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Chapter 13

Renly Baratheon's betrayal was a true shock to the rest of the realm. The man had chosen to betray his own blood and kin, fuelled by his boundless ambition the man had chosen to side with the enemies and had sought grandeur for himself. The man had sought to capture Lady Cersei Lannister and the young Baratheon children as hostages and send them to Essos to the Golden Company, hence blunting two of the Great Houses and forcing House Targaryen on the backfoot. Yet the plan would fail to succeed, and all for one reason.

Cersei Lannister was not an ordinary woman. Even at her young age, the jewel of the West had always held a strange fascination with the ways of knights and lords. Though hesitant at first yet, after Lady Joanna Lannister's intervention Lord Tywin indulged her daughter and let her learn the ways of the Lords and knights alongside her twin. Some say that the King had personally intervened in the matter and had been instrumental in forming the sisterly bond between Cersei Lannister and Princess Daenys Targaryen. It was one of the reasons why it had been a shock when the Jewel of the West had married Robert Baratheon instead of the Prince.

Yet the match would prove to be successful, and both Robert and Cersei would go on to live happily, and some letters exchanged between Robert Baratheon and King Aerys reveal that the King would secretly gift the bride a specially forged sword as a present to her wedding. Credence to these rumors is driven by the fact that Lady Joane Baratheon writes a similar tale in one of her diaries, which was recently discovered.

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CERSEI LANNISTER

Cersei's heart raced as the guards around her formed a line and took out their swords. Duncan himself stood at the center as he shouted at Renly.

"Do you have any idea what you are doing, Lord Renly? You are committing treason against the Royal family and are siding with outsiders. There is still time! End this madness!" screamed Duncan at her good brother, yet the younger Baratheon seemed unaffected by those words.

"My so-called brother was so blinded by his made-up family that he forgot about his real one! Don't speak to me like that, Duncan, I am to be the next Lord of Storm's end, so I would suggest you lay down your arms, and I will be willing to accept you all into my service," offered Renly and she stiffened for a moment as she placed herself in front of her children trying to shield them.

Her heart thumped in her chest as she looked at the men surrounding her and her children. A speckle of doubt lingered in her heart, yet it vanished when she saw Duncan unsheathe his blade, followed by all those around her.

"Then I believe you leave me no choice," screamed Duncan as the men around her got into their stance. My lady, you should flee. We will try and hold them back for as long as we can. House Connington will have received our letter by now and will have men on the way.

And Cersei saw more men join the other side, as their numbers almost doubled, yet all those who knew of the ferocity of House Baratheon's men would say that the odds were evenly matched despite the difference in the size of the two forces.

She nodded and jumped on the saddle as Amanda handed her her daughter. Steffon sat on the other horse with two other guards saddled up.

"It seems we will have to do it the hard way," said Renly with a shake of his head before he raised his sword.

"MEN! CHARGE!" and with a shout, his men rushed forward. Duncan also led his men as they came together and arranged themselves into an arrowhead.

"SHIELDS UP! Make a path for Lady Baratheon! Let's show them how real men fight!" screamed Duncan as the enemy charged at them, and Cersei held onto the rings tightly with her free hand as Joane was tied in a sling around her shoulder.

Renly's men were meters away, and she prayed to the Gods above in her heart, and them thump.

"AGHHHHHH!" the men crashed into the shields, yet the line held as Duncan shouted orders, and then in the blind of an eye, swords were drawn, and the whole area was filled with wails of crying men as the ground was bathed in blood.

And she saw it, a path.

"GO, MY LADY! WE WILL HOLD THEM BACK!" screamed Duncan, and she pulled the reins, her horse broke into a gallop, and she raced past the men with three other horses at her tail.

"She is getting away!" screamed Renly as she raced past the gates and looked back to find him mounting on a horse alongside a couple of men. Preparing to give chase.

And her heart gave out as she watched him begin following her with five more men at his back.

"Don't stop! Push the horses! We cannot let them catch up to us!" she told Steffon as she kicked the horse slightly with her foot, making it speed up. Joane shifted in her sling and began to wail, yet Cersei could do nothing but whisper assurances into her daughter's ears as she whipped past the forest.

