There's a lot of Authors Notes and Review responses in this chapter and I'm sorry about that, but I think a lot of people are underestimating the threat of the White Walkers and Luke's thoughts on them in the reviews and I really felt like I needed to address that both here and then in individual responses. Yes, Luke has been uncharacteristically lenient, but remember what it is he has to deal with. He's been thinking on the White Walker's for ages now and had 2 entire weeks with nothing to do but think on them and be frustrated that he couldn't plan for it while locked up. It's his sole focus right now and every decision he makes will have an element of 'how does this win us the war?' It's also worth mentioning that he is a Sellsword at heart, so a warrior that lives for battle, not administration, so his efforts at keeping the realm together may not be what a Jaehaerys or a Daeron would have done, as all Luke is worried about is having the best possible army ready to defeat the White Walkers. The realm won't just forget it however, and next chapter Luke will be called out on his decisions from this small arc since his release.
I'd also like to put something out there regarding the end of this story. I currently have it ending on Chapter 74, with potential for a short sequel to follow that's set in the future. What I have been toying around with though is the idea to round off this story with a 'Fire and Blood' esque chapter to sort of bridge that gap, though it will also include some of the plot points of the sequel given the nature of the history book. I just wanted to get the readers thoughts on what they want.
But anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
I own nothing but the OC's, all the actual characters and locations of A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones belong to either George R R Martin or HBO
The trek from Winterfell to the livestock farm on Long Lake had been delayed by the snows that were growing heavier by the day it seemed, and Jon was thankful for his experiences North of the Wall in helping him acclimatise quickly to the endeavour. He and Ygritte were always leading the small pack of Stark men, though once they were within sight of the farm that sat near the lakeside on the point furthest North nestled nicely in between the Lonely Hills, the Wolfswood and the lake, it was the farmer that was rushing ahead, noticing that the main barn was smoking and charred.
"No!" Bennard cried before running as quickly as the ankle-deep snow would allow him to, with Jon quickly following him down the hill and onto the farmer's land. The situation was worse than it had appeared as they grew closer however, and Jon looked around to see half a dozen slaughtered sheep scattered around the grazing pen, with a half-mangled torso alongside the carcasses.
"BENNARD!" A woman's voice cried out, and Jon stood to one side to allow the farmer to greet his wife with a firm hug tearfully, looking down at Ghost as the Direwolf was unusually aggravated. "Thank the Gods you're alright." She said, pulling back and smacking him on the arm. "You said a fortnight!"
"The snows!" Bennard protested. "But… what happened?"
The woman sighed as she looked around, her face obviously devastated. "They grew bolder… Harlan said he'd do a night watch and went with a spear and a dirk, I told him that no Wildling would run off at the sight of the fool, but he insisted…" She choked back a sob as she stared at the mangled human remains. "I heard screaming and shouting and lots of fire, but when I woke up that's all I found."
"This ain't no Free Folk, Jon Snow." Ygritte whispered to him, nervously gripping her bow so tightly that he could see her gloved hands shaking. "This is a monster."
"Aye." Jon agreed. He scratched Ghost's neck, feeling the Direwolf growing nervous as the silent predator stared eastwards towards the Lonely Hills.
Bennard had been explaining about the help he had brought while Ygritte was speaking, and was now pointing at Jon. "… Lordship sent us his brother!"
"Gods be good." The farmer's wife praised.
Jon then stepped forwards. "I'm terribly sorry for your losses, we will do our utmost to see that this threat, whatever it is, doesn't harm you any longer."
Bennard sighed. "We'll have to leave as it is. No livestock… we have no way of earning coin now."
"This is our home, Ben." The man's wife stated. "We can't leave."
"What choice do we have, Jenny?" Bennard snapped.
Jon cleared his throat. "Winterfell won't leave you to starve." He told them. "Once we find what has attacked your farm, you will both travel back with us to Winterfell for the Winter. We'll find you both jobs to tide you over, and then once Spring comes again we will make sure that this farm is rebuilt and restocked."
