Alright, here's the next chapter for you guys. Hope everyone is staying safe.
Darkness Reborn
Chapter 11: The Growing Shadow.
Seven Ironborn reavers sat around a campfire late into the night. They had received word that Yara was on her way there. The rider who had delivered the message was half dead from an arrow wound to his chest, and he didn't live much longer after he sputtered out the message.
Now the men sat waiting, many of them openly wondering why Yara would be coming here, to this lonely stretch of beach. Nearby sat a dozen or so rowboats, and anchored just off the beach was a set of four longboats.
They were nestled northwest of Deepwood Motte, off of the eastern coast of Sea Dragon Point. These men had originally been a part of the force Yara had led to take the Motte during the opening stages of their campaign, and because of that, they were some of the finest killers on the Iron Islands. The only force that could compare would have been those with Victarion Greyjoy who went to Barrowtown and had plans to harass the forces at Moat Cailin and try to take the castle for their own.
The only reason Yara would be coming here was to sail elsewhere, but they didn't have enough ships for the force she had taken to Deepwood Motte, which was what the seven found curious.
The rider had arrived late the previous night, telling them that Yara would be coming sometime during the day. That time had passed and she was late, now the seven men could only sit around and openly wonder where the hell she was.
The sounds of men racing through the forest on horseback, brought the seven men to their feet. They all lifted their weapons and faced the forest, waiting to see who would emerge.
Soon the sight of about a hundred men burst into view, emerging from the forest on horseback. Some of the horses even carried two men. Yara led them and was quick to dismount and order her men aboard the rowboats.
The seven could immediately tell that something was wrong. These riders were ravaged. Some covered in black, oily blood. While others were missing limbs, one man had an arrow sticking out of his back, while another a small axe buried in his shoulder blade.
Yara approached the seven, her look almost feral. Blackened blood stained her face, and her eyes were wide and filled with uncertainty, and even fear. The way her head shook, and her hands trembled, plus the state of the rest of her men, it was obvious that they'd been attacked.
"Yara… who the fuck did this?" One of the men asked.
"Monsters." Yara responded as she pushed past them, one man caught the scent of her, and nearly wretched. The blood that coated her smelled of something foul, and it made his eyes water.
"Every man get on the fucking boats! They could catch up to us at any moment!" Yara shouted as she made her way to one of the rowboats.
"What the fuck happened?" The same man asked another reaver as he trudged by. This man was visibly shaking, and was holding his arm which hung limply at his side.
"Monsters… They were eating us!" He whimpered as he trudged by, his gaze locked on the seas, desperate to be free of the horrors on land.
The seven men shared glances with each other but quickly fell in line. Most of their fellows weren't even bothering to strip their gear from their horses. The only things they grabbed were food and water and then quickly ran towards the rowboats.
It was obvious, they were running away.
Less than an hour after the Ironborn had departed, orcs marched out of the forest. The horses billowed and neighed at them, fearful of the beasts that accompanied the orcs. A few caragors and wargs, growled at the horses hungrily but their riders kept them in check.
One such rider stared out over the open sea, unable to spot any Ironborn ships in the darkness. The burned out fire on the beach, alerted him that someone had been here waiting for the horsemen.
"Gather up the horses. Butcher the injured ones and let's have us a feast. Send the rest to the warchief, as my offering." The captain of the orc hunting party commanded, earning cheers from his fellows as they set to work.
Their force had just retaken Deepwood Motte and they had now broken the Ironborn's hold over this part of the North. Only Barrowtown now remained to the south. Soon these reavers would be driven out of these lands and back into the sea.
-Winterfell-
Back at Winterfell, Aegon continued his work with Benjen, showing his uncle how to transform into his werewolf form. Slowly but surely, the man was starting to understand and grasp the magics that dwelled within him. At the same time, Aegon aided Bran with his skin-changing abilities. At first Bran could only perform such magics in his sleep but with Aegon's help, he began to understand and grasp the powers that he possessed.
Aegon also suspected that Bran was a Greenseer, and could see visions of the present, the past, and possibly even the future. He was uncertain of how to hone these abilities but he made sure to make Bran aware of his powers and what was happening to him, using this as an opportunity to further endear himself to the young lord.
In their time of waiting, Aegon began to slowly work his way back into Lilith's heart. She was naturally a bit distant at first, but it was apparent that she wanted things to go back to the way they were when the two of them were young. She was receptive to his advances, which is what ultimately mattered to him. Even if it took a hundred years, so long as he was making progress, he knew he'd get what he wanted eventually.
Word finally reached Aegon after a few weeks of waiting that Robb was moving North, sneaking up to meet with him.
"So what will you do now?" Bran inquired as Aegon informed him about Robb's passage back into the North.
"I'll be heading down to Moat Cailin to meet up with him. Robb and I will then march south to take back my throne and rescue Sansa and Arya." Aegon informed him, earning a pleasant nod from the boy.
"Your mother is with Robb. I have no doubt she'll continue back up to Winterfell. It wont be long now before you see her again." Aegon offered as well, earning a further smile from the young lord.
"Will you come back to see us, when you become King?" Bran asked after a moment.
"Of course I will. I don't want you spreading this around, but you are my favorite brother." Aegon replied, whispering that last part to him, earning a playful laugh from Bran.
Bran was quick to offer him a hug, which Aegon returned. Not long after, he departed, eager to begin moving south and continue his conquest.
Aegon quickly made preparations to head for Moat Cailin and await his cousin's arrival. In the time since the message was sent, Aegon kept an eye on the conflict in the west. Around the time that Robb's reply reached him, word was sent back that Aegon's forces had begun repelling attacks from the Ironborn, and had retaken Deepwood Motte.
Aegon had placed a skilled orc warchief in charge of the counterattack and given him specific orders to try and capture the longboats of the Ironborn, wherever possible. Adding those ships to their arsenal would help immensely when the time came to lay siege to the South.
So with those orders in mind, hit and run tactics became the norm for Aegon's forces. They would often sneak into Ironborn camps or captured villages, chain the longboats together, or even steal them, while the Ironborn were raiding, pillaging, or celebrating, and then they would attack the Ironborn Reavers.
With Deepwood Motte retaken, now it was time to turn their attention towards the largest Ironborn force, which had attacked Barrowtown, and was harassing Moat Cailin.
With the Ironborn situation being dealt with, Aegon and Lilith departed Winterfell and marched the majority of their forces south. Aegon brought Theon with him, as well as Ramsay Snow, to allow the man to continue the ruse of earning Theon's confidence. The goal was to learn from Theon secrets about Pyke, garrisons, pathways, anything he may have seen that could be useful when they turned their attention onto the Ironborn.
Benjen, Maester Aemon, and Tormund Giantsbane accompanied Aegon and Lilith, along with their army, to Moat Cailin. Aegon had left behind an Oleg Warchief as commander of his forces at Winterfell to help Bran secure the peace and keep the castle safe.
The two dark lords settled into their position at the Moat as their army made camp just north of the rebuilt fortress.
What had once been a ruined collection of towers that were slowly sinking into the muck, had been long restored to it's former glory. The castle was commanded by servants of the Lord of Gifts, and had been commanded by a rumored mystic by the name of Titus Hughes. Hughes was a descendant of a long line of Valyrian slaves, taken from Valyria years ago, and installed as servants to the Lords of Darkness. The ones at Moat Cailin had interbred with Northerners and many had long since lost the familial traits of their ancestors.
