to spare them any comfort, since they did not have the time to be so.
The serjeant, from what Kaijin was able to learn, came recommended courtesy of General Lim. He was one of the men who served under Benjen Stark in the northern frontier and was quite good in the art of unarmed combat and firearms. However, he was more suited to train men for battle rather than lead them from General Lim had said, which was to be expected for Kaijin since not all senior soldiers were suitable to lead others in combat, while their skills were more attuned to training men. For Kaijin, all that was important was that the serjeant would whip the freedmen into an effective fighting force, and it looked as if he was going to succeed in that regard.
"For the sake of both the Lion of Night and the Maiden-Made-of-Light, men, you march like crippled old goats," the serjeant said to them while having them practice marching, which was the first thing that any new soldiers had to learn before they even learned how to handle weapons. "The love of the gods, we'll be here day and night until it's right," the serjeant groaned.
Certainly doesn't pull his punches that one, Kaijin thought. "A one, one. Company, halt." The freedmen company halted in place while maintaining formation. "About face." They turned around on his orders. "You are ugly slaving man-eating fucking whores! We will work on this
day and night, men." The serjeant looked at the closely before he decided to continue. "Forward at the half step, march! One!" He got close to one of the freedmen who volunteered to fight. "You half-wit slaving bastard. Is it true that they cut your cock off at birth? I am going work on you, bastard, until I get you broken in." The freedmen recruit gritted his teeth before the serjeant moved on and then saw something that he didn't like. "Company, halt! In the name of Lion of Night and the Maiden-Made-of-Light! Do you not know right from left?"
"N-n-no, serjeant," another freedmen recruit said simply.
That caused for the serjeant to be aghast and look away in embarrassment. "How many here do not know right from left?" He was even more shocked at more than a few men raising their hands. "The Maiden-Made-of-Light, have pity," he grumbled before he slapped the recruit's chest. "This is your front." He slapped his back next. "This is your rear." He stepped on his right foot hard. "This is your right and this—" But before he could stomp on his left food, the recruit moved his foot away and glared at him. That only amused the serjeant. "Now you're learning, boy. Company, forward march. A one, one, one," he continued.
"Well, that serjeant does seem to know what he is doing," Hoon Ti observed from hearing.
"I only picked the best for this," Kaijin told him. "They must be shown not an ounce of mercy, until they can prove that they can handle this."
"But I would caution pressing them too hard. After all, they are new to his."
"Says the former trainer of the Jade Order?" Kaijin raised his eyebrows at Gong-Er. "Come now. You never showed consideration to anyone's difficulties. Why do that now?"
"Because I know when to push and when to back away," Gong-Er told him. "Everything must be set in stages, from easiest to hardest."
"And that is what they are doing. Learning how to march in formation. If they can do that, then we can move onto training."
After marching, the serjeant then had the company turn right face and count off. "Two," he started with.
"One, two, one, two..." But after the ninth recruit got this number wrong, the serjeant was annoyed.
"You fucking dumbshits! Get it right. Stop." The serjeant waved with his hands. "Start it again.
In each rank. Go."
After about four more attempts, the company was able to count correctly. Then, the serjeant had them marching again while calling out orders.
Left, left, left, right, left. Quite louder, march! Left, L—" He saw something else and ran to the one causing the problems. "Get your motherfucking hands out front and away from your back, soldier!" He continued calling out the commands, with Kaijin continuing to watch. "Left, left, right, left." He saw one of the freedmen marching with his chin up high. "Oh, what the fuck do we have here? A confident man, are you not? Are you royalty or somewhat? Or are you just another slaver who liked to crack whips?" The freedmen did not respond well to his heavy teasing and glared at him, only for the serjeant to correct him by forcing him to look forward and straight. "Oh, do not look at me. Look straight ahead. I will leash your ass up, boy."
Once Kaijin was satisfied that the company could march in formation, that was when he allowed them fire weapons. The plan was that the company would be good at what they did, and thus teach the new company, and so on. And he then observed that one of the recruits was a natural good shot, causing him to watch more closely.
