Westeros - Kingsroad.
Walking along the road built during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, a massive army in red and black armor marched. Divided into a formation of three individual lines, it looked like an enormous red serpent from above.
It was the army of House Targaryen.
Commanding the army was a man wearing pitch-black armor with draconic adornments on the shoulders and breastplate, looking especially impressive. The man wore a red cloak over his shoulders and a sword at his waist.
It was Rhaegar I Targaryen, the eighteenth king of the Targaryen Dynasty to sit upon the Iron Throne.
"My king, urgent ravens from King's Landing." Riding his horse, Raymun Darry, wearing silver armor with the crest of House Darry, quickly approached the king and handed the letter to Rhaegar.
The king opened the letter and narrowed his eyes with a touch of mockery.
"By this letter, I hereby affirm to all the Seven Kingdoms that I re-establish the Kingdom of the Storm. I, Robert I Baratheon, First of My Name, King of the Storm, declare independence from the Seven Kingdoms and declare Rhaegar an oathbreaker, a rapist, and a false king born of incest." Rhaegar read aloud, his voice tinged with sarcasm and contempt.
"Since you wish to die, I shall grant your wish, dear cousin," Rhaegar said in a frigid and extremely murderous tone. However, he was not surprised. Since the end of House Baratheon's Rebellion nearly fifteen years ago, he had been expecting this day.
Robert would never be satisfied as long as he remained alive, not when he was a symbol of cowardice, failure, and the reason Robert was a joke in the Seven Kingdoms.
Rhaegar had stolen Robert's wife and impregnated her with three children; everyone looked at the Lord of Storm's End with laughter and scorn. A man who could not rescue his own bride was a stain on the glorious record of the Demon of the Trident.
"Send a raven to King's Landing and ask my mother to reinforce the city's defenses. If Robert begins to besiege the city, I want Monford to attack the coast of the Stormlands. Furthermore, with Balon and Robert taking the first step, Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully will soon rebel as well," Rhaegar ordered Raymun, who listened with a solemn look.
"Yes, my king." Raymun took the horse's reins and quickly rode away.
Rhaegar didn't seem at all surprised by current events or future ones. He already knew this would happen, or rather, everyone knew that Civil War was inevitable. He had prepared for this for nearly two decades; he was more than ready to fully pacify the realm.
"You gave me nearly two decades of preparation; I hope you enjoy the consequences," Rhaegar murmured in a calm tone, his eyes shining brighter than ever.
Just as Rhaegar expected, over the next few days, ravens arrived from King's Landing twice. The first letter stated that Jon Arryn had declared himself king, becoming King of the Mountain and Vale. The second letter stated that Hoster Tully had declared himself king, becoming King of the Isles and Rivers.
Rhaegar Targaryen, Balon Greyjoy, Robert Baratheon, Jon Arryn, and Hoster Tully, there were five kings in Westeros. It could be said to be the greatest conflict since Aegon conquered Westeros under the Targaryen Dynasty.
What surprised Rhaegar was that Tywin did not declare himself king, which truly shocked him, for in his eyes and those of all the continent's nobles, Tywin Lannister was the leader of the Lion, Falcon, and Fish faction.
Even with all of Rhaegar's shrewdness, he could not imagine that Tywin was actually closer to House Targaryen than the rest of the other Three Great Noble Houses. The reason for this was that Tywin was betting on the dragons.
As for Jon Arryn, Robert Baratheon, Hoster Tully, and Balon Greyjoy, it wasn't that these people were fools; on the contrary, they were more astute than anyone else.
But Aegon had conquered Westeros riding Balerion, the Black Dread, who was already an adult dragon over a hundred years old. The current dragons of House Targaryen were hatchlings and could not even be ridden. So, the four kings were not truly worried.
Even if the dragons grew, it would be after decades. In the meantime, the true power was the army! As long as it was a fight of armies, they feared no one. Only Tywin didn't want to completely offend House Targaryen like the other four.
Unaware of Tywin's caution and lack of shame, Rhaegar could only march toward Harrenhal with his army.
At the same time, Dorne, the North, and the Reach began to move.
After learning that Naerys had become a dragonrider, the North, which had previously been undecided, was the first to move. Eddard summoned his vassals and marched to Moat Cailin, ready to attack the enemy at the right moment.
If the Vale marched into the Riverlands, the North could attack from behind, becoming a dangerous sword at the right moment. Even knowing that Jon Arryn led the attack, and despite it hurting Eddard's heart, he was Lord of Winterfell and had to prioritize his own interests.
At least on the journey South, Eddard had become more political and less emotional. Cadmus's words had truly opened his eyes to how cruel Tywin and others could be.
By the way, leading the northern army was Robb, Heir of Winterfell, who had returned to the North by ship and personally commanded the northern army alongside his half-brother, Jon Snow. Eddard was with the House Targaryen Army on the way to Harrenhal.
While the House Stark army came from above, the House Tyrell army moved up toward the Riverlands, and the Dornish Army marched along the Kingsroad, led personally by the Red Viper of Dorne, trying to find the rear of the House Targaryen army.
As for the House Baratheon army, Robert had two paths to follow: cross the Bronze Gate to reach King's Landing or go by sea. The first involved crossing the Kingswood to reach King's Landing; the second involved being attacked by the Royal Fleet.
The weak Stormlands Navy commanded by Robert's brother, Stannis Baratheon, was no match for the powerful House Targaryen navy. So, traveling by sea was out of the question. However, crossing the Kingswood was also a problem, as no one knew what Rhaegar was hiding in that forest.
No one believed the Kingswood was without traps, given Rhaegar's caution regarding House Baratheon. So, despite the rebellion, Robert did not dare march his army blindly. He waited for news from scouts before deciding anything.
On the side of the Westerlands, in the Iron Islands, Balon was also preparing the Fleet to attack and avenge the humiliation of years ago.
On the Kingsroad, near Sow's Horn, Rhaegar, still marching toward Harrenhal, heard a familiar sound nearby and looked to the side, where he found Cadmus and his sister, Daenerys, smiling at him.
"Was the view of the Wall beautiful?" Rhaegar asked, bringing his horse closer to both of them.
"Very beautiful, though it is cold," Daenerys said with a laugh as she looked with admiration at Rhaegar, who wore his powerful and imposing armor.
"Of course it would be cold." Rhaegar also laughed at Daenerys's words and looked at Cadmus with a smile; he could see the wizard was more relaxed than before.
"It seems the trip was productive, my dear court wizard," Rhaegar commented with a smile, feeling more relaxed with Cadmus by his side. Even with a magical artifact to protect him, it was still quite relaxing to have someone so powerful nearby.
"More than good, but I'll avoid saying for now. I just came to warn you that I'm going to Harrenhal to prepare for the army's arrival and personally serve as a Wall," Cadmus said with a calm and unconcerned look; he himself didn't believe Hoster Tully truly dared to march through half of the Riverlands.
Not to mention the weak army of House Tully and its vassals; half of the Riverlands belonged to Cadmus and House Darry.
"That's good. The preparations for your wedding to my sister should also begin; we're going to have a great feast," Rhaegar said with a mysterious smile, a smile that Cadmus mimicked, and both men began to laugh as if they were villains.
Daenerys looked at Rhaegar and Cadmus with an amused and helpless expression; at that moment, her husband and brother truly looked like villains.
The War of the Five Kings had already begun.
--------
Read the advanced chapters on my Patreon!
/GOTSW
Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard