Chapter 52: the straits of Tarth

300 AC

Lord Davos Seaworth

He stood behind the throne in Dragonstone. All lords present on the island had gathered to witness what would happen here today. There were many more now than a few weeks ago. All those that had been taken captive in the Battle of the Blackwater and had bent the knee to Tommen had been forced to bow to Queen Shireen by Robb Stark. Most notably among them was Shireen's own great-grandfather, Lord Eldon Estermont, but many other high-ranking lords were also present.

All of them looked upon the young boy who kneeled in front of their queen. She stood up from her throne and walked over to her cousin. In her high childish voice, she called out the words they had thought her clearly the night before. "I, Shireen Baratheon, the Queen of the Stormlands and the Narrow Sea, hereby name you a legitimate member of House Baratheon. Let the taint of bastardry forever fall off your shoulders as you raise again as Edric Baratheon."

The young boy stood up with one of the biggest grins he had ever seen. In doing so, he looked very much like his father. A thing which no Stormlord seemed to have missed. A great applause was given, as many shouts of support were heard.

It was a public secret that Edric would serve as their queen's prince consort when she came of age. Tonight, it would be publicly proclaimed at the feast. No noble had complained, although he knew some were dissapointed that she wouldn't wed a member from one of their families. Edric was well liked and, except for his ears, the spitting image of his charismatic father or his youngest brother Renly.

The only ones who had reacted very positively had been the Estermonts. Lord Eldon had already proposed that Edric would serve him or his son as a ward. He had said that the boy could learn a lot about the Stormland from them in the next three years. They had rejected the offer, although other options still lay open. Edric could temporarily serve as one of the Estermonts squires in the coming war for example. Maybe an agreement could be made for him to continue it after the war, if it meant that he would get his knight's spurs. Their only condition would be that he had to remain in Storm's End for most of the time.

It was clear the Estermont family had risen greatly under the new regime, although he detected no malevolence in any of them. Lord Eldon seemed a little opportunistic, but he meant well. He even offered to take Gendry under his wing. A thing he greatly appreciated. The elder boy would serve in the army in the coming war. If he proved himself true, he would be knighted and given lands. He could take on a noble name, but not that of House Baratheon. That would not be accepted by many, due to his rough upbringing and his lowborn mother.

Still, by making the boy a knight and giving him lands and titles he could rise high in the peerage of the Stormlands. A better life than he could have ever hoped for only a few months ago. The Gods knew the boy deserved it.

He had sent letters to all houses in the new Storm Kingdom, great and small. He had told them of their queen and her claims to the land. Mixed reactions had been received. Some houses had immediately bent the knee, some promising to send men and provisions to the army. Others had reacted positively but couldn't do anything due to the presence of the Golden Company or the Dornish army. However, multiple houses had just ignored his letters. It was unclear why they did that. Some must have been unable to answer, while others would've joined the enemy. The fact that he didn't know who of those had betrayed them was a thing that infuriated him to no ends.

There was also another group, he knew. Those that detested them because of religious reasons. The most devout R'hollor worshippers hated him for bringing back the Seven and ending Melisandre's life. The group was small, but very influential. They were led by Houses Massey, Horpe and Grandison. They also had significant influence with Houses Follard and Farring, although both of those remained loyal due to captives they held at Dragonstone. House Buckler was a big question mark, but a very important one. The army would have to pass Bronzegate and he would rather they found friends there than closed gates and religious fanatics.

Most of those followers of the Red God, he could deal with after the Targaryen Pretender was dealt with. They would either fall in line or be removed from power. He had hoped less of them would oppose him, but he wasn't surprised even if his religious laws had been quite lenient. The state religion would be the belief in the Seven, but R'hollor and Old Gods believers would be accepted without any discrimination. The sole condition was that they would not actively try to proselytize anyone.

Both Red Priests and the Faith Militant were banned in the kingdom. The last one had been one of the conditions the Starks had demanded. Apparently, they had seen and heard horrible things about them in King's Landing. They wanted to abolish them in as many regions as possible, especially those bordering the Riverlands.

