Chapter 12 Blood In The Water, Arriving Flame
From where he stood at the front of the ship he had designated as his flagship for his triumphal return to Westeros, Viserys laughed quietly under his breath as he watched the small patrol boats of Planky Town scattering here and there. "It seems as if we have dropped a few stones into a pond here, my dear." He said looking over at where his queen was sitting underneath an awning on a bed of pillows.
Nodding, Arianne smirked a little. "I predict that reaction will not be the only ripple your arrival causes; my king." She always called him 'your grace' or 'my king' in public, it never hurt to butter Viserys up. It made him easier to control something she knew would be needed in the future. The edge she saw in him hadn't faded, indeed it had become more visible every time they talked about their plans going forward, but at least she had become very adroit at steering him using her various wiles. Arianne went on, looking at where Balerion was tethered by a heavy chain next to her husband. "Especially when news of your Balerion spreads."
Viserys nodded judiciously, but they both knew that it would be at least another year before Balerion was ready to be ridden. Though he did not know it, Viserys did not share the ability to meld mind to mind with his dragon that his sister possessed. That meant he could not allow Balerion to fly at any great distance or train him beyond a very limited amount. He allowed the quickly growing black dragon to fly occasionally tethered by a heavy rope to build up muscles but that was all he could allow, else the dragon slip his control before they were truly imprinted on one another. More, Balerion had yet to breathe fire.
"I think I'll let him fly around a bit on his tether when we start docking, that will allow the largest number of people to see him and start spreading the word. Shock and awe are potent weapons after all." Viserys smirked, before going on more seriously." What should we expect from the officials here?" He had asked that question before, but it always helped to go over such things.
Behind their flagship the other ships that he, Arianne and Illyrio had commissioned were spread out across the ocean, all of them carrying the mercenaries they had put under with Ser Jorah acting as commander. They were without the Company of the Cat as yet since their factor had badly underestimated the time it would take them to get to Pentos from where they had been in the Disputed Lands. Instead, Viserys had to send half his ships to pick them up in Myr. The trip from there however would be far quicker than the trip from Pentos, so the Company was only about two weeks behind them.
"As their princess I'll be able to override any officious buffoon who tries to stop our troops disembarkation." Arianne said smiling thinly. "Planky Town answers directly to my family, and I have no doubt that all of the officials here will be sending word to my father the moment they realize I have returned."
Behind them Illyrio sat on his own bed of cushion, looking like a very oddly whiskered walrus as he waved his hand through the air trying to cool himself down. Pentos shared latitude with King's Landing and thus like that city was warm year-round. But here at the southernmost edge of Dorne it was hot, something Illyrio was not used to and which was melting the fat off him slowly. That had begun weeks ago however, so he was somewhat used to his body's complaints. "Will we wait here for Bloodbeard and his fellows?" Bloodbeard was the leader of the Company of the Cat.
"No." Viserys said chopping one hand through the air. "I want to confer with Prince Doran before I decide on a course of action, get the latest news and be prepared to give Bloodbeard his orders immediately as they disembark." He laughed harshly. "Even in comparison to the mercenaries with us at present the company of the Cat is not comprised of men you would wish to have linger in your town at any time, let alone after a sea voyage."
Arianne grimaced internally at the amusement in Viserys' voice at that but nodded. Such men were useful, but Viserys was right, she didn't want them on her family's land for any longer time than was necessary. I wonder what my father will think, she thought. Especially considering that this was in fact the match that he wished for me, he shouldn't have very many complaints on that score. But finally being forced to choose a side, and to act openly? That might give him a heart attack. For some reason Arianne could not find any sympathy in her for that response.
OOOOOOO
Prince Doran looked at his chief factor from Planky Town and for once his face showed his emotions, which were a jumble of pure shock, dismay, and worry. "Could you say that again? I could've sworn you said that my daughter returned with a man under the Targaryen banner and a fleet at their back."
The other man, an elderly gentleman of age with Doran, licked dry lips but nodded. "That is indeed what I said my Lord, we spotted the Targaryen flag several hours out, and I went to the tallest watchtower with a spyglass to see everything I could before reporting to you. There were about twelve ships give or take. All of those I saw looked like transports, trade cogs not warships, and from what I could tell filled with rather disreputable looking mercenaries. A few of the ships were manned by troops who looked more disciplined, but those were the minority."
"Never mind that, man!" Doran barked sharply, bringing one aged hand down on his armrest. "Tell me more about what you saw on the flagship! Are you certain you saw the banner of House Targaryen?"
"Yes my Lord, it's quite distinct, a three-headed red dragon on a black background. And I recognized the Princess sitting under an awning next to a man who had silver hair." The factor licked his lips again and went on. "I waited until they were near to docking before coming here to see you my Lord, and as I waited, I saw something astonishing. The, the man, he, he brings a dragon! He let it fly around the ship on an extremely long rope before coaxing it back in with food. Everyone on the wharf saw it!"
News of Daenerys return and her two dragons had not yet reached Dorne, so this sighting came as a distinct surprise. In response Doran fell back into his chair almost in a faint, one hand clutching at his chest. His thoughts however were almost but not quite removed from the panic his body was going through. This is the best outcome I could've hoped for from Arianne's little jaunt, it matches my own long-term plans, and yet…
And yet now that it came to it, Doran was extremely reluctant to actually act, regardless of Viserys bringing a dragon with him. All of Westeros seemed to be falling into war, with only his own realm and that of the Vale untouched by it as yet. This however would plunge his people into that war, and Doran suddenly found himself having great difficulty reconciling that.
That was why Doran could not hide his dismay from his daughter's eyes when she and Viserys marched into the great Hall of Sunspear two days later. This was the same hall where Doran had greeted his brother's return with the Mountain's head, and the same where he had ordered his brother's arrest. Doran had avoided the place since, but for this he had to be formal.
Doran locked eyes with the Targaryen prince and shuddered a little seeing what was burning there. A need for blood and vengeance that he had seen in his younger brother's eyes more than once. This is a man who burns for vengeance as bitterly as any of my family, but will it be the rest of Westeros or my family who pays the higher price to achieve it?
