Chapter 11

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Caspian lost track of how long he stayed there, just kneeling on the floor of the hallway in Storm's End holding his little brother in his arms. After a long time however, several of the bannermen that had survived the bitter onslaught from the Lannister invaders made their way into the hallway and upon seeing the fallen bodies, hurried towards the one figure that was still moving.

"Your grace, are you alright?" One of his uncle's bannermen asked.

Thankfully at this point, Caspian's tears had long since dried and he was feeling as cold as ice as he knelt on the floor holding the body of his little brother in his arms. His arms and shoulders were stiff from the time he had knelt there and his eyes had dried out so much that it hurt when he blinked.

"I'm fine ser," he said, not even turning to look at the knight who had spoken. "Would you please find Maester Jurne for me? My brother deserves a proper burial."

The maester wasn't long in coming and he slowly took the body of little Edric Storm from Caspian's arms and walked off back down the hall with some of the Baratheon banner men in tow.

Somehow Caspian managed to get to his feet and stagger back to his room with his sword in hand. He shut the door behind him, not even looking down at the blood on his clothes and fell onto the bed.

He stared up at the ceiling with eyes as unseeing as he was sure Edric's were right now. The tears had long since dried up, but over him had descended a thick cloud of apathy that he wasn't sure he would be able to dispel or one that he even wanted to.

He was aware of the fact that they had been betrayed and that some of his uncle's bannermen had been killed by Lannister red cloaks and their livery and armor taken so they might seek entrance into the keep.

This could all have been avoided, he thought to himself. If someone had just asked me if we should open the gates….Edric might still be alive now.

But he wasn't so arrogant that he thought he would have been able to come up with a good excuse to turn them away. There was no way you could have known, said a small voice inside of him. His mother has always been a vindictive person but he had no way of knowing that her treachery would reach this far.

Don't blame yourself. That voice didn't do much for the crippling rage and guilt he was feeling. This may very well have been avoided if the maester hadn't been the one to open the doors of the keep but he had a feeling his mother wouldn't have given up until Edric was dead no matter what.

She hated the amount of bastards that his father had sired and Caspian shuddered to think that he might have been one of those poor souls that was under the knife as well had his mother been a different person.

As it was, he didn't look anything like her other than her facial features. His eyes were a curious mix of blue and green but that didn't mean anything when it came to his mother.

She will pay for this, he thought with deadly promise. I don't care what I have to do….but I will see her dead. Justice will be done.

He was aware that his uncle would be arriving with the rest of the Baratheon retinue in a few hours and from there they would coordinate a plan of attack on the city with Uncle Stannis but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He couldn't care that they were about to fight a war and that he would be leading a host of Baratheon men to the city.

Storm's End had been invaded. Edric was dead.

That was really all he was capable of processing at the moment.

Storm's End had been invaded. Edric was dead.

That was the mantra that kept repeating over and over in his grief filled brain as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Mercifully his slumber was undisturbed by dreams and so deep that when he awakened he almost felt as if he had gone to another place and hadn't the faintest idea where he was when he opened his eyes.

The grey light outside of his window had brightened to a dull yellow color as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds. It didn't match Caspian's mood however, he almost felt dead as he forced himself out of the bed and into the bath to change clothes as his uncle would be arriving very shortly.

No doubt he would be bringing his soon to be betrothed with him and somewhere in the back of his mind, Caspian knew that despite his grief he couldn't greet them in the state he was now in. So, he forced himself to wash and change his clothes and brush his hair and then finally after donning StormBreaker at his waist, he somehow managed to leave his room looking far better than he had gone into it.

The terrified servants that had survived the ambush had done a remarkable job of cleaning up the mess that had been left behind and disposing of the bodies. Caspian kept the copy of the letter he had taken off the dead Lannister soldier that his mother had written with orders to kill Edric to show his uncle. His rage had quieted now to a dull hollow burning that was so raw in his chest it almost hurt when he took a breath.

Edric's body was being prepared for burial by Maester Jurne who had remarkably slept through the attack. Caspian didn't blame the old man, there wasn't much he would have been able to do even if he was awake.

He had slipped the letter into his pocket as it bore his mother's own personal seal and he wanted to show it to his uncle as evidence of her treachery. He had been leery about turning on his own kin when they inevitably marched for King's Landing but the rage that was singing in his blood now was calling out for vengeance and it would not be quenched.

It wasn't long after that he had left his rooms and descended into the main hall that a servant came up to him with the news that a guard had seen a large wheelhouse along with the banners of House Baratheon approaching.

And that could only mean one thing.

His uncle was here.

Caspian squared his shoulders and straightened his doublet, forcing back his grief for the moment.

It was time to face the music.

