The conquest of Westeros XI
The Kingdom of Storms.
"Love is the most powerful force of all, not blood, not steel, not magic, and not even the flames of a dragon come close. The gods have fashioned us for love, that is our great glory and our great tragedy" Aemon The Dragonknight 298 AC.
The contentious relationship between the Storm King and the Dragonknight was one based not just on jealousy and spite but one that was historical too. The Conqueror had his own issues with the King of Storms when he was based on Dragonstone, issues that had he not looked East may have ended in a different manner than they did. Issues that led to a huge change in the bloodline of the Storm Kings and in the ending of House Durrandon, as it was then formed into House Baratheon.
Whether it's true or not that Orys Baratheon was the Conqueror's brother no one but those of House Targaryen know. It's still a much-debated topic in the Empire and I can only speak on what I know. Orys was my blood, Aegon had said and the Dragonknight counted him amongst his ancestors whenever pressed for an answer. Though he was as close to the Conqueror as any man could be, Orys stayed on Dragonstone when Aegon and his sister-wives looked East. For unbeknownst to any at the time Orys had fallen in love with the Storm King's Daughter. A love that was returned and would change the Stormlands forever.
It had been the loss of a love that was not shared and perhaps not even real that caused Robert Baratheon to hate the Targaryens and the Dragonknight most of all. Just as it was a love truer than any that caused a daughter to betray her father and side with the man she loved. A thousand men Orys had to call upon, a thousand men and not one man more. Argillac the Storm King had more than five times his number and at least the same behind the gates of Storm's End itself. What he didn't have was his men's loyalty or their respect and so The Last Storm turned out to a battle like none he'd ever faced before. Ordering his men to attack, Argillac was shocked when they refused and stunned when he was then brought in chains to face Orys Baratheon.
Kneel and be exiled or fight one on one for his daughter's hand and control of the Stormlands or for the end once and for all to the threat that Orys provided. That was the choice that King Argillac was given and it turned out not to be a choice at all. Ours is our the Fury was the battle cry and yet the Strom King had never met a more furious foe or one so strengthened by love as he did when he faced off against Orys. The outcome was never in doubt as Orys took his victory and to the victor go the spoils. That night as her father's body was entombed in the crypts at Storm's End, Argella was married to the man she loved and House Baratheon was born. Love is the most powerful force of all as the Dragonknight had said. Now as the storm clouds began to gather once more over the Kingdoms of the Storms, only one man knew what it felt like to be love and be loved and it was he who brought the storm.
A history of the conquest of the Dragonknight,
Marwyn the Mage.
Storm's End 300 AC.
Stannis Baratheon.
For nearly two years he'd listened to Robert rant and rave about the Targaryen on Dragonstone. No words of his would calm his rage or his anger once he was in full flow and so over time he'd stopped even trying. He'd advised his brother not to provoke a confrontation but to be ready for one if needs must. Yet daily Robert whined and moaned about a broken betrothal with a girl he'd never met and whose bed he'd have never kept to.
Lyanna Stark had become his excuse for being how he was and it was an excuse his brother clung to like a dying man clung to life. Had he only been able to marry Lyanna then he'd have been happy and she'd have given him good and true children. Together they'd have seen the Stormlands rise high and he'd have been a better man and king. They were the childish refrains of a brother that he'd been cursed to have as one older than him. The pitiful excuses of a second son and not a first and certainly not those of a king.
He was his brother's heir only because Robert had used the broken betrothal as a reason not to marry. His brother declaring loudly that the only woman he'd wed was Lyanna Stark and that she was supposed to be his. Robert was a spoiled petulant man child who'd had his favorite toy taken from him. That's who sat as the King of Storms and if his brother had his way then he'd be the last king the Stormlands ever knew. Stannis ground his teeth as he made his way to his brother's rooms and he sighed when he reached them and heard the sounds from within.
"Is his grace inside?" he asked though given the look on Ser Barristan's face and the sounds that were coming from the other side of the door, it was a damn stupid fucking question.
"He is Lord Hand, shall I interrupt?" Ser Barristan asked.
"No Ser, inform his grace that I was by and that I'll speak to him when he's…less busy." he said grinding his teeth some more.
"Of course, Lord Hand." Ser Barristan said with a small bow of his head as Stannis turned to walk away.
Hand of the King, a title that should bring him some satisfaction and a role that should bring him honor, and yet all it brought him was headaches and shame. He'd been stunned when Robert had handed him a golden pin in the shape of a hand and told him that he was now his Hand. That where Robert couldn't rule he was to and that he was to stand in his stead when he was not there. For one whole night, he'd been filled with a degree of gratitude towards his brother, for one night and one night only. The words he'd heard when he'd gone to Robert's room the next morning were enough to show that it wasn't respect that his brother was showing him but contempt.
"Why Hand, Your Grace?" the whore asked.
"The King shits and the Hand wipes and my brother is as good an arse wiper as any." Robert said laughing as he grabbed the girl.
The anger he'd felt towards his brother had only ever been matched by what he'd felt for him on his wedding night after Robert had despoiled his wedding bed. His wants, his needs, his desires, the Stormlands had stagnated for years before he'd been given some degree of authority. Its king had no desire to rule but no intent of ever giving up his throne either. Robert loved being king, he just had no interest in doing the things a king should do and so for years those things just hadn't been done.
Since he'd been named as Hand however things had changed and he'd even organized a trade deal with the Empire, though he'd done so behind his brother's back. Things had gone along as well as they could with a king who didn't care and who spent coin as if he shat gold. Or at least they had until news reached them that a dragon had landed on Dragonstone and just which dragon it had turned out to be.
Almost two years ago.
The figures were good and their treasury full which was not something they'd been able to say much since his brother took the crown. Between Robert spending coin on tourneys, feast,s and whores and his other fool of a brother spending it on clothing and trappings that he did not need, Stannis shuddered to think how much they'd wasted over the years. Had they been as frugal as he was, then they'd be as rich as the Lannister's or the Gardeners whereas he doubted they were even as wealthy as the Starks.
But a full treasury was something to be proud about and in time they'd only gain even more coin from his trading with the Empire. Or they would if Robert never found out, not that his brother would ever deign to look at books or count coppers. Closing the ledger, Stannis rose and readied for his day with a visit to the sparring yard first on his agenda. He knew that Shireen would already be at her lessons and Tyana would be with her ladies. With no queen, it was his wife who basically fulfilled the duties of Lady of Storm's End and he'd be lost without her. He never made it to the sparring yard though as he was stopped along the way by Ser Cortnay Penrose and given the look on the man's face the news he brought was not good.
