(Kings Landing)
Jon Connington the newly appointed Hand of the King walked through the corridors on the way to the throne room where the King had been spending every day, he rarely left the throne as if believing someone would steal it should he leave it. Pushing the doors open he entered to see numerous servants on their knees in front of the throne. "Which one of you is the traitor!!! Tell me now or I will kill all of you!!!" The king shouted as his aura exploded out of his body. Jon felt a little nervous when he was in the presence of the King, he had grown much more irrational and Ill-tempered ever since he lost his arm; whatever ability Rickard Stark had used left its mark and was deteriorating the king's already failing health, but his body remained as strong as ever which made all those who stood in his presence nervous —even his allies.
"Your Grace we would never betray you! We only launder clothing nothing more!" The man in charge begged as he was on his knees.
King Aerys looked unconvinced and his aura seemingly caught fire "I want you to tell me how being burned by a flame you cannot see feels," He said as he shot a torrent of flames towards them engulfing them in fire and making them scream. To a person without aura, they will look like they are simply running around for no reason while their skin melts and falls off their body. Even so, they would be able to smell the burning flesh, Jon had to stop himself from gagging; he had thought he'd become used to it by now but he truly could say he never would get used to witnessing how the King executed people. The realm needed Rhaegar more than ever, he could be the King the realm needed and unite all the houses in this time of rebellion.
"Ah my hand has come to see me, you bring good news I hope," Aerys said as he saw Jon approaching the throne.
Jon stiffened but continued to walk "I-I'm afraid not Your Grace, I am here to report that Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon have moved to attack Gulltown, the gate of Eddard Stark is unknown but it's safe to assume he will be heading north to raise his banners," he informed him.
The King looked positively outraged "I want the rebellion crushed before they ever have a chance to make it to the Crownlands!!!" He shouted.
"Yes, your grace I will send the ravens now," Jon Connington said with a bow.
"My Kingsguard shall lead the troops, none are more skilled than they, and they will kill these rebels before they can even draw their swords!" Aerys shouted.
"Yes your grace," he replied.
"Summon Llewyn, Oswald, Barristan, Gerold, Arthur and my son, they will be the commanders of each army," Aerys stated.
"What about the Lannister your grace?" Jon asked.
"He will stay close to me, in case his father gets any strange ideas," he said with a dark chuckle.
Jon Connington nodded in understanding, he didn't trust the Lannisters so he thought the King was acting wisely. Sending his Kingsguard out to head the armies was also a good strategy, a powerful aura user could change the tide of a battle and the Kingsguard were undoubtedly the strongest. At least that's what he would've thought had he not seen the damage caused by Rickard Stark and his son, it made him question how many more powerful people were hiding amongst the rebel ranks.
"What will we do about Daemon Blackfyre? we've been made aware that they've secured enough ships to ferry them across the narrow sea," Jon asked. Jon Connington then had to jump back as a wave of wildfire crashed where he was.
"Do not speak of Daemon Silver in that way ever again!!! He would never betray me! He is bringing reinforcements and together we will crush the rebellion side by side!" Aerys shouted at Jon with a scowl on his face.
"You speak badly of him again and I will find myself a new hand!" Aerys said as the flames around his body intensified. He meant more than having Jon resign, if he failed he would kill him.
"Of course your grace," Jon said on his knees trying not to stutter.
"If that is all then leave, get my armies ready and crush the rebellion, if I have to do it myself then you'll find yourself without a job and a life;" Aerys said as he used his aura to slam the throne room doors open, which Jon took as a signal to leave.
Jon didn't know why the king was obsessed with Daemon Silver, he didn't much care either, but he would not dismiss the fact that he was attacking the realm with 15,000 professional soldiers and hundreds of strong aura users, it was a problem that he would have to deal with despite what the King has said.
'Rhaegar would know what to do, he always did.'
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(Myr)
Daemon rode through the gates of Myr with Howland and Serra by his sides. They had been welcomed into the city by the Magisters and were told they would be given a beautiful palace to stay in while the ships were made ready for them. Serra barked out a laugh when she heard the messenger tell her that, but Daemon had silenced her with a gesture. They both knew it was clearly a trap, but it was one Daemon would gladly trigger, he did not want to wait any longer and he would beat the magisters to within an inch of their lives and show them he was not one to be betrayed.