Yes, Doran was very reluctant to finally start to act, and it was only his decades of experience that allowed him to keep his dismay from his face when his daughter curtsied floridly to his throne and declaimed loudly. "Father, may I present Viserys Targaryen, heir of House Targaryen, rightful King of Westeros, future rider of the dragon Balerion, and my husband." The way she said that last word showed that Arianne had discovered that her marriage had been a long term scheme of his, and that she wasn't happy he had kept that from her.
For a few moments Doran did not say or do anything, simply staring at his daughter and Viserys, his eyes and face not showing anything of his thoughts as usual. In reality, he was trying to get control of himself before he spoke. When he did speak the quavering his voice was easily mistaken for happiness. "You are welcome home daughter and you as well… Your Majesty. Your loyal subjects have missed you." So my side is chosen for me, and nothing I can do will ever allow me to regain my neutral position. So be it, this is what I worked for, and it seems I must see it through.
OOOOOOO
How many days had it been since his own brother had imprisoned him here? Oberyn didn't know, and didn't care. The room was comfortable enough, and Doran's servants certainly fed him well enough, despite the fact that he had slain four of them when the guards had come to forcefully arrest him. That didn't matter either, all that mattered was that he was a prisoner, that he was being kept here rather than being allowed to seek out justice for his dead daughter.
Justice, vengeance or what have you, Oberyn thought his mind somewhat more lucid than it normally was these days, as he had tried to drink himself into a stupor practically every day since being imprisoned there. I care not which or what other people label it as. I will see that Lannister bitch dead and Robert too.
That thought jarred him a little as his memory replayed something a servant had passed on from his brother's spies, something about Robert already being dead? But even so his brat was still around, his family was still around, and the bitch queen was still alive. All of them would feel the sting of the Viper's fangs eventually.
Eventually my brother's guards will relax and I will slip my cage once more. Just one little crack, just one guard a few minutes late to his post or nodding off of a night, that's all I need. Oberyn was overlooking the fact that given his current semi-inebriated state he probably couldn't have made it out of the castle without a great deal of luck, nor would he have cared if someone else pointed out. Not after hearing how his daughter Tyene had been sentenced to death, and his on-again off-again lover Daemon slain in her defense. Will the Lannisters never stop heaping insults upon my family? All of them, every stinking golden haired lion or whore-son Baratheon will die by my hands!
Oberyn looked up abruptly as sounds approached in the corridor outside his gilded cage. It wasn't yet dinnertime, so either the servant coming to serve him food was coming very early or something interesting was happening. He languidly stood up, moving with that precise sort of movement of the very inebriated, his hands flexing with violent intent.
He stopped however as the captain of the guard moved through the door, his heavy axe in one hand as always. Areo Hotah was a powerfully built man who hailed from the Essos city of Norvos, and had been trained by the bearded priests in his war craft. The axe he held, which had a shaft six feet long, was his wife as well as his weapon, signifying his loyalty to the one he was sworn to. In Areo's case that was Doran, whose service he had entered when Doran's wife, who also hailed from Norvos, came to Dorne.
"Prince Oberyn," Areo said, gesturing to two servants behind him. "These two will help you get changed dressed and shaved, you are wanted to take part in a war council."
"A war council?" Oberyn said, his voice slurring very slightly. "For what reason, so that my brother might figure out a better way to rattle his sabers on this edge of the passes, so that he can puff our numbers up further rather than actually use them? Why would Doran need me for that?"
"There have been events occurring Prince Oberyn beyond Dorne's borders, some of which require your brother to renege his refusal to allow you your freedom." Areo replied, his bearded face showing none of his thoughts about either Oberyn's imprisonment, or the events he was speaking of.
Oberyn's eyes widened, and then widened further as the man moved to one side allowing his oldest daughter Obara to enter. Her eyes were slightly red rimmed, not from crying, none of his daughters would waste water on that, but from rage at the news she had heard mere hours ago. She had never really liked Tyene all that much, but they had been sisters, and that was that. "I'm sorry father!" she said shaking her head moving forward to help the servants getting ready for the war council. "If I had stayed behind…!"
"I might well be mourning both you and Tyene now, and the Princess would now be in Lannister hands, a tool they would use to keep us from acting. I presume your return means that you and she have something to do with my newfound freedom?" Oberyn said, each word coming out with less and less alcohol-induced slur. He now straightened up, showing nothing of his inebriation. It was still there, but he had long developed the ability to function even while rip-roaring drunk, a must-have ability for mercenaries Oberyn had learned while in Essos.
As his daughter made to protest he slashed his hand through the air. "Enough, we will talk later tonight. We will mourn together for Tyene, but for now, justice and vengeance means we must keep a level head and put aside grief."
OOOOOOO
The princes of Dorne met with Viserys, the captain of the guard and several others, including Obara and Nymeria Sand, another daughter of Oberyn's, to discuss what should be done. At twenty-five years old with a slender build, dark green eyes, full lips and a beautiful face framed by straight black hair worn in a long braid, Nymeria had all the beauty her older sister Obara lacked. Despite her elegance and poise however, she was just as much a warrior as Obara, and always had daggers hidden about her person.
Arianne was there as well, though she had taken the intervening time to grieve for her friend Tyene who had been Arianne's favorite among the Sand Snakes. Her eyes were still red rimmed from crying, and she did not look nearly as composed or lushly sensual as normal as she sat next to her husband. Yet despite being so tear stained her eyes were sharp and hard. Arianne would go back to crying after the meeting, go back to blaming herself for not having brought Tyene along with her on the ship with Ranma, for wanting her to remain to watch the court, for getting Tyene killed more than anyone else could ever truly say. For now, they had plans to make, plans to bring their house to prominence in Westeros again, plans for justice and the ruin of their enemies.
Viserys took command of the meeting immediately as was his right as King, and there was a hard light in his eyes that matched those of his wife and Oberyn as he tapped the map laid out on the counsel table. He first went into their own preparations: the number of mercenaries he had gathered, how long it would take Balerion to be large enough to ride and thereby become an offensive force and the number of ships he had under his command. This included two war galleys, each of them armed with four scorpions on top of the seventeen transport ships, five of which weren't here yet since they were carrying the Company of the Cat from Myr.