Titus was nearly fifty years of age, and was one of the very few to still hold some of the traits of his ancestors, having tanned olive skin, small dark eyes, and oily black hair. He was tall, and lithe, his features very sharp, and angular. He held himself with a rigid and stern demeanor, like that of a soldier, and was quite sharp witted. He was also very blunt, and never tended to drift far from the point of conversation. He had been taught in the ways of magic by his father, and his father's father. Both of whom had learned magic from Annatar's servants, and Annatar himself.
His family had always served as castellan of the Moat in Annatar's absence, and on occasion would be seen at court, in Winterfell, there representing Annatar and his desires. Rumor had it that Annatar had long since disappeared or even that he'd died sometime during Robert's Rebellion. According to those in King's Landing the sorcerer had simply vanished after the Starks had been murdered, but he hadn't been seen since then. So no one really knew for sure.
He was very quick to surrender the castle to the devices of its true master, all it took was a flashing of familiar emerald eyes for Titus to know exactly who it was beneath the face of Aegon Targaryen.
Once at the castle, the two settled into waiting, and Aegon took the opportunity to approach Lilith and continue working on repairing their relationship.
He found her standing atop one of the towers, staring out over the marshlands to the south.
"What do you see?" Aegon inquired as he stepped up next to her.
"They say the Children of the Forest brought down the Hammer of Waters to make these lands. I sense that there may be some validity to those stories. There is very old magic here. Imbued into the land like a great scar. It makes me wonder how such powerful beings could have lost to the race of men?" Lilith responded.
"Numbers. Weak will. Perhaps the cost of their magic was too great?" Aegon speculated.
"Perhaps they dealt with powers beyond their control. I guess that would be a fair assessment." Lilith hummed in response, her gaze still peering over the swamp lands to the south.
Aegon was silent for a moment has he stared at her, his gaze passing over her shrouded frame. The blackness of her gown made her pale flesh stand out. Her raven black locks, did much the same for her face, emphasizing her eyes and the red of her lips. Dark and mysterious, she appeared. A powerful allure that drew all eyes to her. Men and women couldn't help but stare at her, which is why she often kept to herself.
It was hard to believe, given her power, but she was such a shy thing. Delicate even, in a way.
It was a moment before he realized that she was staring back at him, her gaze no longer heavy, instead now filled with amusement, and that subtle yet potent charm, that always managed to melt his icy heart.
"Admiring me, baby brother?" Lilith inquired.
"What's not to admire my dark lady? A beauty like yourself should be admired, placed onto a pedestal for all to adore." Aegon replied, reaching out to her and gently caressing her face, as she smiled.
"Flatterer." Lilith hummed with amusement, earning a chuckle from Aegon.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Aegon stated.
"It's not a bad thing, though people only heap flattery onto others when they want something." Lilith noted.
"And what could I possibly want?" Aegon inquired as one of his hands found a resting place on her hips and he drew her in closer.
"I know how your mind works, and I see the way you look at me. Those lecherous, lust filled eyes." Lilith growled in reply as her hands found their way to his chest, her fingers dancing across the cloth, across his pectorals and up to his collar bone.
"Would you have me look at you some other way?" Aegon inquired, leaning close to her.
"No." Lilith whispered in response as she closed the gap and kissed him.
The two held one another as their lips connected, Lilith herself pulling Aegon tightly against her as Aegon's hands circled around her hips and found rest on the small of her back.
The two continued to kiss, ignoring the world around them as their kisses grew more lustful and passionate.
Smirking internally, Aegon's hands drifted lower, sliding across Lilith's butt, causing her to suck in a breath as she pulled her lips from his. The two locked eyes, Aegon smirking as he continued to fondle her, while Lilith stared back her emerald eyes beginning to burn a fiery orange.
She let out a sensual growl as her hand slid into his hair and pulled him into a forceful and rough kiss.
The kiss grew deeper as their tongues began to intertwine, they would of continued, when suddenly Lilith pulled away, the sound of a door opening in the room below them alerting her that someone was approaching.
Aegon released her from his grip though never took his eyes off of her, as an orc warcheif climbed the steps to the top of the tower and dropped to a knee.
"My lady, an army approaches from the south. Their sigil a white sun on a black field." The warchief offered.
"House Karstark." Aegon noted as he turned his gaze back to the swamps of the south. He couldn't yet see the army approaching until he focused his vision, his gaze extending into the swamps, pushing through the bogs and the trees and coming upon the figures closing in on them.
"I though your cousin wasn't taking the King's Road." Lilith stated, her head titling with curiosity.
"He wasn't. His letter said that he was sneaking back into the North. I have no idea why, but maybe the Karstarks will have an answer. Shall we go and greet them?" Aegon inquired.
"We shall." Lilith replied.
Lilith and Aegon were quick to mount some horses and wait a dozen or so yards before the entrance into Moat Cailin. They were joined by Titus, Benjen Stark, and a handful of loyal men, including Tormund and some of his wildlings, as well as Ramsay Snow who had been informed that his father traveled with Robb Stark and would meet with them at Moat Cailin.
They were expecting to see the sigil of the Stark Direwolf amongst the column of cavalrymen as it approached, but instead all they saw was a continuous line of Karstarks.
"Looks like Karstark is taking his whole army home." Ramsay noted aloud, earning a nod of agreement from Benjen.
"Why though?" Aegon asked aloud, noting that there must have been over three thousand men in the column and almost all of them were mounted soldiers. Three thousand mounted men was a powerful force. Sending it north was a waste of resources, so why would Robb do it?
"We shall see very soon, your grace." Titus stated, as the Karstark men closed the distance. A horn was quick to sound, drawing the column to a halt.
"Lord Hughes… let us pass. We are returning to the North." The head of the column spoke. He was an unassuming man, older then most, with a hard gaze and a stout appearance.
"Where is your lord? I do not see Rickard Karstark amongst you?" Titus asked.
"Lord Rickard is dead. Murdered by Robb Stark." The man spat in reply.
"Murdered you say? Why?" Titus inquired, his gaze calm, and focused, his dark eyes seemingly passing straight through the horseman, and causing him to shift nervously.
"Our lord sought to avenge the deaths of his sons who were murdered by the Lannisters. He repaid them by killing two of Kevin Lannister's sons." The man replied.
"In battle?" Titus pressed, causing the man's gaze to harden.
"We went south to kill Lannisters and that's what lord Rickard did. Those boys didn't deserve the air they breathed." The commander spat in reply.
"And now your lord is calling you home? What of your oaths to the Starks? What of your allegiance to Robb Stark?" Titus inquired.
His reply was for the commander to spit into the mud.
"Piss on house Stark. Robb Stark murdered our lord, and let his traitor mother go unpunished." The commander hissed.
"So you're deserters is what I'm hearing." Lilith spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"Is it desertion to walk away from a man who murders your lord?" The Commander spat at her, earning a dark glare from Aegon in response for his tone.
"It is when that lord committed treason by murdering prisoners that weren't his to kill. Your lord committed treason and died for it. At the hands of his king, no less. Now you've abandoned your king. I believe they call that desertion, and for the Lord Karstark, that would make him also guilty of treason." Lilith commented as a dark smirk spread across her face.
"Who are you to open your mouth you stupid cunt? You know not of what you speak!" The commander hissed out, his hand falling to his sword.
