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Waifu Catalog Nightmare Mode by BatRou-Dawg

Misc » Book X-overs Rated: M, English, Supernatural, Words: 294k+, Favs: 159, Follows: 172, Published: Jun 27, 2023 Updated: Jun 29, 2023

16Chapter 9

Eddard Stark POV

"It seems a battle took place here a while ago." Lord Glover observed as he stared at the burned longship and the dozens of men scattered through the banks of the river.

"A blind man could tell that there has been a battle here." Lord Greatjon Umber said with a scoff and he tried to held back a sigh as his two lords started bickering once again.

'Why can't they just get along and not cause so much trouble. Is that really so much to ask for. We are at war for the old gods' sake.' He thought as he continued to ride ahead, not wanting to halt the long column of soldiers and supplies marching behind him.

After riding for another few minutes, he suddenly brought his horse to a stop as the sound of the multiple hooves pounding into the dirt reached his ears. But before he could sound the alarm or give any order, two dozen riders emerged from a nearby line of trees, the rider at the front smiling at him.

"Where the hell did they come from!?" He heard Greatjon bellow from behind him and felt similar confusion that he hid behind a stoic mask and silently waited for their new guest to reach them.

"Lord Stark!" Brynden Tully said as he stopped his horse in front of him. "You need better outriders. Getting past your current ones was easy. If we had been your enemies then you would be dead right now."

"Bah! As if a few river men would be enough to kill a proper Northernman." Greatjon guffawed, and while he did take great pride in being from the North, he had to shake his head this one time.

"No Greatjon. Ser Brynden is right in this instance. If a small group of riders can get past our scouts this easily, then a small army could do the same." He said before he turned to Lord Glover. "Galbert. Make sure that our current outriders are not given rations for a day as punishment. And then double their numbers. The Ironborns don't have any horses and can't surprise us like Ser Brynden. But that's no reason for us to get lax."

"I'll see it done my lord." Galbert Glover said with a bow before he quickly rode to the back of their column which had now come to a stop due to Ser Brynden's presence.

"Blackfish! What the hell happened here?" Greatjon asked before he could say anything else, pointing at the corpses and the burning longship. And he once again held a sigh at his most loyal but unruly lord's behaviour. As much as he'd come to appreciate Greatjon Umber's brashness over the years, the man could be a handful in these situations.

Ser Brynden's face went blank as the sight of the dead Ironborn and he spat on the side before he said. "Merely some of the Ironborns getting their just due. These bastards have been razing settlements through the entire Blue Fork. We were able to ambush them this morn. But the others are still missing."

"Really?" He asked with a frown. "I was under the impression that only a few ships have managed to cross Seagard with Rodrik Greyjoy."

"That was true at first. But after his success at Seagard, his brother Maron Greyjoy brought more reinforcements. Now, we have many individual Ironborn ships raiding up and down the various rivers of the Riverlands. Our current estimate is that there are as much as 30 such longships in the Riverlands right now. But there could be more."

"Are you telling me that the Riverlords cannot even deal with 30 Ironborn ships on their own?" Lord Rickard Karstark spoke, riding up to the front of the column with a few other lords.

"If you think it's so easy, then why don't you try chasing those Ironborn and see how that turns out for you!" A boy beside Ser Brynden spoke in anger, glaring at Lord Karstark. Probably Ser Brynden's squire. But a scathing look from Ser Brynden silenced the boy.

"Hah! The boy has some balls at least." Greatjon barked out in merriment and a few other northern lords joined him in his laugh.

He gave them a look to tell his lords to remain silent before he turned to Ser Brynden.

"I would have to agree with Lord Karstark in this Ser Brynden." He said "If the Ironborns only have so few ships, then why have the Riverland armies not defeated them already. Especially if the Crownland levies and the knights of the Vale have already joined up with you."

Ser Brynden shook his head at those words. "Defeating the Ironborns is not a problem. Catching them is. The Ironbons are sneaky little fuckers. They arrive at a settlement, kill the men, rape the women, take whatever they want, burn everything else and then run back to the safety of their ships. By the time our men arrive there, they've already sailed miles away. And more often than not, they leave no survivors, so we can't tell which direction in the river they've gone to."

"Preying on helpless women and children." Lady Maege Mormont said with a deep frown on her face. Probably remembering the Iron Born attacks in her own Island. "This does sound like something that those cowardly honorless scum would do."

""Aye."" His northern lords chorused in agreement.

"Just so my lady." Ser Brynden said with a nod. Though he heard Maege mutter something like 'I ain't no lady'. "Now, may I lead you to the main army my lord. The King has been waiting for you. And you can ask me anything you want on the way."

