The Witch's War

Larys Strong had remained a steadfast councilor to Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen for seven years after the Dance when he finally requested that he be given back his seat of Harrenhal. The word of the Witch Alys River's child, the supposed offspring of Aemond One-Eye, convinced Rhaenyra to act to destroy any and all traces of such a thing -- A conflict known as The Witch's War.

Prelude
For seven long years, Larys Strong, the Clubfoot, dedicated himself to the realm. He asked for nothing but his life in return. To Rhaenyra he saw her son returned to her, her enemies vanquished or bankrupted, and some manner of order restored to the realm. He asked for nothing but to serve, until that seventh year. At the opening of the one-hundred and thirty-sixth year since the conquest, Larys Strong made his first request to the queen, that his seat be restored to him.

Since the Dance, Harrenahal had been lost to him, occupied by an ever growing number of bandits answering to the ‘Witch Queen’ Alys Rivers. The Riverlands, still licking at open wounds from the brutal war, had failed to stop their growth, and let the supposed sorceress’ reign continue unimpeded barring several horribly failed attempts to uproot her. Rhaenyra had paid her no mind, not until in that seventh year when the Clubfoot came to ask for her favor, and, more importantly, told her of the Witch’s child.

Supposedly born from a union between herself and Aemond-One Eye, the slayer of Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys, and her consort Daemon, this child meant far more to her than returning her servant his home. After all, Larys had only survived by her mercy. But to the queen, the child was not so much a threat, despite the proclamation from its mother that the boy, called Vhagar Targaryen, was the rightful ruler of Westeros. No, instead, this child was little more than one final chance to indulge in one of the few acts that still mattered to Rhaenyra.

The Crownland's Army
Mustering forces from River, Vale and Crownlords who were able, Rhaenyra saw a host assembled to retake Black Harren’s seat. The crown jewel of the force that would descend upon Harrenhal from all sides would be Princess Rhaena Targaryen, and her dragon, Morning. Prince Viserys, now atop Silverwing, beseeched his mother for her leave to join his half-sister in the assault, but she refused him, as she had once refused Joffery. The queen even had the brave prince confined for good measure so that he could not disobey as his elder brother once had.

Lord Lewyn Harte was given command and what men of the Crownlands could be afforded marched with him, with men of Hayford, Pyle, Thorne, Wendwater, and Stokeworth marching with them. They faced serious resistance once they neared the God’s Eye and various ambushes left Lord Harte’s army in dire straits and the Heir of Hayford and the Lord of Wendwater were killed during the battles and forced him to turn back towards the Kingsroad The resistance met was far stronger than anticipated, the witch’s ‘army’ fighting with ferocity unseen, and skill unreasonable to be possessed by the ragged band of bandits and robber knights, not to mention immense size for such a gathering. Many stories emerged from the clashes across the lands surrounding Harrenhal, or strange apparitions, flaming swords, and even magical assaults. .

The Knights of the Vale
Lord Joffrey Arryn was obliged to answer the call in gratitude for what the Crown did for him. With him marched the strength of Heart’s Home, Longbow Hall, Coldwater Burn, and Strongsong. Once again Ser Corwyn Corbray and Rhaena Targaryen came with the men of the Vale, all of them glad to have their faithful knight and dragonrider with them for battle. They cut through the ambushes and skirmishes that Lord Harte’s Crownlands army could not and Morning burned a path to Harrenhal and allowed for the forces to finally consolidate around Black Harren’s keep.

The Battle of Harrenhal
Surrounding Black Harren’s mighty seat, Red Robb Rivers, bastard of Raventree, was who rode forth to demand the surrender of the castle, and for the Witch Queen and her bastard to present themselves to the combined forces. In the next instant, Robb Rivers began to scream according to those there, bleeding from every orifice and collapsing to the ground. When he went silent, after screaming and convulsing for several minutes, he was dead. His lord and kin, Benjicot Blackwood, tearfully demanded they destroy all those inside.

Despite her husband’s protests, Rhaena agreed, swearing to annihilate those within the castle as the conqueror once had. In truth, all knew such was not possible. Morning was strong for a dragon of its age, and well sized, but it was no Black Dread. Still, they imagined that the dragon would force those inside to surrender once the burning began.

Morning struck time and time again, scalding the fortress with flame so bright that men thought the beast might yet have turned night to dawn. However, the drawbridge to Harrenhal fell open, and the last of Alys’ horde emerged, charging into their foes even as some of them burned, lost in some mad state. This strange triumph soon turned to horror as Morning began to scream in a way that only those at Rook’s Rest and Tumbleton might’ve known. The dragon seemed to move against its will, it’s wings slowing and the great beast falling into the courtyard of the castle.

Driven into a fury, Ser Corwyn Corbray led the Knights of the Vale over the bridge, cutting down all those in his way with Lady Forlorn. Fighting their way into the castle and to the courtyard, Ser Corwyn would find it in flames. Bravely, the knight of House Corbray charged through the flames, suffering burns as he rushed to his wife’s aid. Once through the flames, he found Rhaena. She was alive, but Morning still and lifeless coiled around the princess, was dead. But so too was the Witch Queen, reduced to a blackened corpse, her son the pretender king gone for but one of his legs, devoured by Morning before it’s death.

According to the princess, through some sorcery, The Witch Queen had forced the dragon to land, and through some strange ritual fueled by the deaths of her followers, meant to bind it to her son and break it from Rhaena. She had nearly succeeded, according to the Princess’ account, with the dragon shaking her from it’s back, and preparing to burn her at the young boy’s command.

But, when Rhaena let out one final, desperate cry, the dragon came back to its senses, and instead devoured the boy. Enraged the witch queen somehow assaulted the dragon, forcing it to writhe and scream in agony, burning all around it, but as Rhaena ran to it, the beast again found its will and burnt the sorceress alive. Then, moaning, the dragon curled itself around Rhaena, and attempted to rest its head on her lap, as it had when it was young, then died.

The Knight and his Princess escaped the flames as several knights of the Vale knocked loose stone from the castle enough to allow them a way out, and despite their wounds, both did. With that final blow, the Witch’s War was won, and House Strong would have Harrenhal returned to them, though at far too high a cost, all agreed.

Aftermath
Princess Rhaena and Ser Corwyn would live a long a fruitful life together, however the princess never had the same joy to her as she once had when her mount still lived. The rift his confinement at his mother’s hand created between Prince Viserys and Queen Rhaenyra would fail to heal, and waylay the prince with guilt. Such guilt that would compel him to act rashly in the next year, when yet another strange war would be waged.

The matter of what truly happened in the war remains a matter of contention in the Citadel. Many insist that all could be explained rationally, that the men who fought so mindlessly had been possessed by nothing more than some potent brew which let them lose themselves, that the swords that burned had simply been coated in oil, that the forces against the bandits had simply been unprepared, that Red Robb Rivers had simply been struck by some poison dart, and that the dragon had been struck by some additionally poisoned scorpion bolt.

But those who wear the link of Valyrian steel insist the incident remains one of the greatest examples of proof of the higher mysteries, and cite ancient Valyrian texts on dragonbinding and blood magic.

Many a song has been sung of Morning’s sacrifice for its rider, and the sadness of its death, and just as many have come to be on the subject of Ser Corwyn’s charge, and Lord Benjicot’s rage. But no songs have ever been sung for the so-called Witch Queen, nor her son, who is remembered only in the most detailed of texts as ‘Vhagar Rivers’ as the queen refused to believe any true marriage had ever taken place.