Greet the new Day:

Blackwater Bay:

Daenerys Targaryen stood on the deck on High King Emeric's ship as they sailed into Blackwater Bay. They had sailed around Dragonstone and Driftmark where they had met with Aurane Waters, King Martin's Master of Ships had would escort them to King's Landing. As Emeric was an unknown, he would be watched at all times and Daenerys was a Targaryen so people were suspicious of her. Her future would depend on how the meeting between Emeric and Martin went. If all went well, future trade relations would be formed between Emeric's lands and the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and allow the Daggerfall Covenant to start coming out into the wider world, something that Emeric always wanted to do. Daenerys was hoping she could at least get her family seat of Dragonstone back. She was worried; she had never met Martin before and had no idea what he was like. She had been hearing the stories about the King of Westeros. She heard that he had beaten his tyrannical brother Joffrey in a Civil War after Joffrey had proven to be a tyrant and that Martin had hatched dragons of his own. She hoped she would get the chance to see them.

Farengar stood beside her along with Jorah. "Remember Daenerys, when you meet the King, remember that he is the King in these lands. Your old family ties won't impress anyone. He is well loved here."

"I understand Farengar." Daenerys stated "I don't want to be Queen here. All I ever wanted was to have a home and live out my life. If I can at least get Dragonstone back, that's good enough for me."

"Dragonstone was traditionally the seat of the Crown Prince." Farengar stated "But that never really happened under Robert." Daenerys narrowed her eyes at that name and Farengar sighed "I know you hate him for what he did but remember, he's still Martin's father so the best thing to do will be to just forget about it. Don't bring up his father in any talks the two of you have. It could end up resulting in an argument between the two of you."

"Alright." Daenerys stated

High King Emeric soon approached them "Daenerys." He greeted "We're approaching the city of King's Landing." He stated "You best get yourself ready."

Daenerys nodded and soon, she along with Farengar and Jorah came down ready to meet King Martin at the docks of King's Landing.

King's Landing: Docks:

King Martin stood at the docks with the Blades guarding the area along with the city Watch. A large crowd had gathered as today was the day that the foreign visitors were arriving along with Daenerys Targaryen. Martin was conflicted when it came to the Targaryens, he didn't have the intense hatred that his father had for the Targaryens but at the same time, he knew that the Targaryens could be a threat to his rule. It would depend on how Daenerys was when she arrived. Grandmaster Delphine had returned from Cloud Ruler Temple and Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime had joined her.

Martin looked at Barristan "So how should I react to Daenerys." He asked the old Knight "Out of all of us, you probably knew her father the best."

"I did." Barristan stated "Jaime joined much later than me but I knew Aerys II better. He didn't start off mad; he seemed to have descended into madness. The constant miscarriages and stillbirths had a toll on Aerys' mental health but Duskendale was the final straw which caused his mind to snap. You know, sometimes I wonder how different history would be if never rescued Aerys from Duskendale."

"You did your duty as a Kingsguard." Delphine stated "At the time, you had no idea of what would happen. It was your duty to rescue the King. The Blades would have done the same. But I am concerned of what this Daenerys thinks, she has spent much of her life on the run from Robert's assassins and she has no idea of what really happened. Farengar informed me about her brother Viserys and he seems to have the same type of madness. He's desperate and willing to do anything to retake the throne; he's a lot like Joffrey from what I hear."

Martin sighed "Joffrey seemed to always be insane. He believed he could do whatever he wanted and have whatever he wanted and mother or father never tried to discipline him. Maybe if they had better control over him, he never would have turned out the way he did."

"I can agree on that." Jaime stated "I saw the madness of Aerys, I watch him burn people alive and then rape his wife and he laughed all the time. Joffrey had the same cruel and mad look in his eye that Aerys had."

Varys also stood with them and looked at the boat that was approaching the harbour "Your grace." He called "I think our foreign visitors have arrived."

A massive ship soon loomed into the harbour. It was larger than the largest ship of the Royal Navel, the King Robert's Hammer but this didn't look like a warship. The ship was richly decorated and seemed to be used as a mode of transport though it did have some weapons on for defence but it seemed to relay on smaller escort ships for fighting. The ship soon docked in place with help from the dock workers and a ramp was lowered.

On the boat stood a black haired bearded man who wore blue robes with fur coating. Next to him stood a woman with dark skin and black hair. The Woman could easily be mistaken for a Dornishman. A small group of guards stood with them, some of them wore Dornish outfits with red headscarves while the others wore traditional soldiers uniform and carried shields which had a white lion on a blue background, the sigil of the King.

"Greetings King Martin." The man greeted "My name is High King Emeric of the Daggerfall Covenant. I have heard quite a bit about you."

"It is good to meet you." Martin replied "But I must confess, I don't really know that much about you. I've never heard of this Daggerfall Covenant."

"We're a small Kingdom to the far east." Emeric replied "In fact our kingdoms have a lot in common. We're been mostly secluded for a long time."

"I don't want to sound rude but if you've been secluded, why come out now?" Martin questioned "And why to me when there are closer lands you could have relations with."

"Essos is a horrible place." Emeric groaned "Slavers and city states that fight each other, I don't want to get involved in them. Hopefully a friend of my people might be able to bring some form of union between them but for now, I was curious about your kingdom. I've been hearing quite a bit and we both share something in common. The main religion of my land is the Nine Divines."

That did shock Martin "To be honest, I had no idea that there were other places that worshipped the Nine Divines. I am glad the religion is not as dead as I once thought it was."

"I hope our two kingdoms can come to some kind of an agreement." Emeric stated "I have plenty of time and we don't have to rush things. Allow me to introduce my wife, Queen Maraya."

Martin greeted the queen by kissing her hand and then he looked at Emeric "I'm aware that you also have a guest onboard, someone who I must confess I'm very wary of because of who her father is."

"I don't know the full history of what happened between your families but Daenerys has made herself a welcome member of my people. She helped my people and I helped her. I do hope at least the two of you can mend relations between your families, she is a good woman."

Daenerys Targaryen came into view. She looked at Martin and she looked at the crowd who had gathered, the views they were given were mixed, some were suspicion, some were of curiosity and others were off dislike. She sighed, she hoped she could prove to these people that she was not going to be a threat to them.

"I've had the servants prepare quarters for you and your main party." Martin stated "But I must inform you that the people here are on edge and suspicious, we've recently had a group of Religious fanatics try and cause trouble and a group of dark Daedra cultists make an attempt on my life. We are watching everyone so please don't take offense."

"It's your land, your rules." Emeric replied "And I know the dangers of Daedra worship, I've recently had problems of my own involving a Daedric cult which was dealt with thanks to Daenerys."

"Well, I'll allow your people to get settled in. I just hope that our meeting will go..." Martin stopped when he heard someone in the crowd calling.

"Let me through!" a man called "Let me though! I have to get a message to the King."

Martin turned and saw Tyrion's old squire Podrick came through who was blocked by the Blades "Let him pass." Martin ordered "He's no threat." The Blades looked at Delphine who nodded and they let Podrick pass "Podrick, what is it?"

Podrick gave a few deep breathes. He had run from the Red Keep with a message that he had been told to deliver to the King urgently "I have a message from Grand Maester Ebrose. He just received a raven from Oldtown and he told me to deliver it to you. He said that it was urgent you got it as soon as possible." He handed Martin a raven's letter.

Martin unrolled the scroll and read it. After he read it a few times, his eyes widened in shock "What!" he gasped "How can this be possible."

