A tale: Reborn in Westeros

Chapter 40

Aegon Targaryen

I stand at the head of the painted table with Daenerys. The painted table has been updated with the latest intel from Varys. There are mainly two regions with high presence of Lannister forces. The Westerlands with Casterly Rock as its center. Of course, King's Landing, is the second hotspot of Lannister presence. The Riverlands is in chaos without much order, the Vale is neutral but definitely siding with the North, and the Stormlands depleted of resources and manpower by Renly and Stannis. The Reach and Dorne support us, which gives us a great advantage. A large army and plenty of supplies.

Daenerys looks around the table where Yara, Harry Strickland, Margaery, and our closest advisors sit. "The realm is fractured and in pieces. It is time we bring it together and heal it. Alex, if you would," Daenerys says. I nod and walk to the table.

"Our allies gather near Tumbleton. The Dornish and Reachmen will be a formidable force and can easily lay siege to King's Landing. It would be easy considering the weaker Lannister force they will be facing. There is a something we need to worry about, the forces in the Westerlands have weapons that can harm dragons. I saw them myself and almost got hit by them," I explained.

"How many do they have?" Daenerys asks. I sigh a little. "I don't know. There were three of them firing at me in an ambush. I destroyed one, so at least two." Yara leans against the table. "I assume you will send the Golden Company and the Unsullied?" She says.

I give a nod in response. "Indeed. How many troops can we expect from the Westerlands Tyrion? You know how much the Lannisters could muster," I ask. "It would depend on how much trust the Lords and Ladies have in Cersei. If I had to guess, that's pretty low, that leaves only those stationed in Casterly Rock. That is around ten thousand men, hardened veterans by the past wars," Tyrion explains.

"How well armed and armored are they?" Harry Strickland asks. "With the best money can buy. My father was a proud man and would never have anything less than the best," Tyrion say. I nod as a sigh leaves me. "It should be doable for the Unsullied and the Golden Company. You will outnumber them and, I think, outclass them in skill. Grey Worm, you will be the commander of the force. And Harry, you're second in command," I say. Daenerys nods in agreement. Both men have no complaints.

I then look at Margaery. "Lady Margaery, how many men can Highgarden hold out against?" I ask. Margaery rubs her chin in thought. "I am not the best in warfare, but Highgarden is well fortified. If the bare minimum of defenders are present... maybe five to six thousand? In any event, the attacker will suffer heavy casualties if they attack, and we can hold out for years," Margaery says.

"Good. We can't be sure where the army from the Westerlands will go. I assume they will either try to attack a weakly defended Highgarden or reinforce the capital," I explain and walk towards The Goldroad that is visible on the painted table. "I suggest you station the army close to the Goldroad. It will allow you to stop the reinforcements, and quickly redirect to Highgarden if necessary," I explain.

Yara stands up from her seat and walk towards King's Landing, standing next to me. "The Iron fleet will be able to transport the whole army. I suggest we drop them off close, Rosby. It is not too far from King's Landing, but far enough that Cersei won't be able to surprise us," Yara says. I nod in agreement.

"It seems we have our plan. Grey Worm and Harry will prevent any reinforcements to reinforce King's Landing. The Tyrell, Dornish, and Iron fleet will lay siege to King's Landing. During the siege, we will infiltrate the keep to capture Cersei." Daenerys looks at me with furrowed brows. "How, dear? They will have the whole city closed off," she asks.

I look at Varys. "Mister Spider knows how to get in. He often got his friends into the city and keep without people knowing. So, we will use one of those secret tunnels," I say. Varys bows his head slightly. "There are a few we could use. It will only be large enough for a small group. At most, around ten or fifteen," Varys says.

"I see. We will figure out who will join us when we lay siege. The Tyrell and Dornish army will have plenty of loyal and good fighters. Of course, Barristan and Jorah will be part of the group," I say. "I agree. We will discuss the capture of Cersei when we get there. Who knows, there may be some unexpected events going to happen."

