A King Lands
The wind whipped up Aegon's short hair as he reined his dragon in. Behind him his two sisters followed suite. And below them, hundreds of ships sailed forward to the land that awaited them behind a thick shroud of fog. Westeros was close, Aegon could feel it.
They had departed early in the morning, before the sun was up. The fog made it hard to see but the dragons always knew where to go. Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys led the way as the rest of the fleet followed. The fog was an indicator of a bright and sunny day, something Aegon had hoped as his men prepared for landing after hours of sailing. It seems he was granted his wish.
"There it is brother!" Rhaenys called out from behind. Aegon squinted and saw what she was talking about. A magnificent stretch of land appeared before him. It was Westeros, it was his kingdom.
"Full speed ahead!" Aegon shouted as he rode faster. He could hear the men cheering on the ships below. They were very optimistic about the outcomes of the invasion.
A large and magnificent bay greeted him as he approached. The small rolling mounds were green and trees covered much of the coastal land. He could see several small fishing villages near the coast, nestled between the sea and the hills. At the center of the bay was a mighty river, the Blackwater Rush, which flowed from the Riverlands into the Narrow Sea. Beside the river were three larger hills arranged in a triangular fashion with each taller than the other.
Aegon slowly guided his dragon down and landed on the tallest hill. He inhaled deeply as he dismounted, enjoying the fresh, pine scented morning hair. Before him lay a vast expanse of open grasslands, with several small tributaries of the Blackwater Rush flowing through them. Aurochs and other domesticated animals grazed lazily on the grass. Sporadic settlements and dirt roads dot the plains. A vision suddenly appeared in Aegon's mind, a vision of a great city and a great castle. It made him happy.
By the time Aegon walked down from the hill with his dragon in tow, Visenya and Rhaenys had begun directing the men to set up camp and unload the supplies. It was a hectic scene. "We made it," Rhaenys smiled at him sweetly. His generals, led by Orys Baratheon, came to greet him. Several attendants ran over and took the dragon away from him, moving the creature to where the other two was chained.
"A king landed here today," Aegon announced, his face beaming with triumph. "This place shall be known as King's Landing. Here I will construct my capital and my castle."
"And that castle should stand on that hill," Orys said, pointing to the tall tallest of the three hills Aegon had been standing on, "Aegon's Hill." The men muttered their agreement.
"And so it shall," Aegon said happily, "after our conquest is complete. Have the men set up camp here. I want my command tent on that hill and have them construct a staircase there, climbing is too tiresome."
"My lord!" Visenya called out, directing Aegon's attention to four soldiers escorting an old man and his attendant. The two visitors bowed as they approached Aegon.
"Your name," Aegon demanded as he beckoned them to rise.
"My lord, I am Alfred and this is my son Ashen," the old man said. "I represent the nearby villages here."
"Indeed," Aegon studied the pair of them. He looked old and frail, probably well into his eighties. His son was a strong man, perhaps in his early twenties. "And what is your purpose here Representative Alfred?"
"My lord, the people have seen the dragons!" Alfred exclaimed. He was staring at the three dragons, tied behind Aegon, in awe. Each was tied to a huge wooden ships and the biggest of three had to be secured to two ships. After a long journey the dragons were enjoying huge chunks of cooked steak. "They are awed and honored by their magnificent presence. It is as if the gods themselves have descended. My lord Aegon, we hereby swear loyalty to you and House Targaryen."
"So you've heard of House Targaryen," Aegon nodded, impressed by the man's actions. He looked at Visenya and could tell she had some doubts about him. But Aegon knew they needed the locals to support and guide their conquest. Besides, what could a few fishermen do to his dragons and his army?
"The merchants talk about it," Ashen interjected. "They say you are among the last of the noble houses of Valyria. They saw you rule from Dragonstone."
"Watch your tongue boy," Visenya replied coldly. Ashen looked down to the ground. "You will not speak unless the King permits it."
"Its alright dear sister, the boy meant no harm," Aegon said, waving it off. He turned his attention back to the old man. "How many men can you spare?"
"My lord, we have two hundred able body warriors awaiting your command," Alfred said with a slight bow. "My son Ashen will lead them to you and they will serve as part of your army."
"Good," Aegon nodded, "very good. I will appoint you magistrate of these parts. Your son will be a commander and will lead the militia. I will leave some men here and guard the hills while I am away. Can I count on you to keep this place safe?"
"Your grace is not leaving?" Alfred seemed surprised.
"Leaving? Why is something wrong magistrate?" Aegon asked.
"No, no nothing is wrong your grace," the old man waved it off quickly. "It's just that Oldtown is the largest city, so I thought your grace would be moving the capital there."
Aegon laughed. "My capital is here. Here and upon those hills, I shall build a grand city known as King's Landing. You and your people magistrate will be its first inhabitants. Construction will begin immediately, see to it that it is done magistrate."