"What does it say?" Jaime asked

"It says that Oldtown has fallen!" Martin gasped "Oldtown has been captured by the Mythic Dawn."

Oldtown: The Reach:

The City of Oldtown was the one of the oldest settlements in Westeros. It was the oldest settlement south of the neck as the North had some old settlements such as Windhelm and Dawnstar that dated back to the Septim Empire which made them older than Oldtown. But the city was the second largest city in Westeros after King's Landing and was located at the mouth of the Honeywine river. The city was a labyrinth of streets that were made of stone and had many stone bridges in the city. In the centre of the city stood the iconic Hightower, the seat of House Hightower. The city was seen as a paradise by the residents.

But that had all changed in just one night. Now everyone in the city was living in terror. The Mythic Dawn had begun their conquest of Westeros and this had been the starting point. Mankar Cameron had opened Oblivion Gates through the area surrounding Oldtown in the middle of the night before anyone could prepare. The small castles in the region around Oldtown including Honeyholt, Blackcrown and Three Towers had fallen quickly. Oldtown was stronger than these keeps but the city was no match for Viserys and his new dragon which had blown a hole in the walls and allowed the Daedra to storm the city. In just one night, the city of Oldtown had fallen. Anyone who resisted were killed and now people were hiding in fear of their lives although not everyone was going to sit back and watch.

A resistance had formed and they were currently using the only part of the city which had not been conquered, the Hightower itself. Lord Leyton Hightower, the lord of the Hightower was an old man who hadn't left the tower in years but his son, Baelor was an experience warrior and had now become the symbol of Resistance in the city. Many people had fled into the Hightower itself but there wasn't enough room for all of them and so Baelor had sent people out to try and smuggle them to safety or to try and help them fight.

Baelor stood at the top of the Hightower looking over the city. Oldtown was a beautiful city once but now, it was different. Baelor could see fires across the city and the black armour of the Dremora lords were leading people in chains.

Baelor was not the only person looking over the city, two other people stood with him, one was a old man with a short body and thick beard, he held a large staff and had a Maester chain while the other was a Dornish woman. "Archmaester Marwyn." Baelor spoke to the man "You've studied magic at the Citadel, can you explain this?"

The old man was Archmaester Marwyn, an Archmaester of the Citadel who was one of the few who had the Valyrian steel link for magic and the occult and he was someone who embraced magic which made him disliked by the other Archmaesters. But now pretty much most of the Archmaesters were dead after the Citadel had been ransacked by the Mythic Dawn, Marwyn had only just been able to escape with the Dornish woman who was also with him. The Citadel prohibited woman from studying but Sarella Sand had been in disguise as a acolyte called Alleras. Sarella was keen on history and had loved reading books in the Library.

Sarella Sand had dark skin as her mother had been captain of the Summer Island sailing ship and she had short black hair that she kept short to prevent her disguise from being see through and she normally bound her breasts to look flat chest but now she didn't do that right now.

Archmaester Marwyn looked over at the chaos and sighed "I must admit, I've travelled all over the known world." He admitted "But never have I ever encountered creatures like this even in the Shadowlands of Asshai. I do remember coming across some very old tomes from the Ancient Septim Empire period that talked about ancient magic but so much history of that period has been lost. But I do remember refrences to the Daedra, that's what these creatures are, the only group who know what they are more would be the Ancient order of the Blades."

"Hopefully help will arrive soon." Baelor sighed "I can't bear to see my city like this. The people down there are helpless and there's not much I can do. I was meant to rule over them and I've let them down."

"None of us could have seen this coming." Sarella stated "This wasn't your fault, we've sent ravens to try and get support and hopefully it should arrive soon. The only thing we can do is try to protect the people of this city as long as we can until help arrives."

Baelor nodded in agreement "I'll help lead the resistance here. This is still my city and I must remain here for the people. I will not abandon them."

Marwyn and Sarella nodded "We'll be at your side to help as will any others." Marwyn stated

"I need to gather information." Baelor stated "I need to know what these cultists are planning and that could mean that we can get information on taking out their leadship."

"There is still the issue of that Dragon." Marwyn stated "That is the one thing that poses a real danger. It blasted the walls apart and it they choose to, they could blow the Hightower apart."

"This tower is built on an ancient Blackstone structure." Baelor stated "We should be safe there but the rest of the tower is vulnerable. We must move into the old tunnels built into that structure, it's the only place we may be safe."

"Understood." Sarella stated

"I just wonder how the other parts of the Reach are doing?" Baelor stated.

Oakenshield, Shield Islands: The Reach:

The Shield Islands were four small islands that were called the Shield Islands since they guarded the entrance to the Mander River. Thousands of years ago, the islands were known as the Misty Islands and were used by the Ironborn as a staging ground to launch raids across the Reach and up the Mander. The islands became part of the Kingdom of the Reach when Garth VII Gardner drove the Ironborn away from the islands and fortified them and had been part of the Reach ever since.

But now the islands were back under Ironborn control. Euron had led a huge surprise attack on the islands and had taken all four of them before anyone could sound the alarm. This was the first major step of his plan as now he could raid along the Mander and have a staging ground to attack the Arbor. With the Mythic Dawn taking Oldtown, the greenmen of Westeros would be divided on who to attack first.

Now Euron and his men were feasting in the castle of Lord Humfrey Hewett, the Lord of Oakenshield, the easternmost of the Shield Islands. His men were having the time of their lives, many of them hoped to relive the days of the Ironborn of old and now they were doing just that. They had lavish food, fine wines and plenty of women.

Euron smiled as he adjusted the woman sitting on his lap. This young woman of about seventeen or eighteen was quite pretty but unlike others, she was enjoying herself. This was Falia Flowers, lord Hewett's bastard daughter and she was normally a servant in service to her step-mother and half sisters who often mocked her. Now it was her turn to mock them as she had suggested that they all work serving wine naked and Euron agreed. Lord Hewett was bound to his chain with a radish in his mouth to prevent him from talking and was dressed in his finest clothes and was forced to watch as his wife and daughters were mocked by the Ironborn.

Lord Hewett was not the only one forced to watch, Euron's niece Yara was tied to a chair next to Euron. "Ah this is the life." Euron laughed and looked at Yara "Look at that, a feast for my men and they're all enjoying it. And this is just the start. This is why they chose me as their King. And I have my first salt-wife." He sucked of Falia's neck.

"I'll give you plenty of fine sons my warrior." Falia cooed and then laughed at her father "You see father, unlike you, he cares for me. He give me lavish gifts, the same type of gifts you gave my half sisters. Now it's my turn and you can all see what I had to go through."

Lord Hewett's face turned purple but couldn't say anything because of the Radish in his mouth.

Euron looked at Yara "And seeing Theon again, he did fight well, a pity that he's no Ironborn, he would have made a fine raider but still, he's better off not getting in my way. He can't fight without a sword hand."

"Do you really think you're going to get away with this?" Yara spat "Uncle Victorian will come for you and put an end to you before you destroy the Ironborn for good. Do you really think the people will stand for this."

"I care little for what the Greenlanders think." Euron laughed "They'll be more concerned about the fall of Oldtown by the friends. I would love to sail up the Mander and take Highgarden but I'm not a complete fool, I don't overstep myself yet. I will deal with my brother when I next see him."

"Then why don't you just kill me then uncle?" Yara spat.

"Because we're family." Euron laughed

"That didn't stop you from killing my father." Yara spat.

