Chapter 13: The council of a king and a queen

It has been two weeks since Daenerys reclaimed the city of Mereen and changes were afoot. Her conciliatory ways to the former slave masters have come to an end especially after Varys provided her with names of all those savers who financed the Sons of the Harpy. Instead of killing them outright, she had under the advice of Tyrion, put them all in prison. Their homes were looted of anything valuable and a portion of that wealth was handed over to the poor of the city.

She had ensured this was done in an orderly manner and encouraged the former slaves to start their own trades or even deliver to small scale merchants. The other part of the wealth was used to restore the ports of the city to allow more trade to flow once again. The work was still in progress and it would take more months to complete but the first steps were taken. It was truly a shame that she won't be here to see most of these works completed. The once-great pyramids that housed the richest slave masters were now in the process of being turned into guild halls. There were guild halls for sure long before she first took the city but this time the pyramids will house the political leaders of these guilds.

She had asked her council to suggest an alternate governing body for Mereen. After the debacle that happened in Astapor and Yunkai, she knew that merely appointing some men to govern a city will not work. Again it was Tyrion Lannister that came up with a viable plan.

Tyrion suggested that a council must be formed to govern the city but one that would ensure the transfer of power without bloodshed. The various guilds that were present in Mereen will be assigned the pyramids of the former slave masters and there the permanent members of the guilds would meet and elect three representatives for each guild. This method of an election would be held after every four years and it will apply to all guilds except for the new army of Mereen. Here Ser Barristan intervened and suggested that he would knight three men from the three thousand strong men and assign them, squires, as well. This tradition would continue long into the future.

Tyrion was against that idea, arguing that that army would have permanent members in the council for however long they wanted while the other council members would change periodically. He rightly argued the balance of power of such a council would heavily favour the army as they are permanent members of the council.

So Daenerys came up with a suggestion to make the three knights choose a single man from the army to be represented in a higher council. The Higher Council was also Tyrion's idea.

The Lower Council, that is the council formed by elected members from different guilds, would vote to elect a single leader amongst them. This leader, the Chancellor, will then form the higher council where the day to day matters of the city would be governed. This High Council would be the governing body of the city and the only member that the Chancellor would not elect will be the representative of the army.

The Higher Council will have a period of five years of power the same as that of the Chancellor. Any new laws will have to be introduced by the Chancellor but it would only come into effect with a majority vote from the Lower Council. There were more powers for the office of Chancellor but Tyrion had assured her that he will be working closely with several guild members to form a system of checks and balances to split the power of the Lower Council and Higher Council. The exact details were still being hatched out but within ten days a Lower Council will be formed and then afterwards a Chancellor. It will be after that she would set sail for Volantis and then she would have to reach out to Lys and Tyrosh.

Her journey to Westeros was a long one especially since she was sailing an entire army west. She has been told that it is an ambitious voyage and expensive too but Varys had promised that if she can take Volantis without much bloodshed then he will be able to negotiate the aid of Lys and Tyrosh to safely transport her troops to Westeros. He had warned her not to antagonise Lys and Tyrosh with any anti-slavery rhetoric. She agreed because she had done her part in Slavers Bay. Now it was up to the people to push forward and kill the abhorrent practice of slavery. She had done all she could, more than anyone had ever done in their lifetime according to Ser Barristan and Lord Tyrion.

Looking down from the top of the Great Pyramid she could hear the city. It was bursting with activity especially the shipyards. She could see her Drogon and Viserion circling the sea and occasionally diving down to catch some fish. With her newfound ability to form an empathetic bond with Drogon she no longer felt the need to chain her dragons. She had personally led Viserion out of his prison. While she could not bond with Viserion her ability to control Drogon was more than enough to keep Viserion in check.

She put a lid on her thoughts as her ears picked up the sound of the doors to her chambers open. Within a short while, she was joined by Tyrion, Varys, Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah in the balcony.

"Your Grace."

Each of them greeted her one by one and she merely nodded in greeting before turning her attention to her oldest advisor and friend.

"How is your arm Ser Jorah?"

"The pain flares up occasionally but I am thankful to have avoided a fate worse than death." answered Ser Jorah and she smiled at him. She was happy that he was no longer infected with Greyscale even if his arm had to be amputated at the elbow.

"Forgive me for interrupting your grace. We have some concerns and I request that you address them now." said Tyrion which made Dany sigh before returning to observe the city.

She had been avoiding this conversation ever since she revealed the existence of her nephew. It was her insecurities that held her back from discussing this matter. She didn't know what the future would hold for her and she didn't know how Daeron would react. She knew him through her dreams but she was more than sure that he never knew her. It was inevitable that they would meet in Westeros but she worried how Daeron would see her. Would he see her as an enemy? Even if she acknowledged him as a trueborn Targaryen there will be others that would see her claim as legitimate, chiefly her own advisors.

Then there is the matter of the Unsullied. She promised them freedom and she had intended to let them live out their days in Westeros when she took the Iron Throne. But now that she had decided not to pursue the throne what will become of them? Would Daeron accept her as his family? She knew he had grown up hearing the stories about how her father murdered his uncle and grandfather. Because of this, she feared he does not hold House Targaryen in high regard.

In her dreams, she had noticed how he seems to prefer using the name his uncle gave him instead of his true name. Because of that, she feared that he harbours some resentment to his Targaryen ancestry. She had many such insecurities but perhaps being true to her advisors might bring her some measure of peace. In the end, she decided to go with her gut feeling.

"You may speak lord Tyrion."

"Thank you, your grace. You said to us that Jon Snow whom everyone here knows as Ned Stark's son is your nephew Daeron Targaryen. We would like to know how you came across this information?" asked Tyrion as respectfully as he could manage without coming off as too demanding.

"I have been having dreams about my nephew. I saw Northmen under Eddard Stark battle my father's Kingsguard near the Tower of Joy. I saw a bleeding Lyanna Stark hand over her son to her brother charging him with her son's protection. I saw Rhaegar and Lyanna say their vows before a Weirwood tree in the presence of the previous High Septon. I saw everything that happened and everything that is happening right now."

The silence that followed her proclamation was a welcome one for Dany as that let her gather her thoughts.

"I had always wondered why Rhaegar did what he did with Lady Lyanna. The Silver Prince was kind too kind in some cases and he despised violence of any kind. He could never harm a woman, I know this but at the time of the rebellion and the period afterwards, all evidence pointed otherwise. Before the Battle of Trident, I had asked the Prince about what happened but he would not say a word. I thought it was out of shame and guilt. It doesn't excuse his behaviour as Rhaegar was a married man and Lady Lyanna was promised to another. But it is still a relief for me to know that the Prince never forced himself on Lady Stark." said Ser Barristan as he sagged in relief and his gold plated armour clicked at the movement.

"So the honourable Ned Stark was as honourable as everyone said. While I am not a believer in information gleaned from dreams the actions of the remaining Kingsguard knights Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent and Ser Gerold Hightower makes more sense. They must have been ordered to protect and guard a pregnant Lyanna Stark." Varys mused with a nod seemingly putting together a piece of a long lost puzzle.

"I don't know much about Prince Rhaegar and his actions before the rebellion but I do know about Jon Snow or I suppose Daeron Targaryen. I travelled with him from Winterfell to the Wall where he took the vows of the Night's Watch. At that time I was sure that he thought of himself as a bastard of Ned Stark. I wonder how he came across his true parentage?" Tyrion paused in thought.

"You know something." said Daenerys as she was familiar with the peculiar look that graced the face of her advisor.

"I suspect it must have been Aemon Targaryen or better yet Benjen Stark that revealed his true parentage." answered Tyrion and that captured her attention.

"Who is Aemon Targaryen?" she asked curiously having always thought that there were no other Targaryens left in the world.

"He is the Maester at Castle Black." said Tyrion

"He was my queen. I am afraid the good maester has passed away in his sleep." Varys reported.

"That's unfortunate. He was a good man and easily likeable. He was the brother of your great grandfather, King Aegon V." Tyrion explained for her benefit making her nod absently.

"Your grace if you acknowledge Daeron Targaryen as your brother's trueborn son then you would weaken your claim to the Iron Throne." Ser Jorah was the one that directed the conversation back to the crux of the matter—the succession.

