Seventh Month of 232 A.L. Starpike

King Maekar I Targaryen

War was something Maekar had come to despise, it seemed never ending and it sucked away all the joy from life. Watching the darkest elements of the human conscious come to life before your very eyes time and time again was enough to make anyone grow weary. The fact that it seemed that warring and smashing someone's head in with his mace appeared to be the only thing he was relatively good at completely sucked the joy away from anything in his life. This damnable war with the Peakes and their allies had dragged on for nearly a year now, what had started off with minor disobedience on the part of the Peakes, had turned into a full blown war. Mainly because Maekar was tired of letting the Peakes get away with something that should have seen them ended when Daemon's corpse was still fresh in the ground, on that count he shared a similar opinion with Bloodraven. There had been fighting at first, between Maekar's forces from the Crownlands and those forces belonging to the Costaynes and the Appleton's, the Appletons were all dead now though Maekar had ensured that, the Costaynes had retreated to Starpike and the Rowans had come marching alongside men led by Ser Malcolm Tyrell and as such there had been chaos.

The last four months though had been a siege, the Peakes and their allies were all inside Starpike and as such Maekar had had his men cut down any attempts at them asking for outside help. Their food and supplies had been taken from their lands and used to feed Maekar's own men. Of course now he sensed that perhaps the Peakes might be crumbling under pressure, either that or the Tyrells were finally about to betray him. He looked around the command tent and saw battered and weary faces, winter had been harsh to them all. He spoke then his voice sounding tired to his own ears. "Well my lords, what news has there been? Will Otto Tyrell finally bestir himself from his gods damned castle and fight with or against us?"

Aegon spoke then. "Our scouts report that Lord Otto has indeed finally made up his mind, and was seen marching from Highgarden with some 8,000 men amongst them Tarly and Redwyne and Florent, with a black dragon banner flapping alongside the roses. It would appear we are now surrounding here."

"Even the Florents have sided with the black dragon?" Lord Beesbury bemoaned. "Then we know that we are truly done for. We cannot hope to beat that force now. The Reacherlords will soon all flock to Tyrell's banners and we shall be left stranded here. I say we retreat back to King's Landing Your Grace and plan our next move."

Maekar's eyes narrowed and he looked at Beesbury with ill conceived loathing. "Retreat? No we shall not retreat. If we were to do such a thing, then we would be sending a clear message to Peake and his allies. That we believe them too strong for us to beat them. That is not the case, Florent is nothing if not ambitious likely he will rally his own lords and allies to betray Tyrell. We remain and we break the Peakes and their allies on the battlefield."

There was some cheering at that but then Lord Alyn Stokeworth spoke up and asked. "And what if the Tyrells should come upon us whilst the Peakes and their allies remained shut up in their castle? What if the Florents and their allies do nothing but sit there and remain the foxes they have always been?"

Maekar felt his neck beginning to pain and he wished more than anything that Naerys was there to soothe it, but she was dead now, four months dead whilst he had been waging war. He sighed. "Then we shall stand true and fight them, I will not budge from this matter my lords. I would rather die a mace in my hand than flee a coward with my tail between my legs. I am a dragon not some whipped cur."

His lords cheered at his words, and then Aegon asked. "Very well then Your Grace. Who has the command of the forces then?"

Maekar was silent a moment and then said. "Lord Stokeworth, you shall command the left. Aegon the centre. Lord Rosby the right and I shall command the Van." There is some mumbling at that and then Maekar says. "Now if we are done here, I wish to have a word with my son before we march out."

Once the other lords have filed out, Maekar looks at his son and says. "Whatever you think you want to say, do not say it. I have made my choice, if I am to die I would rather die now doing what I am good at than wither away waiting for the Blackfyres to come knocking at King's Landing."

"I wasn't going to say anything about that father. I merely wanted to ask, if you had had word back from Lord Celtigar yet?" his son replied.

Maekar sighed. "Nothing as of yet, though from my tent this morning it did seem as if the Peakes were beginning to lumber out of their stupor"

His son nods and then gets up and leaves, leaving Maekar to his thoughts and the darkness that plagues them. Later on as the sun is at its highest, he is mounted and armoured, Ser Roland Crakehall and Ser Ryman Darry of the Kingsguard by his side, waiting for the sounds of horns or any sign of movement from Starpike. Eventually his patience runs out and he turns to Ser Roland and tells him. "Sound the damn horn, and let us get this over with." The man does just that, and he watches as Aegon and the centre charge with battering rams smashing into the castle. They must break down the castle gates, for soon enough they are gone and other men are pouring out. Maekar spurs his horse and leads the charge of the Van.

