Game of Thrones: Winter's Fire

Dagon

215 years after Aegon's Landing and summer was here for the Ironborn, what a glorious summer it would be, Dagon just knew it. The second Blackfyre war as the singers were calling it had started off badly for Dagon and the Ironborn but had gradually improved. The letter from King Daeron had tipped them off to Lannister movements in the summer sea, the building of war galleys, the possible attempts at invasion; the letter had asked that Dagon be alert. He was, he had been alert ever since the Targaryens had sent him and his father and their people on a wild goose chase around the free cities. His father had died on that goose chase, but Dagon had made the Targaryens pay for it, and once the letter from his cousin had come, he had ordered the Iron Fleet prepped and ready, defences were to be raised and men were to be trained.

The Lannisters invaded just after the celebration of the defeat of Nagga, the lions came on war galleys bigger than some of the ships in the Redwyne Fleet, and they had brought flame and destruction to the lesser isles, Harlaw and Pyke had been defended to the bitter end. The Lannisters fought and killed many of Dagon's bannermen and their children were put to the slaughter, his own goodbrother Lord Blacktyde was slaughtered in front of Dagon's sister's very eyes. The fighting to end the siege of Pyke and Harlaw had been fierce, many men had died, and sometimes Dagon can still hear the cries of the dead and dying echoing in the cavern of his mind. His sword had been so covered in blood, stained red that it had broken under the weight of the lives he had taken, at the end Pyke and Harlaw had been liberated and that fool Gerion Lannister lay rotting in the pits of Nagga's Teeth.

Tybolt Lannister had fled with the remainder of his ships and his men like an animal with its tail between his legs, Dagon had ordered his son Rodrick to take part of the fleet and keep Lannister penned in at Fair Isle, and the banners were called then in that time, and war was brought to the Westerlands. Frustration though had always been a part of Dagon's life, never good enough to keep up with his father the mighty Quellon Greyjoy, his father would never have allowed Tybolt Lannister to slip away back to the great Casterly Rock, but slip away he had, by the time Dagon arrived at Fair Isle, Lannister and his men had left the island, leaving on little fishing boats. Dagon in his rage ordered Fair Castle sacked and the ships left behind to be burnt, that done he told his son to hold Fair Isle, the Westerlands were waiting for them, and this time Tybolt Lannister would not escape he had sworn the man would not escape.

The invasion was planned in stages, Steffon Cassel had come with men from the mainland to help lift the strain on Pyke, Torrhen Dustin and his men were attacking the Westerlands from the north inward, Dagon deciding that their best chance would be to attack the coastal castles of the Westerlands, ordered his men to do just that. They divided into three, with Dagon and Rodrick leading the bulk of the Iron Fleet, Dagon's brother Harras the Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet took roughly thirty ships with him and Dagon's younger brother Maron took another twenty ships, each with men on them, the Westerlands would feel the full wrath of the Ironborn that much Dagon had sworn. And so they had, Banefort had burnt, its riches taken, Steffon Cassel and his men had marched from there to join up with Torrhen Dustin who was camped in the Pendric Hills and they had won a mighty victory against Lord Lefford's host. Next on the list for Dagon had been the Crag, a near ruin when they found it the once prominent stronghold of House Westerling was reduced to rubble by the time the Ironborn were done, on they went, a double pronged attack led by Dagon and Theon planned by Dagon's son Rodrick ended with the sacking of castle Kayce and the deaths of all of House Kenning. Feastfires was next on the list, but that was when Tybolt Lannister stirred himself from the Rock and that was when the battle truly began.

Steffon Cassel, Torrhen Dustin and Robb Reyne and their men were all in the heart of the Westerlands pillaging and capturing the main castles as they went, last Dagon had heard the Golden Tooth had fallen, as had Oxcross, Ashemark, Sarsfield and Siverhill and Dagon wondered if the objective would be to take the Rock, if it was then he and his men might be able to help with that. Here they were camped outside the gates of Feastfires with 4,000 men Tybolt Lannister was camped on the Lion's Ridge to the north of their camp with some 1,000 men, the rest of his bannermen had either been killed, defeated or surrendered and bent the knee to Daeron Stark, victory should have been a sure thing for the Ironborn. But Dagon was no longer a green boy, the First Blackfyre War and then the takings in Essos had seen to that, Tybolt Lannister was expecting more men to come and help him, men perhaps from the Reach, Osgrey the coward had betrayed Daeron and Aemon and had fought for the Targaryens, his bannermen had followed. Tarly was marching north or west no one knew but he was marching, where was Lannister expecting the help to come from that was what plagued Dagon night and day.