"Lord Hand, his grace, I…" Ser Cortnay began and Stannis could see he was trying to decide how to phrase things without given offense.
"Out with it man." he said bluntly and to the point as was his way.
"His grace is wroth, Lord Hand, he's breaking up chairs and has called for his hammer." Ser Cortnay said embarrassedly.
"Where is he?" he asked and was directed thankfully to Robert's rooms as the image of his brother doing so in the Great Hall was not one he welcomed seeing or having to deal with.
Stannis hurried through the keep and saw Renly standing outside Robert's door. His brother had the gall to stand there with a smile on his face even as the sounds of things being broken reverberated down through the corridor.
"It seems our brother received a raven that he didn't much like, Stannis." Renly said and Stannis so very much wished to wipe the smirk from his face.
"From who?" he asked and Renly shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"DRAGONSPAWN." Robert shouted, his roar was even louder than the smashing of chairs and the breaking up of tables and Stannis shook his head and ground his teeth as he walked into the room.
It took him almost an hour and gods only knew how much wine to calm Robert down and to find out that he'd received a raven from House Massey that had told of ships landing on Dragonstone and of a dragon flying overhead. Stannis read the message for himself and found out that it was Prince Aemon and the Blood Wyrm that had been spotted and that he'd brought enough ships with him to carry an army.
There was no speaking with Robert that this may not be as he feared and no telling him not to seek to provoke. So so for the next few weeks and moons, threats were made, ravens were sent and ships hassled and harried as they sailed in their waters. Yet the dragon stayed still and made no moves onto their lands, Prince Aemon made no attempts to speak to them and gave no reply to Robert's provocations. All the while his brother stewed and ranted and swore he'd crush the Dragonspawn's skull to dust with his hammer. For Stannis, it was the loss of trade and the stupidity of it all that he cursed. For Aurane Velaryon was not a man who took insults as well as his prince did.
Now.
It was late afternoon when Robert finally showed his face and Stannis was even more angered than he had been when he'd gone to see him that morning. Not that his anger mattered to his brother and if anything it amused him greatly. Were it not for Shireen and Ser Davos's presence then he'd have ground his teeth away to nothing by now. Stannis having spent most of the day after his usual spar watching as Shireen taught Ser Davos how to read. His daughter had patience that he didn't possess and was along with his wife the only bright spot in a very dark life. No that wasn't completely true, there were others too.
Ser Davos himself was one, the man as loyal as any man could be, and were it not for him then Stannis would have gone the way of his mother and father when the Fury broke against the rocks that night some years ago. It was the so-called Onion Knight who'd saved his life and dragged him to shore. No man did he owe more to than he and each day he'd had with Tyana and Shireen since was down to Davos Seaworth. He'd knighted him by his own hand though Robert had actually for once suggested he'd do it.
"How fares the men?" Robert asked after he'd broken his fast, Stannis trying not to be so annoyed at the lateness of the hour that he did so.
"We've received ravens from all the Houses and they've begun their march. Those closest have already arrived and House Wylde should be here on the morrow according to our outriders." Stannis said and he looked forward to seeing his goodfather and goodbrother again.
"Good, and the Dragonspawn?" Robert asked with a sneer.
"Remains on Dragonstone though his men have begun to make ready to set sail." Stannis said and didn't like the smile on his brother's face.
"Where the fuck is Renly?" Robert asked and Stannis shook his head.
"Last I heard he'd gone to fetch Connington."
"The Griffin needs a fucking escort does he?" Robert said with a laugh.
He was still laughing when Cressen came running in, a raven's scroll in his hand, and the Maester almost handed it to him just out of habit until he saw Robert sitting there.
"Your grace." Cressen said with a bow before handing Robert the scroll.
Stannis watched as his brother read it and then laughed loudly, very loudly, far too loudly. Robert then handed it to him as he called out for wine and began to drink it as soon as it was poured. Reading the words he could see why it had amused Robert and yet it worried him far more. King Rickard Stark was dead, attacked, and killed in the Riverlands and whatever chance he thought that there would be no war, was now gone. The North would attack the Riverlands and soon others would be drawn into things and as he read the words he wondered where the dragon would be in all this.
"And so it begins." he said softly as Robert drank and laughed and cursed the wolves and the dragons.
Winterfell 300 AC.
Brandon Stark, The Wild Wolf.
He loved his wife truly and with all he had but at times she could be a pain in his arse too. For almost a moon he'd been dutiful and had kept his drinking and other interests at bay. He'd spent his time listening to petitions and sorting out boring and dull issues, not a one of them that required him to even smack two heads together. Brandon had gone over books and their stocks, he'd spoken to each of the masters to find out what was needed for the stables, kennels, the guards, and every other aspect of running a keep and kingdom.
Apart from when he was sparring or taking drills in the yard, he'd spent far too long doing things he disliked and still she refused to allow him to do the things he did. A small hunt that's all he wished for. Just a couple of days in the Wolfswood with a few of his closest friends. Him, Ethan Glover, Theo Wull, and Mark Ryswell, true he'd maybe stop at and see the crofter's daughter before he returned but Barbrey wasn't to know that. Yet she'd refused him and told him that he was supposed to be standing in for his father until he returned.
"You're a king, Brandon, you may at least act like one." Barbrey said as they argued.
"It wasn't a king that you married, Barb, and I thought you liked when I let my wild wolf out to play." he said moving towards her, his arms going around her and his lips on her neck.
"When it's time for him to play, Aye, now is not the time." she said, though the way she moved against him showed it was time for play of another sort.
Gods he loved his wife he thought with a smirk as he walked to the Great Hall and readied for the boring day ahead. The thoughts of the night to come were enough to keep his interest for now. He had needed them as the day seemed to be never-ending and as he rose from the Winter Throne after having dealt with the last of the petitioners he felt both tired and hungry. Brandon hadn't made it even halfway back to his rooms when fate intervened and his tiredness and hunger were soon the least of his worries.
"Your grace, a raven from Prince Eddard." Waldron said and Brandon took the scroll from him, wondering what it was that Ned had to say.
