AN: Here we are, last chapter for awhile. Hope you all read my others stories to pass the time!

It was neck and neck at first, but continuing this fic won in a landslide practically. Thanks to everyone who voted.

THE NORTH-WINTERFELL

SAMWELL

When he had first set out to join the Night's Watch under duress from his father, Sam had thought the trip would be the last good experience he had before a lifetime- likely a very short lifetime at that- of freezing to death.

When he had first arrived at the Neck, he had been lucky to run into a Crannogmen hunting party who saved him from entering the more dangerous parts of the bog that looked safe to outsiders. He was even luckier that they brought him directly to Greywater Watch, where Lord Howland was a gracious host who questioned why a son of the south would wish to join the Watch. Little by little, he forced Sam to answer more and more until it was clear that he would not be able to hide the truth.

Then he came to Winterfell.

Lord Eddard had questioned him more quickly than Howland had. And the look in his eyes after Sam explained his story put so much fear into Sam. He thought that the Stark lord was going to declare war on House Tarly for disgracing the Night's Watch by using it as an excuse to lose an unworthy heir. But then he reassured Sam. He had sworn to join the Watch, but he had done so under a threat, so the oath was void. He was an honoured guest of House Stark for as long as he wanted.

He fit in very well, once he found a place. Theon was someone he avoided at any chance, but now he was gone. He was supposed to be escorted by Ned to the west to be sent back to the Iron Islands, but the Lord of Winterfell found too much he had to do to be able to accomplish the trip himself. Instead, they simply had a feast for him where Robb declared him a brother. Luckily Theon had the grace to not cause any incident right before leaving.

Sam also avoided Rickon as much as possible. They had finally managed to teach the child that Sam was not a pig waiting to be cooked, but Sam was still not taking any chances.

Sansa had hounded him when he first arrived for stories about his brother and father. She wanted to know how great a knight the former would become and the latter was. But when Sam got into the more violent parts, of which his father made sure he knew of, she paled and excused herself. They had only spoken politely over the occasional meal since.

Lady Cat was also less than pleased when he backed up Arya's desire to be a warrior with examples of famous Ladies who fought among men and were respected. Still polite, but it was more strained after that point. Him mentioning that he had seen Septa Mordane appear to be drunk with Septon Chayle a few nights ago further straining her politeness.

On the more positive side, Lord Stark was always nice to him, giving Sam advice he was displeased to hear Randyll Tarly neglected to teach his heir.

Bran was always coming to him for additional stories that Old Nan did not know. He also enjoyed dueling with him often.

Arya was also a good person to be around, though they found a lack of shared interests impeded any long discussions they could have.

Robb was courteous, but his friendship with Theon prevented them from connecting.

Ironically, the Stark he spent the most time with was Jon Snow. The one who was not even a Stark. He had been one of the firsts Sam met when he arrived, and they had found a rhythm in their interactions.

Then, there was Gilly.

Sam knew upon first seeing her that she was special. She was sweet and kind. When he heard she was a Wildling, he thought it a joke. There was no way this beautiful and kind girl was a bloodthirsty cannibal who bedded with moose if their man was too small.

Even the other Wildlings were just children for the most part. And Tormund was rough but honestly less of a monster than Lord Tarly.

When Sam heard that Jon was heading to the Neck to escort the Reed guards, Sam had felt bound to accompany them, but the thought of not seeing Gilly helped Sam accept Ned's brief point that it would be a waste if they escorted him only for him to go back with them was the only justification he needed.

With Jon gone along with Ygritte and Dryn, Sam had spent more time with Gilly. Whether it was helping her out with chores, just hanging out or talking, they spent more time together than apart.

But still, he felt guilt.

While he was up here, having good times with Gilly, his friend Jon was fighting for his and all the Northerners' lives.

"Sam? Are you listening?"

Sam was jolted out of his thoughts by Robb. They had just been talking about the Raven that announced the tournament the King was throwing. Victory meant the Twins.

Robb had been very interested in it. As had Jon, only for Robb to point out that he already had a Keep of his own, even if it was not yet ready.

After Lord Stark announced Jon's reward for fighting the Sparrows, there was much talk about what that meant. It had been thousands of years since Moat Cailin had been an established house seat instead of a simple war time asset. Sam had looked in the history books with Maester Luwin to see what exactly it meant for Jon.

As Lord of Moat Cailin, Jon was technically above both Houses Dustin and Reed. White Harbor and House Manderly were too new, but the lands west of the Knife had originally belonged to the eponymous House Cailin who first held the Moat. They had died out thousands of years ago, from a mix of being on the front lines to every invasion of the North, as well as bad luck in choosing brides that could survive childbirth. Several other houses had tried to keep it within the family, and some succeeded for thousands of years at a time, but all fell eventually. Since then, The North had begun a rotation on what House held the Moat, until it became too much to staff full time.

Lord Stark had ordered builders be hired to repair it to its former glory, but till then Jon would stay at Winterfell like he had before.