He nodded. "That would be appreciated Ser Brynden." Then he turned to his lords who had started chatting and bickering with each others. "And I would like it if my lords can go and see to their duties."

His lords grumbled like children at being dismissed but did as they were told and went back to their own men in the columns while he turned to face Ser Brynden.

"So. How bad is it?" He asked.

Ser Brynden sent his own riders ahead to serve as a scouting party for the army and then shook his head. "Bad. By the time our armies were able to gather, the Ironborns already managed to burn, loot and pillage every major coastal settlement from Blue Fork to the Trident. And despite the numerical advantage of our army, we seemed have accomplished little so far."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes. If our lords were more cooperative with each other, then we could have created a wide search net and hunted them down one by one. But the Lord of the Riverlands have never been united as the lords of other Kingdoms. Lord Bracken and Blackwood outright refused to march with each other. Lord Frey has yet to move from the Twins, citing Ironborn attacks on his own settlements. Same for Lord Mooten. Those cowardly fucks! When I get my hands on them after this war..." Ser Brynden paused and took a deep breath before he continued.

"Lady Whent has little men to give. Lord Darry lost a good portion of his men in a recent skirmish and has fled back to his castle, leaving his lands open for the raiders… You already know what happened to the Mallisters at Seagard. And the Tully men are spread thin protecting the Red Fork as it is. I'm afraid that without the reinforcements from Crownlands and the Vale, we would be in deep trouble."

"I see." He said, absorbing these words. It would seem that the war with the Ironborns had gone far worse than he'd initially assumed. The situation not helped in the least by just how many damn rivers there were in the Riverlands. And with the Ironborns being as good in the water as they were, he could see just how things have come to this.

"I assume that Robert has come up with a plan?" He asked and Ser Brynden nodded.

"He plans to create a blockade at Saltpans. And the use a portion of his army to take Seagard. Then once the Ironborns have been trapped from both sides, the army will split up and hunt them down across each of the three forks and the Trident."

He saw that scowl on Ser Brynden's face and asked. "You don't think this plan will succeed?"

Ser Brynden had a thoughtful expression and remained silent for a long moment before he spoke. "His Grace is looking down on these Ironborns and their low numbers. His plan is decent but it does not take into account the numerous tributaries that lead up to each Fork. Tributaries that the Ironborns could easily sail through to hide from our armies. And if they're pushed then they may even ditch their ships in order to save their skin. In which case, we'll then have to deal with numerous parties of bandits. And the Riverlands have already seen a rise in bandit activity due to all the misplaced, hungry and desperate small folk."

Ser Brynden shook his head. "The King wants to deal with these Ironborns swiftly so that he could go to the Iron Islands and cut off the head of the snake once and for all. But I very much doubt that this war will be anywhere near as easy, or as brief as he thinks. Quite the opposite really. I fear that we're in for a long and arduous war Lord Stark."

He nodded and tried to think of ways to defeat the Ironborns. But after thinking on it for a while, he decided that if the Riverlords, who've lived in these lands for decades have failed to find and deal with these Ironborns, then it was very unlikely that he'll be able to accomplish much either.

He also saw the deeper problem with a war like this. The longer this war lasts, the more Robert's support base will erode. And the bolder the Targaryen loyalists will become.

He very much doubted that this war will last longer than a year or two. But if it did… then they'll have to contend with an entirely new problem. A problem from the east.

"What about the food and supplies?" He asked. "I've brought my own supplies with my army, but I doubt it'll last if this war is going to be as long as you suspect it to be. And unless we want our armies to start raiding Riverland settlements for food, we'll need to find a way to bring in supplies from the outside to keep them well fed and happy."

"I can't say much about keeping your men happy Lord Stark, for few men are happy in a campaign. Especially one like this." Ser Brynden said. "And after all the chaos death and destruction caused by these Ironborns, I can say even less about food."

"For now, we'll have to rely on the Vale, Crownlands and Westerlands for food. But Westerlands have their own Ironborn problems to deal with. The road to Vale is currently fraught with Mountain clansmen who've stepped up their raiding on the onset of this war. And Crownland was never all that big or fertile to begin with."

"That doesn't sound good." He said and Ser Brynden barked out a laugh.

"Aye, that's not good at all. I pray it doesn't come down to this, but if this war lasts for as long as I suspect it will, then we'll have no choice but the rely on the Reach for further grain shipment."

