Pyke 299 AC.

Asha.

It had been hard for her to come back and see the islands as they were and she'd worried she'd not be accepted. Her uncle Victarion though had backed her claim and knowing that she had the king's blessing and some of his fleet to back her up had helped. Still seeing the islands as they were now and her people as broken as they looked, had been hard for her. The once-mighty Iron Fleet was no longer that, true there were still many ships that had not been destroyed during their attack on the Shield Islands, but they had lost good men there and in the attack on the North. Those who remained were broken somewhat and some had no desire to follow a Greyjoy once more, especially one that was a woman.

Had she just had the backing of the king and queen it would probably be enough for her to be named as the Lady of the Iron Islands. Even without her uncle's support she perhaps would have been able to cow these men and bring them to heel. With it, along with the Reader's and with the return of her mother to Pyke though, it was not only easier, it was done more willingly. Yet even as she had promised them that the king had plans for them and that they would not be allowed to just sit and rot on their rocks, as more than one had feared, she found herself wavering.

"We will rebuild, but not as we once were, no longer will we reave, you've all seen what happens when we face the dragons." she shouted loudly.

"Then what, we are to starve?"

"You would have us on our knees?"

"Are we to just sit and wait for the drowned god to call us home, is that to be our fate."

"This king is not the same as the last one, nor is his queen. He has promised to help and see us right, promised coin so we can rebuild and supplies so that we won't starve. The dragons can end us, Aye, you've all seen just how true that is. I've lost family to them just as each of you has, but they didn't seek to end me, nor do they seek an end to the Iron Born." she said as one or two banged their mugs on their tables in the Great Hall of Pyke.

"And when the Crow's Eye returns, what then?" one of the Drumm's shouted out though she could not see which one.

"I doubt my uncle can outrun a dragon." she said to laughs "But perhaps he can, perhaps he'll turn up back here and spew his false promises once more. Any of you who wish to follow him can do so. I'll not stop you should you think you stand a better chance with him than with me, but be forewarned, everywhere you go a dragon will follow, and even should my uncle manage to outrun the dragon long enough to make it back here, he won't outrun one forever." Asha said to more bangs on the tables.

After that, she'd accepted their oaths of fealty to her and to the king, and though some had given theirs reluctantly, they'd given them all the same. Yet as the weeks went on with no ships from the king, no ravens, and no word, even Asha began to think they'd played her false. It would serve them right, they'd attacked the Greenlanders twice and failed. The second time they'd attacked the land of the King's own kin and Theon had gone so far as to attack his sister. Euron had only made matters worse by attacking the Queen's own people. If they were left to rot and starve then they could truly have no complaints and yet she felt a certain amount of betrayal in those thoughts too.

She had believed them both, the king and queen. Asha had heard the tales of what they did in King's Landing, both the ones that people spoke of that were happening now and other tales of many years earlier. Tales of a boy and girl who sent food, blankets, healers, and even toys to the poor of King's Landing. While she was in King's Landing she'd not been able to leave the Red Keep as such but she'd heard it, as she had in the North also. So it stung a little, to feel that they had played her false as they had no need to and she cursed herself for believing that they may be different.

As the days turned to weeks, weeks to moons, they made the best of what they had. Asha began to make ready to sail to Essos to see to food being purchased, their limited gold and coin wouldn't get them much though and talk had begun to be heard about how they would need to reave to survive. She knew they were desperate and she, The Reader, and her uncle all were at great pains to drive home the consequences they would face should they do so. It bought them time though that was all and then just as she was making ready to leave and set sail, other sails were seen, larger sails as a small fleet of ships were seen on the horizon.

"The dragons?" Victarion asked as they stood on the hill overlooking Lordsport.

"Aye, the dragons." she said and though she kept her features schooled, she felt her heart begin to beat a little faster.

It took some time for the ships to dock, Asha doing her best to make space ready for them just in case they came for what she hoped they'd come for. There were two Pinnacle ships and a dozen more that bore the flags of House Redwyne and Hightower. She was surprised to see that it was one of the Velaryon's though that seemed to be in charge. Aurane Waters, The Bastard of Driftmark, seemed to be both in charge of one of the Pinnacles much to her surprise and to the fleet itself which in some way was not. His brother was the Master of Ships and no doubt had seen him placed so high, or so she believed.

"Lady Greyjoy." Aurane said with a polite bow after he had walked down the gangplank.

"Lord Waters." she said trying to keep her eyes on him and not on the men that had begun to carry large sacks to the deck.

"Their graces have tasked me with seeing the first shipment of winter supplies is delivered, I thought it best if we brought them here so that you could see to their distribution throughout the Iron Islands." Aurane said and Asha nodded as she caught Victarion's look to the Pinnacle ship and the men moving on its deck.

"I thank you Lord Aurane, do you need help from my men to unload your ship?" she asked.

"That would be most welcome, my lady. I'll inform the other captains that you'll be sending men to them also." Aurane said.

"Other captains?" she asked looking to the other ships.

"Each ship is carrying supplies, my lady, not just mine own." he said and it took all she had not to hug the man, the small smile she gave him all the emotion she was willing to exhibit so publicly.

It took them almost a week to remove the supplies, grain, flour, fresh fruit and vegetables, and salted meat. There was even ale and some barrels of wine which she could see her men eyeing up. As they unloaded ship after ship, more and more of the people of Lordsport came to see, Asha listening as prayers of thanks were given to the Drowned God, for the king and queen and for her as well. They'd had a celebration of sorts for the sailors and captains of the ships, Asha finding herself surprised when almost all the men who delivered the supplies had agreed to attend.

She'd thanked them and their graces and there had been loud cheers when they were told that more supplies would be coming and that their winter stocks would be fully filled, just as the king and queen had promised their lady. Asha smiling at Aurane's turn of phrase where he made it clear that were it not for Asha herself then things may have turned out quite differently for the men and women of the Iron Islands. When she cornered the man to ask him why he'd done that she'd been pleasantly surprised, even after he turned down her advances.

"It is not that I don't find you attractive, my lady, and was this a different time then I'm most certain that my will would not be so strong. However, my heart belongs to another and I cannot." he said after she had tried to kiss him and he'd stopped her.

"She's a lucky woman, you're prettier than most ladies I've seen, even those in Lys." she said with a laugh which she was glad he joined in with.

"It is I who is lucky, my lady." Aurane said a warm smile on his face as he seemed to be thinking of this lady of his.