The recruit shot at an apple, causing it to burst into pieces and hoots to go off from the rest of the company. "Do that again," one of the recruits encouraged him. Here, use my tanegashima. Do that again." The recruit picked up the freshly loaded tanegashima and got another apple, causing more cheering.
That was not good in Kaijin's eyes, for it showed that the company was being distracted and thus not taking their training seriously enough. He had to put an end to that.
"Attention, company!" the officer in charge of overseeing them shouted, but they did not respond. "Attention, company!" he repeated, and they complied that time.
"As you were," Kaijin told them. He still had to put on a friendly face, which he showed to the recruit who could shoot. "Front and center. You are a good shot, soldier."
"Thank you, Your Highness. I guess… my time catching rats helped," he tried to explain.
That did not interest Kaijin. "You ever killed a man, soldier?"
"Once," the freedman admitted.
"And you can handle a firearm?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Kaijin nodded. "Reload," he beckoned him, while the recruit was still being relaxed. "Faster." The recruit complied, but he did not sense the change in Kaijin's tone. "Faster. Faster!" The recruit jumped in surprise, but he continued to load his weapon.
"Discharge your firearm," Kaijin commanded him to fire, but the recruit was still not done. "I said discharge your firearm. Fucking do it!" Finally, the recruit fired, and stood at attention, no longer relaxed. Now do it again. Only this time, I want it done quickly!" The recruit did as he was told, but fast that time, while Kaijin turned back to face the rest of the company. "A good soldier can fire three aimed shots in a minute. Lieutenant," he turned to the officer in charge of the company. "Give me your pistol."
"Your Highness?" the lieutenant asked with concern.
"Your pistol. Give it to me." The lieutenant complied while Kaijin collected more pistols from the observing serjeants. He raised the first one up right behind the recruit's head. "Faster." The recruit was able to fire again. "Reload," he ordered him, while the recruit noticed the pistol behind his head and froze in fear. "The fuck are you doing? Quickly. Faster!" He discharged the pistol, startling the recruit as Kaijin readied another. "Faster! Load." Kaijin fired the next pistol, causing the recruit to stumble even more. "Do it! Do it!" Kaijin fired two more pistols, finally making the recruit to shake in frightfulness and he could not do anything else, the pressure getting to him.
Kaijin gave him a look that showed his displeasure, as the recruit could see why he was angry. He turned to the lieutenant while handing him back his pistol. "Teach them fucking properly, lieutenant. You send these men out to the field of battle, they will die. Understand?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the lieutenant complied while gently taking his pistol back and moving to command the men. Attention, company! Ready! Aim! Fire!" They practiced their volley shots.
And that was not the end of their training for the day. The serjeant had to them armed with spears and made them practice stabbing at straw dummies to drill into them how to kill a man at close range.
"Develop! Guard! Thrust! Develop! Guard! Thrust! Develop! Guard! Thrust!" The serjeant kept repeating before he saw one of the recruits not showing enough feeling. "You are not serving drinks or food, boy. Take that fucker's head off!" The recruit nodded before they continued.
Kaijin exhaled before he continued to watch. He did so, in full knowledge that the new recruits would probably not be part of a vanguard of the invasion of Westeros, but he still had a responsible to ensure that they were prepared to fight. It would not make sense for green men to be part of a full-on assault or part of the first wave, unless we want them to slaughtered.
Meanwhile, Kaijin observed which recruits showed the most promise, as they would be the senior soldiers that would lead the men whenever the officers were not around. One of the things that Kaijin learned from the army in Yi-Ti was that the senior soldiers were expected to take charge of things whenever the officers were incapacitated or killed.
"You sure that they will be ready to fight when the advance from Volantis finally departs?" Hoon Ti asked him.
"They should be. After all, it's only right that we start to move on Volantis after making all the preparations that we could. And maybe… you can return to Dorne soon, sample some of that Dornish goods that you were able to enjoy during your last visit there," he cracked at him.
"Maybe," Hoon Ti admitted. "Unless of course, Gong-Er is allowed to come and sample the men there."
"I hear that the Dornishmen, especially this… Red Viper as people call him, is quite able with his hands," Gong-Er expressed. "I long for something interesting, particularly since I have grown bored with the men back in Yi-Ti."
