Chapter 27: The Fall Of Lions Rise Of Dragons

Jon

Joffrey Waters sat atop the Iron Throne wearing red plated armour, a sword resting upon his lap and a sneer on his lips. As Jon looked at the boy who would call himself king, he saw nothing of Robert Baratheon in him, no the boy was pure Lannister, perhaps even more so than his real parents. It mattered not though, for Jon would have to kill him all the same. He would fight him and he would win. He would gain justice for his uncle- the man he still considered to be his father, no matter that he was Rhaegar Targaryen's seed- he would get justice for Sansa and make this little blonde haired king pay for all the injustices that she had suffered whilst she had been a captive.

As Jon thought about all the things he would make the Lannister King sorry for, he advanced slowly toward the Iron Throne, whilst Joffrey Waters remained seated upon it, almost as if he was terrified of coming down to fight. There was no one left to defend him. The two knights of the Kingsguard were slain; the red cloaks and the city watch were being killed as Jon moved closer and closer toward the Iron Throne. The Lannister army was defeated and nonexistent. Yes the boy was completely alone now. Jon stopped in front of the steps leading up to the Iron Throne, and looked up at the boy who would call himself king.

"I believe, you are sitting in my throne Waters." Jon said.

He saw Joffrey's mouth twitch, the sneer getting bigger. "I am the rightful king bastard, not you. This is my throne, mine. And you shall never take it away from me!" Joffrey yelled.

Jon looked at him then, and said. "Some king you have been then. Your actions brought war to the Seven Kingdoms. You beheaded an innocent man, you allowed the people of this city to go hungry. You punished and beat an innocent girl, for the crime of being nothing more of a Stark. I ask you, your grace, what sort of a king allows all of this to happen? Not a good one."

Jon saw Joffrey's mouth curl up even further into a sneer. "All those people needed to die. They were nothing more than a hindrance. Constantly begging for more and more. Don't they realise that I had nothing to give them? And even if I did why would I give it to them. I am the King. Me! Not anyone else!"

As Joffrey continued to vent, Jon nodded his head back by the slightest fraction, and then heard as Ser Barristan and Ser Perwyn closed the doors to the throne room behind them. There would be no chance for Joffrey to escape. Just as he had given Jon's uncle no chance to escape or to break free from the confines and shackles that had been placed around him, so to would Jon not allow Joffrey Waters to escape nor to come out of here alive.

He looked at Joffrey, and smirked Jon had been in enough battles to know that Joffrey was clearly quite nervous and more than likely expected some form of help to come bursting through those doors. Whether it be through the form of his grandfather's shade or some other form of help Jon knew Joffrey didn't care, he just wanted someone to come and help him. Well unfortunately for him, there would be no more rescue attempts. If everything had gone to plan, the boy's mother and younger brother would be under armed protection as would the boy's betrothed in the Maidenvault. Any men they might have had as protection would have either been killed or changed sides by now. No, no help would be forthcoming for King Joffrey now. "If you are so determined to sit the Iron Throne Joffrey, why not come and remove the last threat that there is to your reign. Your Uncles Stannis and Renly are both dead. I am the only thing left to challenge you. If you believe yourself worthy of the crown, come down from the throne and prove it before all of Westeros. Come down and fight me, and we shall see who the right king for the Iron Throne is."

From the change in Joffrey's expression, Jon knew that the boy was seriously considering the option, and with no one there to council him against it he would likely accept. Perhaps the boy was foolish enough to believe that simply because Jon had been fighting and warring for the past two years that he would not have the strength nor the energy to fight against a green boy such as Joffrey, if that was what the boy thought he was clearly wrong. But of course Joffrey accepted, and walked down the stairs of the Iron Throne, sword in hand.

The boy's blade glittered in the light as he walked down the steps, his boots clanging as he walked. Jon moved back a few paces to allow him room to move forward. As he got to the last step, Joffrey's sneer returned and he said, "Very well then bastard. We shall fight till one of us is dead." Jon nodded his agreement. Joffrey drew his sword, and Jon unsheathed Blackfyre from its scabbard and drew it ready to fight.

Joffrey made the first move, swinging erratically to the right and missing by a good few inches as Jon managed to swerve to left in plenty of time. He brought his sword up and hit Joffrey in the side of the face with the side of his sword, cutting the boy's cheek and drawing blood. Joffrey became irate at that and released one more erratic swing, this time going straight for Jon's chest, but Jon managed to raise Blackfyre up in time to block the swing, and then forced their swords apart, and began his own counter attack.