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Understandably, Renly was livid when he learned that Storm's End had been invaded by Lannisters disguised as Baratheons. And when Caspian had solemnly informed him that his bastard nephew was dead….well his face had gone white and then grey and then red. He had stormed and raged about the solar of Storm's End for a good twenty minutes before he had dropped into the chair behind the desk and put his head in his hands.

Margaery Tyrell who had come with him along with her grandmother and brother Loras to observe a formal betrothal had been shown to their rooms after Caspian had cordially greeted his soon to be wife.

Renly had explained that a delicate matter had to be addressed and Caspian and Margaery could be more formally introduced after the keep was seen to and an account of the guards that had been killed was taken as well. Maester Jurne would have the body of Edric Storm ready for burial the following afternoon and Caspian and Renly had to discuss their plans for coordinating with Stannis and invading the city.

That took several hours and in those several hours Renly informed Caspian that he had received a letter from Stannis which detailed that Caspian would be put on a ship for Dragonstone where he would sail for King's Landing with his other uncle and Renly would meet the Stark men at Storm's End who had sailed from White Harbor and he would lead the attack on foot for the city.

The information passed Caspian by in a haze of speeches and maps and letters. His mind was still clouded from grief at the death of his little brother from the night before and he knew he wouldn't be alright again until he had seen the person responsible for it pay.

Namely his mother.

And he would see her head on a chopping block before he took the throne and the crown was placed on his head.

Right now though, all he was thinking about was his little brother's lifeless eyes as he stared up at the ceiling. Those eyes would never light up with excitement when he picked up a sword again. Those eyes would never shine with pride when he would learn to ride a horse and shoot a bow and those eyes would never smile when they saw him or Ser Cortnay again.

Caspian swallowed hard and took a deep drink of the wine that his uncle had forced into his hand. It was still a little early for drink but given the circumstances, Renly thought that they both needed it.

Caspian knew he would have to go out and greet his betrothed despite the trauma that had gone on in the keep as any longer and he would be perceived as rude, but for the moment he forced himself to focus on what his uncle was telling him.

"I will be staying in Storm's End for the next three days to meet with the forces that Lord Stark has sent by sea and the day following tomorrow you will be sailing for Dragonstone to meet with Stannis. We will attack the city on two fronts. I and Lord Stark will ride for the city on land and you and Stannis will lead the attack by the sea." , said Renly.

Caspian nodded, barely hearing his uncle but cursing himself quietly because he knew he needed to focus. There would be time to grieve for Edric later and there would be time to take vengeance from his mother.

But for right now…..he had to focus.

He spent another half an hour in his uncle's solar going over their plans. In a way, Caspian would be glad to leave Storm's End behind for a time. He needed to be away from the place after what had happened. After he had finished communing with his uncle, Caspian left the solar and wandered down to the gardens of Storm's End.

He had been told that his betrothed would be there, and even though he wasn't looking forward to speaking with given all that was on his mind, he knew that he had to otherwise it would be seen as snubbing the Tyrells and he couldn't have that.

With their support it would be possible to win the war, and he couldn't risk the future of the realm just because he was grieving over his brother's death. Oddly enough he found her sitting among the roses near the part of the garden that overlooked the ocean. She was by herself, most likely having left her grandmother to rest in their room and her brother to abscond with Renly.

As he came upon her Caspian paused at the edge of the garden balcony and looked her over carefully. He couldn't deny that she was a beautiful young woman, his age perhaps or sixteen. Given that he was only five and ten he was awfully young to be marrying….but then he was also awfully young to be a king as well.

She had long curly golden brown hair that hung to the middle of her back which was pinned up in the maiden style. She was also dressed in deep green, one of the colors of Highgarden. She was also wearing a deep green cloak. Given that they were by the ocean he would have expected her to bundle up because the air was cool.

"This was always my favorite part of the keep when I was little," he said and she turned around, a startled look on her face.

When she realized who it was she got to her feet and dropped into a curtsy. "Forgive me your grace, I didn't see you there."

He waved his hand awkwardly. "It's alright, you did not know. I had hoped to find you after our rather unconventional meeting earlier."

She cautiously sat back down on the bench and angled her legs towards him. Caspian knew it was an invitation for him to sit down so they might talk and now he figured he better take it lest he seem rude.

"I came looking for you because I wished to apologize," he said as he sat down and she frowned at him. "For what your grace?"

"I was not…..completely myself when I greeted you this morning. I'm sure it was not the greeting you were expecting or accustomed to and I wish to apologize for my rudeness."

She looked a little startled but gave him a gentle smile all the same. "You have nothing to apologize for your grace. Your home had just been invaded, the people you trust in it killed and you were betrayed. I would not expect you to be fully yourself after that." Caspian nodded and looked out to the sea for a moment.

