Yagami Light in Game of Thrones

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***

Light left the city through the Muddy, aka River, Gate. They had been repaired again after the storming. The city's poor, supervised by gold cloaks, were clearing the Blackwater from the remains of Stannis's ships. There were fishing boats everywhere. A few huts had sprung up on the shore. Life in the capital was booming, rich guests were travelling to the royal wedding, and the brothels were full. Tyrion disappeared in them from evening to morning, and from morning to night he worked, building a new spy network to replace the spider network. It remained a mystery as to when he slept.

Everything was going according to plan. With his uncle's permission, Light took Ser Jaselyn with him (he'd been lightly wounded at Blackwater and spent a couple of weeks as Stannis's prisoner) and the five hundred former gold cloaks he'd selected. In place of those who had left, the new commander of the city guard, Ser Addam Marbrand, recruited men from Highgarden and the Cliff. Light's small army carried ten cannons, a supply of gunpowder, and Gallin the Pyromancer. Faithful Podrick kept close behind.

It took half a day to cross the river. If a bridge could be built across the Blackwater, it would not only facilitate troop movement, but also trade. Light made a note to himself for the future.

Baelish had left the capital as recently as yesterday, Cersei a week ago. The queen gave Light a locket with her image on it and gave him her word that he would wear it 'until our child is born.' Pregnancy will go easier if I know my sweet Lancel remembers me every day, she said, kissing him on the lips. After giving birth, Cersei planned to be widowed. Becoming the sole mistress of Riverrun, she would rule at the Trident for many years until her child came of age.

Within a fortnight of Stannis's death, all the River Lords had bowed the knee. Lord Frey, who had dodged the war and kept his army intact, stalled the longest, but he, too, eventually sent a raven to the capital with an expression of submission, at the same time announcing that the Stark army had passed the Twins and continued north. Jaime, meanwhile, had reached the West and inflicted a number of defeats on the islanders, but they were all minor skirmishes. The Greyjoys avoided major battles. The Ironborn still held Bright Isle, but they could not capture anything else, and Jaime's patrols made the coast relatively safe.

The road to Storm's End ran through the Kingswood. The vast thicket served the sole purpose of being the hunting grounds of the royal family. What a senseless waste of resources! If even a fraction of the land occupied by the forest was turned into fields, they could feed tens of thousands of people. Not to mention that the forests are often a haven for brigands like the Brotherhood of the Royal Forest who lived here during the Mad King's time.

That evening in the tent, Light spread out a map in front of him. Podrick brought supper, but Light swallowed the food without tasting it, so engrossed was he in his plans. Cersei's reign at Riverrun will cause the people of the Riverlands to flee. Some will go to the Vale, some to the West, but some will make their way to his domain. Light will find them work. To build foundries along the banks of the many rivers (water wheels will provide the necessary energy), to cut wood, to build new roads and widen existing ones. There is still time before winter. One or even two crops can be harvested. Having built schools and hired teachers from septon, it is possible to teach literacy to several thousand people and create an administrative apparatus out of them. Add to this a new kind of army, modelled on Ser Jaselin's men, and you have a force that will allow Light to disregard the opinions of his wayward vassals.

It was unlikely that the Stormlands would ever equal the wealth of the Expanse or the West, but they certainly had potential. The climate here was partly reminiscent of Japan: sweltering heat in the summer and storms and downpours in the autumn. Vast forests and rocky coastlines made defence easy, but they also made it difficult to grow the economy. Stormlands are relatively sparsely populated. There are no major cities in Light's domain, and this should be remedied. The Weeping City, so named because the body of King Deiron the First was taken there when he died in Dorne, could become the sea gateway to the Stormlands if a road were built there. The Sea of Dornish is much safer than the Bay of Broken Ships, so soon caravans will be travelling through the Rainforest, carrying goods from distant lands to all the Stormlands and beyond.

Light thought of Myrcella. The ship sent for the princess had left the capital a couple of weeks ago and had probably already reached Braavos. In another couple of weeks, Myrcella would be in King's Landing, and from there it would be three days on horseback to Storm's End. Will Light be able to take the castle before his bride arrives? He should be able to.

As Light continued to study the map of his new domain, he noticed Summer Castle. Forty years ago, King Aegon, his eldest son and Lord Commander of the Guard had died in a fire. The castle was now an abandoned ruin.

Aegon the Fifth, the Mad King's grandfather, was somewhat sympathetic to Light. Having spent his childhood among the common people, he disliked the aristocrats and sought to curtail their privileges, but he looked to magic rather than the townsfolk and septons for support. Like many Targaryens before him, Aegon the Incredible dreamed of dragons. Perhaps it was the failed attempt to revive them that had led to the disaster?

