The Lion on the Hill

By: As Bright as Blood

Chapter One: Leyton I

262 AC

Leyton Hightower - Lord of the Hightower, Lord & Defender of Oldtown, Defender of the Citadel, Lord of the Port, and Beacon of the South - had just finished holding court for the day. It was more of the same, hearing issues and requests from maesters and smallfolk, nobles and merchants, septons and stewards. All those who sought an audience with him had come to the Hightower by boats to reach the enormous castle & lighthouse, and there were so many who sought his attention these days that Leyton had hired some of the City Watch to patrol the waters near the Hightower in the event that some would fall off their ships and risk drowning.

It was rather tedious, and he felt a great amount of pity for his eldest son, Baelor, for his future role as the Lord of the Hightower. Not that it was Baelor's concern as of right now, of course. The boy was ten years old, currently serving as a page to Lord Harrel Beesbury off in Honeyholt. He had already gotten marriage proposals for the boy from various lords, trying to have their blood intermingle with the Hightower line. This included Lord Beesbury himself, who already believed his daughter Alys would make an excellent match for Baelor.

Leyton felt insulted that they would even suggest such a thought. Only a great house was worthy to be tied to the Lords of the Hightower, Leyton privately said to his closest advisors, and those were few and far between. Particularly not a girl from House Beesbury, whose house was directly sworn to the Hightowers of Oldtown. Perhaps for his younger children he could have them marry into smaller houses he found to be somewhat worthy of their status, but his heir should be with one of the Great Houses, if possible. If not, he could at least settle for one of the older houses in the Reach with a close tie to Garth the Greenhand's bloodline, such as Houses Rowan, Florent, Oakheart, or otherwise.

Historically, the Hightowers never challenged their liege lords after the Gardeners annexed them into the Reach with a marriage pact. King Lymond Hightower, also known as Lymond "the Sea Lion" for his wealth from trading following the annexation of Oldtown into the Reach, married the daughter of King Garland Gardener II, and he in turn married Lymond's own eldest female child. The Hightowers were from then on the strongest and wealthiest vassals in the Reach, comparable to any of the mightiest houses in the Seven Kingdoms.

When the Tyrells were given Highgarden following the destruction of House Gardner, nothing changed. Even when houses such as Peake, Florent, and Oakheart claimed that they should have Highgarden and authority over the Reach, House Hightower never spoke of such ridiculous claims. They were content with Oldtown, the largest city in the realm until recently being surpassed by King's Landing and still one of the most crucial. The growth of the house was due to peace, religion, and knowledge rather than petty wars and conflicts.

Well, the Dance of the Dragons was an exception, when a second son of Oldtown became obsessed with putting his grandson on the Iron Throne. Yet even then, peace prevailed before Cregan Stark could reign down his furious Northern Wrath on any house that supported King Aegon II over the self-proclaimed Queen Rhaenyra. From how Leyton saw it, the Great Council of 101 AC was the main precedent supporting Aegon's rule. He didn't think women were incapable of ruling, as Olenna Tyrell was doing in Highgarden over her boy and husband, but a precedent was precedent. Even Rhaenyra herself didn't desire to give any other noble ladies the same power she had once she became Queen, claiming she was an "exception" due to her father directly naming her heir and otherwise desiring to have all other noble families put their sons first in the line of succession.

But that was not relevant. What was relevant is that House Hightower did survive. Lyonel Hightower married Samantha Tarly (after his father, her previous husband, died in the Dance), Lyonel's younger brother married a Targaryen girl following the death of her first husband, and the Seven Kingdoms healed. Even today, House Hightower had similar prestige to one of the seven Great Houses despite only controlling a single city and some smaller sworn houses. Of course, hosting the Citadel and Starry Sept helped with this reputation a great deal.

Leyton himself was born an only child to Bothar Hightower and Maegelle Webber, as his sister died in the cradle and his mother's body afterward was too damaged to have more children. His father's older brother, Gerold "the White Bull", was happy in his role as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and Leyton was fond of him due to him being his occasional sword-fighting instructor (for whenever he visited King's Landing as a boy as his father would negotiate trading agreements) along with a friendly family member. Leyton understood his fragile position as heir to the lands, titles, and wealth of House Hightower. When he married, Leyton knew that having many children would be key to securing his house's success.

As of right now, he had four children from his first wife, Lorea Ashford. Baelor, named for the most pious of the Targaryen kings, was ten years old. He was a happy and energetic child, enjoying both a book to read and a sword to swing. The perfect lord any father could want from their child.

