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"They have 6,000 your grace." His uncle Axel said "Mostly Piper men."

"I see." Lucas said looking over the map of the Riverlands in Stonehedge, newly renamed Ravensfort. "Lord Mallister, you shall return north to Seagard, I fear that what has happened in the West may just happen to us as well." Lucas told the Mallister Lord who nodded readily. Lucas was speaking of Torrence Teague, a man who Lucas knew would go on to conquer the Riverlands if Lucas did not defeat him.

"Aye my King, I was going to ask for leave to send some of my men north but this is a better solution, however I ask that my son, Kevan, be allowed to stay by your side my King, it would do him well." The Mallister Lord asked and Lucas readily nodded, Kevan Mallister was a good fighter by all accounts and with a bit of experience could become a very good commander. The fact that he was called king even though his father was alive pained him though he knew that no sane man would kneel to the drunk whoremonger his father had become.

"Of course Lord Mallister I would be happy to have your son with me. Uncle Axel, you and half your men will come with me while the rest stay with Hugo who will help Brynden in establishing control of his new lands." Lucas instructed getting nods of assent from his uncle though Brynden didn't look happy.

"I will be staying here?" Asked Brynden.

"You will, our movements will not go unnoticed by the rest of the houses. Though none of you have publicly bent the knee they will all have a suspicion. Darry will join us after the Pipers and Vance's fall, the Rygers will follow." Said Lucas.

"And you fear the other houses uniting against us?" Asked Hugo and Lucas nodded.

"With support of perhaps the Gardeners or Arryns." Lucas told them and the others nodded, neither house would like having an Old God kingdom on their borders.

"And what will be done if that happens?" Kevan Mallsiter asked.

"Their have been muttering in the Vale of a mountain Clan king, we shall encourage those rumours and perhaps even support that king, though I have no doubt he shall fall it would stop the Arrys from leaving the Bloody gates fearing a revolt from within, as for the Gardeners, I hear the Storm Kings are gearing up for war over the Grassy Vale once again and with the Dornish to their south they wouldn't dare risk raising theri full force if they even do it at all." He said and the Lords nodded, it was a smart plan and while neither were permanent solutions but it gave them time to solidify their rule on the kingdoms.

"And what is to be done with the lands of the Pipers and Vances?" asked Brynden and Lucas sighed thoughtfully. "The lands bordering the Reach will be added to my family's holdings. Send a raven to the Smallwoods, they are a First men house, tell them if they join us they can rule the lands of the Vances of Atranta with only a small part of the Northern bits going to Pipers lands, will be split between the northern parts as far south as Sherrer will go to you Lord Tully, the southern parts will go to my own family and Lord Mallister, your second son, Janos I believe shall be granted the remaining lands, I know it's not a large lands my Lord but I believe it's better than nothing, he may rule as a cadet branch of your house though he will be sworn directly to me." He said. Lord Mallister looked extremely grateful and offered many thanks as did Kevan and his Uncle. "West of that are the Harltons, vassals of the Vances of Wayfarer's Rest, they shall be allowed to keep their lands if they join us as well, their lands are fairly large for a minor house and they will also likely bow, I believe we have their Lords brother and nephew in captivity who will be released should they agree." Lucas told them. "The Lands of the Vances of Wayfarer's rest will remain part of my own holdings subject to being given to another new house if earned." He said.

Both the Harltons and Smallwoods eagerly accepted the offers given to them and after leading an army of 8,000 south he went on to defeat the Piper forces in three battles over three days that were a collective known as the battle of the five kings. In the first battle Lucas killed the Piper King, in the next battle he killed the Vance of Wayfarer's rest as well as his only son, in the next and final battle he killed the new Piper king and the Vance of Atranta and his sons. Ending three lines in three battles and killing five kings. Though only three of them had been crowned the other two, the Vance of Wayfarer's Rest's son had only lived a minute as king before Lucas's blade pierced his eye and the Piper king had only reigned for two days before he followed his blood followed that of his fathers onto Lucas's blade unlike the Antranta sons who had all died one by one to Lucas before their father was killed by Lucas's blade decapitating him. Lucas was now considered a hero who would be written about for centuries to come, his victories, in single combat and on a whole had boosted his fame and glory, and if there was anything Westerosi liked more than power and wealth it was a man who could give them that and Lucas was such a man. It was for that reason that the Darrys and Rygers bowed to him, the Darrys bringing their vassals, the Lychesters with them in bowing to him.