Then he went on more reluctantly to mention the fact that his sister had absconded with two dragon eggs, and that she may be allied with the Starks. "But of course, she lacks the true fire of our family, she'll mollycoddle them, that'll make them useless for war, pampered pets if that. I don't doubt that they'll be fond of her, but Daenerys would sooner cut her own throat than use them in war, she's too soft to give the dragon the harsh training they require to be of any use. They'll be a symbol nothing more."
"I would urge reconciliation with her." Doran said promptly. "Regardless of how she treats them she has two dragons, one more than could be used. We could possibly find a dragonseed after the war is over to help train the third. Together the two of you could also prove a much more potent symbol then alone. Plus, if we make peace with her, she may bring in the Starks on our side."
"No!" Viserys barked, shaking his head, before going on in a more controlled voice. "She will never side with me. Daenerys has always been jealous that I was born older than her, but never so brave as to truly do what needs to be done. In the future we might be able to talk her into surrendering…" he went on reluctantly. "But before that she will do us damage by showing that our house is not united in our desire to take the Iron Throne."
"Could we send out assassins?" Arianne asked her father. "Either for Daenerys or against her dragons? As magnificent as they are, I would sooner have them dead than used against us."
Her husband looked as if he was about to explode at that last idea, but subsided slowly allowing Doran to answer. "No. For one thing, any assassin we send from here from our own… local resources would have to travel overland through all of Westeros into the war zone that is the Riverlands and then beyond to the North. That's a difficult trek even in peacetime. As it is now, there is no chance of it occurring. And paying for a true trained assassin, even a Sorrowful man rather than a Faceless, would cost as much as one of your smaller mercenary companies. Besides, dragons are almost impossible to kill by poison."
Despite that Doran wondered if it was possible, and thought about how the dragons had died out before. If I had a way to contact Sarella in Oldtown, I might have her look into that for me based on certain… rumors, but as it is…
"True." Viserys said thoughtfully. "For now, on to other matters. Thanks to the Usurper's death, all of Westeros is now ripping itself apart and I would like to hear what has gone on of late. We've been at sea for over a month now, what has happened since? What are the sides that have formed since the pretenders death?"
Doran spoke, his voice softer now. "Much has occurred. Rumors have come out of King's Landing about what truly happened to cause the break between House Stark and House Lannister." He briefly outlined those rumors, and then looked at his daughter. "You are the only one here who has actually been around the Baratheon boy in even somewhat close circumstances, what are your thoughts?"
Frowning thoughtfully Arianne took a moment to think before speaking. "I would say that there is not an ounce of Baratheon blood in him, that part at least is correct. But I saw no evidence of anything going on between the Kingslayer and Cersei, and I note that even Stannis isn't actually advertising the proof of that. I would say stay well away from that aspect in our own propaganda, a lie in such a thing could come back to bite us."
To her side Obara and Oberyn both nodded agreement. Oberyn expounded further. "I never saw any evidence to suggest he was the Kingslayer's son when I was there for the Tourney, though that doesn't mean much. He and his sister do look so alike there would be nothing physical to show that, but from what little I could see but the brat didn't have any aptitude towards weapons-craft or to anything else Jaime is known to be fond of."
Doran nodded and went on describing what else had been occurring of late, finishing with how the Lannisters had been stalled in their northern march, which made all of his listeners smile and frown in turn. They smiled because they liked hearing about the Lannisters facing a setback, and frowned because if Tywin Lannister had finished his march up north, he would've been too far out of position to do anything about their own movements quickly.
He did not know that the northern army was already in the field in the Riverlands, and had no idea that the Freys had already fallen. Nor did he have any idea about the former Mountain's Men and others being sent into the western marches of the Reach. Nor did Doran, not having any sort of real naval power, know that the Ironborn were on the move.
"The fact that Renly is making his own play for the throne isn't surprising." Viserys said thoughtfully, exchanging glances with Jorah and Illyrio who had helped the traitor Domeric give Viserys a decent grasp of both Baratheon brothers. "He's always looked down on Stannis and the Usurper's favoring him didn't help. But how effective will he be in the field? And while the Reach will let him field a huge army, how loyal are they really? Their House and your own, Prince Doran, were the two Lord Paramounts that were loyal to my family to the end. Despite the fact that they were led by that incompetent, Mace Tyrell, imagine becoming so embroiled in besieging Storm's End that you forget that the real prize so King's Landing and the Iron Throne!" He shook his head, half in amusement and half in anger at that bungle. The man would pay for that down the line, but at present that connection might prove useful.
"The Houses of the Reach may march in lockstep for now." Oberyn said musingly. "However, there are many lords that would be unhappy with Mace personally if they receive a setback or two. If they do, then Renly and his power grab may collapse internally if they are shown that they have other options. The Florents for certain would be looking for any excuse to changes sides if they lose men in the field. And House Hightower as well, they've never been very happy with Baratheon rule."
Viserys nodded sharply. "If you have enough ravens here my Lord, I will pen messages to every noble house you can think of that might show more loyalty to us than to Renly the Pretender. It could not hurt after all to show that there are better options around now."
"But…" he went on his eyes hardening and lighting with eagerness. "In the end Renly's claim or his brother's do not matter! We will conquer the whole of Westeros by fire and blood if need be to claim my rightful place and gain your family's revenge!" Doran was the only Martel at that table who did not shout aloud in vehement agreement, and more than one advisor also nodded as well, though tellingly this did not include Areo Hotah.
After a moment Oberyn looked down at the map on the table. "So now we should talk about specific plans."
"I'm thinking of a large feint: a threat that the other side will have to honor, but which will draw even more of their attention elsewhere while we strike someplace else entirely." Viserys said looking at over at Oberyn. He outlined what he wanted to do, and Oberyn winced a little at the idea of trying to time movements like that over such large distances. Still, each segment by itself was workable.
Eventually they came to an agreement. Oberyn would lead the mercenaries up the Greenblood then the Scourge before marching through the desert to Yronwood. There he would join the eight thousand men already gathered there doing the saber rattling he had been so dismissive of earlier that day. Oberyn would then march through the Boneway to fall on the Stormlands. They were not to be bogged down anywhere in sieges however, they were the diversion. The real blow would land elsewhere, commanded by Viserys and Jorah, with the men of the nearby Dornish houses and those who could send their men to Planky Town that hadn't already been committed, a force numbering around twelve to fourteen thousand.
