Chapter 46: The Crownlands surrender

300 AC

Arya

She walked between the granite walls of her ancestral home with Nymeria. They soon reached the nursery together. There, she saw that Edda was already playing with mother. Her niece's nickname had come naturally, as no one had wanted to call her anything resembling 'Ned' or something else that would make them think about father.

Her mother was trying to have her granddaughter play with one of the small dolls resembling the Seven, but Edda just kept smashing the dolls on the stone until they broke. She had been doing this for weeks and it had cracked up all of the family, except for her mother. All, except mother, agreed that, with a Stark father and a Karstark mother, the girl would grow up to be a devout Old Gods believer. She had no need for dolls resembling the Seven.

It was said that her father had been executed on the steps of the Sept of Baelor. The High Septon had even been there, she had heard. If it were her choice to make, she would demand Robb to burn it all down to the ground. Robb had been doing well without them though, she thought fondly. News of another one of his victories had come in this morning. It might even be his biggest accomplishment yet.

He and Jon had defeated the Lannister army and even killed Tywin's brother, which served him right. The whole castle was in a good mood because of it and Alys was even preparing a great feast for tonight. Her sister-in-law had been doing a lot more in the household lately. At first, her mother had resisted this but after she realized that this gave her more time to spend with her children and granddaughter, she had agreed to give away parts of the responsibilities. She still kept going to all the important councils together with Alys, but some of the feasts and more daily tasks were now exclusively done by her sister-in-law.

She looked again towards her little niece and saw that Nymeria had stalked over towards her. The baby had soon noticed this and was crawling towards the direwolf, screaming unintelligible, but happy, noises all the way.

"How she can be so calm and playful with every one of those beasts, I will never understand any of it." Her mother said as she walked over to her and gave her a hug. She looked over to her and smiled. "Edda is a wolf, just like us. They recognize her as part of the pack. To the direwolves, Edda is as much a pup of their pack as she is a baby of our family. They will play with her, but they will also protect her. Just like Nym and Lady protected me when it was needed." She explained, her tone turning grimmer as she thought about the ironborn attack.

As by habit, she looked over to the scars on Nym's belly. Parts of her hide hadn't regrown, and the ugly naked patches irritated her to no end. Maester Luwin had told her that she had been very lucky to completely recover, but she couldn't help but worry and be angry every time she saw them.

Nym turned around, staring at her as she noticed her worry. "It's nothing Nym, go play." She responded and the direwolf happily turned around and started running around the babbling baby.

"Yes, it's true. After what happened, I will never forbid any of you to have your wolves with you. They are the best protection we could ever give you. Still, they frighten me from time to time. Especially when I hear the stories the men tell about your brother's wolf." Her mother responded.

"Aye, Grey Wind and Ghost must have killed a lot of men by now. Nym and Lady have also done their fair share. We are wolves, mother, just like them. They will never hurt any of us, they are family. Don't worry about it" She dismissed her mother's worries. She mentioned Ghost automatically, as she would never forget Jon was also fighting for them in the south.

"What you are saying is that you are a wolf and I am not? When I married your father all those years ago, I became a Stark as well Arya. All these years in the North have made me as much a Northener as a Riverlander. I can barely remember my homeland now. My father has died there and all the while my brother, uncle and son fight to protect it. Still, I remain here, in Winterfell where I belong. With my family, with you, that's where I am needed most even if you don't like it." Mother replied.

"Family, Duty, Honor", she whispered, in response to the speech. Her mother looked at her with awfully hidden pride and she laughed. "What? I am still a wolf birthed by a trout. I can still live up to those words, even if I don't agree with where they came from." She said, as she stuck out her tongue. She had developed what could only be described as utter hate for everything south of the Neck. Her father had never come back from there, neither had her uncle, aunt or grandfather before she was born. Her sister had been traumatized and changed by King's Landing. To make matter's worse, her two elder brothers had been stuck in those lands for over a year and a half now. She missed them a lot and worried for their wellbeing almost daily. Never would any of them set another foot below the marches of the Neck, if she had anything to say about it.

