Bloodskal:

Oldtown: The Reach:

The Dark Brotherhood had once had an old sanctuary near Oldtown that was built into the remains of an old Smuggler's cave. The Smugglers had long abandoned this place when House Hightower patrolled the area and discovered the place and sealed the old entrance to the cave but a small hidden tunnel remained and when the Dark Brotherhood expanded to the region, the cave was converted into a local headquarters for the Reach with one of their mystical doors blocking the main entrance and an new tunnel that would lead into Oldtown's Thieves Market. The hive of thieves and killers in Oldtown where it was hidden in plain sight. For years, the Dark Brotherhood had used this Sanctuary but when they fell on hard times, the Sanctuary was abandoned and left.

Now the Brotherhood had returned and while it had been many years, a lot of the old equipment remained including weapon supplies and stash of poisons that got even deadlier as time went on. The Dornish assassin Nazir was setting up the place and since he was a senior member, he would be taking charge. The little vampire assassin Barbette had joined them along with two other members known as Kor, Tenek and Hildegard. Antoinetta had also joined them since she had grown up on the streets of Oldtown and knew the city better than most.

Nazir looked at the members he had gathered "So, now we have a base for our operations here in the heat of the fight." He said "Now we just have to plan our next step."

"Our first course would be to try and gather information from the Resistance." Kor stated

"Agreed." Hildegard added "The more information we have on the Mythic Dawn, the better we can plan."

"And the more we get paid." Babette added

Nazir looked at Antoinetta "So, where can we meet the Resistance?"

"From what I've learnt, the Resistance are currently holding up in the Hightower itself." Antoinetta stated "It's the one place that the Mythic Dawn has not got a hold off. They're too busy fighting in other places to try and take it, they'll have the information we need."

"So I guess one of us will have to meet the Resistance." Nazir stated

"Hildegard and me are out." Kor stated "As Northerns, we won't have much in common."

"And I might be recognised due to my past here." Antoinetta added.

"Dornish aren't too welcome here either." Tanek added

Nazir sighed "I guess that means it's you Babette."

Babette sighed "Alright, at least my appearance won't make me too oblivious."

"That's true." Kor laughed.

"I've played this game before and they always fall for the scared sweet little girl trick." Babette added using a voice like a sweet little girl which made the others smirk.

"Like we said, you're the best one since they'll never suspect you." Nazir said

Red Keep: King's Landing:

Martin sat alone in the Red Keep's Library with a few Blades standing watch. Jaime and Barristan were in the library standing guard. With everything that has happened, he needed to relax a little. He had managed to deal with the Sparrows but now his main enemy had made a move and they had struck hard. And he knew that this was only the beginning of the dark threats that threaten the realm, he still had the Worm Cult and the White Walkers to deal with. Sometimes, he really just needed to sit down and do some reading to calm himself down. Esbern had brought a number of books from the Septim Empire period which were interesting to read. Books like this were hard to find, many had been destroyed due to age and lost to history and fanatics like King Baelor had tried to destroy the few that remained. Martin was one person who greatly dislike the Blessed King. And he's not the only one, people look back and saw that Baelor the Blessed likely had the Targaryen madness, he was clearly not fit to be King, he nearly bankrupt the realm for his charity which while it made commoners happy, he was easy to exploit and it meant less was being spent on the upkeep of the realm. He also locked his own sisters away which was a clear sign of his instability. If the rumours were true that he was planning to force the Seven on the North and Iron Islands then it would have resulted in a long war and the realm falling apart. The only thing that probably kept the realm together was his hand Viserys who would later become Viserys II. Baelor was clearly unfit to be King.

It wasn't long before Martin saw that he was not the only one in the room, he saw the silver hair of Daenerys Targaryen who was being protected by Jorah Mormont. When she saw him, he dropped the book she was carry and gave a quick bow "Your Grace." She greeted "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in here."

Martin chuckled "It's alright." He replied "This library is for anyone. With everything that's been going on, I needed a quick read."

"It must be hard being King." Daenerys said

"Harder for me than most." Martin stated "With Daedric Cults and the undead beyond the wall, I have to face things that no King in thousands of years has faced. It is quite a lot to deal with."

"I may not be a proper princess but my life was harder than most." Daenerys stated "Having to move around to avoid assassin's sent by your father."

Martin sighed, he knew at some point this would come up "What my father did there was wrong." He replied "I never had anything against you but he did. He love for Lyanna Stark really made him angry. She never even loved him back, she hated my father."

"What really happened?" Daenerys asked "What my brother told me is not always accurate, he claimed that everything about was just lies."

"Lady Daenerys." Barristan spoke "I served on your father's Kingsguard for years, I was at his side from the very start of his rule. I'm afraid the stories about your father were not lies."

Daenerys sighed "Go on, I wish to hear the truth."

Barristan sighed, he knew he would have to tell thr truth but did not want to upset Daenerys so he decided to tell good things as well "When your father first came to the throne, he was cheerful and full of fun, he had wild plans and ambitions that he would quickly forget. Tywin Lannister served as his hand and kept the realm stable but soon his mental health went downhill. Your father struggled to have children which made him believe that someone was trying to kill his family. When one of your brothers died at six months old, he killed the wet nurse and then his mistress believing that they had poisoned the child. We never really knew for sure but his paranoid fits made him dangerous. Sometimes he would recover from these paranoid spells but after the Defiance of Duskendale, his sanity was shattered and he never recovered. Soon enough, he burnt people alive with wildfire and laughed as they burnt."

"I still remember the day I watch Lord Rickard Stark get burnt alive." Jaime added "The horrors I witness that day I will never forget."

Martin sighed "That was what really started the rebellion. Rhaegar did elope with Lyanna as I know now but your father. That was the pot of wildfire but the deaths of Rickard and Brandon Stark were the spark. There was no going back after that."

