Sad way to end the Tyrell line. Who's ruling in Reach now? I hope not... Florents?
Seven Kingdoms - A Game of Thrones MultiplayAAR
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Valiete or Falia? I'm sure there's another Tyrell branch knocking around in Harlen Tyrell's brother.
I imagine, for the sake of not ending up getting inherited by other players, that the game is set on an Agnatic inheritance basis, so it could be Harlen Tyrell's brother. In which case, the guy probably feels like he's won the Goddamn lottery. If not for the whole cursed Highgarden thing.
If he's died without issue, then Aegon's kinda gotten himself between a rock and a hard place. The most powerful lord in The Reach, Lord Hightower, will still be pissed at him for killing his son. The ones with the best claim, the Florents, will be pissed that they weren't picked first in the first place. I suspect that, no matter what, The Reach will be a trouble region for the Targaryans in the future.
If he's died without issue, then Aegon's kinda gotten himself between a rock and a hard place. The most powerful lord in The Reach, Lord Hightower, will still be pissed at him for killing his son. The ones with the best claim, the Florents, will be pissed that they weren't picked first in the first place. I suspect that, no matter what, The Reach will be a trouble region for the Targaryans in the future.
Harlan's brother died but a year before his nephew, Owen. You'll see how the succession played out soon enough 
House Targaryen
Part 7 - 19 AL - 22 AL
When Aegon Targaryen around twenty years ago invaded Westeros, taking the North proved to be easy. But having the King who Knelt as a vassal made Aegon's life the opposite. Though no battles were fought to bring the North into the fold, Lord Stark's forces remained undepleted and relations between King in the South and the former King in the North had remained as cold as the climate in the latter's land. Torrhen Stark couldn't fully be blamed for all this; the Lord of Winterfell had attempted to form a more lasting peace between his house and the royal family by proposing a marriage between his son and heir, Brandon Stark, and one of King Aegon's daughters. But all the warmongering and scheming he did against King Aegon's own kin ruined what little trust there once was. So when the news reached the capital that Lord Torrhen Stark was dead, having been killed by a lowborn man in a duel, there was no room for grief in Aegon the Dragon's heart.
By right of birth and blood late lord Torrhen Stark's firstborn son Brandon was the new Lord of Winterfell, and Aegon affirmed the young wolf's position by naming him the Warden of the North. He'd met Lord Brandon once before at the Tourney of Highgarden where he beat the wolf cub in the lists. Still, he'd finished third whilst Aegon himself had won the whole tournament. Brandon Stark was a capable fighter who knew more about the southerner ways than his father and Aegon hoped that he wouldn't carry on his fathers' grudge against the Targaryens. While Lord Torrhen had been an honorable man, there were whispers that his son, the new leader of the pack, was a wolf at heart who showed neither compassion nor kidness to his subjects or close ones.
Knowing what sort of a man sands of time and winds of winter had molded of Brandon Stark, Aegon was more than happy that he had not given Elaena's or Valaena's hand to him. While marrying the older one of his daughters to Owen Tyrell had been a great match, the marriage between them had brought more sorrow than joy in the ageing king's heart. Princess Valaena's two first children with Lord Tyrell had born stillborn and though their third child had lived past infancy, young Cassandra had been robbed of her life by a sickness at the age of two. Not only was the King saddened by the deaths of his grandchildren but also to see his friend and son-in-law, a man who he'd raised personally, succumb to melancholia. The misfortunes that had happened to the Tyrells were almost too bad to believe. After Lord Harlan Tyrell received Highgarden from King Aegon, everything seemed to have gone awry. Harlan himself was killed in King's Landing by a raving mob less than two years, leaving his underage son Gyles to rule after him. The burden that came with the position proved too heavy for Lord Gyles, who died untimely at the age of 19 without an issue. His younger brother Owen became the Lord of Highgarden after him, and though the future seemed brighter to the Tyrells with a Targaryen in their lord's marital bed, only stillborn or children too sickly to live emerged from her loins.
The deaths of his children had proved too hard to Owen Tyrell. Having fallen into depression, he had lacked the strength to overcome an illness that took ahold of him soon after his daughter's light extinguished. With nothing left for her in Highgarden but sad memories and an empty bed, Princess Valaena returned to King's Landing to the family she still had left. Owen Tyrell's death left the Reach without a ruler, and who would succeed him was on everyone's lips. As Lord Owen had no living offsprings at the time of his demise, Harlan Tyrell's line died with him. Had Aegon not stained the blade of Blackfyre with the blood Lord Banfryd's son and heir, he might've considered granting Highgarden to the now most powerful house in Reach - the Hightowers of Oldtown. Needless to say, that option was now out of question. Lord Florent of Brightwater on the other hand had spent the last twenty years scheming to overthrow the Tyrells, and the prospect of raising him in the Tyrell's place didn't appeal to Aegon.
As the King took no sides, two people claimed the Lordship of Reach as theirs. Lord Florent was the more powerful one of the two, whereas the Lord of Manderford, Bryen Tyrell insisted that he was the rightful heir to Highgarden. Lord Bryen was a nephew of late Harlan Tyrell, a cousin of Gyles and Owen. His father, Allen Tyrell, had died a year before, and Lord Owen's demise made Bryen the last living member of his house. While the young lord of Manderford was, well, significantly unremarkable, he did have the right name. King Aegon let it be known that he supported Lord Bryan's claim and hoped that what backing he did now would wake a little loyalty in the young man's heart in future. Lord Florent openly declared that he opposed Lord Bryan's rule and continued to gather men to his cause even after the King had made his opinion known.
But the Fox of Brightwater wasn't as cunning as he thought he was: the master of whisperers received from one of his spies solid evidence that Lord Florent had bribed several officials in Highgarden, trying to thwart the young Tyrell from affirming his new position with any means money could buy. Using this information was enough to arrest the Lord of Brightwater, who then was brought in chains to the capital. He was given rights to a trial, but what words he said couldn't deny the evidence that was laid out to prove his crimes. The King decided to make a warning example out of him to any other lords of Reach who hungered to overthrow the last Tyrell, and so Garth Florent was condemned to death and beheaded publicly for corruption and treason.
It was called 'King's justice' in public, but yet again interfering in the shady work of the Reachmen nobility won him no gratitude from anyone else other than Lord Bryan Tyrell. Quentyn Hightower's death by the King's sword was still well remembered, and the stain on Aegon's reputation over the murder of his lover's husband remained. Twenty years hadn't been enough to make the Westerosi people accept the Targaryen rule over the continent, and there were still those who questioned King Aegon's right to sit on the Iron Throne and pass judgement. With four dragons in posession of the Targaryen dynasty, an open uprising was out of question. So to undermine King Aegon's rule his opposers did the only thing they could at this point; sow the seed of discontent into commoners minds. Not even the king himself was immune to the damage whispers could do, especiously as there was truth in it.
When it had become clear that Princess Elaena was with a child, both joy and worry took ahold of Aegon. While the thought of Maelon becoming a father was welcome, the king couldn't help but to worry. It was Elaena's first time with a child, and two of the three pregnancies Princess Valaena had gone through had resulted with stillborn children - not forgetting what had happened to little Cassandra. But when it was time for the labour, everything went well and Elaena gave birth to a healthy boy. Maelys. As the firstborn son of Maelon Targaryen, the heir of Westeros, he'd born to a line of kings and according to law of succession the Iron Throne would one day be his to occupy.
While things went well with Maelon, what King Aegon had planned for his younger son did not. Betrothal between Prince Aerion Targaryen and Delonne Martell, heir of Princess Obara Martell had been made a few years back but it stood on shaky grounds. Both sides were suspicious of one another yet Aegon still clung on to hopes that the marriage might seal a peace between the two realms and help bring Dorne into the fold. Sadly, the future of the marriage wasn't completely in Aegon's own hands. As he'd suggested that the marriage be matrilineal, the children of the couple would be Martells instead of Targaryens. What more mattered was that Aerion would have to depart for Sunspear instead of Delonne arriving to King's Landing. But Aerion was still but a boy of fourteen years, and Aegon considered his second son yet unready for his lifelong task. Should he leave now when he was still not a man and still vulnerable, the Dornishmen might turn Aerion against his own. The King wanted to finish the prince's training and make sure he was prepared for what he would have to deal with, being surrounded by strangers who still remembered the failed attempt to conquer Dorne twenty years ago.
Delonne Martell had flowered already and her mother Princess Obara considered the girl ready for marriage, sending a word to King's Landing that the wedding could take place. When King Aegon replied that he wished to postpone it for now, the Princess of Dorne took it as a slight. An insult was met with another one, and Obara Martell informed Aegon's messenger that she wished to break the betrothal as the Targaryen king couldn't meet the demands. It was a challenge thrown in the air; if Dorne was to join the Kingdom of Westeros, things would have to be done in her way. A humble man might've consented, but a dragon is a creature like no other. It was as if the betrothal had stood on hollow ice all the time, only now to break under the pressure.
Aegon dispatched letters to all high lords of Westeros with instructions to open them at a specific time. When the day came, Westeros was at war.
All his vassals answered the call and raised their banners while Aegon himself led his newly-built royal fleet first to Dragonstone to take care of a small unit of Dornishmen that no doubt had the intentions to steal or destroy all the valuables of the Targaryen dynasty that had yet to be shipped to the capital as the royal palace was still under construction. At the same time the Iron Fleet returned from the raid it had left for after its plans for Oldtown had faded. King Aegon had yet to make Harren Greyjoy answer for his actions, but perhaps to win his liege's favor and make amence the Lord of the Iron Islands took his men straight to the doorsteps of the capital of Dorne, being first of Aegon's vassals to enter the war. Unable to take Sunspear by force, the Ironborn set siege on the city and began pillaging the nearby lands all the while Princess Obara started to gather an army northwest of there to throw the invaders back into the sea. That left Prince's Pass and Boneway open for the Stormlanders and Reachmen who poured to the deserts of Dorne.
With the King and his Hand both invading Dorne, Princess Elaena remained at King's Landing and sat on the Iron Throne, ruling in her father's name. It not only a wise choice as Elaena was a brilliant steward and the master of coin, but also a political move since a dragon had hatched to her. While Trogdax was too young to be ridden to war, his presence in the capital was a symbol to the people that Aegon the Conqueror's laws still applied. The King and his fleet joined the Ironborn at Sunspear after their detour to Dragonstone. Aegon and his sisters rode their dragons to war once more while Ser Greatheart led the ground forces together with Prince Maelon. As the King had little use for a squire when riding a dragon, Prince Aerion was never far away from his older brother who'd already finished his training under King Aegon. As the besiegers around Sunspear doubled, the city in its despair opened its gates without a fight.
