This chapter is a large one… So I'll keep this one short as I don't really have anything new to say and just hope that you all enjoy the chapter!

I own nothing but the OC's. All actual characters and locations from the books and the show are the property of George R R Martin and/or HBO.

With the matters of the traitors sorted, Luke had finally been able to gather the Small Council together for a meeting to discuss the realm. It was a small gathering with just Prince Oberyn, Monford Velaryon, Ser Barristan and Grand Maester Gormon in attendance, and after catching themselves up on the mess that had been left by the brief Tyrell dynasty, their attention turned to appointing new members of the council.

Luke was adamant in one thing however. "They must be men I trust." Luke stated bluntly when the topic of new appointments was brought up around the table. "Varys was chosen for me, spinning his webs to his end goal no matter what violence followed and Mace Tyrell was a forced appointment to honour my wife's family and not based on suitability to the role. The Lord Confessor Lysono Maar will be asked to serve as Master of Whispers, while Harry Strickland served admirably as paymaster under me for many years and has brought prosperity to Dragonstone in his time as Castellan, he shall do so again as Master of Coin. I have also sent word to Balaq in Volon Therys and the Golden Company will be brought to Westeros and will base itself here, in the capital, as an additional, loyal force. They will still take contracts in Essos, but they will remain with me."

"Your Grace." The Grand Maester began. "Is it wise to bring in more people that are… not from Westeros?"

Luke scowled at the Tyrell. "I trust these men with my life, Maester. They are the best that Essos has to offer and have served me loyally since before I took my crown. That is more than I can say about a lot of Westerosi."

"Our chained Tyrell friend spoke bluntly, but the point is valid." Oberyn began. "There will be many a Lord that find this… insulting."

"Let them." Luke stated bluntly. "I am not here to avoid hurting the feelings of my vassals, I am here to avoid further death through war and to lead my subjects to surviving the coming Long Night. To do that, I must have men I trust around me, men like those around this table." He wasn't quite sure on the loyalty of the Grand Maester, but the position of Grand Maester had been chosen by the Conclave for centuries and he still needed the older man's skills.

"I know Maar and Strickland." Ser Barristan stated. "They are good at their jobs, the realm will be in safe hands."

"It's the topic of Hand of the King that troubles me." Luke admitted. "I did offer it to Ser Barristan, who refused me."

Ser Barristan nodded. "I am a bodyguard, a protector. I would not serve you correctly in the office, Your Grace, as honoured as I am. The previous Hands that also belonged to my order do not stand my advancement in good stead."

"It should be a powerful Lord." Monford stated. "One that has been loyal to you from the start…"

Oberyn disagreed. "Or one that will give you sage advice and be beneficial in running the Realm, not a lickspittle."

"Oberyn is right." Luke nodded. "Nobody will replace Jon, but we need someone like minded. Strong, determined, and willing to do the right thing even if I disagree." A few names were bandied around. Robb Stark was mentioned, though Luke needed his Warden of the North to remain in the North and he outright refused Oberyn's suggestion of Tyrion Lannister. "I will not suffer more Lannister's in my court." He growled. "Two legitimised bastards are more than enough." Doran Martell was also rejected kindly, with Luke now wary of having too many people from a single House on his council.

It was Ser Barristan who came up with an idea that provoked the most discussion. "What of Lord Randyll Tarly?"

Luke initially wasn't keen for similar reasons as to his rejection of Prince Doran. "Another Reachman? After everything we have been through?"

"Lord Randyll fits your criteria." Oberyn nodded.

"He's a tough fucker, but dutiful." Monford nodded.

Ser Barristan continued. "He is harsh. As was Tywin Lannister when he served as Hand under your Father, Your Grace, and the realm was prosperous under him. Lord Tarly can bring about the same."

"The Tyrell's will see this as a warning, Your Grace." Gormon stated.

"Then all the more reason to invite him here." Oberyn smirked coldly at the old man, not even close to forgiving the House for locking him up.

There were definitely pros and cons for the idea of appointing the famous Reachman to the position, and it was an idea that made Luke think further on it. "I have come to a peace with House Tyrell, is riling them up further a good idea?"

