This Book is Dedicated to My Family. To all those who have come before me and shall come after me. Let my memories of my times give you wisdom and council on how to navigate the Future and Enlighten you of the Ages Past.
In fear of evil, of spirits unchecked, ambitions of the lowly and the highly, i, Lord Donnel Darry of House Darry, Lord of Darry and vassal of King Tristifer, the Sixth of his name, Mudd have taken upon myself to write the events of my life. Though there are a plethora of threats to once self, non is greater than time. For in its irresistible and ceaseless flow carries along on its flood all created things, and drowns them in the depths of obscurity, no matter if they be quite unworthy of mention, or most noteworthy and important.
I am of the age three and seventy and I have witnessed sufficient events to last several lifetimes. Though I do not hope or believe my death will come soon, I nevertheless have started to feel the weight of my age slowly creeping upon me. It is more prudent to begin my writings now that I have my wit and I shall of course made additions in the coming years. This book shall serve a historic purpose but also a semi-biographical one as I will also confess my opinions and thought on things that have happened. It will focus on the events I have experienced and those events that relate to the Riverlands though not all as I am sure many things have happened behind closed doors that I was not privy to. Of course there will be very few mentions to events happening to other Kingdoms as those will be chronicled by their people As my life has been long and the events many, I will be splitting this book. To how many parts I do not know yet as I shall discover that while writing but it is safe to assume it will be at least two books.
It is, I believe most wise to begin my retelling of events from the first memories I have. From the age of eight years old. I was born in the year 1480 A.I. My father was Dickon Darry and his father, my grandfather, was Denys Darry. During this time there were several Kings which I shall give a small description here of the men they were when I was young
King Baldric the Third of his Name Durrandon: A cruel tyrant whose forefathers had subjugated the Riverlands through bloody conquest. King of the Stormlands and the Riverlands
King Tommen the Second of his Name Lannister. An ambitious man, clearly more capable than his father and grandfather. King of the Westerlands
King Garland the Fourth of his Name Gardener. A pious man and a fervent zealot of our faith.
Prince Olyvar Nymeros Martell. A quiet man. Preferring keeping to himself and the affairs of his own realm.
King Jon Arryn. A respected King and a dignified Knight. It was evident he had great plans for his kingdom
King Brandon the fifteenth of his Name Stark. An incompetent weak king who even by this time he had gained the nickname “the Bad”
King Qhorwyn Hoare. A rare breed of ironborn. Preferring trade rather than plunder.
King Aenar Targaryen. A new arrival in Westeros. A dragonlord who survived the Doom of Valyria and made a new Kingdom on the Isle of Dragonstone.
King Lucifer Hardy. Lord over the savage men of the Claw.
Now that these things have been set, Allow me to begin with the events during the Lordship of my grandfather Denys Darry
Doubtless the first thing that I remember was my father and grandfather discussing the actions of one Lord Danwel Frey. The Freys at that point were subjects of the Charlton Lords and had already gotten a reputation of being upjumped toll collectors. It was not rare those times to have the Freys being the butt of a joke. Those arrogant petty lords had implemented several tools targeted against those northerners who follow the Old Gods. Such actions clearly targeted at the Starks, had let similar reprisals from the North against the Riverlands. To be honest the reprisals were targeted to those lords of Andal origin. I remember my grandfather almost banging his head at the idiotic actions of those Freys. They were prepared to plunge the entire region into a war all for some tolls...heh…this reminds of something that happened in more recent times but I will get in that later.
My early years at Darry Castle were good and productive ones. Ofcourse I was working at the family farm. Toiling under the boiling sun with my father and grandfather. It was an ancient Darry tradition to grow up in the dirt and the mud of a field. Understanding what hard work means and it was a good way to build character ofcourse.