Jenny choked out a sob as she curtseyed clumsily. "Thank you, milord. Thank you, thank you!"
Jon grimaced. "I'm no Lord." He muttered, but it didn't matter to the farmer's wife as she hugged her husband tightly. Jon then turned to his 6 men, all of whom had been picked for their hunting and tracking abilities. "Lonny, you stay here with Bennard and Jenny, protect them if anything else comes sniffing around the carcasses. The rest of you, patrol around the area. Whatever this is has to have left some form of tracks."
They nodded and agreed, each of the six wandering off in different directions. Jon then turned to Ygritte, who cocked her head and asked him. "And what of us?"
Jon had been fending off the connection to Ghost as he was talking to the farmer and his wife, but now he allowed the nervous Direwolf in. "Ghost senses something in the hills." He said softly. "Something even he is wary of. We'll go that way."
Ygritte tensed her bow arm more as she looked up towards the large hill range, with only the nearest of them visible through the snow. "Like old times." She grinned. "Come on then, Jon Snow."
Jon started chuckling to himself at her semi enthusiasm, and he removed his hand from Ghost to allow the Direwolf to lead them. "Go on, Ghost. Show me what's out there." He spoke to the albino Direwolf, his hand now resting on the pommel of Longclaw as he prepared to face anything the Lonely Hills threw at him.
The first of Luke's many necessary changes was to bring in a brand-new squire. He had gone without ever since knighting young Edric Dayne after the Sparrows incident, and as a reward for Lord Monford's loyal service Luke had granted the position to the Master of Ships' 13-year-old son Monterys, along with confirming the betrothal to Jon Connington's kinswoman, the 16-year-old Alynne Connington, further tying his most loyal vassals together in a wedding that was planned for when the boy turned 14. Tentative plans had also begun to replace the now heavily depleted Small Council, though the issue of the former Master of Coin had to come first.
He was stood in his chambers as his new Squire slowly worked on fastening the King's sleek black armour that had been forged when he had been crowned the first time on Dragonstone. Luke stared at himself in the Myrish mirror, the ruby Targaryen sigil prominent on his chest.
"Tighter." He told Monterys who was just about to move on from Luke's leg straps.
"Sorry, Your Grace." The Velaryon boy stated before returning and re-doing the strap.
Luke nodded when he felt the armour fit him like it had with Edric Dayne. "That's better." He explained.
The Velaryon was full of questions, something which caused Luke to smile softly at the inquisitive nature of the boy who had barely left the vicinity of Driftmark. Luke had to explain the importance of the rubies on his chest in remembering his older brother, the golden bands in his arms as a reminder of his service to the Golden Company and numerous other questions about the King's armour. Monterys managed to move around and fit the King's armour to his exacting standards despite all these questions though, but it wasn't until Luke was fully armoured that the younger boy felt brave enough to ask a much bigger question than about armour. "Why are you fighting today, Your Grace?"
It was a question that Luke had been asking himself ever since his decision before bed the night before. "Lord Tyrell may be a traitor, but he is also a very powerful Lord and the Grandfather to my children. If I allow somebody else to fight in my place, then there is a strong chance that he dies today."
"Would that not be better?" Monterys asked. "My Father says that traitors should die."
"Not when we need the entire realm united." Luke explained. "When the call from the North comes, Monterys, I need all of the Reach. If I can ensure Mace Tyrell lives, then perhaps more of the Reach will follow him to the Wall, and more will join the march when it is time for battles."
He could see Monterys nod in agreement through the mirror, and Luke finally turned around and collected his helm from the boy. "Good job." Luke praised. "Now, go and fetch me Blackfyre."
Monterys frowned for a moment as he tried to remember where the sword was, before running over to the side of the room with Luke's chest and picking up the sword that had been leaning against it. Running back, Luke held his arms up to allow Monterys to wrap the belt around his waist, smiling at the familiar feel of the Valyrian Steel against his hip. "There you are, Your Grace. Is there anything else I need to do?"
