A year passed.
The brutal winter had finally ended, and spring. the season of renewal, returned to the land.
Reports gathered from across the Seven Kingdoms revealed the scale of the catastrophe: the plague had wiped out nearly four-fifths of the population. With fewer hosts to infect, the disease gradually faded on its own.
Yet the collapse of population soon unleashed a chain of disasters.
Fields lay barren without farmers to till them. Transportation of goods had nearly ceased. Lords had died, leaving their children to battle one another over inheritance. Officials and soldiers who once maintained order were also largely dead.
With food and resources scarce, thieves and bandits spread everywhere, each region struggling merely to survive.
The situation was worst in King's Landing, the largest city in the realm. Its massive population had lost the basic food supply that sustained it.
Rumors spread like wildfire through the streets.
People whispered that the plague was punishment from the Seven. King Jaehaerys, at Queen Alysanne's urging, had abolished the ancient "first night" privilege claimed by certain lords.
That, the rumors claimed, had angered the gods.
And so the plague had descended upon mankind.
The common people were easily stirred.
Under the leadership of remnants of the Faith Militant, their robes embroidered with the seven-pointed star, angry mobs gathered and marched through the streets, storming houses to seize food and goods.
Thefts soon turned into violent raids.
And where there was plunder, resistance followed.
Unfortunately, the City Watch, already decimated by the plague, had too few men left to maintain order. Within days, murders began appearing openly in the streets.
The previous king, Maegor the Cruel, had been overthrown because of his violent tyranny.
By contrast, King Jaehaerys rarely used force, preferring diplomacy and reform.
He tried to stabilize the city by gathering food from every corner of the realm.
But then disaster struck again.
The Master of Coin, Lord Rego Draz, was murdered by rioters in the street.
After that, the unrest began spreading beyond the capital toward a realm-wide uprising.
With chaos consuming King's Landing, the two young princes and the Baratheon children were forced to remain in Harrenhal.
Though its five towers stood half-ruined and wind-whipped, the remaining lower floors and vast cellars still made Harrenhal the largest military fortress in the Riverlands.
The princes were the future of the realm.
House Tully of Riverrun soon marched to Harrenhal, offering to take responsibility for defending them.
The young Lord Grover Tully, barely in his mid-teens, had grown restless by the sixth day after arriving.
He proposed holding a formal council.
His true aim was simple.
He wished to persuade Rhaena Targaryen to write to the king and have the duty of guarding the princes formally granted to him by royal decree.
At the same time…
He hoped to impress the long-widowed Rhaena.
Rhaena was not yet forty.
Well preserved and still strikingly beautiful, she might even bear children again.
Years earlier, the former Lord of the Westerlands had attempted to court her. At the time, however, Rhaena had been deeply involved with Elissa Farman, and the match had failed.
Grover Tully believed their age difference mattered little.
He was a Lord Paramount, after all. His looks were acceptable. Now he had demonstrated loyalty to the crown as well.
If he performed heroically defending Harrenhal from rebels, surely Rhaena, and her dragon Dreamfyre, would one day move to Riverrun as his wife.
Even a small noble council required proper form.
Rhaena arranged the meeting in Harrenhal's Hall of a Hundred Hearths.
The largest indoor hall in all Westeros.
Along the walls stood more than a hundred hearths meant to heat the vast chamber, while the center could accommodate thousands of tables and chairs.
But the impoverished Lord Maegor Towers could no longer maintain such a massive place.
The hall now stood nearly empty.
Most of the furniture had rotted away or been burned as firewood during the previous winter. The few candles illuminating the room had all been brought by Rhaena herself.
Banners hung upon the walls:
House Targaryen — black field with three red dragon heads
House Tully — red and blue stripes with a silver trout
House Towers — white field bearing five black towers
Young Boremund Baratheon, heir to Storm's End, was also present.
Though he held no title yet, Rhaena said the wall looked too bare.
So Boremund was granted the honor of hanging the crowned stag banner of House Baratheon.
It was the first time he had ever represented his house at a council.
Excited beyond measure, he fidgeted constantly in his chair, like someone sitting on a nail.
