Chapter 4: 1.01 Part 2
The war waged against Aerys Targaryen was a hard and grueling one.
Rhaegar and Perseus had come to an agreement. For the North's support, Rhaegar would marry Lyanna Stark, naming her the Queen of Westeros her child would receive Summerhall after its restoration through the crowns and Northern effort along with the return of the lands of the Gift back to the North. The deal was made, and the wedding was carried out with pomp.
After the wedding, Perseus and Rhaegar had moved to make allies, with Gerold and Oswell stalling the king after their return to Kings Landing and protecting the royal heirs and first queen along with the Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys.
Perseus had moved to make an alliance with Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale, where Rickard had his second youngest son, Eddard to learn under Jon Arryn and to secure an alliance and a tentative friendship. In the process, he had met the young Lord, Robert Baratheon, a friend of his younger brother, Eddard, who had been fostered at the Vale. Through this move they secured the allegiance of the three major kingdoms of the North, Vale of Arryn and the Stormlands. From Dorne, they received no help as they had been summoned to protect the royal family at the capitol. The Tyrells remained loyal to the Mad King and the Greyjoy's remained confined in their keeps. The Lannister's however remained neutral, as everyone had expected of the Old Lion. The Riverlands on the other hand had faced a change in power. Hoster Tully had been murdered and his son held hostage by Walder Frey, a coward of a man, who had given birth to children in the tens of numbers and then married them of to houses in the Westerlands, Stormlands and a few in the Vale. The Former Tully Wardens daughters on the other hand been taken away from Riverrun under the care of Brynden Tully, Hoster's younger brother.
The real trouble started when Perseus found out that Robert Baratheon only allied themselves for the had of Lyanna Stark, a hand he had no right to claim, when he found out later on that Lyanna was to be the second Queen to Rhaegar, he broke the alliance and took away all his forces leaving the north thirty thousand stormlanders short. Robert's actions had earned him the ire of the North and the quiet rage of Perseus Stark
At that point the lines were drawn, and the rebels faced a serious disadvantage when the king hired the Golden Company to land the first blow to their forces.
That attack had cost them a lot of men and supplies, the war all but seemed lost at that point. Then the royal host led by Jon Connington one of the kings most trusted advisors struck the forces marshalled by Jon Arryn. Jon Arryn lost his heir until a small host of stormlander archers led by Stannis Baratheon caught the royal host by surprise by raining volley upon volley of arrows onto them decimating half the host, Jon Arryn quickly regained his wits and routed the royal host back to Kings Landing. Stannis soon pledged his allegiance to Rhaegar. when asked why he simply said the brother he knew was no more, only a drunk whore monger who would see House Baratheon ruined.
Soon enough word came that the Royal forces were joining up together with the combined might of the Stormlands, Reach, Dorne, Riverlands and the Golden Company. The Royal Host had stayed back to defend Kings Landing. The Royal force had a total of a hundred and forty thousand swords and spears, this charge was led by Robert Baratheon and Mace Tyrell, or in his proxy Randyll Tarly. The Prince on the other hand had only seventy five thousand men, that was after Perseus had rallied most of the smallfolk to fight for them.
The Prince's army faced a serious disadvantage. They would have to first take the Riverlands by the Twins, without . Then hope the Lannisters dont spring a surprise attack. AFter which they would have to face the royal army.
After they had taken the twins and taken control of the Riverlands, they had lost about ten thousand men, but their numbers were sonn bolstered by the fifteen thousand Riverland swords. Then Brynden Tully had returned with the Daughters of House Tully. The Blackfish had arrived with a host of an additional five thousand men, those he had trained himslef, a few errant swords and what remained of the Tully Host.
Soon, word arrived that the royal host was to cross the trident in the moon. The Prince soon had all his forces stationed near the Trident.
And soon at the end of the moon, the Royal Host had arrived.
It was a blood bath when cavalry of Randyll Tarly slammed into the front flank and left a hole through their defenses. Then the Prince led a charge with his knights and held the first assault at bay with the Greatjon and Blackfish. The combined forces had sent the Tarly Lord back and let Robert Baratheon lead the charge. The Rebels had gotten their ranks formed again and took the onslaught of the Baratheon and stormlanders who led the Dornishmen. The North had not taken it lying down and engaged the Baratheon forces, as the Perseus engaged Robert himself. with a chunk of their host fighting the stormlanders, the Royal host charged the remaining rebels and was met in a deadlock. That was until the Golden Company stepped in under Harry Strickland and smashed apart whatever defenses they had by releasing their archer mounted oliophaunts, the rebels were loosing the fight as more and more of their men were picked off.
Until Perseus had broken their morale by cutting down their Baratheon commander by cleaving him in two from balls to brains, breaking their morale, and broke it even further as he raised the river from the bed and flooded the ranks of the golden company. After which the rebels beleived they had won only until Randyll Tarly had returned with his cavalry ready for one last charge, one the rebels could not take. As the rebels gatehred whatevr wits they could, the cavalry bolted foraward. The front ranks held their shields firm and waited for the onslaught.
