Mad Kindling

Dark wings, dark words.

Ashara did not think that the saying had ever applied to any situation as much as this one.

"For treason against the Crown and House Targaryen, Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North and his son and heir Brandon Stark, have been executed. Let it be known that the new Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark, has been marked for death. Should any man harbour him in their hall they will be branded a traitor in kind."

Silence reigned between all of them, the implications and consequences looming large and heavy, even if unspoken. Even though she had read the message once before, and immediately decided that all of them needed to know, it felt no less like a strike to the stomach.

She had not known Brandon well, and his actions had been entirely foolish, even if understandable, but that was no reason for him to deserve death, much less for his father and brother to have to join him.

"There is more," Ashara said heavily, other raven messages in front of her. "Aerys commands the death of Robert Baratheon, for conspiracy against the King. Jon Arryn has been ordered to execute his ward and present the head at the Red Keep, that he might prove himself more honourable than his former heir Elbert."

Silence reigned between all of them, the only sound in Elia's chamber the waves breaking against the cliffs far below.

"How many did he execute?" Larra asked, horrified.

Ashara rifled through the other messages the ravens had brought to Dragonstone, hands shaking slightly as she counted names and men. Every additional one made her want to stop. This went beyond just madness.

"All but one," she finally said, voice hollow.

"Seven hells," Morra blurted out, wide-eyed. She was not alone in her reaction, similar expressions mirrored on many of the others. Jeyne looked physically sick, skin worryingly pale and eyes shining wetly, while Alyse was squeezing her eyes shut, one hand raised to cover her mouth.

"Who?" Elia asked simply, more composed than all of them. Her physical recovery was still slow, not helped along by the fact that they still had no idea where Rhaegar was, so she was in her bed, with all the others seated on various chairs near the foot and side.

"Ethan Glover, Brandon's young squire," Ashara answered after a moment.

Likely, he would not be grateful for that uncharacteristic mercy from Aerys. When you were the one survivor among more than two hundred men, your life was no great gift. She would not doubt that he was in the grips of despair even now, held in some dark cell beneath the Red Keep.

Elia pressed a tired hand to her forehead, her eyes closing for a moment, and took a deep breath. "What else is there?"

The outward appearance of calm Elia tried to preserve did not fool Ashara, and likely it did not do so for any of the others either. She was tired and exhausted, drained mentally and physically, beyond what anyone could reasonably expect of her.

At the very back of the pile of messages was one that was unlike the rest. The flowing script spoke of a woman's hand, but the words were those of Prince Lewyn, Elia's uncle.

Unlike the announcements sent by Owen Merryweather, Aerys' Hand, the message went beyond the official account of everything that had taken place in the Red Keep. Somehow, things were even worse than the body count alone had suggested.

"Aerys accused all the men he had called to the Red Keep of treason. When Lord Rickard demanded a trial by combat, he announced that fire was the champion of House Targaryen. Lord Rickard was hung from the rafters and burned alive in his armour while Brandon was forced to watch. He strangled himself trying to interfere. All the others were beheaded that very same day."

She could not help the dark whisper that Harrenhal had not, in fact, shown Aerys' madness to the realm in full. This, however, would.

As if murdering his lords was not bad enough, in one move Aerys had trampled on decency and profaned the very Gods, and very likely, had plunged the Seven Kingdoms into war.

It was a queer feeling, brought up in her by that realisation. The War of the Ninepenny Kings had begun and ended before she was born, even if some small remnant had persisted for long enough in Essos. There had largely been peace in the realm since then.

"Damn them all," Elia muttered tiredly, clearly coming to the same conclusion. "Seven damn them all."

Silence held command of the room again and moments passed in anxious, empty quiet.

Ashara wondered what had driven Aerys to accuse and provoke three Great Lords at once, when doing so with one could be trouble enough.

Forty years ago a broken betrothal had made the Laughing Storm rebel against the Iron Throne and proclaim himself Storm King, an issue only settled in a trial by combat. Robert was not his great grandfather, but if Rhaegar was truly responsible for Lyanna's disappearance House Targaryen had once more knowingly broken a Baratheon betrothal, and now Aerys had called for his head as well.

