Red, Black and Gold:
Warning for M rated scene in this chapter:
King's Landing: Red Keep
Today was the big day. The wedding between King Martin Baratheon and Lady Daenerys Targaryen would happen in a few hours and the servants of the Red Keep were preparing to get everything ready for the big feast that would happen after the ceremony. In the city, merchants were also celebrating and holding a large fair to celebrate and a tourney had been prepared to begin the next day. The city Watch was also preparing for any trouble since the ceremony was to take place in the Temple of the Divines instead of the Sept of Baelor. Also the King had prepared for a parade through the city from the Temple to the Red Keep afterwards.
In the King's Chambers, Martin himself was getting dressed for the big day. He wore a doublet of black with a cloak of yellow with the black crowned stag embroiled on it. The Jagged Crown sat on the table nearby ready for it to be placed on him. The crown itself was a symbol of a warrior and of the Old faith. The main downside of this crown was how heavy it was since it was made from bones and teeth of the ancient dragons. Still Martin preferred it over the golden crowns of his predecessors. Also in the room were Grandmaster Delphine and Tyrion Lannister.
"Nervous your Grace?" Delphine asked
"A bit." Martin replied as the servants finished dressing him "Both for the wedding and for any problems that might arise."
"Captain Camarlo has said that because the Sparrows are gone, there are no sign of any trouble right now." Delphine stated "Though because of the amount of people who have come to the city for the celebrations has caused an increase in crime. Most of it petty like pickpockets. Brynjolf is trying to keep it contained and prevent big crimes like murder."
"That's a sad reality of the city." Tyrion stated "At least the Thieves Guild keeps crime under control and not let it run rampart."
"I think Daenerys is even more nervous than me." Martin stated "And she's been married before though in a different kind of wedding." He then sighed "I think it's also a bit awkward to be celebrating when the Worm Cult is still out there plotting."
"Sometimes a celebration is needed to boost morale." Tyrion stated "Even in the darkest days in parts of the world, absolutely nothing is happening."
"Most of the world is at peace while small parts are at war or facing a serious crisis." Martin said "Anyway enough talk of that, today is supposed to be a day of celebration, I just hope nothing ruins it."
...
In another room, Daenerys was getting dressed as well for her wedding. Last time she was married it was to a Dothraki Khal and this time is was to a king. This wedding would be very different from the last one she had but one similarity they shared was the dress. She was wearing a dress made from Myrish silk and lace and embroiled with pearls. Only the best for the queen of Westeros was suitable. She was also wearing a fine necklace made from gold and studded with 9 different coloured jewels to represent the nine different regions of Westeros. Farengar Secret Fire, Jorah Mormont and Lady Alessia Tyrell were in the room with her with Alessia helping her prepare.
"Is this not a bit much." Daenerys asked
"Only the best for the queen of Westeros." Jorah stated "You're looking more beautiful than ever."
Alessia nodded "My brother doesn't like showing off but even he knows that a wedding as big as this is also a message than just a simple wedding which is why he is going all out here though he's still not spending as much as father did."
"How?" Daenerys asked
"Our father would hold a tourney for the most trivial thing." Alessia stated "It was one thing to hold one to celebrate an anniversary or birthday or even a war victory but father would hold them for small things. I remember he held one for Eddard Stark being made hand of the king. It was a small thing but would cost 90,000 gold dragons in winnings. An absurd amount and that was just one. Combined with Baelish's manipulations, the realm fell into debt that my brother is still helping us recover from."
"Will there be a tourney?" Daenerys asked
"Oh yes but it will begin the day after the wedding." Alessia stated "And the prizes will not be as big as father's. The ceremony will be first and there's the parade through the city back to the Red Keep where the gifts will be given and then we will be celebrating with a feast. Tomorrow the Tourney begins and lasts for the 2 days with the jousting on one day while the melee and archery will be the day after. The king has declared 7 days of celebration."
"Even with the Worm Cult still out there?" Farengar questioned
"The people are in need of something to celebrate." Alessia stated "It has been a hard few years for them, the Civil War caused by Joffrey left devastation in the Riverlands and then the Mythic Dawn wreaked havoc in the Reach and Dorne. Oldtown will take years to rebuild. Security will be tight though as Martin is concerned the Worm Cult may have agents amongst us like the Mythic Dawn did. At least the Sparrows won't be a problem."
"The Sparrows?" Daenerys questioned
Alessia had forgotten that Daenerys hadn't been in King's Landing during the Sparrow Crisis where the fanatics where causing chaos through the city and with her memories of them, she chosen to just give a simple answer "A bunch of religious fanatics from the Faith of the Seven. The Mythic Dawn used them as pawns to start an uprising here to distract Martin. It failed and the entire group was executed or exiled as a warning. This happened shortly before the assault on Oldtown and just before you came here. Anyway enough talk, we have a wedding to prepare you for."
Castle Black: The Wall:
Jeor Mormont stood on the balcony watching as people trained. Even though recruitment for the Watch had slowed in the last hundred years and the Watch had been forced to take on criminals and street orphans to fill the numbers, the last few years had resulted in resurgence in numbers thanks to the warnings about the White Walkers and the proof of the Wight had helped. The Mythic Dawn assault had left many people homeless and so some had joined up in order to start anew though not all of them swore vows. The Brotherhood without Banners were one such group who did not fear going beyond the Wall on scouting missions even if it meant losing their lives. Jeor was happy that the Wall was now being manned for the upcoming White Walker assault but he was still worried about the thought that it still might not be enough. At least they had more experienced warriors now thanks to the Redoran Guard from Solstheim whose leader Captain Modyn Veleth was helping train the new recruits and he was good at it.
