Chapter 25: Chapter 25 (Revamped)
(Willas Tyrell, Harrenhal)
Willas was annoyed as their entourage set out, his young age had confined him into the wheelhouse alongside his mother and grandmother. The relationship between the two had been less cordial ever since the war ended, his mother blaming grandmother for the loss of Aunt Janna and sweet Margaery.
Garlan had wisely remained silent on the matter, while Loras simply stared curiously at their surroundings. Father had made sure they were all dressed in their house colors, wanting to show the rest of the Reachmen the 'Pride of House Tyrell'.
Though his mother's scathing remark of the whereabouts of the 'Rose of Highgarden' had cut through his impromptu speech. It was embarrassing for all those involved, but nothing could be done about it.
As they rode through the Roseroad, he couldn't help but contemplate the present situation. Lord Erlend was now regarded by a significant portion of the nobility throughout Westeros as King in all but name. Grandmother had impressed upon him the fact that Lord Erlend was a descendant of King Jaehaerys twice over, once through Viserra Targaryen and the other through the line of Saera Targaryen.
Both princesses had given birth to a child for Lord Edger Mudd, though only Viserra's line was considered legitimate. It's common knowledge that the descendant of Princess Saera's line would eventually marry back into the main Mudd branch later on, merging both claims.
There were also rumors of Shiera Seastar marrying into the Mudd branch but that was never confirmed. Grandmother said that it was highly unlikely as Bittersteel wouldn't have stood still if that was true.
He wondered how the infamous Bloodraven took to the rumors of the alleged relations.
Another rumor was that King Aegon the Unlikely in an effort to draw the Mudds in, had promised his youngest daughter Princess Rhaelle to Lord Tristifer Mudd, but it ultimately never came to be due to Prince Duncan's affair.
Another point of tension between the two was the fact that House Targaryen had gone out of its way to keep both Tully and Tyrell reliant on them, it should've been a slap to the dragon's face when the Tullys finally gained some legitimacy and actual control over the Riverlands through Celia Tully, even if it was temporary since they were marrying into the Mudds and not the other way around.
It was rather bizarre how better connected the Mudds were to House Targaryen compared to a majority of the Houses in Westeros, considering the actions of Lord Aryan 'the Dragonslayer' but it at least allowed him to stave away his boredom thinking about it.
Admittedly, Willas was slightly put off by the fact that an exiled house warranted more prestige than his own, despite all the accomplishments his family had made for the Reach, both before and after the conquest.
…
It took quite a while to finally reach Harrenhal, they had to make several stops throughout the journey as many lords both minor and major linked up.
He could sense more than a few hostile gazes and a lot of fake smiles on their faces. Guessing correctly that they were less than pleased about the fact that House Tyrell still retained their position, but they could do nothing about it.
Lord Mathis and Lord Desmond had also linked up with them, alongside the other supporters of House Mudd, the tension ever had been near palatable between his father and his 'bannermen'.
They did their best to maintain a facade of civility, especially when near Mother, Uncle Baelor, and himself. According to his grandmother, it was because they feared retaliation from his maternal House.
Of the Houses within the war, House Hightower had come off the best, only losing a few thousand men who Mother claimed had already been replaced, as ridiculous as that sounded. Not to mention the favor Lord Erlend had shown them by taking his Aunt Malora as court tutor.
It was a new role specifically created for his Aunt, though he had only a vague idea of what it entailed. All he could get from it was that House Hightower always managed to gain favor with the new ruling House. Just as they had done with the Gardeners and Targaryens, they did so with the Mudds.
The good news is that his Aunt would have a hand in Margaery's education and at least steer her towards a more favorable image of either House Hightower or Tyrell.
Other significant changes would be that Lord Erlend had been sending not-so-insignificant amounts of gold to his new vassals to help them recover from the war. Making sure to improve their strength and levy capabilities.
This wasn't just the former Reach Lords, but he heard the Lords from the Vale and Riverlands also received a bit of support to help them recover from the conflicts.