"And when King's Landing was taken, I remember Aerys II ordering his Pyromancer to light the wildfire beneath the city. 'Burn them all' he said and that was when I realised I couldn't just sit back anymore. So I killed both of them but now I know I should have told everyone why, not just let them figure it out for themselves."

Daenerys looked sad "I always knew that there had to be some truth in the stories but I never thought it would be this bad."

Martin looked at her "Be yourself." He said "You want people to judge who you are, not based on your father and brother so show them that you're not like them. You seem like a good woman."

Daenerys smiled and looked at him "By the way, I heard the stories that you had dragons."

"I do." Martin stated "Don't ask how because I still have no idea and you also have dragons as well."

"Do you mind if I can see them?" Daenerys asked "I hoped for my dragons to meet yours, show that our dragons are not alone in this world."

Martin nodded "Alright them, I'll arrange a little trip to the Dragonpit later."

Daenerys smiled at that.

Elsewhere in the Red Keep:

Daenerys other advisor Farengar had gone to a separate area of the Red Keep, he hoped to try and catch us with an old friend of his. He entered a small room where he found the person he was looking for sitting at a table. It was Martin's personal Healer Colette who smiled when she saw Farengar enter. "Farengar." She smiled "It's been a long time."

"It sure has Colette." Farengar replied and the two of them hugged each other like old friends "I was wondering how you were doing."

"I'm mostly fine." Colette stated "I don't regret becoming King Martin's personal healer; he treats the College of Restoration better than most. Most people usually didn't care for my talents as a Restoration Mage, here in Westeros; most people have a fear of Magic. I was scared when the Fanatic Sparrows rose up but I'm glad they're gone, they were dangerous."

"In Essos, people are a lot more relaxed about Magic." Farengar replied "Although I do worry about the dark magic at work. In Qohor, the sacrifices to the Black Goat remind me too much of Daedric Magic. Although Phinis would have better understanding of that."

"Speaking of Phinis, how is he doing?" Colette asked

"I'm afraid I don't know." Farengar admitted "I haven't had contact with him for a while. As for Drevis, last I heard Drevis had managed to find work as a scholar in the remains of Morrowind in the Northern Essos. Calcelmo works for this High King Emeric as a Dwemer Scholar. He has been concerned because his nephew Aicantar recently went missing. I believe Tolfdir now works in the Mages Guild somewhere in Emeric's lands, Calcelmo told me about that but I never got the chance."

Then the door opened and the two of them turned to see Grandmaester Ebrose enter who stumbled when he saw Farengar "Oh, Miss Colette, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were in a meeting."

Colette laughed "Its fine Ebrose. Farengar, this is Grandmaester Ebrose, Grandmaester of King Martin's Small council and unlike most Maesters, one who is interested in magic although more interested in my healing skills. Ebrose, this is Farengar Secret Fire, he's an old friend of mine."

"Oh, nice to meet you." Ebrose greeted and shook Farengar's hand "Most Maesters dismiss magic but I am interested in it as long as it's safe."

"Magic is not evil but there are ways it's used for evil." Farengar said.

"Marwyn said a similar thing." Ebrose stated "He and I always had our differences but he was not a dangerous man, unlike that Qyburn fellow. I am concerned about the influence he has on our King."

"I know what you mean about Qyburn." Colette replied "But his skills may be useful to try and find a weak spot in these Daedra, sadly most knowledge in them has been lost and we're no expert on them. Our old friend Phinis may know more but we have no idea where he is."

Farengar looked at them "Who is this Qyburn?" he asked

Colette looked at him "Qyburn is a small advisor to the King over the Daedric creatures. After the Battle of King's Landing when the Worm Cult opened a Dark Anchor, many Daedric creatures were left and so Qyburn was given a small workshop to study them. We don't know what his goal is but he has provided us with useful information."

"That may be true but his background is not good for a man like him." Ebrose stated "You don't get kicked out of the Citadel without cause."

"What did he do?" Farengar asked

Ebrose looked at him "Qyburn was caught performing experiments on living people. People suffered horrible deaths because of him. While Maesters can cut open dead bodies to see how the body works, doing that on living people was against the rules. When he was caught, he was stripped of his chain and title of a Maester and would only find work with sellswords, one of which were the Brave Companions which were destroyed by Martin's forces. That's how he came to Martin's service."

"Is Martin aware of Qyburn's past?" Farengar added

"He is." Ebrose replied "I informed him but the King decided not to remove Qyburn from his service."

"He likely did it so he could keep an eye on him." Colette suggested "Better keeping him here where we can keep an eye on his rather than him being out there doing who knows what."

"I suppose that's true." Ebrose sighed

It was then that the door opened again and Colette saw the Blades Loremaster Esbern enter "I'm sorry to disturb you all." He stated "I was just wondering if any of you have seen my apprentice Samwell Tarly anywhere? I haven't seen him for a while."

"I haven't seen him either." Colette stated "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since his father left for the battlefield."

"Did you notice anything strange with his behaviour?" Ebrose asked

Esbern thought about it "Come to think of it, I did notice that he had been different ever since news came about the Fall of Oldtown. I couldn't figure out why as I didn't ask."

Colette then gasped "Oh no! I think I know where he's gone?"

"Where?" Esbern asked

Fort Greenwall: The Reach:

Fort Greenwall was an old keep in the Reach that had once been a fortress for the army. It had been abandoned for a long time until Martin's new legions decided to use the Fort as a headquarters of the Second Legion who were based in the Reach. The Second Legion had prepared their forces led by Legate Adventus Caesennis and a force from the Reach had arrived led by Randyl Tarly. The army based here had about 50,000 men from both the legion and the Reach houses gathered with men from the houses in the north and eastern Reach. Much of the forces in the southern Reach had been lost when the Mythic Dawn took Oldtown and the Dornish Marches. A second army was marching from the Westerlands which included the Third Legion so the army gathered would be big then they arrived at the main front. The two armies planned to meet up at Highgarden which so far had not fallen but due to fears that Euron Greyjoy could take the fort since he had access to the Mander, House Tyrell had fled to the safety of Old Oak while their captain of the Guard, Igon Vyrwel held the fort.

