Author's Notes – Yes, Tax Season is over, now it's time to deal with the lawn and the tree that fell over.

Eddard

Little did he think that the King's return from the Lannister wedding was the end of his respite. His days had been spent in meetings with the various members of the Small Council as well as with the lords of different houses that sought to court his favor. While many had sought to have their daughters or sons married to his, Eddard had been able to persuade some of them to instead aid in the reconstruction and resettlement of the Gift.

"It seems that we managed to avoid one war only to find that we face another threat," Robert sighed as he looked over Lord Commander Mormont's letter. Where he had once been a carefree king, Robert had aged and matured following the termination of his first marriage. "Hordes of wildlings that can be seen from the Wall; the Night's Watch unwilling to send men past the range of their arrows as the undead plague their patrols north of the Wall; nearly all of the fortifications needing repair; the Night's Watch needing more manpower – did we not send over a hundred men to them?"

"They are less than a thousand men defending three hundred miles," Eddard replied.

"I know the math!" Robert grumbled.

"Might I suggest that we follow the example of the Stormriders?" Lord Oberyn, the new Master of Coin interjected. "With the treasury now replenished, we could tell each noble house that for each person that they send to the Wall to aid the Night's Watch, they would receive a 5 dragon exemption from their annual taxes, with a limit of 100 dragons per house."

Eddard nodded approvingly. The idea had merit. When they had thought that war with the Lannisters was inevitable many of the noble houses had marshaled their forced. Only the poorest of noble houses would not be able to send a score of men to aid the Night's Watch. The treasury had been replenished only because the Stormriders had managed to convince the Iron Bank of Bravos to forgive the debt owed by the Crown in exchange for the scores dragon skeletons and a ship full of their magical healing potions. Still, the idea did have merit. If every noble house took the maximum exemption, that would be over forty thousand dragons that would not fill the Crown's coffers. With the Crown's debt to the Iron Bank forgiven and given the cost to pay for an army this was clearly the better option.

It was Oberyn who had come up with the idea after assuming the position as Master of Coin. The tricks that Lord Baelish had used were effective in keeping the Iron Bank at bay but Lord Oberyn felt that it was best to get out from beneath the burden of such overwhelming debt. The tale of how the Stormriders had impressed during the Hand's Tourney had proven useful as was the fact that the troupe answered only to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and thus the King. There was no need for the troupe of less than a hundred to horde such wealth, and the King agreed. It was also Oberyn who had negotiated the sale of the Stormriders' healing potions after seeing how they had helped Willias Tyrell, and to a degree, Brandon Stark.

Thus far the new Master of Coin had done much to refill the royal coffers, proving to many that the Dornish lords had done while King Robert had turned a blind eye to them as he ruled. Still, many thought it a good sign that Lord Oberyn had accepted the position on such short notice, and it was proving to be fortuitous.

"Ed," Robert said, his voice clear for everyone present to hear, "draft a decree for me – I want it known that each noble family that sends a man to the Wall before the end of the summer will be paid five dragons per man."

Eddard nodded.

"There is a matter of the last Targaryen," Varys said once he was sure that no one else had anything to say.

"What of her?" Robert's hasty reply was tinted with anger. The mere mention of the Targaryens was enough to set his blood boiling even after all these years.

"She has given birth to a son, Rhagor," the Master of Whispers stated. "The Khal has mustered considerable forces though they may find stiffer resistance once they fight the slave soldiers of Astapor."

Feeling the King's eyes upon him, Eddard sighed. He did not like Varys and felt that the Master of Whispers' methods were unsavory. The man had a way of stringing the members of the Small Council along as he provided his piecemeal information. Eddard found it fortunate that there was someone else that could provide him with the information though did not let on that he had already been informed of various secrets. Varys could have easily informed the King of Cercei's coup rather than allow the Stormriders to intervene. It was likely that the secretive man had known of the plot but not that the Stormriders had also known. Regardless, he was a good source of information regarding affairs abroad though his information seemed limited. "Let them fight – the Dothroki can throw themselves on the Freecity's slave soldiers so long as they are not setting sale and crossing the Narrow Sea. I doubt that either she or her husband would be able to afford a legion of slave soldiers."

