20th of 3rd Moon, 7999

Bay of Lordsport

Aegon stood at the front of the ship, his hand resting on Blackfyre, a habit despite him not expecting to see combat any time soon…or at least he hoped.

Stretched out in front of him were the choppy gray waters outside of Lordsport, the largest town in the Iron Islands and the place of their disembarkment as there was no safe anchorage directly near Pyke so they would land at the town and ride the rest of the way. He could of course ride Balerion and save himself a ride, but he planned to arrive at Pyke with a retinue, as even he was not so bold as to enter the chief fortress of the Ironborn without at least a few swords around him.

The day was as gray as the sea, with light stinging rain falling from the dark clouds as a fiercely cold wind blew through the bay.

‘’Largest city in the Iron Islands they say…if you can even call it a city…both Hull and Spice Town are bigger than this.’’ Aegon's cousin Corlys Velaryon said referring to the two towns on the fertile island of the Velaryons, the rain dripping down his white armor and making his white cloak more of a gray.

It had taken a little over a month for the Redwyne fleet to arrive at Seaguard, time enough for both of his Velaryon cousins to arrive from their task of delivering the burned swords from Harrenhal and the Field of Fire to the capitol, where it was currently being forged into a throne.

Upon his cousins arrival to Seaguard, where they were hosted by Lord Lyonel Mallister, a Riverlord who had both personally joined and pledged many men to the expedition, Aegon had proposed his sister Visenyas idea to his cousin Corlys that he become both the first member and commander of his planned guard, the Kingsguard. Though his cousin was only 19 years of age, he was a fine sword and had acquitted himself well in the conquest, and more importantly was devoted to his older cousin. Corlys had knelt and accepted the honor, pledging to defend the King with his life and thus the Kingsguard was created in the hall of Seaguard.

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Aegon had sent Visenya and Rhaenys back to the capitol to assist Orys instead of bringing them along with him, one Dragon was all he would need. He had given Visenya authority to choose the other members of his Kingsguard, and the candidates were likely gathering at the capitol at this very moment for consideration.

In regards to Lordsport, his cousin spoke true, the town was quite small, with there almost seeming to be more ships in the harbor than houses visible, though he guessed many Ironborn lived further inland in isolated hamlets, they were not a particularly communal people.

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‘’As the Ironborn are fond of saying, the sea is their home, towns are likely to hold the women, children and old men during the raiding season.’’ Aegon said.

Corlys raised his brow ‘’I didn't take you for an expert on matters of Ironborn society.’’

Aegon chuckled ‘’A King should know his people, he must if he is to order them to change their ways.’’ Along with studying the geography of Westeros prior to his invasion, Aegon had spent many a night hunched over the painted table in Dragonstone while a hired Maester tutored him on the complexities of the land he had ambitions to rule.

Aegon spoke true, among the things to be determined at the council in Pyke was the changes to the Ironborn way of life that would have to be made to integrate them into the Realms society.

Aethen Velaryon, Corlys’s older brother, the Lord of Driftmark and the master of ships went to the prow of the ship to join them, despite being used to the seas, the stresses of overseeing the organization and transport of 260 ships and 13000 riverlander warriors had clearly weighed on him, and he had a tired and fatigued look to him.

‘’You sure you do not want the fleet brought to harbor, we might not be able to fit all of them but we could get a good bit.’’ Aethen said.

The King shook his head ‘’As I remember you telling me once, a ship in the harbor is like a sword in its sheath, let them see our strength at sea, I don't expect any defiance or treachery, not after Drumm Hall and Volmark but i'd rather have a man I trust remain here with the fleet at the ready…..and it is probably for the best I dont unleash an army of Riverman on Lordsport after all they have endured at the hands of the Ironborn.’’

Aethen nodded ‘’Noone will get the jump on us Aegon.’’