"Will it be you that returns?" she asked before drinking her ale.

"I do not know, I accepted this task only because of circumstances." Aurane said sadly looking down at his own.

"Circumstances?" she asked curiously.

"A long story, my lady. Suffice to say that be it me or someone else, another shipment should arrive in the next few moons. Their graces are keen to see your people understand the benefits of both your rule and their own."

"They will, they have, I...I would ask you to give them my thanks upon your return." she said softly.

"I shall do so gladly." Aurane said with a smile that she thought made him look incredibly handsome.

The ships left the next day and Asha spent weeks dividing the stocks and sending them to the other great houses so they could be distributed. She spent time with her mother who was dealing as best she could with the deaths of her husband and her son. Asha was certain that she grieved far more for Theon than she did for her father. It was leaving her rooms one night that the last remaining shadow over her rule finally faded away. Asha had been called to the Great Hall where her uncle was sitting with the Reader, both men looking to her as the Maester held a raven's scroll in his hand. Seeing the Three-Headed Dragon on it made her as keen as they to read it, and she smiled that they'd not done so without her. It was a little thing but it showed more than any that they both considered her to be the one in charge.

"From the king?" The Reader asked.

"Aye, the Hand has signed it but the king's words I'd wager." she said smiling as she picked up a mug of ale and drank it down, filling the mug once she'd done so.

"And?" Victarion asked impatiently.

"Euron is dead." Asha said and her uncle looked at her questioningly, before smiling broadly when she handed him the raven's scroll.

"Thank the Drowned God." the Reader said as he lifted his mug.

"Thank the Dragons." she said smiling as she drank her ale.

The Wall 299 AC.

Quentyn Martell.

It was a cold and bitter place, even at night the winds seemed to find him wherever he walked. No matter how many furs he wore or how close to a fire he stood, he could never seem to get any true warmth into his body. Only when he was drunk did he find that the cold didn't bother him and to his annoyance, he was not allowed to be drunk as much as he wished to be. Not only was he limited from drinking to his heart's content because of his duties, but on more than one occasion he'd been too drunk to make it back to his rooms. One of those times had cost him a toe, this one almost cost him something far more precious.

"You were lucky your brothers found you, had they not then you'd have lost your pecker." Maester Follard said as he examined him.

"I may as fucking well lose it, it's not as if there is a woman here to use it on." he said bitterly.

"No, but trust me Brother Quentyn, you'd miss it far more than that toe of yours I had to cut off." the Maester said.

He said nothing, he'd sobered up quickly enough and was helped to the sleeping quarters. Quentyn once again feeling the indignity of laying down beside other men rather than in his own bed. Even though he knew it was warmer and had spoken to more than one man who'd given up the privacy of their own room to sleep amongst their brothers, he still felt it beneath him. Were his father alive to learn of him falling so low then the shame would kill him. Though given it was his father's fault he was in this predicament, Quentyn felt he had deserved to die.

Waking the next morning he broke his fast and spent his day doing the menial tasks that he'd been assigned. He was little more than a servant, fetching hot water, making sure the bed was warm and that his meal was served, and even taking his clothing to be cleaned. Were it the Lord Commander that he served then he could at least have obtained some degree of respect from the other black brothers. To be his steward would show that he had some favor from the man, but it was a simple ranger that he was serving and when the man traveled Beyond the Wall then he'd be assigned to another.

It grated on him, as it had when he'd been appointed to the stewards rather than the rangers like so many other Dornishmen had been. He was their prince and now men who had once bowed to him were thought of more highly than he was. What was even worse though was they showed him no respect and when he spoke of his plans they dismissed him as if he was nothing. Never had this been more clear than when the man who sent him here had arrived.

"Look at him with his armor and sword, when in truth were it not for his dragon he'd be nothing." Quentyn said as Jaehaerys Targaryen walked into the yard.

"He does have a dragon though and he knows how to wield that sword." Ser Symon said.

"And he has the Sword of the Morning at his back." Ser Ryon said.

"Not to mention the fucking giant that walks with him." Ser Symon said with a chuckle.

"You fear him, him and the men with him?" he asked angrily.

"I fear a dragon's rage, my prince. Not on me, but on Dorne." Ser Ryon said looking at him.

"It would be for Dorne that I'd see him brought low." Quentyn said bitterly.

"No it would not, your father was a fool Quentyn and you act too much like him. So go, pull on the dragon's tail if you wish, for I'll not mourn you when you fall just as I've not mourned your father for the folly he had me play my part in." Ser Symon said as he glared at him.

"Are you a craven Ser, or is it that you're no true Dornishman?" Quentyn said, and it was only that Ser Ryon intervened or he may have been spitting up blood rather than bile.

"Next time you question my courage boy I'll see you in the ground and then you can ask your father how does it feel to be bowed, bent and broken." Ser Symon said walking away from him.

"That was uncalled for and you act a petulant boy still, accept your fate Quentyn and make peace with the fact that you will die surrounded by ice and never see the sands of Dorne again." Ser Ryon said as he too walked away.

He had sworn that he'd accept nothing and when the king left he'd then sworn he'd get even with him one day. Yet as the days had gone by he found that the longer he stayed at the Wall, the less likely that was. The Dornishmen with him had been moved to other keeps, whether it was at their request or at the Lord Commander's though he couldn't be sure. What he was sure about was he was growing ever more isolated and ever more bitter. Not even the supplies that his sister had sent to him made him feel better about his situation. While the clothing did at least keep out the cold better and he finally was able to stand out amongst the other black brothers due to the quality of it. Quentyn felt that Arianne was mocking him in a way, letting him know that she could do so much and yet choose to do so little for him.

The coin though was helpful and it bought him friends, Rast, Clubfoot Karl, Dirk, and others, good men that looked to him and saw him for what he was, a prince. When he spoke of escape it was with these men and some of the Golden Company men that were finding life at the Wall to be as unpleasant as he was. They made plans and discarded them, knowing that on this side of the Wall there was no chance they could make it to safety. Be it the men of the North, men of the Watch, or the king and his dragons, someone would find them and so it was to be to the other side they'd look instead.

It took them a moon to gather enough supplies to see them to a place where according to Dirk there were many women and but one man. A wilding named Craster who though fierce according to Dirk, was no match for them all and so on the full moon, they readied their plan. Quentyn brought the ale to the men on the Wall, more than they would usually have as they needed them drunk so they'd not be seen. Rast and Clubfoot Karl would see to the gates and though he wished to use horses it was not to be. Instead, they'd be behind the Wall on foot, something he did not look forward to.

"Are they drunk?" Dirk asked when Quentyn hurried from the lift.

"Aye, Karl, Rast?"

"Await us, come, we'll gather the others."

He tried not to lose the contents of his stomach when he saw the two dead black brothers, Quentyn instead concentrating on the gates that were now open in front of him. The knowledge that freedom awaited beyond those gates soon making him hurry through them. When he felt the cold wind on his face he almost wished to turn back, the Wall seeming to be much warmer than this and they'd only just entered the lands beyond it. Looking back at the bodies though he knew going back was not an option and so with four and ten other men he ran and hoped that he was running to a better life than the one he was leaving behind him.

Dreadfort 299 AC.

Domeric Bolton.

As much as he'd enjoyed the wedding at Winterfell, he'd looked forward to going back home. Domeric finding that he enjoyed being the Lord of the Dreadfort and the changes he and his wife were bringing to both the keep itself and the lands around them. When his father had passed he'd been surprised how little it had bothered him. They had never been close and he had never shared his father's ambitions about one day ruling the North. Which considering who Jon Snow had truly turned out to be was a good thing. It was however knowing that he'd never have been allowed to marry Myranda and realizing with his father dead that no one could stop him, that he'd concentrated on more.

He'd sent the request to her father, made the offer and it had been excepted almost immediately. They'd been married just as quickly much to his delight. His wife had then taken to the running the keep and to the life of a lady of a major lord even better than he had to being that lord. It was Myranda who saw the potential problem that Wintertown posed them well before he did. Domeric only then truly understanding that his father's way of ruling would have seen the end of their house. Smallfolk may stay if they have nowhere to go or they're afraid of what may be done to them if they leave. But if they all just pack up and leave your lands then the lands themselves become worthless.

So with his wife, they had toured their lands, spoken to their people, and promised them all a better life. Just as Wintertown promised it to them so would the Dreadfort, he had told the men and women under his protection. They already had the extra coin that came in from the deal his father had done with the Manderlys some years earlier. Domeric annoyed to find that most of it had been hoarded rather than spent on anything other than more men at arms. They'd begun to see to building work in the villages, had ordered in more food supplies both for now and for winter and his wife had even begun to see people were educated.

It wasn't quite what was on offer in Wintertown but it stopped people from leaving and over time more had even come back to their lands upon hearing of the new lord and lady. He'd also cooperated far more with his grandfather and aunt and expanded upon their deal with House Manderly too at Myranda's suggestion. That his grandfather and eventually his aunt had come around to see what he'd seen in his wife was also a boon he'd found. Especially with his aunt as Barbrey not getting along with her would have caused issues, as well as some pain on his part. Now as they finally rode through their own lands once more, Domeric couldn't remove the smile from his face, something his wife was quick to comment upon.

"What has my husband smiling so?" Myranda asked, his wife was riding alongside him rather than in a wheelhouse or carriage, another thing that had endeared her to his family.

"I was just thinking how glad I am to almost be home, I've missed our bed." he said hearing her giggle.

"Have you indeed, I'd not noticed it cooling your ardor any." she said cheekily making his laugh.

"I find my wife irresistible, I am but a man after all." Domeric said before leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"I thought the ceremonies were both nice, did you not?" Myranda asked confusing him for a moment before he realized it was the funerals and not the wedding she was speaking about.

"I did, you were right we had to be there." he said and she nodded at him.

"I believe your aunt much appreciated having you there, my love, you were able to bring her comfort that I don't think anyone else was." she said and he smiled at that, knowing that Barbrey had indeed wished him there.

It had been a surprise to him to find that the bodies of his uncle and great uncle were finally back in the North. The king himself delivering their bones and the bones of the other men who'd died at that accursed tower back to their families. When Myranda had suggested they ride to the Rills and to Barrowtown to see them put to rest, Domeric had balked. Though it was not yet fully winter, the weather was colder and they had a long way to ride from Winterfell to the Dreadfort as it was. However she insisted and when he told his grandfather and aunt that he wished to ride with them and see it done, he'd been surprised just how much it had affected his aunt. Myranda telling him later that Barbrey had come and thanked her for suggesting it.

They'd held two solemn services in each of the Godswoods and then both bodies had been buried with their families. Domeric had never seen his aunt the way she'd been when his uncle was finally laying amongst his kin. A sense of peace and contentment seemed to come over her and to his mind when they'd left she'd looked younger to him. As he thought about the funeral he began to feel the chill in the air and so he bid the men stop and set up camp. It was going to be a cold night and they had cover close by to rest at.

"There's still light my love, are you sure you wish to stop. I had thought you'd try and make it home by nightfall?" Myranda asked when they stopped and he helped her from her horse.

"We'd make it for sure but the last part of the ride would be in darkness and there's a chill in the air that I'd rather not ride in." Domeric said and she smiled at him before she moved to where the fire was being set up to begin to prepare their food.

She had no need to as they had men with them who could cook, though he had to admit that none came even close to Myranda in that regard. That his men also appreciated the warm stews she'd made them while on the road was evident in how keen they were to help her set up. Domeric finding himself smiling as he looked at her speaking to guard or servant alike as if they were the most important person in the world. It was something that had attracted to him right from the first moment he'd seen her. True she was a beauty, flirtatious and she could be devilish at times but it was how she interacted with people that he'd found fascinating.

His aunt said she was much like his mother in that regard, though Domeric's own memories of his mother were fleeting at best. If she had been like Myranda then it would explain how sour his father had become over the years though. He and his wife may only be married less than a year but he already knew that should he lose her then it would change him irrevocably. Tying his horse up, he took his place by the fire, and soon enough stories were being told and the strew was being dished out. Domeric eating two bowls and not being the only one and then finding himself unable to deny his wife when she asked him to play his harp.

They went to bed earlier than he would normally and he found to his delight it wasn't only his own ardor that had not been diminished by being away from their bed. His wife initiating their coupling almost as soon as they were under the covers. Upon waking the next morning, they quickly broke their fast and set off and reached the Dreadfort by midday. Even though they'd been so close he found that he believed himself right for stopping their ride the night before. Though after being welcomed by Steelshanks Walton who was waiting for him with a sour look on his face, he wasn't so certain.

