Capítulo 2237: 31
Chapter Text
The Lord of Winterfell
"Father," Robb called out as he walked into the solar. He was dressed in a heavy cloak and his cheeks were slightly red from the cold. He had just come back inside from his search
"Did you find anything?" Ned asked hopefully but Robb just shook his head and Ned just let out a long drawn out sigh in frustration .
The searches had proven fruitless. They had searched for leagues to the North, east and west but they could not find a trace of either Arya or Bran. He had led searches to the North and east whilst Robb covered the Wolfswood with his direwolf, yet they could not find them.
Ned did not know what to do. He had debated if he should tell his bannermen that two of his children were missing, but he did not want to look like he could not control and protect his own household, let alone the North. Telling them that his children were missing would only serve to encourage those Lords that were looking to betray him by reaffirming their suspicions that he was weak.
He still had yet to make any progress on that front either. He still had his suspicions, with Lord Karstark and Lord Bolton near the top of his list, but as of yet, he had no solid proof. Lord Bolton's plan to bring more men to Winterfell was already well underway. Ned had been very careful to make sure that none of them entered the castle. He had hand-picked all of the sentries that stood guard at the entrances to the castle and he made sure they were all given explicit instructions to not let anyone unfamiliar within the walls.
To make matters worse, he still had not found those men who had betrayed him on the banks to the Green Fork. They were the key to this mystery and without them, Ned would not be able to prove his innocence.
It had been a frustrating few days for Ned Stark.
Robert Baratheon was now dead, slain by Jon somewhere in the Riverlands. Ned knew that this day would come and surprisingly, he found that it affected him less than he had thought. Robert had been his friend but Jon was his sister 's son, he was a child that he had known his entire life. A child he had sworn to protect and raised himself.
Ned sighed, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He knew that he was in this situation because he did not do what was right and support Jon in the first place at the council. This mess was almost of his own making.
Perhaps, Jon had not yet heard of what had happened to his father, Rhaegar. Perhaps, that was why he had not flown North. Although, as Ned thought about it more, he quickly realised how foolish that notion was.
Jon would have definitely have heard about what happened on the Green Fork , it would be foolish to think otherwise. Jon must be busy with something else, that must be the only reason that he did not come North. As to what that task could be, Ned did not know.
He had considered sending a raven south to Dragonstone explaining his side of the story, but he realised how utterly pathetic it would have sounded. He could not provide Jon with any proof that he did not order these attacks. The letter would achieve nothing.
Ned shook his head and returned his thoughts to the North. He needed to figure this out. Then once he had his own affairs in order, he could focus on Jon.
Lord Bolton was one of his most powerful bannermen and House Bolton was one of the most powerful houses in the North. Their houses had been enemies thousands of years ago but House Bolton had been loyal for centuries . Ned sat in his solar and he did his best to recall all of Lord Bolton's actions ever since he announced his plans to go S outh to meet with Jon at the council.
Roose Bolton had not acted suspiciously or done anything that would cause him to think that he was the traitor. He had ridden south with him to the council and observed the argument he had with Jon, but so did everyone else , that alone did not make Roose the traitor. Then when they rode South again to bend the knee, Roose had kept to himself near the rear of the march. Far away from the Starks and their men, which made Ned think it was unlikely that Roose had managed to steal Stark clothing to dress his men as Stark soldiers .
Then his thoughts turned to Lord Karstark. He had been very loud and vocal in his disappointment of him and he had already voiced his displeasure at Ned's decision to bend the knee. However, the Karstarks had always been loyal to the Starks and Lord Karstark was far too loud and outspoken to ever pull off something like this. He was a northerner through and through and he was not afraid of letting his displeasure be known, as he had demonstrated the other day in the great hall.
Ned sighed and sunk lower in his chair. He needed some help to figure this out yet he was unsure of who he could trust. This was the type of nonsense that he had to put up with in Kings Landing when he was searching for Jon Arryn's killer. Except only then he had help, he was on his own here.
He heard a knock on the door and he quickly called for the person to enter, it was Maester Luwin.
"Maester Luwin," Ned said in a tired voice.
"My Lord, we have received a raven from Torrhen's Square. There are Iron Born raiders attacking along the coast of the Stoney Shore," he said in a grave voice and Ned sighed. Ever since they had returned Theon to his father, he had feared something like this would happen. Balon was probably still bitter about his defeat in his rebellion all those years ago. This had been Robert's idea and he had gone along with it like a fool, now it had come back to bite him.
"How many?"
"We cannot say for certain, perhaps a few hundred,"
Ned was silent for a few moments. Ironborn raiders was the last thing that he needed right now, he had enough trouble internally with his own bannermen.
Then Ned realised that this was an opportunity, crushing the Iron Born would show the Lords that he was still an effective leader and restore some confidence in him. It would also give him a chance to observe his Lords in the field. Ned allowed a small feeling of optimism to grow, he realised that this could be the opportunity that he was waiting for.
"Have the Lords meet me in the Great hall," Ned said. "We will be riding out to defend our lands, I want to leave tonight,"
The Dragon's Hand
Tyrion Lannister was in shock. He had seen many things in his life, he seen the Black Wall in Volantis charred by dragonflame , he had seen dragons and direwolves, but seeing his brother strangle his sister and former lover to death was the most shocking one of them all.
Tyrion had no idea that Jaime was capable of such an act. He and Cersei had argued in the past but to do this….Tyrion would not have believed it if he didn't see it with his own eyes.
It was later in the same day and Tyrion had still not recovered. In the space of only a few short hours, two of his closest family members had been killed. They still had not recovered his father's body, which had been lost to the waves and rocks, however, Cersei's corpse was right in front of him.