He had discussed it with Ser Andrew and Lord Morrigen at the time. All had agreed that it could serve as a great boon in the long term against the Starks. However, they had also acknowledged that enabling them might throw them into wars with them before they were ready. They would also surely plunge them into civil war with those houses still adhering to the Red God. For those reasons, and their general dislike of militant religious zeal, they had agreed to outlaw their presence within their borders.

There was also another problem. He looked over the Great Hall to the foreign dignitary that had been sent their way. Tycho Nestoris was sent to Dragonstone by the Iron Bank after the announcement of their alliance with Robb Stark. He had been pestering him who would pay the debts of the Iron Throne. They had agreed that he would introduce the Braavosi to the other coalition leaders, the heads of Houses Stark and Arryn. Together they would try to come to an agreement.

Ser Wylis Manderly had told him that the Stark king planned to simply cancel most of the debts of the Iron Throne. He wasn't planning on paying a single copper of the money owed to the Lannisters, Tyrells and the Faith. Together that was the vast majority of the six million two hundred thousand golden dragons of debt Robert Baratheon had collected. Apparently, Cersei Lannister had increased that debt with another eight hundred thousand during her short regency. All of it to either House Tyrell or the Faith, so again of no real consequence.

What was important was the one million two hundred thousand golden dragons Westeros owed to the Iron Bank and another seven hundred thousand to the Tyroshi trade cartels. There was no way Shireen could carry the cost of that. Neither the Stormlands nor the Narrow Sea islands were incredibly rich, and the former mentioned lands would be in disarray and plundered by the enemy besides.

He had to discuss it with the Starks and others. However, he would have to do so in person and so it had to wait. He had told the Braavosi as much and he had agreed on the condition he was ensured an audience with Robb Stark. He had tried to start talks about formal trade relations with the Free City, but Tycho Nestoris had understandably demanded that the debt be settled first.

The debt issue was becoming a real headache, especially as he had other things to do. He had to help organizing today's celebrations, but more so he had to prepare the fleet. They and their allies had agreed that the enemy needed to be pushed back on the seas. It wouldn't do for them to defeat the enemy in battle, just for them to flee back to Essos again. Even worse possibilities could become reality, even if they won. After the pretender's defeat, they could join up with Daenerys Targaryen's fleet to give them an incredible headache in the future.

No, they needed to be dealt with now. To his great surprise, Robb Stark had given him the overall command of the operation. He had placed the whole Manderly fleet under his command under the sole conditions that he would accept Ser Wyllis as his second-in-command and offer Ser Marlon Manderly, Ser Rodrik Locke and a Flint cousin seats in his war council.

The Vale had offered a similar thing not much later. Three of their number were to have a guaranteed presence in his war council while one of them would be guaranteed the command of the Vale squadron and direct communication to him. The names were to be defined by Lord Harrold who could arrive in King's Landing at any moment.

All in all, it was a very surprising result. All those highborn nobles with naval experience and he was given command? When he had voiced this to Ser Marlon Manderly, who had handed him the letter, the knight had just shrugged. "You know these waters better than anyone and you basically lived on a ship half your life. You're just the best man for the job."

He had been absolutely flabbergasted at the response. "Most would see it as a slight, concerning my past."

The Northman had once again shrugged. "As you said, it's your past. King Robb wouldn't offer you the job if you were still a smuggler. You're a knight and a lord in your own right. Moreover, you're the Lord Regent of the Queen of the waters we are going to traverse. Besides, your former past actually helps us now. Just make sure it helps us drown our enemies and no Northman will complain of your command."

He had remained silent after that until he had just nodded and thanked the knight. No wonder Robb Stark was doing so well in this war. He chose his commanders on their merit, not just their status. Yes, they needed to be nobles, but if they weren't any good then they wouldn't lead. It seemed most of the Northmen agreed with this philosophy, at least to some degree.

It felt freeing in a way. At the Blackwater, he had had to serve under Ser Imry Florent. The Reachman had barely seen a ship in his lifetime, but he had been King Stannis' brother-in-law, so it had made sense. The result had been the loss of almost the entire fleet and thousands of men on it, not to mention four of his own sons.

