Blood and Winter

Chapter XVII

"Dracarys," Daenerys uttered, three pillars of flames rushing out from the mouths of her Dragons and engulfing dozens in their warm embrace. As the Dragons flew north, the flames followed their flight, spreading out and carrying along the lines of soldiers and reducing them to nothing but ash.

Dozens turned to hundreds in a matter of seconds.

But Aegon's forces didn't stop their charge, whether fuelled by loyalty or by fear, they carried on towards her army. The cavalry pulled ahead and nearly upon the Unsullied. Daenerys couldn't turn back now, she had already reached the rear of the army and her Dragons were making a slow arc back around. By the time she reached the front of the army again, it would not be her enemies engulfed in flames, but her own soldiers.

That was something she could and would not do.

Affirming her mind, Daenerys trusted in their training and focused on the tasks at hand. They already outnumbered Aegon nearly two to one, but the quality of his troops and their armour, especially the Golden Company was far superior to any of theirs. All things Robb had emphasised time and time again, it all but impossible for her to not know these things.

They needed to reduce his numbers further so that victory was all but impossible for him, and certain for them.

As she came back around for another flyover, her gaze turned to the east where Robb Stark and his army stood, unmoving and watching the inevitable clash between her and Aegon's forces. He still remained firm, not making a move to give aid, simply watching and waiting.

Again she wondered, was he going to come to her aid? Or was he simply going to let them both weaken one another here and now, then finish them both off?

'No, he wouldn't have sent Arya with me if that was his intention.' Daenerys told herself. 'The Starks are loyal to their families, he would never use them as pawns. Would he?' Not for the first time, Daenerys questioned how much about Robb she truly knew and whether what she did know was true and not simply a mask he wore.


Ser Barristan watched calmly as the Golden Company cavalry, flanked by the Dornish light cavalry pulled ahead of the main force, closing in rapidly upon them. The Unsullied moved in preparation, shields raised stances widened and spears extended.

They were prepared for the charge and waiting.

Strong and firm, fearless in the face of the cavalry charge about to hit them.

"Have our archers fire upon the front runners." Ser Barristan ordered, hoping to slow the charge of the cavalry just enough to allow the lightly armoured Unsullied to better stop their charge. From history, the Unsullied had proved incredibly effective against light cavalry and equally lightly armoured infantry. But against heavy cavalry and heavy infantry, their effectiveness was untested.

The reputation the Unsullied had earned, their value alone meant that most conflicts in Essos were settled with duels between great champions, rather than all-out wars such as this. In Essos, there were rarely heavily armoured forces and the few battles the Unsullied were involved in were against weaker and lightly armoured forces.

Ser Barristan would not wager everything on the unconfirmed belief that the Unsullied defence was impenetrable. He had fought with and against the Lannisters and the Vale, those two kingdoms were rich in their own way. The Lannisters were rich with gold to purchase armour for their soldiers whereas other kingdoms could only afford to put swords and spears in the hands of their soldiers. The Vale, on the other hand, was rich with iron that they mined to form perhaps one of the most well-equipped armies in Westeros.

He knew the devastation that heavy infantry and cavalry could bring about on the battlefield. That's why he needed to slow their speed down to provide aid to the Unsullied.

It worked, a little.

The arrows curved through the air and back down. The Dornish dropped like flies, much like every other army, they were equipped with weapons, but their armour mostly consisted of chainmail and leather. Very few of their numbers wore proper armour that would protect them from arrows.

But the Golden Company, their cavalry were each heavily armoured in gold-painted iron as they continued their charge through the rain of arrows. Some slowed down, some arrows sneaked through plates in their armour, but their losses, if any, were minimal.

Frowning heavily, Ser Barristan clenched his fists. "Prepare our infantry to move forwards, cavalry move to intercept." The orders were quick, the last part being a last-ditch effort to stall the cavalry charge just enough.

It was a suicide mission, their cavalry only numbering a few hundred compared to the few thousand that Aegon possessed. But they did their job valiantly, clashing against the Golden Company head-on and providing some resistance that slowed them down. Ultimately though, they were slaughtered the cavalry charge continuing, but their speed had been dramatically reduced.

The Dornish, much like with the archers, proved ineffective against the Unsullied spear wall. Their light armour made it easy for the Unsullied to pick them off. It was only their sheer numbers that enabled them to make some progress through their lines. Even then, the Unsullied were a well-disciplined unit that shifted its formation to better adapt to these numbers and retain the advantage.

However, it was the Golden Company that worried Ser Barristan the most.

And that's when they smashed into the Unsullied.

But it was not as Ser Barristan feared or expected things to go. The Unsullied were trained to feel no fear, to possess absolute obedience to their masters, and to be a symbol of military prowess. The latter, against a heavily armed force like the Golden Company, would be meaningless if they couldn't land a killing blow, even less so against mounted units.

So instead, the former two proved to be the most pivotal, shocking and horrifying things to witness. Whereas every other soldier, no matter how well-trained and disciplined would have been terrified upon facing the heavy cavalry charge. Their stance and formation became loose, a reflection of the fear they felt making the charge even more devastating upon being hit.

The Unsullied did not feel fear, they lived to serve Daenerys Targaryen as free men. They would give their lives in place of hers a thousand times over and that's exactly what they did.

Each Unsullied that stood before the Golden Company cavalry remained firmed, spears thrust out and while not dislodging the horsemen, or very few. What it did do was jerk them back, a reflexive tug on their reigns making the horse's movements uneven and dodgy.

Which is when the Unsullied threw their bodies in the way.

Quite literally.

They threw their bodies into the horses, attempting to tackle the steeds who continued to come their way. Considering the uneven footing of the horse thanks to their riders, the forward momentum and the fact that the Unsullied did not fear death and so happily put every ounce of strength into it.