And the chase continued for hours, and she had lost her two guards along the way as they succumbed to arrows from Renly's men. Yet they hadn't died in vain. As of now, it was only Renly and one other guy chasing after her and Steffon.

Yet it seemed she had spoken out too soon, as suddenly she felt an arrow hit her horse's leg and her horse nayed in pain and she tried to control it, yet she failed and was thrown off its back and sent rolling onto the ground.

"AGHHHH!" she grunted as she landed harshly on the ground, her arms wrapped around her daughter as she tried to shield her daughter.

"MOTHER!" screamed Steffon, and as he was about to turn around his horse, she shouted out.

"DON'T STOP! RUSH FORWARD! WE ARE NEAR GRIFFIN ROOST! BRING THEM HERE!" she screamed, and she saw him stiffen up before he listened to her, pulled the reins on his horse again, and whizzed past her.

"Chase after the boy! I will take care of my good sister and niece myself," said Renly as he got off his horse. Cersei fought through the pain, stood up, and backed off.

"Come with me peacefully, and no harm shall come to you as long as your father pledges support to the new regime," offered Renly, and Cersei shook her head, disgusted by his very face.

"Gods, do you know what you are doing, Renly? Kinslaying! And for what," she argued as her daughter continued to scream in her arms.

"I don't have time to deal with this," said Renly as he took out his sword and rushed at her. And pure instinct, Cersei unsheathed her sword and blocked the strike.

"A lady with a sword! Gods, do you even know how to hold it," and she smirked as she parried another one oh his strikes before she aimed a counterattack of her own, which he barely dodged.

"AGHH!"

Blood dripped down his cheek as he looked at her wide-eyed and flushed in fury.

"I will show yo…." But he couldn't complete the sentence as an arrow suddenly hit him in the chest.

"AGHH!" he grunted in pain. As two more followed, striking him in the gut as he suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"MOTHER! MOTHER!" and relief ran through her body as she saw Steffon appear from the shadows with half a dozen fully armed men, the sigil of two griffins adorned their chest.

"Are you all right Mother?" questioned Steffon as he rushed towards her as the men surrounded Renly. She nodded as she finally noticed how her hand was all red.

"You are bleeding. We need to take her to a master immediately!" screamed Steffon, and the men nodded along, and the rest was a flurry of activity that she barely recalled as darkness overcame her vision.

"My lady!" "MOTHER!"

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EDDARD STARK

"With King Aerys's death this has all become a lot more complicated," said Brandon as he devoured a cup of wine. And Eddard nodded.

"King Aerys was in contact with Mance for over a year. The King had also sent them weaponary made out of dragon glass as a means to fight the White walkers. Without him the negotiations will be very turbulent," spoke Eddard. The way Mance spoke of King Aerys showed trust and respect for the man.

King Aerys was a binding force for the Seven Kingdoms and with this new threat his presence would have done much to reassure everyone yet the man was no longer alive.

"It is said that the King strived to teach his heir everything he could. We can only hope that the Prince is aware of this new threat," spoke Brandon and Eddard nodded.

The Prince had been participating in Council meetings since his twelfth nameday, from what he had heard. And that had been the case for the King's other children as well. Eddard could only hope that the King had shared such secrets with his heir for that would truly help them.

"We should have Luwin send a letter to Kingslanding, to ask the Prince about this directly," and Brandon shook his head.

"NO! You will make ne mention of this to the maetsers!" and Eddard was shook by the tone of Brandon.

"But why," he asked.

"Because the King did not trust the maesters with it. I have another way to contact the King, it will take longer but it is more secure," and as he thought about those words. Suddenly it all clicked into place.

"Benjen!" he guessed and Brandon nodded.

"Indeed, it was one of the reasons why the King insisted on having a Stark as a Kingsguard. I will send the message and wait for the reply, but we must make preparations," began Brandon his voice hardened, and his eyes grew dark as he stood up and picked up a huge scroll and unfurled it on top of the table.

"We will need food. Plenty of food to feed our men. Even with the war, the prices haven't risen that much. We can use the winter and the war as a pretense to fill out our stores. We don't have to rush, but we cannot waste time," began Brandon, and Eddard nodded.

"I will write to Alyn Manderly and have him look into it," and Brandon nodded. Wyman's brother acted as his steward and was a man well-versed in matters of trade and would be the perfect man for this.