Her mother just shook her head. "That is no way to behave for a lady, Arya." She said, although it was with a lot less bite than she had heard when she was younger. As her lessons with Jonelle had progressed, her mother had been a lot nicer to her. Ever since father's death they had grown closer and ever since her wound even closer still.

"Then I won't do it when I need to be a lady. Now I just want to be auntie Arya." She smiled and her mother returned the smile. "Besides, what you said earlier isn't wrong. You are part of the pack too. The wolves know you are our mother and they will protect you too because of it. The mother of wolves is family too, even if she is only half a wolf herself. You don't need to worry about them, neither do we." She simply stated.

Her mother just looked at her strangely. After a while, she responded. "Sometimes when you talk, it's almost as you can talk to those beasts. As if you know what they think and want."

She shrugged. "I just do." Her mother's frown deepened in response. After a while, she simply muttered. "Mother of wolves? That might just be right with you, Brandon and Rickon. Grandmother of a wolf too, it seems." Both of them looked towards Edda, who had crawled upon Nymeria's belly and was softly hitting the wolf on the nose and chest in something that almost resembled a rhythm. Both of them laughed at the spectacle, Edda always managing to cheer them up.

"Aye, mother of wolves you are. An annoying one at that, but a very good one." She replied, as she gave her mother a hug. This seemed to surprise her, as she said nothing of her joke and just hugged her back.

When she pulled back, she couldn't help but restart an old discussion. "I still think you need to kill those Greyjoy prisoners though, especially Theon! If you don't want to do it, I will."

"Arya Stark! You will not talk about killing anyone in my presence ever again. You are a lady of a nobly house, a princess at that! How can you even think things like that?" Her mother asked, clearly in shock.

"What? He wouldn't be the first ironborn I killed you know." She shrugged.

She saw a stream of emotions going through her mother's eyes. She saw shock and anger, as per usual, but also sadness and compassion, things that made her feel completely uncomfortable. On moments like this, she wished for Jonelle to be here and help her. Alas, Jonelle and her children had gone back to Castle Cerwyn for the time being, as Cley had made her the castellan when he went south.

"I know, Arya." Her mother finally responded. "However, I will do everything in my power to make sure you'll never have to kill anyone ever again." She continued. Her voice was very serious, yet somehow also comforting.

She shrugged once more. "If anyone threatens the pack or our home again, I will if I have to. Nym will too."

Her mother looked from her to her direwolf, who was still playing with her baby niece. Seeing the babbling child play with the direwolf once again made her smile. Edda tried to pull at the hair on Nym's chest, while the latter playfully snapped at her to stay away.

"Then we'll have to make sure no one ever threatens us like that again." She heard her mother whisper softly to herself. She let it go, as she didn't oppose the idea.

She tried to make the situation better. "At least I agree with what you did to the Frey boys. Putting them in chains was a good idea."

Her mother's bright blue eyes locked onto her once more. She sighed. "I didn't put them in chains, Arya. I confined them to their chambers with an armed guard. They are still nobles and they deserve to be treated as such."

She scoffed. "Clearly that's not what Robb, Ser Rodrik or Cley were thinking. I heard what happened at the Twins, mother. Serves them right too. They killed Alys' father, Alyn Blackwood's father too. Both of them were sad for weeks at a time because of the Frey's betrayal. Maybe they deserve to be chained."

"I will not discuss this further with you, Arya. Both Walders will remain were they are until your brother decides otherwise." The finality in her mother's voice made her drop the argument for now.

"At least Bran won't have to marry a Frey now, right?" She asked.

"Bran will never marry a Frey, if I have anything to say about it." Her mother responded.

"Isn't it up to Robb to decide, now that he is lord and king?" She asked.

"Yes, it is. However, I am still your mother. When it was up to your father to decide, he asked me for my input. Robb will not deny me that for either of your siblings." She replied with finality in her tone.

