An Increase In Raiding In The North, Riverlands, and Westerlands, Robert Baratheon Gets Gored, and Aegon Decides Once and For All To Settle The Matter Of Succession In The Stormlands

Aegon Rode His Horse, With Three Kingsguard Knights, Four Red Ranger Recruits, and A Procession Of Knights. His Horse, Blackwing Had Died At The Wall, and Had Been Replaced By A Mare Whose Lineage Was Strong and Mixed. It's Sire Was Born From The Careful Breeding Union Of Two Powerful and Splendid Destriers, While It's Dam Was Born From The Union Of A Northern Garron and Southern Courser. The Courser Had Been Bred From The Reach, Straight From Highgarden, When Lord Mace Had Heard That Aegon Had An Interest In Horses and The Breeding Of Them. Indeed, Aegon Was More Particular About It Than His Uncle and Lord Mace's Heir Willas, He Only Bred and Unified The Best Of The Best Breeds and Lineages. His Current Mount Was Not The Usual Stallion, But A Mare, A Mare He Had Named Stormwind.

In Any Case, Aegon and His Retinue Rode Into The Castle Of Storms End, and Were Greeted By Lord Renly Baratheon. "Your Grace, I Welcome You To Storms End In My Brothers Name, He Doesn't Have Much Time, So If You'll Follow Me, I'll Take You Too Him." Says Renly. "As You Decide Lord Renly. Ser Arthur, Come With Me, Ser Richard You and Ser Osric See To The Men and Horses." Says Aegon. The Newest Addition To The Kingsguard, Ser Osric Snow, A Highborn Bastard Of Last Hearth, Bastard Son Of Greatjon Umber. A Skilled Swordsman, But One Who Preferred To Use A A Slender and Much Longer Blade Meant For Thrusts and Penetration Over Cutting and Dismemberment. Ser Osric Also Made Use Of A Standard Short Sword, But The Hilt Was Curved and Ser Osric Carried It In Reverse.

Aegon and Ser Arthur Followed Lord Renly Through The Halls Of Storms End and Came To The Door. The Door Was Opened By Lord Renly, and Aegon Walked In, Was Almost Knocked Over By The Stench Of Piss, ****, Wine, and Infected Wounds. "So, His Grace King Aegon Graces My Final Hours With His Insufferable Presence?" Asks Robert. "Which Us Smells Like They Bathed In A Sewer?" Asks Aegon, and Robert Chuckles and Grunts In Pain In Equal Measure. "What Is It You Want? Come To See The Drunken Rebel Die and Breath His Last? Or Are You Just Here To Gloat?" Asks Robert. "I'm Here To Settle The The Matter Of Succession. I've Decided Myrcella Will Rule Over Storms End With Her Uncles Renly and Stannis and Her Mother As He Chief Advisors, They'll Help Her Rule Provisionally Until Lady Myrcella Has A Son Or Decides Her Stance On The Matter." Says Aegon. "You Don't Mean To Take Her? Or Give This Castle To My Idiot Brothers?" Asks Robert. "And Gain What? When I Die and If I Had Done That, You'd Be There Just To Drag My Silver-Haired Ass To The Seven Hell's." Says Aegon. "Maybe.....I Was Wrong About You Boy....Maybe......" Says Robert. "Goodbye Lord Robert, You've Earned The Rest You Have Coming, and I Promise To Make Sure Your Remembered The Right Way." Says Aegon As He Gets Up and Leaves. "All's Ready Your Grace." Says Ser Osric. "Very Good Ser Osric, Give The Horses An Extra Two Minutes Of Feeding and Drinking Before We Continue, Also Make Sure To Stock Up On More Rations and Medical Supplies As Much As Possible." Says Aegon. "Yes, Your Grace." Says Osric.

Aegon and His Men Had Rode Up The Kingsroad and Straight Into Northern Territory, Where They Had Found Moat Callin Being Steadily and Quickly Repaired and Rebuilt, The Nearby Rhael's Barrens Were Already Being Prepared For Crops, and The Castle Had Been Already Abuzz. Though A Small Stop On Their Trip, Aegon Nonetheless Was Pleased By The Amount Of Work Done So Far, and Continued On The Road To Winterfell. He Needed To Speak With Lord Stark, What He Had Seen In The Fire With Melisandre, It Was Most Likely To Receive Support From The Free Folk and Other Northerners In The North. The Gift Had Been Resettled By The Free Folk, Who Had Taken To Farming and Hunting. As Part Of Aegon's Deal With Manse Shortly Before His Execution, The Wildlings Who Weren't Cannibals Or True Barbarians Would Settle It, and A Portion Of Their Goods Would Be Sent To House Stark, While Another Went To The Night's Watch. The Remainder Of The Goods Crafted, Hunted, or Farmed Were Their's To Do With As They Pleased.

