My Honor Goes Only So High

by Alperez16

Jon Arryn realizes the truth of the babe in Ned Stark's arms. Disgusted with events during and after the rebellion and worried on the future he makes a contingency plan and Jon Snow is to foster in the Vale when he comes of age. How does the game of thrones change when a falcon and a wolf fall in love.

29. The False War: Part Two

Sunspear/Water Gardens 298 AC.

Jon Connington.

It had been the princess rather than the king or prince who'd given him the tools to bring Olenna Tyrell and her House to their side. Daenerys spoke to him privately and Jon had listened to her as she put forward plans that he could find no fault in. The princess had been more than eager to let him know that she was not subverting her nephew's will, more she was not allowing a blind spot to be what led the negotiations. Jon was stunned to hear her speak so and more than grateful that just as with her brother, they'd gotten the princess to safety when they had.

"My nephew worries that he may become his grandfather, Lord Jon," Daenerys said as they spoke in the garden of Illyrio's manse.

"He's nothing like your father, princess." Jon declared.

"No, he's not, but I mean it not in the way you think."

He looked at her curiously and bid her continue.

"Both his grandfather on his mother's side and mine own father, as well as mine own grandfather all shared one thing in common, Lord Jon. Each of them decided their children's marriages and they did so with no input from any of those children."

"And his grace wishes not to be like them?"

"Daeron wishes for me not to share his mother's fate, Lord Jon, nor mine own mother's. Yet I know the way of the world far better than I once did. I understand that to take back our throne and restore our family to their rightful place, sacrifices need to be made."

"His grace would wish you not to be one of them, princess."

"Yet mine own wish must be respected too, must it not?" the princess asked as she looked at him, Jon nodding and listening as she continued to speak. "Dorne and the Reach, Lord Jon. We needs must bring them both and while I believed at first I'd have a choice, I realize now I have none."

Jon went to interrupt only for the princess to quieten his argument before it began. Daenerys wasn't speaking of not being given a choice in being wed or not, instead, she was talking more about who it was she needed to be wed to. While Jon had planned to offer the choice to Doran or Olenna Tyrell, the princess had already decided to take that choice from either of them. In truth, she was making her own choice and as she explained her reasoning for it, Jon found himself a little awed by just how much she'd come on since naming Illyrio's manse her home.

"A princess for House Tyrell, Lord Jon. Me for their heir rather than Viserys for their Golden Rose."

"What if they seek the other, princess?"

"They won't, not if you sell it thusly…."

So he'd done as the princess had suggested. Jon had sold it both as being what was best for House Targaryen's interest and House Tyrell's. Daenerys' words that the Queen of Thorns would accept nothing less than some of the truth had proved invaluable in the negotiation. Olenna had looked him right in the eye as he made his offer and Jon had been happy enough to let her see that he spoke truthfully. Even if not fully so.

He had sold it as them having a princess resident in Highgarden to be far better than a prince who would always be absent. How a prince or princess of the blood could not be wed only for a name and a promise of support. Lord Willas was the heir of Highgarden, the future Warden of the South, he simply brought more to the table than his sister did. No matter that it was that very same sister's match that their offer was competing against.

Now as Sunspear came into view, Jon readied to do the same with the Prince of Dorne. As with the Queen of Thorns, he'd sell Doran one match and one alone. Prince Viserys to be wed to Princess Arianne. A role as the consort of Dorne to be the prince's price for agreeing to the wedding and a prince of the blood to be Doran's prize. It would take more than that he knew. Doran's greed and lust for power were only matched by that of the man the prince despised more than any. Both the Prince of Dorne and the Lion of Casterly Rock were more alike than any of them would ever admit. So if need be, Jon would sweeten the pot a little. All at his king's behest.

"I know not Prince Doran other than what Ser Arthur tells me of him, Jon," Daeron said as they went over the offers. His king had accepted his aunt and uncle's willingness to be traded in such a way. Reluctant though he may have been to do so.

"Doran is ever eager for more, your grace. Elia as Queen, Aegon as King, neither would have been enough to stop him from wishing for further advancing his line."

"Had my brother lived, my sister, then what would he have sought?" Daeron asked curiously.

"His daughter on the Iron Throne, mayhap. Your own or your sister's hand if not. Then a future babe from that union named as king or queen."

"So even with a prince or princess, he'd seek more?"

"I believe he would, your grace."

His king sighed and then nodded, giving Jon all the permission he needed to make the offer of his unborn babe's hand in the future. Jon hoped that it wouldn't come down to that and yet feared it very much would.

Knowing now that the babe had been born and was a healthy baby boy, only made it even more likely that Doran would not only seek an agreement for that match, but he'd seek the other realized quickly. So as the ship docked and Jon gathered his things, he readied himself for a meeting with a man he liked not. A meeting that he knew could help decide the war to come.

He made his way through the Shadow City, his guards close by his side and on full alert as they reached the palace gates. Handing the note to the man who halted their progress, Jon found himself waiting out in the morning sun for close to an hour or more. Eventually, he was led inside and only at the offer of Guest Right did he then relinquish his arms. Once he did so he was led to a large room while his guards were offered a place to wash and refresh themselves. After what felt like another hour, he was finally joined by Princess Arianne. Jon, however, welcomed her far more truly than she did him.

The Princess was a beauty where once she had very much not been. Though he'd only seen her when she was but a girl, Jon still remembered how unremarkable he'd found her to be. Not ugly by any means, but far from the vision that she now offered to those who were interested in such things. Dark of hair and eye and with tanned skin, the princess was buxom and though short, she cut a striking figure. Jon doing his best to look at her how Prince Viserys might and though he could not, he found he could picture what any children born from the union may look like. Valyria and Rhoynar combined to the fullest and best of both cultures. Images of a small dark-haired princess who had she lived to become a woman would have been the Realm's Delight filling Jon's head as he sat there. A stray tear falling down his cheek as he thought of Princess Rhaenys' fate.

"My lord?" Princess Arianne asked worriedly. The first true words she'd spoken thus far and the only time her expression had changed.

"Forgive me, Princess. I find myself thinking about your aunt and cousin and…."

"There is naught to forgive, my lord, I too have shed many tears when thinking on their fates."

They spoke in generalities. Arianne was in no position to offer Jon what he'd come here for and Doran and Oberyn were both staying at the Water Gardens. So after thanking the princess for the offer of a night's stay in the Old Palace, before turning it down, Jon bid her farewell. Along with his guards, he then rode with haste to the Water Gardens. The cold air of the desert night was something that they wished to, and thanks be to the gods they managed to, avoid. A night where their presence was acknowledged and little else, something they could not. So it was not until the next morning that Jon got to sit down with Doran and Oberyn Martell.

He noticed right from the moment that he sat down that one of the two brothers looked at him more fondly than the other did. Oberyn actually looked eager to hear what he had to say whereas Doran almost seemed to wish him far from his sight. Taking a few moments to compose himself, Jon wondered how aware they were of just how many supporters Daeron had brought to his side. Would he need to embellish things a little or was the truth of things the best option going forward? In the end, he decided that he'd speak enough of the truth so as to make it seem any omission was due to his own lack of knowledge and not a direct lie on his part.