"It need not be more than a warning." Ser Barristan began. "They have nobody fit to serve as Hand, whilst Lord Tarly is a loyal man beholden to his vows. There would be no infighting between them for this appointment, but it would shift the power dynamics in the Reach just slightly away from House Tyrell. We do not want that to be permanent, but for our lifetimes, ensuring that we do not suffer an uprising from another Tyrell again can only help us."

"Plus he is the only man to defeat the Usurper in battle." Monford added. "And while we all have our opinions on him, Baratheon was a capable commander. Defeating him was no mean feat. Having a man like that at your side when we are all preparing for a war the kind of which we have never seen before can only be useful."

Luke wanted to growl at the mere mention of the man, but Monford had a point. "Gormon, invite Lord Randyll to the Red Keep. Do not mention why, just that I would like to meet with him."

Gormon bowed his head. "As you command, Your Grace." He said monotonously.

The final issue was that of the opening in the Kingsguard. "I have two men that I would be happy in filling the role, Your Grace." Ser Barristan explained. "Ser Samwell Stone is the Master at Arms of Runestone, a fine warrior that has served well in both the Usurper's rebellion and the Greyjoy Rebellion. He is older, nearing 40 at this point, but a terrific warrior."

"Would he leave Runestone to serve?" Monford asked.

"I can only ask." Barristan explained. "But if not, then there is another, closer to home and one you know well, Your Grace. Ser Lorimas Mudd."

Lorimas had been one of his searjents in the Golden Company, the younger brother of Old Jon Mudd who had died in Luke's Conquest, and the uncle of the current Lord of Darry. "I thought Lorimas wanted to stay with his nephew?" Luke asked.

"Lord Jon now has two sons and a daughter through his union with Lady Amerei Frey." Gormon Tyrell interjected. "Ser Lorimas may feel that the newly instated Mudd's of Darry are secure enough."

Nodding, Luke turned back to his Lord Commander. "Send the ravens, Ser Barristan. I shall leave the choice of who wears the White Cloak to your more than capable hands."

"Your Grace." Barristan bowed.

The Grand Maester then cleared his throat. "If we are finished with the appointments, Your Grace… we should discuss the mining efforts on Dragonstone…"

Luke nodded, relieved at how mundane the meeting was from then on. The absence of Jon was still being felt with every word, but with the Council back functioning, the realm was certainly about to heal from the so-called Thorn's Tumult.

A couple of hours after the Small Council Meeting had ended, Luke took his first ride out into the city in weeks with his sister. They made sure to go down all of the streets, talking to the people and reassuring them that things were back to normal now and that the walls would be repaired as a matter of urgency. It was a winding route, and it finished at the Dragonpit. The two Targaryen's were left alone by their escort as they entered the ruins, their two dragons napping loudly. They stood there in silence for a moment, knowing what was coming and wanting to push it back for as long as they possibly could.

Eventually though, Luke knew that he had to get it over with. "Make sure you write often." He told Daenerys. "I may not be able to see you, but you are still my family. Daeron is still… family." He caught himself, needing to get into the new reality of things.

Dany just smiled up at him. "We will." She said, a tear pouring. "And I'll be there when you need me, Luke. Always, you just need to ask." They came together in a firm embrace, with both of the Targaryen's clinging to the other tightly. It was Luke that pulled away first, but their hands lingered on one another until the very last moment. No more words were spoken between the siblings, the emotion of their departure too much for either to handle. With one more, longing look between them Dany turned away, and Luke saw her wipe her eyes before she strode confidently over to Viserion. "Wake up, Viserion." She called out, rousing the cream and gold dragon in time to climb up the wing and fasten herself in the saddle. Luke caught her eyes once more once she had settled into the saddle and smiled, holding up a hand in a wave. Dany waved back, before he heard her give another command. "Fly!"

The rush of air didn't faze the King as Viserion launched into the sky, Luke's hair flapping about as he watched the dragon fly up into the dusk sky and begin to travel eastwards, back to Dragonstone. Sighing, Luke allowed himself a few minutes to compose himself before he turned back around and walked out of the Dragonpit, to where Ser Barristan and Ser Rolly were waiting for him.

