The Bloody Falcon

As the last episode of Game of Thrones ended and the credits started to roll, I let out a heavy sigh of frustration. This whole season had been the single most frustrating thing I had experienced in my 22 years on Earth. This may sound like an exaggeration, but I was a serious die-hard fan of Game of Thrones. I had read all the books, watched the previous seasons on repeat while waiting for season 8, immersed myself in fanfiction and fan theory all for that dud of an ending. As someone who was studying history at university, all things medieval and fantasy caught my attention, and this was the best, Knights, political intrigue, Lords and Kings… fucking dragons it was a medieval nerds wet dream. I turned my TV off and just stared at the ceiling, out of all the endings how on earth did it come to this. Grabbing my laptop, I went onto my favorite fan site to see what people were saying. After reading through endless comments reaffirming my opinion, I decided it was enough and was about to call it a night.

Just before I turned my laptop off, I saw a post asking, "If you had the chance to reincarnate into Westeros with 3 wishes what would they be?" I checked the time and thought I might as well have a go, my lectures tomorrow only start at 11am so I don't need to be up early. I clicked on the post and read some more. I could choose when I was born and into what family I was born as long as I was part of the same generation as Robert Baratheon, Eddard Stark, Lyanna Stark etc. So that gave me a time period of between 262 AC and 267AC.

Now usually the cliché choice that people would choose is to be the younger brother of Rhaegar or some Targaryen bullshit. Most people think of dragons immediately, me personally, fuck that. There is no guarantee that I will be able to get my hands on dragon eggs, hatch them and have them be large enough to protect me before the rebellion. Plus, there is the fact that my father would be insane, possibly my brother too. Add in the high chance of me dying before I reach double digits in age, I think not. So, they are out of the running.

The Starks are out because nearly all of them die, I hate the cold and there is nothing to do there. There is also the factor that they are the poorest out of the 7 kingdoms. Don't get me wrong Stark-wank stories are some of my favourite due to how shitty their ending was in the books and show. However, they tend to be incredibly unrealistic and simply not viable if I need to uplift them in such a hostile ecosystem in a short amount of time.

The Reach is out because Mace Tyrell is only 10 during that time period so unless I'm a younger brother of his I won't be in the pickings to be Lord Paramount. I could resort to kinslaying but I'm definitely not going to do that. Also, the Reach has several seriously powerful vassals that are nearly uncontrollable. Dealing with House's Hightower, Redwyne and Tarly would be a major pain in the neck.

The Stormlands don't really appeal to me. I do not want to mess up canon by being a younger brother or something like that. Canon can stay as it is until Robert Baratheon has his arse on the Iron Throne purely because I don't want to be dealing with any Targaryens.

The Riverlands have huge potential, opportunity to build canals, fertile ground, large population and opportunity to trade. But, there a few huge issues, vassals with serious power that have very minimal loyalty to the Tully's and being stuck in the middle of Westeros with no solid borders. They literally were the punching bag of Westeros during Robert's Rebellion and the War of the 5 Kings. I also have no intention of being related to Lysa Tully, one of the characters I probably disliked the most in Game of Thrones.

The Lannisters, are rich, powerful and have one of the most powerful standing armies in the 7 Kingdoms. However, Tywin Lannister rules the Westerlands with an iron fist and there is little to no opportunity for growth under his gaze. Furthermore, the whole Jaimie and Cersei shebang has little interest for me. The Lannister dynasty is built on fear following the Rains of Castamere and destined to fall once Tywin's grip on power slips, also fuck The Mountain I want nothing to do with the house that holds his leash.

The Dornish, are a non-entity in Westeros, sure the Martell's are cool and Oberyn is badass as fuck. Also, the Dornish culture is also really interesting, but in Westeros, they are rather poor, have a small population, small army, practically tiny navy and fairly isolated. I want some serious power and in Dorne it will be hard to achieve that.

After running through all the options in my head, I decided. I'm going to be the son of Jon Arryn and his first wife Jeyne Royce born in 266.

I made this decision for a number of reasons. First, the Vale is easily defensible. The Eyrie is probably the most difficult castle to take. The bloody gate also stops all invaders to the Vale pretty much and the mountains really don't help any would be aggressors. Secondly, Jon Arryn is a major player in the future, he fosters Ned Stark and Big Bobby B who will be 3/4 years older than me and potentially really good friends with me. The Vale also has around 40,000 men to call upon in times of war which is a really solid amount. Additionally, the Knights of the Vale are some of the most elite heavy cavalry in Westeros which is a huge plus. The final reason I am giving is that the Vale has opportunities for me to make a name for myself, the perpetual problem of the mountain tribes has been a thorn in the side for many Vale lords. This could be a great whetstone for me to get experience and some prestige. There are other reasons which I won't get into now about why I chose the Vale but I will explain in the future.

Now for my three wishes:

1. I will be asking for the super soldier serum from Captain America. Super strength, agility, extended lifespan, immunity to toxins and enhanced mental capabilities, Yes Please! Captain America could lift around 360kg overhead and bench press nearly double that. Add in the enhanced regeneration combined with superhuman stamina and agility I should be a monster on the battlefield.

2. My second wish is to unlock the magical potential in both bloodlines, the Royce's were masters of runic magic, inscribing it into their armour and weaponry. However, I am willing to bet that is only the tip of the iceberg. Runic magic can be applied to a vast number of issues in the Vale. I could make fields incredibly fertile, create streams and water sources from nothing and a whole host of other applications. While the Arryn's are followers of the Seven I would also bet they weren't without their own abilities in the distant past. They were the leaders of the Andalos invaders and I can certainly imagine some sort of Paladin like abilities such as self-reinforcement or some sort. Either way, even if the Arryn's are a dud. It is still worth a wish to get my hands on the overpowered runic abilities of the Royce's.

3. The third wish is knowledge related, I want the martial skill, the looks and the brain to back it up. I still want a challenge though while enjoying my life so nothing too OP. My third wish is a nerfed Library of Heavens Path. Instead of adding knowledge to it I want knowledge stored there which I can compile. I want everything related to Medieval and Renaissance history in there. Military tech, agricultural tech and industry I want it all. I want to use the knowledge of the past to help me in Westeros. All that history in the library… yes please.

Content with my choices I submitted my answer, checked the time and got into bed. I slowly drifted off to sleep dreaming of my ideal Game of Thrones ending. Unbeknownst to me the entity that asked the question had decided to grant me my wishes.