Chapter 5 Howland, Davos, JonCon, Rickard

Howland Reed

Howland read the letter he received from Deepwood Motte in amazement. Northern ravens have been trained to visit the swamps but have never been specifically targeted at Greywater Watch; no one knows where they are. Lords rarely sent their ravens directly because they believed the ravens would never find their destination, so when he was informed that a raven was coming, he was suspicious.

The contents of the letter made him smile. Lord Glover and Lady Mormont had already sent the letter to the Hidden Wolf. And the hidden wolf transformed into the Wolf King. He then begins his reign by killing a large group of octopuses and sending out a proclamation that Stark has now returned.

But that wasn't what made him truly happy. No, what made Howland's blood pump was that Lyanna's child wasn't leaving the rest of his life frozen on the wall anymore. He was angry at himself for not trying to talk more with Ned about adopting Jon at Greywater Watch. The boy wouldn't have gone to the wall if he hadn't grown up repressed about being a bastard. 

He truly missed out; he never repaid Lyanna when she offered him a helping hand and friendship. But now he has a chance to honor her memory by helping her child. 

"Moat Cailin would be a good gift for the reigning king," Howland muttered as he walked out of the office. He would send out a letter to gather the Crannogmen and Northerners to plan the capture of Moat Cailin. 

Despite the mere fact that the Crannogmen were enough to seize Moat Cailin, he had no reason to do so because seizing and holding were two different things. He might have taken it from the Squids or the Boltons, but there was no long-term security to hold on to without the support of the North. But now that Stark is back, the gates to the north must be in good hands and not opened. Let people from the south come in until everything is in place. 

****

Davos Seaworth

"Bring me Stark, and I will proclaim Stannis my king." 

Those were Lord Manderly's last words before heading to Winterfell. 

The Lord of White Harbor had given him a ship and crew to bring young Rickon Stark back to the mainland. There were no allegiance signs on the ship. Just a simple trading ship and nothing more—getting to Skagos on the Bay of Seals is easy. There may be ice sheets or vortexes. But it was no more difficult than the stormy Shipbreaker Bay he had sailed through. 

Skagos has a rocky coast. Two shipwrecks line the coastline. Whale carcasses beached and a large volcano surrounded by forests Getting there was easy. But getting to the island is another matter. The islanders distrusted outsiders and refused to lower their catapults. They rode a large goat-like animal with a single long horn on its head—a unicorn. Even the language they speak is not a common language. Northern sailors called it Old Tongue, a language no longer used. If it weren't for the fact that there was a northerner who could speak Old Tongue, they would not have been on the island. 

Landing on a barbaric island rumored to be populated by cannibals was a challenge that Davos was concerned about. He prayed to the gods of the Seven Faiths throughout the journey. Even he wondered if the new gods could help him in the land of the old gods. But he shouldn't have put too much faith in the rumors. Meeting the Wildlings had made him realize how much the stories had been exaggerated—and he was right. The Skagosi were really no different from the Northerners. They were fierce, serious, and distrustful, but a civilized person

Davos and a crew of twelve were led to a large settlement. Most of the buildings are made of wood. But some of the larger ones were built of stone, and castle in general style. He was led into the long hall and brought before whoever was the Lord Ruler of the island. 

In the warm hall There was a flag with a green lobster holding a black sergeant hanging, standing out from the other flags. There was a bonfire in the center, and tables on each side were filled with men and women. Everyone carried swords and axes on their bodies. Some were made of a material as black as night. At the front was an elderly man sitting in a simple chair with a drink in his hand. He looked rough, like everyone else. But he had gray hair and scars all over his face. It didn't add anything to his imposing height and scowl. The man spoke in a deep, trying-to-be-Westeros voice.

"You are not a northerner. What are you doing here?" 

"Yes, I, Davos Seaworth, am here on behalf of Lord Manderly," Davos said confidently. He doubted that Skagosi knew who Stannis was. Manderly was a northern house, at least.

Skagosi grimaced, "So the Manderlys sent you; we haven't talked to them much. Why did our northern brothers send you here?"

"He asked me to take one of the Stark boys back to the mainland. He has a wolf with him."

Then there was a murmur in the group. They knew there was a boy and a wolf on the island. At least Manderly was right. The boy didn't die at Winterfell.

"You want Stark back to the mainland. Why? I know that Bolton now rules the North. Will you hand over the boy to them?" said the Skagosi leader.

Just as Davos was about to explain his reasoning, a shout came from one of the tables. "He wants to give him to the scalpers!"

"He's going to take Stark away from us!

"He will kill Stark and his Direwolf!"

"Send him and the others to the Cannibal Cave!"

Those who shouted were angry. It was clear that he wanted to protect this child. Too much loyalty for a group that didn't talk much to the mainland. It was the only thought that came into his head. Try not to even think about what Cannibal Cave means.

