The Third Targaryen Rebellion

The Third Targaryen Rebellion was an invasion by Aelyx and Maekar Targaryen, that resulted in widespread war encompassing the Crownlands, Stormlands, Riverlands, the North and Dorne. It resulted in the deaths of many high-profile individuals, including Maekar Targaryen and the King himself, King Alaric I Baratheon.

## Timeline of the Rebellion

### Invasion of Dorne

The Stepstones pirate fleet under Saathos Saan, guided by Jacaerys Targaryen, with a huge pirate fleet wastes the Martell fleet at Plankytown and starts laying siege to Sunspear.  Prince Oberyn Martell leads a sally to clear the besieging pirates, thinking an easy victory, only to have him and his thousand men butchered in the sands outside the city in front of his children.

The Royal and Dragonstone fleets go to aid Dorne, though Lord Samwell Redwyne is faster to answer the call.  The news that Tyrosh and Myr have sailed their fleets for Dorne leads the rest of Westeros to believe that the newest Targaryen invasion will begin there.

Alyn and Beron Baratheon return to Westeros, after having just begun a tour of the Free Cities, which had begun in Volantis and had just reached Lys, when the news came of the invasion beginning reached them.  They immediately set sail with their escorts, linking up with Lord Samwell Redwyne and his navy and helped the Redwyne navy smash the pirate fleet off the coast of Dorne.  Knowing that they were needed to the north, the Redwyne navy barely spends a day shipping food, supplies, and a few volunteers over to Sunspear before sailing north, leaving the Martells to hold out, promising that their vassals would come to clear out the remaining forces.  And with that, they sailed away.  Lord Morgan Yronwood would rally many of the Dornish houses, including the Jordaynes, Ullers, Allyrions, and Qorgyles with the aid of his daughters and break the seige less than a month later. The Marcher Lords of Dorne remained in their holds, preparing to defend the passages into Dorne.  Though many sellwords and pirates remain, fighting a guerilla war all along the Greenblood.

After the successful invasion of the Crownlands by the twin Dragons, the combined Myrish-Tyroshi navy is smashed by the combined might of the Redwyne and Royal Fleets under the invigorating command of Beron Baratheon. Lord Samwell Redwyne, and Master of Ships, Lord Maelys Velaryon. Lord Redwyne would personally slay the Tyroshi admiral in single combat, before succumbing to his own wounds.

### Invasion of the Crownlands

With distraction in place, Aelyx and Maekar lead the real invasion force in two separate landings on Dire Den and Massey’s Hook respectively.

Maekar takes his forces south, splitting it up into three parts: one to take the Northern Stormlands, one to besiege Storm’s End, and one to strike into the heart of the Reach.

Northern Crownlands submit to Aelyx and his dragon at frightening speed. Brune, Celtigar, Antlers, etc. Mooton holds out for a precious few days, before eventually bowing to the might of the dragon.

King Alaric Baratheon rallies the Northern Crownlands and marches north to meet the enemy threat. At the same time, Lord Frey, wishing to have a different legacy than his infamous ancestor, gathers all of his available levies and the levies of the houses sworn to him and marches south at a blistering speed to Darry.

Aelyx takes Northern Crownlands and spends a few days consolidating his power and turns his gaze westward towards Harrenhal and the Riverlands at large. Hears about the large royal army, rumored to be lead by the King himself, massing at Darry and sees it as an opportunity to win the war before it even begins. Waltyr Tully and Robin Royce severely admonish Lord Frey, and caution him to take a more measured approach. Lord Frey promptly throws said caution to the wind.

### Battle of Smoke and Sorrow

Aelyx sets a cunning trap for the combined Royal Baratheon-Frey army. Takes advantage of Darry’s record breaking wheat harvest and sets the crops in massive piles all over the fields. When the Royal forces arrive, Aelyx takes flight on his dragon and sets the fields ablaze for miles and miles. In the confusion, many die of smoke inhalation, while those who flee are cut down by Aelyx’s light cavalry. King Alaric the Arrogant tries to lead a desperate sortie, but meets his end at the gaping maw of a hungry dragon. Lord Frey is crushed under the feet of his own retreating men, whilst attempting to rally his men. The battle is a colossal defeat, and ends all hope of a quick military victory against the Targaryen usurpers in the North. The newly appointed Lord Frey leads what little forces he has left to the Crossroads.