Somehow, he didn't think Ser Imry would have gotten the command if he had been Robb Stark's brother-in-law. He heard that the Stark king openly preferred his bastard brother and great-uncle to his uncle, the Lord of Riverrun and second most powerful man in his realm, when giving out command. Even when he did give him control over a portion of the army, he put a more than capable Riverlord as his second-in-command to watch him.

It was a philosophy he would try to follow himself. Ser Aemon Estermont, the heir to Greenstone, had been sent forward to pave the way for the army in the Kingswood. He would send Lord Morrigen after him to take command of the main force from their realm once the main army arrived. Ser Aemon was a good, loyal man, and kin to the Queen besides, but Lord Lester had a lot more experience and skill when it came to warfare.

He himself would lead the fleet and Ser Andrew would rule from Dragonstone. This way, he knew all fronts would be covered by capable men. As the court had received a lot of new nobles, many could be considered more capable for the job than young Ser Andrew. However, the young knight had learned a lot over the last year and much more importantly he was loyal and Shireen liked him. He would do well enough alone. If he had any problems, he could still ask the guidance of his grandfather, as the man was too old and weak to march again with the army.

With all domestic and logistical issues sorted, he had to concentrate on organizing the ships. As the Great Hall cleared out, he walked over to Ser Marlon to discuss their departure.

(Six days later)

He stood on the prow of his flagship and looked on the deep blue waters that made up the Straits of Tarth. The enemy wasn't far, and hell could break loose soon. Still, the rhythmic sound of the water clashing against the ship made him calm. This was what he was born to do. This was where he belonged.

He looked around him at the colorful array of banners coming from the dozens of ships under his command. He led a fleet consisting of Crownlander, Stormlander, Vale and Northern ships, a sight rarely seen. Especially, those from the North. That region hadn't had a significant fleet in over a thousand years. Not anymore though, and he had to admit that the Manderlys knew how to construct war galleys. All of them were well build and in pristine condition. It was a pleasure commanding a squadron like that.

The Stormland and Crownland fleets he knew better than anyone else. The only difference had been the ships coming from Duskendale, but they had been joined under Northern command and he had merged them into Ser Wylis' squadron. The Vale fleet was the least impressive.

Most of the Grafton fleet had deserted the Arryns and had joined the enemy. Only a third of the original ships remained, but many of their crew and all of their captains had had to be replaced. This made them a lot less experienced than he would have liked. The Grafton remnants had been joined by a few ships from Houses Royce, Melcolm and Hunter, which only served to weaken their command structure. Overall command had gone to Ser Jasper Melcolm, the younger brother of Lord Qarl.

His strategy was simple. Once the enemy arrived, they would attack and use the narrowness of the strait to push them towards the mainland. He knew this area as the back of his hand and knew that the strongest current in the strait came from behind them. This would allow his ships to get more speed on the enemy and make it easier for them to do small manoeuvres.

Closer towards the mainland there were many rocks and treacherous sandbanks. The opponents probably didn't know the waters as well as he did and he planned to exploit that. He had positioned his squadron from the Stormlands on the right, as many captains had experience in these waters. Additionally, he had briefed all his captains in person. They would attack by using their superior speed to ram the enemy ships. Then they would turn and drive as many to the rocks as possible, hoping many got stuck or outright sunk when they came in contact.

He looked again over the ships around him. When he had sailed into Blackwater Bay for King Stannis, he had known many by heart. He had known the names of the ships, of their captains, often even of many of its crew. Now most were strangers from distant regions of Westeros.

He closed his eyes for a while and said two silent prayers. One for those who had been lost on that dreadful day, especially his sons. The second was for all the men under his command now. Please save as many of them as you can. Too many have been lost already.

The more he thought about that day, the more his mind went back to the culprits. Yes, Tyrion Lannister had put chains on the harbor and had sent the wildfire out, but it was the Florents who had ignorantly led them into the trap. Luckily, they were all gone now. The last of them and their supporters had left Dragonstone on a Vale ship to Gulltown a few days ago. Ser Axell Florent and the most ardent R'hollor followers had started their journey towards the Wall.

