Taking Storm's End had been more difficult than I had thought. Jon Connington insisted that I stay out of the battles for now, but I want to fight. I am the King, not him, but I did not argue. The man did agree to raise me, despite the risks because I am the true king.
Now I had been called to a war council with Tyrion Lannister, Jon, Haldon, Harry Strickland, Lemore, Rolly Duckfield, Franklyn Flowers, Laswell Peake, and Tristan Rivers. Apparently we have to discuss our plans and figure out if anyone will stand with us. I am their rightful king, so they should, but I am told that that is not the case.
Storm's End is a large castle, but it lacked beauty. There was once a godswood here, but according to the castle's maester, Stannis Baratheon burned it down. He follows some fire god and claims that he is the rightful king for some reason.
According to Tyrion, there was one point where five men claimed to be kings, so it is known as the War of Five Kings. Robb Stark was declared a king by his men when they went to avenge Eddard Stark, Balon Greyjoy decided he was a king, Renly Baratheon declared himself king claiming he was better than his older brother, Stannis was Renly's brother and is also a claimant, and then there is Tommen, and he is just a boy.
When Tyrion told us that it would be best to come to Westeros, I was a bit wary, but now I see that what he told us was true. That is why he was found and brought back here. Daenerys was missing, and the Second Battle of Meereen had been lost.
I walked into the war council, and took my seat at the head of the table. As I had gotten lost, I was the last to arrive. The doors were shut behind me, and everyone immediately turned to me. Jon was on my right, with Tyrion Lannister on my left.
Jon's hair was now red again, but is turning grey. His skin is leathery, and his grey eyes shone with an odd mix of anger and wisdom. He raised me, and I do worry about him, but he is a capable warrior, and everyone knows it.
"Where do we go next?" I asked, ready to finally fight.
"We do not move," Tyrion stated. "There is word that Arianne Martell is coming, and so is Valyria Stark."
Jon made an angry noise when he heard the name Stark. House Stark had been in the rebellion that over-threw my family, and was led by Eddard Stark, who must be the father of Valyria. Eddard had been there a day after my mother and sister were killed. He was just as bad as Tywin Lannister and his men.
"No stupid, treasonous, Stark will be allowed near Prince Aegon," Jon insisted. "Not after the death of his family because of their part in the Rebellion."
"She is a bit treasonous, but Valyria Stark is the furthest thing from stupid, so I suppose we will see her soon enough," Tyrion said, twisting Jon's words. "I know you do not want her here, and I do understand that, but we need her. She is a shape-shifter and can heal in minutes what would take moons to heal. If not that, we need to gain her allies, and she will side with us if we crush her enemies with her."
Everyone began to whisper to each other, but did not speak to Tyrion or I. The Imp was swinging his stunted legs and was waiting for them to finally announce their decision. I knew that most of them would be against siding with this Valyria Stark.
I wanted to know more about her so I know why I should make a decision. She is a Stark, and they did play a role in the downfall of my family, but she sounds powerful. We need more power, and although no one will admit it, we all know it is true.
"She holds the North, and they could only get 15 000 men at best," Lemore reminded him. "Is that the girl's power? 15 000 men, and a bit of magic? We could beat her easily."
"We should not forget the Riverlands, as most of the lords want revenge against the Freys," Tyrion said, calmly. "The Vale is held by Petyr Baelish, who married Lysa Tully and had loved Catelyn Tully, who is Valyria's mother. She has Stannis and a few friend's who have control in the Stormlands, and I would not be surprised it my brother, Jaime, sided with her too. You could not beat those numbers."
"So she might have numbers, but what about cunning and intelligence?" Harry Strickland questioned. "We should also know her closest allies and friends, as well as any other dangers before letting her near us."
Tyrion sighed dramatically and looked at me, hoping I insisted that it was not important. However, I did want to know, and it was very important. Knowing that I would not disagree, he rolled his eyes and then turned away from me.
"Valyria Stark had equal control over her brother's battles, most of which they won," Tyrion stated. "She is cunning and arranged a marriage alliance with the Tyrells, in order to regain her power. That is now broken, and I guarantee she is planning something that Stannis does not know of. Her two direwolves are fully grown and must be the size of ponies by now. One of her closest men is Brandon Tallhart."
Intelligent, cunning, and could easily crush their enemies. That is what a king or queen needs to be, so who is to say that she should not be a queen? I would not dare go up against someone so powerful, but if I am to marry someone with power, I want beauty too.
"Tell us more," Rolly Duckfield insisted, a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Very well. She is beautiful, but also frightening. Her hair is like dried blood, and her eyes are the same colour of Valyrian steel, and could probably cut you just as well. Valyria is winter; cold, calculating, and harsh, but not without a perplexing beauty. There is something about her that inspires loyalty, as she is what a leader needs to be. Men often say my sister, Cersei, is beautiful, but Valyria outshines her."
Valyria Stark sounds like everything you could ever hope for. There are men more handsome than me, but maybe she will love me anyway. You would want the love of a powerful, beautiful woman like Lady Stark.
I do wonder why her family has not been mentioned, apart from her brother. Have they been exiled for her brother's treason? Are they all in hiding? Does Tyrion actually know anything about them, or is he going off what he has heard?
"Her twin brother, mother, father, and two youngest brothers are all dead," Tyrion explained, as if he knew what I was going to ask. "She saw her twin die, but the death of her mother did not effect her as they hated each other. The reason they even went to war was for her father, and her closest friend and rumored lover took her home and killed her brothers. Her two sisters are missing."
She is all alone in the world, as I would have been if no one had raised me. I do not have family either, but at least I was not old enough to be able to remember them. Sometimes thinking about my family and what could have been saddens me, but I cannot imagine what it is like for Valyria Stark.
"We should propose a marriage alliance," I insisted.
"Have you gone mad?!" Jon boomed, furiously. "You lot are lucky if I let her on these lands! No Stark will ever marry a Targaryen!"
"Jon, we need her power," I pointed out. "Even if just the North sides with us, we will still be stronger. I know that we can convince her to side with us. My claim is better than hers, as no one in her family has ever married a Targaryen."
"I suppose we should wait until she gets here," Tyrion suggested, bringing silence. "For your sake, Jon, I hope she is not angry when she arrives."
With that, Tyrion rose and left the room. We would meet Valyria Stark soon enough, and I will get to see if she is as lovely as she sounds...
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Hey guys :)
So, this was hella short and I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry, but I wanted it to be on time. There wasn't much else I could write anyway, seeing how I'd re-written it about five times because I didn't like what I had.
In case you were wondering it's Brandon on the side, but Brandon's a little bit younger and looks a lot more tired than that.
- Izzy
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Magic, Power and Glory (Game of Thrones)
Fanfiction(Sequel to Mother of Wolves) Vengeance is the only thing on Valyria Stark's mind when she returns to King's Landing. Her mother, best friend, twin brother and sister-in-law all died before her eyes. Although she is not entirely alone, she has lost e...