GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Aegor and Lord Buckwell reached an understanding and set aside the discussion of Jarman's potential release from the Night's Watch. Before long, they arrived at the section of the camp occupied by the forces of Staghorn Castle, where dozens of tents bearing the sigil of House Buckwell, two stag antlers on a field of blue and white stood in neat rows.

The old earl assigned Aegor and his attendant a tent adjacent to his own, a generous arrangement given the circumstances. In times of war, securing private quarters even a simple canvas shelter was a privilege reserved for high-ranking officers and honored guests.

---

At dawn the following day, the army set out as scheduled. For all his flaws, Robert Baratheon was not a man who overslept when there was war to be fought.

The sheer scale of the royal host, impressive when stationary, became even more striking once it stretched into a marching column. The line of soldiers and wagons extended beyond sight in both directions, disappearing into the morning haze. From where Aegor rode among the Staghorn men, he could neither see the head of the procession nor its rear.

Clad in his black cloak amidst the gleaming armor of House Buckwell's soldiers, he stood out like a shadow among silver and steel. It wasn't long before word spread through the ranks there was a Night's Watchman marching with the army.

"Waiting to buy up captured prisoners at a discount, no doubt," one soldier joked. "He'll haul them off to the Wall soon as we're done here."

None of them knew that Aegor had been forced into this campaign against his will. To them, the presence of a sworn brother of the Night's Watch was nothing more than an amusing oddity. A mascot of sorts.

If even the Crows are betting on our victory, the soldiers thought, then this rebellion must be as good as crushed.

None of them spoke of the old superstitions of how black garb was said to bring ill fortune. If anything, Aegor's presence seemed to embolden them.

---

As they rode, Aegor remained by Buckwell's side, listening intently as the old knight recounted stories of Robert's Rebellion. He committed each name to memory every noble house whose members had been forced to take the black for backing the Targaryens.

At first, he entertained the thought: If I gave these families the impression that I had a way to smuggle their kin out of the Night's Watch…

Of course, it would only work if his business in King's Landing flourished. But if it did, could he use that leverage to attract more investors? More clients?

Yet, as quickly as the idea formed, he dismissed it.

It had been over a decade since the rebellion ended. Most houses that had suffered for their loyalties had since recovered, their exiled sons forgotten or replaced by younger heirs. Only the Buckwells still clung to the hope of retrieving their kin, and that was because the family had failed to produce another male heir.

This was an exception, not a trend.

So much for running a "rescue operation," he mused.

Still, the war provided an opportunity. If nothing else, it was a chance to forge connections with Westerosi nobility.

The royal army marched for ten days, passing through several Crownlands villages and towns—including Sow's Horn—before finally reaching their first rendezvous point: the Riverlands stronghold of Lord Harroway's Town.

---

Though the town bore the name of the once-great House Harroway, that lineage had long since perished.

In its prime, House Harroway had been powerful enough to be granted Harrenhal itself. But like every other house to claim the largest castle in Westeros, they had succumbed to its infamous curse, extinguished, their lands and titles scattered.

Here, a thousand Riverlands troops guarded the ferry, ensuring that no rebels from the Vale could interfere with the king's crossing. Not that it was needed, Robert's army crossed the Trident without incident.

With the river behind them, they set their sights on the Vale.

One day later, they arrived at a place steeped in Westerosi history: the Crossroads Inn.

---

Few places in the realm had seen as much misfortune as this humble three-story inn.

In the original timeline, it had been the site of many fateful encounters. It was here that Catelyn Stark and Ser Rodrik had crossed paths with Tyrion Lannister, leading to his fateful capture. Here, Sandor Clegane had taken Arya Stark northward, cutting down Gregor's men along the way. Later still, Brienne of Tarth had passed through, setting yet another chain of events in motion.

But now, thanks to Aegor's intervention, many of those stories would never come to pass.

