Truthfully, Stannis didn't really need to contemplate his options all that much. One way or another, he was going to need to ally with the dragon king if he wanted to live if, more importantly, he wanted his daughter to live and have a good life as she deserved. With the wildlings and the North no longer being an option to supply him with an army, he had no other options left. He'd spent what he could on sell swords to help fill in the ranks a bit more, but they could never be considered nearly as trustworthy as loyal bannermen.

Something he simply didn't have enough of.

He only had two paths if he were to instead decline the dragon princes offer, neither ending in his favor no matter what spells Melisandre may try to weave or prophecies of fire she attempted to see. Either he would come into direct conflict with the prince at the wall, where he would be swiftly decimated by the combined free folk and nights watch host, with two dragons helping along with their swift massacre. Or he could march south, where either the Bolton forces would destroy him in the name of the crown, or anyone else loyal to the Lannisters would destroy him.

There was no situation in which his bid for the throne could win at this point in time. It didn't matter if the red priestess screamed out to her god that he was the prince that was promised, it would not bring him the throne. It would not give him gold to pay for his armies, lords to swear their resources and men to his cause, food to feed the men that followed him, and in Westeros, all it would do is lessen his credibility and his bid. He had lost the game of thrones.

But he was not a fool, not like his detested sister in law. Playing the game didn't mean simply living or dying if you won or lost. He just needed to remove himself from the game, and support a different player.

"The nerve of the man to make such an offer!" They were all gathered together around a war map within a tent, Stannis standing in the middle while his commanders and lords went into an uproar at the gaul of the young king, the loudest of them currently being Lord Fell, the man turning to the thinking Stannis, "Your Grace, that fool of a pretender only has a horde of savages for an army. What are they to trained men armed in castle steel? The dragons he has will fall if we're able to plug it full of spears. We should end that boy and gain the support of the North by ending the reign of a dragon before it starts!"

Many were seemingly in agreement with this plan and line of thinking, with only a few dissenters grumbling in dissatisfaction at the idea. Likely both because it was a dishonorable plan to betray their hosts in such a way, and because they were capable of seeing the truth of the matter. They would gain no further support by doing such a thing, though sadly enough the ones that were capable of intelligent thought were seemingly outnumbered.

Luckily for them, Stannis himself was not an idiot, "And how would we do that exactly, considering he is within Castle Black? When these savages as you call them, also have giants to back them? To fight the Targaryen is to bring death upon us all, and you're a fucking fool for suggesting otherwise." At this they all fell silent, the Lord Fell reddening in embarrassment and looking away at the blunt criticism.

Seeing they had all settled from their little uproar, he went on ahead, "Lets face facts. Less then half of our men are here, and even if they all were, we'd still be heavily outnumbered in lands unfamiliar to us." Various lords and sell sword commanders started to shift about on their feet uncomfortably now, not looking at Stannis as they did, "Beyond the fact that we're outnumbered, we can't get more men. The North would scorn us if we killed Aenar Targaryen, a son of their beloved she-wolf, raised by their dear Eddard Stark. We either join, or we die."

Lord Fell spoke up once more, seemingly chastised as he looked back at the man who he would call king, "What of your daughter, then? Do you plan to demand he take her as his wife? To keep your house on the throne?" A logical question to be sure, and it was a plan that could bring a great benefit to his house and ensure that Roberts efforts weren't all entirely put to waste.

"We need him more than he needs us. If I were to make such a demand after what Robert did to his house, after what he continued to do, all I would invite is scorn. The offer he has given is more than what most would give." Stannis held no illusions as to what Aenar could do to him, considering the grand treason his house performed against his family. The Targaryens of old had wiped out other houses for less, and to be frank, so had the likes of house Lannister. None forgot the Rains of Castamere.

"Ya plan ta accept don't ya, your grace?" Unsurprisingly, it was Ser Davos who spoke up. His loyal hand didn't seem all that concerned, even if he still insisted on referring to him as his king. "Frankly, it seems like the smart choice ta me. Though I'm surprised you're going to kneel in the first place, you're one of the most stubborn men I've ever met after all."

