Served Cold:
Yunkai: Essos:
The battle outside Yunkai had been little more than an ambush. The Yunkai army had been all but annihilated with more than 3000 of their 4000 strong slave army having been killed plus the Second Sons mercenaries had been battered as well with Commander Mero fleeing. The day after the attack, the people of Yunkai woke up and saw both their army and their camp aflame and the gathered army of Aegon nearby. With their army decimated, the Wise Masters sent their envoy out again. Razdal Mo Eraz had returned, this time he was not being carried by slaves, instead he seemed to have been little more than a messenger, he may have fallen out of favour after the attack and Aegon suspected the Wise Masters sent him here to die because of his failure. Visenya was currently being kept away so not to cause a problem for now.
This time Razdal did not show the arrogance he had shown before and instead knelt clearly in fear. "Warlord Aegon." He said "The City of Yunkai wishes to parlay, what is it you desire to not try and sack our city, we have accepted defeat."
"I will not be king of the ashes." Aegon stated "I will not destroy your city but there are going to be some changes. First, slavery is now officially outlawed, that being said, if any slave still wishes to be in service then they may, I understand that some people feel differently and some masters are kind to their slaves but others are not. If slaves wish to leave their master's service then they may, people are not property anymore to be bought and sold, they are free people so now. The issue of the famous bed slaves will change slightly, I know how important it is to this city so for now, it will remain, however the brothels will no longer buy people to train them, they must be recruited of their own free will." This was a similar scheme in Westeros, Aegon knew that outlawing it would cause problems so he decided to regulate it. "Also, these brothels will face inspections to ensure that they're not exploiting people. And finally, I will be leaving a garrison here, don't think that I am aware that the rest of your Wise Masters will think about trying to restore slavery once I move on so I will leave some of my army here to ensure that your people know who's in charge. I will allow the Wise Masters to remain in charge and maintain your personal wealth, but should you try and test me by rebelling, then I will return here and put all of the Wise Masters to the sword and place my own people in charge, is that understood?"
"Understood?" Razdal whimpered
"Good, now tell the rest of your masters and warn them that next time I might not be as generous." Aegon replied.
Razdal quickly left the tent and began making his way back to Yunkai but before he even got far, an arrow struck the ground nearby and he looked to see Visenya nearby "Remember me Razdal?" she demanded
Razdal looked at her and soon realised "The White Raven." He whispered
"Never call me that!" Visenya yelled striking the man with her fist "That is not my name, my name is Visenya Targaryen, sister to Aegon Targaryen, your people kidnapped me and tried to make me into one of your little pleasure slaves. The one who your son took me when I was still a child multiple times. The one who your son took great pleasure in taking and laughed when I resisted. I wanted to take your head so badly and raze your city to the ground but I must serve my brother's wishes. He may have been calmer but I'm not so I'm going to give you a little reminder of what may happen." She pulled out a knife and knelt over the fallen form of Razdal, then quickly, she slashed his face leaving a large scar across his face "Now, should your city even think of rebelling, then I will personally lead the army and purge the city myself and trust me, I even less forgiving than my brother and I'll take great pleasure in killing you myself and it won't be quick. Remember this scar and remember my warning." Visenya then left leaving the whimpering Razdal behind, Visenya had a wicked smirk on her face, part of her hoped that Yunkai would rebel so she could extract her personal vengeance on the city.
Solstheim:
Jon and his group had finally arrived at Ashfallow Citadel. The ruined fort once had a large keep surrounded by an outer wall, now most of the outer wall had collapsed leaving only the front gate standing and even that was crumbling, most of the keep was built underground rather than above which kept most of the keep intact after the Red Mountain eruption although the top of the old Keep had also crumbled and there were large piles of ash surrounding the keep.
"Well we're here now." Jon stated
"So I guess we just wait for our backup to arrive." Grenn stated
Serena's enhanced vision caught something "I think our backup is already here." She said
The team arrived at the keep where Ygritte used her bow to take down a Morag Tong assassin while Tormund dealt with the other with his axe. They then saw the fallen body of two Redoran Guards who Second Councillor Arano had sent "I guess we're on our own now then." Tormund stated
"Let's go, the quicker we deal with this the better." Jon said and they then entered through the front door of the ruined keep preparing for a fight.
Port Hunding: Stros M'kai:
Theon was lying in bed when he was suddenly woken up when a bucket of water was dumped on him. He gasped and got up to see Crafty Lerisa laughing "Well, I see you've been having fun. You were meant to poison Headman Bhosek's wine, not spent the time here partying."
"I nearly got caught." Theon spluttered spitting out the water "I had to keep up the ruse and I was able to poison Bhosek's wine."
"Good, Kaleen and the others are prepared to enter." Lerisa stated "They've already dealt with the guards at the gates."
"Then let's go." Theon replied now that he had recovered from the sudden splash of water over him.
They soon found Kaleen, Nermao and Victorian waiting for them in the main entrance. "The guards are knocked out stone drunk." Kaleen stated "Just like we planned, now we just need to get to the throne room."
They quickly managed to find the throne room and found Headman Bhosek sitting on the throne drunk and with a woman on his lap. Kaleen quickly managed to carefully pull the woman off his lap and gave the drunk man a hard slap which woke him up.
"Who dares slap me!" Bhosek growled "I'll chop their hands off with blunt weapons to make it hurt."
"Oh I'm so scared." Kaleen mockingly cheered "I'm so scared of a drunk man who I could have just stabbed now."
Bhosek woke up "You!"
"Me." Kaleen stated "I've come back Bhosek and I'm here to take my revenge on what you did to my crew on the Stepstones."
"It was a fair fight!" Bhosek growled "I attacked your crew like any other pirate would."
"Well, now I've come to pay you back for that." Kaleen stated "I was the one who helped defeat Captain Helene, not you and I don't like people taking credit that's not theirs. I challenge you."
"You challenge me when I'm like this?" Bhosek demanded "That's not a fair fight."
"Nor was it when you betrayed me." Kaleen stated "We were a team and you betrayed me when my crew was drunk themselves. Think of this as retribution, besides most of the people here are tired of you, no one will really miss you. I'm giving you the chance to duel rather than me just sticking you with a knife right here, I can easily do it now but I'll give you the chance to sober up a bit."
"Fine!" Bhosek growled "One hour out in the streets."
"We'll be there." Kaleen stated "Lovely seeing you again."
As they all left, Victorian looked at her "Was that really wise challenging him?"
"Even if I just kill him, we still need the respect of the pirate gangs here to gain the fleet. Bhosek was in charge because he was the strongest, we need to beat him in a challenge fight to gain the other captains loyalty. Beat him and we get the fleet, that's why I had his wine poisoned to ensure a win, he will be dirty so we have to be dirty too. A fair fight is a fantasy amongst us pirates, we do anything to win."
