AN: You may have noticed in the Overview of Ashfield that the Belmonts faced no rebellions from their subjects in the early years...

...that's not entirely true.

This is also most likely the last you'll see of Adrian Belmont because there's very little to cover about his actions after this.

Random fun facts: Ashfield did copy the Ironborn in one aspect of naval warfare, their oarsmen double as soldiers which means that rather than 35 marines, archers, artillery crew per 100 oarsmen, you can add those 100 oarsmen to the count of marines. They were adapting this after they annexed the Iron Islands, When Ironborn who joined the Northern Withdrawal settled down, they made up most of the naval crews which ensured that the practice would stay.

Not sure if I'll do an overview describing the entirety of their military capabilities so here's a simple Description.

The Ashfield Army: utilizing combined-arms strategies (think ASoIaF Golden Company) to make many noblemen who've faced them question the validity of knights on the battlefield long before Aegon began his conquest and long after it.

The Silent War

The Rills.

It should have been a perfect time to strike. The Belmonts were reeling from the First Ironborn Incursion they'd ever face. They were so focused on their preparations for their return that they'd yet to notice dissent.

The Belmonts had yet to realize that their newfound subjects would not bow to Southrons. Nor did they have the means to mount a proper response while fighting off the second Ironborn attack

Fighting off the Ironborn's second attempt at raiding, taking back their lands should have been an easy task. Take back their holdings and buckle down for the Winter, King Stark would have to fight them in the Spring and by then they could have consolidated. The Belmonts wouldn't fight a war so soon after fighting off the Ironborn when winter was approaching, right?

Wrong.

When they had been rallying warriors, the Belmonts had been enacting measures to take care of their new Smallfolk. Many of the rebel's former subjects had found their lives a little bit better under their new lords, only the most loyal had flocked to their side. It should not have mattered as most of them had marched off to fight the Ironborn leaving their homes defenseless...

It was another of many false assumptions.

The Belmonts had brought their strange practices and organizations with them. with the new way they did things this meant that even the smallfolk living near the castles had been trained in the usage of weapons, it was a shock to find old men and even women armed and armored and garrisoning the castles they had hoped to claim. They were not the greatest warriors, in a field battle they would have been slaughtered, losing five or ten for every one of theirs. But they were trained well enough that taking the castles successfully would have been a temporary victory at best.

They held out long enough for Magnar Belmont to find out and take action at a pace Rogar didn't realize was possible, it never really registered in his head, how fast the Southron soldiers could mobilize. By the time they had received word of Magnar Belmont's successful repelling of the Ironborn, he was already marching for them.

The only respite if any was that his soldiers had to be reorganized, which meant that he brought fewer troops to do battle at the onset.

The new Magnar led a force of two thousand against their Eight thousand, it should have ended in favor of the rebels. Those Two-thousand were his most battle-hardened troops, they had forced the rebels into a series of skirmishes in the course of a month.

It was the most painful month of Rogar's life, The Belmont soldiers slaughtered them. There was no pitched battle, only a series of unending skirmishes. Their forces were torn apart, piece by piece, and then came his reinforcements, another two-thousand, by that point the Belmonts had only lost hundreds compared to the thousands they had inflicted.

Not all of them could take it, in the end, the remaining three thousand soldiers with them had surrendered. The Household troops of the Rebel Nobles had been wiped out, all who remained were smallfolk. Because they were just smallfolk they were spared on the condition that they would relocate themselves and their families to recovered Stony Shore and eke out a living there.

Not a single one objected, and the attempted rebellion had died with a whimper.

Now the survivors were in the ruins of the camp, the surviving nobles corraled into a makeshift square that was the only intact remnant of the Rebel campsite.

With weapons at their backs, all they could do was glare hatefully at the Southron Magnar.

"Rogar Dustin… If I recall correctly, we had spared you during the last war. Frankly, it was only because you were kin to my wife and that she pleaded for your life that you were spared. Do you really think so little of her, to spit on her efforts?"

"That whore of a princess is no kin of mine!" He bellowed. Princess Serena Dustin had been left in Barrowton by his father, his cousin mounted a defense against the Winter King for a month, before she chose to surrender. She knelt before the King and he spared her, and she promptly spread her legs for the man responsible for the death of her uncle and her father.

