The Storm is Coming

Highgarden

The army of Daeron Targaryen arrived back at Highgarden the same time as Asha Greyjoy came and swore her allegiance to House Targaryen, Daeron accepted her pledge and left that very morning to set sail with the Redwyne and what was left of the of Oldtown fleet.

The time of waiting was almost over, all that was left was to settle a final matter.

Since his coming to the Reach's capital seat in Highgarden, a case against Lord Petyr Baelish had been gathering with the aid of Olenna and Lord Varys.

Said evidence was brought to Daeron and his council, then brought to Sansa Stark who had been told of Baelish's treasons against his King's and against House Stark.

"See that it is done, put Baelish in irons." It was decreed, Unsullied busted down the doors to Petyr Baelish's chambers.

They tore him from his bed and brought him to the throne room of Highgarden. He struggled and was thrown to the floor, he looked up and saw Sansa standing next to the Dragon King and on the right of the King was Tyrion and Varys, his enemies.

"Lord Petyr Baelish. Lord of Harrenhal. Lord of the Fingers. Lord Protector of the Vale. You stand trial for treason against your liege lord and King." Daeron said and turned to Sansa who stared coldly at Baelish.

"I object to these accusations, they are false and without proof," Petyr smirked at Daeron who frowned and the boy nodded.

Varys stepped forward, "When Lord Stark moved to stop Joffrey Waters from ascending the throne, Lord Baelish instead had bought the Goldcloaks and had them betray the Lord of Winterfell." Baelish snarled at the Master of Whispers, wishing he had got rid of him when he had the chance.

Tyrion then stepped forward at the side of Varys, "Under a guise of a friend, he misinformed the attempted assassination of Bran Stark being a ploy of myself when in fact, it was my nephew." Damn that imp of a man, a devil in human skin.

"These are damning, Lord Baelish, do you still wish to object to these charges?" He was asked by the King who stood there, waiting for him to speak.

Sansa. His beloved and darling girl, she doesn't trust him anymore. Baelish saw guards and knights moving in, he stepped frantically, seeing nowhere to escape. He fell to his knees and his persona of being stranger and aloof falling and revealing the scared little boy he had been when Brandon struck him.

"You've played the game for so long, you cared not about who you hurt... Even me." Sansa said as she started walking towards him, Daeron moved the stop her and she rested a hand on his shoulder, they looked at one another for a moment before the Dragon King moved his hand from her wrist and stepped aside.

Sansa smiled with gratitude, the gratitude she should have for him. "Sansa, my Sansa- "

Sansa Stark twitch and swiftly reached for the sword at Daeron's hip, she unsheathed it and with a heavy cut, Petyr Baelish's headless body fell to the floor of Highgarden's throne room, the traitor's blood seeped onto the floor in a pool of red.

Daeron watched on, taking his sword from Sansa's shaking hand. He smiled and placed a hand on her cheek, she looked into his eyes and he figured it out, this was the first man she had killed.

He felt sympathetic towards her, she is a pure soul and shouldn't have to face such circumstances.

Tyrion and Varys did the work, they secret sent envoys to the Vale and got the majority of the Houses to join their force. From what he was told, House Royce and Hunter and Hersy are the only ones who have refused to march, the rest led by House Corbray and Waynwood has started heading to Gulltown and half, mostly cavalry has started to leave for the Bloody Gate.

With plenty of the Houses gathered, he was told to rid themselves of such a chaotic man as Petyr Baelish.

He had it done to secure a peaceful Westeros from which men like him could not take root, it was those like Baelish that caused the unwanted deaths of his niece and nephew, which caused the fall of Stark and the War of the Five Kings.

Chaotic men are done ruling the country and forcing children to watch their fathers and mother's get executed before their eyes, the Realm needs someone to lead it to a new future and he will aim to be that man.

He swears it upon his crown, one made like the ancestral crown as Aegon the Conqueror wore and one who Daeron the Young Dragon lost.

"The architect of the War of the Five Kings is dead... Now, we march on King's Landing." He told the entire court, the cries of those who are following him.

This high morale was bolstered when news came of Grey Worm's victory in the Westerland, Casterly Rock fell and so had Lannisport plus the capture of Lord Sarsfield and Lord Brax who was defending the city and castle.

Seven-thousand Unsullied sacked both and felled two-thousand defenders, his crowning at Oldtown was said to be the reason for their fighting so fiercely.

He can believe it, even the Dornish victories in the Stormlands.

Indeed, the war with House Lannister is nearing its climax, King's Landing and Tommen Baratheon's reign will either end in surrender... Or battle and fire.