Howland felt a little uneasy as of late, finding out the man he served was the last male Blackfyre was a surprise, but one he could move past. Lyanna was a good judge of character and if she were close with Daemon then it meant he couldn't be a bad person... But people change, and not even a few hours ago did he see Daemon threaten to extinguish all life in the city. Perhaps he may not have done so overtly, but making the city uninhabitable was almost as bad as killing them, as they'd have to travel to another city in a slavery-infested region.
He knew he was being too hard on Daemon, he could understand the pain he was feeling. He felt pain as well, Lyanna meant a lot to him and he felt angry that Rhaegar had harmed her. But despite understanding Daemon's behaviour he was nervous, and how could he not be, Daemon could've destroyed that city in the blink of an eye. It scared him, almost as much as the King scared him.
As they rode through the gates they were quickly greeted by a man in fine clothing "Lord Blackfyre, I am glad you have come to join us, please let me show you to your residence," The man bowed on his horse.
"Lead on," Daemon said emotionlessly and the man turned his horse away, heading down the street with two guards at his sides.
"Are you sure this is wise Daemon?" Howland asked as he suspected that they were planning to kill them or at least wound them. Why else would they invite them after Daemon had just threatened to kill them all.
"It'll be fine Howland, they can play their little games, I'll show them how meaningless they are," Daemon said tonelessly. Manipulation, lying, betrayal, all of it would be meaningless in the face of his strength and he wouldn't hide it anymore. Inside him the storm raged on, it was only being held back by him and should he let go then his aura would explode like it had when he first read the letter.
Daemon and the rest of the road down the street after their guide and a short time later they were led into a palace which was beautifully designed and overlooked the narrow sea. "The Magisters believed that you'd like to watch as your ships were all readied for transport," The guide said as he dismounted his horse. Daemon, Howland and Serra did so as well all looking over the balcony that was in the courtyard —as the palace was on a cliff.
"How long until the ships are ready?0 Daemon asked.
"You must understand to supply and ready so many ships, it will take some time..." The guide said a little hesitantly.
"How long..." Daemon said a little more sternly applying a little pressure from his aura onto the man.
"A month, maybe a bit longer," The guide said. He could tell this displeased Daemon as the pressure from his aura got heavier and heavier until the guide was on his knees. He tried to speak but he couldn't get any words out of his mouth.
"Brother," Serra said softly as she put her hand on his shoulder.
The pressure disappeared and the man fell onto his hands, his body dripping with sweat and tears running down his face. "You have a month to get my ships ready, do not fail me," he said before turning away and looking at the open ocean.
The man nodded profusely before standing up and trying to run away only to fall in his face as he did. Howland couldn't help but feel bad for the man and helped him up, but as soon as he did the man just shoved him and ran away.
"Brother, you should rest, you've been awake for too long," Serra whispered into his ear as she hugged his arm.
"I will rest after they try to ambush us," he replied.
"You need not stay awake, I can deal with them, they will not stand a chance," she said with a smile on her face.
Daemon was tired, he had barely slept since he read the letter that was given to him. All he could think of was Lyanna and Lysa, his loves, his heart, and they were in danger because he had failed, he had been tricked by Rhaegar. Even thinking of it stoked his anger, so he pushed it back down.
"I will be fine sister, keep an eye on Howland," He requested. She looked unhappy at his words but nodded nonetheless. After watching the harbour for a bit longer they entered the palace where they were each shown to their rooms, though Serra planned on sleeping with Daemon so ignored the servants when they showed her the room she would be staying in.
Daemon went into his room and took a seat at the table inside, he would wait for the ambushers and then deal with the magisters after. However, he also considered the possibility that there would be no ambush and the magisters were simply trying to appease him.
'As if things would ever be that simple,'
———————————————————-
Robert Baratheon rode on his horse, and by his side was Jon Arryn. He already missed his best friend Ned, he had left them a few nights before heading north through the vale, as he was not willing to wait for a siege. This was despite the fact that Robert had told him there wouldn't be a siege, he would make sure of it.
