Haywin Darkspear

Lord of the Stepstones

The Stepstone Kingdoms

House Brightflame (Formerly)

Uller (Formerly)

**Haywin Darkspear** (Formerly Haywin Sand) was the bastard son of Lord Uller of HellHolt, and raised in the very same castle despite his bastardy. Furthermore, he would be known to the world as the King of the Stepstones.

## Appearance and Personality

> "*There's a saying with the Ullers. 'Half the Ullers are half-mad, and the others are worse...Unfortunately for most who cross my path, I'm the later.*"
>
>

Haywin was a stout man, built rather normally but far more fearsome then he appears to be able to move at deadly speeds and attack with his spear with lethal precision, allowing him to dominate fights if an opponent is careless. His face is very unreadable which helps him keep whatever he wants to remain a secret to himself and allows him to keep up a friendly face even amongst people he harbors no good will towards. That being said Haywin is not a simple manipulator and doesn't simply hide behind a mask of deception many of the people he calls friend he does so with genuine meaning and while he is prone to never forgetting a man's past actions, especially when past actions were slights against him, he is also very pragmatic and wont openly allow a grudge to hinder him or progress in the same of improving ones position. Haywin also places a great deal of care in loyalty, despite his bastard and sellsword nature he feels this is something one must uphold above all else as seen when he robbed Hellholt blind in disgust for the heirs of the castle bickering over who should get what of there fathers stuff shortly after he died rather then mourning his loss and takes the betrayal of Hollis Pine extremely personal, making sure that the man is exiled after his return to power, and when he's in control lashing out even at friends at the slightest sign of disloyalty. Of course his charisma and ability to inspire people makes betrayal a rarity, the Broken Skulls followed him anywhere and not a man faltered in there faith of him, and even though many had doubts about the Wars to come the only Lord who betrayed him ever was Lord Hollis, who had Redwater ties beforehand, sowing Haywin to be a man who commands great respect from his peers and underlings. This even extends to his spy network and para-military bandits who are so loyal to him that none would give away his plan (Not even Aegon who only gave it up after it was too late for anything to be done about it.) In fact this sense of loyalty is strong enough that Haywin, who usually scoffs at the idea he needs an excuse for certain things is quick to point out his 'betrayal' of House Brightflame is no true betrayal as he never pledged an oath of fealty to the king and if anything the Brightflames betrayed him when they had there man go to war with him unprovoked despite all his help.

Arguably Haywin's biggest trait is his pragmatism and planning, capable of leading forces agaisnt larger odds and coming out the better then most would hope which has helped him in many wars of Westeros and was what made him a huge threat in the Sunfyre Rebellion and the Darkspear Rebellion that saw him outnumbered in every battle. There is also his ability to make long term plans function, such as his multi-step plan to derail the Dornish Campaign of the Brightflames all from the comfort of his castle and providing supplies at key moments to his pawns. This plan would have been successful if not for a component he couldnt predict, Zelos Wilder and his ability to gain allies at a moments. Even then this isn't something that stops him for very long, as when his next and more elaborate plan came into fruition he made sure to take precautions to counter this but even use Zelos' skills and position to his advantage making sure his plan succeeded. His skill at warfare and his skill at politics saw that Haywin was a force to be messed with and unafraid to fight dirty when needed.

His Greatest Flaw's though were pride and love, as for all of Haywin's pragmatism he was somewhat of an idealist, hoping that he could achieve these big goals and potentially earn the heart of the one he desired most, though he was more realistic about it then most and went about carefully as he did everything in life. His pride put him at odds at times with people though Haywin was capable of swallowing it seemingly for the benefit of all, time would show he never forgot a slight, merely hid it and overtime these slights would build up and implode leading to many of the rash decisions he made in life such as his desire for revenge and recognition, his betrayal of his allies, the constant overlooking of his efforts and his inability to take the rejection of his chances to be with his beloved lead to him deciding he'd rather be dead then a servant to a Kingdom he overall harbored little love for. Despite a great deal of his flaws being about love, Haywin ironically made another blunder with his inability to fully understand or anticipate it, never calculating the leader of his Black Knights would go rouge out of love for Seles Wilder and thus give up information on his identity, and seemed annoyed that Aegon would do such a thing for such a silly reason.