He swung and slashed, hitting all the gaps in Joffrey's defences and armour. Denting and cutting the boy and inflicting several cuts on the boy king. Joffrey's red armour became even redder with his blood. Jon's sword was singing as it whirred through the air, and continued to hack and slash at the boy. Joffrey was defenceless unable to raise his sword in time to defend himself let alone counter attack. His inexperience clearly showing. Sweat was beginning to role of off Jon's forehead from the amount of slashes and swings he was inflicted on Joffrey.

With one big swing he knocked Joffrey's sword from his hands, and then brought his right elbow up to elbow the boy in the face, making Joffrey howl with pain, and forcing him to his knees. Jon brought the tip of Blackfyre to the boy's throat and stared at him for a long moment. Joffrey began begging for mercy, saying that he would do whatever Jon wished of him, just so long as he didn't kill him, he would take the black if that was what Jon wished. Jon snorted and said. "What like you let my uncle take the black? No you shall die for the crimes you have committed as king. For the pain you inflicted on the people I love and care about. For the people of Westeros, you shall die." Joffrey howled once more and died begging for mercy as Jon slit his throat.

Jon watched the boy's body fall onto the throne room floor with cold eyes, he then turned to Ser Barristan and said, "Ser Barristan have someone remove this body from the room. Throw it wherever they will. And bring me news of how the battle in the rest of the castle is going."

Ser Barristan bowed, and walked out of the room. Jon moved up the stairs to the Iron Throne and stood in front of it and looked at it. It was an ugly thing that was for sure. All barbed swords and brown and silver, he could not imagine why people would kill for this chair, he would not have it become the symbol of his reign. No he would need to melt it down and start again, with a new throne something more comfortable and more representative of who he was.

He was still standing in front of the throne when Ser Barristan returned into the throne room followed by two men who bore the sun of house Karstark on their armour. The men were carrying in a woman and a boy. Who Jon realised with a start as they were set in front of him were Queen Cersei and Prince Tommem. Cersei looked much more different than she had when Jon had last seen her in Winterfell all those years ago, her golden hair was all a mess, her clothes were torn in several places, and she had several bruises on her face. Prince Tommem though unharmed looked shaken. Jon felt sorry for the little prince, but then turned his attention to Ser Barristan and waited for his Lord Commander to begin speaking.

"The city is yours, Your Grace," Ser Barristan said. "The red cloaks were all killed and the gold cloaks that remained after our initial breaching of the city have surrendered. Lady Margaery has also surrendered and is with her brother Garlan at present."

Jon nodded and then turned to look at Cersei and Tommem. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Ser Barristan have Queen Cersei put into a black cell. Prince Tommem can stay here for the present. We have much to discuss."

Melisandre

It was never truly dark in Melisandre's chambers. Three tallow candles burned upon her windowsill to keep the terrors of the night at bay. Four more flickered beside her bed, two to either side. In the hearth a fire was kept burning day and night. The first lesson those who would serve her had to learn was that the fire must never, ever be allowed to go out.

The red priestess closed her eyes and said a prayer, then opened them once more to face the hearth fire. One more time. She had to be certain. Many a priest and priestess her had been brought down by false visions, by seeing what they wished to see instead of what the Lord of Light had sent. Princess Danaerys was in a council meeting with the King and others, discussing what needed to be done with those prisoners had been taken during the storming of King's Landing, the Princess carried the whole fate of the world upon the her narrow shoulders, Azor Azahi reborn. Surely R'Hllor would vouchsafe her a glimpse of what awaited her. Show me Danaerys, Lord she prayed. Show me your Prince, your instrument.

She had been mistaken once before. She had believed that Stannis Baratheon was the Lord's chosen one, had seen it in her fires. Had seen him wielding Lightbringer and dispersing the darkness and bringing the light. Had seen him killing the king of death who rode a pale mare. But then she had seen in her fires the coming of the dragons, and the effect her spells were having on Stannis, how they drowned his will to live and sapped his energy, and how pale and gaunt he was becoming. This had confused her, if Stannis was not the prince then who was? Surely not the Targaryen boy, who now wore the crown? That boy was not fit to be the saviour of the world, he did not know truly what was at stake.

