283 AC

King's Road

On the way to Storm's End

Gerold Hightower

Ser Gerold Hightower, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, was a man who has seen things that no other man ought to see. He saw Summerhall burst into flames the very second that he stepped out of the castle, and he participated in the War of the Ninepenny Kings and saw the atrocities committed by those Blackfyres with their Essosi lackeys which made the Bolton's pale in comparison.

He has seen the King that he now serves to turn from an eccentric young man full of vigor into a completely mad monster who burns people alive as a pastime and then rapes his wife after getting aroused by it.

But even the Mad King's madness was a change that happened over some time, it was with all the stillbirths suffered by the Queen and his ordeal at Duskendale that the madness finally descended in him and the change was complete. But in The Prince, the change from the gloomy one to an apprehensive one was sudden. And it all happened with Lady Lyanna bashing him on the head with a shield.

It began after he arrived at the Tower of Joy in the Prince's Pass and informed the Prince and his sworn brothers along with Lady Lyanna about what had happened after they ran off needless to say Lady Lyanna who was pregnant flew into a rage at the Prince for everything that happened and she took Ser Arthur's shield which was lying around and bashed the Prince on the head and he was knocked out cold.

Thankfully she didn't take Ser Oswell's mace that was lying next to the shield and while Ser Arthur restrained her and put the weeping girl into the tower, he along with Ser Oswell tried to wake up the Prince, and while he did regain his consciousness after a few minutes but the person that woke up wasn't the same person that was knocked out.

This wasn't the first time that Gerold had to deal with Targaryens completely changing their personalities and all he could hope for was that this change won't be as bad as that of his father's. The main change that he saw first was that Prince Rhaegar became more apprehensive and cautious and his indigo eyes once used to be sad and filled with melancholy now began to gleam with intelligence and he looked at us as if he knew something that we didn't.

After waking up the first thing that the Prince asked was whether Ser Arthur could take Lady Lyanna to Starfall for the remainder of her pregnancy Ser Arthur agreed for his sister had just given birth to a child from another Stark and as such he was confident that she would take Lady Lyanna in. And so Ser Arthur and Ser Oswell were sent to Starfall with Lady Lyanna while he went with the Prince to King's Landing to put down the rebellion but before they did that the Prince decided to go to Storm's End and take more soldiers along from the Reach.

And then after an hour of riding in silence, the Prince spoke "Say, Ser Gerold, how many men do you think are besieging Storm's End?"

I replied saying "Somewhere about fifty thousand men, any more and they will have to leave the farms unattended, and with winter coming I don't think that they will risk it"

"And how many men are in Storm's End?" He asked although I have a feeling that he already knows.

"According to what the Spider has told, at least a tenth of this at under the command of Stannis Baratheon," Gerold replied.

"So fifty thousand men besieging a mere five hundred is that right," The Prince asks raising his eyebrow.

Gerold shrugged "Well, it's Storm's End so I would say that a sizeable force is needed but not as large as what Mace Tyrell is wasting away," A good and cautious commander would need little more than ten thousand men to besiege a castle-like Storm's End, not fifty thousand and that's not even adding the Redwyne Fleet that is patrolling the waters off the coast of Storm's End

"Of course not" The Prince dryly replies "But then again he is not the one who is making the decisions" He knows who is the real person in charge of the Reach.

"Yes, Lady Olenna is the one in charge," Gerold nodded, saying otherwise would be like saying that the sun rises in the West and sets in the East.

"Is she still upset over the entire broken betrothal with Prince Daeron?" He asks me

"Yes she very much is and she knows how to hold a grudge, it was supposed to be her pathway to being Queen," Gerold says to the Prince who sharply turns and asks "Queen? How?"

"Well, originally King Aegon intended on removing Prince Jaehaerys from the line of Succession for breaking his betrothal just like he did with Prince Duncan and making Prince Daeron his heir, but before the king could do that, Prince Daeron came to him and talked to him in his solar and after that the King didn't change the line of Succession and two weeks later Prince Daeron broke off his betrothal to Lady Olenna," Gerold explains to the Prince who listens with attention.

"How many people knew that the King was about to change the Line of Succession?" He asks Gerold after pondering on it.

Gerold promptly replied, "Everyone, Lady Olenna was already gloating towards her friends that she would soon be the future queen, there was quite a mockery towards Lady Olenna at the end of it."

It also explains the reason why she hates House Targaryen, of course, now she passes off as she was the one who broke it off as if anyone can break a betrothal with the Royal family without the consent of the King.