Not really having much to contribute to talk about the war effort Arianne leaned back, letting the talk wash over her. Though she would later help pen Viserys' notes to the Reach Lords, right now Arianne was wondering two things in particular. One, where Ranma and Daenerys were, and two, who really had poisoned young Tommen kicking off the shit storm in King's Landing that began the war between lion, stag and wolf.
OOOOOOO
At around the same time that the eldest Targaryen sibling was arriving in Planky Town, Stannis was arriving with his fleet in Duskendale. Nearly every ship of the fleet was behind him, waiting their turn to come in and to disgorge the soldiers on them. The first ten did so quickly, before pulling away to let the next ten take their place. The disembarkation would take nearly four full days, given the size of the docks and the number of ships. The city also couldn't house all of the troops, not without causing a lot of dislocation.
The first thousand plus infantry moved with Lord Errol in command took command of the wharf quickly, making certain the rest of the disembarkation went smoothly. Not that the locals seemed in any hurry to try. Indeed the smallfolk were all dashing inside to get away from what they thought might be invaders. Barring issues, Sebastian Errol would turn that duty over to the next group ashore which was led by a knight from Dragonstone, before heading out of the city with his men to set up a base camp for the army.
As this was going on, Stannis and a party of three hundred moved through the town towards House Rykker's Dun Fort. It was the sight of the Defiance of Duskendale, which many saw as the point where Aerys began to sink into madness. Why the fort was left standing after that is beyond me but if Rykker thinks to do aught but immediately bend the knee, I will rectify that mistake quickly.
Despite that thought Stannis knew Rykker wouldn't do anything so foolish. He was a cautious man, who would follow whoever seemed strong at the time. Since it was his army disembarking into Duskendale right now, that was Stannis. Of course that means he'll back someone else if they come close enough to threaten the city, but so long as he doesn't support them in the field I'll let that slide for now. Leaving thought of Renfred Rykker for now, Stannis turned his thoughts to what had been happening in the past month or so.
While he had been traveling from the Stormlands up to Dragonstone, battling the weather most of the way, Davos Seaworth had performed in an exemplary fashion. First Seaworth brought both houses he had been sent to parlay with, Bar Emmon and Massey, to Stannis's side. This added a little under three and a half thousand men into his army from Massey, which had not been weakened much in Robert's Rebellion, and another thousand, two hundred from Bar Emmon, which like much of the rest of the Crownlands, had been badly hammered in Robert's Rebellion. Davos then acted on his own to negotiate with Salladhor Saan, a Lysene based pirate lord.
At that point Stannis had arrived at Dragonstone. After praising him for the work he had already done, under Stannis set Davos the task of leading a small group of galleys down to burn out House Tarth's port on Estermont. He had rejoined Stannis' main force barely a half day away from Duskendale, that mission accomplished. House Tarth no longer had any ships or the ability to make them, and was thus out of the war without even factoring the losses they had taken or their heir's death.
With Saan's ships taking over the blockade around King's Landing, which had added even more of the navy's men to Stannis' army. That gave him a force of around eighteen thousand, though the former naval troops would need constant training to become used to fighting on land. They were all trained in combat, but in maneuvers and working in larger groups, those they needed work on, and his cavalry arm was sorely lacking in numbers. The men he had taken with him into the Stormlands however would make a good training cadre. I have an army now, but what has gone on since I left the Stormlands? That is the question.
He glanced at Melisandre, his eyes showing a hint of anger. Melisandre's ability to see what was occurring elsewhere had not been reliable of late. Rather than the actual events, her visions of late consisted of imagery she had to interpret. He knew that the Lannisters had marched into the Riverlands, that they had been turned aside and that the wolves were in the Riverlands already something that he probably wouldn't be able to confirm here, but if true would astonish him. Details eluded them.
You couldn't get much detail out of Melisandre declaring 'the lion has been stopped at a river after eating it's full of the fish'. What river, where, what crossing, even what enemies? Or 'a peacock has tricked a young foolish stag and is strutting now to the city.' The young stag was obviously Renly, he was certainly foolish enough, but the rest? The only thing that kept Stannis from blowing up at the woman after having become so used to relying on her visions was the fact that this was very obviously frustrating her as well.
Melisandre was indeed becoming more and more worried about her inability to correctly discern the images R'hllor was sending to her, which had begun almost from the moment they took to sea again in the Stormlands. Had she done something for her God to turn his favor from her? Or was it simply the fact that she had been on the ocean, where the power of R'hllor was weak? But it hadn't bothered her abilities before… On the other hand, could it be a sign of something more sinister, the growing power of the Great Other? That last worried Melisandre the most, since she knew that Stannis would be very hard to turn aside from what he saw as the primary concern: gaining his throne. But he was the Azor Ahai, if he did not stand against the Great Other in the Far North, nothing would.
OOOOOOO
Renfred Rykker was an unctuous man, who knew perfectly well he didn't stand a chance against Stannis' army, Duskendale having no navy of its own nor a city watch large enough to matter. Stannis didn't even get an opportunity to try to overawe him, instead Renfred came to him. Bowing so low he almost fell out of his horse's saddle there in the streets of the city he said meekly. "My Lord, my city and my house are yours, of course. May I offer you what scant hospitality Dun Fort can?"
Despite his best effort Lord Rykker couldn't stop his eyes from skittering across to where the red witch rode next to Stannis, her red hair cascading down her back like a wave of fire. He wondered if this was the rumored Red Witch and if so, what her powers really consisted of.
"You may." Stannis said, bringing the attention of the man back to him. "And while you are doing so, tell me what has been happening of late. I've been out of touch at sea for too long."
Later that evening Stannis and his main advisors gathered. He had the local Lord fill them all in on the local news, the news from the Riverlands. He also relayed that Renly was on the march with the Reach army along with the rumor that there had possibly been a clash of some kind on the Gold Road. Most worrying however was the news that the second army out of Westerlands had reached Lord Lannister.