Around the year 1490, the Durrandon King had recognized that the FreyStark events could spiral into an actual conflict. He sent for a capable commander, Lord Bonifer Connington to command the Riverlords to make the necessary preparations and start fielding larger armies in order to combat possible threats. He had even called for a “chief representative” Riverlord to assist him with addressing the concerns of the Riverlords. Too little…too late as it would later be proven.
After a few years of tension and anticipation, Lord Frey had signed a deal with King Brandon to end the hostilities between them. The Starks even had promised to wed one of their princesses to a Frey. Why would one of the most prestigious and ancient royal houses decide to marry their young to a family less than two centuries old? I am sure it will baffle historians for years to come.
However, this deal was not seen favorably by the court of Storm’s End. It was apparent that Lord Frey had overstepped to sign such deals with foreign realms and had even used sharp words against Lord Connington in a letter a two. My father would later travel to Fairmarket where Lord Connington had organized a meeting in order to discuss with the Riverlords
in person about the future. My father would travel there to mee with the ‘The Laughing Griffin’. My grandfather would have gone but there was another important meeting happening in the city of Maidenpool. I will give a brief recount of what happened in these meetings though all the details will not be there as it is only the glimpses I got from when both of them returned to Castle Darry and discussed what happened.
Here I shall comment for the sake of continuity and not needing to mention later, that King Baldric Durrandon, in an attempt to soften his stance on the Riverlands, had named my grandfather as the Steward of the Kingdom.
At the meeting, several lords were present. Ofcourse Lord Florian Mooton the host, Lord Norbert Darklyn, Lord Garse Goodbrook who was at the same age as my grandfather, and of course Lord Denys Darry. Overall, this was a meeting of old men except for Lord Darklyn who was around five and twenty years old. During this meeting, several important deals were made for House Darry. First of all there was a bilateral agreement between Lord Goodbrook and my grandfather with regards to the lands of House Nutt. In those days, House Nutt had control both sides of the Trident where the three forks formed. Half of these lands were in the natural territory of Darry lands and the other half in the natural territory of Lakehaven. Instead of arguing and fighting over these lands, my wise grandfather offered a mutually beneficial agreement. That both of them would take their respective half of the lands of Claybend. Ofcourse those lands would still be ruled by scions of House Nutt as it would not be proper or good to remove them from their lands.
Various deals were also made with the Lord of Duskendale to increase trade between the town of Saltpans and that fine city in the Blackwater. However, the most important was a pact between these four Lords who represented a rather powerful block both militarily and financially. This would mark one of the first events where our House shifted its attention more to the Blackwater than the rest of the Riverlands. An informal alliance was created between these Houses, promising to come to each other’s aid. Overall, it was a very successful meeting. Now let me go to the other meeting at fairmarket. In the meantime, my grandfather continued his
The Fairmarket Meeting
I remember my father was recounting to my grandfather his conversation with Lord Danwell Frey. I still chuckle when I remember he called the Freys ‘The Bridge Folk’ I will say here as well that as a young man, my father had little desire to involve himself with the affairs of state. Even to go to this Fairmarket Meeting, my grandfather had to scold him and remind him of his duties.
“You are my heir and the heir of all the Darry Lands. Its high time to act like a proper man” he would say. Nevertheless, the meeting went as it went and when my father returned, he had quite the story to tell. Lord Bonifer Connington, who was about the same age as my father, scolded the Lord Frey for his negotiations with the Starks without the leave of the King Durrandon. Another matter that was raised was about a Lord Velaryon who gave himself the title “Viceroy of the Blackwater”, somewhat claiming ownership of the Blackwater region. This issue was brought by Lord Florioan Mooton. In general the attitude was that the Riverlords felt they were unrepresented in the affairs of the state while Lord Connington was claiming that the Riverlords had turned away opportunities to be represented…classic rivermen attitude I would say.