"I see," The Prince chuckles. It was yet another new thing about this Rhaegar for Prince Rhaegar would never chuckle or smirk at random but this one has done all those things and more at times.

"Which Lords would you advise me to take with us when we leave Storm's End?" He asks looking at the road ahead.

"I would advise Lord Tarly and my grand-nephew Baelor," Gerold replied, Randyll Tarly broke Robert Baratheon at Ashford, he was a commander of worth, something that was direly needed in the Loyalist cause, as for his nephew Baelor, his loyalty was not in question compared to Mace Tyrell's.

After a few hours of riding in silence, Gerold and the Prince decided to stop at a stream for the horses and to refill their waterskins.

Then the Prince asked Gerold something that shocked him, "Ser Gerold, suppose we are given a second chance in life, so can we change things if we do it differently, or should we just rather let things play out the way they do."

Gerold knew this type of talk, his father, brother, and his nephew tended to have exactly this type of conversation. every firstborn Hightower tends to lose themselves trying to ponder and delve deeper into the mysteries of life or death or time, really anything too abstract to be understood by the common mind.

"Well," Gerold sighs before continuing "The fabric of fate is already stitched and there is nothing that we can do about it, then there are some things that may not necessarily play out like last time but will be eerily similar to it, and of course, there are a few things that are totally in our hands which we can change but that doesn't mean that we should do nothing."

"But how do we know which situation is which?" He asks me and now that is something only the Gods know.

"No idea my Prince, only time will tell" That's all that Gerold can say to him.

After the horses were watered and the waterskins filled and as they were about to climb onto their horses, the Prince asks "Ser Gerold, are you with me in the coming days?"

"Of course, my Prince, I am with you," Gerold responded immediately.

Rhaegar shakes his head "No, that's not what I meant, what I mean is that will you follow me through thick and thin, through the flames of hell and the gauntlet of death even if it may mean treason of the highest order and all for the greater good."

The Prince is talking about deposing his father, and he continues "The storm clouds have already gathered and the storm that can shatter House Targaryen is nigh and we have no time to waste so your decision has to be made right now,"

Had it been ten years past when the Prince gave him such an ultimatum, Gerold would have vehemently refused but this was different, even if the Crown won this war, the rebellion would strike again, and the king's acts were too depraved, and heinous to go unanswered, it was now the question, should he serve the King or the Crown, his vows clearly stated that he should serve the King but now if he served the King he would cause the Crown to fall.

The battle of the Bells was a clear sign that this was no ordinary rebellion, the thought of serving a tyrant weighed heavily on him, now Robert Baratheon claiming the Iron Throne meant that everyone in House Targaryen was marked for death, it was either let the Mad King win and let the Crown lose or remove the Mad King and let the Crown win.

In an attempt to soothe his pride and conscience, Gerold decided in his heart that he won't lay a finger on the King's person, the Prince should do it on his own to strengthen his commitment, Gerold would merely be guilty of negligence in his duty which was the lesser of the two evils.

After nearly an eternity of pondering the Prince's offer, Gerold reluctantly nodded towards him "I am with you my Prince, I will follow you up to the Stanger's arse if need be."

"You do realize that what I have just asked you is high treason," Rhaegar asks one final time before extending out his hand, Gerold grasps it tightly with a nod.

"For anything at all my Prince, for anything at all."

Tyrell Camp

Outside Storm's End

Randyll Tarly

Randyll was many things but a patient man was not one of them, he raised his banners for the King the minute he got word of the rebellion, House Tarly was a house of soldiers, and his father fought in the War of the Ninepenny Kings with great distinction, this war was supposed to be Randyll's chance to walk in the steps of his forefathers, only for his liege to either be a complete fool or a two-faced traitor.

No man with fifty thousand men under his command will waste them all on besieging a castle of five hundred but Mace Tyrell was such a man, Randyll would have taken his chances trying to storm the walls rather than sit and feast, Savage Sam would roll in his grave if he knew that Randyll was sitting and feasting during a siege instead of storming the enemy castle, the castle being Storm's End meant more honor and prestige for the victor.

Fortunately for Randyll, Prince Rhaegar, and Lord Commander Gerold Hightower had arrived in their camp, they were welcome additions in Randyll's opinion, if there was anyone who could end this worthless siege it was the Lord Commander and the Prince.

Randyll knew full well that this plan of playing both sides was formulated in the loins of the Queen of Thorns. Bah! Women, a house that was run by its women was House Tyrell and a house run by women is a weak house for women are weak, it wouldn't surprise Randyll if he knew that the old woman intended to stay neutral in the war, she had no love for dragons but she knew that if she didn't side with House Targaryen she would find many houses in the Reach coming for her son's head.