Regardless, Jon was now a Lord of the North. But just one look at him with his family showed that he was still the same person he was when he left. Although he did seem to spend more time with Ygritte than before, and they had been together a lot before they left.

Sam had great respect for Jon. He was literally a hero.

Meanwhile Sam was… Not.

But he wanted to be.

"I think I am going to enter the tournament." He announced, interrupting Arya's complaining that she could not enter.

"Really?" Jon asked, surprised, but with a friendly smile.

"Well why not? I know I am supposed to be an honored guest, but I would hate to intrude upon Lord and Lady Stark when I could be improving my own life." Sam defended his announcement.

"And I am sure a certain Wildling would like to accompany you." Robb pointed out.

Sam felt his cheeks grow hot. "I mean, if she wants to come I would bring her. She deserves to see more of the south than just Winterfell. Yeah. In fact, I'll go ask her right now!" Sam said as he began walking to the Wildling's separate building.

"Well you won't be alone Sam. I am entering myself. Father said that I deserve some time away after being Lord for the War." Robb said.

"And I might as well come with you two." Jon said with a grin.

That night, Lord Stark relented to having both Arya and Sansa accompany them. Arya because she wanted to see the duels, even if she could not participate, and Sansa because she wanted to see the Capital. Though Lord Stark made the young men very aware that no harm should come to those two.

In the end, Gilly said she would like to come if it was no bother. Ygritte said she would join her. The six of them would head out with some guards when more information was sent from the Capital.

Sam would be the first to admit he was nervous, but he also wanted to actually do something for a change, rather than let others make decisions for him.

MOAT CAILIN

RAMSAY SNOW

Ramsay rode into the North's main defense against the South with a couple hundred Bolton men as backup to aid his father in holding the Fortress.

It was very unlikely that a second force would attack, but it was meant to send a message to the South that they had made a mistake. And the North would remember this slight. They always did.

'After all,' Ramsay thought, 'It would not do any good to have them think we are defenseless without the Snow pup.'

Ramsay had never met any of the Stark Household- His father had made sure that he was always away when Lord Stark had to come for business- yet he felt like he would have been good friends with Jon Snow. They had similar backgrounds after all. How different could they be?

As he dismounted, Ramsay saw his father standing by one of the towers- Ramsay was unsure which, this was his first time here- and beckoned him to come over. They needed to speak.

Ramsay had only formally met his father two years ago. His brother Domeric had fallen ill while squiring in the Vale, and Roose had feared he would be without an heir, so he had visited the Mill Ramsay lived at. Since Domeric managed to recover, Ramsay was not welcomed as much as he thought, but he was given duties to fulfill. But soon Domeric would be returning from the Vale, having stayed behind to try to help quell what remained of the Sparrows. And then Ramsay would lose that connection to his house. Where he belonged.

Once they were behind closed doors, Roose looked his son in the eyes.

"You are intelligent enough to know that you can not continue your life as it has been up to this point. You have had some leeway, but it has to end when Domeric returns. I have a solution that is quite simple. King Robert is hosting a tournament, and the main prize is half of the Twins."

Ramsay nodded in understanding. A keep of his own, with his own smallfolk. Ones who would have to obey if he ordered them to leave behind their decks. "I will do you proud father." Ramsay said in appreciation.

"You better. The Starks are in a...unique balance. On the one hand, Lady Catelyn being from the South, and causing Lord Eddard to build a Sept in Winterfell led to some friction from the more religious lords when she first came North. That died down after a while, but the fact that the Sparrows attacked the North is bringing that friction back to their minds. Add in the fact that young Robb and his siblings were raised in both faiths, and some are a bit nervous which he will turn to if he has to make a choice. His appearance does nothing to assuage these concerns. On the other hand, the Bastard of the family was the one responsible for saving the North. Add in his appearance being a near match to his Father's, and he is very popular right now. Fan the flames right, whisper in the right ear, and the Starks may end up fighting each other when Eddard stops breathing. They could destroy each other, and from the aftermath, House Bolton would have no choice but to take command of the North. And if that were to happen, we would need all the resources we could get. Resources that another branch of the House could provide easily."

Ramsay nodded in understanding. "I understand Father. I will take the Twins in the name House Bolton."

Roose nodded. "Show the South that Jon Snow is not the only Bastard of worth."

RIVERLANDS-SEAGARD

EDMURE

"A Tournament for the Twins?" Edmure asked in astonishment.

"Aye. Though Robert appears to also be splitting the Keep. One victor gets the Northern half, another the Southern, they will split the tolls." Patrek Mallister said.

Patrek had been part of Edmure's group of heirs and knights to confront the Sparrows, and him going to Seagard to get his men ment he was the one to learn they had taken the Twins in the first place. He had set up the first lines of defense while Edmure rushed with the others to help. Luckily, Lord Jason was finally pushed to the point where he helped his son, rather than obey Edmure's father, so Patrek managed to avoid punishment. Some of the others were less lucky, but had all managed to maintain their titles as heirs. And for most the punishment was more a formality than a form of penance.