"Would you walk with me for a while?" he asked. "There are things I wish to discuss with you."

"Of course," she replied and he helped her to her feet before she placed her hand on his arm and he led her from the garden.

He signalled to one of his guards that they were going down onto the beach and the man followed them at a discreet distance. Caspian helped Lady Margaery down the stairs in the sea wall to the shoreline so they might walk alone the beach. The day was grey and cloudy and presence of the lowered air made Caspian think that a storm was coming.

Rather ironic that the weather mirrors how I am feeling inside, he thought bitterly to himself.

"Are you cold Lady Margaery?" he asked absently when he saw that she had hunched herself inside of her cloak somewhat.

"A little chilled perhaps your grace," she replied easily. "I'm not this used to being by the ocean before. It appears that a storm is coming."

A storm is always coming, that's why my ancestors named the bloody place Storm's End!

"This would have been all mine one day," he said and Lady Margaery smiled at him. "No doubt you would have made a wonderful Lord of Storm's End.", she said.

"Perhaps," Caspian replied. "But now I am to be King, with a whole host of responsibilities ahead of me."

"And you are worried that you may not be able to bear the brunt of them?" she asked quietly and Caspian raised an eyebrow at her. Perhaps the Rose of Highgarden said more than what she simply thought others would like to hear.

Perhaps I will have a wife who simply won't be a glorified baby breeder but a true partner. Perhaps this won't be so bad after all.

Margaery saw that she had his attention and pressed onward. "I don't think any man is ever truly ready to be a lord or a king or even a knight. But when the time comes and the burden is placed upon his shoulders, he must do what is necessary."

Caspian gave a short laugh.

"What is necessary," he said tersely. "And what exactly is that my lady? What does necessary define? Does it define the needs of a kingdom or what you feel in your heart to be right? Or is what is necessary simply that which pertains to you and your wants?"

Margaery looked a little confused. "I don't think I fully understand your grace."

"No," he said. "I suppose you don't. I'm not even fully certain that I do."

Margaery was silent for a moment as they walked along. "So tell me what it is that you do understand your grace."

"I understand that I will soon be a king with a crown on my head and a throne to sit on and as it seems to be going you will be beside me as my queen. I understand that I will have an entire country to lead and I will be alone in doing it."

"Not completely alone," Margaery said offering him a comforting smile. "I will be beside you and so will your advisors."

Caspian laughed and he hated how harsh it sounded but he couldn't find it in himself to feel some sort of genuine mirth after what had happened to Edric. He saw in her blue eyes that she understood however because she didn't look at all offended.

"I suppose that's true," he said tonelessly. "But will I be a good king? A just king? Will I be a king worth following unlike the first two kings before me? Will I be a king that will not only be respected and feared but also loved? Or will I die by the whims of men who decide they want what I have and act more ruthlessly than I will to claim it."

Her blue eyes took him in intently. He had a feeling he hadn't been what she was expecting at all.

Perhaps that was a good thing.

Tyrells were known for their legendary ambition and as much as Caspian's future wife was beautiful, he had no intention of allowing her to turn him into something he wasn't. He would treat her as a partner, as an equal, but he was not foolish enough that he would love her. Marriages weren't made of love after all.

If he continued to surprise her than she would be cautious around him and learn quickly that he wasn't someone to mold like dough.

"I think that you will be a good king," Margaery replied finally. She had been quiet for a while and he could tell she had been thinking hard on what he had said. "And I don't say that simply because I think it's what you want to hear….but because a king who worries about whether or not he will be good enough, is a king who has the interests of his people in mind as opposed to his own."

He laughed harshly again. "You seem to have a way with words my lady."

She laughed lightly. "Perhaps its simply my southern courtesies coming out."

"Perhaps."

They continued to walk in silence for a bit before Caspian had a sudden thought. "And you my lady? What makes you think you will be a good queen?"

She looked a little startled at the question, as if she had been unsure why he would ask something like that.

"Is power all that you want?" Caspian asked. "Or do you desire to help people on a greater scale?"

Margaery was quiet for a long time and he had a feeling it wasn't something that she had thought about before.

"May I be frank?" she asked finally, her tone having gone quiet. He nodded, some of his grief fading slightly as he focused more in on the conversation.

"I've wanted to be queen since I was a little girl," she said and her tone turned a little sad. "A few years ago my father was set to displace the queen with me, but my grandmother said that the idea was foolish."

Caspian blinked. This was the first he had ever heard of that. He imagined life in the keep with Margaery as the queen as opposed to his mother and had no idea what to think of that. The keep might have had less tension but the idea that Margaery Tyrell would have been his stepmother even though she was the same age as he, was a little disturbing.

