Chapter 57: Preparing for dragons
301 AC
Robb
"It's as we feared." Lord Davos said, as he walked into the solar in Storm's End. The de facto ruler of the Storm Kingdom had been away for just over a week. He had visited Evenfall Hall and the fleet that was docked there. He had been adamant that it was his duty to make sure the fleet was well provisioned and prepared for future battles in the Narrow Sea.
"She won?" He asked and the Stormlord nodded in confirmation. "That was to be expected by now."
Lord Seaworth agreed with that. "She has stopped her advance for now and seems to be regrouping on the Stepstones. It looks like some of the stranded Golden Company will be joining her there now that the Pretender was captured."
Not that surprising either. That's why they had to get rid of all the ones that were still in the Stormlands now. "Do we have any details on the battle?"
"Some, the naval battle took place off the coast of Grey Gallows in the center of the Stepstones. Some ninety Tyroshi ships were deployed against her, less than a third of them seems to have survived the battle. Daenerys is said to have had some thirty to thirty-five thousand men under her command, divided over two hundred transport ships. Losses on both sides were very heavy. From what our sources tell us, the Tyroshi did a lot of initial damage. They managed to sink many troop transports carrying her freed slaves. This led to the deaths of thousands. Most of those poor souls would've never been on a boat before, let alone learned how to swim."
"Then how did they lose?" He responded in thought. Thirty-five thousand was a much bigger army than he had been anticipating on. Luckily, she had lost thousands of followers. This was of course good news, yet he had no doubt that those wouldn't include her best troops like the Unsullied or sellsword companies.
"That's were things get … interesting. I spoke to the sailors myself a few days ago. Independently or in group, it doesn't matter, they all say the same." Lord Davos said with a cautious look on his face.
He motioned for him to continue. "Dragons, … they all speak of dragonfire turning the tide of battle. That, together with a squadron of ironborn longships that had originally been at their rear."
He looked up. This was not the first-time dragons were mentioned in reports about Daenerys. They had received a lot of similar notions since she had been spotted in Meereen. They had dismissed it as old wives' tales, but now he was beginning to wonder. The Ironborn could be easily explained as the remnants of the Iron Fleet that had once been sent against her.
"They say they have seen a dragon?" He asked, while trying to wrap his brains around the ideas of dragons once again roaming these lands.
"Multiple, they say. They were all prepared to swear an oath on it, King Stark." The man said, as he ran his hand through his beard. He simply nodded in response.
Seeing his reaction, the Baratheon regent exclaimed in shock. "You can't seriously believe this? Dragons have been extinct for well over a century. They were killed off, either by the people of King's Landing or their own kinsmen, and with good reason."
"I can only agree with your latter assessment, Lord Davos, but it doesn't negate the fact that we have been hearing rumors of dragons for over a year now from every place she has passed through on her way here from Meereen. There are strange things happening in the world, maybe dragons are indeed back." He replied, as he looked at Grey Wind in front of the burning fireplace. His direwolf had been taking a nap next to the warmth of the fire but as he looked at him, his companion's eyes opened. Those yellow eyes looked back at him with interest. It was as if he heard the direwolf's reply in his head. Grey Wind seemed to agree that dragons could exist once more.
Now the old smuggler in front of him looked terrified. "Let's say they do exist. What do we do about it?"
"Well first of all, we'll have to talk to those sailors again. We need to know how many there are and what they looked like. I'm willing to entertain the idea of dragons, but I doubt they will be as big as they say Balerion the Black Dread was. Especially not if they needed the help of a squadron of longships to win a naval engagement. Balerion could have easily destroyed such a fleet on his own, if the tales are to be believed. Multiple dragons needing help from ships tells us they might be terrifying, but not that terrifying. Once we know everything, we need to find a way to kill them and we need to prepare. In the meantime, we need to continue securing the Stormlands. Any enemies left here will simply be added to her army, a thing which we cannot allow!"
"You're right. How goes the campaign in the Stormlands, any new news since I left?" Lord Seaworth asked, after he got hold of himself again.
"Aye, there has been news actually. As you know, Lord Morrigen had already taken Crow's Nest back last week. He has notified us that King's Mountain has now also surrendered to Houses Swann, Umber and Manderly. Mistwood is still under siege by the Cafferens, Boltons, Dustins, Ryswells and the Flints of Widowswatch. The same thing can be said about Rain House by Ser Andrew Estermont with the help of the Vale Houses Arryn, Royce and Hunter. Houses Waynwood and Redfort are still cleaning up the smaller keeps on Cape Wrath and the edge of the Rainwood. They have sent news that your family is healthy and is being brought towards Storm's End by a contingent of cavalry as we speak."