Euron chuckled "He was weak, he had big ambitions but he could never lead the Ironborn to glory again. Our only main victory in our big rebellion was the burning of the Lannister fleet. An act that was done by me. Without me, our rebellion would have just been a disaster. But now, with the Mythic Dawn's aid, I will become part of history. And you will stay in line niece, after all, I still have your lover Tristifer Botley. A fine young man from a true Ironborn house, it's just a shame that his father Sawane wasn't loyal to me. You should have seen the look on your lover's face when I told him I had his father drowned for refusing to swear loyalty to me. At least his brother Germund is loyal."

Yara said nothing except glare at her uncle.

Euron smirked back and then he banged his goblet on the table "My friends!" he called out "Today was a fabulous day. We are living life just like the Ironborn of old, just like the Red Kraken did. We raid and we take. This is just the start, as of right now, these islands are ours, and so are it's women. Lord Hewett's daughters are our salt wives. And we can do what we want but remember, this is just a taste of what is to come. We will raid up the Mander now that we have access to it and my good friends in the Mythic Dawn have given us access to their plunder at Oldtown." Everyone cheered including the Drumm siblings, Denys and Donnel, Euron's top supporters right now. Denys had also retaken his family's Valyrian steel sword, Red Rain after Theon had dropped it. Euron was tempted to take it for himself but he preferred the axe and he had a Valyrian steel axe of his own that he had taken during his raids in Essos. "We will make the Ironborn great again and we will show everyone why our black sails were so feared. We will spread our control along the Mander and we'll take the Arbor, I hear it has some of the best wine around."

Everyone cheered while the naked girls sobbed at the thought of what was going to happen to them but no one really cared except for Lord Hewett himself.

"Drink my friends. We feast but make sure you stay sober enough to sail again." Euron cheered and then he looked at Falia "As for you my dear, you're coming with me, it's time we have some fun on our own." He then carried Falia up the stairs to Lord Hewett's bedchambers to have their little fun while the Ironborn feasted throughout the night.

Sunset sea:

Theon Greyjoy as he lay on a ship's coat. After the disastrous battle against Euron, he had floating in the sea until one of the surviving ships had picked him up. They had caught up with the rest of Victorian's fleet and had Theon had been taken onto the Iron Victory where Victorian was waiting along with captain Kaleen. Theon had been ordered to get some rest but Victorian wanted to hear what happened when Theon had rested. Captain Kaleen had brought a healer along to help Theon with his hand to prevent any infection from spreading.

Victorian soon entered the room "Theon." He greeted

"Uncle." Theon replied

"Nephew, what happened?" Victorian asked

"We were ambushed." Theon admitted "Euron's fleet pounced on us and pretty much destroyed our fleet. I lost my hand fighting and Yara was captured. I have no idea where they've taken her."

Victorian sighed "I would love to go and rescue my niece but we don't have the manpower to do it. We'll just have to hope that Yara can survive on her own until we've got some help of our own."

"Then we must get to Stros M'kai as soon as we can." Kaleen stated

"Can you get us some ships?" Theon asked

"I know someone there who can help us." Kaleen stated "Stros M'kai is currently being ruled by a Pirate King called Bhosek the Bloody but there are many there who hate him. If we can take him out, we'll have our fleet. Stros M'kai is home to some great pirates and raiders. They'll jump at the chance to go to war but they're scared of Bhosek."

"Then we must defeat him somehow" Victorian stated

"My friend will help with that." Kaleen stated "We'll just have to wait until we get there, it will be quite a journey."

"Get some rest Theon." Victorian stated

"But what about my hand?" Theon questioned "How can I fight with one hand?"

"You still have another hand to fight with." Kaleen stated "I've seen warriors who have lost a hand. You'll just have to learn with your left hand. It won't be easy but with training, you can do it."

Theon sighed "I think I just want some time to myself right now." He stated

"Alright then." Victorian stated and then he and Kaleen left Theon alone in his room who then lay down on his bed.

King's Landing: Red Keep:

Martin had gathered all of his councillors in the Small Council meeting room, Delphine had joined them and High King Emeric and his wife and Daenerys were joining them as well.

"This cannot be true" Martin gasped at the second message they had just received from the Reach. The Mythic Dawn's attack had been worse than they first thought. They had completely occupied the city of Oldtown and the surrounding area but now it seems Euron Greyjoy had captured the Shield Islands as well.

"We've received ravens from Brightwater Keep." Grandmaester Ebrose stated "And one from the Resistance in Oldtown. I fear it's true."

"Then we must prepare the army." Martin stated "We must march to the Reach. Send the ravens, gather the Legions, we have to get to the Reach."

"Your Grace wait!" Delphine called "That might be what the Mythic Dawn want you to do."

"How can I call myself King when my people are suffering?" Martin hissed "How can I ask men to follow me if I can't defend the lands."

"You don't have to do everything yourself." Emeric stated "I know this isn't my land but I know the Mythic Dawn, they've caused trouble for me as well. They could be luring you into a trap."

"Not to mention that Viserys has a dragon much stronger than your dragons." Tyrion added

"How did he get a dragon anyway?" Martin asked

"I have no idea." Varys stated "It seems he only got that dragon recently but it poses a major threat to our armies. According to my little birds, it's bigger than your dragons and Daenerys. I wouldn't advise taking your dragons against his, you could end up like Aegon the uncrowned."

Aegon the Uncrowned was a son of King Aenys, the second Targaryen King. He became known as the uncrowned after his uncle Maegor usurped the throne and Aegon had used his dragon Quicksilver to try and retake the throne and had been killed in a fight against Maegor and Balarian who was four times Quicksilver's size.

"You should send the legions into the Reach to begin the fight against the Mythic Dawn." Alessia stated "And my husband will raise the Reach forces to fight back."

"The Mythic might strike in other places." Thonar stated

"Then we must be prepared for more attacks to take place." Martin stated "Inform Lords Baratheon and Lannister, they're to prepare their forces in preparation if they need to march into the Reach."

"I'll inform my father as well." Trystane stated "The Dornish know how to fight like resistance fighters. If the Mythic Dawn thinks they can occupy Dorne, they can sure try. Our lords will prepare for a fight."

"Your Grace." Lord Tarly spoke "I would like to accompany the armies into the Reach. I know I'm your Master of War but the Reach is my home."

"You can return to the Reach Lord Tarly." Martin stated "Your skills will probably be more useful on the battlefield." He then looked at Alessia "You may not like this sister but I want you to tell you husband to evacuate Highgarden."

"Why?" Alessia asked

"With the Shield Islands occupied by Euron, Highgarden is in striking distance." Martin stated "He can sail up the Mander and capture it. I don't want that to happen. Willas is my brother in law and he has my niece. The thought of what Euron will do to them if he captures them sickens me. I want them safe."

Alessia sighed, abandoning Highgarden would damage moral but Martin was right, it was too risky "Fine, I'll send the raven personally."

Emeric stepped forward "This may not be my land but the Mythic Dawn attacked my lands before. I wish to help you; it will help build bridges if we help defeat a common enemy."

"And what could you give us in aid?" Martin questioned

"I can't give you a whole army." Emeric replied "But I have people with me who have skills in fighting."

"And so do I" Daenerys stated "I have no desire to take over this land but Viserys destroyed my chances of starting over with the Dothraki. He may be my brother by blood but after what he did to me, I want to see him dead. I can give you assistance but I do ask that I be allowed to have the old Targaryen seat of Dragonstone back."

"Alright then." Martin stated "Dragonstone will belong to House Targaryen again."

"Thank you King Martin." Daenerys stated "My companions will help in whatever they can."