The most astounding part of that event was when Lord Tommen Tully, a man around the age of thirty, proposed to divide the kingdom into two parts. One ruled by the Durrandons in the Stormlands and one ruled by something he called a “Lord Paramount” who would be a vassal of the King. According to my father, Lord Connington was extremely baffled by this proposition but other lords tried to temper this Tully proposition…Tullys…even then they were troublemakers. More inflammatory remarks from Lord Tully eventually led to the climax of the meeting where Lord Bonifer Connington accused the Lord Tully for several crimes including rebellion. The rest of the lords present did not interfere with this arrest and allowed events to unfold. After this, my father returned home.
While all these things were happening, I was at home. Ignorant of the gigantic events that were occurring. My upbringing was rather standard as
River folk go. I had a couple of friends and some rivals. Childish things ofcourse. Playing around in the river, learning to read and write, stealing food from the kitchen and many other things. There is nothing really worth of mentioning here except for a brief remark on the person that my father placed me under in order to gain my knighthood. It was one Lord Raymund Roote whose, at that point, were rulling the region of Horsehead. I am not what he was thinking. Perhaps it was a favor or something. The man was a mostly poor specimen of a knight. In our travels, we would often stop by Inns. He would send me to polish his armor and clean the horses, while he was whoring and feasting inside. He did have a good sense of justice
The next event that I shall retell arrived to me by various letter my grandfather would send my father detailing various events that were happening at Storm’s End. While ofcourse many things were happening at the capital and as my grandfather was the steward of the Kingdom, he was present in the vast majority of events. The affairs of the Stormlanders do not concern this book. I guess one of their people will have to retell those stories.
First of all let me begin with the trial of Lord Tully. He presented his case ofcourse, showcasing no remorse for his suggestions. It was during this meeting when my grandfather first heard of the moves House Lannister was conducting in the Riverlands as it was discovered that a Lord Lydden was being hosted in several Riverlander castles. Several questions were imposed as a rebellion seemed to be brewing in the Riverlands. During this meeting, my grandfather suggested to the King that a “Prince of the Riverlands”, ruled by the heir of the Durrandon King, This would have made the management of the Kingdom much more efficient as the Prince would be ruling from Fairmarket. A suggestion that, while appreciated at the time, would not become a reality. While the meeting was happening, a profound and momentous event happened.
So far, I have not talked much about the Dragonlords of Old Valyria, with whom the fate of House Darry would be unexpectedly and curiously linked through several occasions…most of them accidental or perhaps it was fate and destiny.
The Doom of Valyria was a mysterious event that devastated the Empire of the Dragonlords, killing all of them outright. All of them? No, for two families of dragonriders had survived. One was the Targaryen family who had taken refuge on the isle of Dragonstone. A very old colony of the Valyrian empire though not always under the ownership of the Targaryens. In fact, their Patron, Aenar, only took refuge on the island seven years after my birth….by the Gods I am ancient am I not?
Anyway, the other family that survived was one named Varezys. While I call it a family it was really only one man left alive. One Aurion Varezys.
While the Targaryen family was content to live quietly on their Island, this Aurion was a different man. One emulating the conquering Valyrians. He was in Essos, conquering the Free Cities and building a new Empire centered around him. We Westerosi typically did not interfere or interacted much with the Politics of Essos. Our focus was centered more on trade and that’s about it. There was though one who interfered so much that brought the wrath of the Dragons upon us. Lady Jomylla Stokeworth took it upon herself to kill an Emperor and failed utterly. As she was the subject of the Durrandon King, the wrath of Emperor Aurion fell upon Storm’s End
While the meeting that I talked about before was happening, Emperor Aurion landed on the capital…and the scary fairytales that wetnurses would tell children about dragons…had become a reality. Even the great walls of Storm’s End, built by Durran Godsgrief could not withstand the terrible wrath of Dragonfire. It is safe to say and no shame in it that my grandfather, in utter terror, had attempted to crawl into any safe place he could find. Thankfully not many lives were lost during this encounter. Those that were, were some guards of whose names never got back to me. After
The next events retold will be between the years of 1 AD and 20 AD. These were some of the most monumental years not only for House Darry but also for the entire of the Riverlands. I will start with the familiar births that occurred between these years.