Malora, eight years old though approaching her ninth nameday, was a far more quiet and reserved girl. Always stuck in her books, Leyton thought to himself she would be an excellent maester were it not for being the wrong sex. The one thing she did enjoy was helping him with some occasional studying, for she never wanted to braid a girl's hair or wear a crown of flowers. Leyton was not concerned; an aide for his studies on ancient texts and scriptures would be far from a terrible future for his eldest daughter given the number of children he intended on having.

Alerie, seven years old, followed a different path entirely from her sister. Polite and courteous, she was far more of a "proper" lady than Malora, who already scared her. Leyton felt that, if Olenna Tyrell would agree to it in several years time, Alerie would be a perfect match for her boy Mace, who was now eight years old. After all, the Tyrells were still seen by some Reach houses as mere up-jumped stewards, so what would make more sense than joining Highgarden and Oldtown?

Garth, four years old, was born a large and hefty baby boy to the point that Lorea was told to wait a year for her body to heal before bearing another child. Many at court joked he was already a great knight and should be thrown onto a horse to compete in tourneys. Perhaps he would be a great tourney knight, Leyton thought to himself, but surely that should not be the limit of his son's ambition. He should lead armies to battle and defend Oldtown from those who desire to destroy it, particularly those Ironborn savages.

And soon, he would have a fifth child. It would not be from his first wife Lorea, however. Alas, she had gotten a severe infection from a cut on her leg the year prior during a walk in the woods outside of Oldtown, and within the first week of the new year, which marked two hundred and sixty-seven following Aegon's Conquest, the gods took her from this world.

Personally, Leyton had not been incredibly close with his wife, but she was not unpleasant to be around. She had blonde hair and green eyes atop a rather blossomed figure. She was the eldest daughter to her father, Brenyn Ashford, and therefore was groomed to be the perfect bride to a powerful lord. Their marriage was done to secure ties between Oldtown and a house known for defending the Reach from Dornish marauders. Should anything happen to House Hightower, House Ashford's men could be needed in war, Leyton's father told him on the day of the betrothal.

Lorea tried to take some interest in his private studies and loved her children, but they never truly connected. With that in mind, Leyton never struck her or expressed displeasure with her, and when the gods took her from this world, Leyton did feel a dash of sadness. Baelor was in Honeyholt serving as Lord Beesbury's page, but he could not imagine his reaction would be anything short of being utterly devastated. Malora was silent in her grief, but Alerie, just old enough to comprehend the idea of death, cried significantly in the days following her mother's death. Leyton did not blame her, for he was lucky enough to have been a grown man when his own mother passed, so had more time to prepare. Garth, being only three years of age, was obviously unable to know what was happening around him.

After Lorea's untimely death, Leyton knew he had to remarry to further secure his family line. He chose quickly, this time marrying Hanna Cuy, a girl from a house sworn directly to House Hightower. Leyton thought to himself that it was rather hypocritical to expect his son to marry a lady in a Great House whilst he chooses otherwise, but this marriage would secure the loyalty of their sworn house in case of a dire event.

Hanna's hair had more of a brownish hue than Lorea's, and her body was more lithe and thin. Her attitude, however, was similar to Lorea in that she was a subdued girl who was groomed by her own parents to smile and please her husband. When they married three months following Lorea's death, she was eight-and-ten years of age while he was thirty-two. Right now, she was carrying a child put inside her on their wedding night, and Maester Dalren expected the child to be born in the middle of the next year.

Baelor only truly met his new mother during her wedding to Leyton, but he was polite and courteous towards her, as he was taught by his own father-to-be. Malora was cold towards her stepmother, but Alerie accepted her quickly into the family. They would go on walks together in the city gardens, and Hanna even let Alerie rub her pregnant stomach gently. Alerie once told him that she hoped for a little sister since Malora was scary and mean, causing the entire court to break out laughing. Leyton then told her not to make such blatant remarks in public, especially not those insulting another member of their family, but he also encouraged her to continue with her kind actions toward her new mother.

Back to the current moment and time, Leyton went downstairs towards the family's quarters, where he had made sure that dinner would already be prepared for him, his wife, and the children. He told a serving girl to call the rest of the family to dinner, and within a few minutes, they were all seated at the table. Tonight, they would be feasting on a very tender cut of beef from the short loin of a cow, covered in spices and covered in small bits and pieces of bacon. Potatoes, peppers of various colors, and salads filled with lettuce, carrots, and onions accompanied the beef, with extra meat being applied with small chickens on the table. For dessert, lemon cakes and strawberry pie would please his children's tongues. To drink, he would have a rich Arbor wine, something he was quite used to, though his wife would drink water like his children for the sake of their unborn child's health.