"You make it sound like a problem. Would the Reach not send food to us regardless if Robert asked. With their own history with the Ironborns, I would have assumed that the Reach would have just as many reasons to fear the Ironborns as any other Kingdom."

"That they do." Brynden agreed before a grave look crossed his face. "But Lord Tyrell has a beautiful, comely daughter. And Viserys Targaryen is a young boy with dreams of taking the Iron Throne. Would the Reach still support us if Viserys Targaryen lands on the shores of Westeros with the Golden Company on his back and offered to make Margaery Tyrell his Queen."

"Viserys is just a boy." He said, not knowing if he saying this to assure Brynden or himself.

"Aye, but boys grow up fast when thrust into a war. Plus, who says that the Golden Company or others won't just use him as a figurehead for their war."

He grimaced and shook his head, having already thought of this scenario before.

"Plus, these lands have been ruled by the Targaryens for 300 years before Robert defeated Rhaegar and crowned himself the King. Even now, there are many lords who are loyal to the Targaryens. If the aforementioned scenario happened, then the entirety of Westeros will break out into civil war. And even if Dorne holds little love for the Targaryens after what happened to Elia and her children, I've no doubt that they'll join the Targaryens, if only to get their vengeance."

He felt a shiver crawl up his spine at realising just how bad the situation could become if they didn't solve it quickly enough.

He very much doubted that there would any lord in the North who would join the Targaryens ('except the Boltons', a small part of him whispered). But if such a war did happen, then he'll be honour bound to fight for Robert, and the North will be dragged into this war regardless, and bleed for it.

"I think I can agree with you Ser Brynden, that it'll be in all our interests if this war ended as quickly as possible."

Ser Brynden gave a grim nod at that before he took out a wineskin from his saddle and took a large swig, shuddering a bit as the drink went down his throat.

"Ahh… It's not arbor gold but it parches the throat well enough." Ser Brynden said with a sigh before handing the wineskin to him. "Here, have some. Perhaps this new drink will be more to your liking than the Northern ale you lot keep drinking."

He took a sip from the wineskin and then coughed as the swill burned its way down his throat. And while the initial experience was harsh, the warm feeling it immediately filled his body with in the aftermath was rather pleasant.

"That's a strong drink." He admitted as he returned the wineskin to Ser Brynden who now had an amused look on his face. "I don't think I've ever drunk something like this in Riverlands before. Who made it?"

"Dunno. A trader from Dragonstone brought it. Called it Brandy or something. I thought you and your Northern lords might like it so I bought some for you."

"Well, it'll keep my lords from grumbling for a while if nothing else." He said with a smile as they started riding once again, the long column behind him following at his pace.

"Aye. I believe it will." Ser Brynden said with a chuckle before shaking his head. "Well, enough about this war and battles. You can talk about it when you reach the main army. For now, tell me about my niece. I heard she gave birth to four healthy children. Two sons and daughters."

Thinking about his wife and children put a smile on his face and he nodded. "Aye. Their names are Robb, Sansa, Arya, and Bran. Robb is the oldest and was—"

—

"Ned! But damn it is good to see your frozen face." Robert bellowed and crossed the large tent swiftly before pulling him into a tight hug.

He smiled and after a bit of hesitation, put his arms around his best friend as well. Noticing immediately just how much weight his friend has gained in the past few years.

Robert ended the hug and then held him at arms length, looking at him with a huge grin on his face. "Eight years! Damn you Ned! Where have in you all this time?"

"Protecting the North your grace."

"Bah! Don't call me your grace. If I wanted my ass kissed then I would've called one of those damn Lannisters! Call me Robert."

"Your grace." He said once again with a smile and Robert let out a huge, exasperated sigh, the smile never leaving his face before he went back to his chair and sat down on it, gesturing for him to take a seat beside him. His Northern lords quickly entered the large tent and found seats for themselves as well.

As he took his seat, he looked around the room and saw it filled with various Riverland and Vale Lords. He gave a swift nod to the ones he recognised from the last war.

Then he looked at the two knights in white attire standing behind Robert. Ser Barristen the Bold and Kingslayer. He gave a nod to the former and ignored the latter before turning to Robert.

"I assume Jon is in Kings landing?" He asked. He forgot to ask Brynden about his foster father. And since Jon was not with his Vale lords, he could only assume that he was still back in the capital city.

"He is." Robert agreed before gulping down from a wine cup. "We all decided that it'll be best for him to stay back there. To rule in my stead while I break the skulls of these Ironborn menace."

He nodded in agreement. "Indeed. A campaign is last thing someone like him needs at his age."

"Aye, there is that as well. Now, how many men did you bring with you Ned?"

"About 20,000 your grace. Though I had to leave some behind in Moat Cailin in case the Ironborns decided to attack the North." He said.

"Smart decision." Robert said before he turned to look at Ser Barristan Selmy. "How many more men have joined us from the Riverlands?"

"800 more came with Lord Vence this morning your grace." Ser Barristan said with a bow.

"And how much is that?" Robert asked, his cheeks flush from having finished yet another cup of wine.

He wanted to frown at Robert from drinking like this in a war council but knew that it was not his place to chastise and judge his King. And Robert had never listened to him anyway.

"12,400 your grace." Ser Barristan said "With the 18,000 from Vale that came with Lord Yohn Royce, the 8,000 we brought with us from the Crownlands, and the 20,000 that Lord Stark has brought with him, that makes for a total of… 58,400 men your grace."

"58,000 men. We had 40,000 when we smashed those damned dragons! Now we have more but we can't even deal with a few damned Ironbons." Robert said with a scowl before he looked at Ser Brynden. "Blackfish! Did you find the rats that've been raiding up and down this river."

"I did your grace." Ser Brynden Tully said and he could see the mood visibly lift in the room as he continued speak. "I set up and ambush for them a few miles North of here and killed every last one of them."

"Well done!" Robert bellowed as he raised his cup and pointed it toward Ser Brynden. "To the Blackfish!"

The rest of the tent cheered as well, toasting to his good uncle while he held back a frown from forming on his face.

Was the situation really so dire that these men were cheering at the defeat of a simple Ironborn vessel that couldn't have held more than 60 men?

Judging by the way that these men were cheering and drinking so heavily at such a simple victory, that seems to be the case indeed.

This was… not good. And while he hoped that the situation would become better once Robert executes his plan to trap the Ironborns before defeating them one by one. He couldn't help but remember Ser Brynden's words about this being a long and bloody war.

"Well then, tell me about-" Robert begin to speak but was immediately cut off as a young blond haired man swiftly entered the room and walked up to Robert before kneeling down in front of him.

"Your grace, I bring an urgent message from Highgarden!"

"Highgarden? What does those Tyrells want this time?" Robert asked.

"Your grace. They Tyrells say that they've finally sighted the Iron Fleet near the Shield Islands."

A clamour immediately rose in the tent at that information while he had to hold back a scowl. What did the messenger meant about the Iron Fleet 'finally sighted'. Does that mean that they were not aware of the location of the Iron Fleet? How can you lose sight of an entire fleet of ships.

He wondered if this had anything to do with the rumours that the Iron Fleet attacked Lannisport from the Sunset Sea. If the Iron Borns have really learned how to sail in the Sunset Sea, so far from the shores, then that would definitely explain how they were able to avoid detection and surprise the Lannisters so badly.

"Are you saying that the Ironborns have taken the Shield Islands?" Robert asked, breaking his line of thoughts and the messenger quickly shook his head.

"No, your grace. They attacked a few undefended settlements for food and supplies before they disappeared back into the sunset sea. The Tyrells have reported that the Iron Fleet might be sailing to the Arbor."

Another clamour rose in the tent at that bit of news before Robert bellowed for them to be silent.

"The Arbor. So those Ironborns plan to deal with the Redwyne Fleet before they could be reinforced by the Royal Fleet." Robert said and he could see a bit of worry flash in the eyes of each and every lord in the tent. "Barristan! Where is the Royal Fleet right now?"

"It was last reported two days ago that they were seen sailing past Sunspear. At this pace, it'll take them about a fortnight to reach the Arbor. A moon's turn or more if the weather is against them."

Robert went silent at those words and an oppressive silence took over the room before Robert finally spoke. "Send a letter to the Arbor. Tell them to expect an attack from the Ironborns at any day now. And that the Royal Fleet might be late in reinforcing them."

"Yes your grace." The messenger said before quickly exiting the room.

The meeting continued for a bit more after that. And Robert explained his plan to his Northern lords as well.

It was decided that Robert himself will lead half of the Crownland levies to take Seagard. While the other half will go with Ser Barristan to the Saltpen where they'll create a blockade so that the Ironborns won't be able to escape to the South.

Barristan was also tasked with recruiting the Mooten levies while on the way. And to remind Lord Mooten of what happens to traitors if he refuses to assist him.

The Vale and Northern armies will be mixed up with the Riverland army and they'll go down each one of the Fork and even some of its larger tributaries in search for the Ironborns.

He dearly hoped that this plan would work but something told him that things would not be so easy.