8

Chapter 8– Hear Us Roar

Godric's Hollow, the Riverlands…

James looked so weak laying there in the bed Lily thought with desperation for him to open his eyes and look at her, Visenya & Rhaenys were staying with her children and doing their best to reassure them while Sirius and Amelia interrogated the maid that had poisoned James. Rhaenys had been ready to jump on her dragon with the youngest Targaryen children, convinced this had been aimed at them till it was pointed out by Visenya how foolish an assassin would have to be to put poison in wine if the children were the target.

Lily however pushed those thoughts aside and took James' hand and the soft croons of the Phoenix which had bonded to her son made her smile a little, it was only thanks to his tears that James had pulled through and now refused to leave her side given her state of distress. Her heart jumped as James finally opened his eyes and smiled when he saw it was her. She put his hand to her cheek and felt him gently rub his fingers against her cheek. Relief at his survival nearly overwhelmed her, she was not going to lose him again she thought with anger and determination now.

"Hey mate, how are you?" A voice at the door sounded and if it had been anyone else she would have told them to get lost but since it was Sirius she pushed that idea away and let him come up to the bed, James nodded at his best friend and winked. Sirius then turned to Lily and said.

"We got the assassin to speak with Veritaserum and Lily...they are a Faceless Man."

That honestly both startled and scared Lily more than she cared to admit, the Faceless Men! The most effective and dangerous assassins in the world. Able to steal faces and be anyone that they wanted. Never giving up till a contract was completed.

She honestly was so confused for a moment, who would hire a Faceless Man to come and kill her husband. So she asked.

"Was it James they wanted? And who hired them?"

Sirius grimaced but swallowed his anger as his friend slipped back to sleep as the Phoenix fed him some more tears to aid his recovery, not wanting to disturb him while he was healing. So he said quietly.

"It was James they wanted and it was Aegon who hired them."

Lily was struck dumb with fear, if they really wanted James then how the hell was she going to stop them. If this assassin failed they would just send another and even if they killed Aegon it would not stop until James was dead, so they could fulfil the contract. How the help were they supposed to stop the world's most dangerous assassins? She raged quietly in her own mind. She would need to know more about them and their magic.

So she needed to do some tests.

-x-

Visenya meanwhile was dealing with some very scared and very tired children.

"Is father going to be alright?" Godric asked her as she tucked him in, she gave him a tired smile before saying.

"Of course, you have phoenixes remember. Lord James will be just fine." She told him and he seemed to accept that before finally drifting off to sleep. She sighed and was grateful that Melody and Serenity had not needed as much reassurance as their younger brother and managed to get to sleep on their own.

She left him to sleep and went to the rooms opposite which now belonged for the foreseeable future to her younger brothers and sister, entering she saw that her little brothers had curled up protectively around the bassinet that held Alysanne. A smile came to her lips at the sheer cuteness of the scene and as gently as possible she picked up Aegon first and then Viserys, putting them both in their beds before giving each of them a kiss on the forehead.

She went to leave them to sleep in peace, happy to have her youngest siblings safe under her roof and not where they might be in danger. The pain of losing Lucerys seemed to ease a bit as she looked at them, her heart going out to them but at least she could make sure they were safe.

Her smile momentarily dimmed as she thought of Jacaerys and Joffrey who remained out in the world not to mention Harry, worrying they could share the same fate as their brother and even a glimmer for her mother that had lost a son. However she forced those thoughts to the back of her mind and vowed not to worry about something that could happen, she would remain in the here and now. Face each day as it came and hope for the best.

The Black Army Camp, the Riverlands…

The Black Army after their recent victory and reunification was in high spirits, Vale and Rivermen mixed with drinking and song at night while they trained or enjoyed whores during the day. Their combined strength was easily thirty thousand men and they were full of confidence that they could achieve anything.

Still Harry and his allies insisted they stay focused and vigilant especially with the threat posed by southern invasion. Harry was still unsure which direction an attack might come and he could not risk moving the army until he knew which way an assault would arrive; the Westerlands or the Crownlands.

He stared at the map and weighed up the odds, many in the Crownlands had defected to the Greens after the Burning of Duskendale and also the Stormlands Army or Green-Reach forces could easily move up through there to attack from that direction. But the Lannisters who arguably had the most well-equipped and second largest in all of Westeros were also a distinct possibly coming up the River Road and past the Golden Tooth.

Either way he was pinned, he could not risk moving the army till he knew where they were going to attack from and the thought then occurred to him that Aegon could easily do both and then he would be faced with two enemy armies that could easily outnumber him but at least two to one.

Worse yet joined together he would have little chance at all.

A shudder ran through him at the thought of having to face such large armies but there was little he could do about it and hope the Northern Army got here first. That would take a great deal off his mind he realised with the mounting stress giving him a headache.

The Red Keep, Kings Landing…

Aegon sat at the table of his Small Council, fuming so badly had reality been more surreal he would have been literally smoking from his ears. The losses he had suffered had only been slightly avenged by his attack on his bitch sister's loyalists but more would need to be done for him to finally gut Rhaenyra, Daemon and all the rest of their filthy bastard stock! He raged and turned to the new members of his Small Council.

"Has Lord Baratheon rallied?" He demanded, scowling at his new Master of Laws Ser Horace Mertyn, a frail looking middle aged man who honestly could hardly move in plate armour and cowered under his gaze with a lack of spine, something that made Aegon feel a little better. That however quickly dissipated when the son of Lord Mertyn responded.

"No your grace...he has been trying to find the gold mine of House Patroni and word has reached us of an army gathering in the Dornish Marshes. He cannot risk his army joining your struggle till he has ensured there is no danger from Dorne. Not to mention many Reach houses will not openly join the struggle till House Tyrell makes its decision about who to support."

Aegon was silent for a moment, his eyes blazing with rage but somehow he suppressed it and turned to Ser Arthur Reyne who was his new Master of Coin. The other man who unlike his comrade was tall and muscular, young and fit with golden hair typical of the Westerlands and possessed a quiet dignity so he merely stayed composed and calm under Aegon's gaze which infuriated him even more and as if sensing this Ser Reyne spoke the answer Aegon wanted to hear.

"The Westerlands Army has mustered its strength and is ready to march but Lord Lannister is reluctant to risk his brother's life while he is a prisoner of the Blacks." Ser Reyne said without emotion.

Aegon then exploded with rage and slammed his hands straight into the wooden table, the suddenness of the move made all of them jump in surprise.

"I DON'T CARE!" Aegon yelled with spit flying from his mouth. His moustache which he had neglected to trim made it look like he was foaming at the mouth for a second. "YOU HAVE CONSTANTLY BOASTED OF YOUR STRENGTH AND POWER! PROVE IT! ATTACK THE BLACKS IN THE RIVERLANDS."

Ser Reyne looked worried, not sure if the king were right in the head after the death of his son and brother but sighed as he nodded, meaning to send the command to his liege lord knowing this was exactly what they had hoped to avoid but Aegon was the king and he had made his will known.

"And what of the Triarchy fleet?" Aegon said once he had calmed down slightly. The new Grandmaester Alyn, an older man with a mass of white hair said.

"They have managed to reach our shores, soon they will attack the Velaryon fleet and neutralise that threat to your rule, your majesty." Alyn said and Aegon smirked, eager to see the spectacle decided he would fly out to meet them.