Randyl along with Adventus were in the captain's quarters of the fort looking over a map of the Reach. Among his group were Garlen and Loras Tyrell. Garlen was leading the Tyrell forces since Wilas was unable to thanks to his crippled leg.

"My Legion scouts have been scouting over the lands occupied by the Mythic Dawn. They occupy large sections of the southern Reach from Oldtown as far north as Brightwater Keep. I've also been informed they occupy castles in the Dornish Marches, only a few in the eastern Stormlands are safe which Lord Stannis is taking care of."

"What about my family?" Tarly asked

Adventus sighed "I don't know. Horn Hill is currently occupied but I have no idea if your family are being held there or have been moved. We don't even know if they're still alive."

Randyl was concerned, while he was a harsh man, he didn't want to see his family die, while he disliked his eldest son Sam, he did have a tiny bit of love for his daughters and wife. He didn't want to see them die.

"And that's not all, there has been a new development." Adventus added "Apparently, Euron's Ironborn have landed on the Arbor."

"You mean the Arbor has fallen?" Randyl gasped

Adventus nodded "The Redwyne fleet encountered the Ironborn and his ship was sunk, Horas Redwyne managed to lead the remains of the Redwyne fleet to Dorne but they're in no position to return. The Ironborn are now plundering the Arbor. The Ironborn have not fully taken control of the island but they are now raiding the towns and villages."

This was not good. Without the Redwyne fleet, there was no way that the people of the Arbor could fight off the Ironborn raids. They may be able to prevent a full occupation but they wouldn't hold them off forever. Adventus had already sent this information to King's Landing, King Martin may have to send some of his fleet to the Arbor.

It was then that Lord Randyl's Sworn Sword, Ser Hyle Hunt entered the room "Lord Tarly, I'm sorry to interrupt but you really need to see this?"

"See what?" Tarly asked

"We just found someone who isn't part of the army or legions?"

"A Mythic Dawn spy?" Adventus asked

Hyle shook his head "No, it's your son Lord Tarly?"

"I know Dickon's here?" Tarly stated confused.

"Not him, your oldest?" Hyle corrected.

Randyl Tarly looked shock and quickly followed Hyle out of the tent and into the courtyard where he saw Dickon had gathered with some other Reachmen and he finally saw his son Samwell Tarly was indeed at the Fort.

"Sam" he stated

Samwell Tarly sighed and looked at him "Father." He replied back

"What are you doing here brother?" Dickon questioned "I thought you were happy being the Apprentice Loremaster to the Blades."

"I was." Sam replied and then he looked at his father "I know what you think of me father, that I'm a failure as your son, that I'm a coward whose not worthy of being the next lord of Horn Hill and maybe you're right. But I still care about my family even if you don't feel the same about me. I'm still a Tarly and Horn Hill is my home. When I heard that these Daedric Cultists had taken Horn Hill, I realised I couldn't just stay away from this. My mother and sisters are in danger, I've read what Daedric Cults do to innocent people and if something happens to them and I did nothing, I would never forgive myself. I may not be as skilled as a fighter as I am a reader but I've learnt a few things among the Blades. I don't care if you don't want me here, I'm staying for my family and if I die, then at least I died trying to do something for them."

Randyl and Dickon looked at each other, none of them expected this from Sam. A small smile actually appeared on Randyl's face "Maybe I was wrong about you Sam." He said "Maybe you really are a Tarly."

Sam didn't know what to say, his father had actually praised him, something that had never happened before. Sam could hardly speak as Randyl headed back inside to plan the upcoming campaign.

Winterfell: The North:

Unlike the South, things in the north were very quiet. From the northern point of view, it didn't seem like war was even happening. King Martin had informed Lord Robb of what was going on but told him to keep his forces in the North for now. There was still the undead situation beyond the Wall and the northern forces were needed there for now. King Martin had informed Lord Robb of what was going on but told him to keep his forces in the North for now. Bear Island and the western coast were put on high alert since the rise of Euron Greyjoy as there was a possibility that he could attacked the western coast of the north which was too big to be defended all at once as well as Bear Island which could make an important stronghold for now.

As for House Stark itself, things were quiet as usually. Sansa had since moved to the Dreadfort with her new husband Domeric Bolton, Arya was still her usual wild self learning how to fight. Catelyn did her best to try and stop but there was not much she could do now. Without Eddard, there was no one to stop her and Catelyn knew that if she tried to do something, it would destroy their relationship with Arya for good. Arya had already made plans to join the Legion and she was nearing age when she could do that. Rickon was still a child and not doing much but Bran was recovering better from his injuries two years prior. He was slowly getting better at handling his dreams but was warned by Dancia Pure Springs that he may soon have to seek out a proper teacher. Maybe once everything in the south was over, Dancia had said that maybe she could speak to her old friend Colette who may be able to find someone to teach Bran better. For Robb and his wife Jeyne, they couldn't be more excited as Maester Luwin had said that Jeyne's child was due soon. Robb really hoped the war wouldn't spread north but if it did, they he knew there was a safe place he could send his family if he needed to.

Robb entered his bedroom where he saw his wife Jeyne reading a letter that Luwin had brought her "Anything interesting?" he asked

"It's a letter from my brother Raynald." Jeyne replied "He's explaining the family situation to me."

"How are your family doing?" Robb asked

"My family are doing fine." Jeyne replied "My father and brother are due to march south with Lord Tywin's forces to help deal with this Mythic Dawn threat in the Reach. They're part of a second army to deal with the forces in the Reach. So far the threat hasn't crossed into the Westerlands yet but they're no telling if that could happen yet."