"Before they do though, there is one thing I need to do regarding one companion." Martin stated "I know he served you loyally but Jorah Mormont is a wanted man here. He did commit a serious crime here. Not everyone will be happy that I do this but the only way for him to be safe is for me to issue him a full pardon. However, he will not be allowed to inherit Bear Island."

"I'll be fine with that." Jorah stated "My aunt has ruled those lands for a while now, I wouldn't be welcomed back there."

Martin nodded and then looked at Grandmaester Ebrose "Send ravens to the Westerlands and Stormlands. The armies are to be gathered. The Second Legion in the Reach is to assist the Reach forces in retaking Oldtown and other territories while the Four Legion will march with Lord Tywin."

"I understand your Grace." Ebrose stated "I'll send the ravens right away."

Everyone began to leave leaving Martin alone in the room with Delphine. Martin looked at her "And now it begins." He told her "The Mythic Dawn have made their first move, now we make our move."

"Let's just hope the Mythic Dawn don't have any more tricks." Delphine stated

Solstheim:

Jon and his companions were making their way back to Raven Rock. "So what's the plan?" Tormund asked Jon?

"Well once we get back to the Wall, we'll need to see about this Stalhrim, the Dawnguard's smith Gunmar can hopefully use these notes to craft the weapons and hopefully they'll work against the Wights and White Walkers."

"We also need to send some miners here to mine the Stalhrim." Grenn added

"We will but we'll settle that when we get back to Castle Black." Jon stated

As they walked ahead, they suddenly heard the sounds of swords clashing "Do you hear that?" Ygritte questioned

"I do." Jon stated as he drew Longclaw "Be ready."

They walked further ahead and they soon saw a small abandoned farmstead where they saw a dark elf in yellow armour fighting some kind of strange creatures. They seemed to be made from blobs of ask and they were swinging large axes. The creatures saw Jon and started attacking them too.

Jon and his companions soon quickly took out the creatures which turned into a pile of ash. When the last one was killed, Jon looked at the man they had saved. "Are you alright?" he asked

"I'm fine." He replied "Thanks for the help, I wasn't sure I was going to make off of this farm alive. I wish I could say the same for my friend here." He pointed to where a dead man wearing the same armour stood "I'm Captain Veleth, Captain of the Redoran Guard of Raven Rock. I remember you, you're those Outlanders who recently came."

"What were those things?" Serena asked

"Some of the Redoran Guard have taken to calling them Ash Spawn." Veleth replied "Me, I don't really care what they're called, all I know is that they're a threat to Raven Rock and they need to be stopped."

"So why were you at this farm?" Ygritte questioned

"I was going to try and look for clues to see where they were coming from." Veleth stated "It's not the best lead but they have been coming from this direction."

"We can help you if you want it." Jon stated

Serena looked at her "Jon, I would like to help as well but we need to be get back to Westeros."

"I would appreciate the help." Veleth said "And anyway, you may be waiting for a while, the Northern Maiden sailed away to get supplies and it won't return for a while now."

"I guess we might as well help as we haven't got much else to do now." Tormund stated

"What can we do?" Grenn asked

"I was looking around this farm when the Ash Spawn attacked, maybe one of them has something that tells us where they came from." Veleth stated

"Let's check the remains." Jon stated and he and the others checked the piles.

"Hey Jon, I found this note?" Grenn stated after he looked through the pile of one of the Ash Spawn.

Grenn handed the note to Jon who read it to see that it was some kind of declaration of War from someone called General Falx Carius. He then handed the letter to Veleth who looked at the note and frowned

"This is strange?" he questioned "The letter is from General Falx Carius, but that's impossible?"

"How is that impossible?" Serena asked

"The Carius family were the ruling family of Raven Rock and the area many years ago." Veleth replied "They were an old military family that ruled back when the Septim Empire was around and they kept the small town flourishing. But the whole family died when Red Mountain erupted and levelled their seat of Fort Frostmoth nearly 300 years ago. Besides Falx Carius was the founding member of the family, there is no way he would still be alive."

"Could this have anything to do with the White Walkers back home?" Grenn asked

"I don't know." Jon replied "We'll have to check out the ruins to see."

"Well if Carius is alive, something must be keeping it that way." Veleth replied "You'll have to check out Fort Frostmoth, it's to the north east of here but most of it is buried in ash so checking the place out won't be easy."

"Well I guess we better go and check the place out." Jon stated

"Let's just hope that we don't run into a trap." Serena stated

Beyond the Wall:

The number of survivors who had left Castle Black to go on patrol had decreased once again following the Mutiny at Craster's Keep. A few notable survivors including Agmear of the Night's Watch and the Wildling girl Gilly who was carrying her newborn child. Bedwyck and Eddison Tollett had also survivors 10 other Night's Watchmen as the rest of the Dawnguard and brotherhood had already left Craster's Keep before the Mutiny. Lord Commander Mormont was also still alive but had been badly wounded. Worse the cold was causing his wound to fester making it difficult for him to walk resulting in him being helped by Bedwyck and Edd.

"How much further." Gilly asked

"Hopefully not long." Agmear stated

The weather beyond the Wall was always cold but now a snowstorm was making their trip harder and slow which wasn't good for Commander Mormont or Gilly's baby.

"If it keeps on snowing like this, we're never going to make it back to the Wall." Edd stated

"Commander Mormont won't survive if we don't get him back to Castle Black." Bedwyck claimed "He's been stabbed pretty badly, the cold is making his wound worse. If he doesn't get proper treatment then the infection will kill him."

"Leave me!" Mormont groaned who was lying on a makeshift bed made some cloaks the people were able to spare "I'm only slowing you down."

Bedwyck shook his head "There is no way in the Seven Hells we're leaving you here Lord Commander. I will not abandon our Commander here."

Gilly's baby was crying hard now, Gilly thought it was because of the cold and she wrapped her baby up tightly to keep him warn. But then she heard a rustling noise. "What's that noise?"

Everyone was quite and listened out to try and find out what Gilly was hearing. They heard a loud rustling noise but also a loud rattling. A noise that they had heard before.

"Uh oh!" Agmear gasped

"Oh shit!" Bedwyck groaned "Everyone get up!"

"What's wrong?" Gilly questioned, she was scared by how distressed the others were.

"Wights!" Edd stated "We've got incoming Wights!"

"Run for it!" Bedwyck shouted as he helped Mormont up and they all ran as fast as they could to get away from a force of incoming Wights.

Starry Sept: Oldtown:

The Starry Sept was once the headquarters of the Faith of the Seven until the Great Sept of Baelor was built in King's Landing. This Sept had black marble walls and arched windows. Mansions of the pious were located near the Sept and several smaller Septs were built nearby.

But that had been before the Mythic Dawn had taken Oldtown. Now Mankar Cameron had taken over the Sept and used it as the headquarters for the Mythic Dawn. This act was meant to show the people that they so called Seven had abandoned them. The Mythic Dawn had taken all of the Septons, Septas and every other worker who worked in the Septs such as the Silent Sisters and had them all sacrificed to Lord Dagon. Their blood would be used to dye the robes of the Mythic Dawn and any new recruits they made.

Mankar smiled, for the first time in many years, the Mythic Dawn were getting somewhere. The Power that the Elder Scroll had given them allowed the Mythic Dawn to regain their lost magic and reopen the Gates of Oblivion. The Elder Scrolls had undone the Dragonfire Seals that Martin Septon had created when he shattered the Amulet of Kings. Now the Mythic Dawn could bring in the armies from Oblivion and use them to conquer Westeros.