Still, the inn remained the crossroads of Westeros in more than just name. Its strategic location where the King's Road met the River Road made it a gathering point for travelers, merchants, and, most importantly, armies.

Anyone journeying between Winterfell and King's Landing passed through here. Any force marching from Riverrun to the Vale had to stop here.

And so, it was here that the forces of the Crownlands and the Riverlands finally united.

---

Nearly twenty thousand Riverlords had joined the war effort, swelling Robert's host even further. Their banners bore the sigil of House Tully, led by Edmure Tully himself, son of Lord Hoster Tully, the man who had helped forge the Stag, Wolf, and Falcon alliance that had won Robert his throne.

Lady Arryn, besieged in the Eyrie by the rebels of the so-called Righteous Alliance, was a Tully by birth. She was Edmure's sister.

And blood was not so easily forgotten.

The Riverlands and the Reach were unique among the Seven Kingdoms. Despite being among the richest regions, neither had been ruled by native kings before Aegon's Conquest. As a result, though their lords bore the title of duke, their hold over their own lands was tenuous at best. They lacked the ironclad authority and deep-seated loyalty enjoyed by the Starks, Lannisters, or Baratheons. On the surface, they were powerful but in truth, they had little hope of ever seizing the Iron Throne or declaring independence. Their only path to maintaining power lay in strategic alliances and well-placed marriages.

Fortunately for House Tully, Robert Baratheon was still king. His rule, however reckless at times, was stable enough that the Riverlords fell in line without resistance. With his authority behind them, the Tullys had no difficulty rallying a massive force.

Aegor took note of the banners flying alongside the river-born host. Even House Frey, infamous for its later betrayal at the Red Wedding, had joined the Riverlands coalition.

That alone spoke volumes.

Robert's grip on the Seven Kingdoms was stronger than Aegor had anticipated.

With the Crownlands and Riverlands now fully united, the royal host swelled to over thirty thousand strong. That number counted only the fighting men, not the vast network of camp followers and supply trains that trailed behind them.

For a feudal army, this was a staggering force, especially considering it came from just two of the Seven Kingdoms.

And they were not done yet.

Without pause, the combined army pressed eastward. For Aegor, this second pass through the Crossroads Inn was just as brief as the first. There was no time to stop and enjoy its famed hospitality.

---

Two weeks after departing King's Landing, the army finally crossed into the Vale of Arryn. They marched until the narrow mountain pass leading into the heart of the Vale was visible in the distance. Then, at Robert's command, the host split in two, forming a pincer-like formation on either side of the pass.

The southern and northern flanks of the royal army dug in, completely cutting off the Vale from the outside world.

With thirty thousand men at his command and siege engines arriving soon, Robert had the strength to assault the Bloody Gate directly.

But he did not.

This was not just a campaign, it was a spectacle.

Robert would not simply march in and crush the rebels. He would wait. He would let the full might of the Seven Kingdoms assemble before striking.

Aegor could see it clearly: the Usurper's War was long past, and Balon Greyjoy's rebellion had been crushed a decade ago.

The Seven Kingdoms had begun to forget why they once feared Robert Baratheon.

Now, he intended to remind them.

Aegor found it amusing.

Eddard Stark had remained in King's Landing to govern in Robert's absence. The king had taken only four of his Kingsguard with him; the rest—including Jaime Lannister—had stayed behind to protect Queen Cersei and the royal family.

That alone was telling.

A civil war had erupted in the Vale, yet the greatest winners might very well be the Lannister twins, safe in the capital.

Aegor could only shake his head.

Here sat the King of the Seven Kingdoms, posturing before the Bloody Gate while his wife cuckolded him in King's Landing.

And the best part?

He was borrowing money just to afford the show.

One thing was certain: displays of power were only effective when backed by true strength.

Those who flaunted wealth they didn't have rarely met a good end.

Aegor could only hope this rebellion didn't turn into an outright disaster, because if things went south, he had no intention of being dragged down with it.

***

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