"This is for the best, Luke." Rolly stated once he had mounted his horse and they began the route back to the Red Keep, the informality making Luke smile as he nodded at one of his oldest friends.

"Aye, Ser Rolly is correct, Your Grace." Ser Barristan stated, stressing the title. "Love is hard, especially a love that cannot be."

Luke remembered the birth of Aegon, when Ser Barristan had told him the tale of his Mother and her holy knight. "Do we know where Ser Bonifer is?" He asked.

Ser Barristan shook his head. "I heard rumours of a small sellsword company in Andalos, but there is no way of knowing. If he hasn't shown himself to you by now, Your Grace, it is likely that he never will."

"I am a symbol of his lost love, and the man he lost her too." Luke surmised. "No matter how impossible their love was."

"The road of life is paved with lost loves." Rolly stated. "Do you remember that girl from Tyrosh… what was her name…"

Luke barked out a laugh. "Haeleya." He retorted. "The purple haired whore."

"Gods… she was perfect." Rolly groaned. "And before my time of celibacy of course, Lord Commander." He added, grinning at his white-cloaked commander. "I could have married her though, truly."

"Be glad you didn't." Luke snorted. "I heard she gave Little Pussy lice."

Rolly grimaced. "He lied." He muttered, before laughing along. "Ser Barristan, have you known love?"

"My duty has been to the Crown for almost 5 decades, Ser Rolly." Barristan said bluntly.

Luke, however, wanted to know more. "That doesn't answer his question." The King pointed out, enjoying the distraction.

Barristan sighed. "I shared kisses with some of the girls at Harvest Hall in my youth, but despite being the elder son and in line to inherit my only goal in life was to join the ranks of the Kingsguard while my younger brother, Richard, was the one capable of administration and was more suited to Lordship. I was lucky enough to be granted a White Cloak after the Stepstones, and only once has my resolve been tested…" He trailed off. "But it was never to be, and never reciprocated. The Lady has since passed, and it would not do well to dwell on her."

It had brought the mood down, and Luke lowered his head to look at the saddle. "I loved Valarra, I truly did." He explained. "If I were to go back to that day on Lys, I perhaps wouldn't have been so cruel to her family. Her father threw himself into the sea the year after in his grief… I'm not sure she ever knew that before she…" He sighed. "I sometimes wonder what she thinks… what she would say to me if I saw her again."

"It does not do to dwell on those thoughts, Your Grace." Ser Barristan said kindly. "The present is where our focus should be at, and you have a newborn daughter to dote upon, one that needs its parents allied, not fighting one another."

Luke smiled as he thought on Saella. "I do." He nodded. He turned back to Blackwater Bay, where Daenerys was now no more than a small dot in the distant sky. "Thank you both for this talk, and for your counsel." He turned to Barristan. "Are you sure I can't pin this badge on you?"

Barristan laughed. "It's an honour I could do without, Your Grace."

Sighing dramatically, Luke nodded. "Very well, let us hope that Randyll Tarly is as impressive as he seems to be." He stated bluntly, before whipping the reigns and forcing his horse to move faster, the thought of his little family calling him back to the Red Keep with urgency.

After landing the dragon and returning back to the farm to help Bennard and Jenny gather their belongings, Jon's small party began the trek back to Winterfell, arriving just over a month after he had departed. The Wintertown had grown even busier as more Northerners had arrived hoping for the safety of Winterfell, and Jon noticed in the distance that the defensive efforts had only increased, with large wooden scorpions now completely lining the walls and battering rams lined with Dragonglass points were also hanging from the walls of the castle. The moats were dug out too he noticed as he neared the castle gates, with a single wooden bridge connecting Winterfell to the wider world.

"Take Bennard to Ser Benfrey." Jon told one of the men that had followed him to Long Lake, before turning to the farmer and his wife. "Lord Stark's Goodbrother, Ser Benfrey Frey, is our steward here at Winterfell, he will find you a place to stay and jobs for you to do while you are here."