He did not smile at his long time advisor, though he appreciated his speaking up, "Yes, I do. Its a generous offer, and it gives all of us a chance to survive and prosper. It gives all of our houses and families a chance to survive and prosper. " Though what he didn't say was that he would no longer need to push his claim and deal with all the problems that came with being the rightful king. He may be a man of duty, but that didn't mean he couldn't choose a less impossible one.

"Now, the question is, which of you are going to need to be sentenced to the wall for refusing to answer the call of your one true king, and which of you are going to heed that call?" To emphasize his point, Stannis unsheathed his sword and laid the flat of the blade on the table for them all to see.

He would tolerate no treason for his new king.


She wasn't quite sure what to do anymore. With her dragons having fled, and Jorah having been forced out to attempt a near impossible task due to the treason he had never admitted to her, she felt vulnerable. If Drogon at the least had stuck around she would've felt more safe, but unfortunately Daenarys didn't have him to keep her protected, even if he was still fairly young.

The unsullied guard had been doubled at the great pyramid as the presence of the sons of the harpy began to increase, the breaker of chains having increased the number of patrols as well as making sure that the number of men in these patrols was increased, to avoid them being ambushed by the dissatisfied harpies. A few patrols had gone missing due to such ambushes, later finding the remains of the men the next day.

To help satisfy those who were otherwise angered by her new rules and the changes she had brought in, she allowed a select few masters to retain some of their former slaves, under conditions to no longer make them wear collars and chains, and that on top of the previous conditions they would be given their own wage. Said conditions were readily agreed upon, effectively getting many slaves a home once more, adding pay on top of things. She had also brought back the fighting pits, as much as it rankled her to need these conditions to help satisfy the people.

More than a few of the former slaves had joined her army, being armed mostly with spears and trained by the unsullied. At this point a few thousand of Mereens former slaves had joined her army, having spent more time in Mereen than the other slave cities after taking them. Though only a few hundred had joined from Astapor and Yunkai, the mereneese were more eager to join her forces. Though it was a small percentage of those who had been freed, it certainly helped bolster her forces.

Being under threat of retaliation from other slave cities and having received rumors from travelers of the free cities preparing their armies, she had more weapons as well as catapults and scorpions commissioned to be placed on the walls to help ward off an attack by sea. She had plenty of gold to work with, considering how much had been stored in the pyramid and how much had been wasted on the likes of golden statues.

She had also made a point of refusing to marry, knowing the noblemen in Mereen wouldn't bring enough to the table to be worth marrying and could only be a threat to her rule, as precarious as it already was. It was all frustrating to say the least, the young queen sighing as she left her quarters to hold court once more. Sitting at the top of the stairs on the bench that served as her throne, Ser Barristan standing at the right of the thrones stairway. Two unsullied stood by the doorway, with another dozen lining the walls. Another half a dozen stood behind her, ensuring she was safe on all sides.

Dark bags under her eyes helped show just how exhausted the young ruler was to anyone who got close enough, Missandei helping to ensure she still appeared in a prim and proper condition so that she didn't seem to haggard before her subjects. As the first of those came through the door to make their pleas, she couldn't help but sigh.

She wasn't sure how much longer she could do this.


It had taken a week to create one, but the scorpion-ballista she had commissioned for creation by the various blacksmiths and woord workers of the city had been completed. She only had them create one, and had it brought within an isolated courtyard within the Red Keep so that the new weapon could be properly tested. The members of Tommens current small council as well as Tommen himself had gathered to see how well the potentially anti-dragon weapon worked.

Of course, the first thing they wanted to test was something a bit more soft, to see if the weapon would be worth using outside of dragon killing. Normally they left prisoners to be executed to Ser Gregor so he could use some of his pent up energy on a project that was a bit more positive, but considering his current state this was considered a good way to put the various rapers and killers to good use.