Victorian knew that she had a point and choose not to say anything. Soon they would have a fleet and then they would sail to Oldtown and hopefully rescue his niece from the hands of his brother.
Oldtown Docks:
On board the Silence, Euron Greyjoy's personal ship, Yara Greyjoy was stilled tied up in Euron's bedroom. The only time she was brought out was when they returned from a raid and Euron celebrated with his crew. Yara suspected that Euron did this to show just how much the Ironborn loved him. Yara had not actually seen the Ironborn culture through this prespective, now she was beginning to feel like maybe Theon was right, she was seen as a captive and now understood what these captives thought of the Ironborn and why they were viewed with scorn on the mainland and seem like savages and maybe they were right. The Ironborn seemed to be just people who preyed on the weak and called it the survival of the fittest, no wonder some believed the Ironborn should just be wiped out. Yara was growing concerned about the fate of her lover, Tristifer Botley. The last time she had seen him was back at the feast after the taking of the Shield Islands, now she did not know his fate. Yara had lost count of the days that she had been imprisoned, each day had become more of the same and Yara was beginning to lose hope. She had no idea how long she had been imprisoned or if anyone was even going to come and rescue her now.
Yara's eyes began to go blurry as she dozed off and began to sleep but she was woken by the sound of clashing steel. She saw the door slam open and saw an Ironborn guard impaled by a sword but no sound came from the guard's mouth since he was a mute. When the guard well, she was shocked to see who it was. "Hello Yara." A smirking Tristifer Botley stated
"Tristifer?" Yara gasped as Tristifer began to untie Yara "But how are you here?"
"They imprisoned me with my uncle o the Silverfin." Tristifer explained "Germund may be loyal to Euron but his sons are not, Balon and Quellon Botley freed me, they don't like Euron's plan and see it as madness, now we've got to get out of here, Balon has made contact with the Oldtown Resistance, we're going to get to a safe location. One good thing about having sailors who are mute means they can't raise an alarm as easily."
Tristifer and Yara soon made their way onto the deck of the Silence using the dark sky to help hide, with the sky red thanks to the Oblivion Gates at Oldtown, it meant that there was always loud noises to mask their movements. They soon jumped over the railing of the Silence and into the water, Yara followed Tristifer as they swam to a safe area of docks where Tristifer's cousins, Balon and Quellon Greyjoy helped them ashore. As Yara got onto the deck, she looked back at the Silence, she gasped in horror and nearly screamed when Tristifer covered her mouth.
There tied to the prow of the Silence were two bodies. One was a pregnant woman who Yara realized was Falia Flowers, the bastard daughter of Lord Humfrey Hewett and the lover of Euron Greyjoy. The other was to Yara's horror her uncle Aeron Greyjoy, who looked like he had been dead for a while, his skin beginning to turn green and his hair covered in seaweed.
Balon Botley looked at this "I'm sorry lady Yara." He said "Euron finally decided he had enough of Aeron and decided to drown him so he could be with the drowned God he loved so much. He made a mockery of him and he also apparently ordered the death of the other Drowned Priests as well on the Iron Islands. He also grew tired of his lover after she fell pregnant and decided to remove her tongue and attach her to the bow of his ship. She died from the elements not long afterwards.
Yara took one more look at Aeron's body, the great Damphair and a legend amongst the Ironborn and the youngest of her uncle's was now dead. Aeron had always viewed himself as a prophet of the Drowned God and now he was dead, there was not much she could do now but she hoped that once this was all over, she could give her uncle a proper send off.
Castle Black: The Wall:
Agmear sat on a chair in one of the bedrooms of Castle Black. Following their return, Isran had called for the Dawnguard's healer Florentius Baenius to arrive to help heal the injured. Lord Commander Mormont's injury had been healed and now he would be able to command again. Now Florentius was checking over Gilly and her new baby who she still had not given a name yet.
Gilly sat by Agmear as Florentius examined the baby who did wail due to being uncomfortable although Florentius helped to try and calm him down. "Well." Florentius said "Despite the incest issues, your baby seems to be healthy, he's a good weight and seems to be healthy." He handed the baby back to Gilly who then gently rocked him to sleep.
Agmear looked at the baby who was now sleeping peacefully "You know, he still needs a name you know."
Gilly looked at him "I don't know many names for boys, only for girls, any sons my father had with any of us were given to the White Walkers."
"Well there are many." Agmear stated "Like Duncan, Kevin, Jon, Guymon, Feldan, Tristifer..."
"Craster?" Gilly said like it was a question
"Well, technically yes." Agmear stated "Although, maybe that's not the best name for him considering the things your father did. Naming him after him might make it seem like you're honouring his memory."
Gilly looked at him "Honouring his memory?"
Agmear had forgotten that Gilly didn't know much about the world "Well, what I mean is that it would be like you have fond memories of him."
"What about Mormont then?" Gilly asked
Agmear couldn't help but chuckle "That's a lovely idea that but, Mormont is a last name."
"Why's it a last name?" Gilly asked
Agmear thought of the best way to describe it, he didn't have a last name either since he was a simple farmer's boy but he did know the basics thankfully Florentius came to his rescue.
"What he means is that Mormont is a family name." Florentius explained "Here the powerful families have family name that they share. Commander Mormont's is Jeor Mormont and other members of his family also have the same name Mormont as well, like his son, he also has the name Mormont."
"His son's name is Jeor Mormont as well?" Gilly questioned
"No." Florentius questioned "Jorah Mormont."
"Jorah, that's a handsome name." Gilly commented.
Florentius looked at him "I don't think Commander Mormont would like the idea of naming him Jorah, he and his son are estranged."
"Estranged, do you always use fancy words." Gilly asked
Florentius sighed "What I mean is that Commander Mormont and his son are not on good terms, Jorah disgraced the family name several years ago, he's no longer welcome in Westeros."
Agmear looked at Florentius "What about your family Florentius, you have a family name don't you?"
"I don't know much about my family to be honest." Florentius replied "I left then when I was very young to become a priest of Arkay."
Gilly continued rocking her baby "So what happens now?" she asked
"Well, it's not safe here for you I'm, afraid." Florentius said "Some of the people here don't see a woman that often and some of them have a reputation for taking woman unwillingly, we don't want that to happen to you. Isran and Mormont do have a few options for you but you have to make the decision yourself. We can escort you to the Nightfort where the rest of your people have gathered or we can take you to our own headquarters of Fort Dawnguard, we have some people there who would be willing to help teach you a few trades to make yourself useful."
"My father wasn't well like by other wildlings." Gilly commented "They viewed him as scum for his practises and the fact he gave information to the Crows."
"That's kind of what I feared." Florentois stated "I believe Fort Dawnguard would be a safer place for you then."
"Then I guess I'll go there." Gilly decided "But what about my sisters?"
Florentius sighed "Isran and Mormont are talking about their plans but we don't really have the men right now. And with the White Walkers still out there, we don't want to risk falling into another trap, there may be nothing we can do for your sisters right now."