Sansa glanced around before leaving the room, she rested against a wall and was shaking.

She's never dared to have thought she would take a life, she remembered when Sandor saved her, other than her father's execution she had never seen death.

Anger fueled her when Petyr tried to deny what they all knew, what she knew, he betrayed her and used her and... Even took more than one kiss from her. She could barely look at him anymore or hear him speak.

He needed to be silenced and quiet, she was tired of hearing any more lies and false promises about justice and living peacefully. A peaceful life isn't for now, it is unseeable when there is still a need to fight, to pick up a sword for a cause. She thought as she placed a hand on her chest to calm her beating heart which had been noisy since she took Petyr's life.

"My Lady." She jumped at his call and turned to face his grace, she smiled and curtsied to Daeron who still held on to Blackfyre, it was still soaked in Lord Baelish's blood.

"I want to thank you, your grace. Thank you for getting true justice for my father." If only she was the one to put Joffrey into the grave, Ser Illyn Payne is out of their reach at the moment and she slew Baelish.

"It is no trouble at all, my Lady, he was an untrustworthy man and no doubt had plans to take control of the Realm from me." Very true, taking control and flexing his influence on others was Petyr's specialty, he knew how to manipulate others.

"... It's true." It was all she said, confirming what he was saying.

Daeron chuckled lightly, taking a cloth and wiping the blood off his sword after he saw that it was making her uncomfortable. She saw him sheathe it and crossed his arms.

"I thank you for your candor, my Lady. I must admit, Westeros is as strange a place as I had expected it to be." She smiled for the first time this morning, she and Daeron began walking together while the rest of the court began leaving the hall. "We march today, I will wait no longer to end this war." She heard him say.

She is glad to hear that, if only her brother had done so and moved to take King's Landing rather than fool around in the Westerlands or going North to deal with the Ironborn.

Cersei made her life a constant misery when she was a bird, a caged pearl in a place that would leave her stagnant than let her be free. She also learned much from her, she learned that life isn't like the tales that Old Nan would tell her.

She's grown up with her help, took the place as a stern mother but she can never replace her true mother... No one can.

"I want to come with." She had decided and it shocked Daeron, he turned to look at her, perplexed by all of it. "You and I are engaged, aren't we, we have to beside one another in the coming months and... " She stopped half-way, unable to finish what she was saying.

"And... " He asked her and she forced herself to finish what she was saying.

"I wouldn't want to presume this conflict's end, but, if you lose, if those mythical creatures fall in battle... I want to be there so I may die with you all."

Winterfell

In the North, the Battle of the Bastards was nearing a climax.

The Northern and Stormland and Wildling force were wearing thin, Ramsay's dirty tactics thinned his own men but made Jon's forces suffer greatly.

House Manderly's arrival settled the battle, the cavalry clashed against Ramsay's rear and saved Jon Snow's forces. Aided by 300 riders from House Baratheon, the bastard of the Dreadfort tried to retreat from battle but Winterfell's gate was locked to them.

While the battle had been taking place, Jon sent Tormund and 200 Free Folk to climb the walls surrounding the Godswood. They assaulted Winterfell from within and killed the defenders, sealing the gate from Ramsay.

"It's over!" Jon shouted to Ramsay, both stared one another down before the pale-eyed madman pulled out his bow, Jon rushed and evaded one shot, then a second, and a third, tackled his enemy to the ground and began hitting his fellow bastard in the jaw, nose, and cheeks until he was black and bruised and bloody.

The Battle of the Bastards was over, Winterfell belongs to the Starks once more.

"Take this bastard to the cells, gather the fallen and burn them." He ordered and one of the Northman who followed him asked him why, he turned to the soldier and laid his cold eyes at him, "... Because when the real war begins, we don't need those men coming back for us." He left a moment after the soldier did and he went in search of the great hall, noticing that some buildings were rebuilt differently than when he was last home.

Eight days passed and Davos was talking with Shireen and the Queen.

"He hasn't decided, your grace." He confirmed to the taller of the two women, Selyse frowned and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Shireen, they talked to her about what they had in mind. She has seen Jon Snow, he was five years her senior and, although she was never quite interested in boys as some noble ladies, she did admit that he was very handsome.

As for marriage, she will do as she had been expected if her father was still living. She has a job to fulfill her duty, for that, Princess Shireen of the House Baratheon would gladly become the Lady of Winterfell and a Stark.

Or Snow, considering the man's birth with being a natural-born son.

"Stark and Baratheon were what brought down the Targaryen's, the enemy has returned. The Reach and Dorne stand behind him, he besieges and has seized nearly all seats in the Stormlands. Casterly Rock has fallen." Her mother listed off everything that has happened since they have been here to just get the North behind her father.