"Your grace if both yourself and Daeron press claim for the throne then the both of you will be at odds with each other." said Tyrion and he expected a sharp retort from the queen but surprisingly he was left waiting.

"I know lord Tyrion. The succession of the crown will be discussed after all the pretenders and usurpers are gone for good. I will personally speak with Daeron and discuss the succession." Daenerys found herself saying that instead of the truth. To her horror, she found herself unable to say the truth that she had abandoned her dream for the throne to her advisors.

"It is imperative that both of you don't fight for the Iron Throne. The last time Dragons danced in the skies of Westeros for the throne untold destruction fell upon the populace." warned Tyrion hoping for some reaction from the Queen.

"You don't have to worry lord Tyrion. Under any circumstances, I won't choose to war with my nephew. He is of my blood and I won't see the last of my family die by my hand or that of another if I can help it." Daenerys declared and with that declaration the tension in the balcony lifted.

"Of course your grace. We were merely concerned as your advisors." said Tyrion happy that the Queen was open to a peaceful approach in this matter. Anything else would invite unfathomable disaster.

"In that case, our impending invasion of Westeros has become simpler provided Daeron Targaryen is amicable for an alliance." Varys pointed out.

"Yes, with Daeron having Rhaegal by his side according to our queen it stands to reason that Winterfell will fall back into his hands. If he can unite the North then he will be looking to the South for vengeance. What has happened to his family in the South will not be forgotten by him and with a dragon under his command the fate of House Frey is looking bleak." Tyrion predicted somewhat worriedly as he thought of Jaime and the possible wave of destruction that was going to be unleashed from the North.

"He has already put house Umber to the sword for betraying his kin. Karhold also met a similar fate and now he is on the move against the Boltons. It won't be long before the North is united once more. Many Northern lords have already bent their knee to Daeron." Daenerys informed her advisors which shocked many of them.

"He killed them all?" Tyrion asked aghast and he was getting serious Tywin-vibes from Daeron.

"Only one member of House Umber survives right now and he is in Daeron's custody. House Karstark is still intact but their castle has been put to the sword for supporting the Boltons. Now, the Karstarks no longer stand with the Boltons while the Northern lords flood to Daeron's side out of loyalty to the Starks or in fear of what will happen to them if they don't choose a side." said Dany as that was what she gleaned from her broken dreams.

"Brutal but effective. He takes after the Starks of old rather than his uncle." Ser Jorah nodded approvingly which earned him incredulous stares.

"You don't understand how the Northerners work." Jorah defended himself. "They won't simply follow someone because of threats or promise of riches. Threats have to be backed up with action for them to take you seriously. The Starks have always been brutal to their enemies but at the same time, they are fiercely protective of those who stand by their side. So long as a single Stark survives the North will really to them. Only a Stark can hold the entirety of the North."

No one argued with Ser Jorah after that.

"I for one will be delighted to introduce my sister to Prince Daeron. I am sure I will enjoy whatever he does to her seeing as she had his uncle killed. It's too bad I killed my father. He had such troubles with Robb Stark. If Prince Daeron is half as good as his cousin on the battlefield we can safely assume he would be in control of both the North and Riverlands by the time we arrive in Westeros." said Tyrion making Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah nod.

"Where do you suggest we make our landing?" Daenerys asked curious to know the answer while filing away everything Tyrion and Ser Jorah said so far.

"No region in Westeros is friendly to you so we have to take a position by force and it must be strategically valuable. Seeing as we will be ferrying a sizeable army with a large fleet only one place comes to mind—Dragonstone." said Tyrion and she noticed Ser Jorah nod in agreement.

"The Redwyne fleet has taken the islands in the absence of the Royal Fleet. They will have to be dealt with before we land." Varys reminded everyone.

"That will be no problem my lords." said Dany with a smile as her eyes jumped to her dragons in the distance.

"No, that won't be a problem, your grace." Ser Barristan agreed with a smile. "But a sizeable garrison must be holding on to the castle of Dragonstone. It is easily defendable and not easy to breach as well. Efforts must be made to negotiate a peaceful surrender lest we waste men needlessly to take that castle. I suggest that we assault Driftmark first and then make the Velaryons submit to our queen. It will make the subjugation of Dragonstone that much simpler and less costly."