The Year 2 AD, my aunts, who were twins, Merianne and Maria were born. Even at his old age my grandfathers’ seed was strong. It was probably the Darry Brown that helped him to maintain his stamina. The Year 9 AD my uncle Manfryd was born. It is odd to say the least to have uncles and aunts that I am older than them by more than ten years old.
After the situation at Storm’s End, a new meeting at Maidenpool was called.
Unfortunately, House Darry had not sent any representative to this meeting so the events of that meeting are either lost in history or in some Mooton Archive. The question is why did he not go there?
My grandfather had witnessed the terrible power of dragons. He saw first hand that nothing upon this earth could rival such power. And right now, that terrible power was targeted at the Storm Kingdom and by extension, to the Riverlands. He sat down and thought how to handle this situation. He realized that against such force one cannot launch threats for they would be turned to ashes. One should also not grovel as a servant for that would barely have an effect on a dragonlord, not to mention it was beneath him. So how to approach this? Only an innovative mind like the one my grandfather possess could navigate this conundrum and come up with an idea. An offer of friendship.
Below I shall present the exact words used for the letters sent between my Grandfather and the Emperor. Until now only the Lords of Darry have seen the contents of these letters
"As i write this letter to you my hands still shake after the terror you unleashed upon us. Never before had any of us seen or felt the terrible might of the beast that you ride upon and i pray that we may never feel your wrath in the future again. Though i am just a humble Lord of humble lands i can only offer few words of solace. The act of attempted assasination that was inflicted upon you was indeed unjust and a heinous crime to the eyes of the Gods. Those who attempted such a foolish act deserve to be brought before justice. But i ask of you to not inflict your wrath on those undeserving. The Stokeworths and others of this Kingdom that have acted on their own act without the counsel or acceptance of our King. His Grace has hundrends
and thousands of subjects and he can not be expected to account for everyones actions at every time. Our King would never dare or wish to provoke your power. Show mercy to those that have not slighted you and show your justice to those who have." "As a token of our good will, i have personally prepared a Honey cake in the shape of your Great Beast. I only caught glimpses of it and i had to rely on the words of those who witnessed it more than me so i apologise if the shape is not exact. May the sweetness of this item be a gesture of good will between us."
This
is the response of
the Emperor
To the unknown baker lord whom sent me this letter, I have not smiled this much since the day I tamed Vassarion. Your courage and artisanal talent have earned you much of my respect. I would like to commission you to prepare a large pie, so that I may have it at the ceremony alongside my captains to celebrate the conquest of Myr. Your king is lucky to have vassals such as you. Should your house ever require favour, you may request it of me.
Writ by my hand,
Aurion Varezys Rider of Vassarion
Emperor of New Valyria
This is the response of my grandfather
"It gladens me that this gift has been received as well as i had hoped. I am Lord Denys Darry of House Darry. My lands are located northwestern of the Crackclaw Point where the sea enters in the land in the river of the Trident's Mouth. To be an honored guest of you would be indeed a great honor. I will see if i am able to depart from Storm's End and arrive at the fabled city of Myr. If possible, is there a paper or a sigil that you may send me so the guards or the garrisons know that i have come at your behest?"
With Honor
Lord Denys Darry
This is the response of the Emperor
To Lord Denys Darry, I would gladly shower you with the hospitality of the Palace of the Conclave. The imperial court would be honored to host such a kind soul. Please write to me a description of your ship and an estimation of your arrival, and I shall send the Viceroy of Myr out to personally escort you to the palace.
Writ by my hand, Aurion Varezys Rider of Vassarion
Emperor of New Valyria
This is the response of my grandfather
"Three Galleys shall appear on the horizon. Their sails will be brown and upon them shall stand a black figure holding a plow. A Black plowman it shall be."
