In My Time of Need:
Starfall: Dorne:
The battle of Starfall had been a great victory for the forces of Westeros against the Mythic Dawn and their Daedric army but it had come at a cost. Dorne had mustered a force of nearly 30,000 soldiers, pretty much the majority of what they could gather although the Dornish were better off as raiding parties and guerrilla warfare than standard field armies. Of the force gathered, the Battle of Starfall had cost them nearly 5000 soldiers, among them Prince Oberyn's oldest Sand Snake daughter Obara.
The Dornish were busy gathering their dead o send them off to be buried. As well as Obara, Ulwyk Uller, brother of lord Harmen Uller and uncle to Oberyn's paramour Ellaria Sand was dead having be killed by Gerold Dayne. His body was being sent back to House Uller's seat of Hellholt. Obara's body was being sent back to Sunspear, while her sister Nymeria wished she could see her sister buried, she knew she needed to stay to continue the fight.
Nymeria stood in front of the cloth where her sister's body lay. They did not have time to bury everyone in wooden coffins so their bodies would be taken back to their homes and buried there. Quentyn and Oberyn also stood with her. Quentyn had been badly affected and was blaming himself since Obara had died protecting her. Oberyn tried to reassure him that in battle, anyone dies and he did not blame him for what happened, he knew that no matter how much he tried to believe otherwise, it was possible that some of them may not walk away from this alive, that was the reality of warfare.
"So what now father?" Nymeria asked "I want to go after Gerold, he'll pay for Obara's death!"
"We don't know where he has gone!" Oberyn hissed "And we can't waste time chasing after him, northern Dorne is still under the Mythic Dawn's control."
"At least we know they can be beaten." Quentyn said
"Indeed." Oberyn said "I've spread messages across Westeros. This will hopefully give us all a moral boost since no one has faced an enemy like this. People may have fought they were invincible considering how fast they were able to capture a large chunk of our territory. Now we will be fighting back. Once we've rested, we'll march north and retake the Kingsgrave and Blackmount. Eventually we'll retake Wyl as well, I just hope our army can hold on, the Daedra can just replace their losses, we can't, that's what worries me the most."
"We can't take huge risks." Nymeria stated "We need as many men as we can get."
"But we can't gamble all our armies at once." Quentyn reasoned "If we fail, they would be no backup plan."
"Agreed." Oberyn said "Now get some rest, we're going to need it." He then looked at the dead body of Obara and sighed "And Obara, wherever your soul goes, just know, you meant a lot of me and your siblings. You set an example for them and wanted to follow my footsteps with the spear. Rest in peace." Oberyn then sighed and helped load Obara's body onto the cart that was taken the fallen to Sunspear and watched as the cart began moving away. Oberyn wanted to look at his fallen daughter's face as long as possible knowing that he would never see it again.
Small Council Chambers: Red Keep: King's Landing:
The small council had gathered. Word had arrived from Dorne and Martin felt like this was important so he gathered all the council but also called for his sister along with Tyene Sand as there was something he needed to tell them.
"I have just received some important news from Dorne." Martin said to them "Prince Oberyn has sent word that his army has been successful in managing to break the siege of Starfall."
"I knew my uncle could do it." Trystane said pleased at the news.
"This will be a big moral boost for our forces." Delphine stated
"Indeed." Caius added "I've also received word that the people in Oldtown are really beginning to fight back hard. They feared the enemy was invincible."
"And fear can go a long way." Ebrose stated "We need to capitalize this victory."
"Agreed." Martin replied "Grand Maester, spread the word of this victory, it will give our forces a strong moral boost to know that the enemy can be beaten. After a string of losses, we have achieved the first step in retaking our land."
"I'll send the ravens at once." Ebrose stated
"Oberyn will begin his march north and retake the rest of Dorne." Martin stated "He'll meet with the army Stannis has gathered and once they've retaken the rest of the Dornish Marches, have him march west to meet with the army in the Reach. Then they'll need to march on Oldtown."
"I've received word that Tywin and Garlen's forces have arrived in Highgarden." Tullius stated "Our original fears that Euron would raid up the Mander seem to have been for nought."
"Still, it's best to keep the non-combatants away from the fight." Alessia stated "My husband is unable to fight with his crippled leg and my daughter is an infant, I don't want them at risk."
"This war is still not over yet." Martin said "Remember, the Mythic Dawn still has access to powerful magic, they may have used most of their powers in their initial assault but they can't keep it up forever. We have to ensure that our forces remain strong, we cannot replace our losses while the Mythic Dawn can keep replacing their Daedric forces."
"Only as long as they remain in Mehrunes Dagon's favour." Delphine stated "The Daedric Princes can easy withdraw their aid since they can be quite fickle. Although Dagon is ruthless and seeks to enter this world physically."
"If that happens, what can we do?" Ebrose asked since he knew nothing about this.
Delphine sighed "I'm not an expert, Esbern would have more information but I know that thousands of years ago during the Oblivion crisis, an event faded into legend now, Mehrunes Dagon himself managed to enter the physical world through a portal. It was only by the sacrifice of Martin Septim that he was banished back to Oblivion."
"The dragonfires were suppose to keep our worlds apart." Alessia said remembering her readings "But I thought that when the Amulet of Kings was shattered by Martin's sacrifice, it sealed the barriers forever."
"Barriers can fade over time if they're not maintained." Martin reasoned "And with the arrival of the Faith of the Seven and the decline of the Faith of the Divines, the barriers have been neglected. If they are weakened enough, then Dagon may enter this world again."