"You there, there's a shield in your arm, block with it!" Veleth yelled at one member who was sparring with another but failing to block with his shield "If this man were your enemy, you would be dead."
Alliser Thorne, the new Head Ranger of the Watch looked at him "And I thought I was harsh with them." He muttered to himself.
"They shouldn't be holding back even in training." Veleth stated having heard Alliser "They must prepare for a real fight, not a practice one otherwise we'll be fighting the enemy with nothing but armed farmers."
"The Dark Elf captain is right." Mormont yelled over them to get their attention "Out there we are facing an enemy that shows no mercy, has no feelings and will kill you at any chance. You must ensure that you are ready to face them and make no mistake, one day you will."
Thoras of Myr, a member of the Brotherhood without Banners walked over to Veleth "Maybe they should learn all the tricks." He suggested "After all you only need to land a single hit anywhere to kill a Wight or White Walker."
"You mean fight dirty?" Veleth stated
"Hey if it works it works." Thoras stated
"He's right." Alliser added
"All right but they still must learn to fight like an army." Veleth stated "After all fighting dirty is no good against a whole army."
"Aren't you folks just city guards?" New member Ulrich Leland sneered, he had been sent to the Watch after the end of the Civil War along with Andens but he had not been part of the Ranging North that would end with the mutiny at Castle Black.
Veleth glared at him "The Redoran Guard are more than just a city guard!" he hissed "We are the standing army of Morrowind, we saved the land from Dothraki expansion so while we haven't fought a major war in many years, we still can do what an army can!"
"Enough Ulrich or you're on toilet cleaning duty again." Alliser hissed, he had a personal dislike for the former guard captain as for as mean as Alliser was, he was not a corrupt official, he got sent to the Watch for fighting on the wrong side of the war, Ulrich had been a corrupt man who exploited the people.
On another balcony, Jon Snow watched alongside Grandmaster Isran of the Dawnguard "He's good at training them." He said "Harsh but fair, we need a proper army if we're going to fight them off."
"We're going to need all the help we can get." Jon stated and then everything was interrupted by the sound of the horn blowing once.
"Rangers returning?" Alliser questioned "But I thought we didn't have any patrols out right now."
Jeor looked at them "Then it might mean one thing, Benjen is back with news."
Jon jumped up at the chance to see his uncle again. He had not seen him the last time the Watch had encountered him since he was away at Solstheim at the time.
Meereen: Slaver's Bay:
King Aegon of Meereen walked with Grey Worm and Jon Connington into the Great Pyramid's main room which was used as the Throne Room. As Meereen was ruled by a council, this chamber had originally been the main ballroom for gatherings by the Great Masters but now had been converted into the Throne Room. Hazrak had managed to arrange a meeting with this Owyn fellow about reopening the fighting pits.
Owyn himself was standing with Hazrak, he seemed to be of Summer Islands descent with his darker skin. He also had short greying hair and a face covered in scars, he seemed to be a veteran fighter, probably as one of the Pit fighters.
"Your Grace." Hazrak stated "This is Owyn, he was the Blademaster of the Great Pit of Daznak, the largest of the fighting pits here in Meereen."
"So you're the one who put me out of work!" Owyn snarled
"Owyn!" Hazrak hissed "Remember he is our king now whether you like it or not. He is also here to discuss that idea of yours. I did convince him about his idea."
Owyn sighed in frustration, he seemed to have a short temper and low wit who did not take humour well. He was a serious man "Here in Meereen, the people don't care about what's morally right or wrong, fighting is a blood sport and outsiders don't see it like that but that doesn't mean you can't combine the ideas."
"So what is your suggestion?" Aegon asked
"As the Blademaster, I did some reading on old tomes and it seems the Ancient Septim Empire once had a grand gladiator arena but with more rules. They still fought to the death but they had a ranking system to put fighters in the same category. It said that there were eight different ranks ranging from the weakest at Pit Dog for newcomers to the Champion for the ultimate champion. I feel like we can implement this idea into a reopened arena and maybe even have two different teams in place. That would also help generate income as betting system could be put in place to create income for the crown. There will be no slave here but the people can chose to fight."
"Will this help stop these underground fighting rings?" Aegon asked
"It will for the most part." Owyn stated "But it may have to include fights to the death and fights with dangerous animals but they can be controlled to prevent children or untrained fighters being used. Unfortunately there are some people here who take pleasure in seeing poor children being ripped apart so these underground fights won't stop completely."
"We will have to keep a close eye on this then." Aegon stated "Alright, I will endorse this idea and reopen the fighting pits."
"Thank you your Grace." Owyn stated
King's Landing: Grand Market:
Lady Belain walked through King's Landing as part of her mission. She had to act like she was a regular lady visiting the city for the wedding celebrations. It was currently Autumn season now so the sun was not as visible like in Summer but it still made Belain's blood boil since she was a vampire. She had brought several blood potions because Harkon and Manimarco had warned her not to draw attention to herself so these potions would help her keep her strength.