When Danaerys had come to Maidenpool with fire and blood, Melisandre had been there, had been presented to her in the great hall, where Stannis had sat and watched as Lord Mooton's daughter was brought before him. Danaerys sat there and watched her with cold violet eyes, emanating a heat so strong and powerful that in that instance Melisandre was convinced that she was the Lord's chosen. She had said as much to Danaerys, and though the girl's bear had laughed at her and called her mad and delusional, Danaerys seemed to have taken her words to heart, for instead of having Melisandre executed, she had her freed and then had spoken with her in private.

Melisandre had been able to win Danaerys to her side, through her explanations and her demonstrations of her skills. It helped she supposed that her dragons liked her as well. Danaerys became her staunchest ally during their war councils, and when Robb Stark came with terms of an alliance, Melisandre urged Danaerys to accept. Of course now they had taken King's Landing, but King Jon was distracted with the prisoners and wishing to free his wife from the Vale. He was not overtly fussed about the danger coming from the north, the furthest north on pale wings, not yet at least. Danaerys was though.

Visions danced before her, gold and scarlet, flickering, forming and melting and dissolving into one another, shapes strange and terrifying and seductive. She saw the eyeless face again, staring out at her from sockets of weeping blood. Then the towers by the sea crumbling as the dark tide came sweeping over them, rising from the depths. Shadows in the shape of skulls, skulls that turned to mist, bodies locked together in lust, writhing and rolling and clawing. Through curtains of fire great winged shadows wheeled against a hard blue sky.

A face took shape within the hearth. Danaerys? She thought, for just a moment...but no, these were not her features. A wooden face, corpse white. Was this the enemy? A thousand red eyes floated in the rising flames. He sees me. Beside him, a boy with a wolf's face threw back his head and howled. The red eyes taunted her, spoke words in a dragon's tongue of death and destruction of fire and ice, the wolf's headed boy howled once more. Howled a song of blue roses and a love gone wrong, of the pale death.

The red priestess shuddered. Blood trickled down her thigh, black and smoking. The fire was inside her, an agony, an ecstasy, filling her, searing her, transforming her. Shimmers of heat traced patterns on her skin, insistent as a lover's hand. Strange visions called to her from days long past. "Melony," she heard a woman cry. A man's voice called, "Lot Seven." She was weeping, and her tears were flame. And still she drank it in.

Snowflakes swirled from a dark sky and ashes rose to meet them, the grey and the white whirling around each other as flaming arrows arced above a wooden wall and dead things shambled silent through the cold beneath a great grey cliff where fires burned inside a hundred caves. Then the wind rose and the white mist came sweeping in, impossibly cold, and one by one the fires went out. Afterward only the skulls remained.

Next there was a vision of a black castle, that had been standing for millennia. It was swarming with the dead. Their pale eyes and corpses floated through the field of her vision, through the flames and engulfed the crows that stood trying to defend the land from the constant winter. In the middle of this struggle was a wolf pup, a pup no longer howling for help as he battled the king, the king of death, who rode a pale mare. Melisandre watched transfixed unable to move as the wolf pup swung and hacked and death and as death took the hits one after the other, and bled black blood. But still did not fall, for death is not the end, she watched as Death raised its sword and broke the lines of barriers between it and the wolf pup, he who had cheated death twice before. The barriers broke and death howled a tearful song, a song of blue roses and a love gone wrong, and the wolf pup faltered, for he had heard the song before. Melisandre wanted to scream at the pup not to let death fool it into submission, but of course her screams would not be heard. And she watched transfixed as death brought the wolf pup home to meet its brothers and sister and father and mother. Then she watched horrified as death turned its pale complexion to face her through the flames and smiled its black toothed grin.

The Crow's Eye

King Euron, the ninth of his name sat his cabin onboard the Silence and brooded. Word had reached him of the battle of Brightwater Keep. Ser Harras Harlaw had led some 300 men from the entrance of the Mander and in the dead of night had led these men to the lightly defended castle. The battle that had ensued had been relatively bloodless atleast for the Ironborn, their losses few the losses for the Florent men that still held the castle had been great. Ser Harras wrote that the keep had fallen, and now belonged to the Ironborn. That was good news. They held the shield islands and now a very important part of the reach was theirs as well. Soon though the Greenlanders would become aware of their attacks and begin mounting a defence. At least that was what Euron hoped they would do. For if they sent more and more men out to defend their lands in the south, that would leave King's Landing undefended and give Euron ripe opportunity to kill the boy king and take the dragon queen as his own.

