บท 2234: 28
Notes:
Bit of housekeeping before we begin
1) My exams are finished so I'll have more time to write
2)The ending of this story has been outlined, we're looking at around 34-36 chapters here. So not too much left. There won't be White Walkers in this fic, I might return and cover it in a sequel.
Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story.
Chapter Text
The Dragon King
Jon was seated atop his grey horse as they slowly made their way North once again. It was a cold grey day and he could see a storm approaching from the North. They were in the Riverlands yet again after they had made their departure from Tumbletown a week ago. The Maester had inspected him and concluded that whilst his ribs were bruised and sore, they were not broken. At times, it hurt to lift his arms too high over his head and it hurt when he stretched sometimes but he was healing. He had taken part in some light exercises in the evenings and had started to train with his sword again. His armor had also been mended and looked no worse for wear.
They had united their Dothraki and Reach armies so now their host was over 100,000 strong. Robert Baratheon would not stand a chance wherever he was hiding. They were heading towards the Stoney Sept. The Tyrell host was further to the west and taking a different path towards Riverrun. His father should be with the Unsullied and the Vale Knights and circling around towards Riverrun from another direction.
Jon looked up at the sky, they had only just started their daily march but he was already thinking of stopping it. The weather was getting worse by the minute and the clouds looked heavy with rain. Perhaps, they should just halt and resume the march tomorrow when the conditions were better. Get everyone inside and in tents where they could be out of the rain and cold.
He sighed in frustration and looked up towards their dragons. Vedros gave a sad moan and Jon could tell that she too was not enjoying the weather.
Daenerys rode next to him at the head of the column . She was riding a silver horse that matched the color of her braid which she had tucked away . She wore a black cloak over her riding clothes and black gloves.
"There's a storm coming," Jon said as he looked up at the sky.
"I know. I don't like the look of it," she said as she gripped the reins of her horse. "We have to keep going though. We only just started," Jon nodded in agreement. The wind was starting to pick up and it was starting to bring light rain. Jon bundled his cloak tightly around himself and continued onwards. It was only a little rain, he grew up in the North, he had seen far worse weather.
Dany had returned to Dragonstone a few days prior. Apparently, Daeron had been a little unwell but when she arrived he was feeling much better and he was back to his lively self. Jon missed him dearly and he wanted to defeat Robert quickly so he could fly home to see him. Dany said that he had grown but he wanted to see him for himself. She had also said that he she had finally spotted the first tooth in his mouth. She had been slightly concerned that it was taking him so long but the maesters had told her that some babes took longer than others.
Jon saw a flash of lightning in front of them followed by a loud booming clap of thunder. He took one more look at the dark clouds in front of them and he decided that enough was enough.
"Dany, we need to stop. We're marching straight into a storm and won't be making much progress. The fields will turn to mud and our horses and men will become bogged down and miserable. Our Dothraki are a cavalry force and if they can't ride, then we lose some of our advantage,"
"I agree, the Dragons will struggle to fly through it as well," Dany said as she looked up in the sky. The dragons had turned and wheeled away from the inclement weather. Jon looked around the empty fields for a good place to stop.
"There over by those hills," he said as he pointed in the not too far distance. "The hills should provide us with at least some shelter from the wind,"
"That sounds like a good idea, should we send out scouts and outriders?" she asked and Jon paused.
"No. I doubt Robert Baratheon is foolish enough to march in these conditions and our Dragons will warn us of any approaching danger," Jon replied and she nodded.
"Very well. I'll start giving the orders while you lead us to camp," she said and Jon nodded. She pulled her hood up over her head and turned away to send the message to the rest of the Dothraki. Jon sighed and then guided his horse towards their destination, he only hoped that this storm would pass quickly so they could return to their march.
The Silver Prince
Rhaegar Targaryen stood on the battlements of Castle Darry. He had flown back to the castle after the battle in the Reach was over in order to meet with the Unsullied and Vale army. They had gone ahead of him as planned and Rhaegar would be flying out to meet them today.
The remaining men at Castle Darry had been happy to hear of Tywin Lannisters defeat in the Reach and they had persuaded him to send ravens out to all of the other Lords in the realm informing them of this victory . Rhaegar realised that this was a good idea as it could lower the morale of those still trying to fight against them.
Flying Caraxes into battle had been an exhilarating experience. His dragon had flown perfectly and they had worked together instinctively . Rhaegar realised that he had underestimated the strength of the bond between the Dragon and rider. As he closed his eyes and focused, he could almost feel Caraxes as he flew through the cloudy skies.
Defeating the Lannisters had been personal to him, especially after what Tywin Lannister did to Elia. He may have married her out of duty, but he still cared for her and their children. Rhaegar knew that justice had finally been served for Elia and her children. He only wished they would have found his body to confirm it. Perhaps, now that the man who ordered the murder of Elia had been killed, the Dornish would be more receptive to peacefully join with them. He would have to bring this up the next time he saw Jon and Dany.
Rhaegar wondered if they had found Robert Baratheon as of yet. He was still somewhere in the Riverlands but they were not sure where. The last reports had said that he and his army were near Pinkmaiden camped near the Red fork but they were not sure in which direction he would be heading. One thing was for certain, he was not in the Riverlands meeting Tywin Lannister. Therefore, it was most likely that he was foraging for food.
They would not have found him yet. Rhaegar knew that Caraxes would take him to the battle if they had.
He also had to meet Lord Frey. The riverlord was still demanding a meeting with Jon and Daenerys but he would have to make do with him. Rhaegar planned to fly there today. Lord Frey had promised to support them at the council and he would leave the Twins with his troops. Lord Frey was probably delaying his troops to try and leverage something out of him but Rhaegar would not put up with his games today.
Rhaegar looked up at the sky and then decided that it was time to get going, he had to meet up with their armies soon. He made his way through the quiet castle and then he entered the courtyard. The guards on duty saw him approaching and quickly opened the main gate so he could exit. He left the castle behind and continued into the neighboring fields.
He closed his eyes searching for Caraxes and he felt his dragon answer. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his dragon was circling lower and lower before he landed gently in front of him. H e ran his hands along his warm scales and then he climbed onto his back and sat in the saddle that they had crafted . Caraxes gave himself a running start before he took off into the cold air. Rhaegar immediately pulled his cloak tightly around himself and settled in for the ride. Thankfully, he had worn an extra layer under his boiled leather jerkin.
They were flying towards the west and Riverrun. Caraxes flew below the clouds and this meant that Rhaegar had a good view of the land that they were flying over.
They flew past the roaring waters of the Trident and then Caraxes took a turn towards the North which took them along the Green fork. Caraxes was taking him North to the Twins. The Green fork passed through fertile valleys and green woodlands. The dirt Kingsroad ran somewhere to its right and Rhaegar could see the Ironman's bay to his west. He hoped that he would not have to spend too much time in the Twins dealing with Lord Frey.
As they flew further North, the weather started to get colder and the wind was starting to feel like ice cold daggers cutting into his skin. Thankfully, Caraxes started to descend and Rhaegar could see that they were approaching their destination. The Twins were two identical stone castles with a bridge connecting them. This castle was the only place to cross the Green Fork for hundreds of miles and this gave the Freys a lot of power.