"Perhaps the king is on his way back." he said to a nod from Waldron, the Maester agreeing that it was the most likely reason for his brother to send him a message.
Breaking the seal that was what he expected to read, Ned telling him that their father had returned from the Riverlands and was now on his way back to Winterfell. The relief he felt at thinking this was short-lived and when he read the words he almost fell to his knees. This couldn't be true and was it written in anyone other than Ned's hand then he'd have thought it a really bad jape. Barely able to process what he was reading, he handed the scroll to the Maester as if he wished for him to confirm or deny what it said.
"By the gods." Waldron said and Brandon's pained shout was as loud as any wolf's howl.
She was speaking, her words were just noise to him, and were he to turn and look at her then he'd see the pleading in her eyes. Brandon heard and saw none of that though as around him men readied to ride and he readied his horse. He strapped Ice to his horse's side and finally turned to Barbrey and saw the worried look on her face. Her lips were moving and even though he still couldn't hear the words she was saying, he could guess what they were.
"I am the King in the North and they killed my father. His death must be avenged and there is not a thing in this world that will stop me from doing so. The North is yours until my nephew arrives." he said kissing her cheek and mounting up.
It was only two days later that he even began to remember her words, her pleas for him to think this through and not just ride off with no plan. He had a plan, he'd kill every single Hoare he found, every man who wore their sigil he'd kill until he finally got to the man who'd killed his father and sent his head back North. As angered as he was, he'd still taken the time to call the banners, and Ned would lead the army and join him. Ice however called out for blood and blood he would give her.
At night his dreams were filled with images of his father's death and of the death of the men with him. Good men, men he'd grown up with, and men he'd respected. It was Martyn Cassel who along with Ser Rodrik that had taught him, Ned, and Benjen how to wield a sword. He had been the best sword in the North bar none and now he was gone. Rodrik had demanded to be allowed to come with him and Brandon wouldn't and couldn't refuse the man his own revenge. Ethan, Mark, and Theo all were among the three hundred swords he'd gathered quickly and Medger Cerwyn and William Dustin had sent even more men to join them.
By the time he arrived at the Moat he had almost eight hundred and his anger had only grown each night he'd spent on the road. He barely acknowledged Ned's welcome and that his brother had done so while naming him as his king. There had been no crowning as he'd not wasted time on such, so eager had he been to put the men who killed his father into the ground. With a nod to Ned, he was led where his father and the other's remains were and once again his pained shout was loud.
"I'll kill them all, every single last fucking one of them. I'll fucking not rest until their entire house is ended." he shouted as he looked at the assembled heads and at his father's one in particular.
"Brandon, you need to calm yourself." Ned said and Brandon glared at him.
"Calm, calm you, say? You may be the Quiet Wolf brother mine but I am not and you tell me to be calm after what they've done. I'll scour their lands until every last fucking squid's eyes are closed for good. There's your calm." he shouted as he moved to the door.
Apart from when they were boys, there had been few times that he and his brother had come to blows. This was one of them and Brandon was stunned when he was knocked to the ground by the punch that Ned threw at him. So stunned that it took him more than a few moments to respond to it. It was not because his brother had floored him but that Ned both had thrown first and was now showing more anger than he had ever seen him do before.
"Do not mistake my quietness for apathy. He was my father too and I will not rest until the men responsible are dead and covered in dirt. This is not the way, Brandon and so help me if you don't fucking listen to me I'll beat you down like mother used to do." Ned said angrily and despite himself, Brandon laughed.
He was helped back to his feet and he embraced Ned, Brandon felt comforted just by being with him as he always had done. Where he was temperamental, Ned was calm but woe betide the man who thought him placid. His brother's anger was a much different beast than his own and he welcomed seeing it and him. Ned just like always knew just exactly what it was he needed to hear and Brandon found himself lost in memories as he listened to his brother speak to their men later that day.
It had been Ned who had helped him through the loss of his son, of their son. Less than an hour he'd breathed before the gods had taken him from them and though Barbrey had needed him, he was unable to be there for her. Were it not for his brother then there was no telling what it was he would have done. Ned though had been there for him, as he was when their mother died and as he was now as they mourned their father. Two days later when he left Moat Cailin and rode back to Winterfell it was with Ned by his side and he welcomed his brother's presence. The banners had been called and Benjen would await them at Winterfell so they could place their father in the crypts. Brandon would then be crowned king and the North would then ride to war. He and his brothers would avenge their father and the South would soon hear their howling of wolves.
The Conquest of Westeros XII.
Dragonknights part II.
'How many eyes does Prince Bloodraven have, A thousand eyes and one.' popular children's rhyme first heard in the Empire circa 200 AC.
The history of the Dragonknight's is littered with tales of great and terrible deeds. From Visenya who helped Aegon carve out the beginnings of an Empire to Maegor bending the Qhorik's to his will. Baelon, who broke the first great Dothraki Khalasar to Daeron who through sheer force of will and endurance sank the entire Ghiscari fleet. From Aemon who battled enemies both from outside and within to Daemon who ended the Dance of Dragons with a feat of daring that is still spoken of in awe all these years later.
Yet it was a man thought of as one of them who had tarnished the legacy of the Draognknights and almost brought the Empire down around him. Prince Brynden Targaryen, Bloodraven, the Seventh Dragonknight or so it was believed. The son of Aegon the Unworthy and a woman who claimed to be from Lys though was soon proved to be from much further afield than that, Brynden was everything a Dragonknight is not. Barely able to control his dragon, not truly skilled with a blade in his hand and caring more for personal glory than for securing the Empire, Byrnden's mummery should never have been allowed to stand. But the egg had hatched, the dragon was born and his father greatly welcomed having a son of his as a Dragonknight, and so the dye was cast.
Sorcerer, kinslayer, betrayer, there are many words used to describe Bloodraven, and his time as a Dragonknight was a dark time indeed. From his birth in 172 AC to his eventual death in 233 AC, the Empire and its Emperors believed in the mummery and so the fell magic his mother had used to make him appear what he was not, went unchallenged. Were it not for his nephew Prince Aemon Targaryen and his own dragon Darkfyre, then Dark Sister would have been lost to the Empire and the line of Dragonknights broken forever. It was to tales like this that the Dragonknight was brought up. Words that were spoken between him and his namesake that only the two of them were privy to. The true story of Bloodraven's death and what had led his granduncle to realize the lie is known only to two men who shared both blood and a name.