The cavalry charge became disrupted.

The Golden Company were in complete disarray, the horrifying tactic the Unsullied used to halt the charge miraculously working as the front lines of both sides came to a grinding halt. The Unsullied dying and being trampled to death, the Golden Company being thrown off their horses, steeds falling to the ground.

Which is when the backlines of the Unsullied came in and now on equal footing to those dislodged riders, came at them in full force. The remaining cavalry, carried forward by the momentum and the shocking actions of the Unsullied, were unable to stop and crashed into the huge pile of bodies.

All the while, Ser Barristan never had to utter a word or give an order.

The Unsullied, so great was their training, so great was their love and loyalty to Daenerys, they put everything on the line to halt the cavalry charge and succeeded, for now. "Have our Sellswords move to intercept the rear of the cavalry, do not let them loop around. Have our archers focus entirely on the elephants." Knowing that he could trust the Unsullied to work without his oversight, for now, Ser Barristan went to work, preparing for the remainder of Aegon's forces, including his infantry.

As he did though, Ser Barristan looked towards the Stark forces, still seeing no movement on that end. 'Is he our ally? Or our enemy?'


The Unsullied.

Robb had wondered how effective they would be against heavy cavalry. He knew of their success against light cavalry such as the Dothraki, and could even see from the movements of the Dornish, that they were highly effective against light cavalry. But he had wondered how they would be able to handle the Golden Company cavalry.

Daenery's forces themselves were a mixed bag of different units, it was clear she accepted any wishing to fight for her. But there was no real structure to her forces, though it was clear Ser Barristan had attempted to bring some semblance of order to it.

However, she had very little in the way of archers or cavalry.

Most of it was foot soldiers, their main force being comprised of Unsullied that was now dealing with the cavalry of Aegon Targaryen. Yet from what he was seeing, Robb was both surprised and a little worried about the effectiveness with which the Unsullied managed to seemingly bring most of the Golden Company cavalry to a halt.

He could see from the mess of soldiers that were near the frontlines of Daenerys' forces that they had been halted, now creating the beginnings of a brutal melee. Some of the cavalry now peeling off to try and loop around.

What was even more shocking was that no flag had been raised, no orders given. This was something the Unsullied did without so much as a clear command from their superior officer. It spoke volumes of how well-trained and disciplined they were. The only command being given at this point is for the archers to fire, the ineffective cavalry charge and Sellsword companies to move around and intercept the remaining cavalry.

Robb's gaze trailed to the Dragons in the sky, watching as they unleashed fire down upon the rear of the infantry that continued to rush towards Daenery's forces. 'The Unsullied. They're a force that's wasted upon you.' In the future, Robb knew that such a force could come in handy, even more so if they could be properly outfitted with armour. 'Just another reason to keep this alliance of ours strong.'

As the elephants smashed into the lines of Unsullied, breaking them apart where the cavalry had failed, it allowed the infantry to charge in. "There's no structure to the attack." Lord Piper noted, he and the rest of his aides were all watching the battle unfold before their eyes.

"Should we do something to aid them, your grace?" Patrek Mallister asked.

Robb was silent though, as he often was.

No one repeated the question, they each knew that he had heard Patrek and was thinking. They had spent much of their time during this war by his side and while his personal guard was no longer as large as it once was, many were promoted to positions of command to replace those older members that had died and to accommodate for the rising size of his army, they knew better than most how Robb operated.

"I suppose if I wait any longer, Smalljon will go off on his own." Robb mused, chuckles being shared. "Send in the vanguard."

A flag was raised and quickly the vanguard burst into action.

After the clash against Tywin Lannister, Robb had decided to give command of the vanguard to perhaps one of the most skilled and fearsome warriors in his army, Smalljon Umber, the Mad Giant. Each of the members of the vanguard was men Smalljon had personally selected himself from the men that had accompanied Dickon, Robb would also allow him to pick and chose men from throughout his army once this battle was done.

Robb had faith that this vanguard would be one of his strongest, especially with Smalljon leading it.

"Have our forces move forwards, bring our archers in range." It was his plan to take advantage of the disarrayed forces of Aegon Targaryen. In an attempt to avoid the dragon fire, they had abandoned all semblance of formation and order, just attempting to close the gap between him and one of his enemy forces as quickly as possible.

Considering Daenery's dragons, there was no better target than her forces. Robb would have made a similar choice if he was in Aegon's position, close the gap and ensure that Daenerys couldn't be tempted to simply use her dragons to eliminate two threats. As the infantry joined the fray, spreading out amongst the battlefield, it was proving incredibly effective.

Daenerys and her Dragons remained still in the air, she was unsure of what orders to give. 'If only I could command those Dragons.' Robb thought not for the second time, envious of the tools available to Daenerys. She was young and naive, those tools were wasted on her, if he had access to them he would have ended this war here and now.

In a simple order, dragon fire would rain down and completely annihilate Aegon's forces. Certainly, there would be damage to his own, but the losses would be acceptable. Robb cared little what other people thought of him, they already assumed he cared little for his family and some even thought he didn't care about the situation in the North. But they were the opinions of people beneath him, he knew what goal he was striving towards, he knew what he needed to do to achieve it.

He would succeed, no matter the cost.


"Your grace!" Spinning around, Aegon let his blade sing through the air, cutting down a Sellsword, blood and mud splashing through the air and staining his armour. Yet he was quickly beset by another soldier, one that was struck by a cavalryman, trampling him beneath its hooves as the battle raged all around him.

Quickly though, Aegon was ragged around, coming face to face with Jon Connington. "Aegon!" There was an urgency to his voice, a panicked tint that Aegon had yet to have heard from the man. "The Stark vanguard has struck our rear. We need to do something."