Perhaps, came the suspicious thought, it was not a matter of what was responsible, but who.

"What do we do now?" Larra asked, breaking her from her thoughts and giving them all something else to latch onto.

"Prepare as best we can," Elia answered, dark eyes hard. "If Aerys summons war in his madness and Rhaegar does not intend to be found then they are welcome to the consequences. But I will not be caught unawares in the midst of it all."

"What would you have us do?" Ashara asked expectantly. Whether Elia had meant the words literally or figuratively did not truly matter. Dragonstone was a strong castle and hard to assault but they might well be surrounded by enemies on all sides.

"How many men do we have?"

"Four score exactly in the castle. Five knights with ten men-at-arms each, and twenty-five crossbowmen," Larra put in. Then she continued with a small mischievous smile. "One man more if we count Ashara's guest."

It was a blatant attempt to lighten the mood, but no less effective for it. Jeyne Jordayne even managed a tremulous smile.

Elia ignored the addition, simply continuing with her original point. "Have Ser Mandrew bring another score here. If that means he has to train the crossbowmen himself, so be it."

Dragonstone was not a large island and much of it was taken up by stony cliffs and the Dragonmont, yet it was a comparatively wealthy seat, on account of its position in the mouth of Blackwater Bay. Trade was taxed, and King's Landing was an important port for traders from east and west.

That wealth would serve to strengthen the garrison even if the island itself could not.

"Elia..." Alyse trailed off, her focus obviously the exact costs that would be incurred by this. Ashara did not know the exact figures outlining Dragonstone's wealth, but she wondered whether it was simply Alyse's penchant for being frugal that was making her hesitate.

"I know, Alyse. If you would bring the accounts, we will manage them right after," Elia said with a nod of understanding, and dismissed the two of them.

Larra and Alyse hurried from the chamber to do as asked, quietly talking all the way. Ashara was unsure what exactly it would be about, but Elia was clearly trying to clear the room while still accomplishing everything necessary.

Next, Elia turned to Morra.

"Speak with Clement. I would have him fill the larders, butteries, and storerooms, if they are not already. And see that everything else that might be necessary is sufficiently available. Candles, firewood, everything. If we are reliant on the next supply ship arriving on time then we do not have enough of it stored."

"I'll see to it," Morra said, her dark cheeks stretching into a lopsided smile as she stood to leave.

Jeyne looked on in anticipation, her still pale skin making the freckles across her nose more visible than they usually were. "What should I do?"

"Speak to Maester Wylman. Any supplies he needs for his tinctures he should list for Clement. And then bring him to me. I will have need of my own ravens."

Ashara watched Jeyne give a resolute nod before walking off to fulfil the request. And then it was only the two of them.

Elia exhaled deeply and leaned back into the pillows stacked against the headboard of her bed. She reached up, thin fingers covering her eyes from view for a moment. There was a slight tremble to her hands, but Ashara chose not to draw attention to that.

She felt the spectre of war looming herself, trying to creep up on her again in the small lull in conversation.

"Does it make me mad that I think of sending Naruto out again?"

"And do what? He has only just returned from Harrenhal. Would you have him wildly search all the Kingdoms?" Ashara said, careful reproach in her voice.

When they had acted directly after Rhaegar left there had been some vanishingly small chance of finding him, and even that dependent on luck. That Naruto had managed to find any of the group that had set off was already near miraculous, expecting anything now, without any useful information being gained in the meantime, was entirely pointless.

Harrenhal had been an understandable idea, especially after Naruto had lost track of them nearby, but it had yielded nothing at all, and even more time had passed since the group had first disappeared.

There were some possibilities still: Summerhall, Nightsong, Skull Point, Griffin's Roost, even Starfall. But they simply did not know. Jon Connington was in King's Landing with Jonothor Darry, and the distance to her own home was immense, but did that mean that Rhaegar would not choose those two?

Even if Robert Baratheon was still in the Vale, it would not take long for the Stormlands to become a battlefield, and Summerhall and Nightsong were both near the border to the Reach. If things developed as she thought they might, no one sane would stay there for long.