At the dinner table, the subjects varied throughout the night, but Alerie had her mind set on one in particular.

"Father, could we go to Highgarden?"

Leyton looked up from his meal. "May I ask what for?"

"Well, I heard a lot of people saying I should marry Lord Mace Tyrell because he is so strong, so I would like to meet him."

Leyton thought of a response whereas Hanna smiled, finding her stepdaughter to be rather humorous.

"Once Lady Hanna has given me another child and she is healthy enough, then yes, we may leave for Highgarden. I believe Lady Olenna Tyrell will find such a match between you and her only son to be quite suitable."

Alerie had a broad smile on her face, something which her older sister Malora did not seem to enjoy.

"I thought she was Olenna Redwyne, father," Malora sneered. "Why does she get to have power over the most powerful seat in the Reach instead of her husband?"

Leyton sighed. Malora always seemed to bully her sister, and it would have been so much easier if Baelor was there to defend Alerie.

"I have known Lady Olenna for a long time, Malora, and she does an admirable job in administrating House Tyrell. Her husband, Luthor, is a good man, but as King Aenys showed us after Aegon the Conquerer's death, kindness is not a wise substitute for strength."

Malora, not uttering a word, turned back to her food and continued eating. Garth tried to make out some words such as "Tywell" and "Owenna", causing Lady Hanna and Alerie to giggle and laugh at the three-year-old boy's unsuccessful attempts at speaking coherently.

For the rest of the evening, Leyton retreated to his library to read. Being so close to the Citadel, House Hightower had no shortage of books on any sort of subject in hand. In fact, Septa Forael was currently reading to the children about the ancient Peake-Florent war in the Reach, when King Garth Gardner X had only two daughters and no sons, causing both of his sons-in-law to claim that they should sit on House Gardener's legendary Oakenseat. What happened afterward was an era of chaos and bloodshed only resolved by Osmund Tyrell, the steward of Highgarden, rallying more than 40 houses to defeat both claimants to the Reach and making a cousin of Garth X the King of the Reach. As a reward, the new king gave Osmund his daughter's hand in marriage, allowing House Tyrell to trace its bloodline back to the ancient Gardener kings.

If anything, Leyton thought to himself, that story alone should serve as justification for House Tyrell's control of Highgarden. They saved the kingdom from falling into desolation and ruin. They put peace and prosperity over personal power, much like House Hightower has done for thousands of years. Asides from the Dance of the Dragons, of course.

As for Leyton, his books focused on a variety of subjects. He read about the island of Naath and its mysterious Butterfly Disease that would kill any foreigner who stayed on the island too long. He pondered to himself if the gods had shown mercy on such a pacifistic people and thus created the disease to protect them. Then again, considering the reports on slavers from Yunkai and Astapor raiding the island to sell the Naathi people into lifelong servitude, perhaps the gods were not quite as merciful as he originally believed.

Then he read a book by Maester Tolras about greyscale, written approximately two hundred years ago following the horrific death of Aerea Targaryen, the niece of King Jaehaerys I and the once-heir of Maegor the Cruel, after Balerion the Black Dread flew her to Valyria. While greyscale did not actually kill the dragon princess (though it was somehow worse than that), the maesters at the Citadel believed that diseases from Essos should be chronicled in the event that one of them reached Westeros. Of course, Leyton knew all about foreign plagues and their impact on Oldtown.

After the grey plague struck Oldtown the year before his birth, his other uncle, Lord Quenton Hightower, closed the city to contain its spread, even having any person, be they man or woman or child, executed for trying to leave. When the plague ended, Lord Quenton had the orders rescinded, but the smallfolk promptly ripped him and his only child, Daveon, apart. Bothar and his wife hid in the Hightower until Oldtown's City Watch had all of the smallfolk involved arrested and executed. After Gerold made clear his intent to join the Kingsguard immediately after the crisis had been put to an end, Bothar, the youngest son of three, was named the unlikely Lord of the Hightower and ruler of Oldtown.