She was still beautiful, even in death. The light from the window came down at the perfect angle to accentuate the features of her face. Her long golden hair had been combed and brushed. Her face was relaxed. She had been dressed in a dark green dress with a high collar that covered the ugly purple bruises on her neck.
Those last few moments had gone by so quickly, one moment she had been standing there, insulting Jaime about her relationship with Robert, the next she had been on the floor, having the life choked out of her.
Tyrion was sure that she had been lying, she had to be. His sister was a vile manipulative bitch and lying was something she loved to do. However, this lie had clearly been too much for Jaime to handle .
He looked at him now, standing alone in a dark corner of the room, staring at her body. He had barely spoken since.
"Jaime," he said quietly as he walked over to him. "Jaime, look at me,"
His brother finally tore his green eyes away from his sister 's body to look at him.
"I've killed her, Tyrion," he said quietly, his voice breaking with pain. "I've killed their mother, they'll never forgive me,"
Tyrion was quiet for a moment before he shook his head.
"We don't have to tell them," Tyrion said after a moment and Jaime just looked at him as if he was crazy.
"We have to tell them. She was their mother. We can't hide it Tyrion. We have to tell them,"
"We don't have to tell them what happened today, we can tell them that she fell ill," Tyrion said quickly but Jaime just frowned again.
"Fell ill, Tyrion? They saw her yesterday, they won't believe that she had fallen ill and died all in one day. I have to tell them the truth," he urged.
"What will you tell them Jaime? That their father killed their mother? How will they live with that?"
Jaime shot him an anguished look as he hung his head.
"I still haven't told them that," he said quietly. "I'm not sure they will believe me now,"
Tyrion was quiet before he spoke again. "Jaime, they will believe you if you tell them. They're your children. But you can't tell them about what happened today, they don't need to know about this. Nothing good will come off it,"
Jaime continued to look at him before he nodded slowly in acceptance. "I will tell them in the morning. I'll let them have the night,"
"I agree. Then after that, I will have to take my leave," Tyrion added.
"You're leaving? Now?" Jaime asked in disbelief "Right after we lose father and our sister?"
Tyrion nodded. "Yes. I have to get to Kings Landing, I am their Hand and they need me in these times,"
"Tell them you have a family emergency. That is the truth and they will respect that,"
"Jaime, can I be honest with you ? " Tyrion said quietly and his brother nodded. "All of my life, I have wanted nothing more than to prove to my father than I am a Lannister and I am worthy of being his heir and hold this castle in his name,"
"It's not what you thought it would be?" Jaime asked,
"No, it's not," Tyrion agreed quietly "Father is dead. Cersei is dead and this castle is upsetting to say the least, I have no good memories of this castle, only years of ridicule and torment. I don't want this castle. I've come to realise that my place is elsewhere,"
The room fell silent for a few minutes before Jaime spoke again,
"I suppose I can't stop you. It will just be me, Tommen and Myrcella,"
"And Aunt Genna," Tyrion added and Jaime nodded. "She will help you,"
Again, the conversation fell silent and Tyrion took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Jaime, I am sorry, I know that I had difficult relationships with our father and sister, but I know that your relationships were different. I don't want you to blame me for their deaths,"
Jaime gave a dark laugh.
"I don't blame you, Tyrion. Your lie caused our father to kill himself, but I killed our sister with my own hands. I can't blame you, I'm just as guilty,"
Tyrion let out a relieved breath, he could not have Jaime hating him. It would not have been worth it if he lost his brother, the only family member that treated him as such.
Instead, he turned again to Cersei's body.
"I won't stay for the burial," Tyrion said "She didn't go to mine,"
Jaime nodded but didn't comment, he just turned to look at her body again. Tyrion realised that the conversation was at an end. He took one last look at Cersei lying on the table, before leaving the room, and Casterly Rock for the final time.
The Dragon King
Rhaegar still had not woken up. It had been several weeks now. However, Jon was sure that he was getting better. His wounds were healing well and the Maesters were pleased with his progress, and his breathing was normal, as if he was sleeping peaceful.
Last night, he had started to read through the books that they had taken from Valyria to see if he could find anything that would help them. He was looking for any sort of remedy that the Valyrians may have used but he had not found anything yet. However, he refused to give up hope, he would find a solution, and his father would live.
He refused to even think of the alternative.
They had also started to notice that Caraxes, usually the mellowest of the dragons, was more aggressive than usual. All the dragons tended to follow the commands of their riders, but with Rhaegar unwell, no one was able to control his dragon, all they could do was hope that Caraxes would follow his siblings in battle.
Jon stood in their dressing room in Dragonstone as he got dressed for the day ahead. Dany was on the other side of the room whilst Daeron did his best to slow down her progress. He had his own dressing room, but he liked dressing together as a family to start the day.
They would be flying out to Kings Landing on the back of their dragons to meet with Illyrio's son. Jon did not have high hopes for this meeting, but they had to attend regardless. They had to give him a chance to surrender peacefully.
Jon had wanted to leave earlier in the morning, but his wife had been particularly distracting that morning. After they made love that morning, they had their family breakfast with Daeron before heading back upstairs to dress.
He would be wearing his full armor today. The Valyrian steel had been cleaned and polished and the jewels in the chestplate would shine brightly in the sun. He crouched down to lace his boots before he stood and looked over at his wife.
She had on a long grey dress over her black riding leathers. She was currently adding the finishing touches to her single silver braid.
"What is Daeron doing?" Jon asked as he spied his son standing next to her.
"Making a mess," Dany casually replied as she continued to dress.
"Why?"
"Well Jon, he's growing and he has just discovered that if he stands on his tip toes, he can reach the things on my dressing table," Dany said as Daeron pulled her brush off the table and onto the floor.
"Should I stop him?" Jon asked but she just shrugged.