"Many that garrison your ancestral seat is Velaryon men with some Redwyne men in the mix. The strategy is a sound one, your grace." Varys nodded approvingly.

"These are all good plans but first we have to take Volantis." Ser Jorah pointed out.

"True." Varys agreed and turned his attention to her but it was Tyrion that picked up the slack.

"I have been conversing with several Red Priests and it seems they have been very active in their anti-slavery campaign outside of Mereen. The Red Faith is very strong in Volantis and it seems the city is very polarized. The slaves of the city are convinced that you are Azor Ahai a prophesized hero in their religion. The Red Priests have been preaching about your arrival and the people will win back their freedom through you. To my mind half the battle is already over." said Tyrion which made her raise a curious eyebrow at him while her three other advisors looked at Tyrion as if he lost his mind.

"You do know that Volantis is a formidable city and has never fallen to an invading force before. The Valyrians built the city to withstand a ten-year siege. They have high walls that will dissuade any attempts of a forced occupation. Our only hope in victory is to surround the city and cut off all trade. The elephant party of the city is made up of merchants and while her grace may have many enemies among them they will capitulate when they see which way the wind is blowing. They will surely pressure the governing council of the city to make peace when they see all trade dry up." Varys suggested.

"Won't that take a lot of time Lord Varys? Time that her grace won't have if we are to make way to Westeros?" asked Ser Barristan aghast at the prospect of surrounding a city like Volantis. His main concern was also the proximity of Valyria itself.

"Ser Barristan speaks true and it won't have to be a siege either." said Tyrion and then took a dramatic pause which caused her to roll her eyes at his antics. Her dwarf of an advisor had his quirks but he was a brilliant man which he proved with his plan.

"The Valyrians built the City of Volantis to withstand a ten-year siege as Lord Varys has said. But the dragonlords never built the city to withstand an assault from the dragons. Why would they? After all the Valyrian empire was forged through dragon fire."

"Are you seriously suggesting that the Queen attack the city with her dragons?" Varys asked incredulously

"I thought the aim here was to take the city intact my lord?" Ser Barristan was also not happy with the plan to unleash dragons upon Volantis.

"Dragons have taken cities bloodlessly and without setting it on fire before my lords. Even during the Dance of Dragons the Black Queen, Rhaenyra Targaryen took King's Landing with her dragons. The situation we face is also eerily similar and our queen has more of an advantage." Tyrion paused and ran into her chambers leaving a very confused group of people in her balcony. He quickly returned with a pitcher full of wine and five cups. He began to pour wine into each of the five cups and began to distribute it one by one. She could see Varys letting out a sigh of frustration at Tyrion's antics.

"If it is not much trouble my lord we are waiting for your brilliant plan to take Volantis." Varys sparked although he took the offered cup without any complaint.

"You have to enjoy the moment when I present my brilliant ideas, my friend. You should learn to enjoy the moment and live a little." Tyrion retorted as he finished distributing wine to everyone before turning to her with a cup. Daenerys let out a huff but played along and took the offered cup.

"In my youth, I read all about other distant lands for you see I was under house arrest for almost all my life. A peculiar thing that I learned about Volantis is that a large wall made of black marble separates the city into two both economically and socially." Tyrion paused and Varys quickly caught on to the plan.

"The black wall that separates those of pureblooded Valyrians and the slave population of Volantis." Varys murmured distractedly.

"Exactly! The slaves of Volantis already worship our queen and if that wall was to say, melt away, the city will fall. Keep in mind that Volantis has already sent a portion of her strength to attack Mereen. With twenty thousand Dothraki outside their city, two large dragons in the skies, an enemy fleet with eight thousand Unsullied and a revolt inside their high walls I suspect the free city of Volantis will fall in a day or two." said Tyrion and raised a glass to her in salute and drank the wine in one large gulp. She wondered where all this wine is stored in his little body. She didn't mind his drinking habits as his mind was always sharp. She was blessed with good advisors and she would take heed of their advice.

"We will follow lord Tyrion's plan." said Daenerys after mulling it over in her head.

"What about the prisoners we took your grace?" asked Ser Barristan.

