18

Chapter 18 – Aftershocks

Casterly Rock, the Westerlands…

The sounds that awoke the children of House Lannister was the roar of cheering that spread quickly through the castle. Tyler still in his small clothes barely had time to grab his small sword before he rushed out of the door and saw his siblings and Arya likewise had been roused by the noise.

"What is all that racket? It will wake Clarice." Joanna said crossly, her young face creased by a frown. Her sisters were all mirroring her look of disapproval but her brothers and future sister in law were all too curious as to the cause of all the noise.

"Perhaps we should go and sate our curiosity and ask someone?" Richard said calmly carrying his own sword close to his chest. Tyler turned to Arya who had Needle in hand and a grouchy looking direwolf at her side who nodded vigorously so with a slight sigh he led the way down the corridor. As they approach the main hall he saw his older brother Leo talking with their great uncle Kevan and great aunt Genna who were looking rather excited about something Tyler noted. Leo noticed them and with a big smile on his face which was seldom seen he told them excitedly.

"Brothers, sisters it is the most glorious news!" He said beaming with all his might which made his siblings wonder if this was their brother or a Faceless man that had replaced him, only for the reason of his joy to provide a more sensible answer. "Father has won! He defeated the Iron Fleet in battle before chasing them back to the Iron Islands where he has successfully invaded and has torn down House Greyjoy." He said impressing his great uncle and aunt by managing to say it so quickly in a single breath.

The news that their father had proven victorious did not sink in immediately but the silence was broken by a shriek of happy laughter from Cassia who threw herself into a tight hug with her sisters, tears of joy rolling down her face. Her sisters soon began crying tears of their own as relief spread through them and they began singing together as they danced in a circle. Richard was much more sedate than his sisters and merely sighed in relief and visibly relaxed with a small smile on his face.

Arya beamed a huge smile at Tyler who had the strangest reaction of all of them, he just stood there as stoically as when he had entered but his eyes were confused and unfocused. Arya was immediately baffled as to why he was not happy at the good news. She had been when word that both her father and brother were unscathed after the Battle at the Wall although she had been sadden that her uncle Benjen had died so why Tyler was acting strangely confused her and that in turn irritated her. Not noticing that his younger brother was so confused Leo went on excitedly.

"I must get to work at once! This must be my best work ever; paintings, statues, sculptures maybe even stained glass depictions of the battle. The possibilities are endless!" He said in great anticipation and dashed off to his studio to get to work immediately. Kevan and Genna both looked after the excited young man and resigned themselves to having servants later having to force feed the eldest of their nephew's sons as getting him to take time for things like food were like pulling teeth when he got like this.

Genna noticed that many of the younger children in her charge were now emerging from their own rooms to seek the source of all the commotion all looking confused and dazed in their small clothes, so she quickly made her way over Joy who was leading the small pack alongside her sister Beth who was holding her new small kitten in her arms and told them the exciting news which immediately brightened their faces.

Kevan decided to make his own plans and said simply in a much calmer voice.

"A feast will be arranged for when your father returns, excuse me as there are preparations to be made." He said excusing himself to go and begin drawing up plans for the celebration that would take place once Hadrian returned. Already he was sure many impromptu events were taking place all over the Westerlands as news spread, his thoughts however were more intrigued at this new weapon that his nephew had deployed. Such power he had never even imagined before and now he said allowing himself a small smile as the strategic and tactical initiative had been firmly claimed by House Lannister. This weapon was so unique and so new that no one had ever even heard of something like this before, let alone discovered a way to counter it. No keep was safe and no army overwhelming in its might except their own now. Not to mention the threat of the Iron Born had finally been neutralised, never again would they threaten the coast of the Westerlands or they would risk their ire again he thought with a grim smile.

Tywin would have been proud, Kevan thought.

-x-

Tyler found himself being dragged into Arya's room where the grey and white Stark banners on the wall or the other bits and pieces belonging to his betrothed were scattered messily around the room despite the best efforts of the maids. His attention however was immediately taken by Arya's hand slapping him. Her furious expression as he nursed his tender cheek excited him oddly as much as it worried him. Her eyes blazing their grey fire captivated him in a way that he could not describe, drawing him to her fire but she was oblivious to this as she shouted at him, not caring if anyone could hear.

"What is wrong with you? Your father has won a great victory and you just stand there like a fool. Why aren't you happy?" She demanded and Tyler, while not one to crack under pressure blurted out loud.

"Because I am afraid for him."

That stopped Arya in her tracks as she absorbed what he had said, not understanding why he was upset and for Tyler it was like a cork had been pulled from the bottle and all of his feelings began flowing out as his eyes watered.

"He is out there, fighting a war for that prick Joffrey. Risking his life for that fucking piece of degenerate scum! I do not want to be Lord of Casterly Rock yet! I want father safe at home with us…after mother died he stayed home to make sure that we were all safe in the knowledge that he was here to protect us. He listened to us, made time for us." Tyler said as small tears flowed down his face and Arya feeling his pain pulled him into a tight hug and let his head rest on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her in turn. "I want him here to see us marry, I want him to hold his first grandchild as he held each of us after we were born."

After that last declaration Tyler fell silent and his arms tightened around Arya who just stood there with him, still wrapped in her hug shocked at how upset her normally cheeky and brave betrothed was right now but immediately wanted to help him.

Tyler felt comfort at having Arya in his arms and having hers around him, it felt right more than anything he had ever known before. She was fierce, cheeky, bright and daring always keeping him on his toes, even in the sparring yard where she could even beat him occasionally. Yet right now he saw that she was more than just a fighter, she had such compassion in her, such kindness that instead of shouting at him for appearing weak like his grandfather Tywin would have done she let him get all of his feelings out and comfort him. Her hand gently massaged his back until finally he ran out of tears and they just stood there for a while but the atmosphere soon changed as the two of them realised what position they were in. Arya feeling uncomfortable wanted to pull away but found herself trapped by Tyler's arms, almost as if under a spell she looked up to meet his gaze, his green eyes drawing her in like he was hypnotising her and likewise he found himself being drawn in by her grey stormy eyes.

Without realising that they were doing it, their heads moved closer together until finally their lips met. Unlike their first kiss which was quick and unexpected, this one had the feeling of inevitability about it, like it was going to happen regardless of what they or anyone else wanted. This kiss was slow and deep, his tongue gently probing her mouth until it opened and her own tongue began to almost duel his. It came naturally to them as neither found themselves caring about anything outside of this moment. Arya's arms loosened from around Tyler's waist and came up around his shoulders while his slipped to her waist, gently pulling them closer together. They only broke the kiss when the need for air became critical and the moment their lips parted their eyes met again, unable to find words to express anything at that moment.