I straighten myself out as I walk to Daenerys' side again. Daenerys' hand takes hold of mine as she looks over the group. "My friends, my lords, and my lady, I am grateful for the support you give me. When we win the Iron Throne, your exile will be lifted and your countries will find peace. We will bring prosperity and peace. Can we count on your full support?"

Yara smiles as she leans back in the chair. "Aegon saved me and my brother. We stand with you," Yara says. "Our company was formed to restore Daemon to the throne. Now, we do it for you. It's our purpose, and we want to go home. The Golden Company stands with you, Your Grace," Harry says.

Daenerys squeezes my hand as she smiles appreciatively at the two. "Your Majesties, if it weren't for you, I would be dead. You gave my family a future again and gave me hope. The Reach and Dorne stands with you," Margaery says. "Thank you, everyone. We move out at first light. Make sure everything is ready by then." Everyone stands up from their chair to do their duty.

"Margaery, can we have a word please," Daenerys asks. Margaery stops as she turns to us. "Your Grace, something the matter?" She asks. I nod as I rub my chin slightly. "Yara received information from Olenna about a Lannister army. When I investigated, I flew into that ambush with the crossbows. It could either be that Olenna received bad information or Cersei found a way to forge convincing letters. What can you tell us about this?" I explained.

"My grandmother is not a fool. She knows how to distinguish between false and correct information. It must be forged," Margaery says. I rub my face with my hand. "This is a problem...." Daenerys sighs as she walks to a stack of paper and a quill. "To make sure we know the letters are true, we will use an identifier."

Daenerys picks up the quill and scribbles something on it. "A simple symbol, but only we know of the meaning," she says as she walks back and places the paper down. A small circle with a star in it is visible. "Mark every letter with this and we know that it belong to us. Agreed?" Simple and effective. My Dragon Queen is as smart as ever.

"Good thinking, my dragon." Margaery nods as well. "I will make sure Olenna knows. Anything else, Your Grace?" Daenerys shakes her head as a 'no'. "That is all, thank you, Margaery." Margaery bows a little and leave the room. "Alex, what's your take on our chances?" Daenerys asks.

"We are in an excellent position, Dany. We outnumber them, and we have better troops. The Golden Company fought almost constantly in the Disputed Lands, the Unsullied are one of the best warriors in this world, and both the Tyrell and Dornish will form a massive army. We have more than two hundred thousand men. Something of huge scale must happen if we suddenly lose with such a force," I explained as I look over the Painted Table with all wooden pieces.

Daenerys' arms wrap around my chest from behind.  Her head resting on my shoulder. "I love you, Alex. When we take the throne and defeat Jon's enemy, we will have peace. I want to take a break for some time with you and our family. To somewhere nice or just in the capital," Daenerys says warmly.

I place a kiss on her forehead. "I love you more. It sounds lovely, I could use a break from all of this. Maybe we could do a tour of Westeros?" I suggest. "Anything you want..." Daenerys hums. I chuckle. "It's settled then, a tour of Westeros!" I say happily as I turn to embrace Daenerys securely and warmly. This is bliss and oh so calming. How could someone make a person so at peace? Dany is magical to me. Beautiful and strong.

Our wonderful moment is broken as Rhaella walks in. "Mom, dad, the twins are screaming again," she says. Daenerys groans. "Why are they so loud! You were much better as a baby, Rhaella..." Daenerys mumbles. I laugh. "I will take care of it. Dad should make up for the time he missed," I chuckled. "Yes, go and do your dad duties. Mom will be with Rhaella," Daenerys smiles. "Will you talk to Rhaella about the coming months?" I ask Daenerys.

Daenerys nods and walks to Rhaella. "Love, we need to talk. Dad and I..." Daenerys says as she walks out of the room with Rhaella. I take a deep breath as I look out the window. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the months of turmoil is almost over. A bright future is hopefully on the horizon.

"Alex! The twins!" I hear Daenerys yell. "Yes! On it!" I answer and walk towards the twins with a smile.