Gilly felt sad, all her life the only people she had known were her father and her sisters, and now she had no idea what her sisters were going through but from what Florentius described earlier, it would not be good, she had bad memories of what her father would do to her and her sisters but this sounded a lot worse.
King's Landing: The Lion Gate:
Tyene Sand stood next to Kematu while they waited for their target to arrive. After their meeting, Martin had contacted Brynjolf to help check if Saadia was indeed the right woman and sure enough, Brynjolf had posed as a concerned person who had managed to charm Saadia and sure enough, Kematu was corrected although Saadia tried to paint herself as the victim. Brynjolf had managed to claim that he had managed to get a few horses ready to help Saadia escape to Lannisport where she could start anew which is why they were waiting near the Lion's Gate where the road to Lannisport was.
After a few minutes of waiting, soon two figures appeared and Tyene recognised Saadia and so did Kematu "So, we meet again Saadia, or sould I call you Iman since that's your real name."
"What!" Saadia/Iman gasped "What is this?" she looked back at Brynjolf "What have you done?"
Kematu laughed "Oh come now, you didn't really expect that you could manipulate everyone forever did you? Your luck had to run out sometime. After what happened at the tavern, I managed to get the king himself to have his agents check you and sure enough, you told them the same story that you told once before when we nearly had you. We just needed to get you somewhere out of sight where we wouldn't be able to attract much attention so you couldn't just run away again." And then before Saadia could react, Kematu got out a blow pipe and blew a dart into Saadia's neck, Saadia stumbled before falling back into Brynjolf's arms "It is done now."
Tyene looked at him "So what happens now?" she asked
"Well, now we'll be taking her back to the Covenants lands and then to Taneth where she'll be put on trial for her crimes. When we get back, it's not up to me what happens to her, it will be up to the city council at Taneth. " Kematu said
"She told me that you were assassins." Brynjolf commented.
Kematu laughed "If we were assassins we would have just killed her, not capture her. Give my thanks to your king, he has helped bring justice for people he does not even know. The people of the Covenant will remember this deed."
Tyene nodded and the Kematu called or his men to carry the paralysed body of Saadia away to be secured and escorted back home.
Greymoor Keep:
Joffrey smiled as he entered the keep, he had finally managed to gather the Rings of Blood Magic and the Amulets of Night Power, he felt more powerful than ever. He felt like he could conquer the whole known world, not just Westeros, maybe that would be just what he would do. He saw the woman who had helped him gain this much power and the woman who he wanted to be his queen, Lady Belain who smiled at him.
"So, I see you have secured some jewels fit for a vampire king." Belain smiled
"Indeed, with this power, nothing will stand in my way." Joffrey smirked "My brother wouldn't know what hit him. I don't even want to kill him anymore, I think I'll make him my mindless slave, that's a fate worse than death."
"Indeed, just what a traitor deserves." Belain replied and began caressing Joffrey's cheek, "You know, after everything you've gone through this past year, I think it's high time you get a reward." She took his hand and began leading him to a large room that was a bedroom "I don't usually sleep here you know, we vampires tend to prefer to sleep in coffins. But this bed is needed for this, tell me my vampire king, have you ever laid with a woman."
Joffrey shook his head "Mother wouldn't let me, she didn't want me to turn into my father who slept with every girl he laid his eyes on. I've always wanted to know what it feels like."
Belain smirked and placed Joffrey's hand on her breast "Well, let me show you what it's like." She pushed Joffrey to the bed and then removed his shirt and his trousers. Soon, he was naked and Belain removed her own dress. She then leaned over Joffrey and began kissing him. Joffrey played along and thought that this would be the time of his life.
Belain just smirked, Joffrey was just too easy to mess with, he was so into the situation that he did not see Belain using her magic to bind Joffrey's legs to the bed before placing his hands above his head and binding them with magic in an x shape. Joffrey did not even notice until Belain stood up and tried to move.
"What!" he hissed "What is this, what did you do?"
Belain laughed "That was too easy." She sneered "I can't believe you fell for this, I guess young men can't resist the body of a girl. I guess you were also such a big fool to fall for everything I said."
"I'll kill you!" Joffrey snarled and tried to forced himself at Belain but the magical bonds kept him in place. "I'll kill you, you little whore!" he kept thrashing around making Belain laugh.
A laugh which was joined by a new male laugh "Alright Belain, you can undo the illusion now." Belain waved her hand and the bedroom changed into some kind of underground stone room, the bed that Joffrey was on changed into a large stone table with an altar at one end that looked like a fountain releasing blood above a horned man.
"Illusion magic can make anything look like something else." Belain muttered as the man appeared from the shadows and Joffrey recognised him as Ramsay Snow and he wielded a large looking mace fitted with spikes and engraved with the same figure as on the altar.
"Indeed." Ramsay sneered and then looked at Joffrey "I always wondered why Master Manimarco spent some much effort on you, after all, you seemed to be nothing more than a spoiled little baby who felt he could do anything. I at least dedicated myself to the service of Molag Bal, the lord of Domination. Unlike you, I have no desire to try and claim any kind of birthright although that would be lovely."
"But the Worm Cult needed allies and the Grey Host were the perfect subject, after all, we share the same goal and worship the same deity." Belain stated "All we needed was the power to reactivate the Darkheart and we could unleash our powers on the world again. We needed a sacrifice but it had to be one with power."
"As much as you wish to claim to be the blood of kings, all you contain in the blood of lions, not the stag's and even if you were, that's nothing compared to the blood of the dragon." Ramsay mocked smirking at Joffrey's anger and thrashing.
"So Manimarco cut a deal, we grant you the power and help you increase it and then we get to use you as the sacrifice." Belain smirked "Speaking of which, you won't be needing these anymore, I have a better use for them." She took the Amulets and Rings from Joffrey's naked body and looked at Ramsay "He's all yours now Ramsay." Belain got her robe on and left the room leaving Ramsay alone with Joffrey.
Ramsay smirked at Joffrey and waved his mace around "I'm going to have so much fun with you little boy." He sneered and swung the mace hitting Joffrey's leg making him scream out.
Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary: Oldtown:
Babette stood alongside Nazir and Hildegard as they stood in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary alongside all the other members of the brotherhood. Speaker Elam Drals was giving some instructions "My brothers and sisters, we have achieved something that the Brotherhood has not achieved in a long time, we have begun to restore our reputation as a guild of assassins. If this keeps up, we will be able to retake our place as the lead assassin's of Westeros from the Faceless men of Essos. We have already eliminated several smaller targets but now we're moving onto a bigger one. The high ranking Mythic Dawn member Isolde has been targeted. Babette will have this contract since she has the skills needed to perform this task. We also have a target for the recruiter Harrow and this contract will go to Astrid. We also have several enforcers of the Mythic Dawn to take out. I have been informed that two of them, Cingor and Styrbjorn have been sent on a mission so they've unavailable for now but the enforcers called Eugal Belette, Marguerite Diel and Ranaline are currently here in the city so the rest of you will take them out." He then looked at Astrid "One last thing for you Astrid, Recruiter Harrow may also know the location of hostages kidnapped by the Mythic Dawn, you have a side job to get that information from him."