Despite all his pragmatism, and dirty tricks Haywin was a man who knew and understood honor and empathy. Any losses in battles he lead he made sure to learn the names of his fallen if he could, part of the reason he ended the Sunfyre Rebellion is because he knew the costs would be too high and surrendered before more of the men who trusted him would lose there lives and many plans were made that when a battle started he would have a better chance of protecting them. Plus many of his dirtier tactics in wars and sieges are just as much an effort to reduce the casualties of his loyal men as it is to assure an easier victory. It was only in the tale end of his life that he somewhat through this out letting all of his men fight in a big battle hoping to allow him to rule over whats left and even then, he made it clear that he wanted them protected for the information he gave up as he was dying including his son's safety assured, trusting Lord Ian to honor the arrangement after he was gone.

## History

> "*Rheanys: Your quite the anomaly, Aren't you Haywin?*
>
>

> *Haywin: I cant imagine you'd be here trying to recruit me otherwise*."
>
>

Haywin was born in Hellholt, the son of the Lord but his mother was not he Lord's wife making him a Sand rather then a Uller this mattered little to his father who took him in, though many had reservations about him since Uller's have a history of being crazy or worse and bastards especially are crafty and conniving. While Haywin wasnt as crazy as many suspected he was certaintly conniving, though he was also a great shade skilled and determined Dornishmen growing a love for his country that would never leave him even when he spent so long away from it. Training to be a defender of his home Haywin took to combat better then his fullborn siblings and many other Dornish but he would never get the chance to fully test these skills for the sake of Dorne itself. Instead during the Greyjoy rebellion his old man passed away and many accused him of doing it, though Haywin himself never says for certain if its true or not, Haywin knew one thing, his nickering brothers didnt deserve his fathers riches as they would sooner fight each other over it then pay there proper respects. He robbed the castle of anything he could take and fled in the night, not to be seen in Dorne again for roughly a decade. Instead he would make his name as the 'Demon' in Essos forming the Broken Skulls Sellsword Company, that would be feared and respected for its fighting prowess and especially the skill of its commander. Though they were also known for there willingness to get the job done by any means necessary, and thus used to do the dirty work that Free Cities wanted done but didnt want there hands on the matter itself. Haywin personally never minded the reputation as he knew it was somewhat warranted and especially because he knew the dirty jobs were only offered by the men who could afford to pay a man to take them and thus rarely did he or his company starve for coin. Despite there reputation Baelor Brighflame hired them as well understanding that they needed his numbers, though when Haywin initially refused, thinkingsuch an offer was a suicide mission, Baelor responded by sending Rhaneys to speak on his behalf, to show Haywin they were more prepared then he thought and fully serious. Haywin remained sceptical even when the determined Brightflame lady tried to persuade him, eventually she decided it was something shed have to prove and offered to challenge the man, something Haywin accepted since she had done so in the presence of his men. They both left to go fight in private and while neither would speak of what happened or who won, when Haywin returned he had made it clear they had accepted. He left no room for argument and thus Haywin started to work in employ of the Brightflames from time to time and proved they were worth the effort to recruit, though while many of these Sellsword companies Especially Baelor's own Forgotten Sons would pledge to the newly formed House Brightflame to become official soldiers in the army Haywin and his men never made such pledges knowing things were better for him not bogged down by oaths.

### Service to Westeros

> "*It had been nearly 10 years since I set foot in the soil of Westeros. It was weird at first but I needed to make our company grow so I stomached what I had too.*"
>
>

Though Haywin never served as an official part of the Kingdom's army he was tasked with many of the dirtier tasks that never saw the light of day, no doubt as many of the parties who employed him for them would have wanted he also started to get more involved in the politics and infighting of the Lords, mostly for his own profit of course, though many were favors for the princess, be it accompanying her on missions or handling matters she requested of them. He participated in two Hen Hill sieges with the Broken Company, helping The owner of the keep defend it both times, and gaining a reputation for his ability to hold such ground. Haywin took advantage of this fact, to both raise his asking price and get more involved in the growing Kingdom's affairs, participating in many tourney's and feasts to the point many saw him as a lord though again Haywin made an honest point of reminding people he never made any pledges. He also struck up a friendship with a man he would grow to see as a son at times in Daniel Youngflower who was also forming his own company and trying to make a name for himself in the world, giving him advice and helping him get started on things, this friendship would last well until the end of Haywin's life and despite there differences Daniel would remain a loyal and steadfast friend to the Uller Bastard. His last act of service to House Brightflame during this time was to help them and Lys fight in the Battle of Broken Arms, fighting off the large Pirate fleet and playing a crucial role in the battle's success that saw him make more money and in a shocking turn of events patch things up with Lys enough they offered him land in the Stepstones, an offer that Haywin accepted and changed his life forever.