"Thank you for your kindness, Jon." Bennard said, shaking Jon's hand fiercely. "It will never be forgotten."

Jon just smiled as they were led away before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I best go and see Robb, tell him all about our new friend." He told his wife. He could feel Rhaegal close by, though the dragon was staying away from the busy town and castle for now.

"Are we telling anyone else?" Ygritte asked.

Jon sighed. They hadn't even told the others that had joined them about Jon's bond with the dragon, simply explaining that it had flown off back to the South. "Only Robb." He told her. "I'm… I'm not ready for anybody else to know yet. I still need to understand it all myself…"

"What's to understand?" Ygritte shrugged as she went to walk to their room. "It chose you, Jon Snow."

She left him standing in the middle of the courtyard pondering that question, and everything was racing through Jon's mind at once. His true heritage, the fact he now needed to learn how to ride a dragon… Shaking his head furiously he made his own way inside the castle then, making his way up to Robb's solar.

The Lord of Winterfell was inside with Maester Corwin giving the chained scholar some rather heated instructions. "… instruct Lady Flint in the bluntest of terms that while Widow's Watch is a strong castle, if she is to hole up there on her own, then her castle will be cut off from the rest of the North when the enemy comes and no aid will be able to reach her and she will be left to fend off the army of the dead by herself, instead of joining the rest of the North in Winterfell."

Corwin bowed. "Yes, My Lord." He stated, before passing Jon with a kind bow.

"Jon! I heard you were back." Robb grinned, stacking his papers to one side before standing up and walking around his desk to hug Jon. "I'm almost jealous you got to leave… Winterfell is nought but grain reports and vassals not understanding the severity of what we face right now."

Jon chuckled at that. "I'm not so sure you would have liked Long Lake any more than that." He said.

"Did you find out what attacked the farm?" Robb asked, pouring them both drinks of wine.

Jon took his gratefully. "Aye." He said, not quite knowing how to explain it. "We arrived and the farm had been ablaze, animals ripped apart and scattered around, and the farmhand that had tried a night watch had been torn in two."

Robb's eyes widened. "Seven Hells…" The Old Gods follower whispered.

Jon nodded. "Turns out… The North has been playing host to one of the King's Dragons. Rhaegal has flown Northwards and made a home for himself."

That made Robb fall back into his seat as he digested the news. "A dragon… is it here for you?" Was his first question. "Did you stop it? Did you bond with it?" He exclaimed, asking excitedly.

"Aye, aye, and aye." Jon said, though his face didn't mirror the grin that then appeared on Robb's own.

Robb clapped his hands triumphantly as he barked out a laugh. "The Gods have truly blessed us." Robb exclaimed. "A dragon of our own… leading the charge before the South gets here…" He laughed then. "Mayhaps now we don't even need the South. A dragon on our side changes everything…"

"I rode once, but then I kept thinking…" Jon began. "Do I need the King's permission to ride a dragon? Will I unwillingly be showing the truth of what happened before the Rebellion… what if King Lucerys doesn't believe me? Am I bringing more trouble to your gates? Will the King decide to try and kill me to stop an outsider from riding a dragon?"

"Slow down." Robb commanded kindly. "Jon, we are all at war. The fighting may not have started yet but you riding a dragon can only aid us. The King is a warrior above all else, he will be grateful that we now have three riders rather than just the pair and allowing the third to go riderless."

"And then do I even want to be a dragon rider?" Jon asked, continuing his line of thought. "In all my life I've only ever wanted to be a Stark." He could see Robb was about to protest. "I'm not a Stark, no matter what you or Arya kindly say, Robb."

"You always have been a Stark." Robb countered, not letting Jon self-pity. "If not in name, in blood. It matters not if it's your mother's blood, it still runs deep in your veins." He gestured to Jon's body. "You have the look of a Stark, more so than half of us." He chuckled. "Dragon or wolf, all that matters now is we use the tools we have available to us to beat back the coming cold. Learn in secret for all I care, I'll tell nobody about the dragon and will give you plenty of patrol duty so you can go and fly the plains of the North and get used to it. But we need that beast on our side and under our command, Jon. Fire kills wights, aye?"