"And we may not be able to banish him this time." Delphine stated "Let's hope we can defeat the Mythic Dawn before that happens."
"Then there is not much else to discuss." Martin said "This meeting is over." The people began to leave but Martin looked at Trystane, Myrcella and Tyene "Not you two. There is something else I have to say."
"What is it your grace?" Trystane asked
"I did not tell you everything, Oberyn said something else about the battle at Starfall." Martin confessed and sighed as he looked at Tyene "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that your sister Obara was killed during the battle."
Tyene stood silent for a few seconds trying to fight the tears growing in her eyes but it was no good.
"I'm sorry Tyene." Myrcella stated
Tyene wiped the tear from her eye "I think I need some time to myself."
"Take all the time you need." Martin replied.
Tyene nodded in response and then left to think.
Castle Black: The Wall:
The Night's Watch members had walked quite a distant in the freezing cold o make it back to Castle Black. They had seen the wall and they felt relief when they saw the gates of Castle Black. Mormont had signalled and the gates opened and Alliser Thorne and Grandmaster Isran returned.
"We were worried about you commander." Alliser stated
"When you did not return, we feared something had happened." Isran stated "I was ready to head on up to try and find you."
"Just what happened?" Alliser stated
"Mutiny." Mormont groaned, he was still injured from the fight "There was a mutiny at Craster's Keep, Rangers Karl Tanner and Audens Avidius betrayed us, they killed Craster and took over his keep."
"They won't be going anywhere." Agmear stated "They have his food and his wives."
"My sisters!" Gilly cried cuddling her child "Father was never the kindest but these guys are just monsters!"
"They have to pay for this." Bedwyck hissed
"The time will come." Benjen stated still hooded so the Alliser and Isran didn't know who he was "They're eat all they can and leave nothing. They'll run out of supplies soon."
"And just who are you?" Alliser demanded
Benjen removed his hood "I see you haven't changed Alliser."
"First Ranger Benjen." Isran gasped
"He saved us after we ran into a force of Wights while fleeing south." Mormont stated
"The White Walkers found me first and left me to turn." Benjen replied "The Children of the Forest save me."
"It's great to have you back." Isran stated
Benjen sighed "Unfortunately, this is as far as I can come. I cannot pass through the wall."
What do you mean?" Alliser asked
Benjen just approached the wall and place his hand through the gate, he pulled it back when he was zapped by a shock spell "Like I told Mormont earlier, the Wall was built with magical runes to prevent the dead from passing through. I'm half undead now so I cannot pass but I will still be of use. I can pass through the armies of the dead easier so I will scout the lands and pass information to you."
"What about the mutineers?" Bedwyck asked "We can't just leave them."
"We have to plan ahead." Mormont stated "We can't have another mistake like last time. I get a force ready to deal with them but we have to make sure we don't run into the White Walkers and their army again."
"I'll scout to make sure that doesn't happen." Benjen stated "Tell my family that I love them."
"Hopefully, Jon will return from Solstheim soon and tell you himself." Isran replied "Good luck Benjen."
Benjen nodded and mounted his horse and road back into the Haunted Woods. Mormont and the others then went back through the Gates into Castle Black to plan their next step.
Raven Rock: Solstheim:
Jon sat at a table in the Retching Netch Corner club with the others. Second Councillor Arano sat close by while they waited. Soon, Jenassa returned.
"Do you have any news?" Jon asked "Did Geldis' plan work this time."
"It did indeed." Jenassa replied "Someone did show up at the Ulen Ancestral Tomb."
Arano stood up "Every time we tried that trick, the conspirators never showed up. So who are the traitors?"
"I don't know personally but there were two women, a mother and daughter and I heard one of them call the daughter as Mirri and she called the other woman as mother."
"Mirri Severin and her mother Telisu?" Arano gasped "I thought I would be surprised since I know many people here but I would not have expected them to be involved."
"Who are the Severin's?" Jon asked
"A family that moved here about ten years ago." Arano replied "Vendil is the family head, ever since they came here they have been a benefit to the community when we were on hard times. That why I'm surprised they're involved. They've donated money and even helped mend damaged building here."
"Maybe they were trying to gain your trust." Serena stated "The best place to hide is in plain sight, gain your trust and then strike when the time is right."
"I fear you may be right." Arano stated
"There is something else." Jenassa replied "I fear they know you're onto them. This Telisu was talking about how her husband has prepared a force to strike and Mirri got mad at her mother for being reckless. I think they may have seen me, Mirri looked right in my direction before she left."
"If Vendil has fled, we need to know where he is hiding." Arano stated "The only way to find out is to investigate their family home. I can't just raid it, Councillor Morvayn won't allow me, he still thinks I'm being paranoid without written evidence. I'm afraid I must ask you to check their house since they may have agents within the guard. Here, you can use this to get into the house, I'll keep the guard away."
"What if the Severins try to stop us?" Jon asked, he wasn't too sure about this.
"Try and be careful and avoid bloodshed. I'll try and keep the Severins away from their manor." Arano suggested "If you find evidence and have to defend yourselves then do as you must."
"I think only Mirri is left in town." Jenassa stated "Telisu said that she was leaving to prepare for the job, they may be striking soon."
"Then it seems we must move fast." Arano stated "I'll inform Captain Valeth to keep watch. When you have the evidence then come find me again and the Councillor's home."
"Understood." Jon stated
Oldtown: The Reach:
Inside the Starey Sept, a group of Mythic Dawn members were preparing for another ritual to sacrifice innocents to Mehrunes Dagon. Their allies in the Ironborn had granted them a useful prisoner who they no longer has use for anymore and with his blood, Dagon would be pleased.