A history of the conquest of the Dragonknight,
Marwyn the Mage.
Dragonstone 300 AC.
Aemon.
He felt his dragon's joy and shared it as they flew together with Rhaenys and Meraxes over the Narrow Sea. Aemon actually welcoming the sight of Dragonstone when it came into view where once he'd very much not. Almost two years ago he'd arrived on the island after being exiled and with fear in his heart that he'd never see her again. Now as they landed close to the keep and he climbed down of Gaelithox's back, he almost ran to help his sister down from Meraxes.
The kiss he placed on her lips was a quick and soft one and very much unlike the ones they'd shared the night before. Then his desire for her had almost overwhelmed him as had his need to know she was truly in his arms and that it was not just another of the many dreams he'd had since they'd parted. Now while the desire for her was just as strong, he knew she was really there with him and so he was calmed somewhat.
"This is Dragonstone?" Rhaenys asked excitedly.
"It is. This is where Aegon planned his conquest and where Aenar fled to after Daenys dreamed." he said holding out his hand and smiling when she took it in her own.
"It's not what I expected." she said and he looked at her worried that she was disappointed at the thoughts of being here "I like it, as does Meraxes." Rhaenys said and Aemon breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Gaelithox loves it so, the Dragonmont especially." he said as the two dragons took to the air and flew off towards the volcano.
"Who's here, Aemon?" Rhaenys asked as they began to walk towards the keep.
"You know all who came with me, Rhae. Daario and Aurane are elsewhere so it's just Torgho Nudho, Thoros, Marwyn, and my most Leal men." he said and she looked at him.
"And you intend to conquer Westeros with just those?" she asked and he smiled.
"No, we'll conquer Westeros with just those men." he said before kissing her again.
Torgho Nudho and Thoros awaited them at the gates and he welcomed seeing the smile on Thoros's face and the smirk on Torgho Nudho's as they greeted his sister.
"Princess, it is so good to see you again." Thoros said as Rhaenys hugged him.
"You too, Thoros. Torgho Nudho, is that any way to greet me?" Rhaenys asked playfully as she embraced his Sworn Shield.
"I, is most pleased to see you again, my princess." Torgho said.
"As am I, to see you both." Rhaenys said.
It was her that held out her hand this time and he who took it as they walked into the keep. Rhaenys staring with wide-open eyes at each of the stone statues, the tapestries that hung, and the shapes that had been sung into the stone. He heard the little gasp she made when she saw the Dragon's Throne and the louder one when he led her into the Chamber of the Painted Table.
"Aemon, don't you dare." she said laughing and slapping her hands on his shoulder when he lifted her up and carried her to the raised seat.
"Tell me what you see?" he asked as he placed her on the seat and moved away from her so she could look down o the Painted Table.
"Seven Kingdoms." she said softly and Aemon shook his head.
"No my love, only one." he said as he moved to her and lifted her from the seat.
He felt her lips on his neck as he carried her cradled in his arms and by the time they reached his room, their room, he was more than eager to be alone with her. The laugh she gave him when he threw her on the bed was one he'd waited nearly two years to hear and before she had a chance to recover he was on the bed beside her. Aemon found himself stopping to look at her as he undressed her and more often than not he just stared deeply at her face and into her eyes. She bit her lip as she looked at him with both nervousness and the same desire that he knew was reflected in his own eyes and then she went to say sorry once more.
"Aems I.." she began and he stopped and silenced her with his finger and then with his lips.
"You're here, Rhae, that's all that matters, You're here and we're together." he said and she nodded and then pulled him closer to her.
While she slept he did not, his hands brushing her through her hair and his eyes once again drawn to her face. It had been the same but different also and he knew that she'd felt it too. For Aemon it had been because they no longer had to hide or worry about what anyone else thought, Rhaenys though had believed it was because things weren't resolved between them. So he'd listened as she'd told him how sorry she was for not leaving with him and how much of a fool she'd been.
Not even his japes that it would put her on the same level as he was, since he'd always been her fool, had comforted her enough for her to stop speaking words that she had no need to. Aemon knew well enough her reasons for not joining him and he didn't need her to speak them to him but Rhaenys did and so he let her. He held her as she spoke of their grandfather and of the men of Faith that her mother and their father had allowed into the Empire. Then he wiped away her tears as she spoke about the words their father had spoken to her and how the things they'd done together had made her feel.
How he kept his anger in check at that was something only the gods knew. He'd always known that his father was against them being together, what he hadn't known was just how far he'd gone with Rhaenys to see that was so. In the end, it was only the words he'd spoken once she was done that had been enough to stop her tears and take her worries away.
"I care not, truly. You are here, you're with me. I care not for why it's taken so long for you to come, only that you're here, Rhae. I love you as I've always loved you and you're still all I truly want or wish for. I will forge out a kingdom not because it's what I want but because it's what I need to make you mine. Marry me, be my Queen, my Empress, marry me, and once it's done then no man, not even our father can force us apart." he said.
"Aems.."
"Aurane and Daario will return soon, Thoros is still a Red Priest and Marwyn can have it recorded and send word back to our father. Marry me Rhae?" he asked and she nodded once, twice, and then, again and again, Aemon kissing her repeatedly as she said the words he'd waited so long to hear.
"I'll marry you, I love you Aemon, only you." Rhaenys said and he had never felt as true and complete as he did right then.
When they woke the next morning he almost feared she'd take it back, only for Rhaenys to kiss him and tell him she hoped that Aurane and Daario returned soon. They broke their fast, he told Thoros and Torgho Nudho and listened as Thoros spoke of the preparations that he would need to make to hold the wedding ceremony. Fire they had plenty of and when Rhaenys suggested instead of flames that they jump over the molten rock in the Dragonmont, Aemon agreed without hesitation.
From there it was to the Village and to speak to some of the people that lived there. Rhaenys was seeking a seamstress and Aemon soon found out that some of the clothing he had brought with him and some of the materials from Volantis would soon have a new use. He spent a day just watching her as she spoke to people. Men, women, and children all seeming to be drawn to his sister far more than they had been to him since he'd arrived and it pleased him greatly. Rhaenys was just like her mother and how his own had been. She had a way with people and a comfort around them that others, he included, did not.
