Maidenpool Council – 284 AC

The Driftmark Meeting - 288 AC

Sack of Lys - 290 AC

This Chapter - 291 AC

"The North is strong enough on its own. Why don't you demand independence?"

"Because The New Empire of Ghis is a beast we cannot defeat alone, because many Northerners are currently fighting for the Federation army, because the food and resources we receive from the southern provinces are crucial for our people's welfare, because this is the continent unified by Eddard the Unifier, the last King in the North, and it will not be the Northerners who tear it apart."

-Asha Dawnstark, High Governor of the Northern Province.

Fuck. Ned cursed inwardly. The news was not good at all.

Ned had been furious when he received news of the sack of Lys. In fact, if it had been up to him, he would have executed Roose Bolton, the main culprit behind this event. However, the Hand of the King, Rodrik Ryswell, had immediately talked him out of it. The other Northern lords did not care at all about what had happened to the people of Lys. To them, Roose Bolton had carried out an incredibly successful campaign that filled the coffers of the Northern Kingdom with gold. If Ned had punished the Lord of the Dreadfort in this situation, he would have undoubtedly faced the backlash of the Northern lords. In their eyes, King Eddard Stark would have been punishing Roose Bolton out of jealousy, simply because he saw him as a rival. If they truly believed that, their loyalty and trust in the royal family would have been seriously shaken.

Besides, on what grounds would Ned even punish Lord Bolton? Lys was already known for its slave trade and for abducting women to force them into prostitution. Even the High Septon of the Faith had not condemned the sack—on the contrary, he had fully approved of it. Robert was saddened by the way the sack had unfolded, but not by the act itself. In fact, ever since he had slain Rhaegar during the rebellion, his name had never reached such heights, and he was enjoying it. Jon Arryn was also angry, but all he could do was scold Robert. The people of Westeros would not long for the city of Lys.

After the sack of Lys, relations between Westeros and the Valyrian cities had become incredibly tense. In fact, throughout history, Lys had suffered similar sackings before. Forget Lys—even beyond that, all the cities of Essos, except for Braavos, had at some point faced similar raids and massacres. Still, the sack of Lys had provoked an enormous reaction from the proud Valyrian nobility across Essos. That was because this sack was not about 'We won the war, so everything belongs to us.' No, the people of Lys had been slaughtered and violated simply because they were Valyrian. This was not just about Lys; it concerned all Essosi cities of Valyrian descent, which was why the backlash was so severe.

The strongest reaction, naturally, came from Valyria's greatest and proudest daughter—Volantis. The moment the news arrived, the city cried out for vengeance. But at that moment, they were powerless to retaliate, because Khal Barbo and his son, Drogo, had united the entire Dothraki people under their command and had ravaged every city along Slaver's Bay. Their army, insatiable in its thirst for victory, had now set its sights on Volantis. In short, Volantis had neither the time nor the strength to take revenge on Westeros. The city had turned its full attention to the war it would soon wage against the Dothraki riders.

It did not mean, however, that they had done nothing.

Along the eastern coast of Westeros, human trafficking and slavery had begun to rise significantly. Ned knew that most of those committing these heinous acts were captains from Volantis and Lys. A Lysene slave trader named Taros was at the top of the list, already gaining a notorious reputation for his cruelty. Ned had placed a bounty on his head.

The Northern Kingdom had a long coastline, and since they could not protect every port village, they became easy targets. In response, Ned issued a new royal decree. He designated several larger villages along the eastern coast as gathering points, and all smaller port villages nearby were required to relocate their people there. Soon, the population of these designated gathering points increased, transforming them from villages into port towns. Resettling the people had not been easy, but thanks to the gold obtained from the sack of Lys, Ned had no concerns about the budget. Because of this, he did not hold back in the construction of these towns, and before long, he began to see the benefits—both in terms of security and increased taxation.

Yet, even well-guarded port towns were not entirely safe from the attacks of slave traders.