Aye, Robb would listen to mother, but would he listen to her when the time for her betrothal came?

Jon

They had stopped at Hayford to settle things before marching on the capital. Robb had easily gotten the castellan of the lands to swear fealty in name of Lady Ermesande Hayford. As the castle had no way to defend themselves from their army, the deal that had been brokered had been quite favorable. Robb, as king, would be allowed to choose Lady Hayford's future spouse. All had agreed that her former spouse, Tyrek Lannister, was death at this point. Her spouse would take on the name of Hayford and their children would continue the family.

Both the lady and her future husband would be raised together in Winterfell from the ages of twelve to sixteen, after which they would come south to claim their keep. Until that time, the castellan had been reaffirmed in his position and would rule these lands. Robb had also managed to procure that he could bestow Sow's Horn on one of his loyal followers after the extinction of House Hogg, one of the Hayfords' principal vassals. The chosen noble would have to swear fealty to House Hayford afterwards though.

The Hayfords hadn't been the only ones to swear fealty. Lords Buckwell, Cressey, Chelsted and Mallery had bent the knee the day after the battle, as expected. They had all gotten lenient terms, although small sacrifices had been demanded. Small, mostly symbolic, losses of land, sons taken on as squires, daughters were promised as ladies-in-waiting to their sisters or Alys. All of the positions offered were great honors, but the underlying thought was clear.

Most agreed to it without complaint, while some even showed themselves useful to their cause. Robb especially held Lord Lothar Mallery in high regard. If the man's loyalty was proven true, much more could be expected of him.

Since then, Houses Edgerton, Rollingford, Rykker, Staunton and now Hayford had also bent the knee to his brother by raven after his brother's demands had reached them. Representatives of these houses were expected after the city fell, but the demands were set and agreed upon already. The only holdouts north of the Blackwater were Houses Rosby, Stokeworth and Chyttering, but this wasn't surprising. The heads of the first two houses were in the Red Keep, while young Lord Lucos Chyttering was apparently stuck in its dungeons.

They were inconsequential in the end. Both Houses Rosby and Stokeworth had lost parts of their levies in the turmoil in the capital in the last months, their remaining troops were spread thin between their keeps and the city even now. House Chyttering had lost nearly all of their men fighting for Stannis Baratheon and was even worse off.

Their scouts had gone as close as three miles outside of the city walls. The things they had reported had been met with cheers and laughs from their army. It seemed big parts of the city were still in ruin, while not all of the gates and defenses had been properly fixed yet after Stannis Baratheon's attack. Even so, they had seen hundreds of men at work there, so they couldn't celebrate yet.

They had stayed at Hayford for three days now, getting the fealty of the surrounding lords and making sure their supply lines from the Riverlands were secure. He himself had also spent time integrating the troops of the Crownlands in their army. Lord Lothar Mallery and the nephew of Lord Slate had been appointed to help him with this task.

Most of the Crownlander nobles were less than enthusiastic about being ordered around by a bastard, although that seemed to be part of Robb's plan. When he had told his brother, he had just laughed. "It's best they quickly realize that the norms they have formerly known are changing with new leadership. No one better to do this than you, Jon. You have won the lords of the Riverlands over, you can win these petty lords over as well."

Because of this, he had spent most of the last week talking to the nobles of Houses Buckwell, Cressey, Chelsted and Mallery and their vassals, as well as their recent additions from Houses Rollingford, Edgerton and Hayford. He had rearmed their forces, organized them into groups and had them train to better suit Robb's commanding style. In secret, he had also sent men trough their camp to weed out possible spies and traitors. So far, his men had identified two of them already. It was said Lord Varys had spies everywhere and he wouldn't be surprised if he found a few more.

Just this morning had consisted of integrating the one hundred Hayford men that would join their force. Now, after a delicious midday meal consisting of roasted pork and multiple stews, he had a meeting with his brother.

He walked into the lord's solar at Hayford, which Robb had quickly demanded for his own upon arrival. There, he was greeted with the usual group of councilors his brother liked to have around him, mostly consisting of either blood- or extend family. He greeted Harrion and Torrhen and had some small talk with Ser Brynden before Robb walked in.