"Our scouts have returned father." Dagon heard his son Rodrick say, his son was a big lad, nearly seven feet tall and almost as bulky as Dagon's own father had been. He was smart as well, his plan to take Kayce had been ingenious. He would make a worthy Lord of Pyke once Dagon's day came.

"Thank you son, show them to the battle tent." Dagon replied. He got up from his seat and walked toward the battle tent, dressed in full armour as had been his custom since he had been but a lad.

Dagon entered the tent and waited for his bannermen to enter; one by one they filed in. Stooped old Lord Gormon Botley - who had been a fierce warrior in his day-, Angry young Lord Steffon Harlaw, Harras Pyke the Bastard of Orkmont and proud Maron Redspear who Dagon's brother had been named after. These four men were commanders of the ships that made up his portion of the Iron Fleet, the rest were at various other points in either the Westerlands or the Reach destroying what it was the Targaryens claimed to rule. "My lords I believe our scouts have returned, I would hear them speak."

Two lads, no more than squires perhaps entered the tent breathing heavily. "My lord, we saw men approaching from the east, a big host my lord, some 8,000 men." They said in unison.

Dagon was silent for a moment before he asked calmly "And what banner did they fly?"

"The huntsman of House Tarly and the three headed dragon of House Targaryen my lord." One of the squires replied.

Dagon smiled, well so it was Tarly who was coming to aid Lannister, perhaps he could make use of this. "And you say they have some 8,000 men with them do you?"

"Yes my lord. We counted as many as 8,000 before we had to flee lest we be seen." One of the lads replied.

"Lord Steffon have your men seen any movement from Tybolt Lannister or his men?" Dagon enquired.

"No my lord. The Lion remains firmly sat where his host has been sat for the past few days. On top of the Lion's Ridge." Lord Steffon replied.

Dagon smiled once more and said. "Good, well we shall not wait for Lord Tarly's host to arrive here. We shall destroy Tybolt Lannister's host then we shall make for Lannisport and burn whatever ships remain docked in the port there, then we shall join Harras in destroying the Reach one piece at a time."

"Is that wise my lord?" Gormon Botley asked. "Would it not be better to send a raven to either Lord Cassel or Lord Dustin and ask for them to send us aid, so we might better deal with Tarly and Lannister?" Cautious as ever was old Lord Gormon Botley, Dagon remembered his father once telling him that Botley had been a proud and fierce fighter during his time, but that old age had turned him into a fickle and cautious old woman.

"Aye it is wise, we do not have the means to deal with Tarly and Lannister both, and Lannister's host cuts off any possible chance to help reaching us in time. No we must deal with Lannister, let Tarly rot in the hells as we burn Lannister and his men and then take Tarly's home." Dagon replied.

"Who shall lead the charge my lord?" Asked Harras Peake, bold as ever.

Dagon was silent for a moment, Peake had fought in the first Blackfyre war and had proven himself, as had Botley, but if Rodrick was to lead this men when Dagon was gone, he would have to lead them and show them how good he was. "My son shall lead the charge. You shall take orders from him."

"And where will you be my lord?" Asked Steffon Harlaw.

"Why leading the reserve my lad. Someone needs to keep a calm head during the carnage." He said with a smile on his face.

The lords bowed and left after that, with only Dagon and his son left behind. "Father, why have you given the command to me and not taken it yourself, surely the men would rather follow you?" he heard his son ask.

Dagon sighed. "You will be Lord of Pyke one day soon, and Lord of the Iron Islands. You must learn how to lead your men in battle and it is all well and good planning for war, but for our bannermen to truly respect us, we must show them in battle how capable we are. I had my time in Qarth, my father showed them during the conquest of the Summer Islands, now it is your time. Show them you can lead, and they will be your men till death."

"I will do you proud." His son said before he too left the tent, leaving Dagon alone with his thoughts. I could not tell him that I am dying, no more than I could tell my own cousin. In time he will know why I truly asked him to lead and he will thank me for it.