The Tarlys, Rowans, Hightowers, Caswells, Ashfords, and Oakhearts, their loyalty was not to Highgarden for their loyalty is to the Red Keep and the Reach did not kneel to the Roses, the Reach knelt to the Dragons and she knows that.

Mace wanted to hold another feast in honor of the Prince, but he politely refused, and now all the Lords of high standing were in the Command tent, and out of the whole gathering, only Tyrell seems at ease for some reason while the rest of tent wonders whether the Prince will explode at Mace Tyrell for his incompetence, not that any of them would complain, most left their homes itching for a proper fight, not a siege.

Mace Tyrell began to gloriously explain his amazing siege plan of doing nothing but sit around, the White Bull looks like he is about to tear Mace apart while the Prince looks on cooly and impassively at Mace who begins to fluster under the combined gaze of the angry Gerold and the emotionless Prince.

"Yo...you...your grace, this is our plan to bring the Baratheons to surrender" He stutters, Surrender? Who is he trying to fool? No one will ever surrender at such a pathetic attempt and Stannis Baratheon already has a reputation as a stern and unbending man.

There is an uncomfortable stony silence with the Prince looking at Mace with an emotionless face and Tyrell sweating like a pig while Ser Gerold is contemplating whether or not to kill Mace right then and there.

Mace asks haltingly "Your... grace. Is … something...wrong with the plan?"

Something wrong? Randyll wanted to laugh, the better question would be what is right with the plan.

Then he finally speaks and doesn't let his eyes off Mace when he says "So let me get this straight, for besieging five hundred men you are using fifty thousand men along with the Redwyne fleet,"

Not a single one of Randyll's fellow Lords understood why so many men had to be wasted doing nothing on a single siege but none dared to object out of fear that the Queen of Thornes would do something against them.

"Well your grace, this castle is Storm's End" He is talking about it as if nobody knows that "And this castle has never fallen and as such, we figured that it would be best not to take it by force."

"So you haven't built any trebuchets, siege towers, or battering rams have you now" The Prince drawls, "Neither have you built any siege lines, dug up any trenches nor have you set up a proper perimeter in the rear." Randyll and Mathis had asked Mace to do all those things and more but Mace refused stating that they were only going to starve out the castle.

Mace tries to defend his decision "Well, your grace since we were not storming the castle by force and since we had no fear of anyone attacking us by the rear we decided not to."

How dare he put his incompetence on our heads? Randyll thought angrily and looking across the table, Randyll could see that others thought the same as well.

Then the Prince asks " What about the Lannisters?"

Mace is flummoxed at that "The Lannisters, why will they attack us?"

"Why won't they?" The Prince replies in an ominous tone. The Lannisters have stayed neutral and with all the slights the Mad King has done toward Tywin Lannister, Randyll doubted if Casterly Rock would side with the Royalists.

Before Mace can embarrass himself any further the Prince cuts him off "Ser Gerold here, tells me that you need only ten thousand men to besiege Storm's End and he is a veteran of the War of the Ninepenny Kings as such I hold his opinion in high esteem."

About time somebody bothered to throw the truth at Mace's face. He now looks like a gaping fish.

"But I am lenient, so why don't you give me fifteen thousand men for my campaign in the Riverlands while you can keep the remaining in your siege," That was a very generous offer on the Prince's part.

"Of course your grace, of course, who would you want to take with you?" Mace then hurriedly asks trying to change the subject from his incompetence.

The Prince turns to Randyll and says, "I will be taking Lord Randyll Tarly and Ser Baelor Hightower with me," Randyll felt a wave of satisfaction flow through him, a chance for an actual battle isn't something Randyll would foolishly give away.

"Of course your grace," Mace nods without protest.

The Prince then turns to Lord Redwyne and says "There is a certain watery passage underneath the castle through a cavern," He points out on the map, "It is accessible during low tide and the smugglers will be using it to supply the castle and at the same time you will be able to land soldiers there, it will be a fine test of the seamanship of the Redwyne sailors and the Bravery of the soldiers of the Reach and I am sure that you will all prevail."

Randyll had a good feeling that there was a passage underneath the castle and so did everyone who knew anything about castles, Lord Caswell had asked if they would try for a probing attack from the sea to find out such a passage but Mace and Paxter refused stating the uneasy seas near Storm's End.

