[Chapter Size: 2800 Words.]
Third Person POV.
Riverrun.
...
...
Daemon landed his dragon at Riverrun and dismounted to enter the castle, with the men watching as he walked. He soon found Val waiting for him, along with little Lafy.
"I'm back," Jon said, as she raised an eyebrow.
"So, did you manage to sort things out in the North?" she asked.
"In a way, yes," Jon said, connecting the pieces there. "And here?"
"Everyone wants to know exactly what is going on..." she informed him. "After I said you went to Winterfell to deal with an urgent matter personally, your uncle kept pestering me to know about it," she finished.
Jon nodded in understanding. It didn't take long before the castle doors were passed by a group of men, revealing Lord Stark himself approaching alongside his son, as well as other lords of the North.
"Your Majesty, we heard that you went to Winterfell. Is my family safe? My children?" he asked immediately, with concern mixed with caution and urgency.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Lord Stark. I will speak of this later. At lunch I will tell everything. But they are safe now," Daemon said.
He clearly wanted to know more, but nodded in the end. He knew Daemon would not say anything now and that, if everything was fine, he would sleep tonight without tossing in the smoke, even if he wanted to know what had truly happened.
"Anyway, Lafy, I want you to prepare a horse for me. I will leave this afternoon, after lunch."
"Prepare two horses, Lafy," Val said simply at his side, without taking her eyes off Jon.
He merely nodded, and the boy left to do as requested.
"Brynden woke up yesterday, right? Good, I will have a small conversation with him," Daemon said, ignoring the northerners as he entered the castle.
The Blackfish was in an isolated room. There was furniture, a large space, and an open window, but he could not leave. Only the maester came to check on his condition after he had received a blow to the head, and some servants brought his meals, also informing him of the state of the castle.
'A true prison,' he thought. He might have luxury, but it was still a prison in every sense, and within his own castle.
Brynden did not know what to think. He was caught between anger and a bit of nervousness, wondering when he would have a real conversation with the Dragon King after what had happened.
The northerners had declared for him, and many river lords had also joined the cause. Brynden saw an army outside the castle that made Robb's campaign look like child's play.
The door slammed at that moment, opening without waiting for any permission from him, and there he was: Daemon Targaryen entering his room.
Brynden tried to look for the hilt of his sword when he saw him, but found nothing. And even if he had, he knew it would be useless. Still, his instincts screamed for him to do nothing but stare at that man.
Daemon saw his intentions and raised an eyebrow in a more amused expression. "I am not your enemy, Brynden. Not now. You are my prisoner, actually." He finished as Daemon stood facing the Blackfish from the other side of the room.
"..." Brynden said nothing.
"Are you afraid of me...?" Daemon asked calmly.
"I don't know if I can trust you," Brynden took a moment to reply. "You use powers that go against the Seven. You bring destruction and death everywhere you go..."
"Do you really want to play the religion card, Brynden? That is something you have no power over me with. After all, you know a bit of what I am capable of, and I did not see any god appear to stop me. I am no worse than what you have been doing for decades. I caused the death of fewer innocent people than Robert's Rebellion, the Greyjoy Rebellion, and the damn War of the Five Kings. I freed more common folk from their oppressors than all of you combined... So I would say that I am better than all of you..."
Brynden did not respond.
"Oh, come on, Brynden. It's not as if I am going to kill you. I just want to talk so we can reach an understanding. After all, I have no love for your family, but I want to know whether I should let it continue to exist or not. Otherwise... well, you know it is very likely that I will destroy your name after this war, just as I did with the Freys..."
There was silence, and Brynden remained thoughtful about it.
In the end, Brynden took a step forward. "Tell me what your plans are for House Tully," he said, even as he clenched his teeth.
"Well, you know that I do not like you, and I never will. You should thank your niece for that. You will never have a place on the council, nor even an opinion at court, at least not while I am alive. I will only leave you with the leadership of the riverlands, but I will absorb a large portion of the kingdom's lands to turn them into crown lands..." Daemon began, making it very clear that his house would have no advantage in the realm he was about to build; they would be punished.
Daemon would take Harrenhal and all those lands for the royal family. He had a good excuse, creating secondary branches of his family.