The next day Dagon was mounted on a blood coloured warhorse, dressed in head to foot in black as night armour, with his kraken helm on his head, waiting with some 500 men in the reserve of the Ironborn army, waiting for the horn to be blown to signal the start of battle. They'd sent out riders towards the ridge under Rodrick's direction, with Dagon's son stating that Tybolt Lannister was a cautious man but that he was still a lion, and his pride had been wounded, he was likely to follow the riders right back to them and then they would fall upon him and cut his host to pieces.

Dagon waited patiently, and just when he found his patience about to snap he heard it, the sound of a horn being blown loud and clear, once, twice, and the thrice. Dagon drew his sword from its scabbard and yelled for his men to charge. And off they went, in a sea of blue and red, the Ironborn fought the Lannister host commanded by Tybolt Lannister. Dagon himself hacked and slashed his way through the men he came up against, hacking a man's head off here, stabbing a man through the gut there, left and right his opponents came and left and right they fell.

His sword was stained red with blood, the ground filled with bodies when he came across a man with a boar on his armour. The man wielded a war hammer and seemed to be much bigger than anyone Dagon had ever fought before. It made no matter Dagon would bring him down all the same. A swing, a thrust and a parry, and Dagon had drawn first blood, a cut just above where the man's heart would be. The men retaliated with a swing of his own, Dagon managed to block it and the swing after that, and the swing after that. His opponent kept going though, swinging and hacking away at Dagon's defences until both of them were tired and Dagon had more than his fair share of bruises.

Eventually Dagon managed to find a gap in the big man's defences, and swung his sword with all his might at that gap, he managed to nick the man's armour and just before he managed to pull his horse back the brute swung his war hammer not at Dagon but at his horse, bringing it falling down with an almighty scream, Dagon weighed down by his armour and the ringing in his head, was not able to move away from his horse in time and held back a scream as he felt the full weight of the horse fall on top of his legs crushing them.

The giant of a man walked towards Dagon, his hammer raised high into the air, Dagon could not move his legs, let alone find the strength to raise his sword to defend himself from the blow he knew was coming. Instead he said a silent prayer to the Drowned God that he would find peace and that Velena and their children would know happiness, he did not scream or cry out as the war hammer was brought down onto his chest, he did not utter a sound. As the battle of the Lion's Ridge rained on around him Dagon Greyjoy was killed by a war hammer on the fourth day of the sixth month of the 215th Year after Aegon's Landing. Another death in the Second Blackfyre War.

Aerys the Book King

It was summer in Westeros, the heat and humidity in King's Landing alone was enough to prove that. Yet for Aerys Targaryen, the First of his name, it seemed like winter had never left. His whole world had been turned upside down since he had become king, since Baelor had bloody gone and died during the tourney mishap at Ashford, since the Great Spring Sickness had come and claimed his father and two of his nephews. He had never wanted to be king, he would have been happy to become a maester had his father allowed it, even now he was tempted to abdicate and become a maester if things between Brynden and Maekar were not so tense. Brynden was too used to running the kingdoms to accept someone such as Maekar who was so completely different to Aerys and Brynden that Aerys seriously doubted that their partnership would end in anything less than another blasted war.

He knew Maekar had been insulted by his choice to appoint their bastard uncle as hand instead of him, his own flesh and blood, but Aerys had his reasons for doing so. Brynden was a great believer in the future, and he knew more about what Aerys read and even sometimes dreamed about than anyone ever had. This was largely because he actually paid attention and cared about these things as much as Aerys did, the two of them had always been close growing up as children, and that had not changed. It was why Aerys had made Brynden hand, so that Brynden could rule and deal with the realm and the north and Aerys could deal with the future and the darkness that was coming.

Of course one thing that Aerys had not counted on was that there would be another blasted Blackfyre war so close to the ending of the Bolton rebellion. Really he supposed he should have tried to stop whatever schemes it was that Brynden had been cooking whilst they were yet to be out of the pan, but of course he had never thought that Egg and that knight of his would get caught up in it all and that he would be forced to banish them from King's Landing for aiding a Blackfyre, surely Maekar would have instilled some sense into his children? Then again looking at Daeron and Aerion perhaps not, one was a drunkard and the other had been half mad when Aerys had last seen him, it was why he had never wished to have children even though he know knew that perhaps he had better have gotten round to it.

