Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 165: The Dragon and the Griffin (Part 1)

Red Keep — Maegor's Holdfast...

Dragging a struggling Sansa by her long auburn hair, Connington and his guards continued to ascend the stairs towards the top of Maegor's Holdfast. Upon reaching the top, he threw Sansa to the ground rather roughly, as did his guards with Tyrion, Tommen, Myrcella, Trystane, Pycelle, Ariyana and Trystane. More rumblings continued to follow suit accompanied by explosive eruptions of green flame, destroying more portions of the Red Keep; whether the massive castle's structures would remain standing by the end of the day had yet to be determined. But for Connington... such actions were extreme, but necessary. In his mind, House Baratheon would end here. His eyes observed the chaos blow: screaming Dothraki galloping outside the gates poured into the streets through the broken wall; Unsullied luring the scattering royal armies into tight corners to be pick them off with their spears or by Drogon's flame. 

"Do you see, girl? Go on. Take a good hard look," Connington forced Sansa to observe the battle. "Your army has lost. And your friends down there will not survive."

The Queen could only watch as portions of her fellow Northmen were still putting up a fight despite the significant threat posed by Daenerys's dragon more than others; she looked on as Drogon flies along the wall and destroys another part of the battlement – listening to the sounds of destruction, the rumbling explosions and Drogon's screeching roar before unleashing its fire breath on another part of the outer wall.

"M-my word," Pycelle stammered in disbelief.

"All those innocent people..." Myrcella stared, helpless to do anything but watch the carnage.

Connington felt increasingly confident as he drew a dagger from his sleeves. "There is no escape, child," he referred to the battle. "The upstarts will die... as will your friends and family, little bird. The men of your Stark family don't do well down here."

Sansa glared up at him. You're wrong. Without everything that's happened... Cersei and Littlefinger and the rest, I would have indeed stayed a little bird all my life. "A shame for you, Lord Connington," she reiterated.

"No need to worry. Once our Queen reclaims the Iron Throne by right of birth, she will—"

"That doesn't mean Daenerys Targaryen will be a good Queen. From what we've seen and heard, her actions suggest otherwise – considering you've filled her head with lies and half-truths," she interrupts. "We've had someone else these past seven years; someone better."

That made Connington mad. "Still you cling on to hope so stubbornly. Keep talking like that and we'll see who's soon forgotten." Let me live long enough to see a Targaryen restoration take place on the Iron Throne, and the Usurper's bloodline erased from existence for such a slight and so much more.

Sansa, still defiant and composed despite the circumstances, stood her ground. "I always wanted to be there when my husband executes your Queen. Seems like I won't get the chance."

"No. You won't." Connington said before turning to Lysono. "What word of our associate?"

The spymaster looked somewhat concerned.

"Well?"

"My agents report that... King Euron Greyjoy and Princess Yara have both been slain."

That caught everyone's attention.

They failed? Fucking ironborn. All of them utterly useless! "By whom?!" he pressed.

"Daveth Baratheon and Ser Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer. They're both on their way here," Lysono answered. "But that's not all. I've just received word. Robb Stark and a few men led by Ser Lucius Blackmyre have infiltrated the Red Keep. What's more... Prince Rhaegar's last surviving child, Prince Aegon, is with them as well."