[Alysanne's POV]
Hugar Blacktyde's forces collapsed the instant their King fell. Garth led the charge, carving a path in stone and blood. With one mighty swing, hundreds of spikes emerged in a straight line. Hundreds were impaled in the blink of an eye.
As Garth advanced, Alysanne felt the overwhelming fear they first possessed.
They retreated… but Garth left no room for mercy, sealing the broken gate with a Geo shield. There would be no survivors.
Garth was hailed a hero. Not just any hero, but the Hero of the Reach.
After the castle was cleaned up, a celebration was hosted. Garth himself was not present. Alysanne knew where to find him, however. He sat in the castle sept beside the Warrior's statue, the moonlight shining through the stained-glass windows that honoured Garth Greenhand and the Seven.
Alysanne raised an eyebrow as she observed a couple of bottles of wine next to him. Garth never drank anything that wasn't water or milk.
"Tired?"
"I've never felt so exhausted…" Garth admitted. "I took a life, then a dozen, then hundreds more. They were savages. Beasts in human skin. They reaved, raped and butchered everywhere they went. So why… do I feel so… burdened."
"What you feel is normal," Alysanne walked up to him.
"Father… made it all look so effortless."
"His ruthless side is not at all ordinary… and far from virtuous, to say the least. It may very well be the greatest evil to exist."
"A necessary one, during this age. I wish I possessed it."
"You don't need to mimic him to see this through. You are perfectly capable of accomplishing anything you put your mind to while still being yourself… and that burden you spoke of, it isn't yours alone to carry. I'm here. I'll always be."
"I'd rather you didn't bloody your hands."
"I can take care of myself, you know."
"I'm not dragging you down with me," Garth shook his head. "I'll do whatever it takes… but you, you need to stay the virtuous light you've always been. In a world so deeply drenched in darkness, it needs you to brighten it up."
Garth smiled.
"It is the duty of a big brother to protect his little sister, after all."
"Big brother?" Alysanne raised an eyebrow. "By a few minutes, at most."
"The point still stands," Garth chuckled. "I don't want you to change."
"And you think I want you to?"
"This is something I must do," Garth looked sincere. "The boy I was could never be a conqueror."
She knew, better than anyone, who Garth was. Ever since he could walk, he delved into the world of books. He was always curious, asking enough questions to tire any maester. Why does he possess magic, where others do not? Why is the sky blue? Why does it rain? What are the stars in the sky?
His talent was one-of-a-kind. He was not just an otherworldly prodigy; he was a prodigy who outworked everyone else. Everything he had an interest in, he mastered and perfected... achieving things no one had even thought of. He had a frighteningly accurate memory, never forgetting anything of remote importance.
He didn't show any of the hot-bloodedness their father possessed; instead, he was well-mannered, pleasant and rather quiet. He didn't have too many friends, preferring his own company. Their mother wanted him to be the second coming of Edric, a bastard turned King like his father before him... but he was never meant to be that.
"... I'm not letting you do everything by yourself," Alysanne shook her head, sitting down next to him. "We came into this world together, and we'll conquer it together, too."
Garth's eyes widened.
"..."
"Besides, you won't be dragging me down with you on the path you decide to take," Alysanne smiled, embracing him. "I'll be the one raising you up."
"..." Garth sighed, although he couldn't hide his smile. "I suppose we're both as stubborn as our father."
[Garth's POV]
Unifying the Seven Kingdoms was far easier said than done. The first great hurdle was... the Reach itself. He would have to overstep House Tyrell, which he considered his family, and his own uncle, the King of the Reach. The very last resort would be a forced coup...
The question that lingered was whether he should make his intentions clear from the beginning and hope Willas would support him... or conquer another kingdom first, becoming a King in his own right.
He shared his thoughts with his sister, who seemed all too confident.
"Gaining legitimacy now will make the rest of this conquest easier," Alysanne stated. "As a King, Willas could legitimise you before stepping down. You would gain the Reach and become the last legitimate heir to the Iron Throne of old."
"I know full well," Garth nodded. "The convincing our uncle part of that, however... that's something I am not confident in."
"You can leave that to me," Alysanne smiled.
Alysanne... well, she was the kind of person who could wrap anyone around her finger - not in a sinister, plotting way, but by simply being herself. Her warm smile, sweet voice, large, sparkling eyes, and loving, kind nature all combined to form a girl no one could say no to. She was exceedingly clever, no less, and possessed an undeniable charm that no one except their father at his prime could match.
"... If anyone could do it, it would be you," Garth nodded. "Although I think it's best if I am present as well..."
"Well, are you prepared for it?"
"Yes."
...
They sought out a private audience with King Willas Tyrell. Garth did feel rather... anxious. If this went the wrong way, it would cause a rift in their family.
"What might the most remarkable twins seek from me?" Willas wondered. "In private, no less. It must be a matter of great importance..."
"It is, dear uncle," Alysanne nodded. "See... this is a decision that affects the future of Westeros as a whole."
"... Oh," Willas glanced at Garth. "And what decision would that be?"
"You know full well the state of what used to be the Realm. Chaos, broken kingdoms and petty kings empowered by their magic from one corner of Westeros to the next. It's worse than it has been in hundreds, mayhaps even thousands of years... and we share the belief that this must change."
"The Realm must be unified once more, under one King."
"... I see," Willas nodded. "I would agree that this land was far more prosperous during the age of the Iron Throne. There were wars and conflicts, some exceedingly bloody, but for every year of war, there were tens of years of peace. A shattered land benefits no one but the vermin who desperately grasp for the slightest bit of power."
"As for the King who would carry this dream of unification and carry it out..." Willas turned to Garth. "No one would be more worthy than the first and only son of the last true King of the Iron Throne to rule."
"..."