But that was in the past so he decided he wouldn't think on it now.

"I begged my grandmother to betroth me to the crown prince but by that time he was already promised to Sansa Stark and it was too late. I was disappointed, but I still held out hope that one day I would be a queen."

"And it seems you've gotten your wish," Caspian replied tonelessly.

"Not yet," Margaery replied. "The moment there is a crown on your head and on mine than I will call myself a queen and not before."

"And what will you do when you're a queen?" Caspian asked.

He knew he was asking rather pointed questions that might be perceived as rude but after the night he had had, the war that was coming and his impending nuptials, he felt he was entitled to a few answers.

It was just too bad that the one he wanted to demand them from was far away in the capital. Margaery's hand was still resting on his arm, entirely proper as they walked but Caspian wasn't sure if it was his imagination that her hand became slightly heavier as if there was a tension there.

"You've grown up in the capital your entire life your grace," she said. "Did you like living there?"

Caspian raised an eyebrow at her. "An odd question I suppose, but no I did not. It is a place that is sorely in need of being razed to the ground and built again from the ashes if it has any chance of saving itself. Perhaps Aerys Targaryen had the right idea when he said that the usurper should be king of the ashes."

Margaery looked at him in alarm and he offered her a grim smile. "Not truly but there are times when I wonder what it would be like if King's Landing were rebuilt from scratch and made a city that a king would be proud and happy to enter."

Margaery gave him a searching look. "I've lived my entire life in Highgarden. It is a beautiful place but we do have poor people. However they are not half as bad off there as they are in King's Landing. My brother Loras came back after the Hand's Tourney with stories of the smell and the deception and the lies. He said it was the most disagreeable place he had ever been in."

No doubt the one small part that Loras Tyrell did find agreeable was my uncle, Caspian thought wryly but he had tact enough not to say such things aloud.

"And you want to change the city?" he asked as he stopped on the edge of the shore and turned her so he could look at her. They were now a good distance from the keep along the waterline, but he could still see the towers and banners of Storm's End rising in the distance.

"Yes," she replied. "I want to ensure that no child sleeps in the cold again. In the time of Aerys Targaryen when Tywin Lannister was Hand, there were still people who were poor but in the wake of good King Robert's death it has become a cesspit. That is not a city that I wish to call home."

Caspian had to admit that he was a little impressed. She had a good amount of ambition, but it seemed that it was ambition for the right reasons. Wanting power wasn't a bad thing, it was the intention behind it that really mattered.

He wanted to be a king so Joffrey wouldn't and burn the realm like Aerys would have. As soon as his mad half-brother was put down like the dog he was, he would deal with his mother. Perhaps banishing her to the Rock would have to do until he was able to think up something suitable.

But at the moment that was neither here nor there.

In the deepest parts of himself he wasn't even sure he wanted to be a king. Seeing what a crown and a throne had done to his father had been a disturbing enough thing to watch as the years went by. It had turned his mother into a miserable hag and a murderer as well.

Sometimes he wondered whether or not being Hand might be better. His grandfather had been one and now his uncle would be doing it as well. The Lannisters certainly seemed adept at remaining in power but he had Baratheon blood in him as well and it seemed that none of them were suited to rule.

But you are the bridge between both, a small voice in his head said. You are different, you might be different.

"That is a noble ambition my lady," he said. "But first you need a crown in order to achieve it. When we take the city…..I will ensure you have one."

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Later that evening after the sombre affair of Edric's burial, Caspian had retired to room both after greeting Margaery once more and apologising to her grandmother for his present state that morning and that he had not greeted the both of them properly. She had brushed it off saying a death in one's family and the reaction to it was hardly something that one should be apologizing for.

The queen of thorns had a very brusque manner of speaking and Caspian found he rather liked her. She had a good deal of ambition like her granddaughter and rumor had it that she was the one who ruled Highgarden along with her other grandson Willas. He had a feeling he would both like having her around and treat her with wariness and caution at the same time.

She might serve an interesting role on my small council after this war is won. Although the Seven Kingdoms have never seen a female Hand of the King, I privately wonder what it would be like if I were to make Lady Olenna such. No doubt Lord Mace would feel slighted if I were to pass him over but I don't think the realm would survive a man of his considerable….talents if he were to have that kind of power.

There was still time to think on it however. Caspian had decided he would only think about political matters such as appointing his own council and his own marriage after the war had been won. He was not yet six and ten, there was still an inordinate amount of time to think on such things.

One thing I should do however is remove that fool Pycelle immediately. He has been in the pay of my grandfather since his acolyte days. The gods only know how he has managed to live for so long. He will be one I will be happy to see go. I want my council full of men that I can trust.

