The Battle of the Bastards: Part 1

Well, this took longer than I originally intended but well, been busy with several things. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, for it will feature the first part of the sequence of chapters that will deal with the Battle of the Bastards (although quite frankly, I am not sure that name is as accurate in the circumstances of this fic as it was in the show but oh well). More action and twists coming in the very next chapter too.

Anyway, I hope you like it and as always, please review!

Epigraph:

You have accused me of arrogance in my quest. You have accused me of perpetuating my grudge against Wyk to our collective detriment. Both accusations are true.

Neither point makes the things I have written to you unworthy of consideration.

Josera Snow rushed to the Burning Weirwood as fast as he could, running through the tunnels as if his life depended on it. And if they lost the coming battle, it very well might.

Eventually, he found the ethereal blue flames that surrounded the wakened Old God within the ancient tree and gave a brief bow of veneration before catching his breath.

He looked at his twin sister Elsera and at Spring, the surviving Child of the Forest.

"The warg from the Free Folk sent a raven to the exact entrance of the tunnel I was watching for, as planned," The experienced skinchanger informed them, inhaling deeply. "He made the bird speak and confirmed that the battle has just begun."

The new Oracle of the Weirwood nodded, her expression solemn. "And Brienne of Tarth?"

"Waiting behind enemy lines for the venomous distraction the elderly warg has in mind," Josera reported. "I sent Frostclaw to help guard her. Once they are ready, Sansa's guard and my Snowbear will move in to rescue Rickon Stark."

"Then we are ready to begin," Elsera responded, and continued to place part of the blood of the old horse she had freshly slaughtered into a jar. "Get in position, brother. Even with all the ingredients, both physical and magical, this ritual will still take some time to complete. And every second matters in battle.

The former Warg Guardian of the North Grove nodded in determination and approached the Burning Weirwood. Once he was directly in front of it, he entrusted his palm to his sister she wasted no time in slashing it to place spurts of his blood and the recent surge of magic it held within the jar below, mixing it with the horse blood. Then, Elsera did the same to herself and mixed her crimson fluids within as well.

Soon, they turned to look a the Child of the Forest among them for permission and Spring nodded her agreement. And so, the Blood Magic Sorceress started feeding the Weirwood Tree's carved face from the jar. And while they had expected it, it was still surprising to notice the blood was actually been sucked by the tree and disappearing from sight without a single drop of the life-giving liquid spilling into the ground.

As soon as they were done with that, Josera knelt down to show reverence to the Old God of his ancestors as his sister started chanting in High Valyrian, the language she had mastered for Blood Magic purposes, to seal the mystical offering she was providing.

"Kustikāne hen ānogar, emagon nyke toliot ao,

tepagon nyke iksis aōha might se dohaeragon īlva tubī,

lo ao mazōregon ñuha irudy se zȳha odre!" She shouted, her words firm and resolute.

And just like that, the blue flames got brighter than Josera had ever seen, and the ground around them started trembling slightly. He grinned, unable to stop himself from feeling excited at the remarkable events he was a part of.

The hard part was over now. Now, time for the new Oracle of the Weirwood to take what they offered and channel the might of the wakened Old God.

"So..." Arya said slowly, "Marrying Margaery too was actually Sansa's idea?"

Jon nodded, although from his position astride his Ice Dragon he imagined it was barely noticeable to her.

"She grew very close to Margaery while she was a Lannister prisoner," He explained.

Then he paused before shaking his head and throwing caution to the buffeting wind.

"And while it may not be my place to tell you, I did say that I was going to help you understand so...well, know that while nothing has happened there yet, Sansa confided in me that she has dreamed of doing to Margaery what you did to Bellegere more than once," He admitted. "I guess that's one of the big reasons she doesn't mind bringing her into our future marriage bed."

"Huh," His sister said, the wind carrying her surprise to his ears. "I did not see that one coming."

Jon shrugged. "The heart wants what the heart wants, I guess, even if it takes some time for us to figure it out."

They carried on in silence for a few more minutes, and Jon waited, for he was sure Arya had more questions after all the details he had shared with her. Before long he could feel her grip tighten around his waist.

"So...you really used your new godly powers to create a world all of your own where time passes faster than here so that you could fuck Sansa in private?" She asked, her tone a strange mixture of scandalized and impressed.

The young god winced. "Among other things. And I have to say, having those extended vacations in what amounts to a few minutes on Westeros can be very relaxing. But...yes, I suppose you could say that."