Lately, the group had been extended with Lord Domeric Bolton and Smalljon Umber, as well as Ser Lucas Blackwood. All three of them came in with his brother and when their king quickly took his seat, all others followed.

"Welcome everyone, news has come from the Vale that is important for our campaign." His brother began, and all were immediately interested.

"A few letters from Bronze Yohn came this morning. It seems his cousin Nestor Royce has surrendered Lady Lysa and Robert Stone to him. Harrold Hardying has been officially named Lord Harrold Arryn, Lord of the Vale, in the ancient Arryn fortress of the Gates of the Moon. This means the civil war in the Vale is effectively over. The only remaining rebel houses, the Corbrays and Lynderlys, both don't stand a chance against the remaining Vale troops and have already send representatives to the Eyrie. They are expected to surrender when they arrive. Robb continued.

This was met with smiles from all the men around the table. With the conflict in the Vale won, reinforcements would be likely to arrive soon. "Why would Ser Nestor do this? I don't think he can expect leniency after betraying his kin for the losing side." Ser Brynden asked.

"Ser Nestor apparently agreed on the surrender, on the conditions he would be allowed to take the black and his son, Ser Albar, would be able to go free and keep parts of their holdings. The lords agreed to these demands on the condition that Ser Albar's sister Myranda would marry Ser Andrew Tollet, heir to House Tollet and a loyal vassal to Runestone.

The Blackfish nodded at that, apparently agreeing with the terms. It seemed they were all right about the reinforcements, when Robb continued. "A force of eight thousand strong has marched out of the Bloody Gate under Ser Andar Royce, Bronze Yohn's heir. They will join us in King's Landing. I plan to take the city before they arrive, as to enhance our position in future negotiations."

Now, everyone turned serious. It was unclear what would happen with the Vale. They had discussed it many times before and all knew that there were only three viable options really.

The first one was that they would join Robb's kingdom to create a powerful entity in the north-east of Westeros. This wasn't as easy as it sounded thought. Most Vale lords, being pious Seven believers who proudly boasted with their Andal heritage, would feel nothing about bending the knee to a Stark. No one knew were the new Lord Arryn stood in this either. This could create big internal problems down the line and was something no one looked forward too.

There were also other concerns from many of the noble houses around this very table. The Umbers, Karstarks and Boltons, among others, want a strong Northern kingdom based on the values of the First Men, where they wouldn't be regarded as savages. With the Riverlands, part of the Crownlands and possibly the Vale joining this kingdom, the Old Gods believers would once again be in the minority, both among the nobility as in the numbers of smallfolk. The pious nature of the Vale lords had made some, like the Greatjon, move so far as to openly speak against this plan.

The second option was for Robb to take the Iron Throne. Add on to the fact that most of the Northern houses would rebel at the idea of giving up their independent kingdom, it would mean years of war to come in the future. The Stormlands, Reach and Dorne would never bow to Robb, unless they were subdued by force. Some among them doubted if this was even possible. The biggest problem here was that Robb clearly stated he didn't want it. He didn't want to sit in the chair from which the orders to kill his father, grandfather and uncle had been given, a thing no one really blamed him for.

The third option was for the Vale to become another independent kingdom. This had multiple benefits, as well as drawbacks. The biggest benefits would be the short-term stability, lack of internal strife and the overall acceptance by the Vale lords. The biggest drawback would be the future long-term stability of Westeros. He, Robb and Ser Brynden had spent hours talking about the history of Westeros, and more specifically the Riverlands.

The more kingdoms there were, the more conflicts erupted history thought them. This had some benefits, like more recruits for the Night's Watch, but mostly massive drawbacks in trade and the destruction of lands. The problem was that the Riverlands were always in the middle of this. No matter who wanted to plunder or conquer, be it the Westerlands, Reach, Vale, Iron Isles or Stormlands, the Riverlands were always a prime and enticing target.

