Victarion Greyjoy

It felt good to be free and able to move around again. He had spent a whole year inside the black cells and during that time there had been periods when he had thought he might very well die in the cells. Aerys Targaryen the usurper had had him thrown into the black cells due to a fear that he might try and take the Royal Fleet and use it to help the rightful king and Victarion's nephew Aemon. Aerys had come up with some trumped charge and had him thrown into the black cells, and on occasion would come down to visit him, usually on the days that Victarion was taken out of the cell for questioning. Victarion never knew who it was who was questioning him or using those bloody pincers to get him to scream in pain, for they often wore hoods, and it was usually Aerys cackling about fire or what not that prevented Victarion from blacking out from pain, he had sworn to kill whoever it was that had willingly done the madman's work.

It seemed as if that was something his nephew had also sworn as well. Aemon had always been a bright and active child filled with fire that was oftentimes Targaryen in nature, but as of late Victarion had seen the spark of his sister Alyssa in her son. For the punishments that had been enacted on those nobles who had willingly sided with Aerys and urged him onto to commit the atrocities that he had committed were either gelded, sent to the Night's Watch, beheaded or had their lands and titles confiscated from them. Men such as Lord Rosby lost the vast amount of their wealth and lands, whilst others such as Lord Rykker were pardoned but had some of their more profitable lands taken and made part of the crown's own dominions. Others such as Jon Connington received pardons and had lands taken as well as hostages given up to the throne. Aemon had named his friend, Garth Hightower the new Lord of Highgarden and had the fat flower's children attainted of their rights to the castle, giving them a manor house and some lands near the Mander, but nothing too substantial. Willas and Garlan Tyrell were to be fostered in King's Landing to grow up alongside the king's youngest and only surviving brother Lucerys Targaryen.

Amongst the other rebels, such as House Florent, they were down to just one or two members, the other male claimants were either dead or exiled to the wall, the female claimants married off to those who had served the king loyally and truthfully. Brightwater Keep was given to Randyll Tarly as were all its lands and incomes. The king had also decreed that House Redwyne were to be stripped of their lands in the arbor and Lord Paxter Redwyne was to be sent to the wall. The man still laid siege to Storm's End despite having no ground support and despite the fact that the war was over, most definitely. Victarion knew that his nephew had sent the man a raven reminding him of this fact and warning him of what would happen should he continue resisting. The man continued, and so Aemon had tasked Victarion with taking the Royal Fleet and "burning every single one of their ships." Aemon it seemed would be kind and friendly to those who had been loyal to him, but those who had rebelled and done so out of their own choice he would punish, and Lord Redwyne was one such example.

The Targaryens of Summerhall were pardoned for as Aemon had said. "They took no part in Aerys or Rhaegar's folly." And so Prince Aegon was confirmed as Prince of Summerhall and when he turned eight would be sent to foster in King's Landing alongside the king's own son Prince Maekar. Princess Rhaenys had been betrothed to Tywin Lannister's grandson Tygett Lannister who was currently just two years old. All of this sat well with the council and showed them that the King was just and noble though he did have a wrath for those who did not comply with what he asked of them.

One such example was Victarion's own brother and the Lord of the Iron Islands. Balon Greyjoy had refused to respond to any of the summons that the king had sent him during the war, and Victarion for one could not understand why his brother would do such a thing. For as long as he had known Balon, his older brother had always placed a deep importance on family and making sure that they were done right by, however, it seemed such a thing mattered not when one member was a 'greenlander" Victarion was only surprised that Aemon had not enacted a harsher punishment on Balon and the islands, perhaps Alyssa had more influence over her son than Victarion had first thought. His sister had returned to court for the first time in six years some two moons ago, and had come to see Lucerys her youngest child settled in at court, the reunion between the king and his mother had been strained after all Alyssa had as good as abandoned Aemon when he was a boy.

Still they seemed to be getting over those events and seemed to be operating as a family, well what was left of it anyway. Those thoughts brought Victarion to the matter of the Stark girl. Lyanna Stark had willingly left with Rhaegar Targaryen, despite being betrothed to Robert Baratheon, and though that action had not sparked the war it was certainly seen as very unhonourable and slanderous, though of course none so much as voiced their disapproval to the Starks or to the King. This was because Lyanna Stark had died giving birth to a stillborn girl, it seemed that the strains of giving birth at such a young age were too much for the young wolf maid, and as such her body could not deal with the stress either. The king had said a few simple words to Victarion when asked. "She died in a bed of blood nuncle." The king had not gone with the Starks to get the girl, for she had been left in Nightsong, though he had stayed up to the early hours drinking with them when they came back to give him the news.

"My lord," the voice of Nute the Barber brought him out of his reverie. "There is a man who wishes to speak with you. We apprehended his ship; he claims to know a way of sneaking past the Redwyne fleet."

They had set sail from King's Landing nearly two moons ago, storms and winter setting in had caused their ships to be delayed but they were coming in close to Storm's End now. "Very well bring him here." Victarion replied gruffly.