Once Leyton had finished that book, he finished his night by reading Maester Bello's book about the Kingdom of Sarnor's downfall, titled The End of the Tall Men. The Dothraki tore down the mighty empire city by city, from Sarnath to Kasath, until only Saath remained standing. Even at the Field of Crows, when more than one hundred thousand men stood to stop the Dothraki scourge, four khals and eighty thousand savage warriors on horseback destroyed them completely. At every city that fell, the Dothraki would give it a demeaning name in their own language: Gornath became the "City of Rats," Sallosh the "City of Sickness," Sarys the "City of Filth," and so on.

The only exception to this was the city of Mardosh, whose given name, Vaes Gorqoyi, or "City of the Blood Charge," was oddly far more positive and heroic than the others. When a Dothraki horde, led by Khal Haro, had pushed Mardosh to the brink of defeat, the city's warriors killed all of their own women and children before riding out into battle and facing defeat in the field of battle.

What a vile act, Leyton thought to himself. To murder one's own wife and child, even when facing certain death, is certainly not heroic in any reasonable culture. Then again, it impressed those Dothraki savages enough to get the city a flattering name bestowed upon it after its downfall. Only the gods know for sure how those Sarnori men were judged after their slaughter at the hands of the horselords. At the very least, it did not seem like the massacre of their own women and babes before the battle bettered their fortunes during the fighting.

Leyton had fallen asleep in his chambers, found at the very top of the Hightower itself, with his wife Hanna sleeping beside him on their large bed. His children's quarters were only a floor beneath him, and he had up to twelve rooms in total built on that level for his planned number of children (in addition to any young lord or lady that could be betrothed to his young children).

It should have been a normal sleep, like any other. But just as the hour of the owl became the hour of the wolf, Leyton began to have a dream. But this was no ordinary dream; instead, it was a dream so vivid that the images were like any ordinary moment and time in any ordinary day in Leyton's life.

He found himself in a dark room, in a place he did not know. It was filled with silence, which would be broken by an infant's cry. Turning around, Leyton saw an infant crying in a crib. It had a small tuft of bright blonde hair, and its cries were growing louder. But the babe's cries soon began to change.

Its crying began to deepen in tone while still growing louder, and it was soon becoming the cries of something not human at all. In fact, it soon couldn't even be defined as normal crying. Within minutes, Leyton heard the baby emit not mere squeals and screams of a normal infant, but instead what he recognized as the roar of a proud, full-grown lion.

But even then, the cries changed again within less than a minute. They became lighter in tone as they grew even louder, but the screams of a babe would not be heard. Instead, these were similar to an elephant, a creature Leyton only saw once when he was sixteen during a trip to Pentos. But even then, this was not a single trumpeting sound, but instead more of a boisterous and intimidating roar. It was meant to be shouted at enemies to compel them into submission, or perhaps up at the sky to have an entire kingdom hear its boastful pride.

Leyton did not know which creature this was, but it certainly was not anything he had ever heard of in his lifetime. But as his mind tried to figure out exactly what this infant's cries were, the world began to seemingly swirl around him, the babe and its crib vanishing into smoke. Leyton stood in the middle of it, wondering what this dream would tell him next when he heard a voice amidst the vivid imagery.

"Keep him safe," the voice, a woman's whisper, emitted softly. "He must never know..."

Leyton wished he knew who was speaking with that voice, but he just could not find the appropriate name for it in his head.

Soon enough, the smoke dissipated, and he was on a boat, looking up at the Hightower, its orange flame illuminating a night's sky. Or at least, it was orange for a few seconds. It quickly shifted to a bright green hue, almost taking on the appearance of wildfire. The flame then shot up into the air so high that they added a couple of hundred feet to the height of the Hightower. Leyton's boat was resting a good-enough distance on the water from the Hightower to see a man rise within the bright green flame.

This man's figure was entirely dark as if shadow covered his entire body despite the green flames surrounding him. Unharmed by the fire, Leyton saw this man was tall and muscular, likely covered in some sort of armor, but he still could not see whoever he was. The man then pulled out a sword that, unlike the rest of him, was clearly visible.

The blade, Leyton recognized, was Valyrian steel, the smoke and dark layout apparent even from where Leyton was standing. It was dark black with red stripes, unlike any blade Leyton had ever seen. The mysterious man in the flames held this blade high as if trying to show it off to the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms from his high position amidst the flames.

Just then, the green flames shot down the Hightower into the water, and Leyton feared they would burn Oldtown into ash as Aegon the Conquerer did to Harrenhal more than two hundred years ago on the back of Balerion the Dread. Instead, the flames stopped at the water outside of Oldtown's shores and then began to circle around the city-no, the entire country, acting like a shield from any who would attack them by sea.