Sara had then married the Darry heir in a large ceremony also at Raventree hall contrary to the tradition of the bride going to the groom's keep. In truth this was done as a show of power, his vassals coming to him rather than the opposite and then seeing the splendour of Raventree hall. The match had of course also tied his family to the Darrys and in turn also the Rygers as Lyman Darrys mother was a Ryger by birth and the sister of Lord Malcom Ryger.

After the wedding he had not done anything for a year as winter set in, instead spending valuable time with his wife and they had learned towards the end of it that she was pregnant much to their and the realms joy. The winter was very harsh but short and his own lands were well prepared for it but of course the lands that he had conquered had not been due to their sons going off to fight the war and the land being devastated by warfare. His wife had seen the potential for securing the love of the smallfolk and they had distributed huge amounts of food across his new lands to the small folk which had hughley boosted his houses standing amongst them. He and Sara had quickly learned the value of having the support of not just the lords but the small folk as well. And key to this was of course the faith. Probably his least favourite religion of all time.

He had begun discussions with the Greenmen on the Isle of Faces about planting more and more Weirwoods in his realm in the hopes of eventually expelling the faith altogether. So when suddenly weirwoods started to pop up all across his new lands many smallfolk took this as a sign that the Blackwoods, especially Lucas, were blessings of the Old gods and after the winter came to an end much sooner than expected after a year of Septons decrying that it would be the longest and harshest one in centaurus because of the gods punishing the 'barbarian Blackwood's' it only further increased the standing of the Old gods in his realm, furthermore the Mallisters, Smallwoods, Tullys, Darrys, Harltons and Rygers had all converted once more to their old faiths and within a year the septs of the Riverlands were nearly completely empty and without funding from the lords of the lands and the money they took from the smallfolk they were soon forced to shut down, the vast majority of smallfolk preferring the trees that did not cost a single thing to pray to rather than the greedy septons. Of course they didn't know that the weirwoods had been planted by Lucas. He knew all about the dangers the faith militant could pose to him and his kin and so he had begun the process of completely banishing the faith from his lands. Septons had their crimes and sins exposed by Lucas's men, a very public show trial was always held and the gathered crowds learned of the sins of their supposedly devout and pure Septons. Bards were sent to inn's with the songs and poems of the atrocities committed by the andals and singing the praises of Lucas and the Blackwoods. Lucas had absolutely no problem manipulating his subjects like this. This was Westeros not Earth, he could not approach it with his applicable morals and pretend to be disgusted at the power he wielded. The septons and most devout had all either been driven out or left his land and those that didn't soon found themselves mysteriously going missing. It needed to be done. Not just for the Old Gods he was convinced brought him here but also for the tens of thousands that would die should the faith rise against him. Men would do terrible things to those they thought were trying to exterminate their religion, Weirwoods burned, their worshipers killed, raped or forcefully converted. Such men did not deserve a place in his lands and killing a few likely innocent Septons was a price he had to take.

However at this moment he stood under the greatest of Weirwood south of the wall at his home in Raventree. But it was not prayer he was here for instead he watched as his fathers was buried beneath the huge weirwood tree. His father had died of a heart attack, likely set on by the weight he had gained and the state he was in when he was found. A whores lips around his cock and stinking of ale. The news had greatly saddened and disgusted Lucas in equal measure, his once proud and great father brought as low as someone like Robert Baratheon or the worst side of Tyrion Lannister. Nevertheless Lucas watched with an unemotional facade as his fathers body was lowered. The gathered people just watched silently as the coffin was covered, and even once it was done they just watched, Lucas realised they were waiting for him to speak, but even as his face remained definitely emotionless drops of tears forced their way from his eyes as he stared at the spot his father would rest for eternity. He had only ever had one father and it was that man, a King and warrior and a man who loved so fiercely that he couldn't cope when it was torn away from him. Despite Lucas's neverending attempts at trying to help him his father would stubbornly refuse, Lucas decided it was likely his father wanted to die and Lucas could not find it in himself to be betrayed by that. After all, had he not done the same to his first mother?