"Welcome back my lord." Steelshanks said and Domeric looked at him carefully.

"What is it?" he asked and the captain of his guard bid him follow.

"A few of our men attacked some girls in the village, my lord, two were raped and one killed afore we heard. I sent the men out and we caught them though we lost a couple of good men to them in the fighting."

"Which men?" he asked.

"Sour Alyn, Luton, Skinner, and Grunt, there were others too but we killed them capturing these four." Walton said.

He followed the man to the cells and saw the men huddled up against one of the walls for heat. The four men begging him for mercy and pleading to be sent to the Wall. It disgusted him and though he knew that by rights he should offer them the choice, he could not. So turning he asked for men to be sent to the village and for the families of those hurt to be brought to him. When he spoke to Myranda she agreed and though it took another day, the families did arrive. Domeric watching as Myranda spoke to them and then as the men who'd raped and killed some of their loved ones were dragged out into the cold morning air.

"These things have taken much from you and nothing I can say can make up for that. By right men should be given the choice to forfeit their lives or their freedom, but these are not men. These are animals and animals have no rights." he said loudly.

"Please milord, mercy."

"Mercy."

He heard some of the men call out and he could see the looks on those they'd wronged faces, they were anything but merciful.

"I'll give you the same mercy you gave those girls, none." he said as the first man was bent over the block.

Four heads he took and he ordered them to put up on pikes before he turned around and spoke to those in the courtyard.

"My father no longer rules here and while he may have given leeway to men who committed such acts, I will not. Any man who harms or seeks to take advantage of the people under my protection, that is the fate that awaits you. Learn that lesson and learn it well or it could be your head that I remove from your shoulders." he said before turning to nod at the familes and make his way back into the keep.

Myranda came in a few moments later, finding him sitting at his desk in his solar. Domeric calm but upset as she sat down on his lap.

"Did you give them coin?" he asked.

"I did, they were surprised both by your generosity and that they received justice." she said.

"I am not my father." he said firmly and she kissed him.

"No, you're a better man than he and you'll be a better man to our child too." she said as he looked at her, his eyes wide as they traveled from her own and then down to her belly.

"For true?" he asked.

"Maester Tybald confirmed it this morning." she said and he kissed her deeply.

A babe, a son or daughter, his line continued, he found he couldn't shake the smile from his face for the rest of the day. The life he now leads was the one he'd wished for and had feared would never come to pass. He was the Lord of the Dreadfort, a married man and soon to be a father and he was happy, what more could any man ask for.

Highgarden 299 AC.

Ser Garlan.

He was not cut out for this, paperwork, seeing to supplies, making sure stocks were high and that they were prepared for winter. Garlan should be with his men and seeing they were prepared for whatever was to come. For all intents and purposes, he was the Warden of the South. True technically his father still held the title but he could override his orders should they run counter to his own and the Warden should not be dealing with grain and fruit and wine.

His father he'd found was not who truly dealt with such matters either, true he'd known Willas and his grandmother had practically run the Reach but he'd thought his father did more than he did. Instead, it seemed he was just the signatory or things, the public face of the Wardenship and now the same as Lord Paramount. His mother was a great help as was Leonette but it fell to him more times than not and he really didn't have the head for such things. They'd tried to tell him it was just like seeing his men were provisioned and ready and he supposed in some ways it was. But doing so for swords, armor, and horses kept his attention far more than doing so for food stocks.

After another failed attempt of making the books add up, he sighed and rose from his desk. Grabbing his sword, he made his way from the keep, and for the next two hours he spent it facing men in the sparring yard. Finally seeing some clarity coming to him as he did so. It at least allowed him to do more work in his solar later and to make some progress but he hoped that Willas or his grandmother would return soon or that things would at least get easier. Putting the books away he made his way to his rooms and changed for dinner, surprised when he couldn't find Leonette there and then leaving to seek her out.

"Have you seen my wife?" he asked one of the servants who directed him to his mother's rooms, Garlan making his way to them rather than the Great Hall which had been his direction.

When he entered the rooms he found Leonette and his mother were speaking in hushed whispers, Garlan annoyed when they stopped as soon as he was noticed. He walked over and placed a kiss on each of their cheeks before taking his seat, looking to Leonette to try and find any clue in her expression about what they were speaking about. There was none and it seemed as if they weren't going to tell him what it was either, though his mother did at least speak.

"Your father and I shall be heading to King's Landing on the morrow." his mother said and he looked at her incredulously.

"You've only been back for a few moons." he said.

"And now we shall leave for a few more." his mother said raising her eyebrow, Garlan shaking his head as she looked so much like his sister at that point.

"So now I'm to run Highgarden alone?" he asked annoyedly.

"Am I not here with you, my love?" Leonette said teasingly.

"Of course, but…"

"This cannot be helped, Garlan, I am needed in King's Landing and your father will wish to be with me." his mother said and he nodded.

"I need help mother, speak to grandmother or Willas but I need help, this…I'm not cut out for this." he said shrugging his shoulders.

"I will speak to your grandmother, though I doubt either she or Willas will be returning anytime soon." his mother said and he sighed.

Their dinner that night was a long one or it at least felt that way. Garlan not sure if that was because of his mood or simply knowing that they were leaving on the morrow. Even Leonette wasn't able to change how he felt and he barely ate or said more than two words during the entire meal. Though he was upset when it was over and then he found himself wishing it had gone longer still. He was however tired when they retired for the night, tired, worried and though his wife and he made love, it didn't make him feel any better other than briefly.

It was the same the next morning when they said their goodbyes, his mother and father leaving with a large accompaniment and Garlan finding himself feeling a little abandoned. Surprisingly when he sat down to do his work that day, it came somewhat easier to him. The books, the sums, ordering supplies, and writing missives all seeming to keep his attention for longer than it normally did. His mood, however, did not improve and so as he took his lunch with Leonette it was his wife who made most of the conversation. Something that annoyed her and eventually at least led to him finding out the reason for his mother and father's sudden departure.

"By the seven are you even listening to me?" Leonette said annoyed.

"What? I…"

"Garlan, what's wrong, my love?" she asked moving from her seat to sit beside him.

"It's nothing, this, mother and father I…they know I'm not cut out for this, yet they leave anyway, it's frustrating." he said as she took his hand in hers.

"I know my love, they had good reason, your mother especially."

"What reason?" he asked and she smiled at him before kissing his cheek.