No one knew why the young conqueror was so eager to quickly rebuild, most lords in his place would've outright ignored the damages caused, as it kept their vassals weaker.
His musings were interrupted by the voices of the bickering Lords.
"Obviously House Osgrey has contributed more, we were the first to raise our banners for Lord Erlend." Boasted Lord Desmond.
"You mean you took advantage of him, to finally settle things between yourself and the spiders..." Sneered Lord Mathis, the contempt in his eyes clear for all.
"Please if it wasn't for House Rowan's constant interference the dispute would have never occurred in the first place."
"I suppose marrying his widow gave you a certain satisfaction eh..." Lord Rowan pointed out, ignoring Osgrey's statement.
"You leave my marital status out of this you golden shit!"
Before the two could come to blows, Lord Tarly interrupted the two, it was interesting to see some of the two most influential Lords present being intimidated into silence by a single look from the old Marcher Lord.
Willas was both curious and wary of what an angered Lord Tarly would be like.
…
When he first laid eyes upon Harrenhal, he'd expected to see half-melted towers and monstrous curtain walls. Yet reality crushed his expectations, the castle looked grand, large in scale, and rising over God's Eye.
Rumors had spread after Lord Erlend's conquest of the Riverlands that he intended to rebuild Harrenhal and take it for his own. Many had scoffed at it, calling it foolish and incredibly naive.
He couldn't help but agree with them after hearing tales of the castle from his father. So it was a shocking sight that greeted him, it wasn't crumbling walls and melted towers, but a grand fortress that both intimidated and awed him.
The grandness and larger-than-life feel to it that Father described was still there, yet it lacked the haunting and dreary aura that made one feel as if death was only a breath away.
Most noticeably though there were still men milling about carrying beams and moving stones around the castle. They were still in the middle of rebuilding, he realized.
Murmurs and whispers were going about, especially among the Lords and Ladies within the entourage who had visited the castle before.
"The wrongness in the air, it's finally gone."
"Oh my, Lord Erlend certainly didn't waste his time on this."
"By the Seven, Lord Erlend has truly been blessed!"
"The Curse. The Curse. The damned Curse is gone!"
"Don't be silly Roger…"
"Whatever the case, this isn't the Harrenhal we know." Mathis Rowan silenced the gathered lords with his words.
"Lord Erlend's men certainly work fast," Willas remarked quietly.
His mother hesitated before a soft smile spread across her face. "They certainly do," she said, a sigh of relief escaped her mouth.
Willas knew one of the reasons his mother was worried was the apparent 'Curse' that plagued Harrenhal and those who lived in it. She didn't want any harm to come to his aunt and sister.
Eventually, as the entourage stopped, they were greeted with what seemed to be a sea of tents around the Fortress.
As they moved past the other Reach houses that had arrived before them, there were so many sigils and banners, that it was nearly impossible to put a name to all of them.
The closer they got to the fortress, the more apparent the changes to it showed. It was no longer simply a castle, he genuinely wondered who would be foolish enough to try and besiege that titan of a castle.
He could swear he saw a couple of catapults on top of some of the finished towers.
A few sigils he recognized began to appear, there were those of House Roote, Erenford, and Blanetree. There were also a few northern ones, such as House Forrester, Cerwyn, and Flint. Though he had no clue which branch of the Flints it belonged to.
His eyes wandered at the many people gathered around the fortress walls and resting near their tents.
"Surprised?" was the amused tone of his grandmother.
"There are so many Houses here," He said, surprised that so many showed up to what amounted to summons.
"Lord Erlend has nearly one-third of Westeros under his control and more than half pacified, only a fool would ignore his summons," Grandmother explained plainly.
She became silent as they reached the main gate, and a group of men approached the entourage.
"My lord and ladies," one of them said, giving them a respectful nod, "On behalf of Lord Erlend, welcome to Firmridge."
Father looked eagerly at the man, recognizing him, "We are delighted to be here, Lord Horton." he said.
The rest of the lords and ladies bobbed their heads in agreement, like hens he couldn't help but compare bemusedly.