### Stepstone Campaigns

*"You will have that and much more, all of you from the lowest to the Greatest will see great riches all we must do is take them. Stand with me when I take the Stepstones, stand with me when they place the crown on my head and call me King, stand by me men as you always have and ill bring you all you've desired."*

  shortly after his gains Haywin decided he wanted to make a bold move, gaining his independence from Lys with a request he took the land and called any who would aid him in taking the rest of the Stepstones, while most saw a bunch of rocks with some farmland Haywin saw a chance to carve out a piece of the world for himself and clean out a cesspool of Pirate Land in the process. Haywin was given a great book when many Mercs and Westerosi lords and Knights moving out to aid him. These include the Young Daniel Youngflower, the Maloris, The Starkwoods, The Wilders, The Whents The Jolly Brethern and even men like Hollis Pyne came to his aid. Haywin had a simple plan attack one island and move from there hopping from place to place and assuming the pirates wouldn’t be able to unite and organize. His first step was the place that would be known as his lands Bloodstone, The Pirate warlord has built up a rather decent hall and knew how to defend it, but fearsome as he was, tactically he was outclassed and after a short but intense battle at the gates his men were repelled and the hall was infiltrated. The battle came to a decisive end when Haywin lead a charge to the leader himself and killed the man in single combat, proving his skill and value as a leader. From there Haywin would plan the rest of his assault and make his intentions clear when he forged his crown and officially began declaring himself King Haywin Darkspear first of his name and Lord of the Stepstones.

King Haywin put his trust in Daniel Youngflower to lead the attack at the islands later known as Dark Den while Haywin would start to assault Sunstone. Haywin landed weeks later and quickly started to clear out any Pirates he could capturing those that surrendered and killing any that opposed him. His work at Bloodstone had built him a reputation and many of the less experienced pirates fled or surrendered at the sight of the Demon King and his army. Thus Sunstone fell much easier then Bloodstone, and even greater news Daniel's campaign had secured the Dark Den with ease, thus Haywin wasted no time making Daniel his clear Right hand. The remaining Pirate captains and warlords at the Skulls, Wreckstone, and Tortures Deep formed a temporary alliance hoping to end this kingdom now before it became an issue for there business, they assembled a massive fleet noting that all of Haywins success had been on sieges of minor halls and battlefields , and that his victories could be attributed to strong armies, not strong navies thus this became another chance to prove himself. House Darkspear passed with flying collars. as the Battle of the Shipwrecked Gallows saw Haywins's fleet meet and decimate there ships and kill all of the leaders on them with there sunken ships after he expertly maneuvered past there best plans. The islands were his soon after as nothing remained that seriously opposed Haywins rule. The final battles took place on the Skulls where Haywin left the Whents and the Youngflowers in charge of taking while he went after the few pirate areas on the Last refuge for himself, Haywin knew that the remaining Tyrosh forces would have liked to hold that land as well but Haywin smoothed out any issues with them by promising some lucrative trade deals and clearing the seas for them to trade more and promised them that he would never attack them or join Myr in any assaults. It was here Hollis Pyne earned Haywins respect and lordship with his masterful charge on the last of the holdouts and killing one of the warlords himself, however fleeting this respect would be. Soon after the Skulls would fall too and in one fell swoop Haywin had secured all of the Pirates former land for himself, his own kingdom carved and earned through skill at arms.

### King of the Stepstones

> *Daniel: "You've given me so much so soon, a thousand lifetimes could never repay it*
>
>

> *Haywin: "I only need the one lifetime, you can do with the others as you please."*
>
>

Under his banner House Darkspear became home to new and old lords relocated and postioned in a key place for trading. Haywin made the Landless Hollis Pine a lord offering him land to stay which he immediately accepted, he also rewarded Daniel by reviving House Youngflower for him to rule giving him the Skulls to lead, Which would go on to become one of the strongest houses in Westeros and would remain the juggernaut of the Stepstones. Among this he gave land to Yohn Blacksteel, though the man resisted being made a lord, and allowed the houses of the Warden’s the Lightingfyre’s, the Whents, The Sunfyres, The Maloris', and the Ryndhill’s to take up land in the area as well establishing a small but powerful kingdom made up mostly of former Westeros lords and knights. King Haywin handled the first matter of how to proceed with the pirates he had captured, being a nee sovereign nation he knew his actions would be watched by the Brightflames, the North, Dorne, and the Free Cities. His solution was to offer the men that they could be free and allowed to work under him and his bannermen ransomed if they thought anyone would pay for him, or kept in jail to be punished for there piracy that had plagued so many. Most offered to work for him instead which he allowed so long as they understood that he wouldn’t tolerate them attacking his allied kingdoms unprovoked.