Aemon could engender loyalty, his men loved him and the citizens of the Empire both admired and respected him. His sister, his mother, her mother, and his aunt were loved in a way that he had never been or would never be. Or at least not by anyone other than the one person he wished to love him so. It was dark when they made their way back to the keep. Rhaenys leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked together and for Aemon it had been one of the very best days of his life.
Storm's End 300 AC.
Robert Baratheon.
As much as he enjoyed the wine and the whores, they weren't what had truly stirred his blood over the past moon. Instead, it had been sparring, swinging his hammer, speaking about the battles to come, and thinking about what he'd do once he was face to face with the Dragonspawn. A war, a true war was something he'd wished for all his life. To lead men on the field and face off for true knowing that the winner would not be chosen by a yield or a first cut. That victory would only be defined by the fact that one of you would be dead. It was that which had made his heart beat that much faster these past few days.
There had been skirmishes over the years, bandits that he'd dealt with personally even though as king some had wished for him to send others to face them. At times relations between them and Dorne or the Reach had seemed ready to lead to a full-on conflict only to be smoothed over after not more than the smallest of battles. Truth be told there wasn't anyone in the whole of Westeros who possessed the balls for a true fight. So when the Dragonspawn had landed on Dragonstone it had filled him with a sense of excitement that he'd never known before.
That he thought the boy to be a living breathing insult to him only helped with that and it was tales of what he'd done in Essos that had both excited him and infuriated him at the same time. Tales of battles fought, wars won, and a reputation as a warrior that he so wished for himself. Aemon Targaryen was the boy that should have been his son and he was a son that he as a father would have been proud to name as his own. His mother had been stolen from him, his son stolen from him and the glory he'd have brought his name had also been stolen from him. So there was only one way to pay the world back for its thievery. To do so, Robert would steal the remaining years of the boy's life and put him down once and for all.
"For fuck's sake, get up." he said to the man who lay unmoving in front of him "I barely fucking tapped you, get up." he shouted.
"Your grace, he's dead." Ser Barristan said his voice strained and full of shock and Robert looked at him ready to laugh as surely this was a jape.
"He can't be dead, I barely touched him." he said confused as he looked from his hammer to the man on the ground who it was clear to him now was dead.
He'd gotten lost, lost in the thoughts of what could and should have been and what was to come. So lost that he'd turned friendly spar into something much more deadly and as he looked around at those in the yard, he could see how they looked at him. There was fear in their eyes, anger and worry and he hated being the cause of some of it. Moving to the body of the man, the guard whose name he couldn't even remember he bent down and saw the result of the impact of the blow he'd caught him with. The padding had been no protection and he'd caught him far too flush.
"See that he's given to the Silent Sisters and that the Septon prays over him. Does he have a family?" he asked his voice so very much different to how it normally was, it was whispered rather than boomed.
"No, your grace, not that I'm aware of." Ser Barristan said and Robert nodded as he turned and walked into the keep, his hammer was still in his hand and he barely realized he was carrying it.
Barristan had told him to rein himself in during the spars, that he was being too forceful and that not every man he faced was as good as he and Robert had thought he'd listened. He cursed himself for getting lost in his head once more and cursed the Dragonspawn for being the reason for it. Ever since the boy had arrived it had brought up feelings that before then he only ever had when he was drunk. A lost love and the thoughts of what his life would have been with her by his side and of the son that was denied to him.
Lyanna was someone he only ever thought about when he was feeling sorry for himself or if he was being gainsaid against. If the whores, wine, and tourneys weren't enough or if people were asking for him to wed and give them an heir. Then his mind would turn to the woman he should have wed. Or if he was alone in his bed and he'd wake wishing he was not, then his mind would turn to her and he'd ask himself why she'd run away. What was it about him that had made her not wish to be his wife? They'd never even met, had she only but seen him then she'd have wanted him, wouldn't she? She'd have made him happy, wouldn't she? She'd have loved him, wouldn't she?
"I never even saw her face." he said softly as he closed his eyes and tried to conjure the image of her in his mind, the shadow of her that he had made his own.
The feast that night was a much quieter affair and he barely drank at all much to his brother's pleasure. Not that much brought pleasure to Stannis he thought and tried not to smile at. It had turned out the guard had a mother that he provided for and so he had told Stannis to make sure she received his wage still and then he'd tried to put him out of his mind. He would have failed at that if Cressen didn't interrupt his thoughts with the news about the raven's scroll. Robert almost rushing from the Great Hall and hoping it was from the Dragonspawn, only to find it was a lion that sent him words and not a dragon.
"Why the fuck is that miserable old fucker sending us a raven?" he asked as Cressen handed him the scroll.
"I know not, your grace." Cressen said just as Stannis arrived beside them.
"Your grace?" his brother asked looking to the Maester, Ser Barristan, and then him.
"The Old Lion sends us words brother." he said as he broke the seal on the scroll and read the message.
To King Robert Baratheon,
You like I have no doubt looked to the dragon on our shores and know what it is he's truly here for. As the king of the lands closest to him, it is perhaps to you that he'd look first. However, events in the Riverlands have brought about an opportune moment for us both. With the death of his grandfather, it will be there and not elsewhere that the dragon will look, and once he does it'll be squids who face his rage. I propose an alliance, King Robert, one that suits both our needs. While the dragon chases squids his home will be mostly unguarded and yours for the taking and when he hears of its fall, the dragon will march back to take it from you. But it's a long way from the Riverlands to Dragonstone and marches are fraught with danger. As he marches south, so shall I, and between us both, we will have him trapped.
Tywin Lannister,
King of the Rock.
It ended the feast for him and for Stannis, as all four of them made their way back to his solar after Stannis had sent word to his wife and goodfamily. The scroll was both an invitation to do almost nothing and the promise of a victory for doing so. As they walked he could see the wheels turning in Stannis's head and for once they were turning in his own too. The idea of taking Dragonstone appealed greatly to him, though the thoughts of an alliance with Tywin Lannister did not. Only a fool would trust the Old Lion and he was no fool despite what people may think.
"Well?" he asked Stannis as they entered his rooms.
"An interesting proposal and was it one from any other man then I'd urge you to consider it." Stannis said and Robert looked at him in surprise.
"But you'll not?" he asked as he took his seat.
"While on the face of it this makes perfect sense. An alliance, catching an army between two with one coming from the rear and one head-on, I doubt that's the extent of Tywin Lannister's plans." Stannis said and Robert smirked as he bid him continue "I'd say some of this is true. He'd use us to take Dragonstone and to pull on the Dragon's tail and he'd even march south when the dragon did."