"This isn't so bad. The other day, he pulled all my dresses out of the wardrobe and onto the floor. I'll pick the stuff up after I'm ready. If I clean up now he'll just put them back on the floor again,"
Jon chuckled and then quickly crossed over to pick him up before he could do any more damage. He tickled Daeron and he was rewarded with a series of loud giggles. As he laughed, he was able to see all his of his teeth, he had four now, two on the top and two on the bottom. He brushed his silver hair away and gave him a gentle kiss.
"Soon, we'll have to start cutting his hair," he joked to Dany and she immediately turned around to give him a dark look.
"You are not cutting my boy's beautiful hair," she said in a warning tone which Jon laughed at.
"I know, I was only joking," he teased and she just shook her head at him. Daeron seemed to like his joke as well.
"Good, he will have beautiful silver hair like his mama," she said while putting the brush down. "Come on boys, I'm ready," she said as turned to face him "How do I look?"
Jon looked her up and down and he was stunned, he could not believe how lucky he was to have her love. Her lovely lilac eyes, shapely lips and a wonderful figure.
"Every day, you get more and more beautiful. You look amazing" Jon answered truthfully and she smiled.
"Thank you Jon," she said with a gracious smile. "What do you think Daeron? Does mama look nice?"
Jon looked at Daeron and nodded his head and to his surprise Daeron copied him. He bobbed his head a few times and Dany gushed. She quickly came over to give him another quick kiss and Jon wrapped his arms around her.
"Thank you so much sweetling," she cooed as she tickled him gently.
Jon was extremely grateful for moments like these, moments with his family.
The Mummer's Dragon
Aegon Targaryen woke up alone.
His bed in the King's chambers of the R ed K eep was a large one, large enough to fit 7 or 8 people yet for the past few nights it had felt like it was only him in that bed. His wife came to bed before him and woke up early in the morning to do whatever she did. On top of that, they barely spoke to each other during the day. She was always off doing her own thing.
Aegon found that he missed the warmth of his wife, the familiar smell of her hair and the feel of her tight body. As he laid there, he realised that he could not even remember the last time they had laid together.
Perhaps, he would have to use his husbandly rights.
Although, she had been saying that she had been feeling unwell lately, perhaps she was pregnant. That thought filled him with a strange sense of happiness, he had heard that his brother had a child with Daenerys. He wanted one of his own, a son and heir to his throne.
Still, he had more important things to worry about, his brother should be here any day now and he was eager to meet him and welcome him back to the fold.
He gently pushed the soft covers off him and climbed out of bed. He padded across the cold room and into his dressing room. A servant had left a jug of water and a few cups on a tray on a side table, but apart from that, he was completely alone.
He sighed and shook his head. He would dress and find Lord Connington who had been acting as his Hand. He had debating appointing his brother as Hand but he decided against it, Jon had been loyal to him his entire life, and the Hand of the King was the best position that he could offer him. His brother would have to make do with Dragonstone.
As he dressed, he thought about the fact that he would finally be meeting his father. Aegon had wondered what Rhaegar looked like, but soon he would find out. Varys had reported on a rumor that Rhaegar had been attacked and killed by Stark men but Aegon did not believe it.
If the rumor was true, his brother would have taken his dragons North and burned Winterfell to the ground. He would have killed those traitorous Starks, they had all betrayed House Targaryen once when they rebelled years ago and they did not deserve a second chance.
He finished dressing and then made his way out of the room and through the castle. He decided to head to the small hall where he usually had his breakfast, perhaps his wife would be there although his hopes weren't very high.
He entered the hall and was proven right, she wasn't here, although Connington was.
"Good morning your grace," he said immediately as he entered and Aegon smiled at his most loyal advisor.
"Morning Jon. I take it you haven't seen my wife?"
"No, your grace. I haven't seen Queen Arianne," he replied. Aegon just shrugged and went to fill his plate with bacon, sausages and warm bread. He sat opposite Jon and began to eat.
"How is the city? Have any Lords arrived?" Aegon asked. He was expecting Lords to come to Kings Landing to swear fealty to their new King.
"No, your grace. No Lords have arrived. The situation in the city is largely the same, nothing much has changed,"
"Oh," he said quietly. He was slightly concerned by this. They had been in the city for several weeks now and he had expected some Lords to arrive, certainly the local Lords of Rosby, Stokeworth or Duskendale were expected to make an appearance in his city. However, he was not too concerned, it was still early in his reign, there was plenty of time for such formalities.
"What about the other positions on my small council? Has the Citadel sent another Maester to replace Pycelle?" Aegon asked. Varys had been quick to point out that Pycelle was just a Lannister crone. It was he who persuaded his grandfather, Aerys, to open the city gates to let that dog Tywin Lannister into the city. He had heard that his brother and Aunt had smashed him in battle and scattered his forces. He was proud of his little brother, it was good that he was avenging their family.
"As of yet no. We have not received another Maester from the Citadel," Jon said quietly. "Although I have some good news, I have found someone to make the poison,"
"The poison?" Aegon asked and then he sighed as he remembered. "Jon. I am not sure about this poison plot. I will need to ride one of those dragons,"
"It is just a precaution, your grace," Connington insisted and Aegon sighed.
"Fine. What is his name?"
"Qyburn, your grace. He is a maester, or a former maester,"
"Former?" Aegon questioned.
"Yes, he was stripped of his chain for studying Necromancy and performing forbidden experiments," Connington told him as he frowned slightly. Aegon began to shake his head.
"No, that will absolutely not do. Find somebody else," Aegon insisted. He would not have his reign blighted by this. What was Jon thinking, hiring a man kicked out of the Citadel !
"Your grace. There is no one else," he began,
"Find someone else ," he commanded..