To travel between the North and the Rivererrun, you had to pass through the Twins. The Frey's were able to use this to charge a substantial toll for people to cross their bridge.
To his surprise, he saw Targaryen banners camped outside of the castle and as he flew lower, he saw that there Unsullied were outside of the castle. Caraxes gave a loud roar before he landed in between their camp and the castle.
He quickly climbed out of the saddle and landed on the grass. He saw Grey Worm and Ser Barristan approaching.
"Ser Barristan. Grey Worm. Why are you outside of the Twins and not in the Riverlands as we planned?" Rhaegar asked.
"My Prince. We received a raven from Lord Frey saying that the Northern army had come south and was camped on the border between the two regions," Ser Barristan answered and Rhaegar's eyes widened in surprise. Why would Lord Stark march south when they had agreed to show mercy on the Tullys? It did not make sense.
"Do we know why Lord Stark has marched south?" he asked curiously.
"No. When I heard that he had an entire army with him I assumed the worst and instructed our armies to march North to meet them. The Twins is a very defensible position and if the worst occurs, holding the castle will provide us with a key strategic advantage," Ser Barristan said and Rhaegar nodded. He was right.
If Lord Stark was riding south for war, then holding the Twins would prevent him from crossing the Green fork and uniting with Robert Baratheon who was in the Western part of the Riverlands, probably somewhere near Riverrun. The Twins was the only crossing point and Ser Barristan was right to try and fortify it. Rhaegar was surprised that he had gone against his orders, Ser Barristan was not usually like that.
"Thank you for taking the initiative, Ser Barristan," Rhaegar said after a moment.
"What should we do now?" the experienced knight asked, looking for direction once again. Rhaegar paused, Lord Stark marching south with his army had caught him completely by surprise. They had already offered to show mercy on his wife's family and Rhaegar could not imagine that he was foolish enough to fight against them.
Rhaegar realised that he needed to speak to Lord Stark properly and clear the air. He would have to speak with him about this war and about Jon and Lyanna. Rhaegar knew that he was a good man, he just had to get through to him. Rhaegar knew that this was the only way for them to move forward.
"We will go and speak to him. We will go under a peace banner. Send a runner to let him know I would like to talk," Rhaegar said and Ser Barristan nodded before he hurried away.
Rhaegar took one look up at the grey sky and then ran a hand through his silver hair. He felt nervous about this conversation, it needed to go well otherwise the war could take a turn for the worse.
The Dragon's Hand
Tyrion Lannister stood on the prow of the Queen Rhaella as the warship sailed in towards Casterly Rock itself. After Victarion Greyjoy had burned the Lannister fleet during the Greyjoy rebellion his father had never really rebuilt their fleet, always preferring to spend his time on other more worthwhile tasks. This worked out in their favor because there was no naval force to spot their attack.
Their plan was to use the morning fog to approach Casterly Rock whilst leaving Lannisport untouched. Jaime had guessed that their father would leave behind a healthy garrison to hold the city and they would not have the men to take it. Therefore their best plan was to take the castle itself quickly and use the castle's natural defenses to their advantage. Whilst they sailed into the small port of Casterly Rock itself, their sellswords would infiltrate the castle via the sewer systems and hopefully take them unaware.
Trickery and deception, Lann the Clever would have been proud.
Tyrion wondered whether his father would be in the castle. He hoped that he was, he would love to see his face as he walked in with an army at his back.
Having a clear plan reassured Tyrion. He and Jaime hung back on their war galley whilst Asha led her Ironborn in their longships for the initial wave of attacks. Jaime on the other hand was clearly restless as they waited. He had been pacing relentlessly on the deck, almost as if he was trying to burn a hole through the wooden floor of the ship.
He was doing this right now.
"Jaime relax," Tyrion said in his most reassuring voice. "I believe that the battle is going well and we have taken them unaware,"
"Tyrion. Father made this army. When has he ever been taken by surprise?" Jaime asked and Tyrion reluctantly nodded his head in agreement, their father always had a tendency to be a few steps ahead.
"At least, we get to see the children again," Tyrion said as he tried to change the subject and Jaime flashed him a dark look.
"What exactly do you think Cersei is telling them about us?" Jaime asked "Can't be anything good. Especially now that we're coming to kill them,"
Tyrion paused, he hadn't considered this but Jaime was right, Cersei had probably told the children horrible things about them and Tyrion knew how impressionable they were.
"Well, I'm sure that we can win them around again," Tyrion said hopefully and Jaime just rolled his eyes and continued to look out over the Sunset Sea. It had been years since he had seen Cersei and Tyrion found that a small part of him missed her.
He missed all the annoying things that he would do to her, like making snarky comments that took her a moment too long to understand. Or saying rude things that would amuse the children but annoy her. Although he did not miss all her plans to kill him, that was a welcome change. Still, he could understand why Jaime was more anxious about meeting Cersei again
"Will you tell them the truth?" Tyrion asked after a while and Jaime just looked at him with a blank face. "The children Jaime, will you tell them the truth about you and Cersei,"
Jaime looked at him before he continued to stare long and hard out over the waters.
"I don't know. It depends on how today goes," he said quietly and Tyrion decided to let the issue slide. Instead, he turned and looked towards the formidable fortress that was Casterly Rock. The deck began to get busier as the crew began to prepare the ship for docking. He nudged Jaime on the elbow and together they walked and got into the small row boat that would take them to shore.
Once they docked in the port they were immediately greeted by Asha Greyjoy.
"Come on Golden boy. We need you to direct us," she said as soon as Jaime's feet touched the land again.
"Did the battle go well?" Tyrion asked as he hurried along after them.
"Aye. They were all either drunk or half asleep, I couldn't tell the difference," she said with a shrug.
"Drunk?" Jaime asked in disbelief, something that Tyrion shared. He struggled to believe that his father would allow his men to be this unprepared. This could only mean that he was not home.
"He's not home then," Jaime said as he reached the same conclusion as him.
"Doesn't make much difference. We quickly swept through the port and pushed them back towards the castle itself. Hopefully, your tunnel plan has worked because we have nothing to break this place down with a siege," she said as they approached the main entrance, known as the Lion's mouth.
"What do you mean that we don't have anything for a siege?" Jaime asked as he looked at Asha.
"We need wood to make siege weapons, and there's no wood on the sea," she said with a wry smile. "If we don't get these gates open soon enough, we'll have to head back. We don't want them coming up from Lannisport,"
Tyrion nodded and then turned to look up at the castle gates, hoping that they would swing open.
"I don't see any guards," Tyrion commented.
"Aye," Asha said quietly "Hopefully, they hurry up,"
Tyrion waited for what felt like an eternity as he stared up at the smooth castle walls. They were tall and without any ladders, impossible to climb. Tyrion hoped they would not have to turn back, that would be admitting failure and Tyrion did not want to fail, not like this.
Then he heard shouting coming from on top of the castle walls.
"Jaime, what's happening?"
"They're fighting again," he said and Tyrion quickly realised that his brother was right. The fighting had begun again, then it quickly stopped.
"What's happening now?" Tyrion asked but before his brother could answer, the gates of the Lion's mouth slowly started to swing open.
"I take it we've won?" Tyrion asked nervously and then he saw Targaryen banners unfold and flow down the castle walls.
"Let's get inside quickly," Jaime said as he stepped forward and led them into the main courtyard. Once all their men were inside, the gate swung shut once again and a wooden bar was put a cross it to reinforce it.
"Nice castle. Better than Pyke," Asha said as she began to casually walk around to inspect the place. "Aren't you going to offer us a tour?"
"We will when we find out who's still in the castle," Jaime reminded her but Asha was already walking away.
"We need to find Cersei and the children," Jaime said quickly and Tyrion nodded in agreement. "Hopefully, whoever arrested them has treated them kindly,"
"There's Daario, he led the attack, he should know," Tyrion said as he pointed out the sellsword who was slowly walking towards them. His clothes were bloody and he seemed to have lost one of his weapons.
"Captain Naharis," Tyrion said once he reached them. "What happened in the battle?"
"Your little sewer trick worked. We ended up in a dark damp cellar and then we quickly swept through the castle. They did not see us coming,"
"What about our sister and her children?" Jaime asked.
"Cersei? We have her, couple of my men have her guarded in a cell,"
"Don't tell me that you put the children in a cell," Jaime asked in a threatening voice.
"No. The children are still in their rooms. Guarded of course," he said with a shrug. Then he turned to look at Asha who had returned. "Did the Lady Captain fight?" he asked with a smirk and Asha rolled her eyes.
"Of course I fought, unlike you my weapons aren't for decoration," she said as she showed him her axe.
"If you like, I can show you just how well I fight," Daario said with a cocky smile.
"No thanks, you're not my type,"
"Oh?"
"Yes," Asha said as she looked him up and down. "I prefer my men a little more….manly,"
"Daario, just take us to them," Tyrion interrupted. The sellsword scowled at them.
"Very well. This way," He led them through the castle and then down the stairs towards the dungeons. The castle was huge and it took them several minutes until they finally reached Cersei's cell.
"In here," Daario said as he pointed towards a cell that was guarded by one of his men.
"Step aside," Tyrion ordered and the man quickly obeyed. Jaime pushed open the door to the cell and there she was. His sister was huddled on the floor at the back of the cell with her knees tucked into her chest. Once the door opened she quickly looked up at them and scowled.
"I knew it was you," she said scornfully. "I knew you would come for me with that foreign whore,"
"Because you tried to kill me," Tyrion said defensively.
"You killed our mother," Cersei snapped at him and Tyrion felt himself getting angry.
"I did not kill her,"
"Cersei, he did not," Jaime said quietly.
"I can't believe you either. You betrayed me. You, Jaime, my twin, my everything. You have betrayed me ," she seethed but Jaime shook his head.
"Cersei, I've done horrible things in my past. I want to atone for them and this is the only way that I know how," Jaime said and Cersei laughed loudly and cruelly.
" We've done some horrible things and if you think that betraying your family will do a thing to help you then you truly are the dumbest Lannister,"
Jaime looked at her coldly after she said that.
"What even is your plan here?" Cersei asked. "To take father's castle and then what? Hand it over to the Targaryen whore and her bastard King? Father has 20,000 men in Lannisport. You won't have a chance of holding this castle," she said smugly.
"Well my sweet sister, you forget that King Aegon and Queen Daenerys have Dragons. 20,000 men do not stand a chance against their dragons," Tyrion pointed
"My Husband will kill the dragons," she sneered at Jamie and his brother had enough and left the room. "Then, he will kill your foreign whore and your bastard King,"
"He will not. We have scouted Kings Landing and we know where your defenses are, we will not fall for your tricks," Tyrion said. "Robert will die, not that you loved him anyway, and so will Joffrey. Not that I cared for that spiteful boy anyway," and with that, he quickly left the cell to follow his brother.
His brother had stormed away up the stairs somewhere and Tyrion was forced to follow his loud angry footsteps. He eventually caught up with him.
"How could she say those things ? How could she say that about Robert?" he asked and Tyrion could hear the pain in his voice.
"Jaime, she said it to hurt you,"
"You think I don't know that? He snapped "She's my twin sister, of course I know that," "Then you should know to ignore what she says. We're here to take the castle in the name of the King and Queen. We've completed the first part of that mission, now we just need to keep our heads and see the job through,"
Jaime looked at him before he slowly nodded.
"We can't keep her down there, the children would hate us," Jaime said and Tyrion knew that he was right.
"We will have her moved to her rooms and put under constant guard," Tyrion said and he nodded in agreement. "Come on, let's find the children and see how badly Cersei has damaged our reputation,"
Together they walked through the castle through the familiar hallways towards the children's rooms but before they arrived, they were found by Asha.
"I was counting all the people in the castle who surrendered to us and there was a woman claiming to be a Genna Lannister. She claims to be your aunt . Is that true?"
"Yes," Tyrion said immediately. Aunt Genna was his father's youngest and only sister and she was like a mother to him growing up. "I'll go see her and you go see the children," he said and Jaime nodded in agreement. He followed Asha through the hallways and it seemed like she was taking him back to the courtyard.
"So that was the former Queen Cersei?" Asha said as they walked.
"Yes, that's my sweet sister," Tyrion replied in a tired voice.
"She's not as pretty as Queen Daenerys….or as nice,"
"No, she's not and you haven't seen the worst of it,"
"It gets worse than that?"
"Much worse. You should see her when she thinks she's won," Tyrion said as he shuddered at the memory. They walked in silence for a few moments until Asha brought him to a small room near the main castle courtyard.
"She's in here. I'm off to find your rookery and maester to send a message back to Dragonstone informing them of our victory,"
"Please do, if my sister is right then we might have 20,000 of my father's men besieging us shortly, having the support of a dragon or two would greatly help us get out of that jam. The Rookery is in the Northern part of the castle, keep going down the hall and then up the second flight of stairs,"
"Thanks, hopefully I don't get lost in this huge castle of yours," she said as she walked off. Tyrion watched her leave before he entered the room and he saw his Aunt Genna sitting at the table.
"Tyrion," she said in an angry voice. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Aunt Genna, you don't understand," he started as he sat down but he was quickly interrupted.
"Your sister said that you were working with the Targaryens, but I would never have imagined this?"
"What happened Tyrion? What happened to our family?"
"My family tried to kill me!" Tyrion spat out, he was not entirely surprised that his father and sister failed to mention their plot. Aunt Genna looked much taken aback by this news.
"Who?"
"My father and sister," Tyrion spat. "When we were in Kings Landing they planned to orchestrate an 'accident' for me,"
"How do you know this?" she asked as she grew paler.
"I overheard their conversation. Then when I returned to Westeros both Jaime and my father confirmed it to me,"
"Tyrion, I know your father may not love you as much as his other children,"
"He doesn't love me at all,"
"But he would not try to kill you," she said but Tyrion shook his head.
"Go and ask Jaime if you don't believe me. He's right here in this very castle," Tyrion desperately repeated and Aunt Gemma looked nervous before she slowly nodded.
"Tyrion, tell me everything and please don't leave anything out. I have a feeling that Cersei and my brother may have missed some parts,"
Tyrion sighed and then launched into the full explanation, it took him the better part of an hour because Aunt Genna kept asking for more details but he finished and it seemed that she believed him.