Both men quickly broke apart, a brief sword duel taking place against their respective opponents. Aegon managed to dispatch his a little quicker, he overextending a strike. Jon meanwhile, while taking care of his in a similar fashion, was tackled by another man to the ground, the two grappling on the ground.

Only for the Sellsword to be dragged up, Aegon piercing his sword through his back. "Get up, Jon," Aegon told him, helping his closest aid and father figure to his feet. "I have a plan."

"Then what is it?" Jon said, more and more Golden Company soldiers beginning to join the fray, helping provide a little protection under Harry Stricklands' orders. "We have no formation, no clear position of command with which to give orders. Without that, we could lose this battle against Daenery's forces alone, let alone against the Stark forces."

"We have a position with which to issue orders," Aegon told him. "Bring two horses and the flags."

"Aegon, what are you talking about?!"

"This entire battlefield is ours." Aegon's responded with a smile. "I will make order from chaos. Just trust me."


Daenerys couldn't make heads or tails of what she was seeing below her. Her three dragons circled the air, just looking for an opportunity in which she could swoop down and release fire upon her enemies. However, such opportunities were impossible to find, Aegon had led his men directly into her forces.

The cavalry charge had not been effective, but the elephants that followed were, devastatingly so. They broke through the lines of the Unsullied that were already engaged in brutal combat with the cavalry and made a wide opening that when the infantry came about, only made things worse. Her Unsullied were disorganised, her Sellswords having been drawn into the large mob of bodies that she saw below.

In the beginning, it had been easy to tell her forces from the enemy apart quite easily. The Unsullied armour was easy to spot, the mass of multi-coloured Sellswords easy to spot positioned behind them. Aegon and his forces were simply to spot also, the orange clothed Dornish and the golden armoured Golden Company stood out easily.

Their armies were easy to spot in the beginning, even when they clashed together. But as the wet ground beneath their feet turned to mud, staining their tunics and armour brown and black, it was all but impossible at this point.

All Daenerys could do was circle the air as she rode on Drogon's back.

Looking down and trying to spot an opening in which she could do something to firmly place the advantage in her hands. But no such opportunities were easy to spot, the mud-stained bodies were impossible to distinguish them apart from this distance. Even if she did come across a group of Aegon's forces, they were surrounded by her men fighting against them and she did not wish to take the risk of killing them also.

It was out of the corner of her eye that noticed movement from Robb's army, a small force of around a thousand maybe a little more, heading towards the battle. 'So, he is upholding his end of the bargain after all.' There was a sense of relief that filled her at that realisation.

Fighting Robb so soon after fighting against Aegon, especially with Randyll Tarly and his army plus the cavalry force moving south had not appealed to her in the slightest. Especially not when she considered the tactical mind that Robb possessed, she had seen it in action firsthand. From what little she had seen, it was clear that he far outclassed any of her commanders. Daenerys did not want to make an enemy out of Robb, just as it appeared he did not want to make an enemy out of her.

That was good news at least.


When he saw the Stark vanguard rushing to the battle Ser Barristan did not feel anything but a sense of caution. The battlefield below was unlike anything he had witnessed before, a field of chaos and death. Every battle was chaotic, but there was always a clear line of order, commanders able to give orders that created some semblance of organisation.

Yet none of that was apparent here.

Both sides were so deeply intertwined with one another that any orders given were quickly forgotten as they were beset by enemy soldiers from all sides. The only saving grace was that it was the same for Aegon's army as well.

Just as he had expected, the moment the Stark vanguard joined the battle, they were quickly swallowed up by the chaos of the battle. Though that was not completely accurate, they did well, their commander was capable.

He held control of the vanguard enough to cut a deep line almost making it into the centre of the field before being swallowed up by the chaos of battle. Whoever was in command was capable enough to keep control of his men to a degree that they weren't immediately dispersed and separated all throughout the battlefield. But ultimately, it was too much for him to retain command forever and just like both sides, was lost in the chaos of battle.

'Something doesn't feel right though.' Ser Barristan thought to himself, gripping the handle of his blade anxiously as he looked down upon the battlefield. No matter what he tried, no matter what orders he gave, very few were actually seen to be put into action. Those that did, were often foiled before they got a chance to come to fruition.

He had never seen anything like it before.


"This is insane," Dickon muttered, disbelievingly.

"I've never seen anything like this." Lord Piper concurred, equally as shocked by what he was witnessing.

All of them had fought beside Robb, some from the very beginning of the war, all the way back in the Battle of the Whispering Woods. Each had gone from positions of just fighters and sons of noblemen to becoming noblemen themselves, to replace their dead fathers. Others proved themselves on the field of battle, earning the favour of the King to the point he promoted them to commanders.

They had all fought in battles, seen the chaos that came from it.

But this was unlike anything they had born witness to before.

They could see from here, flags being raised by Ser Barristan only to see no shift in the battlefield below. Aegon's last-ditch attempt to fully engage with Daenerys' forces had miraculously worked. There was no position of command that could give tactical orders to turn the tide in one side's favour or another. This was a battle determined entirely by the skill of the soldiers fighting in it.

Even when they saw Smalljon smash into the battlefield, cutting a path directly to the centre where he no doubt believed Aegon to be, even he eventually was lost in the mass of bodies. Their vanguard force was indistinguishable from the rest of the men that clashed against one another.

That alone was shocking to them all.

There were many capable fighters amongst Robb's army, some surpassing even Smalljon in skills, grace and finesse.

They had seen Ser Garlan use fancy footwork and flourish of his blades to gain victory over Smalljon in duels.

They had seen the King outsmart the Mad Giant, using the man's simplistic ways to emerge victoriously.

They had seen Dacey Mormont, Ser Brienne, Patrek Mallister and many others overcome the Lord of the Last Hearth.