The Prince rises from his chair and turns towards both Randyll and Ser Baelor and says "We shall leave on the morrow."

"Of course, your grace," Randyll said along with Ser Baelor.

King's Landing

Walls of King's Landing

King's Gate

Richard Lonmouth

Ser Richard Lonmouth watched as Prince Rhaegar arrived at King's Landing with an army at his back while he stood near the King's Gate on the walls. He could see the banners of House Tarly and that of House Hightower, about bloody time that the Reach showed up. And more importantly, about the time that the Prince showed up to take charge. This rebellion has taken a turn for the worse. Myles is dead, Jon has been exiled, and Arthur is still who knows where, all around him the Targaryen cause is faltering.

Things have taken a turn for the worse inside the Red Keep, the Mad King has begun to turn on his sycophants. Qarlton Chelsted was burned alive for some reason while Velaryon and Staunton were realigning their loyalties after realizing that kissing the arse of the king would do them no good.

The only people still loyal to the King are the Alchemists and the Spider. Oh, how I hate the Spider, the man is one of the main reasons why the Mad King's paranoia has risen so high in recent years, the man will invent charges of treason against someone and then the king will blindly follow up on his word, just like that, a eunuch has become the most feared man in the court.

Soon enough the Prince arrived and Richard went down to greet him as Richard embraced him, he whispered "Your presence was sorely missed, my Prince, the situation is bad"

He dryly responded, "When is it not? After all, the court is nothing more than a bunch of mindless pigeons and prattling hens and of course, there are my dearly beloved father's sycophants," In all the years that Richard had known Rhaegar, never once had he been so derisive.

"Yes, but now things have gone from bad to worse" Richard tries to tell him.

"Do tell" He seems to be taking it rather lightly.

Richard reveals "He had Qarlton Chelsted burnt alive."

And at that, he turns sharply, "Chelsted, why would he burn him?"

"No idea, now even Velaryon and Staunton are distancing themselves from the King," Richard answered.

After thinking for a while, Rhaegar japes "Are you sure, he didn't give out an ill-timed fart in front of the king."

Richard snorts before replying "No, he didn't do anything of the sort. It was after an argument or something and why are you acting like this?"

I ask him because Rhaegar is not the one to joke like Ser Oswell much less about a dead man.

He just shrugs in reply, "Come let's go, I need to meet my highly esteemed father."

Great Hall of the Red Keep

Jaime Lannister

Of all the things that Jaime has come to regret in life, listening to Cersei and joining the Kingsguard was certainly one of them.

What was he thinking when I decided to join the Kingsguard? He thought that he would get to be a member of the prestigious and illustrious group of the best seven knights in Westeros and yet here he is being a bodyguard to a madman.

While these shining knights in white armor, like the White Bull, the Bold, and the Sword of the Morning just stand there and watch. The White Bull said to him that we took an oath to protect the King, not to judge him. And then Darry told me that we have to protect the royal family just not from him. It seemed that nobody bothered to ask the bigger question of how to protect the King from himself.

If the gods were good then mayhaps Prince Rhaegar would take him on the campaign instead of leaving him to protect the wretched king. Warning the Prince of the wildfire plot would be a start. A proper battle with steel and blood would get his blood singing once more.

Soon enough Prince Rhaegar comes and kneels before the King, "Your grace, I have arrived and I will lead the army to crush the rebellion once and for all" He says in an emotionless tone with a face that gives nothing away, a talent that Jaime has been trying to master ever since he stepped foot in hell.

"ABOUT TIME YOU SHOWED UP, WHILE YOU WERE BUSY RUTTING WITH THAT NORTHERN WHORE OF YOURS THE REBELS HAVE RUN AMOK" The Mad King screams at him.

The King's paranoia has grown larger than the dragon Balerion ever since the news of the Battle of the Bells arrived and now that paranoia has turned on the very fools that fed it. The day before he burnt his hand Qarlton Chelsted over the Wildfire plot and named Wisdom Rossart as his new hand while the other lickspittles like Velaryon and Staunton were now reflecting on their life choices and the mistakes that they have made.

That's what those idiots deserve, for all these years they decided to feed the burning paranoia and madness of the king for their gain now they stand to lose it and the snake that they fed has started to bite them back, Jaime thought viciously. It wouldn't be so bad if the Mad King burned those two as well.

The King begins his rant "This is the most dangerous threat to us in over a hundred years since Daemon Blackfyre, we stand to lose everything, I CAN NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN" The Mad King turns from extremely quiet to very loud within the blink of an eye.

