Chapter Text
117 B.C
Internal conflict spreads across the kingdoms. The Riverlands attempt to name themselves their own kingdom. The Kingdom of Tigris once again attempts to claim parts of the Neck. The lords of the Stormlands attempt to break apart from the Kingdom of Jubatis.
3 B.C - 0 B.C
It is in this sun cycle that, at long last, we reach the War of Conquest and the return of the Felidae to Westeros- well their descendants anyways. In a land beyond the Narrow Sea, the Felidae changed too. The features that marked their divine and 'accidental' creation smoothed and eventually they came to resemble the Felis, save for a few notable differences. And it is these descendants that we call "demigods"- although that name is a misnomer as the Felidae were never the trueborn children of the Panthera and the demigods in question had only a touch of divinity to them.
It should be noted that the Felidae naming style denoted an individual's rank or position in their hierarchy. For more details on what happened to them after they left Westeros you will have to dig through the Citadel's archives, but the important ones to this work are: -sun, typically used to describe a king; -moon a queen; and -star a princeling. Thus the winged Felidae Soaring-sun should have already been king of... something elsewhere. Unless he was preemptively calling himself the king of Westeros, but that is a debated topic.
What is known is that he and his own landed on an island in Blackwater Bay, a long disputed strip of land between the Kingdoms of Leo and Jubatis. Any time either ruler would grant the island to someone, the other would respond and destroy any foundation before it could be completed. Eventually it came to it that any house offered it would- very politely- decline for, while the land was rewarded as a prize, funds to build were not.
Needless to say neither the House of the Lion nor the Cheetah were pleased by this interloper. Queen Owl Burrow sent her fastest runners to confront them while King Scorched Stone agreed to send a patrol to follow them at a slower pace. The bigger cats could not move at the same pace as their neighbors, but it was agreed the effort should be joint given the unknown aspect of the newcomers and what their strange looking ships were capable of; for the seven kingdoms had known only the fishing rafts utilized by the Kingdom of Tigris. Those were flat and smaller, with paddles to control them and their direction while the ships that accompanied Soaring-sun were wide with a tall cloth that tamed the wind.
By the time the envoy from the Kingdom of Jubatis arrived, the castle of Griffinstone was finished. Such a feat was attributed to the others the would-be conqueror brought with him. And even his own mate and queen, Heather-moon, was believed to be a sorceress of Divine Nature herself (although there are no records of any cat seeing her to wield any of those powers). And while no one was there to witness the initial landing, there are plenty of songs and stories describing the way Soaring-sun's golden pelt and feathers captured the light of dawn and how it must have seemed a divine sight. That the kingdoms were foolish to oppose him… Isn't there a saying about hindsight?
Now, much of what happens in this next part is either speculation or second-hand recounts pieced together. According to the staff, the envoy was greeted courteously and welcomed into Griffinstone. Soaring-sun himself informed them that he was there to unite the seven kingdoms (although one maid noted that the joke was he was there to unite the "nine kingdoms- or however many there are" for by this time the conflict in Westeros had lasted over one hundred cycles, but that maid's recount was never repeated in anyone else's). The envoy attempted to treat with the newcomers, even offering terms they considered to be "better than what the Maned ones could offer ten-fold". To which the demigod smiled coldly and asked "better than being stabbed in the back?" The envoy did not remain longer than a night. On the second day, they were sent from Griffinstone.
The more suspicious ones would claim sorcery caused the storm that broke the raft of the envoy; others would consider it divine intervention; or others still simply bad luck. Either way, the envoy never returned to Highgarden. And when the envoy from the Kingdom of Leo arrived, they were not permitted to land on the island. In retaliation, the two kingdoms agreed to join forces to drive back the demigod. However, Soaring-sun was already on the move.
While the conflict of Westeros was long lasting, the effects were not near so dire as the Divine Wars. The seceders fought amongst one another for power almost as much as they fought the reigning house, effectively extending the on and off conflict. And it was during one of these confrontations that Soaring-sun presented his terms to the storm lords: submit to his rule and they would be permitted to live and keep much of their land or refuse and perish where they stood. Seeing the smaller patrol he brought- even though it included at least two others also possessed Divine Flight- they brushed off the threat and attacked. What happened would later be referred to as The Kindling.
Soaring-sun opened his jaws and let loose a slew of fire, for the conqueror was Twice-Blessed and possessed not only Divine Flight, but also fire Divine Nature. With their armies burnt to a crisp, the storm lords bowed their heads. Led by Heather-moon, the army marched southwest while Soaring-sun flew southeast with a few of his guard.
Given the flat expanse of territory surrounding Highgarden, Queen Owl Burrow could see the enemies coming and had locked down the castle. Anything edible was brought into the high stone walls and anything that could not be carried was destroyed to prevent the opposition from stealing it. No doubt the queen believed herself safe. And she and her own were, for a time. But then illness spread throughout the castle. Their water supply smelled off and their food rotted faster than what should have been possible. Many believed it to be a curse from the sorceress-queen; the less superstitious speculated sabotage. After three moons of siege and sickness, Highgarden surrendered and the leather band that symbolized the House of the Cheetah's power was burned for all their own to see.
In Sunspear, having received a call for help from a besieged Queen Owl Burrow, King Lizard Strike also attempted to resist. Their castles and city were made of white stone, used to the intense heat of the sun and he was confident they would not burn. The brush of the desert would flare quickly, of that the king had no doubts, but it would be gone soon enough. And then what could the enemy do? It's said the king claimed "nothing awaited the invader but cold sand". But burn the sand did, as did the cats who called the city their home. Faced with the potential destruction of their family and loved ones, a coup took place in the palace and the king was forced to surrender. His gold circlet was melted into the dirt in front of his palace.