Else God-Hater, the leader of this group was looking forward to this. She had taken great pleasure in taking the Sept and performing her dark deeds here. She hated Gods weather they were the Seven, the Old Gods or the Nine Divines. Having grown up with abusive parents who used their faith in the seven as an excuses to punish her for anything no matter how big or small, it cemented her views on religion and had taken great pleasure when she murdered them. She then formed a small band of raiders who took pleasure in raiding Septs and other religious houses across the Reach until she had been captured and her band of raiders were killed. Sentenced to death, she waited for her time but her actions had gotten her noticed by Harrow, a recruiter for the Mythic Dawn who helped her escape and she joined the Mythic Dawn who promised her the resources to make the religious groups pay. While she did not worship Mehrunes Dagon, she accepted whatever aid the Mythic Dawn would give her.
Else stood in a small room that once belonged to the man in charge of the Starey Sept which had once been occupied by the High Septon until he moved to King's Landing. Now she had taken pleasure in sleeping in luxury and the fact that high ranking members of the faith would live in luxury while the people they guided lived in squalor made her dislike of religion even higher. She smirked as she held a dagger that soon would be covered in blood of her sacrifice victim.
She suddenly heard fighting nearby, she thought that the troublesome resistance may have decided to attack but before she could do anything, she felt a strong pain in her hip and fell to the floor. She saw two girls, one still a child while the other was just approaching adulthood.
"Too easy." The child spoke holding a dagger "Just like before, always underestimate me."
" May I have the honours Barbette?" the other girl asked
"All yours Hildegard." Barbette replied.
"Take all the time you need, saviour the kill." Kor smirked
Else watched as the girl known as Hildegard screwed into a ball and then watched in horror as her body began to change. Soon in Hildegard's place was a large wolf walking on two legs. Else screamed as the wolf leapt onto her.
Meanwhile, Baelor Hightower and his group of resistance fighters started fighting against the Daedra. They had been informed that there were prisoners who needed to be rescued before they were sacrificed. Baelor had taken a group to try and rescue these innocent people and it was hard to see the once great Sept in such a state. This place had once been the heart of the Faith of the Seven, only rivalled by the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, now the statues of the Seven had been smashed and the stained glass windows were shattered. Alters had been desecrated with the remains of the victims, it was heartbreaking to Baelor to see this but he knew that this place could be rebuilt once they retook the city and ended the Mythic Dawn. He hoped to get some payback as there was a high ranking Mythic Dawn agent here as well.
"Baelor." Sarella Sand spoke "the Daedra are gone but we cannot linger here. They will be back."
"Get all the hostages back to the Hightower quickly." Baelor ordered "What about this Else?"
Sarella shuddered "I think you should see this."
Sarella led Baelor to the room that had once been home to the Septon in charge of the Great Sept. Inside the room lay the body of a woman who looked like she had been mauled by a wild animal.
"I have no idea what could have done this but I recognise her." Sarella stated "This is Else God-Hater?"
"Are you sure?" Baelor stated
"I once saw here in one of the taverns I visited." Sarella stated "That is here but I have no idea what did this, did she try something with the Daedra that killed her, she's been mauled."
"Well whatever it was, it doesn't matter." Baelor stated "She's dead and good riddance. The things she has done here are unforgivable."
"This is still a not over yet." Sarella stated
"Well, hopefully we can retake the docks soon then we can get supplies into the city." Baelor stated "We should get back and plan our next move."
Port Hunding: Stros M'kai:
Within the tavern of Port Hunding, Captain Kaleen had gathered her allies to inform them of her plan to get them the fleet they would need to take on Euron's fleet. Victorian and Theon sat at a large table with Kaleen and her allies which included Crafty Lerisa and Neramo who Theon had already met and a new person who Kaleen introduced as Jakarn, a charismatic young man who Theon believed could be Kaleen's lover. While Theon had been busy getting the help of Lerisa, Kaleen had been breaking Jakarn out of jail since he had been imprisoned by Headman Bhosek.
"Now that we're all here, it's time to discuss our plan to take out Bhosek." Kaleen stated
"Quick question?" Theon asked "Why do we need to take out Bhosek, I remember that you told me before about how he wronged you but we don't have time for your personal revenge."
"This is more than just simple revenge." Kaleen laughed "Bhosek has a powerful fleet here, they hate him but they serve him because of his strength. Take him out and they'll serve his successor, let me worry about keeping them in line afterwards. To get the fleet, Bhosek has to be taken out."
"And that won't be easy." Jakarn stated "I was scouting his palace, he has his own private army called the Bloody Fists serving as his guards, he has the palace on lockdown but he believed that Captain Helane was the biggest threat."
"I spread word that Helane was planning to attack him." Lerisa stated "Now Helane's dead, he believes that the threat is over so he's throwing a party to celebrate."
"That's where we come in." Nermano stated "There's a secret tunnel into his personal palace where we can sneak into and take him out."
"Bhosek is a proud man so we need to infuriate him." Kaleen stated "Once we're in, I just need to insult him and challenge him. We have a past so he'll fight me just to prove a point but he's know for fighting dirty so we're fighting dirty too."
"How?" Victorian asked
"We're going to poison his drink." Jakarn stated "Nothing too potent, we don't want to make it too obvious, I've gotten a small dose of essence of nightshade, spike his wine with this and he'll feel even worse, most will think it's down to the alcohol."
"So who's going to spike it?" Victorian asked
Theon thought for a moment "I'll do it." He volunteered "Bhosek doesn't know me that well so he won't be expecting it."