"Hopefully it won't." Robb stated "Hopefully this threat can be contained."

"I hope so too." Jeyne said

Robb noticed something was wrong "Is there something else?"

Jeyne sighed and nodded "My brother is concerned about my mother, I've told you this before but me and my mother are not close. In fact, ever since our marriage, my mother has actually began using that fact to try and better herself in the Westerlands. My mother is very entitled and thinks she can boss some of the lesser houses in the Westerlands. My father and brother so far have been able to contain her but with them gone; I am a bit worried about what may happen. I don't like the fact that she could make me look bad in the eyes of the people at home. I also don't want her to have any influence over our child." She held her hand over her pregnant belly "Sadly, I didn't have the same relationship with my mother as you did. If I hadn't met you, I don't know where my life would have gone. My mother only saw me as a way to increase her power and wealth. She may have even tried to marry me to one of that old Geezer Walder Frey's spawn if it increased her power. Although your former squire Olyvar was okay."

Robb hugged her "Nothing is going to happen okay?" he said "Even if something happened, I would send you to the Wall where Jon would help keep you safe. My loyal Bannermen would also protect you."

"Speaking of Jon, how is he?" Jeyne asked

"I haven't heard from him in a while although that was due to the fact that he's away from Westeros at the moment." Robb replied "The situation beyond the wall is worrying but Jon was away seeking a possible weapon to help deal with this threat. Hopefully he will be back soon."

Solthstiem:

Jon and his company made their way through the Barrow. This Barrow was much more difficult than the Tomb of Joramun. There seemed to be puzzle rooms and axe traps throughout the tomb. They just made their way through a large coridoor full of swinging axes.

"Man, that was much more dangerous than Joramun's tomb." Tormund stated

"This Barrow predates the King Beyond the Wall." Serena stated "This Bloodskal tribe must have been a tribe that settled on the island during the Mythic Era when dragons ruled the world. They must have been dragon worshippers. That could make things even more dangerous as these Dragur will be stronger."

"Let's just find our way out of here before anyone gets seriously hurt or worse, killed." Jon stated

"Agreed." Grenn added

They entered a large double door and found themselves in a large room. The room was square with a pool of water in the middle and at the far bad was some kind of alter. The group went around the pool and approached the alter and saw that the middle of it was carved into a dragon's head and some kind of markings were on the wall.

"What do these markings mean?" Ygritte asked

Serena looked at them "They're written in the ancient Dragon language which the dragons of old would speak, most about this language was lost, there are few who could translate it." She quickly took out a small journal and a charcoal pen.

"What are you doing?" Jon asked

"The stories say that these ancient tombs had things called word Walls which have a special word carved on them. If a Dragonborn is able to read the language then he learns that word of power for a Dragon Shout. It might come in handy for King Martin."

"I guess so." Jon said but then heard a noise "Wait, what was that noise?" everyone was quite and could heard a quiet groaning and growling. "I don't think we're alone here."

Jenassa placed and arrow in her bow and slowly turned around and gasped at what she saw "Get down!" she yelled and fired her arrow. It struck her target causing it to growl. Everyone turned around and saw a floating figure growling and pointing a large stick. A blast of lightning burst from the staff causing everyone to jump out of the way.

The creature growled and charged towards Grenn and swung the stick which Grenn blocked but was then blown back by a bolt of lightning throwing him against the wall. Jenassa's arrows prevented the creature from killing Grenn. Serena fired ice blasts at the creature while Jon and Tormund tried to get it onto dry hand. Eventually, after some hard work, the creature began to fall to the ground and Jon thrust Longclaw through the chest. The creature shrieked before crumpling to a pile of dust with only the top scaly armour which had been floating remaining.

Grenn was helped up by Jon "What the fuck was that thing?"

"That was a dragon Priest." Serena stated "They're the rarest of the Draugr creatures, the priestly class of the Ancient people. This must have been a devoted priest of the Bloodskal tribe."

"If there are more of these creatures beyond the Wall then the war may get even harder." Jon stated

"Well we now have weapons to fight them." Serena stated picking up the staff and taking the mask off "The Dragon Priests were given powerful masks and staffs by their Dragon overlords. These are worth having."

At the other side of the room, a door opened "There, hopefully that will get us out of here, we really must get back to Raven Rock, hopefully we can relax there for a while." Jon stated

Port Hunding: Stros M'kai:

The island of Stros M'kai was mostly a desert island. Once a colony for settlers similar to the Free City of Lys, the settlement had changed into a pirate haven where no nation had control over. The main settlement was a port known as Port Hunding where the main base was while to the south of the island, a village called Saintsport was established.

The settlement of Port Hunding looked very old, the architecture looked ancient like none seen in Westeros or Essos with domed buildings. The Ironborn had managed to sneak their way into the town and had gathered at the tavern known as the Screaming Mermaid.

Theon along with his uncle Victorian had joined captain Kaleen and her friend Naramo who would figure out a plan to take control of the Pirate fleet here at Stros M'kai.

"Headman Bhosek has a tight grip on this island." Kaleen stated "He took over the palace years ago and killed the old owner."

"Does anyone stand up to him?" Theon asked

"There is one person who does." Kaleen stated "Captain Halane, leader of the Sea Drakes, a group of pirates that operate here. She and Bhosek tolerate each other as neither one of them are ready for all out war with each other. Helane is probably just as bad as Bhosek, the Sea Drakes are the biggest band of murderers on the Seas. They control Saintsport, the only part of this island that Bhosek has no control over."

Naramo spoke up "I've been able to locate some of our old friends." He stated "But there's a problem, Jakarn is currently locked away in the Gravem getting him out won't be easy, that place is full of traps."

"And what of Lerisa?" Kaleen asked

"Lerisa is down at Saintsport." Naramo replied "It seems the Sea Drakes managed to capture her crew. She won't aid us until they're safe."

