An Au idea of what could potentially happen in the future of ASOIAF. A king sits in his throne room reflecting on those he learned from, and the future to come…. Beware there is some character death and a little fluff at the end. Also a plothole or two but none that I feel like fixing. Enjoy.

It was on stormy nights like this that King Tommen, Ruler of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm, reflected on his past. He sat in a chair in the balcony in a rather modest pair of clothes, though it was far finer than most peasants would ever see. He sat just out of reach of the howling waters, a plate of food on his left, a cat in his lap and a glass of wine in his hand. Though he had learned to avoid the many many ills that had plagued his relatives over the decades, incest and madness being the foremost, Tommen did admit a bit of a weakness to wine. Perhaps it ran in his blood or perhaps it was from sitting on the Iron Throne, either answer would be acceptable in his mind. Since his 10th nameday the young boy turned man had sat the throne, a place he had never expected to be. With the few years both proceeding and following his coronation in such turmoil it was a surprise to anyone, let alone himself, that he had not only held the throne, but continued to hold it for the better part of two decades.

Born the second son of a usurper king, he always been trained for the sidelines. To be an administrator, to help his brother maintain control of Westeros. His brother had been the one destined for the throne, groomed and trained by the best scholars and teachers and not to mention his mother. His father had even once said so himself, the term "replacement" still tasting like ash on his tongue whenever he was forced to use it. In a way it was almost sad Tommen thought as the lightning roared out through the window on his balcony. His father who had never wanted to rule was bound by honor to do so, and here he was doing the same thing.

Perhaps that's why he had succeeded, why he managed to bring the tattered nation back together. Tommen had watched men who wanted the throne, had listened to his mother rave and roar about the four false kings who opposed his brother, who lead armies of greedy nobles and desperate commoners across the land with sword and axe and whatever else was available in hand. Five kings and later one Queen had fought over the twisted chair sitting in the throne room of his keep. 6 proclaimed regents, each who believed themselves and their own cause to be right; their own way to be just. All had sought to kill each other but none had sought to understand each other, to learn both their strength as well as the weaknesses. Though the war did not end by Tommen's doing he had striven to understand these men, his uncles and instructors schooling him in all their abilities.

From Renly Baratheon he had learned the power of charisma, that a great care for the people would earn loyalty the way no whip or sword could ever hope to. Tommen remembered watching Renly speaking in court and had admired the way in which he had held the audience enthralled to his voice. And yet the greatest lesson he had learned from him was from his failure. Renly had believed his popularity would protect him from those with ambition. Renly had learned his folly the hard way, and Tommen swore never to let vanity rule in place of logic.

Robb Stark had interested the young king even as a boy, the exploits of the Young Wolf, the Undefeated King of the North. Even when he had been marching on the south to take his vengeance. Rob Stark had rallied his men in response to the dishonor placed on his house. Cersei had often tried to tell him otherwise, but Tommen could empathize with the young wolf. A boy should have to fight for his father's honor. His kinsmen had thought the same, and had raised the young lord to the throne of the North. Robb Stark had showed more honor in conduct than most if at all any of the kings vying for power. And his men loved him for it.

But in the end it was honor that convinced the Wolf to remove lord Karstarks head and lose his army; to break an arranged marriage and honor the indiscretion he had made with his wife. It was honor that made Robb attempt to make amends with Walder Frey and what ultimately sealed his fate. Tommen had learned the value of honor from Robb Stark, and the greatness in having it. But he would never allow it to rule him; to confine him to a world of black and white. A king is often faced with hard choices, and the honorable decision is not always the right one.

The King of the Iron Islands had also suffered from this problem, though few in the kingdoms would accuse Balon Greyjoy of having honor. The man was as cold as the deepest current and was considered the most dangerous man on an island full of killers and warriors. Here stood a man who had fought not only for what he wanted or what he wanted, but for the wants of his people. To return to the old ways when the Ironborn had been the terror of the seas, instead of mocked and ridiculed as a dying people. It was noble in its own way, but also foolish and doomed to fail. Once Balon had passed on it did not take long for the islands to fracture apart. What unity might have been established at the kingsmoot was quickly ended by Euron Greyjoys bloodlust. Ambition is necessary for a ruler to protect and expand his power, but must be tempered with realism.