Luke shook his head. "That is all, Monterys. Go and find your Father, get him to announce the trial and gather everybody in the Throne Room." Monterys bowed and ran out of the room, only for a loud knock to follow. "Enter." Luke called.
It was Ser Barristan, and Luke noticed the surprise in his eyes as he noticed the King in full armour. "My King… you should allow one of your Kingsguard to fight for you."
"The charges Mace Tyrell are throwing out are against me and my sins, Ser Barristan." Luke stated. "I must be the one to face them."
Ser Barristan shifted uncomfortably. "Trial by Combat's aren't a given… one lucky blow…"
"And Aegon shall be King, and the Gods will have made their will known." Luke sighed. "I know the risks, Ser Barristan. But I have fought fiercer foes than Mace Tyrell and won. I killed Laswell Peake, I killed Euron Greyjoy, I killed Salladhor Saan, I killed Khal Drogo, I killed…"
"You have an impressive list of beaten enemies, Your Grace." Ser Barristan, the man who had killed Maelys the Monstrous among many others interrupted. "And it still only takes one slip…"
Luke sighed. "If I am to salvage something out of this mess, Ser Barristan, then I must fight." He moved over and placed a gauntleted hand on Ser Barristan's shoulder pauldron. "Thank you for your concern, but my mind is made."
He could tell the Lord Commander wanted to argue more, but the elder Stormlander obeyed his King with a bow. "Then we should depart." Barristan stated.
Luke nodded, and led the Lord Commander through the Red Keep with his helmet under his arm, ignoring the whispers of the servants and members of court that spotted them on their way down. Those murmurs and gasps only grew once the doors to the Throne Room opened, and Luke saw that the gallery was full to the brim. Most prominent were his sister and wife once again at opposite sides of the area, and Luke noticed that Margaery's face paled at the sight of him. Also up on the gallery Luke noted were a number of Reacher Lords all prominently wearing their house sigils, many of whom with various claims to Highgarden.
Taking his place on the Iron Throne, Luke sat and waited. It was a lengthy wait as Mace Tyrell was brought up from the cells, but when the doors opened once more all the whispers died and the only sound to be heard was the steel boots of Mace Tyrell and Ser Taron who was escorting him towards the Throne.
"Lord Mace Tyrell." Jaremy, the Red Keep's steward proclaimed. "You have requested a trial by combat to decide your guilt or innocence in the charges of treason. Do you have a champion."
"I will fight for myself." Mace Tyrell stated loudly and proudly. "I will defeat whichever fool His Grace hides behind."
Luke smirked as he stood up. "There will be no hiding, Lord Tyrell." He stated bluntly. "I shall answer your accusations and treason myself, with the sword of my ancestors in my hand." He took the few steps down to ground level, moving around the Lord of Highgarden to reach the stairs leading up to the gallery. Once he had risen them, he turned right, towards his wife. "Your favour, my love." Luke stated for all to hear.
Margaery kept her face passive, but her eyes showed fear. She still reached behind her head to untie her hair, moving forwards to tie the ribbon around Luke's right bicep. "You promised." She reminded him in what was barely a whisper.
"I did." Luke retorted, waiting for her to finish before he turned around and returned to the main floor of the Throne Room. Mace Tyrell was glaring at him for the obvious show of power over the man's own family, but Luke ignored it. "For the sake of my children. For the sake of my wife, the Queen. This trial by combat shall be to a yield."
More whispers sounded and Luke could only imagine the disappointed faces of some of the attendees behind him. His eyes were focused on his Goodfather however, who was at that moment placing his plumed helmet atop his head. "I accept." Mace stated, unsheathing his sword.
Luke followed suit, listening to the sound of Blackfyre ringing around the room as it was freed from its scabbard. Luke flicked his wrist and spun the sword in a circle before he held his arm out, only waiting a little bit longer than expected for Monterys to bring him his shield before Luke put his helmet over his head.