They all watched in silence as the weapon was loaded, three prisoners being lined up and held in place in the large weapons direct line of sight only a few meters away from the weapon itself. The panic was clear on all of them as they tried to force themselves out of the grips of the Lannister guards, the men in black and red stoic as they waited for the weapon test to begin.

Once the large weapon was loaded, the blonde Queen-Mother looked to the man operating the weapon, "Release."

The weapon was fired, the massive bolt launching while the guards holding the prisoners quickly backed away. The first man was easily pierced and near instantly killed as was the second, with the third nearly getting out of the way as the bolt took out a large chunk of his chest. The bolt slammed into the wall of the courtyard behind where the men had stood, cracks forming around it while the two prisoners it had skewered simply slumped over it, blood splattered behind them and spilling onto the ground below. The third body lay limp as blood pooled around it, eyes glassy and empty of life.

Tommen was silent and horrified as he witnessed the deaths, though the rest of the small council seemed awed by the weapon. Kevan approached it and laid a hand on top of it, "And so it seems my brother has lent us one more ace in the hole before his demise." He couldn't help but shake his head as he thought about the potential of the weapon, "This could help end a siege before it properly begins, or at the least inflict massive casualties before they get on top of the walls."

"Don't forget applications at sea, uncle." Jaime pitched in, his left hand held up to his chin as he clutched it in thought, "Battles on the coast would allow ships armed with such weapons to launch these large bolts into the rear of an army, or could be used to handle pirates before they had a chance to board. Though the amount of time and the cost for making one is a bit of a downside."

Cersei only waved off the concerns however as she eyed the weapon, knowing it held more uses than just use at sea and against armies, "What good would gold do us if a dragon were to arrive on our doorstep and burn the city to the ground? Besides, we'll still have plenty left after we've made enough to defend the city, at the least." Though there was obviously the intent to make more than just enough for the city.

Though she truly didn't care about the rest of the city as long as the keep itself was safe, "After all, do keep in mind the reports we found in my late fathers solar. Sightings of potential dragons that have already come to Westeros ahead of the dragon queen. If they were to take the time to grow before they struck at the city, I fear we may find ourselves defenseless with only archers to fight back. And I don't think any of us want to put our faith in a couple of arrows to kill dragons, do we?"

It was a rhetorical question, though they all still gave her a shake of the head in the negative. If they were able to find the dragons while they were still young and easily killed they would be safe, but that had to be done while they were relatively small. The last thing any of them needed was an unstoppably fire breathing lizard burning the kingdoms to the ground at its leisure, much less a pair of them.

"Cersei, these are all well and good, but how do we know they'll be able to kill a fully grown dragon? It cracked some stone, pierced some men, but a dragons hide and bones are stronger than any wall, and I don't think we want to rely on getting a lucky shot to the eye." Jaime was naturally skeptical. The only records of dead dragons besides the lucky shot in the eye came from either being killed by other dragons, being killed while they were young, or being heavily restrained.

And none of them wanted wild dragons having their way with the kingdoms for the next two hundred years. If such an event were to occur they were worried there would be no kingdoms left for anyone to rule.

"Its a good thing that we have another target ready to use to test the new weapon on to show that it can work on a dragon." As she said this, well over a dozen gold cloaks and lannister guards worked together to help bring to the courtyard the skull of the legendary black dragon Balerion.


Taking some time to himself within the Kings tower, Jon hadn't taken long to collapse once he was finally on his own, out of sight from any who might judge his current state of mind. Falling back against a wall, the once Snow slid to the floor as his direwolf approached him in silence, wrapping his giant form around his long term friend. Though Rhaegal couldn't physically join them in the tower, the green dragon made its presence known through their bond, sending what feelings of comfort and warmth it could. Viserion too did their best in comforting Jon, sending feelings of affection and pride.