Victorian looked at her "So to take out Bhosek, we're going to need these two old friends."

"We are." Kaleen replied "The people of Stros M'kai don't really care who's in charge, they respect strength. If we take out Bhosek, then his crew will join us. That's how it works here but we'll never get in without Jakarn, he knows the palace better than anyone else. And Lerisa's men can distract Bhosek."

"It's probably better if we split us." Victorian stated "We can achieve our mission faster."

"Agreed." Theon added

"Narmano should go to the Grave, he had disable to traps to help Jakarn." Kaleen stated

"And what about me?" Theon asked "How am I supposed to be of any use with this?" he held up his now metal hand "I can't really fight well now."

"You still have another hand you could use." Kaleen stated "And we've been training you for a while travelling here. You can still fight, just not the same way."

"You'll be fine Theon." Victorian stated "Yara would not want you to give up. You mustn't give up, if you do then even if King Martin wins the war, there'll be no guarantee that Yara will be alright. I know what Euron is like; he'll torment her not physically but mentally. We'll just have to hope that she can hold on. If it makes you feel better I'll send Baelor Blacktyde with you to assist."

Theon sighed, "Alright uncle, I'll try my best, for Yara." Deep down though, he was doubting himself. He had lost his sword fighting hand and while he been getting training using his left hand, it was quite hard since his memory kept trying to move his right hand and then causing him to mess up. But he couldn't give up, Yara could be going through horrific experiences in Euron's care. He had to get back to her and rescue her.

Oldtown Docks: The Reach:

The docks of Oldtown were actually well in tact compared to much of the city. The Mythic Dawn's allies, Euron Greyjoy's group of Ironborn had arrived at the docks to settle down for a celebration. They had just launched a successful raid against the Redwyne fleet and the fleet had been shattered. They had even managed to pull Paxtor Redwyne from the waters and brought him to King's Landing. They gave the lord over to the Mythic Dawn who had sacrificed him. Euron remembered him begging in front of Viserys Targaryen and then the Targaryen plunging Mehrunes Razor into his neck.

With the Redwyne fleet shattered, the Ironborn had sacked the port of Ryamsport and taken Vinetown and Starfish harbour as well as the islands of Stonecrab Cay, the Island of Pigs and the Mermaid's palace. After their victory, the Ironborn had returned to Oldtown where they celebrated. The Ironborn were cheering and drinking the wine that they had plundered from the Arbor. Euron sat in a chair alongside his Salt Wife Falia Flowers on his lap. Another person in red robes was speaking to him.

"I see your people are having fun." The person clearly a women stated

"This is the life." Euron stated "Wine, women and fighting. That's what we Ironborn love. That's why they chose me. They may not be devoted to your Daedric God but they don't care if this is what we can do. And we can still get women thanks to our deal Isolde"

"The more chaos you cause, the better." Isolde stated, "I've got full control over these docks, as long as you keep causing chaos, I'll send you women from this city for your men."

In another part of the ship, Yara Greyjoy was tied to a post. Euron would often come in here tormenting her but this time, she had a different guest, her other uncle Aeron.

Aeron Greyjoy sat down next to Yara "How are you doing niece?"

"As well as I can considering the circumstances." Yara replied "Why are you with Euron, I thought you hate him."

"I do." He stated "But I can be of more use her than fighting with Victorian. My days of fighting are over. I hope I may be able to turn them against Euron but so far, they love him due to his successes. They don't know him. Euron will throw them aside when he needs to. I even tried talking to that girl of his, she fully believes that her child will be Euron's successor, she completely naive."

"Can't you free me uncle?" Yara asked

Aeron sighed "I wish I could." He stated "But if I do then Euron will know and besides, we have nowhere to go. All of the ships are being watched and we can't go into the city. I may be able to free you when I have an opportunity but I will have to be careful."

"If Euron discovers you then you'll be killed." Yara finished "Uncle, be careful, I don't want to lose another family member."

Aeron looked at his niece "Don't worry about me Yara. I'll be fine. Even if I die, just make sure that Euron doesn't remain King."

Yara nodded and then Aeron left the room before someone discovered that he was speaking to her.

Yunkai: Essos:

Young Aegon Targaryen had gathered his advisors in his tent in order to discuss their plans to take the city. While Yunkai did not have a massive army, it did have strong walls and had recently employed the services of two sellsword companies, the Stormcrows and the Second Sons.

"Could we possible try and get these sellswords onto our side?" Rhaenys suggested "I mean, they won't fight for the losing side, we still have more men?"

"I doubt it." Jon Connington stated "Sellswords are not to be trusted fully. The Stormcrows are more honourable but the Second Sons are another story. They were once a well respected company but now thanks to the Leadership of Commander Mero, they little more than bandits."

"I may be able to get the Stormcrows onto our side though at least." Thresh stated "I know one of their commanders and he's a good man. I may be able to convince him at least to change sides."

"Do what you can." Aegon stated "I'm preparing to start the battle in a few days, if we can score a quick victory against the sellsword army, then we may be able to pressure the city to surrender."

"Our archers will be useful in the battle." Black Balaq stated

"Agreed." Visenya added "But what will happen once we take the city?"

Aegon looked at his half sister, he knew what she wanted to do but Aegon didn't want to do that "All slaves will be free. That is our mission, to end this practise of slavery. We will have trials, anyone guilty of being brutal to people will be either executed or exiled but I will grant mercy as well. We cannot rule this city without support or we will just take the cities and once we leave, everything we worked for will be overturned."

"Agreed." Thresh stated "These cities will return slavery if we leave without organising."

Aegon looked at Visenya "I know what you want to do sister and no, I will not allow it." Before Visenya could speak, Aegon interrupted "If you do that then you will be no better than a murderer. I'll give them a trial sis but I will not killed people randomly."