Dragonstone, the Narrow Sea…

The waters of the Narrow Sea were choppy today the winds whipping them up but not to the extent it was dangerous yet. Rhaenyra was basking in the afterglow of her latest bout of passionate sex with Daemon who lay there sated and exhausted just like her. His interest in her might have been reduced some time ago but since her beauty had come back so had their mutual passion for each other. He should have been in the Riverlands leading their army but he honestly had no regrets about not being there, not when he had Rhaenyra in his bed he thought with contentment. He might only be the 'Queen's Consort' officially but he was at last king in reality and he honestly couldn't wait to finally get back at all those that had slighted him throughout the years.

A knock at the door was an unwelcome interruption and they ignored it as Rhaenyra slid herself onto his lap and he felt his cock stirring again. Before they could go any further though the voice of Joffrey at the door killed the mood.

"Mother! A message just arrived from Dorne, the Triarchy has sent a large fleet towards us! We have maybe a week till they arrive."

That instantly got both of them to stop their previous actions and quickly abandon their lovemaking, getting to their feet.

"Those bastards!" Daemon growled with anger more like his dragon than a human. His hatred of those delusional bastards that had stolen his crown from him making him almost turn purple with rage. He was more than ready to get on Caraxes and fight them all on his own but Rhaenyra was struck by the sight of Sheepstealer flying past. He was a dragon but a wild one that irritated local shepherds by stealing their flocks hence the name.

That gave her an idea, one that would render the Reach, Stormlands and Westerlands armies worthless not to mention this fleet. Maybe even win this war she thought before turning to Daemon.

"Go and find all the Dragonseeds you can, be quick." She said and Daemon looked at her with confusion but pulled his breeches on while she went to the door and asked Joffrey on the other side of it. "What did Dorne want in exchange for this warning?" Dorne after all were not friends of the Iron Throne or House Targaryen.

"Princess Meria Martell extends this as a gift in the hopes that we will honour the pact that Jaehaerys made and maintain peace." Joffrey said with a hopeful tone.

Rhaenyra had no problem with that, it served her kingdom well if they maintained peace and trading with Dorne and she had no intention of wasting resources on an invasion that had failed before. So she would honour the pact and keep the peace with Dorne. Meanwhile though she had a battle to prepare for.

Godric's Hollow, the Riverlands…

Lily stood over the gagged and heavily restrained Faceless Man, who had now given up the mask of the serving girl and was wearing one of an old toothless man. However that mattered little to her as she tried her best to decode his magic with arithmancy and special spells.

He had no actual magic of his own, that she had realised quickly. Spells existed to test for that and it had not found any natural magical energy at all. What he did have she had discovered was energy being supplied to him by a foreign source, it only granted him or her or whatever with the ability to wear a face taken from someone else, a fact that made Lily nearly vomit in disgust at how ghoulish that was. She had considered trying to set up some kind of ward to keep them out but warding was not her area of expertise nor Sirius or Amelia. She could do basic ones but more specialised stuff was beyond her experience.

But it did leave her with an interesting possibility.

She glared at the Faceless Man who only stared back at her completely passively, no emotion at all even as she removed his gag and without giving him a chance to speak she poured five drops of Veritaserum down his throat and held his jaw firmly to make him swallow it. A look of anger crossing her face as she stared down at the 'thing' that had nearly taken her husband from her on the whims of a pathetic little mad man.

Once she was sure he had swallowed the potion and that it had time to take effect she posed her questions.

"If I killed Aegon would the contract be cancelled?" She wanted to confirm it before taking any further action. The Faceless Man did not seem to struggle against it, perhaps she thought being 'no one' meant you lacked the personality required to resist but did not dwell on it.

"No, the contract will be pursued to completion regardless."

That confirmed her worst fear Lily thought gritting her teeth before asking her next question.

"Your ability to change faces, it comes from a single source doesn't it?" She asked with interest. He hesitated for a moment but answered all the same.

"Yes, at the centre of the House of Black and White is a pool. Filled with water blessed by the magic of the Many Faced God thousands of years ago that was brought from the Valyrian Freehold to Braavos. It is irreplaceable and central to our order." He said and Lily nodded before asking with increasing intensity.

"If I destroyed the pool, would you lose the power to take and wear faces?"

He did seem to struggle harder this time but the potion refused to let him not answer her question and certainly only give the truth.

"Yes."

Black Camp, The Riverlands…

The setting sun brought much merriment to the camp as the sight of thirty thousand men baring the Northern houses banners finally arrived. Although they had missed much of the war so far the arrival of the Starks and their army was a blessed relief, it meant they had a far better chance of contending with the southerners if they came.

Another thing that came as a great relief for some and a source of tension for others was the arrival of Prince Jacaerys and his dragon Vermax. The sight of yet another dragon especially after the burning of Duskendale made many scared more than ever of having a dragon around but there were others that felt far better about their chances in the next battle...with a dragon on their side.

Jacaerys flew down and landed at the edge of the camp where Harry and the other leaders were waiting for him, Cregan rode ahead of his men. Harry and his allies, mindful of the fact that Jacaerys was the crown prince knelt.

"Your grace, you are most welcome." Harry said as he bowed his head and Jacaerys looked a little embarrassed at this and quickly said.

"Rise Lord Peverell, your service to my family has been truly appreciated and exemplary. I only wish we could have been here earlier." Jacaerys said, giving Harry permission to get to his feet. He easily was at least a foot taller than the younger prince and far more muscular, Harry nodded in thanks mindful of his manners before turning to Cregan Stark who looked as stern and unmovable as he had the last time they had met but that was good in war. Someone who stayed focused and steady in the face of conflict, that wouldn't easily panic.

Harry extended his hand and Cregan took it quickly, both glad they had a strong grip or one would have crushed the other.

"Lord Stark, it is a pleasure to see you again. Congratulations on the birth of your son." Harry said determined to be polite. Cregan nodded in acceptance and said.

"The same to you Lord Peverell, but time is short as I have to report Prince Jacaerys during his morning flight saw a large army gathering at the Golden Tooth. The Lannisters are coming." Cregan told him grimly. The Prince nodded with concern, understanding the threat.

Harry and the others behind him grimaced, so that's where it will be Harry thought. There was still great danger in an attack coming from the Crownlands but he could not ignore the threat posed by the Lannisters. He would have to engage them.

Harry led them wordlessly back to the main tent and with the senior Northern Lords and Prince joining them the army's leaders conferred. The fact they would now have to fight the Lannisters made all of them uneasy, they were possibly the most efficient and well equipped army in all of Westeros not to say one of the largest.

He honestly wanted to sigh in depression as he realised what a bloody struggle it was going to be but kept his composure as the lords argued around him. He looked to the young prince who was like him thinking of the battle to come with worry. Harry started to wonder if Jacaerys was too young for this, he was nearly of age but seemed to lack the confidence to bring this meeting under control. Harry questioned how much had Rhaenyra had taught him about ruling and if she had truly prepared him for the throne. Jacaerys if he wanted the respect on the lords here he should bring this meeting under control, but he seemed unwilling to speak.

Harry was starting to realise he would need to help him learn but was then was distracted by a roar from Vermax as he took to the skies again for its own enjoyment. The sound brought great unease to the faces of the lords present and Harry wondered how long it would take for them to not be scared of the dragon or perhaps they never would and remain fearful of it for the rest of their time here.

Then a single word stuck in his mind...Fear.