"There is no time. He could be hear any day now and Qyburn says that the poison would have taken weeks to prepare properly. If he hadn't already started,"
"He started?" Aegon interrupted again and Jon nodded.
"Tell him to stop and scrap it all," Aegon demanded and Connington slowly nodded.
"May I ask why?" he quietly asked.
"You said it yourself. This man was stripped of his chain for performing forbidden experiments. We can't trust him. He can be performing all manner of heinous things that will reflect badly on me and my reign. What will the Citadel say after we hire someone that they deemed unworthy?" Aegon said as he shook his head. "I am here to restore my family and their name. I will not be associated with the likes of him,"
Jon opened his mouth to speak but Aegon raised his hand up.
"Find someone else to make your poison. If you can't then don't make it at all. But I will not be associated with this man. This is final,"
Jon looked at him before he slowly nodded.
"At once your grace," he said as he stood up to leave. Aegon shook his head at him as he left. His reputation was very important, he was here to restore House Targaryen, he could not blemish it by working with these types of people .
He thought about his brother and Daenerys. They were allied with those Dothraki savages. He made a mental note to order them to send the horselords back to Essos. He would not have those savages on his lands.
He would also have to order the reconstruction of the dragon pit to house their dragons. The dragons were a sign of the strength of their house. He was thankful to his Aunt and brother for bringing them back, and he was looking forward to the day when the Dragons flew above Kings Landing.
Varys had also given him a detailed report on the events of the council. Apparently, his brother and aunt had already rallied several of the Lords of Westeros to their side. They already had the support of the Reach and other great houses in Westeros. This was good, as it meant that his job of uniting and leading Westeros would be easier.
He had learned from his Maester that the Reach was also the largest producer of food in Westeros, and they would help him to feed his people in Kings Landing.
He finished the rest of his breakfast alone before he headed off into his castle. He had several things that he needed to do. He would have to establish his Kingsguard . His grandfather, Aerys, had one of the mightest Kingsguards in the history of his house. He had legendary knights such as Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Gerold Hightower and of course his great uncle, Ser Lewyn Martell.
He would have to build his own Kingsguard and create his own legacy. Duck would have one spot if he wanted it. He had been his friend for years and he trusted him to guard his back and keep his secrets. If he did not want it, then he would find another position for him. A position on his small council and a castle for him.
Aegon's thoughts wandered to the other parts of his small council. Varys would retain his position as Master of Whispers. Connington would be his Hand. Oberyn would be his Master of War, his reputation as fierce warrior preceded him. Perhaps, his brother could be Master of Coin.
He was crossing over a bridge that overlooked the courtyard. It was a sunny day, although it was still rather chilly. He saw several men sparring. Prince Oberyn was teaching Duck how to fight with a spear. He watched them go at it for a few moments, Oberyn would knock him to the floor, before helping him up and telling him where he went wrong.
He continued to watch them for a few minutes until he saw a shadow pass overhead.
He quickly looked upwards and then he saw them again.
Two large dragons flying high overhead. The black one and the dark green one. They had grown tremendously since the last time that he had seen them in Volantis. The black dragon banked again as it flew over flea bottom whilst the green dragon flew high over the Great Sept of Baelor. Then, the dragons flew beyond the city gates in between the dragon gate and the old gate
Aegon was surprised by this, he had hoped they would make a quieter entrance. Still, he was a King and it was time to meet his subjects.
He headed back inside into his dressing room where he dressed, alone.
He decided to wear his armor and crown, he was a King after all and it was important he looked the part. Once he was dressed, he strapped his Valyrian steel blade to his waist and made his way down to the main courtyard.
The courtyard was bustling with activity as horses were brought up from the stable and saddled. This caught Aegon by surprise, he would have thought they would come into the city and the castle to talk.
"Prince Oberyn," he called as he saw the Dornishman entering the courtyard. "Why are they not entering the city?"
"They declined our invitation and said they would prefer to meet outside the city walls," he replied with a shrug. Aegon nodded and then climbed onto his light brown horse, ignoring the unsettling feeling that was starting to grow in his stomach.
To his surprise, he saw his wife enter the courtyard and climb onto her brown mare. He tried to make eye contact with her, but she seemed determined to avoid him. Was she angry with him? What had he done? He had barely spoken to her.
He shook his head, he would sort her out later. Now, he had a brother to meet.
He turned around and saw that Connington and the rest of their men had assembled and they were waiting on him. It looked like they would be bringing a party of 30 or so men. He nodded and then nudged his horse forward through the gates of the Red Keep.
They poured out into the city streets and made their way down Aegon's hill. The common folk were out again and they were all whispering to each other and pointing up at the sky. Aegon was no fool, he knew that they were talking about his brother and those dragons.
Some of them were smiling, others were laughing, whilst others were silent with looks of wonder on their faces.
Aegon frowned, his reception into the city had not been like this. Not at all.
His brother was upstaging him.
He tightened his grip on the reigns and increased the pace and soon, the whispers were drowned out by the sounds of the hooves on the cobbled streets. He led their party through the Dragon gate and out into the fields surrounding Kings Landing.
It was not too difficult to spot the dragons, they were both on the ground several miles to the North. He did not spot the third dragon, his dragon. Perhaps, it was nearby.
He nudged his horse forward again and it broke out into a gallop. The cool wind rushed through his silver locks and a smile formed on his face. It only took them a short while to close the distance across the green fields.
The black dragon raised its freakishly large head and hissed as he approached and he slowed his horse, it would not be wise to get too close, the horse might startle.
He stopped a very safe distance away and got off his horse, handing the reins to one of his men. He made the rest of the journey on foot. The dragons hissed again and Aegon saw small tendrils of smoke releasing from their nostrils. Would they burn him alive?