Word had reached them as they travelled along the Mander of the fall of King's Landing and the ending of Lannister rule. Once more the Targaryens and their dragons ruled Westeros. Though there were also rumours of dissension between the two Targaryens: Danaerys and Jon. Aunt and nephew disagreed about most things, in their approach to ruling. Danaerys it seemed was more than willing to be harsh with those who had opposed them, whereas Jon had the soft heart of those of the north, and was more than willing to turn enemies into friends. They also disagreed about marrying each other. Danaerys it seemed was more than willing to marry her nephew, to do as Targaryens were wont to do and keep the "bloodline pure." Jon however, it was rumoured despised the practice, and did not wish to marry anyone else. In fact Euron's sources in the capital wrote that the boy was preparing to march for the Vale to retrieve his wife from the clutches of a man known as Littlefinger. Euron desperately hoped that he did, for then that would leave the city largely undefended and leave it in the hands of a woman who had been spurned many times and would likely be looking for revenge, and Euron intended to provide her with that revenge.

One of the boys from the crew of the Silence passed him a note written by one of his captains aboard one of the other ships. It reported that there were enemies' ships coming down the Mander. Euron nodded at the boy and then put on his armour, making sure to keep his eye patch firmly in place- now was not the time to show the world what truly hid behind that patch, no that time would come soon enough- once his armour was on and his weapon was in his hand, he walked out of his cabin and up the stairs onto the deck of the Silence. There in the distance, but getting ever closer were fifteen ships bearing the golden rose of House Tyrell, they were advancing at a quick pace and would soon be upon them in a matter of minutes. Euron barked orders for the men to be ready for either a cannon battle or for hand to hand combat, and as he heard his instructions being repeated down the line, he saw one of the crew members bring the dragon horn with them, he grabbed the lad and shook his head- not yet, only if they were losing would the horn be blown, not before- he stood on the deck of the Silence and watched as his ships and the ships of the Greenlanders got closer, and closer together.

Horns were sounded on the enemy ships, and Euron nodded for his horns to be sounded as well. In the din that followed, he took a minute to process his thoughts and devise a battle plan and an exit strategy for himself and his ship- there may be no glory in fleeing a battle, but he intended on living and he would do whatever it took to do so- the first cannon blast sounded from the enemy ships, it struck one of the ships on Euron's far left, hitting the front of the ship and denting it but causing little other damage. Euron roared for answering cannon fire. And watched with some grim pleasure as the Ironborn cannons came firing out and struck the enemy ships denting them, breaking them and sinking them. Something that also happened to the Ironborn ships as well.

Until there was but three ships left on either side. The Mander littered with broken wood and bodies floating on the river and soon to be part of the water once more. One ship which had a rose with a trident sticking through as its head pulled up next to the Silence and its men boarded the Silence, Euron grinned in pleasure- these Greenlanders did not stand a chance- he drew his sword and bellowed for any to challenge him. As it so happened three men advanced on him wearing their armour and the same symbol that adorned the head of their ship. They swung at him but Euron blocked their swings and then punched one of the men in the stomach, kneed one in the stomach, and then hacked the third man's sword arm of. He then thrust his sword and buried it deep into that third man's chest and pulled his sword out and watched with satisfaction as the man's blood came pouring out. He turned to deal with the two other men and parried and tarried their sword strokes at the same time giving no quarter.

In one fluid motion he knocked both men's swords out of their hands and then removing the patch covering his eye, let them stare at the blue of his iris, and watched as their expressions became one of horror and fear, he laughed then a maniacal laugh and sheathed his sword and then grabbed both men by their throats and squeezed tightly around them until both men went limp and lifeless in his hands. He threw them into the river and then closed the patch once more, drew his sword and advanced onto the next foolish Greenlander to try and attack him. Around him it was chaos, men were dying left and right, it made no matter if they were Ironborn or if they were Greenlanders still they died, and their bodies clogged the river and painted it red. The boy who had come with the dragon horn found Euron once more and nodded at the horn that he held in his outstretched hands once more, and this time Euron nodded once and then walked away from the fighting, laughing all the while. Death would come for all men, and he would rule over the ice and fire, he would be the king of death.

The White Knight

He had served four kings during his time as a knight of the Kingsguard. Each King had their own strengths and weaknesses. He had been given his white cloak during the reign of King Jahaerys second of his name, many thought that Jahaerys was a weak and ineffective king, but he deeply disagreed with that assessment. In fact he believed that King Jahaerys had turned his illness and frail health into an advantage, and had been a very capable king and had worked tirelessly to bring the Seven Kingdoms back to peace after the tragedy of Summerhall. Jahaerys though was human, and his hard working ethic had ultimately been his downfall, and had resulted in his death.