Lord Davos looked pleased at that last comment. He could never imagine what the man had experienced. His five eldest sons had been killed in the Battle of King's Landing. On top of that, he also hadn't seen his wife or two youngest sons in two years. The Baratheon House owed much and more to this man and he respected him to no end for the sacrifices he had made for his overlords. If only the other Southerners had been as loyal, Robert Baratheon would still be on the Iron Throne today.
He was suddenly interrupted from his thoughts. "The plans for Weeping Town remain unchanged?"
"Aye, as you asked. Houses Mallister, Bracken and Mallery are already marching towards there together with Lords Dondarrion and Tarth. House Whitehead will be made an example off. Unless, you wish to change them?" He responded with a question.
"No, the Whiteheads have had too many chances already. They didn't abandon the Pretender during the battle. Yes, they lost their heir in the battle so they couldn't surrender, but afterwards in the weeks that followed they never came to Storm's End to pledge themselves to Queen Shireen nor did they respond any of our summons. They will serve as a reminder to all others not to cross Her Grace in the future. Their castle will be sacked, their male population will die or be sent to the Wall and their females will be sent to join the Septs. I only ask that the town be spared. It is not the people's fault and our kingdom needs every economic center it has left." Lord Davos stated very seriously.
He nodded. He would probably do the same if it were up to him. He made a mental note to keep an eye on who would replace House Whitehead in the future. It was a small port that had many dealings with the Dornish, having a strong hand there in the future would benefit the country greatly and might help pacify relations in the region.
"There has been other news too. Apparently, I was right about there being underlying Targaryen loyalties in the former Crownlands. House Staunton was stupid enough to raise the three-headed dragon and declare for the Pretender while we marched south. They raided lands on Cracklaw Point and around Duskendale with the aim of forcing those houses to join him and together cut off our supply lines. Lord Deddings has rapidly responded the threat. Their forces have already been destroyed and their keep has been sacked. Both the lord and his two sons died in the fighting."
"Lord Deddings works fast, it seems." The old sailor commented. It was clearly visible he was intimidated by how fast his vassal could put down a small rebellion. That was good. They were allies, but the Stormlands shouldn't forget how they dealt with traitors and enemies in his kingdom.
"Aye, he does. He will be rewarded for it, be sure of that." He smiled in reply.
He got a simple nod in return. "Who's the heir to the lands now?"
"Apparently, his fourteen-year-old niece. The former Lord Staunton had her betrothed to a Chelsted, but the lad had died in battle months ago." He responded.
"So, you'll marry her off to one of your own men?" Lord Davos asked matter-of-factly. After all the years of serving under House Baratheon, nobody needed to explain him how the game worked.
"Aye, I will. I will decide on someone after the war with the Targaryen girl is won and I'm back in the Riverlands. I will discuss it with my uncles too, as House Tully will become their direct overlords. I will do the same for the Rosby, Hayford and Stokeworth successions, which will require my attention. I will also choose new rulers for the areas that now comprise King's Landing and its large surrounding areas, as well as the territories along our side of the Blackwater without a ruler. Many extinct or nearly extinct knightly houses will also need to be dealt with, but I hope that in most of those cases the local lords can fill in the vacuum. I'm sure they will appreciate the autonomy to do so."
The Stormlord looked at him and whistled. "That's a lot of things you will have to deal with, but it brings a lot of opportunity too." Lord Davos seemed once again taken back by how fast he would expand his influence over the former Crownlands. He had to, if he wanted the lands to fully integrate into his kingdom in the next few decades.
"Aye, it does. It's the same as you did for Queen Shireen. You gave small plots of lands to her supporters, forfeited the lands of House Sunglass and gave them to Ser Andrew, you still have to deal with the lands of House Whitehead and the Caron succession, have forced Houses Connington and Fell to give wards and so on." He tried to counter diplomatically.
"Yes, but that comprises Queen Shireen's whole kingdom. You only talk about the Crownlands. I imagine you will apply the same diligence to the Riverlands with the inheritances of Houses Whent, Frey and their rebellious vassals and allies put into question." The older man countered.
