The improvised council of war included most of the lords who attended the tournament—a few left quickly to protect their lands before the Ironborn had a chance to attack them.
So far, ten attacks had been recorded on the coasts. The burning of Lannisport, even with the prince's intervention, was the most devastating. Not surprisingly, after all, Euron Greyjoy was leading the attack with most of the Iron Fleet.
Another critical point was King's Landing. Attacked but defended with significant losses. Viserys did a good job. However, many say that Princess Arianne Martell's hand helped. The princess of Dorne was at Dragonstone accompanying the prince. If the rumors were true, a royal wedding might follow the war.
"We should march on the Iron Islands, destroy them on their own land!" said one lord, and several agreed. Even Tywin nodded slightly, if only out of hatred.
The man was angry; they had attacked his power. They had spat in the face of the Lannisters and emerged unscathed. One of the Greyjoys had died, but even he had not been killed by a Lannister or one of his soldiers, but by a Targaryen.
"The priority must be to drive them from the shores," said the new king. Aegon had not yet been crowned, but he wore a crown on his head; he needed it.
When Jaehaerys asked him why he disagreed to be crowned in Lannisport, he replied, "If I survive the war, I will be worthy of the title. Queen Elia will place the crown on my head in King's Landing, in the Sept of Baelor. I will not accept it any other way. War is a way to consolidate my position." Jaehaerys did not entirely agree, but he did not care much.
"Targaryen, Redwyne, Martell, and Manderly. They are the three largest fleets in Westeros, till we knew other things. Can they adapt their warships for war?" asked Jaehaerys. The truth is that they were unaware of the status of their ships.
The fact that the Lannister fleet was not mentioned was a hard blow to Tywin, but he could not deny it. His fleet had been destroyed, with hardly any ships left that could be used, and they would not tip the balance of war either way.
"The Redwyne fleet will adapt... Your Highnesses," said Lord Redwyne with his head bowed.
"I have received no news from my father's fleet at White Harbor. But with my father at its head, it should be preparing for war," said Wilys Manderly, the heir to White Harbor.
"The Dornish fleet is constantly between Essos and Westeros. If the Ironborn attacked, it may have been badly damaged," Oberyn said. "Still... Dorne will fight," he added quickly. Oberyn had dark circles under his eyes; he didn't take well to Cersei's death.
The conversation continued in the same vein. War plans were not as solid as one might think; many were based on predictions to determine the men and ships that could be brought. They did not know the exact state of their troops.
"We are just wasting time," Lord Eddard's cold, stiff voice interrupted them. "I don't know how many men I can bring; winter is coming, and food is scarce," he said, glancing at Jaehaerys. "None of us know. The losses of the Redwynes? Of the Dornish? It is best to return to our lands to check, protect our coasts, and then think about the counterattack," he said thoughtfully, unwilling to waste time in the south. His people needed him.
Stark did not understand politics, but he understood war. Despite losing the Stag's Rebellion, he fought well in it. No one could deny that he was a good general.
"That's true. All I know about King's Landing is that we won with losses," said Aegon, the young king. "Every lord will return or send an envoy to his lands. The priority is the coasts," he repeated.
"It's been a few days since the attack," said Garlan Tyrell. "Information is scarce, but time is of the essence."
"And we must act on deductions? We must plan how to use ships we're not even sure are still there?" interrupted Tywin.
"Gather your men... it is not a slow process, it will take time, enough for the information to reach us, then we will act," said Jaehaerys. "We will reinforce the plundered ports and those that have not yet been attacked." There was no news from Gulltown or Storm's End, nor from Oldtown. Many assume total defeat or an absence of attacks.
Information was key. The Greyjoys move quickly and unexpectedly at sea. It would take time to gather sufficient information about their positions before launching an attack.
A man interrupted the meeting by bursting into the room. Many angry glances greeted him, but he did not flinch. He handed a sealed parchment to Ser Arthur, who examined it before passing it on to Aegon.
"Good news. Stannis Baratheon managed to defend Storm's End, driving them out and pursuing them across the sea." Surprised faces followed the young king's words.
"The rebel's brother," one sneered. Despite defeating his enemies, Stannis was unable to win anyone's sympathy.
"Lord Baratheon killed Balon's second son," Aegon continued. "Two of Balon's sons are dead. His heir and his only daughter remain," he ignored the insults directed at Stannis.
"Are Lord Baratheon's words trustworthy, Your Grace?" asked Jon Connington.
The Baratheons remained guardians of the Stormlands even after Robert's fiasco. Connington had pushed to become guardian himself, but even with the king's favor, his house was not that powerful on its own. Stannis was Lord Paramount, but his younger brother was raised at Highgarden, and his daughter would soon be sent to King's Landing to be raised.
"Stannis has served well," said Jaehaerys.
The man had been a good ruler. Despite having everything against him, he had brought his lands forward. Everyone, of course, did not like him; sometimes his mind was too closed. But all his men respected him.
"Do you sympathize with traitors?" said a petulant and unpleasant voice.
Jon Connington's eyes were red and swollen. He had taken the king's death more complex than his children; even Queen Elia seemed to be coping better.
"Stannis expelled the Ironborn, he even killed one of the Greyjoys... Have you done anything besides cry, Connington?" The man's face reddened with anger before he began to weep. They had to escort him out.
"The fleet at Storm's End is not that powerful," Tywin said thoughtfully.
"Then Stannis's achievements are all the more surprising," said Aegon. His crown tilted slightly as he bowed his head. "It is troubling that the Greyjoys have managed to hide so well," he frowned.
The Greyjoys attacked East and West simultaneously; hiding the ships in the East was a challenge in itself. They should not have been able to escape Varys' little birds. The Essosi had helped the Ironborn.
"Send a letter to Lord Baratheon, telling him to prepare to defend the south together with the Martells, to dock at Sunspear, and coordinate with Prince Doran. We also need to warn Viserys. He will give ships to Baratheon and use the rest to defend the east. Meanwhile, Lord Redwyne will prepare to defend the west. Lord Wilys, your father, will help defend the north and east alongside the royal fleet," Jaehaerys ordered.
The Manderly ships were the most advanced in Westeros, thanks to him, of course. They had been designed to be sturdy, fast, and capable of carrying many men.
"It will be when the Ironborn are completely out of our lands, when they have returned and regrouped in their own lands, that we will go after them," declared the king.
"And Lord Hand... will there be dragons?" asked a lord from the Reach.
The lords looked curious, but without much expectation. A little over a year was not enough time for the dragons to grow. They would barely be the size of a horse, useless in war. Although some hoped he would take them with him, only for them to die in the war.
"There will be fire," said Jaehaerys, "there will be blood." his only response caused a few lords to sweat.