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~~~Rickard Stark, Eighth Moon 277 AC~~~
~~~Casterly Rock, Westerland~~~
"I have arranged an agreement with Lord Tywin, for the first time in our history, House Stark and House Lannister will be united by blood," I explained to Brandon, my firstborn and heir, and the one who would bear the burden of ruling the North once I departed this cruel world.
"Are you serious father?" Brandon, impulsive as always, did not think through the ramifications of what I told him; instead, he asked if I was mad. "Are you serious? Of course, I'm serious, Lord Tywin is the richest Lord in all of Westeros, his daughter is the most beautiful woman in the realm below Queen Rhaella, Lord Tywin is the king's hand, and now that same man will be the first to marry into a noble house in Xandar."
"Do you not see the whole picture son? This is something that will propel the North to new heights, a stronghold, and a strong and lasting alliance with the most powerful house in the South, of all people who understand the conflict we experience in the North every day, the thousands of old men who have to leave their homes and die alone in the forest to allow their children and grandchildren to survive the winter."
"And while I know that the North has been able to catch a break with trade with Xandar, I also know that all of that is because of the woman Lord Tywin is about to marry." When I said that last part, I lowered the tone of my voice, I had gotten a bit excited, and I knew the walls had ears. But Brandon was smart, and he knew what I meant.
"Don't you think they might go so far as to cut off trade if you refuse to accept the compromise?" Brandon asked, but beyond that, he just said what I kept quiet. "The loyalty and honor the Xandarians have in dealing with their internal affairs and trade, even what little I have been able to see, shows them to be honorable and proper, but don't forget that the woman who decides whether the North continues to trade with Xandar is Lady Janna, that woman who will marry Lord Tywin and who is expected to have her interests linked with those of her lord husband."
Brandon sighed, and rubbing his forehead, sat down on a stool; "Cersei is clever, I admit, and unlike the ladies of the South, she has begun to use the sword and take an interest in martial training, but she is very haughty and proud, I don't think she will adapt to the ways of the North, let alone the cold."
"I don't give a damn if she adapts or not, she will learn, that will be your duty, as her husband and her lord, just as it will be hers to learn, as the future lady of Winterfell, and if she doesn't, well then she will just be a beautiful trophy, one that will win us favors in the South, more stability and better opportunities for our people, and you better learn to keep that in mind, because I don't want this arrangement to be over long before it begins because of your ways with the ladies."
Brandon looked at me blankly, or at least wanted to convey the fact that he didn't know what I was talking about, which only made me want to punch him, "I'm talking about your bastards," I said as quietly as possible.
"And I thought you were smarter father, as to believe those..." The nonsense I was about to say I forcibly silenced him with a blow, while I felt my fury rising; "Don't try to be clever with me. I know your exploits very well, and you know that may come to harm you, everything I've built so far, but I'll make it clear to you, if I feel one of your bastards threatens my plans, I won't hesitate to throw him into the Shivering Sea."
"My Lord," Rodrik Cassel entered the tent where Brandon and I stood, forcing us to put aside our differences and wait for the man-at-arms to inform me what was going on. "Ser Rodrik," I greeted him. In time I allowed him to speak.
"Lady Janna has given the announcement, the Xandarian king will arrive soon, the king is already in place, and the lords of the great houses are expected to attend to show a united front." Ah, the Xandarian king would finally show up. What a thrill.
"Thank you Ser, we will mobilize at once, tell a few guards to prepare to accompany us." I gave a few small orders, and as Ser Rodrik left and I was about to do the same, I looked back at Brandon.
He was a good son, he was excellent with a sword and a fantastic horseman, so much so that he had had a few obstacle course competitions with the Dothraki, and though Brandon always lost, he earned the respect of several. But beyond that, he was still a reckless and passionate boy, and that would cause his death someday.
"You know all too well how ruthless Lord Tywin can be to get what he wants, the Rains of Castamere are proof of that, so I urge you, strongly, to control your urges, at least until you have a cunt of your own that you can fill with legitimate children."
With that last warning, I took the horse that one of my pages kept for me, and after seeing Brandon and Eddard beside me, we started our way to the Dothraki camp, which could be seen from a distance, due to its enormous size.
Once we reached the center of the camp, we were greeted by the sight of the preparations. On one side was a set of tents made of linen and silk, attached to tall poles that provided a nice height for the cool breeze to blow, but low enough for the shade of the tents to protect us from the sun.
There were already several familiar faces on site, Lord Arryn of the Vale, Lord Steffon Baratheon, and his wife Cassana, The Tullys had also arrived, from the presence of the Blackfish, to Hoster Tully and his three sons.
Even Prince Doran Martell of Dorne had attended, in the company of his wife, but what stood out above all, setting aside the presence of the royal family, was the absence of the Tyrells, not a single member of the family had appeared, not even a knight errant affiliated with the family. Nothing.