Robert looked around, seeing that there was nothing else to be said he stood up. The countless blades and points of the Iron Throne made the throne appear uncomfortable to any who sat on it. "Let us adjourn for the evening."

The others stood up as one but left individually as the King excused himself to see his Queen.

"Lord Stark." The Dornish accent was most similar to his own Northern accent despite the vast differences in their climates, almost making Eddard think that it had been one of his own men who had called out to him.

"Lord Martell."

"I apologize for the abruptness, but my lord brother requested that I discuss the possibility of our houses joining." It was as though the man had not considered the idea himself and thus gave little credence to it. Oberyn Martell was not one for the institution of marriage. The man was a famous paramour of both men and women, unwilling to limit himself to a single love or lover for longer than a day. "He regrets that he could not be here in person to speak of this with you, but his condition makes it difficult for him to travel. Still, recent events have led him to believe that it would best if we in Dorne no longer continue the practice of isolating ourselves from the rest of the kingdom."

"Recent events do suggest that we nobles need to set aside our differences and personal ambitions for the greater good of the kingdom," Eddard ceded.

"My brother believes that, given their ages, his second son Trystane would be a good match for your eldest daughter Sansa. Both are beautiful and full of youthful vigor. Still, I understand that a blind arrangement might be overwhelming for them, that is why Doran sent Trystane to King's Landing."

Ramza

The salty ocean breeze was a welcoming respite for the well traveled Stormrider squad that he led to Dorne, Casterly Rock, and back to King's Landing. Those had survived were now blooded warriors with an interesting tale of their encounter with the strange half-human, half-beast minotaurs. The rawest of recruits looked to their seniors even though few of the former had any experience with a ship.

The ship in question, Storm Lily, had been a gift to the Stormriders from House Tyrell. Ramza knew that it was their way of repaying the troupe for their efforts in healing Willas. While he would never regain the years he'd lost, he could walk, ride, and sale without aid and was free of any pain from his old injuries.

Marach had of course etched runes into the hull of the ship, giving it magical protection before allowing the recruits to train on the ship. Both the Storm Rose and the Storm Lily were light enough to traverse the rivers and lakes while also being able to endure the seas and ocean. The twin ships had many sails as well as a row of ten ores on each side and could hold crews of two score along with enough supplies to last a month. The ships were light and slim, designed for speed in the oceans and seas but could also function on rivers and lakes. In their maiden voyage they were tasked with delivering his squad and the last of the recruits to the North. A third ship sailed with them bearing supplies and two score of recruits for the Night's Watch. It would be for the Lord Commander to name.

The money that they had made in selling the dragon skeletons and an entire load of healing potions had been more than enough to pay off the kingdom's treasury, but only because the Iron Bank had valued both far more than the Stormriders' had. It had helped that Willias Tyrell had remained in King's Landing to continue treatment under Marach's supervision and was on hand when the representative from the Iron Bank had approached the new Master of Coin.

But that was all behind him now. Marach would keep track of who knew what about the Stormriders' magical healing potions and all the other intrigue in King's Landing. All Ramza wanted to do now was return to the Wall. Cid would ultimately decide who was to crew the twin ships and which ship was to be sent to patrol the western coast. The relatively small size of the ships had also made it possible for the Stormriders to limit the number of companions joining them on their travels. Arya Stark, her direwolf, and her instructor had opted to remain with the troupe, as had four of the Sandsnakes.

With the limit as to how many men could be in the Stormrider's ranks, it was no surprise that the crews of both ships were mostly young women. Most had opted to leave King's Landing in search of honest work rather than selling their bodies in the numerous brothels. Only a score of recruits remained with Marach's squad and it was likely that their numbers would not change when the ships returned to King's Landing after the equinox.