If they wanted this kingdom to survive, things needed to change. The first one of which, had been the incorporation of parts of the Crownlands. No matter if the Vale joined or not, it would greatly strengthen their kingdom's southern border. Robb had also spoken of his goals to push the borders in the west and south-west slightly when they ended the conflicts with the Lannister and Tyrells to this aim as well.

If the Vale was independent, trade between it and the North or Riverlands could also go down. The Manderlys had warned clearly about this and multiple Riverlander Houses had repeated this concern.

Whatever scenario they chose, it would be best for Robb to enlarge his bargaining power as much as possible as to get the best possible deal. They all knew that, so they agreed to take the city themselves. None were too eager about this, as all had lost lots of troops by now.

All of these thoughts went through his head so strongly, he almost didn't realize Robb had started speaking again. "… that the Manderly and Vale fleet and their troops are free to move. I have sent orders for them to move south to blockade King's Landing and Dragonstone. We don't want Cersei to escape by sea, nor do we want the Baratheons to interrupt us at the capital."

"How is the Vale fleet faring?" Lord Domeric asked.

"Ships from the Sisters have joined those of Houses Royce, Melcolm and Hunter. They have also managed to capture over a third of the Grafton fleet. The remainder has fled south, together with some ships from Witch Isle. Whereto, no one knows." His brother responded.

"If history has something to say about it, they'll soon turn to piracy and assimilate into the Stepstones' culture and proclaim themselves sealords or the like. They always do so. I fought my fair share of them when I was in my youth. They always come back." Ser Brynden said. All men nodded at that, respecting the experience of the veteran commander in their midst.

"More good news has come. The Vale lords have decided how to deal with their traitors. All the treacherous lords will be sent to the Wall, together with other notables like Ser Lyn Corbray and Nestor Royce. Members of Houses Corbray, Lynderly, Sunderland, Elseham, Pryor, Grafton and Upcliff will be sent north, as well as Robert Stone. This is very good news for the future of the Night's Watch. One of the things they had been severely lacking these past decades were nobles and experienced commanders, both to lead and to restore the prestige the order once had. If all regions send this many, we will be able to rebuild the Watch stronger than it has been for a century." Their king explained.

This news mostly pleased the Northerners at the table, as they all came from houses somewhat close to the Wall.

"One prisoner won't be sent to the Wall." His brother grinned. "Littlefinger has been caught hiding in Gulltown, trying to board a trade ship bound for Braavos. Lord Royce mentions his head now decorates a spike above the Gates of the Moon."

All of them celebrated at the news. It had long been suspected amongst them that Baelish had betrayed Lord Stark. However, this had finally been confirmed through the tales of Crownlanders, like Lord Mallery, who had been present. His death would probably result in multiple glasses being raised at the campfires this night. He only wished he could have fed the traitor to Ghost, but his head on a pike would do.

All men talked amongst themselves for a while, as Harrion and Smalljon joked together with him. After a while, Robb demanded their attention once more. "I share your joy for this news, my lords, but we still have work to do. Jon how does the integration of the Crownlanders proceed?"

"Pretty well, all things considered, Your Grace. Together with the new additions from House Hayford, thirteen hundred new and well-armed troops should be available by the time we reach King's Landing. By the time of the assault, a few dozen more of them will join, I think. We are still waiting on the new supply of spears and a few of them still need to recover from earlier wounds." He responded.

"Good, I think no one objects if we use these first in the assault? We can test their loyalty, as well as save more of our own men." As expected, no one objected to his brother's words. "Ser Brynden how are the outrider's reports?"

"Much the same, Your Grace. The Lannisters are still trying to fortify the city, but, to my estimations, they started too late and have too few men to properly defend the city. No reinforcements will be coming from any direction."

"Fantastic, Ser Lucas the supply lines?"

"The supply lines from the Riverlands are secure. Extra provisions have been made available by the Crownlanders that have recently joined us." The Riverlander knight responded.

