A Maester's Interlude Part II
Following the burning of the Redwyne fleet in the mouth of Shipbreaker's Bay, his grace King Aemon Targaryen, first of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, officially declared what had come to be known as the War of the Dragons over. Victarion Greyjoy, the master of ships was heralded as a smart and patient man for the fact that he had even bothered with speaking with the representatives that Lord Paxter Redwyne had sent to treat with him, Redwyne would forever been remembered as a fool and an oaf, similar to his cousin and goodbrother Mace Tyrell. Of course those at court and in the Reach who wished to keep their heads and their sanity soon learnt not to speak of those two traitors around either the King or his good friend Lord Garth Hightower, who upon the king's decree was named Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the South.
Lord Garth a stern and taciturn man who rarely smiled, smiled on that day, and was said to smile on each of the births of his children by his wife Janna Tyrell. The lady Janna had already birthed him twins during the war, his eldest son and heir Mern who was betrothed to Lady Alerie's daughter Margaery, and his eldest daughter Naerys. The Lady Janna gave birth to four more children over the six year period between the ending of the War of Dragons and the beginning of another war. Three boys named: Leyton, Luthor and Lewyn and a daughter named Sylvia. Garth's control over the Reach was much more secure than the Tyrells control over the Reach had been, for none dared cross the friend of the King not when he was such a capable commander and well liked amongst those who truly mattered.
Of the other regions of Westeros there was also good news. The king's best friend, Brandon Stark known to those in King's Landing as Brandon the younger, had wed Catelyn Tully the pride of the Riverlands before the fighting in the war had begun. Their first born son named Robb after the king of winter of old was born on the third day of the first moon of the 282nd Year after Aegon's Landing. Following the ending of the war Brandon and his Tully bride returned to Winterfell alongside their son and Brandon's father Rickard Stark and his younger brother Eddard, they had hoped to bring their sister the wolf maid Lyanna Stark back home with them, but she had died in the birthing bed from complications due being so young, her child stillborn. Brandon and Catelyn had two more children before unrest would hit Westeros once more, two girls named Sansa and Arya, Sansa looked as her mother did with fiery auburn hair and blue eyes, Arya favoured her father and grandfather with a long face and dark grey eyes. Rickard Stark solemn in the knowledge of what his southern ambitions had cost him and his family decided that his second son forever known as the quiet wolf would be wed to one of his bannermen. And so it was that Eddard Stark came to wed Barbrey Ryswell in the dying months of 282 A.L., their son Jon born in Winterfell in the mid months of 283 A.L. Rickard gifted his second son the rebuilt and refurbished three towers of Moat Cailin as his wedding present and seat.
The king's other close friend, Elbert Arryn who had been betrothed to Cersei Lannister at the beginning of the war, finally wed her in a great ceremony in the Great Sept of Baelor on the fifth moon of 282 A.L. Their son Joffrey Arryn was born in the early days of 283 A.L., brown of hair and green of eye, another son named Artys followed brown of hair and green of eye as well. A daughter named Myrcella was soon born to the couple as well, in 286 A.L. this time yellow of hair and brown of eye. The Vale, one of the few regions not completely troubled by war also saw another wedding take place in its lands, that of Andar Royce the heir to Runestone and Lysa Tully. This wedding is noted for the guest who attended, who shall have some future reference in this telling. Petyr Baelish, the boy who had challenged Brandon Stark for Catelyn's hand had been invited by Lysa, and though none knew what the lad had been doing in his time since Riverrun, he did attend and soon enough he began working for the Royces improving their finances and gold, before quickly being appointed to managing the coffers of the Vale as a whole. Soon enough his meteoric rise would see him appointed to the small council but that was an issue for another time.
Of House Lannister there was joy a plenty. Tywin Lannister's line continued to prosper under the love of his son and heir Jaime to the boy's wife Rhaena. By the time uncertainty crept into Westeros once more, Jaime and Rhaena Lannister had four children, the eldest was a lad named Tygett who was as active as Ser Jaime had been as a youth, then there was Lucion a lad as quiet and thoughtful as Jaime's younger brother Tyrion, then there was a daughter named Joanna for Jaime's mother who was ailing in health and then finally there was another daughter named Cerenna who all said would one day grow to be a fine beauty. Tywin's brothers also had their own children as well all of whom contributed to the legacy of House Lannister, his brother Tygett who had wed Princess Jaehara at the end of the lions war, had four children all of whom were growing and would soon play an important role in the future of House Lannister. Tywin's brother Kevan had also married and had three sons Lancel, Willem and Martyn, whilst the youngest brother Gerion had three children by his Westerling wife before she passed away from a fever.