No, he was Aegon Targaryen, son of Elia Martell and Rhaegar Targaryen, descendent of Aegon the Conqueror, son of old Valyria. He would not burn.
He stood his ground against the dragons and they hissed again before eventually stepping away from each other, and then he saw them.
Daenerys was beautiful, there was no denying that. She possessed the classical Valyrian features of long silver hair and striking purple eyes. She looked like she had a good shape as well. Aegon felt a slight bit of jealousy, he was a Targaryen King, he deserved a Valyrian wife. His wife was a beautiful, but she did not look like that.
Then, his eyes turned to the other man and he frowned. He had ordinary, raven hair and grey eyes.
However, the rest of him was not ordinary.
He wore a suit of armor that was made from an unworldly metal. It smoked and shimmered in the sunlight as if it was bewitched by magic, first it was dark as coal, then it looked blood red. In the center of the metal, the sigil of their house had been engraved, the three headed dragon. Aegon watched enviously as the jewels in the dragon's eyes sparkled in the sunlight. He saw emeralds, rubies and sapphires, each gemstone as beautiful as the one it was next to.
Strapped to his waist was a sword with a jeweled handle and a dragon shaped pommel. He was dressed well, that much was for certain. Was that the blade he used to kill Robert Baratheon? Perhaps, it was.
Next to him was a large white animal, huge in fact. Probably the size of a horse. It also had unsettling blood red eyes. He shook his head and took a step forward.
"Aegon. Daenerys," he said in greeting. "Thank you for joining me in Kings Landing,"
They took a look at each other, seemingly communicating something with their eyes before they turned back to him.
"How did you take the city?" Daenerys asked and Aegon smiled, proud to show off his accomplishment.
"It was rather easy. The G oldcloaks were no match for the Golden Company,"
" So whilst I slayed Robert Baratheon and the Mountain, you defeated…..the Goldcloaks ?" His brother asked and he could hear his Northern accent.
"You killed the M ountain?" Oberyn asked and Aegon could hear the skepticism in his voice.
" Killed ?" Daenerys questioned. "He crushed the M ountain, smashed him like he was nothing," she said fiercely and Oberyn just snorted and shook his head
"I can only beat what its front of me," Aegon answered with a scowl. Then he took a deep breath, this was his younger brother, he had to be kind. "Nice armor , where did you get it?"
"Valyria," he replied with a cocky smile " Its Valyrian steel. Like the sword,"
Aegon nodded slowly and tried not to show his annoyance. Valyrian steel was rare enough, and here he was with a full set of armor ?
"Where is your father ? Where is P rince Rhaegar?" Connington asked as he stepped forward.
"Rhaegar is home on Dragonstone. I am sure you have heard the reports of his injuries," Daenerys said sadly.
"Yes, I heard the reports but I did not believe them. Why are you here instead of avenging our father?" Aegon demanded.
"Our investigation is ongoing," his brother began. "And until we find out who is truly responsible, we will not take any action. It would be unwise to act rashly ,"
"Who is truly responsible?" Oberyn asked. "Even I know that Lord Stark ordered the attack. I should thank him, he did the world a favor . Rhaegar Targaryen dishonored my sister and Dorne with his actions,"
Aegon shot him a dark look but his brother spoke up.
"Do not speak about my father that way. My father is a good man who regrets the consequences of his actions,"
"Still. Why have you not punished the Starks? You have dragons? Go and burn Winterfell to the ground for what they did," Aegon said.
"I do not believe Lord Stark ordered the attack. And I am not your subject. You do not command me,"
"I am your elder brother and your King," Aegon said simply.
"You are not my King," his brother said.
"And you are not part of our family," Daenerys added as she stepped forward. "You look the part, but you are no Targaryen,"
Aegon shook his head and began to laugh,
"What are you talking about ? I am Aegon the son of Elia Martell of Dorne and Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone ,"
"Aye but the whole world thinks you are dead because the Mountain smashed your head into a wall when you were a babe,"
"That's not true, my mother,"
"Swapped you with another baby and smuggled you out of the city," Daenerys interrupted and Aegon paused then he understood, the D warf must have told them.
"Still. Everyone knows of me but no one knows of you. You don't even look like a Targaryen," he sneered. His brother just smirked, closed his eyes and slowly changed the color of his hair. Aegon opened his mouth in shock and couldn't withhold a gasp as his eyes opened and suddenly they were purple.
"Better now?" he asked and Aegon did not know what to say. He was speechless. "I learnt this trick in Valyria," he said calmly as he closed his eyes and slowly turned his hair raven black once again.
"My brother stood up at the council and proclaimed to the entire realm that Jon is his son," Daenerys said. "He won't say the same for you,"
"Oh so who am I?" Aegon asked in a mocking tone.
"You are the son of Illyrio Mopatis. He was a magister in Pentos," Daenerys said calmly as her purple eyes glared at him. Aegon shook his head repeatedly and laughed.
"I am not Illyrio's son. That is nonsense,"
"Yes, you are. Illyrio even admitted it when we went to see him. That statue in his garden? He lies to everyone and says it is one of him, but his story does not make sense. It is really a statue of you,"
Aegon shook his head. He vaguely remembered the statue, it looked nothing like him.
"He told us something else. Your mother was a Blackfyre," Daenerys continued.
"That is a lie. The Blackfyres have been dead for years. Ever since Barristan the Bold slew Maelys the Monstrous on the Stepstones." Lord Jon interrupted.
"Only the male line. The female line lived on. Your mother was the last of them and she told Illyrio. She made him promise to sit you on the throne one day, and that is why he backs you,"
Aegon shook his head again. "Alright you've had your fun. Stop with the lies," he said firmly but they just looked at him, their faces expressionless.