"Of course your grace, I will gather men immediately." And with that Alfred bowed and left, but not before eyeing Ashen uneasily.
Once Alfred was gone, Aegon turned to his commander Orys Baratheon. "Orys, see to it that all our ships are burned."
"Burned your grace?" Orys was surprised, as was everyone else in the group. "The men won't like that."
"I don't care what the men like or dislike," Aegon said fiercely. "Burn the ships so no one can flee like a coward. Visenya, go with Orys and see it done."
Visenya and Orys bowed and went to work. His sister rallied the dragons whose flames would turn the ships while Orys hurried men and supplies away from the ships. Smiling, Aegon turned to Rhaenys. "Is my command tent ready?"
"The men are working on it," his sister replied. "It should be ready soon."
Alfred considered himself a smart man. As leader of a poor and small fishing village, Alfred needed to appease those of higher status. Many lords vied for control of this land, most notable Lord Darklyn and Lord Rosby. But Alfred threw his lot with the most powerful lord in the region, Lord Argilac the Storm King, ruler of the Stormlands. He protected Alfred and his village while Alfred ruled the land for Argilac and offered him information. Of course there were other benefits too.
The common folks called Argilac "the Arrogant" because of his pride and arrogant personality. Such a man cannot do great things they say but Alfred didn't care. Alfred didn't care because Argilac commanded one of the most impressive castles on Westeros and fielded a massive army. Argilac kept Alfred safe and that was all that matters.
The old chief hurried back to his village where people had already gathered to await his return. Upon hearing news of the Targaryen landing, the village immediately broke into discussion. Some wanted to join the Targaryen host while others disagreed. But one thing was for sure, everyone was afraid of the dragons. No one wanted to anger the Targaryens for fear of retaliation. But that was quite alright, Alfred would just need to make someone else do it.
Alfred walked into his wooden house and shut the door tightly behind him. A young man was already waiting for him inside. "Did Argilac send you Frederick?" Alfred asked as he took a seat on a wooden chair.
"The Storm King," the young man corrected. "And yes. So it's true, the Targaryens of Dragonstone has come."
"The Storm King has heard of them?" Ashen asked.
"Who hasn't," Frederick replied darkly. "Their dragons are known from here all the way to the Free Cities."
"Indeed. And what does the Storm King plan to do about all this?"
"It is not up to us to guess His Grace's intentions. I have just come here to confirm Aegon Targaryen's landing."
"Consider it confirmed."
Frederick nodded. "I must go now. The Storm King awaits me at Storm's End." With that he got up and left, shutting the wooden door tightly behind him.
"Have a safe journey!" Alfred called out. He turned around and saw a heavy bag sitting on the table. Alfred grabbed it and peered inside, admiring its golden content. The old man smiled.
"Visenya?" Aegon asked as his sister walked into the command tent. Orys, Rhaenys, Ashen, and some of the other commanders were already inside.
"It's done brother king. All the ships have been burned," she replied as she took her place by the large table that dominated the center of the tent. A map of Westeros lay before them.
"Good, then we are on schedule," Aegon smiled. "We follow our original plan; we strike the Stormlands with all our might. What do you think young Ashen?"
The young man considered the plan for a moment. "Attacking the Stormlands is a good idea my lord but attacking it will all your might is not."
"What do you mean?" Visenya asked. "This plan has been discussed and approved by generals and men with knowledge."
"No disrespect my lady," Ashen bowed. "But you underestimate the lords of House Darklyn and House Rosby. The Storm King keeps them in check; otherwise they would've attacked here long ago."
Aegon laughed and clasped his hand together. "It seems our young commander is very knowledgeable. What do you recommend?"
"Argilac is known as the Arrogant. He is fool enough to meet you in open battle," Ashen said. "You only need a small force to strike him using stratagem. Use the remaining men to keep the Darklyns and Rosbys in check your grace."
"He has a point," Orys said. "Your grace, give me six thousand warriors and I will come back with Argilac's head on a pike. I will strike him with three thousand and have the other three thousand loop around attacking him from behind."
"That is foolish, what if he doesn't come out into open battle?" Visenya replied angrily. "What then? His lords will crush you."
"With all due respect my lady I am pretty sure Argilac will come out," Ashen said calmly.
"But you don't know that for certain."
"I think I know him well enough."
"When we're talking about war not fully certain is not enough!"
"SILENCE! The both of you," Aegon shouted. "Orys will take six thousand warriors and attack the Stormlands. Visenya, you take two hundred knights and your dragon to subdue House Darklyn and Rosby. Rhaenys, you will keep the camp safe and supervise the construction of the holdfast on Aegon's Hill. That is my orders is it understood?"
There was a long pause. "What about you my liege?" Rhaenys asked.
Aegon chuckled. "Ashen and I have a very important task we need to do."