Lord Ralph Buckler summed up their position succinctly. "While coming to Duskendale to offload our army seemed a good idea my Lord, allowing us to come at King's Landing from a surprise direction, we seem to now be caught between two enemies. Not close ones to be sure, but powerful enough to make me nervous. Is there any way your brother and the Lord Lannister would be willing to work together against us?"
"A chance for certain, but nothing more." Stannis said waving that away. "Beyond the distances involved, there are other reasons why that would never happen. My brother wants the throne after all, and Lord Lannister will be just as firm in his desire to keep his own blood on it." I wonder what the old lion would do if he learned the true parentage of Joffrey or the other two?
He put that aside for now as Seaworth spoke. "Regardless, putting our men on land again was a good move. One of the cutters assigned to watch King's Landing met up with the fleet a few hours ago." He looked over at his Lord. "The captain's still down at the port if ya wish to question him in person your grace, but I already talked ta him before coming up here. The Lannisters've put together at least three trebuchets that'd cover the approach to the port. The captain talked about other works going on that tell me the city is prepared for an attack from the sea."
"That's good to know." said Lord Bolling, frowning thoughtfully. "But it doesn't change our situation here. I would vote to move fast and strike hard at one or the other enemy my lord, before their own spies can inform them we've landed here. I doubt we'd be able to surprise them given the distances involved, but we can't stay here."
Stannis shook his head. "That thought never occurred to me in the first place. We might be caught between enemies, but the distances involved allow us quite a lot of new room for maneuver, and one enemy in particular is untried and much more fragile than the other."
He smiled thinly, remembering the discussion with his wife when they stayed on Dragonstone. He didn't like Selyse much, and didn't really understand his daughter very well either, but Selyse had thought up an interesting scheme to deal with the Tyrells, one that could bear quite a bit of fruit down the line if he removed Renly in some fashion.
"We will march further south to assault the army from the Reach after they move to put King's Landing under siege. If we can march fast enough, we might be able to get there before their second echelon arrives, in which case we will be laboring under only a two or three to one disadvantage in numbers, while holding an advantage in experience and leadership that they cannot match." So long as my brother is in command rather than Randyll Tarly at least. Even there I wonder about his ability to role with the punches.
"The Lannisters might come after us, but you're right my Lord, the distances involved mean we'll see them coming long before they can reach us. Duskendale isn't defensible either alas." Lord Buckler said thoughtfully, hoping no one called him on his moment of panic. He really wasn't the best at reading distances on a map. Moreover he naturally thought in terms of forting up, a natural mode of thought for him given Bronzegate's defensive position and Duskendale's lack in that area had thrown him. Here however, a war of maneuver was a much better idea.
"I hope they do, that would remove Tywin from his supply lines in the Riverlands and from behind the earthworks he's apparently been throwing up. Now Rykker, what can you tell me about the Crownlands themselves, have any of the other Houses sworn for the bastard king? How many are taking a wait-and-see attitude?"
"A few Houses declared for the King almost immediately my Lord." Said Renfred bowing his head obsequiously again. "Rosby and Stokeworth were the first. House Brych followed quickly, as did Edgerton, Harte sent a thousand man I've been told, nearly their full strength! Manning, Thorne, and Staunton all lost their lords and in Manning and Staunton's case, their heirs as well in what the smallfolk are calling the Battle of Two Truths fighting against House Stark. According to rumor they were gutted along with the City Watch and the forces the Lannisters had on hand. With the Kingslayer in command the forces in the capital have since rebuilt and been reinforced, but those families might never recover and are certainly no longer a consideration."
Stannis grimaced. If he had known that he might have chanced a lightning raid with his fleet, as ill-prepared as it had been for a battle on land. Damnit, still for the Starks to do that much damage, they are a serious threat. Curse Melisandre and her urges, if I hadn't ordered their ship attacked Eddard would have declared for me! As it is, I'll no doubt be facing the Mountain-Breaker across the field.
Rykker didn't notice this and went on. "Manning, Langward, Wendwater, Rollingford, Cressey and Chelsted have all declared their neutrality. Chelsted is the only house there that has enough force to matter, but given what happened to their old lord, they won't want to get involved in a civil war."
Lord Chelsted had been a Hand of the king under Aerys, who tried to protest his plans to use wildfire to burn the city, and been burned in turn for it when he tried to resign, wanting no part in the plan. The house's troops had retreated rather than take part in any further battles after that, and the House had stood aloof from everything since. They were still a powerful house, but one that refused to take side, and no other lord could gainsay that, including Stannis.
"I respect Chelsted's position, their neutrality is enough for me." Stannis nodded. Actually Stannis didn't but he was worried about bringing a house with bad memories of fire into his army with Melisandre around. "As for the others, the Crownlands suffered during my brother's war and have not fully recovered their manpower. And House Chyttering, which you haven't mentioned, may side with me or Renly. For certain they will believe Joffrey a bastard, which may give us a thousand more men or so by the time the battle between us and Renly's force begins."
Davos looked worried. "My Lord, do you truly mean to fight your brother?"
"Renly has always been an arrogant, foolish boy." Stannis said coldly. "He's always wanted more than his own prowess and strength could ever win him, and Robert favoring him did not help matters. Now he is out there, trying to claim the throne that is rightfully mine, turning half the Stormlands against me, the Reach against me, and doing none of that before first even confronting me personally, the coward! Familial loyalty say that he should follow me, and yet he would ignore that as well as any of the laws of the land and succession to try and grasp a crown he has never shown the ability to control."
Stannis stood up abruptly, moving back and forth, every line of his body screaming anger before he turned abruptly to Davos, once more in control of his temper. "You ask if I will strike at my brother, my brother struck at me first by raising his own banner like this! Renly is in the wrong and that is an end of it Davos. If he surrenders, if Renly bows to me when we are face-to-face, I will welcome him back. But he will only get that one chance from me."
The Onion Knight looked into Stannis eyes for moment then nodded his head formally in submission.