The sight of dragons was enough to scare the defenders into submission, and the seat of the Martells was taken without any losses. Princess Obara or her kin were nowhere to be found, of course, despite a thorough search of the palace and the shadow city. She'd fled to her army that was a couple day's ride away in the desert, clearly trying to lure the invaders into area and conditions that were not known to them. Spears were not the only main weapon of the Dornishmen - it was sun. In their attempt to take Northern Dorne, Reachmen, Westerlanders and Stormlanders had lost countless men simply because they hadn't been well prepared to face the dangers of a hot desert. It reminded Aegon all too much of the previous attempt to take Dorne; however this time he'd managed to surprise his enemies by attacking them from sea. Twenty years ago that option had been left out as the fleet of Dragonstone had been destroyed in the battle of Gulltown.
Knowing that the Dornishmen army needed to be dealt with now that they were gathered, Aegon aboarded his fleet and sailed to the northern coast of Dorne while the Ironborn advanced on the enemy host from the opposite side. Position the Martells had chosen was atop a hill and it was reinforced with defences, making a straight charge all too heavy in losses to conduct. As the ten thousand men under Aegon's command remained just by the coast, anchored at sea, the Dornishmen couldn't engage in combat. And should they had attempted to do so with the Ironborn, they'd have to leave their defensive position and face numbers equal to theirs in open battle. So what followed was days of waiting.
Aegon's demands for Obara to surrender were met with a stubborn reply that the king had already expected: 'Unbowed, unbent, unbroken.' But Aegon the Dragon knew better. To make the Dornishmen bow, they first needed to be broken and bent. When seventeen-thousand reinforcements under Tully and Lannister banners arrived from the west, it was time to act. The Targaryen host came ashore while the King and his sisters took the air, attacking the defenders. Despite being prepared to face the dragons, the scorpions they'd deployed were slow to aim and reload and proved no match to the speed of the winged beasts. After the defenses were set on fire, panic ensued among the Dornish. But there was nowhere to flee. The Ironborn came from south-east, the Crownlanders from north and the Westerlanders and Riverlanders from west. When the day was done, sixteen thousand men lay dead in sand - four Dornish for every one of Aegon's.
It was said that the fires inside Prince Maelon burned brighter than ever during the battle where he showed his true mettle. Though not as brilliant a commander as his father, Maelon was more capable with a sword - which he now had stained in blood of his enemies for the first time. Despite being left at the camp for his own safety, the young prince Aerion joined the battlefield, revealing to his brother's dismay his presence in midst of the ensuing fight. The boy was an agressive fighter and exceptionally brave, even if nowhere near as brilliant with a sword as his brother. Lord Commander Greatheart fought beside the two brothers and was maimed by a Dornish knight who attempted to slay the younger one of the two. Having lost his other arm to the swing of a greatsword, Ser Greatheart literally killed the man single-handedly. All this the King learned when the winners gathered at the end of the day. He personally knighted Maelon, his former squire, being well aware that no one present could say the prince hadn't earned his spurs based on his valiant actions leading the Targaryen vanguard.
Only one thing is sadder than a battle lost: a battle won. Another sixteen thousand people were dead, excluding all the casualties from other battles at the western Dorne - and those who'd died from illness, their wounds or simply from thirst. The King also learned from Lord Loren Lannister that Lord Orys Baratheon was dead, having died of poor health when besieging Yronwood. It was a heavy setback to the King who not only lost a brother - but his sole remaining friend. Orys' son Aegon Baratheon, a boy of about ten years, inherited his father's lands and titles now that he'd passed away. Aegon decided to send a message to Storm's End, offering to take the boy as his ward. It sounded strange to Aegon's ear that his brother - a man with vigor and strength not many posessed - had died simply because of poor health. When he noted the Lord of Casterly Rock about that, Lord Lannister grimly replied that Lord Orys had been wounded by an arrow earlier. Aegon didn't need to know any more than that for the Dornishmen were well known for their poisons.
Lord Loren also asked if the King could take Alyn Hill, the bastard son of his heir Lyman the Lionknight, with him to the capital and raise him in the way of the sword. That his former enemy was offering one of his grandchildren as the king's squire was a sign of trust and loyalty. If the man had wanted simply to see his baseborn grandson disposed to make the line of succession clear, Aegon would've noticed it. When he suddenly stated to the ageing lord of Casterly Rock that he shouldn't have to stay away from his grandson, the impression on Lord Lannister's face spoke that he took it as a refusal and rebuke. Before Lord Loren could say anything to that, Aegon went on, stating that there was a place for him as well in the capital. There was a new shine in the old man's eyes when Aegon went on, explaining that he had need of a new hand.
Princess Obara was captured alive and unharmed, and Aegon decided to spare her in hopes of winning the favor of rest of Dorne. She swore fealty to the Conqueror, but her words were bitter and her eyes wet with tears and alight with hatred. Trusting the word of 'Obara the Just', Aegon disbanded his armies and left the Dornishmen to mourn their dead and their lost liberty. The Targaryen fleet transported their own back to King's Landing where they were welcomed lavishly by Princess Elaena, holding young Maelys in her arms, and the rest of the court. The war was over and whole Westeros was finally united under a single king, backed by a new hand. To forget the bloody past and focus the minds of the people elsewhere, the King offered distractions - one of them being a wedding of two dragons.