"Tyrion, I am so sorry," she said. "I can't believe Tywin would do that,"
"He did something similar with Elia Martell and her children," he muttered darkly.
"Tywin has had a difficult history with House Targaryen," Genna said after a moment. "He was good friends with the Mad King growing up, they served together in the war of the Nine Penny kings. Then of course, as you know, he was his Hand. Their relationship soured towards the end and I don't think it ever recovered,"
"I know. The Mad King refused his proposal to marry Cersei to Rhaegar and father took it as an insult,"
"Yes. Then there was also the rumors that the King allowed to circulate about himself and your mother,"
"What rumors ?" Tyrion asked immediately as he leant forward in his chair.
"The Mad King made several rude and unsavory comments about your mother. He made it seem as if your mother was one of his mistresses,"
"Was she?" Tyrion asked stupidly and Aunt Genna looked as if she was going to slap him.
"Of course not. You know your father would never allow something like that to happen to him. He would sooner kill himself than suffer that shame and embarrassment,"
Tyrion was quiet after Aunt Genna spoke, he felt the beginnings of an idea forming in his head. He would have to do some research, but he could make it work. An evil and cruel smile began to creep on his face.
"Tyrion?" and he saw that Aunt Genna was looking at him curiously. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Tyrion said as he stood up and rose to his feet. "I will see that you are put into appropriate accommodation. I'm afraid that you'll have to be guarded but you won't be in a cell,"
"Tyrion," she called as soon as his hand reached the door. "What are you going to do about your father?
Tyrion paused for a moment before he gave her an innocent smile.
"I just want to have a little chat with him,"
The Griffin
They had left Storms End several weeks ago and had begun the long march along the Kings Road towards Kings Landing. The Spider had informed them that the Usurper was still somewhere in the Riverlands and this was good for them. They had slipped through the Kingswood undetected and now they were approaching the city of Kings Landing itself.
He had marched their army towards the King's gate, it was the only gate appropriate for the rightful returning King and now he waited. Their Targaryen banners were fluttering proudly in the wind and he could see the Red Keep looming tall on Aegon's high hill.
The King himself sat tall atop his war horse next to him, whilst their hostage, Renly was on his feet next to them. Jon had made sure that he was fed and looked well, he needed him. If using Renly failed, then they would be forced to use Varys and the network of secret tunnels that existed in the city.
The King was dressed well in his gleaming armor and he had his Valyrian steel blade tucked away by his side. He wore a Targaryen cloak over his shoulders and he looked every bit of the King that he truly was.
Prince Oberyn and Queen Arianne were also with them. Once the city was theirs, Oberyn would send word and the rest of the Dornish forces would march North to help secure the city. Jon did not think they would need them now, if the Spider was to be believed, it was only the city watch left protecting the city and they were only 2,000 or so strong. The men of the Golden Company would have no trouble taking the city if they needed to use force.
After spending far too long waiting outside of the city's gates, a group of riders finally left the city to speak with them. From the looks of his gold cloak , he was a man of the city watch. As he got closer, Jon could see that he was a stout man with a bald head.
"You are in the presence of King Aegon Targaryen, rightful Lord of Westeros and Protector of the realm," Jon announced as the man stopped.
"I am Ser Janos Slynt, Lord Commander of the City Watch," he announced. Slynt? Jon frowned, he had never heard of that house. It was probably some minor house in the Crownlands.
"I am here to take back my family's city and our throne," Aegon said as he nudged his horse forward.
"I have been entrusted by his grace, Robert Baratheon to hold the city until he returns," Janos answered and Jon noticed that he puffed out his chest with pride.
"We have his brother," Aegon said as he waved towards Lord Renly who was shoved forward. "State your name and titles," he commanded.
"I am Lord Renly Baratheon, Lord of Storms End, Master of Law and brother to King Robert Baratheon, first of his name,"
"The Usurper will never forgive you if you let his brother be harmed, open the city gates for me and order your Gold Cloaks to stand down," the King ordered. Janos looked at the King with his mud brown eyes and then he slowly shook his head.
"King Robert will kill me anyway if I hand over his city. You'll kill me as soon as you're finished with me. I won't do it," he said slightly petulantly.
"Are you refusing your rightful King, Slynt?" Aegon asked and Jon saw him puff out his chest.
"You are just a boy. A boy with no dragons, might I add," Slynt said scornfully and then Jon realised this method was going to prove fruitless.
"Lord Slynt," he said calmly. He had to change approach and get him to want to help them. "You are Lord Commander of the City Watch for King Robert, but that is all you will ever be. The dragons are coming for him and he will not survive,"
Jon knew that it would be best to trick him, to get him to believe that they had the dragons on their side.
"Once he is defeated, we will take this city anyway, and we will start our new dynasty. Perhaps, we will need a new commander of our city watch or perhaps, the current one will get to keep his job," Jon said as he let the words dangle in the air between them. He saw that he now had Slynt's full attention and as he expected, the man was interested. Now, it was time to sweeten the deal.
"Forgive me, but where is the keep of House Slynt?" Jon asked.
"We don't have a keep. We are only a new house from the Crownlands," he said quickly as his ears started to go slightly red around the edges. He was embarrassed, just as Jon expected.
"Join us today and we will improve your house's standings tenfold," Jon said, "We will make you the Lord of Storms End and all its lands and incomes will pass to your descendants when you die,"
As expected, Slynt's eyes lit up with greed.
"Storms End?" he whispered and Jon nodded. He would do no such thing, a man like Slynt was only loyal to his own pocket. He would soon betray them for the next man who offers him something better.
"The castle will be yours, all you have to do is open the city gates and have the City Watch stand down for us," Jon repeated and then he looked at the King, who nodded in agreement. Janos looked at them both before he held out his hand.
"I believe we have a deal," he said with a smile as Jon shook his slimy, sweaty hand. "Follow me,"
Janos turned his horse around and then led them back into the city towards the King's gate. Jon led the way with the King and their men following. He nervously looked up at the tall pale, curtain walls that encircled the capital as they loomed up ahead. The King's gate remained open and then they rode underneath the portcullis and then into the city itself.
They burst through the end of the tunnel and then finally, Jon Connington had returned to King's Landing. Slynt's Gold Cloaks lined the streets and they made sure the path was clear from any of the peasants who might try cause a scene and ruin their glorious return . Jon turned in his saddle to turn and look at his King who was looking at his city in amazement. Then, Jon turned to the crowd.
They were all staring back at him with blank faces and dull eyes. They were peasants, with old and ragged clothes. In their hands were their empty begging bowls. Jon frowned. Where were the richer upper class? Why weren't they smiling? They should be happy to see their rightful King, they should be rejoicing now that Rhaegar's son had finally returned home and freed them from the evil Usurper.
The crowd was silent as they made their procession through the cobbled city streets towards the Red Keep. The only noise came from the sound of the horses hooves on the stone streets. It was eerily quiet. No applause, no cheers. Just silence.