Edmure thought over this news of a tournament. Another two lords in the Riverlands would help maintain the area of the Twins, which were currently being commanded by local lords. On the other hand, it could send Riverland's resources to other Kingdoms depending on who won. The Freys were hated, but no one denied their wealth. The thought of the Lannisters gaining that in addition to their own gold made Edmure's blood boil.

"Patrek, would you like to accompany me to King's Landing?" Edmure asked, to which Patrek grinned.

Edmure's only regret was that he had a feeling his Father would approve of his plan to keep the Twins under Riverrun.

VALE- GATES OF THE VALE

MYA STONE

"A Tournament?" Mya asked her friend.

"Aye. One that will have two winners instead of one. Apparently they will share the Twins as its new lords." Myranda Royce told her. She then put her head on her hand like she always did when she was daydreaming. "Perhaps these new lords will be better looking than the last one and his family. I may be a widow, but I am still young enough, and even half the Frey's toll would be a promising match."

Mya realized what her friend was saying. "Are you thinking of going and watching? All just to find a husband?"

"Why not? It will be a better experience than anything to happen in the Vale recently." She retorted.

The Sparrows who had attacked Mychel had been found and killed, either by knights or the Hill Tribes. And any other Sparrows were laying low, praying that their seven pointed star scars fade quickly.

Mya had no memories of ever leaving the Vale. But the Tournament would be in the Capital. King's Landing. Where her Father- Her KING Father- was. She had some memories of him, but she could not picture his face. But he apparently knew about her and was looking out for her.

Just once. One more time to see him. To actually be able to remember what he was like.

"Could I come?" She asked, unsure of what she would do if Myranda said yes.

IRON ISLANDS- TOWERS

RODRICK

"The answer is no." Rodrick spoke to his niece.

"Come on Nuncle. We can finally show those Greenlanders your skill. You are already one of the best duelists on the Islands." Asha said.

She had come here with the hope that this tournament would allow her to ride the Ironborn's recent popularity from the War. The Twins were nothing to sneer at in terms of wealth, and the Islands were unfortunately known for being poor when they could not raid. Had The Late Lord Frey wed a daughter to an Ironborn house besides the Greyjoys, the dowry could have practically doubled the House's wealth.

"It is exactly because of that that I must stay. Me being here is essentially the only thing holding your father back from doing something stupid that would end the Ironborn once and for all. And yet he has also managed to practically turn me into his puppet in one fell swoop." Rodrick spoke bitterly.

His sister Alannys, Balon's own wife, had already been sent to Casterly Rock to take the place of Theon in Winterfell.

Balon and Alannys had grown colder since the failed rebellion. A woman like her would be a more acceptable loss to the Captains more on the fence about war than Balon's sole direct heir Theon.

"Nuncle, I know we disagree about this, but the Tournament will be over and we will be back here in less than two moons. We both know the state of the Fleet, and Father can not declare war so quickly. And if we do manage to win, that will just increase your own influence here even more." Asha argued.

Rodrick did understand her points. But it was partially a gamble.

"Very well Niece. I will leave some of my most trusted men as my representatives to your father." Rodrick decided, before starting preparations to reach the Capital.

THE REACH- HIGHGARDEN

WILLAS

"Never! I never dreamed that you would be a more incompetent lord than your father! How in the Seven Hells did you manage to prove me wrong!" Oleana Tyrell was yelling at her grandson, who finally made an appearance outside of the Lord's Solar or his rooms, which guards had barred the rest of his family from entering since war with Dorne had been declared.

Willas had not been much in terms of physical prowess since his tourney accident, but he had still had a respectable amount of muscle and height, even with his need for a cane. Now though, he made his former self look like a young member of House Manderly in comparison. He also had begun to grow a beard, and it was as unkempt as the Vale's hill tribes'.

Margeary, in contrast to the Queen of Thorns, took a more gentle approach, grabbing her brother's shoulder and forcing him to look at her. "Willas please, the war is over. The Sparrows are almost done. There is no need for you to lock yourself away from us. There is nothing left to do but spend time with your family. I miss my brother."

Willas looked at his two relatives. "The Sparrows will be dealt with soon enough. They would have been disbanded sooner if Lord Tarly had not run off against my orders." Willas said, a hint of venom in his voice.

And then Oleanna slapped him.

"Oh shut up about disloyal bannermen! Your refusal to fight was you being disloyal to the Throne. Tarly was following orders, and now everyone who has not met him is praising him. Some are even whispering that he would make a better Warden than you. And once you lose a Wardenship, the rumours will turn to him being a better Lord of Highgarden. Add in his Florent wife, and he may in fact be very close to leading a revolt against us. He is already trying to turn House Tarly into House Peake." Oleanna said.

That caught Willas' attention as much as the slap. "What do you mean?" House Peake had been extinct for nearly a century.