His brother could never be tempered, never made to bow or concede when he was wrong. Tommen had lived in fear of his brother, had watch wanted as his mother had trained him to be king. His father had been absent for most of Joffrey's life, and what had started out as a young enthusiastic boy had quickly turned to poison. Perhaps his parents were to blame, perhaps the crown had come to him to him before it was his time. Perhaps his brother simply was never meant to sit the throne, though he doubted it was due to his skill as so many lords whispered. It was not a matter of ability; Tommen knew his brother had ability. When Joffrey wanted to he could be the most charming young prince in all the seven kingdoms. And despite the many bad decisions made he wasn't stupid. No if anything he was simply unrestrained; a sword made to be sharp but lacking refinement or control.

Joffrey possessed all the fire of a monarch but none of the restraint or reason, nor the ability to see past his own desires. In his eyes he was untouchable, unrestrained by man; by law; and even by the gods. Tommen sighed as he took a sip, remembering the night of his brothers wedding, when it seemed he had choked to death on that notion. Poison may have done the deed, but it was his brothers recklessness that brough about his end. Joffrey was proof that no man, not even a king was unaccountable for his actions. And that those who live a cruel life meet a cruel end.

Stannis Baratheon met a cruel end, though Tommen will always admire the man for it. Stannis was a man loyal to his duty before anything else. Before his ambitions; before his brothers and even before his own family. He had served his brother faithfully for years, had suffered what he perceived to be slights and admonishments to his honor; and yet he served. When he had raised his army to take the Iron Throne he had done so not out of greed like his brother or out of honor like the Young Wolf. He did so because he believed that it was right, both by his brothers will as well as by the laws of the land. Stannis would not allow honor to stand in the way of duty, he struck his brother down for treason, not betrayal. He dispensed justice and punishment equally, and when the threat of the white walkers came he moved north in order to stem the tide. He chose duty to the realm over duty to his crown; a detail many nobles forget when cursing his name.

That's not to say the man did not have his faults, he did on many levels. The man lacked charisma, lacked the ability to treat with discretion or mercy. Many atrocities were committed by the man in the name of duty and in the name of his god. The red woman spoke of goodness but poisoned him with malice. But when it came down to it, when the king of the white walkers came forward to lay waste it was he who stood the line. His death at the hands of the fiend was tragic, but allowed for Lord Jon Snow to finish him and put an end to the darkness from the north. Stannis Baratheon taught me what duty meant, and that kings are ultimately servants of the law and land. The court was surprised when Tommens first act of king was to commission a statue in his and Jon's honor be erected at Winterfell, but it was the least the realm owed him. Cruel man or not Stannis chose the realm over himself, and deserved to be remembered for it.

There were many men in Westeros who believed they were deserving during those times. Lords felt they deserved the land that others held, the woman they held, the deaths they believed were just. Right or wrong this was the feeling of many nobles especially in the south, and it nearly cost us everything.

Daenerys Targaryen came in a blaze of fire and blood, a chant her slaves would chant outside every city they laid siege to. She came like the conqueror Aegon of old, her dragons roasting men from battlements and crushing gates. She had raised an army of barbarians and slaves, from Dothraki horseman and Unsullied warriors to screaming fanatics of the "Dragon Mother". An army that not only seeked to conquer Westeros, but to lay waste to it.

She landed in The Reach, her first act burning Old Town to the ground; an act that would soon follow as she went from town to city destroying all who opposed her. Her unsullied laid siege to every castle and city that stood in its way, while the Dothraki rode down and slew any who tried to flee. It was known at the time that house Martell offered her an alliance but was turned down. The dragon had no need of the spear it was said, and any animal foolish enough to challenge her would be incinerated. And for a while it seemed she would succeed, The Reach and even High Garden burned as her army marched towards Kings Landing.

Then something happened, nay something considered impossible. In the final moments of High Gardens doom a cry went out. Willas Tyrell the wise, known at the time as Willas the cripple sent out pleas from the castle, ravens to every remaining house and every noble. A plea detailing the burning of Septas and prisoners, of men and women and even children. That such a plea was sent out was not so impossible, it was the fact that it was answered.

From every kingdom soldiers began to flow south, lead in both small and great hosts towards the flames of war. The fleets of the weakened kingdoms joined with the Ironborn ships, both those that had remained as well as those under Victorian Greyjoy, soon assaulted the slaver ships and fleet whenever it dared sail north. Castles having been warned in advance what surrender would entail fought tooth and nail, taking down men and horsemen both. The Dothraki Screamers, reknowned and feared for their mastery of the horse soon found their raids being ambushed by the Brotherhood without Borders and were forced back. Her army may have been large, but it was undisciplined and in a foreign land. Disease which had afflicted Westeros for centuries ravaged the freed Mereneese, and for every city taken or castle besieged, fewer and fewer Unsullied were there to keep the mob in line. The cold also took effect, many of those from the warmer climate of Essos unable to deal with the thawing cold of Westeros.