Though he wondered where the name for the Fortress came from, his grandmother for her part had raised her eyebrow at the name change but remained silent surprisingly enough, usually she would be sending scathing remarks at anything that moved.
After a bit of small talk, mainly from Father's side, the head of House Redfort nodded and motioned for the portcullis to be raised, allowing them entrance.
Curiously Lord Mathis said nothing, outside of greeting the lord somewhat familiarly. They were already acquaintanced it seemed, most likely during the war or before it.
The courtyard wasn't as opulent as that of Highgarden, and the towers that flanked it were more intimidating rather than grandiose. It was clear Lord Erlend sought practicality over luxury.
As they made their way through the Fortress, Lord Redfort explained that the Fortress was named after Oldstones, at least its original name. Willas had found that interesting, then again if there was anyone who would know the legendary ruin's original name, it would be the Mudds.
The fortress, despite its lack of luxury, was still remarkable, there were statues of what he assumed to be former lords of House Mudd being crafted.
One of the men with Lord Horton had been kind enough to explain to the gathered lords that the Fortress was still in construction and that there were also statues of the distinguished ladies of House Mudd being made and were to be placed within the gardens.
Along the inner walls of the Fortress, there were various Banners of the Great Houses of the Riverlands, House Mudd being the most prominent, but there was also that of the Fishers and Justman.
The lack of Teague banners was quite obvious to all; even now, few of the Riverlanders willingly recognized the infamous house as anything but illegitimate.
Farther from that, though a bit lower, he could see the golden lion of House Lannister, the blackened stag of House Baratheon, the gray direwolf of House Stark, the red sun of House Martell, and the golden rose of his House.
The Greyjoy kraken was nowhere to be seen. It was obvious what Lord Erlend's thought about the infamous Ironmen.
House Tyrell, Rowan, and Hightower had been allowed to stay within the castle, alongside the rest of the major Houses.
As for the tents camped outside the fortress walls, they were either for the minor lords, landed Knights, or other such vassals. The Fortress was more than large enough to house a significant portion of the lords and ladies, unfortunately, due to the rebuilding process, only the major lords could be provided with adequate rooms.
That didn't mean that the minor lords and vassals weren't provided for. Despite having to make do with tents for quarters, rather than actual lodgings, all their other needs were provided for, within reason of course.
Thanks to Aunt Malora and Aunt Janna, the chambers they were given were directly adjacent to Margaery's.
Willas was excited to see what the coming days would bring.
…
(Oberyn Martell, Kingswood)
When his brother asked him to heed this Erlend fellow summons on his behalf, he'd thought that he'd gone half mad. In the end, though, he agreed to his request if only to gain a measure of the new 'Conqueror'.
He wasn't a fool, the tension between the two had been obvious for all to see since word of what occurred in King's Landing reached them. Despite his anger, he refused to turn against his brother, if only because he knew how Elia would react should he do so.
The failed incursion that he'd encouraged Dagor to lead had eased a bit of the tension between the two as he mourned the loss of a close friend. It was like cold water had been splashed on the rest of the Dorne, they couldn't afford to lose any more lives on foolhardy actions.
Seeing an opportunity to mend relations, his brother chose to distract him with an important task, that of Dorne's future. Hotheaded as he was, Oberyn was well aware of his brother's pragmatism; it was a peace offering he was tentative to take, if only for the sake of avoiding bloodshed between kin.
Instead of wallowing in misery or blaming Doran for their mother's actions that would inevitably lead to his beloved sister's death. Yes, Doran was slightly at fault for encouraging Elia to agree to the wedding for his own ambitions, but it wasn't as if he could've predicted that the silver-haired shit was as mad as his father, only he was better at hiding it.
The Iron Throne was little more than scrap metal at this point, around it were the burning ruins of the Red Keep and King's Landing. If rumors were anything to go by, monstrous green flames still burned the damned capital to this day.
It was so bad that no one could get close to the capital without suffering significant burns, and that was the best-case scenario.
His brother had given him full authority to act on his behalf, even going so far as to inform every single major Dornish Lord that would be coming with him.