"The time has come, Prince Doran. The war that all of us have always known would one day come to pass, is now on the very verge of taking place. I come on my king's behalf to seek Dornish spears to fight in that war. An offer for justice and vengeance that mine own heart longs for just as much as I would wager yours, your brother's, your House's, and Dorne itself does."

Doran looked at him through eyes that gave little away. The man was and had always been a snake in the grass and Jon had liked him not on the few occasions he met him. Oberyn had moved closer to the edge of his seat and seemed to be just waiting for the word to be given. Jon would wager that if it was, the Red Viper would gather the Dornish Army and be on the march before he and the Company of the Sea Snake had set off from Lorath. Yet before that could take place, Doran would take his pound of flesh and seek mayhap even more than that for his price.

"Justice, Vengeance, they are both fine pursuits and you speak true, Lord Connington. Mine own, my brother's, Dorne's, all our hearts long for it like a parched man longs for water." Doran began. Jon was under no illusions that he was done yet. "Alliances though are not simply about our wants, are they?" Doran asked, though it was not a question and so Jon answered it not. "There are things we need too. For our House, our country, debts to be paid that were owed and yet not realized. 'Tis not a simple thing you ask of me, would that it was."

Jon could see that Oberyn was looking at his brother almost pleadingly, not that Doran was paying him any attention, mind. The Prince of Dorne's eyes were focussed only on Jon's own and the next words Jon spoke would begin the true trading that he'd been tasked to do.

"What it is you seek, Prince Doran? What request would you make of my king for your support?"

For a few moments, there was silence, Doran saying nothing before he nodded to the giant Norvosi guard and was handed a sealed letter. Jon noticed both the sun and spear of House Martell and the Three-Headed Dragon of House Targaryen on its cover. With a nod of the prince's head, Jon moved forward and took the letter from his offered hand. He broke the seal and read the words, biting back a sigh as he did so. Knowing now that he would face even more difficulty bringing Doran on board. The prince would see his offer as a slight since he'd been promised two marriages and Jon had but one to gift him.

"A worthless agreement, Prince Doran. Not only was it signed not by the head of the House, but it was done so without full knowledge of the truth of the line of succession. Ser Willem was a good man and true, yet he was not the Hand of the King, nor the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Guardian he may have been to the prince and princess, yet Master at Arms was as high a role as he obtained under their father." Jon said firmly.

"Yet an agreement I would see honored all the same," Doran stated.

"My king knew not of this agreement, nor is he in a position to honor it, Prince Doran. Dornish Spears may mean much and his grace wishes more than anything for Dorne and its princes to know the justice and vengeance that he himself seeks. However, other allies are needed too and they too seek to gain from the alliance."

"He's made other betrothal offers?" Oberyn asked and Jon nodded before speaking.

"Just the one, Prince Oberyn. As I am here now to offer another in his stead. A prince for a princess, Prince Doran. Prince Viserys to be wed to your daughter and to serve as Consort of Dorne. That and some other conditions which we can discuss now or later is the only offer I bear with me."

"I was promised two and you would give me one. A king and you offer me a prince. Is this the value your king places on Dornish Spears, Lord Connington?" Doran's anger was clear in his tone and yet there was no rage or truth in the words, or so Jon believed.

"Dorne would be served well with my king on the Iron Throne, Prince Doran. How well would it be served with Tywin Lannister's Lionspawn wearing a crown that he himself controlled? What justice is there for the loss of your sister, niece, and nephew, to see the man who ordered their deaths get all his heart desires?"

It was Oberyn rather than Doran who truly took note of those words, Doran instead just calling the meeting to an end, and Jon unsure if the offer had been rejected or accepted. He knew he couldn't leave without a definitive answer and so for the next two days, he may well have outworn his welcome. Though no one actually ordered or even suggested that he should leave.

Oberyn came to him on the second night after the ill-fated meeting. Jon was out on the balcony enjoying the coolness of the breeze while inside the Water Gardens, yet another Dornish feast took place. He heard the prince not as he walked up behind him. The Red Viper could have ended him easily if he'd so wished, so true was Jon's surprise when he heard the voice next to him.

"My brother is no fool, Jon," Oberyn said as Jon nodded his head. Only a fool would name Doran as one and he too was not one. "He will come around and Dornish spears will march for vengeance and justice."

"Yet the more he delays, the further away that vengeance and justice may be, Oberyn."

"You think the war will come sooner than you're all planning for?" Oberyn asked.

"I think the gods play with us all at their whims, Oberyn. They find their amusement in fucking up all our best-laid plans." he laughed a bitter laugh. "If they did not then your sister would live still and my prince would now be king."

Oberyn said no more before he left him alone. The night's sleep Jon eventually had was one spent tossing and turning as dreams of days long passed were all he knew. The Battle of the Bells, the last time he saw Rhaegar and a fight on the Trident that he'd not seen or been a part of. Jon dreamt of them all and when he woke the next morning, he did so with fear in his heart. Had Prince Doran not given him his answer as quickly as he did that morning, then Jon would have left without waiting any further. Dornish spears or no, the Company of the Sea Snake needed to be readied and war, he knew, was soon to come.

Doran did give his answer, however. Dornish spears would march and though the prince sought a betrothal between the unborn child of Daeron and Elaena and one from the line of Viserys and Arianne, Jon was able to simply get him to accept the chance of such. What he was not able to stop him from getting, however, was the quickness of the marriage to come. Prince Viserys was now to head to Dorne before the war began and he and Princess Arianne were to be wed within the moon. Little did any of them know that by the time Jon set sail for Lorath, the war itself had basically begun.

Winterfell 298 AC.

Ned Stark.

The raven was inevitable. Dreaded though it was. Reading the words it contained, all Ned could think of was the raven from King's Landing that had started the Rebellion all those years earlier. Then, as no doubt soon enough so would another, it was a raven calling for his head. Now it was simply one from his nephew, calling for Ned to call the banners and make ready to march.

It took him almost a full day to write them all out. Cat coming to see him in his solar and Ned needed to take a few moments with his wife to calm her worries and doubts. Then, just as he'd always known she had, Cat had shown a resolve that put his own to shame. His wife wrote out the raven to her father and brother herself and Ned almost laughed as rather than those sent to the Lords of the North, it was that one that flew first.

When the raven did come from King's Landing, Ned shuddered to see the words written down on the scroll. He could almost picture Robert's rage as he bid them be written and he knew full well that should his former brother by choice get the chance, then he'd see those words come true. It only made the need to make ready and to march quickly ever more pressing. Something which then led to an argument with his wife when he had to tell her that Robb too would be marching and it would fall to Bran to be the Stark in Winterfell.

"He's but a boy, Ned."

"He's a man grown, Cat. The future Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell. If he marches not then he can never lead. Or do you think that Roose Bolton, the Greatjon, or Rickard Karstark won't have their heirs' march by their side?"

"War Ned, it's not a march through the bloody Wolfswood you're speaking of. It's taking our son to war."