Davos decided to be brave and shouted before it was determined he was a threat.

"I didn't come here for Bolton! King Stannis needs someone to help him fight the Boltons, so Manderly offered to let me take Stark back."

The group continued to shout. Now it has moved to the bouncer.

The older Skagosi leader stood up. It made the entire hall quiet. "Get out of here, Southerners. We will not hand over Stark to you or your king. The child has eaten my bread and salt."

"but…"

"You should return to the mainland because your king is dead." The Skagosi leader spoke out, causing him to shut up.

"I have received a letter announcing the death of King Stannis and the return of Stark King."

"What!" Davos was stunned by the news he had missed. His heart sank with heaviness. His king is dead. And a new king was born, a Stark. "How?"

He muttered, How could there be more Starks? Besides Eddard losing his head, House Stark had five men. Three people have died. Another person is on the island. And the last one was a bastard on the wall. He doubted the man would break his oath. King Stannis admired him for his honesty, so the new Stark King must be one of those who were thought to be dead and come back.

"They announced it for Bran Stark?" he asked.

"No, it's Jon Snow. He was made a stark heir to the throne by King Robb."

"We don't kneel to any king other than King Stark."

And the entire room was filled with cheers. Davos had no choice but to reluctantly leave the hall. His reason for being here no longer exists. King Stannis needs the boy Stark to win the favor of the northern nobles. Now his master was dead, and the northerners had proclaimed a new king. So the North was no longer his problem. His only business was to return to the Wall for Princess Shireen.

"I hope my king never believes the Red Witch," Davos muttered as he made his way back to the port. The Red Witch was the cause of their downfall. She made the King believe he was the hero who would save humanity. Turning him and his wife into fanatical cultists, they destroyed statues of the Seven Faiths, which he believed were the cause of the entire disaster.

As Davos was walking through the grass, he saw a man and a young girl playing with an adult wolf. One of them would be the boy Stark, his target. But it has no meaning anymore. 

"I hope Princess Shireen is safe."

***

Jon Connington

Jon is in the halls of Storm's End, standing beside the throne of the former Storm King after he surveys the captured castle with ease.

Storm's End was certainly a formidable fortress. Since it was created thousands of years ago, it is said to have never been captured by force. In the past, the Andals had tried so many times to conquer the Storm King's castle that they had given up. During Robert's Rebellion, Stannis Baratheon proved the legend true by standing up to an army. That was hundreds of times greater than himself until the war ended. 

The only way to seize the fortress was through betrayal from the inside or starvation. Stannis seems to have experienced the latter situation, so Stannis filled the castle's food stores and left three hundred good men to defend the castle. Before setting out north, Mace Tyrell made a second unsuccessful attempt to conquer the legendary fortress, leading the Lord of Highgarden to withdraw most of his forces back to King's Landing to assist his daughter. Consider the upcoming trial against faith.

The Golden Company was able to capture this legendary fortress through deception. By raising Stannis' banner and destroying the remaining army of House Tyrell under the leadership of Aegon, When asked, they say it was the sword that Stannis had hired and brought down from the north. As a result, they were welcomed by the castle and had a party. Stannis' soldiers had no idea what they were about to encounter. As the wolf hour came to an end, the wall gates were opened for the rest of the Golden Company to enter.

Jon couldn't help but smile sarcastically. Aegon sat on the throne of the ruler of the Stormlands. Robert Baratheon had usurped the Iron Throne from House Targaryen. Now it was a Targaryen sitting on the throne of House Baratheon. 

In front of him, a group of important advisers had gathered to prepare for the next campaign. Jon listened intently as the report came to him. It details the situation of each kingdom in Westeros. 

At Dorn, Doran has declared his support for Aegon and is moving his army north.

The Ironborns invade the Reach.

The alliance between House Tyrell and House Lannister is faltering as each side vies for control of King's Landing.

House Lannister is controlling Riverland out of desperation for the guerrilla war, and the Kingslayer has disappeared as well.

The Vale began to move for unclear purposes.

And the northern region is still quiet...

Jon lowered his head in thought. Ever since the news of Stannis's death reached them, there had been no more news from the North. What happened in the North? Does House Bolton now have complete authority in the North?

Jon furrowed his brow in concern. The Northern Kingdom is said to be the same size as the Southern Kingdom combined and has only one land border with another kingdom. He expected that after House Stark fell, the North would be in a power vacuum. This left the North open for conquest. But if they were united, it would be difficult to conquer. Unless they have dragons, who were now enjoying the freeing of slaves in the Far East, the absence of the North from the report troubled him. So he would send scouts north. to gather information and assess the situation directly.

But for now, there are other matters that need to be dealt with. Turning his attention back to the report, Jon listened intently, his mind creating plans and strategies for the impending battle. The Lannisters had already taken action by spreading the word that Aegon was a fake. 