"We will need fortifications as well, weapons as well," Eddard pointed at the keep of the Umbers.

"Last Herath is not in good shape. We will need to order Lord Umber to repair his keep," and Brandon groaned, for they both knew exactly what kind of man Umber was.

"We will see about that, but we need to bind together the North. And I think you know what that means," and Eddard nodded.

"Marriages," and Brandon nodded.

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ROBERT BARATHEON

Robert Baratheon sat in the castle of Sunspear, waiting for his men to rest before they could begin their march toward East once more. The desert kingdom's weather than harsher than his imagination even though the maesters already spoke of summer ending.

Despite that, the sun's scorching heat made it difficult to traverse the sandy kingdom. Yet it wasn't the heat that bothered him most.

No, the constant ominous feeling in his heart riled him up. He had been feeling anxious for some reason and had been having trouble sleeping, yet he couldn't pin point the reason for such a feeling.

Their march had been relatively peaceful, and he had heard of Rhaegar's victory against the Iron Fleet. Oberyn was also holding off the Golden Company, and the men were eager for battle.

Yet for some reason he still couldn't get rid of this strange feeling.

'Could it be because of Joan. But did I feel the same way when Orys was born' and just as these words were running through his head, there was a sudden knock on the door of his room.

Robert was broken out of his reverie, and frowned as he glanced out the window the enveloping darkness of the night.

Then came another knock, one which was a bit more violent.

"MY LORD! YOU NEED TO WAKE UP, MY LORD!" spoke a servant, and Robert felt his heart thump in his chest as he spoke up.

"Come in!" and a servant entered his room at his command.

"Why are you disturbing me this late into the night?" Robert questioned the man as he kneeled.

"My Lord, I bring urgent news. The Maester has just received a raven from Storms End," and Robert felt dread pool in his heart as soon as he heard those words.

"Storms End has fallen, my lord!" and Robert was out of his bed in an instant as he rushed out of the door.

"GET THE MEN READY!"

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Chapter 14

History books mention the names of various men who fought in wars. They write of The Sword of The Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne, the Black Hound, Ser Sandor Clegane, and Ser Barristan the Bold.

They write of Kings and Queens like Jaeaherys Targaryen, the Conciliator. Aegon the Conqueror. Aerys the Reformer. Daeron the Young Dragon. The Good Queen Alysa.

These names are plastered across books along with those of villains such as Meleys and Daemon Blackfyre and the grandsire pretender that came after them. Yet it is a tragedy that the books fail t mention the name holding the most significant importance among them all.

Serra Blackfyre. Sister to Daemon IV Blackfyre, who also used the name of Varys in his youth. She was among Meleys, the Monstrous's daughters and had been sold alongside her brother into slavery. She would serve in the pleasure houses of Lys before getting bought out by one Ilyrio Mopatis, who would go on to marry her because of her unnatural beauty.

Various scrolls mention that King Aerys, in his reign, tried to put an end to the issue of Blackfyre pretenders. Some say he offered them a peaceful way out, yet more lean towards the history that the King sent assassins after Serra Blackfyre and her brother to end this issue once and for all. It cannot be confirmed whether the assassins were truly hired, and if so, then why did they fail? But there is no failing that Serra Blackfyre bore King Aerys and his children a grudge, and she would plot with her brother to have them pay.

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SERRA BLACKFYRE

In one of the manses in the perfumed city of Lys, a silver-haired lady sat on a balcony looking at the streets below. She watched as women stood outside their brothels in clothes that showed more than they covered, as they basked in the attention of the men passing through the streets.

The perfumed City had once been an outpost of the Valyrian freehold and had served as a resting place for the dragonlords. And so the city was filled with people bearing exotic silvery blonde hair and those glistening amethyst eyes, evidence of the Valyrian blood running in their veins.

She herself had been blessed with those features, much like her brother. And now her son.

There was a knock on her door, and there was only one person who would disturb her, and she spoke up to welcome him in.

"Come in, Daemon," and the door opened to reveal the form of her brother. Dressed in a black doublet with a bald head walked her brother, Daemon Blackfyre. Though once he had been known by another name, Varys. Yet those names were behind her.