"Titus, send a raven to Winterfell. Command Warchief Barun to amass a small army and march them to Karhold. Harald Karstark is commanded to answer for crimes of treason against his king and his lord." Aegon commanded, earning a nod from Titus.
"Who are you to declare such a thing?" The commander growled out, spitting as he did.
"I am Aegon of houses Targaryen and Stark. For your words against my bride, and your desertion of my cousin's army, I am going to kill you." Aegon answered, laying bare his own fury. No one spoke of his beloved sister like that. This fool would die for speaking in such a way.
Aegon dismounted his horse and drew his sword.
"You really want to do this boy? I've been fighting in battles since before you dropped out of your mother's cunt!" The commander demanded as he dismounted his horse as well and began to approach him.
As he approached, Aegon tossed his sword into the soil and continued forward, earning a confused look from his opponent, as well as Benjen, Tormund, and Ramsay.
Aegon let out a bestial growl and before the eyes of his newest subordinates as well as his opponents his body rapidly began to alter. His clothes vanished in an instant and for less than half the blink of an eye he was unchanged, only for his flesh to suddenly turn black as a coat of fur matching his hair color covered him from head to toe. His limbs elongated, his face morphed, within three seconds, his transformation was complete, and there, standing before them, was the towering form of a wolf-like creature.
Aegon balanced on his hind legs and towered over the Karstark soldier, even lowered slightly in a partial squat, the Karstark commander barely reached the bottom of the beast's chest.
"What the fuck?" Tormund muttered.
"The power of the Stark blood." Benjen stated, mesmerized by the sight of the fearsome wolf.
"Power of the Stark blood..." Ramsay whispered in awe of the towering wolf-beast.
The Karstark soldier let out a roar of fear and rage and struck out with his sword.
Faster than the eye could easily follow, Aegon back handed his opponent's strike sending his sword flying out of his hands, where it landed in the muck of the marsh, nearly forty feet away. Aegon followed his strike up by driving his clawed hand into the man's stomach.
An ear splitting shriek of agony tore through the air as Aegon lifted him up and drove his other clawed hand into his stomach as well.
Slowly, Aegon lifted the screaming man above his head, and then with a roar of rage, pulled the man in two.
A roar of vicious glee rose up from the walls of Moat Cailin as the orcs and men upon it cheered for their dark master.
Blood and guts poured down onto Aegon's wolfish body as he tossed both halves of the man into the muck and turned his gaze towards the horsemen.
"You men are guilty of desertion. Surrender now, and swear fealty to house Stark once more, and you will be allowed to receive the judgment of Robb Stark. Any man who does not, will receive King Aegon's fury." Lilith stated, her voice seemingly carrying out across the entire column of three thousand.
Most in the back hadn't even seen what had happened, but those in the front were already trying to escape, or were simply trying to stay on their horses as the beasts lost their minds in the presence of a super-predator, like a werewolf.
A whistle passed out from Titus' lips and the gates behind them began to open.
"Any man who surrenders is to be spared, otherwise, deliver your lords' justice." Titus commanded as a company of men began to emerge armed with spears, tower shields, and bows.
"Midir, please make sure they don't try running." Lilith stated, again her voice was calm, and rather peaceful, yet it pierced the air, and in response, a deafening roar shook the earth as Midir fell from the clouds and took aim at the rear of the column.
Within moments the swamp lands, and the only road through the marsh vanished in a wall of flame, preventing the horsemen from escaping.
The sight of such a massive beast, broke the entire force almost instantly. Men dove off of their horses and into the swamp on either side of the rode and began swimming or trudging to safety.
"Seems we're fighting today." Lilith hummed as she dismounted and began walking towards the panicking horsemen.
Benjen, Tormund, and Ramsay stared after her, very interested in seeing what this average sized woman, was planning on doing. All of them suspected some sort of powerful magic, given her reputation, they were not expecting for her form to erupt into a pillar of fire. From those flames emerged a towering armored knight that stood even taller than Aegon did while on his haunches.
Taking hold of her smoking obsidian greatsword, the fiery knight began to advance on the men, Aegon stalking by her side.
The two were quickly joined by another fiery explosion, as the towering form of Gothmog, fell from the sky and landed behind them. The cloudy sky seemed to darken as the three monstrous titans stalked forward. Before reaching the Karstarck men, Gothmog's form changed, becoming far more draconic and monstrous.
Screams of terror tore out from the column as the three began their attack. Gothmog leaped high into the air, landing somewhere amongst the center of the column and lashing out with a flaming whip that incinerate a half-dozen men.
Aegon and Lilith quickly descended on the closest soldiers, tearing into them while ignoring all those that threw down their arms or cowered at their feet.
Within moments, orcs and men were swarming out of Moat Cailin to capture or kill the Karstark men.
Benjen, Tormund, and Ramsay were quick to join the fighting, cutting down the deserters who refused to surrender.
Most of their foes put up very little fight, with Aegon, Lilith, and Gothmog leading the charge, followed soon after by the Iron Titan, The Witch King, and the Nazgûl, the Karstark cavalry broke near instantly.
Most men fell from the main road and dove into the swamp, risking their lives at the hands of lizard lions, and all other manner of beasts that lived in the marsh, over the vicious orcs, or the monstrous lords of darkness.
By the time the fighting was over, less than an hour had passed, and nearly half of the Karstark men had been killed. Of the remaining half, a third who were injured in the fighting were immediately put to death, as they had fought against them, the rest were brought into Moat Cailin and set in the largest courtyard while makeshift pens could be built for them.
"Please, I don't want to die." A Karstark man muttered as Ramsay and a few of his own men tossed him into the crowd of others.
"You should have thought about that before you decided to abandon your king." Ramsay replied, almost like a parent, disciplining a troublesome child.
"That was the bloodiest fight I've ever seen." One of Ramsay's men noted, earning a nod of agreement from Ramsay as he began to wipe the blood and grime off of his sword.
"Was the most one sided fight I've seen." Ramsay corrected, earning a dark chuckle from his compatriot.
"You believe any of this shit?" The man inquired, drawing Ramsay's attention to him.
"I never used to. Never believed in magic. I always thought it was a bunch of cow shit, old women fed to their children to keep them in line. Let's just say recent events have changed my outlook." Ramsay responded earning another chuckle from his comrade.
A roar was heard, drawing both men's attention. They both spotted King Aegon, still in wolf form, dragging a cowering man by his leg and tossing him into the group of prisoners.
Blood and awful matted his fur, as well as a spear, emerged from his back, pinned deeply into the flesh.
"My king..." Maester Aemon slowly approached Aegon.
Aegon turned his gaze to his kinsmen his wolfish features softening at the sight of him.
"Your grace, you're hurt." Aemon noted, gesturing towards the spear.
Aegon let out a growl and shifted, presenting the spear to Aemon. The Maester quickly grabbed the pole-arm and pulled it free, earning a growl from Aegon in response. Aemon immediately dropped the spear and ran his hand over the area of the injury, attempting to part the fur enough to see it. He just barely managed to find it by the time it healed over, leaving little more than a small bald patch in the fur.
Aemon took a step back, amazement filling his gaze, as Aegon began to return to human form.
His clothes immediately reformed around his body once he was human sized again, and his fur covered flesh was replaced by his pale northern skin.
Blood and grime remained on his body, though much of it was now covered by his clothes. Aegon let out a grunt of annoyance and rotated his shoulders before turning towards Maester Aemon.