"Aye, it is. I can protect him somewhat. Ensure he doesn't ride off on some fool task. But he must be seen to be by mine side, Cat, it would shame him too much not to do so."

Robb on the other hand was far too excited at the thought and so after the ravens had been sent and the banners called, Ned bid his son join him in the Godswood. At the hour of the wolf, they both made their way there. Neither of them spoke and only the sound of their footsteps and Grey Wind's broke the silence. Once they reached the Weirwood, Ned bid his son to take a seat and readied to tell him the harsh truth about how wars were truly fought.

"There is little honor to be found, Robb. Little glory in truth." Ned said, sighing as he knew the tales would tell it differently. "For as much as you may believe it to be so. Or to look at battles and think them grand affairs, there is naught more pointless than the losses those battles inflict upon you. Be it in men you know and name friends. Your Kin. Or even in the loss of the innocence that fighting in a true battle is sure to cost you."

"Father?"

"Men lose limbs, Robb? They are crippled and their wounds are left to fester. Dying men only go quickly if they're lucky, most linger and cry out in their pain. When it's men you lead, men you may have known all your life…. there's naught worse than that. Unless it's your kin that is."

"Is that why you speak on battles not, father?" Robb asked and Ned nodded.

"Aye, though there is something just as bad you need to face too, son." he said as Robb looked at him curiously "The taking of a man's life is no easy thing. Nor something I'd have wished you to know for many years yet."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Ned welcomed the breeze as it blew the leaves in the tree and the light of the moon as it reflected down upon them both. Looking at his son's face, he could see that Robb had taken his words to heart and so he now readied to teach him the one lesson he truly needed to know.

"Your life, son," Ned said, the sound of his voice seeming to ring out in the stillness of the night. "The only thing you need to take from a battle is your life. You remember that and remember it well. Not glory, not renown, not some sense of accomplishment. Let others have their tales and speak their words, you come out of the battle alive, son. Do that and you'll have made me as proud as you may ever wish me to be."

"I will, father."

"Good, now let's offer our prayers to the gods and make our way to our beds. There is much that needs to be done before we march."

His Bannermen arrived over the next few weeks. Each of them had received ravens that named him and his family as traitors to the crown. Another day, another time, and Ned would worry that Roose Bolton may seek to take advantage of the opportunity that may arise from such. Yet the Leech Lord arrived sooner than any and had made his way to his solar to tell him that he had his sword and his House. The bonds of marriage forged between them were something that had earned him House Bolton's loyalty or so it seemed.

The Greatjon offered him a nod. Rickard Karstark scowled at him as did Rodrik Ryswell and Barbrey Dustin. Truths about the rebellion and what led to it now needed to be fully explained. Seeing Howland arrive was a boon to his spirit and a shock to almost each and everyone else there. None of them had truly seen the Lord of the Crannogs for many years and as far as Ned knew, he'd not traveled from the Neck since the Rebellion itself.

They feasted their guests, let them all settle, and only once everyone had arrived, did Ned ready to speak on truths he'd once thought he'd never utter aloud. He took comfort in the ravens he'd received from his nephew. The Vale had risen for him fully, just as Jon Arryn had planned all those years ago. Even without the man himself to guide their decisions for them, his nephew's actions had seen it so. Placing Jon in Runestone and letting them all get to know him had done what his name alone could not have. Now it was Ned's turn to fulfill his side of the promise he'd made both to his sister and to her son.

"No doubt all of you have received a raven from King's Landing as well as the one you received from me?" Ned said loudly. The noise in the Great Hall quietened down as he spoke.

"Aye."

"We received one."

"It names us as Dragon followers, Ned."

"Names your son as not who we all believed him to be."

Ned allowed the questions to be shouted and for the voices to be raised for a little longer before he then raised his hand and brought the Great Hall to silence. Be that because of their respect for him as their lord or simply because they wished to know the truth of things, he knew or cared not.

"It's time to speak on truths long hidden, My Lord and Ladies. A tale that I'd always known I'd one day need to tell and yet one had I my way I'd probably have taken with me to the grave," he said honestly as the more he'd thought on it, the more certain he was that had it not been for events beyond his control, he'd have never told Jon the truth. "After I lifted the siege at Storm's End, I rode with six men good and true. Our destination was a tower in Dorne where each of us believed my sister was being held prisoner. When we arrived it was to find three knights of the Kingsguard guarding said tower and no words, at first, were enough to stop the fight that took place."

Around the Great Hall, every eye looked his way and not one man or woman wasn't focussed on what he was saying. Ned told them little of the fight that they didn't know, at least not until he reached the end of it. The truth about his fight with Arthur Dayne was now finally being told and it was much different than the tale both he and the knight himself had allowed to be believed. That tale had named his relationship with Ashara as what held Arthur's sword back, this one told how it was Howland Reed and the words he spoke. Though Ned spoke those words not.

"Together we entered the tower to find my sister laying in a bed covered in blood, a babe laying in a crib, and truths that had we all but known them, may have seen far more good men of the North alive today," he said looking to Barbrey Dustin and her father, to Galbart and Robett Glover, Ser Rodirik and Jory Cassel, and finally to Big Bucket Wull and the men of the Mountain Clans. "Lord Reed will no doubt name me a liar should I not speak the truth, but all I'll say about my sister is this. Lyanna was dying, my lords and ladies. Her end was upon her and though she spoke the truth about herself and the prince, it was other words that she needed to speak in her final moments."

For the next who knew how long, Ned spoke of the promise he'd made to his sister. How he'd sworn an oath to her about the safety of her son and how he'd then had to look on as she kissed her babe goodbye and breathed her last. He never noticed the tears that fell from his eyes as he spoke and had it not been for Cat offering him her handkerchief, he'd have simply let them fall. instead, he took a moment to wipe his eyes and thanked her as he handed it back to her. His wife looked at him concernedly and Ned did his best to let her know he was well.

He spoke then on Arthur's own oath. How the Sword of the Morning would allow him to name Daeron as a bastard to keep him safe, yet would not allow him to deny him the truth of who he was. Ned explained how they argued and how in the end, it was simply by agreeing to let Daeron decide his own fate, that they were able to come to an understanding. Then it was King's Landing, of Jon Arryn finding out. Of the plans that had been made by the Hand of the King. Plans that had been firmed up over the years and which were now the reason why war was upon them. Once he was done, he took his seat and waited. Lord Rodrik Ryswell was the first to rise and argue that they should stand down.

"I care not for the lies, Lord Stark. Nor for your nephew. This war is not a war I believe the North should fight in and not one I wish to."

"Nor I." Barbrey Dustin said and only that it was Roose Bolton who rose next or the noise in the Great Hall would have been deafening. All of them needing to quiet down just to hear the Leech Lord speak.

"Some lies are needed, my lords and ladies. A lie to protect kin, not even the gods themselves would name that as wrong." Roose began quietly, everyone looking at the man as he continued to speak. "I've met the lad, as have many of us here. Is there one of us who names him his grandfather's son?" Roose asked to silence, "Who sees him as less a Wolf than we did before?"