"There is another problem. As many of you may know, Cersei Lannister has reinstated the Faith Militant. Hundreds of knights and thousands of peasants from all over the Crownlands and the neighboring regions have joined them. Most of those are expected to be lightly trained and equipped, although their numbers may swell the defenders' potential to defend the city." Robb told them.

"Not much we can do Your Grace. We need to put them all to the sword anyway. No use in wasting time on talking about what to do if we know we'll need to kill them. There is no way you can let any of those fanatics alive. They would be a constant threat to you, your house and all of the Old Gods believers. They would conspire and plot against all of our lives. Better to exterminate all the weeds at the source, before they can grow. Sending them to the Wall would just allow their thinking to survive and sow discontent in the ranks of the Night's Watch." The Smalljon responded. All of them agreed and it was only now that he realized almost all of them here believed in the Old Gods. Ser Lucas was a Riverlander, but he believed in the Old Gods like all Blackwoods. The only exception was the Blackfish and his disdain for religious orders was clear from his expression.

"That settles it then. Everyone belonging to the Faith Militant will be executed. We depart towards King's Landing on the morrow. The marching order remains the same. Does anyone have any more questions?" Robb asked.

None spoke up and they soon left the solar.

It was past midday when the city finally came in sight. From afar, all looked well, but when they got closer it was clear this wasn't the once great capital of his ancestors anymore. The Sept of Baelor was in ruins, while the remnants of the Dragonpit could barely be seen anymore.

Parts of the walls and towers were blackened by fires and the gates looked recently restored, but in a ramshackle manner. When you looked at the city from atop a hill, many areas seemed destroyed and desolate. Lord Lothar showed him where Flea Bottom had once been, now it could only be distinguished by its lack of buildings. It looked like a scar in the middle of a city, reminding people of what had been

The army set up camp to the north and west of the city. Cutting it off from the land, while the Manderly fleet would soon cut it off from the sea and blockade the Blackwater river.

Not much later, Ser Brynden gave them a summary of the scout and spy reports. It was estimated the Lannisters had some four thousand men directly sworn to them. Fifteen hundred Reachmen that had joined the City Watch, another five hundred Westerlands who served the same purpose. Around a thousand new recruits and veterans that survived the fall of King's Landing. Four hundred knights and men-at-arms sworn to House Lannister or Houses Rosby and Stokeworth, who mostly resided in the Red Keep. In addition, some six hundred sailors that had been forced to arms by the council.

To augment this, they had some four thousand Faith Militant roaming the city. Intel put their numbers at around three hundred experienced Warrior's sons, with the rest being nothing more than inexperienced rabble going under the name of the Poor Fellows. However, they had been warmed they could be nasty opponents due to their fanaticism.

All in all, the city was a lot worse off than when they had faced Stannis Baratheon. They boasted more men, but they were internally very divided. Spy reports told them of regular infighting between the new City Watch and the Faith Militant. The walls and especially some of the gatehouses were weak and they were lacking good commanders.

To counter their defense, they fielded over twenty thousand men. Even now, their army was still growing, as it was being reinforced by groups returning to the army from other tasks every few days now. Almost all were veterans of multiple battles and morale had never been so high. Soon that cursed city would fall. He wondered how he would feel, when that happened. King's Landing and the Red Keep were the Targaryens' main legacy. Would he feel guilty or sad at the loss of his father's family's legacy, or would he be glad to be rid of it?

This is it for this chapter!

We get a scene in Winterfell that tells us about Eddara's development, the bond the Stark family (and the wolves) have with her, the internal dynamics between Catelyn and Alys in running Winterfell, Arya's personality growth and the dynamic with her mother. Bonus information is the momentary fate of the Greyjoys and the two Frey wards.

After that, we see the Crownlands defect to Robb's side. Robb starts to think more and more about the future of his kingdom, as he believes that the war with the Lannisters is slowly reaching its end.