Part 7 - 19 AL - 22 AL
When Aegon Targaryen around twenty years ago invaded Westeros, taking the North proved to be easy. But having the King who Knelt as a vassal made Aegon's life the opposite. Though no battles were fought to bring the North into the fold, Lord Stark's forces remained undepleted and relations between King in the South and the former King in the North had remained as cold as the climate in the latter's land. Torrhen Stark couldn't fully be blamed for all this; the Lord of Winterfell had attempted to form a more lasting peace between his house and the royal family by proposing a marriage between his son and heir, Brandon Stark, and one of King Aegon's daughters. But all the warmongering and scheming he did against King Aegon's own kin ruined what little trust there once was. So when the news reached the capital that Lord Torrhen Stark was dead, having been killed by a lowborn man in a duel, there was no room for grief in Aegon the Dragon's heart.
By right of birth and blood late lord Torrhen Stark's firstborn son Brandon was the new Lord of Winterfell, and Aegon affirmed the young wolf's position by naming him the Warden of the North. He'd met Lord Brandon once before at the Tourney of Highgarden where he beat the wolf cub in the lists. Still, he'd finished third whilst Aegon himself had won the whole tournament. Brandon Stark was a capable fighter who knew more about the southerner ways than his father and Aegon hoped that he wouldn't carry on his fathers' grudge against the Targaryens. While Lord Torrhen had been an honorable man, there were whispers that his son, the new leader of the pack, was a wolf at heart who showed neither compassion nor kidness to his subjects or close ones.
Knowing what sort of a man sands of time and winds of winter had molded of Brandon Stark, Aegon was more than happy that he had not given Elaena's or Valaena's hand to him. While marrying the older one of his daughters to Owen Tyrell had been a great match, the marriage between them had brought more sorrow than joy in the ageing king's heart. Princess Valaena's two first children with Lord Tyrell had born stillborn and though their third child had lived past infancy, young Cassandra had been robbed of her life by a sickness at the age of two. Not only was the King saddened by the deaths of his grandchildren but also to see his friend and son-in-law, a man who he'd raised personally, succumb to melancholia. The misfortunes that had happened to the Tyrells were almost too bad to believe. After Lord Harlan Tyrell received Highgarden from King Aegon, everything seemed to have gone awry. Harlan himself was killed in King's Landing by a raving mob less than two years, leaving his underage son Gyles to rule after him. The burden that came with the position proved too heavy for Lord Gyles, who died untimely at the age of 19 without an issue. His younger brother Owen became the Lord of Highgarden after him, and though the future seemed brighter to the Tyrells with a Targaryen in their lord's marital bed, only stillborn or children too sickly to live emerged from her loins.
When ravens brought from Highgarden even more tidings, dark as the wings that carried them, King Aegon could scarcely believe the contents of the letter.
The deaths of his children had proved too hard to Owen Tyrell. Having fallen into depression, he had lacked the strength to overcome an illness that took ahold of him soon after his daughter's light extinguished. With nothing left for her in Highgarden but sad memories and an empty bed, Princess Valaena returned to King's Landing to the family she still had left. Owen Tyrell's death left the Reach without a ruler, and who would succeed him was on everyone's lips. As Lord Owen had no living offsprings at the time of his demise, Harlan Tyrell's line died with him. Had Aegon not stained the blade of Blackfyre with the blood Lord Banfryd's son and heir, he might've considered granting Highgarden to the now most powerful house in Reach - the Hightowers of Oldtown. Needless to say, that option was now out of question. Lord Florent of Brightwater on the other hand had spent the last twenty years scheming to overthrow the Tyrells, and the prospect of raising him in the Tyrell's place didn't appeal to Aegon.
As the King took no sides, two people claimed the Lordship of Reach as theirs. Lord Florent was the more powerful one of the two, whereas the Lord of Manderford, Bryen Tyrell insisted that he was the rightful heir to Highgarden. Lord Bryen was a nephew of late Harlan Tyrell, a cousin of Gyles and Owen. His father, Allen Tyrell, had died a year before, and Lord Owen's demise made Bryen the last living member of his house. While the young lord of Manderford was, well, significantly unremarkable, he did have the right name. King Aegon let it be known that he supported Lord Bryan's claim and hoped that what backing he did now would wake a little loyalty in the young man's heart in future. Lord Florent openly declared that he opposed Lord Bryan's rule and continued to gather men to his cause even after the King had made his opinion known.
But the Fox of Brightwater wasn't as cunning as he thought he was: the master of whisperers received from one of his spies solid evidence that Lord Florent had bribed several officials in Highgarden, trying to thwart the young Tyrell from affirming his new position with any means money could buy. Using this information was enough to arrest the Lord of Brightwater, who then was brought in chains to the capital. He was given rights to a trial, but what words he said couldn't deny the evidence that was laid out to prove his crimes. The King decided to make a warning example out of him to any other lords of Reach who hungered to overthrow the last Tyrell, and so Garth Florent was condemned to death and beheaded publicly for corruption and treason.
It was called 'King's justice' in public, but yet again interfering in the shady work of the Reachmen nobility won him no gratitude from anyone else other than Lord Bryan Tyrell. Quentyn Hightower's death by the King's sword was still well remembered, and the stain on Aegon's reputation over the murder of his lover's husband remained. Twenty years hadn't been enough to make the Westerosi people accept the Targaryen rule over the continent, and there were still those who questioned King Aegon's right to sit on the Iron Throne and pass judgement. With four dragons in posession of the Targaryen dynasty, an open uprising was out of question. So to undermine King Aegon's rule his opposers did the only thing they could at this point; sow the seed of discontent into commoners minds. Not even the king himself was immune to the damage whispers could do, especiously as there was truth in it.
