Chapter 15
After Victarion Greyjoy fell in battle, the Greyjoy rebellion was mainly over. The Iron Fleet couldn't sustain itself without its main leader and couldn't stand against the combined might of the Crown.
A major portion of the fleet would be sunk to the bottom of the ocean, with many choosing to surrender, and some of the more fanatic loyalists chose to flee and would go on to join the fleet of Euron Greyjoy. Despite massive victories, the Rebellion couldn't really end until King Rhaegar deposed the so-called King of the Iron Islands himself.
The castle of Pyke was less of a castle and more of a collection of towers built upon small rocky islands that had been slowly eaten away by the tumultuous seas. The largest of these connected keeps was a fifty-acre stone-built castle that housed the levies, stables, and weapons. A massive wall rose up, surrounding all these keeps, protecting them, yet in the face of King Rhaeagr's siege weapons, it would be do little.
The castle walls would be breached within a month of the siege as King Rhaeagar led the charge himself, Balon Greyjoy would have the stone bridges connecting the various keeps destroyed in desperation, yet it would do little to stop the King's army. In the end, Pyke would fall with little loss to the royal army, yet it would be on the other side of the kingdom where the Crown would suffer its greatest loss after King Aerys himself.
0000
RHAEGAR TARGARYEN
Rhaegar stood in the Long Hall of Pyke with the Royal army surrounding him. He had never been to Pyke before and was surprised to see the state of caste. Pyke wasn't like the other castles of the Kingdom. It was different in many ways, from the way it smelled to the way it felt.
Yet he could contemplate such thoughts later; right now, he had to focus on another point. It was to put an end to this farcical rebellion. Balon Greyjoy was on the ground in front of him, his body in chains, as he knelt alongside other members of his family, including his wife and daughter, Asha.
On the other hand, his two sons were nowhere to be found, yet with the whole castle and the surrounding waters under their control, they would soon be found.
The Lord of the Pyke had changed a lot over the years, with the color in his hair completely gone and his skin wrinkling with age. The man was thin, and his eyes were red as he glared at him with unadulterated rage.
"You broke your oaths to the crown Lord Balon. Tell me, what should the crown do with you?" Rhaegar began as the Hall stilled with silence at his words. Balon's eyes remained focused on him before the man spat to the side.
"What oaths do you speak of, boy? I swore allegiance to your father, not to a sauntering Greenlander like you. As far as I am concerned, I broke no oaths boy!" said the man with a ghoulish smile. Ser Barristan was enraged and was about to rush forward to punch the man when Rhaegar stopped him.
"You swore an oath to the Crown, not to my father, Balon, and you broke that oath. Not only that, you conspired with enemies abroad to assassinate him," and he saw the man's eyes widen at his words.
There were gasps of surprise and incredulity at his words from the gathered men of the army as well, for this was the first time that he had officially labeled his father's death as an assassination. Many people whispered about such a possibility, but now the Crown had spoken out finally.
Rhae stepped forward toward the bound so-called King and crouched down to look the man in the eyes.
"What! You didn't think that we would intercept all those messages you have been sending to your allies," Rhaegar spoke, his voice cold and angry as he took out one of the messages Qyburn had intercepted and threw it at the man's face.
"BALCKFYRE! YOU CHOSE TO CONSPIRE WITH PRETENDERS!" his voice thundered as the men gasped in surprise at the name.
"Your own father helped the King fight against those false pretenders, yet here you are describing the legacy of your own father. Have you no honor, Greyjoy!" Rhaegar spat to the side as he looked Balon in the eye. And he could see the man's mind racing as those gray eyes darted around the room.
And as Rhaegar stood up, the man spoke up once more.
"Names, I will give you names of all those who plotted this whole treason, and you shall pardon...." But Rhaegar cut off the man.
"NO!" he spoke as he turned to look at the man and saw the realization dawn on Greyjoy.