"But?"
"But to what end? Would he do as the message says or would he let our army face off against Prince Aemon's and then come in and end us both?" Stannis asked a question that wasn't truly a question.
"Ser Barristan?" he asked.
"I agree with the Lord Hand, your grace. Lion's prey on the weak and he'd wait until we were so before then feasting on ours and the dragon's bodies." Ser Barristan said.
"True enough, this news offers us something though. If the dragon does march North then so do we. The Old Lion's plan may be to feast after the fight is done and it's a good plan, one I think we can take advantage of."
For the next few days, he found himself filled with a sense of excitement as he awaited news from Dragonstone that the ships had set sail South. Robert looking to the sky each time he thought he heard the flapping of wings and when the raven came he awaited impatiently for Cressen to bring the words to him. They were not the words he had expected and looking at the broken seal and the scroll as it rested on the floor he could barely hear the words that Stannis, Cressen, and Ser Barristan were speaking. Not that he needed to hear them to know what they were saying nor had he a need to look to Stannis's face to see the worry there for their brother.
"DRAGONSPAWN." he shouted loudly as he felt his rage rise ever higher.
The Reach 300 AC.
Prince Gwayne.
Three times he'd gone to the brothel in four days and yet he hadn't even come close to being sated. The thoughts of Margaery doing such things filled his mind and as he closed his eyes and felt his release come once more, it was to her face and her wicked words that he spent. She'd told him about the book and the first chance he'd gotten he'd searched for it and found it in the library. Later as he had laid in his bed that night, it was with his hand he'd taken his pleasure and with her voice in his ear.
"I overheard Lady Crane speaking to Lady Delena about a book that their mothers gave them before their wedding day. A book on the things a man and woman may do together." Margaery said and the blush on her face was something he found incredibly attractive.
"And you seek such a book?" he asked eagerly.
"No, I've found it." she said blushing some more.
"Do the words speak of such things?" he asked as he felt his breath quicken.
"I…I did not know men and women could do such things." she said nervously before blushing again "I find the thoughts of them most confusing." she said barely looking at him.
"Confusing?" he asked.
"In how they make me feel." she said, once again not able to look in his face.
"Margaery, we don't, I mean we would…but only things that we wish to do together." he said trying not to let his excitement at the things they would do be what she heard in his voice and instead hoping she took comfort from his words.
"That's the thing, Gwayne. I find the thoughts of doing such things with you to be…" she paused as she looked around to make sure they were alone "Exciting." she said almost embarrassedly.
Knowing she'd read such things and that she wasn't averse to doing them with him had made him wish for her to be his even more. Gwayne counting down the days to his nameday so he could speak to his father about taking her as his wife. There were to his mind no better candidates for a bride and so he couldn't see his father refusing him. He had never considered how the arrival of a dragon would send his plans so askew.
The raven arrived the day before his nameday and he was called into his father's solar some hours later. Had he been paying more attention then he'd have seen Lord Mace rushing from the room but his mind was filled as it always was with the woman he loved. If he'd not been so lost in thoughts of Margaery and the things they'd soon be able to do to and with each other, then he'd have noticed how his father's face was far more determined than ever. So lost was he that when his father spoke, Gwayne was sure he was going to bring up his betrothal himself. In this, he was right but so very wrong at the same time.
"The time has come for you to be wed, my son." his father said and Gwayne smiled at him "I've received an offer of a match from King Tywin Lannister between you and his granddaughter, Myrcella."
"No." Gwayne said rising to his feet.
"What did you say to me boy?" his father said angrily.
"I said no. I'll not marry some girl I've never met."
"You'll marry who I tell you to marry."
"I'll marry Margaery and only Margaery." he said shouting back at his father.
"A steward's daughter, you really think I'd let mine own son and heir marry a steward's daughter? You listen and listen well, boy. The dragon is soon to lay his flames down on House Hoare and when he's dealt with them it'll be to the rest of us that he'll look. Allies, it's allies that we need and I have the offer of one in Tywin Lannister. You'll do your duty for your house, for your kingdom, and for its people and you'll marry his granddaughter. I'll hear no more about Margaery Tyrell, now go, get out of my sight." his father said and Gwayne glared at him before leaving.
He didn't make it far before Loras and then Garlan came his way and it was clear that both of them had heard of his father's plans. The sympathetic looks on their faces were welcome and yet not at the same time. He spent the rest of the day searching for her but she was not to be found. Gwayne having to eventually send Loras to bring her to him and he then paced the grounds as he waited for her. Seeing the hurt on her was too much for him to bear, as it was clear she'd been crying and that she was angry with him. Margaery moving away from him when he tried to take her into his arms and then looking at him worriedly when he grabbed her so that she was facing him.
"I will marry you, Margaery, no one else but you." he said as firmly as he could.
"Your father, he told mine own that it could never be…that you were to be wed to another." she said and how she sniffled and sobbed as she spoke almost broke his heart.
"I care not for what my father says, you're to be my wife, only you. Do you believe me?" he asked hopefully.
"I…I want to." she said as he wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I need to speak to your grandmother, will you take me to her?" he asked softly as she finally allowed him to hold her in his arms.
"Why?" she asked.
"No one will know what to do better than her, Margaery. Please take me to her, for us?" he asked almost pleadingly.
"For us." she said softly and he was happy to see the beginnings of a smile on her face.
It wasn't a full one but it was better than nothing and he had meant every word he had said. She was to be his wife and nothing, not a dragon, a lion or even his father would stop him from making that so. Whatever it took to make sure they were wed is what he would do, whatever it took.
The conquest of Westeros XIII
The Dragonknight.
Born to the future High Emperor and the Empress of the Ice, Prince Aemon Targaryen had been a sickly child at first. His first few days lead most to believe that he'd not make it to childhood let alone live to become a man. It was when the red dragon egg was laid beside him that all that changed and Aemon seemed reinvigorated by its presence. A few moons later in front of his grandfather the High Emperor, his grandmother The Empress of Dragons, his father, mother, stepmother, and his siblings, the egg hatched and the Empire once again had a Dragonknight to call upon.