"Be careful nephew, this Bhosek is not just a mere Thug, he's just as ruthless as Euron is." Victorian stated
"I'll be fine uncle." Theon replied.
"You better get changed." Kaleen stated "Jakarn will meet you at the secret tunnel just to the north of the island, he'll give you the disguise and the poison. Once you've done it, light the brazier on the tower, that will be the signal, most of the guards will be too drunk to notice. I'll take care of Bhosek though, I've got a score to settle with him."
Theon nodded and then left in order to prepare for his mission.
Yunkai: Essos:
Aegon Targaryen sat on his horse overlooking the gathered army. Next to him road Jon Connington, his sisters, Travis Thresh and his new ally Daario Naharis who had brought the Stormcrows sellsword company over to his side. Overall, Aegon had an army four times the size of Yunkai since he had both the Unsullied and the Golden Company making nearly 20,000 strong. Yunkai could only gather about 4,000 slave soldiers along with the Second Sons having 500.
Still, Aegon was not taking any chances, he still had the element of surprise as like Daario said, it was a moonless night and so he was going to attack the enemy camp now. The Unsullied would lead an attack from one side while the Golden Company would attack the other. Daario would take his men to attack from the rear and soon, the camp would be ablaze by morning, with Yunkai's army destroyed, Aegon plans to force the city to surrender. If they don't, then Aegon would be forced to enact the second idea to sneak his men into the city. While the battle was going on, Aegon would send a force led by Black Balaq and Franklyn Flowers to enter the city and open the gates if the city did not surrender.
"Are they ready?" Aegon asked
"We're ready." Grey Worm stated
"Then let's go, by morning, I want that camp ablaze. By morning, I want Yunkai to see the army destroyed, I need them to fear me, I need them to be forced to surrender and they must see the price of defiance."
"Understood." Grey Worm replied and the Unsullied quickly marched off while Aegon road with his horses into the darkness, they took no torches as they wanted to be invisible to the enemy.
King's Landing:
Tyene Sand sat in a tavern in King's Landing. There were many taverns thoughout the city but she had chosen one near the King's Gate known as the Bannered Mare, a small tavern used by visitors to the City that was used as a rest stop for visitors who would quickly travel to their next location. This tavern was often quite and so Tyene had come here to mourn over the loss of her sister.
Tyene sat at the bar in front of the owner, a woman called Hulda who was middle aged but ready to retire and sell the tavern to a new owner. Nearby, the barmaid, a Dornish looking woman called Saadia was handing out drinks to people which included numerous people from the new land controlled by this High King Emeric, they decided to stick to the outer taverns which were cleaner than the inner taverns which were often home to crooks and criminals.
Tyene saw a young man sat next to him "Hey." He greeted "Are you alright, you seem upset."
Tyene looked at the man, he was quite handsome with thick black hair. Out of all the sand snakes, Tyene was the one who loved flaunting her sexuality and seducing men although she wasn't in the mood for that. "I'm fine young Ser." He replied "I'm just mourning the loss of my sister."
"I'm sorry." The man replied "I've lost someone close to me as well."
"Who?" Tyene asked
"My bethrothed." The man replied "Only she's not dead, only cursed. We can never marry now, she doesn't want to put me in danger."
"Cursed?" Tyene asked
The man laughed "I'm sorry, my name is Darien Gautier, I'm a knight from the lands of the Daggerfall Covenant."
"I'm Tyene Sand." Tyene replied "My father is Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne."
"I've heard of him." Darien replied "A fine warrior and a leader. I heard he was leading forces against the Daedra and recently shut an Oblivion Gate. A fine achievement, not many people I know could do that and I've been in my home's army for a long time."
Tyene looked at him "So, how do you find Westeros?"
"The politics of this land are not very different from our own." Darien explained "The Covenant is splint into several kingdoms that all rule themselves, similar to how your lands are split into different territories. The only major difference is that our overall ruler known as the High King is an elected person. If the High King dies, the title does not pass to his heir, all of the rulers get together and elected his successor."
"Is it peaceful?" Tyene asked
"Most of the time usually." Darien stated "Conflicts between the kingdoms can still occur but an overall rebellion against the High King is rare and when they do happen, it's usually because of power hungry nobles. Recently, King Ranser of Shornhelm rebelled but that was due to him failing to get High King Emeric to marry his daughter. So he plotted with slavers from Slaver's Bay and the city of Qarth and rebelled. It failed in the end but that was still only about 20 years ago and the effects are still being felt today."
Before Tyene could speak up, she heard shouting from nearby.
"I knew it!" a voice yelled loudly which made everyone turn to see one of the newcomers glaring at Saadia the barmaid. "I thought you looked familiar!" he growled "Did you think you could hide forever?"
Saadia looked a bit scared "I don't know you and I don't care, leave me alone."
Darien could see that trouble was brewing and got up "Hey, Kematu, we don't hold authority here, we can't just go threatening people, do you want to get arrested and cause a diplomatic issue?"
The dark skinned man who looked Dornish snorted and then left before the situation got out of hand. Tyene looked at Saadia and noticed that she looked scared, not as in she was scared of the man but of something else. Tyene was good at reading people's expressions and could see that Saadia was hiding something that she was scared of being discovered.
"What was that about?" Tyene asked
"I'm going to find out." Darien stated "Hey, can you do me a favour, keep an eye on her, if she is who I believe Kematu thought she was then it is possible she's a highly wanted criminal." He whispered the last part "She may try to flee and we never find her again. Just watch her movements for me please."