### Great Council of Stone Hedge

Lord Waltyr Tully holds an emergency council of Riverlords to ensure their survival. A plan is struck: being unable to face the might of a dragon backed by 30,000 battle-hardened mercenaries and Crownlords who have turned their cloak. While Lord Tully consigns himself to the idea of surrender, Lord Robyn Royce will hear none of it and calls Tully a coward. He declares that he will never bend the knee to a fucking dragon, and announces his intention to create the Riverlands in exile. He leads the men, women and children that agree with him West to seek shelter. The Long March is considered a logistical miracle to this very day. Lord Alester Vance of Wayfarers Rest becomes the de facto leader of the Riverlands Liberation Front and begins to wage guerilla war against the Targaryens.

### The Liberation of Dorne

Ground forces in Dorne are being pushed back by Princess Martell and her allies more rapidly every day. Within a moon, Dorne will have retaken a majority of its land back.

While Alyn Baratheon consolidates his power and readies his men to march, Beron Baratheon, Addam Velyaron, and Alyn Redwyne smash the Targaryen fleet off Stonedance, simultaneously removing the last vestiges of the would-be king’s naval power in the south and capturing his younger brother. He immediately marches his forces towards King’s Landing when he hears of the impending doom the city faces. The youngest of the three Targaryens, Jacaerys spends several moons imprisoned in Dorne before being taken to the capital shortly before the final events of the Rebellion.

### Stalemate at Ashford

Maekar had burned his way through the Kingswood, burning a two league wide swathe through the forest on the way, slaughtering every man, women, and child in his way.  He would sack Fawnton, Grassy Vale, and looked to take Ashford as he rushed to meet the hastily assembled forces of the Reach with Highgarden and Horn Hill in command. The two sides meet at Ashford and realize that they were at an impasse. Maekar continually sends out scouting parties to provoke Tyrell into foolish engagements and before the Reachlord’s tactics can adapt, he loses several battalions of men. After weeks of harrying, Maekar finally provokes Lords Tarly and Tyrell into attacking him and the Battle of Ashford is on.

Meanwhile, Alyn Baratheon lands in the Stormlands in the dead of night and rallies the houses of the Lower Stormlands. They gather at Griffin’s Roost, and in a daring raid that has become a favorite of the bards ever since, Alyn Baratheon personally leads the army that crushes the token force that Maekar had left behind to take Storm’s End, hoping to take advantage of the disjointed Stormlords without their Lord Paramount. Alyn gathers the rest of the Stormlands and seeks to cut Maekar off before the Strong Dragon can retreat.

### Defense of the Golden Tooth

Aelyx and his dragon have swept across the Riverlands, meeting minimal resistance under the secret direction of Lord Tully. Seeing that his rule is going unopposed, Aelyx directs his troops to take the Westerlands and seize the gold that is necessary to repay his backers. Lord Lefford is greeted by the surprising sight one morning of a massive Riverlander host under the command of Lord Robyn Royce that volunteers to hold the Golden Tooth until the Westerlands can marshal its forces. For three months, Royin Royce rallies the defenders of the Golden Tooth and along with Lord Lefford’s men, and other Westerland volunteers, they ensure that Aelyx’s forces never cross the Golden Tooth and the Westerlands remain unmolested, as the Dragon’s pride refuses to let him go around.

At the same time, Lord Lyonel Lannister marshals his remaining forces and takes a lengthy amount of time to prepare his men for a counter-attack while maintaining the vital supply lines to the Golden Tooth.

Lord Arryn realizes that unless he wanted to share the fate that his father had when he was very young, he could not defy Aelyx and his dragon. Instead, he sent his servants to get in contact with Lord Alester Vance and the Vale soon became the main supplier of the Riverlands Liberation Front. He provides the weapons, food, and information that Tully needed to keep the morale of the Riverlands from collapsing.

At the same time as Lord Arryn is supplying the eastern Riverlands, Lords Banefort and Westerling sends supplies to the western Riverlands as well as raiding around the Whispering Wood to ensure that Aelyx cannot bring his full might against the Golden Tooth and must waste precious time, resources, and men in a vain attempt to track them down.

### Battle of Ashford

After being goaded into attacking by Maekar Targaryen, Lord Tyrell orders an attack in a desperate attempt to curb the Targaryen’s momentum. It is a brutal and bloody battle, Tyrell had his archers rain down death from above, but Maekar’s Unsullied were holding the line and the conflict looked to end in a bloody stalemate. Halfway through the battle, Cavalry from House Dayne and Blackmont arrive and smash into the left flank of Maekar’s army with thunderous force. Knowing the battle was lost and hearing reports of Alyn Baratheon’s success in retaking Storm’s End, Maekar falls back in an ordered retreat. Lord Tyrell’s army is too bloodied and only pursues as far as Bitterbridge where they stop to lick their wounds.