"If you have to, then swear loyalty to Erlend Mudd. Dorne can't afford another war. We can survive it, Yes. But at what cost?" Even now his brother's words still rang in his mind.
Oberyn smiled as he turned his attention to far more pleasant thoughts, his seductive paramour. Ellaria Sand was an exotic woman, who had a sensuous flair to her, while not the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, she was the one he loved and managed to stir something in him in ways no other woman could ever hope to.
Riding right ahead of him, she gave him a clear view of her lightly covered back. Noticing his gaze, she arched her back at him playfully, the minx.
Pressing his steed forward, he rode side by side with her, pressing a not-so-chaste kiss on her sun-kissed skin, earning him a pleasant smile and yearning look.
"My love." She said softly. The unasked question was clear in her eyes.
"Just wondering about what to expect from this Mudd lord," he said.
"He can't be all that bad, I heard he was quite handsome, perhaps we could invite him for a little fun," Ellaria smirked, her dark eyes shining with lust at the thought.
"Maybe." Oberyn hummed at the thought, he wasn't all that averse to a little dalliance with the 'Conqueror'.
The 'Summons Peace' as many called it, allowed his entourage to move around the Kingdoms unbothered, though they were wise enough to take the slightly less hostile route through the Stormlands. Going through the Reach at the moment would've been immensely foolish and he knew it.
Ironic, considering it tended to be the other way around.
'There is a certain beauty to this untouched forest.' Oberyn pondered.
Greenery was a rare sight in Dorne, its harsh climate making it near impossible for a forest like the vast Kingswood to grow.
"They look at us as if we are poisonous snakes, ready to strike," Obara stated, a look of disgust on his oldest daughter's face, as she peered at the Storm lords who'd joined their entourage.
"Don't be too harsh Dear, clearly they're still recovering from what those savage Reachmen did," mocked Ellaria.
Oberon laughed at his paramour's words. He could see quite a few Stormlords stiffening at her voice, though they ultimately chose to remain silent.
"Oh! How pitiful." Obara shrugged.
"Relax sis, I'm sure they'll get over it soon enough." His daughter Nymeria rolled her eyes at her sister's comment.
"My Prince." A household guard appeared, bowing his head towards Oberyn. "Lord Baratheon has suggested that the entourage stop and make camp here."
Oberon stared at the guard for a few seconds before nodding his head in agreement. Seeing his approval the guard quickly moved to inform the Storm Lord of his decision.
Oh yes, he had nearly forgotten that among the Storm lords was none other than Stannis Baratheon. He held no hostility to the stag lord, in fact, he would've outright thanked the man on behalf of his late brother for caving in the Silver Wyrm's skull.
Unfortunately, outside of those he deemed close to him, Stannis was a man of few words.
"What is it, my love?" Ellaria asked.
"It seems we'll be stopping soon, the stag wants to make camp," replied Oberyn.
"Mhm… At least we'll be able to get to the fun part soon," said Ellaria, sending him an alluring look.
"Quite definitely my beloved," Oberyn smirked, his daughters rolling their eyes at their parent's actions with only sweet Tyene smiling at it.
He could only shake his head at his daughter's reactions, truly they didn't understand the passions of the flesh. Though anyone seeking to teach them would have to be prepared to face him.
Perhaps there's a bit of hope they're up to the task.
…
(Erlend Mudd, Firmridge)
"Prince Oberyn. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," said Erlend.
"When the most powerful man in Westeros requests your presence, it's difficult to say no," said Oberyn.
Horton, joined by Yohn, had greeted the Stormlands and Dornish entourages when they arrived and guided them toward their assigned chambers. Erlend had sent servants to invite the Red Viper and his family to this solar.
"Perhaps, I assume Prince Doran was unable to make it here due to health concerns?"
"It's unfortunate, but the gout has not had the best effects on his well-being."
"I would be happy to lend some of my healers to see if they can do anything in regards to it." Earning a raised eyebrow from the Prince. "They're some of the best I assure you, nearly all have dedicated their lives to the art of healing." He assured Oberyn.