Yet there was a reason why they never dared cross his path in a battle, why no one wanted to be on the other end of the Mad Giants' anger, a reason he had earned that name, to begin with. The man when in battle was an entirely different person, a ferocious, mad beast that laughed as he cut through men by the dozen. His longsword swung around in large arcing swipes that could cut through a man cleanly.

In a duel, Smalljon was calm, for an Umber that was, and so his simplistic way of fighting was easy to overcome. In battle, he was possessed by a certain madness that many of the Northmen described as making him much like a Mountain Clan Berserker.

They had heard tales of the Greatjon Umber, of how he had apparently died with dozens of spears and swords sticking out of his body, yet still able to kill men in droves before finally, his body gave out. His son possessed a similar fighting spirit, to the point that none wished to be on the other end of Smalljon Umber in battle.

It was why the King had finally given Smalljon command of the vanguard after so long. In this battle against the likes of the Golden Company, such a force could prove effective and it had.

Until it wasn't.

Smalljon was no doubt still there, fighting and laughing madly.

But their vanguard force was lost.

As most of Robb's aides looked towards the battlefield, it was only Dacey who noticed the small upturn of Robb's lips. She had seen the look before, a look of when he figured out what his enemy was doing. Yet there was also something she hadn't seen before, a look of recognition. As if what he was seeing was enough to make him respect his opponent for what they were about to pull off.

And yet he gave no order.

Robb Stark just remained silent, smiling and watching as the battle continued down below.

Not for the first time, Dacey wished she could see into the mind of her King, to see just for a moment what he saw every time he looked down upon the battlefield. To see what he was planning and thinking.


Driving his horse forwards, Aegon swung his blade around, cutting through the thin armour of an Unsullied whose back was turned to him. Following closely behind, a small section of what remained of his cavalry began to move also. Never once stopping their momentum or giving time for them to be surrounded, if they did, regaining such momentum would be impossible.

Even as spears were thrust towards him, he desperately parried them to one side, leaning back and almost unhorsing himself in an attempt to avoid them. Aegon couldn't allow himself or his men to stop moving forwards because that would mean failure.

For his plan to work, he could not stop, nor provide a concise location that his enemies could know about. It had to be kept secret, hidden and lost within the madness and chaos of the battlefield right until the very last moment. At which point, it would be too late to stop him. That was the only way to gain victory this day, but there were still many steps to be taken before such an event could come to pass.

Many things he still needed to do in order to succeed.

"Your Grace, the Stark vanguard is closing in on our flank." Harry Strickland warned, Aegon smiling. He never once turned to look, constantly keeping his gaze forwards, sword in constant motion whether that to be cut down his foes or to block their strikes.

'So, he's finally making a move?' He thought to himself. 'Good, now it's time to begin.'

He knew that he was outnumbered, had known the moment he gave the order for his soldiers to depart from Kings Landing and launched an invasion upon the Riverlands. Aegon had known there was a possibility that someday, he would have to face the large force that had been marching for Kings Landing. It was something he knew was a certainty when he failed to secure Margaery Tyrell and the Stark heir growing inside of her.

That is why he had prepared many ways to possibly try and combat such a large force. Doing so had not been easy and many he knew would be impossible to pull off and were not viable in any way.

It was the lack of tactics he had available to him, especially with Dragons against him, that Aegon had hoped to avoid a head-on conflict entirely. Using speed and manoeuvrability to lead Daenerys and Robb into conflict with one another. To learn the weaknesses of the victor from their clash against the fallen foe.

Yet that plan had failed, now he was facing off against the two, his army fully committed to the large-scale conflict that saw all attempts at formation and organisation, impossible. However, Robb Stark had provided him with everything he needed to make that change.

"Ser Harry, Ser Jon, break off and make your way towards the entry point of the Stark vanguard. One of you south and one north of it, rally men to your side and form a rock that cannot be dislodged." The two men didn't hesitate, not in the middle of such a conflict. A moment of hesitation could lose them the only chance they had at changing the tide of the battle.

Even if they had questions, they could wait afterwards.

Right now, it was do or die.

"Raise a flag, give the signal to Oberyn to form a rallying point at his location." He ordered, gripping the reins of his horse anxiously as he looked to see the Dragons circling overhead. Right now, they didn't know where he was, but that was fine, for this to work, giving away his location needed to be done.

Not exactly what he had planned initially, but this was the deciding factor of the battle and he would seize it.

As Aegon continued to ride throughout the battlefield, at three separate points, members of the Dornish army and the Golden Company began to converge, just as the Stark Vanguard struck the side. They carried on through, the momentum allowing Daenerys soldiers to regain some semblance and follow them.

It was as this was happening, that Aegon began to seize the moment. "Raise the banners, let them know our location." Aegon's words sent a ripple across those who heard it, unsure of whether he was being serious or not. Yet Aegon never turned back, continuing to urge his steed on farther and faster, muscles tensing as he swung his horse around with great speed.

He was serious and they realised it instantly.

Yet he never once looked back at them.

As the Stark vanguard pushed in, gathering more soldiers to rally behind it, directly in front of them, a Targaryen banner was raised.


"Ser, a Targaryen banner has been raised!" An aide shouted out urgently, Ser Barristan quickly scouring the battlefield for such a sight. It was not easy and he almost missed it, yet after a few moments, it was almost impossible to ignore its existence.

The battlefield, once chaotic and impossible to tell foe from ally began to shift and change. It was almost like looking upon water as it flowed around rocks, three separate points, standing firm and directing the flow of soldiers around it. Rallying points that acted as sturdy rocks, any attempt to break them apart fell apart as a wave of soldiers carried them along.

A wave led by Aegon Targaryen, the dragon banner flowing behind him. His cavalry charge cut a path throughout the battlefield, arcing around in circles. Behind him, both allies and soldiers followed, Dornish and Golden Company joining his charge as Stark and Targaryen soldiers gave chase.