Norvos and Qohor were furious about the sack of Lys, but for now, they had not taken any overt action. Norvos would follow Qohor's lead in this matter, and Qohor wanted vengeance. However, the city had already proven itself to be far more patient and cunning than its sister cities. The latest news coming from the city sent shockwaves throughout Westeros.

Nuhr Nasarin, the head of House Nasarin—one of the oldest and most prominent noble families in Qohor—had announced his marriage to Queen Rhaella, the widow of King Aerys. The wedding had been celebrated with great festivity, and Westeros's former queen had become the fourth wife of a Qohorik nobleman.

This news was a major cause of concern for the leaders of the Three Kingdoms Alliance. There was no doubt that Qohor was preparing to invade Westeros in the future, and this marriage provided them with a justification. If a child were born from this union, the situation would become even more dangerous. Even if no child came of it, young Daenerys could still serve the same purpose in her mother's stead. Without a doubt, it was a perilous situation, one that would be discussed at the next royal council. If conditions were favorable, even a conquest of Qohor could be considered.

Tyrosh and Myr were also angered by the sack of Lys, but they were more interested in looting the corpse of their former ally. For now, they would not pose a threat.

Lys had endured such sackings before and had always managed to recover eventually. No doubt, history would repeat itself, but given their current struggles against Tyrosh and Myr, their recovery would take much longer. In the worst-case scenario, they would end up as a colony of another city.

Braavos showed little reaction to the sack, as they had never maintained good relations with the other Valyrian cities. Pentos had expressed disapproval, but as they were under Braavosi influence, they could do nothing more than reduce trade with Westeros. The Three Kingdoms Alliance had coffers overflowing with gold at the moment, so an economic embargo would not affect the North too severely.

The cities of Slaver's Bay proudly carried the Valyrian legacy, but having just been ravaged by Khal Barbo, they were in no position to take action. Ned was grateful for this; had those cities still been active, the rise of slavery in Westeros would have been far worse.

Not all of Essos consisted of Valyrian cities or Valyrian people. Some, such as Lorath—one of Essos's oldest cities—and Ib, an island nation, did not particularly care about the sack of Lys. Khal Barbo, the leader of the Dothraki, had even loudly praised the Westerosi for their great raid. It seemed that the Three Kingdoms Alliance had found an unexpected ally.

For now, it seemed that the sack of Lys had not caused any major consequences. Still, there would undoubtedly be repercussions in the future. The city of sorcerers, Qohor, was already shaping up to be a feared enemy.

There was also the matter of the Westerlands. When Ned learned of Jaime Lannister's madness and the events that followed, he was certain that the Lannister legacy had collapsed. However, the course of events had surprised everyone. Kevan Lannister had around 30,000 men, while Jaime Lannister had managed to muster about 20,000. The Westerlands had been preparing for war for some time, so these high numbers were not all that surprising.

The two kings of the Rock had turned their swords not toward each other, but toward the invaders. Kevan Lannister had gathered his army in the south of the kingdom, waging a war of attrition against the Tyrells, making their lives a living hell. The Kingdom of the Rock, true to its name, was not known for its flat plains. The roads were mostly narrow and rugged, making it uncomfortable for large armies. Kevan Lannister used his enemy's discomfort to his advantage in every way possible. They emptied villages they conquered beforehand, burned crops, poisoned well waters, and frequently launched night raids, setting fire to the enemy's food stores.

The Reach army was helpless against these tactics. Well, not exactly helpless. There was a solution: take Golden Tooth and use the King's Road to march toward Casterly Rock. But to do that, they would need to pass through The Kingdom of the North, and Ned was not about to sit back and watch 70,000 men march through the Riverlands. If they did so, they would face the wrath of the Three Kingdoms Alliance. So, the Golden Tooth route was not a viable option for them. They would have to use the hellish path Kevan Lannister had opened for them.