"Understood Speaker Elam." Astrid said in a quite tone to hide her displeasure.
"Good, now prepare yourselves, once this war is over, we will have more work to do to show Westeros that we are still strong." Elam said and then he vanished in a puff of smoke.
With the meeting over, everyone went to prepare for their contracts while Astrid pulled her husband Arnbjorn aside. "I can't believe that this is what we have been reduced to." Astrid hissed "The Dark Brotherhood used to be a name to fear, now we're just taking a contract for the King when before, Kings and lords would fear us."
"I know my dear wife." Arnbjorn growled "We've followed the Night Mother for generations but look where that's led us, maybe it's time for a restart but not many of our brothers think the same way."
"Then maybe it's time for that." Astrid said "We bring it ourselves. There is a tradition in the brotherhood where whole Sanctuaries were purified of the rot, maybe we need to do the same, purify the brotherhood and we rise from the ashes of the old."
"How can we do that?" Arnbjorn asked "I may be powerful as a Werewolf but Kor is also powerful plus Elam and Nazir are skilled fighters."
"We just need to find an ally to do it and I know just who." Astrid said "I have a meeting to do and you need to get out of here, we'll have company here soon."
Ashfallow Citadel: Solstheim:
When Jon and the team had first entered the Citadel, the castle looked to be in poor condition. The first room looked to be some kind of barracks from all of the beds but was filled with piles of ash from which a few Ash Spawn that they had fought at Fort Frostmoth appeared which they quickly put down. Dealing with the undead Falx Carius had not completely wiped out the Ash Spawn so there was something else involved with raising them. Once the team entered the lower levels of the Citadel which had been built underground, it looked more like a training centre for the Morag Tong. The guild of assassins had a storage room and a training room where the assassins were practising their skills in archery and daggers. Jon saw Mirri Severin busy wielding a pair of daggers. They currently had the element of surprise and Yigritte and Jenassa fired their bows which surprised them all. The rest quickly charged in. Mirri was slashed by Tormund with his axe which nearly cut her in half.
The way forward was blocked by a set of spikes but Serena found a pull chain in the training room which caused the spikes to move. "It looks like the old systems still work here." She said
"Vendil must be further ahead. He'll probably have a large group of guards with him ready to make a last stand." Jon said
"He has to be taken out no otherwise he could just attack Raven Rock in an attempt to martyr himself for his cause against House Redoran." Grenn stated
"Then let's hurry up and take him out while he's still preparing himself." Jon replied and they soon made their way into the next part of the Citadel.
Yunkai: Essos:
The Great doors of the city of Yunkai opened and a parade began. Aegon had ordered this parade to lead him through the city from the city gates to the palace of Yunkai. It was meant to be a symbol to the people that there was a new ruler and that they were no longer slaves. The Unsullied had already been sent in to clear the streets, there was still a possible danger of assassins. Jon Connington had tried to talk him out of it but Aegon insisted that this was a good idea to help show the Wise Masters who was in charge now even if they were allowed to keep their power.
Aegon rode his horse alongside his sisters as well as Connington, Travis Thresh, Missandei and his sworn sword Lydia. The people were quite at first and Aegon noticed the looks of concern on the faces of many. "Maybe they didn't want to be conquered." Aegon said
"You didn't conquer them brother." Rhaenys said "You liberated them."
"But some learn to love their chains if it's all they've known for years." Visenya stated "I watched many slaves do that when I was here, it very nearly happened to me if you hadn't found me."
Eventually, they made their way to a platform where Aegon dismounted his horse along with Missandei who would speak first to introduce Aegon, she probably had been to the city before when she was a slave. "This is Aegon Targaryen, it is to him that you owe your freedom"
Aegon then stepped forward "You do not owe me your freedom for it is not mine to give. It belongs to you and you alone, if you want it you must take it for yourselves, each and every one of you. You are not property, you are free people, free to make your own choices, you have to decide who you are."
There was a few moments of silence before someone started chanted the word "Fhysa" the chant began over and Aegon couldn't understand what they were saying and so he looked to Missandei.
"Fhysa is an old word for the Ghiscari language." She explained "It means father, they see you as their saviour."
Aegon smiled at the crowd and they began chanting Fhysa and few even began trying to chant his name. But then a scream broke out and Aegon saw one of the Unsullied fall dead and saw a man trying to charge through. The remaining Unsullied tried to stop him but he broke through and tried to charge at Aegon. Another man managed to get through but instead of trying to charge to attack Aegon, he instead threw a knife at the first man's back before knocking him to the ground and stabbing him in the neck.
Aegon slowly approached the two men, the man on the ground looked to be completely drunk and had the remains of a shaved red beard, the remaining man had dark coloured skin, with a broad weathered face and grey white hair and beard. He pulled out his sword but then knelt on one knee and stuck it into the ground. "Aegon Targaryen." He greeted "My name is Ben Plumm or better known as Brown Ben Plumm, I have come to swear allegiance to you, you beat us during the battle, the Second Sons commit to you."
"What of your commander?" Connington asked
"He won't be able to say much now that he is dead." Ben stated and Aegon saw that the man Ben had killed was Commander Mero, the commander of the Second Sons "He fled the battle like a coward and he was leading the Second Sons down a path of savagery. After the battle, the remaining members of the company selected me as their new commander. I want to rebuild the legacy that the Second Sons once held so I've decided that I want to serve you if you will have me."
"Stand." Aegon ordered and Ben did that "I accept your service, you are descended from a Westerosi house correct?"
"I am although my blood now contains Dothraki and Ibbense blood as well so I can't call myself a true descendent like the Golden Company members." Ben stated
"You know the Westerosi customs though?" Aegon asked and Ben nodded "Swear an Oath to me to prove that you mean what you say."
Ben went back down onto his knees "I, Brown Ben Plumm, commander of the Second Sons sellsword company, do hereby swear fealty to Aegon Targaryen, conqueror of the cities of Yunkai and Astapor. I swear to serve him to the best of my abilities and to never betray him or his trust from now until the end of my days."
"Then stand Brown Ben Plumm." Aegon ordered "Remember this oath, a strong taboo is to betray that oath. And if you betray me at any point, the punishment will be harsh."
"Yes your grace." Ben stated "What is our next step?"
"We still have one more city in the Bay to take." Aegon stated "The capital of the slave trade here and I doubt it will be easy, men, we march for the city of Meereen."