Viserys was also pleased. Now he had a really army and he could conquer Westeros and become King. He had already had a ceremony in the Starry Sept proclaiming himself as Viserys III, the rightful King of Westeros and called for all of the lords to swear fealty to him or be called traitors. As Mankar expected, no one would swear fealty but that would soon be taken care off. Once the armies of Oblivion destroyed Martin Baratheon's armies and they conquered Westeros, no one would oppose them.

There was the Resistance in Oldtown to deal with but that wasn't a major threat right now so Mankar called for Viserys to come so they could discuss their plan.

"I say I ride my dragon to King's Landing, take the city and you open your Oblivion Gates there and we'll kill the king." Viserys yelled out.

Mankar sighed, Viserys was desperate but also reckless, he would not let years of planning be destroyed "That idea is reckless and stupid. We need to draw the King to us but his advisors will most likely advice him against it as they'll know that it's our plan. So we need to take more strongholds."

"Like what?" Viserys snarled "We've taken the city of Oldtown. The only greater prize is the capital."

"Aegon did not conquer Westeros in a day." Mankar stated "We cannot afford to rush in. We will conquer Westeros but we need to be patient. We will expand our conquest but the Elder Scroll only grants us limited power, it does not make us invincible. We need to have a powerbase to work from. And I know just where to start."

"Where?" Viserys demanded.

"A region where strong castles were built for powerful lords." Mankar stated "The Dornish Marches. That region has a number of castles that are well fortified and are a good place to keep a garrison to control the region. There is one in particular that I want to capture. Our former Sleeper Agents Hans-Black Nail informed me that one of Martin's top advisors was Lord Randyll Tarly, he has family at his family seat of Horn Hill. That's the keep I want to capture but I want his family alive. They'll be useful hostages for us."

Viserys smirked "I like it." He stated "We hold the families hostage to force them to submit to me."

"That's one way but remember, we mustn't kill them." Mankar stated "It will only make the lords more determined to fight us. We must break their spirit."

"So which castles will we be taking?" Viserys asked

"Horn Hill for a start." Mankar stated "Starpike will also be a good castle to take as well. We should also send a force to attack the Dornish Marches in the Stormlands, the castles of Blackhaven, Stormhelm and Nightsong. That will also distract any forces being raised in the Stormlands as they'll be redirected to retake these lands as will the Dornish."

Viserys smirked, for the first time since he was a child, he felt good and now he really had a chance of retaking his rightful place on the Iron Throne.

Castle Volkihar:

Deep in Castle Volkihar lay a large chapel. This chapel was once used by the original owners of the castle as their family temple to the Nine Divines but it was no longer used for that. When Harkon had taken over the castle and became a vampire, he desecrated the Shrines to the Divines and built a new alter which depicted Molag Bal, the father of all vampires and this shrine also looked like a fountain which send out red water meant to represent blood.

Lord Harkon sat on a chair alongside Lady Belain. On the floor in front of them lay the former King of Westeros, Joffrey. He had survived being bitten by Harkon and now he had to see if he really could master the powers of the Vampire Lord.

Joffrey groaned as he woke up. He then pushed himself up, he felt dizzy and his vision was blurry but Harkon stood in front of him with a smirk on his face "You're awake a last." He stated "Good, the power is growing within you and you must learn how to wield it."

"So it's done?" Joffrey questioned "I'm a vampire lord."

"My blood is potent." Harkon stated "At first your body was overcome by it. It takes time for a mortal body to get used to it and they don't always survive but you did despite some of my court believing otherwise. You will be an excellent addition to the Grey Host."

"The Grey Host?" Joffrey questioned "What's that?"

"We're an organisation made up of vampires from across the world." Belain stated "Both Harkon and I were some of the original members. We once tried to conquer the world of mortals and we almost succeeded but a lone Hero whose name has been lost defeated us."

"But with the rise of the Worm Cult leads a chance for us to try again." Harkon stated "And now you'll be part of it. And now it is time for you to begin learning how to master your new powers. Lesser vampires just suck blood but Vampire lords have the form that I showed you. Transform and I will show you the powers that we can wield."

"And how do I transform?" Joffrey asked

Harkon smirked "You just have to imagine yourself." He said simply.

Joffrey closed his eyes and imagined himself in the form that Harkon had showed him when he first met him. Then Joffrey felt a strong pain in his chest. He glowed black and then his new form exploded from his old body to create a demonic like creature with wings on his back.

"In this form, you can drain the life of your foes with the magic in your right hand." Harkon instructed "From you left hand, you can use the powers of Blood magic to wield different types of magic. For now you can raise the lesser dead but as you learn more, you can discover new types of magic but you must grow stronger. You can also call upon the powers of the night to turn into a swarm of bats and reappear some distance away. Try it now."

Joffrey did and he turned into a swarm of bats and then reappeared some distance away

"There is more, you can only use the Blood magic as long as you have magicika to use." Harkon added "But if you run out, you can descent to the ground and fight like beasts do. You are weaker on the ground because you don't have access to the Blood Magic's but you can still use the Night powers and your claws are still lethal weapons. Now turn back into your original form." Joffrey soon returned to his normal form.

Joffrey groaned "I love the power but it hurts to transform." He stated

"You will get use to it." Belain stated "You still have a long way to go before you have fully master the powers of the vampire lord but you have time to learn."

"But how am I suppose to retake my throne?" Joffrey demanded.

Belain laughed "There is no point in trying right now, another Cult is currently trying to do that. Best to wait until they've weakened the hold that your brother has and then we can take over. But we have to gather allies and prepare and you can master your powers but soon, you will be a powerful Vampire Lord."

"There is much more for you to learn." Harkon stated "But I must warn you, vampires have a weakness to sunlight and fire. You need to feed on blood to stay healthy but as you wait, your powers will grow more powerful but so will your weakness. I keep a stable of thralls here for you to feed on. Belain will help teach you more about your new powers and she'll take you out of trips to help you test your new powers. That is all I have to teach you but if you wish to have a recap, then you only need to ask. Now go and learn more of your powers and soon, you'll be the most powerful vampire after me."

Joffrey smirked and quickly followed lady Balain, 'Just you wait brother!" he thought 'Now I have a power that even greater than yours and one day, I'll show you what I can really do and I'll retake my throne."

Fort Frostmoth: Solstheim:

Fort Frostmoth had been built during the founding of Raven Rock to provide security for the town. After the fall of the Septim Empire, Raven Rock became an independent small city and the Carius family took over the settlement and Fort Frostmoth became their stronghold. Throughout the years, Raven Rock grew into a small independent port town that traded with the surrounding area though it still wasn't large enough to be called a city and was too small to be considered worthy of being conquered. However, that all ended when Red Mountain erupted 300 years ago, the blast from the volcano struck both Raven Rock and Fort Frostmoth with the full impact that pretty much reduced Fort Frostmoth to a pile of rubble and killing most of the people. Raven Rock suffered the same fate though most settlers were in the Mines when the blast struck but ever since then, Raven Rock had never been the same.

Jon and his companions stood at the entrance to Fort Frostmoth. At one point, this castle must have been quite a site on the island, while it wasn't as big as some of the castles seen in Westeros, it was still quite formidable but that couldn't save the fort from the blast from Red Mountain which had caused a number of the towers to topple over and now ash rain had covered large parts of the fort in piles of ash.

"So what's the plan?" Tormund asked

"We enter this place, find this Falx and kill him." Jon stated

"I'm just wondering how this person could be alive?" Grenn asked

"I have no idea but we might find out once we find him." Jon stated

They all then entered the fort through the ruined gatehouse and as soon as they set foot inside the old courtyard, ash Spawn suddenly started rising from the ash. Everyone got their weapons out and prepared for a fight.