Having Established Bloodstone as his seat he started to improve the hall that was there into a fitting and defensive castle this venture would take up most of the year but once it was done the castle of Bloodstone would become a fierce and defensive keep. Haywin styled his kingdom similar to the Ironborn and the Seven Kingdoms, being a nation of islands with some fertile land to grow food, but he wanted to hold a more dignified reputation this he emphasized farming and trading clearing the seas in the area to help secure the trade routes and negotiating deals off this to the bordering nations help the Stepstones grow. Distributing land as fair as he could and offering money and spoils of war to houses that helped but didnt dedicate land to his cause, or couldnt do to previous allegiances Haywin continued to run the Kingdom for a few years, slowly but surely growing his empire was one that was actually prospering well enough on its own. Though Haywin's time as king wasnt without issues. He had made some enemies with the Redwaters who didnt like that the Whents were taken in by him after there exile, not helped by the fact that as part of an agreement with the King, all Stepstone lords were allowed to visit the Kingdom as it felt that the Whents had basically avoided punishment for there actions. Plus there was also matters of land he distributed as Rheagon Sunfyre felt he didnt get enough land for his efforts, and though the Lord didnt act on this immediately it would eventually lead to the man's rebellion.

Haywin quickly went out of his way to establish proper relations with Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh, given how the disputed lands sat so close to his kingdom he knew that making sure they remained good allies would help, that and his occupation of those lands made some of them especially Tyrosh, antsy for when Haywin's ambitions would end, but the King was no fool, he needed to focus on defense not expansion. On a more personal level Haywin reconnected with family, taking in his son Darron Darkspear in and legitimizing him while also soon connecting with his brother Kian Darkspear to establish a dynasty in the event anything happened to him and quickly started raising his son to lead in his stead. Haywin also started reconnecting with Dorne, going to Sunspear and trying to make good with the Martells, though this didnt go as well, while the Martells didnt mind his presence, they were wary of his intent given he harbored and helped Daeron Brightflame take so much land and they knew it was only a matter of time before he attacked them and they were already dealing with the reach. Haywin though , had only helped the Brightflames for his own gain, and personally out of admiration for Princess Rhanys who he had grown fond of but he never intended to strike at Dorne something he made clear with his vow that House Darkspear and the Kingdom of the Stepstones would never draw there weapons towards Dorne so long as the Dornish left them alone.

In fact it was here Haywin started to show his shrewdness. He likewise knew that Daeron craved all of Westeros, Dorne included so it was only a matter of time before they went to war so he put his money and time into one long running plan that was mean to start hindering House Brightflame long before they ever actually turned there attention to the Martells and Dorne. Sending Jon Black, a skilled soldier and tactician he had in his services to the Mainlands and slowly instructed the man in on his plans that could serve to cause strife for the years to come in Westeros. Haywin would start to gain marriage alliances, knowing he couldnt offer his hand to the Martells since it would put him in direct conflict with the Brightflames something he didnt desire, he tried to marry in Westeros. He also briefly pondered the chance to offer his kingdom an alliance with the Brightflames for Rhaenys and was surprised when he heard Daeron was actually considering it, sadly the offer feel through when Haywin's spies made it clear Daeron ultimately felt it better to see the war through before putting Rhaneys up for anyone and was even considering marrying her himself. This disappointed the New King even as he quickly started thinking of alternatives, though he would start to arrange a marriage to a Henning girl, he soon abandoned the idea when he saw how much trouble the Hennings got into, still he did gain some measure of friendship with the Hennings in Dorne.