Fear was a powerful weapon as his grandfather had often said, easier to create than love and most of the time reliable although Harry was not sure he agreed with the last part and disliked the idea of people fearing him. Still his grandfather had a point, it was far easier to make people afraid and fear would often send people running.

A plan started forming in his head, one that used their greater numbers and the prince's dragon to weaken their enemy to the point where defeating them would be far easier.

"QUIET!" Harry said, loudly enough to be heard but without truly shouting. The tent instantly became silent and Harry said. "We have a battle to prepare for and a long march ahead, I will speak to all of you once I have finished preparations but I assure you...I have a plan that will ensure a far easier fight." He said with a confident grin that he conjured up to convince them he had all this in hand. The Riverlords and Valemen all accepted it and began to file out to get their men ready for the march ahead, at Cregan's nod many of the Northern lords did the same leaving just Cregan, Harry and Jacaerys in the tent.

"Do you have a plan? Or were you just putting on a mummer's show for the men?" Jacaerys asked with worried curiosity and Harry merely stared at him imperiously which seemed to unsettle the younger man.

"Yes I have a plan, one that requires both you and your dragon to be truly effective but regardless there is something else we need to talk about…Daemon. Many in this camp are far from pleased or comfortable with his actions." Harry said.

Jacaerys winced at the mention of his mother's second husband, what he had done to his young cousins and aunt had been...terrible. While Aegon in his rage had killed far more at Duskendale, what Daemon had done was just more...vicious somehow. To make a mother choose which of her sons was going to die and then kill the other one just to mess with them? Not to mention present that child's head to his own wife as a gift?

Jacaerys was not able to repress the shiver of disgust that ran through him. His little cousins had never harmed anyone, they had been sweet and full of life. He sometimes saw in his nightmares the image of them as what he feared they must be like now...broken and without joy. It stabbed at his soul and honestly he wondered if his stepfather's actions had damned them all, would they forever be marred with his stain of his actions.

"What he did was wrong." Jacaerys said with a small tear running down his cheek as he remembered his young cousin who he had never had the chance to get to know but mourned for a young life lost all the same. "It was disturbing and that my mother applauds it regardless of what happened to Lucerys is more unsettling than I am comfortable with. He should be punished." Jacaerys said with slow resolve. Harry nodded and turned to Cregan who had been silently observing them, they both stared at him and he nodded in agreement, signalling his own feelings on the matter mirrored theirs.

-x-

Later before they slept for the night and started the march in the morning Cregan found himself meeting Lord Patroni who was a fairly tall man with greyish white hair, a slight pot belly and a large warm smile. His face and more surprisingly his hands were marked with the evidence of labour, unusual for a lord Cregan thought. Marks left from fighting were common but as he shook the man's hand he knew they came from using tools not to mention his strength was surprising, nearly enough to make him wince. That made Cregan respect him a little more, a man not afraid to roll up his sleeves and actually work he might come from the Stormlands but it was a refreshingly Northern attitude.

"Lord Stark thank you for meeting with me." Lord Patroni said with a beaming smile.

"Lord Patroni I admit I was surprised by your letter, but I have to ask why your family has felt the need to flee rather than reason with House Baratheon or seek help elsewhere?" Cregan asked and Lord Patroni's smile dimmed slightly but did not vanish as he explained.

"I take it you have never met Borros Baratheon?" Lord Patroni said with an irritated look in his eye. "The man is a stubborn goat that can't even be bothered to learn how to read! And a selfish one at that! He wanted our gold mine for himself well joke's on him because it was virtually dried up anyway." Lord Patroni said with a bitterness coming into his voice as his smile disappeared but before going off on a rant he seemed to calm himself and said.

"This is why I cannot reason with him, his greed and incredible stubbornness is as unmovable as a mountain. And none are willing to upset him in our defence but I can offer you my family's loyalty and services in exchange for safe haven. Here these are some of my work." He said and pulled out some scrolls from a cabinet and laid them out on the table. Studying the designs Cregan was immediately impressed, while no engineer himself he knew enough to recognise the simple elegance and innovation in the work in front of him. Canals, warehouses with multiple floors and a pulley based lift system, defence towers and more that he had never seen before. In fact it was so good that he felt the need to comment on it.

"This is very good work." Cregan told Lord Patroni who's smile returned and he told him.

"Thank you Lord Stark, some of these I am sure will be of use to the North and if you would be willing to give me and family some land we have what gold we managed to get out of the mine before collapsing it to build a home of our own."

Cregan was taken aback by his boldness and a little impressed too, coming to a quick decision.

"Welcome to the North Lord Patroni, I will arrange for you, your family and retinue sanctuary at Winterfell till appropriate lands can be decided on." Cregan told him and Lord Patroni beamed with joy at finding a new safe start for his family. He would never forget the kindness of House Stark and would ensure his sons did the same.

Cregan meanwhile was now more confident than ever that he had found a strong and capable new house to take residence in the North. Yes it was a risk but he was sure in his own judgement that House Patroni would be a good vassal to House Stark.

The Red Keep, Kings Landing…

Daeron now dressed in Kingsguard armour was appalled at the state of things now he had returned home, he had tried to speak to his mother but she refused to leave her rooms and prayed most days. No long making appearances at court she had gained weight and seemed to be ageing rapidly.

His sister Helaena was even worse, the life seemed to have gone out of her eyes along with all sense of joy. Not that there had been much there before thanks to his elder brothers bullying of her but when with her children she had been happy and full of happiness. But no longer, he thought sadly as she just sat watching her remaining two either read or play but when Maelor caught her looking he actually glared at his own mother and she seemed to shrink into herself.

He had heard of what had transpired the night and honestly he had never wanted to kill someone as much as he did Daemon Targaryen. Only his brother's orders had prevented him from trying to get to Dragonstone to do so. It burned inside him that such a coward could escape justice for his crimes and vowed should they ever cross paths that Daemon would die by his hand Daeron vowed his hands clenched so tightly they turned white.

However seeing his remaining nephew and niece, both a picture of innocence stopped him and a surge of protectiveness went through him. Despite many searches of the castle they had not found how the assassins had truly entered and he feared deeply that they might return for Jaehaera and Maelor.

He could not let that happen Daeron thought with desperation and told his sister who just stared blankly, like her eyes were made of glass.

"Dear sister I will speak to our brother and get permission for all of us to go to Oldtown. There we will be safe." He said but nothing seemed to reach her and as he knelt in front of her he gently took her hand and held it in hopes she might squeeze back and show him some sign she was still in there.

But there was nothing, her body might live but her soul, her spirit had long departed.

Daeron sadly placed a kiss on her hand before turning to his fellow Kingsguard Ser Rickard Thorne who nodded, allowing him to leave them to seek out his brother.

Aegon was not hard to find, sitting like he hadn't a care in the world on the Iron Throne with a whore draped across his lap without a single drop of shame.

As he entered the Throne Room Daeron could not help but compare the court from now to the days when his father had ruled. Back then it had been full of music, laughter, gossiping nobles, fools and colour. Yes there had been the division from the two halves of the family and the usual backstabbing for power but there had been a lighter side to life in the Red Keep.

Now however…

There was still music and fools but no laughter, gossip was almost non-existent. People huddled together looking around with fear and disgust at the whores that wandered around the room so boldly.

Something else that Daeron hated about the current state of affairs.

