Chapter 11 (Revamped)

(Erlend Mudd, the Twins)

"Why should we return south? after all that has happened." Benjen looked aggrieved.

The northern lords also looked quite angry, Erlend had requested for them to return south for a great council, once the continent was no longer so divided.

Their reactions were less than enthused, with the northerners looking ready to just head back up north and never return. While a fraction of them did wish to stay and continue the rebellion, they were largely ignored by the rest.

"What's to stop us from cutting ourselves from the south? What's to stop us from declaring independence?" said the Greatjon.

Many of the lords nodded their heads in agreement, despite the disaster that was the rebellion, their loyalty to House Stark remained steadfast.

"Well, your people would starve for one," Erlend said.

"Is that a threat? Mudd," Benjen growled, the wolf in him rearing to go.

"You misunderstand Lord Stark, your population is nearly double what it was before Aegon's conquest, and your reliance on the south for food has increased with it."

"And? I doubt the Reach would refuse to sell to us, as they've done for centuries now." Ryswell interrupted.

"And I suppose you'll take care of the Florents for them?" Was Erlend's response, he then clarified it before any of these idiots could jump to another ridiculous conclusion. "The reach is already in its civil war, they can't afford to sell you grain."

"We still have the free cities that would sell."

"If you can afford their exorbitant prices, you could try I suppose."

Wyman looked somber at that, knowing full well how the magisters tended to act. They wouldn't hesitate to ring them dry if they saw the chance, "He has a point, my Lord, unless we want to see our treasuries run dry and our people starve, we have to return." 

There was anger in the eyes of the northern nobility at the audacity of this southerner, but there was little they could do. 

As for attacking Erlend, well considering the vigilant looks his Bannermen and Vassals were giving them, they had better luck civilizing free folk.

"What do you want then?" Benjen said, his tone weary and distrustful.

Erlend might have saved them both time and gold in besieging the Freys, but they considered him just as much a Southerner as they did for the rest of Westeros. Regardless of the First Men's blood running through his veins.

His apparent worship of the seven probably didn't do him any favors. Not like he was willing to alienate the majority of his future subjects for the short-term support of these northerners.

He did not need them to succeed, but they were useful for speeding things up.

"Nothing much, in exchange for selling you our grain for reasonable prices, I only require your presence in the coming Great Council," Erlend said.

"Where exactly will this Great Council of yours be held?" Maege asked.

"Harrenhal of course, there's no other keep that can hold that many lords and ladies."

"As long as you keep your word about the grain, we'll be there," Benjen grunted out.

The lone wolf looked displeased, but wisely decided to keep the peace for his people, ironically making him a better man than most of the aristocracy within Westeros, including Erlend himself.

"I have news you might be interested in, Lord Stark," Erlend said.

The wolf looked confused at that, having thought the matter was done with.

"It's about your sister Lyanna."

This time the rest of the northern Lords stared at Erlend, their eyes practically demanding that he continue.

"A contingent of my men have managed to successfully retrieve your sister and her daughter, she's been transported to my home Summerswind Manor."

"Retrieved?"

"Daughter?"

"Successfully?"

Benjen silenced his Lords with a look and stared at Erlend, demanding an explanation. Erlends bannermen looked intrigued by the subject, especially the former royalists. There had always been a burning desire to know what exactly was so special about this girl, that precious crown prince would plunge the realm into chaos for her.

"Aye, it seems you've all been led astray, for Lyanna was never kidnapped by Rhaeger, she went with him willingly."

Silence, absolute silence filled the great hall, as everyone tried to come to terms with the revelation. Before any of the lords present could blow up, or do something stupid, Erlend motioned for the servants to pass on the letters and paperwork that proved his words true.

No one said a word, as they patiently read through the letters and the legal papers that made Lyanna and Rhaeger's elopement legal, though that in itself was questionable, considering the fact that Elia wasn't allowed to contest her annulment in the first place.

As for her siblings and the rest of Dorne, it was hardly like the rest of Westeros would give a fuck about their opinion on the matter.