The Wall would be a pleasant respite from all that he and his squad had endured. While he had hoped to whittle down the number of prospective recruits that he couldn't trust, he'd barely had an opportunity to speak with them when they encountered the minotaur horde. Five had died, but the remaining birds had come to see why it was important for them to provide limited and perhaps false information to their former master. That Varys wanted to keep tabs on the troupe was not a surprise, but the man seemed to have his own motivations which did not seem to work in the best interests of the kingdom. Still, it was not his place to call out the Master of Whispers.

Despite the increased number of incidents beyond the Wall and the constant sightings of wildlings, Ramza was looking forward to returning to the Wall. Meliadoul and Temperance were set to captain the Storm Rose and Storm Lily respectively, each had picked out an experienced squad to aid them along with the score of Stormrider recruits that would remain with the ships once they reached The Last Hearth. Including the squads that he was to take out to traverse the Seven Kingdoms and the score in King's Landing the Stormriders would field a hundred and leave over twice that number at Icemark.

"You have come a long ways," Nymeria's words echoed his thoughts, though if she meant the growth of the troupe or the leagues that he had traveled over the past year he was unsure. The olive skinned beauty wore her cloak tight despite the warmth of the late summer weather. She was far to accustomed to the overwhelming heat of her native deserts but was going to great pains to not appear thusly.

He nodded as he gazed at the ocean waves. "So we have," he said before letting loose the taunt bowstring. Several other bowstrings twanged in response as a score of arrows took to the air, each carrying a measure of finely braided rope. The other arrows pierced the waves, some of them hitting their marks. His shaft flew high into the air still even as the recruits began to pull in their catches. Finally his arrow penetrated the surface, hitting his mark. Unlike the recruits who had taken aim at the school of fish, he had aimed at the creature hounding the fish. The seal was late in returning to the north but would provide the Stormriders with something other than fish for dinner. "We should reach the Last Hearth in another week."

"Why not take your forces to Eastwatch?" Nymeria's question had merit as the trio of ships should have been durable enough to navigate Seal Bay in the summer, but there was another reason why the Stormriders hoped to avoid Eastwatch. While the Stormriders were established as an order under the control of the Night's Watch, their forces were primarily women. The Lord Commander wished for as little interaction between the two orders as possible fearing that some of the senior Sworn Brothers might fall back on the behaviors that had led to them being banished to the Wall. Even with the aid of the Stormriders the Night's Watch would not be able to remove that stain.

"I'd rather have the solid ground beneath my feet," he finally replied. "We need to test the recruits to see if they are able to endure the hard march to the Wall."

"Are you sure that you are not simply trying to scare us off?" the bundled Sand Viper asked coyly.

"Had I wanted to leave you behind I would have done so in King's Landing," the young commander stated. "We did not have room for your horses, and it is unlikely that they would do well in the semi-frozen lands north of the neck."

"If the Stark wolf can tolerate the heat our horses can handle the cold," Nymeria retorted.

Ramza shook his head, "I told you before, I would not be responsible for your horses and given the close confines of these small ships it is unlikely that your horses would have survived being so close to Arya's direwolf."

Nymeria, the direwolf, had made it known that she did not like the Sand Snakes. While it was possible that it was due to her master's rivalry with the youngest of the Sand Snakes, Ramza thought it was because the creature was able to sense that the Sand Snakes just couldn't be trusted completely.

Fortunately the recruits began to haul in the fish. Soon the deck was full of activity as the recruits quickly processed the fish, separated portions for immediate use and for freezing.

Only Ramza's line remained in the water as his target had been the largest and furthest away. Once he felt that it had exhausted itself, he began to reel it in, slowly hauling it closer and closer to the ship. The seal was larger than he was, but due to its size his one line would not be enough to haul it into the ship. Several others moved to aid him by throwing nets over the seal.