Still he kept his eyes focused on the throne and his brother upon it, the whore showed no sign of moving at his approach and Aegon merely looked at him without a care.

"Your grace, I request your consent to take the young prince and princess to Oldtown for their own safety given we still haven't found the way that the assassins entered." Daeron said and was rewarded with a dismissive wave of Aegon's hand.

"Nonsense. They will stay here." He didn't even bother to explain himself, he then took a fresh cup of sweet Red Arbor.

That lack of caring told Daeron much, he didn't care about his children at all any more. Whether it was grief at the loss of his eldest son or the benefits of his position Daeron didn't know.

Nor did his brother care much for ruling as often more was achieved in Small Council meetings when he wasn't there which was an occurrence which was growing much more frequent.

Just like their sister, he had lost the ability to care only it took him in a more hedonistic direction than drowning in grief. Just as if to prove his point Aegon dripped wine on the whore's breasts and proceeded to lick it off in full view of the court.

Without sparing another glance in an effort to hide his disgust Daeron left the room to return and watch his sister and her children. He had never disobeyed his brother before, he was more used to taking orders than giving them but he would not let his brother's lack of caring endanger the lives of his niece and nephew.

He would get them out of here and to safety whatever it took.

The River Road, Westerlands/Riverlands Border...

Two Days Later…

The hills around the River Road were covered with men as two armies stood facing each other, neither side seemed eager to attack though and tension was thick in the air.

One side was larger than the other but only by a narrow margin and was far less organised than the counterparts on the other side of the field.

A messenger had just delivered the Black's terms to the Lannisters on the other side of the field. Harry along with Cregan and the rest of his loyalists stood ready as the messenger returned, eagerly they listened for the man to say what Lord Jason Lannister had to say.

"He refuses to return home my lords, even for the release of his brother." The messenger said grimly.

Harry sighed quietly to himself, Tyland had said his brother was stubborn but he hoped that maybe the return of Tyland and the promise of no invasion of the Westerlands might be enough to get Jason to stop but had been a vain hope.

Harry nodded and turned to Samwell and Cregan, they nodded and started passing the orders down to their men. Harry meanwhile stared at the Lannister army and hoped that his plan worked.

The men at the front of their lines were confused at what they were ordered to do but their commanders had not steered them wrong before and so they did as they were told.

They took whatever weapon and shield they had and started banging them together. The clanging and banging sound echoed as so many men did it and then between each bang they began to yell.

"AH WOO! AH WOO!"

-x-

The Lannister men on the other side made up of all them and their vassals looked on in confusion and discomfort. They knew they were facing an army that had never lost a battle and while they were confident in what they could do, the sound made by the 'Black' army was unnerving them.

When after a few moments of doing this the Black Army took a step forward as if to charge they all jumped, but then they stopped and started their chanting again. Confusion and an even greater sense of unease gripped the men, not sure what they were doing.

Lord Jason Lannister who was sat with the rest of his knights was just as confused as his men, he had no idea what the Blacks were trying to achieve but if it was supposed to be unsettling and confusing to his men then it seemed to be succeeding he realised with alarm. Fortunately no one was running and that eased his concerns.

-x-

Harry from his position allowed the war cries to go on for a short time before turning to Black Aly and gave a nod. She returned it with a grin before turning around and lighting the tip of her arrow on fire before launching it into the air as high and as far as she could.

The sound of the men and their war cries was instantly drowned out by an astoundingly loud screech that echoed across the area. The men all looked around startled but did not have to wait long as the blue scaled dragon Vermax appearing suddenly from behind the nearby hills and screeching loudly descended on the Lannister army.

Screams of "DRAGON!" could be heard as men panicked and started running, their own men looked ready too as well until they realised it was Prince Jacaerys and his dragon and they at least partly relaxed and regained some discipline.

Jacaerys then had Vermax dive and started blasting streams of fire down at the earth below but as Harry had said and Jacaerys had demanded, at the enemy's sides not straight towards them. The sight of the fire when combined with the recent Burning of Duskendale and the existing state of unease sent many of the Westerlands army running in terror. Some lords and knights tried to rally them to stay still but most were far too scared to listen and just ran, a few lords and knights amongst them.

Some didn't even have a choice as the screeches from Vermax frightened the Lannister horses so much that they bolted carrying some knights off with them while many were thrown and abandoned or dragged away by their mounts helpless.

Harry smiled as what looked like two thirds of their army, mostly conscripted common-folk ran away from Vermax. When scared people had two central instincts; run or fight and the most frequent one was run, playing on their fears and the reminder of the power of dragons given by Aegon himself to make the Westerlands army rout without a single act of physical violence.

Sadly though, a third of their army had stood their ground and so with a resigned look on his face, Harry took the horn that gave the signal to charge and blew hard.

Tens of thousands of men at the sound of the horn began to charge straight at the disorganised and demoralised Westerlands army. Those that stood saw them coming and a few more retreated rather than be run down but some including Lord Jason Lannister readied their weapons to make their final stand.

-x-

Screams of men and the few horses filled the air as they were surrounded and enveloped, Jason Lannister who was renowned for being dashing and brave lived up to his name but was soon exhausted by the sheer number of opponents he was facing, as he swung his sword and decapitated another enemy soldier and received a hard bash from a mace a moment later. His breathing was rapid and harsh while his muscles ached and felt like lead but with a will power that surprised even him he kept on fighting.

"LANNISTER!" A voice called out, Northern he recognised and saw the bearded and tall figure of Cregan Stark approaching with his greatsword Ice in hand, carrying it like it weighed nothing. Jason gritted his teeth as he realised Cregan's strength and that as a trained fighter he would be very hard to beat. Stark surprised him however by saying.

"There is no need for this. Aegon is not worth dying for, you have a son! As a father myself I know he will need me there to teach him to be a man. Think of your son! He needs you, your daughters need you." Cregan said imploring him to give up and surrender.

Jason at the mention of his son, Loreon and his many daughters faltered slightly. Their faces smiling up at him danced across his mind and for a moment he honestly wanted nothing more than to just throw down his sword and go home to them but his worry about Aegon burning his home, the sole reason he was here reared its head. He could not give Aegon a reason to burn Casterly Rock and kill his children, resignation that he was about to die settled in and he lifted his sword, staring Cregan in the eye.

"I cannot give him the excuse to burn my home and kill my children, he would." Jason said with desperation in his eyes. "My brother and my wife will teach them."

Cregan gave him a look of pity and told him with sadness.

"I understand, I will make sure your family knows and is protected I swear it."

Jason nodded in thanks and neither spoke another word, charging forward and Jason managed with his tired limbs to block a strike but Cregan easily broke the blade lock and stabbed Jason. Jason did not seem surprised by the injury but was surprised when Cregan held him and gave him a look of reassurance.

Jason somehow knew Cregan was a man of his word, he would protect his family from Rhaenyra and ensure House Lannister endured. That brought him a great deal of comfort as he passed from the world and onto the next.

The House of Black and White, Braavos…

Late Night…

Braavos reminded Lily of Venice, a truly brilliant city that had gone from a swampy backwater to one of the most powerful cities on Earth and inspired countless people throughout the centuries. She had always wanted to go but the war and going into hiding had prevented her and James from having their honeymoon there and although they had decided to take Harry on their first holiday abroad it had unfortunately never happened she thought sadly.