This would finally end the threat the Florent faction posed to the security of Shireen's throne. In return, the Queen Mother was freed from her comfortable confinement. She would be free to roam Dragonstone, albeit under guard. Her access to her daughter was to be heavily restricted. Never again would she influence the course of the kingdom.

On their journey, her supporters would be joined by members of Houses Corbray, Grafton, Sunderland, Upcliff and many more houses that had opposed the new Lord Harrold in the Vale. Chief among them would be Nestor Royce, Lady Lysa's main advisor at the end. The Night's Watch would receive a big influx of nobles, a thing they severely lacked. He alone had sent nineteen nobles on the ship, accompanied by a few dozen men-at-arms and servants that had been too zealous in their adherence to the Red God.

Robb Stark had sent over two hundred, many of them knights and men-at-arms of the Lannister's personal household. All Crownland nobles, big and small, that had refused to bow to either King Robb himself or Queen Shireen had been put on the ships as well. Even Cersei's most trusted male servants had been sent north, the Night's Watch had use for more stewards as well it seemed.

The convoy would make for a freak arrival. In total they would probably number around four hundred when they reached Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Considering the fact that the once ancient order now only counted some six to seven hundred members, it would be an incredible influx. Even so, they wouldn't be the last, Ser Marlon had told him.

Robb Stark intended to force every Westerosi, who had bowed down for the Targaryens, to join the black brothers. Dozens or hundreds more Westerlanders, Reachmen and ironborn would be eligible for a one-way trip to Eastwatch as well, he reckoned. You could say a lot about the Starks, but they didn't take half measures when you pissed them off. A thing he would always keep in mind and be sure to instill in the heads of both Shireen and Edric as well. The future safety of their people depended on it.

He thought further on the future of the peoples he was responsible for as regent, as well as on his wife and two remaining sons in the Rainwood until the trumpets sounded. The enemy had been spotted in the distance. It would soon begin.

He steeled himself for the cruelty that was to come and ordered their fleet onwards. In the distance Targaryen, Grafton, Velaryon and Volantene sails were clearly visible. Their flags waving in the wind, vying for dominance with their own across the waves.

He steeled himself and battle commenced not much later. Their heavy warships clashed together. The sound of wood splintering and sailors screaming filled the air. Parts of the sea were quickly coloring red with blood. He steered his flagship alongside a Volantene ship. His men were ready for it and his first mate shouted for the archers to knock and let loose of their arrows.

Two dozen fire arrows and the missile from a scorpion flew towards the smaller Essosi ship. Their sails quickly caught fire, as did some of the bodies of the men that had been directly hit. He quickly assessed that the ship would be out of the battle. He steered away and saw a Grafton ship ahead.

"Rowers, pull! Pull as you have never pulled before. We're going in for the kill!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. All men on board understood what he was going to do. They grabbed ahold of the railing and the masts and steadied themselves for the incoming clash. The Grafton ship saw them too late and they punched right in their ship starboard side. Their ram splintered parts of their hull.

"Rowers, pull back!" He screamed and the cry was taken over by many. Their ship started to pull back and he saw how the enemy ship was quickly taking on water. They are done. As they pulled back, he tried to look how the naval battle was faring. However, they were too much in the thick of it to actually see what was going on.

Before he could find another easy target, an enemy Vale ship rowed next to them. They were planning to board them. It was far too late to turn away from it now. No matter, he knew what to do. "Men prepare to board! Archers at the ready!"

The sailors prepared the grappling hooks, as the soldiers that had joined his crew stepped forward. When only a few feet separated both ships, grappling hooks were thrown on both sides. His archers did as they had been instructed before they departed. They only let loose when the grappling hooks were being thrown, greatly exposing the enemy sailors. After that, they fired at will.

As many of the opposing soldiers that had prepared to swing the ropes were shot down, it were mostly his troops that got on the opposing ship. Fighting quickly broke out and his sailors pulled the ships closer together. Soon both decks were a warzone. He kept himself back. He wouldn't be of much use with one hand, but still held an axe in the other just in case.