"The Sons of the Harpy and those who supported them have no place in the New Mereen we built. They will be exiled from Mereen with nothing but their clothes on their back. Order the men under your command to escort the prisoners far away from the city and I do expect this order to be carried out as exactly as I have laid out. If they somehow survive then that will be solely dependent on their ability and not your charity Ser Barristan. You have advised mercy and this will be the limits of my mercy." said Dany with a hard stare at the old Knight.

"As you will my queen." Ser Barristan bowed.

"Good. Now, what about the ships from New Ghis?" she asked turning to her spymaster.

"A few of them will arrive in a fortnight, your grace. The full fifty ships will only arrive by the next week I am afraid." said vary with a hint of an apology which she merely waved away.

"No worries Lord Varys. I was afraid this scheme of yours would fail and the fact that it has succeeded is satisfying. We will use the delay to prepare our men as best as we can."

"Some of the ships can be left here in Mereen as we won't be needing them. We have a dangerous journey ahead of us as sailing around Valyria with such a large fleet is no easy task. Only the best and safest ships shall be used for this purpose. Even if we can't take all the Unsullied in one trip we can still ferry them over once we are in Volantis. It may cause some delay but the bulk of your army can move forward and reach Westeros promptly." said Tyrion which made Dany acknowledge his point with a simple nod.

"What about your travel plans your grace? You will have to take Drogon and Viserion with you and I don't think you can follow the fleet on your dragons." Ser Jorah voiced his concern.

"I have been charting a course for the dragons your grace." said Tyrion as he began to take a rolled-up scroll from his back and handed it to her. She looked at him in surprise as she received the rolled-up parchment.

"It's something I have been working on to keep myself engaged in some nights." said Tyrion with an embarrassed smile. As she unruffled the parchment she saw that it was a map and Tyrion began to explain her flight chart.

"Obviously you will have to fly your dragons to Volantis through mainland Essos preferably following the path of the Dothraki. After that, your fleet arrives and anchor at the ports of Volantis. From there the fleet can make way for Lys or Tyrosh but that depends on who will be susceptible to our approach. After all, hosting an entire fleet of ships will strain any city and then there is the political situation in these cities for us to consider."

"What political situations would that be? We only require their ports for travel and I am more than willing to pay the port duties for my fleet." Daenerys asked confusedly

"Ah, you are a well-known revolutionary that broke the back of slave masters in the East. The cities of Tyrosh and Lys will be wary of you but I suspect they would reluctantly help us move along as you would be upon them with two dragons and a large Dothraki horde. They will most likely appeal to your vanity with gifts as is the custom of Free Cities when it comes to greeting Dothraki Khals. Under no circumstances you should try to free the slaves of Tyrosh or Myr. Taking Volantis itself is dangerous but I suspect the offer of some significant gains in the Disputed Lands will keep the Daughters of Valyria from uniting against you." Tyrion warned

"The last time a Targaryen threatened the Free Cities the Daughters of Valyria formed an alliance against House Targaryen. It took the combined might of dragons, Braavosi fleet and Westerosi fleets to put them down your grace. The Free Cities are a dangerous foe to have especially with a Blackfyre running around in the Seven Kingdoms. At the very least we need their neutrality." said Ser Barristan to which Dany nodded absently in thought. She didn't like the fact that she had to keep a blind eye to the plight of thousands of slaves but she had a destination to reach. She had toiled far too long in Essos and it was time she returned home. At least, the Tattered Prince had made good on his promise as he had marched the Windblown upon Yunkai. Daario has also marched the Second Sons along with the group although he didn't look all too happy. It was understandable considering she had not allowed him into her bed even at the night before he marched out of Mereen. She was not overly worried that he may betray her as she had rewarded the officers of Second Sons quite handsomely. Some of them even has been granted a permanent commission in the new security forces of Mereen and was even gifted lands in the city. They had too much invested in the city to betray her orders.

She did feel sorry for Daario but she had to be a little selfish in this case. She had suffered and sacrificed too much in her life. All she had wanted was a warm and loving family. She had convinced herself she had earned the right to be a little bit selfish. When she laid back in her bed that night she didn't dream of battles and death. Her dreams were filled with butterflies, flowers and the laughter of children. It was the most peaceful sleep she had in years.