"However, I still intend to rescue your nephew from the Lannisters' hands. I will let him take Riverrun with his descendants, even if the son he has with the Frey woman carries half the blood of those bastards. I will allow him to rule. But the Twins will not belong to him and will have no rights either. He will not have that castle. Neither he nor his other descendants will have any right to the castle, and I will stay well away from associating with that family, after all they will always be remembered for what they did."
"I am only leaving his wife alive because of these conditions and because she is Edmure's wife. Otherwise, I would have thrown her along with the other women we found at the Twins. We are escorting all of them to the Silent Sisters, along with the children who will be sent to the Night's Watch."
"And the gold? You are not going to return it, are you?" Brynden asked. They still resented the wealth stolen by Daemon.
"No. I simply will not return any of the gold I took," Daemon said.
Brynden grew frustrated upon hearing that, but nodded. "But you still want something in return, don't you?"
"I want you to go with as many men as you can gather from the riverlands to King's Landing, marching with Lord Stark and the others. I am sure you want revenge against the Lannisters as well, don't you?"
"You are a bastard, Daemon Targaryen. You steal our treasuries, take our castles, threaten us with extinction, and still want me to fight for your cause?"
"I am not forcing you. I am giving you a choice. Just as I did with my uncle. Now, if you will excuse me, you have three days to give me your answer," Daemon said, beginning to turn and disappearing through the door, leaving Brynden there without even giving him a chance to respond.
Daemon wanted him to think about it before seeking him out.
In any case, he went to check on a few more things in the castle and then headed to the main hall, with everyone gathered. Grumbles and whispers echoed through the hall. Daemon sat at the high table and looked toward the lords of the North in one corner, sharing the hall with the free folk and the riverland nobles who had joined the cause after seeing the army and had even taken the initiative to come to Riverrun to kneel.
He was sitting in the same position where Robb had once sat, nearly declared King in the North, something for which Robb was grateful had never actually happened in the end.
"My lords," Daemon began, causing the conversation in the hall to cease. "I have come to inform you that yesterday I went to Winterfell, as most of you already know. I returned to the North with my dragon because I received troubling news." He paused, all eyes fixed on him as always, eyebrows raised and expressions grim.
"The dead?" someone murmured.
"In fact, they tried to assassinate my wife, your queen," he said immediately.
The hall filled with shouts.
"The Lannisters!" a voice rang out. "It must have been the Lannisters!" someone exclaimed, and almost everyone agreed.
"No. It was not the Lannisters," Daemon said, raising his hand before continuing. "It was a group of mercenaries from Essos. They arrived in the North and went straight to Winterfell, seeking to gain the queen's favor with a gift: a chest full of gold. The main pieces were poisoned, but everything was quickly discovered before they could act. The Stark soldiers were swift, and we captured them that same night, thanks to Bran Stark, who uncovered all of their plans after my wife asked him to keep an eye on them, as she sensed that something did not smell right."
He declared this while he could see Lord Stark with a glint of pride for his son Bran. Even the other lords looked at Bran with the same feeling, nodding in acknowledgment that the boy had his worth, despite having only thirteen namedays.
"Anyway," Daemon continued, "I discovered something interesting with those mercenaries. There is a Blackfyre entering Westeros at this very moment, with the Golden Company right behind him. He has already allied himself with Dorne and the Reach."
The instant Daemon said this, the entire hall erupted in murmurs. Worried looks turned toward Daemon. It was no small matter: two kingdoms joining for a single cause. Dorne had not entered the War of the Five Kings, and the Reach, although it had still fought alongside the Lannisters against Stannis's failed bid, still possessed vast armies.
Daemon did not speak of the dragons now. He did not want to frighten his men. He merely raised a hand. "Nothing we need to concern ourselves with, my lords. I assure you."
The free folk did not fully understand what was happening, but they knew the enemy was great upon hearing "two kingdoms"… yet they were still entirely in favor of Daemon, with unshakable loyalty. The North would follow him as well, though it could not help but look on with some concern in the face of the new information. The river lords were the most uncertain.
"We will fight them. Dorne and the Reach have joined them? Very well. Then we will destroy them," Daemon declared confidently, making the atmosphere less tense.
"Regardless, we are still in a very strong position. We have an army larger than theirs, we have a dragon, and I have powers they would not even dream of. I find it amusing to imagine how the Lannisters must be dealing with this right now. They are surrounded and isolated."