### Rebellion and Move to Oldstones

> *"If the Sunfyre takes me for a fool he will find that notion shattered with his castle. Redwater too, Ill leave his namesake all across the coast of Bloodstone if I need to."*
>
>

After roughly 3 years of ruling from 300 AC to 303 Haywin was soon placed in the crossfire of Rheagon Sunfyre's ambitions, the man was married to Sophia Redwater and now with the backing of the Redwaters planned on taking all of Haywins territories. The King was caught off guard by such a treachery but he quickly composed himself knowing that he needed to keep his head now more then ever and called his banners to defend him from the Sunfyre Rebellion. Though it was here another tragedy struck when at the first battle his men were betrayed by Hollis Pyne, who had joined with Rheagon in his effort to usurp him and there betrayal allowed there Redwater allies clear access to the islands without much interference. Infuriated Haywin sent Kian to start raiding there ships and lands and sent Daniel to marshal there forces, leading to two joint efforts that saw Daniel and Arthur Whent repelling Redwater vassals on the Skulls while Kian bested the traitor Hollis at sea with assistance from House Maloris. Though Kian was soon pushed back by Jory, Robin and Rheagon Haywin had been able to gather an army to meet them when they landed on Bloodstone. The Battle of Bleeding Sun proved to be the final battle, with Haywin and his men clashing with the Joint Rheagon and Jory forces, backed by there lords in a tough advantage that saw all parties decimated before Jory, and by extension Rheagon were forced to retreat, Haywin had won the battle but it had come at too far a cost for his tastes.

To make matters worse, Jory was still able to bring in more men who would be there against bloodied but smaller forces then before, even if Haywin could win his kingdom would be crippled by such a war if it continued, and even with his vassals making it clear they would fight to the bitter end Haywin made the call himself surrendering to the Redwaters and to Rheagon so long as they adhered to some terms of Haywins own. Jory likewise wanting a swift end to the conflict, and Rheagon simply content to gain profit agreed to his terms even if it meant the Whent's were allowed to stay (a point of contention with the Redwaters, especially Robin) and no harm came to his loyal vassals. The Redwaters were quick to add to this by providing land for Haywin to relocate rather then exiling him, partially to placate the Stepstone lords and the Brightflame lords who were against the whole Rebellion. This was likely helped by even the King disapproving of the attack but approving of the accommodations and even offering him Oldstones of all places to be repaired for his sake. Haywin accepted though the betrayal was one that would sting for the rest of his life, and one of many that would lead him to his later decisions.

Spending the next the rest of the year at Oldstones Haywin started to change up his general strategy, helping Jon Black, who had set up to gain control of bandits and camp them in areas he had found in his time with the Broken Skulls, initially he only wanted to hinder the Brightflame campaign and discourage any attempt to take it after the Reach fell but now that he was more or less apart of the 7 Kingdoms he planned to have Jon Black take control of Kings Landing and plunge it into chaos to force King Daeron to abandon the Dornish attack, but Jon's untimely defeat at The Battle of the Gold Cloaks put an end to that and Haywin was unable to secure him an exit without risk of exposure, though his friend Aegon tried. Haywin eventually put Aegon in charge of the Order of Black Knights in Jon's absence but he refrained from being actively malicious with his plans for the moment, wanting to see his options out before burning too many bridges, as he knew from Daniel that many of his former subjects were plotting agaisnt Rheagon from within. Instead he focused on trying to build his castle and his connection of bandits, with his trade routes secured and assured that he would be able to provide them with the weapons and training that would allow them to greatly hinder the 7 Kingdoms he sent Aegon with a small force that would bother House Sunfyre and make the new leader of the Stepstones look weak, and profit while he was fighting the Myrish and the Tyroshi who he had angered in his time there. During the Verdant-Lash War, Haywin found himself in a troublesome situation when he wanted to back the Verdants but had to be cautious in case the Redwaters backed the Lashes. Though ultimately things worked out and he found himself on the winning side of the conflict.

### Retaking the Stepstones and Service to House Brighflame

> *"From Sellsword to lord, to King and Back again....They will say many things about my life but boring won't be one of them."*
>
>