Unfortunately before they could resume their previous activity there was a banging on the door to the room and the voice of Visenya Hill laughing.

"Come on you two love birds, since everyone it up now you might as well get some sparring done. The yard in ten minutes." She told them with mirth through the door having snuck a peak for a moment while they were 'busy'.

Swearing bloody vengeance against Jaime Lannister's oldest bastard daughter in the most slow and embarrassing way imaginable both Tyler and Arya let go of each other but before he made his way back to his room, Tyler quickly took Arya's hand gently kissed her palm on impulse causing the young girl to blush before he vanished out the door. With her hormones and mind racing Arya in a daze began looking for her sparring clothes and wondered to herself what had just taken place between them.

Kings Landing, the Crownlands…

Tyrion was in his solar, sat at his desk as he looked at the plans for the defence of the city when news of his brother's triumph reached him. Bronn came into his room with the message in hand looking smug and handed him the message with a grin, causing Tyrion to feel slightly uneasy.

"Is this news going to make me angry or glad Ser Bronn?" Tyrion asked with suspicious eyes wondering if a fresh hell was about to be dropped on his doorstep, Bronn only smiled knowing already what the message said thanks to an old friend of his that had sent him a similar letter from the Iron Islands.

Tyrion slowly examined the letter and saw that it was marked with the seal of House Lannister before he opened the letter and read the lines of careful and elegant script. As he took in the words his mouth began to upturn into a small grin.

"Brother, you out did yourself." He said quietly, now feeling far better about their chances in this war, within two weeks the entire Lannister army would be back on the mainland and ready to defend the city and their hold on the throne. "I have to say I never would have imagined that my brother would have such a strong ace up his sleeve. Defeating the Iron Born in a single battle and invading the Iron Islands so quickly that you neutralise them within a week. It will spread fear of House Lannister to every corner of the known world."

"Feel a bit green with envy." Bronn said looking a little annoyed now, explaining when he saw his employer's curious look. "Apparently they got a lot plunder when they invaded. Could have been a rich man."

"Work with me and not only will you be a rich man Ser Bronn but one with a regular income." Tyrion said simply and with an edge of threat to warn his sworn sword to remember who he worked for. After that incident with the whore Shae he had taken to keeping an even closer eye on all of his associates lest his sister get ideas again.

Cersei meanwhile had now found herself without access to the treasury such as it was and unable to pay for anything without coming to him first. It had amused Tyrion no end to see his sister squirm as she came to him demanding access to keep herself in the finest gowns and wines only for him to sit there in silence. Her screams had been music to his ear and given him a good laugh later and when she stormed out of his room she was forced to limit her wine, leaving her with the worst withdrawal symptoms which again entertained Tyrion no end, as did his taunting of her with the odd bottle of Arbor Gold or Dornish wine that he would show off at court in full view of her. He knew he was playing with fire, an angry Cersei is a rash Cersei but after she stormed across the room and snatched the bottle out of his hands and drank it straight before he could did she find it was the worst vintage and mixed with a substance known as a laxative which he had got from Pycelle. Her rush for the privy had given the court no end of japes at her expense, better yet it gave him a reason to confine her to her chambers and gain some much needed peace while he was working to save all their worthless lives.

"All the same though." Bronn said bringing them back to the matter at hand. "Defending this city will still not be easy, it will take at least two weeks for your brother to get his army back to the mainland and over land to Kings Landing. Do we have that much time?" Bronn asked and Tyrion only shrugged.

"Perhaps but we should continue with our own plans anyway. How are the smiths coming with the chain I ordered?" He asked, having ordered the large chain needed to carry out his plan with the wildfire in case of attack by sea.

"It will be finish in a few days, all they need then is a ship to use. Any ideas?" Bronn asked wondering if the insane idea of his employer stood any chance of working but given it was all they had, what the hell?

"There are only a few ships big enough to carry all the wildfire in our existing fleet. But the Queen Cersei shall suffice I think." Tyrion said with a slight grin.

-x-

Unaware that her much hated brother was about to use the ship named after her in an effort to spite her, the Dowager Queen of the Westerosi Empire was well into her cups tonight. She had taken to drink with a vengeance since her schemes had become unravelled, trying to find solace in the bottom of a wine glass, even if it meant squirming before Tyrion. Her demon spawn brother controlled nearly every aspect of her life, her own coin purse was empty, the last of it spent on this rather poor wine and her beloved golden son Joffrey ignored her like she was a mere servant rather than the woman that had given him life and delivered him his throne.

Her own son had tossed her aside, she Cersei Lannister the former queen and empress thought with venom as she tried to throw the glass in her hand at the wall but her arms failed her in their drunken stupor and it fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. She wanted to try and plot some way of getting back her power but at present the answer eluded her, still at least she could take some small comfort in knowing as long as her eldest brother as much as she hated him stood for her son, Joffrey was secure on the throne. Those new weapons he had used against the Iron Born would make House Lannister's position as the dominant house in the empire secure for years to come, at least she could take some comfort in that.

Still she resolved as she felt sleep coming upon her, she would find a way to regain her power, regardless of who she had to kill to do it.

-x-

The vicious boy king was meanwhile still awake, he refused to be treated like a child by anyone. Be it his mother or demon monkey uncle, if he wanted to stay up all night then he would do just that he thought stubbornly.

He called for his manservant and the terrified peasant came in and poured his wine as he was bid, the shaking of his hand and the terror in his eyes brought a smile to Joffrey's face as he revelled in the man's fear of him. This only made the man's terror worst as he worried what Joffrey would do next and indeed Joffrey was wondering how he might end the man's life when the servant's nerves broke and he dropped to his knees and sobbing he began to beg.

"PLEASE YOUR GRACE MY SPARE ME! I KNOW HOW YOUR FATHER WAS KILLED!"

That statement was nearly enough to stop Joffrey in his tracks as he scoffed at the man's pathetic attempt to grovel for his life, feeling the rush that having a man completely at his mercy gave him. However the servant desperately continued in the vain hope that he would spare his miserable life.

"NO YOUR GRACE! TRULY IT WAS SER LANCEL THAT KILLED YOUR FATHER! HE MADE YOUR FATHER DRUNK SO THE BOAR COULD KILL HIM! HE DID IT AT THE BIDDING OF THE QUEEN!" He said sobbing as he desperately hoped the information would save him. The last spoken word however immediately wiped the smile off Joffrey's face as he grabbed the knife on the nearby table and held it to the servant's wet eyes.