He could not get the words he had read in the book of prophecies of Daenys the Dreamer that clearly stated the end of his house as he knew it in smoke and fire. The words he remembered them clearer than he did his own mother's face sometimes. Darkness shall fall on us, the blood of the dragon. One man's folly shall cause the fourth son of the fourth son to come to power, and his reign shall end in fire and grief, treachery caused by love shall beget the end of the golden era. The mad one's son shall cause the joining of Ice and Fire and shall end the rule of his house, our glorious house. Wolf shall slay dragon as the coming darkness spreads, the light shall fade from our eyes.

The words haunted him, he understood bits and pieces of them, he knew Maekar would come to the throne, had dreamed of that ever since they had all been little children, before Daemon had rebelled, before grandfather had died. He had always known Maekar would be king, he had just not known when. And he had never known that his brother's sons would be a drunkard, a madman never knew that. Perhaps more treachery would follow towards the end of his reign, he was not sure. There were many things Aerys was not sure about nowadays, but now was not the time to brood on them; he had a small council meeting to attend.

Here he was now sat in the king's chair, where his father, his grandfather and great grandfather had all sat before him, he often felt inferior to those who sat in council which was why Brynden often took his place, there was no need for him to worry about the realm, but now there was. Brynden sat to his right, as hand of the king, Maekar to his left as an advisor, Michael Stone a bastard from Heart's Home sat to Maekar's right serving as master of whispers a man Brynden assured him was most trustworthy. Lord Ullrick Dayne served as master of laws sat to Brynden's right and to Ullrick's right sat Grand Maester Justin, the seat next to him was empty where Tybolt Lannister would usually sit, Lord Commander Roland Crakehall sat directly facing Aerys. Aerys cleared his throat and spoke, "My lords thank you for coming here today. I would hear reports on how the war and my kingdom are doing."

It was Brynden who spoke first as usual. "Your Grace, reports from the war are as thus. The northmen as of present have captured Nunn's Deep, the Golden Tooth, Sarsfield and Siverhill. The Ironborn continue to sack their way around the coast of the Westerlands and have started launching attacks on the Reach, though our sources confirm that Tybolt Lannister engaged the host led by Dagon Greyjoy on the Lion's Ridge and won a hard fought battle. Greyjoy was slain by a knight of House Crakehall, his son Rodrick retreated to their ships and has set sail for Lannisport, Lord Tarly and his host of men are hot on the traitors trail." Brynden paused, and Aerys said a quick prayer to the Seven in thanks, with Greyjoy dead Daeron Stark's chances of holding the West were greatly reduced. Brynden continued. "As you know Lord Tully lies in a cell in Moat Cailin, the Twins are still under northern control, Lords Vance, Piper and Mallister were defeated at Oldstones and Riverrun is in Stark's hands, yet the Reach remains largely secure, the Blackfyre traitors in the Reach have been surely dealt with, and Lord Redwyne is sailing now to battle the Ironborn who threaten the coast."

Aerys nodded but before he could reply, Maekar spoke harshly "And what of this host that Garth Tyrell and Tully's uncle Ser Gawen Rivers are mustering at the Stoney Sept when were you going to mention that Bloodraven?"

Brynden merely smiled at Maekar as if he were a child, and said to Aerys "Aye Your Grace, Lord Garth and Ser Gawen are amassing a host and are waiting for commands from you as to what next they should do. Stark and Blackfyre sit in Riverrun and wait."

Aerys was silent for a moment the words he had read playing on in his head, and even though he knew Maekar would advice caution he said. "Tell them to ready for a march, Jasper Arryn's men are coming in from the Vale are they not?" His uncle nodded, Aerys went on feeling more confident. "Well then tell them to meet at the Inn of the Kneeling Man, Aemon Blackfyre will come running after them if nothing else. And Brynden you shall lead the host from the Crownlands that is mustering."

With that he dismissed council though his brother remained behind an angry expression on his face. "Why is it you have given command of our troops to Bloodraven why not me? I am the one who led us to victory against Daemon, or have you forgotten?"

Aerys sighed, he was so tired now. "I have not forgotten brother, but you cannot be trusted to be impartial. Daeron was your best friend and still is if what happened with Egg is anything to go by. You must remain here and help defend the city and Aelinor."

Maekar puffed up with indignation before simply deflating and walking out of the room. Aerys sighed, he hadn't had the heart to tell his brother what he had learnt before the council meeting, Aerion had sided with Bittersteel in the Disputed Lands, his brother's son was a traitor.