Stannis knew his man needed a break after not one but two voyages with naught to do even on Dragonstone for the majority, therefore he needed to take time to let them rest, much as he loathed the delay. As such, Stannis moved his army out of the city to the camp Lord Errol had set up and then for the next four days rotated his men through the city, allowing them to take time with the fleshpots therein. At the same time the rest of the army was training and rearming. The smiths of the city worked around the clock to provide his army with chainmail and heavier shields, but in only four days couldn't make much headway in re-armoring his former navy armsmen, who primarily wore leather armor. After four days however, his army was once more on the march out of Duskendale towards King's Landing.
OOOOOOO
Twenty-five longships laid at anchor inside Blazewater Bay, far enough away from land to not be seen but deep enough in the bay to allow the ships to use it to protect themselves from the worst of the sea's weather. This far north that weather was capricious at best but you could not have told that from the young woman who stood with casual confidence on the topmost mast of one of the larger longships. Its name, etched out on the side, was Black Wind.
The young woman is lean, with little in the way of curves, her muscles tending towards being wiry rather than strong, built for speed. Her black hair is cut short, barely reaching her ears, and her skin, what of it can be seen under the heavy coats she wears, is wind-burned and her hands look strong, her fingers dexterous. Her hands are also calloused heavily, both from working on the ship and from wielding a sword. This young woman was Asha Greyjoy, daughter of Balon Greyjoy, self-declared king of the Iron Islands, and this was her ship.
Normally a woman in the Ironborn culture would never be allowed to even be a sailor let alone captain her own ship. Oh, the Ironborn gave lip service to the fact heir women could be warriors, but that was all it was, mere lip service with no truth behind it, indeed women in the Iron Islands were treated worse than anywhere on the mainland. But with the heir to the Seastone chair a captive of the Starks in the North that had allowed Asha some leeway. Leeway enough to prove herself, and she had. Asha had become captain of her own ship through blood, sweat and energy, crewing it with men she personally chose. Men who she could trust not to try to stab her in the back or bed her willingly or no, unlike most of the captains assigned to her but in this mission.
Seeing the longboats moving through the waves towards her ship, Asha scowled slightly then nodded at the watcher. "Keep a sharp eye out, if you see anything unusual, anything at all either from those ships or beyond, shout out a signal."
The man nodded, not commenting. Every man aboard her ship knew that their captain's position in their society wasn't the best, but she had proven herself to them time and time again on raids against merchant vessels, mostly Essossi because their disappearance was much easier to explain away. She was good at picking their targets to get the most plunder and also keeping most of them alive while doing it. That made Asha a rare enough captain to gain her crew's loyalty regardless of her gender.
Without another word Asha clambered down to the deck easily. She arrived in time to welcome the first captains aboard, not even gritting her teeth at the way most looked at her like she was some kind of prize or an anachronism she was so used to it.
Women born into the Ironborn society from a mother of the same culture would become rock wives at best, salt wives at worse if taken in one of the internecine raids that occurred periodically between Houses. Even as a Greyjoy, Asha had to be constantly on watch for men who wanted to take advantage of her position. Women in the islands were at best second citizens, at worst thralls. Salt wives, wives taken in raids and kept as slaves in one manner or another were property, plain and simple. Even rock wives couldn't own anything, and were completely dependent on their husbands. If she ever married Asha would never able to sail again, a fate worse than death, and become simply the wife of a near claimant to the throne of the Iron Islands.
Worse, Asha had to be very careful of even taking lovers from among the Ironborn for fear of whoever she slept with trying to use it against her even if he didn't try to marry her. She had taken a few captives to bed, but their performance hadn't been as good as she could wish going by some of the stories the servant girls back in Pyke told. Among the Ironborn she had met, only the young man she had chosen as her first mate had proven trustworthy enough to let into her bed, and his performance there wasn't nearly as good as in battle. Frankly, Asha didn't really understand what people saw in the whole sex thing, it just didn't seem as interesting or as exciting as a good battle or sailing a ship through a heavy storm.
None of Asha's anger at her tenuous position showed on her face as she welcomed each of the fifteen other captains on this expedition aboard. This took some time, but eventually Asha sat at one end of the table in her ship's mess hall, with the captains arrayed down its sides in front of her. They were all drinking their fill from her ship's stock of strong mead and ale while Asha drank watered down wine. She took a moment to study them all as her first mate and lover, Qarl the Maid, laid out an extremely sketchy map of the Northlands on the table where they could all view it though it took a moment for the other captains to stop drinking long enough to notice.
Only two other captains were near her age. Ralf Kenning, the captain of the Storm's Pride, a newly christened longship, was one. She knew him decently well, and had been surprised when he accepted his new ship's captaincy over that of keeping command of his Iron Fleet longship. Apparently he wanted to be part of the raid on the north enough to give up command of an Iron Fleet ship, though he had also been placed in command of the other two ships from House Kenning assigned to this assault. Ralf was a stern, strict young man, with an excellent battle record but Asha felt not blessed with much intelligence. He had followed her uncle Victarion as Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, so would be willing to listen to her, but might well go his own way regardless.
The second captain her age she didn't know half as well. Triston Farwynd was captain of the Seal Eyes and lord of House Farwynd, a small and not really well-thought House from Sealskin Point on Great Wyk, the largest island of the Iron Islands. Every branch of that family was queer, but it was Triston's looks that threw Asha. He had wide, staring eyes over a blue streaked beard, an intricate tattoo of a seal's snout covering half his face and he seemed to look straight through someone when talking to them. It was very unnerving after a time. He was the senior captain of the two ships Farwynd was able to crew, both of which had been sent to the North.
The others were older men of her father's generation, men like Balon who pined for the old days that they remembered so fondly. Days that will never be again if they ever were in the first place, when Ironborn were 'rulers of the sea' attacking wherever we wished whenever we wished. Fools, deadly, dangerous fools. Of course she kept those thoughts to herself, just like the rest of her thoughts. Asha was good at that.
The only two among them who would really listen to her were Dustan Drumm and Harren Botley, if for very different reasons. Dustan was a thoughtful, cautious sort, but also prideful, very aware of his dignity as lord of House Drumm. Botley would listen because his younger brother was enamored of Asha. He had been a decent looking youth, but Asha hadn't seen him for years, and had no wish to be tied to him. Still, Harren would at least listen to her.
After contemplating them all for another few moments, she stood up and shouted for attention. "Alright you jetsam now that you've all been properly watered," she waited for the jeers to subside before going on. "We need to start planning the northern portion of the Rise of the Kraken!"
