The Company of the Rose:

The City of Braavos was the youngest of the Free Cities of Essos. Built by runaway Slaves from the Valyrian Freehold within a natural lagoon that created a perfect harbour and separated from the mainland via a mountain range, the city of Braavos grew into a large banking city with no slaves being the only Free City of Essos that outlawed slavery. The city was also a major banking city having sent loans out to Westeros via the Iron Bank of Braavos, the largest bank in the Known World. The city was also famous for its assassin's guild the Faceless Men who had some kind of magical powers that made them able to hide by changing their faces. Trade with Westeros and loaning money had helped allow Braavos to grow into one of the richest cities in the known world.

Braavos was also known for its dislike of Slavery, in the last 200 years, the city had waged 6 wars against the Free City of Pentos to try and destroy Slavery in the city with limited success. While Braavos had a strong navy and trained intelligence network, it did not have the best army so it would often relay on the use of sellswords, one of the most commonly used Sellsword Companies by Braavos were the Company of the Rose.

The Company of the Rose were a sellsword company that had been made up with people mainly from the North who had chosen self exile after the Targaryen Conquest of Westeros by Aegon the Conqueror. When King Torrhen Stark bent the knee to the Targaryens, there was much anger across the north even by Torrhen's own family. There were talks of rebelling but the fear of dragons kept them in line. However, Torrhen's youngest son, Mors Stark, outright refused to swear fealty and left Westeros with many other likeminded people and would form their own sellsword company. They called themselves the Company of the Rose after the Winter Rose, the symbol that was chosen to represent the company with had been the favourite flower of Mors sister Lya Stark. The Company would still get involved in Westeros' affairs from time to time but only if it involved House Stark.

Mors would rename his branch of the Stark family as House Rosestark after the symbol of the sellsword company and he would soon return briefly to Westeros in order to save his sister. Lya would be made to marry Ronnel Arryn in an agreement to knit the Houses of Westeros together, something that angered Mors and many other people which only encouraged more people to join the Company of the Rose. Stories say that Mors was the only Stark to attend the wedding where he would apparently punch the Septon after he began making comments about the north. They had to do the marriage quickly with no formal ceremony after Mors threatened to smash the Sept. Just a few years later, Ronnel was murdered by his brother Jonas and Lya was imprisoned. Mors personally came to Westeros with a small force and infiltrated the Eyrie saving his sister. Although Mors wanted to personally kill Jonas, he was forced to flee and Jonas would be captured and executed later that year. Lya would join the Company of the Rose after that.

After that incident, House Rosestark and the Company of the Rose would make a vow that once the North had their independence again, they would return to their home. Some had hoped that with the fall of House Targaryen, they would get their chance but the North still stayed loyal to the Iron Throne and so the Company of the Rose would remain in Westeros. While the Company had many members from the north at the start of the Targaryen Conquest, people had grown use to life under Targaryen rule so fresh recruits had dwindled but they still came and hoped one day the north would be independent again.

The Company of the Rose was also a very rigid and strict in terms of their army. They weren't a ragtag group of sellswords only interest in riches and fighting but a professional army that would fight for a worthy cause. The Company of the Rose would fight against Dothraki, bandits and other sellswords that preyed upon the weak. They did get involved in the Disputed Lands conflict between Lys, Myr and Tyrosh but never got involved in sacking and looting. This was because the Commanders of the Company would always train their next leader to keep to the cause. Unlike other companies, the Company of the Rose always gave command to their successor only if they had proven themselves. The role of Commander was an inherited post passed down from Mors Rosestark's line which had since changed its name to House Rostark. The Commander would pick one of his children to be the next commander if he or she could prove himself to be worthy of command and not lead the company astray. Because of the strong honour of the North, this had been implemented into the Company's system since its founding meaning there were very few people in the company who would break the tenets of the company.

Currently, the Company of the Rose had set up camp on an open plain between Braavos and Pentos. They currently had no contract right now so they were spending this time doing exercises until they got a contract in. With their force of nearly 7000 soldiers made up of men and women, it made them the second largest sellsword company in Westeros with only the Golden Company being larger. While many cities would employ the Company of the Rose's services, the Company would only accept contracts that did not go against their beliefs. This did limit their contracts but the Company always believed that one day, they would return home.

The main leaders of the Golden Company had gathered inside the Commander's tent sitting around a large table. Sitting at the far end of the table was a man who looked almost like a Stark with his brown hair and thick beard. He looked like a Stark because he was actually a member of House Stark or rather the cadet Branch that formed the Golden Company. His name was Commander Joseph Rostark, commander of the Golden Company and a seasoned warrior and a veteran of several campaigns fighting. Next to him was a young man who was clearly his son, this was Cullen Rostark, Joseph's son and heir. Also at the table were the company's scribe, Barrish Vass a man who had studied at the Citadel briefly about writing and was the man who handled the contracts with the Cities. He was also a skilled diplomat having been brought up in Volantis as part of the Elephant Faction, a faction made up of rich merchants and businessmen. There was also Trytas Wrought, a former Banker from the Iron Bank of Braavos who was the company's paymaster and the final person at the table was the most recent member of the Inner Council. This was Edward Forrester, one of the most recent self exiles from Westeros who joined the Company of the Rose as he was unhappy with how things were being run back home. He was a proud northern who had been a good friend of the former Heir to the North Brandon Stark. After his passing, he had joined the Household of Brandon's brother Eddard but had been critical of how Eddard ran the Stark Household, in particular the way he allowed his wife to run things such as the training of his daughters.