As luck had it, he didn't need to use it. After harsh fighting, the enemy crew was taken care off and the Grafton ship fell into their hands. The war galley seemed to be in good enough condition, so he ordered half his crew to take care of it and sail it back to safety. His Vale allies would probably appreciate the gesture when he gave them some of their ships back.

He looked the ocean and saw how it was littered with wrecks, bodies and the red color of blood everywhere. He also noticed how most of the fighting was further away now. With glee, he realized his plan had been successful. They had managed to defeat parts of their fleet and were now driving the others upon the treacherous rocks on their starboard side.

He ordered his flagship forward, as they had gotten behind their main force now. Although annoying for him, it was a good sign. With groups of his sailors and rowers now on the other ship, their speed was limited and it took way too long to catch up to the main army group.

The scene he saw before him was something he couldn't have even dreamed of. The rocks in the distance looked like a ship graveyard. He counted at least thirty ships either sunk, sinking or stuck in the distance. In between them, only a few enemy ships remained and most seemed to be in the middle of surrendering.

He and his second mate looked upon each other in wonder, before laughing loudly. "The battle is won you bunch of pricks! We have destroyed the entire enemy fleet!" Everyone cheered and many of the other ships nearby started cheering too.

"Not completely destroyed, m'lord." One of the sailors close to him responded, as he pointed at a dozen or so ships disappearing in the distance.

"Of no consequence," he waved him off. "The enemy's might is broken. They'll most likely flee to Essos."

(Two days later)

He walked in the Great Hall of Evenfall Hall, the seat of House Tarth. It wasn't that big, but the native marble gave it a sense of splendor many other keeps didn't possess. Splendorous as it may be, it was strategically placed on a cliff on the west side of the island. Taking it by force would have never been easy.

Luckily, the castle had opened the gates to them when they had arrived with most of their fleet. The pretender had only left a few dozen men as garrison, the others probably fighting on the sunken ships. None of those had been willing to give their life to protect the island.

In the dungeons, they had found Lord Selwyn Tarth. Lord Selwyn, formerly a gallant and strong leader, seemed nothing more than a broken man. All his children had died and none remained to continue on his legacy. He had told them the story of how Loras Tyrell and his companions had killed his daughter Brienne. Apparently, they had accused her of killing Lord Renly.

After hearing that Ser Wyllis Manderly had been present at Atranta, the Stormlord hadn't stopped pestering him for details of the Flower's death. He had already announced that he would award his killer, Smalljon Umber the heir to Last Hearth, for this feat. Although endearing him to some of the Northman, it was a thing that served to nothing.

Seeing the state the Lord of Evenfall Hall was in, he had immediately started worrying about the succession of his lordship. The last thing they wanted was another succession crisis on their hands, especially with Daenerys Targaryen sailing towards these waters. Besides, more than enough houses were in disarray already. For the lands to be stable under Shireen, they would have to continue the well-established noble houses as much as possible.

He had asked the local maester for a family tree of House Tarth and had been relieved when he had gotten it after a long search. Although Lord Selwyn had no children, siblings or other close kin alive, he had had a couple of cousins. All of them had died, some during the Rebellion others due to sickness and even one at the Wall. Luckily, one not so distant cousin seemed to have fathered two sons before leaving this world for good.

When asked about the two boys, Edwyn and Quentyn Tarth, the maester hadn't known much. After some research, he had responded that they resided in a small holdfast along the northside of the island. One was eleven years old, the other nine.

He was on his way to Lord Tarth now with this new information. It would continue the family line and hopefully give the older man something to live for. He arrived at his solar and the lord arrived not much later.

"Lord Regent, what can I do for you? I thought bending the knee to Queen Shireen and allowing you full control of my keep for the time being would have been enough." Lord Selwyn asked bitterly.

He simply ignored this slight. "I wanted to ask you about the future of House Tarth, my lord." This got him a death stare from the Stormlord.

"What of it? My children are all dead, so are my brothers. I have nothing to live for. I suppose you want to know who of your supporters you can give my island to when I'm gone?" The man all but spat at him.