All the while those not caught in the wave formed separate ones of their own.

There was a structure here, formation, yet it was equally as chaotic. But this was not something that just happened to form because of luck, no Ser Barristan could tell instantly that this was by design. The fixed rallying points served as barriers that stopped any attempts to disrupt the Targaryen charge. All the while, Aegon led a rush that created a rippling wave throughout the battlefield.

In a single instance, nearly forty thousand men went from being caught in an uncontrollable, chaotic clash to dancing to the tune of Aegon Targaryen. 'How?' Ser Barristan wondered in bewilderment, barely able to understand how things had so suddenly turned against them.

What was once an equal clash was beginning to turn into a one-sided slaughter.

From the beginning, Ser Barristan had known he was outmatched in comparison to Robb Stark. But he had thought that perhaps, he held a chance at defeating Aegon Targaryen through the difference in their experience.

Yet in this single instance, everything had changed.

Ser Barristan realised at that moment that he was simply a spectator in this battle. Someone only to watch the show unfold, unable to change a thing. Tens of thousands of men were giving their lives, yet the only one who mattered was the young commander that was controlling it. And now, the only one who stood a chance was the young man who had proven himself time and time again.

This was no longer a clash between tens of thousands of men.

But a clash between a Black Dragon and Grey Direwolf, everything else was secondary.


Looking upon the battlefield, Robb couldn't help but smile as he witnessed the events unfold. He had been lured and baited, his vanguard proving to be the very catalyst needed for Aegon to turn the tide in his favour. Now the battlefield was like a flowing river, anyone that attempted to break through would be swept aside in the tidal wave of bodies chasing and being chased by one another.

It was truly a stroke of genius, one that Robb couldn't help but admire his opponent for having pulled off. He doubted that even he could have done such a thing, and not with near-perfect precision as Aegon had.

As he looked upon the battlefield, eyes zeroing in on the Targaryen at the head of the largest wave of soldiers, Robb's heart began to pound rapidly. His blood pumped furiously throughout his body, the grip upon the handle of his blade tightening.

Throughout his time in this war, Robb had felt a whole host of emotions, but never anything like this. For the first time, he was filled with nothing but absolute admiration and respect for his enemy. He felt a strong, unquenchable desire to test himself against his opponent. To put everything on the line just as they had and see who could emerge victorious.

Aegon had shifted the tide of battle in his favour, he held a strong grip that was now iron tight. For the battle to return to his favour, Robb would have to do something risky, to do something so outlandish it would put him on equal footing with Aegon.

Yet instead of feeling anxious or nervous about such a prospect, despite there being so many uncontrollable factors that now faced him, Robb didn't feel scared. No, instead he was gripped by excitement and a desire to charge down headfirst, to face Aegon head-on and truly see if he had what it took to emerge victorious.

Aegon was confident in his victory.

Robb was confident in his victory.

It was just a matter of who could pull off their daring plans perfectly.

"Olyvar, bring me my horse." For the first time since ordering Smalljon's charge, Robb spoke. "Garlan, Marq, take control of a third of our men each, loop around the sides and target their rallying points. If we remove just one of them, we can destroy Aegon's formation."

As Olyvar came over, two horses in tow, Robb climbed into one, the camp bursting to life as everyone prepared themselves for what was to come. They didn't know what Robb had fully planned, but they had fought by his side many times, they were confident in their King and would follow him without question.

He had never failed in the past, he would not fail now.


"Your grace!" Aegon heard one of his riders cry out, he continued to lead his men around in a slow arc. The Stark and Targaryen forces of his aunt laid out in front of him, easy picking for him to take apart. Yet they did not turn, they could not, instead gripped by the need to flee but unable to escape the trap they were caught in.

It was an idea he had gotten when watching the waters of a river flow around rocks back upon the God's Eye River. He had wondered to himself when water struck a rock why did it only flow in one direction, why did it not bounce off, going in the opposite direction? The answer was simple, it could not. It was trapped in a flow that it could not go against and so he had wondered to himself, was it possible to recreate this upon a battlefield.

He had never done it before, but Aegon could not deny its effectiveness.

Oberyn, Jon and Harry worked perfectly, creating strong rallying points that resisted the flow of the rivers, parting men that crashed against them. All the while he and groups of cavalrymen created flows, that swept the battlefield in a tide that was impossible to escape.

There was no escape.

Yet he also knew that such a thing would have been impossible, had it not been for the makeup of his army. If it had been any lesser, any weaker, any less skilled, Aegon knew that pulling off a similar feat would have been impossible. But Aegon had been blessed, his army was the exact key he needed to make such a tactic work.

"The Stark forces are moving." Aegon did not look, he did not tear his gaze away from what was laid out before him, he could not.

"I will slow my speed, take up point ahead of me." Aegon knew now was the time for him to take a position in the centre. He had led the charge, created the waves that now gripped the battlefield, it was time for others to carry it on. Now was the time for him to prepare to face off against Robb once and for all, and he could not do that while distracted by what lay before him.

As he fell back, riders pulled up ahead and closed the gap, surrounding him on all sides in a protective barrier. Aegon then took a look around, seeing the Stark forces moving, two large groups arced around the sides, another heading directly for them.

Robb had timed it perfectly, trying to reach him as he moved through the forces. With the number of troops at his back, Robb would be able to puncture a deep hole in the field of chaos, deep enough to cut Aegon off and completely disrupt the flow of this battlefield.

Aegon couldn't help but admire him for that.

Only someone who had figured out just what he had pulled off would be able to so quickly recognise a way to disrupt it. However, Aegon was far from finished, he had not come this far just to fail right here.