And Baelish needs to go as well. His activities in trailing Stark and directing him in Flea Bottom was entirely suspicious. He should have asked Stark about Littlefinger's involvement in whole matter. He have no doubt that Baelish was the one who helped Cersei in apprehend Lord Stark. Baelish always propagated that he was a lifelong friend of Tully Sisters, but he has done her a great disservice and nearly cost Lady Stark her husband.

I don't think even a trial will be necessary. When I see him, I will simply take his head. He's too dangerous to be kept alive at any rate. Thought Caspian finally.

In the meantime, he would be sailing for Dragonstone where he would meet his uncle's ships halfway and they would make for King's Landing to lay siege to the city. His mother and half-brother would answer for their crimes. Joffrey would be either executed at once or else sent to the Wall and his uncle Jaime would be relieved from the Kingsguard immediately. Caspian wanted people around that he would be able to trust and the mere fact that his uncle had been screwing his mother for years put him at the bottom of the list. His uncle Tyrion would remain as his Hand and his uncle Stannis would retain his position on the small council as the one he had held before he had fled the capital.

In a way Caspian had been put in the most difficult position due to the mere fact of his birth because he was part Lannister and had to broker ties between the West and the Stormlands. He was the only thing that would keep them from dissolving into open war against one another as they had been joined to place a son of both their blood on the throne and he was the only one that could do that.

First things first though…..I need to take care of Joffrey. He's as mad as a rabid dog and like the Mountain….should have been put down a long time ago. Mother will be banished to the Rock for the rest of her life and Tommen and Myrcella will be quickly married off to other people to silence any truths of their parentage. If Lord Stark wasn't the man that he was, perhaps I would have allowed him to be killed. However seeing as how that action would have sparked war with the north, it wouldn't have been a logical political manoeuvre.

After he had dealt with his own treacherous family, he would see to the members of the small council and remove all but a select few. Then and only then would he see to his marriage.

He refused to wed Margaery Tyrell until there was a crown on his head. Until their marriage had been consummated, she was still a reasonable candidate for any other man in the Seven Kingdoms. He wanted to have something with him first that the Tyrells actually wanted before he would trust them.

If they felt secure in the fact that he would actually be a king, then they wouldn't turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble. He would know of their allegiance now or not at all. The separation period between himself and Margaery would help explain that and right now, a wedding was the last thing he wanted to think about.

He could practically feel the blood of his father sizzling in his veins, that same hot blood that had once given Robert the title of Demon of the Trident. He wanted vengeance and he wanted blood. And he wasn't going to stop until he got it. Whether or not that ended with a crown on his head or putting him in an early grave didn't seem to matter anymore.

I will have payment for Edric's death, Caspian thought with deadly promise. And it does not matter who I take it from or how much blood I spill.

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Storm's End was a flurry of activity over the course of the next forty eight hours.

When Caspian wasn't in council with his Uncle Renly, he was preparing the ship that he would take so he would meet his uncle Stannis at the halfway point between the Stormlands and Dragonstone where they would make for King's Landing. Half the Baratheons would storm the city by the sea and the other by the land.

Caspian was to be with the battalion sent by sea and there were many passages that could be used to sneak into the keep and he was to find them by cover of nightfall so he might sneak part of the army into the castle. It surprised the young prince how eager he was for the battle to come. He felt no qualms about toppling his half-brother from his throne and raining down retribution on his mother's head for what she had done to Edric.

A Lannister always pays his debts, he thought grimly to himself. But to a Baratheon belongs the fury. It is time I show my supposed family just what it means when both of those sayings are combined.

It took some time to ready the ships to set sail for King's Landing and his uncle to ready their bannermen, but still within three days of his brother's death they were ready to depart.

Margaery, her grandmother and the Tyrell forces would be accompanying them, the former two no doubt heading back to the Reach to wait to be called to King's Landing when Caspian took the throne and Caspian made his way to the deck of a ship to sail for the capital and hopefully the beginning of his new kingdom.

He turned his expression towards the sea and the sunlight on the water. It was a good day for travel. There was a steady wind blowing, the water was unnaturally calm and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Gods he was nervous.

The tangle of grief and rage that had settled around him in the last few days since Edric's death, funeral and his own subsequent betrothal was making apprehension roil in his stomach like sour milk.

He still felt the anger pouring like hot poison through his blood and wondered absently if this was just a small taste of what his father might have felt when he had met Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident.

Granted the circumstances were much different, but the basic premise of underlying grief and barely restrained rage was lying just below the surface. He turned his face to the sun and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. Despite the beautiful day, the weather did not match the turmoil he was feeling in his heart.