"Randyll managed to capture Blackmont in Dorne, and he claims since he killed the heir, and there are no more men in the family, he should get the Dornish Keep. Dornish law states that he did not kill the heir, as it is a lady, not her brother. But he says that Dornish succession was never legal in the first place if it put women in front of men. He is heading to King's Landing to speak directly to Robert on the matter, and that fat fool is sure to agree if he gets drunk enough. He and his son are also entering the Tournament in the Capital. If they both win, that is either three or four keeps under their control, depending on how one views it. If one wins, then three for sure, but those keeps are also very wealthy in their respective regions. He only has Dickon since Sam ran off and joined the Night's Watch, but he has three daughters. Three daughters each with a keep for their husbands to gain. And there are enough families in the Reach who would turn on us for such a promise. Randyll has not respected you since the accident, and he may very well turn against us, under the justification that it was treason to refuse." Oleanna explained.

"So then, what should I do?" Willas asked.

"Only one thing to do. Enter yourself. Prove to the world that you are not to be trifled with. If necessary, make Horn Hill the Reachman's Castamere." Oleanna explained.

Unable to give a reason against her, Willas returned to his Solar to begin preparations to leave for the Capital. Though he was slightly hampered by several spiders he kept finding in the Solar.

CROWNLANDS- KING'S LANDING- STREET OF STEEL

GENDRY

"Welco- Your Grace!" Gendry said in surprise, but milder than the last few times.

The first time the King had come to Tobho Mott's Smithery, it was to purchase cards that had appeared among the armor and metalwork they were selling. He realized it was someone very important, but it was not until Master Mott spoke to him that Gendry realized he was the King.

Strangely, the King himself also seemed to be more nervous or uncomfortable than he would expect.

Since then, the King had visited several times, some to buy cards, others to just look, and occasionally to repair weapons.

He had been on a delivery when the King was dueling Trant, and he had recognized Tommen from the visits and kept the young prince safe. Then the King himself brought him back to the shop, and they had seen each other several more times over the last few moons.

"Gendry!" The King said with a smile. With him was a servant who immediately went to speak with Master Mott about the current order the King was here for.

Gendry had no idea what would cause the King to take such an interest in the maintenance of the Keep's weapons so suddenly, but it was good for training and business.

"So then… Anything new in your life?" The King said while the two were alone.

"Not much Your Grace." Gendry said. Despite spending more time with the man than he ever thought possible, he was often at a loss of what to say. "The work has finally started to get steady since people realize they may still need regular weapons during War Mode."

The King nodded. "I see. Well, you may be getting more work here. You hear about the tournament?"

Gendry nodded.

The King continued. "Yes, people from all over Westeros will be coming for it, and the price is relatively low considering the possible reward. You will have plenty of new people who may need minor things done while it happens. Unless of course… You are planning on participating?" He asked.

Gendry had considered it. Who wouldn't? But he realized he likely did not have a chance. His Iron Core deck did not have the most impressive record against his fellow Flea Bottom residents.

"Like you said, people from all over are coming to participate in it. Compared to all of them, I doubt I would get too far. Besides, with odds that bad, it would be a waste of gold."

The King had a look on his face as though he was just reminded that to most people, gold was a rarity.

"I see, but on the other hand, you could say you have the same odds as anyone else. And think about it, if you participate, it would at least be a new experience. You work hard, I have seen it. I'm sure your Master would be willing to give you a few days off. Even if you lose, it will be a fun memory you can tell your kids about." The King said before patting Gendry on his shoulder, like they were old friends.

The servant-Varys, Gendry thought his name was- and Master Mott came back into the entrance having finished business.

Varys handed the King a coin purse.

"Mott, I believe it's half up front as usual, is that right?" The King asked as he counted the coins before placing them on the table.

Gendry was never taught to read, but he could count. He had been Mott's apprentice for years, and knowing if you were being underpaid was an important lesson for anyone who works. The usual payment for the Red Keep was around thirty Gold Dragons; fifteen before and fifteen after.

The King paid with twenty one Gold Dragons. Three sets of five, and a fourth of six. Noticeably, the stack of six was separate from the fifteen, and closer to Gendry than Mott.

"Well then lad, I wish you luck, whatever you decide."

And with that, the King left.

CROWNLANDS- KING'S LANDING- RED KEEP

VARYS

Hours after returning to the Red Keep, Varys was walking down one of the hidden passages Maegor had constructed. After awhile, he reached the end and came out just outside the Throne Room. There he saw Baelish conversing with Stannis and Jaime. The three people of note in the Capital with the least in common.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked as he approached the trio.

"Not much Lord Varys, just plans for the Tournament." Jaime spoke first.

Stannis looked at Baelish as though the smaller man was a cockroach. Which was likely his opinion on Littlefigner, but normally he was at least able to put it aside when discussing important matters. "Why you would waste the gold when you plan on losing is beyond me. I thought you were supposed to be good with money. It's the only reason Robert and Lord Arryn brought you here in the first place."

"I did not say I was planning on losing." Baelish countered. "I simply have a good grasp of my own abilities. I could win one or two rounds, but I would be unable to take the final victory. So, I might as well raise money in a way more suited to my skills."