"Aye, I will. I am just lucky so many of the former Crownlands' Houses seem to have only young female heirs. I won't say that I'm lucky with what happened in the Riverlands. Those betrayals cost me a lot of good men and friends, among them my father-in-law. I would rather have had less influence in the affairs of the lands and have them back than how it is now." He ended the conversation. He would not talk about the fate of the Freys just yet. His anger was still too great to make a clear decision that would be to the benefit of the whole kingdom.
Lord Davos accepted that explanation. He changed the subject back to the Targaryen princess. "What do we do with her? The fleet is ready to intercept her, but I don't know what we could ever do against dragonfire with wooden ships."
He put his hands through his beard, absently stroking the hairs on his chin whilst thinking it over. Losing the fleet for no gain would never be acceptable. However, that meant they would have to let her land. So be it.
"If she has dragons, the fleet has no use. It will only get destroyed." He summarized his thoughts.
"What do we do with it then? Evenfall Hall is too close to her forces not to attack it. The fleet can't stay there." The experienced captain brought up, a thing he hadn't yet considered.
"We'll need to evacuate it. Dragonstone will probably be the best option. It'll shield their fleet from taking the island or King's Landing. I'll ask Ser Marlon to guide them there. If we can't intercept her, that means she will be able to land. I will need to start preparing to face her. We need to find a way to bring down those dragons." He responded, immediately taking charge of the situation.
Lord Davos disagreed. "If it's alright with you King Robb, I will go back to Evenfall Hall myself and instruct them on what to do. Afterwards, I will come back here and help Shireen with her rule. I have no use on the battlefield. Lords Morrigen, Swann, Tarth, Ser Andrew and the others are all more suited to pitched battles and I would only be in the way.
He nodded. The man obviously knew his limitations. No sane person would ever dare to accuse him of cowardice for this. Not after knowing that, after what he had survived on the Blackwater, he still led the coalition's fleet to victory over the Pretender's fleet. Afterwards, he had analyzed his battle plan from that naval engagement in detail. The plan had been excellent. It had made perfect use of both the terrain and their own strengths to win the battle. Lord Davos might not be much of an army commander, but the former smuggler was a terrific naval strategist.
"Very well. Anything else you can get out of those sailors will be useful too. I myself will talk to those in our army that have some experience with dragons."
"Who may those be?" Lord Seaworth asked curiously.
"Well, on the top of my head I thought about asking Lord Celtigar. He is of Valyrian descent and his house has always been close with the Targaryens. Secondly, I wanted to talk to one of our prisoners. We have captured Ser Ulwyck Uller, Lord Uller's younger brother. The Ullers were the ones who killed Meraxes. If I have any hope of finding out how to kill a dragon, it's through the Ullers." He explained his plan.
In agreement over their plans, they both left to accomplish their own tasks. He had to see Jon about the dragons first, maybe one of those journals and letters he took from the Targaryen dynasty could tell him anything.
(Two weeks later)
He looked over the terrain and the river he had chosen. It would do. The river ran from a spot on the border of the Rainwood northeast of Crow's Nest to Shipbreaker's Bay somewhere southeast of Griffin's Roost. They would hold the position here. It provided natural barriers, a good open plain behind the river for his cavalry to use and natural elevations and hills for his archers and artillery to fire from.
The artillery had been the latest addition to his army. After speaking to a dozen people about dragons, he realized there were only two ways to stop them. Firstly, you get a lucky shot with artillery that pierces their scales, eyes or throat from the inside. If the dragons were fully formed, their scales would be too hard to penetrate but it seemed the dragons were young so maybe they had a chance. Secondly, you kill the rider. If you kill the one controlling the dragon, it would become wild and reckless. A frenzied dragon was a risk in itself, but it made it easier to target and bring down.
He had started the construction of dozens of scorpions, as well as more trebuchets. Those still in King's Landing were on their way down here. His men were training with the machines daily and he was still thinking on how to position them. His archers would be ordered to target the Dragon Queen if it ever came to battle. He had read the records of the Field of Fire in Storm's End and had made notes that the dry weather and grassland had made the onslaught much worse.
He and his commanders had come up with the idea of hauling massive amounts of water from the nearby river to wet the fields around their archers and artillery on the morning before the battle. That would hopefully slow down fires. All companies would also be provided with buckets and reservoirs of water to dose possible fires and save burning men. His men had started digging small trenches and makeshift canals that would divert water from the river upstream to help in these endeavors. The cold weather would also help slow the fires, but it might also freeze the water in the trenches so they had to be careful.