Ned looked around the hall and was happy to see no one seemed to do so. So much so that he awaited eagerly what words Roose would speak next.

"I care not for Robert Baratheon, I know the man not, and not once has he ever done anything that helped mine House grow. Jon Snow….Daeron Targaryen, I'm not fool enough to know that it's because of him the North rises, that it's because he's a dragon that the steel and arms my men are so proud of is what they name their own. Mine own son names him a good and true friend. Domeric were he here today would tell me he was riding to war beside his king and not a word I could say to him would change his mind on doing so. I ride with my son, my lords and ladies. House Bolton rides with House Stark to crown a Northern King."

After Roose sat down it was Wyman, then Maege, Howland, and then Rickard Karstark. Finally, it was the Greatjon who spoke in his own imitable style. Jon Umber bringing up that to not march would mean they either gave up every single Stark to Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister or they readied themselves to fight against them when their armies came to the North.

"My ancestors would strike me down where I stand if I allowed Lions and Stags to traipse across the North. I say we go and kill the fuckers afore then. Wet our swords in Southerner's Blood and see a king crowned who we can all name as one of our own. The Northern King."

Even Barbrey and her father came around. However, he did need to speak to them both later and the lady requested a meeting with his nephew in the future. To judge whether or not the loss of her husband was worth the king they meant to crown, or so she said.

Within the week they were marching. Men were to join them on the road and Ned led the army from the front with the Greatjon and Maege Mormont by his side. He left a decent-sized garrison in Winterfell and would leave a larger one at the Moat. Said his goodbyes to his wife and children and promised them he'd return as soon as he could. Riding away atop his horse, Ned felt the worries begin. If the gods were good then he'd not need to face Robert across an open field. Yet when had the gods ever been god when it came to war?

"For Lyanna," he said softly as he looked only ahead and thought only about the battles to come.

The Realm Reacts 298 AC.

Horn Hill.

Randyll Tarly.

The men had been fools. Bandits thinking that he'd ever allow them to roam his lands unmolested. They'd even begged him to send them to the Wall when he and his men had caught up with them. As if Randyll would even consider such a thing after what they'd done. So it had been ropes and hanging that he'd sentenced them to and their bodies had been left in warning to any who were fool enough to do as they had done. Then he and his men rode back to Horn Hill, happy after a job well done.

Had anyone told him that killing the bandits would soon be a distant memory, then Randyll would have named them fools. Yet no sooner had he arrived at Horn Hill than Randyll found himself sitting in his solar reading two raven scrolls that cleared his mind of all other thoughts. The first of them was from a king that he had knelt to reluctantly. While the second was from a king and House that Randyll had thought long dead.

After he'd greeted his wife and spoken to his son and heir, Randyll had listened as Dickon told him about the ravens' arrivals. He'd hurried to his solar, abandoning the thoughts of a warm bath and refreshments, so eager was he to see if it was true. If indeed one of the raven scrolls bore the sigil of a presumed long-dead House. Then he had felt the beating of his heart when he saw the Three-Headed Dragon once again. Somehow he managed to read the other one first. The Roaring Lion was not a sigil that Randyll liked seeing in his hands.

To the Lord of Horn Hill.

Your king bids you to call you banners, Lord Tarly. Call them and march to join with the King's own army at Storm's End. There to march and put down treasonous rebels once and for all. Failure to follow these orders in a prompt and true manner will see your House named as a traitorous one and will result in the attainting of your line. March and march truly, Lord Tarly, your king demands it of you.

Tywin Lannister,

Hand of the King.

Sneering at the words, Randyll threw the scroll down onto the table and picked up the other. His fingers were barely able to contain their urgency in breaking open the seal and revealing the words it contained.

To my Leal Lords of the Reach,

The time has come for a truth to be revealed, my lords. A truth hidden for mine own safety. To the Realm I've for too long had to hide who I truly am. To live under a name that was not mine own. Today, I can finally call myself by the name my mother and father gifted me.

I am not Ser Jon Snow, Ser Jon Arryn, nor the son of Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne. My name is Daeron Targaryen, my lords. Trueborn son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and his second wife, Lyanna Stark. I am my father's heir. The rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms and the time has come to take back that which was stolen from my family. To those who supported my family and named themselves good and true, I say but this. Rise my lords, call your banners, and rise for war is upon us. Together with our allies, I bid you march, and know I march with you. We rise for a good and true cause, my lords. With right on our side. For the future my father, mother, brother, sister, and their mother had stolen from them, we rise to finally see their losses avenged. With Fire and Blood we rise, my Leal Lords of the Reach.

Daeron Targaryen,

King of the Andals, Rhoynar, and First Men,

Lord of the Seven Kingdoms,

Protector of the Realm.

Randyll was letting the words sink in when the next raven arrived. This one bearing a sigil that he had little time for. Though he opened it and read the words of the Roses all the same. Their liege lord bid them rise too, to make their way to Highgarden and there to declare for the rightful king. Though nowhere in the raven's scroll did it say which king that was.

Drumming his finger on the table, Randyll searched his mind to remember all he could about Ser Jon Snow, Daeron Targaryen as he was now naming himself. Soon enough he wore a half smile as he rose to his feet. The lad was a true warrior, a man who'd impressed even him despite his baseborn status. Not that he was baseborn, Randyll thought wryly. Calling his son and heir to join him, Randyll readied the words he'd speak to Mace Tyrell when he arrived at Highgarden. Happy and secure in the knowledge that should the fat oaf dally this time, should he pick the wrong side, then Randyll and House Tarly would very much not.

They marched within the week. His own ravens had been sent to Mathis Rowan and Lord Ashford, and to others that he named as good and true men. Not that he believed they'd need to read his words to know his mind. Still, let there be in no doubt that regardless of who the Roses chose to support, the true king had Leal men who'd go against their liege if they must. As for Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister. Let them remember Ashford, Randyll thought, let them remember and fear the Huntsman once more.

Riverrun 298 AC.

Edmure Tully.

It had been an ordinary day until it had very much not. One moment, Edmure was going over dull uninteresting sums and the next he was staring at Maester Vyman and asking him why he'd interrupted him so abruptly. The Maester had simply pointed to the scroll he held in his hand and Edmure was unsure why a raven's message would cause him such distress. Not even seeing the Lion sigil on it was enough to answer that question. So Edmure had hurriedly broken the seal and read the words contained inside.

A few moments later, he was hurrying to his father's chambers. His hand shook as the truth of the situation they now were faced with was fully revealed. War was not only inevitable, it was almost on their very doorstep and Edmure knew not on which if any side they should fight. Not even his House's words offered him any clarity in this regard and so he needed his father's advice even more than usual.

Entering the room, he was glad to find his father awake and seemingly lucid. There were days when he was very much neither. Moving to the bed, he handed him the scroll and poured both his father and himself a mug of water. Then Edmure took his seat and waited for his father to let him know his thoughts. Something that took far longer than he wished for and it worried him that all was not as well as it looked. Only for the truth to be that his father was simply contemplating each and every possible outcome.

"He names the North as traitors. Bids us call our banners and join with his own to put down our kin. Yet offers us words I'd believe not even were they not written in Tywin Lannister's hand." his father said as Edmure nodded.

