DRAGONS REBORN: The Era After SI (GOT story)

Part 15

Chapter 15

After Victarion Greyjoy fell in battle, the Greyjoy rebellion was mainly over. The Iron Fleet couldn't sustain itself without its main leader and couldn't stand against the combined might of the Crown.

A major portion of the fleet would be sunk to the bottom of the ocean, with many choosing to surrender, and some of the more fanatic loyalists chose to flee and would go on to join the fleet of Euron Greyjoy. Despite massive victories, the Rebellion couldn't really end until King Rhaegar deposed the so-called King of the Iron Islands himself.

The castle of Pyke was less of a castle and more of a collection of towers built upon small rocky islands that had been slowly eaten away by the tumultuous seas. The largest of these connected keeps was a fifty-acre stone-built castle that housed the levies, stables, and weapons. A massive wall rose up, surrounding all these keeps, protecting them, yet in the face of King Rhaeagr's siege weapons, it would be do little.

The castle walls would be breached within a month of the siege as King Rhaeagar led the charge himself, Balon Greyjoy would have the stone bridges connecting the various keeps destroyed in desperation, yet it would do little to stop the King's army. In the end, Pyke would fall with little loss to the royal army, yet it would be on the other side of the kingdom where the Crown would suffer its greatest loss after King Aerys himself.

0000

RHAEGAR TARGARYEN

Rhaegar stood in the Long Hall of Pyke with the Royal army surrounding him. He had never been to Pyke before and was surprised to see the state of caste. Pyke wasn't like the other castles of the Kingdom. It was different in many ways, from the way it smelled to the way it felt.

Yet he could contemplate such thoughts later; right now, he had to focus on another point. It was to put an end to this farcical rebellion. Balon Greyjoy was on the ground in front of him, his body in chains, as he knelt alongside other members of his family, including his wife and daughter, Asha.

On the other hand, his two sons were nowhere to be found, yet with the whole castle and the surrounding waters under their control, they would soon be found.

The Lord of the Pyke had changed a lot over the years, with the color in his hair completely gone and his skin wrinkling with age. The man was thin, and his eyes were red as he glared at him with unadulterated rage.

"You broke your oaths to the crown Lord Balon. Tell me, what should the crown do with you?" Rhaegar began as the Hall stilled with silence at his words. Balon's eyes remained focused on him before the man spat to the side.

"What oaths do you speak of, boy? I swore allegiance to your father, not to a sauntering Greenlander like you. As far as I am concerned, I broke no oaths boy!" said the man with a ghoulish smile. Ser Barristan was enraged and was about to rush forward to punch the man when Rhaegar stopped him.

"You swore an oath to the Crown, not to my father, Balon, and you broke that oath. Not only that, you conspired with enemies abroad to assassinate him," and he saw the man's eyes widen at his words.

There were gasps of surprise and incredulity at his words from the gathered men of the army as well, for this was the first time that he had officially labeled his father's death as an assassination. Many people whispered about such a possibility, but now the Crown had spoken out finally.

Rhae stepped forward toward the bound so-called King and crouched down to look the man in the eyes.

"What! You didn't think that we would intercept all those messages you have been sending to your allies," Rhaegar spoke, his voice cold and angry as he took out one of the messages Qyburn had intercepted and threw it at the man's face.