After some celebrations at his finished castle Haywin soon started focusing on how to further expand in his new territory when he got an offer from Rheagon. The Sunfyre Lord had realized the hole he'd dug himself into with the Stepstones had grown too deep but even in his latter remained calm and composed offering his lands back in exchange for the castle Haywin had just finished, Haywin feeling that the Stepstones however minor in comparison to the rest of the world were still more valuable to him as it was the land he forged for himself and thus he accepted. Upon his return he ousted the Redwater Toady Hollis from his lands, the man having proven where his real loyalties will lie and returned to Bloodstone a Lord Paramount rather then a King. Though this was a another point of contention for the proud Darkspear he knew he could still make this moment work. Quickly he set about making sure the Stepstones was independent enough that they didnt hurt the realm with the debt that affected the rest of the realm and even tried to gain some measure of influence with a marriage offer to the King for the princess, though this time King Daeron didnt give any indication he had decided one way or the other on the matter, and Lord Ian told him on his way to Essos that such a thing couldnt be guaranteed. Still Haywin saw another chance to make an impact when an issue broke out in his homeland of Dorne, the Martells had rebelled against and taken the Princess and Haywin for both his love of Dorne, his sense for opportunity, and of course his love for the Princess set out with the party sent to try and save her.

Being of Dornish blood, Haywin took charge of the first attempt to infiltrate Sunspear and try and save the princess, sneaking into the city though once in he was recognized by the upper crust and brought to Princess Arianne herself alongside his brother Kian. Here Haywin laid out his deceptions, convincing the Princess he was not here to make them surrender, that he cared little for the Brightflames and he had been trying to undermine them from the very beginning and even offered his hand in marriage to her believing an alliance would serve to help them both. While Arianne was willing to entertain the notion and could see the potential benefits she wasnt so quick to whole heartedly trust him yet, but kept him close and would speak more on the subject after the execution of the Princess. Haywin continued to try and impress over the night and even speak on the behalf of the Princess to get her out safely while getting him his marriage alliance, but whatever plans he might have had for doing so were shattered when the rest of the brightflame who weren't in the know or even knew of his whereabouts until minutes before there plan enacted attempted to fight there way through to save her, trapped in the mass of fighting and the near riot that followed, Haywin ultimately made a judgement call and killed Areo to try and save the princess, though he was soon tackled by Dornish soldiers shortly afterwards and the Princess was persuaded to spare Rhaneys, though not before Ethan Lash, one of the ring leaders of the new plan nearly got her killed. His chances were ruined even if the mission was a category success in the loosest of terms, Arianne was likely to be executed, and even if by some miracle she survived she was not interested in Haywin after his actions, and the Princess he loved was injured and unlikely to be interested in anything. The only boon Haywin had gained was the now exiled Ethan Lashes loyalty as he took him under his wing, as he had done the Whents before them and made them lords in the Stepstones. This seemed to be the final straw and Haywin began his plans to rebel shortly there after contacting Aegon for there plan to accelerate with no chance of going back in sight.

### Darkspear Rebellion

> *"Zelos: Are you insane? My family was nearly ruined just so you can gain a little more power then you already have? How many people will die for your ambitions!?*
>
>

> *Haywin: How many have died for Baelor and Daeron's ambitions? I merely seek what was already mine, what others took from me. As you did when you came here with the Golden Company. Were all men looking to find our place in the world Zelos, this is mine."*
>
>

Having maintained a good relation with the Free cities that none of the other houses could truly secure Haywin began using that to his advantage getting the Myrish, the Tyroshi, The Braavose, Qohor, Even Khal Pono to look westward, for some it was easy as Khal Pono was already considering raiding those lands anyway and Qohor had already made there intentions of war clear, but the rest needed more. Haywin found plenty to work with, after Daniel Youngflower organized a successful Reaving that quickly turned into freeing the slaves of Astapor and assisting Queen Daenarys with her issues in Mereen, Daniel used this letting out a rumor of who lead the reaving and what its real purpose was which added t the hostilities for most of the Cities, Sans Braavos. On the Mainland front his para-military bandits lead by the Order of the Black Knights was running rampant in any area of Westeros where they could hit and Haywin organized a daring prison escape from Dragonstone where he ended up freeing one of the dangerous men to the Brightflames Tywin Lannister to assist him in the wars to come. He also went about organizing Aegon to occupy Zelos Wilder, the man who had ruined his plans previously and make sure he couldnt stop him. Aegon proved efficient but he accidently allowed Zelos to be put in a better position to interfere when after getting Lief to betray his cousin Zelos found himself in Essos in the center of Haywin's schemes, but Haywin being the ever clever adaptor used this to his advantage as well, letting the Myrish who had issues with Zelos know of his return to the land and then had ships with the banners of many prominent Brightflame Lords on them attack some of the cities borders. All while Zelos travelled from location to location with trouble following in the form of various things that allowed Haywin to secure the alliance of many of these cities, in a matter of months he had the full support of Myr, Qohor and Lys, Tyrosh offered supplies, Braavos offered ships and the eager Khal threw in some support. With this at his back, House Brightflame fighting the North, and Zelos having learned of his actions Haywin knew it was now or never and declared his independence once more. Starting the Darkspear Rebellion.

