Toll of the Bells

Pyke 

Aurane Waters, Master of Ships stood beside Lord Paxter Redwyne and several thousand men as they marched on Pyke, the last castle of the Iron Islands.

The others on Great Wyk, Old Wyk, Blacktyde, Lonely Light, Orkmont, Saltcliffe, and Harlaw have been torn down and destroyed. As per Lord Loren's request to end the lines of noble families within the Iron Islands.

The lines of House Harlaw, Drumm, Merlyn, Sunderly, and Goodbrother among many others are now extinct Houses. The population of each island had been slaughtered to a 100 each, the men of Westeros took great pleasure in paying the iron price themselves on the people who attacked them over the last few thousand years.

The Lords of Great Wyk had the most soldiers and castles, two weeks it took for each castle to be taken and destroyed with the families who ruled them. The island is barren of all people because with each castle sacked and an army vanquished, another would take their place and that went on for some time until every man and woman and child was put to the sword.

Lord Loren's orders were clear, plunder and pillage, kill the noble families, tear down the castle and destroy the longships. They did as they were commanded, even when it came to little boys and girls who were too young to see the world or grow up.

For the siege of Pyke, they brought the heads of nearly two-hundred nobles were placed on spikes, paraded all throughout Lordsport and now the dead and terrified eyes watched the castle, its defending garrison watching the heads of those they probably knew from the raids all those years ago and those from the fighting in the North.

"Should we even bother with a parlay?" Aurane asked the man leading them and turned to Lord Alyn Ashford who grunted a response, "Tear it down!" He echoed the command.

The trebuchets on land and on the ships surrounded the three towers, it took two hours but one by one the castles were destroyed and sent into the sea. The last two dozen members of the garrison charged from the gate, a small battle took place and left no survivors of the ironmen.

The Ironborn are dead, every last one and in three days, the Royal and Redwyne fleets started their return voyage back to the mainland.

King's Landing 

The servants helped a pregnant Margaery Lannister down to the spot where the rest of the court awaited the arrival of Princess Myrcella and her new husband, Trystane Martell.

The wedding as she heard was a beautiful spectacle, it was held in the Water Gardens where Prince Doran spends most of his time.

Loren extended an offer to give House Martell a spot on the Small Council, he waited a month so husband and wife could be happy before asking them to make the journey to the capital. She was happy to see her niece and nephew by law for the first time, Myrcella was already sent to Dorne so the Martells wouldn't support the Baratheon brothers.

It was a smart idea on Tyrion Lannister's part, her husband at the time was close to getting Dorne on his side before the Dornish armies began moving up the Prince's Pass.

She held his belly and watched Loren, his new patch on his eye, this time a deep black with the gold lion. He had shaved his hair again, a wisp of a golden beard growing on his face. He had also grown a little calmer in the weeks after Kevan's failed uprising.

The Tully's, Cersei and Jaime, Kevan, and now the Iron Islands and soon the Vale of Arryn and the North. The Seven Kingdoms are being brought back one after the other, she is happy to know that her child will one day rule it. A boy to marry a Princess, or on the off chance that its a girl, a future Queen of Westeros. She thought and took a deep breath.

Her Lord-fathers laughter brought her out of her mind, she saw him and Ser Bronn of the Blackwater telling some joke about a brothel and honeycomb.

"It shouldn't be long now," Her husband said and she smiled, nodding to the comment.

"Just a few more months and we'll welcome our son into the world, I cannot wait." She was glad, happy for the peace that has since enveloped the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. "Loren, I was thinking, perhaps we can go away from here. It's just that I haven't seen Highgarden in a long time." She does want to go home, if only for a month so she could enjoy the Autumn and return before Winter sets in.

"There is still work to do, the Vale and the North are still against us. Jon Snow has the largest army in the world, one-hundred thousand Wildlings, and the Northern Houses. The Vale is impenetrable, no army can get in unless through Gulltown or the Bloody Gate." Her husband is always so busy, working on the future he desires for their child. She watched him worry and fight for what he deserved, even going as far as to kill his own kin to make his desires a reality.

"We deserve some time away from here, Loren. We deserve to celebrate and bask in our victories." She whispered and Loren sighed and turned his head, eyeing her with his green pool.

He gave her a genuine smile, like the one he gave her at the tourney of Highgarden.

"Alright... First, some things will need to be put into order before we leave." He agreed to her decision and she kissed him on his left cheek, whispering 'thank you' into his ear.

Everyone turned to see the Princess and her husband coming ashore, Myrcella and Trystane disembarked and approached the King who stood at Loren's left and her husband at Tommen's right, Shireen stood beside her husband on the left.