"So you will be wagering money on different bets? Like you have in previous tournaments?" Varys surmised.

"As always, you know me best." Baelish responded sardonically. "Of course my Whores will also be working more than they are used to. I may need to hire some new ones sooner or later just to keep up with the demand."

"If it will help with raising money, I will keep my complaints to myself, but if you end up cheating you will pay for it." Stannis threatened.

"Has there been any instance of cheating in duels?" Jaime asked, a look of honest curiosity on his face. "Considering all we know about the Cards, is it even possible?"

"I am afraid even I do not know the answer to that." Varys admitted.

"Ah, another thing you remain unaware of. Are your birds finally flying away from your Web." Baelish pointed out.

Varys kept his demeanour calm, but it did cause a brief flitter of fear in his heart. He needed to figure out if the Necklace was still working. It could mean the end of him.

"Regardless, I am sure Baelish could find a way." Stannis said through his grinding teeth.

Varys decided to move the conversation onto the other member. "And will you be joining the tournament Ser Jaime?"

The young lion sighed. "I honestly do not know. His Grace says there will be a joust and a melee, so I may join those, but I could hardly be Lord of the Twins if I entered the main event."

Jaime was a decent duelist, but it was painfully true that his sword skills were truly where he shined.

"I think you may have to resume your duties of watching your sister." Baelish mentioned. To this, Stannis and Varys both found themselves nodding in agreement.

Ever since Prince Joffrey had departed for Essos- With the Hound and a ship worth of men to act as guards, as he was still a valuable hostage for any enemy of the crown- Queen Cersei had been practically irreconcilable. Only Jaime was consistent with getting her to calm down and be civil or perform her duties among the Noble Ladies of the Capital, who learned quickly to never bring up Joffrey, Essos, or Dueling in her presence. Robert, for all his improvements in the past year, was unable to close the gap that existed in their marriage, though he seemed to possibly be making up for it when it came to his kids.

The conversation lasted a few more minutes, but mainly focused on logistics and security and what additional rules Robert would come up for it. From what he revealed so far, it would definitely not be boring.

Varys returned to his room and took out the Necklace. He put it on as he has for years, and tried to focus on making it work.

'Show me something. Who will win the Tournament, What Joffrey is doing, Baelish, ANYTHING.' Varys pleaded silently in his head.

That night, Varys had a dream.

STORMLANDS- TARTH

BRIENNE

"Once again Brienne, I am so sorry I failed you in our Kingdom's hour of need." Prince Renly spoke to the heir of Tarth.

"No need to apologize, My Lord. You were in the Capital and we thought Storm's End itself would be quicker to respond." Brienne assured her liege that he had done nothing wrong. "I am sure your duties on the Small Council kept you busy enough. I could hardly imagine having to rule the Stormlands on top of them."

Renly had just returned from the Capital to the Stormlands. He was planning a full tour of the Kingdom to measure the damage the Sparrows had done to it himself. Tarth, which had managed to repel the pirate raids without mainland reinforcements, was the first stop.

In all, their Sparrow problems were both minor and consistent. Rarely did they target actual soldiers, instead preying upon the ravens and isolated messengers. The Maesters said it would take a full year, perhaps two, to train new Ravens for all the keeps attacked. The Maester who taught ravenry at the Citadel was rumoured to be heading to Storm's End to aid in quickening that timeframe.

Renly smiled softly and chuckled. "Would that the people in the Capital were as understanding of you. I never thought I would ever see Robert and Stannis as united as they were in saying I was incompetent. But the truth of the matter is that it was a bit of both."

"I am surprised to hear that Stannis has not objected to this tournament His Grace has decided to throw. He did often voice his objection to the ones before the Cards. I remember hearing that he would head to Dragonstone just to get away from it all." Brienne commented.

Renly seemed to grow more alert at the brief mention of Dragonstone. "Yes well, he did voice his objection, but it seems Robert wore him down. Are you planning on entering the Tournament?"

Brienne felt herself growing nervous, despite herself. "Would that be allowed? Not many would approve of a woman in a tournament."

"I'm sure there will be no problems. Everyone has cards, no matter the sex. But if you are concerned greatly, you could always enter as a mystery knight." Renly assured her before closing his eyes. "I can see it now, instead of Brienne of Tarth, the Sapphire Isle, your opponents will fear the mysterious Ruby, of the Emerald Shore."

Brienne could not help but smile. "A name like that would hardly cover the question of manhood, but I might consider it."

"If you don't use it, I will." Renly jested.

"You are competing?" Brienne asked, surprised.

"Robert wants all the help he can get, does not matter who wins as long as they are not a lion. I was thinking of grabbing Edric as well."

Brienne nodded, her mind made up about the tournament. "You can count on me, My Lord. I will do everything I can."

Renly smiled at her. "Thank you Brienne. You are the embodiment of loyalty."

STORMLANDS-BLACKHAVEN

BERIC

"A bit higher Pod." Beric shouted to his second squire as he raised his shield, just managing to block Beric's strike, but still fell under the force of the blow.

