Building an Empire in Game of Thrones (REWORKED VERSION)-Chapter 85: Fall of Storm’s End

With the assistance of the 20 Wyverns and 200 Dragon Knights, the island of Tarth had fallen within a day. The Lord of the island, Lord Selwyn Tarth, had surrendered almost immediately the moment the Wyverns started causing chaos within the castle. All of the defenses against the Wyverns had been sent to Storm's End to prepare for the war with the Imperials, leaving Lord Tarth with nothing to defend against the Wyverns.

The Wyvern riders had caused the defending soldiers to flee and find cover, but several hundred of them were burned before the rest gave up. Kneeling in front of Commander Edrick of the Imperial Legion, Lord Tarth was pleading for his life. "Mercy, my Lord," he said. "The Empire is glorious and strong. Forgive my defiance, and I will swear myself to you fully." Edrick looked down at him. "We care nothing for oaths from fearful man," he replied. "Your life is not mine to give. You surrender to the Emperor, not to me." Lord Tarth nodded vigorously, eager to save his skin.

"Then I'll accompany you, whatever you wish, I'll..." Edrick cut him off. "Get on your horse." he stated as Lord Tarth followed him willingly. The Imperial forces had secured the island, and the Imperial Navy had created a blockade to prevent enemy forces from landing. The news of Tarth's fall spread like wildfire leaving Stannis's supporters wary and unsure of what would happen next. Everywhere from Windwater Bridge to Rainwood had heard about the defeat.

Stannis sat alone in his chamber at Storm's End with a map spread before him. He had heard rumors that half his bannermen were ready to abandon him for little more than making sure they were not wiped out by an overwhelming force. "Will they stay?" he muttered to himself as he peered at the tiny figures representing his army on the map, "Or run with their tails between their legs?" He knew that even with Oberyn as his hostage Dorne was not going to let this incident slip.

Instead, it was spread throughout the land that Dornish troops were gathering at Sunspear alongside tens of thousands of Imperial troops to march on the Stormlands from the South. Stannis had a total of about 50,000 soldiers under him and dozens of lords. All he needed to do was defend Storm's End when they attack and then show the continent that the Imperials are nothing to be feared.

Unlike when Aegon invaded with his dragons, they were prepared this time. Or at least that's what they thought. But the weapons that they had would be of no use against the Wyverns of the Imperial Union.

Having heard of the Imperial Union involvement, House Tyrell broke the marriage between Renly and Margaery and sent a raven to Heaven's Reach requesting Margaery enter the Imperial Harem, in exchange the Reach and House Tyrell would bow their heads to Imperial Union. After a brutal struggle with his Rainbow guard, Renly was thrown in a cell after House Tyrell's betrayal.

After a few days passed, Maximus had arrived in Highgarden, welcomed by a host of Tyrell soldiers and lords. Instead of riding on Nyxara, he rode on a Griffon escorted by the 10 Griffon Knights and 5 Wyverns.

His meeting with Lady Olenna lasted only ten minutes. She had expected negotiation, perhaps even anger. But as it turned out, nothing pleased Maximus more than seeing those who thought themselves clever prove they could be practical as well. "You run your house as well as I expected," he said. "Better than some run a kingdom." Olenna smirked. "I see why Arianne is quite taken with you."

"With Margaery at my side," he continued, "House Tyrell will flourish. The Reach will remain strong, stronger than if it held the Iron Throne itself."

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"Perhaps," Olenna replied. "But strength is all we've ever cared for. I have your word she'll be more than another gem in your lovely crown?" Maximus nodded. "You have my word and more." Mace Tyrell watched from a distance, nervous but eager as Maximus departed Highgarden and headed to Storm's End. The two sides had reached an agreement and now that Margaery was betrothed to him, her safety was now considered a top priority and needed to be resolved quickly.

So, using dozens of airships, the entire Dornish Army and the 3 Imperial Legions were transported to the Imperial Siege camp, set up outside of Storm's End. This happened over the course of 10 days and was the fastest any army in Westeros had been able to travel with so many soldiers.

Within the camp, Maximus had gathered the commanders of the 3 Legions, the Dornish Army, and his own commanders which consisted of Eonwe and Hela. Maximus started off the meeting, "This battle will be the end for Stannis and all those who serve him. Having threatened the Imperial Union and keeping Prince Doran and his daughters as hostages, there will be no mercy for this worthless and weak King." Hela clenched her fists in anticipation. They were finally going to fight.

"Purge the castle. Let's leave nonalive," she said, emphasizing her eagerness. "I'll lead the ground assault and kick off this battle by breaking the walls of the castle." Maximus replied. "Once the enemy is filled with fear and staggered from my attack, then the rest of you will lead the soldiers and finish off anybody who resists."

Maximus stood up and looked around the room with a scary expression, "Anybody who rapes or pillages the castle will be dealt with accordingly by the Imperial Laws of War. Is that understood?" everybody present nodded their heads. The Legion commanders had these laws drilled into their head during their training. It outlined that no Imperial soldier shall rape or pillage enemy cities during times of war. The punishment was immediate execution no matter your status or reasoning. The other laws outlined prisoners of war, surrendering enemies, and a number of other things.

Stannis believed that he was prepared for the Imperial Invasion by having hundreds of weapons specifically built to counter Dragons and Wyverns. But with airships joining the battle, his chances of survival were near 0%. They were going to put on a show that all of Westeros would remember. The night passed and soon enough the sun started to rise above the horizon.