When it had become clear that Princess Elaena was with a child, both joy and worry took ahold of Aegon. While the thought of Maelon becoming a father was welcome, the king couldn't help but to worry. It was Elaena's first time with a child, and two of the three pregnancies Princess Valaena had gone through had resulted with stillborn children - not forgetting what had happened to little Cassandra. But when it was time for the labour, everything went well and Elaena gave birth to a healthy boy. Maelys. As the firstborn son of Maelon Targaryen, the heir of Westeros, he'd born to a line of kings and according to law of succession the Iron Throne would one day be his to occupy.
While things went well with Maelon, what King Aegon had planned for his younger son did not. Betrothal between Prince Aerion Targaryen and Delonne Martell, heir of Princess Obara Martell had been made a few years back but it stood on shaky grounds. Both sides were suspicious of one another yet Aegon still clung on to hopes that the marriage might seal a peace between the two realms and help bring Dorne into the fold. Sadly, the future of the marriage wasn't completely in Aegon's own hands. As he'd suggested that the marriage be matrilineal, the children of the couple would be Martells instead of Targaryens. What more mattered was that Aerion would have to depart for Sunspear instead of Delonne arriving to King's Landing. But Aerion was still but a boy of fourteen years, and Aegon considered his second son yet unready for his lifelong task. Should he leave now when he was still not a man and still vulnerable, the Dornishmen might turn Aerion against his own. The King wanted to finish the prince's training and make sure he was prepared for what he would have to deal with, being surrounded by strangers who still remembered the failed attempt to conquer Dorne twenty years ago.
Delonne Martell had flowered already and her mother Princess Obara considered the girl ready for marriage, sending a word to King's Landing that the wedding could take place. When King Aegon replied that he wished to postpone it for now, the Princess of Dorne took it as a slight. An insult was met with another one, and Obara Martell informed Aegon's messenger that she wished to break the betrothal as the Targaryen king couldn't meet the demands. It was a challenge thrown in the air; if Dorne was to join the Kingdom of Westeros, things would have to be done in her way. A humble man might've consented, but a dragon is a creature like no other. It was as if the betrothal had stood on hollow ice all the time, only now to break under the pressure.
Aegon dispatched letters to all high lords of Westeros with instructions to open them at a specific time. When the day came, Westeros was at war.
All his vassals answered the call and raised their banners while Aegon himself led his newly-built royal fleet first to Dragonstone to take care of a small unit of Dornishmen that no doubt had the intentions to steal or destroy all the valuables of the Targaryen dynasty that had yet to be shipped to the capital as the royal palace was still under construction. At the same time the Iron Fleet returned from the raid it had left for after its plans for Oldtown had faded. King Aegon had yet to make Harren Greyjoy answer for his actions, but perhaps to win his liege's favor and make amence the Lord of the Iron Islands took his men straight to the doorsteps of the capital of Dorne, being first of Aegon's vassals to enter the war. Unable to take Sunspear by force, the Ironborn set siege on the city and began pillaging the nearby lands all the while Princess Obara started to gather an army northwest of there to throw the invaders back into the sea. That left Prince's Pass and Boneway open for the Stormlanders and Reachmen who poured to the deserts of Dorne.
With the King and his Hand both invading Dorne, Princess Elaena remained at King's Landing and sat on the Iron Throne, ruling in her father's name. It not only a wise choice as Elaena was a brilliant steward and the master of coin, but also a political move since a dragon had hatched to her. While Trogdax was too young to be ridden to war, his presence in the capital was a symbol to the people that Aegon the Conqueror's laws still applied. The King and his fleet joined the Ironborn at Sunspear after their detour to Dragonstone. Aegon and his sisters rode their dragons to war once more while Ser Greatheart led the ground forces together with Prince Maelon. As the King had little use for a squire when riding a dragon, Prince Aerion was never far away from his older brother who'd already finished his training under King Aegon. As the besiegers around Sunspear doubled, the city in its despair opened its gates without a fight.
The sight of dragons was enough to scare the defenders into submission, and the seat of the Martells was taken without any losses. Princess Obara or her kin were nowhere to be found, of course, despite a thorough search of the palace and the shadow city. She'd fled to her army that was a couple day's ride away in the desert, clearly trying to lure the invaders into area and conditions that were not known to them. Spears were not the only main weapon of the Dornishmen - it was sun. In their attempt to take Northern Dorne, Reachmen, Westerlanders and Stormlanders had lost countless men simply because they hadn't been well prepared to face the dangers of a hot desert. It reminded Aegon all too much of the previous attempt to take Dorne; however this time he'd managed to surprise his enemies by attacking them from sea. Twenty years ago that option had been left out as the fleet of Dragonstone had been destroyed in the battle of Gulltown.
Knowing that the Dornishmen army needed to be dealt with now that they were gathered, Aegon aboarded his fleet and sailed to the northern coast of Dorne while the Ironborn advanced on the enemy host from the opposite side. Position the Martells had chosen was atop a hill and it was reinforced with defences, making a straight charge all too heavy in losses to conduct. As the ten thousand men under Aegon's command remained just by the coast, anchored at sea, the Dornishmen couldn't engage in combat. And should they had attempted to do so with the Ironborn, they'd have to leave their defensive position and face numbers equal to theirs in open battle. So what followed was days of waiting.