All they could do was guess and prepare as best they could. No force had killed a dragon since the death of Meraxes almost three hundred years ago. They had nothing to base their strategy on except rumors, tales and hearsay. All he knew was that they had to diminish the effects the dragonfire would cause and they had to use a lot of projectiles to try to bring them down.
For the first time, he doubted if he could win the coming battle. He could easily beat her forces. The Unsulied and sellswords would be a problem, but they were too heavily outnumbered by his men. The freed slaves would be lambs to the slaughter when he set his cavalry upon them. On top of that, he could count on the fact that his heavy infantry would slice through them like a hot knife through butter if he asked them. No, dragons haunted his dreams, not enemy soldiers.
At least he wouldn't make it easy on them. All enemy keeps had finally fallen in their hands. Most of the Golden Company members had died in the fighting or tried to flee in the forest. Those captured in the sieges had gotten the same choice as those captured in the battle. A few dozen were on the loose in the Rainwood, but they were inconsequential. He had ordered Rain House, Mistwood and Weeping Town to be evacuated. All its stores would be plundered and its contents would be brought back here to feed the army. Its citizens would be evactuated to areas around Storm's End for the time being. The enemy would find nothing to supply themselves with within a hundred miles of their preferred landing site, which he believed to be Cape Wrath.
He would try to exhaust and starve the enemy force before they met his own. All they would find is abandoned keeps, abandoned stores and strung up traitors like House Whitehead. Their army would be well rested and entrenched behind the river, waiting on them. His supply lines were safe and adequately provided everything they needed. Only half the army was here now, but soon the forces he had sent out would converge back here. More and more Stormlanders were being raised as well, they trickled in daily. While their numbers wouldn't make the biggest difference, every bit helped. It mostly helped in matters of moral, as Northerners, Riverlanders and Valemen saw the Stormlanders were also prepared to fight for their homeland against the Targaryen threat.
At the same time, he had allowed some three hundred Stormlanders to leave the army and start reclaiming the keeps abandoned by the Dornish. The last thing they needed was a huge bandit plague in the Dornish Marches after this. They would reclaim keep by keep and lightly garrisoning them as they progressed. No one should get any funny ideas who was in control of these lands.
He was interrupted from his thoughts by Grew Wind who nudged him to look in front of him. He saw a rider approach wearing the colors of House Baratheon. He walked towards him. The man stopped, jumped from his horse and bowed respectfully towards him.
"King Stark, I have a message for you from Lord Regent Seaworth. I was told to inform you they contain information about the situation in the Reach and developments with the prisoners." The messenger said, as he handed him a bunch of letters bundled together and closed with the Baratheon seal. He thanked the man and considered opening them immediately but decided against it.
He walked back to where Olyvar was holding his horse for him. He looked upon the Frey man. Although he was his squire, his friend was a few years his elder. Many of his men had wanted to kill him or at least remove him from his presence but he used all his power to keep him on. He would never forget how Olyvar had saved his life from his kinsmen at Atranta. Olyvar's full brother Ser Perwyn had died doing the same, or at least trying to protect his brother while he did so. Both would be praised and rewarded for it. One in life, the other in memory.
Olyvar had been very grateful to him, but he was just glad his friend had fully recovered from his wounds. He had done an excellent job so far and had long deserved his knighthood. However, he hadn't granted him it yet for selfish reasons. He didn't want to find a new squire or replace loyal Olyvar. He looked at him, the lad was almost twenty. He would grant it to him after the Targaryen battle. He would have enough time to look for a new squire before his Westerlands campaign started.
"Is there anything amiss, Your Grace?" Olyvar asked him.
"No, nothing at all." He smiled back. He waited for him to climb his horse and together with some guards they rode back to camp. When they arrived, he sent those guards away to look for the commanders present while Olyvar helped him prepare for the meeting. They grabbed maps from the Reach and spread them around the table in the center of the command tent. He put maps of the border regions of the Riverlands, Westerlands and Stormlands next to them. If things were to spill over, they needed to prepare.
He finally opened the seal holding together the letters, quickly reading through all the information they had finally received from the Reach. It had long been their blind spot in Westeros. The lack of news had frustrated him to no end. As he kept reading, it seemed with good reason. The amount of information they had previously missed was ridiculous. The last pages he read actively shocked him. He managed to get ahold of himself again, just as the first nobles arrived.