The King truly did not expect any meaningful defiance or forceful resistance on the Islands, the examples he had made of the rebelling Ironborn had likely removed any ideas of resistance from the other lords. He had dealt with Qhorin Volmark first, the Lord Volmark, who had named himself King of the Iron Islands, had sent his forces to siege and plunder a neighboring fortress, no doubt expecting the King would be months away in arriving…he was wrong.

Aegon did not bother engaging the Volmark army, he did not even land his fleet, instead he rode Balerion ashore and flew to Volmark, making a demand to Qhorin that he surrender his fortress, and like Harren at Harrenhal, the lord Volmark was proud and confident that his walls would stand up to the beast and refused. Aegon had then set about burning the castle on the back of Balerion, facing little resistance as few of the garrison used bows and he stayed out of range of the Ironborns heavy throwing spears and axes. After just a few moments of burning the castle, Lord Qhorin had realized his mistake, came out of his keep and surrendered stating that it was him that he was after and his ancestral lands did not need to burn. Lord Qhorin had been captured and confined below deck in one of the other ships, his lands stripped, both the fate of Volmark and its Lord would be settled in Pyke.

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The other uprising was not put down so easily. A drowned priest by the name of Lodos had gathered some 15,000 Ironborn on the Island of Old Wyk, both peasant and warrior alike. The location of the uprising was significant, as it was the place in Ironborn myth that the legendary Gray King had slain the Sea Dragon Nagga, and according to Lodos would also be the place where the false Dragon King met his end. There was much confusion among the ironborn to the rumors of Dragons as virtually all the Ironborn who were present to see the burning of Harrenhall had also met their end there. Many claimed that this so-called ‘’Dragon King’’ had no actual Dragon and was named for his banner, which explained why so many ironborn were prepared to fight Aegon.

After dealing with Volmark, Aegon had landed his force of some 13,000 Riverlanders near Great Wyk and marched to meet Lodos in battle, outside of the keep called Drum Hall. The Ironborn, arranged in three great shield walls, had learned the truth of the matter as it related to Aegon's dragons, many to their death. Nearly 1000 Ironborn had burned to death, with several times that number sustaining wounds, and it didn't take long for Lodos’s army, mostly peasants and poor freeholders, to flee the field, to which Aegon allowed them to escape. Lodos to his credit did not flee, and even attempted to slay Balerion when Aegon landed, though the Drowned priest was severely burned and later died of his wounds. Aegon's losses had amounted to just 140 men killed and wounded, many of them being overly zealous Mallister men, who, eager to avenge the years of plundering to their people, had pursued the retreating Ironborn, many of them being ambushed and slain, as a fleeing Kraken is still a kraken.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

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With both immediate threats dealt with and the Ironborn Lords sufficiently cowed, Aegon had messages sent to all the major islands, summoning them to meet at Pyke, the strongest fortress in the Islands and among the most ancient. Aegon had told them little except that there the future of the Iron Islands and its people would be discussed.

‘’All right, drop the boats, we head ashore.’’ Aegon commanded, to which Aethen nodded and ordered several smaller ships lowered by rope to the side of the ship, after all the boats for the Kings retinue had been lowered another rope for climbing down was tossed over, swinging perilously in the wind on the wooden hull, with the choppy gray waves swirling below.

Aegon scaled down first, he was a strong and athletic man so it posed little trouble for him, Corlys wasn't far behind and slowly the rest of his retinue made their way down the rope into the small rowboats. The King was bringing about twenty men in all, including two lords. Jon Mooton of Maidenpool who had commanded the Targaryen ground forces at the field of fire and led Aegon's Honor Guard at Oldtown would reprise his role and command Aegon's guard, while Lyonel Mallister of Seaguard also insisted on making the trip, determined to see the Riverlanders old enemies humbled.

The last to scale down the rope was Aegon's squire Theo Tyrell, a boy of ten and son to Lord Paramount Harlan. One of the Mallister guards offered to help him down to which the lad refused , made it about halfway down before a sudden wind caused him to tumble the rest of the way down, landing with pride bruised but otherwise unharmed, which garnered a good deal of laughter from the men in the boat but a pat on the back from Corlys.