Aegon's demands for Obara to surrender were met with a stubborn reply that the king had already expected: 'Unbowed, unbent, unbroken.' But Aegon the Dragon knew better. To make the Dornishmen bow, they first needed to be broken and bent. When seventeen-thousand reinforcements under Tully and Lannister banners arrived from the west, it was time to act. The Targaryen host came ashore while the King and his sisters took the air, attacking the defenders. Despite being prepared to face the dragons, the scorpions they'd deployed were slow to aim and reload and proved no match to the speed of the winged beasts. After the defenses were set on fire, panic ensued among the Dornish. But there was nowhere to flee. The Ironborn came from south-east, the Crownlanders from north and the Westerlanders and Riverlanders from west. When the day was done, sixteen thousand men lay dead in sand - four Dornish for every one of Aegon's.
It was said that the fires inside Prince Maelon burned brighter than ever during the battle where he showed his true mettle. Though not as brilliant a commander as his father, Maelon was more capable with a sword - which he now had stained in blood of his enemies for the first time. Despite being left at the camp for his own safety, the young prince Aerion joined the battlefield, revealing to his brother's dismay his presence in midst of the ensuing fight. The boy was an agressive fighter and exceptionally brave, even if nowhere near as brilliant with a sword as his brother. Lord Commander Greatheart fought beside the two brothers and was maimed by a Dornish knight who attempted to slay the younger one of the two. Having lost his other arm to the swing of a greatsword, Ser Greatheart literally killed the man single-handedly. All this the King learned when the winners gathered at the end of the day. He personally knighted Maelon, his former squire, being well aware that no one present could say the prince hadn't earned his spurs based on his valiant actions leading the Targaryen vanguard.
Only one thing is sadder than a battle lost: a battle won. Another sixteen thousand people were dead, excluding all the casualties from other battles at the western Dorne - and those who'd died from illness, their wounds or simply from thirst. The King also learned from Lord Loren Lannister that Lord Orys Baratheon was dead, having died of poor health when besieging Yronwood. It was a heavy setback to the King who not only lost a brother - but his sole remaining friend. Orys' son Aegon Baratheon, a boy of about ten years, inherited his father's lands and titles now that he'd passed away. Aegon decided to send a message to Storm's End, offering to take the boy as his ward. It sounded strange to Aegon's ear that his brother - a man with vigor and strength not many posessed - had died simply because of poor health. When he noted the Lord of Casterly Rock about that, Lord Lannister grimly replied that Lord Orys had been wounded by an arrow earlier. Aegon didn't need to know any more than that for the Dornishmen were well known for their poisons.
Lord Loren also asked if the King could take Alyn Hill, the bastard son of his heir Lyman the Lionknight, with him to the capital and raise him in the way of the sword. That his former enemy was offering one of his grandchildren as the king's squire was a sign of trust and loyalty. If the man had wanted simply to see his baseborn grandson disposed to make the line of succession clear, Aegon would've noticed it. When he suddenly stated to the ageing lord of Casterly Rock that he shouldn't have to stay away from his grandson, the impression on Lord Lannister's face spoke that he took it as a refusal and rebuke. Before Lord Loren could say anything to that, Aegon went on, stating that there was a place for him as well in the capital. There was a new shine in the old man's eyes when Aegon went on, explaining that he had need of a new hand.
Princess Obara was captured alive and unharmed, and Aegon decided to spare her in hopes of winning the favor of rest of Dorne. She swore fealty to the Conqueror, but her words were bitter and her eyes wet with tears and alight with hatred. Trusting the word of 'Obara the Just', Aegon disbanded his armies and left the Dornishmen to mourn their dead and their lost liberty. The Targaryen fleet transported their own back to King's Landing where they were welcomed lavishly by Princess Elaena, holding young Maelys in her arms, and the rest of the court. The war was over and whole Westeros was finally united under a single king, backed by a new hand. To forget the bloody past and focus the minds of the people elsewhere, the King offered distractions - one of them being a wedding of two dragons.
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The Dornish may have been brought into the fold for now, but Aegon should beware keeping a viper too close to one's bosom...
Maelon may not be as strong as Maegor, but he'll be as imposing a figure when his time comes. Always good to know that the succession of the Iron Throne is so stable: son and grandson ready should anything crazy happen.
Do you have any plans for what to do should one of the heirs become uncontrollably mad, like Aerys II, without anything to reel it in, like Baelor I? I suppose if you do we'll see it when you get around to writing it, but it'd be interesting to hear if you've given that plight any thought.
Do you have any plans for what to do should one of the heirs become uncontrollably mad, like Aerys II, without anything to reel it in, like Baelor I? I suppose if you do we'll see it when you get around to writing it, but it'd be interesting to hear if you've given that plight any thought.