"Reverse our flow!" He called out, urging his horse on and taking the lead once more, quickly turning his horse left, away from the direction of the Stark forces that struck the sides of the battlefield. It was not easy, he had to cut into the second wave of men that nearly unhorsed him and did to a few that followed him. But Aegon fought through it with everything he had and turned back, fighting against the flow of men before looping back around in a circle.

Continuing on his chargeback in the direction he initially came from.

Up above, Daenerys watched as Aegon created a spiral, like a whirlpool, one that sucked in the men loyal to Robb Stark. Trapping them into the wave that trapped all, two more Stark forces arced around the sides.

However, that was actually Garlan Tyrell.

To the north of the battlefield, Robb led his men around in a wide arc and quickly punctured through, in the reverse of the flow of the battlefield. He struck men head-on, not an easy thing by any stretch of the meaning, but he kept going. Robb urged on his steed, pushing and pushing, fighting against the current tide.

That was when the forces led by Marq Piper struck as well, cutting a deep path directly to the rallying point commanded by Jon Connington. A puncturing strike that when compounded with the tactic Aegon used to disrupt Garlan and the reverse wave that Robb attempted to create served to complete disrupt the battlefield.

In that instant, two opposing tides began to grip the field, both Robb and Aegon at the head of them both. Circling around the battlefield as they crossed one another's path, Aegon on the outside, Robb on the inside, both able to see the heads of their cavalry charge for just a brief moment.

"We cut through the centre!" Robb ordered, turning his horse right, the wave that followed him moving in accordance to his will, men of both ally and enemy alike helpless to do anything but follow as he cut through the centre just as he intended.

Aegon saw it all. "The centre!" He banked left and followed.

Just as Robb's entry into the battlefield created a reverse flow that countered his own. Aegon made a move that stopped Robb's attempt to turn the tide of the battle in his favour.

"Right!" Aegon called.

"Left!" Robb return. "About turn!"

"Right! Left! Right! Left!"

Back and forth the two went, each taking turns to act and react to their opponents, every time one of them made a move to try and gain the advantage, the other was there to counter. The battlefield filled with tens of thousands of men were entirely helpless in the face of the two Kings that battled.

Ser Barristan watched on as absolute chaos gripped the battlefield.

A large spiral taking shape in the centre, one that a zigzagging formation cut right through. Waves upon waves of men, circling around the battlefield, overlapping and flowing in opposite directions.

He could not make heads or tails of what was happening or how anyone could predict what was going to happen next. Yet there was no denying that in the thick of it all, two men were controlling the actions of everyone inside. As impossible as it was, everyone was helpless in the face of the two young men, gifted beyond their years, who battled for control and victory.

And there in the centre, the heads of the Stark and Targaryen forces met for the first time.


Swinging his sword around with a roar, Smalljon watched as his blade cut through the leather and flesh of one man, blood and mud splashing through the air as the man fell to the ground. He then spun around, sword coming crashing down, cutting through the leather armour of a Dornish man, almost bisecting him in two.

This is what he lived for, what he loved with all his heart.

A woman's flesh.

The sweet taste of ale.

Victory.

They all paled in comparison to the satisfaction and pleasure that resonated throughout his body when he killed a man. Here, in the thick of battle, blade caked in blood, the red liquid hot upon his cheeks, nothing could fill him with a sensation and pleasure like this.

Nothing.

"Lord Umber!" A man shouted, Smalljon ignoring the man, rushing forwards to grab a Golden Company infantryman, he had just killed an Unsullied and was taking a moment to give his surroundings a cursory glance. He had been looking the other way when Smalljon grabbed hold of him, spun him around and pierced his longsword through a gap in the man's armour.

The blood was still warm when it spilt out around his blade and onto his hand. But it quickly went cold and Smalljon threw the man to one side, stalking around, blade swinging and cutting through every man who came close.

"Leave him!" Garlan ordered, having finally managed to cut through, taking a moment to watch the Mad Giant just cut his way through the battlefield one body at a time. He would not deny that Smalljon terrified him when he became like this, he was impossible to reason with and was one reason why Robb had kept him from being the commander of the vanguard for so long. Lord Umber got caught up in the thick of the battle, his bloodlust often overtaking his sense of reason.

"The King and the Targaryens are converging on the centre not far from our location," Garlan noted, having long since lost his horse and now down on the ground, surrounded by loyal men of House Tyrell, Stark and other houses. He honestly could not tell where many came from, blood and mud covering their house's colours. "Now is our chance, no doubt Aegon's commanders will have seen the same thing that we have and so we need to head there ourselves. This is the moment that will turn the tide of the battle in our favour."

Beside him, Dacey, Patrek Mallister and Eddard Karstark nodded their heads. "Alright, let's move!"

It was not easy, but fighting against the tide of men was certainly a much easier task now. Robb had been right, the three rallying points that the Targaryen had set up were the reason this insane tactic had worked out so well. By having those fixed points, Aegon was able to lead a cavalry charge that led them towards those points. Holding firm against the flow of men, it split the soldiers apart creating a knock-on effect that after some time, gripped the entire battlefield.

There were so many things that could have gone wrong, all it had taken was for just one point to fold, to break apart under the weight of the men that smashed against it for the entire thing to fall apart. But they hadn't, they held firm and that's why Aegon's tactic had been so devastatingly effective.

Yet like always, Robb had seen right through it.

To Garlan, he had always known that compared to Robb, he was a novice, to compare anyone to the King seemed impossible. But he had always been able to help the King, in every battle, Robb had been unable to manage everything and so he delegated, Garlan being one of those he trusted to help him. In this battle though, Garlan had never felt more useless and he imagined many had felt the same way.