With Honor
Lord Denys Darry
And so it was that my grandfather travelled to the far reaches of the city of Myr to treat with an emperor. This would mark the first time in history where a Westerosi Lord was a guest of a Valyrian Emperor. An honored guest.
At Myr, he was welcomed by one Valerion Urnebar, Viceroy of Myr. Together they went to the Emperor and my Grandfather had a lovely conversation with him. He had brought with him several Westerosi delicacies personally made by him. The Emperor was pleased with the gifts and the conversations that they had together. The banquet that the Emperor had prepared was exquisite and unlike anything that could be experienced in Westeros. The meeting was going so well that the Emperor had proclaimed all the Lands that belonged to Darry were under his protection while Deny was away…if only I had a penny for all the times a similar event has happened.
Soon after however, perhaps due to westerosi interference or simple ambition, the eyes of the Emperor turned towards the Kingdom of the Claw. For many years the lords of Celtigar had been eying this peninsula. For some reason they believed they have some sort of a claim on that region besides the claim that all warmongers have…conquest. As the Celtigars were vassals of the Varezys they manage to convince him to invade. Several storm lords and river lords had come to the aid of House Hardy but it was all for naught.
This event brought great trouble to the Stomlander kingdom. Combined with the discontent that the Riverlands had for a multitude reasons, the
The Dusk War and the Dance of the Dragons 10 - 15 AD
For many years my grandfather had served as a faithful steward of the Kingdom of the Stormlands. He would talked with various Riverlords often and bring their concerns to the King himself. Even managing to gain council seats for them. Yet it was not enough. The new River Kingdom however was born out of a simple meeting at Maidenpool. That city where many historic events have happened. Several River lords had participated in it which I shall now name with the order of their arrival at the meeting.
Lord Florian Mooton of Maidenpool
Lord Leon Vypren of Stillfen
Lord Martyn Farring of Wendwater Forest
Lord Norbert Darklyn of Duskendale
Lord Danwell Frey of the Crossing
Lord Tommen Tully of Riverrun
Lord Denys ‘The Baker’ Darry
Lord Varan of the Ironbank
Lady Glenna Bar Emmon of Sharp Point
Lord Brandon Bolton of The Dreadfort
The meeting had begun with Lord Mooton informing the other lords (though I am sure they already knew) that a Durrandon civil war was about to begin as the old king had passed away and several claimants were arising. While this meeting was brought forth to inspire unity, my grandfather could not but mention that in the room they were in, there were several traitors to the Riverlands. He had no fear of mentioning by name. House Frey and House Tully. Ofcourse Lord Frey attempted to save face by throwing insults and accusation at my grandfather which naturally had no basis in reality. For better or for worse (but probably for the better) the debate between my Grandfather and Lord Frey led to the latter leaving the meeting. Not before ofcourse pulling a theatrical stunt by taking out an apple and biting on it. My Grandfather’s response was “Amazing theatrics Bridge Keeper. Bravo bravo. Be sure to tell those who hold your chains we appreciate your visit”
Now some may wonder on the reasoning of the presence of the Iron Bank in the meeting. For the past years, the Iron Bank had been in contact with several Riverlords. Talking with them and inquiring on the situation in
the Riverlands. Several loans were made before and during this meeting and it was clear that the Iron Bank had invested greatly towards the future of the Riverlands.
After Lord Frey left, Samwell Rivers, the bastard son of Lord Tommen Tully spoke out, claiming that being rulled by the Lannisters was a “lesser evil” compared to the Durrandons as, according to him, there could not be a River King who could safeguard our people…if only he lived long enough to see the error of his ways.
My grandfather fired back at such remarks. Not just because he was the Steward of the Kingdom, but because he spoke truth. Whatever problems the Riverlords had, he had brought them before the King. Mallisters were complaining about Ironborn raiders and the King made plans to expand the navy. Daklyns had argued were not represented in the council and the King was about to give him the Chancellorship of the Realm. The Arryns had violated Darry Lands and the King interjected to solve the situation.