On his own front Haywin had secured an alliance with the Verdants whose money and armies would bolster how own, though understandably the Verdants couldnt announce this to try and avoid backlash for there treachery, he named Daniel his Hand of the King, a title similar to the one he held back when Haywin was a king the first time and named Ethan his Lord Commander of his own Kingsguard that also consisted of Ser Larys Whent, his brother Kian Darkspear, Ser Garahel Warden, Ser Mander Ryndhill, Ser Rickon Snow, and Ser Aerin Paxton. While Haywin only desired to be free of the Brightflames and had no intention to conquer them, he went on the offensive as he knew that was the best way to assure he could force them to heel and any land he won could be used to bargain with. Quickly Tywin had Dragonstone taken for House Darkspear and the Free Cities and Haywin added to this victory by leading a naval battle in the Blackwater that saw the Master of Ships pushed back and left Kingslanding vulnerable, though Haywin would fall back after that letting his son Darron lead his forces from there while he prepared himself in his own lands. Unfortunately in a shocking turn of events Kingslanding managed to hold though some of the areas were destroyed in the fighting and it cost his allies heavily, made worse by Tywin taking the gifts granted to him and bailing having no interest in Westeros at least for the moment. Though his Black Knight forces on the mainlands were able to surprise the Brightflames and Ethan and his son continued to lead some successful attacks eventually all of his forces were either pushed back or neutralized soon enough. This created the opening Ian needed as the Spymaster and sword of mourning lead a campaign to Bloodstone hoping to take Haywins seat before his forces could reorganize, knowing that he just had to hold out until then Haywin would bring his own forces to Bloodstones to prepare for the landing.

Haywin's men were ready and when the Brightflame troops came into view the Battle of bloodstone began in bloody earnest as artillery assaulted the enemy on every turn but Darron Flameheart and Jaime Rykker pushed the Vanguard through this and paved the way for Robin Redwater's own forces to start landing and attacking, the two sides were losing men though the Brightflames were doing so faster then Haywins own, but Haywin determined to show his enemies once and for all sallied out with much of his ground troops to meet the enemy, leading the charge King Haywin put a stop to the main assault on his castle for a time and seemed to be routing the Vanguard, not helped by Ethan Lash defeating Darron Flameheart, his own push was stopped by the timely intervention of Ian and Zelos Wilder's own forces pushing in as well and killing Derrick Lightingfyre when he attempted to take them and Rickon Snow soon after. To try and stop there momentum from overwhelming his own Haywin charged in and ended up locked in combat with Zelos himself, the king trying to kill the man who had personally been a thorn in his plans. The fighting was intense and they were surrounded by equally engaging contests before Aurian Valeryis prevented any interference when Haywin needed it most allowing Zelos to fatally wound Lord Darkspear. Defeated Haywin could only plead for his son's safety when Ian came demanding to know of Tywins whereabouts and Haywin, understanding Ian would be a man of his word informed him and shortly after making peace with himself and his fate, and regretting nothing but his failure, Zelos Wilder finished the King off as Bloodstone fell to end the rebellion.

## Lasting Legacy

> *Zelos: Most of the times when I kill a man he dies and thats the end of it. With this man, I killed him and I'm still wondering about what way he might fuck me years after his corpse has rotted to bones.*
>
>

Haywins death was the end of the rebellion but not him. His actions while controversial uncovered an uncomfortable truth about the way the Brightflames had been running things since Baelor's death. Namely how in Daerons obsession with his fulfilling the promise of his brother had he done little ruling or managing and in letting power slip too much too many things had been unpunished, worst still was the Dornish who when the word of Haywin's will and desires been fully exposed to everyone had only made them admire him more. Over time Haywins name started to become a rallying cry for Dornishmen who wanted independence the way he did, and his banner was worn on the clothes of men to show where they stood. Years later when Dronish rebelled and negotiated there independence with the Peace of Pentos, Haywin would be made a statue to ensure his legacy was remebered as a hero to Dorne, though because of this his name had the opposite effect in other areas such as the Riverlands to which suffered the most under his actions.