The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Moo!

A strange sound, carrying a slight metallic rasp, echoed outside the city gate, a sound unfamiliar to most within Storm's End.

The nobles and commoners of Storm's End were filled with dread!

What monstrous beast had come to their gates?!

The thunderous sound of marching soldiers suddenly arose in unison, the ground trembling slightly.

Outside the city, an army of unknown size had appeared.

How had so many troops arrived outside Storm's End? Had they descended from the sky?!

The Stormwood, a vast primeval forest, surrounded Storm's End for hundreds of leagues.

Concealing tens of thousands of soldiers within its depths would indeed be difficult to detect.

Jon Connington gave the order, and the north gate of Storm's End swung open, revealing a colossal war elephant standing before the entrance.

The war elephant was clad in armor, with a specially constructed massive battle tower on its back.

Upon the tower stood an elephant driver, along with four archers positioned at each corner.

In the center stood a young man with long, silver-gold hair and violet eyes, slender in build and with delicate features.

Beside him stood a robust knight, a septa, and a maester.

Jon Connington knelt on one knee: "Jon Connington, leading the people of Storm's End, respectfully welcomes our King, Aegon Targaryen VI."

The entire populace of Storm's End knelt in unison.

Commander Harry Strickland, leading a thousand warriors, also knelt on one knee.

Aegon Targaryen VI was still somewhat uncomfortable with such grand ceremonies, but his adoptive father, Jon Connington, had told him beforehand that he must acclimate to his role as king.

Aegon Targaryen was raised by Jon Connington.

Before he was proclaimed king, he was known as Young Griff, and Jon Connington went by the name Griff.

Griff and Young Griff had always lived a life of poverty.

While Viserys and Daenerys were being hunted by assassins sent by Robert Baratheon, Aegon Targaryen VI and Jon Connington lived a simple, quiet life on the Isle of Lys, their existence unknown to the outside world.

Varys's rumor that Jon had drunkenly fallen into the sea and died was very successful.

Robert Baratheon never knew until his death that his trusted Master of Whisperers, Varys, was a Targaryen loyalist who had never truly been loyal to him.

"Rise, my people, I love you," the young Aegon Targaryen VI declared, straightening his chest.

His long eyelashes gave him a somewhat less imposing, more delicate appearance.

In truth, he was handsome and well-proportioned, possessing the distinctive Targaryen beauty.

This was the first time in his life that Aegon Targaryen VI had received such a kneeling welcome from his people, and he felt somewhat uneasy.

He told himself he was a Targaryen, he told himself he was a king, he told himself his father was Rhaegar Targaryen and his mother was Princess Elia Martell of Dorne, and that he was the sole heir to the Iron Throne.

These internal reminders quickly dispelled Aegon's slight discomfort, and he adopted the demeanor and majesty befitting a young king.

The knight beside the young king was named Rolly Duckfield, nicknamed Duck.

When Jon Connington knighted him, a duck happened to waddle by, hence his nickname, Duck.

Ser Rolly was responsible for teaching Aegon martial skills: archery, swordsmanship, and horsemanship.

He was one of Aegon's four teachers.

Rolly Duckfield was from Stonebridge in the Riverlands.

His father was the master-at-arms for Lord Caswell of Stonebridge.

Lord Caswell had four daughters and one precious son, Lorent, who was spoiled and arrogant from a young age.

No one in the castle dared to contradict him, and the other servants didn't dare touch a hair on his head.

Although Lorent was physically weak, he steadily advanced to become a knight.

When Rolly Duckfield received a longsword crafted by his father on his sixteenth nameday, Lorent snatched the sword away, telling Rolly that his hands were not fit to wield a sword, only a hammer.

This enraged Rolly, who went home, grabbed his father's blacksmith hammer, and broke both of Lorent's arms and half of his ribs, shattering both of Lorent's kneecaps, leaving him crippled for life.

To escape Lord Caswell's pursuit, Rolly Duckfield fled overseas.

There, he became a fierce mercenary and soon met Jon Connington, who was then raising Young Griff under the alias Griff.

Griff recognized Rolly's martial skill and courage, and since they were both from Westeros, Rolly accepted Griff's invitation to join the 'King's Guard,' becoming Young Griff's martial arts instructor.

Later, of course, he learned that Young Griff's true identity was Aegon Targaryen VI.

The septa beside Aegon was named Lemore, also a septa from Westeros, responsible for Aegon VI's faith and character.