Tyene didn't understand but nodded and watched as Darien left the inn.
Beyond the Wall:
Joffrey rummaged through an old chest within a fort called Bloodlet Throne. This old fort had been the home of a vampire who preyed on the wildlings and even enslaved them for a while he had been told to just cull the herd and kill them all. He found the Ring of the Erudite on the Master Vampire which he put on other hand to go opposite the Ring of the Beast. The final item, the Amulet of the Gargoyle was also here and he soon found it within the chest, the amulet was shaped into a gargoyle's head and he smiled, he felt like he was now almost at full power, he could not wait to get back to Castle Volikar and show everyone just how powerful he was. He was looking forward to retaking his kingdom and this time, he would show everyone who was in charge. He smirked in glee at the thought of his reign being one to last for all eternality since he was immortal and everyone would fear him that they would be too scared to rise up against him.
Oldtown:
Mankar Cameron, leader of the Mythic Dawn stood opposite a table in a building that they had chosen to use as their headquarters. Nearby stood possible the Mythic Dawn's top agents, Isolde and Harrow who was their main recruiter. Isolde had come to deliver some news to her.
"So, Agent Else is dead then." Mankar asked
"I'm afraid so." Harrow stated "She was killed in the Resistance strike on the Sept."
"To be honest, she no big loss." Isolde stated "She was only an angry woman than a valuable resource to our cause."
"True but it shows the Resistance is stronger than we thought." Mankar stated "Head back to the docks, you might want to tell Euron to prepare the Iron Fleet, we may be getting visitors soon, I've been warned from one of our other agents that Euron's brother is close to gaining a new fleet to go against ours."
"Understood my lord." Isolde replied and she and Harrow left.
Mankar then sighed, despite their victories they had achieves, it seemed that their work was being undone since he had received word that Gerold Dayne had failed to take Starfall and not only that, but it seemed that Stannis Baratheon had also successful stopped the Mythic Dawn advance in the Stormlands. Plus lords in the Dornish Marches had begun fighting back making their advance harder, their power to open Oblivion Gates was becoming weaker. Mankar did not want to keep opening Oblivion Gates since he had a better idea, he knew one way to bring something that would make this war end so quickly but it required a huge blood sacrifice and so he was saving their captives for that.
Then he heard a roar and saw the large golden dragon that Viserys was using land. Viserys got off and Viserys could see that he was enraged when he threw his helmet aside "I cannot believe this. It rejected me! Me! I am the blood of the dragon, it should have submitted to me!"
Mankar looked at him "What's gotten you so enraged?" he asked
"I nearly had it!" Viserys growled "One dragon is great but what's even better is having two massive beasts. I nearly had another but it flew away, it even fought my dragon and wounded it, that's why I've been away for a while."
Mankar looked concerned "And where did you find this other dragon?"
"I found it at Red Lake." Viserys answered.
Mankar stood up almost in anger "Red Lake, you went to red lake, do you not realize how dangerous that was. We do not control that territory plus your dragon got injured. He may be strong but injured he could have been a sitting duck. Reports say that there is a large army gathering at Hightower and before you think your dragon will be able to annihilate them, they've apparently learnt and had built powerful Scorpion crossbows which have been known to kill dragons if they strike the right place."
Viserys just snorted "It won't matter in the end, soon, all of Westeros will bow to me and recognise me as their overlord. The dragon will reign over them with fire and blood and they will learn the consequences of their actions. All traces of the past and any threats to my control will be destroyed, I will finish what Meagor started and destroy their faith as a warning."
Mankar just shook his head "Look, I know you want to retake the throne, you've had nearly twenty years liking as a beggar. I've been waiting for thousands of years, ever since the Hero of Kvatch killed my original body, I wandered the depths of Oblivion for years until my spirit was able to be bound to a new body by the followers of my writings and even then, I had to wait over a hundred years for us to be ready. Don't you forget, without me you would still be wandering around a beggar after you were kicked out of Vaes Dothrak. No one would take you seriously so don't forget, I gave you this power and I can easily take it away from you if you keep risking our plan! They have already begun to fight back against us and we are beginning to lose ground."
"So how can we solve this then?" Viserys hissed
Mankar looked at him "One way we can solve this is to bring forward Lord Dagon himself into this realm. The barrier between our world and Oblivion is weak but still strong enough to stop Dagon from entering. The only way to destroy the barrier completely is with a massive blood sacrifice but it will require power. A lot of power so what we really need is the King himself, his blood has Ancient Septim blood and would be what we need. We need to lure him here."
"And I can take him out here." Viserys laughed "So what do we do?"
"Despite knowing the truth, Martin still has a strong love for his half siblings even refusing to make it official their true birth status." Mankar stated "We just need to get one of them here and there is one that we may be able to grab soon enough. We just need to wait for the right time. Also, I think you should have these now, despite my efforts, it is impossible to replicate them so if you need power, these will grant them to you." He handed over a mask and a staff, Viserys had almost forgotten about them, they were the Dragon Priest relics that the Mythic Dawn had stolen when they attacked Vaes Dothrak several years ago. Mankar had spent some time studying them to try and increase their power or try and replicate it but it seemed he had failed. Viserys could only smirk as he placed the mask on, it gave him an aura of mystery although Mankar believed that it was good at hiding how insane he was becoming.