Slaver's Bay: Essos:

Aegon Targaryen led his army made up of the Golden Company and the Unsullied towards their next target in their conquest. Aegon rode alongside his sisters as well as Jon Connington and Travis Thresh who was leading his forces. They were now approaching their next target, the Slaver city of Yunkai.

"That's it." Travis stated as in the distance, they could see the city they were heading towards "The City of Yunkai, also known as the Yellow City."

"They train bed slaves, not soldiers." Connington stated "They are seen as one of the best cities for their brothels just like Lys. We can defeat them."

"On the field we could." Travis stated "But the Wise Masters of the city will just hide behind their walls. Yunkai has been known to just pay off any attacks and by now, our actions at Astapor will have spread. They will hire other sellswords to fight for them. They also have strong walls that we cannot attack without proper siege equipment and we haven't got the means to build them. They'll chip away at us one man at a time."

"I can't have half my army wiped out before we even finished conquering this land." Aegon stated

Travis looked at him "Of all of the cities here in Slaver's Bay, Yunkai is probably the nicest, they mainly train bed slaves. They only difference between them and the prostitutes you see in most cities is that they're property and not just workers. But we will need this city if we're going to conquer the whole of the Bay, we also cannot risk an attack from them if we go on to the city of Meeren."

"Now many Slaves are in Yunkai?" Rhaenys questioned.

Travis looked at her "I've heard people say nearly 200,000."

"Then we have 200,000 reasons to take this city." Visenya stated "And besides, I have a score to settle with this city."

Aegon sighed and looked at her "You still not over what happened?"

"I'll live with that for the rest of my life." Visenya spat as she started raising her voice "If it wasn't for pure chance, I would still be in that city. I want to take our army and purge that city from the map for what they did to me!"

"Whoa, calm down Vis" Connington stated "We can't be too reckless."

Visenya sighed "You're right." She stated "I just, need some time alone, being here has brought back some bad memories." She rode away from the city which made Travis looked at the others.

"Why is she so upset?" Travis questioned

"It's not for me to discuss." Aegon stated "But I'll just say that something happened to Visenya a number of years ago and Yunkai was part of it. She doesn't like talking about it because of what could have happened to her."

Travis looked at where Visenya rode off and wondered what had happened to her.

Highgarden: The Reach:

Lady Olenna Tyrell scowled as the servants were packing her bags. Highgarden was her home and she was not happy to be leaving it. Her grandchildren were all with her.

"I can't believe we're abandoning our castle." She grumbled

Lord Willas Tyrell sighed "I don't like abandoning our seat either but I don't see much choice. We've heard the news from Oldtown and the Shield Islands, war has come to the Reach and we're not in a good position. This Euron Greyjoy could sail up the Mander and we cannot be certain that we're safe, not after what happened in Oldtown. I know what the Ironborn culture is like and I'll be dammed if I let my daughter or sister be taken by them and used as a sex slave."

Margaery suddered at that "So what are we doing?"

"All of the non-combatants which include you and grandmother are to move towards the northern Reach. If things get worse you'll to go to Casterly Rock."

"The seat of our main rivals." Olenna groaned

"Well it may be Margaery's seat one day." Willas stated "Tywin is in talks about Tommen marrying Margaery."

That was a good match, Olenna admitted, she had wanted to see Margaery as queen but there because Alessia was already married to Willas, it was considered making the Tyrells too powerful but Tommen was now named a Lannister.

"And what of you brother?" Margaery asked Willas.

Willas sighed "Normally I would have been on the battlefield but I can't lead in my condition." He pointed to his cane and crippled leg "So Garlen will be leading our forces with help from Lord Tarly when he returns with Loras. Trust me, if I could lead the troops, I would to show that I'm the Lord but many all agree that I can lead better behind the scenes. I can be of more use handling law than war so I'm leaving the handling of this war to Garlen and Tarly."

"And what of little Rose?" Olenna asked about her great granddaughter who was currently being held by Margaery.

"She'll be going with you away from the battle; this is no place for a child." Willas stated

Margaery nodded "I just hope we survive this." She stated

"We will sister." Willas stated "We will survive. Now we must get ready, I want to get out of here before Euron decides to sail here."

Riverrun: The Riverlands:

The Reach was not the only one prepare for war. All over the regions of Westeros, the Lords of the Great Houses were preparing to march off to war. It hadn't been long since the last war when different families were fighting each other but for now, they had to put their differences and hatred aside in order to protect Westeros from a dark threat. Although the Riverlands were calling their troops, they were not marching yet. The Riverlands had already suffered a lot from the last war and there was still a problem with outlaws taking advantage of the lands. So for now, the Riverland houses as well as the 6th Legion currently stationed in the Riverlands would be remaining behind to guard the Riverlands but they would be on high alert.

The new lord of Riverrun, Edmure Tully was a little concerned, he had only officially became lord of Riverrun following his father's death although he had been ruling as regent since his father had fallen ill but he believed that he wasn't doing a very good job. During the start of the Civil War a few years ago, he had attempted to prove himself by attacking the Lannisters but he failed and had been captured and he had only been freed when the Lannisters were defeated at Riverrun. But his actions had allowed the Riverlands to be ravaged during the war and he felt responsible for that. Part of him hoped to rebuild his reputation during this new war but he had been ordered to remain behind and not charge.

Edmure's uncle, Brynden Tully also known as the Blackfish had understood why Edmure had been ordered to stay behind and was now lecturing him "Nephew, in war, you should never charge in headfirst. That's a good way to make a complete blunder and ruin chances of victory. War is not about Glory, it is about duty. Our duty to the realm. We have a duty to protect the people of the Riverlands and also the strategic location of our realm. We're right in the middle of Westeros and we provide an important marching route for armies. We need to defend that. If the Riverlands fall, then it would be trouble for armies to march to other regions to fight."

Edmure sighed "I guess you're right uncle." He stated "I just feel like my vassals treat me like I'm a fool. My father had respect with them and showed that he was their overlord and dealt with rebel houses like the Darry's. But after I led them into the blunder at the Golden Tooth, all I did was get captured and allow our lands to get ravanged."

"No one is a perfect lord." Brynden stated "Everyone makes mistakes and you only did what you thought was right to protect our lands. What happened was not entirely your fault. Your sister also has some blame since she kidnapped Tyrion Lannister which she should never have done. You're not the only reckless one in our family. And I will always be here to help you. Your father and I may have fallen out but I would still fight to protect my family."

Edmure looked out of the window "It's hard to think we're at war now. I mean, in the last war our lands were getting ravaged but now, war is far from our lands but still going on."

Brynden smirked "It does comfort me that even in wars darkest days, in most places in the world, nothing is happening."

Edmure looked at his uncle "I'm glad you're here uncle. Even though my father was cross with you, he did speak highly of you and he did miss you."

"Maybe." Brynden stated "Your father was stubborn old ox, I was surprised when he fell ill and died because I didn't think death had the patience. After 30 years of fighting, I don't think he even remembered what started our fight. He asked me to stop calling myself Blackfish, he said it was an old joke when I commented that our sigil was a fish when he called me the Black Sheep of the Tully's. He said it was never funny to begin with. I replied that people have been calling me Blackfish for so long, they don't even remember my real name."

Edmure looked out of the window "I remember watching him leave the castle as a young boy when he rode off to fight in Robert's Rebellion. He told me that not everyone would come home from war. But he always did. He fought in several wars but he always came back. It made me think I was invincible, and I was wrong. I led my lands into blunder, and I would do anything to set it right."