Kaijin could feel nothing but surprise when he heard the famed trainer of the Jade Order talk in that manner. It seems that she has her own needs to take care of after all, Kaijin thought.
"So… when exactly will be going to Dorne?" Hoon Ti asked Kaijin.
"A few weeks. We just need to secure the hold of the elephants over Volantis, and keep the remaining tigers who defected under control. Lady Jaenyra Vhassar can keep things calm, while also ensuring that the city remains loyal to the dragons. With that settled, it should be an easy campaign upon our landing on Westeros' shores."
"Good. We can finally move on Westeros, and thus take care of the issue of this Iron Throne. Wonder what will happen once the dragons succeed, because to rule the Seven Kingdoms is very different from fighting to take them, as one can imagine," Gong-Er pointed out.
"They will be fine," Kaijin was confident. "Anything that is not the current rulers should be acceptable, because dragons should be able to drag the lands out of the gutter it has descended into."
"Let us hope you are right," Gong-Er expressed.
Kaijin turned his back to observe more of the training. "I know they will be good on the throne, all three of them." It is all three now, given that Daeron is now fucking Rhaenys, he jested.
Kaijin had no doubt that the dragons would win, not just because they had four dragons at their command. They had a powerful army equipped with advanced weaponry, had enough gold and other money that would be enough to have Westeros start anew, and Yi-Tish troops and traders to remake the Seven Kingdoms into something more. For all those who were in command of the troops, all of them would have their claim on the lands, keeps, castles, and other rewards that usually accompanied those who fought for the winning side.
Kaijin knew that applied to him as well, as he only had to point his finger on a map to get the lands and keeps that he wanted, as well as advantageous marriages. However, he remembered the example set by Khiara, who was not evil but that did not stop her from attempting to get more and more power, and she had proved herself capable in having her own brother die if it meant she would get the throne. I don't believe it when she said that he died of suicide, because she has a way of making people do what she wanted them to do.
That was when Kaijin decided that he was going to be more modest in how he lived. Of course, he would have some responsibility given that he was closely connected to the dragons. Perhaps a membership on the highest authority in the Seven Kingdoms, as well as some keeps and lands to keep himself from going poor and starving. But just as important, he had to find someone that he would cherish and not have any designs on, as Khiara and even Sumeng did.
On Sumeng's death, Kaijin felt himself filled with sadness. Even though he was not close to Sumeng, they never exchanged insults with each other and nor did they fight each other. Kaijin was wise to know his place, and Sumeng did not abuse him, only doing so under Prime Minister Shu's influence after he married his daughter. It all started because of that son of a bitch, all because he saw me as a threat when no one would ever support the son of a concubine over the son of an empress, Kaijin thought.
Kaijin remembered one instance in which he had the last pure moment with Sumeng, before he met the captain of the guard who he began engaging in sodomy with. They were practicing archery together, and Kaijin was deliberately missing his mark since it would not be proper for the son of a concubine to beat the Crown Prince.
"Come, Kaijin. You are better than that," Sumeng told him.
"But Your Highness, I am only showing that I need more practice." Kaijin had to lie.
"Then, you have done enough practice. Come on. Hit a mark." To show Kaijin his sincerity, Sumeng's next arrow hit the board, but not the mark. "Your turn."
Kaijin breathed in and out before he pulled back the arrow and decided to oblige him. He let the arrow fly, and it hit its mark.
"See? You should be like this more often."
"Are you sure, Your Highness?"
Sumeng patted him on his shoulder. "Of course. I need to be challenged."
Kaijin very much looked forward to being that for Sumeng, but he would never have that chance since the guard captain and the prime minister prevented him from doing so.
And that was when Kaijin wanted to return to a more innocent point in his life, and he was going to do that, in which the purity of life would be maintained. Learning lessons from Sumeng's marriage, he wanted to find someone who would not carry any baggage but also would allow him to be able to raise their future family in peace and stability. But who will that lady be? he pondered on his marriage.
A/N: Myrcella is not having an easy time, Bran finally reveals what the sea dragon is (based it on Jormungandr, the creature that Thor is destined to fight in Ragnarok), and Kaijin is training the troops