Jon did not know what to do, he didn't understand what had happened to these people. He decided to increase the pace again , the sooner they got to the Red Keep the better it would be . They quickly rode through the stinking fish market, past the River gate and then they began the long ascent up Aegon's high hill. House Baratheon flags fluttered at the top of the castle. Jon frowned, then smiled, soon those flags would be replaced by those belonging to House Targaryen.
The visage of the Red keep began to grow bigger and bigger and Jon could see its 7 huge towers poking out into the skyline. The massive stone curtain walls had nests and crenellations for their archers. The walls had great bronze gates and portcullises. It was a very defensible castle and with the huge scorpions already mounted on the city walls, it would be the perfect place to hold out against the dragons.
The gates to the castle slowly started to open as they approached and Jon saw that the Spider was waiting for them. He had hardly changed in all of those years.
"Lord Connington," he said sweetly as he arrived. "It is so good to see you again after many long years. Thank you for taking care of our King,"
Jon gave him a false smile, he needed to have words with him later. He still wanted to know why he would hide the truth about Rhaegar's survival for him. Varys seemed to sense his unease because he quickly turned towards the King.
"Your grace, I am Lord Varys, I served as the Master of Whispers under your grandfather and I am friends with Magister Illyrio," he said with a low deep bow.
"You are friends with Magister Illyrio?" The King said in surprise and Varys nodded. "He is a kind man and a loyal supporter to our house. Send for him, he shall have his reward,"
"I will send a message to him your grace," Varys said with another small bow.
"Lord Varys, you look well. Has the comfortable Kings Landing life been treating you well?"
"Comfortable? My life has been anything but comfortable as of late old friend," he said with a sweet smile. "Ever since the great council I have had to lie low as they say. Although, I'm sure you of all people know what that is like,"
Jon opened his mouth to speak but Varys had already turned away.
"Forgive me, your grace. I know you must be tired after your travels but there is something that I would like to do today before you retire to your chambers,"
"What is that?" the King asked curiously as he dismounted and stepped foot in his rightful castle.
"Your coronation, your grace. We can hold it here in the throne room, there is no need to go to the Great Sept of Baelor ," Varys said quickly and Jon agreed, there was something unsettling about that crowd. They were safe enough inside the walls of the Red Keep.
"Is it not tradition for me to be blessed by the High Septon?" he asked
"It is only a tradition your grace. I am sure we can do it at a later date," Connington urged.
"Very well. Lead the way, Lord Varys," the King ordered and Varys bowed again. He led them through the Red Keep. The King was amazed as he walked through his family's castle and Jon did his best to give him a brief tour. He pointed out the various gathering halls and the basic layout of the castle for him. He told him where to find important places such as the White Sword Tower, the Tower of the Hand and Maegor's holdfast.
He spent so long talking that he did not realise that they had approached the throne room. So much had changed since he had last been here. The candles burned low in their holders and they gave the room a slightly darker feel. Thankfully, Varys had the sense to take down the Baratheon banners, but the famous Dragon skulls were gone as well . The balconies overlooking the throne room were empty but that did not matter, the Iron Throne was still there.
The asymmetric monstrosity of spikes, barbs and twisted metal sat where it had always sat for the past 300 years. It looked as formidable and daunting as ever.
Jon watched as the King slowly walked up to the elevated throne and he slowly reached out one hand to touch it. He quickly pulled back.
"I cut myself," he said as he wiped the blood of his finger.
"Your grace," Prince Oberyn said. "My brother cannot be here but he entrusted me with something to give to you on this day," and he stepped forward pulling a chest. He opened the chest and he pulled out a crown. It was a long band of Valyrian steel encrusted with rubies. Jon gasped and looked towards Oberyn and Arianne. Oberyn looked proud, whilst Arianne looked shocked. Her dark eyes were wide and she started to shake her head as she looked at her uncle, this confused Jon.
"Your grace, this is the crown of King Daeron, it was lost in Dorne many years ago and it has been in my family's possession for years. This crown was once worn by Aegon the Dragon and my brother thought it would be fitting if you wore the crown in your reign. Aegon the Conqueror took Westeros 300 years ago and you King Aegon have taken it again,"
Jon's chest swelled with happiness as he stepped forward with the crown. His King sat down on the Iron Throne, wincing slightly, before he settled and looked up at Prince Oberyn. Jon quickly turned around and saw that the throne room was filled with their men, all lucky enough to see this monumental event. There were even several of the smallfolk here, this was good, as they could spread the good news. He quickly realised that Varys must have opened the gates and allowed some of them in, likely in exchange for some food.
He turned away from those worthless peasants and focused on the true spectacle.
"I now proclaim you Aegon of House Targaryen, the 6th of his name. Trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell of Dorne, the one true King of Westeros, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the realm,"
Oberyn stepped forward and placed the jeweled crown on the King's head and then stepped back.
"Long may he reign," he shouted as pride rushed through his body.
"Long may he reign," Jon answered as his chest threatened to burst with happiness. He had finally done it, he had seated his best friend's son on the throne. Years of ridicule and torment had now come to an end, he was successful.
A tear formed in his eye and slowly trickled down his face.
Now, he was finally worthy of his silver prince.
He looked up at his King sitting on his rightful throne. He had a wide smile on his face and his purple eyes were filled with happiness.
"Send a raven to Dragonstone," he called after a few moments. "It's time to tell my brother the good news,"
The Dragon King
Jon and Daenerys sat together in their tent and they listened to the rhythmic sound of the rain drops falling on their roof. He had taken his armor off and sat in a thin undershirt with Daenerys cuddled into his side on their bed. They sat sipping some hot tea as they waited for the storm to pass. The rain had intensified ever since they had set up camp and Jon was sure that they would not be moving again until the storm had passed. Ghost was curled up in the middle of the floor in front of them
"This has to be one of the worst storms that I've ever seen," Dany said as she took a small sip.
"Aye, although it's nothing like the snowstorms we get in Winterfell,"
"The first time I saw the snow was in the Vale a few weeks ago,"
"Really?"
"Yes, I spent most of my childhood in Essos and its much hotter there than here,"
"Well, you haven't seen true northern snow yet,"
"You'll have to show me sometime," she said quietly.
"What's the matter?" he asked, he could tell she was unsettled about something.
"I don't know, I just feel nervous about today. It doesn't feel right," Dany said as she turned around to face him.
Jon looked at her curiously.
"Did you dream about this?" he asked quietly and she shook her head.
"I didn't dream, it's just a feeling I've got,"
"Hmmm. Well, we should be safe here today, nothing will get through this storm. Daeron is back on Dragonstone and safe. We control the Blackwater and no ship will be able to approach the island. Father has Caraxes, everyone will be safe," he said reassuringly and she nodded slowly before settling back into his side. He was grateful for her warmth.
"Yes, I suppose you're right. Did I tell you that Daeron is teething?"
Jon smiled. "Yes, you did. He has his first tooth now,"
"He likes to chew on things more, the last time I saw him, he spent half the night chewing on my shoulder,"
"I can imagine," Jon said with a chuckle.
"He also sings,"
"He sings now?" Jon asked in surprise.
"Yes. I think he wants to sing the same song that Rhaegar sung for him but he can't pronounce the words so it all sounds like nonsense," she said as she started to laugh and Jon quickly joined in.