"Why bother giving them a trial?" Visenya hissed

"Because it shows we're not monsters!" Aegon snapped "We're better than that and I'm worried about you. Your letting you anger get the better of you, it's making you reckless. If you're not careful, you're going to get yourself killed. Seven Hells, you may even risk getting us all killed, I will not risk that."

Visenya sighed "Fine, we'll do thinks your way but if they try to flee, then they're dead, I'm not letting them flee to Meereen."

Aegon sighed as Visenya left the tent and he turned to the others "You have your orders, now get this army ready."

Solstheim:

Jon and his group made their way up a large spiral staircase and soon came across a door that was locked. Jenassa quickly picked the lock and then opened the door and was met by a bunch of shocked dark elves who quickly attacked them forcing Jon to kill them.

"Why would these people do this?" he questioned "We didn't mean them any harm."

Jenassa quickly found out why they had been attacked "This is why Jon." She replied as she came across a pile of bodies "These people are Reavers, the bandits of Morrowind. They must have been preying on travellers."

"They've been using this place as a base." Serena added "And they locked the door to keep the undead out."

"So I guess we'll have to fight these guys then." Tormund stated

"We don't have much of a choice." Serena stated "We'll fight them as we head out. Hopefully, we shouldn't be too long in here and we may not be too far from Raven Rock."

"There's only one way to find out." Jon stated "Let's get out of here."

"Agreed." Grenn stated "I hope I never have to enter another old Tomb again." The group them started to make their way through the reaver lair.

Oldtown: The Reach:

Babette hid in the shadows looking for the Resistance. After being a vampire for many years, she knew just how to hide in the shadows even when it was daytime. Although because of the Oblivion Gate in the city, the sky was a eyrie red colour which made it look like the world was coming to an end. Babette knew just what she needed to do to get into the Resistance headquarters, she just needed to find a group of Resistance fighters. She soon came across some being led by a man wearing a chestplate with the Hightower Sigil engraved on suggesting that this was a member of House Hightower.

Babette quickly put her plan into action, she threw a rock at a group of Dremora to get their attention and when they came towards, Babette put her act on. "HELP!" she screamed "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

That got the attention of the Resistance scouting group that Babette saw which she hoped it would and they came outside to see Babette backing away from the Dremora. The Resistance quickly drew their swords and attacked the Dremora lords killing them. The leader who was none other than Ser Baelor Hightower knelt down to Babette's level. "Are you alright little girl?" he asked kindly.

Babette was able to fake tears and pretend to be scared "I'm fine, I was just very scared. Thank you for saving me."

"What are you doing out here alone?" Baelor asked "This city is dangerous right now."

"My mama and papa left me all alone." Babette said making up a story that she had used as part of her little scared girl act "They told me to hide when those things came. I haven't seen them since. I came out here looking for food but they found me."

"What do we do Baelor?" one of his men asked

"We can't leave this girl here." Baelor replied "We'll take here back to the base. Besides, we already finished our scouting mission. Come on." Baelor held out a hand to Babette and she took it and Baelor lifted her onto his back and gave her a piggy back ride. Babette could only smirk, this was too easy, they always fell for the scared little girl act.

King's Landing: Dragonpit:

The Dragonpit was a large domed castle built at the top of a small hill in King's Landing known as Rhaenys' Hill. The site had once been home to the Sept of Remembrance built by Aegon the Conqueror to honour Queen Rhaenys after she died during the first Dornish War. In 42 AC, the Sept was destroyed by Maegor during the Faith Militant uprising and the Dragonpit was built to house the dragons. This was where the dragons of the Targaryen family were kept while they ruled but during the Dance of the Dragons, the Dragonpit was stormed during a riot led by a man known as the Shepard which then killed five dragons and leaving the Dragonpit in ruins. To this day, the Dragonpit had been abandoned since the dragons died out not long after. Not much use was made of the Dragonpit except during the Great Spring sickness where piled of the people who died were burnt in the pit as there was no space to bury them.

Martin had once again used the Sept as a place to house his dragons but it would only be temporary. The five dragons were small right now but he knew they would grow bigger. The dragon Martin called Septim was larger than the others and growing each day although he was still too small to ride. Martin was also concerned about them running wild, the dragon called Fui was wilder than the other dragons and so Martin had restored to locking that dragon in a pen when she misbehaved. Esbern had told him to use the power of the voice to try and keep the dragons in line and so far, he had been succeeding but was still worried about the future.

Daenerys and Martin entered the Dragonpit where Martin's five dragons were in the middle of feeding. Martin had rebuilt the old roof of the Dragonpit in order to prevent the dragons from flying out and while they were still small, there was still plenty of room for them to run around and play. The purple dragon Cynder seemed to be the most playful of the bunch. This was also Daenerys' first time seeing Martin's dragons and the first thought that she thought of was that they were beautiful. Daenerys' dragons, Drogon, Rhageal and Aego were fantastic creatures but Martin's dragons were even more stunning with their shiny scales. Daenerys' dragons had very matt scaled while Martin's dragons shined in the sunlight. Even Aego who had golden scaled like the dragon Septim seemed different as Septim's golden colour was more shiny that Aego who was more of a dull yellow.

Right now, the golden dragon Septim was sharing the remains of a pig with the silver dragon Starlight. Of all of the female dragons, Septim seemed to be closest to Starlight, maybe it was because Starlight had the silver scales.

"I didn't know what to except." Daenerys stated "They're even more beautiful that I thought."

"They are fabulous creatures." Martin agreed "Although they're still young at this time. They're not ready for fighting yet and since your brother has a massive dragon of his own, then they'll be slaughtered if I take them to battle. Dragons aren't raised in a day, it will take years before they're ready to fight like the Targaryen dragons of old."

"Together, we can rebirth such a majestic race." Daenerys smiled.