"On the contrary, Lord Tarth. I want our Queen's rule to be as secure as can be. That includes having strong and well-respected houses serving her in their ancestral lands. For this island that means yours. I would not see House Tarth's succession create conflict and uncertainty in these lands." He replied simply.

This seemed to surprise the Stormlord, as his right eyebrow peaked up and he bent forward. "How would you wish to accomplish that? I have no one alive in my family to carry on the name. You could of course find some distant cousin nine times removed, but he would be less of a member of House Tarth than any of the serving maids here at the castle."

"I spoke to your maester, my lord. There seem to be other candidates still. One of your cousins fathered two sons before dying of syphillis when they were still babes. The knight had been married to a local noblewoman and the boys, Edwyn and Quentyn Tarth, have been raised by their mother's family on the northside of the island ever since. I would find it prudent if you took them in and prepared one of them to succeed you when the time comes. This would ensure the continuation of your house and the stability of the realm."

"A cousin that died from syphillis … ?" The man whispered to himself. "Yes, I know the one. It was a great scandal that many tried to hide. His widow fled from my court. If I remember correctly, his older brother died fighting valiantly for me during the Greyjoy Rebellion. Haven't thought about them for years. He fathered two sons, you said?"

He nodded in affirmation. "They have lived on this island their entire lives and are direct male line descendants from your great-grandfather Lord Cameron Tarth. They lack a father figure and a mentor, roles you could both fulfill to enhance their lives and the future of your house."

"That's all you want from me? For me to take in the boys and mold one of them into an acceptable lord to succeed me after I pass?"

"Yes, that's all. Queen Shireen needs peace and strong vassals. House Tarth is one of those. I would not see them fall unnecessarily. It's the duty of House Baratheon to protect its vassals. For me, that includes protecting them from internal ruin."

He saw something in the eyes of the older lord. It seemed to be a newfound respect for him. The man stood up from his chair and clasped his arm. "I thank you, Lord Davos. I look forward to working with you in the future. If there is anything you need, let me know. My house has always served House Baratheon loyally. Before that, we served their ancestors of House Durrandon for many a century as well. We will continue to do so under Queen Shireen. I will make sure to instill this in my two young cousins, even if it's the last thing I'll ever do. "

This is it for this chapter!

Edric is legitimized and will serve as Shireen's consort when they come of age. Gendry will get his own family and lands (his mother being an alehouse worker makes it impossible for him to become a Baratheon when there are noble bastards on both sides like Edric).

You hear some of Davos' rulings and communication with the Stormlords and the Iron Bank makes itself known. After that he goes to war and leads the alliance to victory over (F)Aegon's fleet. They take back Tarth and plan to capture Greenstone, thereby cutting (F)Aegon off from any support from Essos (including Dany). Davos reestablishes control over Tarth and helps avoid a succession crisis in Tarth, RIP Brienne.

I'm sorry about the delay, but a lot has been going on in my personal life lately. Among those many things is the fact my girlfriend broke up with me. She seems to have taken some of my inspiration with me when she left. I've only been able to write small pieces at the time the last couple of weeks, which severely limits my productivity and output.

This story will get finished asap, but updates might be a little scarcer over the following weeks/months. Otherwise I'm afraid my quality of writing might drop, e.g. killing off Alys out of spite and filling a whole chapter with Robb's/mine anguish or something terrible. That's not something I want to inflict on either this story or you loyal readers.

Next chapter we return back to Robb and I'll hope it'll be easier to write a POV that has been established more in the past.

I hope you understand. Thank you again for all the support over the last year.

Fannic

Reviews:

- Poly19hum: Thank you! It's one of the things that annoy me too, glad you like the direction I'm going here!

- Finkarhu: Thank you so much!

- George Christian810: Firstly, a shield wall is extremely effective in a pitched battle. If your troops are experienced, motivated and disciplined it can wreak havoc on your lines. Secondly, they have beaten back multiple attacks like that by now. The wildlings attack multiple castles and try to scale walls as well. They were stopped but they are getting crafty. The Northmen don't have too many men there now.