"You broke your oaths to the Crown twice over Lord Balon. You conspired against the King and then declared rebellion, so there will be no leniency for you, none at all." Rhaegar snarled as he stood up.
"This will be the end of your petty rule. Your islands have long made a mockery of the Crown's writ and power. But no more. This shall be the end of this whole farce," said Rhaegar as his eyes lifted up and focused on the unholy symbol of the power of the King of the Iron Islands. Carved out of oily black stone and shaped into the form of a Kraken, the Seatone chair was right there, emanating an eery feeling as if contemplating its demise.
Balon glanced up and paled as he noticed where he was looking and began to shout.
"Have you gone mad, boy? Do you have any idea what you are saying? That chair has always belonged to the King of the Iron Islander. No Mainlander scum has ever sat on it. It is the symbol of our God. Do you wish to incur the wrath of the Seas, you insolent fool!" shouted the man.
Rhaegar remained unbothered by the man shouting as he stepped forward and walked up to the infamous throne. He touched the black Stone and felt an ominous feeling run through his body as if his very blood warned him against sitting on the chair. He glanced at the monstrosity before he took out the Valyrian Steel sword strapped to his back.
"From this day, this Kingdom has no need of you and your Gods," he said as he swung the Valyrian Steel sword at the chair. Balon continued to shout and scream, yet the Valyrian Blade's edge held true as it carved through the chair. Cleaving the Kraken's head into two.
The Seas roared in anger and rage, and it is said that the waves large enough to devour islands rose into the Sea for days to come. Rhaegar's journey back to Kingslanding was tumultuous and ominous as he traversed the enraged seas.
Even to this day, no one has been able to find the wreckage of the monstrosity that was the Sea stone chair, and the symbol of the Drowned God remains lost to the waves; its origins remain a mystery to this very day.
0000
AEMON TARGARYEN
Aemon sat in his brother's solar as he overlooked the various matters regarding both the Crown's governance and the war. The three Council members sat opposite him, including the Lord Hand, Lucerys Velaryon, the Master of the Ships, Lord Manderly, and lastly the Master of Coin, Lord Kevan Lannister.
With the current state of the Kingdoms, they had to meet many times a day, so meetings like this in the solar were commonplace these days. Though, unlike the other times, the mood in the meeting was one of joy and celebration as they all had smiles on their face as they drank watered-down wine from their glasses.
"All right, we should not get lost in celebrating this victory and must remember that there is still a war going on," he said. And the end of the Greyjoys' rebellion was indeed a major win for the crown, but it didn't mean that they could relax yet in the grand scheme of things, it was a single battle. And there was still a whole war left to fight.
The men nodded and put down their glasses, and it was the master Coin who spoke first.
"The Greyjoy rebellion has ended swiftly, and the Crown coffers were not majorly affected. We were able to divert the ships headed to the port of Kingslanding to Duskendale. And the repairs of the Capital's ports are nearly complete as well. They shall be finished before King Rhaegar's return," Aemon nodded.
That was good news.
"May I ask what about the Iron Islands? Has the King reached a decision yet," questioned Lord Manderly. And he didn't miss how all three men in the room straightened up at this question. And why wouldn't they? The Iron Islands were now without any leadership for the time being, and the Kingdom was waiting for his brother's edict.
"Rhaegar hasn't mentioned anything about this yet. But for now, they shall be governed by a governor. The new levies I have raised will depart to the islands to put them under direct Royal oversight. That will be all regarding the Iron Islands for now," Aemon responded, just as Rhaegar had instructed him to. To not give out the details of his plan to put major portions of the islands under Royal control.
The Iron Islands would serve as the perfect outpost for the navy and had the potential to become a trade hub for the world. Yet the Greyjoy had wasted the potential of those lands by alienating trading partners due to their culture of thieving and looting. But now it would all end.
He noticed the three men glance at each other before Lord Manderly nodded.
"I will have the ships prepared for the levies though may I ask has any name for such governorship been put forward," and Aemon shook his head.