"YOU LIE!" Joffrey snarled and was about to have his Kingsguard come to hold the man down so he could remove his eyes and lying tongue when the servant in a complete panic said.

"NO-NO YOUR GRACE PLEASE I SWEAR IT IS THE TRUTH! I OVERHEARD THEM AS SHE SAID SHE WOULD NEVER RULE WHILE KING ROBERT WAS ALIVE AND WANTED TO RULE THROUGH YOU INSTEAD!" The servant said with tears of fear running down his face and to Joffrey's disgust he had soiled himself. However while that did register with the psychotic boy king he was instantly struck by the declaration, he was ready to deny it out of hand when the words of his uncle Hadrian spoken months before repeated in his head.

"Your mother is not a king. Do you know the reason your grandfather and King Robert refused to give her any actual power? It is not because she is a woman as she has long claimed but because she is not as smart as she thinks she is. She is short-sighted, arrogant and impatient. Gaining power is all she lives for and through you she thinks that she will rule this country. She loves you and your siblings yes but never forget that you are a tool to her. Caution to her is cowardly and she is never able to forget a slight however minor. Follow her example your grace and your rule will be over before it has even begun."

The words of his uncle now made a lot of sense, his dearest wish had been to gain his father's approval. Something that had always eluded him and now he understood what his uncle had been trying to tell him. His mother had been unable to control his father and decided to kill him so that she could use him as her puppet instead. He did not doubt the man's confession, he would not dare lie to his king so. Anger began welling up inside him as he realised that the chance to finally achieve his father's respect and prove to him that he would be a great king was taken away from him by his mother. He could see now that the pieces had been given to him how she had tried to influence him since his father's death.

She will pay for this Joffrey said and realising that the maggot of a servant which had revealed the truth to him was still there, he sneered at the man and told him.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND NEVER RETURN TO THE PALACE!" The man scuttled away as fast as possible while Joffrey considered how he was going to punish his mother and Ser Lancel…something that would continue until the following morning.

Crackclaw Point, the Narrow Sea…

In his solar Lord Rhys Arisye was brooding as he read the message that had been dispatched to every corner of the Westerosi Empire. It was incredible news he thought surprised, the Lannisters had defeated the Iron Born in a single battle and successfully invaded the Iron Islands forcing them to bend the knee to Joffrey using a new weapon the likes of which had never been seen before. It had certainly stirred up a lot of anxiety amongst the lords of Westeros about the new weapon, rockets Rhys thought they were called being turned on them. No one had a clue how to deal with such a weapon and it would potentially change the course of the war. Now the larger army of Renly Baratheon or the navy of Stannis were far less of a potent force in the face of a weapon that could easily just blast them away. Rhys admitted quietly to himself that he would love to see Stannis and that Red Whore who had killed his mother being blown away by a rocket.

With an idea forming in his mind Rhys turned to his uncle and greatest advisor Ser Merik who was studying the message himself with a concerned awe. He had fought in the last Greyjoy Rebellion under his Rhys' father and Stannis Baratheon and knew how vicious the Iron Born could be. Rhys waited patiently for his uncle to finish before he asked.

"Well?"

"It is certainly important news and it could well change the balance of power in the war…but I fail to see how it helps us." Merik said placing the message down on the desk, he was slightly uneasy at the idea of having to fight against someone wielding a weapon such as the message described but without additional support they could not resist Stannis, especially since those blasted sellswords had joined him and the disgusting Red Priests from Essos. The Red Priests were moving around the Narrow Sea like a disease, trying to spread their ungodly nonsense while the sellswords were having a grand old time as they waited to go to war by robbing, stealing, killing and raping. House Arisye was being hard pressed to keep them out of their lands and he knew that other Narrow Sea houses were struggling to contain their actions as well without directly coming into conflict with Stannis, who no doubt would do little to stop them.

"Stannis Baratheon intends to attack Kings Landing by sea when he has enough men, if the Lannisters knew where and how he was going to attack, then they might be able to end him once and for all." Rhys said with a dark smile, betraying Stannis and his witch after what they had done to his mother had been on his mind for some time. He just had not been sure just who to turn too until now, he had been leaning towards Renly but recent events had changed his mind and it was the Lannisters he intended to turn to now.

"That is a very dangerous decision young lord." Merik said worried deeply that his nephew's grief and anger was clouding his judgement. The Lannisters may be potentially the most powerful of all the houses in Westeros now but they were also the most treacherous and power hungry, who knew what they might do to his nephew and the rest of their family.

"Perhaps, but if Renly falls against Stannis it could be our only option." Rhys said fully aware that if Renly fell however it might happen, the only force in Westeros that could challenge Stannis would be the Lannisters.

-x-

Driftmark, the Narrow Sea…

A Weirwood tree stood tall and proud with a face that many would describe as happy, staring out across the island from a large hill. It was one of the newer trees that had sprouted up from nowhere in the last few years. It had brought a lot of growth and life to Driftmark, the island belonging to House Velaryon who had converted to the Old Gods several years before. It had served them well as they became more prosperous than ever, with food growing across their island and fair winds and seas to their trading ships. They had not lost a single vessel since they had converted and were proud to call themselves followers of the Old Gods, regardless of whatever the septons had said whenever they had come to call for them to 'repent and return to the true gods'.

Now the members of House Velaryon were watching helpless as a Red Priest with an enormous belly and his sellswords prepared to burn the precious Weirwood tree as an 'abomination' to their faith. The house that should be ruling this island would gladly have cut down the men responsible had they not been surrounded by so many sellswords and with the threat of Stannis Baratheon's anger if they interfered. The fat Red Priest with a smile that everyone, even the sellswords found vaguely sinister started a long and proud speech as he threw oil all over the tree before taking a flaming torch from one of his brothers in faith.

"The one true god, R'hllor God of Flame and Shadow, the Lord of Light and the Heart of Fire has brought us here today to establish our dominion over the lands of Westeros. Objects and places of the heathen gods must be purged by his great flames." He said grandly and with a flaming torch in his hand he pressed the fire against the tree to set it ablaze as House Velaryon and their common folk looked on in tears. But their expressions turned from sadness and fear into astonishment as the tree seemed to refuse to catch fire, in fact the oil that coated the tree seemed to dissolve away before their very eyes and the eyes of the Red Priests that were watching, leaving no trace that it had ever been there. The Velaryons and their people all dropped to their knees and began praying to the Old Gods, seeing it as a sign of their power intervening to save them from the heathens. The Red Priests however were not only confused but angered that the tree that stood as a symbol of the false old gods refused to be burnt in their lord's flames.