HOUSE HIGHTOWER
Banfred Hightower
20th Year Since Aegon's Landing
Banfred Hightower
20th Year Since Aegon's Landing
The rain fell heavily upon the dimly lit septry. It had been mere days after the death of Owen Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden, and the last son of Harlan Tyrell, the last Gardener steward. Banfred Hightower loomed tall over the body of the young man, standing straight, even if his soul was broken. Though Harlan and his sons had ruled over Highgarden, they had ruled in name only, by large. While Harlan Tyrell served the Conqueror at Aegonfort before meeting his end at the hands of an unruly mob, it had been him who ruled over the Reach. When Gyles Tyrell sought to prove himself a true knight in the jousts and tourneys, it had been him who governed in his stead. And when Owen Tyrell gave in to despair over the loss of his two children by his beloved Valyrian wife, it had been him to ensure the Reach was stable and secure. But now, with the passing of the last of Harlan's children, who would Banfred Hightower rule in the name of?
It would have been an easy thing if Allen Tyrell had still yet lived. The younger brother of Lord Harlan Tyrell would have found few in opposition to his succession, being a man of noble bearing and renowned for his chivalrous conduct. Indeed, while it had been Septon Garse who had won the Tyrells the support of the smallfolk, it had been Allen Tyrell who had brought his house into the high regard of many of the noble houses of the Reach, working diligently to show that this stewardly family was rightfully appointed to lead the gallant houses of the Reach. Alas, though, that it was that Allen Tyrell had fallen gravely ill, overcome with the burden of maintaining the dignity of House Tyrell with the combination of Gyles' escapades and Owen's sullen moods, succumbing to such merely two months before his nephew had also passed.
(Also, Banfred really was set as my heir for a while, for some reason. And I was fortunate enough to change the law to agnatic mere months before Owen died, otherwise... Robar in Highgarden!)
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Damn. House Hightower doesn't want it, and this is the last of the Tyrells. If this one dies without issue, methinks House Florent and House Peake will be fighting a not so small Civil War over Highgarden.
But this kid does seem nice enough, if arbitrary.
But this kid does seem nice enough, if arbitrary.
Well the crown will go to Aegon, and Aegon's the one with the dragons. Maybe a Targ cadet branch will rule in the reach someday if Bryan kicks the bucket, House Blackfyre anyone?
And trust me, you don't want either House Florent or House Peake in power.
The 1 Stewardship made me cry. Bitterly.
I doubt that any future Targ king would put one of his kind into such a position of major power. Imagine how much worse the Dance of Dragons would have been if Rhaenyra had access to the wealth and power of a whole Kingdom. Westeros was already burning when she just had the men and resources of Dragonstone at her beck and call (not counting allies).
House of Arryn
17 AL – 22 AL
Affairs of state hounded Ronnel's mind for much of 17 AL. In February, Ser Eon, the Master at Arms, passed away, reportedly due to “severe stress”. Ronnel could not understand the finer details of that, but he was certain there were most likely issues at home that Eon could not balance with his problems at the Eyrie. Most of all, he had to deal with the sudden declaration of war that erupted between the Reach and the Iron Islands. Messengers from Highgarden had come to the Eyrie, asking that they uphold the alliance which the marriage to Valiete had made possible, and of course Ronnel had upheld his end of the alliance. It was really an uneventful war, and rumors were that it was more of a misunderstanding than anything else. Literally a few weeks later, the war was over in a white peace, with barely a drop of blood lost – albeit perhaps Master at Arms Eon himself, who proved too old to handle any more martial affairs.
In his quest for a replacement, Ronnel turned to Ser Criston of Blackholm, the Lord of Scorched Vale. Although his handling of the sword was poor, his mastery of battlefield tactics was unmatched throughout the Vale. Like many of the Vale lords, Criston deeply admired and respected Ronnel, and so he readily accepted the appointment and at once made for the Eyrie to begin his role.
On the first night Ser Criston visited the Eyrie, they had another visitor: Lord Artos Reed. The House Reed commanded the Neck, which was one of the southernmost points of the North. They were not Northmen proper, but Crannogmen, who supposedly lived in the swamps and lived off of frogs. Artos was Winterfell's chief diplomat, and had been sent by Lord Paramount Torrhen to demonstrate a bilateral effort at reconciled relations. Ronnel felt some compassion for the man, for not only was he born incredibly ugly and deformed, but he had been scarred from either an accident or some combat he had been in. At the current moment, Lord Artos was attempting to explain the Almost War.
“You must understand things from my lordship's position,” Artos explained, “with hundreds of years of hostilities, there was some level of uncertainty.”
“I sent messages of hopeful reconciliation,” Ronnel replied. He could tell that Valiete, seated on the opposite side of him, was making an effort not to look at Artos. Whether it was because he was a lowly “frogeater” and she was a proud Tyrell woman, or because the man was simply ghastly to look at, he could not tell.
“Yes, but can a man who sends peace envoys be trusted?” Artos said. “What has proved beneficial are your actions after the declaration of war. You have proven to be am an of your word...that is something very rare in Westeros these days.”
Ronnel nodded, “So I understand. But you say that Lord Paramount Torrhen is as interested in peace as I am?”
“Oh very much so, your lordship. I do not doubt it for a moment.”
Ronnel shrugged and gave a soft smile, “Well, that is very good news indeed for the Vale.”
The next few years passed by uneventfully. In 20 AL, the Citadel warned of another approaching winter. In the meantime, the love between Ronnel and Valiete continued to grow, which of course resulted in another child being born that year. This made five children total for Ronnel's household.
Then, in May of 21 AL, a raven flew to the Eyrie with an important message: the entire realm had gone to war. Aegon the Conqueror was attempting to take Dorne and subject it to the Iron Throne, once and for all. The Vale was called to support the king in this endeavor. Of course, what else could Ronnel say but yes? So it was that the Vale too joined in the war for the conquest of Dorne. Formerly, Aegon had failed...but now he had every intent on succeeding.
