The Winter King
Chapter 25: Dragonstone
Harry quickly enters the Riverrun where the war council was being conducted. However, news had reached both Harry's network and Lord Baelish network that Daenerys Targaryen has finally begun her invasion of the Seven Kingdoms.
"How long has she been in the Stormlands?" Harry asked as he enters the Tully's, Great Hall.
"She arrived just a week ago. According to Lord Baelish, she is meeting with her Lords and her allies." Ser Bryden Tully said.
"We could be looking at a dangerous fight. She alone has over a hundred and eighty thousand men. The Tyrell's have between forty to sixty thousand men. Dorne has around close to five thousand, maybe ten thousand men." Jon said.
"This gives the Mother of Dragons the largest army in all of Westeros," Blackfish stated.
"Her army is far larger than ours," Jon said.
"Number doesn't guarantee victory. In the early stages of the war, King Robb Stark won every battle by outwitting the Lannister's. Daenerys Targaryen has impressive numbers. That doesn't mean she has victory. She will find Westeros is much different than the streets of Meereen. Though I'm surprised Dorne and the Reach has aligned with her. Varys work no doubt. After what Cersei has done, she is surrounded by enemies on all sides. She has no allies or support left." Harry said.
"Aye, Cersei Lannister days are numbered. She is still dangerous, however." Jon said.
"Indeed she is. Which is why we need to move quickly." Harry said as he leans over the table to look over the map.
Harry grabs the chest pieces and places the wolf heads all across the Riverlands. Also placing them in the Vale and the North. He went on to place lion heads in the Crownlands and Westerlands. Then he places dragon heads in the Reach, Dorne, and the Stormlands.
"We have a total of a hundred sixty thousand men. They're spread out from the North to the Riverlands. However, there is a good chance we'll be called back to the North to fight in the Great War. We have a chance and our best chance is to side with Daenerys Targaryen. That's if she wise and would not rather risk a battle with us." Harry said.
"There is the chance we'll be fighting the Mother of Dragons." Lord Edmure said.
"Aye, there is. However, I'm sure Lord Tyrion and Lord Varys are both warning her that I am no enemy she does not want to have." Harry said.
"Your reputation is legendary. She must have heard of you. I think the first thing she'll do is see if she can gain your allegiances." Ser Bryden Tully said.
"I agree, your reputation Harry is unbelievable. You've never been defeated and you've had great odds against you and always come out on top. She knows you're perhaps the greatest swordsman in the North, if not in all of Westeros." Jon said.
Harry grabs a wolf head and looks at it.
"We need a strategic advantage over both Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister. Something that they cannot ignore yet can do very little about." Harry said as he places the wolf head on an island in Blackwater Bay. "We have to move quickly and seize Dragonstone Island. This will allow our ships to have a safe anchor while also gives us a striking distance to King's Landing. This way, we can force a two-front war with Cersei Lannister. Also while we're there, we can start configuring Dragonglass spear and arrowheads." Harry said.
"Dragonstone. Stannis headquarters during his quest to claim the Iron Throne." Ser Davos said.
"Then you're familiar with it," Harry said. "I'll take half my Rangers to Dragonstone. As well as half our fleet. We need to start pressuring Cersei into submission. Though I suspect we may have to kill her to end the war." Harry said.
"Sail quickly, no doubt once the Iron Throne hears we have Dragonstone, they'll attempt to push us out," Jon said.
"I know, I have a plan. Once Dragonstone is under our control we can start preparing for King's Landing." Harry said.
"Go quickly. We need every advantage we can get." Jon said.
Harry nods his head and as he turns around and takes off.
Daenerys Targaryen sat in the war room with her supporters.
"Well now, this is an interesting development." The Hand of the Queen, Tyrion Lannister said.
She knew what he was talking about. The return of the Northern Kingdom. Reports were coming in that they were preparing for their second war to separate from the Iron Throne. Reports came in suggesting the Northern Kingdoms army was over a hundred thousand strong. Perhaps more. Varys, her spymaster was trying to find out their accurate numbers. That's not what disturbed her.
It was the men leading them that caused her to worry.
Harry Stark. The Winter King and for over six years he has never been defeated or lost a battle. Some claim he was the greatest swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms. A brilliant military commander. He defeated a much larger Lannister army when he was outnumbered five to one, then he crushed the Bolton's in battle after luring them away from Winterfell and into a trap. Then he helped his brother in reforming the Northern Kingdom.
It was his brother that was also the problem. Rumors have reached her ears about Jon Snow. The King of the North. Jon Snow, the trueborn son of Lyanna Stark and her elder brother, Rhaegar Targaryen. Meaning he was next in line for the Iron Throne.
She had the support of Dorne and the Reach if she helped crushed the Lannister's. However, she could easily lose their support since the North was at war with the Lannister's and would crush them as well. If that happens, she would lose the support of two great houses. Even her Hand was showing he was worried. It would eventually mean war with the North to claim the Iron Throne before Jon Snow could claim it.