"You're soon to be an uncle, Garlan. Margaery is with child." she said and he found his own smile soon on his face.

"For true?" he asked and she nodded "Have they announced it to the realm?"

"No, I believe they wish your mother and father there before they do so publicly."

It lifted his mood greatly, he still wasn't sure he could do the job of running the Reach but it did at least make him understand that it was up to him to do so, for now at least.

King's Landing 299 AC.

Palla.

She looked at the new dresses and called for her friends, Mara and Alise soon running over to her and the chests that she was standing in front of. Before any of them had a chance to take one and try it though, Selsa walked over and stopped them. Palla and both her friends looking at the woman and almost pleading with her to allow them to try them. After making her eyes as big as she could, Selsa finally relented and all three girls began to look through the chests. Palla finally finding the one that she wished for and then hurrying to try it on.

It was green with gold flowers on it, the colors of the queen and as she took off the one she was wearing and put it on, she found to her delight that it was just about perfect for her. She knew that Selsa would have fixed it had it not been, just as she had with the dress that now lay on the floor. Palla quickly picking it up and placing it on her bed before Selsa saw it there. Once she had, she ran quickly to the looking glass and stood in front of it, smiling at the reflection and thinking that she looked so very pretty in her new dress.

Her brown hair and golden brown eyes stood out and though she was only seven namedays old, she felt she looked like a lady. Selsa would tease her and say she looked like the queen but she knew that she did not. No one was as pretty as the queen to her mind and she should know as she'd met her more than once. True it was only twice and only briefly but she'd come to visit the orphanage and had even asked her and her friends what it was they wished for. Some had called for dolls and others for more candied fruits, but when Palla had spoken she had been surprised when the queen spoke back to her.

"A pretty dress like yours, your grace." she said, her voice soft and almost a whisper.

"What was that sweetling?" the queen asked and Palla felt like running and hiding, though the way the queen was looking at her wasn't scary and she seemed as if she wished her to reply, and since she was the queen, Palla knew she should.

"A pretty dress like yours, your grace." Palla said more firmly and when the queen smiled at her, she smiled back.

She had never imagined that they would actually come but a few days later the kind man that people called Ser Kisses arrived with some other men that carried some chests. Palla finding to her delight that there were dresses inside and that one was her size, or would be once Selsa fixed it. Though it was blue and not the green she wished for, it was still the prettiest dress she'd ever owned. No that was a lie, it was really the only dress she'd ever owned and now she had two. This one though was just like the queen's had been and so this was her favorite and she'd never take it off she swore. Or perhaps she would if more came, she thought with a giggle.

"Look Palla, it's so pretty." Alise said turning in her own dress, Mara soon behind her doing the same.

"So is yours, Mara." she said making the younger girl smile as each of them took turns in front of the looking glass.

"Girls, come it's time for your lessons and the queen has sent more of those candied fruits you all like so much. So do well and each of you may receive one before you head to bed tonight." Selsa said.

Palla wasn't as pleased with the lessons, reading, writing, sums, and learning to sew, well the last one she liked as one day she'd like to be able to make or mend pretty dresses just as Selsa could. She did however enjoy the candied fruits when they came, so she paid extra attention and when she saw Selsa smile at her, she felt she would be one of those who got a candied fruit before bedtime. Not that she could sleep when bedtime came, as Selsa had told them that both the king and queen would be coming to visit them in a few days. Palla hoped that The Ghost came too, he was soft and cuddly and he never bit you when you rubbed his fur.

Eventually, she felt her eyes become heavy and she knew she was falling asleep, the excitement of the day finally getting to her. The small smile on her face was one she now wore most nights as she dreamed about the morrow.

Portar Knott.

The bricks were heavy but he carried them anyway, the wheeled barrow making it far easier to carry more than one than simply putting them on his back. Who had come up with such an idea he didn't know but it made moving them far easier than it would otherwise. Usually, it was Dirk's job to bring the bricks but they'd now begun to teach him to make the bricks himself. Something that Portar looked forward to learning though it would be a while before he was moved to that.

At first, his job had been to bring water and food to the men and to fetch their tools and do as they bid. The longer he'd worked though the more he found that your job changed over time. Now another young boy was doing what he had started to do and he was doing what Dirk had been doing. You earned extra coin too depending on what you did and so he was more than happy that he'd been moved on. His mother and father were both unable to work as his father had hurt his back when he'd gotten on the wrong side of some Gold Cloaks a few years before and his mother was needed to look after his brothers and sisters.

Being the oldest at three and ten it had been left to him to earn coin. Portar had spent his early years as a pickpocket so they could eat though this had been before the new king and queen were crowned. Now his family ate regularly, they were giving clothing, and even had a healer they could go and see should any of his brothers and sisters fall ill. When the chance came for him to earn coin truly and without the risk of being arrested and sent to the Wall, he'd jumped at it. He knew his mother liked him doing this far more than the other and the coin he earned had helped them greatly.

"Lunch." the dour Jarden Lormer shouted out, Portar emptying out the last of his bricks out before he moved off with the other men to the tables that were already set up.

This was one of the other advantages of being a worker, not only did you earn coin but you got fed. Three meals a day he now ate on the site and it meant there was more to go around back at his home for the little ones, though Portar still took an apple or two with him when he would leave. He wasn't the only one to do so and at first, when Dirk suggested it to him, he'd shaken his head. This was too good a job to lose and he'd not risk it by stealing an apple or two. It was when Jarden told him that it was expected, that it was the reason they were given so much and while Portar at first hadn't been sure, he had found out it was true.

"Stew, gods look at that." Dirk said taking a seat beside him, the bowl of stew in his hand looked piping hot and the large chunk of bread looked delicious.

He hurried to grab his own and soon enough he was dipping the bread into the warm stew, the taste something he very much enjoyed. Once they'd eaten it was back to work and the day seemed to pass quickly. They stopped for dinner and then he waited for the man to come with their coin. Portar had expected they'd be paid only when the work was done or paid perhaps some in advance but each man was paid each day. A few coppers for fetching the tools, more for wheeling the barrow, more for making the bricks and he even saw one or two men receiving silver stags.

Not that he begrudged them it as they did the most dangerous work of all, working higher up the building than him. For now, he was glad for his own few coppers and he tried not to look jealousy at Dirks. His friend smiling at him and telling him that he'd be earning the same as him in a moon or so and Portar found himself hoping that moon went by quickly. They were just getting ready to head back to their homes when he saw it in the air. The white dragon flying over their heads had become a welcome sight to each of them on the site.