The royal family itself was healed, and the rifts that had developed as a result of Aerys and Rhaegar's madness were forgotten or forgiven. The King and Queen's love grew with each passing year, and soon enough there were more children who joined Prince Maekar, there were Prince Laenor, Prince Brynden and Princess Daenaerys Stormborn for the storm she was born in. The king's brother Prince Lucerys moved to King's Landing following the ending of the war along with the king's mother, and soon developed into a fine young lad who played with his young nephews and trained and sparred with Garlan and Willas Tyrell, earning his knighthood in the tourney thrown to celebrate the Queen's birthday two moons into 288 A.L. Lucerys Targaryen was by all accounts a fine swordsman almost as good as his uncle Prince Aenar was said to have been. The Targaryens of Summerhall lived a relatively quiet life, Princess Rhaella now head of that household with her husband and son dead, ensured that scandal and decadence of the past few years was eroded and forgotten and that her grandchildren and gooddaughter had all the comforts they could ever want. The king of course provided for them, and on the occasion when he and the queen would visit it is said that the king, queen and Princess Elia would share the one chamber.
After the years of struggle and then the war itself, the people of Westeros were more than relieved to see peace once more in the kingdoms, and were delighted that their good king Aemon was the one who had brought it to them, not the mad Aerys, who it is said in his final days tried to turn himself into a dragon before dying of poison. Following the burning of the Redwyne Fleet, the Arbor was given to House Cuy, a house that had fought bravely and admirably during the war, the king instructed Lord Brandston that he was to rebuild a war fleet of some fifty ships and no more, for the king would suffer no strength that could match the royal fleet at sea, and even the Ironborn, the Greyjoy felt the king's wrath in this and all plunder that they took from their reaving in Essos and the Summer lands 30% of it was to be given to the royal treasury to pay for their nonservice in the war. Balon Greyjoy reluctantly agreed to the terms, not that he had much choice not with a sword perpetually hanging over his head now. There were tourneys that were held to celebrate the ending of the war and the beginning of the new peace. At King's Landing, Storm's End, Highgarden, Sunspear, Lannisport and White Harbour great tournaments were held and nobles from all around did attend, Ser Jaime Lannister saw his stock rise during these tourneys winning at King's Landing twice, at Storm's End once and at Sunspear. Ser Arthur Dayne won at King's Landing and at White Harbour whilst the king himself competed at Lannisport and won that tourney.
Across the narrow sea, the descendants of Aerion Targaryen, who King Brynden in his wisdom had seen fit to house and feed, had grown in strength and power, led by their head, Aeron Targaryen, they had adopted the name Brightflame and founded a new house. From Pentos they formed an alliance with its prince, and became the first rulers of the city that would have a inheritance there, the Brightflame empire grew in the years that followed. In 276 when the struggles in Westeros began, the Brightflames added Tyrosh, Myr and Lys to their empire, before heading east. From Lys they took the towns of the Golden Fields by conquest, when Aemon slew Rhaegar on the Trident, after years of fighting Volantis finally fell to the Brightflames. With the city under their command Aeron Brightflame now thirty and with more children than he knew what to do with used a two prong attack by land and sea to bring Elyria, Tolos and Mantarys under their control. Skirting round the smoking ruins of Valyria and the Smoking Sea they had taken Yunkai when Aeron Brightflame died of wounds taken in battle. His eldest son, fifteen year old Maegor took control then and spent the next two years ending the rebellions led by the harpy. By 288 A.L., Yunkai, Pentos, Volantis, Myr, Tyrosh, Lys, Elyria, Tolos and Mantarys were all under the Brightflames control. Bravos though were eyeing freeing itself and had joined with Lorath and Qohor in an unlikely union and were marching for Yunkai to deal with the threat there and then.
News of the Brightflame Empire reached Westeros and was treated with mixed reactions. Some such as the eunuch Lord Varys tittered and simpered and secretly began plotting for the day the Brightflames would turn their eyes westward, others such as Lord Tywin the hand of the king suggested envoys be sent to bring trade in from the east. And so it was that the Brightflames and the Targaryens began a trade agreement that benefitted both immensely, until it became known that Maegor Brightflame had taken a shadow binder as a wife, that was when the trading stopped and all contact with the east ended. Left in the dark there was nothing the king could do but turn his attention back to Westeros.
For Balon Greyjoy, a firm believer in the old way of the Ironborn had been quietly seething with anger and regret throughout the whole time his sister had been wed to King Aegyl and afterwards. Plotting revenge for some perceived insult to his people and his house, the Greyjoy had begun building more and more ships and did not answer to ravens asking what he was doing. Some doubt whether he himself knew what he was doing considering what happened next. After all only a mad man would cross King Aemon now...