But Garlan did not lose faith, Robb had been right, just like he always had. The points had broken down, or they had perhaps moved, Garlan could not say for certain. Waves that had once moved around the battlefield like the stream of a river that died down, returning the battle to a chaotic mess, but one that now seemed manageable and preferable compared to what it had been before.

It was for that reason, that as they saw the flags of House Stark and House Targaryen clashing up ahead, Garlan managed to push the men around him just a little harder, breaking through to the centre where Robb and Aegon and their respective forces should have been clashing.

But while the forces of Robb and Aegon were here, the two themselves were not.


The air still stank of blood and death, he could still hear the clashing of men and the cries of men dying, but out here, Aegon took in a deep breath, feeling almost free. A battlefield like the one behind him was stuffy, men pressed against one another as they fought for their lives.

It was a crushing environment, both physically and mentally.

Pressed upon all sides, with no way to escape, it was like being trapped.

Yet now, out here, he was free.

But he was also exposed.

Out here, in the open, away from the crushing environment of the battlefield, Aegon was vulnerable to threats from above. From the beginning, Aegon's entire plan had been based on the idea, the theory that Daenerys did not wish to unleash her Dragons upon her own soldiers. Perhaps she would be willing to do so against Robb's, but against her own? Aegon had gambled everything on that slim hope and like always, it paid off.

He trusted his gut and everything fell into place.

Out here now though, Aegon was not afforded that protection and so he was short on time. Something that Robb knew, something that Aegon had expected from the very beginning. Both were so alike, they seemingly shared one brain length, two equals that clashed, able to read one another's moves and predict their next, responding accordingly. In there, though each move they took cancelled one another out, Aegon had been losing.

The difference in numbers gave Robb the advantage and despite stopping one another moves before they could change the tide, ultimately the superior numbers favoured Robb. He could keep fighting like that for longer than Aegon could and that was a simple fact.

It was why Aegon knew that he could not let it all come to a clash down on that battlefield, it had all been a distraction. Aegon also knew that Robb would know that and that he would plan for it. Both had the same idea.

Slip away from their flags, and take the long and difficult journey of cutting a path to escape from the battle and out into the open.

Because right there, ahead of Aegon, Robb Stark, urging his horse further and further away from the battlefield. No more than a dozen men at his back, a similar number to Aegon's own and with a smile, Aegon urged his horse on faster and faster. It was tired, just like him, but right before him was Robb Stark, Direwolf by his side and he could not allow him to escape.

Especially not when in the distance, in the same direction Robb was fleeing to, were the three Dragons. All coming straight towards him, it was a race against time, just like it had been since he first came to Westeros.

A race to see whether he could once again catch up to Robb Stark before he met with Daenerys. If he could he just had to hope that their alliance was strong enough for Daenerys to not just kill them both. He doubted it, but the battle behind him was lost, he knew that and this was the only option Aegon had available to him.

It was either this or just surrendering, giving it all up.

That was not something Aegon would allow and so he urged his horse on harder, heels digging tighter and tighter into the sides of his steed, his gaze focused purely upon Robb Stark. Aegon did allow himself to look upon the Dragons, just ignored them entirely.

Even as Robb approached the hill, Aegon still a distance away, Aegon did not look. He did not take a moment to check how close the Dragons were, he did not allow himself a chance to think for a moment that he would fail. If he doubted, so would his men, so long as he pushed forwards so would they. Aegon looked upon Robb's back, that his target and singular focal point, the thing that pushed him on further.

Just as his back was the thing his men looked upon as a guide.

Only for Robb to reach the top of the hill, curve around and come charging back down the hill, heading straight for him. This action left Aegon stunned, unable to think of what possible reason he could do this.

If they clashed before Daenerys and her Dragons reached him, then there was a possibility that Daenerys could kill them both right then and there. But there was also a possibility that she wouldn't and then it came down to an equal clash between them both. Why would Robb risk everything like that, was he truly so reckless?

It was not something Aegon would have done in his position which meant, neither would Robb. That meant only one thing, Robb had a plan in mind, something prepared for him and that's when Aegon spotted it.

At the top of the hill, men and horses by the hundreds and then the thousands came charging over the top and down, following Robb Stark. 'The cavalrymen under Tytos Blackwood and Rodrick Forrester, they're here already.' As he and his steed came to a halt, men coming to a stop slightly ahead of him, Aegon turned.

There in the distance, coming from the east, was the army under the command of Randyll Tarly. All this time, he had been fighting to win, so focused on that, he completely forgot about everything. He forgot about the reinforcements that Robb had on their way, he had forgotten to check the position of the sun and prepare for those reinforcements.

He had gotten so caught up in the clash between himself and Robb that Aegon had forgotten everything else.

As the cavalrymen charged down the hill, splitting into two, looking to be completely avoiding Aegon and his men by a wide berth. Aegon knew what was coming next and he just let his sword drop to the ground, chuckling weakly for, at that moment, Dragons rushed over the hill and came down towards him.

It was his loss, he was completely and utterly defeated.

There was just a moment, in which he saw the orange glow of Dragon fire illuminate the ground around him, the burning heat wash over him before he and his men were engulfed in fire. There was just a singular moment of pain that washed over him before it all went away.

He was nothing more than ashes at that point, standing directly in the epicentre of three concentrated streams of Dragon fire, Aegon was reduced to nothing more than ash in an instant. The wind carried him across the land, Robb's victory secured as he carried on, never once sparing a glance back over his shoulder as he and the cavalry rushed towards the battlefield.

So another chapter done and with it the battle has come to an end. The epic clash between Robb and Aegon ends with a victory for the Wolf King, but the Young Dragon gave as good as he got. All the while poor Ser Barristan and Daenerys were completely out of their depths on this one. Not to say Ser Barristan isn't a capable commander, he was just stuck in a battle between two titans.

