Chapter 576

Unable to lose face, the gathered lords had no choice but to begrudgingly raise their contributions, not to outshine or crush the others, but at least to avoid looking too miserly in comparison. This house added a bit more, that one followed suit... and as the saying went, many hands made light work. Before long, Daenerys had secured far more provisions than she initially required. With everything in place, the southern campaign was finally set into motion, rumbling forward like a great storm.

Having finished his briefing, Aegor turned to face the gathered lords.

Standing before a detailed map of the Riverlands and Crownlands hanging on the wall, he pointed and gestured as he spoke, delivering a meticulous overview of the battlefield.

Naturally, he had no intention of dampening morale or inflating the enemy’s strength. Since the worst-case scenario had not come to pass, his duty now was to project confidence—so much so that he didn’t even bother mentioning Aegon VI’s role in the events thus far.

After firmly securing Roose Bolton’s cooperation through a mixture of coercion and promises, everything else fell into place. With House Bolton committing its full wealth and manpower to the queen’s cause, Daenerys gained not just a powerful and seemingly loyal supporter, but also—whether by accident or design—triggered an unexpected chain reaction among the Northern nobles.

A catalyst effect, one might say.

If the Boltons could demonstrate such formidable financial, logistical, and military resources, then of course, their long-standing preparations for rebellion played a role. But ultimately, the difference in scale between them and the other Northern houses wasn’t so vast that it was entirely unbridgeable.

Yet now, the so-called loyal Northern lords found themselves outshined in their devotion—by none other than House Bolton, a house infamous for treachery.

They couldn’t stand it.

So, how would this campaign unfold?

Beyond asserting his authority, the true reason Aegor chose this format—standing while the others sat, lecturing rather than discussing—was simple: he already had a complete and clear plan for the southern campaign. It had been approved by Daenerys herself. He had no desire, nor need, to waste time entertaining the personal agendas of the gathered nobles.

"Stannis seized the opportunity presented by our temporary lapse and concentrated his forces to briefly reopen a supply route into the Riverlands, securing much-needed grain to relieve the famine in King’s Landing. A few months of siege undone—unfortunate, but if we look at it another way, it changes little. The capital holds hundreds of thousands of civilians, and Her Grace, merciful as she is, was never planning to starve them into submission."

Aegor had no idea who first suggested Arya Stark as the First Lady Commander of the Night’s Watch, but there was no point dwelling on that now. If merely using the Gift to counterbalance Northern power posed too many risks, then it was time to elevate the contingency plan—and bring House Bolton into play as well.

"But things aren’t so simple. Between us and King’s Landing lies the entire Riverlands. To ensure our rear is secure and that our supply lines remain uninterrupted, we must gain the allegiance of the Riverlands—at least that of House Tully and the noble houses along the Kingsroad."

He set his hand down on the table and looked directly at Daenerys.

"Her Grace has made her decision. At dawn, she will personally fly south on dragonback to Rosby to rendezvous with the Unsullied vanguard, bolster morale, and prevent our defensive line from crumbling before we can join them. Following that, in the name of the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, I will issue the first phase of conquest orders to all present."
----


Daenerys had set out for the North with three dragons. She returned with one fewer, but in exchange, she had gained an army of over ten thousand.

Aside from the Unsullied, the forces were composed as follows:Over four thousand soldiers from the Gifted Lands army.Nearly six thousand Northern troops—two thousand of whom belonged to House Bolton, with the remaining four thousand coming from other Northern houses.
----


"Fortunately, the queen’s appointed commander, Grey Worm, swiftly realized Stannis intended to force a decisive battle. After careful assessment, determining that the odds of victory were unfavorable, he strategically withdrew his forces north to Rosby and southwest to the Night’s Watch estate, maintaining an encirclement of the city."

"Now that we understand the situation, our course of action is clear: march south with all haste, rendezvous with the queen’s forces outside King’s Landing, and commence the siege of the capital."

Aegor tapped a spot in the lower-right corner of the map.

Originally, many of the lords who had come to swear fealty had done so with the intention of appearing supportive while contributing as little as possible. Daenerys had been fully aware of this and was prepared to accept it as a necessary compromise.

But now, with Roose Bolton setting such a precedent—pouring in his wealth, soldiers, and supplies—the situation had changed dramatically. Suddenly, the other Northern nobles found themselves facing an embarrassing realization: even with several houses combined, their contributions still failed to match Bolton’s alone.

Losing control of the Night’s Watch estate and its massive saltpeter reserves would force a drastic revision of Aegor’s long-term strategic plans. If that had happened, he would be standing here today with significantly less confidence.

It wasn’t a large force, but given the need to guard against potential Ironborn incursions, its political significance far outweighed its military value.

Of course, there was an element of spin in his words—Aegor was deliberately downplaying the severity of the previous battles. In truth, King’s Landing had come dangerously close to breaking out of the siege.

The encirclement hadn’t been strategically loosened—it had been forcibly shattered by Stannis Baratheon.

The veteran warlord had keenly recognized Daenerys’ absence from the battlefield and acted decisively. With the queen’s dragons unable to intervene, he launched a bold offensive, striking directly at the weakest link in Daenerys’ army—the Free Folk mercenaries. His assault tore a hole in the siege lines, and he had even attempted to press his advantage, seeking a complete rout.

Had it not been for the fearless resilience of the Unsullied, who swiftly redeployed to absorb the shock, and the Golden Company threatening to cross the Blackwater and join the fray, Stannis might have scored a major victory. Only the combined resistance on both fronts ultimately forced him to withdraw.

Normally, in Westerosi war councils, maps were spread across a large table, and the assembled lords would stand around discussing strategy. But today, Aegor had them all seated while he stood alone—lecturing like a teacher addressing students.

"Three or four months ago, just after the Battle of Long Lake concluded and the Night’s Watch was still pursuing the remnants of the White Walkers, the war in the south had not stopped. The pretender Stannis, upon learning that the queen was trapped in the North and unable to return quickly, launched a probing attack from King’s Landing, testing the strength of our siege lines. Once he identified the weaknesses in our encirclement, he began preparing for a decisive battle."
----


With the Bolton troops as the vanguard, the southern army departed Winterfell, marching in a long column down the Kingsroad. After several days, they reached the last major waypoint before leaving the North: Moat Cailin.

There, they were met by the small lords of southernmost North—House Locke of Oldcastle, House Reed of Greywater Watch, and others—who had been waiting in anticipation.

After the ceremonial oaths were sworn, Daenerys had finally secured the allegiance of all Northern houses willing to change banners.

Following Aegor’s request, she called a war council to settle the final strategic details before the army entered contested territory.
----


After a brief pause, Aegor raised his voice:

"Ser Wylis Manderly and Payde, the Gifted Lands' quartermaster, will remain at Moat Cailin with White Harbor troops and two hundred Gifted Lands infantry. They will oversee supply logistics and defend against enemy incursions from the south.

"Ser Blackquill and Lord Bolton will lead the queen’s guard, the Dreadfort infantry, and all cavalry units, moving swiftly along the Kingsroad to seize Harroway’s Town. Their mission: cut off the Kingsroad and River Road supply routes to King’s Landing and eliminate any foraging parties Stannis might send. If possible, they may advance to Harrenhal.

"The rest of the army, under my command and that of Duke Robb Stark, will cross the Twins, subdue the Riverlords, and march on Riverrun—to secure Lord Edmure Tully’s loyalty... or seize the Riverlands' capital by force."