Right on cue, a loud roar could be heard as Daenerys heard the calls of her three dragons which flew right into the opening of the Dragonpit causing the guards to duck making Daenerys and Martin chuckle. Daenerys' dragons landed in the Dragonpit where they started feasting on some of the remains of some of the food. Drogon then looked at Starlight and began to approach her. Only for Septim to get in the way who roared at the black dragon. Drogon roared back and for a second, it looked like the two dragons might start fighting.

That was until both Martin and Daenerys saw what was about to happen and run in between the dragons with Daenerys facing Drogon and Martin facing Septim. Both held out their hands to try and calm them down.

"Septim, Orin!" Martin said in the dragon tongue.

Both dragons let out steam from their noses until they backed away allowing Martin and Daenerys to let out a sigh.

"I guess both our largest dragons have their eyes on the same mate." Daenerys stated looking at Starlight.

"That could be a problem. Male animals will often fight over a mate." Martin stated

Daenerys looked at Martin again "Was that the Dragon language you spoke then?" she asked "Farengar told me about it."

"It was" Martin replied "It's become a lost language. I've been able to teach my dragons a few words but I doubt they'll be able to speak the full language like the Ancient Dragons. They do seem to have a simple understanding of words but can't speak properly like we can. The only people who known the dragon language fluently are the Greybeards."

"Who are the Greybeards?" Daenerys asked

"They Greybeards are an order of monks that live at a monastery known as High Hrothgar in a mountain in the Northern Mountains called the Throat of the World." Martin explained "They're kept the Ancient Dragon language alive for thousands of years but they never let outsiders inside and they rarely ever leave the monastery. Grandmaster Delphine doesn't think highly of them. They're hearts are in the right place but they believe the dragon language should be kept away from the population. They would rather it be used only for meditation which is not something I should be doing all the time. I've also never really had the time to go and see them, not with everything that has been going on. They may have something to teach me in the future but I need to take care of the threats towards the realm first."

Daenerys nodded and then looked over to see Rhageal approaching the light blue dragon known as Frostbite who gave her the remains of a pig to eat. Frostbite took one look and then looked at Rhageal. Martin looked at Rhageal and then spoke in the dragon tongue again "Yol"

Rhageal looked at the pig and then let out a burst of fire cooking the pig and then Frostbite accepted Rhageal's offer.

Daenerys looked at Martin "Why couldn't she do that herself?" she asked referring to Frostbite.

"Frostbite is a unique dragon." Martin replied "She's different from any Targaryen Dragon, the egg she hatched from must have come from lands beyond the wall because she's a frost dragon. That's why she's an ice blue colour. She doesn't breath fire, instead she breathes frost. That does make it difficult for her to cook her food. She's had to rely on other dragons to cook her food."

Daenerys looked at the gathered dragons. They seemed to act like children now. Aego began chasing Cynder around like two children playing tag. Rhageal and Frostbite soon joined in and began playing around. Septim and Starlight stayed back with Septim licking Starlight's scales while Fui looked uninterested. Drogon also seemed uninterested in playing but shared a look with Fui who then approached him. Daenerys couldn't help but smile as she saw her dragons and Martins playing around. It was like having her own children.

Sandstone: Dorne:

The castle of Sandstone was the seat of House Qorgyle house descended from one of the first Andal adventures who migrated to Dorne and fortified the only well within fifty leagues. House Qorgyle. Once vassals to House Yronwood, the Qorgyles became vassals of House Martell following Queen Nymeria's war in Dorne. The Qorgyles were one of the houses that never submitted to the Targaryens during the Dornish War and had played a major role in killing occupying lords in both Dornish Wars. Because Sandstone was also close to the currently besieged castle of Starfall, the Dornish army had gathered here.

Prince Oberyn Martell was leading the Dornish forces as they marched to Starfall. His force included men from all houses of the Reach and he recognised a number of men including his former squire Daemon Sand. His oldest bastard daughters, Obara and Nymeria were among the force as well along with Edric Dayne, Oberyn's new squire who was the most worried since his family home was under siege.

Oberyn had gathered his lords in a tent to discuss their plans. These included his Sand Snakes along with Lords Quentyn Qorgyle, Harmen Uller, Ser Daemon Sand the bastard of Godsgrace and Lord Trebor Jordayne. The only major Dornish lord absent from the unconquered lands was Lord Anders Yronwood who may have chosen to fight alone since his lands were more threatened by the Mythic Dawn and the fact that there was still bad blood between the Martells and Yronwoods, probably due to Oberyn's actions in killing Edgar Yronwood with a poisoned spear while duelling after being caught with Edgar's paramour. Although Oberyn's nephew Quentyn Martell who had be fostered with the Yronwoods had joined them.

"Alright, we're getting close to Starfall so I we'll be going right to war." Oberyn stated

"I only hope we can do this." Oorgyle stated "We'll be facing an pitched battle and our forces are not always the best. And these Mythic Dawn bastards have opened one of their Oblivion Gates that this King Martin warned us about."

That was a realistic view. In truth, the Dornish weren't very good at pitched battles, the Dornish had only won both Dornish wars through guerrilla fighting and during the Battle of the Trident, the Dornish also lost that major battle. They would be fighting a horde of Daedric creatures so they were concerned. It was made worse by the knowledge that the Mythic Dawn could just replenish their losses.

Oberyn knew this "Our primary objective will be to close that Oblivion Gate." He stated "I will be leading a small team into the Gate to help close it by removing the Sigil Stone at the tallest tower. I can only take a small group with me."

"Uncle." Quentyn spoke up "I would like to volunteer. It's my duty as a Martell to protect these people."

"I appreciate your sense of duty Quentyn." Oberyn stated "But we can't both go into the portal. There must be a Martell out here and there's no way I'm letting you go in there. Obara will stay with you to help. Nymeria will be with me."

"I would like to volunteer to help." Daemon Sand spoke up.