Most of the men grinned eagerly both at the name Balon had given the opening moves of his second rebellion, and in simple eagerness to be raiding openly once more. Personally Asha thought that an idiotic name given to a plan that might be doomed from the start. She thought it senseless to spread their numbers so thinly but everyone else thought it a grand plan.
Kraken consisted of two stages. The first consisted of several dozen ships sent out on raids here and there, like a kraken's secondary feelers, attacking targets of opportunity along Ironman's Bay and the Cape of Eagles. These ships would be kept away from the main targets of the larger tentacles, lulling the other realms into a false sense of security if they ever even heard of it. Surprise was supposedly the nature of the game for Rise of the Kraken. Those four main targets were Lannisport, the Shield Islands and the Arbor of the Reach, and either Moat Cailin or Deepwood Motte of the North.
The Shield Islands would be attacked by her uncle Victarion. He was an excellent admiral, a decent tactician, able to instill discipline and the need to work together in his followers. But he in turn was the ultimate follower. He would never be a strategist, and would never go against the king whatever he was doing, but his plan for the Shield Islands would possibly work. The islands were to be taken and held becoming new fiefdoms for the Ironborn, as well as staging grounds for further raids.
Alyn Orkwood however was a different story, and his attack on Lannisport worried Asha a lot. It was too much like the one that had worked in the last war and while Asha didn't like the Lannisters, she knew that they wouldn't be caught in the same way twice. Every ship from Orkmont and nearly all of those from Blacktyde however had been committed to that.
Over the strenuous objections of Lord Baelor Blacktyde, but he hadn't made as much noise as Asha had suspected. House Blacktyde had been hammered hard in the rebellion, and could only field ten ships total, with mostly younger, less experienced crews, where before her father's first attempt at rebellion they had twenty-five ships. Still, whatever Balon had told Baelor, a youngish man who Asha had only met twice before, had shut him up.
The Arbor attack, which was the most distant and would take the most time to set up, would be led personally by Balon. She was actually glad to see the old man taking to sea once more but she was worried, very worried about the overall plan. Stretching themselves so thin was dangerous in the extreme, leaving them open for defeat in detail. Still, the Redwynes were too arrogant and not nearly aggressive enough, they might be just as ready for a fall as the Shield Islands. The timing would be tricky, with Balon having to arrive before word of the attack on the Shield Islands could reach the Arbor, but Asha hoped her father would be able to pull it off.
Asha herself had won the 'honor' to lead the attack on the North. But she hadn't been able to convince her father to let her pick and choose her own captains, which was going to cause issues here. "We'll need to feel out the defenses along the Stony Shore, the Rills and further north in the Bay of Ice before committing to an attack in any one place, but I doubt that'll take overlong, and it'll be worth it in the long run, letting us find the richest prizes."
One of the older captains, the Sparr, who was lord of House Sparr from Great Wyk, smiled widely. "I wonder if Bear Island is open for an attack. The bear bitches might not be very pretty, but I do like their fire. And it's been too long since they had to face the Ironborn on their own ground! Paying the Iron Price there would be glorious!"
Shaking her head, Asha smiled thinly. "Maybe, but Bear Island's too hard a nut to crack at the best of times, it would take too many of our ships to make any measurable gains there for little return outside of new thralls. Deepwood Motte is a better option, which is why I'll be leading that scouting mission myself."
That, and it'll let me fish for rumors about Theon. I've heard some about his friendship with Ranma Stark, and didn't that make Father howl, heh. But still, I'd like to know what my brother is up to, and if he's really become a greenlander. That would be good for me in some ways, yet oh so very bad in others.
"We should attack up the Fever now." said another old man brusquely. Tomas Sunderly was a scarred and hirsute bear of a man, who was notorious for not taking the time to plan ahead, instead relying on brute strength. House Sunderly had always been known for that, hence why their losses in Balon's last Rebellion had been so horrendous. Indeed his house had only been able to crew two longships and retain enough men at home to keep their thralls in line, a far cry from the twenty they had in the last war. "That should be our main target."
It should, but I don't like some of the rumors we've heard from merchants who deal with the crannogs." Asha grimaced.
Still, it isn't like my orders give me much leeway. 'And when you've determined that the Moat is open to attack from the Fever take it.' That was the wording, as if it was a certainty the Moat was simply open that way that further scouting wasn't needed. As if the need to scout ahead was added to this attack only because she was a worrying woman. Never mind the fact that Asha had been out leading raids the past ten yearsand had always succeeded in taking her target ship with minimal losses to her men.
"We'll hit that last," she said after moment. "It might take all of ours ship's crews to do it after all so first we'll scout out the rest of the North and hit where we can. The Moat's a strategic point, not a rich one, we need to hit other places to get any decent plunder."
"We'll lose the element of surprise then!" said another Captain. Aedric Stonehouse angrily smashed his fist down on the table, glaring at Asha. He had never made any bones about his disdain for a woman who thought herself fit to captain a longship, much like Sunderly. He was also head of five of the ships of this attack, and was speaking for those ships here as well. Asha knew whatever she said here he would ignore when it came to it, but she had to try.
So Asha kept her cool as she replied. "We haven't heard anything about the North mobilizing yet. It could be that all of their houses are still gathering their men, including Ryswell and Glover. Would any of you like to face the North up in arms on their own ground?" She asked looking around them her eyes hard. One or two of them, including Ralf she was happy to see, actually scowled at the thought, remembering how badly the northern forces had mauled their own on the islands during the invasion. But the others, Aedric and the Sparr chief among them, glared back at her angrily.
Aedric spoke up again. "If we have the element of surprise, we can overwhelm them before they gather their defenses! If we don't, then what's the point of us coming up here anyway?"
"I'm not going to rely on luck and prayer to see us through! I refuse to launch any attacks until we are certain that the attacks will work." she spat out, now losing her temper somewhat. "We do our people no good paying the Iron Price without getting anything in return! Besides, the North can't be strong everywhere. If they've strengthened their defenses along the shores and in Deepwood Motte that might mean that the moat is not as strong as rumors make it, and my father's orders are to take it to cut them off from the Riverlands."
