Maekar
War was a tiring business. That was something Prince Maekar of House Targaryen had learnt after the Blackfyre rebellion. It was not the glorious thing that the songs made it out to be. In fact it was not a song, just as life was not. The echoes of dying soldiers crying out for their mothers, for their fathers, for family they would never ever see again had been a constant reminder of how grim war truly was to Maekar in the aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellion. Maekar had seen his friends die right before his eyes; he'd killed people with his mace who had once grown up with him in King's Landing, in Summerhall and on visits to his mother's homeland in Dorne. That war had haunted his dreams, and his waking moments for years afterwards, many a time he'd had to have been woken by Lyra, sweating and raving from some nightmarish hell. After the Blackfyre rebellion, Maekar had developed a deep hatred of all things to do with Daemon Blackfyre, including that little spec of a man who was rotting in the dungeons.
The fighting with the Greyjoy raiders could not be counted as a war as such, it was more of a skirmish. Dagon Greyjoy had thought to take advantage of their preoccupation with Tyrosh and Bittersteel, and had gone raiding along the coast of the Westerlands and along the northern coast. When news had reached Summerhall, Maekar had been worried, his son Aegon and that knight who he squired for were somewhere in the north, and were more than likely at risk of falling prey to Ironborn madness. Maekar had pushed and pushed for full action by the Iron Throne, but as had so often happened since Baelor had died- been killed, a traitorous little voice in his head whispered- he was overruled, Aerys choosing to listen to Bloodraven instead of his own brother, and deciding that the threat from the East was greater than the one being presented by the Ironborn. Maekar had been furious when his brother had made that statement, it confirmed some of his worst fears, his brother was falling under Bloodraven's influence more and more and was losing the sense of sanity and stability that he so often had possessed before he had become king.
Eventually when news came of the Ironborn raids of Fair Isle, Stony Shore and the taking of Deepwood Motte, Maekar had decided enough was enough, and had kept pestering Aerys until his brother had eventually relented and had agreed to send some men to the north to help deal with the Ironborn. Maekar had taken command of the forces and had led them to Seagard where the combined forces of the north, the Westerlands and the Crownlands had fought the Ironborn. The Ironborn once again proved why they were only raiders at their core and not truly warriors. They were vastly disorganised and crumbled at the first sign of defeat, that being Maekar killing Dagon Greyjoy himself in single combat. Greyjoy's heir was also slain by Maekar, the Ironborn either tried to flee and were put to the sword, or surrendered and were welcomed back into the King's peace, but hostages were taken.
Greyjoy's second in command Ryman Harlaw gave his son and heir twelve year old Matthew Harlaw as a ward- a hostage really- to Lord Damon Lannister, and Beron Stark took Lord Dagon's daughter Yara as his ward, they would be kept for a period of seven years to ensure the loyalty of the Iron Islands, should they rebel once more the hostages lives would be forfeit, Maekar made sure that the Ironborn understood that. With that done, he prepared to return back to Summerhall to Lyra and their children, but before he could go back home he spoke with Aegon and Ser Duncan, he gathered that Aegon was coming along nicely as a squire and he had certainly proved himself in the battle that had been fought at Seagard, though Maekar had been slightly shocked that Ser Duncan had allowed his son to fight in the battle, but said nothing of it. Aegon had told him that they planned on remaining in the North for a little while longer and then would more than likely head to the Westerlands or the Vale. Maekar bid his son farewell but also made him swear to be careful, and then returned home.
That had been nigh on ten years ago now, the Ironborn had stayed true their promise and had raised no more trouble. Aegon had been knighted by Ser Duncan in a tournament held in King's Landing to celebrate Prince Brynden's fifth nameday, and he had subsequently married his sister Rhae, a marriage of love, but one that Maekar still had reservations about, he knew what it was to marry someone who was kin, and he knew the pain that one could feel from their death. His own Lyra had been a cousin, his uncle Mors's daughter, they had grown up together and had grown to love one another, in a more than familiar way, and so when his father had proposed the match, neither of them had objected to it. Though with her death, it felt like there was a chasm in his heart and his life that nothing- not even Aelinor- would be able to fill, and so he drifted from one day to the next, like a mindless ghost, just drifting.
Atleast that was how he had been, for recently Aerys had taken very ill and had died from what the Grand Maester called the sweating sickness. Aerys had become very, very frail during those final months, and had begun speaking in strange tongues and spurting prophecies left, right and centre. And then he had passed away in his sleep, an ending that perhaps was for the best, had it not been for the pure pain that seemed to be constantly etched across his face as he slept during that final night. Maekar knew that Aelinor and his own children had done their best to prevent Prince- no King- Brynden from seeing his father in the state that he had been in, but there was only so much that they could do. Aerys had died two moons ago, and Prince Brynden, Aerys and Aelinor's son had become, King Brynden Targaryen first of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.
And two days after his coronation a raven had come from Essos, from one of Bloodraven's many spies reporting that the Blackfyres were preparing for another assault. War would be coming to Westeros once more, the red dragon and the black dragon would be fighting once more.