46Chapter 7: Drums of War
I understand that this is a very short chapter. It is a summary, since I could not write out the entire war, as I need to quickly progress the story. To compensate, I will release a second chapter as well.
Chapter 5
War had come to Westeros. War, in all its horrid, disgusting, tragic glory.
After the murder of Renly Baratheon, his older brothers Robert and Stannis, and Jon Arryn of the Eryie had called their banners and allies, and declared themselves in open rebellion against the Targaryen dynasty. Aerys had called for the usurpers to be put down, but his loyalists were routed at the battle of Summerhall by Robert's forces. By its end, a few loyalist houses had even switched over to his side. The iron Islands and Dorne remained neutral from conflict. With his family kept in King's landing upon the deranged king's orders, Prince Rhaegar himself was order by his father to accompany and protect his pregnant mother, Queen Rhaella, to Dragonstone.
Of course, the one factor that both sides knew could potentially tip the war in either's favor was Westeros' neighbor to the north, Ikemmu. Both the rebels and the loyalists had repeatedly sent ravens with messages of alliances, citing ancient friendships, and promises, all of which were rebuffed. However, soon after the battle of Ashford, reports were received of several battalions of shadar-kai and shadowborn warriors, led by King Razvahn's kinsman and good-brother, Lord Eddard Stark, venturing from Ikemmu's border. The army joined up with Robert's forces, and preceded to utterly decimate the loyalists at the battle of the Bells, where the loyalists lost heart after seeing the severed head of their commander, Jon Connington, held aloft by Eddard. This, of course, earned Ikemmu, especially House Stark, the enmity of House Connington
The truly decisive victory was at the battle of the trident, in which Lord Randyll Tarly fell. Randyll met his end at Robert's hand by a single blow from his mighty warhammer. Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard surrendered upon Tarly's death.
After the battle, since Robert had suffered a grievous wound from Tarly's sword, Eddard and Arryn went ahead to Kings Landing, when reports came that the Lannister army, which had been hiding away in Casterly Rock, had sacked King's Landing. When they arrived, and Eddard rode upon a black steed into the throne room of the Red Keep, he and his warriors were confronted with a horrific sight; In front of the gates of the throne room, Lord Commander Gerold Dayne amd Oswell Whent, with bloodied swords in hand, stood over the dead bodies of the Mad King's royal pyromancers and the remains of their fellow kingsguard. Upon their faces were expressions of grief and sorrow.
In the throne room himself kneeling across from the body of Aerys the Mad, sword discarded, was Ser Arthur Dayne, the famed Sword of the Morning, staring at his bloody hands. All that could be heard was him repeatedly whispering "I had to. I had no choice." The king's Hand, Lord Cedric Velshoraan, was nowhere to be found. Later, the dead bodies of Elia of Dorn and her children were found in the royal bedchambers, along with the body of her uncle, Lleywn Martell, and the corpse of an unknown knight, the only clue being his emblem, a manticore.
When Stannis Baratheon, with the assistance of Ser Davos Seaworth, won the siege of Dragonstone, all that could be found in the fortress were a few servants, and Queen Rhaella's dead body. Crown Prince Rhaegar, his infant sister, her nursemaid, and Ser Willem Darry, the Red Keep's master of arms, had vanished. For this, Rhaegar would be derided as "The Prince of Cowards".
Robert was later crowned King of The Six Kingdoms, and, as a way to solidify his pact with House Lannister, married Cersei Lannister, Tywin Lannister's only daughter and one of two children. There had been rumors of Tywin having had two other sons who had left, but they were founded on nothing but whispered half-truths.
After Whent, Dayne, and Hightower were discharged, the Kingsguard as a whole were disbanded.
Jon Arryn was named Robert's Hand of the King, and, as per the agreement he made with Hoster Tully, Lord of Riverrun, in exchange for his troops and support during the war, Arryn married Lysa Tully, Hoster's youngest daughter. Arryn was twelve years her father's senior, while Lysa herself was only 17.
Eddard Stark gathered what remained of the shadar-kai and shadowborn warriors under his command and returned home to his cousin's court in Ikemmu
Hoster Tully had tried to entice the shadar-kai noble with marriage to his oldest daughter, Catelyn, hoping to gain a foothold of influence in that shadowy kingdom. However, he was rebuffed, with the shadar-kai noble stating that he already had a wife. However, his corse rebuttal of the offer would earn the house of Stark a strong enormity with the Tullys.
Varys retained his position on the small council as Master of Whispers, and Jon Arryn became Robert's new hand of the king. With him, he brought a small noble from the Vale, Petyr Baelish
After Robert's Rebellion, peace began to reign once more throughout the land, though nothing would ever be the same. Westeros had been ravaged by war. Families were torn asunder, lives were destroyed, and former friends became distrustful of one another and their houses. Everything and everyone had experienced much loss. So much loss.