The fat older priest in a fit of temper threw away his flaming torch and grabbed an axe from one of the sellswords who were starting to look slightly fearful at the strange happenings. The Red Priest took one swing of the rough axe only to feel as if he were hitting stone. The axe blade shattered on impact, leaving a broken shaft and shards of metal lying helpless on the ground. This amazed the audience even more as they waited for whatever might happen next, they did not have to wait long as the branches of the tree began to slowly move without a wind to push them but they were certainly moving. Everyone was transfixed, even the Red Priests as the wooden branches of the tree began to point at the Red Priests.

A scream of terror was the first that anyone noticed after that, everyone swung around to see one of the Red Priest's had for no reason caught fire. However it was immediately apparent that this was no normal fire as the flames were the brightest blue and consumed his body in a matter of seconds reducing him to ash, far too quickly for it to be a normal fire. The remaining Red Priests had no time to react to the sudden death of their brother in faith as they felt flames licking at their own heels as well. Looking down they were horrified to see the same blue fire had begun at their own feet and was migrating quickly up their bodies, they barely had time to cry out as soon they were engulfed by flames, which vanished just as quickly as they had appeared leaving only small piles of ash were men or women had previously been only moments before.

The sellswords were terrified that they might well be next and fled to the harbour where they would board the first ship they could find just to get as far away from this island as they could. The locals of the island however all stayed knelt in prayer to the Old Gods, feeling their approval with a sudden warm and gentle breeze flowing over them and a soft rustling of the tree branches as the returned to their original position.

Renly Baratheon's Camp, the Stormlands…

There was a jolly atmosphere of the small feast Renly was holding for his lords in the hopes that they would stay loyal to him rather than defect to his dour and fanatical brother. Margaery sat at his left side with her brother on his right and neither looked like they were particularly enjoying themselves, worrying about what would happen with Stannis no doubt Renly thought. Renly himself was confident that they would win, even with the Golden Company and the men of House Florent on his elder brother's side, his own army was far larger and better equipped than his brother's. Not to mention when finally his brother was out of the way no one could doubt his claim and the fleet his brother commanded would be his. Dragonstone would be a good place to launch a two pronged attack against Kings Landing, one force from the water the other by land.

Loras was like Renly had thought worrying about what was going to happen with Stannis as soon as the temporary peace was broken. He had never really fought in a battle before, not a real one. The sum total of his experience was in the many tourneys he had fought in and a little fighting against pirates in the invasion of the Stepstones. Never before had he fought in a full scale battle against an organised and professional army, not to mention the news from the west that had arrived just moments before was chilling. This new weapon of House Lannister threatened to render their superior numbers redundant and their strongholds vulnerable. Hadrian Lannister could potentially rain down hell fire on them all and from what he knew of the man and his family's reputation, there was no question in his mind that he would use it. Their gamble at supporting Renly was looking more and more like it was a mistake. He loved Renly but he was becoming more worried that their idea of claiming the throne for themselves would be their undoing.

"So Loras, I hear that your father has named you the new lord of Brightwater Keep." Renly said taking another sip of wine. He was unsure if he liked that Loras now had lands of his own to attend too but at least it was a nice castle he thought to himself, one that he might take trips too on a regular basis Renly thought quietly to himself with satisfaction.

"Yes your grace after the treason of House Florent my lord father has removed the keep from their house and awarded it to Loras. But I feel your grace we must take the reports of the new Lannister weapon more seriously." Margaery implored Renly, worried about them having to fight the rockets which could devastate their army and the Reach as a whole. "Hadrian Lannister is known not to like his nephew, perhaps if you allow him to keep his lands and titles and let his family have a few positions of power at your court he could be persuaded to defect to our side." She said hoping that perhaps a diplomatic solution to their problem rather than a military one.

"Nonsense. Those weapons are nothing more than overblown rumours that the Lannisters have spread themselves to cow the weak." Renly said immediately looking at her with anger while Loras nodded alongside his true love, his own fears instantly pushed aside by blind loyalty and love. "I will not have any threat to my throne, the Lannisters will never have a place in my kingdom. Leave the table and return to your tent." He said with disgust in his voice and Margaery's eyes narrowed and she dutifully did as her husband bid and showed no emotion but meek compliance but inside she was seething with fury and left to vent her frustrations more privately but also she decided that if her oaf of a husband, her oaf of a father and her equally moronic brother were going to march to the slaughter so blindly, she and the rest of her family would not go under the butcher with them, she began once she arrived in her tent to write a letter that would hopefully save her family from complete annihilation.

-x-

In Sansa's tent the young red head was dreading the conversation she was about to have with her mother. She had yet to inform her that she would not be going with her back to Winterfell, she was too afraid of her mother's temper and disobeying her. She had been all her life, but she thought sadly to herself remembering the words she had once spoken to her father, she was not a child anymore. She was a young woman flowered and for possibly the first time in her life, she was making the decision about the direction of her life on her own. She was incredibly nervous, all her life she had been the good daughter, sit up and stand with the proper posture, never speak up, always be polite and never argue back. She had been good at it but she was a Stark and it was time to find out what that meant for her, where this path in life would lead her.

She nearly felt her nerves going as the flap parted allowing her mother access to the tent, she could see the smile on her mother's face and it made the feeling of shame worst, knowing that she was about to disappoint her mother. She could only just manage to meet her eyes although it took a great deal of effort to hold her gaze. Something Margaery had taught her, it was important when addressing someone to look them in the eye or they would be slighted or think that are you weak willed and will dominate you. Looking back she could see that was perhaps one of the reasons that Tywin Lannister had not been impressed by her when they had met for lunch and she was keen not to repeat the mistake.

Catelyn did not even seem to notice the unsettled look on her daughter's face, she was convinced in her own mind that she would soon have both her and Arya back in Winterfell were they belonged and Ned would have to accept it. Sansa's apparent discomfort she put down to fear of what the Northern lords would do or what her father would say. She was about to try and reassure her that everything would be alright when Sansa, feeling as though her nerves were being stretched by the Mountain and the Hound in a tug of war blurted out her decision.

"Mother, I am not going back North with you. I am staying here!"