King's Landing had gone through quite a rebuild since the Battle of Blackwater which saw the opening of a Dark Anchor by the Worm Cult several years ago and now the damaged parts of the city had been rebuilt. It was Oldtown that was currently going through a major rebuild after the Mythic Dawn attack, as a result several projects in the city had the money transferred to the rebuilding of Oldtown.
Despite the rebuilding, both the Civil War and the Mythic Dawn war had made food still expensive for people, five copper stars for a loaf of bread, a silver stag for fresh fruit and a gold dragon for a decent piece of meat. But for the next several days, food was to be on sale to celebrate and so people were taking the opportunity.
The Grand Square was the largest market square in King's Landing, originally built by King Jaehaerys I in the centre of the city and the bottom of Visenya's Hill, several of the major streets connected to this square which would take people to most of the city including the Street of Steel which took people to the armoires, the Street of Sisters which took people to the main brothels and to the Dragonpit and had streets leading to the Great Sept of Baelor and to the Red Keep. Both the Iron Gate and the Gate of the Gods had streets leading to this square. The other smaller squares such as Cobbler's square and Fishmonger's square also had their own small market celebrations going on but this one was big because the parade would be passing through here from the Temple of the Divines and then towards the Red Keep which is why there was a large guard stationed here since the square was close to the Great Sept and there was a concern about fanatics trying to disrupt the celebrations but so far nothing had gone wrong.
The market stalls had brought out everything from both food to the finest trade items from Essos including glassware, silk and lace from Myr, spices from Volantis, tapestries from Norvos, wood carving from Qohor, cheeses and peppers from Pentos, fine wine and perfumes from Lys, fine dyes from Tyrosh and fresh fish products such as oysters and clams from Braavos though more of that was available in Fishmonger square. Trade with Essos had increased since Martin had become King and many merchants both from Essos and Westeros were taking advantage to trade and make money.
Belain watched as people looked around trying to get bargains and listening as people were talking about getting to see the King when his carriage came through on the way back to the Keep. Belain knew that this would mean that the Red Keep wouldn't be as guarded since most of the guards would be protecting the King. If she could get into the Keep now before the ceremony ended, she would have more time to search for Calcelmo's chambers and find the notes she was looking for.
Belain walked down the main street leading from the square to the Red Keep. She had spent years sneaking around and knew of the secret passages into the Red Keep built by Maegor I but she had been made aware that King Martin knew of them as well and many of them may have been blocked off to prevent people from breaking in but still, she knew that this was the best way in plus the sewers of King's Landing also led into the Keep as well and since the sewers were underground, her vampire powers would work more effectively. She went into a back street area where there was a sewer grate and after looking around to make sure that no one was watching, she opened the grate and climbed down.
Temple of the Divines:
It was time, the wedding would be happening and while the ceremony wouldn't be as extravagant as previous royal weddings, it would still be a big show. Benches had been set up in the centre of the temple for people to sit on while the ceremony was going ahead. The shrines of the Divines were still around the temple except for one, the Shrine of Mara, the Divine of marriage had been brought to the centre along with a large statue of Mara which was used for weddings done in the temple. The priests Rorlund, Silana and Freir were standing off to the side while a new priest a man of Dornish descent called Maramal was standing in front of the shrine of Mara, unlike the Septons, they were not dressed in fancy robes and had crystal crowns on their heads like the High Septon did, they all just wore simple orange and yellow robes. The Blades were standing around the Temple keeping guard while Grandmaster Delphine himself stood next to King Martin.
As the Temple wasn't as big as the Great Sept of Baelor, not as many guests were in the temple except for immediate family as well as the high lords. All of the Lord Paramount's were in attendance with their families with the exception of the Lord of the Iron Isles. They all sat down on the wooden benches as they waited for the bride to come.
Soon Daenerys entered the Temple followed by her handmaidens and was being escorted by High King Emeric of the Daggerfall Covenant. The representatives had decided to stay for the wedding though only Emeric and his wife would be at the ceremony. Emeric would be taking the place of Daenerys' father to give the bride away.
Daenerys walked carefully to Martin and stood next to him as Maramal began the ceremony "It was Mara who first gave birth to all of creation." He said "And pledged to watch over us as her children. It is her love of us that we learnt to love one another, it is from love that we learnt that life lived alone is no life at all. We gather here today under Mara's loving gaze to witness the bonding of two souls in eternal companionship. May they journey together in this life and in the next through prosperity and poverty and in joy and hardship." He then looked at Daenerys "Do you, Lady Daenerys of House Targaryen, Lady of Dragonstone take this man as your husband?"
"I do." Daenerys said
Then Maramal looked at Martin "And do you, King Martin of House Baratheon, take this lady as your wife and wear to protect her."
"I do." Martin replied
"Then under the will of Mara and the rest of the Divines, I pronounce you as husband of wife, king and queen now and forever." Maramal carried on, you may cloak the bride and kiss."
Martin carefully removed Daenerys' Targaryen cloak and replaced it with his Baratheon cloak. He then smiled at Daenerys' shy look and leaned in close to give her a deep kiss while the audience began to clap and yell in congratulations.
Castle Black: The Wall:
Jon, Isran, Mormont and Alliser went through the tunnel through the Wall to the end where Benjen Stark was standing by his horse. "Uncle Benjen." Jon gasped, this was the first time he had seen him since he left on his Ranging beyond the Wall shortly after he arrived to join the Dawnguard.
"Hello Jon." Benjen greeted "It's good to see you again."