Nute bowed and then returned sometime later with the man, who was slight with an ordinary face, brown hair and a beard already peppered with grey though he could not be older than perhaps Lord Brandon Stark. "My lord," the man said bowing slightly before saying. "I know you have come from His grace in King's Landing and I believe I can be of service, for I know of a way to break past the Redwyne Fleet and give aid to Storm's End."

"Oh?" Victarion asked intrigued now. "And how would you know about this then if you are no more than a common smuggler?"

The man grinned slightly and said. "I have used it once before, there is a passage through the left side of the blockade that is no longer occupied, Ser Morrigen I believe the man who captained those ships was called has returned home. Redwyne knows not about this just now and so there is a gap there, that can be used for a fast ship to deliver food and supplies."

"Oh, and I suppose you would want to lead the entrance yourself or show us the way in. And what would you want in exchange for this information?" Victarion asked.

"A chance to speak with the King my lord." The man said.

"Very well, I shall see what I can do about that. Now what did you say your name was?" Victarion asked, if he was going to follow a smuggler he might as well know the man's name.

"Davos my lord." Davos replied.

"Very well Davos, return to your ship and I shall send some of my best men on our fastest ship to follow you." Victarion replied.

After the man had left Victarion called a meeting of his captains and told them who would follow Davos. Ser Morrigen Caron asked an important question. "Are you sure this man can be trusted my lord? After all he is a smuggler and they are as bad as sellswords."

Victarion was silent for a moment and then replied. "I learnt a long time ago never to trust anyone who I did not know, but now we must get supplies to Storm's End before Redwyne knows we are upon him. If the man tries anything kill him. But remember once you have gotten into the entrance, signal your horns and we shall burn the Redwynes to dust."

After that Victarion armoured himself and got ready for battle, he was not sure whether or not Redwyne would fight, if he did then Victarion would kill him and make him pay for his treason, if not then he would use the wildfire if Redwyne refused to surrender. Nute came back just before they set sail once more. "The fire is in place my lord, ready for the command."

"Good," he replied. "Make sure that it is only used after the third horn blast. If they do surrender we shall not need it, if they don't then three horn blasts and then they go."

"Yes my lord." The barber said before bowing and leaving.

Victarion walked to the deck of his ship and commanded the anchor raised and the oars lowered, and as one the royal fleet sailed from where they had been docked for the blockade of Shipbreaker's bay. When they arrived they found the Redwyne Fleet surrounding the bay in a sort of circular formation, with Lord Redwyne's own Grapes of Wrath ship at the front of the formation waiting for them. "By orders of his grace King Aemon Targaryen the first of his name and King of the Seven Kingdoms, dip your oars and bend the knee and none shall be harmed." Victarion bellowed across the water.

There was silence and then another voice bellowed. "May we come aboard Ser?"

Victarion looked at his men and then said, "We shall meet on neutral ground, in between our two ships. On cogs."

And so they did, Victarion and Ser Jonothor Darry of the Kingsguard, and two knights who introduced themselves as Ser Mern Redwyne and Ser Garth Tyrell. "I apologise for my lord's absence. But he has taken ill and will not be able to attend to such matters as this for some time."

Victarion grunted and stated. "The war is done, Aerys and Rhaegar are dead and the rightful king is sat where he belongs on the Iron Throne. Mace Tyrell is dead, his children attainted of their rights to Highgarden, your liege lord is now Garth Hightower and he and the king both wrote to you demanding the ending of this pointless siege. Why does your lord continue? "

Both men were silent for a long time before Redwyne spoke. "Because there would be no honour in surrendering to a kinslayer my lord. King Aemon killed his kin in Prince Rhaegar and King Aerys. Even if the throne is now his, why should we bend to a man who flaunts the laws of gods and men?"

Victarion feels the anger begin to boil inside of him. "The king has offered your lord good terms for his surrender. He will keep the Arbor and his wealth but only the fleet will be reduced to be less than the royal fleet. These are generous terms and your lord would be smart to accept them."

Garth Tyrell spoke then. "Whilst those terms are nice, they are not the boy's to give. Aerys Targaryen promised us more than that for fighting for him and a just cause. We shall not dip our oars nor lower our banners my lord."

"Then you shall all die, and the Arbor shall go to a more deserving house. You have been warned." Victarion growled before having his boat rowed back to the ship and climbing back up. Once on deck he bellowed commands. "Have this ship and the others sail back to the outer part of the bay, have Merlon's Beard, Queen Alysanne, Stormcloud, Balerion, Meraxes and Vhagar sail down the mouth of the bay and when signal comes unleash the fire."

He waited for a few moments once the ships were out on the fringes of the bay and those with the fire had sailed down. He heard the arrows being fired at the ships, and the other ships crashing into them. Waited and waited and then nodded and Nute the Barber blew his horn, once, twice, and then on the third blow, the sea erupted in colour, as the wildfire spread and crushed and burned.

The Redwyne Fleet was reduced to ash and wood, and Lord Paxter Redwyne died on the third day of the eighth month of the 282nd Year after Aegon's Landing, the War of Dragons officially came to an end on this day. Storm's End was freed and Davos Seaworth was knighted by Ser Jonothor Darry for providing them with a way to get food and aid to Storm's End before the inevitable wildfire. A sign had been sent that day; no one would ever again challenge King Aemon, at least no one who was sane.