Benjen finally broke the silence "Why weren't we informed of this by Lyanna herself?"

Erlend paused as he came up with a proper answer, before responding "She assumed that Rhaeger would have informed the affiliated parties of their elopement."

"Then why did he not inform anyone of the farce?" This time it was Rickard Karstark who asked.

"Rhaeger wanted to force the kingdoms into conflict; so that he could fulfill his prophecy."

Now Erlend was no idiot, he knew full well that the Stark lord was well aware of this, but chose to appear ignorant so as not to alienate his future bannermen. He happily went along with the mummer's farce, as it would ensure House Stark would remain in his pocket for the foreseeable future.

As for House Targaryen, it only benefited him more that the lords became hostile to the so-called last dragons, so he saw no reason to add more fuel to the fire. Hell, he didn't have to come up with fuel, as ironically enough everything he said was true.

Benjen remained silent, as he himself realized the importance of playing ignorant of the elopement, lest he find himself killed before ever returning to Winterfell.

"So what happens to Lyanna now?" Maege stared at Erlend, wondering why he seemingly decided to take Lyanna hostage.

"She'll remain under my protection, her and Rhaeger's action had devastating consequences on Westeros and it would be unwise to let her roam free, as too many people have lost loved ones due to their actions."

Maege thought about it for a second and couldn't help but agree, even now she could see many of the lords around her, both northern and southern staring coldly at the parchments, Lyanna could very well end up dead if she appeared in public.

Bringing her back to the North would make things worse for Benjen, even with the Boltons gone.

"You said something about Rhaeger wanting to fulfill a prophecy." Wyman looked inquisitively at Erlend, urging him to explain. 

"When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt." Allowing the words to sink in, Erlend then said "The dragon must have three heads."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Greatjon growled.

"Rhaeger initially believed that he himself was the object of the prophecy, later on after Aegon's birth, he believed his son to be the one it spoke about and that he would have three children representing each head, only to be further convinced when he laid his eyes on Lyanna."

"What does Lyanna have to do with this prophecy?" Maege questioned.

"The Song of Ice and Fire, the 'last Dragon' assumed like his forebearers that the prince that was promised would come from his line, and what better union to bring it than that between the dragonlords and the ancient line of winter that he assumed would give him the last of his three dragons."

"So he seduced her and threw the realm into chaos because of some nonsense." This time it was Lorimas who spoke, the disbelief on his face was clear.

"Aye, after they eloped and he was sure she was pregnant, Rhaeger told her everything, emphasizing the carnage and chaos that occurred because of their actions, forcing her to give birth amid salt and smoke within the sandy dunes of Dorne, all the while she grieved the death of her family."

"What about the bleeding star?" Yohn interjected.

"Honestly, I have no idea about it, then again it's obvious the fool wasn't all that sane, so his reasoning makes little sense" Erlend replied.

"How do you know all about this?" Benjen was curious about where Erlend got this information from.

"From both Lyanna herself and the Kingsguard that were guarding her, while Gerold Hightower didn't know much about the plot, the same couldn't be said about Ser Arthur and Ser Oswell."

Go figure that the Hightower was kept out of the loop, they were never all that trusted after the dragon's spat.

"That explains why the fuckers weren't there at the Trident." Muttered Galbart.

Erlend then went silent as he watched the gathered nobility try to come to terms with what he had just told them.

With this information, any remaining loyalty that could've been had for House Targaryen would be destroyed. Hence, he would have his shadows spread the word soon after.

As for the Starks, he no longer needed to worry about them becoming independent; the trust in House Stark had been greatly shaken by Lyanna's actions. However, he was curious about how they would react to her daughter, as they had effectively ignored her, being more interested in the prophecy.

Benjen was safe as long as he didn't reveal his knowledge on the matter and while he was respected for his administration of the North during the rebellion, it wasn't to the point that any of the northerners would seek to name him King.

All in all, this meeting proved quite fruitful for him, he could finally divert his attention southwards.