We also get the conclusion of the Vale arc. The Eyrie has fallen, and the civil war is over. Eight thousand Valemen are on their way to reinforce Robb. The Stark army makes their arrangements to siege King's Landing and Jon thinks about its defenses and the meaning of the city for him, being Rhaegar's son.

Fannic

Reviews:

- Snoperek: Thank you! I won't spoil the King's Landing plot just yet. ;-) Greetings back!

- Kuman: No, Jon would be obliterated by 5-6k Westerlanders with a home advantage. Besides how would he enter? Deep Den is closed off and the Lannisters have probably recaptured most of what Robb had won, they can easily close of most of the territory up towards the Golden Tooth. Jon could slip through the mountains with Ghost, but he wouldn't be able to supply a thousand cavalry all the way to Lannisport and have fortresses in his back … I agree that Jon is far more useful in King's Landing, as is the Blackfish. The diplomatic magic was mentioned a little.

- LectorHistoria: Yes, he does.

1. Is running back to regroup in the Westerlands. 2. Will be busy in the Reach for a while. 3. Is fighting in the Reach, but very unpredictable. 4. Has been solved in this chapter, no plot armor here. 5. More on (F)Aegon next chapter! 6. Daenerys is making her way west very slowly. Extra: Ramsay and the Wildlings in the North.

Tywin is dangerous but has to regroup and reestablish his power over the Westerlands. This will take some time and effort. Robb could probably leave him alone for a few months without worrying, after that he would once again become a problem.

- The Three Stoogies: Thank you so much!

- Wolflord456: It's possible. To be honest, it's one of the few plot lines I'm still debating for myself. Sweet Robin would always be a (weak) possible claimant. There is a chance he would always see himself as an Arryn and others might do so as well out of radicalization or pure personal gain. They cannot let that happen, especially not if he is related to the Lord of the Riverlands and the King in the North. It would be very possible for them to remove Harrold in a decade or so for Robert when he doesn't agree with their demands. Removing him all together is the best and (long-term) most peaceful way to deal with it.

- Demindp93: Thank you so much! I love Robb Returns as well.

- Zimbolical: I mentioned that he was the commander of the right-side cavalry, an important and prestigious position. He is also in the meeting and is fine, he just didn't have anything to add.

- Kingmanaena: Thank you!

- George Cristian810: Thank you! It might, yes. The Reach has a lot of problems on its own for now. (F)Aegon will try to rally the Reach, but will he succeed?

- Manuel89000000: Glad you like it!

- Force Smuggler: His reputation and his army. No, he's not done yet.

- Jmknz777: I will, thank you!

- Wolf's Pizza: I PM'ed you once more.

- Finkarhu: You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

- Sammy-1000: Thank you! You're right it was Darius II.

- Supremus85: Yes, although morals in Westeros (and medieval times) are different than ours. I strongly condemn the behavior but must admit that it wasn't uncommon in those settings. I try not to write fairy tales, as life isn't one. It can even be very hard and gruesome at times although I get why you like it more like that.

They definitely would. First of all, you have the Florents and the others who joined Stannis Baratheon. They will face heavy judgement if they bow to Willas. Secondly, Willas is looked down upon by Reach society because he is a cripple. His disability is a huge disadvantage in a medieval society. For them a lord must be able to lead men to war for example. He could have mitigated this by having Garlan lead his armies, which Olenna always planned for I think, but that's impossible now. He is much more capable than Mace, but many men won't even care about that because he wouldn't be able to lead men properly. Thirdly, even after 300 years not all houses accept House Tyrell as their legitimate overlords. The Florents don't, but the Oakhearts and Hightowers also have reasons not to as they have better claims as well. Fourthly, the Tyrell house is weak. If Willas were to "die", Margaery would be the heir. It wouldn't be too hard to join one of the other kings in return for Margaery's hand, after killing Tommen, and through this receive Highgarden.

Willas will have to secure Tarly and his army and save Oldtown from the ironborn to prove himself, not an easy feat whilst having multiple lords, openly or not, rebelling against your authority.

- Mestre720: You're welcome!

- Guest: Thanks!