Brandon also knew a dark secret that Eddard kept which was another reason why he had begun to be critical of the way the household was run and he had soon left the Household and went into self exile but he had not come alone. Astrid Snow, one of Eddard's supposed bastard children had joined him as she had found life with the Starks unbearable, not because of her siblings but because of Catelyn Stark's treatment. Young Astrid had joined the company as one of the fighters, despite being a woman, the Company of the Rose did have women fighters since the North did allow women to fight as well.

The final member of the gathering was a middle aged man who did not look northern like the others. He did not have the broad build or the thick facial hair that many others had. This man was clean shaven and had short blond hair rather than the dark or brown hair that most other members had. This man was Tytos Hill, the spymaster of the Company of the Rose, despite being from the Westerlands, this man had earned the trust of the Company and had set up a system of informants throughout Essos and Westeros. He was the one who had called the Meeting.

"So Tytos?" Joseph called "What information do you have for us?"

Tytos stood up from his seat "My friends, I have just received word from some of my spies in King's Landing that the Seven Kingdoms is in a state of War again. There is a dynastic dispute over the Iron Throne."

Trytas snorted "These Kings on the Iron Throne don't seem to do a good job. They borrowed huge sums of money from the Iron Bank, how do they expect to pay when they're at war. The Iron Bank may decide to fund the restoration of the Targaryens or rival claimants to the Kings on the Throne."

"Who are the contenders?" Cullen asked

Tytos looked at them "The King on the Iron Throne is Joffrey Baratheon, eldest son of the late King Robert who died in a hunting accident, apparently being too drunk and skewered by a boar."

Edward sighed "That man was always too drunk to rule. I can't say I'm surprised that he died like that. I always believed that one day his heavy drinking would kill him."

"At least he claims to be Robert's son." Tytos continued, "It seems that the late king's brother Stannis has claimed that all three of the King's legitimate children are all bastards born of incest between the Queen and her brother. If these rumours are true, I cannot say for sure but Stannis believes that he is the rightful King. Also, the King's youngest brother has also declared himself King but his claim is probably the weakest, he's the youngest brother, it seems the Tyrells are pulling his strings and have encouraged him to declare himself King. His claim may be weak but he does have the largest army."

"And what of the our former homeland?" Joseph asked

Tytos looked at him "That's where the most interesting part is. I am sad to say that former Warden Eddard Stark is dead. Joffrey had him executed apparently for trying to seize the throne."

"Eddard would never have done that if there wasn't good reason." Edward stated "He most likely got caught up in politics, he was never suited for politics of the south, he never understood them."

"In retaliation, the North has declared itself independent along with the Riverlands." Tytos finished "Eddard's son Robb has been declared the King in the North, the first since Torrhen bent the knee to the Targaryens."

"So how does this affect us?" Cullen asked

Tytos smiled "One of my spies has apparently said that this King Robb is in need of men. We might indeed get the chance to return home." He looked at Edward "He apparently sent your nephew Rodrik here to ask us for aid."

"He wants to see if we're interested in fighting for him." Joseph questioned

"He does." Tytos replied "When his ambassadors arrive, we should act surprised, it would be good to see how far he is willing to go. We are a sellsword company after all, an honourable one but still sellswords."

"I've always wanted to return to the lands of our ancestors." Cullen stated

"Yeah, so have I." Joseph added "I would be interested but I can only declare us if these Starks are worthy of our service."

"With Robb's mother being a Tully, I would be concerned if he has too much southern ideas thanks to his mothers influence." Edward stated "I don't hate the Tullys but they need to understand that the North has different cultures and ideas. Also, I'm not sure we would be able to hold the Riverlands forever, they're surrounded on three sides with wide borders, we would never be able to hold them if we're attacked from every direction, the North we could hold off at Moat Cailin like we've done for centuries."

Joseph stood up "Alright, here's what we'll do. We act like we don't know anything and then when the ambassador arrives; I'll head over and see the situation for myself. If this Robb Stark is worthy of our service, then I will accept in return for lands in the western north where there is not much settlement. Cullen will be in command briefly while I'm gone." He then looked at Edward "And I'm guessing that since your nephew is the one who's coming that they might request you specifically so you might want to prepare yourself. And speak to your Ward; she needs to know what's happened."

Edward nodded "Understood commander." He replied

"That concludes our meeting." Joseph finished "Dismissed."

…

With the meeting finished, Edward Forrester went to the training yard that had been set up for the soldiers of the Company. When they weren't fighting a war, the fighters often sparred with each other to keep their skills up with training swords and they would perform mock battles in order to practise their tactics. Just like the north, many members of the north scorned luxury in exchange for practicality. Many members had little interest in wealth but that did not mean they would fight for three. Many men here still wanted money for drink and for women though they would never assault a woman against their will, that was a huge taboo in the company and punishable with castration.