Highgarden:
While Highgarden had been the seat of House Tyrell and a grand castle, it was also located in a very strategic location not just in the Reach but also for the south of Westeros. Located along the Mander River allowed trade to travel along the river and was located along the Roseroad which connected the cities of Oldtown and King's Landing. Highgarden was also located at the end of the Ocean Road which went to Lannisport. As a result of this strategic location, it was where both the Westerland Army led by Tywin Lannister and the Reach army led by Ser Garlen Tyrell met up to plan their march on Oldtown. Tywin had brought over 30,000 men with him, the bulk of the Westerland forces and had many battle harden warriors. The Reach did not have all their strength as they had lost a good chunk of their army at the start of the Mythic Dawn's advance. Houses Florent, Hightower, Beesbury, Bulwer and Costaye had been annihilated at the start of the war when their lands fell to the Mythic Dawn forces. Even House Tarly had lost most of their men with Lord Randyl only being at Highgarden since he wasn't at Horn Hill at the time. Most of the survivors of these advanced were now fighting in Oldtown and the surrounding area under Baelor Hightower or fighting in the Dornish Marches under the leadership of Lord Titus Peake. Even the soldiers of House Redwyne were trapped on the Arbor due to the destruction of the Redwyne fleet and they were also busy fighting Ironborn raiders. They also had the help of both the Third Legion led by Legate Constantius Tituleius and the Second Legion led by Legate Aventis Caesennis, the legions that were stationed in the Westerlands and Reach.
Despite earlier fears following the capture of the Shield Islands, the Ironborn had not travelled further up the Mander. Despite this, the non-combatants had evacuated Highgarden and given sanctuary at Casterly Rock including Olenna Tyrell, Willas Tyrell and his daughter Rose Tyrell. Now the main hall had been used as a meeting place for the army. Ser Garlen was accompanied by his brother Loras who had returned following his imprisonment by the Sparrows and had managed to recover. Lord Randyl Tarly was also among them. Tywin was accompanied by his heir and squire Tommen who was now a Lannister as well as Ser Adam Marbrand and Lyle Crakehall, both fierce warriors and skilled leaders in combat. Tommen was being taught how to lead men since he would be Lord of Casterly Rock one day as well, his pet jaguar Ser Pounce was also with them.
"According to our Scouts, the Mythic Dawn have concentrated control over Highgarden but they've left most of their territories in the Dornish Marches low following their defeat at Starfall." Garlen stated "This has allowed Titus Peake to retake his home along with other castles around the area."
"Why grab all that territory only to abandon it?" Loras asked
Tommen was the one who spoke up next "I may not be as experienced as the rest of you but that sounds like the Mythic Dawn are planning something big."
"I fear that may be the case." Tywin replied.
"Indeed." Garlen said "Titus wrote saying that he was able to capture Dustonbury and Whitegrove without a fight, both were just abandoned, no one was there, not a soul."
"But what about my family?" Randyl asked "What about the people in those castles."
"No bodies have been found and they looked for potential graves." Garlen replied "The people may have been taken somewhere, but where."
"They must be in Oldtown somewhere." Adam stated "They all may in huge danger, we should march there at once."
"This isn't just some army; these guys are magical uses and have unholy powers." Garlen hissed "I've seen this before at King's Landing though they were different. I've heard that they can just replace their losses, we can't."
"And we can't just waste men." Tommen added "Although this means we may not be able to retake most of the captured castles, we may need all the men we need to retake Oldtown which will be heavily fortified."
"And it's not just the Daedra that worry me, there's this dragon as well which is said to be the size of Balerion the Black Dread." Loras stated "I remember the stories of the Field of Fire, an army of 100,000 destroyed by dragonfire."
"We've been building Scorpion Crossbows to prepare for that in case that dragon shows up." Tywin stated "The Dornish did prove that they work against Dragons."
"Indeed." Garlen stated "I was worried for a time when I received a raven from House Crane that the dragon had been sighted near Red Lake. It killed some of their men including Ser Parmen Crane and then flew away. It didn't come here like I feared but we must watch out for it."
"Well, I say we need to take Honeyholt at least." Tywin stated "It would give us a foothold close to Oldtown and put us within a day's march."
"I agree." Garlen stated "We march on Honeyholt and then we'll prepare to lay siege to Oldtown." The gathered men all nodded and then went about preparing their forces.
Raven Rock: Solstheim:
Jon and his gang waited with Second Councillor Arano for Jenassa to return from investigating Severin Manor. They soon saw Jenassa enter the Retching Netch.
"So, did you find anything?" Jon asked
"It seems the Severin family are indeed the agents of the Ulen family." Jenassa replied "In fact, they are the Ulen family, Vendil Severin is actually the son of Vilur Ulen, he changed his name to hide it. He came here to avenge his father along with his family. Not important but it seems that this Mirri Severin is not actually Vendil daughter but actually her lover. The family was just a farce."
"There had always been some suspicions about how close Mirri was in age to Vendil but it never raised any alarms." Arano stated. "So what happened in there?"
"Well, I'm afraid the entire family fled." Jenassa confessed "Vendil and Telisu were already gone and Mirri seems to have fled as well. But they fled in a hurry they left a note describing where they have gathered. They've hired a sellsword group called the Morag Tong and have gathered at a place called Ashfallow Citadel."
"The Morag Tong?" Arano grumbled "Those fetchers, they're not a sellsword company, there actually a group of assassins. They were used by the members of the Great Houses of Morrowind to take out their rivals. Their power was shattered following the eruption of Red Mountain so I guess they see this as a chance to restore their legacy and show everyone that they're back. As for Ashfallow, that place has been abandoned for years, it was no longer needed after the construction of Fort Forstmoth, they must have been using it as a training base since most of the fort has been buried even before the Red Mountain eruption. It seems we have more to do."