The commanders present arrived one by one. His brother, brother-in-law and great-uncle immediately took their positions close to him. They knew he wanted them close in meetings, as he trusted them completely. After the news he had just read, he appreciated it all the more.
After everyone had taken his or her seat, he had wine and bread served. "Welcome my lords, news from the Reach has finally arrived. Many developments have been going on there, both with the ironborn and between the factions themselves."
"Fighting has finally broken out in earnest?" Lord Brynden Blackwood asked. For weeks and months all they had heard about were minor skirmishes and diplomatic moves like the marriage of Lord Tyrell. Now all it had changed. The problem was that much of this information seemed old, so they didn't really know when it had all started.
"Aye, it has. Some of the information is old, so it could have started weeks ago. We know for certain the Tyrells and Florents and their factions have started a major civil war. Barely any of the Reachmen seem to remain neutral and fighting has broken out across the kingdom. Minor battles between smaller families have happened from Tumbleton to the Honeywine River and from Red Lake to the Cockleswhent. It seems the whole kingdom has broken down into a major warzone." He started explaining the situation.
"What of Randyll Tarly and the army?" Lord Ryger asked. He held up his hand in response. "We'll get there. First the situation with the ironborn."
"After capturing most of the Arbor a few months ago, they have now completed the task and taken ahold of the rest. Minor skirmishes have happened between the Redwyne Fleet and the Ironborn, but both refuse to commit to a big naval battle after the latter defeated the Hightower fleet. The Redwynes have attacked Dorne and taken Salt Shore as their base of operations. From there they raid the Dornish coast, while probing the Ironborn's hold over the Redwyne Straits."
This came as a surprise to most. If you thought about it, it made some sense in a cynical way. The Redwynes needed a base of operation, as the Greyjoys clearly had a trap set around their home island. Dorne had declared for the Pretender which the Tyrells didn't follow so it made sense. While the Krakens waited, the Reachmen didn't commit to the trap. The situation in Dorne could only help his negotiations with Doran, so he didn't much care. He still waited on the latter's reply.
"In the meantime, the Ironborn have been raiding the coast from Old Oak to Starfall with mixed success. Many keeps have fallen, yet some of those took great efforts and their attempts to sail far up the Honeywine and Mander have been thwarted. As it stands, the castles of Bandallon, Blackcrown, Three Towers and Sunhouse have been sacked. The town of Cuy has fallen too, its population nearly exterminated by the krakens. The same can be said about dozens of villages all around the Sunset Coast."
This provoked more commotion, as many looked over the map of the Southern Reach. That many castles falling was a hard blow to the Reach. "Yet, there is better news for them as well. Attacks on Old Oak and minor castles at the Mouth of the Mander have been repelled. The same goes for a major first assault on Oldtown. Apparently, its harbor fell to the enemy and was almost entirely destroyed, but the Hightowers managed to keep control over the main city. The city remains in acute danger, yet it holds for now."
"They attacked Oldtown directly?" Lord Roote exclaimed in shock.
"Aye they did, unsuccessfully." He replied.
Many of his men cursed at the prospect of the now biggest city in Westeros falling to the Ironborn. "The Greyjoys have always been cravenly ambitious fucks who tried to raid the coast all along the Sunset Sea every time conflict engulfed Westeros, but to attack Oldtown directly … never since the time of House Hoare have they made a move like this." Lord Flint remarked.
"Neither had they ever attacked Winterfell before, but here we are." He simply replied, his face hard as iron. He still had a bone to pick with the Greyjoys after what happened to Arya. They would get their due, sooner or later.
"Something will need to be done about those raiders! They have risen up too many times and they have gone too far this time." Master Robett Glover shouted over the rest. His wife and children had been besieged for months by the Greyjoys. Not a surprise that he wanted them dealt with. In truth he shared his sentiments.
Many lords from the North and the Riverlands shouted out their support for dealing with the Ironborn, but most of the Valemen and Stormlanders stayed silent. Both peoples hadn't had to deal with Ironborn raids in centuries. They only remembered them from the time they helped smash their rebellion almost twelve years ago.
He decided to pacify things. "The Ironborn will get their due, but first we need to deal with the Targaryens and Lannisters. Untill then, I hope those reavers and the Reachmen kill each other off. Both are our enemies, let them eradicate each other."