He was caught by surprise, albeit not by much. Willas was quite intelligent... likely, he saw the direction of this conversation from the very beginning.
"You are the Hero of the Reach. The young man who saved us all from Hugar Blacktyde's wrath. Whispers have already begun that you should be King of the Reach... the blood of the Tyrells, Florents, Hightowers, Redwynes, Targaryens and Baratheons all run through your veins. You are Edric's very mirror image, which does not make these whispers any quieter."
"Not to mention your talents... I claimed myself as King of the Reach because I sought to keep the Reach together once Edric abandoned the Realm. It was not easy... and I would have undoutably failed if not for you, Alysanne. Young girl that you were, you united all of those quarrelling lords by your words alone."
"I am only King today because of you two..." Willas smiled, removing the crown from his head. "If you wish to take this crown, I will support you wholeheartedly till the very end."
"... You have no idea what this means to me," Garth let out a sigh of relief.
"You feared the worst?" Willas chuckled. "You always do, Garth. I would sooner fall to your sword than fight you, nephew. I love my sister dearly, and you both just as much..."
"You should've seen Garth's face," Alysanne laughed.
"I... didn't want to cause a rift in our family," Garth admitted.
"What made you seek out this dream?" Willas questioned. "The victory you brought was heroic, undoubtedly. But... I never took you for someone who would seek out the crown."
"Someone helped me realise that if I didn't take action, no one would. Nothing would ever change... I had to be the change."
...
It was mutually agreed that all invaders would have to be warded off before Garth's accession. Not only would this bolster Garth's position and popularity amongst the people, but it would also bolster his own confidence.
The dornish forces to the south-east were struck by a host consisting solely of riders led by Garth Storm. Tall walls of stone were raised and moved as the mage controlled the field of battle. With this great advantage, the Dornish were wiped out by the thousand. However, they managed to regain their cohesion and form a nigh impenetrable formation. It was a square of shields and long spears pointing in every direction.
Charging it would be foolish and lead to many deaths on the Reach's side...
Garth looked towards the sky, channelling his Geo magic with his sister amplifying it. Piece by piece, a stone began to form above the formation of Dornishmen. This stone became a boulder, growing with every second. Eventually... an ominous shadow loomed over the field.
A meteor unlike any the world had ever seen.
"I will have unity."
His eyes glowed gold as he lowered his hand, and the colossal meteor began to fall from the sky.
The Dornishmen capable of magic attempted to attack it, but their attacks were like flickers of flame to an ocean... futile. All the thousands beneath its shadow would be crushed in the same second.
In the aftermath, Garth had remained and observed all that he had done.
With each battle, his burden grew... but he had also grown to shoulder it.
Once the Dornish invaders were thoroughly routed, Garth turned his attention to the Storm King.
...
Who was the Storm King? A young man just a few years older than Garth, of low birth. Not much is known about his early life, but one thing... it was riddled with poverty and struggle. He had lost both of his parents when he was young, leading to many desperate years of clinging to life. A fire burned in the boy, an insatiable hunger that sought more. In his later years, he became a bandit... and... as if he were destined for greater things, earned the following of his outlaw brothers through his sheer strength. That band grew and grew, becoming a formidable force that marched from one end of the broken Stormlands to the next.
In time, it became the mightiest force in that region, smashing through everything in its way, looting castles, raiding settlements... even expanding out into the Narrow Sea, bringing misery upon many a merchant. Once he had gathered enough confidence, he took upon the name Duran Baratheon, discarding his old, and proclaiming himself to be the grandson of King Robert Baratheon.
By bloodright, he laid claim to the kingdoms that once formed the Iron Throne.
He first besieged Storm's End, and took it from the pretending lord who held it. Then, he swarmed the Stormlands like a wave, taking one castle after the next. In time, he unified the entirety of the Stormlands and a great part of the Crownlands.
Those who knew Robert Baratheon could not deny that his appearance was similar to the late king, and his martial prowess, most of all, was a telling sign that this 'claim' might well have truth to it...
Despite his bandit beginnings, Duran Baratheon possessed charisma that turned foes into friends and made many of his lords quickly forget past grievances. His constant victories also made him easy to follow... and admire. The image of a great conqueror and heir to the Baratheon lineage swiftly washed away the stain of the bandit he had once been.
And, given the Reach's state due to Hugar Blacktyde's invasion, he had taken advantage and conquered much of the northern reaches of the kingdom. He had forged an alliance with the Princess of Dorne, Arianne Martell, who had great interest in him... which led to the Reach being attacked by three different forces all at once.
Garth had bested two of the three...
Only the Storm King remained now.
This battle would ultimately decide the future of the continent.
[Edric's POV]
It seems that Aerion had read my mind, granting me one of my wishes without me asking.
Yes... he had moved me to the Other Edric's world. I was not aware of how long this trespass would last, but I was keen on seeing if my teaching and guidance would change anything. I wanted to see them succeed... achieve their goals, and be happy.
They might not have technically been mine, but... that didn't matter. I still cared about them, even if it were mayhaps unwise.
I had never quite felt as proud when Garth and Alysanne successfully defended Highgarden and slew that Hugar Blacktyde. Garth was, undeniably, superior to me in some ways... and so was Alysanne. They were brilliant.
I watched them closely, never intervening, as if I didn't exist in the first place. I believed that to be for the best... as I shouldn't be in this world in the first place. If I took action, then they would simply rely on me. I intended to meet them sometime in the future, however...
When no one else did, a certain someone noticed my trespass.
The Other me.
And he wasted no time whatsoever in facing me. He flew in through the air, floating down to me very slowly. His icy blue eyes observed me keenly, looking down. They carried a cold chill... but it didn't affect me.
"I take it you are the reason for the change in the two bastards?"
"... Yeah. What about it?"