The Princess beamed and embraced her little brother tightly, "I'm so sorry about everything while I was gone," The King and the Princess held a short conversation while Trystane was handed the Dornish sun pin that was originally held by Oberyn before the Mountain killed him.

"The King and Queen and I welcome you and your retinue to the Red Keep, Prince Trystane, my apologies for what happened to your father," Loren said to Trystane as the group of guards and nobles began climbing the steps going toward the Red Keep.

"My aunt Ellaria's uprising was caught before it could take flight. She and my four eldest cousins are now prisoners of Ghaston Grey, my father is recovering from their coup and my cousin from a distant family, Quentyn will be ruling Dorne in his stead whilst he gets better." It was dreadful that the woman would go so far for vengeance. Turning family against family is disgusting. She thought as she linked her arm around Loren's.

"Well, I know how you must be feeling. Not long ago my own uncle tried to seize control from me and the King, a virtual prisoner if not for the Reach and other loyal Houses." Loren said to Trystane who returned the statement with a kind smile.

Being the Lady of the Red Keep, she and Shireen helped everyone settle in their new apartments. Shireen, wearing his new red mask was eyeing her, she sighed and stopped them in the quiet hall.

"What is it, your grace?" She feigned innocence, Shireen's blue eyes brimmed with anger.

"Loren is a liar, you're a liar. You lie to my bastard cousin." She frowned when Shireen spoke to her like this, she held down the snide remark she was going to speak and replaced her frown with a smile.

"The court is full of liars, girl, you better get used to them. Just like Lady Sansa has done since returning to court." Shireen was silenced, "I am sorry for the position you and Tommen are put in, you both will live long and bountiful lives so long as you play your part like all of us must." She told the young Queen who took a deep breath and turned away from her.

"And if I don't... " Shireen asked, letting the question linger until she was forced to give a horrible truth.

"Or else Loren will find a way to make you... Or replace you. Good day, your grace."

Winterfell 

Jon Snow. King in the North and Lord of Winterfell read the letter sent from the South by one of Lord Blackwoods girls.

Sansa was captured. Riverrun destroyed and House Tully extinct. The Iron Islands eradicated of half its population. The Lions fought themselves for a change. He sighed and put down the raven scroll, thinking about his sister and all that has happened in these last few months.

The North was made strong again, one good thing. He has the men to fight the dead, despite it not being enough.

What he hates most is that he can't save Sansa, because everyone that has ever stood up to the Lannisters has been killed. His fist closed tightly, he couldn't save Rickon during the battle or Bran because if he dares to send an army North, the Night King will attack. And Arya... She is lost and I could not find her. He thought bitterly and sighed deeply.

"Jon." He looked up and saw Wynafryd Manderly, his betrothed and granddaughter of Lord Wyman.

He and Wynafryd, they grew close in the weeks following the defeat of the Boltons. Eventually, he allowed himself to feel again and the two shared a kiss under the heart tree. He asked her to be his Queen a month later and now, in three days they will be married under that same tree.

"Wyn. What's wrong?" She smiled and climbed up to him, he brushed his hand against her own and looked into her eyes.

"You looked sad, I don't want you to be sad." She was so caring, and he couldn't be the same with him worrying for his siblings who were scattered to the winds.

"Our enemies are in the South, our enemies are in the North. We are alone and we have a hell of a fight on our hands." She smiled when he brushed his hand on her warm cheek, warm like Ygritte's was.

The two kissed passionately, it didn't last long before the room doors opened and the meeting of the Lords and Ladies and Free Folk Chiefs including Mance entered.

Today, he was going to discuss the future of the war against the South and the Night King in the far North. Mance would take their best Free Folk and man the nineteen castles along the Wall, the Lords and Ladies of the North would begin training all boys age six and older, even women were being asked to train for the fight against the Long Night.

Near the end, he cleared his throat and called everyone to hear him speak, "My Lords, my Ladies, Mance and everyone else." He paused for a moment, "The North has united, the land is at peace and can afford a time of leisure... Mine and Wynafryd's wedding will be the biggest feast that Winterfell has ever seen, after that, we prepare for the war to come and gather all the food before Winter comes. Are you with me?" He asked the room and all but Mance and the other Free Folk rose to their feet and called out his title.

He wasn't much good with big speeches, that was more Robb.

Everyone dispersed and Wyn gave him an encouraging smile, he nodded and she left. The moment everyone was gone, he wallowed in his failures once more.

"Father... I can choose to fight the Lannisters or fight the Night King, what would you have done?... " He asked his ghost of a father wherever he may be, thinking that he is hearing him from so far into the afterlife.