This was met with mild agreement from most of his lords. "The Reachmen have also been killing each other. Lord Tarly and his army are fighting rebels all along the Northmarch. He has been seen both battling and negotiating with rebels in the area. However, he lost big parts of his thirsty thousand strong army. Months ago, he had already executed hundreds, if not thousands, of rebels. More have since been hanged. Yet, the biggest losses for him are the troops of Houses Redwyne, Hightower and their vassals. They have left the army and marched south to protect Oldtown and its surroundings from the ironborn. Although they have nominally sided with the Tyrells, they are de facto neutral now. Apparently, they even take care to not cross any of the Florents or their allies on their march south to preserve their hosts."
"Those are two of the strongest houses in the Reach! They aren't supporting the Tyrells?" Lord Templeton exclaimed in surprise.
"Nominally they are, but effectively they are simply marching home. If Oldtown were to fall the damage to the Reach would be incredible. The whole Honeywine river would be lost. That would open up a quarter of the Reach to complete devastation by the ironborn. It would also greatly increase pressure on the Mouth of the Mander and in time threaten Highgarden itself. Whoever wins the civil war, if Oldtown is lost they will rule over ruins. The Florents now this and will most likely let them pass." He answered.
"What are the Florents and Tyrells themselves doing?" Ser Donnel Locke asked.
"The Florents have gathered a force together with House Mullendore and are marching on Highgarden. They have just taken Dunstonbury, where they have been reinforced with a force from House Fossoway. Willas Tyrell has gathered an army of eight thousand strong at Highgarden to fend them off. It's expected they will clash soon."
"Mullendore and Fossoway? Didn't we release some knights from those houses?" Lady Mormont asked.
He grinned. "Aye, we did. It's apparently paying off. The Willum brothers and Lord Steffon Varner have also been fighting the Tyrell's allies, as have many of the knightly houses we set free as well."
Many of his vassals laughed at that. All they had lost were minor ransoms, in turn they had managed to get the Tyrells into more trouble. The losses that would be taken by both sides in the Reach because of this were all soldiers that wouldn't ever be able to march against them. It also neutralized the Reach for a while, whoever came on top didn't matter. It meant none would be able to join the Targaryens or Lannisters and that was the most important thing for him.
"What about Lord Cockshaw? The man ran away with his … cock between his legs the moment he saw Jon on the Field of Gold. What's that coward doing?" Owen Norrey joked to the enjoyment of many.
"Not much, he seems to have holed himself up in keep. I think the man had enough of war after seeing his former allies be slaughtered whilst doing nothing himself." He smiled back and all cheered. Lord Fell looked a little awkward in the back, as they laughed with his former ally, but he said nothing.
After their laughs died out, his great-uncle asked if there was any more news. "Aye, but not from the Reach. Varys has finally started talking." He turned serious, as he let that news sink in. Every man bended forward to listen to what he had to say as they all knew something important was coming.
"He has admitted the Pretender was a Blackfyre through the female line. Apparently, he is the son of Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos and his second wife Serra of House Blackfyre. The latter's father, Aemon Blackfyre, was a descendant of the youngest son of Daemon Blackfyre. She was born as a slave in Lys, after her father lost his fortunes, family and life after a rivalry against an opponent went wrong." He explained, to the shock of many.
"Incredibly, that is not the most shocking part of the Spider's revelations. It seems his real name is Vaeron, which he shortened to Varys during his time in Myr. Vaeron Blackfyre he was named. He is the brother to this Serra and uncle to the Pretender. As a eunuch, he never claimed his rights and pushed for his sister and nephew to continue the dynasty. He convinced his partner in Pentos, Illyrio, to save his sister from a pillow house in Lys and marry her. They have been scheming for decades to put her progeny on the throne of Westeros." He told the tale that he had just read.
"Everything he ever did while being spymaster was weakening Westeros so his nephew would have a chance to come back and claim the Iron Throne. He intentionally told Rhaegar's plans to replace his mad father to Aerys before Harrenhal, as he didn't want the Targaryen dynasty to strengthen. He kept Rhaegar's whereabouts hidden during the beginning of the Rebellion to sow dissent within the royalists. He fed Aerys' paranoia with tales about traitors hiding in every corner. He kept the story of Cersei's bastards from King Robert so he could use it against the dynasty when his nephew landed. He sowed dissent between everyone and the Lannisters and kept the schemes of former Targaryen loyalists hidden so they could flock to their banner when the time came. He even kept Daenerys Targaryen alive in secret, as they wanted her to marry the Pretender and unite the two sides of the dragon to further his claim."