It helped to have the sigils of both his parents houses accept and care for him, giving him a sense of belonging he had been wishing for for a long time. It was a lot to come to terms with, the realization of the grievous lie he had been told all throughout his life. Not of who his true parents were, though that revelation in and of itself had been painful, but what the realm thought of his father and the truth behind the matter. A match based on love, and yet now he was cursed as a raper and a kidnapper throughout the entirety of the seven kingdoms, his image of a kind man that cared for those less fortunate ruined.

The image of his mother, a woman made out to have been a kidnapped victim...

And despite knowing this, the man who had raised him, had made him his son in everything but name, had allowed it. He had taught allowed him to be taught that his own sire was a monster, instead of keeping him away from the subject at the very least. He understood why he may have never been told the truth in the first place, there was very little chance they could muster the forces to either take the throne in his name or even make a grand enough threat to keep peace between the throne and the North. And despite the stunt Robb and his bannermen had pulled, the North on its own wasn't rich enough or so strong that it could survive alone, not anymore.

Yet thinking about it, he had a feeling it wasn't just his protection Eddard had been worried about in the first place. He remembered how he had been told that he would be told of his mother the next time he saw the late Warden of the North, which if his uncle had survived, would've been long after he had taken his vows as a brother of the Nights Watch. After he would've removed himself as a potential claimant to the throne and a threat to Roberts reign, at least, that would've been the case. Now a bastard of the queen sat on the throne, and the members of the watch that were considered its leaders considered his vow null.

He sat alone within the tower for what seemed to be ages to the Targaryen, though it had only been a half hour in truth. He hadn't noticed the tears that had fallen from his eyes, tracking down his face as he silently let out his grief. He couldn't even stay mad at Eddard, knowing that all his uncle had tried to do was what he thought was right for both his family and his friend. Beyond that, he knew he was a man grown. That there were more important things to worry over than the truth of who his parents were, considering he had still been given a decent upbringing. That even if there were times he felt unwanted, he still had a family.

The surviving members of that family were a far bigger concern to him than the truth of who had brought him into this world. Keeping them safe from the threat beyond the wall, from the threats that now inhabited Winterfell, their home. From the vipers and rats that ruined lives in Kings Landing. He could tell a part of the reason why he was being brought to a more stable state was his dragons and direwolf, but he appreciated the help. Even without their help, he knew that he couldn't afford to wallow in his own self-pity.

Jon Snow rose from his spot against the wall, his wolf rising with him and ready to assist him to the best of his abilities. And so he left the room with his faithful companion, ready to be Aenar Targaryen. Ready to be a king.


Once more they all met within the Lord Commanders solar, with Stannis once more bringing all the lords that had sworn themselves to his calls along with the man he had chosen as his hand, though the storm crows commander was absent. Aenar had brought the same council as in their last meeting, with Sam being added on top of things, with Ser Alliser standing to his left and Aemon to his right, Sam standing right next to the current maester. The free folk stood more off to the side, observing the southerners with barely hidden distrust, with Tormund and Val having hands on their weapons in the event that a fight broke out. Mance showed a bit more restraint, even if it was clear from the way he looked at them that held no trust for Stannis and his men.

Aenar had brought Ghost into the room this time around, the direwolf standing behind him and looking over his shoulder at the men. Stannis, to his credit, seemed unbothered by the massive red eyed direwolf. Ser Davos was only a little bothered, eyeing the large wolf here and there, while the rest of the lords who had sworn themselves to Stannis seemed unnerved by it. Many kept their hands near the hilts of their swords, all seemingly waiting for Ghost to turn on them. He couldn't help but be somewhat amused by their reactions, and briefly considered asking Ghost to give a bit of a display before dismissing such a thought. He didn't need to scare off grown men at a professional meeting.

This time around, he decided to be the one that broke through the tension, "So, Lord Baratheon, have you finally made a decision? Do you wish to be stubborn and hang on to your pride, to go down a path of inevitable destruction? Or are you going to swallow that pride, the legendary Baratheon wrath, and kneel?" He was more bold and spoke with more authority, something that caught a majority of the men off guard. Stannis raised an eyebrow at him, his lip twitching. Ser Alliser couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping him while Aemon turned to his nephew and gave him a warm smile.