It told them that the king was in charge and it let them know that the life they now lived was here to stay. Portar looking to see the smiling faces of some of the men as they watched it fly towards the Dragonpit. He'd even gone there himself once or twice, just to see the dragon up close or as close as he would dare. Portar even being lucky enough one day to see the king himself climb onto the dragon's back before taking to the sky.

"Come, the day is done let's go home." Dirk said as Portar watched the white dragon fly out of view.

"Aye, the day is done." he said placing his coin in his pocket and following after Dirk as they walked through the streets and headed back to their homes.

Dragonstone 299 AC.

Rhaenix.

The Wall had been strange to her, she'd sensed just how much Rhaegal didn't wish to cross it and so had ensured that Jae let him fly back to Sandorix. She though, she wished to fly over it and felt no such worries, instead feeling an almost eagerness to fly and see the lands beyond it. Then again it had been her that had wished to go to Valyria too and though Lygaron had agreed to go with her, he'd not wished to and had no desire to return. Rhaenix did and she would, both she and Jae would return and they would bring them back, she knew they would.

As much as she'd enjoyed being Beyond the Wall, she had also enjoyed returning from there and had felt an almost call leading her back to Dragonstone. She'd been annoyed when they had stopped off at the Isle of Faces and had no desire to stay there even though Jae was. The magic of that place feeling at odds with her own magic for some reason. Jae and she had even argued about it, her brother not listening to her, annoyingly.

"This place feels wrong, Jae." she said.

"Not to me." he replied.

"We shouldn't stay here, you shouldn't stay here." she said and he looked deep into her eyes.

"I need to be here now and I need to return, Rhae, I..there are answers here." he said.

"I worry what those answers are little brother." she said rubbing her head against him.

She couldn't explain it, what it was other than the magic that felt wrong to her and she knew her stubborn fool of a brother would need more than that before he would listen to her. Rhaenix loved him truly, but he infuriated her at times, he was stubborn, careless and he thought himself right far too often. While she'd managed to get him to not risk himself as often as he would without her, he still risked himself far too much. Her brother still had a sense that others mattered more than he did and she had not been able to get it through his thick skull that he was so very wrong about that.

Jae had thankfully only stayed a night on the Isle of Faces and when they were flying back to King's Landing she felt it once again, a call, a need to go to Dragonstone. She had almost flown there with Jae and the others on her back but she instead had taken him where he wished to go. Rhaenix happy that he wished her to land outside the gates and as soon as they'd said their goodbyes she'd taken to the air and had flown to their island. Seeing Rhaegal and Sandorix there made her happy, the two dragons were both happy to see her also as she knew they missed Lygaron and Ellagon.

Rhaenix was asleep when she felt him, the man who had been a dragon once, a white dragon just like her and Jae. That he was not one anymore was clear to her and even from the ship, she could smell him and the corruption within him. When the horn blew she almost laughed at his audacity, as if she could be tamed by such a thing. Both Rhaegal and Sandorix looked to her annoyed as if to say, what is this thing that disturbs our sleep? The two dragons tried to ignore the noise but in the end decided their slumber had been disturbed and flew off to feed, while she instead flew towards the man with one eye.

Her first instinct had been to just let her flames wash over him, to see him burn for daring to try and take her from her brother. Then she had thought about eating him, tearing him apart with her teeth or her claws. Somewhere from deep within her though made her fight down her revulsion and allow him to climb onto her back. This man deserved to die and her brother would wish to see it. She heard him speak as they flew, his Valyrian almost feeling like a slap in the face to their lineage. This false dragon who had betrayed his family so fully and who dared to think she'd play her role in helping him do so even more.

"Hēnkirī īlon kessa udrāzma." (Together we shall rule).

"Daor vala, daor dārys kessa keligon īlva." (No man, no king shall stop us).

"Kesi Pōntoma Zālaza, se jēdrar se se tegor kessa sagon īlvon se mirre kessa obūljagon gō īlva." (We will burn them all, the skies and the lands will be ours and all will kneel before us.).

"Ao dohaeragon nyke sir." (You serve me now).

As she saw the walls of King's Landing come into view she wished to shout it from the top of her lungs, to scream it so that he and even the gods themselves could here. She was not his, she would never be his, a dragon was not and would never be a slave. Jae was her rider, they were two hearts and one soul and nothing or no one could ever come between them. Looking to the ground she saw her brother, the comparison to the man on her back one that did not need to be made and yet she made it still. Her brother was a dragon, a true dragon just like her, the White Dragon and when she heard him in her head she began to roar.

"Sir Rhaenix, gaomagon ziry sir." (Now Rhaenix, do it now). Jae said and Rhaenix began to spin in the air.

The man fell from her back and she watched as he plummeted to the ground, she felt a pitiful attempt when he tried to take her mind from her and she swatted it away as if he was but a fly. His power was pitiful, his magic incomparable to hers and her brothers and his end inevitable. Rhaenix landed when her brother had made sure the false dragon was dead and she felt her joy rise when Jae walked to her and leaned his head against her own. No words were needed between them, the two of them were as one and knew what the other felt. They were together, they would always be together.

King's Landing 299 AC.

Ser Alliser Thorne.

Recruiting men was easy, not only were they to be paid well but the thoughts of serving the king and queen was something that more than anything brought people to the tavern. He and Ser Jaremy both took turns asking men questions, finding that some had fought before but most were young men who had not. Within a moon, they had recruited over a thousand men. Alliser having to actually ask for some help with recruiting men who'd actually fought in more than one battle just so he would have enough skilled men to teach them all.

The next problem they had was to find a place to house the men, something he was glad that Ser Richard Lonmouth helped them with. The Master of Whisperers finding them two large buildings that could be converted into barracks and though it was rough going at first, in time it would be a decent place to live he thought. Ser Jaremy agreed as he and the other loyalists found the rooms they would be taken for themselves to be far more pleasant than the rooms they had while at the Wall.

As for the training itself, he decided to focus mainly on pikemen, even asking for and having one or two of the Princess's Unsullied stopping in to help train the men when the princess was in King's Landing. Ser Jaremy found some of the men that were able to wield other weapons with enough skill to be trained in them. Some with swords, maces, or morningstars and they even found some men who he believed could turn out to be decent bowmen if they spent enough time training.