Leyton looked up again at the top of the Hightower, trying to see who was possibly doing this. The man was still covered in complete black, but Leyton saw his head turn toward the Lord of the Hightower. Leyton feared this dark man would attack him, but after a minute or two, the man turned his head back towards Oldtown. One final time, the man lifted his Valyrian steel sword into the air, but on this occasion, a powerful bolt of lightning erupted behind him, and that loud animal cry from the infant's mouth was heard by Leyton.

Suddenly, everything became a blinding white.

Leyton suddenly awoke from his dream, breathing heavily at the tumultuous imagery he witnessed.

"What the bloody hell was that," he asked no one in particular out loud. Turning to his wife, Hanna stirred slightly on their bed, but she ultimately did not wake up in spite of her husband.

After this, Leyton would spend the rest of the evening trying to get some sleep. He could have gone to the maester and requested essence of nightshade to help him fall back into a slumber, but after what happened, Leyton did not feel like waking up anyone in the Hightower and explaining what he saw in his dreams. The rest of the night, he would just try to ponder exactly what he saw in those visions, what they meant, and most importantly, whether should he believe them at all.

That morning, Leyton, unable to get any sleep for the remainder of the night, had one cook, already up early, prepare for him some mint tea to help him remain awake. As he was sipping the hot liquid, Alerie entered the dining hall.

"Father, are you alright?"

Leyton turned towards his youngest daughter and sighed.

"Just had a bad night's sleep, Alerie. Some mint tea will help wake me up."

Alerie walked over to him and put a hand on his own.

"Do you wish to discuss it? Perhaps Maester Dalren or Septon Rinel-"

Leyton gently took her hand and shook his head to stop her. "I would rather not, Alerie. I will ask Dalren for some essence of nightshade tonight, and that will be the end of that."

Alerie, not knowing what to say next, then left the room to get changed for the day. This left Leyton once more alone in the chambers, pondering to himself what he would do about his visions from the night before.

Who knows if they actually mean something, he thought to himself. Every Hightower boy and girl is raised learning the tale of Oldtown's annexation into Aegon's Seven Kingdoms. The armies of House Hightower did not join the combined forces of House Gardner and House Lannister, which would save thousands from the flames of Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes. As Aegon marched north to force the North into submission, the High Septon locked himself in the Starry Sept and prayed for seven days and seven nights, consuming only bread and water to sustain him. He would then receive a vision from the Seven which stated that if Oldtown did not surrender to the dragonlords, the city would burn to ash. The High Septon told Lord Manfred Hightower to surrender, which he did to save the city.

Leyton tried to wonder how the High Septon's vision compared to his own. For one thing, the High Septon's claim that dragons could destroy a city was not any message that the gods needed to tell him. He could have just as easily ridden to Harrenhal to see that, or even just witnessed the Field of Fire.

Furthermore, the idea that any dream could predict the future was unproven by any measurement of the Citadel. The Targaryens always claimed that Daenys the Dreamer saw a vision of the Doom of Valyria twelve years before the Fourteen Flames erupted, but they could have just as easily been aware of the volcano's danger and were simply not believed by their fellow dragonlords.

When putting it all together in his head, Leyton began to chuckle at himself. The great Lord of Oldtown, home of the Citadel, going mad in his chambers over some nightmare. Lady Olenna Tyrell, his friend since they met as children in a tourney at Highgarden, would call him a silly old man fantasizing about the end of the world for no good reason.

Leyton took a large sip of his mint tea when Malora entered the room. Her face, often seen adorned with a frown and intimidating look, had a surprising smile in its stead.

"Father, you would never guess what I heard from Maester Dalren!"

Now calm for the first time all morning, Leyton turned towards his eldest daughter. "Do enlighten me, Malora. I had a terrible sleep, so I have been admittedly unwilling to hear anything from anyone outside of my family until now."

Malora's smile grew further, looking like a brigand seeing a young lady alone in the woods.

"I overheard him talking about a raven he received. As it would seem, Tywin Lannister, the Hand of the King, has a bastard son! He's bringing it back with him to Casterly Rock"

"Tywin Lannister-"

Leyton stopped speaking as his mind put together Malora's words with the vision he saw. Tywin Lannister, the Golden Lion of Casterly Rock. The man who just two years prior destroyed two rebellious houses in the Westerlands to ensure House Lannister's perpetual dominance over the region. Everyone knew his most notable lenient characteristic was his affection for his wife, Joanna Lannister. The two were said to be inseparable, and whilst they were married together so as to unite two branches of House Lannister, it was rumored that this was only done so the two of them, deeply infatuated with each other, could avoid being wed elsewhere by Tywin's weak and sycophantic father, Lord Tytos.