"Maybe you'll get your chance one day." Brynden stated "After all, you have a long life ahead of you. There is always the possibility of future wars."

Edmure nodded and Brynden left Edmure to his thoughts.

Fort Forstmoth, Solstheim:

Jon and his companions had made their way through the ruins of Fort Frostmoth. It wasn't easy with the Ash Spawn that kept rising from the piles of ash and the fact that much of the inside of the keep was also buried in ash which made getting around quite difficult. They had also been forced to explore the prison of the keep to find a key to a locked door which led to the main office. They found the key on the remains of a man called Maximian Axius and they knew the name due to some letters they found on his remains. He was the second in Command of the Fort and was killed during Red Mountain's eruption. But they also found something strange, they found a journal which seemed to have been written by someone who claimed to have risen Falx from the grave but there was no information on who this person was.

Eventually after Jon had managed to unlock the door they came into a large room which was the main office of the Fort and General Falx Carius was there who still looked normal for someone who had been raised from the dead. He didn't look decomposed like the Wights but it was as if he had returned from the dead. Carius quickly drew a massive warhammer and charged at Jon along with several Ash Spawn. Falx Carius was a tough opponent and several times, Jon had to back away from a massive strike from Carius.

Tormund charged at Carius with his new axe that he got from the Dwemer ruins but Carius swung his warhammer and knocked Tormund backwards. But the distraction allowed Jon to regain his strength and charge at Carius and stabbed him in the chest.

"I've failed" Carius muttered quietly before falling dead.

The Ash Spawn were also quickly take out "You know for someone who was undead, he looked fairly alive." Ygritte stated "That was not what I expected at all."

"He doesn't even look like he was even dead at all." Grenn stated "How is that possible."

Serena noticed something glowing on the chest of the now dead Carius, she leaned down and tried to see what it was. She suddenly pulled something out of Carius' body which left a hole in him.

"What's that Serena?" Jon asked

"I have no idea." Serena stated looking at the object which was some kind of large round stone that was glowing red in areas "It seems to have powerful magically properties. Maybe someone who knows about Ancient magic will know but the main thing is that with Carius dead, we should head back to Raven Rock."

"Agreed." Jon stated

Tormund picked up the massive warhammer that Carius was using "We should take this with us as well." He stated "That Axe we found is good but this is just as good. We could make good use of it."

"Alright then." Jon stated "Now let's get back to Raven Rock."

Red Keep: King's Landing:

Martin sat alone in his room sitting at his desk. He was busy thinking about what was going on. He knew that the Mythic Dawn were going to make a move but he had no idea they would strike so suddenly and be so successful. Now the second largest city in Westeros was under Mythic Dawn control and after all he had read about the Mythic Dawn and the first Oblivion crisis, he knew that he had to defeat the Mythic Dawn quickly otherwise more people would suffer a terrible fate. But he wondered how the Mythic Dawn had been able to gain so much power. How had they done that? He then realised what he had to do so he quickly left his room and went to find Grandmaster Delphine.

He found Delphine speaking with Barristan and Jaime "Your grace." She greeted

"Delphine, listen, I've been thinking about the Mythic Dawn." Martin stated "We have our armies but the Mythic Dawn have their strength from their magic."

"So?" Jaime questioned

"So uncle, we have to find a way of taking their advantage from them." Martin stated "They gained so much power quickly but we need to find out why. Our only way of doing that is to send someone undercover to pretend to join the Mythic Dawn. We need to send someone who is skilled to act as a member."

"And who should we send?" Delphine asked

"I don't know but it would have to be someone who is less known." Martin stated "Some of the Blades are too well known, they'll be recognised as a spy. Caius might know a Blade member who could do that. We have to send him a message."

Delphine sighed "I don't like the idea of sending one of our members into danger like that," she stated "But you're right. We need to find out more about the Mythic Dawn. I'll ask Caius to send one of the lesser members undercover. It will have to be one from Cloud Ruler, all Blades here will have been recognised by the Mythic Dawn Sleeper agents."

"I trust Caius' judgement." Martin stated "Also, send word to Brynjolf, I need to see if he knows anyone who could sneak behind enemy lines at Oldtown. They have to know if there are any hidden tunnels in the city which we could use to help the Resistance there."

"I'll ask him when I next see him." Delphine added

"Good." Martin stated "I just hope we can deal with the Mythic Dawn as soon as we can."

"My father is most likely raising his forces as we speak." Jaime stated

Casterly Rock: The Westerlands:

Jaime was indeed right about his father. As soon as Martin had sent the Raven, Tywin had ordered all of his Bannermen to raise their forces in preparation but had not ordered them to unite yet. But now that he had received the call to arms after the fall of Oldtown, he made plans. He had called Tommen to his office to explain his plans.

Tommen soon arrived "You called for me." He stated

"I did Tommen." Tywin stated "Are you aware of why I'm raising my forces."

"I know about the Mythic Dawn." Tommen stated "And I've been hearing that they have just taken Oldtown and parts of the Reach."

"They have." Tywin stated "We're to be marching down with the Third Legion to fight alongside the Reach Houses to retake the lands."

"But shouldn't we keep some men back here?" Tommen questioned "I mean, it's unwise to leave your lands undefended in times of war. Outlaws can take advantage of not having anyone to keep order."

Tywin smiled "You are right about that." He stated "I wanted to see if you understood. I am not leaving these lands undefended. Houses Marbrand, Lefford and Westerling will be remaining here although Adam Marbrand and Raynald Westerling will be coming along. As for ruling here, Kevan and Genna will be remaining here to rule in my name while I'm away. You'll be coming with me as my squire so you can understand warfare. Kevan's sons Wilhelm and Martyn will also be joining us as squires."

"This war isn't going to be easy is it?" Tommen questioned "I've heard that we facing not just fanatics but also strange monsters and even a dragon."

"No war is easy Tommen." Tywin stated "I don't know how true these monsters are. Normally I would have dismissed the idea but after what happened in King's Landing, I'm not so sure on that anymore. But this war won't be simple and it seems that this war is only just starting. But we also have the Ironborn to worry about as well. If I had a large fleet, I would have sailed straight to the Iron Islands and destroy everything to do with the Ironborn."

"That seems harsh but understandable." Tommen stated "After everything the Ironborn have done, it would be best if they were gone."

Tywin smiled "I see you've been learning. The Ironborn will never learn but I can't destroy them without an order from the King. Anyway, you better go get yourself ready, we're leaving soon and we may not be back for a while."

Tommen nodded and left the room to prepare.

Storm's End: Stormlands:

Stannis Baratheon stood in his room preparing his things ready to ride off to battle. At least he was fighting for someone who saw his worth. When he fought for his brother, he never got appreciated for his actions, he held Storm's End for a year while under siege even being forced to eat rats to stay alive and he refused to give in and instead, Lord Eddard Stark got the credit for lifting the siege. And when he took Dragonstone, Robert scorned him as he failed to capture the remaining Targaryens and he had been made Lord of Dragonstone which he took as an insult as Dragonstone's lordship was a minor compared to Storm's End. He was now Lord of Storm's End and the Stormlands again and he was still a respected lord among the Stormlords so his lordship was not contested. Now he hoped he could prove himself to his nephew and so he was going to march into the Reach to help retake the territory lost to the Mythic Dawn.

There was suddenly a knock on the door "Come in." He called

"Father." A voice called and Stannis turned to see his daughter Shireen enter the room.