"Ser Barristan, are the rumors true?" Daenerys asks her bodyguard.
Ser Barristan Selmy sighs as she steps forward.
"It's possible Your Grace. Ser Arthur Dayne and Lord Commander Gerold Hightower were not at the Battle of the Trident with Rhaegar. I know Rhaegar gave them orders and they followed them. They were loyal to your brother Your Grace and would have followed his orders even if it meant death. From what I heard, Lord Eddard Stark and his bannermen defeated them. There was one thing that confused me, Your Grace. It was said before Lord Stark could rescue his sister, they killed her by poison. Now the rumors are saying she died from childbirth. So it's quite possible that Jon Snow is your maternal nephew." Ser Barristan said.
This was not the news she wanted to hear. She was hoping to hear it was a lie and the North was trying to usurp the throne from her. This gave the North great political leverage against her as they had a legitimate reason to put Jon Snow on the Throne. She still had the Unsullied and Dothraki at her side as well as three dragons. She also had Ser Barristan Selmy and Ser Jorah Mormont at her side. Two experienced commanders to lead her army. Yet this Harry Stark, the stories of his success made her very wary of him. Something told her, that he had a plan in dealing with her and her horde, her hundreds of thousand of men, wouldn't stop him.
Ser Jorah Mormont never heard of Harry Stark. Only that the Starks were a Great House of the North, the largest of the Seven Kingdoms and could easily fit the all six Kingdoms inside it.
It was Varys who gave her the answer.
Harry Stark was the adoptive son of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn Stark. His true origins were unknown only that he knew that Lord Stark took Harry in and raised him as a son. Taught him politics, sword fighting, and military strategy.
It was clear that Lord Eddard Stark taught him well because now he was one of the most dangerous men in all of Westeros.
In the early stages of the war he helped King Robb Stark with his strategies and pushed the Lannister's out the Riverlands; even killing and capturing many Lannister men and officers. For a strange reason, he wasn't at the Red Wedding. It was only after the Red Wedding his army named him King of the North and took the fight to the Bolton's and Frey's for their betrayal. Tywin Lannister seemed to have realized the threat of the Winter King when he defeated ten thousand men and sent their heads back to Casterly Rock. Tywin Lannister reached out to the Reach and the Lannister forces along with the Frey's and Bolton's to defeat the Winter King. He bought Sellswords as well and had a force of over a hundred thousand strong.
Only to be defeated by a merger force of twenty thousand.
Details were vague on what happened, but Varys and Tyrion told her that the Winter King despite his lesser numbers, manage to outflank and trap the Lannister forces. He barely suffered a hundred men lost but he nearly killed the entire Lannister forces. Barely a couple hundred were able to escape the trap.
This victory sent warning bells all across the Seven Kingdoms. They suddenly realize the Northern Kingdom dream of Independence was not over. They could, in fact, win the war.
He would then attack Karstarks and Bolton's for their betrayal to House Stark. It was only recently, House Bolton and House Frey ended. House Frey was rumored to have been wiped out. The entire family was killed in retaliation for the Red Wedding.
"You think we could enter another stage of civil war?" Tyrion said.
"We don't have to fight the Northern Kingdom. We could enter an alliance with them. Or at the very least, have a truce with them." Ser Barristan said.
"The North is not as weak as many suspects. They may, in fact, be one of the strongest factions in the war. They certainly have the military might to hold their own. They also have experience men of war at their side." Tyrion said.
"That's not the only thing." Jorah Mormont said. "Khaleesi, the men fighting under them and those who lead them are veterans and understand how to fight their battles. The odds are not in our favor."
"They have never seen the Unsullied fight." Grey Worm said proudly.
"You are the one who is underestimating the North." Jorah Mormont said. "Being train is one thing. Having experience in battle is another. Unsullied are trained well to fight without fear. However, the Unsullied have yet to be truly tested in the field of battle. The North has been tested in the field of battle. They've won all their battles as well. Harry Stark also knows how to fight his battles and form strategies. We should approach with caution in dealings with the North."
"You think they can beat me? I have three dragons." Daenerys stated calmly.
"No, Your Grace. Ser Jorah Mormont is right. An opponent as the Winter King should not be taken lightly. There is the chance, that he has something planned for your dragons. We should make contact with the North and at least try to form an alliance with them. If not, then at least a truce between us." Ser Barristan said.
"Agreed, the Winter King has never lost a battle and he is Lord Commander of the Northern Army. This makes him the primary strategist of the North. It would be wise to never underestimate him. We must assume he's already a step ahead of us and is planning something to defeat us." Tyrion said.
"Like what?" Daenerys asks.
Tyrion looks at the map. Trying to figure out what the Winter King was up to. Then he spotted it. The answer was obvious.
"I must apologize, Your Grace," Tyrion said.
"For what?" Daenerys asks.
"I've made a grave tactical error. Now that the Winter King knows you're here… he'll be setting his sights on Dragonstone. This gives him a strategic value is will assist in his military campaign. Dragonstone is a fortress one of great value. If I have to guess, he's on his way there now." Tyrion said.