No more words were spoken then, as Mace Tyrell came forwards and threw out the first attack. It was easily parried by Luke's shield, but the Targaryen was a bit surprised at how much power the aging man managed to get behind it. Another blow followed, and another, and one final one before Luke slashed out with Blackfyre, chipping the Golden Rose shield.
Despite the power the Reach Lord managed to get behind his swings, the skill and experience of Luke counted for a lot as he danced his way around Mace Tyrell, mainly sticking to defence to tire the man out. That started to happen quickly as the lack of training began to show, and Mace's arms were starting to drop after each swing and each attack was becoming lazier, allowing Luke time to strike out thrice with Blackfyre, connecting firstly with the shield again, secondly with Mace's sword knocking it out the way, and thirdly with Mace's sword arm as the point of Blackfyre nicked Mace's arm in the gap between plate.
The fight was done at that point as Mace swung around with a grimace on his face, though the Tyrell refused to yield. Luke pressed his advantage even more, trying to end it as he battered down Blackfyre with some force against Mace's shield, hacking it to splinters until all that was left was the wood around the grip.
"Yield." Luke stated firmly, but Mace Tyrell refused, swinging wildly and hitting Luke in the side. The black steel plate held firm however and Luke locked his arm in place to hold the sword before batting it out of Mace Tyrell's hand with Blackfyre. "Yield." He stated again to the man who now had no sword and no shield. Mace didn't respond, and so with a frustrated kick, Luke knocked the Tyrell Lord to the ground, before slamming into his midriff with the same boot, forcing Mace onto his back and lowering Blackfyre to hover above Mace's face. "Yield, My Lord, and live another day."
"What happens now? I go to the block?" Mace scoffed.
"You go to the Wall." Luke corrected. "You, and whomever may follow you will bolster the ranks of the Night's Watch, ready to face the coming storms. A man of your experienced will be valued up there, while the loss of your rank and titles will be punishment enough for me."
Mace dithered, and so Luke lowered Blackfyre slightly so it was pressing against Mace Tyrell's eye. "I yield!" He cried out. "I yield."
Applause rang out from the gallery, but Luke didn't care to look. Instead he stepped back, pulling Blackfyre away from the temptation to slam it into the traitor's eye anyway. Guards came and dragged Mace Tyrell up as somebody announced the result and the punishment, but it all flew over Luke's head. All that mattered to him was that he had won, and the realm could finally unite as Winter grew fiercer.
After a scalding hot bath and being redressed into his finer clothes, Luke invited both Margaery and Loras to dine with him that night. Margaery was the first to arrive, wearing a black dress with golden vines running all around it in his personal colours and took her place at his left-hand side, while Loras followed a few minutes later, sitting opposite the King.
He left the important discussions until the third course, where Luke finished his plate before speaking. "You are now the Lord of Highgarden, Loras. We should discuss our alliance."
Loras gulped his mouthful down, nodding. "I will not seek any further fighting between our Houses Your Grace. You are married to my sister, and the Father of my niece and nephew. If you allow it, our alliance will remain strong."
Luke smiled. "I want nothing more. All parties have had their faults since our alliance was forged by our wedding, myself more than most. That is at an end now, and from this day I pledge I shall be better."
"And Highgarden shall stand behind you." Loras agreed, before he shifted nervously. "Though, I must ask… the Princess…"
"Shall keep Dragonstone until Aegon is of age and ready for his own Lordship." Luke stated. "Her visits to King's Landing will be limited, while I will be far too busy here to visit Dragonstone." He sighed, turning to his wife. "The story of Daeron's parentage will spread, and while there will always be whispers, we shall flatly deny them."
Margaery nodded, her lips pursed together tightly. "I feel for the boy, but it is for the best." She agreed. "For our son."
"Gods willing, he will be honourable and will take the Black or the White Cloak." Luke shrugged. "Or be clever and forge a path at the Citadel. I have no wish to be the next Viserys or Aegon and force a succession crisis on the realm after I am gone. Daeron shall have no contact from me, and Daenerys has sworn to me she will keep the secret too."