Inside Storm's End, Stannis had just received word that House Tyrell broke their alliance with Renly and joined Maximus. This came as a devastating blow because he thought that they would at least be occupied long enough to deal with Maximus and eventually beat him back to Essos. With this news coming in right before the battle was set to begin, he knew this was going to be his hardest battle yet. But knowing Stannis and his stubbornness, he wouldn't retreat or give up until he died or won.

The sun had risen over the battlefield as the Imperial and Dornish army lined up in front of the castle. Maximus stood in the front and planted his sword in the ground while looking at Stannis who stood atop the castle walls.

Gazing down from the walls at the lines of soldiers standing in front of him, Stannis narrowed his eyes. They stretched across the fields in perfect formation, the banners of Dorne fluttering beside the Imperial banner. He turned to his commanders, each of them aware that the sheer numbers out there were overwhelming. "They think they'll walk through us without breaking a sweat," he said. "We'll show them what it means to bleed." His words were met with determined nods, but doubt lingered in many eyes. Hela stepped forward with her sword in hand.

She could see the defenses set up along the walls of Storm's End and grinned. There was nothing she liked more than smashing things apart, especially when those being smashed thought they actually stood a chance.

Taking his sword out of the ground, Maximus reached the wall in less than a second, creating a massive hole through a part of the wall. The soldiers who were at the top were either thrown off the wall or had fallen straight down with the debris. With this, Hela and the other commanders issued the order and the attack began. Wyverns flew overhead and started to lay waste to the castle's defenders.

The Imperial ships just off the shore began to open fire on the castle as well, creating chaos amongst the defenders. The initial attack had already demoralized the soldiers on the walls and now they were being burned alive by Wyverns and attacked from the sea. What could they do except fight and die or surrender.

Maximus, after breaking through the wall, had begun his own slaughter of Stannis's soldiers, slowly making his way to where Stannis was trying to command his soldiers. Joining him were the Imperial Guard who had caught up to him, they immediately got to work and started to finish off any soldiers that Maximus skipped or left for them.

Prince Doran had the look of a man satisfied not just with Stannis's predicament but at the complete lack of mercy shown to those who followed him. The Imperials are feared and respected, but from the stories he heard about Maximus, he knew that he was also unforgiving to his enemies.

Behind Prince Doran, the Dornish soldiers dug in at the breached wall, holding it against anyone trying to break the lines. They shouted in defiance as they ran their spears through Stannis's soldiers, not losing a single step or letting a single one slip through. The battlefield was filled with cries and clashes of steel as the Wyverns flew overhead.

The Imperial Legions combined with the Dornishmen cut through the defenders like butter. "Press them harder!" shouted Hela. "Your King is nothing!" she taunted Stannis's men as she cut one down after another all while laughing. The women were horrified as they saw her rip men apart while jesting about how weak they were and how much they screamed.

Stannis was retreating toward the keep when he heard a commotion. From the shadows of the lower walls came Prince Oberyn, followed by his daughters and nine very dead guards in their wake. Oberyn had a sword in hand and used it well, cutting down anyone in range as he advanced toward Stannis. "Is this what a man does for his crown?" Oberyn taunted. "You're worse than Robert!"

His words reached Stannis who turned around to reply, "It's what I'll do to win," Stannis replied. He stood firm as the battle went on around him. Maximus reached the top of the tower just above the courtyard and looked down. Stannis stood proudly, yet he was alone; his knights were long dead or fled. With a single motion, Maximus leapt to the courtyard, landing behind Stannis.

Beside them, the Imperial Guards cut down the last of the soldiers protecting him. The rest of the castle had been swept by Dornish and Imperial soldiers with hardly any losses. Huge sections of it burned brightly. From all sides, soldiers knelt in surrender. One of the Legion commanders approached Maximus and looked back at a defiant Stannis before speaking. "Your excellency," he said loudly enough for Stannis to hear, "The King has no crown."

Maximus turned his attention to Stannis who raised his sword ready for his final battle. "You're a Demon," he declared as he looked at Maximus.

Maximus looked up and saw the Valkyries descending toward him. Brunnhilde stepped off her mount and kneeled in from of Maximus. "The city is yours, your excellency." she stated.

"Very good," he said motioning for her to stand up. "Now all that's left is to take out the garbage. In fact, Brunnhilde, I want you to fight this man," Brunnhilde nodded and turned to face Stannis.

She smiled as she raised her sword. "You're done," she said. Stannis stepped back, eyes burning with fury. "I'll never...." Brunnhilde moved faster than he thought possible. Her blade struck his effortlessly, sending it flying from his hands and clattering loudly against the courtyard. As the sounds of fires burned around them, they watched in silence as the defeated King fell to his knees, knowing he was the King of Nothing. Maximus gazed around at the bodies scattered across the castle walls and courtyard. "Deliver him to the Tyrells," he said dismissively.

Brunnhilde turned and smirked as they moved to tie Stannis up like a common bandit. The battle was over quicker than anyone could have anticipated. The entire castle was taken in less than an hour. In fact, it wasn't even fair to call it a battle because this was something entirely different, a massacre.

The speed and ferocity with which the castle was taken shocked all those who saw it or heard about it. There were over 50,000 soldiers defending Storm's End for Stannis Baratheon, and they were wiped out almost instantly. The old Lords who didn't die on the battlefield immediately declared fealty to Maximus, swearing that they served only because Stannis forced them.

Meanwhile, with Storm's End taken, the rest of the Stormlands would follow suite. Maximus didn't know what he planned to do with this region yet. Whether to keep it the same or change how it was ruled was something that he would think about and decide at a later date.