So Long As The Free Folk Didn't Cause Trouble, **** and Raid As They Had In The Past, Aegon Wouldn't Throw Them Off The Wall and Back Into Their Old Lands As A Resultant Punishment. Aegon Knew That Such A Large Host Of Wildlings Had To Have A Better Reason To Strike The Wall Than In The Past. Joramun, Gendel and Gorne, The Horned Lord, Bael the Bard, Raymun Redbeard, and Now Mance Rayder, These Six Held The Title Of King-Beyond-The-Wall, and In Aegon's Opinion, Joramun Should Held A Place Of Honor. Willing To Join Forces With The Then-Kings Of Winter, House Stark, In Order To Strike Down A Tyrannical Lord Commander Of The Night's Watch Known Only and Forevermore As The Night's King, Joramun Was Seemingly Willing To Return Beyond The Wall As Well Because No Verified Record Existed That Said Otherwise. Aegon Blamed King Brandon Stark The Breaker For That, In His Attempts To Remove The Life, Name, History, and Very Mentions Of The Thirteenth Lord Commander's Name and Existence.

Even So, He Was Not Seriously Married To Val, Not As Westerosi Were Concerned. It Was Just A Formality, The Lord's and Ladies Saw Val As The Wildling/Free Folk Equivalent Of A Royal Princess. If He Claimed They Were Married The Nobility Could In Less Polite Terms, "Fuck Off and Not Be A Bother Over It Again.", Aegon Never Bothered Telling Them They Only Considered Married By Wildling Culture, So At Best Val Was A Paramour. Still, A Moot Point, Aegon Was Here In The North To Discuss What He Had Seen In The Flames, and As Such, Val Was Here As Well. He'd Sent Here Northward To Winterfell, In Order To Accelerate His Plans....

Aegon Rode Into Winterfell, Finding It Unusually Abuzz. It Appeared To Be In A State Of Mourning. Aegon Dismounted His Horse and Was Quickly Intercepted By Maester Luwin. "Your Grace, We Weren't Expecting You For A Couple Of Weeks!?" Says Luwin. "My Visit To Storms End Was Short, Which Is Another Reason Why I'm Here, I Need Lord Stark To Ride South and Go To Storms End At Once, Tell Him Lord Robert Is On His Deathbed." Says Aegon. "Well, As It Happens, Lord Renly Sent A Raven, It Said That Lord Robert Died Not Long After You Left Storms End." Says Luwin. "That's Unfortunate, Very Well Then......Maester, Please Inform Lord Stark We're Riding To Castle Black, and Would Like To Speak With Him Upon Our Return A Week From Now." Says Aegon, As He Remounts His Horse and Leaves Winterfell.

"I Don't Like How It Will Seem, Lord Robert Dying Not Long After Our Visit? Why Do I Doubt It?" Asks Ser Osric. "Indeed, Lady Cersei Is My Suspected Cause, She and Lord Robert Had Little Love Between Them, None Doubted It, and She Could Easily Afford A Poison Like The Tears Of Lys Which Wouldn't Be Detected." Says Ser Arthur. "We Can't Afford To Throw Them At Her Directly, But We'll Ask Lord Varys To Spread Them Discretely. If Nothing Else, It Should Prove Entertaining To Observe How Tywin Lannister Reacts." Says Aegon. "As You Say Your Grace, But What Of Prince Jaehaerys?" Asks Ser Richard. "My Brother Claims That He's Been Made The Personal Steward Of Lord Commander Westford, But I Want To See For Myself." Says Aegon. "Westford? Didn't He Fight At Stags Mount In The Rebellion?" Asks Ser Arthur. "Aye, One Of The Watch's Greatest Swordsman, He and Ser Alester Sarwyck Fought Side-By-Side With Jon Arryn, But Ser Alester Is Presumed Dead and Ser Westford Left To Join The Watch In Order To Protect His Wife and Daughter. Lady Tya and Her Mother Were Only Spared From Lord Tywin's Wroth Because My Father Intervened On Their Behalf." Says Aegon.

"What Was Ser Westford Called Again? The Wildling Butcher?" Asks Ser Osric. "So I'm Told, But I Hear He Detests The Name, But Doesn't Deny It Or Fear It Either." Says Ser Richard. "Last I Heard He Was In Control Of Icemark, With A Garrisoned Group Of Nights Watch Rangers One Hundred and Fifty Men Strong. If He's Lord Commander It Means The Old Bear Succumbed To His Wounds From During The Battle Of Castle Black." Says Ser Arthur. "Quiet Down Sers, It's A Long Road To Castle Black." Says Aegon As The Ride.