One thing I really wanted to showcase is that Aegon is a capable commander, enough so that he was able to come up with some impressive things. Like actually creating order during the middle of battle, something that even Robb was in awe of. Another thing I wanted to mention is that in terms of tactical ability, Robb and Aegon are equal, the only difference is experience.

Robb has more experience in large scale conflicts and has been surrounded and learned from incredibly experienced and gifted commanders. If their situations had been reversed and they clashed like this, the only thing that would change is Robb would be in Aegon's position and Aegon in Robb's. They really could have been an unstoppable force if the two could ally together.

Ultimately though, Robb has emerged victorious, Aegon is defeated and the war in the south is over. The only thing left now is to head back North and deal with the Ironborn, Boltons and Stannis the Mannis. Hope you're ready for this as it's now entering the final stages of the War of Five Kings. But there's still much more to come on Robb's journey before we reach the clash between him and the Night King.

Anyway, now that that's done, let's get on with the questions:

anindhitania238: Yep, even after the wars over with, Robb's troubles aren't finished. The political clash between the Tyrells and the Targaryen's will be the next threat after the northern conflict is finished. As for extreme moves, there will be a few on both sides, though I won't spoil what they are.

Dffrxas: Because cliffhangers are an author's best tool to keep readers coming back. Plus, it's very satisfying to see people getting frustrated. Though I understand your pain well, there's a few times where I've read a book and it's ended on a cliffhanger and I was not happy. Love the ideas, won't spoil what happens, but there will definitely be many political machinations to come.

Greatazuredragon: The reason he does that is to make sure Daenerys' can't unleash her Dragons on him. If he was to engage in formation, utilising tactics such as a normal army, it would leave him and the majority of his army exposed to Dragon fire. So he gambled on her inability to harm her own soldiers and charged directly into them. As you can see though, he had a plan in mind and it worked very well. Unfortunately, you're right, he just didn't have the numbers to pull it off.

The Advocate7: Yep, threaten to rape a mans wife and you get curbstomped. Aegon did well to do what he did, but ultimately, he just didn't have the numbers to pull of his gamble. But he made both Robb and Daenerys pay for victory. Yep, Jon's plan works, but it relies on Stannis' army being too tired and hungry to fight properly. Which when you consider the fanatical soldiers that fight for him, won't matter. They will literally fight to the death, even worse when you consider who Stannis is and his tactical ability.

As for the long review, don't be. I love reading reviews like these so please, keep 'em coming.

Ace of Spies: Yeah, a lot of people have done that in the earlier chapters. Some were actual criticism, some tried to say it was criticism when it was actually just them hating on it. That's when I have a problem, though I admit, I didn't handle it as best as I could thanks to some of the stuff I was going through at the time.

But I'm glad you're enjoying it so far and you're right the war has been going on for a long while. Which wars often do, but we're reaching the end now. The northern conflict is the last conflict in the War of Five Kings, at which point we move on to greener prospects. But yeah, I admit the Ironborn issue is a plot hole, but honestly, I've just accepted that and have no intention to change it. But the Lannister's numbers and the reason for them will be explained soon, trust me there's a reason.

Jenny2025: Love reading reviews like yours, really shows that you've been reading and paying attention which as an author, I love. And yeah, cliffhangers for a reader are the worst (I can share your pain), but as an author they're a perfect tool to keep you the readers engaged. I'm also glad you've noticed Robb's development, no longer trusting people at their word. The Robb now would have never so easily accepted the Tyrells, especially not Margaery to his side.

I'm also liking your understanding of Arya's character as well and how you described her being a younger Robb. I initially didn't see it that way, so kudos to you, but I definitely like it and now that's canon (for my story at least). But yeah, this is the first scene that really starts to develop a much deeper sibling bond between Robb and Arya, where canon never really explored this platonic relationship, I have every intention of doing so.

And I thank you for your support and hope you can stick out to the end with me. Have a lot of exciting stuff planned for this fic and I'm not done.

J. J. Day: I agree with everything you said and I thank you, don't worry, I know this is not an attack. Like I said last chapter, when initially writing this story, I was going through a rough moment in my life and this really helped me get over that point in my life. Which as you can imagine, made not only recognising criticism from flames very difficult, it also made accepting said criticism very difficult to do. I have apologised on that front and while I am accepting the criticism for this fic much better than I did in the past, there's some points I make, mainly in response to not allowing plot points time to develop and instead labelling them as plot holes still stand (The Martells, Golden Company and so on), I am fully aware of the Ironborn issue and in my editing of earlier chapters, have made efforts to explain why.

However, one thing that is difficult to accept, is the critical reviews like CamTheThief. This is something that all people who are giving criticism should be aware of. You could be giving the best advice in the world, highlighting all the flaws that could make a story much better if solved. But it all depends on how you explain that. CamTheThief, and if you read this, know that I do appreciate the review and have even sent a PM addressing the points you raised simply because it was too long to put on here, I also have taken on board the criticism for future chapters. But again, I stress this, it's how you explain your criticism that matters the most. In real life, you effectively said you don't think I look bad, but then proceed to highlight every superficial and deeper flaw you can find about my character, some of which aren't flaws and just your personal opinions about me. Not only did you do that, which in of itself is awful, you proceed to do it quite harshly. If I did that to you, how would you feel? Pretty shitty I imagine and then proceed to ignore me entirely.

If you're going to write criticism for a fic, the way CamTheThief did it is the worst example of how to do it because it doesn't come across as criticism. It actually comes across as quite insulting, the language they use only makes a writer feel even more shitty and instead of helping, makes an author just give up because, what's the point? In the future, if anyone goes to write criticism, be careful as to how you word it because you could be doing it with the best intentions, but having the opposite effect.

Hope that clears up any questions, if not, please let me know and I'll gladly answer them as best as I can without spoilers.