He shook his head and wiped away his silent tears. He stepped forward and looked around the gathered people in the Gods wood. His wife, now heavily pregnant with their first child, the Lords who would soon properly declare him King of the Rivers and Hills, the household of Raventree, his cousins and uncle, Sara now also newly pregnant, and a few of the older guards who had served his father for decades.

"I wish to thank you all for coming here today, my father was once a great and fierce man and it pains me greatly as it does all of those who knew him that he let his grief get the better of him and was reduced to the shell of the man he was when he died. However I shall never remember him as the man he was when he died, no I shall remember the man who taught me most of what I know, the man who gave me the freedom to improve myself, the man who loved me and my family with all his heart so much that it broke him, that is the man I shall remember and that is the man I shall fight for, for his dream of a united Riverlands." He said, his tone was steady and clear but the sadness was there for all to hear in it.

"For King Jon! For the Riverlands!" Shouted a guard from somewhere in the back, his cry was soon joined by all present. And after two rounds his Lord drew their blades and took a knee immediately followed by the rest of the crowd while Lucas watched from beside his fathers grave at the center of the weirwood as all around him men and women kneeled.

"King Lucas, we now pronounce you King of the Rivers and Hills, our swords, hearts, loyalty and lives are yours, we swear it by earth and water, by Iron and bronze, by fire and Ice." Said his brother and his oath was repeated by the other lords, formerly petty kings and princes now great lords.

"Stand, your oaths are accepted." Lucas said and he went on to give the traditional oath a king gave his vassals in the north and his lands.

A small feast was held in honor of his father and Lucas ordered a rest day the day after, apart from his vassals, they were to gather in the war room, where Lucas had ordered a painted table similar to the one on dragonstone to be built over the winter and he had installed it in the new room that had many smaller and more detailed maps on the walls. However they all stood around the painted table looking at the Riverlands. News had come last week, the Teagues had come with their army of 25,000 sellswords. Five trident figures had been placed at Maidenpool to denote five thousand sellswords each. The man, who Lucas had learned had been the son of Maidenpool's steward before the stewards death, the Mooton king had not granted the position to Torrence Teague and so Torrence had sailed of to become a sellsword in Essos and had risen in the ranks to become the leader of a company 5,000 sell swords with which he used to raid the Westerlands gain a large fortune with that fortune he hired even more men and had then landed them in Maidenpool where he promptly besigned the unprepared city which surrendered to him not long after. After that the man had marched north to the Saltpans and taken it as well. Both the Hawicks of the Saltpans and Mootons of Maidenpool had bowed to him and from his spies Lucas had learned that the man had offered a lot of gold to the Freys if they joined them. That would mean they would be facing some 30,000 men, the Freys didn't quite have the same amount of power as they had during the books as the Rygers still held a lot of what would become their territory.

"The Freys will accept it, have no doubt about that my Lords, they are upstarts with nothing to lose, if this sellsword is successful they will be rewarded hugely. We must not let that happen." Lucas said. "How many men can you raise now that winters are over, keep in mind I want strong garrisons on the western coasts in case of an Ironborn attack and a stronger one at Seaguard especially in case they do the unexpected and march north."

"With garrisons? Some 3,000" Lord Mallister said.

"5,000" Said his uncle Axel, five hundred more than the last time they went to war, after all his lands had been made larger but winter and war would lower the number..

"1,500 your grace, the levies have not quite recovered from the last campaign" Lord Smallwood said and Lucas nodded, that and the fact the Smallwoods didn't have as vast lands as the rest made the number acceptable.

"1,500" Said Lord Jonos Malmen, formerly Mallister, once more Lucas nodded at the number, small lands, not recovered.

"2,000" Said Lord Harlton. Fairly large lands but the area was actually sparsely populated.

"The same." Said both Darry and Ryger. Smaller lands but more populated.

"4,000" Said his cousin Brynden.

"So in total 21,000 plus my own 8,000." He said if he remembered correctly the Riverlands could raise 45,000 if they squeezed as many men as possible. He ruled a little over half of it and had 29,000 fresh out of a winter and a year of fighting and with men in garrisons. Maybe the population in the kingdom was higher now than in the books. Regardless he nodded, his golden crown that was decorated with carefully crafted images of the trident, ravens and weirwoods weighed heavy on his head as he did. It was a light crown but the responsibility it came with weighed many times the actual weight.