"I still intend to continue my operation to the West. I want Tywin and his soldiers to see their lands being overrun. I want them to feel surrounded and desperate, because that is exactly how they should be feeling at this moment."
"Of the three current claimants to the Throne, I am the most powerful and the most legitimate. The Blackfyre is garbed as Aegon Targaryen, my brother who died in the Red Keep nearly two decades ago... He knows that I am a threat, knows that Daenerys and my son in the queen's womb are a threat to convincing Westeros, but know this... No Blackfyre or Lannister will defeat us," he said, and the men nodded.
After that, they ate without any major discussions. Lord Stark asked about his daughter, Sansa, and Daemon merely replied that he did not know where she was after disappearing from King's Landing. She had vanished after the chaos of the Tyrells' departure two moons earlier.
Obviously, Daemon wanted to know who had taken her, as she could be used in some political maneuver. Even though all the Stark children were still alive there, no one would deny that using Sansa could claim some interference in the North.
He would discover that later. There was only one place where Daemon saw a possible move: a realm that had remained silent the entire time — the Vale.
After lunch, Daemon went to the horse prepared by Lafy. The boy had asked if he would come along, and Daemon was about to disagree, but then he saw Val approaching, as well as Ygritte, already with a new horse, and he merely shrugged.
"You can come." One more person would not make any difference; he was only going to see a group of men taking justice into their own hands.
Daemon began to leave the castle along with Val, Ygritte, and Lafy riding behind. No one questioned the king. He rode out of the castle and entered one of the forests, telling a sentry that he would be somewhere around there and would return later, disappearing into the woods.
"What are we looking for?" Val asked, as the wolves also joined them, advancing in a pack of more than twelve direwolves.
"There is a group of interesting people here in Riverrun. I want to check on them. They avoided us, afraid that the army would retaliate. So let us see them in person..." Daemon said.
They rode for about two hours along the road until they found a trail on the other side of the forest, moving at high speed toward the North, until they veered off again and entered the woods. Everything followed Daemon, until they found a clearing with voices coming from within. It was a camp.
A scout from the group saw them and ran off, shouting to his companions. Ygritte already had her bow ready. Lafy looked nervous, carrying the Valyrian steel sword that Val had used before claiming Nightfall. And Val had her hand on the hilt of that same sword.
Daemon, however, was calm. He advanced with confidence, stepping into the clearing and facing the group of people who quickly stood up, taking up their weapons.
He stopped before them, watching as they backed away, casting him wary looks.
"Are you Daemon Targaryen!?" someone exclaimed, and the group seemed to grow even tenser.
Daemon looked at the men before him and then turned his gaze to the woman at a distance — the one who clearly had a voice in the group, despite speaking little, from what he had noticed. The giant wolves also appeared right behind him, making the men even more nervous, but they all lined up beside Daemon like well-trained dogs.
"I feel at a disadvantage. Who might you be?" Daemon asked in a calm, unbothered tone.
"I am Thoros of Myr," the man said.
"The one from the Battle of Pyke many years ago?" Daemon thought he remembered him. His uncle had said something about that name when he recounted the battle against the Greyjoys to the children in the great hall after bringing Theon to Winterfell, omitting certain parts. Even so, Daemon remembered having heard that name at the lower tables at the time.
"Do you know me?" Thoros asked, with a certain pride.
"Not as much as you imagine," Daemon replied. He remembered only the name, nothing beyond his prominence in that battle.
Daemon's eyes then turned to the hooded woman. He could see her tremble when his name was spoken. From that moment on, Daemon was intrigued.
He dismounted without caring that the men before him grew even more nervous, and he simply stared at the woman, approaching her slowly.
"You must be Lady Stoneheart," he declared, making the men even more uncomfortable by knowing who she was. "Or at least that is what they call you now." He paused before a dangerous gleam appeared in his violet eyes.
"I never imagined I would find you here. Lady Stark... but I must say, you are not as beautiful as you once were," Daemon said simply.
The woman trembled even more in discomfort. Her eyes turned toward him. Daemon recognized her face: purple skin like that of a corpse, marked by cuts and, above all, by a torn throat. She was like a zombie, and Daemon could not help but be intrigued by this kind of necromancy, different from that of the White Walkers.
However, at least now, he had the chance to see that woman one last time, when he thought he had lost that chance with the war and the Freys.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 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!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