"The Greyjoys are failing as I told you they would, and now they are onto us," she began as soon as he closed the door. She had advised him against using the Greyjoys. Those so-called sailors and pirates had dreams of grandeur yet had no intellect or perseverance to achieve them.

Daemon smiled and shrugged.

"You may be right, but they were the only Highlords who made common cause with us," replied Varys as he walked and sat on a chair opposite to her. She turned to face him with a raised brow.

"And now you refuse to reply to any of their missives as Aerys's son lays siege to their castle," she challenged him softly, and Daemon smirked.

"Well, what can I say? They were good allies, but war demands sacrifice, and we shall sing songs of their gallant sacrifice," he said as he poured himself some Dornish Red and raised a glass to their fallen allies. She shook her head.

"I don't mind their fate, but this is troublesome. Aerys's son will become aware of our plans and our names soon. We need to strike now," she told him. And she saw his mood sour at the mention of that name. And her own gur lurched in anger and hate as she took that name.

Aerys Targaryen. The bane of their existence. The man who had sent assassins chasing after them and had destroyed their lives. She still remembered those sleepless nights as she and her brother would be forced to sleep in the shadows, scared and hungry as they tried to outrun those daggers aimed at their backs.

City after city, manse after manse. They had run until they were forced into slavery and lost their very names. And now they had finally gotten their revenge. And as she thought of the cost of that, her eyes teared up as she thought of her husband, the man who had rescued them from their poverty. Yet Aerys hadn't even spared him and had sought to destroy her dear Ilyrio's businesses all for refusing to sell him those wretched eggs.

"Even after his death, his ilk continued to cause problems for us. First, that second son, Aemon, escapes from Euron, and now Rhaegar lays siege on Pyke. Even from his grave, he haunts us," she cursed the bastard as her brother's lips thinned as well before he slowly replied to her.

"I am sorry for the sacrifice you had to make. I know you love Ilyrio dearly, but the faceless men work in mysterious ways. They wouldn't settle for anything else," he replied, and she nodded as she wiped away the tears from her face.

"I know. But promise me, Daemon, promise that we shall have our revenge. Promise me that his sacrifice shall not be in vain, that you will burn his ilk and legacy to the ground," she asked her brother, who nodded.

"I promise, Serra. I will destroy everything he held dear, and then we shall fulfill the dream of our great ancestor, and the Iron Throne shall finally pass to its true heir, your son Haegon," and she nodded at those words. They had waited for years for this, and now she could finally see that their dreams were in their grasp. They had the Golden Company at their back and the coffers of a number of prominent magisters from Myr, Pentosh, Lys, and Tyrosh.

"So, what do you plan to do now that those Greyjoys have failed," she questioned him about her plans. Daemon smirked as he sipped his wine and leaned back in his chair.

"Ohh, they were just meant to be a distraction!"

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RHAEGAR TARGARYEN

The events after the defeat of Victarion Greyjoy had gone as he had predicted. After the death of their commander, the Iron Fleet had crumpled quickly under the combined might of the Royal and Lannister armies.

And now Rhaegar sat in a tent as the men laid siege to the main seat of House Greyjoy. The castle of Pyke had been under siege for a week now, and according to his sources, the castle had enough stores that they could live for half a year. And Rhaegar did not have that time.

So, they had to strike now, as the morale of his men had never been higher. So, here he sat as he looked at the map, trying to determine the strategy for the next attack.

Ultimately, he decided to sit down to enjoy some much-needed rest as there was still some time in the war council. As he sat down, his eyes landed on the sword placed right there on the table. He picked up the famed Red Rain. And took it out of its sheath and was mesmerized by the smoky pattern of the Vlayrian steel blade.

Their House possessed two swords in Blackfyre and Darksister, yet both had been lost in history. His father had spent quite some time searching for them and even found a lead to one of them. Though he knew little about that, and perhaps his mother would know more.

As he was busy glancing at the blade, he didn't notice the sound of armor rustling as the tent flapped open, and he looked up to find Arthur walking in with a frown on his face, making him put the sword back in its sheath.

"What happened?" Rhaegar questioned the Commander of the Kingsguard, and Arthur walked up to him and handed him a missive.

"This just came from the capital. It seems Renly Baratheon has betrayed us and made common cause with our enemies," and Rhaegar was surprised by the news. Renly Baratheon, Robert's younger brother, had betrayed them. But why?