Lord Leon Vypren stood against this blatant Lannister infiltration of the meeting while the Tullys continued to speak against the Durrandons. Very quickly the words of my Grandfather had inspired hatred from the bastard Tully as he had mentioned the imprisonment of his father by the Conningtons was a just one which it truly was. Insults were thrown again towards my family calling my grandfather weak minded, a coward and a hypocrite, calling my Grandfather to “reconsider his oaths”. Naturally my grandfather retorted that oaths are not made to be reconsidered.
After some time, Lord Mooton brought order back into the room. Questioning the points of both sides and finally revealing the true purpose of this meeting. To see a free Riverland Kingdom. Not as puppets of a foreign king but as one united independent realm. My Grandfather questioned the logic of this proposal. Sure it was inspiring and a possible dream…but Lord Denys Darry was skeptical as the Riverlands, currently, were encircled by four kingdoms and should they remove themselves from the Stormlands, it would have been five kingdoms. Kingdoms which all had their eyes on the Riverlands such as ofcourse the Starks who had been longing for the lands of the crossing for many many years. At this point
Lord Darklyn, who had remained mostly silent so far, began to speak. He spoke against those Lords who wished to sell the Riverlands to the Lannisters and spoke against the Durrandons who, as I have mentioned before, were about to fall into a civil war between King Erich, son of King
Baldric and a pretender. He gave kind words to my Grandfather and respected his oaths and loyalty but gave a warning that it would be better to stand with them…rather to a king who cannot inspire loyalty to anyone else.
Lord Vypren, who empathized with the situation, was hesitant and warned that more time was needed to conduct such a plan. Lord Mooton however warned that there was precious little time to declare an independent River Kingdom as the window of opportunity was rapidly closing.
Soon after Lord Farring spoke who was very eager to be liberated from Durrandon ruleship. After this the discussion continued back and forth arguing the merits of such a plan and the allies and the enemies there would be. But besides this plan another matter had to be resolved. Who would lead such a Kingdom. Lord Tully proposed his bastard son…something that would have made the room laugh if the situation was not so serious. There was another option which was the natural one. Lord Norbert Darklyn. A man who inspired loyalty and commanded respect. It was clear to my grandfather that he was the last Loyal river vassal of the Durrandon King…perhaps the only Loyal river vassal to ever be. Yet he saw how the winds shifted and that he was alone in his loyalties. Surrounded by those who were eager to rebel and claim independence. War was coming and thousands of dead would come with it. But perhaps he could prevent it. Perhaps he could avoid the immense bloodshed that would have come with such a declaration….and for this reason my grandfather, Lord Denys Darry went from the last Loyal Vassal of King Durrandon…to the first Loyal Vassal of King Norbert Darklyn. Many oaths of loyalty were given and soon after one Lord Brandon Bolton had arrived as an emissary of King Stark. An alliance with the North would later be formed. I will also not here the Small Council of King Norbert…the first and the last.
Master of Coin: Lord Darry
Master of Whispers: Lord Farring
Master of Ships: The Wish of the King was Lord Mallister
Chancellor: The Wish of the King was Lord Frey but instead Lord Tully took the place.
Hand of the King: Lord Mooton
Marshal: a knight whose name is lost in history
A few more discussions were had but I believe it is time to close this chapter of the story. The important ending part of it is that my grandfather would be sent to the court of King Durrandon in order to broker a peacefully secession of the Kingdom of the Rivers from the Kingdom of the Storms.