"You are getting better at least." He said as he helped the boy up.

"Sorry, My Lord." Pod said. He had said it so often that it was practically every third thing out of his mouth.

Beric had taken Pod as a squire after fighting alongside him in Dorne and seeing the young boy save his life. When he learned that Pod's original knight- a cousin of his no less- had intentionally sent him on the front lines while he stayed in a more defensible position, Beric challenged him to a duel and humiliated the Payne Knight. Now Pod was with him, replacing

young Ned Dayne, who had to go back far too early to assume his duties now that his family had been almost wiped out.

While Ned had little good to say about Ser Gerold Dayne, his only living family at this point, it seemed that time had allowed the knight to mature into a good man. He seemed to be taking a lead in trying to fix everything Dorne had lost in the War, but it was doubtful they could shore up their reserves by the time Winter rolled around. Thankfully Dorne had the mildest Winters of them all, but it would still be hit harder than any would want.

In any case, Beric trusted that Ned would be safe, and now he had to teach Podrick.

He had shown great bravery in the heat of battle, but outside of their first meeting, Pod was a shy and clumsy squire. The boy had little to no confidence at all. Beric had to find a way to fix that.

He was going to be heading to the Capital for the tournament, and Thoros would be there as well. Maybe his drinking companion would have an idea.

Until then though, all they could do was train.

"Alright Pod, get your deck out, time to see how your dueling has improved." Beric shouted at his squire, who paled at the change of battle.

ESSOS-PENTOS

ARIANNE MARTELL

"Here we are. Pentos. Finally." Ariane said as the city appeared before them on the Ship.

The Journey had been eventful to say the least.

First, a storm had thrown them off course, and they had learned that the captain was a son who inherited his father's ship without ever setting foot on it. He had forced them to head back to Westeros for supplies and repairs. The price of which was increased with the war just starting off. They managed to make repairs on Tarth, which had just fought off pirates. Arianne and her group feared discovery everyday that they were forced to stay.

They finally departed, only to barely avoid some pirates and Sell-sails who thought that they could be easy prey. The Captain had ordered a more southbound route than originally planned, and they ended up in Lys.
Not wanting to risk more bad luck on the ship, the Princess' group figured going by land but staying by the coast would be quicker. They ended up entering Tyrosh and Myr before realizing they were close enough that a ship would have no trouble getting to Pentos. It cost them a good chunk of their remaining money, but they booked passage and now their destination was finally within their sight.

Unfortunately, their journey was also plagued by bad news. While in Myr, they learned that the war had ended, and Prince Doran was bound to the Night's Watch and Quentyn was dead. Arianne refused to leave her room for a fortnight as she came to terms with the loss of her family. The news that the Usurper had disinherited her was a less painful blow in comparison.

But soon they would have their revenge. In this city, the last remains of House Targeryean, who would unite with Dorne and strike directly at the Capital.

She did wonder what her betrothed would be like. She knew that Robert was hunting him since he took the throne, so no doubt King Viserys would be a veteran of many battles from before the cards came into existence. Perhaps a few scars he let his enemies inflict to make them feel better before they died.

As they departed from the ship, they gathered all their belongings and walked off the harbor.

Ariane turned to her companions. Among them were her two cousins, Obara and Nym. They were angered at their father's death that started the war, but assurance that this would be the best way to avenge him was enough to get them to come. Besides them were her other friends: Andrey Dalt, Garin, and Sylva Santagar. Three friends of her youth who accompanied her to bring about Dorne's final victory.

"Alright then, we are looking for Illyrio Mopattis' Manse. Father said he was a Magister, so it should be easy to find it." She said to the group.

Andrey looked at the city in front of them. "We can probably find it before the sun sets. Does the Magister know we are coming? He could have sent people to escort us if he did."

"We are months later than we originally thought we would be." Sylva pointed out. "Even if he knows we were on our way, he would probably think we did not make it."

"Let us just find the Manse." Obara said, moving them along.

Some questions asked of the locals, and they soon found the directions to the Manses the Magisters lived in. But when they got there, they could not tell which belonged to Illyrio.

"Can't we just go up to one and ask?" Garin suggested.

"Magisters are always on the lookout for any chance to have leverage over their fellow Magisters. If we go to one and get it wrong, they may hold us as hostage to Illyrio. Or if they realize we have a Princess of Dorne, they could just inform the Iron Throne about us. Then we will really be in trouble." Nym pointed out.

By this point, Arianne was both annoyed and tired. She had traveled so far, and had to deal with a loss of her family. Now her journey was almost over, and all that stood in her way was a guessing game.

She saw a man walking by himself towards the Manses. He had black hair, pale skin, and walked with the air of a prey ready to strike quickly at its attacker and escape.

'Better than nothing.' She thought to herself.

She walked over to the man.

"Hey! You with the black hair." She yelled out.

The man turned his body. He stopped walking, but was ready to run at a moment's notice. Which he almost did when his eyes landed on her friend's walking behind her.