Life had taken a rather drastic turn in the last few months and now he was going to learn how to be a king with very minimal experience since it had been his brother who was the one who had been carefully groomed by their mother since the beginning.

Joffrey's about as knowledgeable when it comes to politics as a horse is about how to pay taxes. But I suppose I can blame mother for that. She's been whispering in his ear his entire life about how being a king means you can do whatever you want. That is the most idiotic way to look at things. If you have an entire country beholden on the decisions that you make, that does not mean you can do whatever you want. Aerys Targaryen and Rhaegar Targaryen behaved in the same fashion and the only thing it got them was an early grave. If Joffrey follows the same path he can expect the same thing. I don't intend to be that way.

A blast of sea air blew his dark hair back and Caspian took another deep breath as he continued to mentally prepare himself for the battle to come. Within a week or so perhaps he would be nearing the capital where he would be meeting the ships his uncle Stannis had procured. In the meantime, Renly will have met some of the Stark forces and ridden for the capital with all haste.

It was all happening so fast that it made his head spin and what Caspian most wanted at this point was to breathe. He was fifteen years old and about to become a king while being grossly inexperienced.

I suppose in order to appease my Lannister family that I still feel some affection for I would need to appoint either Uncle Tyrion or Grandfather as my Hand. If they are busy running a kingdom than perhaps it would distract them from the nonsense that is happening in the Tully lands right now.

He closed his eyes and tried to envision what it would be like when he himself became a king.

Strangely he still couldn't imagine it. Wearing the crown and ruling the realm wasn't honestly something he could say that he had earnestly wanted. But now that it was here, he found himself looking forward to it in anticipation.

Justice wasn't something that had been instilled into him since birth like it had been with Eddard Stark. But he well knew the meaning of vengeance and he had a debt that he owed his mother that he was longing to repay.

I wonder how many of my father's bastards she's has killed besides Edric, Caspian thought grimly to himself. I know there were many and it wouldn't surprise me if she went all the way to the Vale to erase any signs of King Robert's unfaithfulness.

Being a bastard in Westeros was no easy thing and Caspian remembered grimly the way Jon Snow was treated when he had been in Winterfell what seemed like a lifetime ago. Lady Catelyn was extremely frigid towards him and whenever they had been in the same room together all around had felt it. The Stark children had loved him however and treated him like their own, but it hadn't been enough.

When they had traveled south, the last thing that Caspian had heard of Snow was that he had joined the Night's Watch.

It is a shame that that was all he has been able to expect, Caspian thought grimly. The only place bastards are treated remotely well is in Dorne and that is only due to the benevolence of Prince Doran.

His mind then turned to his recent betrothal to Lady Margaery and the presence of her rather thorny grandmother.

Having her around is going to be rather interesting, Caspian thought to himself. I know that the ambition of the Tyrells is legendary but I believe I underestimated Lady Olenna. It's obvious that she rules Highgarden and Lord Mace is just a figurehead. I certainly hope I will not have to offer the man a place on my small council when I take the throne.

Someone of his….considerable talents would not be good for the edification of the realm He paused and then took a deep breath. But I suppose I should focus on the battle to come first and then worry about what happens after.

Lady Margaery would prove to be an agreeable bride but Caspian was glad that he had decided that they would not marry until after they had taken the city. She had seemed eager to be queen, but he wanted to see what her motives would be while he was away fighting and when she was sitting beside him in court sessions.

Many people wanted power but he had a feeling that there were many women in the realm who knew how to take it and keep it for themselves. And if Margaery was as good at it as her grandmother was, than he had a feeling he was in for an interesting marriage.

The sound of flapping paper reached his ears and he glanced down at the letter he had been given by Maester Jurne before boarding the ship for the capital.

It was from Myrcella and needless to say he had been beyond shocked to receive it given everything that had happened. Uncle Tyrion hadn't written to him in a few weeks and Caspian was hungry for news of what was happening outside of the Stormlands. He hoped his uncle had followed through on his wishes to keep his younger brother and sister safe.

With some trepidation, he broke the seal on the letter and began to read.

Dear Caspian

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to write to you brother. The capital has been very busy and Uncle Tyrion has kept me occupied with a great many things. I'm currently writing this from the deck of a ship bound for Dorne while the raven awaits my conclusion. Uncle Tyrion has arranged that I will foster in Sunspear with Prince Doran and in the future I will be betrothed to his son Trystane. It is a great relief to leave the capital behind and start my life somewhere else. Uncle Tyrion arranged this betrothal so that I would be kept out of the city as he knows that war is coming. I've learned some rather disturbing things in the past few weeks since you left that have me feeling very confused and saddened.