"Robert you must let me talk to them before you begin your assault, I am their Liege Lord, I hope I can still talk some sense into Lord Grafton," Jon Arryn stated. Though in truth he was not hopeful, there had been much friction between his house and House Grafton. He knew they hoped that siding with the Iron Throne would elevate their House to Lord Paramount should the rebellion be crushed.
Robert scowled "Those cunts have the courage to rise against their liege lord then they will have the courage to face my Hammer!!!" He shouted and the men behind him cheered. Robert would not hear any words, he would attack Gulltown as soon as he got there. They say Marq Grafton was a skilled warrior in his youth, and even now past his prime, he remains a strong aura-user with decades of experience. "I will show House Grafton the error of their ways, I will show them the fury of House Baratheon!!!" He shouted raising his hammer high.
While Jon liked Roberts's enthusiasm he couldn't help but feel worried about the position they were in. Time was of the essence, they needed to get Robert back to the Stormlands where he could raise his banners, they did not have time for a drawn-out siege. No matter how Jon thought of it they would suffer heavy losses; House Graton would place their aura users on the wall, they would easily slaughter any men they tried to send up the walls and even if they sent Aura users, they would be at a disadvantage as they would have to fight while being peppered with arrows.
He wished Robert was a little more thoughtful of the situation but the young Stag Lord seemed to think it would be fine. Jon knew Robert had grown powerful, but he didn't think he could be counted among the greats like the Kingsguard and Daemon Silver.
Hours of riding later they finally came within sight of Gulltown, the massive port town was effectively the only way in and out of the Vale during winter as the other paths would be too snowed in and only available for small groups. They could see from the hill they just crested that the town walls were heavily fortified; aura users poured their aura into the gates and walls to strengthen them and stop 'Brute' type users from breaking through the fortifications easily.
"This won't be easy..." Jon Arryn said with concern in his voice, they had more men than was expected. It seemed the surrounding lands had all sent men to support Gulltown.
"It seems we have no choice but to prepare for a siege," Jon Arryn said and then turned his horse to begin shouting out orders, but Robert grabbed his arm and shook his head.
"There will be no siege, their gate will crumble and their bones will break and Gulltown will be ours before the day is out," Robert growled.
"PREPARE FOR BATTLE!!!!" Robert shouted out at the top of his lungs.
"Robert this is madness, we will suffer heavy casualties if we attempt to assault the town, we don't even have any siege weapons!" Jon shouted as he looked over to his ward.
Robert did not reply and instead road down the path that led to the gates of Gulltown. Men on the ramparts started moving and preparing to fend off the young rebels' assault, but they paused in confusion when they saw him signal his men to stop while he rode onwards. He road a hundred feet before the gate before jumping off his horse and letting it run away.
Henry Grafton, the oldest son of Marq Grafton looked down from the city walls with a smirk. "The man's lost his wits, he thinks he can fight us all by himself," he said with a laugh which his men echoed.
"Knock your arrows, show the storm lord what happens when you defy the crown!" Henry shouted out and the archers drew their arrows and placed them in their bows.
"SURRENDER YOUR CASTLE AND I WILL LET YOU LIVE!!!" Robert Baratheon yelled out for all to hear, even Jon Arryn who was still at the top of the hill could hear him.
Henry and his men looked shocked for a moment before they all burst out laughing "Our walls are thick and our gate is strong, you will fall upon our wall as easily as straw falls to fire!!!" Henry shouted out as he drew his sword.
"LOOSE!!!" He shouted as he swiped his sword down and signalled for the archers to fire upon Robert.
Robert snarled at them as he released his aura, to everyone else it looked small and weak, but to those with a trained eye they knew that it was being tightly squeezed to make it stronger an even further application of 'Fortify'. Robert watched as a sea of arrows was released into the sky, at that moment he finally activated his ability.
'The Stormlord: Thunder'
The world slowed for Robert as his entire aura changed from a pale light substance to an aura of pure lightning. He crouched down his dominant leg and stretched the other one back before holding his shoulder in front of him. From the walls Henry watched as the arrows were about to impale the arrogant lord, but as they were about to hit he disappeared in a blue streak of light.
*BOOM*
Henry lost his balance and fell to the stone floor of the walls. "What in seven hells was that!" He shouted before pushing himself up and looking over the wall only to see that the entire gate had been destroyed. He ran in the opposite direction and the inner courtyard he saw Robert Baratheon crouched as lightning danced across his body.