The breaking point came in the siege of Kings Landing. Weakened, starving and low on supplies her army assailed the city, her dragons assaulting from the sky. If she could take the city, victory would be hers. No one knows what killed the Red dragon before the battle. Some say it was disease, others poison. Whatever it was it showed that while dragons are ferocious beasts, they are not invincible. The second however fell to a luck ballista shot, the beasts wing grazed it fell into the blackwater and was drowned. Only the black beast, the one called Drogon remained.

It was then that the turning point happened. The men from the north came with all their fury and all their strength smashing into the circling Dothraki horseman. Many on both sides fell that day, but the northman were victorious an the Dothraki fled. Fearing defeat it was said that she looked to the south and saw the approach of the Dornish army lead by his uncle she cried out in joy. So overwhelmed by his reinforcments she flew out to met him and only when she had landed then was the trap sprung. The Dornishmen, armed with thousands of crossbows and bows waited till she was in sight, then loosed their salvo at her. At such close distances even the mighty beast could not withstand the volley. In its last moment it shielded her from the blow, not that it mattered. When Tyrion Lannister, Lord of the Westerlands and Casterly Rock stepped to her, he speared her through the chest. His words to her were simple, but known throughout the land. "The dragon may be the mightiest of all the beasts, but alone it dies. A lesson given by the spear you refused." Soon after victory was achieved and after four long years, some semblance of peace returned. Those few Mereneese who survived the battle were integrated into Dorne, while the unsullied were sent to the Wall. The Dothraki though defeated would become a difficulty that plagues us to this day.

I cannot say why all the men and lords of Westeros turned on the last Targaryen. For some like the Starks and Lannisters they knew that death had come for them, and it had to be beaten back. For others, especially the Ironborn, none were to keen to see a dragon return to sit the throne. There were many reasons why men fought against her, but there was only one reason in my opinion that none sided with her. The mad queen as she has become known was a powerful woman, with the greatest beasts on her side and an army at full strength in a kingdom weakened by years of war. If she had even gotten just one kingdom to side with her, forgiven one betrayer victory would have been hers. But she couldn't do it, she wouldn't admit that she needed help. She believed she could rule on her blood alone, and it simply wasn't enough. The final lesson he has learned from her was that a king cannot stand on his own, that he needs the lords of the realm in order to rule.

For the past two decades it is what he has tried to do, to help mediate the regions and rebuild the shattered nation. Towns have been rebuilt, lords in the north and Iron Islands were pardoned and even a few in the south were punished. The Iron bank of Bravoos, having been found to attempt secretly supporting Stannis's men and later Daenerys Targaryen, were promptly told where they could put their loans. Many of the noble families had come to call him Tommen the Healer for his efforts, a name he does not dislike. It has not been easy and in truth the king doubts he would see the nations strength return in his lifetime. Strife is still present between the many nobles and the shame to his family names needed to be fixed. Still he will do his part.

Lifting the cup to take a drink out of it he was only half surprised when a slender hand removed the cup from his hand. "You know we've talked about your penchant for wine dear husband. I can't have you ending up like the King's Hand." Tommen sighed a bit at this but turned around with a small grin on his face. "Apologies my dear queen, but I don't believe I could ever drink as much wine as him, half-man or not."

Margery Tyrell, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and rose of High Garden, gave a small snort as she placed the drink aside. "Perhaps, but I was hoping we could spend a little time together before our trip to Winterfell. I have been dealing with the children all day and they can't wait till they see Lord Snow and Lady Asha." Tommen chuckled at this nodding her head and following her back into the chamber that had served as their bedroom for the past years.

"How he ever married that woman I'll never know. Still it has helped smooth some of the bad feelings down in the end." Undressing himself he laid down in his bed, his beloved wife laying next to him. She went to blow the candle out by his bedside when he gently grapsed her hand and pulled her close.

"My queen, do you…do you think that I'm doing a good job as king?" Margery looked at him funny for a minute before giving out a small laugh, drawing the younger mans attention to her. "Tommen you inherited this kingdom during the middle of a civil war, a white walker invasion and the return of the Targeryen dragons. Since then peace has been brought to the land, or at least most of it, the crown and coffers have been restored and together we've raised three loving intelligent children. I'd say considering the past few kings we're doing alright." Tommen nodded at this, but still had a look of indecision on his face. Maergery grinned and quickly rolled on top of him, blowing out the candle.

"Of course if your still unsure then allow me to double the reassurance of my king." Tommen grinned at this and reached up and embraced his love. "As the queen wishes."

Hope you all enjoyed that, let me know what you thought.