The onslaught which never came, as a flood of red coated men charged through the Royal Cavalry with a cavalry of their own, cutting through it like a hot knife going through butter. The red cavalry was the red and gold coated force of the Lannister's, led by their liege lord, Tywin Lannister, who then pledged his allegiance to Rhaegar, and gave his men to the Prince to reclaim Kingslanding.
Their forces were further bolstered when the Stormlanders swore to the next Lord of the Stormlands, Stannis, and when Tarly also pledged his allegiance and gave the reachmen unto the service of the winning rebels. The Golden Company had fled before they could be taken into custody.
On the ride to Kingslanding, only Rhaegar, Perseus, the Kingsguard and the Lannister host were to go as the rest of the men had rest and heal before they were ready for a ride, and soon they were off to Kingslanding.
The rebellion was drawing to a close as they arrived and Kingslanding and learnt that the remanent of the Golden Company, the Royal Army and the Gold Cloaks were all stationed to defend the city.
In the war council tent, around a long table sat all the figureheads of the rebellion.
At the head sat, Rhaegar, with Perseus seated on his right, signifying his newly appointed position of Hand of the King, and Gerold Dayne on his left, on the right side of the table after Perseus, was Stannis Baratheon, Bryden Tully and Brandon Stark. On the left after the lord commander of the Kingsguard was Tywin Lannister, his brother Kevan and Randyll Tarly.
Rhaegar started the council by saying, "My lords, this is it. We fought for half a year, to get here, to end my father's madness, to bring peace to the realm. Now only one stands in our way. The walls of the capitol."
Tywin shot off saying, "A seige would be long and tiring, we would be shedding blood and coin which we have not now. My plan is to have the gates opened. My own man is in the keep and can have the gates opne, he only awaits our, your grace."
Before the king could reply, Perseus countered, "A brilliant plan, Lord Tywin, and what of it after we open the gates, one with merit, but we risk loosing more inside the city from the archers mounted on the wall. We cannot afford to loose that many men, not when half our forces are still across the continent, it was only the grace of those above that we managed to have lord Stannis' men and Lord Tarly's cavalry join us for this. The Dornish host might even take us in our arses when we charge in to the city especially with the numbers inside. It wont work, we risk death doing so."
Rhaegar was quiet, more so than the others who were agreeing with nods, even the Old Lion agreed with the counter, albeit grudgingly. Rhaegar broke the silence, "Since you have given it much thought, what would you suggest Perseus?"
He only grinned in response.
.......
A week later a safe distance away from the cities defenses, a fully armored Rhaegar stood next to his war council with the entire host stationed behind him.
Randyll Tarly spoke, voicing his doubt, "Your grace, is it wise to trust him with such a task, it would've been much suited if your grace, Lord Tywin or myself had made up the plans."
Rhaegar only smiled and spoke in his ever patient tone, "There are few i trust, and fewer i trust as quickly as my good-brother. There are even fewer who has surprised me as him. When the moment was dire and we were under the onslaught of the Golden Company, it was him turned the tide, literally. If anyone could do it, it would be him. I am sure of it."
Tywin voiced his opinion, "There are very few in this world that can use magic, and even fewer who can use it as he does, to raise an flowing river against its current is a feat unheard off. We can only hope that your faith in him is not misplaced, your grace."
Stannis grumbled his annoyance, "And what in the seven hells did he mean by the signal."
Rhaegar would have been kind enough to answer the young lord, but he was rather violently interrupted by the loud explosion and green flash, and the crumbling of the city walls. The walls that held off every onslaught since its creation three hundred years ago had fallen apart as though it was merely a bunch of stones placed together. But now, the walls that protected the city are gone.
The watching host could only watch in shock as the walls fell. Everyone astonished by the use of the most volatile substance the known world has ever faced.
And soon the force had marched into Kings Landing only to be met with the forces of the city kneeling with Ser Alliser Thorne at the forefront of it. Soon they made their way into the Red Keep to find the halls littered with bodies, the throne had a slumped figure on it, no doubts as to who it was.
Rhaegar quickly made his way to Elia's chambers where, again by surprise the halls was littered with blood and a 'squelch was heard as they all hurried to see the last of Aerys' mad dogs die at the hands of Ser Jaime Lannister, who had his white cloak covered in blood, and his armor full of scratches and blood, his golden hair dripped with blood. It was at this moment the Ser Jaime was given the title of Bloodcloak.
They soon discovered their queen was well so were her children. All of them were escorted to the throne room later. Where the High Septon, had coronated Rhaegar and given him his titles as King of Westeros, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Lord of the Andals, First Men and Rhoynar.
Later, a month or so later Lyanna was brought to the Red Keep.
For the rewarding of the Great Houses, Rhaegar had taken a proactive hand in it.
For Dorne, he promised the hand of his infant sister, Daenerys. For the Stannis Baratheon, he promised Viserys to his newborn daughter, Shireen. The North already had a queen, and was given back the lands of the Brandon's Gift and New Gift, along with a sum of one million gold dragons for the innumerable services rendered such as the undying loyalty and strength Persesu had shown.
All was happy, and the seven Kingdoms had the peace it deserved after the horrors the actions of the Mad King had left on it.
The End of an era of Targaryen Madness.
Or was it?
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