But she turned her mind away from the past and focused on the city and wondered briefly if the similar architecture was due to someone from their world coming here when it was being built but shoved that thought aside, it hardly mattered in the end and she was here for a different purpose.

Although she had personally never been here before Sirius had on one of his early trips with James so he brought them here and as they stared at the House of Black and White, dressed in black robes with masks to conceal their identities rather like Death Eaters to their mutual discomfort they had only one purpose.

The Temple was large and somewhat impressive, with doors of ebony and wierwood twelve feet high and while it did tempt her superficially to go and explore the temple to discover its mysteries it was just a passing fancy. Her purpose was far too important to waste time on silly little whims. Sirius with his face hidden by the mask turned to look at her like he was going to ask her if she really wanted to do this but without wasting a moment longer she pulled out her wand and shouted.

"FIENDFYRE!"

A second passed where nothing happened and then a blast fire burst free from her wand making the air around them heat up to the level of a volcano's edge.

The fire meanwhile slammed into the House of Black and White, the building seemed to withstand it for a moment but soon it gave way to the power of the fire elemental. The doors gave way first and then later weaker areas of the walls crumbled as the fire forced its way inside, tearing through passageways that offered less resistance than the walls and into the bowels of the temple. Those that lived in the temple had little chance to realise they were going to join their god before being incinerated as the fire burned them to nothing.

Soon it reached the large chamber where the pool lay and filled it with incredible force and heat, so much so that the water in the pool evaporated in a matter of seconds.

All around the world, wherever Faceless Men were they instantly felt their borrowed faces lose power as magic they were dependant on drained away. They simply fell off and revealed the truth to whoever was there to see it. Some in the midst of infiltrating were instantly revealed to their enemies and had to either flee or be killed. Many were cut down and the few survivors would not realise what had happened till they managed to return to Braavos and discover the truth.

Lily ended her spell and collapsed into Sirius's arms as her energy left her, driven by her rage it had been stronger than intended and nearly hurt her badly but the task was done she thought with triumph. No longer would the Faceless Men be able to threaten her family, they would have far bigger problems to deal with now she thought with a sense of achievement as the temple started to collapse from the damage she had inflicted and still was burning fiercely.

She turned to Sirius, whose eyes looked at her with concern and told him smiling.

"Let's go home."

The Black Camp, the Westerlands…

The battle was over and the men were celebrating, some jeering at the cowardice of the Westerlands and drinking.

Harry did not begrudge his men enjoying their success, moral was as important to an army as food and equipment not to mention good leadership he thought with considerable modesty. If men lacked the spirit to fight, then they were little more than warm bodies that were likely to be easily killed. The war had been going well for them so far and their belief in what they could do was high, it was his job he thought with a deep sense of responsibility to keep them alive and grounded but for tonight let them celebrate he thought.

Meanwhile he, Jacaerys and Cregan had a difficult duty.

He picked up the special bundle he had picked up when last home and exited his tent, finding them sitting with the men, enjoying some ale and it was strange to see the Crown Prince sitting with common soldiers just enjoying ale and singing but it was a good thing he realised as they started to see him for the charming and good natured young man he was and not whatever Aegon chose to paint him as. They would trust him and follow him far more easily in the future.

Harry caught their eyes and they got up, bid the rest of the men a good night and came over to join him as he walked over to Tyland's makeshift cell. The guards stood aside as they approached and unlocked the door, allowing them in.

Tyland looked up and he must have heard the men celebrating because he looked deeply depressed and likely knew the fate of his brother. Harry gave him a look of sympathy while Cregan said grimly.

"He fought as a warrior till the end. He was afraid Aegon and Rhaenyra would slaughter his family and burn his home if he refused to fight." Cregan told Tyland who looked angry suddenly and said with great bitterness.

"That sounds like Aegon. He doesn't care about anyone but himself and the same goes for Rhaenyra." He snarled and Jacaerys who Tyland had failed to realise was even there looked deeply uncomfortable but said nothing as he realised the man was grieving anything he said might make matters worse. Harry thankfully started talking in his place.

"Cregan swore to make sure your nephew and his sisters were protected and I intend to help in anyway I can. Neither Aegon or Rhaenyra is worth dying for and your nephew will need you to teach him to be a man. His mother is a strong woman I have heard but if you are there to help her protect Loreon and his sisters she will be far more secure." Harry said, Lady Johanna Lannister was certainly from all he had heard up to raising her son and ruling in his stead but if she had Tyland there to support it would be a little easier. He then said to the surprised Tyland. "I think this is the ideal time for the Westerlands to exit the war and fight for neither side."

"I will honour a non-aggression pact with the Westerlands, you will have no need to worry about fighting us I swear. My mother would not be so foolish as to ignore my word when it is given." Jacaerys said finally entering the conversation and added. "Besides Aegon has few dragons left and I doubt any of them would pose a threat to Casterly Rock."

Tyland seemed to consider these words heavily for a moment, not sure if he could trust them but Harry and Cregan were men of their word and any chance he had to protect his family was a risk worth taking.

Harry then laid down a bundle in front of him, Tyland looked at him and then the bundle with confusion.

"A gift, along with your freedom as proof of our sincerity." Harry said. That really surprised Tyland especially as he opened the bundle and was astonished to see what was inside something that amazed both Cregan and Jacaerys too but more so the risk he was taking. Tyland was easily their most valuable hostage and to just let him go on the chance he might agree to their terms was something they could hardly conceive of.

But risk was part of the game after all they thought as Tyland finally stepped out of his cell and took their offer of his freedom.

Dragonstone, the Narrow Sea…

Same Night…

Rhaenyra was smug as she considered her plan, it had the potential to make Aegon's Reach and Stormlands army useless against her not to mention she thought with annoyance ensure the loyalty of her own army. She was not blind or stupid, she knew they were questioning her leadership and right to throne, would a man have to suffer such scrutiny? She inwardly cursed, of course not but she had her every deed and word questioned endlessly.

So she would make sure they did not betray her with the best weapon she could have, more dragons.

She was somewhat relieved to see Sers Addam and Alyn Velaryon kneeling before her, although only the age of her own sons their loyalty was much appreciated. The two young men were handsome she thought with the classic look of Valyria with silver hair and purple eyes and would make fine dragonriders she thought with pride.

However the next three Daemon her beloved had chosen were...less than she had hoped.

All claimed to have the blood of Valyria in her and in the case of two of them at least she could believe it, Ulf the White as he was named and Hugh Hammer probably she thought for the large hammer he chose to wield were neither educated or fit to fly dragons in her mind. Daemon had found them both drinking in the local tavern and something in her told her that giving either of these two a dragon was a huge mistake but she pushed it to the back of her mind, sure that even if they did rebel they could be dealt with easily enough.

The final one was the one she doubted the most however, possibly she thought with derision the most unattractive girl she had ever seen. Her dark skin was exotic enough to attract some men she was sure and wondered if that was why Daemon had believed her words about having Valyrian blood, a spike of jealousy ran through her but she suppressed it with her own vanity.

How could Daemon ever find this 'Nettles' more attractive than her?

She only had to look at the girl's skinny almost boyish figure, her crooked teeth and a scarred nose. She smelled revolting too, even from here Rhaenyra could smell something foul coming from the girl.

But if she were lying about having Valyrian blood Rhaenyra thought with a small smirk they would soon know it. Daemon at her side spoke to the new recruits with pride.

"Welcome, you have all been chosen for a great honour...to fly dragons and fight for the crown of the one true monarch Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. First of her name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men. Defender of the Faith. You have all been blessed with the blood of the dragon so to prove your worth, you must each face the dragons on this island and mount one. Do so and you will become a dragon rider, sure of riches and glory once this war is won. Now GO!" Daemon said with eagerness, sure this would make their victory certain. After all the Greens only had three dragons left while they had more than double that but this would change that advantage into certain victory.

The girl Nettles had almost passed him by he thought as he noticed her running towards the brown scaled Sheepstealer, his thoughts turned to her. She was by many standards ugly at least in his eyes but her boldness drew him. She however did not look at all like the other dragonseeds and he had been sure she would be turned on by the wild dragon but much to his surprise and that of Rhaenyra beside him the dragon allowed her to mount him. The one they had most doubted was the first to mount and claim a dragon.

Their gaze still surprised turned to the others as they climbed the volcano to find the other dragons; Addam Velaryon and his brother Alyn were next to find their dragons Seasmoke and Grey Ghost who seemed drawn by all the extra activity that night.

The final two seemed to be having trouble though, Ulf and Hugh seemed to be set on finding and mounting Vhagar and the Cannibal, the most vicious of the wild dragons that actually ate dragon hatchlings but they had both made their nests higher on the volcano and were at present out of reach.

However Rhaenyra's heart seized when she saw them approaching Silverwing and Vermithor, the dragons of Alysanne and Jaehaerys her great-grandparents' beasts. She wanted to stop them because it seemed a disgrace to let such noble dragons be ridden by such men but before she could go to stop them they had managed to mount both of them. She frowned and wondered why something inside her screamed this was a mistake.

However with considerable doubt still in her mind she pushed it aside as she focused on the biggest single use of dragons yet in what was to come.

-x-

The Narrow Sea, Near Massey's Hook and Stonedance…

Days Later…

Aegon was filled with genuine joy for the first time in weeks as he took flight with Sunfyre again to meet the Triarchy fleet and join them in battle. The idea of burning his sister's precious Velaryon fleet into the sea was too much of a pleasure to pass up in his mind and he was making sure he enjoyed it to the full.

When he finally saw the massive fleet of war galleys and other ships from the Three Daughters of Valyria he honestly was never more confident in all his life than he had been at the moment except when he and Aemond had flown out to kill the little bastard whose name he couldn't be bothered to recall.

However that all changed when a moment later he saw what was coming towards them from the north.

The Velaryon fleet at full sail was unexpected but not too worrying, the Triarchy Fleet outnumbered them but above them was a sight that made Aegon's blood run cold.

Eight dragons flying in formation. One of them clearly recognisable as Caraxes.

-x-

Rhaenyra was likewise shocked to see Sunfyre over the fleet but was not struck with fear like her half brother but instead with excitement. This was the chance to deal with Aegon once and for all and gain the satisfaction of avenging Lucerys, so she turned to Joffrey who flew beside her on Tyraxes who was now finally able to carry him aloft and gestured for him to follow her after Aegon before turning to Daemon who flew on her other side and gestured down. Both understood what she wanted and so she and her son peeled away from the others while they dived towards the approaching fleet.

-x-

Daemon honestly felt an almost orgasmic level of pleasure as he and Caraxes dived on the bastards that had stolen his crown from him.

"Dracarys." He said with exhilaration and Caraxes breathed his hot stream of fire on the ships below, still in the lines of cruising formation. Below him men screamed as their wooden ships were blasted with red hot flames, one after the other. The other dragon riders followed his lead and began to burn ships into the sea, any that broke off in an attempt to escape found themselves being ambushed by the Velaryon fleet. Daemon smiled wider than he ever had before, at last the chance to hurt those pricks had had robbed him of his crown had come and he was enjoying every moment of it. He actually wondered if after the war and Westeros was secure he might lead their new 'Dragonguard' to conquer the Triarchy...and take the Stepstones back while they were at it he thought eagerly but shoved that thought down as there as he got back to burning ships into the sea.

-x-

Above them meanwhile Rhaenyra and Joffrey were circling around the larger and less mobile Sunfyre, Syrax and Tyraxes while not as big were certainly dangerous enough as they blasted Sunfyre with streams of fire. Sunfyre howled in pain and on its back Aegon was urging it to go into a dive to try and escape the onslaught. Just as he did though he saw a blast of fire from one of the other two dragons strike Sunfyre's wing.

Rhaenyra and Joffrey both gave chase however the burning ships beneath them were now creating plums of smoke that Sunfyre disappeared. Rhaenyra desperately looked around but neither she nor Joffrey could see any sign of Sunfyre or Aegon.

It took a moment for her mind to register that Aegon had probably plummeted straight into the ocean, that in all likelihood her half brother was dead. His reign was over and at last she was unopposed in the contest for the Iron Throne.

A rush of excitement and pleasure ran through her as finally her destiny was being fulfilled, she was going to at last be Queen of Westeros.

Looking around she saw with satisfaction that her gamble had paid off, the dragons were blasting the fleet of ninety Triarchy warships to pieces while a dozen or so had been intercepted and captured by the Velaryon fleet. Her enemy had been defanged and her own fleet made stronger.

When some hours later she finally set down on Dragonstone followed by Daemon and the other riders she did not hesitate in running over to Daemon and throwing herself into his arms before passionately kissing him with everything she had. He did not wait even a moment before responding and if they had not had an audience he would have taken her right there and then. It was a glorious day for them and one that they would celebrate tonight in their rooms till at least dawn the following day.

When the need to breathe made them break their kiss and look deeply into each other's eyes, Rhaenyra breathlessly said with a smile.

"It's time."

He seemed confused at what she meant but soon caught on, he smiled too and kissed her harder. They were at last going to claim Kings Landing and the best part he thought with glee, they didn't even have to call their forces from the Westerlands to do it because at long last Lord Celtigar had returned with an army of six thousand sellswords. With the dragons they now had the force they needed to finally take the city and secure the throne.

Neither of them saw the look shared by Ulf and Hugh Hammer, like a predator eyeing an animal for potential weakness.

The Red Keep, Kings Landing…

Ravens from Stonedance and scouts along Massey's Point had been sent as quickly as possible to the capital and elsewhere to spread the word of the Triarchy's defeat and Aegon's apparent death. No body had been found but it was assumed given he had not returned home that the king was dead and soon Rhaenyra would be coming to Kings Landing.

Daeron was one of the first to see the raven, handed to him by the fearful GrandMaester. He honestly didn't even feel remotely sad that Aegon was very likely dead, his brother and him had been on bad terms for a long time as harsh as that was and he should be shamed at his death given that he was the leader of his Kingsguard but Aegon had gone out against everyone's advice and flown out to meet the Triarchy to see their fleet destroy the Velaryon navy.

Now Daeron was facing a much bigger crisis, his half sister and her forces were sure to come here and claim the Iron Throne with Aegon dead and he was powerless to stop them, he and Tessarion were no match for all the dragons that Rhaenyra and her brood commanded although he was disgusted at the dragons being given to commoners, there was little he could do about it.

Rhaenyra and Daemon would kill Jaehaera and Maelor he thought with fear as he looked at his young niece and nephew. Both could pose a threat to their rule and neither would ever tolerate that, made to join the Nights Watch and the Silent Sisters would never be good enough for them Daeron thought with worry. Both would die in either a mysterious 'illness or accident' at best, worst outright murdered he realised with horror at the image of the two sweet young children in front of him dying at the hands of some butcher, their innocent blood being spilt.

He had to get them away from here he decided desperately.

But where could they go he wondered? Essos was a possibility but given what had just happened to the Triarchy's fleet he doubted he would be welcome there. Braavos maybe but he would likely have to keep moving to stay ahead of the assassins his sister would send which would be easier with a dragon but still a hard trial.

So he would go to Oldtown first and get some guidance from his family there, they had trade contacts across the world that he hoped would help him or at least coin to help. He was struck with indecision and worry at what would happen to his mother and sister if he left them both here but Tessarion was not big enough to carry them all and Helaena had been as lifeless as a corpse except her heart was somewhat still beating, he could not rouse her even after weeks of trying.

He knew with a growing sense of unease that every moment that passed was a moment lost and he might have little time to get away so quickly took a firm hold of his niece and nephew, put them on a wagon and rode it to the Dragonpit where moments later after he had secured them to his special harness, Tessarion took flight carrying Daeron and his two precious charges south and away from the city of their birth.

Daeron felt none of the joy he usually did at flying with his dearest companion, instead a deep worry for the future had taken root and he honestly didn't have a clue what to expect next. The world seemed to be growing darker with each passing day he realised sadly, wishing for a moment that his mother had just kept her mouth shut and let Rhaenyra inherit the throne. Their family had lost so much because of that decision and he was not so stupid to think it wouldn't lose more in the days ahead.

Sunspear, Dorne…

Bellatrix was growing increasingly angry as she arrived in the capital of this miserable little country, hardly any magic existed here and she honestly was so pissed off that she had actually taken her anger out on every septon, septa and sept she could find. They were at least useful in providing a small outlet for her anger, not much else though she thought actually enjoying forcing the septons to violate the septas with her magic before having the Septas remove their cocks and force them to eat them right there in the sept itself. Blood covered all the walls and floors.

Some of the Septas she had left alive to live out their misery and pain. In time they would surely go mad she thought with satisfaction.

Not her best work, no she thought with a strong memory of that one time during the First War that had left her master's lackies so afraid of her they shivered at her merely glancing in their direction. Her painted red mouth smiled sadistically at the thought of it.

But it had not helped her find more magic she thought and she was about to try her luck elsewhere when finally she felt it...almost like a breath on the wind the echo of magic nearby. She eagerly looked in the direction it had come from, excited at last to have some magic at long last. Her eyes found the ridiculously shaped castle they called the 'Sandship' home of House Martell and her excitement grew, descendants of the Rhoynar they might be exactly what she needed and eagerly made her way towards the Sandship.

Arriving at the gate the guards went to question her but she didn't even miss a beat in casting a killing curse at them both, falling like puppets with their strings cut as her as she carried on through into the castle, guards appearing in her path only to disappear just as quickly as she cast whatever spell came into her head, usually of the darker variety.

Eventually as she entered one of the courtyards she saw a woman wearing a set of leather armour and holding a spear along with some terrified guards. There was Bellatrix realised an echo of magic in this one, they charged her and with a simple but powerful banishing spell she easily knocked them back and dismembered the guards with cutting charms, leaving them disabled she hit the woman who she guessed was a noble with a body bind and smirked her sinister grin at the expression of fear on her face. This only widened as she began to draw the runic lines on her body, carving them into her skin and despite not being able to move or speak tears of pain and terror ran down her face.

Bellatrix placed her ruby at the centre once she was done and began to drain the girl, her screams were strange as her mouth remained firmly closed and the rush of energy made Bellatrix sigh in euphoria but then a shadow on the floor made her aware of a person coming up behind her.

-x-

Cedric swung Dawn but the witch in front of him dodged it and rolled away, her wild black hair and very dark eyes blazed with madness and there was a gauntness to her that made him think she must have been doing some really dark magic for it to mark her appearance so. He had no idea just who she was but Colin who was holding a normal sword at his side did, he had become so pale he looked like fresh milk.

"Bellatrix Lestrange!" He said with a strangled yell. Cedric instantly understood and now felt very scared himself as he knew her reputation as well as any pureblood and more importantly she clearly still had her magic while he remained virtually powerless without a wand. He gripped Dawn tighter and held his ground though, he was a knight and he had to stop her somehow. Even if he had no idea how.

Bellatrix grinned that sinister smirk of hers and looked actually strangely relieved if surprised that he knew her real name but that didn't stop her from firing a dark purple curse his way. Instinctively he raised Dawn as if to block it even though he knew this was pointless and he had no time to evade.

Then something astonishing happened, the moment the curse came into contact with the strange metal that made up Dawn it simply disappeared.

They all looked on shocked for a moment and Cedric couldn't help but smile at his sword, this really was the best sword in the world he thought but took the opportunity when he realised that Bellatrix was stunned by the sudden blocking of her spell and he swung at her, she reacted in time to mostly dodge it but the tip of his sword made contact with her face and scratch a deep red line across it that instantly started bleeding.

Bellatrix screeched in a way that seemed inhuman and Cedric stopped smiling as he realised she was still very much a threat. He raised his sword again and saw her nose flaring like an enraged bull and her eyes wide with hatred.

In that moment he honestly thought he was going to die and not just him, but Colin and Meria not to mention their newborn son.

However just as she made to cast another curse at him a blast of magic whizzed past her head, she looked up in time to dodge another and saw two figures wielding staffs and firing blasts of magic. Bellatrix screamed in rage and vanished in a cloud of dark smoke that rushed away from the building. All of them watched her go and Cedric turned to his saviours to thank them and was hit with another surprise which honestly nearly felt like one blow too many except this one was a welcome surprise.

"Fred Weasley! Professor Moody?" Cedric said and Colin who had been too scared to move during the brief exchange looked on astonished at the familiar faces who likewise were surprised to see him.

"Diggory?! What the hell are you doing here?" Fred asked and rushed over to see them while Moody looked down at Meria's older sister and checked her condition.

"Fucked if I know but it is good to see you." Cedric said and although they had never been friends or even close in the other world they hugged each other and then Colin too as they were elated to see someone from their world. Moody however in his usual way blasted each of them with a trip jinx to get their attention.

"She's dead." He said gruffly bringing them back to what Bellatrix had done to Meria's older sister Nymeria, more guards rushed over to them and held weapons towards Fred and Moody but before Moody could start a new fight Cedric jumped in.

"They are friends, enemies of the witch that did this!" He said quickly indicating the twisted body of their crown princess. "Now we must hunt her, as Sword of the Morning it is my duty."

The title he had while silly sounding to him at times did have its advantages Cedric would later muse, it granted him a lot of authority in their minds and especially given he was wed to Princess Meria so the guards accepted his words without question. Fred and Moody both raised an eye brow although Fred smirked with amusement.

"Sword of the Morning?"

Cedric just shrugged, they had other things to think about namely that Bellatrix Lestrange the most dangerous of all He Who Must Not Be Named followers was running around Westeros and worst he now had to tell Meria and her family that their beloved older sister was dead.

-x-

Meria when he broke the news only an hour later was devastated and cried into his tunic for what seemed like forever while her younger siblings all collapsed into their own sobs and their father just held his head in his hands as grief overwhelmed the seemingly invincible Prince.