"Aye." Jon nodded.

"Then we need a fire breathing beast that won't be killed by sword or arrow." Robb continued. "Understand?"

He was effectively commanding Jon to be a dragon rider, and as Jon's Lord, he felt like he had to obey. "I understand." Jon responded, still feeling a churning in his stomach at the thought of all that could go wrong.

Robb clapped his hands together in a smile. "Then let us get so drunk we can barely stand while you tell me all about how it feels to fly a fucking dragon!" He laughed, downing his drink and pouring another as he gestured for Jon to sit down, and for the first time since he had taken flight, Jon thought on the experience with excitement as he relayed it all to Robb.

The Lord of Horn Hill rode through the gates of King's Landing just over a fortnight after Luke had summoned him with a small party. Remembering the man's nature, Luke made his way to his solar eager to get the meeting underway as quickly as possible. He had already ensured that the axe that Lord Randyll had gifted him at his wedding was on display and was admiring the portrait of King Jaehaerys I behind his seat when the door opened and the Reachman was introduced.

"Lord Tarly." Luke greeted. "It has been some time."

Lord Randyll Tarly bowed his bald head curtly. "Your Grace." He said. "I am here to answer your summons."

Luke then gestured to the empty seat in front of the desk. "Please." He sat down himself and poured himself a wine. "Would you…?" He trailed off. Randyll Tarly shook his head. "Very well, straight to business. I presume you have guessed as to why you are here?"

Lord Tarly barely moved a muscle in response. "I do not wish to be presumptuous."

"Take a guess." Luke insisted, knowing full well that it wasn't a difficult one to make given the circumstances.

"I would expect it to be in relation to the open Small Council positions." Randyll Tarly opened with. "Your recent… troubles… have left a number of openings."

Luke smiled. "I have new masters of Coin and Whispers already appointed." He explained.

"And you would not summon me to talk about any court appointment that was not on the Small Council." Tarly guessed. "And with Lord Connington dead and the entire realm prepping itself for war, you would be after a Hand of the King with similar qualities to that of Lord Connington, namely a gift for tactics."

"As well as a firm hand, able to deal with issues of the realm swiftly and dutifully." Luke added.

Lord Tarly nodded. "And I suppose somebody that has the ability to temper House Tyrell is why you have asked to speak to me."

Luke chuckled. "I have no worries that the new Lord Tyrell will be troublesome, My Lord. Loras and I have come to an accord."

"Nonetheless, you saw yourself blindsided by Mace Tyrell." Randyll stated bluntly. "May I be frank, Your Grace?"

"Please." Luke nodded, expecting a verbal battering that matched the internal one he had been facing.

And a verbal battering was exactly what followed. "Getting yourself into a position to allow Mace Tyrell to capture you like he did was weak. Something that I would not have expected from the King I followed in his conquest, and it cost Lord Connington his life." Tarly explained. "It makes me wonder if our King has grown soft in the Red Keep, or if he has simply become problematic. Many in the Reach are uneasy at how you destroyed the Sept of Baelor through a show of brutal force. And yet when it came to punishing treason, you allowed Mace Tyrell to live."

"I made a vow to my wife that I would not kill him." Luke countered, his face falling into a challenging glare. "And the Wall is in need of men, it was your own son that helped show me the task we all must soon face, and his new brotherhood needs all the help it can get."

Randyll shifted in his seat. "Samwell…" He began, spitting the name out as if it was mouldy and tainted. "Likes to exaggerate. He likely read the tale in a story…"

"It is true, Lord Tarly. My family have been preparing for this moment since before the Conquest." Luke said quickly. "And should you stay I can show you all the gathered proof throughout the centuries, including the most recent and numerous eye witness accounts from North of the Wall."

"We are to trust Wildlings?" Lord Tarly scoffed, his prejudice clearly showing.

"We are to trust the eyes of those with better experience and knowledge." Luke countered. "As I am to do with my Council." He looked down on the desk, placing down the golden Hand of the King badge that had so often adorned the clothing of Jon. "I have not been the best King, I admit, and many of the problems I have faced have been self-made. I get the sense from you that if you had held this position earlier, a lot of those issues would not have been so large."