The silence that followed her declaration was chilling, the shock on her mother's face was there and gone in an instant as her face turned red with anger and then the quiet was broken with Catelyn's anger driving her to speak.

"You will do what I say young lady and that is final. I am your mother and I will decide what is best for you!" Her tone was strong and meant to stop any argument and a year ago it would have broken Sansa's resolve in a split second and she would have meekly fallen into line with her mother's wishes but her time in Kings Landing and more recently since her fall from grace had hardened her spirit, she was more aware of herself and how her decisions would impact on others now and she would not be a cause of more pain to House Stark. So with a quick calming breath Sansa rallied her courage and did something she had thought that she would never do in her life, she argued with her mother.

"No mother, I will not bring down the wrath of the Northern lords on our family! I made a mistake that cost the lives of our entire retinue in Kings Landing and nearly ended father's life as well. He banished me here to save my life and arranged my betrothal to Loras Tyrell, he did not abandon me despite all I had done. I am staying here and making a life for myself in the south now, I am no longer a child and it is time that you realised it." Sansa said with more steel in her voice than she had believed that she could have managed.

Catelyn however was unmoved by her daughter's words, determined to have her own way and without thinking as her temper built with her daughter's disrespect and refusal to obey not to mention pressure that had been building inside her for weeks she struck out with her hand.

The hit was fast and Sansa had no time to prepare as her mother's hand struck her, knocking her back a step. The shock of the moment was felt by both women as Catelyn realised just what she had done in a fit of temper while Sansa with the eyes of a hurt doe looked at her mother with fear and hurt. Catelyn tried to find the words to apologise but before she could Lady Brienne entered having heard the slap.

Seeing Lady Sansa nursing her cheek and looking with fear at her mother Brienne immediately guessed what had happened. She was disturbed that the apparently kind and loving Catelyn Stark would strike her own child and wondered if this could be a regular occurrence in Winterfell, her eyes narrowing as she looked on Catelyn Stark.

Sansa feeling emboldened by the presence of the great female knight managed to suppress her feelings of shock and fear at having been struck by her mother, straightened her back and moved her hand away from her cheek which was already red from the slap her mother had hit her with and said in as clear as voice as she could.

"Lady Brienne, perhaps you might see Lady Stark back to her tent. I think she has grown tired and is in need of rest, and as she should perhaps return to Winterfell after a short sleep given that my elder brother's wedding is to be soon pack her belongings. I will speak to the Queen tonight to see if I might request you escort her home, the safety of my family is of paramount importance to me." Sansa said managing to keep her voice calm and level, showing little to no emotion at all and sounding to her own surprise rather firm. Lady Brienne immediately nodded and without question began forcing Catelyn out of the tent who was momentarily stunned at her daughter and her words and unable to protest.

Sea Dragon Point, The North…

Yara Greyjoy would not consciously be able to explain where she was after being blasted off the deck of her ship during the battle, nor any of the time before she woke. The sensation of being carried or propelled somewhere was the only thing she could remember, direction however was something that was denied her.

The cold was the first thing she became aware of as she woke, far colder than the islands had ever been. The daylight dazzled her as she tried to adjust to wherever she was. She could tell immediately that she was not on a ship, the slight rocking that even a ship at anchor makes was completely absent and the grittiness of sand was pressed against her face as she brought her hands to massage her aching temples. As her eyes began to adjust to the light she started to see her surrounding vaguely, getting slowly to her rather unsteady feet as her gaze moved along the barren and freezing coastline to the equally bleak looking mountains and forest behind her.

"The North." She said with fear making the words nearly catch in her throat. She had sailed the seas all around the islands since she was a little girl and knew this coastline well. She looked back towards the sea and her eyes widened when she saw the tentacles of a giant squid only a short distance away, it seemed to wave to her before disappearing beneath the waves. On impulse she waved back as her thoughts were overwhelmed with awe at what had just happened, the Kraken, the Giant Squid and the symbol of her house had saved her life. She could remember more clearly now what had happened and realised that when the explosion had thrown her overboard the Kraken must have carried her to land, it was a sign of the Drowned God she thought with amazed awe. But then the next thought ended her happy idea.

"Why me?" She said out loud as she felt anger and grief well up inside. "Why save just me?"

A quick look down the beach revealed no one else had been brought here, she looked like the sole survivor of the Iron Fleet's battle against the Lannisters at this very moment. Thousands of men had perished with the destruction of their fleet, some might have gotten away but given the wholesale slaughter that she had been witnessing before being sent overboard she could be fairly certain that most if not all of their fleet had been destroyed.

She worried about what she might find should she return to the Iron Islands, would they even be there when she got back.

Her thoughts were broken from their doom laden predictions by water splashing against her face, looking around for the source of it her eyes widened when she saw what she could only describe as Merfolk laughing at her with high pitched shrilling voices from the water. She would have been angry had any normal person been throwing water in her face but at the sight of the green hair, yellow eyes and greyish skin she could only just manage to keep her mouth closed so she would not openly gape at the sight.

The Merfolk seemed to be talking amongst themselves quietly for a moment in a language that Yara could not begin to understand before one of them threw something towards her. Yara caught it without thinking and the merfolk waved to her before themselves diving back beneath the waves. It was a few seconds before Yara finally managed to drag her eyes away for the sea and see just what it was that the merfolk had given her. Its weight on her arm was considerable but still light enough for her to lift and was greeted by the sight of red tinted steel glistening in the sun but with ripples in the steel that were unique to one type of steel alone.

Red Rain, Yara's eyes widened as she realised that she had the ancestral sword of House Drumm in her hand. The Drumms had been with the fleet when the massacre began and she had seen the ship of Lord Drumm go up in flames at the start of the battle and was sinking the last she had seen of it. The Merfolk must have retrieved the sword from the wreck but why they would give it to her Yara did not understand.

Either way she had little time to think about it as she heard the sound of hooves approaching and with Red Rain in her hand she swung around to see who it was. To her dismay she saw that the riders were flying the sigil of House Glover, and they swiftly surrounded her with their own swords or bows drawn.

"Who are you and why are you trespassing on Glover land?" The Captain demanded looking like a typical stone faced Northerner, Yara thought about fighting or even making some glib remark but seeing as she was surrounded and outnumbered she lowered her sword and said truthfully.

"My name is Yara of House Greyjoy, daughter of Balon Greyjoy and last heir to Pyke and the Iron Islands, I survived a battle at sea and am in need of shelter." She said hoping that they would not just run her through and take her sword.