When it came to equipment, he was amazed at how quickly he could get the men armed and uniformed. He simply asked and it was provided for him, though he was not as lucky when it came to horses. Both he and Ser Jaremy knew the advantage of both light and heavy cavalry and the standing army that the king wished for would need both. However, it was not to be for now at least as they had no place to either train them or to stable their horses and the men they were training had little experience riding.

"No, thrust and move, don't stay still, spin." he shouted at one of the men.

"Aye, that's is, to the side."

"Spin the pike."

He drilled the men in the morning, stopping so they could be fed before doing so once again in the evening. Once a week they were allowed to spend the day in the city. Some he knew went to the brothels and to the taverns, though he allowed them to drink in the barracks when they were not on duty. They had guards set up and he even had some of his better men do patrols of the city alongside the Gold Cloaks to gain experience. While Alliser wasn't certain if the king wished the Gold Cloaks and the standing army to be mixed, he thought it would be a good idea if they were and had resolved to bring it up when next they met with the king.

"Ser Alliser, join us." Jaremy said as he walked into what served as their common room.

"Aye, why not." he said accepting the ale his friend had brought to the table.

"Ser Richard dropped by earlier, you were bust with the men and I was here so I didn't call for you." Jaremy said.

"Aye, what did he want?" he asked curiously.

"He said we'll be moving to one of the manses soon, the king is purchasing one to serve as our training yards."

"Which one?" he asked moving forward in his seat.

"The one nearest the Iron Gate, I think he means for us to begin guarding the Iron and Dragon Gates too." Jaremy said and Alliser smiled.

"There is a stables there if I remember?" he said and Jaremy nodded.

"Maybe we can begin to form a cavalry, Jaremy. " Alliser said smiling broadly as he thought about it.

He made his way to the Manse the next morning, it was far too luxurious as it was and they'd need to almost rip out most of that luxury lest the men think life was too easy. But the large space would house more buildings and in time they could house more than two or three thousand men here. Looking to the Iron and Dragon Gate's he saw the Gold Cloaks that guarded them and he smirked. Either they would be under his command and part of the King's Army or in time they would cease to be needed and be replaced by his men. The dragons would not fall again he thought and then he swore it as he turned back to continue with his work.

The Lands of Always Winter 299 AC.

The Night King.

He had slept far longer than he had expected, waking only from time to time to look and order but never do. Those he had created to do his bidding, those like him but not him, he'd sent out and seen their numbers rise. Yet they had not been as successful as he had demanded them to be. It was not their fault, they were not him and he couldn't expect them to be.

When he had unleashed his full power and watched the fourteen flames answer to his will, he had believed it was done. Never had he expected that not only would the magic not be joined to his own but that he had failed. They had lived, they had escaped and he could not stop him from being born. All that magic had been wasted for nothing and all that time was lost when he could have been building the army and making his way into the world Beyond the Wall.

The time for slumber was now over and though he was not as he once had been, he was strong once again. He felt it running through him, the magic calling to him and he knew it was time to answer that call. Rising up from his throne he looked to those around him and raising his hand he pointed. South it was time for them to march and time to go South. Moving from the throne, he walked to the undead beast, an elk that was no match for the mount of the one who would face him. Though neither of their mounts could cross the Wall either way and so he still held the advantage.

Men were foolish, impulsive creatures and before he reached the Wall he knew that he would come to him. Alone and without his dragon and their fight would then be on his terms. His magic would be his, his life his to take, and the lands he sought to protect would fall. He had seen it, after all, dreamed it and though he had failed to stop him from being born, he would not fail to see him die. The time of the dragons was over and the army of dead were on the march, soon he and he alone would rule the lands of men.

A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. Up next Dany returns to King's Landing and has a conversation with Aurane and Jae. Aemon confides in Shiera about what he's found. Jae speaks to Bran and the Blackfish before he travels to Dragonstone and sings a song not heard for many a year and Margaery shares news with her husband that sends both him the realm into celebration while Sansa lays down some harsh truths to her granduncle.

Biohazard: So glad you liked it.

Celexys. Hardyng is one of those lords who almost is so arrogant that it's dangerous. I had thought of making it a bigger battle with Bloodraven and at one point I had a certain idea but I've decided to keep that in reserve for the battle to come against a more worthy foe. His dying almost pathetically in that he was so out of his element just works better I think. Sansa and the Blackfish are next.

Emerald duke: I felt it was the right time, an unexpected little extra issue given what Aemon found.

The Sphynx: Wonderful as always my friend.

Vfsnake: God I loved that line, it was just a really cool acknowledgment of a man checkmated. But yes, Bloodraven was playing a game that he'd already lost.

Victoria: Thanks so much my friend, really good to hear from you, hope all is well with you. With character deaths, they should IMO be meaningful and not just for shock reasons. I'm sorry to say we will be losing characters in the upcoming war, some that we very much love but it's how it needs to be, but simply killing them to create drama is for me not something that should be done. On the magical animal sides even more so. I've seen far too many stories kill Ghost or a dragon for no real reason other than it's shocking. Glad you liked the Bloodraven and the Dragonhorn part. We'll be taking another look into Dorne in a chapter or two and I hope you like the Rhaenix part here, we'll be seeing at least one more pov of her as we go. I much appreciate both your kinds words and your review and wish you all the very best.

Remi: C'est un beau changement. Il marche pratiquement sur la glace la plus fine du moment. Exactement, sa fin à certains égards, comme le dit Rhaenix ici, était inevitable. C'est drôle que vous disiez cela à propos de l'indignité de sa tentative de prendre le dragon à Jae, car Rhaenix le sentait vraiment indigne. Nous verrons sur la prophétie, c'est inconstant comme ça.

Mr2Lefgit2quit: It just felt like the right way to go with him, whoosh he's flying and he falls, just like he made others do to test them.

Jman: Bloodraven would be no match with a sword for Jae, as for Marge well it was the time after her and Jae's fight, the makeup afterward and so she forgot. He won't actually as he'll be more excited than anything.

Supremus: I love some quotes and that is a cool one, so I thought I'd use it as well as I could, glad you liked Bloodraven's end.

Anja: So very glad you liked it.

Guest: Had this been a different story then perhaps he gets a better end but he's really not the main villain or truly a threat, so it felt better to do it this way. I think sometimes people build those characters up too much and give them epic deaths which then diminishes things that come after. This happens with battles too. I mean if you endgame is a battle against the dead and you write this big epic battle against the Lannisters, it makes the end battle lose its oomph a bit.

