The Lightning Lord

Looking upon the reports, Ned allowed himself to smile lightly for the first time in a long time. The war was approaching its end, Aegon Targaryen was defeated, Daenerys was their ally, and the south was secure. Robb was now marching north with sixty thousand men, intending to end the war once and for all. Above all else, Arya was safe, accompanying Robb.

It was a relief to him, a major weight falling off his shoulders that allowed him to breathe more easily. His family would never be the same, Ned knew that, but at least this way, those still alive would be safe and united once more.

Even the knowledge of Robb's oncoming marriage to Daenerys and the political strife that he would be exposed to when ascending to the throne was momentarily set to the wayside as he imagined embracing his family outside of war. When peace was restored, and for just a little while, they could pretend to be a family again.

Hearing his tent part, Ned looked to see Willas hobbling his way in. "Willas, how is your sister?" He questioned, concerned about the state of his daughter-in-law. She was nearing the end of her pregnancy, soon to give birth to another Stark that would mend the holes left behind by those lost throughout the course of this war.

"Tired, my lord," Willas admitted, leg extending as he sat down, the two cripples sitting across from one another. "The journey was taxing upon her and she has been restless recently. She is sleeping now though, which is good news."

Ned nodded his head in agreement. "That is good news indeed." The smile on Ned's face soon slipped as he asked the question that had been on his mind for some time now. "Are you displeased that Robb has agreed to take Daenerys as his second wife, and denied both her and Margaery the position of Queen?"

Willas did not answer right away, then chuckled humourlessly, nodding his head. "I will not deny that yes, my family and I are displeased by this. But if one is to look at this objectively and the choices Robb had available to him, it was the best decision to make to bring a swift end to the war."

Daenerys had twenty thousand men that had accompanied her from Westeros, many of which were Unsullied whose reputation had even carried across the Narrow Sea from Essos to Westeros. A reputation that had been proven true during the Battle of Wolves and Dragons when they single-handedly disrupted the charge of Aegon's entire cavalry force. One that had quickly become known as one of the most devastating cavalries in Westerosi history, surpassed only by the Vale.

But above all else, she had three Dragons, beasts that ruled the skies and all that lay below it. Beasts that breathed fire and were wrapped in scales that made them impervious to arrows. Who moved at speeds surpassing the swiftest of horses and caused destruction greater than any army. They had been small when arriving, no bigger than a pony, still terrifying, but small and young. But they were still growing and armies did not move quickly and Westeros was a big place. It was that time that allowed them to grow and while exact proportions of the beast were unspecified, ranging from full-grown horses to the size of bears, it was all unknown.

Yet they had proved their devastating power during the Battle of Wolves and Dragons, causing mass devastation that reduced thousands to ash. The only thing that had held them back was the rider, the Mother of Dragons herself.

Aegon himself was a young ruler who had come across the Narrow Sea with the Golden Company, the most dangerous fighting force in existence with ten thousand well-trained, heavily armoured and skilled soldiers. A Sellsword Company that had fought in some of the fiercest conflicts in Essos and possessed a well of experience that no army in Westeros could match. A few hundred had managed to not only fight a few hundred Lannister elites but also Stark and Vale elites and gain the upperhand at the end of the Bloody Antlers.

Yet their secret weapon had been held back, the strange beasts bigger than any horse and just as terrifying as the Dragons that stampeded across the ground that shook with each stomp of its legs. They trampled underneath everything in their path, a large trunk swinging out and sending broken bodies flying through the sky as all was crushed in its path.

They had devastated the Unsullied's valiant defensive efforts, one that had proved hauntingly effective at disrupting Aegon's cavalry charge but had proved ineffective at halting the elephants.

Yet Aegon also possessed the warriors of Dorne, the finest spearman in all of Westeros whose spear wall had proven deadly effective against all foes. All under the command of the only one that had proved equal to the greatest military genius in Westeros, the Wolf King himself.

Both Aegon and Daenerys made up for the lack of troops with their quality of them. Robb had recognised that and sought to negotiate, not only to bide time but also, at the very least, to ensure that if the war must continue, Daenerys and Aegon would not ally together against him. Victory would be impossible if Robb would face such odds, especially when lords switched sides in order to preserve their own positions in life.