Mormont looked at Benjen "Has something happened?" he asked
"The White Walkers have made an alliance with the Dragur and the dragon Priests of old." Benjen stated "The legends about them are true; I watched them free one of them from his tomb. I can only assume that they are after the others. They seem to be building their numbers."
"Will we be able to hold them here?" Alliser asked
"It will take a lot of power to be able to break the Wall." Benjen stated "But these priests wield power lost long ago so I cannot say for sure. But there is another thing that worries me, legends talk of some Dragon Priests buried in tombs located south of the Wall, if they rise up as well we could end up fighting a wall on two fronts."
"We can't defend both north and south from a horde of undead." Jon stated
"Then we must find these priests and destroy them." Isran stated "I will write to the King to see if the Blades have any information about their location."
Jon then realised something "Wait, on Solstheim we encountered one of these priests in the ruins under Raven Rock, there could be more?"
"We'll find the information we need Jon." Isran stated
Benjen had one more thing to say "There is also the matter of those mutineers at Craster's Keep. I got a look at them, they're not going anywhere for now, they've got Craster's food and his wives. Poor girls, I hated that man but those girls don't deserve what they're going through. Karl seems to be running things there now though it seems he and this Andens fellow don't get along well. Both thing they should be running things."
"We need to ride north and kill them." Jon suggested
"There may be no need to do that." Alliser stated "With the rate they're consuming, they'll run out of supplies soon. The White Walkers will take care of them for us."
"After what they did they need to be brought to justice." Jon said
"Let me think things through and then I'll make a decision." Mormont stated
Craster's Keep: Haunted Forest:
Craster's Keep had become a place of horror for Craster's daughter wives. 14 mutineers from the Night's Watch had pretty much made it their home and were having the time of their lives. Craster had never been the best person for the women but these people were even worse. They spent all their time eating Craster's horde of food, drinking his wine and doing what they wanted with his daughter wives, in particular the younger ones.
Karl Tanner, the man who had killed Craster, had styled himself as the leader but in truth, he had little no control over them and just let them do what they wanted. Karl Tanner sat on what had been Craster's seat and four some wine into a hollowed out skull and then he admired the skull with a sadist smirk "Karl Tanner, from Gin alley, drinking wine from the skull of Craster the bastard" he said to himself and then drank from it. The skull was Craster's and he had skinned the head and was using the skull as a goblet. "Anything you want to offer us now?" he mocked and held the skull close to his ear "What's that, fuck them till they're dead. You hear that boys, fuck them till they're dead." He shook the girl next to him and then slammed her down hard on the floor.
Then another major mutineer, Andens Avidius entered the tent with an annoyed look on his face "What are you idiots doing?" he shouted out loudly getting everyone's attention "You're feasting like kings here, we are limited by what food we have here and you're all just scoffing it up. What's going to happen when we run out of food?"
Karl just glared at him "Maybe you should just shut your fucking hole!" he hissed "Ugly little cunt!"
Andens glared at him "Remember who this ugly little cunt did for you Karl. You were allowed to run around King's Landing for as long as you did thanks to me."
"At lot of good it did me!" Karl snarled "When your man Itius Hayn got a hold of me, he wanted to kill me on the spot and your way of getting out of it was to join this fucking order! Fuck the Watch and fuck you!"
"You won't be partying hard when our stores have dried up and we have no food left because you scoffed it all up!" Andens hissed "Then what will happen then? Not to mention we have enemies both north and south. These White Walkers are real enough and we've all seen them. How long do you think it will be before they come here, we don't stand a chance. Or when the Watch and Dawnguard come."
"Those cowards won't come here." Karl dismissed "They're too scared of those monsters plus Craster managed to survive here with the White Walkers." He then turned to the girl next to him "So tell me girl, how did Craster manage to survive?"
The girl whimpered but then said "He would sacrifice his sons to them, leave them out for the Walkers to come and in exchange they would leave us alone."
Karl gave a sadist smirk "And does Craster have any sons right now?" The girl was shaking and Craster smacked him hard "Answer me!"
"He had two just before the you took over." The girl replied "One with Gilly but she fled and the other is still here."
"And how does Craster offer his sons?" Karl sneered
"He leaves them out in the forest." The girl replied
Karl smirked and looked at Andens "You see, we can survive here."
Andens shook his head "Still I'm not taking any chances. I'm going back south, maybe I'll even get my revenge on that boy who put me here."
Karl just sneered "Go head old man, get out of here, you'll never get passed the Wall now that nearly all their castles are manned."
"There is always one way." Andens hissed "Anyone who wishes to join me can."
Karl looked around "Anyone here wanting to join this fool on his journey back south or do you wish to remain here with me and live like kings?"
Most of the men decided to stay with Karl but four other men chose to join up with Andens with one more of Karl's men being made to take Craster's last remaining son to offer the Walkers.
King's Landing Streets:
With the ceremony over, the royal progress to the Red Keep had begun. Delphine led the Blades in front with Tommen riding on his horse alongside Tywin Lannister and Queen Mother Cersei with Tommen throwing rose petals behind him and then in a large carriage being pulled by several horses sat King Martin and his newlywed queen Daenerys. The rest of the guests rode behind them. The crowd were cheering in celebration for the wedding and throwing their own rose petals.