Lord Tarly nodded once more. "It is an honour to be considered for the role." He spoke diplomatically. "But I will not flower my words with you, Your Grace. My counsel will be honest, and if I disagree with you I shall state it plainly. No matter your reasoning for your lax and soft judgement when it came to Mace Tyrell and his treasonous lackeys, the realm will be looking at you and any who will wish to break away once more will be emboldened."

"Not many are the grandparent to my children." Luke stated coldly. "And once the war is won, any who dare try will taste the same flames that the Lannisters did."

Randyll Tarly nodded. "Then I suppose, if I haven't changed your opinion about granting me the role of Hand of the King, that is what we must do swiftly, for we cannot allow a mentality of a weak ruler to settle into the hearts of your subjects or else they will begin to push boundaries by halting tax payments and withholding resources and men."

"Quite." Luke smirked, pushing the badge of office towards the Reachman. "Honesty and efficiency is what I am after, My Lord. You have served House Tyrell well in your years, often with little praise. I would like you to now serve the Crown as faithfully, away from the shadow that you were once covered by. I accept that sending Lord Tyrell to the wall is a decision that will create questions, but since he has departed I have heard of three hundred Reachman that have willingly taken up the Black in order to protect him. Strengthening the Night's Watch by sending a well-liked and respected Great Lord was my aim, and if that leads to a victory, then it will have been worth the sneers and the questions."

Lord Tarly stared down at the badge for a moment, unmoving. He then reached out and took it, pinning it to his burgundy doublet. "I accept the position, Your Grace." He then stood up and bowed. "And my first piece of counsel…" He gestured to the wall where the axe was decorating. "That axe was to be used in combat, it's place is in the armoury, not to be used as a negotiation tactic."

Chuckling, Luke held his hand out for the Tarly to shake. "I understand." He said, grasping Lord Tarly's hand. "The Small Council will be meeting in the morning, please, allow me to show you to the Tower of the Hand."

After spending the evening settling Lord Tarly into the Tower of the Hand and getting to know the famous Reach Lord, Luke had learnt a lot. The heir to Horn Hill, Dickon, had been married less than a year previously to a daughter of House Roxton while his three daughters, Talla, Ellyn and Jeyne had also been married to House Fossoway, Redwyne and Hightower respectively, tying up a powerful alliance within the hierarchy of the Reach. It was an impressive move, and such a politically astute one that it made Luke happier in his decision to give the man the job of Hand.

After then hosting a dinner with the new Hand, night had fallen and made way to the dawn once more, and Luke made his way to the Small Council chambers happy to see that every black leathered chair now had an occupant. "Welcome, everybody." Luke greeted. "This is a new era in my ruling, with a much-changed Small Council, and a more efficient one at that." He gestured around the table, thinking more on loyalty than efficiency. "With the troubles of the past dealt with, we must look to the future. Precious time has been taken and preparations must be brought back on track for the incoming battles that we will face."

Luke then gestured to Lord Tarly to begin, and Randyll cleared his throat before speaking. "I wish to start with the city's defences. The storming of King's Landing and the Red Keep caused breaches in the gates, where are we at with the repairs?"

Harry Strickland was the new Master of Coin, and he ruffled through a few papers and brought one out. "The staffing has been sourced and we are currently in the process of shaping the red stone bricks. I estimate both breaches will be sealed within two months at the current rate."

"Quicken it." Randyll stated bluntly. "We need the defences of the Capital to be at full capacity as soon as we are able. If we need a day shift and a night shift, we will fund that." Harry Strickland pouted, but he nodded all the same and scribbled a note down as the Hand of the King continued. "Another issue stemming from the recent events is Storm's End."

"Lord Tyrell… the previous Lord Tyrell… had begun discussions for a marriage between Ser… Lord Loras and Lady Shireen." The Grand Maester stammered through as he remembered the new reality.

"That cannot happen." Oberyn stated. "House Tyrell may be the King's family by law, but they rose up in rebellion. To gift them Storm's End after not executing the instigator would be foolish."

"I agree." Luke nodded.