"I can imagine. When did this happen?"
"I had finished feeding him and I put him down for a few minutes and then he started to sing on the floor. He didn't even notice, he was just in his own little world playing with his rattle and singing," she said happily.
"Does he walk much?"
"Not much. He still mostly crawls but the maesters say it's fine and perfectly normal. He'll get better with time"
"That's good. I'll spend some more time with him when we return. We'll walk around the castle together,"
"Jon, he's not Ghost, you can't take him on walks," Dany said as she laughed lightly.
"I know that, but Lord Stark used to do that with his children," Jon said quietly as he recalled the memory. He had always found time in the evenings to do this for all his children. He was a good father to them, and to him as well.
Jon noticed that Ghost got up from the floor and he had started to edge towards the exit of their tent.
"Ghost, here boy," Jon said but his wolf didn't listen and this troubled Jon. The rain was still heavy and Jon was unable to hear what was going on outside. Then, the ground shook.
"The dragons," Dany whispered as she immediately sat up. "Something is wrong. We need to get dressed,"
With her help, Jon quickly donned his armor again, not caring about the slight pain in his ribs before he helped her with hers. Once they were both dressed again, they stomped outside into the mud and freezing rain. As he listened to his feet squelch in the mud, he quickly realised that he was right to stop the march, their horses would not be going very far in this terrain.
Once they were outside they saw that the storm had somehow gotten even worse. The wind was picking up speed and the rain was blowing heavily in his face, so much so that he had to use his hand to block it. He followed Dany as she walked towards the dragons who landed in the middle of their camp. As they got closer, Jon could begin to feel Vedros's unease.
"Khal! Khaleesi!" he heard a voice called and he turned to see that Aggo was quickly hurrying towards them. "We have spotted an army from the North,"
Jon froze, surely it could not be Robert Baratheon in these conditions. He would have to be mad to march in this.
"What army? Did you see their flags? Their banners?" Jon asked but Aggo did not seem to understand him, the wind was too loud
"Banners? Flags?" Jon repeated, louder this time. "Did you see any?"
"Not clearly, too much rain. They looked yellow," Aggo said and Jon nodded.
"Dany, it might be Robert," he said as he leaned closer to her ear
"Then we will have to fight him. Aggo can you ride?" she asked.
"We will do our best for Khal and Khaleesi," he said firmly but Jon shook his head.
"Dany, we can't ride towards him. The wind is blowing into our face and that will cause the rain to blind our men," Jon said and she quickly realised that he was right and nodded in agreement
"Then what should we do?"
"We stay on these hills and let them come to us. If he tries to charge his warhorses up the hill they'll get bogged down in the mud and we will have two dragons waiting for them at the top,"
"What about archers?" she asked.
"I'm not sure how useful they will be. Their bowstrings will be wet and they won't be able to see much due to the rain," Jon said in a frustrated voice.
"So you just want to sit here and wait?" she asked and Jon nodded.
"We wait until the storm dies down a little and then we can go on the offensive with our Dothraki and our dragons,"
" Fine Jon, I trust you," she said and then Jon turned to Aggo.
"Have all of our men form a protective ring around the dragons at the top of the hill. If they manage to charge up here, then the dragons will be able to scatter them using their flame," Jon said and Aggo nodded before running off to complete his order.
"Dany, I need you to stay on Anogar and control the Dragons. Your job is to scatter them when they get too close,"
"I will, be safe, remember that you are injured, Jon," she said as she gave him a quick wet kiss. Jon spotted a nearby horse and then jumped onto its back. He gripped the reins tightly and then slowly rode off to get the Dothraki into position. It was hard work and was not helped by the freezing rain that kept on tumbling down from the skies. He heard several loud claps of thunder and he wondered just how strong this storm was. Robert Baratheon must have sensed that this was his best chance, but surely this storm was too heavy even for him.
The storm continued to rage over their heads as Jon sat in position on top of his horse. He could barely see the enemy army at the foot of the hill, the rain was driving too hard in his face and it limited his vision greatly . He wrapped his cloak tightly around himself and tried to keep warm as he waited.
It felt like he was waiting for hours on top of that hill. He was beginning to wonder if Robert actually had any intentions of attacking or whether he was just trying to get them all to freeze to death in this cold rain. He was about to turn and speak to Dany when the first wave hit them.
He heard loud shouting coming from the hill and Jon realised that the rain was so intense that he had been unable to see their approach.
Several knights on black warhorses crested the hill and began to charge at their line. However, it was far too muddy and their horses could not pick up any real speed. Their charge lost all cohesion and momentum and their Dothraki was able to easily beat away this attack with arrows
Several horses and knights fell whilst the majority managed to escape. As the Usurper's army fell away down the hill and Jon was tempted to give the order to chase them however he decided against it. The storm was still too heavy.
Jon realised that he could not afford to leave his army in limbo like this so he issued some more orders. Some of his men would rest whilst the others would stand guard at the top of the hill until the next wave of attacks hit. Jon had no idea when the Usurper would attack next and so he could not afford to have his entire army standing around doing nothing and getting tired. He had to use his resources to the best of his ability.
Once his wave of orders have been carried out, Jon pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and began his watch again.
It was the middle of the night when the Usurper attacked again. Jon had been freezing in the saddle for hours at this point but he could not go inside. His hands were starting to go numb from the cold but he still remained in position. He was in-charge and he would have to stay. The Usurper sent more of his heavy horse up the hill but their Dothraki batted them away again with ease. Only a handful of Robert's horse made it to their line, the rest gave up halfway up the hill.
Perhaps, Robert was trying to catch them unaware, maybe he hoped that they were sleeping, either way Robert had failed. Jon watched as the enemy army retreated down the hill as the storm continued to rage.
It was the early hours of the morning when Jon felt the storm start to relent. He could see faint streaks of orange light struggling to break through the wall of grey clouds. The wind had died down and the rain was no longer as heavy. Still, Jon was freezing cold and very stiff after sitting in his saddle all night.
However, the rain dying down meant that they were at an advantage. Soon, the dragons could take to the sky and then they would be able to defeat Robert Baratheon once and for all . He turned in his saddle to see that Daenerys was still sat in her saddle atop Anogar, she had clearly also spent the night watching and waiting.
Then he turned back towards the hill and saw that Robert Baratheon had reached a similar conclusion. With the rains weakening, his window of attack was closing and it was now or never for him. He had sent his spearmen forward and unlike the heavy horse, they were able to make better progress up the muddy slopes.
Jon frowned, it was still too muddy to use the Dothraki but he had something better in mind.
"Fall back," Jon shouted to the Dothraki and they quickly obeyed. Then he turned around and rode back to Anogar and Vedros who were awaiting further up the hill. Due to the angle of the slope, Jon was sure that they would not be able to see the dragons, not until it was too late. He rode up to Vedros's left but remained in his saddle
"Riders get ready!" Jon shouted. He knew that with the weather turning, this would be the final attack. He wanted the Dothraki to be ready to help clean up the fight after the Dragons had their fun. Jon tensed in his saddle with one hand on Darkfyre and he felt Ghost to his left.