The name Greyjoy immediately had an effect on the captain who stared at her for a while with a hard look on his face, trying to determine if she was telling the truth before making his decision.

"You will accompany us to Winterfell where Lord Glover and Lord Stark shall determine your fate." The Captain said looking over to the wagon while was carrying gifts for the upcoming wedding of Robb Stark to Alys Karstark, Lord Glover was already at Winterfell so they were to follow with his gifts for the newlyweds.

Yara reluctantly strapped the sword to her back as a horse that was part of the gifts the Glovers were giving to Robb Stark was made her's to ride and Yara felt a great sense of nervous tension as she led towards the home of the Starks and where her fate would be decided.

The Eyrie, the Vale…

Petyr Baelish was nursing his injured pride as he sat at his desk and wondered how he might salvage the plans that he had been evolving for nearly twenty years, plans that he intended to propel him to the Iron Throne which seemed to be unravelling before his very eyes.

It had started the moment that he had lost his coveted position on the Small Council and continued downhill after that with the failed attempt on the lives of Hadrian Lannister and Oberyn Martell, hoping that the deaths of the two men at each other's hand would start a conflict between the Westerlands and Dorne that he could take advantage of and better yet remove a dangerous rival. Only that had gone wrong too thanks to the idiotic knights he had hired to try and murder Oberyn Martell after he had killed Hadrian Lannister to completely mess it up and attack the two men before Oberyn could do the deed for him.

His businesses had found themselves boycotted and under attack, forcing him to flee the city and in recent months more had been either seized or destroyed by the wretched imp Tyrion Lannister who Baelish was quickly growing to hate almost as much as his eldest brother. He had little influence or operations in the capital these days save for a few shops and couple of low grade whorehouses. The only consolation was that his plans to usurp control of the Vale had succeeded at least partially.

Even the Queen bitch had not been able to hold power for more than a few days when Robert Baratheon had died, her brothers had stripped it from her with pathetic ease regardless of the few hundred Mountain men that he had so carefully smuggled to Kings Landing, ready to slaughter the queen and her brat on his order once he was secured in a position of authority with enough hostages to force the compliance of the rest of the Great Houses.

Nothing he had done in recent months seemed to have gone right and it all came down to Hadrian Bloody Lannister! He though throwing the nearest object within reach, an ink well across the room where it shattered against the wall. The man must have a personal vendetta against him, his interference had thrown every plan he had into disarray and now there were these blasted 'rockets'! He had never heard of any weapon like it and it had completely changed the balance of power in Westeros. His army in the Vale was now far less of a potential bargaining force than he had imagined and worse it looked like Lysa's and by extension his hold on the Vale was weakening. Families like House Royce and their allies were murmuring about his influence over Lysa and about her mental instability and Robin's ill-health. Such things could easily he saw lead to rebellion and cut his army in half, and then he would then have to waste his resources to suppress the revolt. Killing the figure head of the potential rebellion and the only other heir to the Vale, Ser Harrold Hardyng might leave the rebels flat footed but it would only be a temporary measure until they found a new figure to rally behind. Still it would buy him time Baelish decided to himself and decided to make arrangements immediately for the assassination and have any spies he had left try and discover any details about the 'rockets'.

It was becoming clear however he thought to himself that he now needed an ally that hated the Lannisters as much as he did, Stannis Baratheon was an obvious choice but he hated Petyr as well due to his handling of the crown's debt. Renly was currently having his strings pulled by House Tyrell and they would fight him for dominance. However it suddenly occurred to him, there was another potential ally he could reach out too. Horus D'Artagon was in the Basilisk Isles at present according to his information, gathering support for a future attack on Westeros and with his hatred of the Lannisters for the death of his father, convincing him to come to the Vale and help him put down the rebellious houses in exchange for their lands and in future using the Vale as a staging point for attacks on the Lannisters might be a good idea. Men like Horus he could easily control with their greed and lust.

Yes he resolved to himself, that was what he would do. He went to work, feeling for the first time in a long time that perhaps things might go his way.

-x-

Eagle's Nest, the Vale…

Violet eyes stared out across the night's sky, surveying the mountains and the plains that were nestled between the soaring peaks, scenes she had painted with relish not too long ago. From the tall, spiralling towers of Eagle's Hold castle Shaena Targaryen looked out of the lands she now controlled through her marriage to a pillow biting fool who had ridden off a cliff chasing his angry lover. He had no other family thanks to a fever and so as his wife she now controlled his lands although her hold was rather tenuous, already she had the sons of other houses and hedge knights knocking at her door hoping to gain these lands through wedding her. The fact she was beautiful did not help matters, a true Valyrian beauty many called her with the long and simmering silver hair, perfectly clear skin, firm and sender frame and enchanting violet eyes.

She was growing tired of having to turn these men away, her temper mounting as she reflected on how these men wanted to take her lands away from her. Only the love of the small folk and her alliance to House Royce was holding the other houses at bay for the moment. Lysa Arryn's paranoia and apathy towards matters of the country was only making things worse as she refused to intervene, hiding away from invisible assassins in the Eyrie with Petyr Baelish pulling her strings.

"Oh Jon, how you would weep if you could see your ancestral lands now." She said sadly reflecting on the man that had saved her from Kings Landing. Jon Arryn had only discovered her by chance as he was riding through the city but he had seen generations of her family to know a Targaryen when he saw one. Once he had realised just who she was he had whisked her off to the Eyrie and hidden her under an assumed name; seeing to her education and marrying her to one of his vassals to ensure she was well cared for.

"Lord Jon Arryn was the last of the strong, honourable and just Arryns, now only a sickly child who probably will not live to become a man and an Arryn version of Robert Baratheon are all that remain. House Arryn is doomed to fall it seems." Her sworn shield said as he watched from nearby as always. His face and body nearly encased in armour and was known only as 'Sentinel', no one but she and Jon Arryn knew his true identity however he had been her steadfast guardian for nearly as long as she could remember, never far from her side. She was quite gifted at arms herself having received private training from him and he remained her most trusted and loyal ally, defending her from any threat and even humiliating Harrold Hardyng in a duel when he had ridden here demanding her hand.

"For true good Ser but all the same we are going to have to find a new ally if we are to remain strong here. While the Royces may have calmed Ser Harrold's temper it will not remain so forever and if his falls then the Mockingbird will rule over the Vale completely. We may well have to reach out to another kingdom for help." Shaena said coming in to sit on the chair near the fire as the night air nipped at her.