The red comet still hung in the sky, pointing east. What if Archmaester Marvin was right? What if the dragons had indeed returned?

Just before Light's departure, news came to the capital of the death of Viserys Targaryen, known as the beggar king. House Targaryen had been reduced to one person, Daenerys. The last of a line of dragonlords... if dragons have indeed been reborn, it could be her doing. But how? A fourteen year old girl wouldn't know anything about sorcery. Or was it an accident?

It's all idle speculation, though. Most likely, there are no dragons and the comet means nothing. But if it does... if it doesn't, the magical monsters could be the most serious threat to his plans, more dangerous than Baelish and Varys combined. Light decided that he should definitely visit the Citadel and speak to Archmaester Marvin.

***

As Light's troop passed the Kingswood and crossed another river, the Wayward River, the Storm Lords began to join them. All of them treated Lyte coldly, with one exception. Ser Ronneth Connington was always eager to be near them, sucking up to Light in every way possible, trying to entertain him with unfunny jokes. The reason was obvious. Before the Baratheon rebellion, the Connington family had been rich and powerful, but Lord Jon Connington's service to the Mad King had cost them dearly. After his victory, Robert took nine-tenths of their lands. Which Ser Ronnet surely hoped to regain by supporting the new power in the person of Lyte.

On the second night after the Guideway, Light's party stopped at Bronze Gate Castle, which belonged to the House of Buckler. A tent city was dotted around the castle. It was the rallying point for the lords of the northern Stormlands - the Fells, Grandisons, Penrose, Errols, and the Bucklers themselves. From here, an army of 2,000 will march to Storm's End. The lords of the southern part of the Stormlands and the Narrow Sea Islands - the Swanns, the Estermonts, the Wilds, the Mertins, the Tarts - were already waiting for them there. Except for Connington, who had made a detour north to meet Light early.

It was at the Bronze Gate that Light had first heard of Brienne Tarth.

- A big hussy, and ugly too,' Ser Ronnet said. - My father wanted me to marry her for her father's money, but thank the Seven Seven, it didn't happen.

One of Lord Grandison's men, old Ser Humphrey, also disapproved of Brienne. In his opinion, the girl behaved inappropriately - trained in the art of war and rude to the elders. Light was not surprised when he learnt that Ser Humphrey had also tried to marry Brienne, also for money, and also unsuccessfully.

Three days later, Light saw the wayward bride in person.

For the siege of Storm's End, Light's would-be vassals had amassed nearly five thousand swords. The castle's castellan, Ser Gilbert Farring, had only two hundred men, but the powerful walls, thirty metres high and more than ten metres thick, made them as dangerous as two thousand. Light would win, but how soon and at what cost?

Light spotted Brienne of Tarth from a distance. Her massive figure, as tall as the Hound, towered over those around her like... about as tall as the god of death over men. Brienne looked a little like Ram, Light thought.

- Lady Brienne,' Light addressed her.

The giantess blushed. She thinks I'm going to laugh at her, as I'm sure the others did.

- Lord Lancel.

- I welcome you to my camp. I hope you won't mind taking a walk with me.

Brienne nodded warily. This is going to be even easier than I thought.

An hour later, Light left Brienne, leaving the girl completely enchanted. She confessed that only Lord Renly had treated her like a lady so far. When she said that name, Brienne sighed so eloquently that Light realised that she loved him. Laughing to himself at the ridiculous couple (one perverted, the other ugly), Light returned to his tent.

According to legend, Storm's Edge was built by Durran the Godbearer, who won the love of Elenea, daughter of the god of the sea and the goddess of the wind. Six times the bride's angry father sent a storm and six castles collapsed, but Durran would not give up. By all means, he wanted to build the castle here, above the cliff protruding into the sea, which would later be called Cape Durrant. For the seventh time, Durran succeeded. The walls, enchanted with the magic of the Children of the Forest, withstood all storms, and Durran himself founded a dynasty of Storm Kings whose power, at its peak, stretched from the Trident in the north to Cape Wrath in the south. Whether the legend is true or not, one thing is certain: walls of such thickness cannot be penetrated by cannons, let alone trebuchets. Of course, there are other ways. You can fire cannons at the gates (steel, multi-layered). You can ignore the losses and give the order to climb the walls. You can start a siege and spend many months, or even years. But the easiest and surest way is to persuade the defenders to surrender.