Arya sighed heavily. "I am really not sure how I am supposed to feel about all this, Jon," She confessed. "I don't like imagining my two siblings fucking because of the way we have been raised but you are a god now and like it or not, this is your domain now so I guess those particular rules don't apply here. But more than that and I can't believe I am saying this...I dislike that I am feeling a little left out and I don't like that I don't like it."

The King of the North and the Trident tilted his head on reflex at that and almost turned around. "What do you mean?"

Arya groaned, sounding tired and more than a little annoyed. "Don't take this the wrong way but it seems I am not your favorite sister anymore. And I can't help but feel a bit jealous at that."

Jon blinked at that, opening his jaw to answer before closing it again. Shaking his head, he wondered once again what was the deity that empowered him thinking.

"Well...I suppose that's one way of looking at this," He acknowledged, feeling awkward. "But if it helps, I vow to do my best to always be there for you when you need me, Arya. And even if I am a God-king now, I started as a bastard; a bastard that you always treated like family and with respect. You better believe I will never, ever forget that."

Suddenly, he felt his little sister's head on his back while her grip tightened.

"Thanks, Jon. I think I really needed to hear that," She admitted.

He took a deep breath and caressed her neck. "Anytime. And besides, I hadn't even gotten to the part of the gift I created for you."

"Oooh?" Arya said as her tone grew interested. "And here I thought Dark Sister was enough to last me 5 name days," She said with a chuckle. "What did you made for me?"

"Something that occurred to me while flying back from Braavos that I think you would really enjoy," The young god responded, his smile widening. "I took advantage of the fact I needed to include you on my wish to guarantee the effects of the magical window on the past while judging those damned Freys to create your gift."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense," She said urgently. "What is it?"

"You will find out after we return to Winterfell," He replied in an amused tone. "You see, I have it ready for you the next time I open the doorway to that private world I told you about. That way, you will have something fantastic to keep you busy the next time we go there."

"Hmph," She grunted. "And here I was hoping for a clear answer from my usually direct brother. Fine, but your surprise better deliver when we get there!"

"Oh, I assure you that it will," He said, laughing a bit. "But for now, let's get closer to the Wolfswood, shall we?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we have talked long enough to fly out of the White Harbor region, so there next to no chance anyone from the city will be able to notice now if we have arrived near Ironrath sooner than we should have even on dragonback," Jon explained. "So, I am just going to make a little wish to magically get us to the southeastern border of the Wolfswood in an instant. That should save time us some time."

And without waiting for his little sister to respond, he urged his mighty she-dragon to fly upwards and hide in the clouds for a bit while he composed his sentence. A few seconds later, they were hundreds of miles away, leaving no trace in the clouds they left behind.

Princess Val watched as the enemy cavalry approached from a distance, glaring at the Bolton forces as she did. Behind her, she could hear their allied Lords ordering the archers to fire the first volley against their foes, and as they have been expecting it, in a few seconds there were hundred of arrows flying loose and many of them found their mark; the screams of the injured, be it man or horse, filling the foggy air the process.

But it only slowed their march slightly, which meant it was time for her army of Free Folk, better equipped than ever before, to prepare so that they could hold the line. After all, her people comprised the bulk of their army. And she was not about to let their allies forget that.

"Free Folk!" The chosen successor to Mance Rayder yelled. "Like we have been practicing! SHIELD WALL!"

"SHIELD WALL!!!" Started chanting her men and women as they quickly moved their new shields into position.

And the gaps were covered not a moment too soon for then the cavalry charged hit them in full. Val gritted her teeth and she held the line along with the rest, as everyone around her struggled. Maybe it was anger at their enemies. Maybe it was fear that came from past experience. Maybe it was their hope in the new King Stark arriving just in time to aid them astride his mighty dragon. Maybe it was the stirring speech of Lady Sansa. Or maybe all of it played a part, but for whatever reason, their line held. And the enemy riders couldn't go around their sides in large numbers because the ditches they had previously dug made that difficult, while a smaller charge would run into heavy and bloody opposition from the giants guarding their flanks.

Princess Val smirked as she felt her spirit rise. "This won't be a rout like when King Stannis's cavalry cut us down," She thought, feeling determined. "Now, let's spill the treacherous blood of those that follow the descendant of the Bolton scum that skinned my ancestor."

And with that thought in mind, she watched as another volley of arrows fired upon enemy lines, which gave her vanguard enough breathing room to start stabbing and spearing their nearby foes from their defensive position.

Southeastern borders of the Wolfswood: The North

"Huh," Arya said, looking around in surprise as she saw the vast and unmistakable outline of the Wolfswood from above. "Knowing that you can now do things like this is going to take some getting to."