He was embracing being a king.

Never let it be said that Stannis was one to be easily surprised however, the last Baratheon brother nodding at the dark hair Targaryen, "Aye, that would be the case. I'll swear myself to your cause, long as you keep your word. I'll be lord of Storm's End, as was my birthright when Robert ascended to the throne. On top of that, I want to have a seat on your Small Council, as one of the first lords to swear themselves to your cause." A bid to be in the inner circle, to earn trust and be close to the king. If Aenar had to guess, it was also so he could keep a close eye on him to see if he would be like his Targaryen grandfather.

"I feel that is more than agreeable, on the condition that here and now, you and the men that supported you swear themselves to me and house Targaryen. To put me back on the throne and to keep my family there, to once more keep faith with the rightful rulers of the seven kingdoms. If you do, then you'll be named as a part of my council." If he didn't and he ended up having a problem with swearing fealty then and there, then he would know not to lend all his trust to Stannis, as useful as an advisor he may be. Especially in battle.

Stannis looked around behind him at the lords who had followed him, and nodded at them. Taking the lead, Stannis kneeled before the last of the male Targaryen claimants, with Ser Davos not far behind. After a moment of hesitation, the rest of the lords slowly began to follow their lead, though they bowed their heads in submission on top of kneeling to Aenar. Stannis kept his eyes locked on the dark haired man as he spoke, "I swear myself and my house to the support of House Targaryen. To Aenar Targaryen, the first of his name. Rightful king of the westeros, the Andals, Rhoynar, and the first men, protector of the realm, and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. All hail Aener Targaryen!"

"All hail Aenar Targaryen!" Echoed throughout the solar.

Looking down upon Stannis, Aenar laid a hand on his shoulder, "Then rise. Rise as Stannis Baratheon, Lord of Storms End. Master of Laws, and advisor to the king, and my loyal vassal." And as he bid him, Stannis rose before him, with the rest of his lords following behind him. As he rose, he could see that there was a certain light within the older mans eyes that had been put out before. He stood tall, his shoulders held back as he looked upon the king he would now serve for the rest of his days. It was there that Aenar knew his chances of winning back the throne had just risen astronomically.

Looking around at his more reluctant vassals, he pointed them towards the door, "With the exceptions of Lord Stannis and Ser Davos, you are all dismissed. Spread the word to the rest of your men, and prepare for the arrival of the rest of your army. Or rather our army." They didn't need much convincing, the group of lords leaving the room. A few of his more fanatical men such as Lord Fell hesitated on the way out, but they left nonetheless without any further prodding. Once the door was closed and they were alone, Jon waved over the free folk that had made themselves distant, "Its time we start talking strategy."

Stannis seemed to be in agreement, Aenar pulling a longer table with a map of Westeros on it away from the wall, having pushed it there in the first place to make sure there was enough room for Stannis and his men. They all gathered around the table, though Aemon didn't bother approaching. He could hear well enough from where he was, and there was no need for him to try and look at the map. Though as they gathered, Stannis tossed his head Ser Davos' way, "Why have you asked Ser Davos to stay? Got any reason?"

"Figured he was your hand for a reason and that he could offer some useful advice, serve as a decent advisor." After noting that Stannis seemed satisfied with the answer given, he turned his attention back towards the large map of Westeros, more importantly keeping his eyes on the North for the time being. "With the addition of you and your men, we should be able to more than match the amount of men Lord Bolton has under his command, and that's if we don't gain the support of the other northern houses. The question is, who do we approach first?"

Looking over the map, Stannis first pointed to White Harbor, "The Manderly's are one of the most well off group of lords in the North, and are loyal to the Starks. You may not be a Stark in name, but their blood runs through your veins all the same. I would also send a raven off to the Umbers, as well as various smaller houses to make a statement. The Mormonts, the Forrestors, the Cerwyns. Houses loyal to their rightful lords. If you can begin swinging them to your cause, more will follow. Considering the current size of our army, it would be in their best interests to join. Help the winning team, or be known as the spectators while the traitors were forced out of Winterfell."