When Edward made it to the training yard, he saw a couple for younger recruits who were sons of the senior members of the company. They were training with swords against a young girl who was a similar age to them. This girl however looked very different from most others. She had very pale skin and deep purple eyes but the most iconic part of her was her hair which was a deep white just like the Targaryens. Edward knew the reasons for this and had been one of the few who knew the truth about this origins of this girl before he had travelled to Essos, most members of the Company now knew the truth but had since accepted her for who she was.

The girl soon managed to knock one of the recruits down on his back. Edward did noticed that some of these recruits were not fighting as much as they would be if they were fighting a man. The girl snorted and shoved her sword into the ground "Is this some kind of a joke to you?" she demanded "Why aren't you fight me properly."

"It's just that…" the recruit said trying to think of the right words to say "It's just that…"

"That I'm a girl!" the girl hissed back "In a real fight, you cannot hesitate, hesitating gets you killed. You've got to watch out for everything, if someone is trying to kill you, do not hesitate to kill them instead, one wrong move is all it takes for your enemy to stick you with their sword."

"Well said Astrid." Edward called over. The girl, Astrid, looked at the man who she considered her father figure and smiled.

"Is everything alright Ed?" she asked

"Everything is fine Astrid." Edward replied, despite being the father figure for Astrid, she didn't call him father since they were not related "Do you mind if I speak with you alone?"

"Alright." Astrid replied "I've finished training for the day anyway." She then looked at the recruits "I hope you lot soon understand that you should never hesitate in an actually fight." One by one, the others left leaving Astrid and Edward alone. "So what did you want to speak to me about? Does it have anything to do with the meeting you've just had with the Commanders?"

"It does." Edward replied "Tytos had some important information in from Westeros. It seems the Seven Kingdoms are in a state of war again."

"I would have thought that my former adopted father would have tried to prevent a Civil War for his old friend." Astrid stated

Edward sighed knowing what he must say now "That's the thing. I'm sorry Astrid, but I'm afraid Eddard Stark is dead."

Astrid felt her breath leave her, he suddenly dropped her sword and fell to her knees. "What do you mean he's dead?" Tears started to form in her eyes.

Edward held Astrid in his arms "I don't know all the details but Tytos believes he discovered a conspiracy involving the Lannister family and they had his executed. I don't know everything."

Astrid felt tears stain her cheek "The last time I saw him, I was so angry with him for lying to me all those years. I always ignored all the letters he sent to me begging for my forgiveness and I never replied back. I never got the chance to say that I forgave him. I didn't understand back then why he lied to me about my birth but now I do."

Edward sighed "It seems that your cousin Robb has been declared the King in the North by his Bannermen. Tytos says that an ambassador will come here, apparently to try and get our assistance."

"Hasn't it always been the goal of the Company to return to Westeros when the North is independent again?" Astrid asked

"It has." Edward replied "But Commander Joseph says that he has to see if this Stark is worthy. When this ambassador arrives and I've found out it's my nephew Rodrik, he wants us to act like we don't know anything. It would give us more control over what action we take."

Astrid sighed "If we return, I will get to see my family again." She said but then realised something and held a bunch of her white hair in her hand "But if they see me looking like this, my identity will be known throughout Westeros that could be used against us."

"I don't care that you have Targaryen blood in your Astrid!" Edward hissed "If those people cannot see it, they maybe they're not worthy of our service. You may be the daughter of Rhaegar Targaryen but you're also the daughter of Lyanna Stark. That makes you a Stark, you're so much like her in many ways, maybe not in looks but in attitude. You were raised in the north and you know our ways, you even prey to the Old Gods like your mother did. That makes you just as northern as the rest of us."

Astrid gave a small smile "I guess it's time for people to accept who I really am. I'm proud of my heritage and won't let superstitious nobles get to me. I am not like the Targaryens despite having their looks. I am a northern and proud of it."

Edward smiled "Well said. Now you should prepare yourself, we'll be having some guests in a few days. Commander Joseph has decided that he will check out your cousin and see if he's worthy of our service. If he decides yes, then we'll all be going home."

Astrid nodded "It's been a long time since I've seen any of them, I've been here for over 5 years and things may have changed. It's Catelyn I'm most concerned about, she was never friendly towards me or Jon and she may not understand how things work for the north."

"I have the same concerns." Edward stated "I just hope Robb is not foolish enough to listen to everything Catelyn says, no matter what she thinks, she does not know everything. We'll just have to see what happens."

Chapter End:

Notes: Well, here is chapter 2 which introduces the Company of the Rose which is not that developed in the novels so I was able to make up characters for the company and I hope to expand on them throughout the story. Some of their backstories will be explored throughout the story, I did not want to explain everything about them at once. Same with Astrid who knows her origins in this, how she found out about it will be shown later through a conversation but not right now. Although I have completed this chapter, it may be a while before I can complete another chapter, despite Easter coming up, I have several assignments to be completed by the middle of May and I want to get a move on with them rather than rushing them closer to the time. I may get another chapter done but no promises.