Of course, if they entertained Brandon's accusations to be the truth, were they truly dealing with sanity? Everything Ashara knew of her brother and Rhaegar said it could not be, but the inkling of doubt would not be dismissed anymore.

"It–" Elia shook her head, lips downturned. "No, you are right. There is no point." She smiled a thin, worryingly fragile smile. "That was everything, Ashara. I will have need of you later, after noon perhaps."

Ashara stood, unsure whether to accept that dismissal for what it was. She once more thought to speak of other matters with Elia, of sorcery and value and the future, but this was hardly the time. Elia looked tired more than anything else. "I will be there."

Before she could leave the room, Elia called for her again. "If you would tell the nursemaids to bring Rhaenys and Aegon to me?"

"Of course," she answered, and went to accomplish that task.

Once finished in the nursery Ashara left to search, and tried her best to ignore the dark implications of everything that had been revealed in these early hours of the day.

She found Naruto outside the keep, practising his archery in one of the side courtyards. His showing at Harrenhal had been impressive already, but he had visibly improved since then.

Bows, traditionally, were weapons of the Marches, often used specifically against the light cavalry favoured by many Houses in Dorne. Still, Dorne had adapted them for their own use long ago.

Naruto drew the string back with almost unnatural ease. Dragonbone or not, it was a heavy war bow and great force was needed to make it bend at all, yet he did not struggle.

Then he was no longer holding on, and the arrow flew to impact the target some forty yards away, burying deep into the material.

Lowering his weapon Naruto looked on in satisfaction and then turned towards her. He smiled and Ashara did for a moment as well, as she walked towards him. It faded again, the moment her mind chose to have her remember the situation they all found themselves in now.

A dread wind blew through the yard, foreboding and ominous and cold, and Ashara could not help but shiver.

Gods, there would be war.

It did not truly seem real. Perhaps in part because she did not want it to be.

"Ashara?" Naruto asked in concern, clearly noting her change in mood.

Impulsively, she closed the remaining distance between them and embraced him, face pressed against the dark orange linen tunic he was wearing. A moment later she felt the unnatural heat of his left hand against her body, slowly trailing comfort up and down her back.

She could feel the strength in his body, could hear the calm beating of his heart, and felt the warmth of his simple presence.

Mercifully, the courtyard was largely empty at the moment, only the sound of nearby conversation joining the two of them. Come noon, the men not on duty would be using the space to train after their meal. Ashara liked to think that it would not have mattered to her in this situation, but the chains of propriety were difficult to throw off.

Ashara treasured this moment of peace and comfort, and it served well in distracting her from her worries, though it only brought other concerns to mind, of her family and pride and honour, of her personal future and heart, of alliance and marriage. They seemed such insignificant concerns now.

Yet the realm called, and this moment could not last forever.

"What is wrong, Ashara?" Naruto asked gently.

Looking up she met his eyes. Ashara did not know how to best share what had happened with him, so she simply came out and said it. "Brandon Stark is dead."

For a moment there was confusion on Naruto's face, as if he had not heard her correctly, before comprehension dawned and his expression warped to shock, his body tense.

"Tell me what happened," he requested quietly, and she did.

By the end of her explanation there was a hardness to Naruto's expression that seemed unlike him, mouth set in a grim line. Even fighting in the melee at Harrenhal or being asked to search for Rhaegar had not elicited this kind of reaction from him.

His left hand had dropped from her back at some point while she had caught him up on what had happened, but now the calloused fingers lightly prodded her own hands to move from where she was still holding onto him.

"If we find the Prince, do you think it will change anything?"

It was a difficult question to answer. Lord Rickard and Brandon were already dead, as was Elbert Arryn. Kyle Royce and Jeffory Mallister and their fathers, all had been executed already. Rhaegar could not bring those men back, even if he replaced his father as king, and their brothers, cousins, and other relatives would not be pacified by platitudes and promises.

There would be war, no matter what they did, but if there was any chance at containing it quickly, it was likely with Rhaegar involved.

"Perhaps," Ashara answered carefully. "It might give us more options."