"I gave you a chance, NOW YOU WILL ALL DIE BY MY HAMMER!!!!" He shouted as he stood up tall. He backhanded the first person to attack him which spun his neck around nearly 360 degrees with a crunch. The next men to attack him were pulverised as he swung his hammer down crushing one of them and blowing a crater into the ground.
Robert then kicked a man straight into the wall spraying his brains across the stone. The aura users who had been dazed by Roberts's entrance had now recovered and all ten of them attacked him at the same time. "You are all weak!!! Unworthy of the power you have!!!" He shouted as he raised his arm.
'The Stormlord: Lightning'
Roberts's warhammer was filled with lightning making it look incredibly intimidating. He swung it straight into a man's chest and the lightning broke through his aura and stopped his heart, this happened to two others as the lightning chained between them. Henry scowled as he watched his men being destroyed by Robert; he drew his sword and jumped down there with his full aura released. He ran up behind Robert and swung his sword, aiming to cut one of his legs off before finishing him, but Robert turned in time and blocked the strike.
His aura sparked and danced across Henry's blade. He felt fear creep into his mind as he looked at the stormy blue eyes of the Stag King. Henry channelled aura into his fist before slamming it into Roberts's face, but the man didn't move and instead started applying pressure onto Henry forcing him onto one knee. "You are all traitors to your Liege Lord! Nothing but dogs that have bitten the hand that's fed them," Robert growled.
Henry started to scream as he felt the bones in his knees and legs start to crack and fracture before he was forced into the ground. Robert then stood above him with his Warhammer in the air; he brought it down to light a bolt of lightning crushing Henry's chest and almost breaking straight through him to the ground beneath him.
The men looked on in shock as they just saw one of the most talented aura users they had to get killed like he was a child. They immediately went on the attack knowing they had to take Robert out of the battle, but before they could. The Vale cavalry came riding through the open gates and attacking; with the rebel troops now in Gulltown, their victory was all but assured.
However, Robert had not satiated his rage yet and he walked through the streets of Gulltown crushing all those who stood in his way; his lightning aura scorched people and melted their armour into their skin causing unimaginable bouts of pain. He finally reached the castle where stood in front of it —dressed in full armour— was an old man with aura surrounding his body.
"Lord Grafton, you have been found guilty of treason, do you have anything to say to yourself before I crush your head under my hammer," Robert said as he ascended the stairs to the courtyard.
"My son... he is dead," Lord Grafton asked.
"He is, I killed him myself," Robert replied.
Lord Grafton looked pained but instead of crying for his eldest he put his helmet on and released his aura. It was weaker than Robert expected, which annoyed him greatly, he decided to end this right quickly and show the men their lord's head. Robert raised his Warhammer before aiming it directly at Lord Grafton who thickened his aura to prepare for an attack.
"You shouldn't have worn armour," Robert said with a vicious smirk on his face.
'The Stormlord: Lightning Storm'
His aura charged for a few moments before beginning channelled into his hammer and shot straight at Lord Grafton who was too slow to avoid it. He screamed in pain as the lightning broke through his aura and started ruining his body, his skin started to char and go black, and his armour melted and merged with his skin. Robert stopped the lightning from entering his body as he wanted to prolong his suffering as much as possible.
When Lord Grafton fell to the ground Robert stopped his attack. He walked over the body of Lord Grafton and saw that he was still breathing, his mouth was open and he made small sounds, but that was all he could do. Robert lifted him by the back of his neck and dragged him out of the courtyard throwing him down the steps where the men were fighting.
"LOOK AT YOUR LORD!!!"
"THIS IS THE FATE THAT AWAITS ALL THOSE WHO DEFY ME!!!" He shouted and half a second later, the enemies all dropped their weapons and held their hands up in surrender.
Robert smiled widely "GULLTOWN IS OURS!!!!!" He shouted to his men who cheered in response.
'And soon Rhaegar will be mine!'
(AN: Battle of Gull town and you finally get a look at Roberts's ability. Imagine a merge between lightning cloak from Naruto and Killua. It'll be explained how he got this at a later date, but yeah it's pretty powerful, but no where near as strong as you might think. Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter.)
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