Lord Denys Darry travelled to Storm’s End to treat with King Erich Durrandon. When he returned home, he had told my father that he was not expecting he would return home alive. He told us that the meeting had gone extremely better than expected. Of course, in the beginning the Stag King refused such a proposal. In the beginning, the talks were between the Stag and my Grandfather but after a while the King had summoned his advisors which included Lord Bonifer Connington, Lord Dickon Fell and Lady Caron. Lord Connington quickly scolded the young King for his inaction and his father’s inaction and after throwing a few insults to the King and to Lady Caron (who had taken his seat as Marshal of the Kingdom), left the room. Lord Fell suggested to raise the banners and hang my father as a traitor and Lady Caron raised a few questions which my grandfather answered. The King and Lord Darry went back and forth bringing arguments on the table. On one side the King questioning the survivability of such a kingdom while my Grandfather was presenting before the King the evidence of his fractured Kingdom. He knew that the Stormlands were fractured and could possibly not raise a proper army to keep the Riverlands. King Darklyn has armed my Grandfather with a proposal of binding the Durrandon and Darklyn dynasty in order to create a friendly alliance. The Reach had very often been an enemy of the Stormlands and with the Dornish constantly being a threat, the Stormlands was extremely vulnerable. Moreover, he warned the Durrandon King that should he attempt to keep the Riverlands, it would only result to the Lannisters easily capturing the kingdom for themselves. In the end, my Grandfather achieved what most thought impossible. The peaceful secession of the River Kingdom from the Storm Kingdom. With only a few words, thousands of lives were spared from both sides. For all his faults, King Erich was wise to see the good in this and his magnanimity would not easily be forgotten.
With this Diplomatic victory, My Grandfather returned home and prepared for the war against the Lannisters and the Riverlords who supported them. When he returned home, an unexpected Lord had arrived to treat with him. One Lord Gorold Drumm was there seeking an audience with the Lord of Darry. A deal was struck, funded by Iron Bank gold, that the Kingdom of
I will not go to very large details on the war itself for I do not wish to relieve those memories even now. The war lasted around three years and during that time I served as a squire and did participate in some of the battles that happened such as the battle of Stealhead and the battle of Pinkmaiden were thousands of men fell. In the end, the dream of a free Riverland kingdom was crushed under the Lannister boot. The allies that King Darklyn had secured such as the Starks, proved to be too little of a help and in the end the Riverlands were integrated in the Kingdom of the Rock under King Tommen II ‘The Daring’ Lannister
Now that this event has been explored, I shall move onto another matter which was happening relatively at the same time and would prove as a catalyst of the future of House Darry. While many events were happening in the continent of Westeros, equally important things were happening in Essos. Some time ago I mentioned that Emperor Aurion Varezys had conquered Much of the Free cities and the Crackclaw. I have also mentioned that my Grandfather had treated with him and met his family. This meeting proved pivotal as one day he received a letter. It was a letter of dire need and of pleading for assistance. Written by Empress Marra Bazanne, the wife of Emperor Aurion. In the letter she explained that her husband was increasingly becoming more paranoid and mad. Fearing for the safety of her children, she begged my Grandfather to take one of them under his protection under a fake name of course. My Grandfather understood the terrible repercussions this could have should it be revealed…but he also could not turn his back on a pleading mother. It would not have been right or proper. So Vaegon Varezys, who we at the time knew him only as an orphan boy named Egg, was brought to our keep and raised with us. I was about twenty years old at the time. He grew up with my brother Garland who at that point was around at the age of nine and with my aunts who were also about the same age. In time he grew up to a proper man though none of us knew of his Valyrian ancestry as he was presented constantly bald before all of us. Meanwhile the expansion of the Varezys into the Crackclaw Point had alarmed Gaemon Targaryen who was the Ruler of Dragonstone after his father Aenar had died in 11 AD. He proclaimed himself “Shield of Westeros” against any other Dragon incursions onto the mainland. Another example of the Targaryens slowly creeping into Westerosi politics. The madness of Aurion finally caught up to him and in a great battle or an incredible dance, the two dragonlords fought and the Emperor was slain by Gaemon in 12AD. With him his Empire collapsed and
left room for his many children to attempt to claim a slice of the pie. His madness was over…though it would pale in comparison to the madness that would be unleashed by the child of Gaemon.
history that has been