### Burning of Tumbleton

As his conquests in the south rapidly evaporate, Maekar Targaryen arrives back at Tumbleton to regroup and resupply. Seeing the fortunes of war starting to shift back to the Baratheons, Lord Footly closes his gates to the army and tells Maekar. “Stick to your sister, for you will fuck Westeros no more.” Flying into a fabled Valyrian rage, Maekar orders his army to sack the city and burn it to the ground. While the fires they set were mostly ineffective, their sacking was not. Many of the residents were slaughtered and every member of House Footly (save for one maiden daughter who hid in a well) were butchered and put to the flame. While horrific, it amounts to Maekar’s first real mistake of the war. The delay he has his army take to put Tumbleton to the torch allows Beron Baratheon to make for King’s Landing and arrive before the Targaryen host can. Seeing that the seat of Tumbleton now stands open, Lord Tyrell rewards his best archer from the Battle of Ashford, Ser Chester Fletcher with a marriage to the maid Marian Footly and creates the new House Fletcher to rule over Tumbleton henceforth.

After the sacking of Tumbleton, Stormlander scouts sent out by Alyn Baratheon observes Maekar’s Army withdrawing back towards King’s Landing. Alyn quickly and covertly gathers the best men of the Stormland’s and rushes his Stormlander Host as quickly and quietly as possible towards the Capital, afraid that he would arrive too late and hoping to ambush the Maekar and his forces.

### The Thawing of The Frostborn

Corin Stark is occupied with the defense of The Wall, and refuses to become embroiled in the invasion. Under the table, he tells his bannermen that he will not forbid them from sending volunteers however. With Stark’s implicit consent, Lords Manderly and Whitehill rally whatever lords desire to join them and marched south. They called themselves ‘The Frostborn’ and among their numbers were counted many of the scions and lords of the North. They camped out at Moat Cailin and kept a watchful eye on Aelyx’s forces until the time was right to strike.

### The Liberation of the Riverlands

The Ironborn under Halfthor Greyjoy’s rule, never inserted themselves into the conflicts of others. The Ironborn prospered by raids to Essos and the pillaging of Essosi ships. One may even call Halfthor’s rule peaceful in the eyes of the Ironborn. The realm did not mess with the Ironborn and the ironmen did not stick their nose into the ways of Westeros. Words did travel though; Of Dorne, of the Stormlands and the Reach.  Halfthor’s two eldest sons, Balthazar and Sigfryd, along with a group of ironmen, traveled back from the Free Cities, having found most of what young men lust for: women, gold and a name. The Iron Islands were given a letter from the king stating that they were allowed to raid the Targaryen controlled Riverlands as well as any Essosi ship with Targaryen colours.

Halfthor took no time to rally forces and separate them: the more advanced to Essos, to raid the Dragon’s ships, and the rest to the Riverlands. Balthazar and Sigryd Greyjoy took the other part of the fleet to the Riverlands where they reaved and liberated both Seagard and Fairmarket.  Balthazar proved himself a leader because during the raiding, freeing the two keeps and maintaining a heavy presence, much like his ancestors of old did.. They were slow to give up the two steads, begrudgingly going back to sea once Stannis and his forces arrived.

Essos on the other hand, did not go so smoothly. Halfthor Greyjoy feasted with the Drowned One after a colliding of two ships.

Losing these two castles made Aelyx Targaryen realize that he had to fall back.

### Defence of King's Landing

Beron Baratheon makes it to King’s Landing only days before Maekar Targaryen arrives. The city was in disarry following King Alaric’s death, but Axel Baratheon quickly establish order and once Prince Beron arrived, they were able to ensure that an effective defense of the city would be mounted.

The Westerlands, North, Vale, and the remnants of the Riverlands resistance, finally strike. In coordinated efforts all across the Riverlands, men rise up to overthrow the Targaryen yolk. The Freys conveniently forgot to close their castle gates on both ends and The Frostborn swept down, quickly culling any support Aelyx had in the North. Robyn Royce finally emerges from the Golden Tooth and Lord Arryn does the same from the Vale. Within a month, Aelyx Targaryen soon finds that men who once called him king are now marching to fight him. He sees the futility in trying to fight and resolves to regroup with Maekar around King’s Landing and create a new offensive for the next year.