Everyone looks at the map of the ancestral home of the Targaryens.
"Should we try to get on our ships and take Dragonstone before they take it?" Missandei asks.
"It would take us a day, two tops to get there. They're in Riverrun, it would take them half a day to reach Dragonstone." Ser Jorah Mormont said.
"At least let's meet with the North. Perhaps we could come to an agreement." Tyrion said.
"Where are they located?" Daenerys asked.
"I have little birds looking for them as we speak. Right now, they're hosted up in Riverrun, but the army could be marching off any day now." Varys said.
"See to it that one of your birds get a message to the North," Daenerys said.
Her advisors nod their heads as they begin to prepare for war with the Lannisters.
Cersei Lannister was standing in the middle of her courtyard. Qyburn, her Hand to the Queen, stands behind her.
"What news?" Cersei asked.
"Your Grace, the Winter King has killed many of my little birds before one managed to escape to give me this message. They are preparing to invade Casterly Rock and sack it to the ground. Though they are hesitant to do so over the fact Casterly Rock holds no more importance to the Lannisters."
"Holds no importance?" Cersei repeated.
"Your Grace, the only Lannisters who are left, is yourself and Ser Jaime Lannister. Both of you are here. In King's Landing. They are preparing for their offensive against the Lannister forces." Qyburn said.
"They're going to sack King's Landing?" Cersei said.
"Yes Your Grace," Qyburn said.
Cersei turns her attention to the map. She was the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms yet she had six Kingdoms in open rebellion. She has succeeded where her father failed.
"Enemies to the North." Cersei began as she looks at the map in front of her. She looks at the reformed Northern Kingdom. It now holds three regions. She looks to the west. "Enemies to the West." As the Ironborn were preparing for their own war against the world. "Enemies to the East." She said as she kicks some ships with the Targaryen symbol on them. "Enemies to the South," Cersei said as she looks at Dorne and the Reach.
Jaime stood there silently.
"We must crush them to end the rebellions once and for all. The Seven Kingdoms is ours. These usurpers must be dealt with." Cersei said to her brother.
"We do not have the men to fight both the Northerners, the Targaryen's, the Tyrells, and the Ironborn," Jaime said.
Cersei paid him no mind. She turns to the map and studies it. She would destroy all her enemies if it was the last thing she did.
Harry was on the ship as they reach Dragonstone Island. Five hundred ships, all with Rangers and armed warriors.
Harry steps out and could tell the weather around this area was starting to feel the cold. It won't be long before the cold enters the castle.
It was a sign winter was here.
Harry walks forward and climbs the steps. Brise was walking looking around. She was on high alert. Even though Stannis Baratheon deserted Dragonstone, that didn't mean it was empty.
Harry reached the gate and his men walk forward to open it.
Once the doors open, Harry was greeted by the sight of a magnificent fortress. Harry took note of the only pathway to the fortress. It was big enough for only one person to walk through. Meaning they would have to walk in single file. One by one. Harry does so. Walking towards the fortress with his men falling in line.
When Harry enters the castle, it was dark as his men light torches to see in the corridors. Walking into the room he took note of the flaming stag banner that was placed around the room. Harry grabs one and pulls it down. He looks at it for a bit before tossing it aside. He walks forward and notices the room was like a throne room. No doubt for the Lord of Dragonstone.
In the ancient times, the person who was a relative of House Targaryen would sit here. Now the only true Targaryen left was Daenerys Targaryen.
She was going to be so angry once she learns her ancestral home was taken by the Northern Kingdom. She may, in fact, attack Dragonstone. Harry was hoping and praying that Tyrion and Varys would talk sense to her about reaching out first.
It would make sense to reach out first instead of attacking first. For one, the North's reputation in the war has been unbelievable. It took Tywin Lannister with deception to bring the Northern Army down but he couldn't stop it. Once he realized he couldn't defeat the Starks in the field of battle. That, however, allowed Harry to rise to power in the North. It's not what he wanted but he continues to rule, as his brother before him. As his father before him.
Knowing full well the Northern Bannermen were behind Jon Snow and didn't want to risk another Northern Civil War, Harry stepped aside for Jon. Harry also didn't have it in him to fight his own brother over who would rule the North. Jon however, thankfully didn't want to rule the Seven Kingdoms. He was much happier being in the North than ruling all seven kingdoms.
"Have the men search Dragonstone. Every tooth and nail. I want to know every passage in this fortress where we can plan our defenses in case of a siege. If any enemy decides to attack us, I want us to defend this fortress to the best of our abilities. Place Stark banners all over Dragonstone to let the world know, Dragonstone is now House Stark." Harry said.
Harry waves his wand and fire started illuminating the torches all around the room.
Harry turns and sits down on the throne before looking at his Rangers.
"Let the game begin," Harry said.
Author Notes: How do you guys like the story so far. I saw the opening for season 7 and I thought it was good. The war is really about to pick up. Next chapter is something you're all been dying to happen. Harry and Dany will meet at last.