King's Landing: The Dragonpit:
King Martin along with Delphine, Barristan and Jaime entered the Dragonpit as Martin wanted to see just how the dragon Silverwing was doing. Esbern and Farengar had been helping to heal the injured Silverwing and how she was slowly being able to regain her strength. Martin was amazed that Silverwing was still around and it made him wonder about two other dragons, Sheepstealer and the Cannibal. Both were wild dragons on Dragonstone during the Dance of the Dragons with Sheepstealer being claimed by the Dragonseed Nettles and Cannibal never being claimed. Just like Silverwing, both dragons vanished from history after the Dance of the Dragons and Martin wondered if they were still alive. Sheepstealer could possibly be somewhere in the Vale since that was where Nettles was said to have fled after being declared a traitor when Rhaenyra Targaryen became paranoid after two other dragonseeds, Hugh Hammer and Ulf the White betrayed her. Cannibal on the other hand, Martin had no idea about that dragon though.
Martin soon found that it was not just them. Daenerys Targaryen had also arrived in the Dragonpit and was tending to Silverwing.
"She doesn't seem to be happy does she." She said "She seems board, she doesn't like being caged up."
"No animal likes to be confined, they like to be free to roam." Martin replied "I did make it so that the dragons could be free but locked up here should they misbehave. In some ways they are like children, let them loose and free to do what they want and they soon become uncontrollable. Enable their behaviour and they start to like it and do it when they want. I've seen it first hand with my brother."
"Your brother?" Daenerys asked
"My older brother and the previous king Joffrey." Martin said "Despite all the rumours surrounding his parentage, that was not why I rebelled, I never really cared about that, after all history remembers names, not blood. Maybe if my mother had disaplined him more then things may have been very different."
Daenerys was curious "My brother was always mean to me but now that I understand more, I think his cruelty developed over never being loved."
"Your brother was still only a child when the rebellion happened." Barristan stated "He was too young to understand what your father was like."
"It was fine at first when we lived under Wilhelm Darry." Daenerys stated "Everything fell apart after he died and we were forced to live on the streets. Always fleeing from place to place and being taken advantage of, it drove my brother mad and now he's in the hands of the Mythic Dawn."
"My brother Joffrey is in a similar situation only his origins are different." Martin stated "I still don't like the idea of killing him, he is still my brother and kinslayer is taboo here in Westeros for anyone even if he is a danger. I just wish things could have been different."
"How did he end up the way he is?" Daenerys asked
"Because of my parents." Martin groaned "As much as I love them like any people they had flaws. You of course hated my father and he hated you even if it was for stupid reason. He blamed your family for the death of Lyanna, his first love even though I doubt she ever loved him back. He grew obsessed really and he just neglected his new family except for me really. He left raising us to our mother and she doted over Joffrey too much. She saw him as her little golden cub who could do no wrong and that was where everything went wrong, she loved all of us but Joffrey was special and in the end, she never disciplined him. I remember when Joffrey killed my younger brother Tommen's pet fawn and killed a pregnant cat just to see the unborn babies. Mother always called it a child's curiosity but she ended up enabling Joffrey's behaviour until he believed he could do what he wanted and that his word was law. Despite the belief, a king is not a right but a duty, I've given up so much personal time in order to help rule the kingdom which is hard work, made even harder by the dangers posed by groups like the Mythic Dawn. Westeros is going through a period not seen for many years; magic is returning and with its return comes the dangers it poses."
Silverwing then groaned and began shaking and Daenerys carefully stroked her scales in order to calm her and Martin soon joined him and stroked his chin. "You may need your strength again soon feller." He said to the dragon "I don't want to force you to do anything but you may be the only one who can defeat Viserys' dragon." He then looked at the other dragons gathered nearby "None of them are able to do it, they're far too young, you're the only one who can challenge the might of that massive dragon, I know you're scared, so am I, but sometimes you have to face your fears."
Daenerys was impressed at how Martin was able to calm the dragon and it made her thing of what she had been hearing that people were saying that she may be doing "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, I've been hearing rumours saying that the two of us should possible be together, as in marriage."
"I've heard of them too." Martin replied "They say it should help properly cement my rule since my family was tainted by usurping the throne by my father. It also prevents someone using your name as a means to try and take control of the throne for themselves. Your dragons are another sign since it will bind both are groups of dragons together. I have been considering the thought but I would never force you to do anything."
Daenerys looked at him "But, does it bother you that I'm not a virgin, I was married before?"
Martin looked at her "No, that never really bothers me as long as it doesn't bother you that I am."
Daenerys looked at him "You've never laid with a woman before?"
"I never wanted to become like my father." Martin admitted "I saw him cheat on my mother with many girls he laid his eyes on. I walked in on him once and I was in such shock I never said anything and father never even noticed. It wasn't until my mother came in and saw it that I realised what happened. Mother was furious at father although she was mad at him all the time. She had to carry me out of there, I was only seven at the time but that day, I swore I would never be like him. I loved my father but he was never the best man or the best king and he even admitted that."
"For years I always believed my brother and everything he said." Daenerys replied "He was mean to me but I never saw anything wrong, once I married Drogo I began to shape up a bit. I saw him for what he really was, he very nearly got himself killed for insulted the Dothraki but I got them to spare his life. That was probably a mistake now."
"He was still your brother and you had no idea of what he would become." Martin said "Family means a lot to people even when they're not the best people, it takes a lot of courage to stand up to them and walk away from them when you see them as being wrong. It is harder than most people would think. Part of me still holds hope for Joffrey but I know that one day we will probably come today and I doubt it will be pleasant. I hope I don't have to kill him but there may be no other choice."
Greymoor Keep: Beyond the Wall:
Martin had no idea of what Joffrey was going through or what had just happened. Joffrey had sworn that he would come back one day and get his revenge on Martin for taking his crown but now that looked doubtful, the people who had granted him power had betrayed him and it didn't look like Joffrey was coming out of this alive. Ramsay had used the Mace of Molag Bal, an item crafted by enslaved souls in Coldharbour, Molag Bal's realm of Oblivion for the use by his champion. It had spikes on the tips to deal as much pain as possible since Molag Bal wanted people to submit before dying. Ramsay had make use of the mace on Joffrey's body and he was taking his time and enjoying it. First he had smashed Joffrey's hands and feet before moving onto his arms and legs. Each swing had broken bones and made him scream in pain. It was ironic, Joffrey had loved tormenting people and now he was the one being tormented by someone who was probably even more sadistic than him. Joffrey was just a spoiled brat while Ramsay was a pure sadist.