"Rumor!" said The Sparr, scoffing and spitting to one side. "You're showing your gender girl, listening to the gossip of salt wives! I think we should attack now! Take the Moat now then send ships up further north to take Deepwood Motte when the puling northern pussies try to scramble to retake it! From there we could range further inland, plundering where we wish!"
"And lose our primary advantage, our ships mobility?" Asha asked, staring back at him coldly. "Our mobility and our ability to take to the oceans is our greatest weapon! If we leave the rivers and shores behind, that goes away, and the terrain itself becomes an advantage for our enemies. Remember the North is huge! Other than Deepwood Motte and Moat Cailin there is Barrowtown up the river, and Torrhen's Square if we can go up the rivers there. We have other targets that we can hit if we're careful about it and don't let ourselves get bogged down. But I won't let any of us go deeper inland, we'll stay near the waters."
"And show them we're cowards?!" Tomas shouted, as he and a few of the others stood up angrily. Others remained sitting, watching how this would go. "The Sparr's right, you're not showing nearly enough true Iron grit!" He stood up and made his way forward, one hand reaching for his sword. "I think one of us should take…"
That was all he got out before Asha was out of her seat her hand reaching for her own blade and swiftly pulling it out before the other man could do the same. There was a "Shlick!" sound of her blade meeting his throat, and Tomas fell back gasping as blood spurted from his neck.
Asha remained standing, deliberately twisting her wrist to splatter the blood on her sword out across a few of the other captains who had stood up, her eyes challenging. "Anyone else?" There was silence and she nodded, reaching forward to grab up her ale mug again, taking a deep draught.
That would cause trouble down the road she knew, but at the moment Sunderly was too weak to make waves alone, and she needed to make certain her position was secure. It wasn't of course, but her control over the fleet would last for a bit longer now, perhaps long enough to really get them some information.
Putting down her mug, Asha went on. "Then we will follow my plan for now, understood?"
OOOOOOO
Normally when he woke up Ranma came awake relatively quickly. This time however his brain wasn't quite responding as well as normal, nor was his body responding. He opened his eyes sluggishly as he began to remember. He had used far too much ki destroying the Twins on top of what he had used in taking the castle in the first place. He had been soldiering on while dealing with the prisoners and Old Walder, but it all caught up to him quickly and he practically collapsed a bear hour later.
Not even lifting his head, Ranma looked blearily around, noticing he was in a tent. Finally Ranma's hearing came back online enough for him to notice he could hear humming somewhere just out of sight. He groggily rolled his head on the camp pillow, grunting a little with the effort. This seemed to attract the attention of whoever was humming since the humming stopped and he quickly felt a cool hand on his brow. Seconds later Daenerys leaned over him, her face concerned. "You're lucky Jon was able to tell me what was wrong with you Ranma, or I would be much angrier with you at this moment than I am. You could've figured out other ways of destroying the Twins you know."
"Water." Ranma croaked not answering Daenerys's accusation at the moment.
He watched as Myrcella got up from where she must've been sitting close by Daenerys, moving over to a small bronze pitcher set on the small folding table, a gift from Lord Karstark several years back. "This ki ability that you are able to teach us about is interesting. But I'm not quite sure I like the cost." Myrcella said, looking at her, her green eyes as concerned as Daenerys' purple ones.
Ranma waited until after he was given the glass, lifting it to his mouth with a shaky hand. Some of it ran down his shirt, but he got most of it into his mouth. He smiled however at the two girls. "Had to do it that way. You don't think that some Lannister scout is going to be able to get past whatever defenses are down by the Ruby Ford? By this time I've no doubt the Lannisters could've made a few small coracles or something to send scouts or even a single messenger forward over the Blue Fork, then they could make their way further north. They'll eventually be able to travel up to the Twins. I want them to see what happened to the Twins, the way I did it rather than the normal fire or siege damage. They'll have to wonder if we have some kind of secret weapon or something, and that kind of thing might force Tywin to change tactics."
"It might make him leery of fighting any kind of siege battle," Daenerys murmured. "It's a long shot, but one that might prove worth it I suppose. It also showed the army that your powers and abilities do have a personal cost. According to Domeric and Alayaya many of the men were taking it for granted, that you could practically do anything or could simply go on all the time with those techniques of yours, even a few of your friends thought that." Edd, Smalljon and Hathan had all been astonished when Ranma collapsed, though Jon had quickly reassured them, filling them in on what had happened.
Myrcella frowned noncommittally while Daenerys continued. "It also shows that you're still human to those who might have been a little worried about it." That of course hadn't counted any of the wolfsworn among their number, but when news of the destruction of the Water Tower had spread throughout the Army there had been some mutterings that Ranma might not even be human, simply a creature conjured up by the old gods to be their champion. The knights of House Manderly in particular had become wary of that, their faith in the Seven making them concerned.
Those murmurs had since disappeared, and the men's belief in Ranma's humanity had returned fivefold. Not just because of his collapse, but because of the way he and Daenerys had dealt with the children they had 'captured' and the women and common armsmen as well. In fact morale in the army was incredibly high over the two nearly bloodless victories they had won so far.
"Where are we now?" Ranma asked. "I hope you didn't let the army stay near the Twins while I was out of it."
"No I didn't," Daenerys said her lips twisted slightly in a frown. She had to convince Rickard of that. With Jon and the other wolfsworn backing her it had been a simple enough task, just an irritating one since Lord Karstark wasn't willing to simply take her word for it. Not that Daenerys really thought she was up to the task of leading the army or anything, but everyone knew their short-term plans, and there shouldn't have been any question of moving on. "We've been making our way straight down to Seagard. The road isn't very good here, but it at least is better than moving through brush and woodland. According to Domeric, we'll enter House Charlton lands soon, though what our welcome will be he doesn't know. He says they were Frey supporters, their lord might even have married a daughter of Old Walder. Hopefully they are intelligent enough to not fight a pointless battle, but I don't know."
Ranma nodded. They were heading to Seagard not just to meet up with Lord Mallister and receive any news he had, they also needed to pick up pack horses and food there. Ranma had sent much of the armies own store further south with the rest of the Army on the other side of the Green Fork. They had taken f