This spoke volumes about the silent struggle between the Tyrells and the Crown and extended to the Xandarians, stemming from the event at King's Landing. So the view of 'unity' that the king wanted to show, was not present, which would undoubtedly present more problems between the two sides.
But my inner thoughts were stopped when we arrived at the place, and getting off the horses, we went to where the Dothrakis had prepared a special place for us, something that surprised me, because although they looked like the books and stories said.
That is to say; braided hair with bells on them, skin tanned by the sun, rough and reckless looking, and that was as far as the similarities went, otherwise, they looked like members of a noble army, with well-made armor and tailored for each one, orderly and trained, and I would even dare to say that even cleaner than many nobles.
There could easily have been over two hundred people in the place, and all waiting for one man, who spoke of the power that man had gained, and the power he represented, even if we had never seen him.
No one knows what city he is from, where he was born, or his origins, only that from one moment to the next rumors began to circulate of the defeat of the slaver cities, the union of the Dothraki, the creation of what many said was the greatest city in the world.
And finally, dragons.
Those beasts were thought to be extinct for a hundred years, with the last ones dying in a war between kin over a damn chair, but here it was, back in the world to show why the Targaryen was so feared.
"!ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAGH!"
A huge roar rang out, and an instinctive fear came over me completely, I brought my dominant hand to the pommel of my Ice sword, even though I knew deep down that it would not protect me from what that roar brought.
And I was right, as the sun broke through and a shadow covered us. I could hear my neck crack as I raised my head as fast as I could, and there it was.
The beast to which the history books said my ancestor knelt, and I couldn't help but think how clever it was, because of the innate fear that beast conveyed, the power that resonated with every loud flap of its wings that sounded like the whip, along with every little roar it let out, gave evidence of a beast without equal, one that certainly couldn't be stopped after it was unleashed.
The beast circled us twice, and the two times it flew over me, I had to hold tight to the ground and my chair to avoid moving due to the wind, which was blowing the tents around like dolls.
But that didn't make me avoid noticing the figures on the beast's back, two black blobs sat on what looked like a huge chair, tied to the dragon's body with huge chains.
"TUUUMM!"
A shudder came as the huge purple beast landed, planting its four large paws on the ground and spreading its wings, as it roared into the air.
The other eight black beasts that had come alongside the great dragon, flew off, possibly to where the other beasts were, as their... riders. They positioned themselves at some distance from the dragon, awaiting the two figures on the dragon's back.
The dragon lay on the ground, but even so, the height of the dragon's back to the ground remained high, but the Dothraki had everything arranged when from a distance they brought what looked like a tower, which they then brought close to the dragon and positioned it to its left.
The two people got up from their seats, and with as much grace as possible as if they were getting off a chariot and not a fire-breathing beast, they climbed up the 'tower' and thanks to the ladder it had, they began to descend from the dragon. As the silence continued.
It was amazing to see how these Xandarians were so used to dealing with such beasts, so much so, that they went so far as to create movable ladders to allow their riders to climb down.
Once the two people reached the ground, they immediately began to walk towards us, while the eight huge men who had arrived on those flying beasts began to follow them. 'Guards' I guessed, seeing their closeness but giving them plenty of room.
But my mind was in shock when behind the two who had arrived on the dragon, four other figures appeared, wearing black armor with gold accents and appearing to be women, but the strange thing was that they were not there before, as if by magic they had appeared.
All eyes were on them, and looking around, I knew I wasn't the only one who was confused about what my eyes had seen. But that had to be put on hold. For the king of Xandar finally reached us.
"ñuha dārys," Lady Janna greeted him in his language, what I assumed was High Valyrian, and with a series of graceful, perfected movements, he bowed, to the point where the back of his neck was exposed. "jiōragon bē," the king replied, which was perhaps a command to rise, as Lady Janna pulled herself together after a few moments.
"My king, let me introduce you to the king, Aerys Targaryen," Lady Janna introduced, and it should be noted that without mentioning the honorary titles, though that did not matter to the king, judging by how he was indifferent.
"We meet at last," the king spoke, a smile of happiness on his face, "I have heard many things of you, as well as of your land."
"Well, good things I hope," the Xandarian king spoke in the common tongue, and though a certain honeyed tone came through, it was all understood, but I was more occupied in this... King, for it was something I did not expect.
He was young, very young, and though he had the body of a warrior both in muscle and height, he still had a certain degree of boyishness about him, though his eyes, were what detailed how he had gotten what he was. Not because of his eye color, which was an almost golden amber that shone in the sun. But because of the look he gave off, with a sadism and cruelty hidden there. Which made me suspicious, but at the same time smiling, since the theater that would be created in the following weeks of celebration, would be great.