Generals and scholars alike would claim Soaring-sun could have united all of Westeros in a single sun cycle if he wished, but after conquering the Kingdoms of Jubatis and Carcol, he remained south to establish his reign and hierarchies. Amongst them was a new house known as House Thunder. With their stronghold of Storm's End, it was believed that Lord Raptor Spire was kin to the king himself, but these rumors were never confirmed.
It is not until the fifth moon of 2 A.C that Soaring-sun rallies his new army to begin the march north. With him is the largest army Westeros had seen since the War of the Fiends, over three hundred cycles prior. Starting in the Westerlands of Casterly Rock, Soaring-sun faced the Noble Roar of King Scorched Stone. Some would speculate and argue that, perhaps, blessings were not as effective against demigods for the cry did nothing to falter the conqueror. Others would say that is being inconsistent and those who try to argue effectiveness simply didn't want to believe that Soaring-sun held no guilt. We will never know what Scorched Stone believed, for the king died in the following fight at the claws and fangs of Soaring-sun. And the House of the Lion bowed their heads to the conqueror.
Wheeling east, the army met one of three claimants to the "Kingdom of the Riverlands" in Harrenhal- the first being House Marshwater in Riverrun. However following the defeat of Scorched Stone, their head of house bowed to Soaring-sun without resistance. House Salamander had time to shore up their defenses. At the top of their four towers were mounted bows intent on knocking the winged demigods out of the air. But Soaring-sun and his own were much more nimble than they led their armies and enemies to believe and, once the bows were burned, the rest of the castle went with it. For their attacks, their head of house was not even permitted the option of surrendering. And on that day, House Salamander was wiped out.
Rather than march north to the Twins, Soaring-sun left his army in the Crownlands while he and his guard flew over the mountains of the Vale. There, they forced King Hawk Whisper to surrender his eagle relic and throne by holding his mate and queen hostage above the clouds.
Expecting to face the intruders at the Twins next, Queen Briar Whistle- who had also been supporting House Hyacinth in the struggle over the Riverlands- sent much of her army to bolster their defenses. Instead, Soaring-sun sent his own to the Iron Islands directly. Basing out of Riverrun, Raptor Spire besieged Pyke and prevented the kingdom from fishing in Ironman's Bay. Eventually she too surrendered. Surrounded by enemies on three sides, the head of House Hyacinth attempted to flee north into the Neck only to be captured and executed. The family they'd left behind bowed shortly after being presented with their traitor's head.
And here again Soaring-sun paused in his war to ensure the newly acquired oaths of fealty were strong and true. He kept with him at the head of his army the kin closest to the former kings and queens. These would see the heart of battle and were at the highest risk of death from their enemies should the newly conquered houses wish to change their minds.
Finally, in the tenth moon of 1 A.C, Soaring-sun led his army of five kingdoms north to meet the Kingdom of Uncia. It is in this cycle also that winter returns to Westeros. Perhaps a sign of favor for the northern kingdom?
King Day of Little Light awaited the conqueror's army at Moat Cailin. Here, Soaring-sun offered the king the same terms offered to all the others. Negotiations ran all night and into the next day and were headed by his daughter, Snow that Settles on Leaves. In the evening of the second day, King Daylight placed his crown of Heart wood in front of Soaring-sun and swore allegiance. Accepting the pledge, the conqueror named the House of the Snow Leopard the wardens of the north. While Daylight would later be known as the "King who Knelt", it is worth arguing that, because of him, no northern cat was slain in the War of Conquest.
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Before we move on to the king's coronation and the beginning of his reign, we must first turn our attention to the beliefs the demigods brought with them. Primarily that of his queen, Heather-moon, for she was also sometimes called a "red priest". That is to say, the queen was a follower of the Lord of Light. It is their belief that there is but one true god: that of the fire-god R'hllor. That all other deities were... not false, necessarily, but "misinterpretations" which led to the conflicts that Westeros faced.
Soaring-sun never declared his conquest to be that of a "holy war". Neither did he denounce the Old Gods or the Faith of the Seven. But during his time, Heather-moon and other red priests traveled Westeros freely, preaching of their god and of the prophecy that states "When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, the prince that was promised shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to bring the dawn".
While the red priesthood continues to be a minority today, theirs are still around and are worth mentioning.
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With the six kingdoms united- the conqueror did not bother bending the Kingdom of Saber- he began the construction of the city that would later be called King's Landing. While the site is not the actual location in which they first alighted in Westeros, it is considered the starting point of the conquest. The original base of the Red Keep took a moon and a half to complete; although it would later be expanded over the following cycles.
And in the first moon of 0 B.C, the High Septon crowned Soaring-sun as "King of Westeros and the Felis, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm" before all the high lords and ladies in King's Landing.
We will finish this volume in the seventh moon of the start of Soaring-sun's reign. In this moon, his queen dies. The circumstances surrounding her death are never revealed to the public although there is much speculation. Some claim the queen died of an incurable illness. Others believe she was assassinated by a member of the Faith of the Seven who could not bear the blasphemy the red priests preached. And some quietly whispered from the shadows that the king himself murdered her- out of madness or love or both? For his queen and the ancestress to House Griffin's dynasty was Snow-moon. And when she was crowned, it was done so with the Heart wood crown her father had originally given up.