Catching fish and seals was a nice diversion as well as practice for the recruits. It was their only means of actually acquiring any experience while they were on the ships. Had they traveled by land they would have had many other opportunities for combat experience even if it was just against wild animals or robbers. Only the need for relative speed and the need to break in the ships and their crews had kept him on the seas this long.

"Widow's Watch!" the scout in the Crow's Nest proclaimed. This particular recruit, Eddard, hailed from Widow's Watch and had experience as a deckhand. His experience and skill had ensured that he would remain with the Storm Rose even after Ramza and his squad disembarked after they reached the Last Hearth.

A chill, biting breeze brought with it hints of pine to replace the salty air of the sea. "We'll set anchor at the mouth of the Last River." The Stormriders quickly shifted gears, setting aside their arrows and line and taking up oars. Soon the chill of the north was forgotten as they rowed hard.

As the sun touched the western horizon both the crews of the Storm Rose and Storm Lily were enjoying a rare casual evening. They had reached the Last River well ahead of schedule with a green crew. Many of the newer recruits had never left King's Landing before much less the Crown Lands. For many of them the other realms were but places they could only dream of or were told of in tales, not places that they would actually travel or see in their lifetime had they remained simple commoners. Even as Stormriders they would be commoners, but the troupe offered them an opportunity to travel throughout the kingdom.

The tiny holdfast was full of fishermen making the most of the warmth of the summer. The wide kayaks were capable of handling the waves of the open sea as well as navigating the river. With the sun setting all of the fishermen had returned and were cleaning their catch. Though unused to having guests, they made due.

"It seems we have come at a most fortuitous time," Sandor stated as he approached Ramza. "A young couple has chosen to marry."

"Then we should give the couple a gift," Ramza said with a smile. "Bring a pair of lambs."

He was correct in assuming that the locals were unused to such fair. Fish and seals were their primary diet with the occasional fowl or deer breaking the monotony. With their numbers it was likely that they would consume both lambs entirely.

"Tell me about Valyaria," Nymeria's seductively smooth voice broke his reverie as several Stormriders skillfully processed the carcasses. Only a skeleton crew remained on watch as the ships were securely anchored but they would be relieved in shifts so that all of the recruits could enjoy the celebration.

"It was a burned out ruin," he replied. When Mustadio's strange auracite powered device had teleported them to this world it had taken them to the ruins of the once mighty empire. This world was large, but not so large that the Stormriders were intimidated. "The ruins felt evil." He wasn't sure why he had shared that truth. "The few people that we encountered wanted to capture and enslave us, or wanted to feed us to some beast."

"Why did you even go there?" the olive skinned beauty asked.

Ramza shrugged, "Curiosity."

He could feel her eyes on him yet again as she pondered his response. "And it is in the ruins of Valyaria that you encountered dragons?"

"Some," he lied. "Only small ones – the wyvern class dragons."

"Wyvern class?" she was perplexed by his classification.

"Dragons with one head and only two legs are considered wyverns. Dragons with multiple heads are called hydras. Dragons with one head, four legs, and wings are considered true dragons. Wyverns are faster, but their breath attacks if they have them are weaker. Hydras are physically the weakest, but their breath attacks are the strongest. True dragons are physically strong and their breath weapon is destructive.

"Kenneth believes that Valyria was not destroyed by a series of volcanic eruptions but was attacked by Bahamut – the king of dragons. The Valyrians had thought to master and control dragons, and perhaps they had tamed some, but dragons are by nature uncontrollable."

"And where would this king of dragons have hidden himself?" Nymeria asked, her laughter drawing the attention of those closest to them.

"Dragons are intelligent creatures," he replied. "One should not underestimate them and assume that they are stupid beasts. The oldest of the dragons we encountered are perhaps less than a few decades old, but they are still formidable. I shudder to imagine how we would fare against an ancient dragon. It is likely that the ancient ones go dormant for decades at a time to allow their prey to repopulate.