Naruto gave her a tight nod before walking past her and towards the keep without another word. It did not take long for her to understand what he likely intended to do. There was only one potential source of information on the Prince in the castle.

Hurried steps allowed her to catch up with his long strides before he had gotten very far, but she did not stop him.

They ascended the Stone Drum in the silence of anticipation before they eventually turned down the right hallway, two men standing guard outside two of the doors.

Ser Myles and Ser Richard were knights of high birth and they had not broken the King's laws in their actions. Imprisoning them in Dragonstone's dungeon would have not only been short-sighted but unlawful and large pointless as well.

Instead of a cell, their former quarters served to hold them in some semblance of comfort, while Elia continued to debate on how to proceed with them. Even after weeks they would not tell of Rhaegar's intentions or location.

After inclining his head at the guard in greeting Naruto entered Ser Richard's chambers without fanfare, but whether it was a conscious choice or simply a result of it being the first door, she did not know.

"Oi," he called, on a straight path towards the room's only occupant. Ser Richard was reclining on a chair that faced the window, clad in a simple black doublet accented in red and gold, but he quickly grimaced and made to stand when he realised who had just entered.

His nose and the surrounding skin still looked off, reddened and the slightest bit swollen, even if the break had been set properly only shortly after it had occurred. It was still much better than it had looked the first time she had seen it, when Naruto had arrived back on the island in a small smuggler's boat, two bound knights dragged behind him and both looking decidedly unhappy about it.

Before Ser Richard could stop him, Naruto had stepped close, roughly yanked him up by his clothes, and then lifted the Stormlander into the air. Ser Richard was taller than him, but held with extended arms, his feet dangled inches from the floor.

"I've had it with your silence. Tell me where the Prince is," Naruto demanded dispassionately, uncaring of the hands trying to loosen his grip on the dark clothing. Ser Richard continued to struggle, legs kicking out wildly, and a dark scowl on his face that only made the still-healing wound more apparent.

"Fuck you," he strangled out through the hold Naruto had on his neckline.

It was the way he had answered most questions until now, whether from Naruto, Elia, or anybody else, if he answered them at all.

"I won't set the bone this time, if you make me break your nose again," Naruto said, a promise in his narrowed eyes.

Ashara stepped forward and laid a hand on his right arm, stopping him before he could inflict any actual violence on the man. Then she addressed the dangling knight.

"There is rebellion, Ser Richard. The King has murdered his lords and demanded the heads of others, your liege among them, and we have no way to reach Prince Rhaegar. If you have any care for the realm at all, you would tell us where he is."

Ser Richard looked at her, angry and defiant and his face even redder than before. But she thought that her words had made him consider, at least for a moment.

Nudging Naruto to let the man down, they waited expectantly as Ser Richard massaged his throat and neck. His eyes remained angry and focused on Naruto, who looked entirely unrepentant, matching the dark eyes with an even look of his own.

"Even if I did know, what use would it be by now?" Ser Richard bit out, but that was an answer all its own, and judging by the shadow of a grin on Naruto's features, he had realised it too.

Days turned to weeks as preparations moved along swiftly, and they all waited for the next ravens to arrive that would tell them what exactly the situation was.

Messages from King's Landing, official and not, spoke of banners called, in the North, the Vale, and the Stormlands. Aerys commanded the Crownlands to respond in kind, and for all those vassals loyal to the crown to follow along.

The realm obeyed, though Ashara could not help but doubt that all of it would end up supporting the King.

Tywin Lannister had called upon his bannermen as commanded, but she did not think that he had forgotten. No one that handled slights and insults the way that the Lord of the Westerlands had done twenty years ago would simply let Aerys' actions go unanswered.

When word of the first battle reached them, none of them were surprised. House Grafton of Gulltown had stayed true to their oaths to the Iron Throne instead of rising in rebellion as Jon Arryn and many of his vassals had, as was to be expected, but loyalty alone did not win battles.

Whether Robert Baratheon had truly been the first over the walls of the city or not, that victory meant that nothing was stopping him from returning home anymore.

The ravens that followed were cause for more deliberation.