Margaery clearly didn't trust the word of the Princess, but thankfully she said nothing further about it as the servants arrived to clear up their plates. Loras seemed content with all that had been spoken. "I would like Aegon to know Highgarden too." Loras explained. "I understand as the heir he can't really foster with us, but regular visits at least? As it stands he is also in line for Highgarden after myself, and then Margaery."
"Let us win the coming war first." Luke said, realising that with Loras' unspoken proclivities the likelihood of a Targaryen inheriting Highgarden was likely now. "Then we can maybe talk on all that."
That again seemed good enough for Loras, as further talk went to strengthening the bonds between King's Landing and Highgarden. By the time both Loras and Margaery had left Luke's apartments, the King was almost of a mindset that all that had happened had been worth it, and that dealing with Loras was a lot more enjoyable than trying to sidestep the ambition of Mace Tyrell.
A ship had been prepared to take Mace Tyrell and the rest of the prisoners up to Eastwatch the dawn after the trial, and also leaving the Red Keep was the rest of the Tyrell party. Luke hadn't come down to see Margaery's family off, but the Queen herself had made sure to be there to hug her Grandmother before she was helped into the carriage.
"You take care, child." Olenna stated. "If you need us…"
"Then send a raven, or a messenger." Loras finished off. "I trust Lucerys will stick to this peace, but if he dishonours you again…"
Margaery smiled. "Then I know I have my beloved brother there to defend me." She stated, hugging Loras next and kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Loras, though I'm sure things will be changing for the better now." Olenna stepped up into the carriage, leaving the siblings alone for a moment and giving Margaery a chance to give her brother some advice she had been pondering ever since their dinner the night before. "Loras, you need to marry now."
Loras scoffed. "I don't…"
"Listen to me." Margaery said bluntly. "If you don't, then Highgarden will fall to one of my children, or one of Aegon's. No matter what though, they will be named Targaryen and fly a dragon banner. For the sake of the Reach and for future peace, a Tyrell must hold Highgarden, or we are giving power to a future pretender." That seemed to catch Loras' attention, and so Margaery pressed on. "Desmera is unwed…"
"Desmera? Our cousin?" Loras scoffed again. "Margaery, be serious."
"Yes, our cousin. And after us, one of the three closest claimants to Highgarden." She insisted. "That match would bring you many allies, and keep your enemies at bay."
Loras frowned. "You know what they say about Desmera, Margaery. She's a…"
"She's a whore, I know." The Queen rolled her eyes. "Something which works to our advantage, unless you plan on bedding a woman at any point?" The scowl in Loras' eyes told her everything. "Listen to me, marry her and come to an agreement. If she births Tyrell children, they have a big claim through her anyway."
"It's mummery." Loras said softly.
Gently cupping her brother's cheek. "Mummery is a part of your life, no matter how much I wish differently for you, sweet brother." She said. "We would have all been happy had Renly lived and won, with me being your shield. But Renly is dead and Lucerys is my husband now, so Desmera is your best option, please, for our House…"
There was a pause, but Loras nodded. "I'll speak to Grandmother and see what she thinks." He said softly. "If she agrees… I'll include that in the Arbor raven when I ask for men to protect Father on the Wall."
Margaery smiled, hugging him once more. "I love you." She told him.
"And I, you, sister." Loras smiled. "Remember, if you need anything…"
"You are a raven away." Margaery smiled back, stepping away to let him enter the carriage with their Grandmother. She waved as they rode off out of the Red Keep, sighing to herself as the truth settled in, that she was now all alone inside the castle.
The Lonely Hills had yielded no tracks as nightfall fell upon the Northern sky, and so Jon and Ygritte had set up camp, starting a fire and pitching a single bed roll close by it, where they both had squeezed into it intimately. Above them the snow had thankfully stopped, and the pair were staring up at the night's sky in amazement as various green flashes streaked across the black canvass. It was a stunning sight.