Before I left I asked Uncle Tyrion to see to Tommen, that he would be put somewhere safe no matter what is to come. I don't want to think that a war is coming but with all of the notices that have been put up all over the capital and the soldiers readying their armor and weapons, I don't know what to think.

Whatever the case and whatever happens, you can rest assured that Tommen and I are now safe. I won't tell you where Tommen will be because I don't know who is going to read this letter. But I am now safely away from the capital where I don't fear that my letters will be read. I am finally beginning to feel safe again and I hope you are feeling the same. I hope we will be able to meet again under better than the current circumstances.

Your loving sister,

Myrcella Baratheon.

Caspian frowned as he looked over the letter again. The tone of the letter made it seem as if Myrcella was sad and that she was hiding something.

Does she know? He thought to himself, but then decided that that was impossible. There was no way she could have known. His mother would deny that secret with her last breath and take it to her grave. There was no way Tyrion would have told her either, but if notices were going up all over the city as she had detailed…..was it possible that she had learned the truth for herself?

Caspian sighed and crumpled the letter in his fist. I wanted adventure, I wasn't sure that I wanted a crown. A prince was enough for me. It would have been a lot more fun than being a king. But now it seems that that is what I am to be. I hope I will be a good one, someone who values justice and vengeance. My father didn't know the meaning of one and my mother underestimated the consequences of the other. I hope I will be able to find the balance between both.

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They were only a day out to sea when something happened that Caspian nor everyone else on board did not intend. It seemed that every journey the young prince was destined to take was characterized by fearsome storms.

If he was a more devout person, Caspian would have called it an act of the gods. Because he wasn't, he began to believe in coincidences. And just like his many dreams, Caspian found this storm to be even more horrific than any he had ever seen before.

It was devoid of sea monsters like the one he had seen when he was standing atop the precipice of Storm's End but the roiling of the waves was so fierce that he half expected one to leap out of the waves at the side of the ship every second.

The beautiful ship that he was standing on was pitching and roiling like a bucking stallion and he was hard pressed to keep his footing. Unlike on his journey to Storm's End in the beginning however, this ship did not have Ser Davos Seaworth to captain it.

Caspian would have liked to have seen the grizzled old sea captain standing at the helm and bellowing orders in that voice that had come straight out of Flea Bottom. He might have felt a small measure of assurance then.

Even as he was standing on the neck of the ship with the sword of the Durrandons strapped to his back, watching as the members of the crew dashed about, tying down loose articles and throwing rope to each other, Caspian had a sinking feeling that they were in for the ride of their lives. No matter how much was battened down, they were all in for a shaking before this was all over.

The sea was foaming and clouds of steam and white spray where being tossed into the air like they were caught in the jaws of an enormous sea monster. The waves were nearly as high as the deck of the ship itself and Caspian wondered for a moment if this is what it felt like to be completely out of control of oneself.

One end of the ship would be up one minute and he would just manage to get his footing and then the next, it was down again and the other half would be up and he would be lost again. He didn't see any sea monsters yet but with the way things were going, he wouldn't put it past the impossible to see anything at this point.

The gods must be trying to tell me something, Caspian thought to himself absently as the rain lashed in his face so he was barely able to see.

"Your grace!" someone shouted and he turned to see one of the soldiers his uncle had sent with him making his way somewhat unsteadily across the deck towards him. He was a lord, Aemon Estermont and Caspian had been surprised to see that this man would be accompanying him on the journey by sea to the capital. His father had considered letting Caspian squire for him, when he was younger before Tywin Lannister had stepped in and insisted that Caspian be fostered at Casterly Rock. Particuarly from Baratheon's blood relation through Caspian's grandmother Cassana Estermont.

To this day, Caspian had wondered why but the more he thought of it now it made sense that Tywin had wanted to keep any influence to the throne close to him. He often told Caspian that family and legacy were the only things that one left behind and they were the things that must be nurtured.

I wonder what my grandfather would think of his legacy now if he knew the truth, Caspian thought absently.

"Your grace! You should not be out in this storm!" Lord Estermont bellowed. "The waves are treacherous! One misstep and we might all plunge headlong into the waves!"

"Aye!" Caspian yelled back. "But we are short on men as it is and the ship is vast. I will stay a little longer to see if my assistance is needed! Then I will go below!"

Lord Estermont didn't look happy, but he nodded and skidded back across the ship to below orders at his men.

Lightning flashed across the sky, ripping the clouds in two and it was so bright that Caspian felt it burning his eyes. The thunder was so loud that he feared he might go deaf from the noise and he almost wanted to cover his ears from the timbre. He was already soaked through the skin but that was something that was easily remedied with the calming of the storm and a change of clothes.