Prince Rhaegar doesn't say anything but just lets the King go on his usual tirade and then retires saying that he needs to plan for the upcoming battle.

Maegor's Holdfast

Outside Prince Rhaegar's chambers

Lucerys Velaryon

Lord Lucerys Velaryon stood tall and proud as he stood inside Prince Rhaegar's solar for an audience. He knew that this would be a very difficult conversation, ever since the factions began in court over that of the King and that of the Prince. He steadfastly stayed on the side of the King and began to smear and defame the Prince in court at every opportunity and now here he is outside his chambers asking for his help in stopping the very Mad King that he helped grow.

He looks at me and asks "Well, Lord Velaryon, to what do I owe the pleasure after all a King's Man like you won't dare deign himself to visit the Prince's chamber" His voice dripping in derision.

Lucerys grits his teeth at the remark, "I have come to apologize for everything that I have done towards you and I humbly ask for your help," Lucerys began eating away his pride.

"So you want my help now that the beloved king who you so loved and cherished doesn't return the favor," Rhaegar asks with a mocking smile.

Lucerys swallows before saying, "Yes, I admit I may have been in the wrong with siding with your father but now something has happened that we must put aside our differences otherwise we all shall die"

"And what might that be?" He asks putting his legs up on the table.

Lucerys then reveals, "Wildfire, your father intends on destroying the entire city with wildfire, he has placed wildfire caches all over, under the Red Keep, the Great Sept of Baelor, the Dragonpit, Fleabottom, inns, stables, streets, alleyways everywhere, he began this plot after he got word of the defeat at the Stoney Sept"

And still, the Prince shows no outward reaction, "This is the reason why Qarlton was executed by the king and it is why I have come asking for your help."

He looks at me with a face that gives absolutely nothing and then with a smile, he asks "Why should I believe you? There used to be a time back when if you were given a choice between licking my father's shit-stained arse or the gold of Casterly rock, you would have chosen the arse," He howls in laughter.

"Didn't something like that happen in court back when my father was in his usual Tywin insulting moments," Prince Rhaegar asks.

"Yes, but the person in question was Symond, not me" Lucerys angrily mumbles. Gods I was such a lickspittle of a cunt back then, it took the King attempting to destroy the entire city of King's Landing to open his eyes toward the problem that I was helping to grow, and that will forever be his greatest shame, and the shame of House Velaryon.

Lucerys then starts to plead, "Please I beg of you, you need to stop him before it's too late," As much as Lucerys would love to flee King's Landing, he knows that the Spider will be watching him, one wrong move and he will be on the pyre and the rebels have no love for him.

Approaching the Prince claiming it was to offer suggestions on the plans for the war was dangerous in itself but Lucerys was willing to suffer the consequences.

Rhaegar looks at him hard for a few minutes and then says, "You may go, I will take this problem of the wildfire and not a word of this conversation to a soul"

Lucerys nods, "Yes, your grace, we never talked about any treason, all we talked about was the war."

Maegor's Holdfast

Outside the King's Chamber

Jaime Lannister

It was the Hour of the Wolf, Jaime stood silently alongside Ser Gerold outside the King's chambers. It was a relief for Jaime that there had been no burnings which meant no raping of the Queen but as long as the Mad King was alive, it was a mere reprieve.

Jaime had yet to meet Prince Rhaegar and warn him about the Wildfire plot but Prince Rhaegar wouldn't allow anyone to visit him, not his wife, mother, and not even Rhaenys. He locked himself up in his chambers and the only people to meet him were Ser Gerold, Ser Richard, and Lord Velaryon.

Mayhaps Lord Velaryon might have warned Prince Rhaegar of the wildfire plot. Jaime could only hope that Velaryon's misbegotten sense of honor came to some use.

Suddenly Jaime looked up to see a man heading toward them at a fast pace, instinctively placing his hand on his sword, Jaime turned to look at Ser Gerold. But the White Bull made no motion whatsoever at the person coming toward them and soon enough, the person turned out to be Prince Rhaegar

Prince Rhaegar came with a focused and determined look, and then as he reached them Prince Rhaegar shared a nod with Ser Gerold and then Ser Gerold slowly opened the door to the King's Chambers, and without a word the Prince entered.

"What going on??" He asked Ser Gerold who merely looked at him and said, "You will know soon enough."

After an agonizing two minutes, Rhaegar comes out wiping his hands off the blood with a handkerchief, and nods toward Ser Gerold immediately draws his sword and kneels, and loudly proclaims, a proclamation that cuts through the night

"THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING"