[Chapter Size: 2700 Words.]
Third Person POV.
Riverlands.
...
...
It was almost late afternoon, when the Sun cast its last rays against the Tullys' castle. Brynden Tully was on one of the balconies, looking out over the field where several siege tents had stood until nearly two weeks ago, now completely empty.
His enemies, who had been trying to breach the walls of Riverrun, gave up on trying to conquer the castle and fled to the Twins or saved their own lives by running, as Brynden had heard from some Freys escaping to the sea instead of fighting alongside their house.
In the end, those men had been right — the Freys were dead and, according to the letter Jason Mallister sent, Daemon himself had practically executed the Frey family inside the Twins almost single-handedly.
A man had entered the Freys' seat at just twenty years old, openly shouting that he wanted to kill the Frey family. The Freys responded with deadly aggression, using a tactic very similar to what had happened during the Red Wedding, but they soon realized that not even their plots and schemes could deal with the monster who had entered their castle.
With the use of magic, he simply devastated the Freys and protected his men; when the Freys were close to dying in that hall, they were merely slaughtered mercilessly like animals for sacrifice. One by one.
Walder Frey died at the beginning of the attack, a strike from Dark Sister being driven into his neck by Daemon, without mercy — only a slow death. Walder himself, choking on his own blood and eyes filled with terror...?
Honestly, Brynden would have loved to witness the scene up until just before the end of that man, but his honor and pride left him divided.
He learned all of this from Daemon's men who had been stationed in Seagard reinforcing the fortress, told by those who had been inside the Twins during the Frey massacre, spreading the tale through the army, later carried further by the soldiers.
The men spoke of it in the city and Jason Mallister heard, and thus he passed the event described by those men to Brynden through a scroll.
Jason Mallister also said he had been very frightened when Daemon Targaryen arrived in Seagard atop his dragon, as powerful as the stories claimed.
Brynden knew that very well: he had faced the man without his dragon or sorcery. Only with a sword — and Daemon showed Brynden that he was incapable of fighting against him. All his years of experience meant nothing before that man, who defeated him humiliatingly in the family vault.
And now, that same man had entered the riverlands already devastated by war. The Targaryen army was drawing ever closer to Riverrun. An army of more than 120,000 men, according to the desperate lords who had seen the marching host, many saying they had bowed quickly before the sheer magnitude of its strength.
Brynden had many thoughts about this. And Daemon did not possess only numbers — he had the right men under his command... Lord Stark was leading the Northern campaign this time, with rumors that he had been judged in combat by Daemon and lost. His punishment: the Wall, but only after helping Daemon conquer the Seven Kingdoms.
Brynden knew how much Lord Eddard Stark's support meant for Westeros, not to mention that Daemon also had Ser Barristan Selmy and had made Stannis Baratheon bow before him as well.
Brynden also saw that Daemon's organization could help the future Lord of Winterfell, yielding results in this military campaign after his last failure with his men.
Robb was no longer such a green boy, and had certainly learned from many of his mistakes... now — he too stood beside the dragon — someone who had proven himself cunning and powerful.
Even so, Daemon Targaryen was arriving in Riverrun with his army... Something that worried Brynden; it was obvious the resentment that Targaryen held toward the Tullys.
Because of his niece, Brynden had done what he could to make the boy's life miserable when he was a child. Catelyn nervously admitted all of that once she arrived in Riverrun after Daemon had sacked the vault.
Now, the boy she had tormented had not come only with a crown on his head, but with a dragon and powers beyond comprehension.
And no matter how treacherous the enemies were with him, no one could stop him. No matter how unfavorable the situation was for that man; he always shaped the battlefield however he wished.
Brynden had only seen his skill with a sword. He had not seen even a third of what he could truly do, and already he feared him. He had only lived because the dragon wished it — Daemon could have destroyed Riverrun that night he had been there, just as he had with the castles of the West when he left Riverrun to go destroy them that very same night.
He did not know what to do. Honestly, he feared what would happen to his house, knowing he could not face that enemy expecting anything but death. Edmure was still a prisoner of the Lannisters, and a great doubt arose: would Daemon Targaryen care about him, being Catelyn's brother? Politically, it would be wise to save him, but Brynden could see much resentment, and Daemon might even personally kill him instead of releasing him. He hoped Daemon would act politically.
His eyes returned to the sunset, still wondering about the future. An army along with a dragon would come in a few days, would tear down their gates...
And perhaps because of that, Brynden had not even noticed the slight chaos beginning to form around him.
Suddenly, he heard men shouting. Looking to the side, he saw all his soldiers pointing toward the sky, some calling out in desperation. Brynden blinked, stunned, setting his thoughts aside and turning his gaze upward as well.
It was very close, so close that Brynden wondered how he had not noticed that creature so near — the white shadow approaching, growing rapidly. A white dragon was coming straight for Riverrun.
"Reinforce the wa—"
He couldn't even finish, for the dragon was already upon him, having miscalculated terribly how quickly it would reach the wall.
Its wings beat with force to stabilize its body in the air, knocking men down and even Brynden himself with just the wind. The creature landed between one of the wall's towers, splitting its sides, just enough to support its weight, placing only one wing and one leg on a corner as stones crumbled under its weight, yet keeping itself steady while Brynden struggled to rise.
The creature stared at him with red eyes. And the one mounted atop it was a man with an intense gleam in his gaze — the same man he remembered facing in the vault, only with shorter hair now, but still with the same eyes.
"We meet again, Brynden Tully… or should I say, Blackfish." His voice echoed easily, even in a calm tone, across the entire wall, while screams rose from below and behind Brynden.
Men trembled, torn between grabbing their bows, preparing for battle, or simply fleeing before the enormous beast clinging to the wall like a monkey.
Daemon stood atop the dragon without a saddle and began walking along its back, holding onto the small white spikes that rose along its neck. Then he leapt directly onto the wall, giving a light tap on the side of the dragon's snout, which remained there still staring at Brynden and his men.
"You may go, girl." Daemon spoke in the ancient tongue, and the dragon lifted one of its wings, beating the other while still supported on the wall, and quickly began to gain momentum, breaking free of the stones and taking flight.
Brynden quickly grabbed his sword and faced Daemon walking along the wall, his old boldness returning.
If he had heard of someone invading Riverrun's walls like this a year ago, he would have called them mad. Now, he saw before him the man who could make the impossible possible, walking toward him with an amused tone, apparently unarmed, with no concern at all for Brynden's sword or the archers behind him — those archers nervous, bows in hand, yet unable to raise an arrow against Daemon.
"Is this how you receive guests in House Tully, Brynden?" Daemon asked, with an amused smile.
"I don't recall inviting you into the castle. Not when you're the same man who robbed House Tully that night and left us in a rather critical situation. We had very big problems because of that in the war," Brynden muttered, anger in his voice, but Daemon only smiled.
"Oh, I understand. Well… what can I say? Maybe…" Daemon seemed thoughtful, as if all of it were a great joke to him, especially when Brynden heard the Targaryen's sarcastic tone.
"I could classify it as moral compensation, due to what your niece did to me. You know… I was an innocent child and was psychologically attacked by a fully grown woman simply for existing. Don't you think my actions were justified?" Daemon continued walking until he stopped a few meters from Brynden, who kept his sword raised cautiously.
His men were divided, waiting for an order, but Brynden was incapable of shouting any command to attack. The man before him was far too relaxed, as if he were even waiting for an excuse for a possible massacre.
"Why are you here now? Why did you come alone? Your men are only a few dozen miles from here. Logically, you didn't need to be here—you could conquer us easily. Yet you came here just to mock us?" Brynden growled.
"The truth is that I left my men this morning... Would you believe me if I told you I went to the Iron Islands on this very day? I massacred thousands of men with my dragon, invaded Pyke castle, killed more with my axe, and executed Balon Greyjoy?" Daemon said calmly.
"If you don't believe me… look at this." With a movement of his hand, a throne appeared, crashing onto the wall's stone floor, ready to topple to the side, but Daemon held it with telekinesis.
Whispers rose from all sides at the sight. Brynden couldn't help but frown. He recognized that throne — it was clearly the Seastone Chair. He remembered it well from when he fought in the Greyjoy Rebellion and King Robert delivered his terms to Balon in the room where that throne stood. All the major lords who had fought were gathered that day.
Daemon made the throne vanish the next moment.
"So, before returning to my army, I thought I'd wait for them here, in a comfortable castle. That is why I am taking your castle at this very moment. Not that it would make any difference — after all, I would take it in a few days regardless. The question is: will I take it by force… or will you surrender?"