"The North and the Queen sees an understanding, we can just get the Vale and the Riverlands then we can have enough men to fight the Dragon King... Or." Davos started to talk, then seemed to hint another option rather than to keep fighting.

Selyse hurried back to her side and put a hand on her shoulder, "You cannot be serious, Davos, Shireen is the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. It's her birthright- " She saw Davos glare and snap at her mother for the first time, her mother was also shocked.

"Oh, until we were snowed in, it was her birthright to die for the 'Azor Ahai', of whom you and that Red Witch believed was Stannis. He died and you both are wrong if you think a little girl should die so young and for a damned crown." Davos had always treated her with kindness, almost like she was his own daughter.

Tears began to well up in her eyes and she rushed to embrace her student over the last two years, he and her mother shook with surprise.

"Thank you, Davos, thank you... My onion knight." She whispered and before she closed her eyes, she saw her mother with a crestfallen face.

She loves them both, she loved her father no matter how much he changed, she loved Matthos who was taken too early, she loved Maester Cressen too. They all wanted to see to her well-being and she can never repay that debt.

Today she has a choice, she can keep her crown and continue fighting for her late father's cause... Or she can spare the lives of those she is responsible for.

King's Landing

Within the Red Keep, Cersei and Jaime had gathered their highest commanders, including Lord Tarly who was dressed in new garbs than the dirty ones he had before.

Cersei Lannister rose from the Iron Throne, her son's absence becoming increasingly ignored. Her last son has since locked himself away, shamed because of Margaery's treachery and that of his kingdoms turning against him.

Jaime has gathered all they could, a final defense for King's Landing against the great odds they are facing.

She thought it cowardice, they are lions, not sheep to be corralled and kept in a pen. They should be marching to face Daeron Targaryen in combat, she would see him fall to the weapons they crafted to bring down even the mightiest of monsters.

"The scorpion's man every side of the wall, Lady Regent, our men have the finest weapons available. We are ready." One of the lords spoke and she nodded, that is good.

Euron rose from his seat, "And my ships have a chokehold over the Blackwater, any fleet that comes will be leaving with burning ships." She doesn't fully trust the Greyjoy, and yet, he arrived when many had not.

"The Targaryen boy will have thousands at his commands, even now, the small force at Massey's Hook will be meeting the force coming from the Stormlands. To further protect our cause, I suggest spiriting the King away should the city fall." Jaime said with an agreement coming from Lord Randyll, she narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"You would have him be on the run, like Robert had the Targaryens before? I think not." Jaime gave her a confused look, she addressed the entire room. "I am not a tactician, I have never been on the battlefield but I have fought harder than anyone to stay where I am. I will not bow because a lion does not do so to a beast of the sky." She said and thought back to when she gave Qyburn the order to either turn Varys spies against him or eliminate them, nearly a hundred children have since gone missing.

"What would you have us do, my Queen, we are outnumbered and outmanned." Another of her lords circled back to their odds, damn the odds.

"Yes, damn our odds... We will not bow or flee from the Dragon King." She thought about a plan, thankfully, Lord Tarly rose from his seat and has one for them.

"It isn't honorable, but Daeron Targaryen leads this army. Once he is dead, we will have our victory, I suggest an attack in the night." There it is, a plan for them to have their victory.

"... See it done, Lord Tarly, and may the Gods bless your hand."

She was left alone soon after, she had gone back to her chambers and waited, watched Lord Tarly and 2,000 men ride off and to victory.

Her chamber doors opened when she turned away from the sight, she saw Jaime who was dressed in his armor. Where was he going? She thought as she put down her wine.

"I am leaving, raiding parties need to be placed throughout the Kingswood." Ah, the Dornish host who is sieging Storm's End at the moment, they will be meeting the host at Massey's Hook soon enough.

"That duty can be left to those beneath our station, your place is here, with our army and our son." And me, you have to be by my side, She thought as she strode towards her brother, she wrapped a hand around his waist and another on his cheek. "Be with me for one more night if you are truly intending to go." Her brother didn't look at her the same he had before this conflict even started.

She wished that they can go back and her children could all be here, her daughter wouldn't be imprisoned in Dorne, Joffrey wouldn't be ashes atop the remains of the Great Sept, and Tommen wouldn't be so afraid and ashamed to leave his room.

If only Eddard didn't push this war, he started all of this when he tried to take her son from the throne.

Jaime reluctantly lowered down his lips to take her own and forced a kiss that she desired for so many weeks, she made him take her as they used to and in the bed of hers and Robert's.