A message from House Grafton being sent to Dragonstone was more than passing queer, especially after Gulltown had only just been taken by storm. The words inside warranted that estimation, especially when a message from Lord Adrian Celtigar some days later confirmed the contents of the message.

"Eight ships?" Elia asked for clarification.

"Yes." Ashara nodded. "Lord Celtigar's words confirm the number. Eight ships with Grafton men aboard." If they had been spotted off Claw Isle just before the raven was sent, they were two days away, at most.

Marq Grafton had restated his continued loyalty to the crown. He and his remaining men would fight for House Targaryen against the rebels, even after their first defeat. Unspoken was the expectation that he would eventually receive help in reclaiming Gulltown for himself and his line.

Eight ships meant more than a hundred men and likely closer to two hundred, though some part would be sailors and deckhands and not fighting men. A significant number, and more than Dragonstone's current garrison. That was cause for some worry.

"I do not like it," Elia admitted, and Ashara shared her feeling. But there was a way to be sure, one no one would be prepared for.

"There is a way to be sure," she said slowly, trying to ignore the feeling of stepping off the edge of a cliff. Elia looked at her curiously and Ashara made her decision.

"What do you know of skinchangers?" she began, before moving on to explain.

A few hours later she was flying.

Morning's sharp eyes could make out the ships even at a large distance. Cogs, they were, big-bellied and slow, though they varied somewhat in size. One was noticeably the largest, easily double the size of the smallest ones, but the difference between all the others was much less eye-catching.

Cogs were used for trade more than battle but defending them against pirates on longships was made much easier by the high sides. They were sailing vessels, unlike the galleys and dromonds of the royal fleet, but they had no need for as many sailors because of it.

It spoke well for the truth of the message, but she still flew closer, wings beating the air to cross the distance.

Talons gripping onto the yard on one of the smaller ships, she watched the men as they worked.

Too many, she quickly realised. Far too many for remains that had barely escaped death by sailing away from harm. Taking to the air again she flew over the other ships, only to find the same pattern again and again.

One or two ships being crewed to capacity she might have ignored, but not all. There was something wrong here, beyond just simple doubt.

She found no marks of battle on any of the eight, where the departure by sea might have been contested by arrows or scorpions. When she spotted a man not with the tower on black and red of House Grafton, but instead the black studs on a bronze field of House Royce on his breast, she knew.

Pulling away, Ashara found herself back on Dragonstone again and not in the air over the sea, Elia's expectant eyes trained on her.

Taking a few deep breaths, she centred herself, wiggling her toes and fingers to remind herself of the limits of her body, and her eyes closed against the blurriness. The adjustment had gotten easier over time, but her eyes did not like to focus right after sharing Morning's sharper vision.

"It's a trap," Ashara proclaimed sombrely, well aware that it meant that war had found them much sooner than anticipated.

On the morning of the second day the time had come. The last night had brought heavy rains and Dragonstone was wrapped in thick fog, but even that would change nothing now. Everything was prepared and there was little more than waiting left to do.

Ashara entered her chambers with anxiety worming its way through her stomach. The sight that greeted her was entirely expected, and yet it did nothing to alleviate her worries.

Naruto stood with his back to her, facing a window as he carefully donned his armour.

Knights had squires to make the process easier and faster, and it would have presented no issue to allow him the same. But Naruto had declined the offer, asking only for a space where he could prepare in peace.

His legs were already armoured in steel, and he tightened a final strap just as she closed the door behind herself. He glanced in her direction long enough to give her a smile, the expression as if nothing at all was amiss with the world.

Ashara knew that her answering smile was small and subdued but she could manage no more in this situation. She leaned back against the wood then, simply watching him in silence as he continued his work.

Torso still bare of any real protection, only a dark arming doublet covering his muscular frame, Naruto moved onto that next and slipped a fitted shirt of polished mail over his head, shortly followed by a mail collar that would serve to protect his neck.

The oblong steel plates rustled against each other as he picked up his brigandine and moved to put the armour on. Ashara knew that it was finely made, the steel as good as it could get, and yet as Naruto closed the front, she could not help but think that a breastplate would be more protective.

The outer fabric was yellow, but the rivets attaching cloth to steel had been blackened. Black and yellow and steel-grey, it would have been fit for a Lord of Storm's End in colour.