"There will be a state funeral, she will be given the largest this country has ever seen." The Prince finally declared when he managed to rouse himself from the depths of his grief before turning to Meria and saying with a stern voice. "And you will begin lessons straight after, you are the Crown Princess now and when I am gone you will rule Dorne as will your son Mors after you."

Meria, her grief so raw that it felt like the world had ended was now incapable of words or even simple actions. Her dear sister dead long before her time and before any man had been able to impress her enough to marry him as even father had not been able to control Nymeria. She had been set on ruling alone and been quite content to leave her throne to one of her siblings or their children rather than actually bother with having children of her own. Meria now was thrust into her position and wanted a hole to just swallow her whole. She clutched her son to her chest and Cedric held her in his arms.

All joy seemed to have fled from the world, now her strong and fierce older sister had been taken from them in such a vile way and she would be forced to take her place, Cedric was leaving to hunt down the witch and kill her since his sword seemed to be the only thing that could hurt her. She felt torn about that; on the one hand she wanted the monster that had killed her beloved sister dead and would have liked nothing more than to do the deed herself, but she really didn't want to lose her husband. They had worked at their relationship and finally come to even love each other a little with the birth of their little son...now he would be leaving at her worst moment.

The world just seemed so much darker all of a sudden that she was afraid it would never brighten again.

Dragonstone, the Narrow Sea…

The island was quiet as many of the dragons which inhabited it had left to patrol the area or just fly around on their dragons as such few eyes were on the volcano at the centre of the island. This presented an opportunity that one man and sons could not resist.

"Are you sure there are any dragons left?" Maegor asked with annoyance at having to climb the harsh and rocky terrain in search of dragons that he and his family could use. His younger brother Aenar spoke.

"Yes! There are the biggest and most powerful dragons Vhagar and the Cannibal right at the top everyone knows that." He said with great excitement but their father and eldest brother Drakon both glared at them.

"We won't find any dragons if you don't shut up." Drakon snapped at them as he helped their father over the rocks towards the top. Silver Denys was an older man in his fifties and had the silver hair and purple eyes of a Targaryen and claimed to be the bastard son of Maegor the Cruel or Maegor the First as he demanded everyone call him. However given that Maegor had died a few decades before Denys had been born that claim was very doubtful.

He wanted however so much for it to be true that when someone mention evidence that it was false he would lash out with furious anger and quell anyone who argued with his fierce temper and happy fists. Even his sons had not been immune to this until they learned to keep their doubts to themselves.

Finally though as they approached the top of the volcano they saw what they were looking for. An enormous dragon with dark green scales nestled in a grove which it might have made itself and curled up as if asleep. Silver Denys realised this was the mighty Vhagar, the dragon of his grandmother Visenya Targaryen and the most fierce and powerful dragon alive. He eagerly pulled himself over the rocks and rushed forward, eager to claim this majestic dragon for himself despite the calls of his sons to return and so they ran after him.

Their calls woke Vhagar who looked up and rather than with curiosity or acceptance as Denys and his sons had hoped it was with open hostility, her nostrils started smoking and the four men stopped and fear gripped them. They started walking slowly backwards in the hopes that they would not be so threatening but as they did so a thumping that they felt in rock beneath their feet, making them turn to look around.

There was another dragon, one with black scales and the meanest greens eyes that a beast could possess. It was nearly as large as Vhagar and therefore must have been very old indeed but no one had ever ridden this dragon. Denys and his sons were gripped by sheer terror as they realised that they were face to face with the murderous and most dangerous of all the wild dragons and indeed one of the most vicious dragons ever...The Cannibal.

A beast that feasted on dead dragons, fresh hatchlings and dragons still in their eggs although if you did have the misfortune to cross its path it was not averse to sampling...other meat. The four men were about run when the Cannibal surged forward with its terrible roar and with one bite of its enormous maw ate Silver Denys and Drakon in one go while knocking the other two sons to the ground so hard they were dead or if unlucky just fatally injured as that would mean they would know when the Cannibal ate them a moment later.

With the humans gone the two dragons faced each other and with roars so large that they would be heard for miles charged straight at each other, neither bothered with flames as claws and teeth tore into each other. The Cannibal was at first able to get the upper hand with a harsh bite to the throat but the battle hardened Vhagar did not give up so easily and with her claws tore into the other dragon's less protected belly and throat. Her teeth and claws tearing chunks out of the wild beast and seemed able to shrug off whatever injuries she received in return, when she tore out the Cannibal's eyes with a vicious bite of her teeth the beast howled in agony but Vhagar silenced it with a hard bite to the throat that ended when she pulled away a good chunk of its flesh. The Cannibal, the most fierce of all the wild dragons which no one had been able to tame choked on its own blood, slumping to the ground and the light left its nasty green eyes.

Vhagar seeing the horrible creature was dead seemed to realise the extent of her own injuries, blood covered the ground and a fair amount of it was hers. Her wounds bled profusely and her energy was fast slipping away, she knew she was dying and with all the life that remained in her and sheer will turned to the reason she had fought so hard against the monster that had intruded on her territory.

A clutch of five freshly laid eggs that sat innocently in her nest, they were what the Cannibal had come for and Vhagar had not been about to let that happen. She knew however sad it made her that she would be unable to care for them, her life draining away so with all the will and energy she had left in her injured body she breathed the strongest fire that a dragon could ever do, hoping to give her hatchlings the energy they would need to survive without her. A bright blue flame, the hottest she had ever made erupted from her mouth and she held it on the eggs for as long as she could before finally she could do no more and collapsed protectively around them.

-x-

Hours later Daemon, drawn by stories he had heard of the great roars of earlier that night upon returning the island flew over the top of the volcano and saw the two corpses beneath him. Seeing it was Vhagar and the Cannibal and that they were both dead instantly stoked his curiosity, the Cannibal was too cowardly to go after an adult dragon unless it was badly injured and would retreat if attacked but the wounds on both dragons were grave and terrible. He honestly in all his years had never seen such a fight between two dragons.

However a soft growl from Caraxes took his attention from the dead dragons to what was held protectively within Vhagar's curled up corpse. He was surprised given Vhagar's age that she had managed to lay five new eggs and now realised what the fight had been about, however he realised that there was something different about these eggs.

They were slightly larger than normal eggs laid in the same time period and had a distinctive dark blue colour with golden flakes decorating the shell. He had never seen eggs like these before and wondered what that meant, larger than normal and a strange colour? Maybe it meant nothing but he could not help wonder if perhaps it did and decided to send them to his daughters in the North for safekeeping till he could investigate them at a later date. Rhaena had recently sent word she was pregnant again, apparently from the nights before Cregan Stark had left Winterfell. She was convinced by some foolish instinct that it was twin girls but he was hoping for another son, if he could arrange the death of Rickon Stark then it would make his sons claim to the North all the stronger if there were two of them.

Pyke, The Iron Islands…

Pyke like all of the other the Iron Islands were full of activity and excitement as the reavers prepared to sail. The sense of anticipation was high as the chaos of the war on the mainland would allow them to finally start raiding the coast again. For too many years the threat of dragons had kept them from raiding and claiming the Iron Price on a large scale, now though they were so busy with each other they could at last live in the Old Way again and let their people loose on the unsuspecting western coast.

Lord Dalton Greyjoy, a world traveller and experienced raider with several salt wives already was plotting his targets. It seemed that both Rhaenyra and Aegon had forgotten him in all their plotting and scheming, an oversight he would soon correct.