"So I guess we'll be going to this Ashfallow then." Jon stated
"This will hopefully be the last thing." Arano stated "Do this and I will see that Raven Rock rewards you greatly. I will not send you alone though since the Morag Tong are still a force to be reckoned with so I will send a few of the best Redoran Guards to meet you at Ashfallow."
"Thank you Second Councillor." Serena stated "We best head on to Ashfallow. The sooner we deal with this threat the better."
"Indeed." Arano stated "Good luck to you all, and thank you for all you've done."
Port Hunding: Stros M'kai:
Theon Greyjoy slowly walked through the crowds that had gathered inside Headman Bhosek's palace. The palace was lavishly decorated with gold and silver trinkets and it seemed that Bhosek saw himself as a king since he was living like one. He had lavish expensive items all over to show off his wealth, all of it probably stolen. He also had many raiders gather at the palace in celebration. He saw many raiders gathered and Bhosek had brought over many girls and drinks for them to enjoy. The girls were all wearing revealing outfits, some looked joyful so they loved the attention while others seemed scared, they were probably captured on raids.
A dark skinned man sat on a small chair that was his throne with two girls who were entertaining him, Theon guessed that this must be Headman Bhosek. He banged his goblet down "My friends!" he called "Today, we are here to celebrate. For years, I have ruled over this island and used it as a fortress and hideout where we can live without rules. We are free to do what we what. From Westeros to the Jade Sea, we have travelled far and wide and many goods have been brought here. There are those who seek to overthrow me and today, one of those is gone. Captain Helane, leader of the Sea Drakes and the only real enemy of mine is dead. Those scum have been taken our plunder, using the south of our island to raid and plot against us but now they are no more. My ships personally blocked them in and slaughtered them to a man."
Theon shook his head, this man was claiming a victory that wasn't his. He could see that Bhosek was a man who thought highly of himself and taking credit from other people. Maybe this was why Bhosek was dislike by many but they seemed to take whatever Bhosek had to offer.
"Now we celebrate, drink up everyone, there's plenty to go around and have fun with the girls but don't be too rough, I want no injuries on their pretty faces." Bhosek added and everyone cheered and then began celebrating.
Theon carefully made his way over to the barrels of alcohol where he poured in the liquid that Jakarn had given him, just as he was about to turn away, he heard someone call him.
"Hey, you there!" Theon called thinking he had been caught and saw Bhosek staring at him "I don't think I've seen you around here, you new here lad."
"Erm, I am ser." Theon nervously said
"Ser?" Bhosek laughed "Fancy lad are you, you will address me as Headman young lad?"
"Erm, yes Headman." Theon replied slightly scared.
"Good job new lad." Bhosek replied "Now remember, here I am in charge and you'll do well to remember that." He then saw Theon's hand "And I see you don't let an injury let you down, good job lad, most people would end up begging on the streets after an injury like that but not you. You'll make a fine captain one day as long as you make sure everyone knows who's in charge. Now what's your name lad."
"My name is Theon Headman Bhosek."Theon replied.
"Theon?" Bhosek questioned "A Westerosi them, why'd you take up raiding?"
"For the pleasure." Theon replied managing to keep up an act "Life was boring at home, here on the sea, you feel free, free to do what you want."
"Well said lad." Bhosek replied "Here, have one on the house, very expensive whiskey, costs what most people make in a lifetime. Have some fun lad, enjoy yourself. Hey girl, give this lad some fun time." He threw an expensive bottle of alcohol at Theon which he managed to catch and sent one of the girls to him.
Theon still remembered all the times he had been down to the brothel in Wintertown though since joining the legion, he had matured a bit but he still couldn't help himself when the girl approached him with a deep smile on his face.
"My, you sure are handsome." she purred "Now, let's find a place to have some fun." Theon couldn't say anything as the girl took his hand and let him away for a night of pleasure."
King's Landing: Red Keep Throne Room:
King Martin sat on the Iron Throne with the Blades standing guard with Delphine, Barristan and Jaime standing next to him along with Spymaster Caius. City Watch Commander Camarlo Truiand also entered to explain what had happened. High King Emeric of the Daggerfall Convenient was also there since there had been an incident with some of this own men. Daenerys also stood off to the side along with two of Emeric's men who had some explaining to do.
"I do apologize King Martin about this incident." Emeric said "I had no idea that something like this would happen."
Martin sighed, he was not too happy about the possibility of a diplomatic incident "Commander Truiand, can you explain what happened."
"There was a fight at the Bannered Mare Inn just near the King's Gate." Camarlo explained "Apparently, some of the men in the employ of High King Emeric thought they could take the law into their own hands, they apparently believed that the barmaid of the Bannered Mare was a highly wanted criminal." The dark skinned man next to Daenerys nearly spoke up but was stopped by the man next to him. "I had no choise but to arrest them for disrupting the peace as their actions nearly started a fight, they may have been drunk."
"They were not drunk!" the man snapped this time "They were honouring their oaths to the Alik'r to bring that traitor to justice."
"Kemetu!" Emeric snapped "Your men have caused enough trouble! Why did you think it was her, she has not been seen for a long time."
"She had the scar your grace." Kemetu replied "She was acting suspiciously and trying to avoid eye contact and then I saw it, it is her."
"And you didn't bother to run it by me!" Emeric hissed "You decided to take the law into your own hands and cause a diplomatic incident. Not only that but if it is her, now she is aware that we know where she is, she may try to flee."
Delphine looked at them "Just what is going on here?" she demanded "Who is this woman you're talking about."