****

"You can't do this brother. You shouldn't give in to the demands of that bastard. He killed our mother and the bastard's father killed our lord father." Jonelle screamed at her brother Cley Cerwyn who had agreed to hand over the grains of House Cerwyn to Winterfell on Ramsay's orders.

"You saw what happened when the last time I refused an order of the Boltons. They flayed our mother in this castle! If we don't obey it will be you next and I can't bear to see that little sister." said Cley with a broken look.

"The other houses have risen against the Boltons. Now is the time to strike at the flayed man." Jonelle screamed at her brother.

"Do you see these houses here sister? Where were these houses when our mother screamed herself hoarse in these very halls?" Cley screamed back with tears running down his cheeks. He fell down to the floor and scooped close to the wall. "Where were they?" he whispered over and over as the screams of his mother haunted his mind.

"You have to be brave brother. You heard what happened to the Umbers and Karstarks. The wolves are once again on the field and all the sheep are dying in droves. It is time to join the Starks and avenge father and mother." Jonelle whispered to her brother as she rubbed his back comfortingly.

"I can't do that sister. We are closer to Winterfell than any other Northern houses. The bastard is only a few days ride away from our home. I can't gamble with your life like that sister. If it was just me then I would have but I have to think about you. You are the only family I have left and I won't endanger your life for revenge."

Jonelle was about to argue with her brother but pause as their Maester barged into the room out of breath but she could see the man was excited.

"My lord, my lady, a raven arrived with the seal of a Stark direwolf." said the Maester as he gave them the scroll with a broken seal. Jonelle read the words from over her brother's shoulder.

"The North Remembers your house's bravery lord Cerwyn. Look to the East and stand fast. Winter is Coming."

"To the East?" Cley asked quite perplexed with the message. "I thought Jon Snow and his Wildling army was at Last Hearth?"

Before anyone could respond to that a war horn blared from the east taking them all by surprise. Jonelle ran to the window facing the east side and she saw rows and rows upon horses riding down a hill with Stark and Manderly banners flapping proudly in the wind.

"The Starks and Manderlys are here brother!" said Jonelle enthusiastically but her brother was still sitting on the floor looking undecided. She ran to his side and shook him awake from his stupor.

"Cley, the North is assembling. The wolves are on the hunt. It is time to stand beside the direwolf banner as our family have done for thousands of years. We must avenge father and mother." said Jonelle. She watched with some relief as the eyes of her brother hardened with resolve.

"You are right. It is time to kill those flaying piece of shits for good." Cley snarled as he took his sword into his hands and marched out of the room followed by Jonelle who quickly fastened a quiver of arrows on her back with a bow up and ready for some target practice.

"Men! Kill these Bolton filth. Leave none alive." Cley shouted as he charged out of the castle with a war cry. The Cerwyn men at arms were quick to follow their lord in action. They turned on the nearest Bolton soldiers in the blink of an eye.

Jonelle fell the first man close to her brother with an arrow and began to pick them off one by one her aim true throughout the battle. She watched in glee as the Manderly horses streamed into her ancestral seat and began to cut down the Boltons. Screams filled the walls of Castle Cerwyn but this time it was the Boltons that were screaming.

Jonelle was not the only one that was observing the carnage from her vantage point. The raven that delivered the message was also watching everything that was going on with rapt attention.

****

The silver sheen around his eyes vanished and Daeron rubbed his forehead to alleviate the pain that was growing. It took a lot of effort to control the raven from this far. After all, there was a considerable distance between Castle Cerwyn and Hornwood.

"Looks like the Manderlys did their part and has smashed the Bolton men at Castle Cerwyn." said Daeron to his men and 'women' he suppose. Lyra Mormont has been shadowing him since Ramsgate and even among the company of Wildlings the Mormont woman stood completely unaffected by his side.

"You surprise me yet again King of Winter. You are a fucking Warg or even a Greenseer!" Lyra commented with awe.

Oh, how Daeron hated and liked the girl. She had taken to calling him Winter King whenever she pleased. That was not the problem but sometimes she would call him King Crow or King Wolf, or King Stark and on and on the names went. Frankly, it was getting very tiring.