Seeing him reach for his arm protection, Ashara moved forward. "Allow me."

It did not require great skill or knowledge to understand how to properly tighten the straps so that the steel would not slip, though a squire's education would have made her accomplish the task more quickly.

While she worked on the upper arms Naruto attached his vambraces, and before long there was no more steel to add.

A belt with his dagger and sword, simple gloves, and small pouches with more knives attached to his legs and waist and then he stood before her, prepared for battle.

"Will you truly not use a helmet?" Ashara asked, unable to help her worry at seeing his entire head remain exposed.

"No," Naruto answered, shaking his head. Then he smiled at her, as confident as ever, his blue eyes warm and clear. "It would only get in the way."

He was armed and armoured, and she knew that he was more than just capable in a fight, but the odds they faced were reason enough to worry, even with the sheltering walls of Dragonstone on their side.

Naruto reached for one of the pouches he had just attached and pulled out a familiar length of purple silk. There was laughter in his smile now. "If you would honour me once more."

In battle, everything could happen. There was no certainty to be had here, for him, her, or anybody else. Ashara did not want to think such thoughts, but there was no surety here but what she made for herself.

Taking her favour she tied it to his arm, just as she had done many moons ago at Harrenhal. The occasion could not have been more different, none of the easy joy and amusement of a tourney present now that blood stood to be spilled soon, but there was a familiarity to the action all the same, one she could become used to.

Tightening the knot she had made, Ashara smoothed down the material, fingers running over the silver thread depicting the sigil of her House. It looked good on him, she decided, before raising her head to meet his gaze again.

Reaching up she laid a hand against his warm cheek and could not help her eyes dipping slightly lower on his faces. There might never be another chance.

No, she nearly shook her head in denial, there would be. "Be safe," she said, instead of spending any more time on wondering.

Naruto's expression was entirely hard-earned confidence. "I will be."

I hope you enjoyed chapter 34. I barely got this out in time, but here it is. Most likely, there won't be a chapter next week, but I will try my best to get it done as quickly as I can. If not, it will come the week after.

Brandon calls for Rhaegar to "come out and die" after arriving at the Red Keep. Doing that is treason, well-intentioned or not. Imprisoning him for it was entirely justified from Aerys, everything after that isn't. Obviously we never get a clear source for what happened word-by-word.

Rickard Stark goes to King's Landing with two hundred of his own men, very likely Ethan Glover's father among them. Elbert Arryn, Kyle Royce, and Jeffory Mallister are Brandon's other companions, and they and their fathers get executed too. Aerys puts Brandon in a Tyroshi torture device that tightens around his neck the more he struggles. His sword is placed just out of reach while his father burns in his armour.

It is incredibly horrific, not only on a personal level but on a societal one too. Aerys is flaunting the norms and values of Westeros, just like Tywin, Roose, and Walder Frey do with the Red Wedding. That shit doesn't get forgotten.

Elia is obviously beyond done with everything that is happening, which I think is more than understandable. Stress isn't exactly conducive to great physical recovery, especially when your health was already fragile before that.

Dragonstone is a small island and would therefore not have a lot of soldiers to draw on. There are obviously household knights they employ, but without land to give away larger forces would be incredibly costly to maintain. Eighty men is more than sufficient for a castle of Dragonstone's size, especially in peace times. If anything it is too much.

Alyse's interjection is supposed to hint at the source of Harrenhal's prize money. Supposedly, a shadow host gave Lord Whent the necessary coin, which was most likely Rhaegar. House Lonmouth has no official seat, but Skull Point seemed fitting enough and is sometimes used in fanon role-playing games as far as I know.

The Broken Men speech in AFFC is a great piece of writing, but it is very anachronistic. Soldiers in the middle ages largely weren't random peasants that were drafted and forced to go to war. That kind of thing might happen in militias or for the defense of your own land, but not for actual war. Soldiers were also paid for going to war.

Some people weren't happy with last chapter, which I partly expected. Chapters that are somewhat disconnected from Naruto's current actions will continue to happen, nonetheless.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Until next time.