He swings his mace left, right and centre, and brings down many a man, his mace soon getting covered in blood and dirt, and he pushes on. Men fall like flies as he swats them away, on he pushes swinging and swinging, he takes a few blows of his own, and feels winded after each of them, and yet still he pushes on towards the castle itself. When he gets near to the walls, he swings and swings and then suddenly, he feels a crushing weight fall on him and blackness. Maekar Targaryen, felled by a boulder hurled from the top of Starpike. He had died in battle, but chaos would follow his death.

Ninth Month of 232 A.L. Wolf's Den

Ser Aegor Rivers

The north was not as barren and as frozen as he had been led to believe growing up. In fact it was rather more pleasant than all that. The people were hard and often could be cold, but that was just how they needed to be especially after a long hard winter and a long civil war. Aegor appreciated that, and he also appreciated that they could still be friendly and kind towards him and his men despite all that had happened to them. He also respected how much they respected and admired Lord Brandon Stark, the man was a good lord, smart and pragmatic, he put the needs of his people before his own needs, and he seemed dedicated to making sure the north was healed before war was once again called. And that was something Aegor could respect. However, being in the north only made him yearn for Stone Hedge and King's Landing all the more, now that he was so close all he wanted to do was go home, and yet there was more that needed to be done, more planning and plotting.

The north had made its support for the Blackfyre cause official, Lord Brandon and his lords had come to the Wolf's Den and bent the knee officially and properly to Aegor's great nephew Baelon, and the boy had accepted them with the same easy grace and charm that his grandfather Daemon would have. The boy was smart and cunning and he knew how to wield a sword, though he seemed to prefer a hammer. Still it made no matter, he knew what was expected of him and as such often listened to council and then interpreted in his own way. Aegor knew the boy would make a good, perhaps even a great king and he looked forward to seeing him on the throne.

Of course, now though Lord Brandon and Ser Adam Woolfield, as well as Lord Hothar Dustin had come to the Wolf's Den to meet with Aegor and the King to discuss various matters. Lord Brandon spoke first. "I will skip the pleasantries Your Grace, and get straight down to business. I have spoken with various lords under my control and we feel that though the north could do with another five years of peace, should you march southwards now, we would join you with perhaps 12,000 men."

"That is better than we had thought my lord." Aegor said. "Which lords would march with you?"

Lord Brandon was silent for a moment and then said. "Apart from myself, Ser Adam and the men from White Harbour, Lords Dustin, Ryswell and their men. Hornwood and Karstark as well. I will leave Lord Umber and the mountain clans here, and I shall come back and deal with them once the time comes. Apart from that I fear that I shall not be able to ask more men, as there would likely be some muttering about it all."

Baelon spoke then. "That is good, and is all we can ask of you at this point my lord. Now there are some matters from the south that I feel we should discuss. As they shall concern you as well my lord."

Lord Brandon looked intrigued at that, and Aegor took up the tale. "Our sources in the north have reported that the war between Maekar Targaryen and the Peakes has come to an end. King Maekar was killed by a boulder falling on top of him, and though his son managed to send the war, they suffered a lot of losses. The Peakes were spared any sort of punishment as far as we can tell, though the lad retreated to King's Landing before the Tyrells could come in. And now our sources in the boy's army report that a Great Council has been called to determine who the new king on the throne should be."

"They have called a great council?" Lord Hothar Dustin exclaimed. "Are they mad? Surely by all the laws of gods and men, Prince Maegor, Maekar's grandson is now the Targaryen King? What is the need for this great council?"

Lord Brandon spoke then. "Well we all know what Prince Aerion was like, even before his death the boy was mad, and insane enough to think that he was a dragon in human form. Prince Daeron left behind a lack witted daughter, and then there are the two sons of Maekar, Aemon and Aegon. There will be worries that Maegor will be just like his father, and with the weakening support for the Targaryens I do not think the council or their supporters truly want a child on the throne, who could be half mad. So they will take the throne now to Aemon."

"They are already doing this," Aegor said. "My sources report that Aemon Targaryen has been summoned from Dragonstone and has been asked to preside over the meetings. As has Bloodraven."

At that there was a tense silence in the room, before Lord Brandon asked. "And do you intend to do about this? I suppose they have not sent ravens to you asking for your thoughts on the matter?"

Aegor laughed then. "No, no they have not. But that is something I am not too surprised about when you consider the lords of the council are crownlanders and men from the Vale, and Dorne. Lord Tully has not stirred from Riverrun to attend, and Lord Tyrell has sent a raven informing us that he will declare for us should we make our intent clear."

Lord Brandon nodded and then asked. "And what of the Lannisters? What are those golden haired lords doing?"

Aegor was silent a moment and then said. "Lord Gerold sits and does nothing whilst Elyn Reyne calls the shots in the Rock alongside her husband Tybald or is it Tion I forget now. But I do think the Westerlands will declare for us should we march."

"So do you intend to declare war or march for King's Landing?" Ser Adam asks.

Baelon speaks then. "We ride for King's Landing and we put to rights what should have happened at Redgrass all those years ago."