Aerys, Aerys had at the start of his reign shown much promise, he had made hard decisions and had removed the older courtiers that had come into court during the reigns of his father and grandfather, and had worked with Lord Tywin to bring a lasting peace to the Seven Kingdoms. Then the rumours had started, Aerys had grown ever more despising of Tywin Lannister and had begun to try and branch out and had rejected Lord Tywin's proposal that Prince Rhaegar marry Lady Cersei, an insult Ser Barristan was sure Lord Tywin had never forgotten nor forgiven. Then had come Duskendale, and Aerys had grown more and more paranoid. It was that paranoia that had allowed the seeds of dissension to be sown in the Seven Kingdoms. Barristan had watched in discomfort as Aerys made enemies of once staunch allies. He watched as the king he had been sworn to protect descended into madness, and burning. The first time the King had burnt someone, he had laughed and laughed until he was crying with laughter, later that night Barristan had been on guard duty with Ser Jonothor, as they listened to the King rape his wife, sweet Rhaella. Ultimately it had been Aerys madness and his suspicion that had led to his death, a sword through the back by Jamie Lannister a man sworn to protect him.

Robert Baratheon had been a fine warrior but a terrible King. He had mourned the loss of his Lady Lyanna for his whole reign, and had been cuckolded by his wife and laughed at by his courtiers. He had drunk and spent the money that had been collected in taxes, he had relied on Littlefinger and the Lannisters and the Tyrells to fund the kingdom and to keep the Iron Bank away. For all of that though, he had been a good man, true Barristan had had his reservations about serving him, and had reluctantly bent the knee to him at the Trident, but he had been a good man despite his many faults.

King Jon, now King Jon to Barristan was a complex man. The King had spent most of his life believing himself to be Eddard Stark's bastard, and then had suddenly been thrown into the spotlight when his lord father had announced on the steps of Baelor that he was in fact the king's uncle, not his father. The last surviving son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, through his marriage with Lyanna Stark, the true heir to the Iron Throne. Ser Barristan had fought alongside King Jon for most of this war, and knew that King Jon bore the burden of kingship well, though he often had moments where he was frustrated by the things he had to do. Barristan believed that King Jon had the potential to be the best king he had ever served, perhaps one of the best kings Westeros had ever had. The man was kind and thoughtful and cared about the small folk, he did not wish to play at intrigue that much had become clear during the time Ser Barristan had served him and was willing to listen to advice. Plus he was also a skilled warrior something that would likely appease the more martially inclined nobles of the court.

Barristan had watched as his king had sat in small council meeting after small council meeting, since being crowned officially by the High Septon. He had watched as King Jon had sat in judgement on many of the prisoners who had been captured during the war, and the taking of King's Landing, he watched as his king had granted pardons to the Tyrells, though their wardenship had been taken from them and given to Lord Dickon Tarly, who had then married Margaery Tyrell, and had been given more lands including Brightwater Keep. He watched as King Jon negotiated a peace with the help of his advisors on the small council, and as he dealt with the remaining Lannisters in the capital. Lord Tyrion was spared but would not become Lord of Casterly Rock that had been given to Torrhen Karstark, Cersei Lannister was executed for treason, Tommem Waters would be sent to foster in Casterly Rock with Torrhen Karstark.

When news of the Ironborn invasion of the Reach, reached King Jon's ears, Barristan watched as King Jon sent Dickon Tarly along with men from the reach including Ser Garlan and Princess Danaerys to deal with the Ironborn. Once those men had been sent to fight, King Jon had sat with the remainder of his small council and had discussed what needed to be done next. Top of his king's agenda had been rescuing Queen Sansa from the hands of Littlefinger. King Jon decided to leave for the Vale and leave King's Landing in the hands of his hand of the king, Jon Connington- the man having proven his loyalty countless times over the war and with Lord Stark still injured and recovering, Lord Connington had married one of the ladies from the Stormlands and named Lord of Storm's End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands.

The march had taken them four weeks through the heavy snow, King Jon had taken himself, Ser Perwyn and roughly sixty men with him, plus his great black dragon Serrax. King Jon had flown on ahead up the steep mountain pass and onto the Eyrie. And when Ser Barristan and the other men had finally made it up to the Eyrie, it had been to see King Jon standing with his sword drawn in front of Lord Baelish saying something along the lines of "I believe you have my wife Lord Baelish. I have come to bring her back home and away from you."