"Oh you know, I've changed my mind, I really am enjoying this." Ramsay laughed as Joffrey screamed out in pain. Joffrey had tried to speak but he was in so much pain that he couldn't even mutter any words "I haven't had this much fun since I first got this mace. It wasn't easy as well, Molag Bal is a hard master to please but one thing he loved is getting payback on Boethiah, his rival Prince. I brought her priest to one of his shrines and did what I'm doing here to you right now. He was strong at first and I very nearly killed him but Molag just brought him back, he submitted in the end and I got this mace. You on the other hand seem to be weak. I guess that shows what you are. A coward, a fool, you're nothing but a spoiled brat who hides behind his mother's skirts. At least your brother will be more of a challenge to us, too bad you won't get to see him again. I've had so much fun here but it's time to end this. See you in Oblivion and you will serve Master Bal as a soulless husk." He held up a large black gem and then he swung the mace into Joffrey's head several times, there was a large crunch as Joffrey's skull was crushed although not into much. Joffrey didn't even scream as his vision faded to black and his body glowed and dark wisps came from his body and entered the gem.
In the Great Hall:
Lady Belain sat on a chair drinking a goblet of blood watching the Death Hounds CuSith and Garmr feasting on some food. Manimarco sat next to her along with the Vampires Faren Sadri and Garan Marathi.
"I guess that brat will have some uses in the end." Garan stated
"Still, he was probably the worst candidate to have Lord Harkon's gift." Faren added "If you hadn't filled us in on the plan then I never would have given him the locations of the artefacts."
"And now they're in our hands now." Belain stated as she placed the Amulets of Night Power and the Rings of Blood Magic on the table.
"I imagine Vingalmo and Orthjolf will not be happy they never got these." Faren smirked "Fura probably would have hoped they would just fight over them and end one of them."
"Those two are vying for Lord Harkon's position. I imagine we will need to keep an eye on them in the future." Garan stated
"I just hope that they're fighting will not impact our mission." Manimarco hissed "I've heard that the Mythic Dawn are beginning to lose now. They rushed in and took too much too quickly, now all their gains are being lost. We can't be reckless like they were."
"Once we've reactivated the Darkheart, the Harrowstorm will emerge across the world, once Harkon has finished decoding the prophecy, we will make vampires the rulers of the world and you necromancers will be rewarded with your own territory, combined with the Dark anchors, we will show the world who the new God is. We vampires will got one landmass while you get the other, we all win the end. I've already contacted Mother Ciannait and the Icereach clan to help us with the ritual to reactivate the Darkheart."
"Indeed." Manimarco stated
It was then that Ramsay entered the room, the Mace of Molag Bal dripping with blood "It is done." He said holding up the Black Soul Gem with Joffrey's soul trapped inside.
"I guess Garmr and CuSith are in for another feast." Faren stated
"No." Manimarco stated "I want the body."
"What for?" Belain asled
"Just to send a message across." Manimarco replied "After all, it's not like we not known yet to the King, let's show him what we're capable off."
"Oh well, at least the brat's beast was a good enough feast for them." Belain stated and looked at the two Death hounds who carried on munching on the bloody torn apart body of the Jaguar Hearteater.
Stros M'kai:
The people of Port Hunding had gathered in a crowd to watch the fight. Word had spread that someone had challenged Headman Bhosek to a fight to control Stros M'kai and they wanted to see who could have been such a fool as many challengers had tried but all had failed despite how hated Bhosek was.
Bhosek was dressed in a fine suit of armour, most likely something he had stolen from a ship while Kaleen was dressed in a simple leather armour. Kaleen may have been at a disadvantage but she had a secret weapon to even the odds. Theon, Victorian as well as Kaleen's friends stood to the side watching. They had gathered around a large pit with wooden walls on the side, Bhosek would use this pit to punish anyone he like, sometimes by feeding them to his pet lions.
One of Bhosek's men spoke up "People of Port Hunding, we have gathered here to watch our great leader, Headman Bhosek wipe the floor with this fool of a challenge who dares try to steal what is rightfully his." The crowd booed and others jeered on wanting blood. "This challenger is nothing more than a simple lowlife who wishes to rise above her position."
Kaleen knew that Bhosek was trying to drive her to do something reckless but unlike him, Kaleen was calmer and knew when not to say anything. She may have been a pirate and a raider but she was no fool "Is that the best you can do?" she mocked "It's going to take more than a few insults to make me beg."
"I'll wipe that smirk off your face and then I'll place your body on the prow of my flagship which was once your Spearhead. Quite ironic that your own personal ship now serves as my flagship."
"I guess you lost yours in one of your reckless raids" Kaleen mocked "You were always reckless with your sailing."
Bhosek growled "We'll see who's making the jokes when this is over!"
The two fighters got into a circle and then Bhosek's man called out "Begin!"
Bhosek charged first and tried to slash Kaleen with a curved sword called a Scimitar. Kaleen simply dodged out of the way "Looks like I'm the one whose riled up their opponent." She laughed
"SHUT UP!" Bhosek growled and lunged again which was blocked by Kaleen. Several more strikes were used by Bhosek, all of which were blocked and he seemed to be out of breath.
"Oh what's wrong little boy, out of breath?" Kaleen mocked
"YOU!" Bhosek growled "YOU..."
"Me." Kaleen laughed "What, did you think I would play by the rules, you never did so what should I."
"You're right." Bhosek laughed "Men, release the lions."
Several of Bhosek's men opened up a few cages but the lions just stayed in their cage. Kaleen laughed as she blocked another strike "Oh, seems like your lions are asleep, I guess that's what happens when you feed them meat lased with mild poison after they've not been fed for a while."
Theon looked at Neramo who smirked, Kaleen knew about the lions and so she had him feed them some tainted meat to put them to sleep.
Bhosek growled "Get in here men, kill that bitch!"
Victorian and Theon watched as several of Bhosek's men jumped into the pit, they along with Lerisa almost joined them to defend Kaleen but she shouted "No, don't worry, I've got this."
To prove her point, she pulled out another sword and then did a whirlwind move that slashed two of their throats. She dodged another one and rolled over him stabbing him during the roll before stabbing a fourth man through the head under the chin.
Bhosek was stunned as one by one, his men fell, soon it was just him and Kaleen left "Well, let's end this now."
The two of them locked their swords together and Bhosek tried to stab her with a dagger he had hidden but Kaleen managed to grab his hand pulling the dagger from his hand and before he could react, Kaleen buried the dagger into Bhosek's chest in an unguarded section on the side of his chest. Bhosek howled out before falling to the ground.
Kaleen picked up Bhosek's fallen sword and examined it "The mighty Windshear, an ancient blade from the time of the Septim Empire, held by the legendary rebel Cyrus, a blade fitted with the history of the Ancient Redguard people, the ancestors of the Rhoynar and the Dornish people, now the blade is back in the hands of their family. That's right Bhosek, Cyrus was my ancestor and now I'm going to use it to restore the family's legacy." With one large swing, she removed Bhosek's head and she held up the bloody blade to the cheering crowd "People of Port Hunding, I claim this blade and this island by the right of conquest."
"Kill her!" Bhosek's former speaker spoke up "Kill her." Victorian silenced him by slashing his neck.