He also seemed to be muttering to himself, as though he was talking to people there.

Arianne reached into her purse and pulled out what was almost all of her remaining wealth: three gold dragons and five Silver Stags.

"Tell us which Manse is Illyrio's, and it is yours." She announced, holding up the money.

That only seemed to make the man more eager to run. But he held his ground, although he did shift himself into what Arianne assumed was a more defensive stance.

"Why would you want to know that?" He asked.

"None of your business." She said. She was so close to finally being done. This man was all that stood in her way now.

"Keep your coins. Just leave." He said.

"Hey!" Garin shouted at the man. "It's a generous offer. You got nothing to lose. Just tell us."

"Fuck paying him." Obara said, also impatient after everything that has gone wrong so far. She summoned her Duel Disk. "We can just beat it out of him."

"Told you Jae." The man muttered, before he jumped back and summoned his duel disk. But before they could officially begin the duel, a voice rang out.

"What is going on here?"

Everyone turned and saw a man in a knight's armor walk towards them. Going by his voice, he was a Northerner. Arianne paled at the realization that they had been found so close to safety.

"Get back Jorah!" The man yelled at the knight. It was clear they knew each other.

The knight, now named Jorah, looked at the group attacking his friend, and confusion was clear on his face. "Princess Arianne?"

'This is bad.' Arianne realized. Not only was this man a Westerosi, but he recognized her, so he would likely be someone fairly important outside of Dorne.

"What?" The man turned to Jorah, confusion on his face.

The knight quickly stood between his friend and the Dornish group, drawing the full attention of both.

Jorah turned to his friend.

"That, Your Grace," The knight began, pointing at Arianne. "is your betrothed. Princess Arianne of Dorne."

WESTERLANDS-CASTERLY ROCK-LORD'S SOLAR

TYRION

Tywin Lannister was a man who had done very well to hide his emotions. He never showed when he was pleased, nor when he was angered, unless he wanted it known. It was one of the reasons he was able to be Hand to Aerys.

Even so, it was easy to see his mood by how he handled himself, if one knew where to look.

And a lifetime of disappointing his father made Tyrion an expert at reading him.

As Tywin finished writing one of several orders-this one ordering Ser Gregor Clegane to head to Dorne and start raiding every settlement he could find within the desert- with more fury on his face than usual, Tyrion pieced together how his father was.

"I did not think you cared for cousin Cleos so much." Tyrion told his father. Aunt Genna had been more ambivalent than one would expect a widow to be when informed her husband was dead, but Cleos and his siblings were devastated and swore to lead the Westerland army in revenge, only to be relieved that Lord Stark's Bastard saved them the trouble.

"Robert is not denying that fool his birthright because of incompetence. If he was, I could hardly argue against it, we both know that. Instead, he has forgotten how dangerous a lion can be to a Stag. He thinks that he can use it to pay off his debts to us."

Tyrion nodded. He took a certain amount of pleasure in seeing his father unleash his rage on someone other than him, but he still cared for his house as a whole. And this was a slight.

"So then, I take it you will be heading to the Capital again?" Tyrion surmised.

"Aye. And I will be taking anyone with a decent deck with me. As loathe as I am to admit it, I know what yours is capable of." Tywin said.

This surprised Tyrion. But he should not have been. His father had seen him duel, and that was the one thing that he never insulted him on.

"Any other candidates, or will it just be family?" Tyrion asked.

"You can bring those sell decks of yours." Tywin said.

Bronn had proven a capable fighter, taking part in the Breaking of Sunspear, where he apparently killed Prince Doran's guard Areo Hotah. Chiggen had stayed behind as a guard for Tyrion, but both had proven to be skilled.

"Any bannerman or son of one can also participate, though they will swear to stay loyal to House Lannister even if they must swear to House Tully. Multiple Kingdom Houses have always been few and far between, but the threat of their remaining family should keep them in line." Tywin continued.

"Will Cleos be participating?" Tyrion asked.

"If he can. He will no doubt lose, but to just give up without fighting for his birthright would be worse than just losing it outright."

Soon after their discussion came to a close, Tyrion walked out of his Father's solar with an honest grin on his face. He always enjoyed seeing Jaime, Tommen and Myrcella-even if Cersei soured it with her presence-and this was one more reason to see them. Especially with Joffrey out of the way.

'Whatever happens, this tournament will definitely be eventful.' Tyrion thought to himself.

EPILOGUE- 2 WEEKS LATER

IRON ISLANDS

THEON

As heir to one of the Seven Kingdoms that gave Westeros its name, Theon's escort should have been overseen by Lord Stark, before being handed over to his own people. However, Eddard Stark had been busy with seeing the North run smoothly now that he had finally returned, and so Theon had understood the Lord of Winterfell's inability to escort him to the western coast of the North, where an Ironborn ship captained by a Blacktyde was awaiting him.

The longer the trip took, the more nervous Theon found himself getting. He was finally heading home.