Ned Stark to lose his head. His son to be named Warden of the North and yet only by handing over the one would the second come to pass. Edmure had read the words and yet as much as they worried him, it was those about Jon Snow, Elaena Arryn, and their babe that gave him even more pause. As for the life of him, Edmure could understand not why the raven's scroll was demanding their deaths and naming any who gave them shelter or sanctuary as traitors. Though it seemed that even despite his weakened state, his father's mind was much as it had always been, and soon enough, he'd come up with the answer that Edmure could not.

"He's the She-Wolf's babe." his father said, though Edmure at first heard him not. "Rhaegar's whelp."

"Father?"

"'Tis the only thing that makes sense, Edmure."

Sitting by his father's bed, looking at how alight his eyes were and how alert he now seemed, Edmure was stunned by the change that had come over him. His mind seemed to be working a thousand miles an hour and each time he went to ask him a question, Edmure was met with a raised hand. Whatever his father was working out, it seemed he was not done yet. So Edmure sat, drank his water, and waited for him to be done.

"Your sister's words on the boy." his father said and Edmure took a moment to think back to what Lysa had said, only to soon find it was not hers but Cat's that his father was asking about.

"Lysa said…"

"Cat, Edmure, I care not for the foolishness that comes from Lysa's mouth. What words has Cat spoken on the boy?"

They were few and far between. His sister had simply said that he was not how she expected him to be and Robb and the rest of her children had a true brother in Jon Snow. Lysa, he knew had spoken much differently. Naming the lad as being everything that his father and he feared he may be. Yet like his father, Edmure placed little stock in the words that came from Lysa's mouth. Remembering something his granduncle had said about the lad, Edmure instead spoke on that and saw his father smile at the words his brother had uttered.

"The Old Goat still can tell a true warrior from a tourney knight." his father said with a chuckle that led to a coughing fit. Edmure quickly handed him the water to drink and was happy to see him recover quickly. "We must think this through Edmure. For now, I must rest, but we must think this through."

Leaving his father alone, Edmure went about the rest of his day. His father slept until the next morning and by then he had another raven's scroll to show him. This one bearing the sigil of the Wolf of Winterfell and written in his sister's hand. It spoke of a conspiracy to place a different king on the Iron Throne. Bid them to join their banner to that of the Three-Headed Dragon and reminded them that the Riverlands had split once before. Yet it was the warning it contained which Edmure both bristled at and yet welcomed truly. As did his father when he read the words for himself.

"By the gods, she's remembered her lessons well." his father said proudly.

"Father?"

"What your sister says here is true, Edmure. We have but two choices in front of us and both lead us to war."

"We could stay neutral, father. Hold our men back and support neither," he said to a shake of his father's head.

"And the victor would simply accept our abandoning of our duties as Lieges of the Riverlands? Our Bannermen would? No son, we fight, and we fight for the right side."

"Which is?"

"The side of family, Edmure. Our words are what we must follow here today. Cat's husband and his son and heir march. Your nephew and Goodbrother. She says that young Robert has declared for his sister and Goodbrother and no doubt he too marches to war. For us to take up arms against them would be akin to Kinslaying. So no, Family comes first."

"What of Duty, Honor?"

"Duty to who? The king we swore an oath to or the king whose blood claim trumps Robert's own? A House we joined with because it suited our interests to do so or one that raised us up three hundred years ago? As for honor, only the victorious get to name what is honorable or not."

He wished to argue, wanted to raise up points that he felt needed to be raised and yet he could not. Sensing his reluctance, his father then spoke on the unsaid things in Cat's message. How should the Dragon win and they not support him then not even his naming her as his aunt would be enough to allow them to keep their position. The sins of the past needed to be atoned for, or so his father said.

When his father then spoke on how hard it had been for him to rally the Riverlands to Robert Baratheon's cause all those years ago, Edmure listened keenly. As he did when his father said it would be even harder for Edmure to do so now. Something that Edmure took the wrong way at first.

"Our lords are loyal, none have shown any unwillingness to accept me as their liege." Edmure's defensiveness was more than clear in his tone.

"I meant it not as that, son. 'Twas no slight on your leadership I was alluding to."

"Father?"

"We had a just cause, Edmure. The Mad King was exactly as we painted him. What he'd done to Rickard Stark, to Brandon and the others. Men would rise for such a cause and yet…."

"Not all rose with you?" he said to a shake of his father's head.

"Not all, no." his father sighed. "This…This is not a just cause. They speak of murder, Edmure. The murder of a mother and her child. True they'll kill the Dragon first, but be under no illusion that's the fate that awaits Elaena Arryn and her babe too. Were that not enough, then there is this to remember too." his father began to cough and Edmure quickly grabbed the water jug and poured him a mug.

It took a few moments for his father to compose himself. The coughing stopped and Edmure was surprised by the warmness of the smile his father offered him.

"Where was I…" his father's question wasn't truly one and Edmure was given no chance to answer it anyway. A moment's hesitation and then his father was speaking once again. "This Dragon is not the other, Edmure. Jon Snow is not Aerys come again, if anything he's Rhaegar, and trust me, men wished to rise for Rhaegar even then."

"So more will seek to rise for his son?"

"More will and our Bannermen will seek us to do the same."

As per his father's wishes, Edmure sent the ravens that night. He called the banners and sent word to Winterfell and to Runestone that House Tully stood with the Dragons once more. Yet when he took to his bed he found no rest and no respite from the worried thoughts that filled his head. A war he wished for not was soon to be thrust upon him and Edmure feared it was one that would cost him far more than he had within him to give.

King's Landing 298 AC.

Ser Barristan Selmy.

The best-laid plans of mice and men, an old saying of Ser Gerold's that Barristan had never found more apt than he did right now. His former Lord Commander's words along with his king's were the first to come to mind when the raven arrived from the Citadel. A war that Daeron believed they'd be fighting should his babe bear the Targaryen looks, was now one they were truly in. Though not simply because it was just the babe that named his king as who he truly was.

When Varys had told him and Jaime about the dragon, Barristan had thought it a jape. True, Arthur had mentioned that Daeron had been given a dragon's egg by his great-uncle at the Wall. However, not even the Sword of the Morning believed it would one day hatch. As for Barristan, he well remembered how Aerys longed to be the man to see such a thing occur. How Rhaegar would oft speak of dragons fondly. Yet just as his fellow Kingsguard, neither the man who should have been king nor the mad king himself had believed it truly possible. Now, it seemed it not only was, but they once again lived in a world of dragons. Something that should bring a smile to his face and yet only brought worries to his heart.

Upon hearing the news, war was all but declared. Tywin Lannister had sent word to the West to call the banners and the Stormlands too had been called to arms. It left them scrambling and Barristan could only hope that Daeron, Arthur, Sandor, and those around them were managing things better than he, Jaime, or Varys were. Of the three of them, however, none were more affected than the White Lion. His sworn brother's own plans had been mere inklings as of yet and one of them had already been doomed to failure. Prince Joffrey would not be joining them when they left this city. Instead, he'd march with his grandfather and be seen to be Robert Baratheon's son and heir. Or so the king had ordered.