Kaleen carried on her speech "Many of you I know personally when we all served together at the Stepstones but did any of you raise a finger to help when Bhosek betrayed me, betrayed the alliance we had built up, no, you all just submitted to him, none of you stood up to him when he begun driving is away from our goal, we were a proud people, we stood apart from others and held our heritage as the true descendants of the Yokudan people. We swore to unhold our hertiatge and Bhosek began to destroy it. None of you are worthy of being Yokudan." Many people looked down in shame "However, I believe in mercy and redemption so I give you all a chance to start over. But if any of you stray from our path again then I will see to it that you are punished harshly. Now you shall all start by proving your loyalty to me by sailing with me against the Great Iron Fleet of the Iron Islands, this will be our first step in showing the world that the Yokudan people are still a force to be reckoned with."
There were cheers and Theon looked down at Kaleen who smiled back, they had their fleet, now it was time to put it to the test.
Castle Black: The Wall:
Lord Commander Mormont sat at his desk in his office, his chest was bandaged though hiding under his fur clothes since he was not in battle. Maester Aemon had checked his wounds and managed to heal him despite his blindness. Mormont would soon be able to make a full recovery but was warned to take it easy for a while so he did not reopen his wounds, he was lucky that they did not get infected since he was out in the freezing cold for a long time. He was meeting Grandmaster Isran of the Dawnguard to discuss the future.
"One of the major things I wish I could do is get justice for what happened." Mormont stated "I was never fond of Craster but what happened wasn't necessary."
"Sadly, that's what happens sometimes with criminals." Isran stated "Particulary with rapists, they're little more than sadists who take pleasure in harming people."
"It's also my fault." Mormont admitted "They blame me for what happened and they may be right, I knew what was out there with the White Walkers and how dangerous they are. I led them to their deaths, maybe I'm not really fit to be Lord Commander."
"Hey, don't say that!" Isran hissed "You had no way of knowing how bad it would be. You took a big risk with Mance and his people and it's paid off, they're becoming productive members of society, their Mammoths are becoming a good source of income, you showed everyone that they're not the savages that most people thought they were but people trying to live their lives. The only other people who could be Lord Commander are Thorne and Denys Mallister, both are good men but they would never had given it a thought. True having the Wight with us did strength the case but mending old wounds takes time and you have helped start it. If not then the Free Folk would never have a chance."
"I guess you're right." Mormont admitted "I was hoping to lead some men to Craster's Keep but that's probably not the best idea."
"Well, Benjen did say that he would scout the area." Isran replied "If he gets us information on where the White Walkers and they're army are, then we might be able to plan an attack to bring justice to them. Jon will also be happy to hear that his uncle is alive."
"Yeah he will, I hope he'll be back soon." Mormont stated
"Me too Commander Mormont." Isran replied "Me too."
Ashfallow Keep: Solstheim:
Jon and the team pulled the final switch to open the final set of spikes to the last room where Vendil Severin was waiting for them along with Telisu and a few members of the Morag Tong.
"So, it seems like House Redoran has decided to join House Hlaalu in using Outlanders to do their work." Vendil sneered "Their ancestors would be disappointed."
"You tried to stage a coup!" Jon shouted back
"You fool, it just politics although it is personally for me." Vendil snarled "Councillor Morvayn killed my father just because he thought he could rule Raven Rock better than he could. He was nothing like his mother, Brara Morvayn helped Raven Rock when the town fell on hard times following the eruption of Red Mountain devastated our land. Under Lleril, Raven Rock has become nothing more than a failed settlement, our mine has dried up and we can barely get food! Under my rule, Raven Rock would return to its former glory!"
"And how would you do that?" Serena asked "House Hlaalu doesn't have any allies, they were removed from the council, that's right, I know the history of the Great Houses of Morrowind, they had a close alliance with the Septim Empire and Valyrian Freehold but once it collapsed, that alliance was their downfall. Now House Hlaalu has no power anymore, even if your coup was successful, your house still wouldn't be respected, in fact House Redoran may even send in some of their troops to destroy your little coup once word reaches the mainland."
"It doesn't matter anymore!" Telisu hissed "This is no longer about politics anymore. This is about vengeance!"
"Indeed." Vendil added "Once you're dealt with, we'll move on Raven Rock, all we want is Morvayn dead and then we're done. It doesn't have to end like this though. You're just Outlanders here, you don't have to get involved with this, it's really not any of your business so you can just turn around and walk away now if you want."
Ygritte responded by firing an arrow at a Morag Tong's neck "That's my response."
"Indeed, father taught me about justice and honour and I cannot allow you to do what you're about to do." Jon finished
"ATTACK!" Vendil ordered and the group all attacked quickly.
Telisu was quickly dealt with when Tormund sliced her head off in one blow with his axe while she was charging at him. Ygritte, Jenassa and Serena quickly dealt with the other Morag Tong members with Grenn while Jon duelled Vendil one on one. Vendil was a fast fighter with two swords which made it harder for Jon. Eventually, Jon was able to push back and stagger Vendil and Jon quickly took the opportunity to slash his sword hard, disarming one sword and leaving him open since his second sword was away from his chest, with one swing, Jon buried his blade in Vendil's chest.
Vendil chocked on his blood and coughed, he closed his eyes and said quietly "I join you in death father." With that, his head fell back and Jon pulled his sword out as Vendil fell to his knees before falling face forward to the ground.
"Well, now that's done, we should head back to Raven Rock." Serena stated "We'll need to give Arano the good news."
"I sure hope we get some kind of reward for all this work." Jenassa sighed
"Let's not push it or be rude." Jon replied but he knew that something would most likely be given to them, this had not been a simple errant, this was something big and Jon hoped that the reward would be worth it in the end although he was not a greedy man.
Stros M'kai:
Theon stood alongside Captain Kaleen as she stood at the wheel of her personal ship, the Spearhead. This ship had once been her flagship when she was a privateer until Headman Bhosek stole it from her after she was ambushed. Kaleen seemed to be very happy that she had her ship back as well as her personal sword, Windshear which had also been stolen from her by Bhosek. After her speech before, Theon was curious about her backstory.
"What was it with that speech you gave earlier?" he asked
"Ah, well it's to do with my ancestors." Kaleen answered "Legends say that the ancestors of my people fled from a distant land called Yokuda, a land now disappeared after being swalled by the ocean, why has been debated but my people fled and would settle a land we called Hammerfell which consisted of parts of eastern Essos from where the city of Qarth now is to a section now part of the Daggerfall Covenant. Over time, over ties with the Yokuda culture were forgetted but here on Stros M'kai, we had a strong tie with the past as we never forgot our culture just like the Alik'r did, they're the faction now part of the Covenant."
"And what of your ancestor?" Theon asked
"Well, my ancestor was the legendary pirate, Cyrus the Restless?" Kaleen replied
"Cyrus the Restless?" Theon gasped "I remember songs being sung about him."