"Same here" Denzial Dalt, the Knight of Lemonwood added

A few others volunteered to join in and Oberyn smiled "Well my lords, we fight in a few days. Tomorrow we march. We will show the Mythic Dawn why my houses words are unbowed, unbent, unbroken and we will show that we Dornish will not cower at their attacks. This is our land and we will hold them. We held off Aegon and his dragons, we held off Daeron and his army. We will hold off the Mythic Dawn and we will also send a message to all of Westeros about how important we Dornish are by being the first ones to strike back against these Daedric cultists. Let's go kill some fiends." The lords cheered and one by one, left leaving Oberyn alone with Quentyn and his daughters.

"Uncle, you seem worried." Quentyn stated

"I am nephew." Oberyn replied "We're fighting creatures that have not been seen in a long time. Creatures that were thought to be only legend. In battle we always loose people but I am worried. None of you have witness war before. In the last war, I lost something I loved dear. My sister Elia, she and I were inseparable when we were children, hearing of her death made me want to kill anyone I could find. I also lost my own uncle Lewyn. He was cut down during the Battle of the Trident. If any one of us dies in the coming battle, I don't know how I would feel. I wasn't at the Trident or King's Landing when Lewyn and Elia died but I am here now. If someone I loved dies, I may never forgive myself."

"You worry too much father." Obara stated "You've trained us all well. Quentyn not as much but he's still a good warrior."

"As much as our families hate each other, Yronwood has trained you well." Oberyn said to Quentyn "But remember, your family must come first."

"House Yronwood is not fighting with the Mythic Dawn." Quentyn stated "But they've not forgotten what you did uncle. They're willing to fight but they won't take orders from you which is why they decided to form their own army to fight the Mythic Dawn in a guerrilla war in the Red Mountains."

"Let's just hope they don't get slaughtered." Oberyn stated "We should all get some sleep, we've got a big day ahead of us."

Quentyn and the Sand Snakes nodded and then left the tent to rest in their own tents leaving Oberyn alone. This would be one of those rare times he would sleep alone since his left his paramour Ellaria Sand behind, it was too dangerous to bring her along and she had three young children to care back at Sunspear. He was also concerned about the safety of Sarella Sand, the youngest of the Sand Snakes not mothered by Ellaria. She was in Oldtown and with the news coming from Oldtown, Oberyn didn't know if she was still alive. Once the Mythic Dawn were taken care of, he would go to Oldtown and find her or if not, at least find out what happened.

Solstheim:

Jon and his company exited the ruins of Bloodskal Barrow and saw that the entrance on this side was built into the side of a cliff. There were two small watchtowers that had been built, probably to be on the lookout for travellers so that the Reavers could set up an ambush. This barrow was not actually that far away from Raven Rock which was just a short walk away from the Barrow. The two watchtowers didn't actually look safe as both were crumbling. They clearly had been built long before the Reavers set up a base. Maybe they had been built as part of the old settlement by the Bloodskal clan. Now the Reavers had just set up some wooden paths alongside the towers and they looked to be falling apart. No one from Jon's company thought they were safe and so after Ygritte used her bow to snipe the remaining Reavers, they made their way down.

"Well, I guess we're finished with this mission." Tormund stated

"Now I guess we head back to Raven Rock." Jon added "If we're lucky, the Northern Maiden will be back soon."

"It may still a bit more of a wait." Serena stated "But at least we're gained something else for the fight against the White Walkers. The Bloodskal Blade will be very useful in the fight."

Jon nodded and then he and the group began making their way back to Raven Rock.

Oldtown: The Reach:

Baelor Hightower entered the hideout where the Oldtown Resistance hid and was met by Archmaester Marywn and Sarella Sand. "Ah, Ser Baelor" Marywn greeted "Did you find out the information you needed. Do you know where they're being held?"

"I do." Baelor replied "It seems that heretic Else God-Hater has taken a vast number of captured citizens to the remains of the Starey Sept. Commander Moryn and his son Leo are among them. They're giving some the option of joining the Mythic Dawn if they have skills. Those that refuse or don't have any skilled are killed."

"So what do we do?" Sarella asked

"We have to rescue those people." Baelor stated "But we may never hold the Sept, not until the Mythic Dawn's hold has been weakened."

Sarella then noticed that Baelor was carrying Babette "Who's this?"

"She's a young girl who we rescued while preparing to return." Baelor stated "I never actually got your name."

"Babette." Babette replied

Sarella smiled "A lovely name for a sweet little girl. You must be hungry. We have some food but don't eat a lot, we have to ration food to feed everyone so we only have a little."

"Oh thank you." Babette cried pretending to be the sky little girl "Thank you so much. I'm so very hungry."

Baelor smiled as let Babette down from his back "Why don't you go with Sarella to get something to eat. You should stay here at all times, you'll be safer here than in the city."

Babette nodded and followed Sarella to get some food, she once again managed to hide her smirk, this was too easy. Now that she was among the Resistance, she could speak with others to find out more information about the Mythic Dawn faction leaders here in Oldtown. She already knew one of them now, it wouldn't be too difficult to find out information about the other leaders. Her mission was only just beginning.

Chapter End:

Notes: Well, another chapter down. I understand that some feel like this story is getting boring and I can understand that since there hasn't been much action but I can't put everything into one chapter, I have to spread things out otherwise it would be rushed. But I can promise you that next chapter will have more action including a major battle. Now not all battles will be shown in detail, some will be off scream like in the show. But the next chapter will also feature a major character death which I had planned so people might be more satisfied. Also, the chapter involving Martin and Daenerys' dragons was something I had planned a few chapters back but it wouldn't have fit in until now. And don't worry, Martin won't be sitting this whole war out, also with the dragon language used, the word Martin was meant to use was meant to say Calm but I couldn't find the word for that and so I had to use the word quiet instead. Now I am going to try and finished a chapter of Dragon X before the end of the year but I also have University Work so my time may be limited.