The two rowboats slowly made their way to shore, the rain letting up for a while, as the waves lessened and the fog cleared, Aegon spotted Balerion in the distance, diving into the waters and flying out, mouth full of fish. This did not escape the attention of the townsfolk of Lordsport, as a large number had gathered at the harbor, and their shock was visible from the boat, as many yells of fright were heard while the older townspeople conversed in hushed tones.

As the rowboats made it close to the harbor, a blonde haired man with a thick beard wearing a dark and faded tunic gestured them into an open spot along the harbor, and tossed them a rope, to which Aegon's men tied to a post and disembarked.

Once Aegon disembarked, the man approached and kneeled.

‘’Your Grace, Lordsport welcomes you….I am Triston, the headman of the town.’’ The man said.

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Aegon nodded and waved him to his feet.

‘’We have been expecting your arrival, we have prepared ponies and I shall take you to the Castle of Pyke personally, the other Lord Reavers have already arrived.’’ Triston said, gesturing to the harbor, which was filled with many Longships of varying sizes, well over a dozen banners of different houses waving in the wind.

‘’We should get going then.’’ Aegon said, nodding to his men who began to mount on the shaggy ponies, who while much smaller and less intimidating than the steeds used by Knights on the mainland, looked to be sturdy and hardy.

As Aegon made his way to a pony, Triston paused and approached him.

‘’Your Grace, if I may.’’ He said uncertainty.

‘’Speak freely.’’ Aegon said, crossing his arms.

‘’I would be a poor headman if I did not inquire about your beast before leaving….are my people safe?’’ The headman of Lordsport asked.

‘’They are…..so long as there is no provocation you have my word no harm shall come to them.’’ Aegon said, mounting up.

‘’I am glad to have it your Grace…and you have my word you will find no provocation here…especially at Pyke…you will be a guest there and my people do not kill guests.’’ Triston said as he took the weakest pony for himself.

‘’An honorable notion….a pity this mercy does not extend to unarmed women and old men.’’ Lord Lyonel snorted, to which he was ignored.

The retinue of around twenty men made their way past the town of Lordsport, whose expanse ended quite quickly and gave way to rocky grasslands and hills. Aegon rode at the front, with Corlys as the commander of his new Kingsguard immediately beside him. Theo Tyrell rode at his other side, mounted on a pony and holding the Targaryen banner, which was almost as big as he was. Behind them rode Lyonel Mallister, while John Mooton rode at the rear, after posting guards on the flanks.

Lord Mallister rode up to join them ‘’Your Grace, your sense of justice to be admired but I must say I feel as though you are being too lax with these Ironborn, for hundreds of years they raided my peoples lands, burning villages and raping and stealing our women.’’

Aegon sighed ‘’And what do you suggest Lord Lyonel?’’

‘’They should be purified in Dragonfire…..that town of Lordsport looks undefended, I suggest you order your beast to purge this race of rapists and thieves…an eye for an eye.’’ Lord Lyonel said, his voice rising in intensity.

‘’Lord Lyonel, you have provided many men to this expedition and have served me well so I say this with the respect you are due….do not deign to tell me what I should do with my Dragon, and never suggest to me again the slaughter of innocents.’’ Aegon said sternly, to which the Lord had nodded and fell back in line.

The Riverlords' insistence for revenge was becoming an annoyance for Aegon, and despite their bravery and loyalty, he was beginning to regret his decision of bringing them here to the land of their sworn enemies.At least once a week he had to deal with one RIverlord or another…it had been Lord Lyonel last week, offering their services to become overlord of the Isles, with many proclaiming their plans of how the Ironborn would be kept in line through force, and would be forced to pay reparations for their centuries of plundering.

Aegon knew this would never work, the Ironborn were a proud people and any attempt to put them under a foreign lord would only be met with resistance, blood, and war, and Aegon was determined to find a solution that would both bind the Ironborn to the realm and prevent further bloodshed.