"Yes, he's an important figure to Stros M'kai history." Kaleen answered "He led a resistance against the cruel rule of the Septim Empire and was able to get more freedom for the island. This island became a centre of trade and resisted attempted by the Valyrians to take the island. We were proud of our past and we were a symbol of defiance against powerful empires who tried to push us around. But then Bhosek came along and pretty much turned our proud island into a pirate haven, people didn't resist him and went along with him forgetting who we were. I swore that I would make him pay for that which was worse for his betrayal of me. He betrayed his people which was an unforgivable crime. Now I plan to restore our once great reputation and my first plan is to use our fleet against Euron's."
"He beat us pretty badly last time." Theon warned
"Yeah but this time we're got proper warships, these vessels are more than just simple longships, they were built for war and we have some of our ancient knowledge for our catapults and Scorpions." Kaleen stated "Euron's in for a surprise."
Theon hoped that Kaleen was okay for this, it was a big thing to go against Euron after the thrashing he had given them before. Theon hoped that they would be ready for this.
Oldtown: The Reach:
Balon, Quellon and Tristifer Botley along with Yara Greyjoy took the sewers through Oldtown from the docks until they arrived at a metal door which Tristifer knocked on three times before a slot opened and someone looked down at them. Balon then spoke "We light the way." He said and after the slot closed, the door opened and they were let in. Balon led them to a man who seemed to be the leader.
"Baelor." Balon greeted "It is done, we rescued Yara but I don't think we can get much more information."
Baelor Hightower looked at Yara "Can you still fight?"
"I may have been a prisoner but I'm still capable of wielding a sword, I want to get payback against my uncle." Yara hissed
Tristifer sighed "I know how you feel Yara, I want to get payback on my uncle too but I doubt you will be able to, Euron's due to take the Iron fleet out in a few days, that's why we rescued you."
Quellon spoke up next "It seems that there is a fleet being gathered by your other uncle Victorian and he's ready for a fight. Euron's taking the fleet to combat him."
"We could use your help here in Oldtown, the Mythic Dawn has to be planning something." Baelor stated
"Something big." Archmaester Marwin stated "I've been receiving reports that the Mythic Dawn seem to have abandoned much of their gains throughout the Marches and are concentrated here."
"Yeah." Sarella Sand added "I've just heard that a joint Tyrell and Lannister army have even just retaken Honeyholt, they're just a day's march from Oldtown. I don't like this at all, something is on."
"And we need to find out what before the Mythic Dawn performs something." Baelor stated "The Lannisters and Tyrells could be walking right into a trap and we need to find out just what's going on."
"If it means getting payback, I'm in." Yara replied
"Good, now I need to try and make a plan." Baelor stated
Honeyholt: The Reach:
Honeyholt, the seat of House Beesbury was only a small castle along the Honeywine River that flowed through the southern Reach to Oldtown. They were sworn to House Hightower since they were located close to Oldtown and had often produced great knights and administrators. Beesbury's land was famous for producing honey something House Beesbury was proud off since they displayed Bee hives on their Sigil and thanks to Martin's creation of fine tasting Mead which used honey as a key ingredient, House Beesbury had begun to grow more wealthy through the sale of honey.
Sadly this had not protected them from the Mythic Dawn's fast advance, Honeyholt fell within a day of the Mythic Dawn's arrival and House Beesbury's location was missing as well the knights Ser Bertram and Hugh Bessbury. But just like some other castles recently retaken from the Mythic Dawn, Honeyholt was retaken without a fight, there was nothing here, no sign of the Mythic Dawn or House Beesbury.
This was a major concern for Lord Tywin Lannister, Honeyholt was located just a day away from Oldtown, they were very close to the Mythic Dawn's base of operation and they were given them ground without a fight. Tywin was a smart man and he could feel like they were walking into a trap.
This was something that the Tyrell army leader, Garlen Tyrell as well as the Legion commanders Constantius Tituleius and Adventus Caesennis shared along with Lord Randyl Tarly.
"I don't like this one bit." Randyl stated "The Mythic Dawn are planning something."
"I agree." Constantius replied
"The question is what?" Adventus added
"We have no way of knowing." Garlen stated "We have the bulk of our army here, the Mythic Dawn could attack us at any moment and we'll be caught in a trap. If that happens then we'll be annihilated and all we've gained will be for nothing."
"It will take weeks for another army to get here." Adventus replied "I've received word from Hrollod and the 5th Legion, Lord Stannis has managed to retake the last castle in the Stormlands and in Dorne, Oberyn Martell had retaken Wyl, it's only the Reach that's still has the Mythic Dawn presence."
Tywin squire Tommen looked at the map "If it's so dangerous here then why don't we split our army up. If we divide our forces then if the Mythic Dawn do strike then we won't all be wiped out."
"A good plan." Tywin admitted "But if they do strike, the other armies may not arrive to help." Jaime had actually pulled this very plan at Riverrun at the start of Martin's War when he had attacked the Riverlands in retaliation for the abduction of Tyrion Lannister. The very thing Tywin had just warned about was what happened to Jaime's army at the Battle of the Camps when the Northern army attacked one army, he lost 2/3s of the army when two of the camps were overrun and destroyed.
Tommen sighed "Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for the good of the cause, harsh but it's reality like you always said."
Tywin smiled at that, Tommen was learning well.
"So we'll split our army into three." Garlen stated "I'm staying here since this is my homeland."
"I'll take the two Legions down east and strike there from near Three Towers." Constantius added
"And I'll lead the Westerland forces towards Blackcrown and strike from there." Tywin finished "We have our plan, let's just hope that the Mythic Dawn don't attack us by surprise.
As the army began to move out into separate positions, they had no idea that Tywin's fears were correct, not too far away, Viserys Targaryen sat on top of his dragon waiting for the perfect moment to strike "Just you wait false King!" he sneered as he watched the red banners of House Lannister "Soon you will come to me when I have something you value so much."
Chapter End:
Notes: Well here we are, another chapter complete. I hope to get one more chapter done before the end of 2022 but it may not be possible. Sometimes I am out all day and I just can't be bothered clearing my desk and switching my computer on. I will try though to get one more chapter out and then there will be just two more left before the Mythic Dawn arc is over for good. For some people, I have finally given you what you want, Joffrey is dead now. I did not do it just because you wanted it, this was the plan for him, Joffrey was just a spoiled brat which everyone could see, the Worn Cult were just using him to further their abilities, why you will see soon but Joffrey is dead for good now. In fact there will be a major villain death in each of the remaining chapters since we're now approaching the final battle so there are key figures here but I don't want them all to die at once. Some may not be happy with Martin's talk about Joffrey but remember we are seeing it from his point of view, Joffrey is still his brother and he is not like Joffrey who would kill him without a second thought, Martin did hope for some form of reconsolidation which is a realistic belief that people do have sometimes with estranged family although he does know that it may not be possible but he holds hope. Remember, he is unaware of what has happened to Joffrey but he will soon. The next chapter will have some exciting moments but they will also be hard to write.