"He did what?" Barristan asked, having not been privy to the meeting.

"My father wished to make plans for the children's safety. For Myrcella and Tommen, Robert listened, for Joffrey he would not. His son and heir needed to be seen to lead. To march and to fight in the war for his future crown. Or so the Fat Stag demanded." Jaime's frustration and annoyance were clear in his tone.

"Mayhap there's still a chance, Jaime. Robert won't march for some time, we still have…"

"Father insisted that it was to be with the Men of the West that Joffrey marched. That their men would do well to be seen to be led by a prince of the realm. Robert, the fool that he is…"

"Your brother? The other children?"

"Tyrion is to act in Father's stead as Hand of the King," Jaime said stunning Barristan completely. "It's to be left to him and my sister to see the children protected."

Two days had passed since they'd spoken and they'd come up with little to no plans to see the children, Tyrion and Cersei Lannister to safety. Given the truth of their parentage, Barristan worried, just as much as Jaime mayhap did, that the truth would need to be outed. If it was, then all four of them needed to be far from King's Landing when it did. Further still from Robert Baratheon's rage which would be sure to follow.

As the days stretched on, the time for his own departure grew ever closer. Robert may believe he was marching to war with the Bold by his side, he would soon find himself very mistaken in that belief, however. As had been on the Trident, Barristan would stand side by side with a Targaryen once again. This time, he would be standing alongside Arthur Dayne and so the result would be very much different.

Making his way from White Sword Tower, Barristan passed by men preparing for war and those very much not doing so. Be it arrogance or Robert Baratheon's hubris, the Red Keep was undergoing no upgrade in its defenses. Not even Stannis Baratheon's arrival from Dragonstone along with his own family had seen preparations undertaken. The Stag who sat on the Throne cared only about the war he was due to fight and those he wished to see dead. While Barristan would wager that Daeron on the other hand had taken great pains to see his wife and son were safe and well.

"Lord Varys," he called out as he saw Varys ahead of him.

"Ser Barristan, the meeting is due to take place imminently and is most important." The Master of Whisperers replied to his greeting. More words than were necessary and was that not enough, then the expression the eunuch wore would tell him even more so that this was to be one of the last meetings held before the army marched.

They walked the final few feet to the Small Council Chambers together. Barristan nodded to the two men in white cloaks on the door and was happy to see it was Ser Arys who would now stand with him while Ser Boros went to his bed. The knight from Old Oak was a far better and more suited man to wear the white cloak than the one from the Crownlands. After watching Varys enter the room, Barristan bid Ser Boros to take to his bed and took up his position at the door. Listening far more keenly to the raised voices from inside than the lower-toned one from Ser Arys beside him.

How angered Robert was by what he'd found out was clear for any with ears to hear. Not even the large double doors and their thick wood were enough to cover up the loud shouts from the man. The others who spoke did so far more quietly and so Barristan could barely hear what it was they discussed. Though with Varys inside, if it was anything he needed to know then he'd learn it by the end of the day at the latest. Eventually, after what felt like no time at all, the meeting ended. Robert, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon all walked out together and they seemed to be engaged in some odd conversation.

It took until the hour of the wolf for the results of that conversation to be relayed to him. Barristan and Jaime both chuckling at the fact that Ser Loras had been called back to his family suddenly and without notice. An illness to his grandmother that made his father fear the worst was soon to happen, or so the missive had read. The truth of why he'd been called back was now told to him and Jaime by the man who knew more truths than most.

"The offer was accepted, Barristan, Jaime. Our king has brought the Reach to his side." Varys said more happily than Barristan remembered him ever being.

"For true?" he asked.

"All of it?" Jaime added.

"For true. A princess for the Heir of Highgarden. The chance to one day see the lines joined further too no doubt."

Barristan frowned at Varys' words. He liked not that Daeron was selling his kin off in marriages, even if that was the way of the world. Nor that the Tyrells were getting a princess after their inaction during the Rebellion. Yet, needs must, and should the Reach split or worse, join with their enemies, then the war would be a much harder one to win. So caught up was he in these thoughts that he missed it when Jaime asked the question that he himself wanted answered, and so he only barely caught the answer to that question.

"It was by her own choice, Jaime. Princess Daenerys was who bid the king to make an offer he wished not to make."

"He wished not to make it?" Barristan asked, unsure he'd heard Varys correctly.

"His own mother ran from a forced betrothal, Barristan. Not to mention that Queen Rhaella too had been forced to wed. Our king married for love as much as anything, he'd wish his kin the same choice as he'd made."

"And yet the princess…"

"Wishes to play her part in the rising of her House as too does Prince Viserys," Varys said firmly.

The conversation then turned to the battle plans that Robert and his brothers had made. To the offer that Littlefinger had brought to the Tyrells and to, according to Varys, the mistaken belief that the Mockingbird's raven carried. Both he and Jaime chuckled at the thoughts of the Master of Coin being played so truly. Though in Jaime's case, his chuckle was a far lesser one than Barristan's own. The reason for why was soon made clear to both him and Varys.

"She won't leave," Jaime said, sounding almost dejected. "Nor her or my brother."

"You asked? Told them the truth of things?" he asked, hoping that Jaime had not.

"Some, not all," Jaime replied, much to Barristan and no doubt Varys' relief.

He listened keenly as Jaime spoke of his conversation with his sister. How Cersei had refused to listen to a man who no longer warmed her bed. Not even under the threat that Robert may find out the truth about the children's parentage did Cersei Lannister waver. While with Tyrion it was the fact that his father had finally seen some merit in him that had won the day. The love he had for his brother was lesser than the need to be seen as his father's heir, or so Jaime suggested.

"What of the children? Of yourself? Do you still intend to come east with me or will you stay here by your family's side?" Barristan asked. Hoping that his question sounded curious and not accusatory.

"I need them safe, Barristan. Myrcella and Tommen are innocents and 'tis always the innocents who suffer in war. As for me….." Jaime hesitated before seeming to straighten himself up. His reply then filled with a resolve that Barristan was only too happy to see. "I wish to fight for my king. To stand by his side and along with my brothers, my true brothers, to protect him with mine own life if need be."

It filled him with great pride to see such truth in Jaime's words. Yet his reply came off as flippant and had not meant to be so. Barristan telling the White Lion that he'd settle for simply his sword to protect Daeron.

For the rest of the night, they made plans and on the next night, he and Varys waited in the tunnels for what seemed like an age. When he saw Jaime and the two children, Barristan was not the only one to breathe a sigh of relief. With the help of one of Varys' little birds, they were guided through the tunnels and made their way through the streets of King's Landing. Jaime spoke to both the children and even carried Tommen some of the way. Myrcella simply holding on to the hand of the man she believed was her uncle.

At the docks, they needed to wait for some little time and at first, when the man came, they worried he was untrustworthy. Only for Varys to once again make an appearance and tell them that they'd be led to the ship and be at sail with the morning tide. Bidding the eunuch farewell for now, they hurried to the ship and once aboard, they put the children to bed. Neither of them seemed likely to sleep and yet once they lay down, both Myrcella and Tommen were out to the world.