"It should fall to a Stormlander." Monford Velaryon added. "Matrilineally."

That brought a scowl to Luke's face. "The idea behind wedding Shireen to Jon was for the line of House Baratheon to end whilst ensuring a peaceful transition for Storm's End. You would have me go back on my word and continue the line of the Usurper?"

"Unless you wed the girl to one of his many bastards, Robert Baratheon's trueborn line is already ended." Randyll Tarly stated. "But Lord Velaryon is right. Horn Hill is close enough to the Stormlands to know their feelings on Storm's End. They detested Connington but could at least accept that ancient House as their overlords, now they will all be clambering for a match with Lady Shireen. A Stormlander will not be difficult to find, but for prolonged peace, their children must be Baratheon in name or fighting will break out in the future."

"I swore to end their line." Luke countered. "I do not intend to break that vow."

"Then have the girl and her half-sister killed immediately." Tarly retorted. "They are the last two of House Baratheon and both reside in this castle." It was the same argument Luke had been toying with about House Tyrell, and in both cases Luke knew that he couldn't do anything without more unnecessary war and the loss of valuable resources needed to fight the dead. "I thought not." Randyll Tarly stated, seeing Luke's reaction. "We are trying to avoid war. The best way to do that is to marry the girl matrilineally."

Scowling, Luke simply nodded. "Fine." He conceded. "But I want the final say in which unlucky cunt is forced to bed the bitch. Bring me the names of eligible younger sons in the Stormlands."

The Grand Maester bowed his head, ignoring the childish expletives. "As you say, Your Grace."

"Another troublesome woman is your own sister." Tarly continued. "The Princess Daenerys. I understand she is currently the regent of Dragonstone?"

"She is." Luke nodded. "Overseeing the mining operation there. I had thought to name her as the Lady of Dragonstone." He could see it was an unpopular idea from the looks that most of the Council had given him. "Or not…"

It was Monford that began the counter argument, understanding where Luke had meant to come from. "Your Grace… we need to distance ourselves from the Princess. Gifting her the seat that is held by the heir to the Throne may be kind and setting herself up for a future that isn't so dependent on you, but it is also telling the realm that you are giving her bastard a traditional Targaryen heirloom. It is not the same, but it reminds me of the Unworthy gifting your own sword Blackfyre to his bastard…"

"And it would threaten your own children." Tarly added, either unaware of the actual truth or thankfully just peddling the lie even further. "After you are gone, bastard or no a grandchild of a Targaryen ruler that holds the seat of Dragonstone would have the means for a powerful power block to move against his cousin, Prince Aegon."

Oberyn was the next to agree. "The Princess has done a wonderful job as regent overseeing the mining. Let that continue, and then after the wars ahead, we evaluate further. Princess Daenerys is a dragon rider, she could be useful as a diplomat in Essos…"

It frustrated Luke knowing that everybody was angling to push his sister further away after all he had done to reunite with her and save her, but in the back of his mind he knew it was the right thing to do. "Very well." He stated, accepting their judgements and eager to move on to a different topic. "Have we any further updates from the pyromancers?"

Lysono Maar nodded. "The first batch has been housed inside the Drunken Tower. The second was last reported as passing Darry."

The power of Wildfire was still seared into Luke's memory from his own assault on King's Landing, and he noticed Monford Velaryon's fist was clenched and his knuckles white, the thought of Aurane coming back to Luke as he regretted the choice of topic change almost immediately. "Good." He said, to try and move on quickly. "Very well then, get me that list of names for Shireen Baratheon Grand Maester. If there is nothing else, I must keep up with my training…"

Ser Barristan cleared his throat, having been silent for most of the meeting. "Only that Ser Lorimas has accepted the invitation to the city, Your Grace. I will speak with him and ensure that he is deserving of the White Cloak before coming to you."

Standing up, Luke nodded at his lead protector. "Excellent." He exclaimed. "Then, My Lords. Until next time." He said, ending the meeting and briskly walking out of the room closely followed by Ser Barristan, once more needing to pummel something.