"Thank you Maester Aemon. Could you please check on any of the injured men, help out Maester Brenn?" Aegon inquired, gesturing toward Moat Cailin's own Maester who was already tending to some of the injured humans. He earned a tentative nod from his grand-uncle, whom was still a bit worried for Aegon's health despite seeing the wound heal over almost instantly.
"My King, what shall we do with the bodies?" Titus inquired, stepping up next to him.
"I plan on moving south very soon Titus. Keep your experiments a secret from the northerners until I leave, afterwards you may do as you please with them." Aegon replied, knowing full well that Titus, much like his father and grandfather had dabbled in the blackest of magics. Aegon encouraged their sorcery but he didn't need it to be the focal point of an argument between him and Robb, at least not right now, so best to keep it a secret until they left.
Sitting on a bench not far off, gazing up at the clouds was Lilith. She seemed relatively relaxed, having had her fill of fighting in dealing with the deserting Karstarks. Aegon slowly approached her, though he did not sit next to her, not wanting to dirty her with the filth that covered his body.
"You stink." Lilith noted still eyeing the clouds.
"Battle will do that." Aegon responded with a snort of amusement.
"Then go wash up and maybe we can continue from where we left off." Lilith stated, slowly lowering her gaze as a smirk crept across her lips.
Aegon smirked in response and let out a laugh, turning to do just that.
-With Robb-
Robb and his company had just arrived on the Causeway, the part of the King's Road that ran through the Neck. They had to partially pass through some swampland in order to sneak past the twins and avoid the Kartstarks heading home. Luckily Robb had managed to contact Howland Reed and the Crannogmen to assist them through the swamp, keeping casualties to only a handful who wandered off in the wrong direction.
They had planned to push all the way through the neck with the Crannogmen leading them, but halfway through their journey they received word from Greywater Watch, that informed them that the Karstarks had already gone by, and were most likely past Moat Cailin by now.
Hearing that Howland Reed suggested to Robb that they return to the King's Road and just continue north. If the Karstarks were past Moat Cailin then there was no reason to fear running into the back of them, since Robb only intended to go so far as Moat Cailin.
It was while they were traveling to the King's Road that Greatjon Umber had let slip to Howland Reed what they had heard about Jon, and his possible Targaryen heritage.
Now, safely on the King's Road, Lord Reed decided it was time to speak with Robb about the truth that he knew.
Robb, Jeyne, Catelyn, and Edmure all stood in Robb's tent staring curiously at the small lord of Greywater Watch. The Reeds and the Starks had long been friends so Robb was more than happy to set aside some time to allow his father's friend to speak to him.
"Your grace… I've heard whispers during our travels, whispers of what may be waiting for us, at Moat Cailin. These whispers have led me to believe you may be seeking answers to a truth, a very specific truth that only two people in the world held." Howland Reed began.
Robb was confused as he stared at Lord Reed, he knew what he was referring to but he didn't understand what he was getting at. What could Howland Reed have to say in regards to the secret surrounding Jon's heritage? His father had never told anyone, not even his own wife, so why would he have told Lord Reed unless…
"You were there…?" Robb realized after a moment. It suddenly clicked in his mind, one of the stories he had heard about his father's adventures during the Rebellion. Howland Reed had been at the Tower of Joy where Ned Stark had found Lyanna Stark.
He had been so focused on making it to Jon that he had almost completely forgotten about that.
"I was your grace. I was with your father when he went to retrieve his sister. I was there when he defeated Ser Arthur Dayne. And I was with him when he found your aunt. I wasn't in the room when she was still alive, but I know what came out of it. Your lord father swore me to secrecy, and I've held that secret for all these years, telling no one, not even my own family." Howland Reed explained.
"But you know the truth? Jon really is Aunt Lyanna's son?" Robb pressed him.
"He is, your grace. And I believe the King's Guard who were present at the Tower to protect her, confirm two thing. That the babe was Prince Rhaegar's, and that the two must have been married. That is the only reason I suspect, the King's Guard would have remained and not gone with the Prince to fight with him at the Trident." Howland responded.
Robb was silent for a moment as he collected his thoughts, his eyes drifted to his wife, then his mother, and then his uncle, before returning to Howland.
"Lord Reed, you and your family have long been friends of House Stark. Your loyalty to my father was admirable and you did him a great honor in holding onto this secret even after his passing. I understand why you chose to tell me the truth here and now, to offer validity to Jon's claim. For his sake, I free you from the oath of secrecy my father placed on you. I will offer my support to your good word, and I'd ask that you offer your voice to my brother's claim when he marches south. Let no man doubt the truth of his words, when supported by one of the men who was there." Robb declared earning a firm nod from Howland.
With confirmation to their questions, Robb hastened his advance through the Causeway and in a short time his forces began to approach Moat Cailin, leaving the thick dense Swamp and passing through the wide open marshlands that made advance through the final stretch into the North, that much more deadly as on the open lands, one could see for a miles, no army could advance through the muck without being spotted by scouts from Moat Cailin, and due to the muck of these marshes, no army was going to be moving very fast, unless they utilized the Causeway which was heavily guarded.
As they closed in on Moat Cailin an unnerving sight, halted their advance. Along the Causeway for as far as they could see, set up every fifty yards or so, a corpse marked the pathway. These bodies were placed upon stakes which ran through their entire bodies, passing out at the shoulder, or even out of the mouths. These corpses were stripped down to their small clothes, and the word 'deserter' was carved into their chests.
What made this sight more ghastly was the small contingent of beastly creatures they found setting it up.
Robb and his company had come to a halt before a troop of roughly fifty orcs, led by an Oleg. The towering beast caused most of Robb's followers to stare dumbfounded at it.
"I think the messenger might have been telling the truth." Edmure noted, his eyes passing from the Oleg to the vicious orcs.
"Who are these lot, more deserters?" One of the orcs inquired with a vicious and bloodthirsty grin.
"Stand down you maggots! See the flag they're waving? These are the ones we were told about." The Oleg barked out, pushing the orc aside and stepping before Robb.
Robb's eyes were laser focused onto the Oleg, who stood almost eye level with Robb who was on horseback.
"King Robb Stark. Welcome to Moat Cailin. King Aegon said we should expect your arrival." The Oleg offered a half-bow.
"I see. Who are these men?" Robb asked, his eyes never leaving the Oleg.
"Deserters from your army. Ka… Kor… I don't remember their names." The Oleg replied with a shrug.
"The were Karstark men?" Catelyn asked, her eyes drifted from the staked corpses to a nearby cart the orcs were pulling down the road. In the back of it, stacked high were dozens of long wooden stakes and corpses.
"Yeah. They came and insulted the Dark Lady. So we killed them. Some of em at least." The Oleg offered with another shrug, and a scratch of his head.
"We'll be heading along to Moat Cailin now. You men, eh… you… keep up the good work." Robb stated, not knowing what else to say to the creatures.
"Will do. Hey! You heard the man get back to work!" The Oleg quickly turned around and ordered the surrounding orcs. He even booted one in the chest sending it careening off the Causeway and into the mucky waters. The orc was quick to resurface and scramble out of the waters as a nearby mound began to move revealing a Lion lizard.
Robb and his forces continued onward while the orcs laughed at their comrade.
Most of those present traveled the road in stunned silence as Moat Cailin began to come into view.
"The Karstarks had over three thousand men on horseback." Edmure whispered to Robb.
