Forging Alliances

**Forging Alliances** is the first chapter of the Invasion, and the shortest, with only eleven parts. It features six very different PoV's, and introduces the situation of the story, along with half a dozen individual plotlines for the PoV's.

## Summary

### In the North

Harmond Hornhill, a brave and highly respected warrior in the Stark army, is summoned by King Theon Stark with a crucial mission. He, and his young companion: Edrick, are tasked with brokering an alliance with the Red Kings of House Bolton.

Meanwhile, the wandering sellsword from the Stormlands, Alara Caron, finds herself looking for a contract in the North. She takes her sword to the Dreadfort, but her service is denied due to her gender. Alara decides to offer her services to House Stark of Winterfell.

Within the Dreadfort, a young half wit cup-bearer, known only as Torv, is awoken from his sleep by his master, Arnold Dint. The member of the kingsguard, and chief torturer of the Red Dungeons, brings Torv into the dungeons for his assistance on one of his 'projects.' Torv is shown a bloody sight of a half-flayed man and an unconscious brute, which is later revealed to be Harmond Hornhill and Edrick. Arnold orders Torv to hold down the squirming, half-flayed, Edrick so that he may continue his work. Instead, Torv puts a hammer through the back of Arnold's skull, and escapes the Dreadfort with Edrick.

Dormund Bolton, the second son of King Rogar, investigates the disappearance of Arnold Dint the next day, accompanied by the kingsguard and close friend: Ryden Frost. Suspecting that Dint has freed the captives, Harmond and Edrick, they find they are mistaken when they discover his cracked-open skull in the Red Dungeons. Failing to get any information from the conscious Harmond Hornhill, Dormund and Ryden bring him back to King Rogar, who orders his eldest son: Edwyn, to flay him until he speaks. Before Edwyn can commence the torture, however, Dormund chooses to put Harmond out of his misery with an arrow.

Torv and Edrick start riding for Winterfell, and converse about their pasts until they are too go any further, and choose to make camp. Torv gathers wood for a fire by snapping the dry twigs and branches off a nearby faced-tree. They fall asleep by the fire, and awake in the morning to spears and bows aimed at them. Edrick recognises the leader of this small Barrow scout group to be Emma Snow, his half-sister. Torv ultimately surrenders to the Barrow scouts, seeing no way to effectively flee.

Alara is met by a mass of Stark soldiers preparing for war when she arrives at Winterfell. Asking for directions to King Theon Stark's whereabouts, Alara is introduced to Brodin and Steffon Cale, a blacksmith and an old soldier. Brodin points her to the Godswood, where Alara ultimately finds Theon praying. As she approaches, she is attacked by Teran Woodmill, a paranoid minor lord awaiting Theon's attention. Theon quickly separates the fight, and Alara introduces herself and her sword to Theon, to which he graciously accepts. Alara finds herself later talking with Brodin about his smithing expertise, when suddenly an abundance of Bolton banners and men holding them charge over the hills towards Winterfell. Theon and Rogar meet each other on the field, and the Bolton's present a gift to the Stark's, which Alara finds to be Harmond Hornhill's decomposing head, before accepting their alliance.

## Appearances

### First

* Harmond Hornhill
* Edrick
* King Theon Stark
* Alara Caron
* King Rogar Bolton
* Prince Edwyn Bolton
* Prince Dormund Bolton
* Prince Tobas Bolton
* Ryden Frost
* Arnold Dint
* Torv
* Emma Snow
* King Robar Royce
* Wyllam Belmore
* Lady Ursula Upcliff
* Davios Tallman
* Captain Harlan
* Jorio
* Piggy
* Small Mykal
* Orodos
* Vysela
* The Cobra
* Hughie Arryn

### Deaths

* Harmond Hornhill
* Arnold Dint

## Choices

### Alara

* Alara went to Winterfell
* Alara stayed with the Stark's

### Torv

* Torv 'knocked out' Arnold and rescued Edrick
* Torv surrendered to the Barrow's

### Davios

* Davios chose to knock out the man attacking Jorio