-Chapter 105-
-6th day of the 8th moon of the year 299 AC-
-Great Hall-
-POV Eddard Stark-
Since we won the Battle of Winterfell, we have managed to retake all the territories under the management of William Dustin's widow, Barbrey Ryswell, newly named Barbrey Bolton. This includes the territories of House Ryswell, and we also recaptured Moat Cailin with the help of the crannogmen led by my old friend Howland Reed.
The recapture of Moat Cailin was crucial because the Shadow Guard led by Ser Balon Swann, one of the seven royal guards serving Aegon, had secretly parted from the king and galloped to Moat Cailin after burning the unprepared Twins in a sudden assault.
With the new addition of the Shadow Guard, we were able to start surrounding and gradually retaking the territories under Roose Bolton's control.
The Manderly, Flint, and Locke Houses also joined us once the routes controlled by Roose Bolton were freed and his influence completely vanished in the southern half of the North.
"Will Jon finally decide to help us?" Sansa asked worriedly, playing with her food.
A habit she picked up when rations became increasingly scarce, I was told.
The siege weighed on everyone's minds, especially on the women and the youngest, the only ones who had fared relatively well in this situation were Arya and Robb. Arya used it to harden her mind and will, while Robb used it to truly become a man and a great leader.
I smiled at my eldest daughter, but before I could answer her, Arya defensively said:
"Aegon has already helped us."
Sansa said nothing, but judging by the disdainful expression she had towards Arya's words, I guess she disagreed with her, which Arya also concluded because she added:
"He attacked the Ironborn to force them to leave the North and turned the entire Iron Fleet to ashes."
"Arya," Cate said, tacitly warning her daughter.
But Arya didn't listen to her mother and continued, "He sent 10,000 heavy cavalry to help us despite our parents' repeated betrayals."
"ARYA, be quiet right now; you don't know what you're talking about," said Catelyn, enraged by our youngest daughter's words.
I placed a hand on my wife's hand and then said to Sansa, "Sansa, I too had doubts, but it turns out the king's strategy has proven itself, the Ironborn are history, and we have trapped Roose Bolton and the Golden Company in the Dreadfort."
"Have we had any news from Theon?" Robb said.
"He was with the Iron Fleet," I said.
"And?" Robb said, waiting to know the fate of Theon, who had been like a brother.
"And he died like all the Ironborn," I said, really uncomfortable with the genocide of the Ironborn.
"He got what he deserved; he was a traitor," Arya said, and Robb nodded, although I could notice he was more sad than angry.
"What happens now?" asked Robb.
"I've received news from the Capital, and it's chaos since the death of Tywin Lannister."
"What exactly happened?" asked Cate.
"Tywin changed the succession in favor of Joffrey," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Joffrey?! Why would Aegon allow that bastard to become the Warden of the Westerlands?" Robb asked.
"I don't know, maybe he had no choice since he was heading towards the North," I said, confused by the reason for this nomination.
"But that's no longer the case now since he's on his way to the capital," Cate said, also concerned about the ascent of Cersei's mad bastard.
"I don't know what Aegon plans to do, but all I know is he's always been one step ahead and doesn't seem to need help, so I trust him. Our only task is to besiege Roose Bolton and all his allies," I said.
---
-POV MC-
I smiled as I entered the Red Keep under the escort of the remaining 14,000 soldiers from the 8th and 5th legions; 6,000 soldiers died during this campaign to subdue the Iron Islands and exterminate the Ironborn.
In my eyes, it was a more than acceptable loss, but not in the eyes of Jonothor, who has been deeply depressed since we left Pyke. I could understand his distress, but in no way could I let the affection I felt for my soldiers and men guide my decisions.
Jonothor was one of my most powerful fighters; with his nearly 220 cm stature, his longsword, and his armor, he was the equivalent of a medieval tank. It was largely thanks to him that our army's left flank could hold out for so long against the army led by Victarion Greyjoy.
I turned my head towards Viserys, who had significantly changed his attitude since Pyke. I was aware of his desire for the throne, which, although suppressed, had not disappeared at all.
I did everything I could to try to open his mind, but he didn't understand, or rather, he didn't want to understand. He wanted the throne but suppressed this desire because he knew, now more than ever, what would happen if he confronted me for it in the future.
I tried to appeal to his pride, his greed, his dignity, and even his family pride, but in the end, it was always the same story; he had too much ambition within him to be loyal to me.
Viserys may never become a trustworthy ally, but he will become my tool to instill fear and respect for the House of the Dragon.
***
I'm sorry for taking a long time to update this story, but I was having a hard time moving forward on Patreon because you asked me for longer chapters, which I started doing from chapter 145 onwards, and I was also dealing with writer's block.
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