Light rode alone to the gates of Storm's End. In his right hand he held a rainbow banner, a symbol of peaceful intentions (a different symbol on Earth, Light thought with a chuckle). Fifty paces from the gate, Light stopped. Soon the iron bars slid up, and a knight with the exact same banner rode out to meet him.

- Ser Gilbert Farring.

- Lord Lancel Lannister.

The large, tall knight gave Light a scornful look.

- Lord Tywin must be out of his mind if he sends his milk-sucking nephew here. Or did his daughter you've been fucking send you?

- Look over there, Ser Gilbert. You see those bronze tubes? They're called fire vents. They'll tear down your gates like they did Stannis's ships at Blackwater.

Ser Gilbert looked.

- 'Yes, I've heard of that. And the wildfire, and how the dwarf took Riverrun by trickery. You Lannisters are good at making things up. But your tricks won't work against my walls. Storm's End can withstand any siege.

- There will be no siege. You're outnumbered 20 to one, and we have ladders. If my men climb all sides of your walls at once, you can't hold the perimeter and the castle will fall in a couple of hours.

- Maybe so, but half your men will die.

- And all of yours will die. But if you surrender the castle, all your men will survive. I won't take away your weapons or your banners, and you can go wherever you want. My men will not interfere with you.

- Well, that's very generous of you. Except we have nowhere to go. All the land around here belongs to the Lannister henchmen. Even if you let us through, we won't last long in hostile territory. We'll either have to surrender or go rogue. Better to die here.

- You can sail to Dragonstone. If you have no ships, I'll ask Lord Tarth to give you one.

Ser Gilbert was clearly surprised.

- Aren't you a little too kind for a Lannister? Doesn't your family kill everyone who stands in your way?

- Personally, I've never killed anyone. I'm not a bloodthirsty man, Ser Gilbert, and I want to settle this peacefully. But if you force me to, I will fight.

Ser Gilbert was silent. Light guessed that he was struggling internally. The knight's mind urged him to accept Light's offer, but his pride and unwillingness to look like a coward convinced him otherwise. If he had the opportunity to surrender and save face, he would take it. He needed the appearance of a fight, something beautiful and chivalrous, so that neither those around him nor his own conscience could reproach him with anything.

- There is another option,' said Light. - A duel. My man against yours. The winner gets the Storm's End. The loser is free to leave.

Ser Gilbert's face brightened.

- That's a deal I'm willing to make. Will you fight me yourself, Lord Lancel, or will you put up a defence?

- I'll put up a protector. I hope you're not afraid of losing to a woman.

- A woman?!

- Her name is Brienne. Lady Brienne of Tarth.

If that fool loses, it won't be pretty. I'll have to break my word and storm the place after all. But she won't lose. She mustn't! She's in love with me and she'll do anything for me.

***

Brienne didn't lose. Light kept his word. Ser Gilbert was given a ship on which he and half his men travelled to Dragonstone, the last castle still held by Stannis' supporters. The other half chose to swear an oath to Light. From them Light learned that Robert's bastard Edric Storm had been taken to Dragonstone, but that Stannis had not had time to legitimise his brother's son, or had not wanted to. More likely the latter, given that the boy was conceived on Stannis's own marriage bed, which Robert disgraced by fucking his wife's cousin there.

In the main hall of the castle, Light took the oath of his new vassals. Having no love for the Lannisters, they still bowed to the force, and the imminent wedding of Lyte and Myrcella should finally placate them. This is how House Baratheon came into being three hundred years ago: Orys Baratheon took to wife Argella Durrandon, daughter of the last Storm King who died fighting Aegon the Conqueror, and the former Durrandon vassals recognised Orys as their lord. Myrcella, it is true, is not Robert's daughter. But if the lords had any doubts about the princess's origins, they preferred to keep them to themselves.

Myrcella arrived a week later, when the army of Storm Lords had already gone home. But the lords themselves remained. Under their gazes, Light took off his bride's yellow cloak with a black stag and wrapped her in a red cloak with golden lions. Bending down, he gave Myrcella a quick kiss on the lips and the septon proclaimed them husband and wife. One flesh, one heart, one soul. Myrcella trustingly placed her palm in Light's hand. He led her out: bed was out of the question for another five years.

After sending his wife to embroider under the care of the septa, Light went to his chambers. Brienne, his bodyguard, followed a step behind. At the door, she stopped. Once past the inner corridor, Light entered the study.

In his chair sat a man. On the desk in front of him was a loaded crossbow aimed directly at Light.

- 'Lord Lancel Lannister,' Varys smiled sweetly. - What a pleasant meeting.