Rhaena sat in the central seat.
To her left sat the frail Lord Towers, supported by attendants.
To her right sat Lord Grover Tully.
Two Kingsguard, dozens of knights from King's Landing and Riverrun, and even several lower-ranking officers had seats.
Yet despite their numbers, they did not even fill the raised platform at the center of the hall.
Before the council formally began, the nobles chatted among themselves.
The empty hall echoed loudly with every word, so Rhaena ordered servants to bring several old wooden screens to dampen the sound.
"Hard-Rod! Over here!"
Rhaegar turned.
Aemon was waving at him.
"Hmph."
Rhaegar ignored him and jumped onto a seat in the gallery instead.
Ever since Rhaena herself had adopted the nickname, it had spread through Harrenhal like wildfire.
Even the maids joked and called him "Hard-Rod Knight" while bathing and dressing him.
Rhaegar had been in a terrible mood lately.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Rhaena tapped the table with her knuckles.
The hall quickly fell silent.
"Lord Tully," she asked calmly, "do you believe this rebellion will reach Harrenhal?"
"Lady Rhaena," Grover Tully replied proudly, "I believe the rioters will arrive soon. I swear upon my honor that any who dare approach Harrenhal will die beneath my sword."
Clad in his inherited silver armor, the young lord brushed his long red hair behind his ear and puffed out his chest while gazing proudly at Rhaena.
Though young, Grover had already inherited the title of Lord Paramount of the Riverlands.
And despite being barely fifteen, he had clearly set his sights on marrying the thirty-something Rhaena.
In this world, women married young.
Though Rhaena already had grandchildren, she remained radiant and healthy.
Most importantly-
She was a Targaryen.
Any man who married her might gain access to a dragon.
Many noblemen coveted that possibility.
Unfortunately, Grover Tully himself was… unimpressive.
Plain-looking, mediocre in combat, fond of drinking and pleasure, and utterly incompetent at commanding troops.
If Harrenhal truly depended on him for defense, they would all be doomed.
Rhaena knew his reputation well.
She merely nodded politely, then turned toward the Kingsguard knight Ser Lucamore Strong.
"What preparations have you made?"
Lucamore answered calmly.
"Harrenhal has six entrances. I have ordered four sealed with stone. Only the main gate and the water gate leading to the Gods Eye remain open."
"If the rebels lack ships," he continued, "we need only defend the main gate, the strongest point of the castle."
The other Kingsguard, Ser Ryam Redwyne, added:
"As long as we hold the walls and avoid unnecessary sorties. and with Lady Rhaena's dragon Dreamfyre, the men and supplies inside the castle should last until reinforcements arrive from King's Landing."
The knights and officers present had discussed the same plan earlier.
Many nodded in agreement.
Seeing their confidence, Rhaena moved on.
"Have we received any news from the king?"
Lucamore frowned slightly.
"Harrenhal has no rookery for ravens. And recently no royal messengers have arrived from King's Landing."
The sudden uprising had severed communication between the capital and Harrenhal.
The uncertainty weighed heavily on him.
"It seems Harrenhal must finally have a permanent maester," Rhaena said thoughtfully.
"With several children living here, and Rhaegar turning five next year, it is time for formal education."
She glanced at Lord Towers beside her, who was nearly asleep in his chair, and ordered a servant to cover him with a blanket.
Then she turned to the visibly uneasy Grover Tully.
Time for him to be useful.
"Lord Tully," she said calmly, "your entourage includes a maester, does it not?"
The young lord snapped back to attention.
"Ah- yes! Of course!"
The two exchanged looks.
When he failed to continue speaking, Rhaena simply gave the order herself.
"Have your maester write a letter in my name requesting that the king send additional soldiers."
"And request that the Citadel assign a permanent maester to Harrenhal."
"Understood!" Grover replied eagerly.
"I will have the letter written after the meeting. We brought more than a dozen ravens with us."
Eager to prove his competence, the young lord had unknowingly allowed Rhaena to take complete control of the situation.
Without realizing it, the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands had begun obediently carrying out Rhaena's commands.
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