Keb: Bloodraven was supposed to be that, in a little way this was my Indiana Jones shooting that guy with the sword moment. Hardyng is super arrogant and he doesn't have the power or strength to back him up, I mean Tywin Lannister is super arrogant but he has the Lannister army so he can be, Harrold certainly does not.

Femalefarrier: So very glad you've enjoyed it and thank you for the kind words. Jae does have two eggs that he found at Summerhall so there will be more dragons at some point, as for the mating, we'll see.

Anarchicmind: I had at one point intended it then decided to make it far more anticlimactic when I thought of the enemy to come, having that with Bloodraven limit's the battle against the NK who is a truer and much more powerful magic being.

Jessicanigtmarewolf: Exactly, whatever chances of before, certain are dramatically reduced now. Sandor meeting Harrold, damn I have to do that. I don't really think a dragon horn can logically work against a bonded dragon, it just doesn't make sense that there is something in Valyria that can take a dragon from its rider. I mean wouldn't the forty families who controlled dragons lose power if that was the way it could be done? Now against an unbounded or wild dragon then perhaps but one with a rider, no.

Lady Octarina: Or did Ghost sense that Margaery wished no one to know? I think also with Ghost though he reacts to Jae's own emotions even more keenly, him being upset over Joy kinda has him focussing on that and we didn't really see him after Jae left to go to the Wall. I with Marge also wanted it to be hinted, so when it was revealed you can go, I knew it, without it being too obvious. Harrold is in so much trouble when he gets back to the Vale, Anya will be pissed. Greed is a powerful thing, Bloodraven being clever may have targeted Shiera's dragon but he wanted the bigger more powerful one, and even had it would not have worked as you see from the Rhaenix section. Glad you liked the Blackfish/Malora part, it's funny when I write certain sections and they are a man and a woman, I almost go into shipper mode. I nearly did with Malora/BF only her own path stopping me lol.

Yeah, it just sucks to see that done, makes you want to curl up I feel. Like you can live with the death of a character far more easily, it may still hurt a little but seeing the dragons fall or Ghost die, no, that's just wrong.

Svenion: It did, I think you'd so win that bet, by the way, If Harry makes it to the Battle for the Dawn it'll be a Christmas miracle lol.

Moonlight echoes: I think he's one of those characters, a bit like Quentyn and a few others where you just see people have no desire to make him good, I now have to do so in at least one fic lol.

Creativo: Mucho, es tan malo que no puede conseguir otra póliza jejeje. El nuevo Raven no será el mismo que el anterior, muy diferente.

Zeon07: No worries, it's probably for the best you posted it here as I can reply. That's the thing, we see it with Jon in the show/books, he carries that scar with him for so long. In a way, Harrold kinda burst the bubble a little that Joy was in, so Jae had to pay that back. With the BF that's one of the key points I've tried to show with characters, some people may think he's wrong for feeling this way regarding Jae but it's a human feeling it's a true emotion and I think that while he's wrong he's also right in his way. With Benjen it's so rare to see him get any chance of a life once he goes to the Wall, we can see in some stories him getting a better life by not going, but not one once he does. So I wanted to do that here. We'll see with the prophecy and how Jae reacts, will he believe it? Will he carry it through? Or will he seek another way?

Silverglow: I couldn't resist the call-back to LOTR, you were right about the mummery. Harry is walking on very thin ice and we'll see more of that as we go. I'm not going to hold back on the reveal to Jae, so it'll be the next chapter. So very glad you liked it and I'll try and perhaps pm you on your other reviews.

Irish Hermit: I think so too, some people have that, this is the cards I was dealt kinda mentality and I think with Bloodraven, he'd play it out again and almost hope he got different cards at the end, rather than not play the game. Very much so, but at least it's a good shock this time, unlike the one that Aemon is soon to deliver. Harry has no real plan to get back at Jae and it's almost like one of those ridiculous ideas, I'll get you, type of thing. Now should an opportunity present itself, he'd be the guy you don't turn your back on, but can he really do anything, no, will he try, more than likely. She will but not for some time, Jae would probably scare them away, if not him, Balerion would lol.

Xan Merrick: Thank you, my friend, so very glad you liked it.

Ariel Night: I'm glad you at least stopped to work and sleep lol. Seriously thanks so much for taking the time to read it and I'm really pleased that you've enjoyed it enough to read it through.

One thing I've tried to show or get across with Jae all the way through is that he almost cares more about those around him than he does about himself. He is willing to do anything for them, so for him to sacrifice the woman he loves, well, we'll see. I had with Bloodraven when I started this a more epic battle and death planned, but the closer I got to the time of it the less it felt right for a couple of reasons. The first was he was outplayed and against a stronger opponent with the gods against him also and the second was that Jae is about to face a truer opponent in the NK. I felt that doing the epic battle here takes away from what's to come and so I went with the anti-climactic where you almost expect a bigger battle and then go, huh, guess he wasn't a threat after all.

Blackfish is smart enough not to lose his temper, so there's no fear of him saying something to Jae/Marge that he can't come back from. Even with Ned it was only because of his anger and hurt at the time, he's calmed since then and we'll see him and Sansa next, it'll be interesting I think.

On the characterization, that to me is the most important part, that over time you get to know the characters and almost can predict them, yes they do things you may not expect but they don't do things they'd never do. That was what was so annoying by the end of the show, characters weren't true to themselves and acted in a way that made no sense. On the ripple effect, that again is one of the biggest things I think that makes a story interesting. With Jon, the earlier in the story you change his life, the bigger the ripple later on. We see him in the show learn the truth so late that he never has the time to change, here he learns it early enough and it's added to a change in his situation that he over time changes into a different person, but still retains the same Jonness so to speak.

I think with Arthur, he's my favorite what-if character in that if he lives, things change, so it's fun to make him live. Yes you need to reach to make it happen, but in a story where we have people brought back from the dead, some of those reaches aren't huge.

Ghost is an issue, Jon with a dragon plays a role in almost split the time Ghost can be with him in half. When I send Ghost with other people it's supposed to be that Jon is with them, maybe I should emphasize that a bit more to make it clearer. So it's not so much him sent to guard them and loosening the bond between him and Jon, it's more the bond between him and Jon is why he's sent to guard them if that makes sense.