About the smallfolk, no I didn't. Robb has already brought in 40k to the Riverlands (Stoney Sept + Maidenpool) and tens of thousands more have already marched there themselves. He now brings 3k orphans there. The Riverlands infrastructure is heavily damaged and its food stores have been plundered. They can't take in any more for now, that's why he doesn't mention it anymore. I explained why he can't really bring in any more to the North, he will try to bring as many as he can into the Riverlands.

It has already been stated he wants to reclaim the New Gift. He will have to negotiate with the Nightswatch to do so, but as the order is heavily depleted and in disarray that will be possible. Brandon's Gift can't be turned over, as that would end the Nightswatch. I won't spoil the dragons anymore.

- Kingmaneana: Thank you!

- Kuman: No, we have passed that point a while back. I wanted to leave it open, but if you want the short answer: She flew back to Meereen with Drogon as Victarion stole the other dragons. She flew after them, attacked Vic, freed the dragons, flew home, found Mereen in complete uproar, partly broke the siege, said fuck this, gathered as much freed slaves and troops as she could find, brokered an agreement to get ships and ran the hell out of dodge. She tracked the ironborn and sunk the rest of their fleet after and now wants revenge/to see Westeros. I don't think she'll ever go to Valyria personally. She could resupply at the city states that gave her ships. No, the Dothraki plot is ridiculous.

Thank you! He'll spread some of the population around his allies in the Vale/Stormlands, but the vast majority has already been spread over the Northern Crownlands/Riverlands and now orphans to the North as well.

- LectorHistoria: You noticed! ;-)

- Foxy-Floof: You make an interesting point. The only thing I'm wondering is how you would bureaucratically organize that in the middle ages. Someone saying "built an orphanage there and put the kids in" is way easier than somehow getting hundreds of people to volunteer and receive those orphans. They would probably have to come to the keeps to offer to do so, something most (that live dozens or in the North hundreds of miles from their liege) won't (be able to) do. Still, it could work in some areas with some lords Robb knows well, I'll look into it.

- Demindp93: You're welcome! Which reactions do you mean? Some will be shown later on.

- Minatom: I PM'ed you.

- Supremus85: He is alive for now. Letting him go to Oldtown might not be the smartest move politically though. Yes, Willas' power block is much stronger on paper, however: the Redwynes are basically out except for their fleet, the Hightowers lost their fleet and their vassals and lands are being raided, the Shield Islands (Tyrell) have been decimated, the Dornish are raiding the Dornish marshes, … all of that greatly weakens the coalition around Willas.

- Force Smuggler: He will tell his sons, yes. I think he will cross that bridge once he gets there, if he ever does. He could wait to tell his wife until their eldest son is of age too. He could just lie and say they were spoils of war he got from Robb or something. However, Jon's arc isn't done yet. He still needs to fight his 'brother'. So there is more to come.

- Mlkoolc86: Thank you! I haven't seen many stories that developed the independence arc well either.

- Alfil94: Thank you! The dragon skulls are the only thing I was doubting myself. That's why I didn't specify. More on that later.

You're absolutely right about the natural harbor and Manderly relations. The pairing I will leave unanswered for now. It could definitely become a port, but I don't know about the major one due to its location that far north. I think Barrowton and Seagard will still be more important.

I think you are right in a 1v1, however if they manage to form and hold a shield wall they could be devastating. They could neutralize Robb's cavalry and hold back his infantry. Of course, you would still need troops to push and finish off the enemy: the Golden Company.

No, not really, I believe. Even if he is, it won't be frowned upon. Almost all Targaryen kings either traded or outright allied with slaver Free Cities at one time or the other. Robb won't participate in slavery in any way and it's more of a "you do you in Essos, I do me in Westeros" kind of philosophy. Robb has nothing to gain from slavery collapsing in Essos now, as it would lead to great instability, more piracy and far less trade with Essos. He needs that trade to feed his population in winter and the coin to rebuild his kingdom. He has a duty to his own people first, not to those halfway across the world.

- Stevem1: Thank you! I try to retroactively fix some of the spelling/word problems, but it's a lot after 52 chapters.