"And I don't think it did them any good." Robb replied as they passed over a massive patch of blackened ground. The earth beneath their horse's hooves began to crack, glancing down they could see that this swath of land had been torched by an incredible heat. A heat so intense that it melted the top layer of dirt into blackened glass.
'Dragons' Robb thought to himself as he continued onward, his mother, uncle, and wife by his side. Trotting along with them was Greywind who quickly darted ahead when he spotted something big, furry, and white standing on the road ahead of them.
Despite the unnerving scene of bodies, Robb couldn't help but grin as they closed in on what Greywind had run off to, and found that it was Ghost. Both Direwolves nuzzled and growled at each other, both their tails wagging excessively as they let out whimpers.
"You still remember your brother, don't you Greywind." Robb stated as the two wolves separated from one another and Greywind glanced back at his master.
He then turned back to Ghost, who quickly turned around and raced back towards Moat Cailin. Greywind was quick to follow after his brother, while Robb's company continued at pace.
The gates to Moat Cailin were quick to swing open as Robb and company approached, and they were immediately greeted by Titus Hughes.
"Your grace, welcome back." Titus offered as Robb and his company road in and began to dismount.
Their eyes were quick to spread out to the various orcs, uruks, olegs, caragors, wargs, and spiders that moved about the courtyard and upon the walls. The more they saw the more accurate the messenger's words seemed to be.
"Lord Hughes, it's good to see you again." Robb greeted his bannerman as he dismounted and then aided his wife in doing the same.
Robb's family were quick to join him, as did Jeyne's mother, who had come with her on her journey with Robb.
"Come inside, I'm sure your men are tired from their long journey. I've sent someone to awaken King Aegon, I'm sure he'll be ready to meet you in short order." Titus offered, earning a curious look from Robb.
"It's not like him to be in bed this late." Robb noted as he and the others approached Titus.
"I cannot speak on his behalf, but I suspect he may have spent some time with his intended last night." Titus responded, still as stoic as ever, though his response earned a wolfish smile from Robb, who couldn't help but chuckle.
"Lord Hughes." Roose Bolton offered as he approached the group alongside Greatjon Umber.
"Lord Bolton, Lord Umber." Titus replied offering a polite greeting to the two. "Lord Bolton, your son is here, I wasn't sure if you were aware."
"Ramsay is here?" Roose responded, with a look of surprise.
"Yes, by my understanding he joined forces with King Aegon to retake Winterfell, and he journeyed south at King Aegon's request. I believe he's left Prince Theon in your son's capable hands." Titus informed them. Roose was quiet for a moment but offered a nod of acknowledgment and thanks.
"Theon is here as well?" Robb asked, sharing a glance with his mother as he did.
"Yes, your grace. He's currently in the dungeons, held there at King Aegon's request. We've also built a pen to house the remainder of the Karstark deserters. I believe King Aegon planned on offering them to you for judgment." Titus responded, earning a focused nod from Robb.
"Go on you two, I see him." Robb heard a familiar voice state. He turned his gaze towards the main keep of the Moat, to see Jon approaching him, by his side Ghost and Greywind, it was obvious that Ghost had led his brother to go find Jon and now both wolves were leading him back to Robb.
The intelligence of Direwolves was something that would always amaze him.
Robb couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he marched towards his brother.
Aegon smiled in response and met Robb in an embrace.
The two held themselves locked in a powerful hug for several long moments before separating.
"You look well Stark." Aegon offered.
"I expected your hair to be a bit lighter, your eyes to be a bit more violet. Must say I'm disappointed." Robb replied, earning a momentary look of surprise from Aegon before he let out a laugh.
"I didn't expect it to be a secret for long, but I must say I'm surprised you've heard about that." Aegon stated.
"The messenger you sent told me about a few rumors he'd heard around Winterfell, and on my way here, Howland Reed confirmed it. You remember the stories we use to hear about father's adventures, and how he was there at the Tower of Joy." Robb replied earning a nod of understanding from Aegon.
"Come, inside and out of this damp air. We've got a lot to discuss." Aegon offered, earning a nod of agreement from Robb.
The party quickly made their way to the great hall of Moat Cailin, where Robb, his mother, uncle, and wife, along with the various lords that had come with him including Greatjon Umber, Howland Reed, and Roose Bolton all gathered as well.
They all sat around one of the long tables in the hall, settling in for what would most likely be a long discussion.
"Where to start?" Aegon mused as everyone was seated.
"You may as well start at the beginning. Where did you learn the truth? What's this about you conquering the lands beyond the Wall and the Gift? What about this army of yours? All of it." Robb answered.
"Alright, well to start, I went to the Wall and decided to go exploring beyond it. I came across an orc hunting party, those creatures out there, some of them are called orcs, they make up the bulk of Lilith's followers. These orcs took me to the Lands of Always Winter, deep in the Far North. There I met their ruler, a mighty sorceress by the name of Lilith. We talked, she told me I had dragon's blood and wolf's blood. Even used her magic to show me a vision of my past, my birth. That's how I knew the truth. She had plans to invade Westoros but after learning the truth and seeing her army, I knew we couldn't beat her, so I decided to try and make her an offer. If I really was the crown prince of the Targaryen dynasty, then I would help her take Westoros. I would marry her, make her my queen and use my name to legitimize her conquest. In return she would allow me to handle the war as I saw fit, which made it possible for me to keep my family from being destroyed." Aegon began to explain.
"The messenger said you had fifty thousand men, or orcs." The Greatjon noted.
"Closer to eighty thousand actually, is my total force in the North. Though that includes the thousands I sent to repel the Ironborn, and the thousands I left to garrison Winterfell and help Bran restore the peace. Thousands more are on the Wall, and tens of thousands reside beyond it. Lilith has been preparing for this conquest for centuries. According to her she was alive during the Doom of Valyria, and has been building her army for at least that long. The forces I lead now, are just the vanguard." Aegon responded causing the room to go dead silent.
Maybe sixty or seventy thousand in this army alone, and it was only the vanguard of the true host. Such an army was near impossible to fathom. A force possibly over two-hundred thousand, or even far more. If he was telling the truth, then many could understand why he had doubted their chances in such a war.
"The boys are there though… they're in Winterfell and they're alright?" Catelyn asked, that being the issue she was more concerned with.
"Yes Lady Stark. Bran and Rickon are alright. They were kept safe by Osha and Hodor. Bran's back in his seat as Lord of Winterfell, and as a bonus, Lilith healed his legs. He's walking again." Aegon replied.
Catelyn let out a joyful sob at hearing that. Bran, up and walking again, even with his survival she had never hoped for such a thing.
"You asked her to help him, didn't you?" Robb inquired to his brother.
"I asked, but it was actually Uncle Benjen who asked if it could be done." Aegon replied earning a nod and a happy smile from Robb.
"Is Uncle Benjen here?" Robb asked.
"Yes. When I took command of Lilith's army I led them against the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder. I smashed the Wildlings against the Wall just as they were slipping past it. They swore their allegiance to me, bent the knee, and in return I gave them the Gift and the New Gift. Once I took the Wall I dispatched my forces to each of the castles on it, to repair them and refortify it. With the Far North under my command, and now the Wall and the Gift, the Night's Watch was no longer needed. I made them all an offer, to bend the knee and swear allegiance to me, and I'd absolve them of their oaths, and pardon them of their crimes. Uncle Benjen bent the knee and I did as I promised. He's now a free man, and serves as one of my advisers. I have no idea where he's run off to though. I sent someone to look for him and tell him you were here, but he might have gone out hunting." Aegon responded.