Daenerys and Martin looked out of their carriage and waved at the crowd. "They seem to like you." Daenerys said
"Because they know me as the man who improved their lives." Martin said as they both stopped waving for a while "Most kings didn't really care about the common people but I know how much we really need them. Without them we wouldn't survive, they grow the food we eat and do much of the maintaining of the city but we have to pay them. They also outnumber us so if they want they could band together to overthrow us which is why it is a good idea to keep them on our side. Riots can be dangerous when led by a strong figurehead."
"Could that happen?" Daenerys asked
"They is also someone who us unhappy and tried to rally the people against us." Martin explained "Most of the time they're all bark and no bite but when the people are suffering and struggling, more begin to listen. That's why the Sparrows never gained the power they believed they had. They were little more than fanatics trying to disrupt the daily lives of people and they didn't want change. They thought it would be like the time the Shepherd led the people against the Targaryen Dragons but the people were suffering from food shortages and heavy taxes. You can't fully blame Queen Rhaenyra for this; the Green faction did leave her with no money to run the kingdom let alone one still in a civil war. But these heavy taxes enraged the people and they vented their anger at the dragons and the queen. Of course once Rhaenyra fled the Shepherd's follows disintegrated and when my ancestor Lord Borros Baratheon arrived to retake the city, less than 300 came to defend him and they were destroyed."
"So how do you deal with them?" Daenerys asked
Martin sighed "This is where having to be dishonest comes in." He replied "It is a harsh thing but the best way to deal with them is to keep an eye on them. If they become a real threat then you deal with them quietly. Sometimes you turn people against them by spreading rumours or lay charges against them that have nothing to do with what they're preaching. Dealing with them quietly prevents them from becoming Martyrs, the Shepherd's name is still remembered as the street where he was burnt alive is still called the Shepherd's Way. But enough talk of that, it's our wedding and we must enjoy it not talk about the bad things in life."
Martin looked back out of the window and began waving again and gave a big smile when he saw Mhaegen with Barra sitting on her shoulders.
Great Pyramid: Meereen:
Aegon sat in his bedchamber with Rolly Duckfield standing guard outside. He sat down on a chair in thought until he heard a knock at the door.
"Princess Rhaenys Targaryen your grace." Rolly called
"Let her in." Aegon replied and the door opened and Rhaenys entered
"Hey brother." She greeted "Connington told me that you were here. I heard about the Fighting Pits."
"I have been left with a lot of thought." Aegon replied "Those pits were a barbaric practice but it's normal for the people here. We do have to think about the traditions here otherwise we'll be little more than occupying tyrants. I wonder if my ancestor Aegon the conqueror had this much problems."
He probably did." Rhaenys replied "But he also had the means to deal with them. Everyone was scared of his dragons but when he died, his weak son Aenys nearly destroyed the realm. A lot of people call Maegor a cruel tyrant but without him, the Targaryen rule may have been destroyed before it really truly began."
"We don't have dragons though." Aegon sighed "We have only our army here to control the region around this Bay."
"We also have the people as well if we can help." Rhaenys stated "The slaves in many places outnumber the free, maybe we can use that, start an underground war against the slavers in the only real threat there is. We have the Golden Company plus the Legions of New Ghis and Travis navy. The slavers don't have a standing army after we destroyed them."
"But they could do the same to us." Aegon stated "These slave masters have connections with the Free Cities in particular Volantis. They won't be happy with losing one of their most valuable allies."
Rhaenys scoffed "I think you're over thinking this. Ever since the destruction of Vaes Dothrak, the Free Cities have begun fighting over the new territory in central Essos. Maybe we can use that to make allies. Send some of our newly free people to re-establish colonies in the old ruined cities. Maybe even make an alliance with the Lhazareen, those people have been victims of the slavers for generations."
Aegon thought about that for a moment "That's not a bad idea. I will discuss the idea with the councillors soon but I think we should wait for Visenya and Travis to return."
"They won't be long." Rhaenys stated "I just received word that they have been successful in subduing Elyria."
Aegon smiled; soon the three of them would be together again.
King's Landing: Red Keep Gardens:
With the progress from the Temple of the Divines to the Red Keep now over, it was time for the next step of the wedding. The feast and the exchange of gifts.
The feast consisted of honeycakes, gammon stakes, bacon, fish, autumn pears and dishes of onions, cheeses and chopped eggs cooked with fiery peppers. And this was just the first dish. Some feasts would have about seventy seven course meals but Martin thought that was too excessive and a waste of food. Still it was a day of celebration and what better way to celebrate. There was plenty to drink as well such as flagons of milk, mead and sweet golden wine. More alcohol would be served latter as Martin didn't want the guests to get too drunk right now.
Soon it was time for the gifts to be given to the wife and husband. These included a bow of golden wood from the Summer Islands, some riding boots, a jousting saddle from uncle Kevan, a scorpion broach from Oberyn Martell, silver spurs, a jousting pavilion and a large model wooden ship from Lord Horas Redwyne which was currently being built for the King which he was naming King Martin's Valour. The Redwyne fleet had been shattered during the Mythic Dawn war and was currently in the process of being rebuilt.
One of the most important gifts came from Tyrion however when his squire Podrick Payne presented a large tome "I present to you one of the only four illustrated copies of Maester Kaeth's 'The Lives of Four Kings' about the reigns of Kings Daeron I, Baelor I, Aegon IV and Daeron II." He said "A book ever king should read." Tyrion knew better not to say the nicknames of these kings, in particular Baelor, a king Martin disliked strongly.