The spearmen slowly crested the hill and they were quickly followed by more knights. Jon had not expected this, he thought that Robert would abandon his cavalry charge due to the muddy ground but he was clearly mistaken.
The mounted knights were now picking up speed and they would be on them soon. Some horses floundered on the muddy slopes but the majority of the line stayed united.
That was until Anogar roared.
His roar was loud and carried far across the land and the Usurper's warhorses immediately panicked and fled in terror. Some threw their riders off in fear and others turned around and fled. The air was filled with the horse's panicked cries and Jon smiled at the chaos that they had caused. To his right he saw the spearmen approach and so did Dany. She turned her dragon towards them and burnt them all to a crisp.
"Dothraki! Charge!" Jon yelled and the Dothraki answered in unison. They began to charge down the muddy hill to chase down Robert's fragmented army and the thunderous sound of their hooves sounded loud in his ears. He saw Anogar pass overhead to fly past them and then release his black flame to burn the ground surrounding the hill. Jon saw Vedros do the same on the other side.
Jon understood what they were doing, they were sealing them off with their flame so that no one could escape. The Dothraki quickly overtook him, they were showing their riding prowess even in these poor conditions. Soon the air was filled with the sounds of men screaming and dying as the Dothraki easily cut through them.
Jon kept his eyes peeled, he needed to find and kill Robert Baratheon, it was imperative to ensure that the city would fall soon after. He reached the bottom of the hill and craned his neck from side to side, desperately hoping for a glimpse of him. Then, he saw Ghost bolt off to the right and Jon quickly followed.
He found Robert Baratheon battling 3 Dothraki and winning and he saw several dead Dothraki at Robert's feet. Jon cursed and quickly dismounted his horse.
"Robert Baratheon!" he yelled and Robert finished killing the man he was fighting before turning to face him. He was clad from head to toe in steel armor and he wore a cape with his house's sigil on his back. Robert saw him and yelled with rage before charging forward with his huge warhammer.
Jon quickly raised his sword before dodging under his first attack, a savage blow that tried to bash his head in with one clean strike. Jon heard the air whistling past his ears as he ducked. After he stepped under Robert's strike, he quickly turned and tried to drive his sword through the back of Robert's knee. Whether due to incredible speed or dumb luck, Robert's leg moved at the last moment.
Jon immediately lowered his stance and moved quickly on his feet. He had fought bigger men before, Khal Drogo and the Mountain, Robert Baratheon was just more of the same.
They danced together for a few minutes as Jon tried to get a feel for his range. Robert was wild and swung his warhammer with plenty of ferocity and Jon knew that he would have to be careful. Jon side stepped another wild swing before launching another strike of his own. He swung his sword hard and with all his strength into the side of Robert's armor and the Valyrian steel easily cut through the metal. Robert howled in pain and he swung his hammer blindly in his direction and this meant Jon was unable to follow up on the strike.
Robert faced him again and Jon went onto the offensive. He threw a feint towards Robert's unguarded head. Robert raised his hammer to block it but at the last moment, Jon brought his sword downwards and cut Robert's hand.
"Fuck. You bastard!" he yelled as blood poured out of the back of his mangled hand. Jon did not stop to listen to his petty insults as he lined up his next strike. He moved from side to side as he surveyed Robert, sizing him up like a piece of meat.
Robert's hand was bleeding profusely and this meant that he was unable to use both hands to wield his weapon. His ruined left hand hung limp to his side.
Jon decided to press his advantage. He threw numerous quick jabs at Robert, some at his face, others at his chest and legs. Robert was unable to block them all and soon Jon could see little rivers of red beginning to fall down his face from all the cuts. Jon spotted an opening and then he lunged forward, trying to slice through his neck. But he slipped slightly in the mud and his strike missed. He quickly stuck his sword into the ground to try to regain his balance but this meant that he was now completely exposed.
He saw Robert's fat face light up with glee as he brought his warhammer up over his head to try and crush Jon's skull. Jon began to throw himself out of the way but he knew that he would not get out in time.
Suddenly, Robert Baratheon was knocked to the floor and Ghost was on topping of him pinning him to the ground. Robert's arms failed from side to side as he tried to knock Ghost off him.
Jon realised this was his chance. He lunged forward, Ghost dove out of the way and then Jon drove his sword through Robert Baratheon's throat. Crimson blood spurted up high into the air and blood spilled out the corners of his mouth. Robert writhed and squirmed on the ground as Jon twisted his sword and dragged it down his body and through his steel armor.
Pools of blood poured out of his chest and Jon kept going, determined to enact some revenge for what he did to his father. Rage flowed through Jon's veins as he continued to gut Robert Baratheon and eventually he stilled.
Robert Baratheon laid motionless in the mud in front of him. His blue eyes were still and unmoving in his head. Blood pouring out of his ruined chest and throat. Jon looked at him and realised that the battle was won.
Vedros roared loudly overhead and let off a celebratory blast of bright green flame. Jon was breathing heavily and he looked around the battlefield. Everyone had seen Robert Baratheon fall and his forces were scattering like a rain of needles. Their Dothraki were already riding out to round them up, Jon hoped that they would get the majority of them.
He saw Rakharo striding towards him.
"Well fought, my Khal," he said in a deep voice.
"Thank you. Guard his body. We need to prove that he is dead," Jon said and Rakharo nodded. Then he felt the ground shake and he looked and saw that Anogar had landed next to him. Dany scrambled off his back and ran towards him.
"Did we do it?" she asked and then she looked over his shoulder to and she saw Robert lying there in the mud.
"We did my love," he said happily as she leapt into his arms and kissed him. They kissed and they held onto each other for a few moments as the wave of relief passed over them. The hard part was done and Robert Baratheon was dead. Now the people in Kings Landing had no reason to fight them and the city should fall with ease.
But first, there was something he had to do.
"Let's go home, I miss my boy," he said with a wide smile.
The Lord of Winterfell
Ned Stark sat atop his horse just North of the Twins and on the Northern banks of the Green fork. They had finally reached their border with the Riverlands and Ned decided to go no further. He still had not received word from Jon and his response to the terms and this concerned Ned.
Perhaps, something happened to the letter although Ned was not sure who would ever think to gain something from that. Ned was sure that Catelyn would have sent a rider south if Jon had sent a response, this could only mean that something went wrong and Jon never received a raven.
Regardless of that, Ned knew that the letter did not affect his goal, he had rode south to bend the knee and to make steps to repair their relationship.
To his surprise, Rhaegar Targaryen had come North to meet them. Ned had not expected this, he would have thought that he was with Jon fighting against Robert Baratheon. Rhaegar would be able to explain what happened to the letter at the very least. Ned had accepted his request for a talk under a peace banner and he was currently awaiting his arrival.
He sat atop his horse with Robb to his right and other Stark men behind them. Ned did not know all of these men personally, there were several that he had not seen before. He had decided to leave his bannermen slightly behind back at their camp. He had not seen them since the morning. The men that he had brought with him had all carried their weapons but no one wore real battle armor . They would be speaking under a peace banner after all.
Ned saw the cream and gold dragon flying overhead, he had not seen this one before but it was still as intimidating and awe inspiring as the others. Ned watched as the dragon flew and twirled overhead in the air. It was high enough not to be seen as a threat, but low enough to remind them all of his presence.