Time seemed to stretch on and on. The morning tide took an age to arrive and when it finally did and the sails were raised, Barristan breathed in relief. He did so even more once Blackwater Bay was far behind them. Then he enjoyed breaking his fast with the young prince and princess, though neither would carry those ranks for much longer. Myrcella had always been a delightful young girl and Tommen was truly an innocent. Seeing them both with Jaime he wondered if they'd one day be told the truth of who their father was and on that day, he hoped they remembered this one.

As for him, it was the thoughts of the battles to come that filled his mind for the next few days. The idea of serving his king. Even long after they'd docked in Gulltown and made their way to the Eyrie, that was what he found himself contemplating. After they'd done so, however, it was only the future that Barristan's mind would allow him to think of. Prince Duncan who he'd been allowed to hold in his own hands. Queen Elaena whom he thought so very much of and of course, King Daeron who Barristan knew would be the very last king he served.

"To my death and not to his, Father. Grant me that and I'll have known peace once more," he whispered to himself as he and Jaime rode hard to the Bloody Gate and the army that had gathered there.

A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. Up next: The Company of the Sea Snake makes ready to head to Westeros. We see more reactions to the truth of who Jon is as Balon Greyjoy seeks revenge and Walder Frey looks for opportunity amongst the upcoming chaos. The Blackfish offers insight into a Dragon's mindset, while in King's Landing, Varys deals with the aftermath of Jaime and Barristan's flight. At Casterly Rock, Tywin makes battle plans before marching and deals with disturbing news regarding his. While in the Vale, Daeron Targaryen lays out his attack plans and sets off to war. In Pentos a princess brings about a miracle.

For those following my other fics. The follow-up chapter to this, False War Part Three will be up this weekend. After that, it will be a chapter of Dragonwolf Danced and one each of My Name is Daemon and Winter King, all over the next 2 to 3 weeks.

Missed Reviews.

Enymel: Chapter 9: I do think that Varys knew almost all the secrets. He wasn't all-knowing by any means and I think he underestimated LF greatly, but he knew all about the children imo, both sets.

Chapter 10: Very much so, a huge boost.

Chapter 20: I think LF is the sort of guy that almost makes numerous plans, some that get discarded when he looks at them more closely or simply because they require too much work or too much coincidence. At the same time, I do think a lot of his plans are more about taking advantage of situations and taking a chance that things will work out how he hopes. I mean let's face it, the canon plan of the letter to Cat about Jon Arryn, Ned being someone who'd stayed away from KL all those years could have said no, not risking it and then LF's plans were screwed. Another thing I've always thought about him is that he has the devil's own luck in canon. Honestly, had Tyrion not had to face a trial and then murdered Tywin, then LF is screwed IMO.

Here, he's thinking aloud, looking at the odds, and working out just what he wants to happen as much as what may actually happen.

Chapter 27: yes, they could simply sit it out and wait until the dragon grew and then game on, but the issue is that their allies would suffer and they'd be cut off. So basically once the news outs, the same as if it was simply the news about Jon himself or as Jon feared, about his babe, the war is on.

J: Chapter 15: Technically you're right of course. However, a couple of things to bear in mind, even though I didn't spell them out here. 1. We don't know the exact details of Jon Arryn's deal with Hoster, so it could be that it's not only a bride, but any child from the union to be heir too.

Or given that Jon already had a daughter, maybe, any son from that union is how it could be worded.

2. House Arryn isn't simply a Great House, they are the Wardens of the Vale, to my knowledge and I admit I could be wrong on this, but as far as I know, there has never been a female Warden other than Jeyne Arryn and well, given a war was fought over her inheritance, surely Jon would take this into account in regards to his own heir.

So maybe I should have explored that more during the timeframe it was relevant, but honestly, I never even considered it until you brought it up. On the point of law, well Jon Arryn is Hand, he pretty much makes up the law and should he change it, Robert wouldn't care. But again honestly, I'd not even considered it which is why I didn't bring it up at any point before now.

Chapter 22: I agree about Thoros, I think GRRM is pretty much just sort of setting the scene for Lightbringer or something with him being allowed to use it, as I'd imagine it would be disqualifying too. Thoros is a decent fighter though, not capable of beating someone like the Greatjon or others perhaps, without his flaming sword, but he is capable.

Thanks for pointing that out, I did make that mistake, slaps head.

Wireless Down: Chapter 22: I think it's actually LF's biggest weakness. While the show got a lot of things wrong, the scene they had with him and Cersei, where he said "Knowledge is power" and she replied by saying "Power is Power" I think that's a huge moment and shows just how vulnerable he really is. He has no men at arms to call on (other than those bought) and no real power (other than that given to him) I mean honestly, we sort of see that at his death scene (as bad as that was) and it's a big shortcoming. Daeron has his own power to fall back on, his loyal men who'd fight to the death for and with him, LF doesn't. So he relies on overly complicated plans and agents to do his bidding and well, there can be a big flaw in that as you rightly point out.

Chapter 24: This sort of proves the point even more so. His plans went to shit because he doesn't truly have the power to force them to work. True he's had terrible luck too (though let's be honest, he has the devil's own luck in the show/books).

Chapter 28 Reviews.

Daryl Dixon: So glad you liked it.

Rhatch: Really glad you enjoyed it.

Zhovrak: I do wonder if Jon ever went south when Robert was alive would Robert suggest that match. It seems so him to do such a thing. Marry his and Ned's bastards to each other. It's also probably one of the easiest and most logical ways for Jon to be given a position and rise. As Robert would probably see them form their own House or something, but it's certainly something to consider plot-wise for a fic.

Alberto: It is coming, I expected it for this and the next chapter, but the logistics of moving things around, getting people to go where they are and the fallout from Jon's truth being revealed can't just be brushed over, but once it starts, there will be quite a number of action-filled chapters, I promise.

Sven the Decoy: Yeah I did consider having Daeron listen to Sandor and simply kill Helliweg, but he's spent years being taught by the man and so just as if it was Luwin, there has to be some element of doubt allowed. Ghost and Tyraxes are really the important ones, though Eyas plays her part too, especially when the battles begin.

Dabrakabra: Yes and no. I mean technically the Citadel is supposed to be 100 percent neutral. The search for and understanding of knowledge is supposed to be their guiding principle. Should Helliweg have expected them to send word to Pycelle, maybe, but Pycelle isn't supposed to inform Robert/Tywin if they do. Is Helliweg being naïve, very much so. But Academics can sometimes be like that. We see it with scientists do we not, Oppenheimer not fully understanding what his work would lead to or be used for and instead concentrated only on the if he could rather than the if he should, as Ian Malcolm would say.