He took the missive and began to read it, and there was the mention of his attempt to control Storm's End and capture Cersei and her children. It was a relief that the House guards had thwarted the attempt and Cersei Baratheon.

"This caught us all by surprise. Lord Robert Baratheon was planning to pull back his forces and rush back home, but Aemon wrote to Doran to make the man stop. The increased activity near the Stepstones makes it a high-risk area. One which needs reinforcements quickly," Arthur began, and Rhaegar nodded.

"Qyburn has also been telling me of increased activity near the Stepstones. The movement of the Golden Company and the other mercenary groups points to a quick offensive," and Arthur nodded.

"Oberyn is managing right now, but he won't be able to hold back such a massive force for long. We need to end the battle here quickly so we can finally bring them to heel," Arthur's words were right. They needed to end their business in the Iron Islands quickly to move ahead.

"We could ask the North to call its levies and reinforce Oberyn…." But Rhaeagr shook his head, cutting off his friend.

"No, I don't want the North to mobilize in this war," Rhaegar put an end to that proposal, and Arthur didn't push for further for all of all the people in the realm he was most aware of his reasons for doing so.

If his father had been right, there was little reason to doubt that he was. The lands beyond the Walls were a wildfire ked waiting to blow up. The Free Folks' congregation and then the Long Night's possible return were reasons enough that the North remained out of this war.

"Speaking of the North, Eddard Stark has returned from his journey to the lands beyond the Wall. There is news that he is now rushing to the Capital on behalf of the Starks to convey the condolences of the Starks to the Royal family," and Rhaegar's eyes narrowed at that. That was good news.

"That is good. Now, we will have an idea of the situation beyond the Wall. Though, I am less concerned about them, for we have been preparing for that fight for years now," Rhaegar said as his fingers rhythmically tapped the board. He missed playing his harp, yet he had more pressing matters at hand.

Despite the obscure nature of the threats beyond the Wall, Rhaeagar wasn't much concerned about them. His father had been preparing to face them for decades, putting them way ahead of their enemies. Yet, they had been playing catch up in the current war against their enemy abroad.

And that was not sitting well with him.

"Since the attack on Kingslanding, we have been playing catch up with our enemies, and I am not liking this at all," Rhaegar said with a grunt, and Arthur nodded along as well.

It was amongst the first rules of warfare to not get caught up in the enemy's pace. And while they had been victorious in the battles and had thwarted all of their enemy's plans. They needed to act instead of just reacting.

And that meant doing something unexpected. Rhaegar looked up at Arthur, a plan forming in his head.

"We tracked the messages going out of Pyke, right?" Arthur nodded.

"Yes, they were headed to Lys and Myr. We suspect that's where the heads of this conspiracy are," Arthur replied, and Rhaegar nodded.

"Good, then I want you to write a letter to Lord Brynden Tully," Rhaegar ordered, and Arthur's eyes widened before he replied.

"Are you sure about this? Is it the right time to use this," Arthur questioned him, and Rhaeagr nodded as he began to strap up his armor.

"Yes, it is. We are going to use protocol Stab. Write to the Blackfish and have it all arranged," he said, and Arthur nodded. And then Rhaegar picked up his helm, and he began to walk out of his tent.

"Let's break open this castle. It's time Baelon Greyjoy saw what being a dragon really means."

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Brynden Tully, the Blackfish, is quite an interesting character in the histories of the Seven Kingdoms. Brother to Houster Tully, he was a high-ranking noble of Riverlands. Though, after the War of the Ninepenny Kings, he decided to venture to the disputed lands and form a mercenary group.

Only later would it be revealed that it hadn't been his plan but rather King Aerys, who wanted to have a military might across the ocean. There would be no communication between them over the years, and only in King Rhaegar's times, the connection would begin to unravel.

The company was formed by a man called the Black Knights and wasn't the strongest in the disputed lands. Yet grew to considerable strength over the years and some suspect that the King's patronage was one reason for this, yet no evidence has been unearthed to support this theory.

In the 800 AC, the magisters would outlaw the presence of any mercenary groups in the disputed lands and would absorb them to form a military. The Black Knights would dissolve as well and would go into obscurity, yet many say that they still exist, active and waiting for a call to arms in times of need.

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