Aemon soon showed he was everything that Bloodraven was not. Deadly with a blade, knife, or spear in his hand, he was wielding Dark Sister at nine namedays and beating men twice his size at ten. Gaelithox was what he named his dragon though soon it was to become more known as the Blood Wyrm and he and Aemon spent as much time in the air as he did on the ground in those early years. When he killed his first man is a question that many debate, some say it was when he was two and ten but those closest to him say it was far earlier than that. What is known is that at two and ten he fought in his first true battle and no man took more lives that day than he.
Over the years the Dragonknight and his Second Army traveled far and wide and friendships and bonds for life were made and formed on fields that ran red with blood. Daario Naharis was plucked from a minor role in the High Emperor's First Army and given his own command under Prince Aemon. Thoros of Myr was given leave to form his own unit and taken under Aemon's wing, as was the prince's closest and truest friend and brother by choice Aurane Velaryon. None of the men with the prince though was more lethal or Leal than his Sworn Shield, Torgho Nudho.
Little is known about the life of the Dragonknight's Sworn Shield other than he was brought to Volantis by the Empress of the Ice when Aemon was but two namedays old and that from that moment forward he has stood by his side resolutely. Deadly with a spear and shield in hand and just as fearsome with a short or longsword, few men in the Empire were as feared or respected as Torgho Nudho, and there were fewer still that held the Dragonknight's faith and respect as truly as he.
A history of the conquest of the Dragonknight,
Marwyn the Mage.
Dragonstone 300 AC.
Torgho Nudho.
He drilled the men twice a day and they were as ready as they'd ever been. His men were men who'd fought with him and by their prince's side for more than eight years. Every foe that dared to stand against the Empire had been brought low by the men he now stood with. They, the other men under his prince's command and his prince himself all knew the art of war far better than most. Men would shit themselves when you killed them, they'd cling onto life for as long as they could when their time came. Some would find the courage they'd not known when faced with an enemy that may have their measures. While others would find their courage deserted them as they became overwhelmed by fear.
For Torgho Nudho there was no such thing as fear. What horrors could a man on a battlefield inflict upon you that the masters in Astapor had not already done. Dragonknights are born not made his prince had told him once and Torgho Nudho wished it was the same for Unsullied. It was not and never would be and not even his prince or his prince's mother could make it so. The Empress of the Ice had saved him from being cut and brought him to his prince's side and together they'd saved his men. Though not all could be, not even by the Dragonknight.
A prince is not the High Emperor and so while Aemon could take those not yet cut, he couldn't stop the practice. So it was some but not all they'd saved and over the years some of those had fallen. To him and to his prince they owed their loyalty and their lives and yet Aemon had asked and not ordered them to war. He'd not needed to do so and yet had done so regardless, for what difference was there between a man and a slave other than choice. Torgho Nudho and his men had been slaves once but now when their time came and they met their gods, they would do so completely free.
"The men look well, Torgho Nudho." Princess Rhaenys said and he nodded to her as the prince talked to some of the men a little further down the line.
"They look forward to the wedding, my princess." he said and she smiled at him as she touched him on the shoulder.
"As do I." she said before looking to his prince.
"As does my prince." he said making her laugh a little as his prince looked her way.
"He does and if Daario doesn't arrive soon then I believe he'll take off on Gaelithox's back and go find our blue-haired friend and drag him here himself." she said and he smirked a little knowing her words to be true.
Aurane had arrived the day before and he knew that his prince now only awaited Daario's return so the wedding could take place and that it was only that Daario had further to go that had delayed him. None of them worried that his task hadn't been completed or that he was in any danger. These people were fools and would have been conquered long ago had the Empire deigned to look their way and so they feared them not. It was more eagerness that filled their thoughts and willed Daario to return to them quickly. Torgho Nudho knew his prince was eager to be wed, eager to begin and eager to fight and so he wished for it too.
The sense of sadness that his prince had felt since they'd come to this place was gone now. It had been replaced with something that those in Westeros should truly fear and yet he doubted they were clever enough to do so. There was a determination in his prince that had not been there before. A willingness to conquer where before it was almost reluctance. Even when he'd told them that his eyes had looked upon the lands and willed them to be theirs it had not truly been there. Now it was and Torgho Nudho knew it was because of the princess's arrival.
"A ship." he heard Aurane's voice call out and as his prince moved towards him so did he, his hand raised to dismiss the men for now.
He felt his heart race a little when he saw that it was Daario's and they then made their way to the docks. Torgho Nudho's eyes searched the men to see if all had returned and he was happy enough to see them all there, Valarr, Jaedor, Lucearon, and finally Daario himself. He may not have feared for them but he was still relieved to see them all unharmed and that they had captured his prince's prize as well. The man was large and yet he bore no mark on him and it seemed to him that he'd not put up a fight, the weakness of these men of Westeros making his lip curl up in disgust.
"Lord Renly, I welcome you to Dragonstone." his prince said with a smirk as the man dared to glower at him.
"My brothers…"
"Are fools, but let us find out how much they value your life before you speak so fondly on them, shall we?" his prince said and he heard both Thoros and Aurane's laugh as they spoke to Daario "Let's find some accommodations more fitting to your station Lord Renly. I'm sure Daario's treatment while fair wasn't pleasant."
He would have liked to listen to what Aurane and Daario were saying as they walked but his eyes were on his prince and the man they'd captured. Perhaps his lack of fight was a ruse and he had another objective. If so he'd be ready just in case. Though in the end, it turned out there was no fight in this man at all and soon he was locked up in far better rooms than a prisoner deserved. It was only when he got to speak to Daario that the tales he told him of the men he'd faced proved his assumptions even more true. These were poor men indeed and they'd earn very little glory when they defeated them.
"Go, wash and rest, we'll speak on our plans on the morrow." his prince said to Daario.
They ate and drank that night and he woke early the next morning for the spar with his prince. He, Daario, Thoros, Aurane, and the prince all moving around the yard and building up a sweat and an appetite. Once they were done they were joined by Marwyn and the princess and then they broke their fast. His prince writing out a message to be sent to the Stag in Storm's End before they made their way to the Chamber of the Painted Table. As they walked Daario spoke about taking the Stag's brother and of the lands and men he'd seen while doing so.
"Gulltown?" his prince asked Aurane.
"The Lord is with us, he may not fight by your side until he's seen you win but he's with us."
"You intend to attack the Vale?" the princess said looking at the table.
"I intend to attack them all at some point and would have attacked the Stag first of all but then word came of my grandfather's death." Aemon said.