"I understand why all these willing friends of yours are following ya. You are the Warg King aren't ya?" Lyra asked happily with a smile.

"I got to give it to her Crow. She is a feisty one. Are all Mormonts like that?" asked Tormund beside Daeron even as the heir to the Iron Throne glared at the cause of his renewed headache.

"I don't know about the others but this one is surely a feisty one." Daeron commented and Ghost huffed in agreement as he too glanced at the Mormont girl. Ghost has not been happy when Lyra compared him to a fluffy toy her sister owned in Bear Islands. How the wolf managed to understand that went right over Daeron's head, he didn't know. He just chalked it up to one of the weird magic shit that was going on.

Edric Mallister chose that moment to return on his horse from his scouting mission. The Riverlander knight trotted to a stop before Daeron.

"My King, the eastern gate is not guarded well. The Hornwood castle has only two gates and the west gate is already under the assault of Glover men." Edric reported and Jon could see the knight was quite eager to cut down the Boltons.

"We can pelt the men at the gate with arrows and force the gate open with a ram. There will only be meagre losses." Maege Mormont suggested as she and her other daughters pushed their horses next to him.

"True but I have another plan." said Daeron. He spurred his horse forward to get a better view of the east gate. The others soon followed him. He let out a breath and concentrated his warging powers. Just as he practised many times he began to split his consciousness piece by piece. Soon an entire flock of crows flew straight for the gate in a wide arc formation. He could see from the eyes of the crows that the guards were completely spooked and was looking at each other in fear and confusion. The swarm of crows assaulted the confused soldiers atop the wall and many of them simply began to fall on either side of the wall.

"Now we can attack." said Daeron as he partially came out of his warging. He had practised this many times and it was working as he could feel the partial control he had over the crows at the back of his mind. He had found this trick won't work with complicated creatures but birds were good for partial warging.

He spurred his horse forward and the Free Folk was the first to follow as they were well adjusted to his powers by now. The Northmen were quick to follow jolted by the movement of the army. When the combined host neared the east gate there was no one to defend against their assault. A ram did the job of breaking the gate and soon the Northmen and Free Folk men spilt into the castle cutting down any men that didn't throw away their weapons. Within a matter of minutes, the castle fell to Daeron. He was there to greet the Glovers when the western gate was taken from within. Those who had surrendered were taken down to the cells and the Bolton banners were thrown into a pyre that was set up for the dead.

In the aftermath of the battle of Hornwood an emergency council meeting was called to discuss their next move. Daeron was careful only to include a select few into this council and all of it was done under extreme secrecy. The venue that they chose for the meeting was the feast hall of the castle. All servants, guards and soldiers were ordered to stay away from the hall for the duration of the meeting. Those who were in attendance were Tormund, Galbart Glover, Robett Glover, Edric Mallister, Larence Snow, Maege Mormont, Alysane Mormont, Lyra Mormont, Weirman Manderly and Howland Reed. Wylis Manderly should have been present in this council but he was at Castle Cerwyn at the moment. The Manderly Knights were ordered to hold their position and wait for reinforcements from the main army. But before moving out of Hornwood he had to ensure all the Northern lords were on board with his plan and his intent to take the Iron Throne. Already he could see Robett Glover was not so happy to learn of his Targaryen heritage. It was understandable considering the losses many of the Northern houses suffered in the Rebellion and the War of Five Kings.

"When we raised our banners against the Boltons it was to crown a Stark as King in the North as per the wish of Robb Stark, the young wolf." Robett Glover predictably exploded and an uneasy murmur passed through the room but the lords held their tongue waiting to see how Daeron would respond.

"You raised your banners only because you saw a chance to strike at the Boltons after word spread of what happened to Karhold and Last Hearth. So let's not pretend and play a war of words my lord. I assure you that is a war that you would lose." said Daeron in a bland voice and he was aware that he was only pouring oil into the flame but it was necessary.

"How dare you?" Robert snarled as he took to his feet in anger. "House Glover raised its banners when Robb Stark gave the call. We wept when Lord Ned was executed by the Lannisters. Even when our home was raided and my family was taken captive by the Ironborn we continued to fight for King Robb. I knelt to the Young Wolf and proclaimed him King in the North.."