"I am Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell. Rightful King of Westeros. I am no Blackfyre. I have the same blood as you, the blood of the dragon. I can even prove it," he said as he took a step forward towards the black dragon.
The dragon quickly raised its head and leered at him, opening its jaws wide. Aegon froze. He saw row after row of sharp black pointed jagged teeth. He saw broken and blackened bones in between the teeth, and deep down its throat, he saw molten magma flame.
"You are not part of our house and we will not be kneeling to you," she said.
"Then why are you here?" Aegon asked coldly, not liking the direction this conversation was heading
"We came to give you a choice. If you surrender now, we will allow you to return to Pentos where you may live in your father's manse for the rest of your days. You will abide by our laws and swear to renounce your claims and never to use the name Aegon Targaryen again," Jon said and Aegon scowled.
"Why would I do that?"
"If you don't. Then we will be take the city by force,"
"Our armies vastly outnumber yours. We have over 100,000 Westerosi men and over 50,000 Dothraki cavalry. We can send 20,000 men to each of the seven city gates and still have an extra 10,000 left over. Surrender is your only option," Daenerys added.
"You do not have that many men. You're bluffing," Aegon said as he shook his head. He was no fool, he knew they had more men, but there was no chance they had 5 times as much. None at all.
"We also have three dragons. Large ones at that," Jon said and this time both Dragons stretched their necks and looked down at them. Aegon realised that this was a problem, but then he looked towards Connington and gave him a small nod. He would have to find Qyburn again, he would deal with the Citadel after he had won.
"You also don't have the food to survive a siege," Daenerys added and Aegon fought hard to keep his face neutral. How did they know that? He must have had a spy in his ranks.
"What about Dorne?" he heard his wife ask "What do you require from us?"
He whipped around to glare at her but she had eyes only on Daenerys. Daenerys in turn looked at Jon and again they seemed to have a silent conversation. Aegon seethed. His wife barely spoke to him with words and yet these two could speak using their eyes
"As battle has yet to begin and the Dornish have yet to take up arms against us. We will require you to swear oaths of fealty to us as your King and Queen. We will require you to send a delegate to the capital to inform us of all of your affairs. Your financial records, your food stores and so on. We will offer you the same choice we offered those at the council, the chance to bend the knee and peacefully join us,"
"No," Oberyn said immediately "I will not abandon Elia's son. We reject your offer,"
"Uncle. We should let father know," Arianne said quickly and Aegon just looked at her in shock. Was she really considering this? Would his own wife really betray him like this?
"He gave me control of the Dornish armies," Oberyn began.
"And I am his heir and the Princess of Dorne. My opinion matters just as much as yours,"
"My men will not listen to you. The Dornish spears stay," Oberyn said coldly as he turned away from her. "Apologies, your grace. My niece, she forgets herself at times. Aegon nodded slowly but continued to glare at his wife, who once again did not meet his eyes.
Perhaps, she was a traitor. Was she already feeding them vital information in return for favorable terms? It certainly looked that way. It would certainly explain why she was acting so cold. He would have to ask Varys to spy on her. He needed to know.
Jon looked at him for a few moments before he slowly stepped forward.
"Look, I know what it is like to find out that your whole life has been a lie. I know it hurts, I was angry when I found out the truth about my parentage and I imagine you feel angry and frustrated. But don't do something foolish. If this goes to war, you don't stand a chance, do the right thing and spare these innocent people their lives,"
Aegon shook his head, how dare he disrespect him like this.
"I don't know what happened to you, brother. But I am exactly who I say I am. I am Aegon Targaryen son of Elia and I am the rightful King. You are a liar and a mad man. I will not give my city to you," Aegon spat and he saw them both frown.
"Then let us settle this the old way," Jon said. "You against me. No one else needs to die,"
Aegon looked at him slowly before he shook his head.
"No. I don't believe you. When I beat you, she will not let me live in peace," Aegon said as he pointed towards Daenerys. "If you want to fight me one on one, then I want my own dragon,"
"No. You don't get to choose a dragon," Daenerys said as she shook her head. "And even if you could, you would never get one from us,"
"Then you have your answer," Aegon said firmly.
"Very well," Jon said quietly and they both turned around and climbed onto their dragons. Once they were both sat in their saddles. Daenerys spoke to them,
"We have offered you the chance to surrender and to choose a peaceful option. You declined it. The next time we see you, we will show you the words of House Targaryen. We will serve you with fire and blood, " and with that, they took off. The thunderous sound of the dragon's wings were deafening and Aegon angrily stomped back to his horse.
"Connington. Do what you have to do," he ordered. "And when we return. I need to have words with my wife ,"
The Lord of Winterfell
"What do you think Robb?" Ned asked as they made their way towards the Stoney Shore. They had been travelling for the past few days and Ned could almost see their destination ahead of them. All that stood between them and the fishing village was a small forest of pine trees.
As he had hoped, the Northern Lords had immediately rallied behind him in this mission. He had managed to rally 2,000 men at such short notice, more than enough to take care of the Ironborn
"About the Ironborn?" his son asked,
"Aye,"
"I think that they have heard what happened to Prince Rhaegar, and they think we're weak. I think they're hoping that Jon will be happy that they are attacking us and he will reward them,"
Ned nodded. He had a similar thought.
"Father, what if someone told them?" Robb asked and Ned quickly turned to look at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Someone is obviously working against us to try and cause a conflict between you and Jon. What if that person told the Ironborn that we are weak?"
"So you think this is a trap?"
"I'm not sure father, it's just something I've been thinking of," Robb said,
"Do you think Theon is here?" Ned asked as he looked at him. He saw Robb's face harden.