"So after you took the Wall you marched your army down to Winterfell and met with my son, and you retook Winterfell." Roose Bolton surmised.
"Yes Lord Bolton. Your son is quite the impressive fighter, and he's done well gathering information from Theon. I asked Ramsay to handle Theon's interrogation to gather information for my eventual conquests of the Iron Islands. He's got Theon convinced he's Ironborn as well, and is working on a way to help him escape." Aegon replied.
"I would have executed Theon immediately for his crimes, but you were wise to question him instead. Something there made him turn against us. Made him betray us. Maybe he saw what military might the Ironborn had and thought they could succeed. I don't know. I guess the only way we will know, is by getting the answer from him directly." Robb noted let out an angry sigh as he did.
"I was tempted to kill him. I executed the rest of the Ironborn that were with him, but I knew he was more valuable alive. He's Balon Greyjoy's only son and heir. Even if we never intend to release him, simply having him may serve as a useful bargaining chip when the time comes to deal with Balon. Even if it's only to stall the Greyjoy king while we set-up his downfall." Aegon stated, earning a nod of agreement from Robb.
"You're right, as much as I want him dead. He's valuable so long as Balon Greyjoy lives. I don't intend for him to see the light of day ever again though." Robb replied.
"He wont. You can count on that." Aegon agreed.
"So… you're goal is to retake the Iron Throne, but first you need the North." Robb finally directed the conversation towards the most sensitive of subjects.
"Lilith wants the world and she has the power, the drive, and the ambition to seize it. I think I can convince her to forget about the North until after the Iron Throne is taken, but eventually she'll want it added to our kingdom. In that regard there are two ways we can go about it that don't involve fighting. The first is that I convince you to bend the knee to me, I name you Warden in the North, and we march south together and go rescue Sansa and Arya and avenge our father. The second idea is that we agree to wed our children together. My children with Lilith, yours with your wife, and the kingdoms rejoin, and the seven are made seven. By that point in time, you and I will be old men, and well Lilith gets what she wants, because she'll still be young and youthful, as she claims to not age. Lilith wants to rule the world, titles don't matter to her. So as long as she holds some form of dominion over the lands, it doesn't matter what she's called. So either we handle this now, or we handle it later, but those are our two options to avoid a war in the North. I'd like to think she has affection for me, Robb, but I also know she'll outlive me, so even if I can convince her to allow the North to be independent, that agreement ends upon my death. At that point she'll have her own army, and the other kingdoms and no reason not to attack the North to get what she wants. So… that's where we stand." Aegon explained, again spreading silence throughout the room.
Robb leaned forward and thought on Aegon's explanation.
An immortal sorceress who wanted to conquer the world. She had a huge army, filled with monsters, beasts, and dragons. That was a great threat, and one that the North couldn't face alone. Fighting wasn't an option, not in their current state, hell not even at full strength. Jon's army alone was enough to overwhelm the North, but it was only a small portion of the total. No, fighting was not going to work. They'd lose, if it came to that.
And despite Jon's worry, this Lilith couldn't be all bad if she was willing to heal Bran's legs. There was a debt owed there, one that needed to be repaid, and while Bran alone wasn't worth a kingdom, the act of healing him, did help to settle the mind in regards to the woman herself. When King Torrhen Stark had knelt to Aegon three centuries ago, he had done so to an unknown. All the northerners knew about Aegon Targaryen was that he was a conqueror, he had dragons, and he wasn't afraid to use them.
The scorched earth along the road added to the belief that there were dragons in this army, and they would use them.
"Do you truly believe she could take Westoros with her army?" Robb asked.
"I do. I saw her kingdom in the Lands of Always Winter. A massive fortress that puts even the likes of the legendary Harrenhal to shame. A single Great Dragon she sent south with us, but she has half a dozen more waiting in that place, and each one of them is as large as Balerion the Black Dread. She has massive fire spirits serving her, giants, the beasts you've seen, even the dead seem to bend to her will. The flesh and blood of her army is enough to conquer Westoros, the raw power of her magic, goes far beyond that." Aegon responded with a heavy sigh, earning a quiet nod from Robb.
"Than it would seem you made a wise choice in allying with her." Robb noted after a few moments.
"I didn't want to see her armies wash across the North and destroy everything that I love." Aegon admitted.
"A wise king knows when he must fight for his people, and when he must kneel for them. Before I make my decisions, there are two things I need to see. One is the army you've brought with you, and the other is the woman herself. If she is to be your queen, then I would know the other half to which I kneel." Robb stated, earning a nod of understanding from Aegon.
"Well, luckily both can happen here. Allow me to show you the army I've gathered." Aegon replied.
From there the group left the great hall and moved through the castle towards the northern walls. They spotted quite the amalgamation of various creatures, just passing through the castle. Orc, uruks, spiders, wargs, caragors, olegs, wildlings, men, all united under this dark queen. They even passed by the makeshift pens that held the Karstark men, many of whom, upon spotting Robb either began to call out to him, begging for mercy or they began to cower, sensing their imminent executions.
Robb sent a stern but pitying glance towards these men, regardless of their actions, they were still northerners, and to see them so frightened and shaken after one battle, the terror of this army must have been otherworldly if it could leave hardened soldiers so broken.
The group eventually climbed atop the northernmost wall, and took in a sight that had been obscured to their vision upon the Causeway. There before them was a sea of tents and makeshift structures. Tens of thousands of orc, uruks, and olegs busied themselves with work.
Robb stared out over the army, his wife by his side. The young lady could only gasp at the size of the massive force. Edmure Tully had to lean on the edge of the wall to steady himself at the sight of the massive force.
"By the gods, fuck." The Greatjon muttered in disbelief.
"My Queen." Aegon noted, nodding his head towards an awe-inspiring sight. High in the sky, descending towards the castle was Midir.
Startled gasps, emerged from Robb's group as the titanic beast, slowed it's descent and landed with a loud boom, just outside the eastern edge of the castle. From their position they could see a small dark figure stepping off the dragon's back and strolling across it's thick leathery wing which was arched in such a way as to allow her to stroll across it right onto the wall.
"Shall we go and meet her?" Robb suggested turning his gaze to Aegon, after taking a moment to recover from the sight of the dragon.
"She's already here." Aegon replied.
Robb turned his gaze back and nearly let out a cry of fright, as the dark lady was now standing several feet from them, rather than across the castle.
He blinked several times as he tried to regain his bearings.
"How the fuck did you do that?" Greatjon muttered disbelief.
"Would saying 'magic' be sufficient enough?" Lilith inquired in response.
"Fuck..." The Greatjon muttered, obviously unnerved by what he'd just seen.
"King Robb, it's nice to finally meet you. I am Morgoth, High Lord of Tantibus Arcis, Queen of the Far North and the Land of Always Winter, Queen of Fire, Shadow, and Winter. You may address me as Lilith." Lilith replied, her tone cool and even.
Robb blinked several times as he took in her words and the sight of her. She was truly beautiful there was no doubt about that, but there was an edge to her, something terrifying and horrific. Like an underlying threat that he couldn't escape.
He couldn't explain it, this Lilith terrified him, almost to the point where he began shaking, and he could not explain it. A quick glance towards his wife revealed her staring wide eyed at the lady of darkness, fearful, but not nearly as afraid as he was.