Lemore worshipped the Seven Gods.

Although over forty, she still had a good figure, a kind and dignified face, and radiated an intellectual beauty.

She was outgoing, friendly, and always wore a kind smile.

She had short brown hair, and her pure white septa robes made her look even younger.

The young King Aegon also had a maester who was as cold as a blade, named Haldon, who called himself a professor, but wore no metal link from the Citadel around his neck.

He had given himself the title of 'Maester,' perhaps because he had not earned enough links to become a true maester.

Maester Haldon was Young Griff's doctor and tutor, teaching Young Griff the languages and history of various countries.

Haldon's chin and face were always clean-shaven, as if he were constantly grooming himself.

But his face was long and sorrowful, yet angular.

His long black hair was gathered and tied behind his head with a rope, falling over his shoulders.

His eyes were always a cold gray.

Maester Haldon never smiled, perhaps he had forgotten what laughter was.

Aegon Targaryen VI had been carefully taught by these four teachers since he was a child: Jon Connington, as his adoptive father, taught Aegon military strategy; Ser Rolly Duckfield taught him martial arts, Septa Lemore taught him faith, and Maester Haldon taught him language and history.

When the Golden Company found Jon Connington and announced that they would support Aegon Targaryen VI in taking the Iron Throne, Aegon was already accomplished in both martial arts and academics, and was versatile in many fields.

He was skilled in archery and combat, quick in movement and reaction.

He spoke many languages, knew how to choose and arrange his clothes, and knew how to hunt and bandage wounds.

Because he had lived a hard life since childhood, Septa Lemore believed that Aegon understood the suffering of the common people, and she firmly believed that Aegon would become a wise ruler.

*

The members of the Golden Company, founded by Bittersteel Aegor Rivers, were all nobles and knights from Westeros, and they all wanted to return to Westeros, return to their hometowns, and regain their past territories.

This was the unforgotten purpose of the Golden Company: to fight back to Westeros, seize the Iron Throne, and reclaim their own territories, to reproduce the glory of their ancestors.

This was also the purpose and essence of the Golden Company's seven skull flags, and the heartfelt wish of Commander Harry Strickland, who called himself 'homeless': fight back, to have a home.

The initial partner of the Golden Company was not Aegon Targaryen VI, but Viserys Targaryen, introduced by Illyrio Mopatis, the magister of Pentos.

At that time, the commander was still Myles Toyne, called Blackheart.

They signed a secret plan with Illyrio, Oberyn Martell, and Viserys Targaryen, in which Viserys Targaryen would lead 50,000 Dothraki screamers to join the Golden Company to counterattack Westeros.

However, the Beggar King Viserys died unexpectedly, and the plan was declared bankrupt.

Then the Golden Company placed its hopes on Daenerys Targaryen.

The fat Magister Illyrio of Pentos needed to wait for the delicate little queen to return to Pentos with three newly hatched dragons.

As a result, Daenerys appeared in Slaver's Bay with her dragons, and she spent more than a year conquering Slaver's Bay.

More than a year later, the queen went to the Dothraki Sea to make trouble, but the Golden Company went to Volantis as agreed to greet the queen, and they were disappointed!

When they returned to Pentos from Volantis and met the dwarf prime minister, the little queen was still not in Pentos.

The dwarf prime minister assured Commander Harry that the queen was leading more than 100,000 Dothraki cavalry...

The Golden Company was finally tired of waiting.

They waited from 297 AC to 301 AC.

According to the dwarf prime minister, they had to continue waiting... The dwarf prime minister said that they only had to wait a few more days...

Since Robert Baratheon had won the Iron Throne without dragons, the Golden Company felt that they could too.

So, the senior generals of the Golden Company found Jon Connington, and under the leadership of the commander, they knelt and swore allegiance to Aegon Targaryen VI, supporting the poor boy who had always thought he was 'Young Griff' to become a king.

They secretly landed in the Stormlands, and the army entered the Rainwood to lie in ambush, and then sent spies to infiltrate Storm's End, and took the capital of the Stormlands, Storm's End, with few guards, without losing a single soldier.

The Golden Company has 10,000 well-trained and powerful professional soldiers, 500 knights, 3,000 war horses, and 3 war elephants.

Aegon Targaryen VI led his army into the city.

On the city wall, the long-lost royal flag of the Targaryen family was erected: a black background with a red three-headed dragon breathing fire.

The Targaryen family motto: Fire and Blood!