"By doing so you all ensured Robb would never win the war." Daeron snarled back shocking the room into silence. A low growl came from Ghost which made many in the room to stare uneasily at the white wolf by his side.

"Ghost." Daeron called and just like that the direwolf went back to lying down on the floor but his amber eyes were trained on Robett Glover.

"Exactly what do you think would have happened when Robb was forced to secede from the Iron Throne? He was not fighting a defensive war like the Winter Kings of the old. He was fighting an offensive war against six other kingdoms." taking a deep breath to calm down he continued in a softer tone.

"Now, I understand where you all are coming from. The throne has never done anything good for the North at least that's what it would look like from a certain perspective. While the North was never considered for Small Council positions outside of a few occasions the Iron Throne did ensure peace between the seven kingdoms. After Aegon's conquest tell me how many battles did the North have to fight to protect its lands from Andal invasions?"

The hall was stark silent before his question.

"The North began to trade with other kingdoms enmass. Before Targaryen rule, the old and crippled men of the North had to wander off into the open during times of winter. There were shortages of food everywhere. Even many of the lordly houses of North have starved to death on a few harsh winters before dragons united Westeros. Even if Robb somehow managed to win in the South he would have sentenced the North into a far worse fate than ever and you want to commit to this folly again!"

"The North has survived without the South before the Targaryens. We can do so again." Robett declared boldly. It was a bold claim with multiple meanings but Daeron took it in context.

"Really lord Glover! Do you know the population of the North before Aegon's Conquest?" asked Daeron as if talking to a small child.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything my lord. If you don't know the answer then let me spell it out for you. The North has five times more population right now compared to the North before Conquest. How do you suggest we feed the people without the South?"

As expected there was no answer from anyone.

"In an ideal situation, I would have crowned Rickon as King in Winterfell. Unfortunately, we are not living in an ideal world. We need the South my lords or else we will all fall victim to the coming Long Night. This will be the harshest winter Westeros will ever see in recorded history. Any newborn children no matter their station will not survive this winter. Old people will find their lives cut short and no new crops will flourish as snow and biting cold will cover the entire continent." Daeron paused as he looked at the grim faces of the gathering.

"You all might have noticed the nights have started to last longer and daylight is getting shorter. The second Long Night is here whether you like it or not and so am I."

The silence at the end of his monologue stretched on and Daeron feared that he may have overshot himself. Tormund stood up attracting everyone's attention as he towered over them all.

"The Free Folk owe our lives to Jon Snow or Daeron Targaryen or whatever the fuck he calls himself. It is not the name that we follow but the man. Daeron or Jon doesn't matter to us. Stark or Targaryen doesn't make a difference to us. I have seen him fight and he fights like a god and I watched him kill a White Walker with my own eyes. He gave his life to protect us from turning into slaves of the Night King. He fought and defeated death itself to stand here before us all. He commands a wolf and a dragon. He can warg into a thousand creatures and yet still fight and bleed like a man. There sits the only king that we would follow because we know who and what he is. He is a true son of the North, the True North. Winter is coming and we need a King of Winter to lead us. Winter King!" Tormund bellowed out while raising his steel axe into the air in support.

Maege Mormont was the next to stand.

"It was a good dream to have a Stark King once more but a dream it remains. While not a Stark in name Daeron is every bit a Stark. Robb Stark himself wanted him to lead us and named him a Stark and I don't intend to disobey the last wish of King Robb Stark. Daeron is of the North. A dragon he may be but he is a dragon of the North. He was raised by Ned Stark himself and is every bit a wolf like the Starks of old. Stark blood runs strong in his veins. Winter King!" Maege knelt with her Mace pointed to the floor. She was followed by all her daughters.

Howland Reed stood up from his seat and faced Daeron.

"We know not what transpired between Lyanna and Rhaegar. Your mother's wish was for you to grow up in Winterfell. She named you and passed you to your uncle. She was my friend and she embodied everything the North was which she passed on to you. So many died to get to her but I realize that it was all for this moment. The Old Gods wanted you to lead us in the war against the Great Enemy. Death marches towards us and we need a King of Ice and Fire. Winter King!"

"Winter King! Winter King! Winter King!"