The year is 262 AC, a century and three decades removed from the tumultuous Dance of the Dragons. Time, in its relentless march, had reshaped the very landscape of Westeros, carving out an era vastly different from the one that preceded it. The South, once a realm of squalor and entrenched tradition, stood transformed, a testament to the enduring legacy of a queen who defied all expectations.
Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen had sat on the Iron Throne for seventy long years, her reign a beacon of change and unprecedented progress. Her ascension, hard-won through fire and blood, had ushered in a golden period, a time of transformation that had fundamentally altered the social, political, and even geographical fabric of the realm.
One of her earliest and most impactful initiatives came just three years into her reign. Recognizing the stifling grip of the Citadel and the pervasive, often detrimental, influence of the Maesters, Rhaenyra sought to revolutionize education.
She established a grand institution in the heart of the Riverlands: the College of Dragonhold. Its very name, a tribute to her lineage and her power, echoed throughout the South.
Dragonhold was not merely a school; it was a beacon of enlightened learning, a stark contrast to the archaic traditions of Oldtown. All future lords, ladies, and common folk of the South, from the Stormlands to the Westerlands, from the Reach to the Crownlands, were allowed to attend Dragonhold for their education.
The curriculum was broad, encompassing governance, history, warfare, economics, and various sciences, but critically, it was free from the biases and hidden agendas that had long plagued the Maesters.
The rules at Dragonhold, perhaps surprisingly to many Southerners, were modeled after the austere yet effective discipline of Winterhold in the North. Meritocracy was paramount. Practical skills were emphasized. A strict code of conduct, valuing honor and duty, was enforced.
This bold move had a lasting impact. Over the decades, generations of Southern nobility were shaped by Dragonhold's teachings, instilling in them a more pragmatic, less corruptible worldview.
The Citadel, that ancient seat of learning and influence, had been utterly dismantled during Rhaenyra's early reign. Its vast libraries were dispersed and now transferred to Harrenhal, its Grand Maester order disbanded. Maesters, once omnipresent in every castle, were no more in Westeros. Their quiet, insidious influence had been completely eradicated, replaced by the Crown's own, more loyal scholars and advisors.
The Faith, too, had suffered a catastrophic loss of power during Rhaenyra's time. The "disappearing policy" of the early years, enforced by Cregan Stark and his warriors, had broken its initial defiance. Over the subsequent decades, through a series of subtle decrees and strategic limitations on its wealth and temporal authority, the Faith had lost over 90% of its former power.
Its grand septs still stood, its septons and septas still preached, but their influence on secular matters was almost non-existent. They no longer commanded armies, held vast lands, or openly challenged the Crown. They were spiritual guides, nothing more.
During Rhaenyra's transformative reign, a monumental agreement was forged with the Starks, an alliance built on shared vision and mutual benefit. This pact led to the construction of a groundbreaking railway line, a colossal undertaking that stretched from the strategic choke point of Moat Cailin all the way south to the distant castle of Storm's End.
This railway was a testament to Northern ingenuity and Southern ambition. It facilitated unprecedented trade, transport, and communication across the vast continent. The Iron Throne, in this arrangement, secured a significant 30% of the substantial profits generated by the railway, while Asgard, the primary architects and maintainers, retained a formidable 70%. It was a clear indication of Asgard's economic might and indispensable role.
Perhaps one of Rhaenyra's most enduring legacies, however, was the establishment of the Dragon Council. Founded approximately Twenty years into her reign, this unique body was born from the wisdom gleaned from the Dance of the Dragons itself, and Cregan Stark's prescient warnings.
This council, comprised of all adult Targaryens of age, served as a vital check on the monarch's power. It possessed the authority to elect the next king or queen, ensuring the most capable Targaryen ascended the throne, rather than merely the eldest.
Crucially, the Dragon Council also held the power to remove a monarch deemed unfit to rule, a revolutionary concept that had prevented any tyrannical or incompetent Targaryen from holding absolute sway. Any major decision taken by the king or queen now required the council's approval, tempering monarchical whims with collective wisdom.
Twenty years into her reign, the alliance with Asgard bore its most significant fruit in the realm of territorial expansion. The notorious Islands of the Three Sisters, long a haven for pirates and a thorn in the side of Northern trade, were finally brought to heel.
After a series of particularly brazen attacks on Northern merchant ships, the Asgardian fleet, swift and merciless, moved in. They decimated the pirate strongholds, capturing the islands with ruthless efficiency.
The Arryns, to whom the Three Sisters were nominally sworn, were, predictably, not happy. They appealed to the Iron Throne for justice, demanding the return of their 'lost' territories.
But Queen Rhaenyra, with Daemon at her side and Cregan's earlier compact in mind, gave them a cold, unyielding response. "There have been multiple times, Lord Arryn," her decree read, "when the Iron Throne demanded that the Vale keep the Three Sisters in check. We urged you to purge them of pirates, to secure the shipping lanes, as it was your duty. You did not heed our suggestions. You allowed the piracy to fester. Now, you pay your price."