"A fine gift uncle even if Kaeth skipped over the year long reign of Viserys II." Martin stated "Have it taken to my chambers and handle with care."
As a servant came and took the book, Daenerys looked at him "Why did Maester Kaeth skip Viserys II?" she asked
"He possible didn't see him as a king." He replied "A shame really, other works say that Viserys pretty much ruled as Hand of the King while his nephews Daeron and Baelor were too busy. One with conquering Dorne and the other with his madness of dreams."
"You think Baelor was mad?" Daenerys gasped
"There are different kinds of madness." Martin claimed "Your father wasn't always the Mad King, people remember his now as the typical mad king but he started off a fun and cheerful man but the many stillbirths your mother had plus the rumours of him being a weak man and relaying too much on my grandfather Tywin Lannister pushed him to see enemies everywhere even when there were none. The Defiance of Duskendale was the last straw that shattered him. He was never the same again according to Barristan and others who knew him. Baelor however was a different story, he was never fit to be a king even when he started. It one thing to be a pious man but Baelor took things too far. He believed that he had to convert everyone to the Seven, an act that would cause a major war. He introduced taxes on those who didn't worship the seven, which was his downfall. He nearly caused the North to rebel and then the people of the city rioted over these taxes. In one such riot Baelor was wounded and never recovered. It would lead to his death from starvation though rumours say Viserys II had him poisoned."
There talk was soon interrupted when Martin's brother in Law Lord Willas Tyrell brought over his gift, a large golden chalice three feet tall with two ornate curved handles and seven faces glittering with gemstones in different shapes. "To represent the seven kingdoms, ruby lion, emerald rose, onyx stag, silver fish, blue jade falcon, opal sun and pearl Direwolf."
"A fine trophy brother." Martin stated "It will be on display as a symbol of our unification.
"My wife has a gift for your wife as well." Willas smirked and then Alessia walked over "I remember our talks about your life with your first husband and how you received a great gift from him once and so I wanted to give you something to remind you of him."
Then a couple of stable boys brought over something that made Daenerys' eyes widen with shock and happiness. It was a fine white mare beautiful and grand. Daenerys had received one such horse before as a gift from Khal Drogo but sadly that horse had died during the destruction of Vaes Dothrak. She couldn't resist, just like last time she had received such a horse she got up from her seat and stroked the horse's nose. "Thank you lady Alessia, this is such a great gift, I couldn't say thank you to my last husband for this gift as there is no word for thank you in the Dothraki language."
Martin laughed at his wife's happiness "And I have something for you as well. While we were clear some of the unused areas of the Keep, we came across many old artefacts and items belonging to your ancestors such as the Dragon skulls and something that very few of us knew about." He jested to the side and a few servants rolled a large sculpture down. It was a large model of city with dragons around it.
"What's that?" Daenerys asked
"It's a model of old Valyria." Martin replied "King Viserys I had it built personally during his reign. It was damaged during the reign of Aegon II who destroyed part of it during a fit of rage and then when Aegon III came to the throne, it was put into storage and forgotten about. I know how much you love the past of your family so I brought it out again."
Daenerys looked and admired the sculpture at all of the buildings. "I wonder if the city really looked like this?" she said
"From what I read, the Targaryens honoured their Valyrian ancestry until Aegon III and then apart from the occasional incest relationship. Some tried to end that practice as well but then one always returned it. Personally I think it's time to end it for good, some do say that it is what caused the Targaryen madness but even so, Maesters have said that relationships between brother and sister can cause birth defects. That may be why your mother struggled to produce more children."
"You may be right." Daenerys said
"Anyway, we still have a full day of celebration ahead of us." Martin said and soon the celebrations really began.
Lordsport: Iron Islands:
Lord Theon Greyjoy was the only lord paramount not invited to the royal wedding. Some might think he would be annoyed since he had been a good friend of both Robb Stark and Martin Baratheon but Theon didn't really care about parties and he had a lot of work to do. Ruling the Iron Islands was hard but made easier since most of the reavers had died in the Mythic Dawn War. Still Theon saw potential in the Islands, they may look like a group of salty rocks but it was the seas around them that had potential. The islands were rich in minerals like Iron, Tin and lead so Theon had stepped up mining resulting in the formation of small mining villages and the seas around them were full of tasty fish for both food and for export but there was one thing that Theon really began exporting. That was whale oil, a substance created from the blubber of whales and could be used to make oil for lamps and also to make soap. Whales was in large population in the sunset sea and Theon saw this as potentially the Iron Islands new way to go. It also provided thrills since the job was dangerous as whales could be vicious but it would help appease some lovers of the Old ways, at least that's what Theon hoped.
Lordsport was a small town when compared to others in Westeros but it was still the largest town on the Iron Islands, ruled by House Booty, now it was ruled by Yara and his wife Tristifer. Using rewards granted to them by Martin for their service during the Mythic Dawn War, Theon had begun to expand the town and the port in order to accommodate the new large whaling ships but that was not why he had come today. He had come to see an old friend.
The Spearhead sailed into port and docked and Theon watched as his good friend Captain Kaleen stepped down the gangplank. "Theon Greyjoy, look at you now, a lord."