Something rolled down by his feet and he grabbed a piece of rope to tie whatever it was down before someone could slip. It wasn't until he was halfway through with the process that he heard a roar from the storm and looked up. Alarm shot through the prince he froze in complete astonishment at what nature was doing throughout this storm.

A sudden shaft of lightning in the form of an upside down T, almost like it was a sword blade poised for the ship itself, had torn from the sky and struck the back of the ship with ten times the force of a battering ram. There was the smell of ozone in the air and scorched air and wood. The lightning was so bright that it nearly blinded the prince and sent him reeling back into the railing, nearly knocking him over board.

The air suddenly felt hot and there was a feeling of scorching in the air that sapped the oxygen from his lungs. The force of the lightning hitting the ship had caught everyone who had been furiously working by surprise. The concussion it sent up rocked the deck and sent everyone was on his feet, promptly flying, including Caspian.

The second prince hit the deck with a thud and almost panicked for a moment when he couldn't get air into his lungs. It was a few seconds before he realized the breath had been knocked from him.

The sword on his back was weighing him down and for a moment he made a move to remove it so that he could sit up but resisted and slowly rolled over onto his hands and knees. His palms were stinging from where they had slapped the deck and his knees ached from where he had connected with the wood.

It wasn't until he looked up however that he saw that the ship was in much worse shape than he was.

Half of the ship had been set ablaze from the explosion and Caspian had no idea what caused it. Several of the crewmen and soldiers had been thrown overboard and there was a gaping hole in the deck in front of him.

Water was spraying through it and Caspian realized with a start that the ship was rapidly taking on water and was most likely going to sink.

A jolt went through him as he realized that their journey had essentially been for nothing. The wind was blowing them south back to Storm's End and whatever wind they had gained on the first day of travel was now rendered null.

All would be null if crew captain and he died in the storm.

It was in that moment that Caspian had not a clue what to do and in his panic and indecision, those few seconds cost him.

The mast, which had already been weakened by the force of the storm and had a rather large crack at its base was leaning dangerously to one side. In the space of time it took for Caspian to look up, there was an enormous cracking sound and he held his eyes aloft just in time to see the enormous timber plummeting toward him.

In that moment he only had time to realize that if he didn't move, he was going to die.

So he stopped thinking.

And he leapt.

He threw himself to the side, not realizing that such a leap would carry him too far and over the side of the ship down into the waves below. He didn't realize the force of his mistake until he was over the side of the railing and plummeting towards the waves below. They rushed up to meet him like they were welcoming him with open arms.

The wind whistled past his ears and screeched like a banshee as it tore past his face. Caspian didn't even hear the cry when it ripped from his lungs. The moment he hit the water, it was like he had been drenched in a steaming bath but it was not a pleasant sensation.

Caspian almost blacked out at the force with which he hit the waves and had to struggle to keep his eyes open as he floated underwater. He could still feel the weight of the sword on his back which had somehow managed to remain attached to him.

The world beneath the waves was much calmer than the one above it. Below the surface he could see the wreckage of the ship floating around him, sailors, and soldiers still in armor, long sheets of cloth and barrels and long pieces of wood. It was like a graveyard of wreckage and in the moment it occurred to Caspian that he was most likely going to die.

They had travelled a distance from Storm's End and were still many leagues from King's Landing and there was no chance of help coming from his uncles as neither of them yet knew what was happening.

This is the end, Caspian thought numbly as he floated beneath the water observing the carnage of the storm all around him. All my grand plans of achieving justice for Edric and seeing the realm set to rights are for nothing. And all because of the finger of fate that came out of nowhere.

He glanced down below his feet in the water and couldn't see anything but utter blackness. It was alarming so he chose not to do so and instead kicked madly upwards for the surface so he could get his bearings.

The moment his head broke through the waves, he realized how starved his lungs had been for air and he began panting for breath. Seeing a large piece of wood floating past him from the wreckage of the ship, he reached out and with the last of his strength seized hold of it.

He could see the ship sinking in the distance and was unable to process more than the notion that he was going to die and an utter numbness and exhaustion in his limbs. He wanted to lay his head down on the wood and go to sleep but some part of him knew that he could not yet do that.

Caspian shook his wet dark curls out of his eyes and tried to formulate some coherent thought about what to do but all he really was able to conceive were two words:

It's over…..and it hadn't even begun….

It's over.

His last sensation was the feeling of a prickling at the back of his neck and turning around to find himself faced with a pair of sun like white eyes and rows of swords like teeth from an enormous creature only several yards away.

If it wasn't the end before, it certainly was now.

And as it registered that he was staring into the eyes of an ancient being, Caspian felt his grasp on reality begin to slip away.

As the monster came closer, the last thing he saw was the lightning reflecting off of its shining jaws before everything went black.