Every section of the realm was raising armies to assist in the conflict. The Reach, the Stormlands, Casterly Rock, the Riverlands, the Iron Islands...they were all contributing. Ronnel summoned all the levies of the Vale at once, and planned to assemble them near the Bloody Gate. It would be about 40,000 men in all, which would easily match any host Dorne would march against it, surely. The lord paramount himself was decked in his armor for war, though he had never imagined he would have to wear it. He bid goodbye to his children, and then bid a private farewell to his wife. It was a private farewell because he knew it might be a long while before the two of them met again, and Valiete would be very, very hesitant to see him go.
And as it turned out, he was right.
At the Bloody Gate, Ronnel held a war council with many of his most influential and high ranking commanders. The three highest generals were: Arstan Arryn, a cousin of Ronnel's; Ser Robar Royce, Lord of Runestone; and Ser Albar of Harbottle. They were sitting around a table in Ronnel's command tent, with many of the more lower ranking officers standing about. A map of Westeros was on the table, with little flags and pegs signifying where various armies were. While the Vale marched her levies about this way and that, the realm was already launching her attacks. Iron Islanders were reportedly already landing troops at Sunspear, and even the Rivermen were moving down into Dorne. There were some who thought the war may be over within a few months. At the moment, Ronnel was leaning against his hand, sitting in his chair and listening to his officers speak.
“This whole situation is absurd!” cried Arstan. “Cousin, while we sit here and twiddle our thumbs, the Iron Islands and the Riverlands will win the war for us! We shall be a laughing stock! Is that what you want?”
Ronnel gave no visible reaction, but Ser Robar reacted for him. “Arstan, please...your cousin wants the Vale to be a part of this war. That is why he summoned our men. We are simply attempting to find the most prudent solution.”
“I will tell you what the problem is,” remarked Ser Albar, “too many men. 40,000 men at the Bloody Gate? Forgive me, your lordship, but that is too many. That is a nightmare waiting to happen. The Bloody Gate is a narrow straight: it is meant to condense large armies, not permit them easier movement. By the time we move our whole force through the mountains, the war will be over, and we will all be much older men.”
Ser Robar nodded. “I agree with Ser Albar. Summoning all our levies was to advantages. Perhaps we could shorten the number-”
“Why doesn't anyone else here see it?” Arstan said, throwing up his hands and standing up. “Look. Look at this map. There are mountains all along the north of Dorne. So what do you do when there are mountains blocking your path? Does no one else here study history? Look!” He pointed towards the edge of the Vale, and moved his finger down towards Dorne. “You move by sea. The Iron Islanders had the right idea.”
“Where will we get the boats?” Ser Albar asked. “We cannot move our entire force – we would have to move them piecemeal.”
“An inconvenience, but not a hindrance,” Ronnel said suddenly. He stood up and smiled at Arstan, “I think you are right, dear kinsman. A naval landing is the way to go. We have only a little over twenty ships, but they should be enough to move a sizable force a bit at a time. Let us send most of our levies home and reduce our army before our coffers are drived up. Arstan, dear cousin...I want you to lead the first wave.”
Arstan grinned and stamped his chest, “I am glad you have some sense in you, my lord.”
In all, 1400 Valemen were put into the Vale's meager navy and sailed down the coast of Westeros, around Sunspear, and landed at Salt Shore, on the southern coast of Dorne, where they laid siege to the castle there. Over the next month or so, additional men were moved down, so that there were a total of 3,000 besiegers. The only concern among the Valeman was the large force of 17,000 Dornish to the north, although they also knew there were large allied armies moving eastward to deal with them.
By August of 22 AL, the defenders of Salt Shore had held out long enough, and finally surrendered. Dorne was added to the realm, and all of Westeros was united. The Valemen returned home triumphant. Ronnel greeted Arstan when he returned home to the docks, embracing him and congratulating him on a job well done. What's more, he had an offer for him: Lord Criston had suffered a terrible accident and had died of his wounds later on, and once more the position of Master at Arms was open – could Arstan accept it? With a smile, the Arryn kinsman patted his cousin on the shoulder and said, “Like I told you before...I am glad you have some sense in you, my lord.”
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The last Tyrell... hopefully he can have a son to carry on the family line. (fingers crossed)
As for the Vale, it is just consolidation for the moment Henry? or do you have a cunning master plan.
hopefully he can have a son to carry on the family line. (fingers crossed) As for the Vale, it is just consolidation for the moment Henry? or do you have a cunning master plan.
Given Lord Arryn's traits, it probably is just consolidation. And what a consolidation it is. Seems like Lord Arryn is probably the happiest Lord in all of Westeros at the moment.
Yes, Maelon is quite the opposite - but not in a bad way. While Maegor was cruel, Maelon is kind. Whereas the faith of the Seven didn't abide Maegor's rule, Maelon is zealous. But it only takes a single event for us to have a cruel or mad religious fanatic ruler with seven kingdoms as his personal playground. I won't be there to play that, though. I'm joining the army in january and will leave this AAR in someone else's hands. The plan always was that I'd only play Aegon and let someone else take over both the game and the kingdoms after the Conqueror died. It's not necessarily a bad thing as then we actually have another guy in charge of the realm. All authors will have to react to this new king, a new player in the game of thrones.