"Shireen." Stannis replied "Are you lonely."

"I'm worried." Shireen replied "And lonely, I thought living here at Storm's End would allow me to see more people. But I don't get to see much of anyone. And now you're going off to war."

"Do you know why?" Stannis asked

"Because some cult has taken over Oldtown and the surrounding area." Shireen replied "And you need to help to retake them."

Shireen walked around the room before looking at her father "Are you ashamed of me father?" she questioned

Stannis looked at his daughter in shock at why she would ask that "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because you had no sons." Shireen replied "Only a daughter, and one who is scared." He pointed to the remains of her Greyscale scaring which was still visible on her cheek even though it wasn't as bad as it once was.

Stannis stood up "When you an infant, a Dornish trader came to Dragonstone. His goods were junk except for one wooden doll. He had sewn a dress on it in the colours of our house, no doubt he had heard about your birth and believed new fathers were easy targets. I remember your smile when I place that doll in your crib, how you pressed it to your cheek." He was silence for a few moments before carrying on "By the time we burnt the doll, it was too late. The Greyscale had infected you. I was told that you would die or worse, the disease would go slow, that you grow until you knew little of the world before it was taken from you. Everyone advised me to send you away to the ruins of Valyria to live out your short life with the stonemen before the sickness spread throughout the castle." He looked at Shireen "Do you know what I told them?"

"What?" Shireen asked

"I told them all to go to hell." Stannis replied cheerfully which made Shireen smiled "I called every Maester, every Healer and anyone who could help. They stopped the disease and saved your life. Then Martin's personal healer removed much of the remaining scarring. You did not belong on the other side of the world living with the stonemen. You are lady Shireen of house Baratheon. And you are my daughter."

Shireen smiled and then wrapped her arms around Stannis who hugged her back "Thank you father, for making me feel better."

Stannis smiled, Shireen was one of the few people who made Stannis happy "You're welcome my dear." He stated "Now I need to finish getting ready, I have a long journey ahead."

Horn Hill: The Reach:

Talla Tarly, daughter of Lord Randyll and Lady Melessa Tarly sat on the balcony of her room at Horn Hill. The lands surrounding the castle of Horn Hill were full of lush forests and were full of gain. Although Talla had never been out hunting, her father and brothers had although Samwell had never been any good but at least he was now going well as the Apprentice of the Blades Loremaster. Sam had always said he was better with books that swords and now he could put his knowledge to better use. She had recently watched her brother Dickon leave Horn Hill with some of the Tarly forces as they were being called upon to help retake the captured regions so Dickon was riding to Fort Greenwall to meet with the Second Legion while she had heard that her father was also returning.

Not all of the Tarly forces had marched since Horn Hill was close to the region that the Mythic Dawn had captured and so some of the Tarly force had been left behind to defend the castle under the command of Hyle Hunt.

Her door opened and Talla's mother Melessa entered the room "Talla." She greeted "Your sisters are looking for you."

Talla thought about her two younger sisters, Melara and Delena. The three sisters did get along well but Talla was never happy about the way they treated Sam. Of all of the Tarly siblings, Talla got along best with Sam and had been sad when he renounced his title as heir to join the Blades. She did get along well with Dickon and she had watch him leave.

Talla looked at her mother "Mother, did you and father love each other."

Melessa sighed "Not at first." She admitted "Marriages are never about love but I did grow to love your father. The only thing we really argued about was his harsh treatment of Sam. He was my eldest and I loved him. Your father did love him at first but felt disappointed in him. It House Tarly didn't have the reputation it did as warriors, Sam would have been a great lord but as Marcher Lords, Sam would have been seen as weak even though he's smart."

"It's just, one day I will be married one day." Talla sighed "I remember Simon Fossoway, he has yellow teeth."

"That's enough Talla." Melessa called but not harshly "Look, your father would never marry you to a cruel man but if you keep thinking like that, you'll never be able to find love with your husband. There are worst things that a man with yellow teeth such as a man who sleeps with any girl he likes. As a husband, he should remain loyal to his wife and she should do the same to her husband. Besides, you're still young and there are plenty of young men out there. You are a beautiful girl Talla and our house is a well known Houses. Other Houses would seek our aid and we need the aid of others. A way to cement alliances is through Marriage."

Talla sighed "I'm just scared."

"Everyone is scared about marriage." Melessa stated "Now come, dinner will be served shortly."

Talla nodded and looked out of the window but suddenly, she noticed that the sky started to turn red "Wait, what's going on?" she questioned "Why did the sky turn red."

Melessa looked confused but then there was a large boom and the ground shook which made Talla cry out and quickly embraced her mother "What's happening?"

"I have no idea!" Melessa shouted

Beyond the Wall:

The Night's Watch survivors were running as fast as they could. The attacking Wights were gaining on them and they had to try and find a safe place before they were overrun. What's worse is that they had no Valyrian steel or Dragonglass so they couldn't fight any White Walkers if they showed up. The major problems were that the injured Mormont was slowing them down but no matter how much Mormont commanded them to leave him, they all refused to leave him.

"We're not leaving our Lord Commander behind!" Edd shouted

"I'm only slowing you down!" Mormont groaned "You'll never make it back. Just leave me, I'll hold them off."

"No way!" Bedwyck hissed "If you're staying then I'm staying too. I won't let you sacrifice yourself for nothing."

Just then, they heard a loud hissing noise. Agmear felt his heart drop, he knew what that meant "White Walker!" he yelled

Gilly began crying and holding her baby "Then that's it!" she sobbed "We're doomed, it's come for my baby."

Agmear held her close "I'm sorry Gilly."

The snowstorm started clearing and they saw the White Walker appear with a small force of Wights surrounding it. The Night's Watch stood up preparing for a fight. But them, they heard a loud noise and turned around to see a large black horse. Riding the horse was a figure cloaked in black. The man looked at them but they could not see his face. Then he brought a large spiked ball on a chain which set itself on fire and the man rode towards the Wights, striking one with the ball which he was swinging which set the Wight on fire. The man began riding around the Night's Watch swinging his ball and chain and taking out the Wights.

Then he dismounted and drew a large black sword from his belt. The Wight Walker got his large ice spear out and the two began fighting. Agmear realised that the man's sword was made from Dragonglass as it didn't break when the White Walker's spear struck it. The hooded man quickly found an opening and struck the White Walker on the side which destroyed it and the other Wights collapsed.

With the threat gone, he walked over to the survivors "Come on." He called "We have to get out of here, the dead don't rest."

"Who are you?" Agmear asked

"A friend." The man replied "Now come on before more show up."

He helped the injured Commander Mormont onto his horse and the hooded man quickly led them away from the fight and hopefully to safety.

Chapter End:

Notes: Well here it is, a new update on Rise of the Divines. The war against the Mythic Dawn is starting to expand and I've decided to explain a bit on the character of Visenya's back-story which will be shown in future chapters. I will also explain why I kept Joffrey alive, it was so I could have a character to follow Harkon's story, other stories have often just have Joffrey killed and that was the end but I want to create something more interesting but he won't be getting any kind of redemption. I've also changed a character which is Lady Belain instead of Lady Essenia as when I wrote the last chapter, the Markarth DLC had not been released so I felt she would be a better character. I also thought about having Commander Mormont die of his injuries here but I felt like that would have been a waste to kill him off just after he survived the Mutiny. This may also be my last update of 2020 as I am now working on some of my University work for the start of January but once I'm done, I'll be concentrating on the Mass Wars story until it is finished so any updates on this story will take a while.