Game of Dragonborn. [BOOK 1/2]

Chapter 197 - The Time to Go South.

[Chapter Size: 2600 Words.]

Third Person POV.

Winterfell.

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Given the result of the trial by combat between Daemon and Lord Stark, things had calmed down somewhat in Winterfell, not that people stopped talking about it, since no one had expected that outcome.

Everyone expected something ambiguous, like the death of Lord Stark or his being sent to the Wall, but instead, Daemon chose to give him the task of helping him in the south, and then send him to the Wall as punishment.

Although sending him to the south was also a way of helping House Stark, since with Robb Stark's failure, no one in the North would be willing to trust their forces to him again, no matter how many battles he had won. He still lost the war.

Putting Lord Stark in command of the northern forces was a way to achieve some redemption for Robb Stark. The North would follow Ned here. And his son could prove his worth again on the battlefield.

And now, the North was preparing to act, all the vassals had been called again with their troops heading toward Winterfell. The next day, the Skagos force arrived, Glover, Tallhart, Cerwyn, Manderly, Umber, and Karstark men began marching to Winterfell.

The Reeds would join their men when the main force descended the Neck. The troops of Howland and House Dustin were guarding the captured ships, while the Tallharts remained to maintain the ships in the west.

The Manderlys would not stay to wait in the south, as they should have. Daemon needed to relocate all the food supplies stored in White Harbor to the south, the Manderly army should already be taking provisions to Winterfell, both to distribute throughout the North from there and a good portion going to the army marching south.

Daemon waited for a response from the other nobles in the southeast of the Kingdom of the North, since that was where Stannis had placed his forces and forced some northern lords to follow him. Daemon wanted to see what had really happened there, with that witch whispering in Stannis's ear, he should pay for all the damage committed in that region.

Daemon soon began receiving messages. One from Stannis justified the reason Daemon had asked, with an unpleasant letter stating why he himself had to deal with a shadow assassin when he should have eliminated the Red Witch, when Stannis should have done it.

Stannis's letter contained a sincere apology, saying that the Red Witch had fled before he could give the order to have her executed. And he was hunting her, which was why he had not informed him of the situation, but he had not expected that she would attempt to send a murderous magic against Daemon. After what he had witnessed, he no longer believed a man could stand against a Targaryen, and how could one? What man could simply create a storm and dispel it as he wished, using some sort of thunderous magic? That was why Stannis said he was committed, and if Daemon wanted his head, at least he should give the Stormlands to his daughter, who was his rightful heir.

Anyway, the days went by, and Daemon summoned all who would be part of his military council, such as the direct commanders of the troops. In the model he had asked to be rebuilt in his old room, they gathered there.

The hall was divided between men of the North and free folk — and Daemon had placed more than half of them to command the free folk. Obviously, the lords did not like it and were not yet used to it, after all, thousands of years of fighting would not simply vanish because they had been living together in the castle for only a few weeks. But they would have to work together, just as the free folk would have to accept that they were fighting alongside the northerners, with everyone fighting for Daemon.