Of course, another thing to consider was the reputation they would already have by Stannis joining their cause. That alone would send a powerful message, and help enforce the threat his army would be with the dower man as one of his commanders, "That will be a good start. Sam, if you wouldn't mind sending out the ravens telling them we'll be visiting their keeps to discuss matters of fealty in person. The first ravens will go out to Last Hearth and White Harbor respectively, I want you to write up the letters for the other keeps but don't send them yet. I want the definitive answers before I start seeking out the rest of the lords."

As his best friend nodded at him and began to make his way out of the room, Aenar spoke up before he would be out of hearing range, "Oh, and before you go from here on out, you're relieved of your vows to the Nights Watch. You were forced to go here on unfair terms, you won't be forced to stay when you shouldn't have been sent here in the first place." Samwell stopped before he reached the door and turned to his old friend with shocked, wide eyes.

The Tarly seemed unsure of what to say, only to bow to his friend and stammer out an answer, "T-thank you, your grace! That means a lot to me now I can be with Gilly and, well, I know the other brothers have violated such vows before but, now I won't have to worry about being one and," He stopped himself upon noticing all eyes were now on him, the man quickly feeling embarrassed at having rambled on again, "Well, anyways, thank you, your grace."

Aenar only gave his friend a fond smile as he rushed out the door, with Stannis and Ser Alliser looking a bit skeptical at his decision. Alliser was the one who spoke up however, "Are you sure that was a wise idea, your grace? By releasing him from his vows, it stands to reason that more will want the same and even expect it." Though he had sworn himself to his cause, Ser Allisers eyes occasionally flickered to Stannis. He wasn't the only one to distrust him, the free folk in the meeting having kept a close eye on him the entire time.

"That's a shame, it means they'll only end up being disappointed then. Now, if that's all, I think its about time we have dinner. We'll refrain from talking of strategy when it comes to taking Winterfell until we know who will be ready to support our cause." With that, Aenar backed away from the table. The new king intended to spend some time with his dragons and wolf, though this time around, he intended to do so away from the prying eyes that could be found around Castle Black.

He just had this feeling that the dragons and Ghost would be more than fine with such an idea.


So unsurprisingly Stannis joins Jon, and is made a member of his council. Considering there is no official master of war position or the like, I feel he's exactly where he should be. Its always commented on how Stannis is a fair man, even by Ser Davos. How he's fair and just. I feel Renly being the master of law was a complete waste, and Stannis is a perfect fit.

No actual plans to take Winterfell, considering they don't have full stock of the situation yet. There has yet to be a letter as well, considering Ramsay has yet to kill Roose and news of the free folk being let through would take a bit to reach them, considering they have only just been allowed through. Though I can assure you, we will be getting a glimpse of Winterfell very soon.

PS: Imma go a more sensible route with the Smalljon

We got a small glimpse at what's goin on with Dany, who is handling the situation as best as she can. With none of her dragons staying around her, she has been left extremely vulnerable as mentioned before, and is very open to retaliation. A decent amount of former slaves are joining her forces, which is a good thing considering this gives them a place to go. Allowing slaves to reunite with the masters, under the condition of having no shackles and actually being given a wage, essentially makes them household servants. Though this only applies to certain cases. Plus, no useless marriage that can only make things more difficult for her.

And of course, a tiny glimpse at the scorpion. In the show, a few hundred of these things just pop out of the wood work, though there is a lot of problems with that. Not only does it take a lot of time to create them, especially considering the workers of KL would be unfamiliar with them, but siege weapons ain't cheap, and scorpions (Or more accurately scorpion ballista in this case) Aint cheap. To create so many so quickly would be ludicrous. So a prototype has been made and that took about a week, which also means more testing versions will be made.

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully I won't be too long next time.