"Do you think the Gods are telling us something?" Jon asked as he stroked Ygritte's back through her furs.
"My Mother told me once that they was bad omens." Ygritte stated. "But she was wrong, they're signs of good things to come."
Jon smiled at her optimism. "What makes you say that?"
He felt Ygritte shrug in his arms. "They were there the night before you captured me." Was all she said.
The mood of the lights above them mixed with the peaceful night's sky and her words had all compounded for Jon, and he lifted her head up to press his lips to his own with passionate force. The kiss then deepened as their tongues warred between them, and soon enough Ygritte had shifted so she was straddling him, their bedroll straining around them. "It's too cold to take our clothes off."
Ygritte smirked. "You know nothing, Jon Snow."
And he clearly didn't, as the next thing he knew he was inside her, feeling her sliding back and forth as sheer delight overtook him. He pressed his lips to Ygritte's again as they joined as one under the green lights of the night sky.
It was welcome heat as their bodies grew warmer with the exercise, and Jon couldn't say how long they were there for, but at the same time he spilled himself inside his wife, a loud and guttural roar sounded fiercely to the east, causing Jon to panic as he reached for Longclaw.
"There's… no-one around… Jon Snow." Ygritte panted as she nestled into Jon's chest.
"Did you not hear that?" Jon asked, moving his head to spot Ghost who had perked up and was staring in the same direction as the roar.
"Hear what?" She whispered, seemingly falling asleep. The roar sounded again, only this time Ygritte did hear it as she dropped the bed roll and quickly pulled up her trousers, allowing Jon to tuck himself back in as they both stood up, weapons in hand as they faced the east. Things were silent for a minute as the pair stood guard, before once more another roar was heard, alongside the flapping of leathery wings. "Up there!" Ygritte pointed upwards towards the sky, and Jon saw the outline of an increasingly growing dragon being lit up by the lights in the sky.
"The King?..." Jon whispered, but there was no rider on the Dragon's back. Oddly enough, Jon couldn't sense any danger in the foreseeable future, and so he lowered his weapon and placed his hands on Ygritte's wrists, making her lower her own. The dragon had begun to circle them at that point, before landing on the floor a hundred yards away up the hill they had camped on with a thud, snow spraying everywhere from its feet.
"It's a sign…" Ygritte whispered. "I told you, it's a good omen…"
Jon was inclined to agree, knowing how powerful that Valaxes had been before King Lucerys had been able to ride, a dragon large enough to ride in the hands of a Northerner would be a massive boon to the coming war. He thought back, before realising which of the three was in front of him. "Rhaegal." He noted, remembering his conversations with the King at Castle Black about the other two dragons that had remained in Dorne for the war. "The Princess claimed Viserion, and so this is Rhaegal."
Ygritte scoffed. "The Gods are laughing." She noted. "You, Jon Snow, find your father was one of the Dragon Princes and then the one beast that bears his name comes and finds you?"
It seemed that way to Jon, but then panic set in. "I don't know how to claim it." He whispered.
Ygritte's hand found its way to his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Listen to your heart, Jon Snow, you will know what to do."
She then dropped her hand and gave his back a little push, forcing him to take a couple of steps forwards. Jon noticed Rhaegal cock its head to the side, staring at Jon quizzically and Jon felt a sense of daring as he took another step. He looked back at his lessons as a child, where together with Robb they had attempted to learn some High Valyrian. Not a lot had stuck with him as he had grown up and forged his own life, but Jon remembered a couple of words. "Lykirī." He begged the dragon to be calm. "Lykirī."
Rhaegal seemed to soften at that, lowering its head slightly and nudging forwards slightly towards Jon, who was now closing the gap between them. He held his right hand up, before stopping to take his glove off, barely wincing at the cold chill in the air. He continued his movements, stepping closer and closer towards Rhaegal until his hand was upon the warm dragon scaled snout. Jon had no idea what he was really doing as he began to pet the dragon like he would a nervous horse, but Rhaegal didn't seem to mind, breathing in almost a purr.