"I hope for his sake that he isn't. He should have reached out to me for an alliance, not try to attack us when we are weak,"
Ned nodded and let the conversation drop. He had kept his distance from the Greyjoy boy, he always knew that the day might come where he would have to execute him on behalf of Robert's orders. However, he had allowed him to bond with Robb and form a friendship. He only hoped that their friendship did not cloud Robb's judgment today.
"What do you think Jon is doing?" Ned asked, wanting Robb's opinion. Robb was quiet for a second before he answered.
"He is still in the South, perhaps he is finishing the war in the South before he turns his attentions North. You should send a raven to him explaining our side of the story,"
"I don't trust ravens at the moment," Ned said as he thought back to Rhaegar's words. Someone had intercepted the raven that Jon had sent back to Winterfell. Until he found out who it was and who ordered them to do it, he would not trust important information to a raven.
"I still think we should take the chance. Jon needs to know our side of the story,"
"Aye and it would be better if we told him in person," Ned said.
"And how do you plan on doing that? You could sail to Dragonstone and leave me in charge of Winterfell and the North in your absence,"
"I can't leave the North Robb, you know how unhappy my bannermen are with me. They would think I am crazy if I went south to Dragonstone at this time,"
Robb was silent and they entered the forest.
"We should go the rest of the way on foot. They might hear the horses," Robb said and Ned nodded in agreement. He gave out orders to his men, and they all dismounted and tied the horses to nearby trees. Then they began to make their approach.
The ground crunched beneath his feet as they slowly moved forward into the tree line. Robb and his wolf was to his left whilst Jory Cassel and a few Stark men completed his own personal guard. Lord Karstark and Lord Bolton were to his right. He wanted to keep them close, to observe them during this battle. If there were any signs of their wavering loyalty, he wanted to be close to see them.
He could see the fishing village ahead at the end of the tree line. There was a thin layer of fog rolling in from the sea that stopped just short of the huts that the fishermen used. The village was not very big, only 30 huts or so. If Ned were to guess, the Ironborn were sleeping in those huts rather than on their ships. Each hut could hold about 5 or so people, which would mean that there would only be at most 200 or so Ironborn.
To the south of the village, he saw that they had put two huts to the torch. Ned frowned and turned his head in the other direction. He only hoped that the damage to the rest of the village was not as bad.
The Ironborn would have pulled their long ships onto the shore. He had given orders to the Glovers and the Talharts to flank around to make sure the Ironborn could not escape back to the sea. He wanted a clean victory today.
There were about twenty or small huts in the fishing village. He could see small plumes of smoke still trailing into the sky from campfires that they must have lit last night. The grey smoked mixed with the fog.
He continued to edge forward until he reached the edge of the tree line, then he raised a gloved hand, telling his men to stop. He saw his breath on the cool morning air in front of his face. He crouched behind a bush and waited. He saw one man leave a hut slightly in front of him to his left. He watched as the man walked behind his hut, unbutton his trousers, and go for a piss.
Ned looked to his left in Robb's direction and nodded. He drew his sword from his sheath and then he began to quickly walk forward. He looked to his right and saw Karstark and Bolton men also making their way forward.
They entered the fishing village and were only a 10 or so meters behind the man before he turned around and spotted them. Ned stared into the man's green eyes before the Ironborn man yelled at the top of his lungs.
"STARKS!"
Ned quickly moved forward to kill the man but before he could get there, Greywind was on him. Landing on his chest and ripping out his throat in seconds.
The man's screams woke the other Ironborn men because the doors to the fishing huts starting to open. Bleary eyed Ironborn men poked their heads out of the doors to look down onto the streets. Their eyes quickly widened in horror and soon the air was filled with panicked shouts as they all rushed for the weapons they had in the huts.
Ned however did not waste any time.
"GO! Protect the North!" he yelled to his men and received a thunderous answering roar.
He looked towards Robb and followed him up a flight of stairs and towards a hut. One man came barreling out of the hut towards them wielding an axe with one hand. The man yelled and then swung the axe wildly at Robb's head. Robb quickly ducked under the strike and Ned drove his son upwards into his stomach, gutting him.
He quickly yanked his sword out and threw him over the side of the railing and followed Robb up the stairs to the door. The door was hanging on by its hinges and Ned quickly pushed his way inside.
They entered the dimly lit living area, the only light came from a window to his right. His eyes were quickly drawn to the center of the room where he saw Robb dueling another Iron Islander. His sword was a blue as it moved through the air. Ned stepped through the door and forward to help him and then he heard a whistling sound coming from behind him.
His reflexes took over and he instinctively ducked the strike. He pivoted, turned around and blindly brought his sword upwards and he only narrowly missed his mark. His sword thudded into the wood behind his assailant who was winding up for another swipe with his double bladed axe
Ned pulled his sword back into a defensive stance and quickly raised it to block it. The sword and the axe were locked in place and Ned used his superior strength to push the man backwards until his back was pressed against the wall.
He used his sword to push the man's axe upwards until it was pressed against his throat. Ned stared into sea blue eyes and continued to push until blood poured out of the cut he had formed in his neck. The man started to shake and kick and Ned gave one final shove before letting him fall to the floor with a slit in his throat.
He heard a loud thud and he quickly spun his head around, ready to help Robb. He saw that his son had knocked his opponent into the table in the center of the room. Robb spun around and drove his sword through the man's throat. Killing him instantly.
He withdrew his blade and looked up at him before he jerked his head towards another door.
"I think there's more inside," he said and Ned nodded. Greywind took the lead and Robb followed closely behind. There were two bedrooms in the back of the hut.
"They must have climbed out of the back window," Robb said as they entered the first bed room and Ned nodded. The room was a mess, sheets had been thrown from the floor and Ned realised that they must have left in a hurry.