No doubt his father would greet him with open arms. He knew the reason he was being sent back in the first place was to be prepared to inherit the Lordship, so he and his father would be spending much time together. He doubted he would get to go to the tournament in King's Landing, but he was here for a better prize than some bridge toll.

He was saddened by the knowledge that his mother would be in Casterly Rock, but that was obviously a price worth paying. And if they mistreated her, the Lions would no doubt be out another fleet, like before.

On the last morning of their journey, Theon stood on the longship as he observed the Islands appear. The Sun from the east illuminating the Islands. By noon, they had docked on Pyke, where a somewhat familiar face awaited Theon's return.

The man was wearing a roughspun green wool robe that did not reflect his noble heritage, and his hair was freshly wet from salt water.

"Uncle Aerion." Theon greeted with his usual cocksure smile. He had heard of his change since the war from the Ironborn on the ship, but this was still such a change.

"Nephew." The man known as Damphair said simply."Your Father sent me here to bring you home."

Getting on the horse that a Drowned Man held, the two Greyjoys rode to the keep named for the capital of the Iron Islands.

Once there, Theon walked the familiar halls of his childhood, his uncle gone with a brief farewell and a reminder of the Drowned God's power, claiming he was responsible for the cards. Having heard the same about every god, Theon nodded just to end the line of conversation.

He reached the main chambers, where he saw his father staring at a map before turning to look at him.

Theon stood straight, hoping to display an air of pride and strength. "Father. I have returned."

"I can tell." Lord Balon said.

The Lord of the Iron Islands stood and walked over to his son, only to hand him a card as he continued on. "We will talk more tomorrow, I have work to do that can not be delayed."

"What is this?" Theon asked as he looked at the card his father gifted him.

"Something every Ironborn will have in their deck soon if I have any say in it." Balon replied as he left the room.

Theon looked at the first gift in nearly a decade his father had given him. It was a field spell card.

"The Seal of Orichalcos." Theon read the name aloud.

AN: And we come to a close for now, but we will come back. 8,000 words. Not a bad send off if you ask me. And I even got rid of one POV because I realized it would be redundant when I get back to this story.

The plan is to do four chapters of one story from now on. So next up is 4 straight weeks of Power Shift, followed by 4 of The Game Gets Chaotic! And then back to this for 4 chapters. If it would end on a major cliffhanger though, I may finish that off first though.

The main reason I chose here to end it on is so I can have plenty of time to craft decks for all the additional characters that have not dueled yet.

Getting into the actual chapter breakdown you all expect by now:

Sam is the longest POV. I honestly thought I would use him more when I first wrote him back in chapter 3. I hope to make it up by making him a central part of the Twins Tourney. And as seen in Willas' POV, his family will be there as well. But he is not alone. He brings most of the young gang with him while Ned takes care of the North.

Ramsay is tasked with winning by Roose. Domeric is alive, but the success of Jon has led to Roose wanting his bastard to get some spotlight as well.

Edmure wants to keep the Twins fully loyal to Riverrun, so he and his friends are entering as well.

Mya sees it as a chance to meet her father after so long. She honestly does not care about who wins. She just wants to see Robert.

Rodrick and Asha are also on their way for the Tournament.

Willas finally ends his self imposed solitude, only to learn how close the Tyrells are to losing their position. And if you think they could appeal to Robert if they actually were attacked, he and most everyone is still angry the Tyrells did nothing during the Dornish war.

Gendry talks to his father and gets a tip so he can try to advance his lot in life, just like Robert wants.

Varys has a conversation with some more minor but important characters on the council. I hope to also expand their presence in this fic during the tournament or after, even if they end up losing.

Brienne and Renly talk, and Brienne is in on Robert's plan to pay off the royal debt.

Beric hopes the tournament will help improve Podrick.

Arianne and Viserys finally meet, and it does not go well. If their journey seems unrealistic, I had to find a justification for what took them so long. Also, I was rereading this fic, and I want to clarify something that I thought might be confusing. Jorah was partnered with the men who attacked Viserys. The idea was they kill him and he ingratiates himself with Dany, then when they kill Viserys, who is the actual threat to Robert's rule, Jorah kills Dany. But since his partners failed, he is in his canon position of trying to spy on them in hopes to get a pardon. Just wanted to clarify if anyone was confused by that.

Tyrion and Tywin are heading to the tournament, and any Westerlander participating will be on their side.

Finally, Theon returns to the Iron Islands, and another Yu-Gi-Oh group is being recreated. Just like the Dark Signers, they are a slow burn adversary, though they will be fought sooner than the DS.

And with that, the curtain closes on this part of the story. I have done so much in this that was not planned out when I first wrote Chapter 1. It's weird rereading the early chapters and seeing how it has grown, and how much I still have to write. But a break is needed so I do not run out of ideas.

With that said, Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, or Favorites this story. We also have a TV Tropes Page, if any of you wish to help expand it.

With all that out of the way, I hope you all stay safe in these troubled times and have a good time when possible.

See you all later. Jaehaerys Joestar