Everybody's mouth fell open. The eunuch had been weakening Westeros from the shadows for decades. All of that to put a child on the throne that hadn't even been born when he first became spymaster for the Mad King. It was a kind of scheming even the South was not used to.
"You're telling us that we had a Blackfyre on the Small Council for over two decades?" Ser Rupert Brune called out.
"Aye, he has been deceiving everyone for years. It was always his mission to put Aegon on the throne. Every decision he ever made lead up to that point. The list of actions mentioned here is shockingly large and Lord Seaworth writes that he believes there is more." He explained, as he picked up the letter and reread some parts of it.
"He intentionally created animosity between Queen Cersei and King Robert's brothers. He did the same for my father and many others. Knowing of the … unusual preferences of both men, he convinced Robert to have Loras Tyrell squire for Renly Baratheon. He filled both their heads with stories of greatness and glory, while isolating Stannis as much as possible in court as he knew Stannis would be the real heir when everything came out. He did everything he could to fragment House Baratheon and alienate them from each other. He did nothing when Jon Arryn was murdered by his wife, nor did he save my father from the fate he knew was coming. All he wanted to do was create a time of instability and chaos, so the people would think back on the time when the dragons ruled and welcome it back when it came under his nephew."
All nobles looked at each other in shock. In his tent former Targaryen loyalists were present, as well as rebels. All looked shocked. "Are you telling us, the Rebellion might not have even happened without that eunuch?" Lord Fell exclaimed. His family had lost much and more since the Rebellion and he had recently lost even more now because he had joined the Pretender for a time because of that history.
"Difficult to say," he shrugged. "Aerys would always have been mad, but maybe Rhaegar would have managed to depose him without the Spider's interference. Maybe if he hadn't, his antics with my aunt and their whereabouts would have come to light sooner, allowing them to pacify things before my uncle Brandon arrived in King's Landing … or maybe not. We'll never know for sure." He responded honestly, looking to Jon with pity. His life could have been a lot different without this scheme in place.
Many lords started screamed, others threw their fists on the table and complete chaos broke out. Former rebel and loyalist families looked at each other in shock, thinking their families had killed and died for nothing.
They would need a lot of time to process all of this. Yet, knowing there had been an exterior puppet master pulling strings might help to mend historic rifts between some families. He would also give them the satisfaction of knowing they would meet their fate. "The order has been given that Varys and the Pretender will be questioned until Daenerys comes. The moment she sets foot on Westerosi soil, both their heads will be taken off. We will not risk the possibility of them falling into her hands and spinning tales as they see fit. However, Lord Seaworth believes there is still more information to gather and I agree."
None of the lords disagreed, which was a good sign. "What of that Pentosi Magister?" Ser Aemon Estermont asked.
"He seems to be one of the wealthiest merchants in Pentos. After the war, we will probably boycot his trade. Maybe all the kingdoms together can apply enough pressure on the Prince of Pentos to get rid of him. We'll have to see. The Pretender doesn't have any other siblings and his Blackfyre mother is long death so he at least can't start another one of these schemes." They seemed to accept that answer for now. None wanting to start another war, especially with one of the Free cities.
They talked some more amongst each other about the developments of the coming battle and their defenses against Daenerys. They were all done with dragons, be they red or black. They and their ambitions for a unified Westeros under their control would end in a few weeks on the field a few miles from here. He swore to that. None of his sons would ever have to deal with another dragon claiming anything again.
This is it for this chapter!
Daenerys Targaryen approaches and the alliance prepares for the coming battle. Robb and Davos talk about their future vision and challenges in their respective kingdoms.
The Stormlands are retaken and the Golden Company in Westeros is dealt with.
News comes about the Reach. The situation with the Ironborn and the civil war is explained.
Varys' finally confesses that (F)Aegon was a female line Blackfyre. How this story plays out is largely how I think canon will go, but we'll have to wait on GRRM's superior writing to see if I'm right or not. Hopefully you can enjoy this.
Fannic
Reviews:
- Finkarhu: You're very welcome!