"Oh Aems.." the princess said moving to the prince.
"The man was a fool, Rhae. Not only did he try to force my mother to marry a man she didn't love but he never forgave her for not doing so. For many years, our father reached out to no avail and I did so too when I arrived only to be insulted and ignored. I care not that he is dead, other than someone spilled my kin's blood and I've read my mother's journal and know what it is she would will me to do." his prince said.
"So you intend to attack the Riverlands, my prince?" Thoros asked and his prince chuckled.
"Do you know who informed me about my grandfather's death?" his prince asked to shake of the head from Throros and from Aurane "The King of the Rock. First, he sends the dwarf to seek an alliance and a marriage " Torgho caught the frown on the princess's face and the anger in her eyes at the prince's words "Then he helps me to this piece of information."
"He thinks himself a player, my prince." Aurane said and again his prince chuckled.
"And yet he doesn't even understand the game." his prince said to laughs "He wishes me to fight in the Riverlands and each of you know, I live to make wishes come true." the laughs were louder now.
"What of Dorne?" the princess asked.
"They will not support me, on that they've been clear."
"Do they know of me?" the princess asked and his prince shook his head "Then I think it's time Meraxes and I paid my uncles and cousin's a visit."
"Rhae.."
"After we've been wed of course." the princess said with a smile on her face.
"So it's to the Riverlands we go." Aurane said to nods.
"Let the games begin." his prince said and Torgho Nudho smiled a true smile at that as these were the only games that he liked to play.
The Kingdom of the Storms.
House Baratheon.
King of Storms Robert Baratheon age 38.
Hand of the King and heir Stannis Baratheon age 36.
Princess Tyana Baratheon age 37.
Princess Shireen Baratheon age 11.
Prince Renly Baratheon age 21.
Deceased.
Steffon Baratheon age 32 drowned after their ship broke against the rocks at Shipbreaker Bay.
Cassana Baratheon age 32 drowned after their ship broke against the rocks at Shipbreaker Bay.
A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed: Up next a visitor arrives on Dragonstone just in time for a wedding. We take a look into the Vale and as Aemon and Rhaenys wed we take a look at how a girl running from a betrothal set in motion current events. Meanwhile Tywin plots, Brandon and Ned issue a call to arms, and as Rhaenys and Aemon say their goodbyes and head off in different directions Westeros finds itself on the brink of a war unlike any it's ever known before.
Daryl Dixon: So glad you liked it.
Emerald Duke: We're one more chapter away and then we'll be right there.
Undeath: The thing is that every single thing that Rhaegar does is something he's planned, plotted, and considered. We'll see another look into his mind next chapter which will clear it up a bit more. Aemon is completely in love with Rhaenys, so for him her coming is all he cares about, Rhaenys has some issues because of things she was told which we'll see but now they're together that's it really in terms of melodrama. I think I know what you mean regarding the Targs, what I'll say is that Aemon won't be fighting against Rhaegar or trying to take the Empire from him or Aegon, that's not something he'd even consider. Yeah, won't be going what's west of lol. I think with Ned you need to see a reason for him to be more wolfish otherwise we get more canon Ned. Here in some ways, he will be because he never went to the Vale and one Idea I've always had for him is if he got to the TOJ and Lyanna told him that Robert knew and then she died.
How would he change if he found out that Robert/Jon A lied to him right from the start and what would that mean to Jon growing up.
Celexys: I hope to expand on all those with Aemon as we go so I'm glad you're liking Daario. The next chapter will see more of the war plan explained as it's discussed with someone, Renly is pretty much insurance though. Hope you liked the little more Rhaenys/Aemon here, we'll see some smut next chapter which I'll label for those who don't like that sort of thing.
Zyrus: Greyjoys/Hoares are chapter 7 and we'll get insight into them all and meet a certain squid who's not a hostage here. As you see Aemon is kinda thinking that way too, it's not so much that he cares about what happened to Rickard but more he was his blood, and well you kinda have to. Glad the Arthur part cleared some things up, we'll see more of that in a bit with him when he arrives in Westeros.
Itachi: Not only do I find it hard to write more than one relationship at a time, I think like you, it's not something he needs to do. Also yes, for him it's Rhaenys or no other, he was perfectly content to spend the rest of his life alone, well not content, but you know what I mean.
Guest: Rhaenys had her little stop off which will become important later on. There is kinda some plotting going on in each of the Kingdoms but Aemon is pretty much an earthquake forcing them all to deal with him rather than their own plots as we'll see next.
Classicxd: So very glad to hear that.
Kingofwarhammer: So there are about 3 cadet targ branches, and altogether including Aemon/Rhae about 20 full grown dragons and riders, and as you see 3 future ones on LYS. I'll put up a targ family tree and listing of dragons/riders and locations in a chapter or so.
So I'm going for the Roman Legion makeup and it's divided into the First/Second Army. Aemon brought between 3 to 5 k with him. They're made up of about 2000 under Aurane, 1500 under Torgho Nudho, and a little over a thousand under Thoros. Daario has almost a hundred men, but more like 80ish and these are infiltrators, spec ops basically. And the rest are support or sailors. All but the men under Torgho Nudho are mounted.
I won't say what Rhaegar/Aegon may do but we'll see more of Rhaegar's plans next.
Dunk: As you see Marge's betrothal is already under threat. I wanted to show a little of how they're working and we'll see it more clearly obviously as the war goes, each of the units of men are unlike anything faced by the Westeros forces before, they fight differently. Renly is insurance, for what we'll see soon enough. Chapter 7 will be the beginning of hostilities as by then I'll have shown the makeup for each of the seven kingdoms and we'll know all the players. We heard a little of Aemon's plans here, there are hints to it but we'll hear it fuller when Arthur arrives. As for the North, we'll see.
Xan Merrick: Thanks my friend, Olenna is predictable in some ways isn't she lol. Oh, the taking of Renly will cause some ructions for that very reason, it's not something they'd do in Westeros which will make them think.
Luger7: Love the name and pic, my friend. So glad you liked the story.
Xand007: Thanks so very much, my friend. I think there is both the conventional way to deal with the enemies, the logical way and then there are events forcing a way so we'll see some of that with Aemon. He'd never seek to take the Empire for himself, as much as he's pissed at his father, he's happy enough that Aegon is heir and would come to his or their aid if needed, so unless events happen, he'll be content with Westeros.