***

Rickard Ryswell

Rickard stood on the battlements of Ryswell Castle, staring at the banner of House Stark fluttering in the distance. The sight sent a chill down his spine.

He had been informed several days ago of Stark's return, but he never thought that they would arrive at his doorstep with the tools to siege the castle. And what's worse? It appears that some of the Rills nobles have already pledged their allegiance to House Stark, with their banners flying alongside House Stark's direwolf.

"Why didn't I get a notification?" Rickard muttered to himself. His mind raced with thoughts of news lag and impending doom. His father and the majority of House Ryswell's army were at Winterfell, leaving only a small army to defend the castle and surrounding lands.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Rickard knew that House Stark's army were vastly outnumbered by their own. And he feared what House Ryswell would become if he lost the castle. 

"We're fucked," he whispered, the words heavy in the air. He knew their only hope was to seek help from Barrowton or Winterfell; ravens had already been sent to both castles. But he also knew that help wouldn't come soon. Now he is alone. Stuck in a castle wall like a mouse in a trap.

But Rickard isn't one to give up without a fight. He pulled himself up to his full height and made a decision. "Call in the soldiers," he ordered his men. "We must be prepared to defend our home at all costs."

Surrender is not an option. House Stark does not take kindly to traitors. No one would do that, especially if Stark knew that his father planned to become ruler of the North himself. His life was probably doomed. If he's lucky, his child will be a hostage. The grown men would be sent to the wall. But if they were unlucky, all of their heads would be stuck on the pointy end.

As the sound of trumpets echoed through the castle walls, Rickard braced himself for the coming battle. The shadows of House Stark's army loomed wide. As the army of wolves came closer, he also became more stressed. His mind raced with thoughts of strategy and survival. He knew that even though the enemy was outnumbered, they had the advantage of standing behind the wall, and reinforcements were coming.

Rickard's grip on his sword tightened as he ordered his men. Encourage them to prepare for the coming attack. The castle walls were lined with archers. Their bows were drawn tight. Ready to shoot down arrows at the advancing enemies.

The bowstring was released. The arrows flew at House Stark's army, but the wolves took cover, and the arrows were of little use. Stark's soldiers soon returned the arrows, though most of them hit the walls, but many of his men did fell down

The Stark soldiers continued to advance. When arrows flew off the wall, they raised their covers to catch the arrows. Then he sent the arrow back. Before moving forward, this was repeated until they approached the wall with minimal casualties. He had to order the gates to be opened to take out the soldiers before they started climbing the walls or using siege equipment to destroy the gates. He obviously had the advantage of using the cavalry to clear the perimeter of the wall, but he couldn't let the cavalry go too far from the castle for fear of being surrounded and suffering huge losses.

The fighting continued for several days. Both sides fell to each other's swords and arrows. However, there was no sign of support. Not a single raven responded. On the bright side, the army was coming, so they couldn't use the birds to carry the news to get captured by the enemy, or, more pessimistically, his bird never reached the two castles.

The battle style remains the same: Stark's soldiers try to get closer to the wall. As for him, he led his horsemen out to drive them out.

Rickard fought alongside his men. He killed many good Northerners, but he knew that it would not end easily. He then began to look for Stark King in the crowd, who was quite easy to spot due to his distinctive uniform. And the big white wolf that hovered around was definitely the Stark King. Tales of the young king and his wolf fighting together in war are still told among the villagers. He gathered his men to attack the Stark King. His fame would skyrocket if he killed the Wolf King.

As they approached their target, Rickard could see the ferocity in the Stark King's eyes, like a hunter looking at his prey. But he refused to hesitate. Then he charged forward with a powerful roar. 

As he rode his horse to attack, Stark's soldiers charged from the side. The soldier's sword swung toward his side. with a quick response. So he twisted himself out of the way. Narrowly avoided the attack. But before he could recover, another Stark soldier stepped up and stabbed a spear at him. He parried the spear with all his might and continued to cut.

However, Stark's soldiers blocked them from every direction, not allowing him to retreat. In each moment that passed, those who followed him were able to kill several Stark soldiers before falling, but for every Stark soldier they killed, two more seemed to take their place. 

And finally, he was thrown from his horse and hit the ground hard. The force of the blow caused pain to radiate throughout his body. But he refused to succumb to the pain. His mind was still focused on the battle raging around him.

Rickard struggled to his feet. His vision was blurry from the pain. But he could see that Stark's soldiers were approaching. Their axes were raised high and swung down. He knew that his battle was over due to the lack of a sword in his hand. It was not a very dignified death. He expects to die with the Stark King's sword in a duel that will become a song. Not knocked down by an unknown soldier.

He also hoped that the Stark King would be kind to his children; they had done nothing wrong.

***