"They're talking about the barmaid of the Banner Mare, Saadia." Carmalo stated
Emeric then explained "Years ago one of my vassals, King Rancer rebelled against me and brought allies from Qaarth and the Slave Cities. At one point they attacked the city of Taneth, they could have held their own but then Iman of House Suda decided to sell the city out in exchange for gold. When my forces retook the city, her betrayal was discovered and she fled. Many people of Taneth lost family members to the slavers, some of which are still missing and they want justice. They believed this Saadia is actually her."
"Do you have any proof?" Martin asked "I can just hand someone over."
"If it is her then she will probably try to flee." Delphine stated
"That may already be happening." Caius stated "I just heard from Brynjolf that this barmaid is looking for a smuggler. We could use that, send someone she doesn't know to lure her out what we'll be waiting. That way we avoid a fight in the city."
"We need her alive." Emeric stated "Taneth wants her alive." He then looked at Kemetu "And you, stay out of trouble, we can't have another incident like this."
Kemetu sighed "Alright, but I want to be there when she is taken in."
Emeric nodded and then Caius went to contact Brynjolf and get them on the job.
Oldtown: The Reach:
Babette watched as Baelor Hightower returned to the Hightower with his resistance forces. The hostages rescued from the Sept had already returned and were being housed. Many of them were scared after all they had witnessed and were happy to be safe again. There was one particular hostage that claimed he had information and so Babette decided to spy on him to try and gather more information. She hid in the room and saw Baelor along with Archmaester Marwin and Sarella Sand talking. The former prisoner was there as well and the first thing she saw was that the man had golden skin and pointy ears.
"You're clearly not from around here are you?" Sarella stated
"No I am not." The golden skinned man stated "My name is Aicantar, nephew of the Dwemer Scholar Calcelmo of the Daggerfall Covenant."
"Daggerfall, so you're from that group that recently arrived in King's Landing that I heard." Marwin stated
"I am though I've been a prisoner for a while." Aicantar explained "Sadly my uncle is partially responsible for this although not intentionally. The Mythic Dawn's power comes from a magically artefact known as an Elder Scroll and my uncle found its location which is why they captured me in order to find it. They're power increased dramatically although it is starting to decrease and are relaying on a number of enforcers to keep the power strong. Take them out and they'll lose even more of their power and limit the Daedra that they can summon."
"So who are these enforcers?" Baelor asked
"I have their names, they are called Cingor, Eugal Belette, Marguerite Diel, Ranaline and Styrbjorn." Aicantar explained "I know they're scattered throughout the city but other than that, I don't know their location."
"I'll make tracking the down a priority." Baelor stated "Though retaking the docks and taking out Euron Greyjoy plus his ally Isolde is also a priority. We need the docks to help get supplies into the city."
"I also heard the Mythic Dawn have a secret supply base in an old smugglers cave along coast near the city somewhere." Aicantar added
"There's not much we can do about that right now." Marwin explained "But it is good information for now. Thanks for your help, we'll keep you safe."
Babette smiled, she had some good information to pass on to her brothers and sisters and now more targets to take out. She quickly began to make her way to the Dark Brotherhood's hidden base.
Yunkai: Essos:
The army of Yunkai did not even bother setting up defences for their camp. Commander Mero was so confident that the dragon boy would be dead and his army would crumble. He was looking forward to having his way with his sisters and maybe he would keep them to satisfy his needs. If he grew board of them then he could sell them, even if they weren't virgins, their looks would make them valuable as pleasure girls, the silver haired girl in particular would make him a ton of money. Yunkai was a very rich city and had paid them well for their services. Mero and the Second Sons were making the most of it with fine wines from around the cities and having access to the famous pleasure girls of Yunkai. The camp was filled with laughs and cheers and men drank and spent time with the girls. Mero himself had drank many cups of wine and had fallen into bed with two naked girls by his side thinking that by morning, Daario would be back with news that the dragon boy was dead and his army would break apart.
Nearby, the Golden Company was ready, Archer commander Black Balaq and his archers fired the first volley of flaming arrows. They quickly struck the tents and set them on fire. Panic quickly set in and the Yunkai army was quickly caught off guard and they quickly tried to gather their armour and weapons. Twenty volleys of flaming arrows were launched and once the final volley was launched, the archers stopped firing and the Golden Company Calvary units road into the camp. They just road through the camp slashing anyone in their way and left the camp the other way. After several runs, the infantry then charged into the camp.
Mero was woken by the noise and ran out completely naked and gasped as the fires spreading through the camp and his own men running around like headless chickens. He was shocked and angered when he saw Daario leading the Stormcrows against him. They had betrayed him and he would make sure they paid. By Mero was also a coward and didn't even bother trying to fight. He quickly ran out of the camp carrying a pile of small clothes with him. It was humiliating having to run completely naked but he knew that his time would come, he would get revenge against Daario and kill the dragon boy himself, he would just wait for the right time.
Chapter End:
Notes: Well, it's been a long time since I updated this story back in January. Now that University is finished, I have a lot more time on my hands until I get a job. I used this chapter as a means to try and tie up a few loose ends left from my earlier writings. I think there will possible be 3 or 4 chapters left before season 3 of this story is finished. With the new House of the Dragon series, it helps create some inspiration on how to write an important scene in a coming chapter. As for House Stark and the north, I know they haven't been featured much in season 3 but they will have a major role in season 4. I plan on working on a chapter of Dragon X next, I'm glad to see that even though I haven't been updating much due to issues with my life, I'm still getting people who are interesting in this story with new followers and favourites so I'm glad my story still has its fans.