‘’Your Grace, we are here.’’ Triston said, gesturing ahead of them to the fortress of Pyke.

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It was an impressive sight, even for Aegon who had seen the city of Oldtown and traveled to two of the Free Cities. Rather than a single fortress it was built upon several massive islands jutting out of the sea. The largest island holding the main keep.

‘’How do they not fall off the rocks?’’ young Theo Tyrell said, pointing at the various keeps.

‘’Most of the structures were not built by outside material, they were carved out of the rock thousands of years ago….they are the island little lord.’’ Triston explained.

The retinue first came to a large curtain wall, a good distance from the cliffs and still built on land, an Iron portcullis, stained green with lichen was raised and Aegon and his retinue made their way in, as men in sealskin armed with spears watched from the ramparts.

‘’I shall see that the horses are fed and watered your grace, the Great Keep is the first Island past this bridge….I shall be here upon your return.’’ Triston said and Aegon nodded his thanks.

They made their way to the cliff's edge, where a large stone bridge stood, connecting the Curtain wall on land to the island.

‘’Hope you're not afraid of heights lad.’’ Corlys chuckled, looking to Theo and making his way across the bridge along with the King, the young squire quickening his pace, still holding the Targaryen banner.

They made their way to the Great Keep, which was made of lichen covered stone, but nonetheless looked formidable.

‘’I'll go in first.’’ Corlys said, stepping ahead and pushing the heavy Iron door open, his other hand upon his sheathed sword.

The hall was dim and smokey, owing to the huge fire pit that ran across the middle of the keep, almost 20 feet long. At the end of the hall was a large throne of black stone carved into the shape of a Kraken, seeming to shimmer in the fire. There were two large tables on each side of the hall, each holding around 50 men, though from what Aegon knew the Great Keep’s purpose was for holding court, while the Kitchen Keep, an island down, served as the feast hall.

The hall had around two dozen men in it, constituting most of the notable Ironborn landholders, though the rulers of a few islands were not present due to being children, many a powerful lord had burned alongside Harren and Harrenhall, and there were an unusual amount of young boy rulers in the Iron Isles as a result of these deaths.

The Ironborn Lords were standing in the center of the keep, standing along the firepit talking amongst themselves before turning to face the door when it opened.

‘’Ah….the Dragon King is here.’’ One of the Ironborn, a man with a shock of dark black hair and a tangled beard said, stepping forward.

‘’He is.’’ Aegon said simply.

‘’Then I welcome ye to Pyke….foremost fortress in the Isles, you were right to hold this moot here.’’ The man said before getting closer, causing Corlys to stand in front of him, hand on his sword.

‘’That's close enough Ironborn.’’ Corlys said coolly.

The man laughed ‘’Easy boy, I mean to shake his hand, not murder him…and if I meant to murder you id be far away from the actual event as to not face the wrath of your Dragon.’’

Corlys looked to his cousin, and Aegon nodded, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard stepping aside.

The man extended his hand ‘’Vickon Greyjoyy, owner of this keep and member of one of the oldest clans in the Isles.’’

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Aegon took it and the two men exchanged a tight handshake.

‘’The thing I like about handshakes is ye can get a measure of a man from them….i've a strong grip and many a man tries to wriggle free, but you met steel with steel so to speak.’’ Vickon said with a chuckle.

‘’Well go on make yourself comfortable we've got benches over the…’’ Vickon began but stopped as Aegon made his way past the Lord of Pyke and seated himself upon the Seastone Chair, leading to an instant outcry among the Ironborn lords.

All eyes turned to Vickon Greyjoy, who was slightly red in the face, his arms crossed.

‘’I'm a proud man…’’ Vickon began slowly ‘’but no doubt the Dragon King is just borrowin me seat and means to return it when our business is concluded.’’ he finished.

Aegon nodded ‘’The sooner the better.’’ He scanned the room ‘’Shall we begin?’’