Jaime Lannister was fighting against the Ironborn raiders, and so far, he had done a good job. However, it was a temporary success, as the main fleet of the Iron Islanders had yet to launch their attack. According to the intelligence Ned had received, Balon Greyjoy had gathered seventy percent of the Iron fleet solely for the assault on Lannisport. King Jaime was not expected to withstand this attack. Meanwhile, during the war, they had a daughter whom they named Ceryse Lannister. The lack of a male heir relieved many, and perhaps one of those people was King Jaime Lannister himself. According to Ned's intelligence, the relationship between the King of the Rock and his new queen had cooled considerably. It took Jaime Lannister a long time to come to his senses, and unfortunately, it was now too late.

The Lannister sigil was a golden lion, the Greyjoy sigil was a golden kraken, and the Tyrell sigil was a golden rose. People had started calling this war 'The War of Golden Sigils.' The Lannisters had done quite well so far, but it seemed they couldn't prevent the inevitable outcome. Jaime's chances of holding off the attack on Lannisport were extremely low. Kevan Lannister was making a very effective defense against the Reach army, but it wouldn't be enough to defeat them. The numerical difference was too great, and the Reach lords were well aware of this, which made them incredibly patient.

"Your Majesty," the messenger entered and bowed respectfully before King Stark. "I have brought an urgent letter from Lord Jason Mallister."

Ned nodded in approval. House Mallister had been tasked with observing the war in Westerland and the developments that followed, then reporting back to the King. This letter was likely detailing the outcome of the Battle of Lannisport. To his right, standing was the King's Hand, Rodrik Ryswell, who gestured with his head. The Lord of the Vipers took the letter and began to read it carefully. When a letter arrives during the council, the King's Hand reads it first, then briefly summarizes the developments to the King. This is the tradition, Eddard thought. We drove the Targaryens from the continent, but we're still ruling in their style.

"King Eddard, first of his name…" Rodrik Ryswell began reading the letter aloud. "I, your loyal servant Jason, on behalf of House Mallister… The Southerners have a lot of time for pointless chatter. As predicted in the intelligence reports, the Greyjoys, having gathered more than half of the Iron Fleet, attacked Lannisport and… Fuck."

Eddard Stark couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the reaction. He'd never seen Lord Ryswell so shocked. "What happened?"

"It says here that the entire Greyjoy fleet, along with the Lannisport harbor, was set on fire."

The first reaction of the Northern King to this news was shock, followed by joy. The threat of the Ironborn seemed to have disappeared with one simple move, and this was especially great news for the Kingdom of the North. Eddard Stark no longer had to fear an attack on his country's western shores.

Then, he paused for a moment and thought again. The Ironborn were regarded as the greatest scoundrels in all of Westeros, but they were particularly skilled in three things: naval warfare, blacksmithing, and shipbuilding.

Their ships didn't burn easily.

"Give me that letter." Ned quickly took the letter and read it carefully.

"…During the battle, aside from Balon Greyjoy's third son Theon and his only daughter Asha, all members of the Greyjoy family were reported to have died in the fire. These two young children are currently under the protection of their grandfather, Lord Rodrik Harlaw, at Ten Towers.

Your Majesty, I regret to inform you that the most important news, which I hesitated to write and delayed until the end of the letter, is not this. As you know, the ships of the Iron Fleet are sturdy, they don't sink or burn easily. My suspicions regarding this matter led me to investigate further, and after speaking with witnesses, I'm certain the claims are true.

The flames that destroyed the Iron Fleet and Lannisport were green in color, the same color as the terrifying green we both witnessed on that dreadful day.

Your Majesty, wildfire was used during the Battle of Lannisport. The Lannisters possess wildfire, and some even claim they know the methods to produce it.

I strongly advise that an army be gathered as quickly as possible and a campaign be launched towards Westerland. The head of the serpent must be crushed while it's small.

The Lord of Seagard and your loyal servant,

Jason Mallister."