"Not yet, but this will be Rhaegar's decision, but it is time we discuss the battle on the Stepstones," he began, and the three men stiffened at that. Not without cause, of course for they may have won a decisive victory against the Greyjoys, but the Crown's position in the Stepstones was quite precarious.
"The news is not very good, Prince Aemon," began the Hand in a thick voice as he stood up and pointed at the map.
"Despite the reinforcements from Dorne and Stormlands, the Crown has been pushed back, and now with the reports of the Golden Company and the Second Sons joining enemy ranks, I am afraid we would not be able to keep our hold for much longer," and Aemon chewed his lips as he glanced at the map again.
"Perhaps we could interest Bravo.." began the Master of Coin, but Aemon cut off the man before he could finish.
"No, we will not make common cause with Bravos. The islands must come under the Crown's control," he said resolutely. And the three men nodded.
These islands were one of the reasons for their House's enormous wealth. They were the center of trade, and despite the troubles they caused, his father had been clear on how instrumental they were.
Yet it seems that they were being pushed back.
"We still control Bloodheaven and Grey Gallows; without them, no proper army could land or control the islands. Write to Oberyn to focus on these two islands," he ordered, and the men nodded.
"And Lord Velaryon. Have you contacted Lord Brynden about his mission?" he questioned the Lord's hand, and thankfully the Lord Hand nodded in affirmative at his question.
"Yes, my prince. He has been told of his mission," but before the man could finish, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Aemon frowned, for he had asked not to be disturbed.
"My Lord, I bring news from the Stepstones," came the voice of the Grand Maester, and Aemon's heart sank for a bit as dread pooled in his heart.
"Come in," he spoke hurriedly, and the doors to his solar swung open as the Grand Maester came in and handed him a rolled missive.
"I thought it prudent to bring it to you as soon as I got it, my prince," said the man, and Aemon gulped as he broke the seal and began to skim over the letter. And with each word he read, dread and anger rose in his heart.
"What has happened, my lord?" questioned the Hand, and instead of replying to him. Aemon just handed him the missive. Lord Hand read the missive, and his face paled as well before the missive was passed to the rest of the men.
"Gods be good. Governor Oberyn has been wounded critically! My Prince, this is bad. With control over Greygallows, the invading armies have a landing ground," and Aemon nodded, his mind racing as he thought of another Martell.
"The Queen will be devastated by the news," spoke Lord Kevan from the side, and the chamber became quiet at the mention of Elia, for they all knew what such news would do to her in her current state if it reached her ears.
In the end, Aemon reached a decision.
"No one will breathe a word of this to anyone. We cannot risk the lives of the Queen and the child in her belly like this. Until my brother arrives, the word about Oberyn's state will not leave this room," he said as he glanced at all the four men in the room.
"I will write to Doran and my brother personally informing them of my decision," and the four men nodded.
"As you say, my prince. But what about the Stepstones? Lord Baratheon has been forced to retreat to Bloodheaven. We need to support him," and Aemon's mind raced. They had to respond quickly. Otherwise, they risked losing full control over those islands, and the Crown couldn't afford to let that happen.
"Lord Manderly, write a missive to Lord Stark and Lord Jon Arryn. They shall provide the support until the Royal Army can be moved to the Stepstones," he ordered. And he knew that the plan was to keep the strength of the North and the Vale intact due to the threat beyond the Wall. But these were dire circumstances, and they couldn't let those islands fall.
"What about the Tyrells, my Prince? They have men and ships in plenty," came the question, but Aemon shook his head.
"No, not them. They shall have a different target," and he placed his finger on the most extended island just at the edge of Stepstones.
"Tyrosh!"
As the four men sat and discussed the war, a small retinue of half a dozen men, the direwolf sigil embroidered on their armor, entered the capital gates.
Eddard Stark had arrived at the capital, and he had not brought good news with him.
0000
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