Alyn Baratheon marches north through the Stormlands when his scouts inform him of Maekar’s force making for King’s Landing. Alyn does the math: if he keeps his pace, he won’t make it in time. He makes the decision to leave his infantry and support behind and rides for King’s Landing with every available knight he can muster at his back.

### The Folly of the White Cloak

Maekar Targaryen arrives just outside King’s Landing and demands the city’s immediate surrender. The Small Council, and their emergency replacements, meet to decide what to do. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, a brash and arrogant man known as Ser Garlan Hightower, outright refused to surrender, and smacked the city watch commander who suggested it, and was named the commander of the defensive force, which he named the Grand Royal Army. He levied every man he could from the city and marched out to meet the encroaching Targaryen force. The Lord Commander’s men were hastily assembled and rushed out poorly supplied and poorly commanded. Ser Garlan Hightower might have been an excellent bodyguard, but he was a terrible commander. King’s Landing could only watch as the Lord Commander lead his men to their death.

Maekar made quick work of his forces and slew the Lord Commander personally when Hightower made a mad dash for the Targaryen’s position. The Folly of the White Cloak almost ruined the city, but the Baratheons were having none of it.

### Battle of Last Ridge

Lord Commander Hightower made a mad dash out of the city and got himself surrounded, and there was a tumultuous wail that came up from the city. Except from Beron Baratheon however. Instead of despairing at the loss of the Lord Commander, he rallied the men he had brought with him, along with any man not foolish enough to follow Hightower out into the field, including the Knights of the Iron Order and the remaining Kingsguard, Lord \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Massey and Lord \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Stokeworth and their remaining men, and led them in a desperate rescue. They charged out of the city and eventually joined up with what little remained of Hightower’s force that had not been surrounded, whom had defaulted to the command of Lord Jorvan Hayford, assisted by Prince Stannis Baratheon. They were pressed back to back, and were slowly pushed back towards the city. Beron knew that unless he acted fast, he and the rest of the men outside the city would be killed underneath its walls and the city would fall soon after. “Men!” he bellowed “You are soldiers of Westeros! No matter what they throw at us we will stand our ground! Look at me Dragon! This is the last fucking ridge you take today! This is the last ridge you take in your fucking life!” and they did hold their ground, forming a shield wall in an effort to stem the tide of the Dragon. They would hold their ground but the perimeter was getting smaller and more and more men were dying. As he looked up, bloody and bruised, Beron let out a frustrated yell of despair.

But as yelled, he was cut off by the sound of a horn blowing from the south. In charged Alyn Baratheon with his knights into the rear of the Targaryen host. Beron pivoted his force to meet his Stormlands cousin, and between the two of them, they completely wiped out a whole wing of Maekar’s army.  Unlike King Maekar Targaryen, this Maekar realized until too late that the song of the Hammer and the Anvil had truth behind it.  The battle was still undecided however. Maekar was a cunning commander, and victory would not be snatched so easily from him. His forces were battle hardened from Essos and from his campaign in the Reach. And while Alyn and Beron’s forces fought like hell for their homeland, they were slowly losing against a better army.

Losing that is, until more reinforcements arrived. While Royce had been causing havoc for Aelyx in the Riverlands, Lord Lyonel Lannister used the distraction to march his troops through the Southern Westerlands, around the God’s Eye, and right behind Maekar Targaryen’s forces. Surrounding him on all sides.

### The Harrying of the Dragonspawn

Maekar was fully and completely surrounded, with no hope of escape.  He made one last desperate push to punch a hole in the Crown’s army, when Maekar rallied his men to punch through the Stormlander lines Alyn Baratheon spots the Targaryens gambit. Alyn hurriedly rallies the men of his bodyguard and what knights he could spare and rushes headlong into the Targaryen’s path. With a great roar of defiance Maekar Targaryen raised his sword and pointed it at the stag lord.

“A Lordship to whomever brings down that damned stag’s head!”

Maekar and his men desperately threw themselves at Alyn and his men, cutting down many. Maekar had almost cut his way through when he came upon Alyn Baratheon. The Lord of Storm’s End was covered in blood and had a minor wound to his side. With only one antler remaining on his Lordly helm Alyn Baratheon looked spent and Maekar thought the Dragon would have an easy time ending the Stag’s life. However Alyn was a Baratheon and Baratheons didn’t go down that easily. Lesser men would’ve fallen beneath Maekar’s blade, not the line that had given Westeros warriors such as Orys and Robert Baratheon. Alyn summoned the rest of his strength and with a great howl of fury he spurred his destrier and threw himself at the Targaryen.