"The Starks would be very hard to convince to interfere in Vale politics especially given Lysa is a Tully, the Riverlands would be unwilling again due to them being Lysa's family, the Stormlands & the Reach are with Renly Baratheon and Dorne is too far away princess. With Westeros gripped by the war there are very few options. Revealing yourself is too dangerous as all the would-be usurpers would be trying to claim your head, we have risked too much and come too far to throw it all away now." Sentinel said with concern, worried that she was going to do something foolish that would get her killed just as Rhaegar and Aerys had done. Shaena then confirmed his fears by telling him the idea that had just popped into her head.

"There is the Lannisters." She said so quietly that he almost did not hear it, knowing how her protector would react to the idea and regretted at once thinking that particular thought out loud.

"Have you taken leave of your senses your grace?" Sentinel said loudly, gripped in a sudden rage at them mention of House Lannister. "They slaughtered your brother's wife and children! Stabbed King Aerys in the back! They sacked Kings landing and have now sat a bastard of theirs on the throne! They almost certainly killed Lord Jon Arryn to name but a few of their crimes!" Spit flying in every direction as his anger was stoked by the mention of the house that he hated nearly above all others, the only other house he hated that much being the Baratheons. Shaena wishing she had not spoken at all tried to justify her idea.

"If it were Tywin Lannister that we were dealing with then I would fully agree." Shaena said giving him a glare to reprimand him for his words however well meant they were, she had not forgotten what the Old Lion had done to her family. "But Hadrian Lannister was a close friend of my brother, you have said so yourself. And with those rockets of his, he could well swing the balance of power in our favour. That is without considering his large and powerful army." She said keeping her tone level and without emotion, she knew would be an immense gamble to ally with the Lannisters but her options were few and those that did remain to her were just as dangerous if not more so.

"We have several secret weapons of our own your grace." Sentinel said gritting his teeth at even the thought of his charge being anywhere near the treacherous lions. Keeping her alive had been his sole focus for so many years now, it had pulled him from a very dark place after the rebellion and given him a reason to keep going. He would be damned if he let her die now he thought to himself darkly. "Not to mention Hadrian Lannister did nothing to help Prince Rhaegar against Robert Baratheon, nor did he stop the sacking of Kings Landing. He cannot be trusted your grace." Sentinel insisted while a small note of betrayal could be heard in his voice, although only Shaena knew why.

"Perhaps but with the exception of the Martells who I know would not betray me, who else can I reach out to?" Shaena asked with exasperation starting to creep into her voice at her protector's old grievances blinding him from her position and the problems that came with it. She sighed and told him. "I will write to House Martell and see if they are willing to aid me but if that fails I may well have no choice. I will only consider using my own secret weapon as a last resort. So please just give me some time to myself, now!" Shaena insisted and while wanting to argue further, Sentinel honoured his princess's wishes and left the room to stand on guard outside.

Now alone Shaena let her guard down and gently massaged her aching temples as she wondered what on earth to do next. Her position here was tenuous at best and with so many after her lands, even House Royce her closest ally, it would only be a matter of time before someone came and took them by force. She would win, of that she was certain due to a few surprises that she had up her sleeve but she did not want to be wasting her strength when the Vale was becoming more unstable by the day. The Mountain Clans were becoming increasingly bold and every house seemed to be out for themselves except for the faction led by Lord Bronze Yohn Royce, joined together for mutual protection and to try and bring order back to the area. She could bring hellfire down on them all if she revealed her true identity to the wrong person or if it were discovered by an enemy of her family. The only reason she was thinking of reaching out to House Martell was because she could rely on their hatred of the Baratheons and the Lannisters not to betray her existence but she knew that it was still an immense gamble. If she fell then it would be the end of House Targaryen, which was something that weighed heavily on her shoulders.

However there was another reason that she was considering reaching out to Hadrian Lannister for help, her instincts how been hounding her since she had first heard of him, telling her against all logic that he was familiar in a way that transcended this world. Memories of another time and place which had haunted her dreams for her entire life made him feel like a friend although in this life they had never met. It had needled her until finally she had managed to acquire a likeness of him, which she picked up to look upon for a moment and given the shape of his face and the unusual shade of emerald green in his eyes, there was only be one person he could be even with the blond hair.

"Harry." Shaena said softly as she tucked her fountain pen, her own invention behind her ear for safekeeping and cast her eye around the room, which was decorated with paintings that she had spent a great deal of effort creating, showing not only the inspiring mountains and her Sentinel, but people that had once been her dearest friends in another world wondering again if any of them had been reborn into this world too.

Stannis Baratheon's camp, The Stormlands…

The letter telling the rest of the Westeros what the Lannisters had done to the Iron Islands was clenched firmly in Stannis Baratheon's fist. His fury was enough to distort his face into a mask of hatred as he considered how the situation had changed, with the Iron Born dealt with the Lannisters would now be able to focus their attention eastwards, specially towards him and Renly. Not to mention these 'rockets' which were enough to make him curse, he had never heard of such weapons before and that they were in the Lannister's possession only made the situation a thousand times worse. Hadrian Lannister had already unleashed it once on the Iron Born with devastating results, he knew the man well enough to realise that he would not hesitate to use it against him and Renly and they had no defence against something like that. It was as if the dragons had returned Stannis thought to himself darkly, a weapon that virtually no one could counter like the dragons of Aegon the Conqueror three centuries ago. Only the Dornish had managed to hold them off and at great cost. This new weapon would render every army exposed and all strongholds vulnerable so with a sense of doomed urgency he knew he would have to capture Kings Landing soon or his entire campaign to claim the throne could be undone.

His mood darkening by the second he wished he had Ser Davos here but he had been forced to send the man and a group of his men to bring the Brave Companions to heel after they had sacked a small hamlet nearby. The Sellsword Company was known for its ill-discipline and bad behaviour but Stannis had hoped that they could have waited until they were at least dealing with their enemies before indulging in such behaviour, it was nearly enough to make him grit his teeth. Lady Melisandre looked on from nearby, looking paler than usual as she faced the man she had named Azor Ahai while desperately staring into a small fire, her eyes near pleading for answers from her god.

"Why did you not warn me of this?" Stannis demanded granted he did not know quite what he would have done if he had known that the Lannisters had such a weapon in advance but at least he would have been aware of it. Her visions had been extremely helpful to him thus far and she had brought an army into his service, she had been useful to him. He had even tried to conceive a son by her to rule after him and secure his rule yet now it seemed that she was as unable to give him an heir as Lady Selyse was, a woman he did not hate but barely knew and only tolerated and now his entire plan was in jeopardy.