A quick glance to the rest of his family revealed to him that they were all in much the same position. They were afraid, but not as afraid as he was. For some reason, while they were unnerved, and even a bit fearful, he was terrified of her.
Eventually his gaze passed to Jon. When their eyes met, Jon offered the slightest of nods, as if to say 'Now you know what I feel.'
"Queen Lilith..." Robb began after composing himself. "This is quite the impressive army you've built."
"It's only a small portion of it. Little more than a finger, pressing upon my foes." Lilith responded with a demure smile as she turned her gaze out over her army.
"Before we begin our discussion I would like to thank you for what you did for my brother. We held no hope that he would ever walk again. Thank you for giving him his old life back." Robb offered to her.
"Your Brother is powerful King Stark, very powerful. He's both a Skin-changer and a Greenseer. A unique combination. He has near limitless potential. If you wish to see me repaid for my generosity, see to it that his potential is not squandered. Such magics are rare in this world, and they are a blessing, and should be treated as such." Lilith responded, earning confusion from Robb and Catelyn, though Howland Reed offered a small nod of understanding that seemingly went unnoticed.
"What does that mean?" Robb asked.
"He can control animals, and has visions of the past, present, and future. It's rare gift, believed to stem from the First Men who bred with the Children of the Forest. It sometimes appears in certain bloodlines though these children are usually left to die. There are skinchangers beyond the Wall, they make useful scouts, as they can control animals and use them to spy on their foes, much like how I assume the Children of the Forest did so long ago." Aegon offered, in response.
"Are these abilities dangerous, will they hurt him?" Catelyn asked quickly.
"Some, especially those that prescribe to the Faith of the Seven may seek to harm him due to his magic, though otherwise, he is in no great danger from such powers. His biggest threat is confusion. So often those with such gifts, lose their minds because they do not understand what is happening to them. Bran is in no danger from such things, as long as he can control himself and understand what he is doing." Lilith responded to her.
Catelyn seemed placated by her response, though still uneasy. Aegon noted everyone's reaction to her words, and took notice of the way the small Lord of House Reed, listened closely, yet showed little surprise or confusion. Aegon kept silent but suspected he may know something more.
"Let us return to the great hall. We have much to discuss I'm sure." Lilith offered.
And they did just that. Upon their return to the Great Hall, discussion began about what bending the knee to Aegon and Lilith would entail.
Aegon explained that he and Lilith would soon be married, Lilith even emphasized at that point that they would most likely have a small ceremony before attacking the south to solidify their union, and position. While this was news to all of them, including Aegon, he didn't disagree, and had no problem with marrying her sooner rather than later. With that being established, if Robb and Edmure ben the knee their kingdoms would be granted to them. Robb would hold dominion over the North and Edmure the Riverlands.
Robb would take the title of Warden of the North, and Lord of Winterfell, while Edmure would remain the Lord of Riverrun and the Lord of the Riverlands, and Lord Paramount of the Trident. Both men would be free to operate their kingdoms as they saw fit, though a few changes would be made. For instance, each kingdom would receive the military power of the crown, to keep them safe, as well as the right to raise their own armies, under the condition that they paid their taxes to the crown. So long as taxes were paid, they were free to basically do as they wished, and would have the right to not only defend themselves, but have the protection of the crown as well.
Their taxes would take the form form of whatever they could spare in plenty. Whether it be furs or timber from the North, food from the Riverlands, gold, silver, or even soldiers for the royal army. Whatever they had in plenty, could be used to pay their taxes, and the crown would find a use for it. If the North could only pay in timber, the crown would find someone who needed it. They did not require just gold, or just food, or just weapons. Everything had a value, and the crown would find a use for it.
Such an offer would make it much easier for these various lords to pay their taxes as they need only find what their kingdom had in abundance and use that while keeping rarer and more precious resources as for trade. It was actually an intelligent way of keeping the crown itself very rich. As they would accept resources as payment, in lieu of gold or silver, and the crown would either use these resources for various project saving themselves money, or they could sell them to the kingdoms that needed them.
It ensured that the kingdoms themselves had money to buy and trade with each other, and the crown was not only receiving resources but could also sell or use those resources to make their own profits.
Aside from the issue of taxes, all of the kingdoms would be free to trade with anyone who was not an enemy of the crown, and the crown would not even enforce an additional tax on any ports owned by the various kingdoms, such a thing would be left in the hands of the lords of those kingdoms.
Men were free to believe in whatever they so choose, so long as their faith didn't cause problems for the crown. This offer was put forth by Aegon and Lilith, with both knowing full well that the people would slowly be converted to worshiping them as gods, over time.
Aside from that, one of the major changes was that each great lord would now play host to a royal force in their kingdom. This royal host would remain on standby within each kingdom, offering training, handling patrols, and carrying out arrests in the name of the crown, and the lord or lady of the kingdom, and each of these forces would be paid for by the crown itself. Meaning it was free protection, with the offer of skilled teachers for whatever forces said kingdom wished to raise.
For instance say this force in the north raised a keep along the White Knife. That royal force would assist the lord of Winterfell with keeping the peace, and as a royal army, it would only answer to the ruler of the Kingdom, and to the crown itself. These royal forces would not only keep the peace and secure each kingdom, but they would ensure that no matter how powerful a kingdom got, they would never be capable of attacking another.
This ensured that the kingdoms were unable to fight with each other, because while they were perfectly free to build their own armies, and make them as massive as they wanted too, they weren't going to be attacking anyone, until they dealt with the royal forces within their own lands, meaning there would be no more surprise attacks like the Ironborn Rebellion, and no more civil wars. This time, the Targaryen Dynasty was going to secure the entire continent and ensure that no rebellions happened again.
Lord Edmure took the opportunity to inquire how such a royal army would be maintained by the crown itself, as maintaining any sort of longstanding army was difficult, most notably keeping them fed. Aegon made sure to cringe as this question was asked as Lilith smirked, he definitely needed to appear unsettled by the answer that he knew she would give.
The simplest answer was that orcs actually didn't need to eat, they were twisted and vile creatures sustained by her magic, but she didn't tell them that. In fact most people weren't aware the orcs didn't actually need to eat, in fact most orcs weren't aware that they didn't need to eat. They felt hunger, and they could eat, and in fact the longer they were hungry the worse it got for them, almost like a chronic pain that would drive them mad over time, but it didn't kill them, and orcs were basically ravenous and mindless to begin with, in many a case. What an orc was fed, and how well it was fed often depicted it's lineage.
If an orc ate regularly, then it's children would be orcs as well and generally the cycle would continue. If orcs did not eat regularly and starved more often then not, they became frail and lithe, and became the creatures often referred to as goblins. These were still orcs, just thin, light, frail orcs. The opposite would happen for Uruks, if an orc ate plenty of meat and got a lot of exercise, and his descendants did the same, they'd grow large, strong, tall and muscular.
Orcs bred in two ways. They either had sex with those they could breed with, such as each other, or humans, or they were grown from vats, or great muddy pits in the earth. These pits were actually great magical rituals that drew in souls or perhaps pieces of souls from those that tied and fused them together in the muck and earth, they essentially grew in pods in this muck which would float to the surface of the pit and be opened by the pit keepers, thus a new orc was created, and this orc could go on breeding with other orcs.