- WarBerserk: Yes? It was stated in earlier chapters that Dragonstone would remain with the Baratheons in their kingdom. Jon could never have gotten it. I don't understand the negative undertone in your review, as time and time again it has been stated in Jon's character arc that he feels like he is of the North and wants to go home (e.g. CH42 & Ch51). He wants nothing more than just a Northern keep and serve under Robb. If they get there, he will serve under Robb directly not a vassal.
- Kingmanaena: Thank you!
- Raw666: Thank you so much! Dany is coming.
- MasterOfDragonsGod: You're welcome!
- Rebfan90: Thank you!
- Supremus85: That's what happens when you have multiple wars at once and other factions trying to exploit it.
- Force Smuggler: Partially yes, but it might give the North more peace in the long run. For example, by making the Night's Watch stronger that border will be better protected and the most northern houses will be safer. The influence of Houses Karstark, Umber and Mormont on Robb can't be neglected here.
- Invictus Veritas: I will look into next chapter ideas if I can fit some hammer swinging in there!
Yes, it is. I won't spoil the Dornish negotiations just yet. She does have her dragons. Everything here is based on the books, I don't see the show as canon. Her story is the same until Victarion comes to Meereen in a Dance of Dragons. After that, I continued on with my own interpretation. Her dragons are book sized, scary but not so scary as in the show. She does have a large army with her.
Glad you like the task force idea! Robb is still thinking on what he wants to do with the Westerlands and sees the task force more as an advanced vanguard more than anything else. Big decisions like a possible puppet king will have to wait on him speaking with all the captives from the Westerlands.
I'm so glad you say that! I have been planning multiple chapters after the wars have ended. I won't spoil anything, as Jon and or Robb and many others could still die. However, I have been planning multiple chapters with sometimes massive time jumps between them but was wondering if you readers would like that or it was just me unnecessarily extending my fantasy world.
- LordRhyolith: Yes, it will. As the guest review said, it's unrealistic for an entire country to import food. Only (major) cities did so in a historic context. With King's Landing gone and a lot of its population dead or fled towards the Reach or Storm Kingdom, this opens up a lot of food to be exported north to White Harbor and Barrowton if needed once things stabilize. Besides, the Riverlands would be more than enough to support a major boom in population in the North, they are the second breadbasket of Westeros. The only problem now is that it has been heavily destroyed and depopulated. Parts of that will be compensated by the refugees from King's Landing, but it will take them at least a generation to entirely recover from this. After that, major population growth in the North and Riverlands are to be expected.
The Wall was already de facto under Northern care. They have thousands of new recruits because of the wars. Small fighting between the kingdoms will become more common in the future and this will give a constant influx of recruits to the Wall like before the conquest. He now also has the resources of the Riverlands to help the Wall AND has made the Vale and Stormlands more sympathetic to its existence. House Royce growing in power, them having a lot of influence on young Harrold Arryn, them seeing to it that a lot of the treacherous nobles from the Vale get an honorable banishment to the Watch, … It will once again make the influence of the Nightswatch bigger in the Vale.
- Vandal55: Thank you! Robb will ensure peace with Dorne one way or the other.
- Imperial Stormtrooper: Yeah, their genes are insane. If you combine it with 10 years hard labor in a forge and another year training in a practice yard, you get an insanely strong young man.
- Kezz 1: Thank you so much!
- George Christian810: Won't spoil what he does, but Robb will make sure peace with Dorne is achieved.
- Vastoisshin: You get some more ironborn info here, but a possible subjugation is still a long way away. Thank you so much for the compliment!
- Flame55: Thank you!
- Muadak Khalid: Blackfyre was gifted to Robb by Lord Flint. Jon is clearly mentioned in the past chapter? He fought well and is again accepted by the Northern nobility because of that. He is seen drinking and laughing with the highest of Northern nobles of his age.
- Greatazuredragon: You're welcome, thank you for the continued support!
- Stevem1: Thank you! This sets up the stage for Daenerys coming.
- Mlkoolc86: Hope you enjoyed it.
- Iacopo Passerini: Thank you again for the review! More info on the Lannisters and Dany coming soon.
- Minatom: I answered you in PM.
- Guest: Exactly! Only White Harbor and maybe Barrowton and Wintertown will be hit by this. The food imports from the Riverlands (Westeros second largest breadbasket) will be more than enough to balance that out. Its food source will even give the North a way to grow its population, at least in the cities. You also have to include that Robb made a major trade deal with Braavos, much of White Harbor and Wintertown might be fed through trade there.