Their battle was fierce and long and they both took multiple wounds from each other. In the end, however, Maekar’s sword got stuck in Alyn’s shield and Alyn, summoning his remaining strength brought his warhammer down and spiked the Targaryen where neck and shoulder met. The spike of his warhammer punched through the Targaryen’s plate armor mortally wounding Maekar. Maekar fought on to his last breath and was killed when Alyn brought the hammer down and smashed his helm. Maekar Targaryen fell from his horse, dead.

Seeing their leader fall, Maekar’s men broke or surrendered.  Those foolish enough to run north were brutally run down, with no mercy given by the now combined armies of the Stormlands, Crownlands, and Westerlands.

The slaughter later became known as the ‘Harrying of the Dragonspawn’.

Following the Battle of King’s Landing, the remaining Crown forces consolidated their strength and took stock of their men.  Lord Alyn and the newly knighted Prince Beron Baratheon, along with Lord Lyonel Lannister brought their strength together and prepared to march north to Maidenpool with a massive army at their backs.

At the same time, the combined army of the Riverlands, the Frostborn, and the Vale, slowly rout Aelyx’s forces from the Riverlands and march his army back towards Maidenpool. He attempts to return to Riverrun, but finds that Waltyr Tully has barred his gates and taken up cause with the rebels. Sacking the castle would waste precious time, to Aelyx ignobly retreats from the Riverlands, vowing to one day repay all those who betrayed him.

### The Dragon's Last Bastion

Aelyx descends upon Maidenpool and Lord Mooton wisely decides to continue his policy of submission at the sight of the dragonlord’s winged terror. Aelyx knows that he is beaten and begins to formulate a plan for how he could salvage what was left of his forces. While he plans, the Crown forces arrive and besiege the city. It seems that it will turn into a long and bitter stalemate.

While camped outside the city, Alyn Baratheon comes up with an idea: Aelyx won’t leave with his tail between his legs because is will has not been completely crushed yet. Using one of the few catapults that had been constructed for the siege, he slung Maekar’s body over the wall with a note attached promising that he’d soon join him unless he left Westeros. Just as Alyn predicted, Aelyx’s spirit was crushed and in the middle of the night, his ships quietly left Maidenpool for Essos, morale shattered and his pride in tatters. As part of the arrangement, Alyn agrees to release Jacaerys, whom had been captured in Dorne in the early stages of the Rebellion.

### The Dragon's Last Quarry

Once the remainder of his men were clear, feet firmly upon Essosi dirt, Aelyx turned back, eager for retribution. With growing uncharacteristic anger, Aelyx flew back to the West, seeking revenge for his brother.

Arriving at the coast of the Stormlands at sunrise upon a cool but dry day, Aelyx landed upon the smooth stone walls of Storm's End, demanding the presence of Alyn Baratheon. He takes flight, circling the castle, waiting for the Stormlord to appear. Impatient in his anger, Aelyx spurs Viserion into setting the outer, wooden portions of the castle alight, to which the defenders respond with arrows and bolts. Killing a couple of the men upon the walls, Aelyx continues to damage the outbuildings, until a shaft fired from one of the ballistas upon the walls pierces through the cream-scale hide of his dragon.

With a thunderous roar, Viserion spun out of control, tumbling down towards the shoreline just north of the castle, plunging into the waters in a plume of steam and smoke.

Clambering to the shore, Aelyx flees north before anyone in the castle can respond, eventually uniting once again with his men in Essos, having darkened his hair with charcoal in an attempt to disguise his identity.

The body of Viserion was eventually recovered by Alyn Baratheon, who has since decorated both his Hall and warhammer with dragonbone.

### After the Dragon

The war is practically over, and the newly crowned King Axel tells everyone to go home. There has been much death and there is no time (or coin) for celebration. The news does not seem to bother Alyn Baratheon however, he sends out letters to every castle his ravens can reach, saying that he will hold a huge feast in Storm’s End for all who wish to come.

The war unites Westeros, but weakens the Riverlands, Stormlands, Crownlands, and Dorne. Axel Baratheon is proven to be a good king, while Beron Baratheon earns great acclaim from his actions during the war, but great resentment from the smallfolk for his callous nature towards their plight. Alyn Baratheon becomes a legend all over the Seven Kingdoms. Corin Stark and Waltyr Tully both find their popularity in the kingdoms at large waning. The former because of his perceived neutrality, and the latter for his possibly turncloak nature.