Robb had negotiated, finding that no agreement could be reached, not one that was favourable and succeeded in dividing Aegon and Daenerys apart. Yet that was not perfect, there was nothing to stop Aegon and Daenerys from putting aside their differences and allying with one another in the future.

However, even if they did remain divided, the victory he would gain would be a hollow one. Defeating one ruler would be simple, but he would be weakened, damaged and still have another ruler to contend with. Victory would be gained, but it would be a pyrrhic victory.

Daenerys and her advisors recognised this and used this to their advantage, Willas could admire them for that, begrudgingly so. The Mother of Dragons would accept one of two compromises, Robb or one of his lords. However, that was their trouble arose, Robb couldn't marry her off to another Stark because Daenerys would accept no Stark other than Robb. Nor could he afford to gift her to one of his lords, for they would be then be given command of the Dragons.

"So we are in agreement on that then?" Ned noted, Willas taking note of his own displeasure at the arrangement.

"You do not like the marriage either?" Willas questioned.

Ned shook his head. "I always knew that by becoming King, my son would be exposed to all the political machinations that take place in such an environment. I myself have discovered that northern politics is vastly different to southern politics. As Lord Paramount of the North, I fear that my King will become just like Robert Baratheon. As Lord of House Stark, I fear that my Heir will perish and suffer just like every Stark that has stayed in the south for too long. As a father, I fear that my son will not survive to have a family of his own."

"You believe he is not ready?" Willas thought with a hum. "While I understand what you say and can say with certainty that your claims are not unfounded, they are not completely true. Personally, my interactions with your son have been limited, but even to Margaery and Garlan, his ambitions are unknown. Your son is an enigma, one that no one seems to fully understand or be able to predict what he will do. That to me sounds like someone who is more than capable of surviving."

'Though there is a saying, the lone wolf dies while the pack survives.' Willas thought, not voicing such words to the Lord of House Stark. He doubted that was Robb's intention, it just seemed to unlike him, but then again, he didn't fully understand the King, no one did.

"I've seen him in person, he's always watching, listening, learning. He studies everyone, and scrutinises their every action and word." Willas said, the smiled. "He also has House Tyrell at his back, we shall support the King in every way we can."

There was silence.

"You do not have a wife, do you?" Ned asked, surprising Willas at the sudden shift in conversation.

Nonetheless, he shook his head. " I do not, unfortunately, though I do have some suitors to consider when the war ends. Why do you ask?"

"Could you have not married Daenerys Targaryen?"

Willas smiled sardonically, looking to the ground. "I imagine it was considered by Robb for a short while when the Imp proposed that to him. However, things are not that simple. We could certainly contain Daenerys influence for some time, after all, we would not wish for her to take Margaery's position as Queen. But, the Reach does not unanimously follow Robb, not willingly."

"Because of his religion," Ned stated simply, knowing full well of the animosity many lords possessed for the North and their following of the Old Gods.

Willas nodded his head. "Indeed. We have many houses in the Reach that are devout follows of the Seven, they follow your son simply because he is winning the war and we demand it. We, House Tyrell, have no desire to remove Robb as King as they no doubt would wish to see it happen, especially considering he has expressed no desire to convert, continuing to pray to the Old Gods. If I was to marry Daenerys, it would bring her close to those who would wish to see Robb killed and by extension, Margaery."

"There is that risk throughout." Ned pointed out.

"Certainly, that is true. But the impact of the war has not been as harshly felt in the Reach as it has throughout the rest of the realm. I know that there are houses in the Riverlands that are considering or already have converted to the Old Gods, such as House Bracken and House Mallister." Willas imagined it was less out of actual belief but more as a show of good faith and incentive to the King to reward them. "The Reach will be able to get back on its feet much quicker than the rest of the realm and when it does, if I was to have married Daenerys, they would make far more overt and dangerous moves before the rest of the realm is ready."

"At least in Kings Landing and married to Robb, it provides more time."

Before things could continue though, the tent parted and in stepped a few guards, accompanied by Lord Beric Dondarrion.