"But the dragons tamed by the Valyrians either killed each other or died of starvation as each successive generation became weaker and smaller. As rich as they may have been, they could not keep up with the appetites of those growing dragons."

He need not glance around to know that his words had enthralled most of those around him, especially the villagers. While he had made sure to speak with each of the recruits he rarely ever spoke of his own experiences. Lectures and lessons were Rose and Bert's responsibility, but the two had remained in King's Landing with Marach. Once they reached the Wall it would fall on Kenneth, Reis, Rapha, and Alma to enlighten the recruits about the history of the creatures that the troupe had fought.

Picking up an axe he moved to aid the lone woodcutter. The other Stormriders save for Katia and Sandor moved to follow his example. Everyone worked. Some helped clean fish and seals, others cooked, a few mended their armor and weapons, and some helped the fishermen with their kayaks or boats. By the time the last of the small jobs were completed the food was completed.

The presence of the Stormriders had bolstered the small celebration as the troupe had doubled the size of the settlement causing the celebration to spill out onto the commons. Several Stormriders took up their own instruments to play a merry melody for the festivities while a roaring bonfire illuminated the night and kept the chill of the north at bay.

He knew before he even saw that something was amiss. The villagers were grateful for the meat, but they were subdued in their celebration. The reason for their concern was all the more evident as mounted men rode through the tiny village and approached the commons. Suddenly the villagers went deathly silent as a pale faced man and his entourage stepped into the light of the bonfire.

"Such a merry celebration," the pale man said, his voice just loud enough for those present to hear, "do tell, what is the occasion?"

Though he remained hidden behind his hood, it was clear that the man had unusually pale skin. When no one responded in what the man considered a timely manner he stepped forward and pulled back his hood. "It appears that we have come across a wedding, does it not Damon?" The man had a broad, flat nose that matched his wide, meaty lips. Long, dark locks had to be brushed aside so that his small and closely-set eyes could be seen.

The man known as Damon pulled back his hood as well revealing fair locks and, in comparison, a handsome visage. "It does appear to be a wedding, milord."

Two score of mounted men encircled the gathering while a dozen of the men closest to the unseemly man moved to encircle the bride and groom. "I did not hear of any approved weddings," he whispered just loud enough to be heard.

Ramza glanced at Arya then to Sandor and Joffery who shook their heads affirming that such was not the custom in the North or the Crownlands.

With his eyes set on the bride, the grisly noble failed to notice the Sand Vipers until he had already put his hand on the young bride. Only then did Nymeria place her own hand on his wrist, preventing him from pulling the bride away from her husband.

"I see that your reputation does not do you any justice," Obara stated from behind her hooded cloak. "You are much more hideous than I had expected – it must be why you feel the need to claim the Right of First Night. It is likely the only way you could find a woman to fuck as I doubt any whore would be willing to accept anything less than a king's ransom to bed you. How difficult it must be for your loathsomeness to be evident to all who see you."

The unsightly man's eyes narrowed as he eyed Obara then Nymeria and their sisters even as the crowd parted.

"They are the Sand Snakes," Arya finally spoke up as she emerged from behind Sandor. "Obara, Nymeria, Elia, and Tyene." At the sight of the young Stark, the man released the bride though Nymeria's hold on him remained. "You truly are revolting, Ramsay Snow, and not just in appearance. Still, it seems that it is fortunate that we were here tonight, else we would not have witnessed the depravity of the Bastard of Bolton. It is something that my brother will need to address."

For a moment Ramza could see Ramsay consider his options. While he had two score of men behind him, the crowd numbered twice as many and the Sand Snakes were directly before him. It was not until he spotted the Stormrider's emblems that he realized how unfavorable the situation was for him. "It seems that we will need to escort you to Winterfell."