"Better than the Maesters?" Oberyn questioned.
"Unless you try, you'll never know."
Wanting to change the topic for now, Oberyn introduced his family. "My daughters. Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene." Left unsaid was that they were all bastards.
Not that he cared, the stigma of being a bastard carried little weight in Essos. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if a not-so-small portion of his ancestors had been bastards, survival tended to be more important than holding a proper marriage ceremony.
Taking a proper look at the future sand snakes, he could see the difference between them. Obara the eldest was somewhat big-boned, she had rat-brown hair and close-set eyes. Her sister Nymeria unlike her had pale white skin though he figured she'd gain a natural tan as she grew older, her straight black hair and dark eyes did showcase some of her Dornish heritage. Their younger sister was a heavy contrast to the two of them, fair of skin, golden hair, and deep blue eyes, Erlend would have easily mistaken her for being of Andal heritage.
It wasn't just in looks, their characters also set them apart from each other. Obara had a confident aura about her, her stern gaze and annoyed expression told much about her temperament. Nymeria could be said to be more graceful, and more lady-like compared to Obara, but the challenging gaze she held told a different story. Tyene looked to be the most innocent of the three, her dimples and near pious aura made her seem almost harmless.
Perhaps she was for now, but Erlend doubted if that would last.
"...and last but certainly not least my paramour Ellaria Sand." Oberyn continued.
He, like most of Westeros, had heard of the famed paramour of the Red Viper. The bastard daughter of Lord Uller was quite attractive, with black hair and dark eyes, she was like an older Nymeria, though more seductive rather than cute. Her skin tone was olived skinned rather than pale white, Erlend would've believed her to be Nymeria's mother if she said so.
It was amusing to him how Oberyn seemed intent on riling him, instead of the expected reactions most Lords would've had at being presented with so many bastards, he acknowledged them with a respectful nod.
There was some disappointment in the Prince's face at the lack of reaction, though Erlend could tell he had earned some points with his reaction.
"If I may ask Lord Erlend, what is the point of inviting us to your solar?" Obersyn spoke, wanting to get to the point. "I doubt it was to exchange pleasantries or discuss my brother's health."
"Ah… It wasn't me who invited you here though," Erlend said with a smirk.
That seemed to irritate the other party, not understanding what he meant, but before any of them could respond, the solar's door opened to let in two individuals.
Oberyn for his part ignored the new entrants. "I was unaware that you liked to play games, Lord Mudd." Oberyn snarked.
"Why don't you turn around then," Eerlend responded with a cheeky smile.
"If it's not a sensual woman, then I don't particularly care to," said Oberyn, rolling his eyes.
"Oh… I see you're still thinking with your lower head little brother." was the stern yet gentle voice of the newest entry.
Erlend watched with amusement as the infamous Prince of Dorne slowly turned to face the newcomers, his eyes beginning to tear up in shock at the sight before him.
There Elia stood with a curious little Rhaenys staring at the solar inquisitively, there was some recognition in her eyes as she laid upon Oberyn and his family.
Preferring to focus on his lover and daughter than the weeping man, Erlend let out a soft smile at the scene.
Oberyn wasn't the only one still shocked by Elia and Rhaenys entry, the Sand Snakes and their adoptive mother stood stiff at the sight that greeted them, if their jaws dropped any lower, it would've hit the ground.
"Elia… Rhaenys?" his voice was hoarse, not believing his eyes.
"Little brother." was the only words he'd get from Elia as she rushed to hug the still form of brother.
Rhaenys seemed to have other ideas, now that she wasn't holding her mother's hand, "Papa!" she squealed, as she barreled toward him.
"Papa!" was the joint response of the Viper's clan as they stared incredulously at Rhaenys actions.
Erlend for his part ignored the Dornish party, as he cooed at the adorable sight his daughter made.
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Note: So this is the more human side of Erlend, he does have weaknesses and they are his connection to his loved ones, and they are a large reason why he's averse to showing off his magic. His dragons on the other hand…
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