The issue was that this always created a middle of the line orc, not too strong, not too weak. So it wasn't as useful as selective breeding to create the stronger Uruks.
With all of that in mind, it still meant that the orcs didn't need to eat, but food helped keep them strong, orcs also didn't die of old age, they definitely began to wither as time passed, but so did elves, in essence the orcs were essentially very long lived as there were some, not a lot, but some that were alive during Morgoth's reign that were still around today.
Still, due to their hunger, they'd usually feast quite heartily whenever the chance arrived. And if the hunger grew to great, they'd begin eating each other.
Lilith's answer to his question was that the didn't require much in the way of food when not in battle, and if need be, they had ways of keeping themselves fed. So that would help to keep costs quite low. The way she answered, obviously unnerved the Riverlord, but he accepted it none the less.
Aegon was just happy she didn't go into too gruesome of detail.
Needless to say these were just the first changes that Aegon and Lilith planned to implement and they both were naturally ready for the resistance that would come with such things.
Surprisingly, both Robb and Edmure approved of their direction, though for their own reasons.
For Robb, his approval stemmed from the fact that every king and queen before them had simply forgotten about the North and left it alone to it's own devices. No bonds were formed, no alliances really cemented, the North was just left alone, which meant the Northern lords never really felt like they were involved in anything. Having a royal presence in the North, and having connections to the crown opened up the ability for the North to actually be involved in Westoros and actually have a voice going forward.
Edmure liked the idea of a royal army present in the Riverlands because it dissuaded the other kingdoms from using the Riverlands as their battlefield. So often the Riverlands were set on fire by one army or another and they felt the pain while armies fought. Having the protection of the crown to dissuade feuding kingdoms from fighting there would be a great boon.
And add onto that, both men approved of this removal of power plays between various lords. With the crown actively policing the kingdoms, the various lords could no longer engage in petty conflicts with one another that would lead to war.
For example if the Reach got into a fight with the North and stopped trading food with them, the crown could simply demand food as payment from the Reach and sell it to the North. If the Reach refused to pay, then suddenly they'd be forced to deal with the army and fortified force already within their own lands. This fortified force could easily hold the individual kingdoms at bay for long enough for a royal army to be gathered outside of the kingdom to quell the dispute.
It was a deterrent for future conflicts. Both Edmure and Robb wanted to avoid future conflicts and weren't overly interested in the political pissing matches of the other southern lords.
Both of them did take the time to note that such plans would not go over well with the southern lords, especially those that were used to getting their own way.
This earned a chuckle from Aegon, that was rather dark, and foreboding. He offered the two men a dark look as he smirked and responded that he'd done all of this to keep his family safe. That meant the North, and due to lady Catelyn, the Riverlands. Maybe the Eyrie would be counted as well, that would entirely depend on Lysa Arryn's actions. Outside of those people, Aegon didn't care about the rest. The Iron Islands, the Westerlands, the Reach, the Crownlands, the Stormlands, and Dorne, all were meaningless to him. He was ready to engage each and every one in total war, if that's what it took to bring them in line.
Whether they agreed with policy changes or not, they would be brought to heel, regardless.
Robb and Edmure offered their agreement with that sentiment.
Soon discussions began winding down and the time approached for Robb and Edmure to make their decisions. It wasn't difficult to decide, the two had a plan, they had power, they had a massive army, and without their help, the North and the Riverlands, may just lose the war. Securing a lasting peace under the rule of the Targaryens, once more was an enticing idea. Even more so, despite not being his true son, Ned Stark had raised Aegon to be a Stark. He may be half dragon, but he was of the North, and he held Northern ideals.
It was Robb who knelt first, but Edmure followed soon after. Both Lords swearing their fealty to Aegon Targaryen and his soon to be wife. The surrounding handful of lords cheered their agreement, it was a quick, quiet, and rather plain ceremony.
Aegon was quick to command both men to rise, confirming them as lords, and confirming their titles as well under his rule. Now four territories were held by the two dark lords.
The Far North, the Gift, the North, and the Riverlands.
In one swift move, they now held most of Westoros, and the true war had yet to begin.
"I will be worthy of your service my lords. I promise." Aegon offered to them, earning firm nods from both.
"So… shall we begin discussing how we're going to crush those Lannister pricks?" The Greatjon inquired.
"In time. Before then we must secure the Riverlands. In order to do that, I need to know what happened at the Twins. Why did you have to avoid them?" Aegon responded, directing his question to Robb who let out a sigh at that and internally cursed.
"I had to march my army across the Green Fork. Walder Frey would not let us pass unless I made concessions to him. One of those concessions was that I marry one of his daughters." Robb answered, a bit of shame entering into his voice.
"And you are no Frey?" Lilith inquired to Jeyne.
"No, your grace. My name is Jeyne of house Westerling." The young woman responded.
"So you fell in love, and broke your promise." Aegon concluded with a sigh.
"I did, and I'm sorry. I'll do what I can to make amends with Walder Frey so that this doesn't impede our campaign. I promise." Robb replied, taking full responsibilities for his actions.
"Were this some time ago, I may be more disappointed. I didn't want us to have to unleash this army upon our own countrymen, but the Karstarks forced our hand already. We'll march to the Twins and demand Walder Frey swear fealty, if he refuses, we'll sack the castle, and lay low his family." Aegon replied, appearing less enthusiastic about dealing with a rogue Riverlord, than their southern enemies.
Aegon was trying to paint the impression that while he felt either hatred or apathy for their foes in the south, he wasn't going to enjoy having to fight their own men, even though he actually did enjoy slaughtering the Karstarks for their words against Lilith.
"Do not let it bother you Lord Stark, you were a King, and a King is only answerable to gods and his people. The Freys lost the right to consider themselves as such when they broke their oaths and abandoned their lord." Lilith stated, earning looks from everyone.
"What do you mean? Lord Frey hasn't broken any oaths." Robb replied.
"Is he not sworn to house Tully?" Lilith inquired with a curious tilt of her head.
"He is." Edmure responded.
"And did he abandon his liege lord in the middle of a war after Lord Stark married his wife?" Lilith continued.
"He did, but his actions were understandable..." Edmure began, but stopped himself.
"This is what we're trying to put a stop to, lord Edmure. He's upset with Robb, and so he abandons his rightful liege lord, who is sworn to the King in the North. You were not the one who broke any vows, you are the lord of the house he has sworn to serve and instead of doing so despite his grievances with the King, he abandons his lord to possibly die. That is desertion and oath-breaking. Their actions are understandable in the context of the Starks, but not the Tullys. He abandoned you Lord Edmure, and because of that, I'll give him exactly one chance to swear fealty to me. He will throw open his gates, swear his men to my cause, and aid me to the fullest of his abilities, or I will set his family line to the torch and show the Freys that they are no great House, and are little more than upjumped toll collectors." Aegon responded, his gaze smoldering darkly.
"We should have done it the first time he tried to stop us." The Greatjon muttered, earning a nod of agreement from Roose Bolton.
"Prepare your men, we march south in three days. We will bring the Freys to heel, and reunite our forces. Once done, we will purge the Riverlands of any remaining Lannisters, and prepare for our attack on the South." Aegon commanded, earning resolute nods from all.
This moment would mark the start of their true conquest. The war for the Iron Throne would begins now.
- To Be Continued -
Alright, here's the next chapter for everyone, plenty more fighting to be had next chapter, hope you all enjoy.