Prelude Of War

Fhanthis chapter onward, everything will be edited by QuillBot as I write, so enjoy the story.

For the previous 25 chapters, I have uploaded the edited version in the auxiliary volume.

Inside the Solar of the King in the North, Brandon was sitting behind his table with Sarra, and Reagan, Alys, and Lyanna were sitting opposite him. In front of them, there were mugs brimming with drinks that were appropriate for each of them.

Playing with her dark locks, Alys asked her father, "What are we going to do about the ones who sent the assassin?"

"The assassins didn't succeed in their endeavor, my daughter. None the less, we know who ordered the hit and how to find them. We can do what we want to do, discreetly, of course." Brandon told his daughter, then eyed his silent eldest son.

Sarra, who was sitting next to her husband, asked Reagan, "Son, don't you have anything to say?"

"Hmm? What?" Reagan asked, a bit confused.

"What happened in the Land of Always Winter?" Sarra clarified her question.

"Ah, that. Yeah, well, there were the others; Fenrir crushed them with ease, and I killed one in combat." Reagan told her the short version.

"The presence of the Others is concerning, but not as much as that of the South at the moment. There is a seven hundred-foot-tall wall between them and us; there isn't one with the Southerners." Brandon said as he sipped on his alcohol.

"True, but it's still a mother's duty to know what her son has been up to recently." Sarra told him with a sweet smile.

"Sure sure." Agreeing with her, Brandon asked Reagan "You have been silent since we talked about the assassins. Is there something on your mind?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of ways to burn the Citadel to the ground." Reagan answered with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah, burning of Citadel. Those grey rats will be devastated by it, but is that enough?" Brandon questioned him.

"Not at all. There will be consequences for those who hired those assassins. And it will be gory, I promise you of that." Reagan told them, his voice low and full of the promise of pain.

They just nodded in return, knowing how much Reagan loved his family. Sipping on his alcohol, Brandon asked, "So, what are we going to do about that, Arryn and Hoare? Are you going to take the twins?"

"No, the Twins will be taken from King Harwyn Hoare at the end of the war; same with the Sister Islands. I am thinking of creating a naval base for the three sisters." Reagan said.

"Good, I also planned it like that." Brandon said with a smile as he raised his mug towards Reagan.

"Great men think alike, father." Reagan returned the gesture with a smile on his face.

"You two are talking as if you have won the war already." Alys spoke from the side as she looked between her brother and father.

"Do you think that we will lose against those two kingdoms?" Brandon and Reagan asked at the same time.

"No, I believe that we will win the war. But if the other kingdoms also join in, then it will be difficult." Alys said what was going through her mind.

"True." Sarra and Lyanna agreed with what Alys said.

"It looks like we are outvoted, father." Reagan told his father with a flat tone.

"It seems so." Brandon nodded back with the same flat tone.

Sarra and Lyanna noted that and asked at the same time, "What have you done now?"

"Nothing!" Denying at the same time with a sly smile, both of them gulped down their drinks in an instant.

Squinting their eyes at them, Sarra asked again "Brandon Stark and Reagan Stark! You will tell me what you have done now."

Both men looked at each other and took action with their eyes, urging each other to speak up. And as if defeated, Brandon opened up "Well, we made contact with the Blackwoods."

"What kind of contact?" They were intrigued.

"We offered the Riverlands to the Blackwood if they helped us remove King Harwyn Hoare." Brandon told his daughter.

"What did they say?" Sarra asked with curiosity.

It was Reagan who spoke instead of Brandon. "They disagreed. They will fight with us against House Hoare and other River Lords, and we will be taking the twins; in return, we will be taking them back to the North. They will be the ones to rule the Twins."

"Won't they betray us if they get a chance?" Lyanna asked, and again, Brandon and Reagan looked at each other with a smile.

"Okay, out with the mysteries already." Alys asked as she was getting frustrated with the father-and-son duo.

Nodding at her, Brandon looked at Reagan and said, "Go on, tell them."

"What do you guys know about the Blackwoods?" Reagan asked as soon as Brandon gave him permission.

"They are an ancient house descended from the First Men. It is stated that they ruled most of the Wolfswood in the north before being driven south by the Kings of Winter from House Stark." Layanna stated.

"Most of what you said is true. Expect the last part. The Blackwoods were sent to the South as the first wave to conquer the Riverlands. But, since we were occupied in fighting against the Boltons in the East, the King of Winter of that time was not able to expand southward. The following Winter Kings were also trying their best to conquer the Red Kings. But each of them made sure to pass down the alliance between the Blackwoods and the Starks to their children, so that one day we will be able to conquer a part of the south."

"So you are telling me that the Blackwoods will rally the Riverlords and fight against King Hoare, and all they want is to be brought back to the North?" Sarra asked her son.

"Yes, and you have to remember, they never left the North. They were sent in as the first wave, and now we are bringing them back." Brandon told his wife.

"Then what about the Riverlands?" Alys asked, "Who will be their king? And what about the Arryns and Vale?"

"Who knows? The Tullys could become one; the Blackwoods only demand was that the Brakens shouldn't take the throne." Shrugging his shoulders, Reagan continued, "As for the Vale, I have something special in mind for them. They won't die out, but they will be powerless for the forseeable future."

"Can you just tell us what you have planned for them?" Lyanna asked Reagan.

"I can. I am just going to make sure that the Mountain Clans in the Vale will have our weapons. They will be the ones to keep the Arryns in check, while one of the houses that believe in the Old Gods will be made the King of Vale and Mountains." Reagan told them.

"Are you planning to make House Royce the Kings? As in the Bronze Kings?" Sarra asked her son with a smile.

"Indeed, mother. We are trying to bring back the Bronze Kings. Have we conveyed our intentions? No. We are going to win this war with the Riverlands and the Vale, then we will take the Three Sisters from the Vale and the Twins from the Riverlands. The Twins will be ruled by the Blackwood, and the Vale can be handed over to the Royces if they are ready to carry that burden. If not, the lords can fight amongst themselves and decide." Reagan told his mother with a cunning smile.

"Okay, that is all good." Alys began, "But what about the Westernlands, the Stormlands, and the Reach?"

"For them, we will sow discord. It's pretty simple; we will just blame the burning of Citadel on the Westernlands and have them fight it amongst themselves. As for the Stormlands, I don't think the Storm King is willing to wage war against us." Brandon told his daughter.

"Why are you putting the blame on the Westernlands?" Sarra asked her husband.

"Well, we got some news, that the Rock King will try to support the King of Isles and Rivers with gold. I don't want to fight against four kingdoms at the same time before we can fully integrate the Free Folks the Giant and the Children of the Forest." Reagan said.

They nodded at his reason and Brandon told them "Now that you all know what we will be doing in the coming war, why don't you all go get some rest."

They agreed with him, and the three women left the room and bidding goodbye to his father, even Reagan left the room. Standing up from his seat, he leaned against the wall, and looking outside through the window, he asked no one in particular, "My son, have you achieved what you have been preparing for?"

Silence for a few seconds and he felt a breeze pass by his ear. Brandon smiled at that and said "I will see it myself huh? That is good to know." Taking a deep breath, Brandon said "I am proud of you my son. No matter what happens, no matter what you do, I will always be proud of you."

Saying his piece, he also left the room with a smile on his face and inside the Solar, an ethreal figure of a man with long black hair, grey eyes and black beard appeared for a second. He was wearing a steel armor with black-blue shade with a wolf shaped helmet in his hand.