"My King, has there been any word from the Lords of the Gods eye?" asked Lord Smallwood.

"No, however I believe they will join the Teagues over us, they are andal houses and would rather a seven worshiping sellsword rule them then a old gods worshiping king." He told them and the others nodded having expected that. The Verton and Longsprings occupied the north and east and the west sides of the Gods eye respectively. However the two houses had long feuds with the Vances and as such had not joined the other Andal houses. "The Vyrpens will do the same and will likely join the Frey army." Lucas said. "Ravens will be sent to the Charltons, Erenfords and Haighs, tell them if they refuse the call of the Freys and bend to me they will be vassals only to me."

The lords nodded though many knew it was likely only the Charltons and Erenfords would accept, the Haigs were just as greedy as the Freys and Lucas personally though he would be better without them.

"The banners are now called, you may send out ravens or rider's as you please with your orders, They will all gather here or on the other side of the crossing north of Ravensfort where we shall then march west and if the Vertons and Longsprings haven't joined the sellsword we will demand they join us or mayhaps the sellsword will march out to meet us." Lucas said and the lords nodded before Lucas let them go and he was on his own staring at the map lost in thought

He cut through man after man but still more came his greatsword was now red with blood as he carved through Verton and Longspring men with a vengeance. It had taken them two weeks to raise the 29,000 men and they had gotten news that the Charltons and Haighs had raised their own men in support of him but their small force had been crushed. A shame but they would still be rewarded because their rebellion had locked Lord Frey in and he hadn't been able to raise his forces, that meant that the new king had to march 2,000 of his men north and relieve the Lord Frey which in turn meant that the new king did not have the forces to face them. However the Longsprings and Vertons had bowed to the sellsword king and they had marched out a force of 6,000 men to try and stall his host. It was a fruitless endeavor and his vanguard led by Brynden had already been crushing the two houses when Lucas arrived with the rest of his host.

He had then led a large cavalry charge with his own forces wrapping around the sides of the battle and smashing into the back lines of the enemy. Lucas had dismounted after his lance broke, always having much preferred fighting on foot. Lucas was slowly carving a path towards where he could see the Longspring Lord. The man's guard rushed towards him and Lucas had to dodge for his life while killing one of the five men who were fighting him, the other took a step back at seeing there friend die when he was so outnumbered, Lucas capitalised on that and rushed the two who were on his left side, shocked and unprepared the first one died with a slit throat and the second one tried to bring down his sword on Lucas but he managed to catch it and boot the man's knee dropping him to the ground, he didn't have time to finish the man instead he had to duck under another swing from a different man. Lucas knew he couldn't dodge forever and withdrew a dagger from his belt, he chucked it at the man closest to him who raised his shield to black the knife that would have struck his eye, but it left his stomach exposed as Lucas had been banking on and before anyone could react Lucas had thrust his blade through the man's stomach, he withdrew it and in one motion blocked another mans swing. It was three on one but Lord Longspring joined in. At least he wasn't a craven.

Lucas blocked a high downwards strike from one man and rapidly brought his sword to one side to block another swing before stepping into a thirdmans swing and thrusting his sword through the man's chest. The fight went on for another five minutes before finally it was just him and the Longspring lord. The man was good, young about the same age as Lucas was and the last of his house, but that didn't mean he was better then Lucas and Lucas soon had the man sprawled on the ground in front of him missing a leg and screaming in pain. Grimacing Lucas put the man out of his misery. It wasn't long before the rest of the host fled or surrendered, both of their Lords dead, the other by Kevan Mallister.

"We should chase them down." Brynden said but Lucas shook his head.

"No, they have no leadership and nothing to fight for, they will return to their homes or become broken men and criminals in which case they shall be hunted down and killed anyway. It does us no favours to look like butchers when I wish to become their king." Lucas said as he cleaned the blood of his sword and winced as he saw another longspring man still alive but likely to be injured to survive the night. Lucas put that man out of his misery as well and once used his armour to clean off his once more dirty blade. "Send outriders to tail them and protect the surrounding lands, give them authorization to kill any who try to steal or rape but that they should spread the word that those who fought against us will be allowed to return home without punishment." He commanded and Brynden nodded and soon he saw light cavalry following after the fleeing army. He could not get away from the bad feeling in his stomach as he did though.