Instinct began to take over then as Jon found his legs moving further down the dragon's body, grinning as he could feel something grow in his mind, a sense of contentment. "Are we friends now, Rhaegal?" He asked the dragon out loud. The dragon huffed in acceptance, lowering its body further to give Jon a path up to the dragon's back.
"It wants you to ride it." Ygritte commented from behind him.
Jon knew that, the thought flashing hotly through his head. It was a different connection to the one he had with Ghost, but Jon could tell that it was a strong one. He hauled himself up onto the large dragon's back, realising immediately as he sat himself down in between Rhaegal's spine spikes why the King had arranged for a saddle to be made. He wiggled to try and find a comfy spot, before resting his hands upon two of the spikes and sorting out his grip.
Once he had settled into position he didn't even need a command. Rhaegal simply launched into the air with a delighted roar, soaring up and up into the green lit sky, with Jon on his back shouting out in delight at the thrill of riding an actual dragon.
I think that was the most explicit I've ever been in writing a sex scene, and that's only because I had the thought of the romance of doing it under the Northern Lights in that particular scenario. I'd imagine both Jon and Ygritte know how to camp in snows given their pasts too so I hope it wasn't too unrealistic. The main part of that scene however is the claiming of Rhaegal…
I'm fully expecting more dissenting views on the Mace scenario, but I should hope Loras here has shown why having him at the Wall is important. I can also imagine some people are wondering why Margaery wouldn't want her own children as the Lord or Lady of Highgarden, and I'll answer that here: she's just seen her Father brought down low and sent to the Wall over the issue of a bastard Targaryen. If one of her children is given Highgarden then at some point down the line it's inevitable that the Lord of Highgarden will be seen as a better fit for King than whomever sits on the Iron Throne, and a Targaryen with the power of the Reach behind them will mean an extremely bloody war. If Loras has a child, then that doesn't become an issue.
I've got a lot of review responses so I'll keep this relatively short. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Remember to let me know what you'd prefer for the end of the story in the reviews if you have a preference.
Next Time: Luke moves to settle his Council in the aftermath, while Jon reports the unsettling truth.
Reviews:
Robloplop: From the beginning… he was married, and then after Valarra died and it was time to invade he needed allies as he wasn't going to conquer the realm with baby dragons and the Golden Company. To get those allies, he needed marriage alliances with Dorne (Trystane was the only available Martell and hence he was betrothed to Dany) and The Reach (Margaery). If you remember the dragons from Season 2, how was he meant to subdue the entire realm with around 15,000 men and those easily killed creatures?
meryfcuckery: Mace successfully took over the Red Keep with a small force and has the loyalty of many in the Reach. My Mace is a mix of books and show, as he's capable in a survivalist sort of way, but still easily led as shown by Varys and extremely proud. Sending him to the Wall with hundreds of other Reachman is a little bit similar to what happened when Jaime went, as Tyrion sent numerous Westermen because he was going. Loras is doing the same. All Luke cares about now is getting through the Long Night, and killing capable people may be the right thing to do after a treason like this and something he would definitely do like he did with the Lannister's earlier in the story if he wasn't so obsessed with the Walker's, but given that threat and given his worry on the entire world being destroyed, he knows that they could also be useful and help prevent the worst from happening.
petrolino2045: The thought of the White Walker's is literally all that's on Luke's mind and is shaping every single decision. Remove that and Mace dies, Paxter dies, literally everybody in Tyrell armour dies. With the thought of the White Walkers however, he needs to ensure that there are as many people able to stand behind him and wield a weapon as possible. He couldn't let Mace off scott free, but sending him to the Wall where he knows there will be hundreds of people loyal to him joining him? It's the best thing he can think of in a bad situation. That's why he didn't kill Mace here when he easily had the chance. What happens in the future… well we need to wait and see who survives the battles first.