Lord Tywin Lannister would never betray his beloved wife, let alone bring evidence of it back to his wife, Leyton thought to himself. So why would he do it? Could this be the infant I saw in the dream? The one whose cries were the roars of a lion? No, that can't be right. You're losing your senses, Leyton.

So deep was Lord Leyton into his own thoughts that he did not notice Malora was still standing near his table, her smile retaining its size as if ignoring her own father's internal plight.

"And that's not all I heard, Father."

Brought back to his sense by these words, Leyton turned towards Malora in the hopes that this news would be less worrisome to him after the vivid images he received last night. When Malora told him the details about what she had overheard from Maester Dalren, Leyton's hopes would be cut down within seconds, as if they were fawns being savagely torn apart by a starved pack of direwolves.

When Malora had finished with what she heard, Leyton turned away from her, his eyes now fixated on the mint tea, resting in its cup. Barely paying his daughter heed, Leyton, speaking almost in a whisper, requested for Malora to leave the room. Malora, disappointed that her father did not have a more open and shocked reaction to her newly acquired information, left Leyton alone with his thoughts.

For what seemed like an eternity, Lord Leyton Hightower gazed deep into his tea, not moving or making a sound. Were one to enter the room, they would mistakenly believe he had died sitting up, his body merely forgetting to fall to the ground once his final breath had left. But they would be relieved, or possibly disappointed, to see that Leyton was still alive, though his mind felt as if the thoughts raging through it like a storm would cause it to burst as if it were a piece of wood coated in wildfire.

Lord Leyton eventually broke free from his trance to see he was alone in the room once more. He released the cup and walked over to the window at the end of the chambers. He looked outside the Hightower at Oldtown. He could not see any one person in his city from such a height, but he could feel the city's vibrancy and strength, even at this distance.

He thought of what the dream had told him, about the warrior who would use fire to shield Oldtown and the rest of Westeros. He now knew whatever he saw last night, whether the Seven or the Old Gods or some other deity had bestowed to him the hour of the wolf, was looking to be a sign of something to come, no matter how much Leyton wished to believe otherwise. That bastard boy of Tywin Lannister was the key to it all, and with the other news he had heard, there was not a doubt in his mind about who the boy's mother was.

Of course, Leyton knew Tywin brought his bastard son back home with him only because he had a purpose for the babe. After all, a man as proud as Tywin would usually barely consider a bastard offspring's existence, let alone bring him back to be fostered at one of the mightiest holds in all the Seven Kingdoms. No doubt Tywin would find a way to have his son legitimized at some point, either by his old friend, the recently-crowned King Aerys II, or by the king's son, Prince Rhaegar, should his father pass away before then.

Leyton then began to delve into how to take advantage of this in his head, but before any coherent thoughts could form to aid his mind, he heard the footsteps of his wife and children to the dining chamber. He sighed and returned to the table in preparation for his family, the cooks bringing out black beer, fresh bread, and salted ham for the family's nourishment, among other dishes.

As Leyton ate alongside the rest of his family, the truth in his mind was clear: that bastard boy would change Westeros in a way never seen before in this world, not by the First Men or Old Valyrians, not by the Giants or the Dothraki, and if House Hightower were to act accordingly, they could be the most powerful house in the Seven Kingdoms.

But for now, Leyton reminded himself, he had to wait.

...

...

Author's Note:

Hello there! This is my first fanfic on this site even though I have read many a story on . This is one I have thought of for a while, and I intend for it to have plenty of chapters, plenty of intrigue/drama, and plenty of whatever you love about the world of Ice and Fire.

I put this under "Game of Thrones" due mostly to my using the show ages there for this story, but fear not: many aspects of the ASOIAF books, from plot points to a significant amount of its characters, will be included.

I would like to recommend the fanfic "The Black Lion" by Commander Shadestorm (link is here s/10986648/1/The-Black-Lion). It's a really interesting and fun fanfic about a bastard son of Tywin Lannister, and it was very nice to read this right after I became interested in the idea of Tywin having a bastard son.

You can let me know your thoughts about this chapter, whether you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions. With that said, I hope to make Chapter Two soon, and don't worry, this one will have our protagonist in the main role. So stay tuned for more!