"I can imagine," Jon muttered. "And I still hadn't completely wrapped my head around my full potential either. But we are much closer now so, if the battle has begun then we will be able to arrive a lot sooner...wait, what's that?"

She followed her big brother's gaze, slightly to the northwest and her eyes widened when she saw an army on horseback approaching the outskirts of the forest.

At first, she thought they may have been Ramsay's forces since they were now quite close to Winterfell but then she spotted the sigil the bannermen at the vanguard were carrying: a white crescent moon and falcon on a blue field.

"The Knights of the Vale," Arya said in dawning realization. "They have actually come to our aid."

"Hmm," Jon hummed, clearly contemplating his next move. "We really should be hurrying the rest of the way to Ironrath but it would be wise to coordinate now that we have crossed paths..."

Arya waited for him as he hesitated for a moment longer before shaking his head. "Let's get this over with quickly."

And with that, Jon urged his Ice Dragon to fly down, in the direction of the frontline. Before long, the riders spotted them and their horses clearly grew agitated but it was a testament to their breeding and training that they didn't panic at the sight of the enormous winged predator and disobeyed their knights. And soon, she recognized Littlefinger among them, at which point she pointed him out to Jon.

The former Master of Coin and Lord Regent of the Vale looked up from his own horse, his face surprised as he stared at the icy blue dragon in person.

Arya couldn't help but smile in amusement at their shocked expressions as her brother landed his mighty companion and gave Littlefinger a nod.

"Lord Baelish," Jon greeted, his tone eminently neutral. "I have heard much of you from my sister, Sansa. And I have been looking forward to meeting you."

Asher Forrester slew yet another Bolton rider, this time with an accurately thrown axe to the head; with a group of recently caught up infantrymen staring with concern as he did so.

"Iron from Ice!" He roared, as he unsheathed his blade, his nearby Forrester bannermen echoing his House's words.

Around them, the line was holding, but Asher wasn't sure for how long. Despite the volleys of arrows, their tough ironwood shields providing cover as they counterstrike, and the giants smashing anyone that tried to outflank them with their war hammers or their enormous legs, waves of riders kept clashing with their vanguard. And brave as they were, the Freefolk were not well known for their discipline in this kind of fighting.

"Come on, Josera, Elsera," He muttered, thinking about his siblings as he blocked a blade thrust with his own shield before slashing his opponent where he stood. "We are counting on you."

At that point, he noticed that the ranks of enemy archers had finished catching up with the Bolton cavalry and were getting into position to fire their first wave of arrows. Asher cursed and melted back into formation with the shield wall, adding his defense to their line as others were yelling at the rest to do the same. And so, hundreds of arrows rained down on them as they stood firm, gritting his teeth as he heard the inevitable screams of those that couldn't prevent themselves from getting injured in the process.

But then, before the Bolton forces could prepare another volley, they were caught off-guard as the ground quite literally started to shake.

It didn't last long but the effects clearly caught their unsuspecting enemies off-guard, with some of the riders even falling from their horses. But then sudden gusts of wind started blowing with a lot of **** from the Wolfswood around them and the second son of House Forrester couldn't help but smirk as he recognized the rhythmic melody of the leaves if he focused hard enough.

"It's time," He realized silently.

Nearby, Lady Lyanna Mormont started shouting her own commands.

"Brave warriors of Bear Island, the time has come, so get ready!" She screamed loudly. "Here We Stand!"

"HERE WE STAND!" Her bannermen yelled as they echoed the Mormont motto.

And as if the Old God himself was waiting for those words, Asher could tell the ritual was working because, abruptly, all the enemy horses started trying to shake their riders off at the same time.

As the chaos turned into bloody panic with thousands of soldiers being thrown off their saddles, with at least half of them trampled as the horses started fleeing into the woods in disarray, he could honestly say that he had never seen anything like it and his jaw dropped for a moment; witnessing with awe the power that the Old Gods had over animals and nature in general.

"Good thing we managed to get him on our side," Asher noted, grinning in anticipation as he readied his blade for combat.

Soon, once the enemy lines had gotten extremely disorganized, he spotted Princess Val from her position in the vanguard and watched as she gave the order to her warriors and spearwives to drop the shield wall and take advantage of the chaos.

And so, the Free Folk advanced on the Bolton army, with the bannermen loyal to House Stark rushing to fight by their side.

Well, now that's one way to harness the powers of an Old God to the detriment of a cavalry dependent army, eh?

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the developments you saw, and as I said, the battle will continue in chapter 102. Hope you have fun with the cliffhanger I have in mind for that one :P

Anyway, thanks for reading everyone! Until next time and please review.