"I…cannot say my king. The flames did not reveal the lion's plans to me, his power blocks my sight." She implored him, turning back to the flames trying to divine something to assuage his anger and finally her god answered her prayers and it brought a relieved smile to her face and she quickly told him. "If I strike at your treacherous brother tonight my king it will bring you your rightful army."

Stannis was silent for a moment, something that scared Melisandre slightly worried that he was judging her and finding her wanting. Serving the Azor Ahai was her entire reason for being, even amongst her brothers and sisters in faith she was considered something of an outsider, too quick to jump to conclusions. However her belief in their god they had to admire Melisandre thought to herself, few believed as strongly as she did and were prepared to go as far as she would to bring his light to this world. Recent times had weakened his worshipers as more and more of his people were converted to the heretical Old Gods with the spread of the Westerosi Empire, it was the sole reason that her brothers and sisters in faith had agreed to support Stannis Baratheon, they were desperate to remind people of his light and fire, enough to put themselves behind her king as he moved forward.

Finally however Stannis relaxed his gaze by the narrowest of margins, Melisandre breathed a tiny sigh of relief. He was stone faced as he said that they would carry out her plot tonight, glad that Ser Davos was away tonight or he would surely have protested what they were about to do. He left to begin preparations and Melisandre got to her feet and pressed her hand against her stomach, feeling a strong joy that soon the greatest of threats to her king and his incredible destiny were going to be destroyed by her…this very night.

-x-

Near a cave on the shore line, a group of her brothers and sisters in faith had prepared the pyre for the ceremony, guards were moving the cage that contained the absolutely terrified Bella. When she saw the pyre her screams grew louder through the gag and she struggled so hard against her binding that her wrists began to bleed as the skin was rubbed raw. Melisandre with the lit torch in hand walked down the path while guards placed the cage on the ground before the pyre and opened the metal prison, their rough hands reaching inside for Bella who pressed her back against the cage in a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable but the rough hands of the guards grabbed hold of her delicate arms and as she twisted and struggled with all her might they pulled her towards the pyre.

Some of the guards that were witnessing the event felt a sick feeling in the pit of their gut and at the core of their being they wanted to stop this, but their fear of Stannis and his red witches held them in place, something they would later come to regret. As Bella was tied to the pole her gag finally came loose and in a high pitched wail she looked towards Stannis, her uncle and with her eyes pleading and terror making her body shake begged him.

"UNCLE PLEASE! DO NOT DO THIS! PLEASE…UNCLE!" She screamed hoping that an appeal to family might rouse his better self and get him to spare her this fate, she only repeated her cries for help as Melisandre came towards the pyre with the lit torch in her hand but Stannis remained like a stone, not a single trace of sympathy or regret on his face as the flames touched the dry kindling and set it ablaze.

Bella's screams were terrible to those unfortunate to hear the poor girl being sacrificed, as the flames licked their way over her body she was in agony. The men around the pyre looked distinctly ashamed and unsettled by the sight before them averting their eyes to try and keep the images from finding a home in their minds, the screams of terror and pain alone would haunt their dreams for many years to come. Some would try and drink themselves into oblivion to suppress the memory and their guilt for doing nothing to help the poor girl, others would as quickly as they could visit the nearest sept or Weirwood tree to pray for forgiveness, hoping that the gods might ease their own torment for allowing this to happen. A relief that would never truly come.

The true followers however were entranced by the brutal and painful end of one of Robert Baratheon's bastards, the sacrifice of someone with King's blood. Already they could feel her life-force giving them strength but none more so than Melisandre who closed her eyes as she felt the rush of power flowing through her. Stannis her king however remained as stone faced as he had when the girl he had just condemned to die in the flames had begged for her life, not caring either way that it was his bastard niece or that she had died in such a horrific way.

As long as it got him the army he needed to conquer Kings Landing and take the Iron Throne that was his by right Stannis thought to himself, he would not care how far he had to go.

-x-

However little did Stannis realise that there had been an unexpected witness to these dreadful proceedings, someone who had seen all of the fire and heard all of the screams, and was even now struggling to accept what he had just witnessed.

Ser Rolland Storm, the Bastard of Nightsong had ridden in secret hoping to meet with Stannis Baratheon and discuss the position of himself and a small number of other Stormlords who had been intended to defect to his side. He and they had most fervently believed that Stannis would be a better king than Renly and only followed the man due to their oaths of fealty but with the Lannisters' new weapon a small group including himself had come together to seek an audience with Stannis who they felt would take the threat more seriously than Renly and be more proactive in dealing with danger.

That was until however he had witnessed the barbaric display down on the beach. The screams of the girl had been what attracted him, as a sworn follower of the Warrior he saw it as his duty to aid those in distress. But when he had gotten into sight of the beach he had heard the cries for mercy from the girl and she had called Stannis uncle. He knew as well as any that Robert Baratheon had fathered many bastards, there was one currently at Storm's End named Edric and at least one other that he knew about in the Vale named Mya but that Stannis would actually burn to death one of his own brother's blood chilled Rolland to the bone. Those damned Red Priests disgusted him to the extreme and right now it was all he could do not to ride up and spit on them or possibly cut them in half with his sword, that idea he decided with a certain bloodthirsty edge had appeal but something held him back.

It only lasted a moment however as he turned his horse around and rode back to the camp of Renly Baratheon to tell his lord, the entire camp and certainly those he represented just what he had seen. There had to be another way he thought to himself, than putting a man that would willingly burn his own kin on the Iron Throne to secure a better future for Westeros.

And he was going to make sure that they found it.

-x-

Back on the beach Melisandre had moved into the cave to give her the privacy she needed for what happened next. Already she could feel the shadow assassins in her belly, multiplied with the sacrifice of that girl. They were ready to burst into the world and already she had developed into what many would see as an impossible stage of pregnancy since only moments ago her stomach had been flat but was now ripe with child. She screamed as the contractions began to hit her, pain unlike any a normal birth would inflict upon a woman. Her stomach moved as if there was a creature inside straining to break her skin before it found an exit between her legs. Through her pain Melisandre could see the black smoky tendrils of the shadow assassins grasping at her legs as they emerged into the world, their figures like skeletons made of black smoke. Like she had hoped there were two of them and with her face slick with sweat she gave them her commands.

"Kill Renly Baratheon and Hadrian Lannister my sons." A smile coming to her face as they flew out of the cave on the way to kill their targets who had no idea of the danger they were in.