"Let's check the other room," Ned said as he led them away. He pushed open the door. The room was in a similar state as the first one however he saw a woman shivering naked and alone in the corner. She was naked and was crying frantically.
Ned's stomach fell and he feared what the Ironborn would have done to her. He heard of their ways and their concept of 'salt wives'. Ned hated the thought that his people had been subjected to such barbaric treatment.
He immediately crossed over and fell to his knees, wrapping his cloak around her naked form. She continued to sob and Ned whispered reassuring words into her ear.
"It's all right now, we are here to help you," he said as he gently rubbed her back.
"Are they gone?" she whispered after a few moments and Ned nodded.
"Aye. They're gone. I'm sorry,"
He continued to comfort her for a few moments before her sobs stopped. He stood up, but left his cloak around her.
"Robb, help her to find some clothes to dress in. I need to head outside to see what the rest of the men are doing," he said quietly and his son nodded. He gave the woman one last reassuring hug before he stepped out of the room.
He quickly left the hut and re-entered the street and he was pleased to see that the battle was nearly over. His men were dragging the last dead Ironborn out of the huts and into the streets. He spotted Jory Cassel and he quickly called him over.
"Jory!" he called and the man quickly walked over to him. "I need a report,"
"Of course, My Lord. We have gotten them all, we have around 50 captives, the rest of the Ironborn scum died to our swords,"
"How many did they have?"
"Not much, a hundred, maybe two," Lord Glover replied with a shrug.
Ned nodded.
"How many did we lose?"
"Not too many. Maybe 30," Lord Glover said and Ned paused as he saw Lord Bolton approach. Ned noticed that he did not have his sword drawn, nor did he have an ounce of sweat on him.
"Lord Bolton," Ned replied curtly.
"Lord Stark. I believe we have recorded a decisive victory today," he replied with a hint of a smile.
"Yes. It looks that way. How many men did you lose ? "
"None," he replied with a shrug. Ned frowned, how had he managed that ?
"What about the Karstarks? Do you know how many men Lord Karstark lost?"
"A handful, 10 I believe," Lord Bolton replied and Ned nodded. He turned away from the Lord of the Dreadfort and headed further into the village to organize the return to Winterfell. He would leave a small garrison of men to help protect the village should the Ironborn return.
He thought about Robb's words earlier. What if it really was a trap? A ruse to get him out of Winterfell? Lord Bolton had not lost any men and whilst this could be a coincidence, Ned was not sure that he could afford to believe in coincidences at the moment.
He turned around to look at the Lord of the Dreadfort and he saw his pale eyes watching him. Ned looked at him for a few moments before turning away again. It was Lord Bolton who had suggested bringing more men to Winterfell, and then he had used his own words against him.
Ned was certain of it now. He would have to arrest Lord Bolton.
However he would need to be smart about it , he could not do it here. Bolton already had his men outside Winterfell, perhaps he had given orders to his men to attack his family if he was to be arrested. They were several days ride away from Winterfell, should he arrest him now, then anyone of Bolton's men could slip away and send a message in advance.
He would have to wait until he returned to Winterfell. Invite Lord Bolton to his solar under some pretext and arrest him there. He needed to make sure Cat and his children were safe and out of harm 's way before he acted. If he arrested him now, then the bloodshed would be higher and he did not know which Lord would side with who. Doing it in the safety of his own castle was better, much better.
Ned straightened his back and called to his men, it was time to go home and put this conspiracy to bed.
The Mummer's Dragon
Aegon Targaryen stood out alone on his balcony in the Red Keep. From this position, he could see all the way out over his city and into the surrounding fields.
It was generally a calming view. However, now what he saw horrified him.
Lines upon lines of men were encircling his city. All the way from the Iron Gate in the North, to the King's gate in the South. A fleet of ships had come down to blockade the Blackwater, they would be no escape. His city was under siege.
He could see plumes of smoke trail up into the orange evening sky from the enemy forces encamped outside of his city. He did not see the dragons, they were far away from the city walls and his scorpions.
The council had called an emergency meeting earlier when the first Dothraki screamers was spotted on the horizon. The meeting had been short and to the point.
Riding out of those gates would be suicide, they were vastly outnumbered. Their only hope would be to hold out for a siege.
His wife had not been present at that meeting, she would be spending some time in the Maiden's vault for her insolence earlier. Aegon had wanted to throw her into a dungeon but Connington had said no, they needed the Dornish.
Oberyn had sent a raven to his brother asking for the rest of the Dornish spears but Aegon knew that they would never make it here in time. They did not have enough food to survive a siege. Connington estimated they had enough for three months, Varys said it was closer to one.
Aegon cursed that fool Robert Baratheon for allowing the city to end up like this but he knew that ultimately, it did not really matter.
The point of a siege was to starve a castle and its inhabitants out of food until they surrendered. He would not surrender. He was a Targaryen and he had the blood of the Dragon.
He thought about the vile lies they had told him earlier and he felt himself growing angrier and angrier. He clenched his goblet of wine in frustration and then flung it high into the sky, so far he did not see where it landed.
How dare they disrespect him by calling him a Blackfyre! He would show them just who he was.
He was Aegon Targaryen, blood of Aegon the Dragon. He was meant to be a Conqueror, the blood of Old Valyria and he would not be defeated. He would not meekly hand over his birthright and accept what scraps they offered him.
No.
He was Aegon Targaryen. Rightful King of Westeros, son of prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell . He was the blood of the dragon and the blood of O ld Valyria flowed through his veins. He had the blood of conquerors and sorcerers and dragon riders.
He would be victorious and show them he too, had the blood of the Dragon.
Notes:
The next chapter is called 'The Fall' I should be able to have that out for you in the next 10 days.
Let me know what you think of this one.
As always thanks for reading, comments are always appreciated.
Sleepy
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