Luke needs loyal men at his side, and this chapter being the start of the end was one that I was keen on reuniting the 'before conquest' chapters to the 'after conquest' ones. Lysono Maar and Harry Strickland were there before Luke's arrival in Westeros and while they stayed with him in certain positions, they are still a reminder of where he came from and men he trusts without question. Randyll Tarly as the final addition is one that really fits the mindset of Luke right now. Unfaltering, dutiful efficiency with an eye on war tactics. I enjoyed writing the Randyll Tarly scenes as he's such a gruff character that takes no nonsense, even from the King. Luke also appreciates it too, as while he loved Jon and would never have replaced him, Jon did tend to try and look after and protect Luke a bit too much given their history, Randyll will do no such thing.

The goodbye with Dany… of course it's not the last time they will speak given what's coming but for the pair of them it feels like it's the last time they can show their feeling towards one another. Hence the conversation I had with the two Kingsguard afterwards. Rolly is a blank page before A Feast for Crows so as a Sellsword it's a good guess he has had relationships, while we all know Ser Barristan's lost love that he won't bring himself to name… I also wanted to bring back the idea of Ser Bonifer Hasty too after the conversation Luke and Barristan had a while back when Aegon was born.

Of course Robb was going to be excited at the thought of Jon riding a dragon… and of course Jon would be nervous about all it would bring! Robb is right though, Luke is a warrior above all else and while the questions will come later on, immediately the thought will be that they have an additional weapon to use in the fight.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Next Time: Winter truly arrives in King's Landing, while Winterfell hosts a new arrival of its own…

Reviews:

Guest (shittier): He's certainly a bad father and definitely a bad King at the moment, that's a large part of the point I'm trying to portray. He has his moments where he does it well, but like Viserys in HotD being an appeaser, like Daeron I rushing into a war with Dorne, like Aegon IV hiding from his duties in wine and women, like I imagine almost every Targaryen King that did questionable things for reasons we don't know, the White Walkers and the Prophecy are a massive factor in his sloppy behaviour and he is solely focused on that. He is thinking in terms of a commander. He's enforced the North under Lord Celtigar, he's gotten Robb to build up defences in both Winterfell and Moat Cailin and the other realms have been preparing as well, we just haven't got a good insight in others because there's no Targaryen's there. Actually ruling the Kingdom comes secondary at the moment, and I can't really talk about the afters without spoiling things. Upsetting the Reach is a big thing, that's roughly 100,000 men there that he needs at his side. If you think that the story will end like that, then all I'll tell you is that you're off the mark. I've also only killed 1 of my OC's while fighting the White Walkers and even he came back in a different story, so I'm not quite sure where you've gotten that from.

10868letsgo: Visenya will make a couple more appearances yes, namely with her maternal uncle in a couple of chapters…

FangRu: Thank you for reading! I know I can't please everybody and you've made a lot of wrong and angry assumptions and you're underestimating the level of hatred that simmers in the Reach, but in any case thank you for making it this far!

Guest (Luke Dirty): It depends on how you define Luke being done dirty to be honest, that will only become clear in Chapter 74 once I end the story.

Behold the Exalted One: Yeah, I'm looking forward to both of them! The Three Heads of the Dragon will be a plot point I come back to multiple times…

Guest (Sellsword): Thank you! I'm glad somebody sees that.

Lightningscar: Hello again! That's one of the things I was trying to get across. It wasn't necessarily a terrible plan, just stupid and premature. I debated having Mace score first blood truly, but then that would just show Luke as guilty and then who would follow him in the future? As for the reviews… I won't lie, it takes me at maximum a couple of minutes to respond to any review (even this one, sorry) and the negative ones don't affect me as much as it may come across. I just want to push my point of view to those that may misunderstand my intentions, that's all. I don't even think they are trolls, but that may just me being naïve. The important thing for me is that I write the story that I would find enjoyable, and this one definitely falls under that bracket.

DonquixoteMel: She knows that Daeron is her brother, but she's very young and Dany has been her 'mother' for as long as she can remember, so the adults will feel comfortable in just explaining it like 'well Daeron's actual mother is the person she considers as a mother figure, so of course in a way they are siblings'.