The question was simple.
"What will happen to House Tully?" Brynden asked, swallowing hard, knowing he could not win.
"I don't know yet. Honestly, I wanted your niece, but unfortunately, I arrived late — those damned Freys attacked faster than I did and killed her. Maybe that's why I was so determined to kill them all, as I did at the Twins," Daemon said with a sigh.
Brynden did not like what he was hearing. Even if his niece had acted wrongly, even if he could understand Daemon's wrath, he had the family words carved into him: Family, Duty, Honor — that was the motto. And family always came first.
"I refuse. My honor refuses to give up the castle without a fight," Brynden said.
Daemon merely raised an eyebrow and shrugged before lifting his hand, while Brynden raised his sword. The tension among the men around them grew — they still did not know what to do.
"Do not fight, no matter what happens! Even if I fight, you will not!" Brynden shouted to them. At least that would spare his men. Daemon was not known for massacring those who had no will to fight; at most, he would send them to the Wall, as he had done with the Bolton soldiers in Winterfell.
Daemon merely turned his hand toward the wall, and a small stone detached from it, floating in the air. He looked at the stone, then at Brynden, and pointed it at him. In the next moment, the stone shot forward before Brynden could react, striking his forehead and making him collapse unconscious.
The entire place fell silent. Daemon looked at everyone around him.
"Well… it's not like I was going to lose to him anyway. I'd win even with one hand tied," he declared, and no one dared to argue, though their eyes showed uncertainty.
"Anyway, I'm not looking for an honorable duel. What I want now is a bath. I just came from a battle. Put Lord Brynden Tully in his room and tell the maester to treat him. Riverrun belongs to me now, and I want a room with a good bathtub in less than ten minutes."
Daemon stepped past Brynden's fallen body as he walked among the men on the wall, who opened space for him with fearful looks. It didn't matter how many weapons they had, or how close they were to surrounding him — the very idea of harming Daemon Targaryen seemed impossible, while he walked relaxed through a crowd of possible enemies.
"Your Majesty," the castellan murmured as Daemon approached the entrance to the castle.
"You heard me, right? I want a room and a bathtub. I'll wait for my request to be fulfilled. In the meantime, I'll be in the kitchen… I heard you have fresh fruit. It's been a while since I've eaten apples and grapes," Daemon said, passing by him.
The man simply lowered his head. "It will be done," was all he said before hurrying off to give orders.
The maester rushed out as well, lowering his head upon seeing him. Daemon shrugged and entered the place without caring about anyone else.
The men carried the inert body of Brynden Tully, with a small wound on his forehead, while the maester prepared to treat him as they brought him into the castle.
No one knew how, but Daemon Targaryen had become the lord of Riverrun after felling Brynden, and no one contested the idea.
Daemon entered the kitchen. The servants stared at him in pure astonishment, but he didn't care. He simply took what he wanted, even though he could have ordered someone else to do it — but he liked choosing his own food and seeing his options. It also helped pass the time until his bath was ready; he was a bit dirty from the battle at Pyke and needed it to relax.
Five minutes later, a man wearing the Tully sigil, a guard, approached carefully. "Your Majesty… the room is ready."
"Ah, that's great. Finally, a moment of rest," Daemon declared before following the man to the room, where he found a clean bathtub prepared for him.
"Do you need attendants, Your Majesty?" the guard asked.
But Daemon merely waved his hand dismissively. "I don't need any. You may leave."
The man quickly lowered his head and left the place, while Daemon took the opportunity to relax a little.
A few days later...
Brynden had been unconscious for days. He had no idea what had happened afterward. When his eyes finally opened, he rose with difficulty, feeling a sharp headache exactly at the spot where the stone had struck him — unsurprising.
He looked at the closed door, wondering if he was a prisoner, but a loud noise outside caught his attention, and when he went to the window, he swallowed hard.
The entire area in front of Riverrun was infested with tents. Northern banners fluttered; some also from the Riverlands. But what stood out the most was the Targaryen banner being placed all throughout the camp.
Brynden couldn't help but shiver, wondering how many days he had been asleep.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
New update: I'm working with AI and creating images from the best scenes in the chapters!
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the same time, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so become a free member on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! Finished! [100%]
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 times a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