Theon smiled back "And an important one at that. It takes a lot of work to govern these islands and try to change their old way of life. Even with most of the old reavers dead, the old ways do not die easily. At least the whaling idea has got some thrills to it but I have to be careful. Reformists in the past have met sticky ends." That was true, King Harmund the Handsome one ruled before the Targaryen conquest and had tried to change the Ironborn ways but the grey priests of the drowned god rebelled and mutilated him and his mother who was a Lannister. Theon did have one advantage though, the Grey Priests had all been killed by Euron which was ironic for him. "Still I do miss the urge of adventure and the thrill of the fight but my duties keep me here."
Kaleen laughed "I know what that's like. I faced a mutiny before since I refused to target Westerosi ships in my early days but be careful what you wish for. Sometimes we don't go looking for adventure, adventure finds us. That's kind of why I am here, I've taken up a contract with this fellow I met. She's tracking a dangerous criminal and believes he visited a hidden location somewhere in these isles. I was wondering if you could help, she did say that it could put your lands in danger."
"If it's a matter of security then it is my duty to protect these islands." Theon stated "So who is your contact?"
Kaleen sighed "She's just coming out now, just be warned, you might be surprised at what she looks like."
Theon at first didn't understand Kaleen's words but when he saw the woman in question, he understood. This woman was tall dressed in black armour with a large sword on her back, her skin was white with a tint of blue while her long hair was a sea blue like colour "Greetings." She greeted "I am Captain Siravaen of the Mad Maiden and the leader of the Gilded Blades."
King's Landing: Red Keep Gardens:
The wedding day was almost over and now it was time for the evening feast. Now the real drinking began with fine arbour Gold and expensive Dornish red wines being served. These wines were much stronger than the alcohol served before and Dornish Red was a favourite of Cersei. Musicians were singing songs from a range of different eras. The classic songs like 'A Rose of Gold' was sung for the Tyrells, 'The Rains of Castamere' was meant to flatter Lord Tywin, 'Maiden Mother and Crone' was to delight the High Septon since he had not performed this wedding and 'My Lady Wife' delighted all the young girls with romance in their hearts and another sang a song about the Dance of the Dragons. Some new songs were even written such as a song called 'The Age of Oppression' which was about Martin rebelling against his brother Joffrey. That one made Cersei narrow her eyes but she said nothing. Another singer sang a song called Ragnar the Red and one made up a new song about the recent Mythic Dawn War. One way history would remember events was through songs even if they liked to embellish events.
Everyone was drinking and feasting all the different meats and meals available and Martin declared that the leftovers would be left to the orphanages and food banks of the city to save food. Eventually it was time for the last meal of the day, the dessert which consisted of a huge pie bigger than most of the tables and needed to be cut with a sword. Martin used a sword to chop the pie and a dozen white doves flew out getting laughs and cheers from the guests. Slowly both Martin and Daenerys cut the pie up and served it to the guests.
Soon everyone was eating the pie and drinking more wine to wash it down. When most of the guests were finished, Martin tapped a spoon against his goblet "May I have your attention." He said and he stood up "There has been much amusement here today, today is history as such a wedding is and a show of unification between Houses Baratheon and Targaryen. My father ushered in a new era with the creation of the Baratheon dynasty and we fully legitimize that claim with the marriage of the Targaryen princess to our king. There is one last custom we must do."
"The Bedding ceremony." Someone shouted.
"Bed them." The crowd shouted "To bed."
Martin held his hand high for silence "I will not allow a rush of drunken people here to try and rip my clothes or those of my wife." He stated "So enjoy the rest of the celebrations and look forward to the tourney tomorrow but for now, my wife and I must head to my chambers and rest." He held his hand out to Daenerys and she too it and stood up and began leading her away with Delphine and the Blades following them to keep guard. Once they left the gardens, the celebrations went on.
King's Chambers:
Martin and Daenerys soon made it to their chambers. Martin was nervous about this bedding ceremony but wondered if Daenerys was just as worried even though she had done this before.
"Are you alright?" Daenerys asked
"I'm fine my queen." Martin said giving a small smile "It's just, I've never actually done this before. I know we both have a duty but if you want to wait we can until..." he was cut off my Daenerys giving him a long and deep kiss.
"I'm ready for this." Daenerys stated "My first husband was gentle despite his reputation as a brutal Dothraki Warlord, he did have a soft spot for me. He cared for me and protected me when he had to. I didn't think you would be nervous, don't women usually throw themselves at you?"
"Well that is partly true." Martin laughed "But I refused to be like my father. I saw how his love of fucking girls destroyed the relationship between him and my mother and also his obsession over Lyanna Stark who I doubt would have accepted him in the end. I once walked in on my father fucking one of the maids, I just stared at him and he never even noticed. It was only when mother came in and shouted that he realised I saw everything. I was just 6 year old at the time." Daenerys listened closely "That was the day I swore I would be faithful to my betrothed and never be the man my father was, I loved him but he did have flaws, at least he knew about them."
"So you're still a virgin?" Daenerys questioned
"I am although Tyrion did once try to take it from me." Martin laughed at the memory "On my fifteenth nameday his present to me was paying some girls at the brothel for me. I had fun but never did the full deed with them. Mother was furious at Tyrion for that while father just laughed. I never went back there again except to sometimes retrieve Tyrion at times. This is my first time, are you ready for this?"
Daenerys responded by untying the lace at the back of her dress and letting it fall revealing her naked body. Martin then untied his robes and removed them. When they were both naked, Martin covered his cock and balls while Daenerys didn't causing her to laugh "Don't be scared, I've seen one before." She said and walked over and kissed Martin and pressed her breasts against his chest. She then wrapped her arms around Martin's neck while Martin placed his hands on her waist. Then he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around Martin's waist. Bringing her over to the bed, he impaled her with his cock causing Daenerys to moan. After letting her adjust to his size, he began to thrust into her over and over. Daenerys' moans made Martin feel aroused and carried on thrusting into her with her breast bouncing at every thrust. He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked causing her to gasp. He cupped her breasts and turned over letting Daenerys ride on him and bounce on his cock.
Eventually they were both tired and placed the covers over them but Daenerys remained in Martin's arms. "I have to say, that was amazing." Martin smiled
"Not bad for your first time." Daenerys said
"Indeed." Martin said "You are my queen and while you main duty would be to produce an heir for me, I also want you to be involved in ruling my kingdom. After all, the best kings had queens that helped. King Jaehaerys' queen Alysanne was involved in ruling the kingdoms and gave over 50 years of peace and prosperity despite the odd raid from Dorne and Essos."
Daenerys smiled and then had a thought "You know, we both have children in a way, our dragons are like children to us."
"I guess they are." Martin replied "Soon the dragons will be as big as the original dragons and our power will be back to the way it was before the Dance of the Dragons."
That made Daenerys realised something "There's been something on my mind ever since the end of the Mythic Dawn War." She said "We saw Silverwing but weren't there more dragons that survived the Dance?"
Martin looked at her "Three others did from what the histories books said." He stated "Sheepstealer, the dragon of the dragonseed Nettles, the wild dragon Cannibal and the baby dragon Morning, the dragon of Princess Rhaena Targaryen, daughter of Daemon Targaryen."
"I wonder if they're still out there like Silverwing was." Daenerys wondered
"It's quite possible that they are." Martin said
Mountains of the Moon: The Vale:
The Mountains of the Moon were a mountainous region that formed covered most region of the Vale from the Bite in the north to the Bat of Crabs in the South. These mountains were bleak and inhospitable with snow capped; green-grey peaks and the people living in them were seen as savages. The Clansmen of the Vale were men and women of first men origin who rejected the authority of the Lords of the Vale and are of first men origin who refused to convert to the Faith of the Seven These clansmen formed many clams that were primitive and fought mostly with stone axes and wooden clubs and are little more than raiders. They would raid the lowland villages and travellers and have even sometimes killed powerful lords and ladies which was why travelling in the Vale could be dangerous even in peacetime.
There were many different Mountain clans in the region, each other with their own style and name. Sometimes smaller splinter groups would form new clans but most of these would often soon fall apart and be destroyed by the Knights of the Vale or by being assimilated into larger clans. One of the few splitter clans to survive was the Burned Men, a splinter group of the Painted Dogs. The Burned Men had a practice of where members would burn off body part at their coming of age, be it a finger or a nipple. It was believed that these clansmen worshipped a Fire Witch and would send her gifts and risk her flames to prove herself. It was said by an Archmaester that this Fire Witch could possibly be the dragon seed Nettles and her dragon Sheepstealer but no one had been able to confirm this.
Unknown to most people, in a cave on Burned Men territory was a massive den filled with bones both human and animal and the area surrounding the cave was filled with huts made from animal bones and skin as well as sticks. Bodies were all over the place which had burn marks all over them suggesting they were the members of the Burned Men and a different clan had taken their place. One such member was a woman with short hair and markings under her eyes and wearing a long witch like robe. Standing next to her was Rada al-Saran.
"Your Ghostsong clan did well Nathari." Rada said to the woman.
"Thank you Rada." The woman known as Nathari accepted "The Ghostsong clan is ready to serve. Many clans here may have turned their backs on the true old ways and become little more than raiders and bandits but we still remember. Once we get the rest of the old clans together, we will strike at the heart of this land and retake our true home from those invaders. Help us and we promise you the power of the Darkheart and the powers of the Harrowstorm."
Rada smiled "It helps to have a backup plan in Mannimarco's plan with this so called Dwemer contraption ends up being a fool's errand." He said "And with an ultimate weapon at our side thanks to us taking it from these Burned Men fools, we will wreak havoc on the Vale."
"Indeed." Nathari smiled as the two walked into the cave "To think they had all this power and refused to us it. Two powerful beasts and while they worshipped them, they did not think to try and use them."
The two of them stared at the sight of two large dragons, one much smaller than the other. The larger one was covered in muddy brown scaled and looked feral and vicious while the smaller than seemed more majestic and had pink scaled. Both dragons roared loudly and the clansmen fired poisoned tipped arrows and darts at them to force them down and the two figures just smiled at the fact they had powerful weapons now.
Chapter End:
Notes: Well this took a long time to write but this past month and a half I have been very busy with appointments plus a small job placement which meant I had little time to write. I have now introduced new allies for the Worm Cult which come from the Markarth Chapter of ESO and given them two dragons. This was planned before the House of the Dragon season two which I love but I am not fond of the idea of Princess Rhaena claiming the dragon Sheepstealer instead of Nettles. Although it could be possible that they are leading fans to believe this and then have Nettles instead after all Daeron Targaryen was believed to have been written out but was shown to exist in the series but will probably not be seen until Season 3. Maybe Nettles will first appear in season 3 but we will just have to wait and see.