Helliweg sought help to understand the knowledge he'd just been given, he just simply never considered just how dangerous that knowledge was and was far too trusting that his fellow Maesters considered it in the same vein as he did. I'd imagine, even if we go full-on with a Maester Conspiracy having taken place at some point in Westeros history, that there were those who played an unwitting part as well as those who were far more involved. So say for example there is a cabal of Maester against the Targs still, it wouldn't necessarily follow that Helliweg is even aware of their existence, let alone he's part of it. Marwyn seemed to understand it quite well in the books and I'd imagine Aemon does too, but not every Maester is either of those are they? Helliweg messed up, completely. Yet it's hard to know right from the start where there was malice in it and Daeron is not yet ruthless enough to simply kill him on the off chance that there is. Jon Snow from the books, certainly would, but this isn't the exact same Jon Snow now is it?

Not2Complex: My apologies for the delay, real life can suck at times. Glad you enjoyed it and as a special treat, the next chapter will be up in two more days at most.

VfSnake: There will be much blood spilled.

J: I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, if it came across that way then you have my complete and total apology, as honestly, it wasn't my intent. Yeah, I think as I mentioned above that the book version of Jon Snow would have killed him and even this version may have, only that he knows him for so long and it's been under him that he's learned. It would be akin to killing Luwin in that regard. So a chance, just one, and an acceptance that maybe just maybe, the man was just being foolish and that he's learned from his mistake.

Galwitanatiud: Almost lol. One more chapter, which will be up quickly, and then the war starts for true.

Syrius: So glad you liked it. Daeron's reasoning was sound I hope and I really enjoy writing the lord's declaration for him.

Bhuvan: So, yes, you're spot on, Olenna wants Margaery to be queen. Feels she deserves to be so. Yet, she isn't fool enough to realize that should she reject the offer, the next move Connington makes is to appeal to her Bannermen directly. She knows what happened with Hoster Tully and even with Jon Arryn during the Rebellion, and also that she and her House are less liked by some of their Bannermen than they were. She is also aware of Tywin needing to be dealt with if she's to gain any advantage from Margaery as queen, Joffrey's disposition, and now on top of that, a war that she'd no inkling was coming, is now soon to be thrust upon them.

Olenna is not Mace, she's smart and understands the board. Daeron being Rhaegar's son with Lyanna gives him the North (which has risen much here) being wed to Elaena Arryn gives him the Vale, the Lords of the Narrow Sea join too, and most likely so do the Riverlands. So yes, on one side you'd have the Reach, West, and Stormlands, and numbers wise they'd probably carry the day, but would all her Bannermen rise for her? Would they accept the fact that she was going against Rhaegar Targaryen's son? And if she lost Tarly, Rowan, and others, then what exactly is she left with? At the least, the numbers are then pretty much the same.

What are the chances that Margaery will be queen? That they will win the war, that she can take care of both Tywin and Joffrey, and that she can do all that without the Reach rebelling against her? While the offer from Connington is not as good, it is a good offer. Knowing then you bring a united Reach, and your opponents would be just the West and the Stormlands, the odds are far more in favor that of the two matches being offered, this one is the one that'll actually take place. So Olenna plays the odds, besides she gets a princess for Willas and the chance of a child of his and Dany's being a future queen.

Again though the key is that Olenna isn't Mace. Mace would reject the offer, Olenna I think would not. Feel free to disagree though, I'm not saying I'm right on this, but for this story, this is how it's set up.

I have another story, the Winter King, where Olenna and the Tyrells are further along in their alliance with the Lannisters and so when the offer comes from Jon's side, they reject it. Here, given when the offer came, I think Olenna would accept it.

ATP: So honestly, I think if Jon went south with Robb and the truth of who he was is known, then Tywin already has lost. But remember, during the WOTFK, Tywin and the West were alone. Yet they still won, basically. There is a lot of ground to be covered by each of the armies and wars aren't won simply on tactics alone. While I'll not deny that Tywin is in a terrible position, and worse than that, he has no idea just how bad, the war itself won't be a foregone conclusion. The Old Lion has some tricks up his sleeve.

Anarra: So glad you liked it.

Celexys: It's one of my favorite things to write, how people react to the truth about Jon and even more so during a war scenario as it makes people look at things very differently. So glad you're liking it.

Dunk: Yes, it is. However, we have one more chapter of pieces moving into place and reactions and war plans before the first battles take place. With Olenna, while she wants Marge as queen, she's also a realist and practical. The potential for civil war in the Reach is huge once a son of Rhaegar lives. A part of me does think that Randyll Tarly's fate in the books will be his show fate, but because he's supporting Faegon over Dany. And I think that would be what would happen here. If he found out Rhaegar's son lived, he'd join with him even over the Tyrells, and if they didn't do likewise, he'd do all he could to see them suffer. There are others there too and so while Olenna has done a good job of making alliances in the Reach, better than Ned has in the North or most of the others have done (Tywin being the exception) she'd still lose much of her support and so to me, she'd look at the board and accept the offer she's been made. Also, in Winter King I went with her rejecting the offer because she thought Jon had less forces than he had and they were much closer to the Throne at that point, here, I think given they're not as close, she'd welcome the offer and find it more acceptable.

I'm in the camp that Olenna wasn't privy to the arrangement with Renly. That the wedding was somewhat thrust upon her, I could be wrong, but I think had she her way, she'd have bided her time in the WOTFK. I also think that had Jon gone South and his truth was known, then either Olenna would have sought him out or vice versa and a wedding alliance would be made in moments. If Cat was actually on board with things, then even more quickly. It's why I love a fic called Full Fathom Five, as it has Cat working politically to make that alliance knowing how it almost guarantees them the war. Honestly, had Robb Stark simply reached out and offered his own hand after winning his battles and capturing Jaime, then after Renly died it would be him they'd have married Marge to. As long as he was going for the Iron Throne that was.

Anyway, I digress. Dany's dragons are up next and then we're in the war itself, Tywin may scramble but he is still Tywin LOL.

Elliecast: had this been later in things, then yes the dragon would have been part of the price too no doubt. But it's more the odds and the threat of a Reach Civil War along with the fact she's getting a princess as part of the deal. Also, she still has Marge to make another alliance with too, which does help. You're right about Viserys and Dorne, though maybe in some ways Dany would be worse (certainly later she would be) but I think with Doran you're dancing on the edge of a razor blade anyway. He wants what he wants, it's just a question of will he wait and accept it may come or try to force it. Luckily for Daeron, Viserys has seen the error or his thinking and is 100 percent on board with him, and with Duncan, it's yet another obstacle in Doran's path too.

We'll see more of the missives in people's povs, and reactions to them, the first set is simply a call to arms while the second will be, the mud-slinging as you call it Lol.

Evymel: I think had the dragon been born and no word had been leaked of it, then yes, they'd have sought to hold off for as long as they could for the very reasons you mention. I mean a full-grown dragon is just too big an advantage to turn down. However, with the war now thrust upon them, they have to march and fight. Otherwise, Tywin and Robert could isolate them completely. The Riverlands would burn, Hoster, Edmure, would be screwed. Assassins could be sent, and all the while, Tywin and Robert could gain ground and shore up their position leaving Daeron, Elaena, and the North isolated and cut off. Now it's almost a race to gain ground and to stop the other armies from joining up, with the dragon not really a factor other than as a symbol.

BriaDelAngel: Your wish is my command.