He was so engrossed with the Dragon's flight, that he did not notice the Targaryen banners approaching. Then he saw him.
Prince Rhaegar sat atop a white mare dressed in light armor , only a black Targaryen jerkin , still Ned could see his blade strapped to his waist. The jeweled handle still managing to sparkle brightly even on this cloudy day. He came with a small party of men, only 5 or so. Small compared to the 20 that Ned had brought.
Ned dismounted his horse and handed the reins to Robb. He walked towards Rhaegar and he too dismounted and handed over the reins to his horse. They stopped a few paces apart and Ned looked at his face. He really had not changed all that much over the years. His long silver hair fell just to the top of his shoulders, his dark purple eyes were as distinctive as ever. He was looking at him cautiously.
"Lord Stark," he said in a calm, polite voice.
"Prince Rhaegar," Ned replied, his voice also formal.
Rhaegar paused for a moment, it looked like he was considering something. Then he offered out his hand.
"Rhaegar," he said cautiously and Ned looked at his hand for a brief moment before he reached out to shake it.
"Ned," he said as they firmly shook hands. This filled Ned with a small wave of confidence. Confidence that their relationship could be improved.
"Ned. Why have you marched your army south?" Rhaegar asked.
"I marched south to bend the knee to Jon. He is the rightful King and I want to swear fealty to him," he said firmly and Rhaegar nodded slowly.
"That's good to hear, but why the change of heart?" he asked curiously and Ned sighed.
"I spoke to Howland Reed and it seems that there is some truth to the conspiracy you told us about at the council. I realised that if I was wrong about that, then I could be wrong about the other things I said," Ned admitted and Rhaegar nodded.
"It takes a brave man to admit that he is wrong," Rhaegar said as he nodded slowly. "Shall we walk?" he said and Ned nodded. They began to walk together along the banks of the green fork in a comfortable silence.
"I'd like to thank you for raising Jon when I couldn't," Rhaegar said after a few moments. "He is a good man and I only have you to thank for that,"
"Aye. He is a good lad. You are lucky to have a son like him," Ned said quietly.
"I know. He'll be a good King for Westeros, better than I would have been," Rhaegar said and again the conversation fell silent. They were near the bank of the Green fork, on a series of rocks that hung over the river. As he turned around he could see the rest of his men, some of them seemed to have lost interest and had gone elsewhere.
"I am sorry about Lyanna," Rhaegar said quietly. "I handled the situation poorly. I was the Crown Prince and I abandoned my duty and responsibilities to my wife and to the realm,"
"Aye. You could have handled it better. But what's done is done. I was wrong to judge you the way that I did. You are a good man Rhaegar, Lyanna would not settle for anything less," Ned said and once again the conversation stopped for a few moments. Ned felt like they were making progress here and this was good.
"Where is Jon?" he asked.
"He is with Daenerys and the Dothraki, they should be riding North, looking for Robert," Rhaegar said and Ned nodded. Robert did not stand a chance against the Dragons and as if to prove his point, the cream and gold dragon flew overhead once more.
"Did you receive our letter?" Ned asked.
"The letter where you asked for leniency on the Tully's?" Rhaegar asked and Ned nodded.
"Yes, we received and it we replied. Jon and Dany decided to strip the Tullys as their position as Lord Paramount but they have allowed them to keep their lands and other titles . We sent a reply to Winterfell," Rhaegar said but Ned shook his head.
"That doesn't make sense. Catelyn would have sent a rider south to tell us of this. I instructed her to do so,"
"Maybe the letter was lost?" Rhaegar suggested.
"Maybe," Ned said quietly. He felt as if something was amiss here
"I don't mean to be rude but I have to get going. Jon and Dany may need my help and I can't stay here much longer," Rhaegar said and Ned nodded in agreement. "I will relay the message to Jon and Dany and we will speak more after the war,"
"Yes, that sounds like the best course of action," Ned said as he held out one hand to shake. They shook hands firmly before starting to walk back towards the rest of his men. More men had come from their camp and Ned was unsure as to why. He began to turn towards Robb to ask why these men had come forward but then he heard a loud noise like a bolt being fired followed by a loud cry of pain.
He turned towards the noise and it felt as if his heart had stopped.
Rhaegar Targaryen was falling to the floor in pain and Ned could clearly see a crossbow bolt in his side. Half of the shaft still visible. Ned watched as he fell, almost in slow motion to his knees. Ned could not move, he didn't understand. It didn't make sense. He was snapped out of his trance when Rhaegar cried out again as the second bolt him in the back of his leg, right in his thigh
Ned turned his head around quickly and searched for the attacker. He saw several men in Stark uniforms throwing their crossbows to the ground and then trying to slip away back to camp. Ned had not seen these men before. One man had turned his back and slipped away but the other turned back towards the scene He was very tall and had a long thin face and thick coarse black hair on his face. He looked Ned straight in his eyes and then he shouted.
"For Winterfell!" and then he was gone.
Ned quickly turned back to Rhaegar and ran over to him. He rolled him over onto his back and he saw that he was bleeding. Before he could inspect the wound further he was thrown backwards onto the ground.
"Lord Stark! How could you do this!" the man yelled and Ned saw that it was Ser Barristan. He bent over by Rhaegar's side and Ned was rooted to the spot. Rhaegar Targaryen was dying in front of his eyes, and he had no idea who had ordered this.
No, he could not worry about that now. He had to go and help him. He could be healed, he just needed a maester. The wound was not too deep. Not yet. They had to be quick. The Twins was not too far away and they had a maester. Ned was sure that Rhaegar would live.
He had to live.
Ned began to crawl back towards Rhaegar but he was grabbed by his shoulders by several strong men. He quickly turned his head from left to right and he tried to fight out of it but the men were too strong. They lifted him off his feet and quickly carried him away.
"NO!" he yelled "Put me down. I have to help him! He can't die!"
But the men did not stop.
"Lord Stark, we need to go. The dragon could start to attack us at any minute," one man said. His voice was familiar. Was it Jory? Ned hoped that it was.
He looked up in the sky and saw that he was right. The Dragon was swooping lower and lower and Ned was sure that they would soon see its flame. The dragon dropped lower and began to open its jaws and Ned could see pale golden fire bubbling deep down its throat. Ned was sure this was the end.
But instead of breathing its fire, the dragon screeched sadly and it flew back up into the air and towards its rider. Ned did not understand. He did not understand why the dragon had stopped, he did not understand who had tried to kill Rhaegar, he did not understand who had intercepted the letter that the Targaryens had sent to him and he did not understand who was trying to blame him for this.
However, there was one thing that he did understand.
Ned Stark understood that somewhere along the banks of the Green fork, Rhaegar Targaryen was lying in the mud, dying .
Notes:
The next chapter is called 'Aftermath'
It's slightly shorter and I'll give it to you guys a bit sooner than usual. Most likely sometime this weekend.
Regarding Roose, his plan leaving Winterfell wasn't to kill Rhaegar or anyone in specific. His plan was to create and increase the division between the Targaryens and the Starks, especially after the argument he saw at the council. What we saw here, was Roose making an opportunity for himself
Let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading
Sleepy
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