Guest (Thanks god): If you could name a medieval King that had to deal with the foreknowledge of ice zombies that come and raise all of your dead then I'll welcome that as a comparison. Luke is only lenient because of that foreknowledge. He's been firm in his convictions pretty much all story, and it's only now that Winter is coming and the threat is imminent that he's trying his hardest to keep as many people alive and able to fight as is humanely possible. I also wouldn't call anything here slaps on the wrist, everyone judged either had their hand chopped off, was forced into indentured servitude, or was forced to part with a significant amount of assets as well as a son. Stripping the Tyrell's creates bloodshed with them, and remember there are still dozens of living members of House Tyrell. Replacing them with House Tarly creates war, as why would the Florents, Hightowers, Rowans, Oakhearts, Fossoways etc etc accept yet another House ruling over them when they argue they have better claims? Why on earth would Luke knowingly bring about more war when he needs the entire realm focused on the North? It's all about the bigger picture. Once that is over and providing he survives, Luke can return to his usual self when it comes to punishing those that oppose him as House Lannister saw, as House Brune saw, as House Hardy saw, as House Rosby saw… there have been plenty of examples of his ruthlessness when the looming threat of the White Walker's wasn't overhanging his every decision.
jeager104: He's granting mercy to his family in fairness, but again, you can't just wipe out House Tyrell. Is he meant to kill his wife and kids? The dozens if not hundreds of other members of the House littered all over the Reach? No. Even Tywin was hated for killing off every single Reyne and it certainly wasn't understandable, nor was Luke slaughtering multiple houses to extinction earlier in the story. It also wasn't House Tyrell, it was Mace Tyrell, and with Luke so focused on the future, he's punishing Mace Tyrell and his fellow conspirators in a way that benefits the future war effort and doesn't set a house with a large number of members and a lot of alliances off against him. It is soft, that is something brought up next chapter, but in Luke's eyes it's necessary and he feels like he's already shown those that defy him what will happen in normal circumstances all throughout the story. The thought of the White Walker's is why he's sacrificing Dany's honour, that's why he is allowing everybody the chance to go to the Wall. He's not going to just roast everybody that he has a disagreement with and become a hated tyrant when he's on the precipice of a planet defining war where he needs every living person to face it. Will this embolden others? Of course it will, if he lives past the White Walker invasion. Will he do the same again? Not a chance.
Alor: I've explained my reasoning for all of those points. The Mace stuff in this chapter, the fact that Luke isn't marrying Dany all throughout the story.
Guest (reverted): When are they rebelling? Before the White Walker's attack or after? Providing Luke survives, his response would be different in each scenario. I don't hate Dany at all, I love her character and in this story I love the tragedy of her and Luke's doomed relationship. I'm not going to spoil the future.
Behold the Exalted One: In normal circumstances there would be a lot more dead bodies, but these aren't normal circumstances. As for what's coming next, it will more likely be either my Arryn story (I'm also going to rewrite the one already uploaded to make it a lot better), my Tyrell story or my Harry Potter OC story. They are the three that are fully plotted out, whereas my book version of the Dance story (which I've only just noticed wasn't updated on my profile to show that I'm now using twins that will fight against one another) has only been plotted until Rhaenyra's wedding tourney so far, and the Seed of the Dragon is a massive scale story that I'm 70 chapters into the plan of and I'm only just into the main war. It's a lot of set up.
FangRu: What beginning? The beginning where he didn't have a big enough army or an adult dragon to force everybody to follow him, in a scenario where everybody would be just waiting for an opportunity to strike? I did that with my Lannister OC story, I wasn't going to have another tyrannical leader in the story straight afterwards. Luke isn't completely soft, he's just determined to win the War for the Dawn with as many living people behind him as possible.
luisperezbro060: Maegor is not a King to aspire too in multiple aspects… he's already done a Maegor with the Faith, he isn't going to destroy a family of dozens if not hundreds of people when he needs as many men alive to face the White Walkers as possible.