*

Griffin's Roost is the ancestral castle of the Connington family, a castle not far from Storm's End.

A farmer was working in the autumn fields when a group of mercenaries rode up.

The general on horseback had his face hidden behind his helmet, but he spoke in the local language, and with a local accent.

"Hey, tell me, who is the lord of Griffin's Roost?"

A copper star rolled and fell at the old man's feet.

The mercenary leader threw a copper star.

The farmer picked up the copper star: "Ser Roland Connington."

"Thank you!" said the knight on horseback.

The person saying thank you was Jon Connington.

Roland Connington was his cousin.

During Robert's Rebellion, Jon chose the loyalist army, while his cousin Roland Connington chose to be loyal to the Baratheon family.

The Connington family had always been vassals of the Baratheon family.

"Is Ser Roland Connington in the castle?"

"Reply to the lord, Ser Roland Connington led the family soldiers to King's Landing."

Jon Connington slowly removed his mask: "Old man, hello, I am Jon Connington."

The farmer was stunned, and the copper star in his hand fell.

"Old man, go back and tell the villagers that your lord Jon Connington is back, and your king Aegon Targaryen VI is also back.

The kingdom still belongs to the Targaryens, and Griffin's Roost still belongs to me."

"...Yes, Lord..."

Jon Connington whipped his horse and galloped quickly to Griffin's Roost.

He took off his helmet and shouted to open the door.

Several guards on the city wall and the people of the city were all his former subordinates and subjects.

Connington had always been kind and righteous to the people, and had a very high prestige.

No one in Griffin's Roost resisted.

The city gate opened, and Jon Connington led his army into the city.

Griffin's Roost returned to its old master.

In half a day, Jon Connington led a thousand-man team, without stopping, and captured Griffin's Roost, Rain House, Crow's Nest, and Greenstone.

Two days later, the news reached King's Landing, and the whole city was shaken.

However, in the two days that the news spread, Jon Connington led 10,000 soldiers to attack in all directions, like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, and captured most of the territory of the Stormlands.

All the important castles on land under the Baratheon family were captured.

There was no time to attack and capture the several islands in Shipbreaker Bay outside Storm's End, among which Tarth Island of the Tarth family was the strongest.

One day later, Tarth Island was surrounded by Jon Connington's fleet.

Jon Connington led his troops to land.

When his family flag was flying under the walls of Evenfall Hall, Brienne's father, Selwyn of Tarth, was shocked and quickly opened the door to surrender without resistance.

Jon Connington appeared, his prestige and military talent were comparable to swords, easily penetrating the hearts of the older generation of nobles.

Earl Selwyn, like the lords' families in other castles, became Jon Connington's prisoner.

In just one week, Jon Connington led 10,000 Golden Company soldiers, captured control of the entire Stormlands, occupied all the main castles, and took all the families of the lords of each castle as hostages.

*

At the same time, Princess Arianne Martell, who had imprisoned her father and controlled Dorne, received a secret letter from Aegon Targaryen VI.

The secret letter asked the Martell family to swear allegiance to Aegon Targaryen VI.

The letter emphasized that Aegon's mother was Princess Elia Martell.

The letter was written to Prince Doran Martell.

The letter asked Dorne to raise troops and prepare to attack Highgarden, the capital of the Tyrell family.

Dorne is in the south of the Reach, and the Stormlands is in the northeast of the Reach.

The two places sandwiched the Reach with empty troops, and the Tyrell family in the Reach would inevitably be in danger.

Ellaria Sand, the Red Viper's paramour, who had returned to Dorne, saw the letter, and she immediately asked Arianne Martell to secretly station troops on the border, waiting for Aegon Targaryen VI's next order.

"Ellaria, what if Aegon VI is not the prince of Rhaegar and Aunt Elia, but just a puppet of the Golden Company?" Arianne stared at Ellaria and said.

"That doesn't prevent us from attacking the Tyrell family.

The Tyrell family's army is in King's Landing, and the capital Highgarden is empty, so we can take Highgarden in one fell swoop and occupy a large area of fertile land in the Reach."

Arianne Martell said softly: "In that case, why should we wait for Aegon VI's next order?

Let's launch a secret raid immediately to take Highgarden.

I will personally lead the troops to attack.

Ellaria, you will be my deputy and take charge of the military affairs of the entire army."

"As you command, my queen."

Thank you [Feng Qianyue] for the reward, thank you, Happy New Year!