The Iron Throne turned a blind eye. The Three Sisters became a new dominion of Asgard, their strategic location now serving the interests of Northern trade and the Crown.
King's Landing itself had undergone a staggering transformation. The squalor and chaos of its past were but a distant, unpleasant memory. The city was now a well-designed and meticulously built metropolis, a stark contrast to the sprawling, unsanitary capital it once was.
Flea Bottom, once the epitome of urban misery, was no more. Its inhabitants had been systematically relocated to new, clean, well-ordered districts built with modern sanitation and sturdy housing. Wide, paved streets replaced narrow, filthy alleys. Public gardens and open spaces punctuated the urban landscape.
Rhaenyra had not merely rebuilt King's Landing; she had expanded it. A second, formidable wall had been constructed around the thriving metropolis, encompassing the newly built districts and securing the expanding city. It was a symbol of her foresight and the enduring strength of her rule.
Naturally, there had been opposition to some of Rhaenyra's more radical measures. Certain conservative lords, steeped in tradition, had vocally opposed the dismantling of the Citadel and the severe curtailment of the Faith's power. But their defiance was met with swift, decisive force.
With dragons at her back, Rhaenyra had shown these recalcitrant lords their place. A single display of Dracarys, a single threat of aerial retribution, was usually enough to curb their enthusiasm. Those who persisted were shown no quarter.
All in all, Queen Rhaenyra's seventy-year reign could truly be considered a golden period for Westeros. It was an era of unprecedented progress, strong governance, and a realm united under a crown that had learned from its past mistakes.
Cregan Stark, the legendary Wolf of Winterfell, had indeed returned to Asgard after ten momentous years spent in the South. His time in King's Landing was etched into the annals of history, a decade of profound influence and chilling efficiency.
He and his three hundred warriors who had marched south with him had become figures of legend. They were known as the "Wolf Pack," a force as feared as any dragon.
During his decade in the South, Cregan had earned many monikers, each speaking volumes about his character and his impact. "The Hour of the Wolf" was perhaps the most infamous.
It referred to the swift, merciless retribution he had meted out to every lord, knight, and whisperer who had a hand in the usurpation of Rhaenyra.
There were no long trials, no public spectacles, only swift, brutal justice. He showed every lord, from the highest to the lowest, that Northern justice was swift, unforgiving, and utterly final. His executions were a stark reminder that treachery would not be tolerated.
Beyond his grim duties, Cregan had been instrumental in the establishment of Dragonhold. He had provided the foundational principles drawn from Winterhold, ensuring its rigorous curriculum and disciplined environment. His presence during its early years instilled a sense of order and seriousness that defined its future.
He was also the architect behind many of the crucial agreements made between the Iron Throne and Asgard, including the railway pact and the future understanding regarding the Three Sisters. His strategic mind and unyielding will had shaped the economic and military future of both realms.
After ten years, with King's Landing secure, the realm stabilized, and his vision largely implemented, Cregan was called back to Winterfell, his duty in the South completed.
Some time after his return to the North, a few Northern trade ships, venturing southward, were indeed attacked by pirates operating from the Three Sisters. It was a familiar pattern, one that Cregan had anticipated.
This time, however, the response was swift and definitive. The Asgardian army moved. It was a short, brutal campaign. The pirate dens were utterly eradicated. The local lords, weakened by centuries of neglect and internal feuding, were quickly subjugated.
The Arryns protested, as predicted, but the Iron Throne upheld its prior agreement. The Three Sisters, a strategic gateway between the North and the South, now belonged to Asgard.
Cregan Stark, having orchestrated this conquest, did not return to Winterfell. Instead, he established a new house for himself and his descendants: House Frostfyre. Its sigil, a direwolf wreathed in blue flames, symbolized the unique blend of his Northern heritage and his family's new bond with dragons.
He was established as the Lord of the Three Sisters, and immediately set about building a formidable eastern military navy port of Asgard there. This new stronghold, named Frostfang, became a permanent projection of Northern and Asgardian power into the southern seas, ensuring the safety of their trade routes and serving as a crucial naval base.
His marriage to Visenya had been fruitful. They had three children: one boy and two girls. Each of them, touched by the unique blend of Stark and Targaryen blood, had either successfully hatched a dragon from an egg or bonded with one of the existing dragons from Dragonstone.
With these new, formidable dragonriders, Asgard now commanded the loyalty of three fire dragons, in addition to the ancient ice dragons of the far North. The union of fire and ice was not just a symbol; it was a potent reality. The future of Westeros, shaped by the foresight and strength of Queen Rhaenyra and the unrelenting will of Cregan Frostfyre, looked irrevocably changed.