Ungrateful Bitch, Rogar thought bitterly. How could she bow to the Winter Kings after all they had done?

By all accounts, her marriage to the Belmont was a happy one, and Rogar was certain he would take offense. So he had braced himself for a blow that never came. The Southron lord did nothing. His only response was to stare at him with a slight frown upon his face.

Only for one of the soldiers behind him to strike him in the back with a mace, Rogar lost control of his legs but the soldiers gripping him kept him from falling, another soldier gagged him and all he could do was glare defiantly as Belmont watched with the proceedings with irreverence.

Then Belmont turned away and addressed the arrayed prisoners.

"When King Jon granted you mercy, I spoke against it, I knew that if he did not kill you all, it would cause him grief. I even told him as much. It was only because he asked me to dismiss the matter that I left it be."

Oaths made at swordpoint mean little. Rogar wanted to scream, but the gag forced him to stay silent, at the same time it occurred to them that the Belmonts had advocated for outright annihilation rather than mercy, which meant it was Jon Stark who gave them authority over them, rather than an actual decision by Magnar Belmont.

A hundred curses on the Belmonts and thousand curses upon Jon Stark for bringing them here. Rogar thought. The fact that he had brought outsiders into the conflict left a bitter taste in Rogar's thoughts more so because they had brought him Victory, the North belonged to the Kings of Winter as not even their ancient rivals could stand against them. The Belmonts laid ambushes and traps, sabotaging supplies and poisoning their soldiers, even going as far as to attack their camps at night with infiltrators.

They had killed his father in the middle of their camp, and not a single person had noticed until it was far too late.

"Oh, You're upset because you made that oath at swordpoint? You had two options, Death or Fealty. If your cause mattered so much to you, then you should have died for it, you should have struggled for it, you should have spat in our King's face rather surrender and try to pull this farce, You should have fought to the bitter end."

"You chose to swear a false oath before the Gods, and here we are, with you all rising in rebellion. Clearly, clemency was a mistake. No one will remember your names. Your immediate families save for your children shall be executed."

One day they will be avenged, Rogar thought.

If the looks on the faces of the others were any indication, they also thought it would be the case, only for the Southron upstart to dash their hopes upon a rock.

Belmont saw their looks and smiled, which left them with an uneasy feeling in their stomachs that kept growing, as if he knew something that they hadn't taken into account.

"I did not say I would spare your heirs, they are all men grown and have made their decisions, and will have to live with it however little time they may have left."

"...Tis winter now, your other children if you have any, will be raised in my castle and they will be the ones to inherit your lands."

No... a number of the Rebels immediately realized the implication of his words. Magnar Belmont carried on, ignoring the looks of mounting horror.

"As far as the King knows, You've prepared poorly for the Winter and as such, you sent your children to me so that they can be cared for, only for tragedy to strike, you and your heirs will all have died during the Winter, either by exposure to the cold, starvation or the Chills."

"The King will be saddened by your deaths, and I will be as well, he and I will accept that such things can and will happen, such is the danger of Winter, especially up here. I will play the role of the dutiful Magnar, I will personally see to the education of your children and take care of your holdings for them."

Your surviving sons and daughters will grow up hating you. Was what the rebels realized he was saying.

They would survive a harsh winter under Magnar Belmont's care, he would tell the children lies about their deaths. By then, the truth will long be forgotten and even if it was uncovered their descendants would not care. By then, they would have long understood why their sworn lord acted as he did.

They would learn that to the Belmonts, Betrayal was the greatest offense. It was what brought them here in the first place, it was something that they themselves had realized too late.

If they ever sought the truth, their children would learn that their parents betrayed House Belmont and paid the price.

That the Belmonts decided in the benevolence to spare them because they were innocent. Having been raised by their sworn lord since childhood, they would find it easy to accept such a thing as truth and delve no further.

They would never understand why their parents had done so, for they would have been raised in the ways of House Belmont and not of the North. Thus, the truth dies with them, not even the King of Winterfell will know what has transpired, for why would he care if his former enemies died during the Winter when death is too frequent of an occurrence at these times? He would never look into the matter and even if he did he would hear it from the Belmonts who would tell it from their perspective.

Dead men cannot speak.

Two of Belmont's soldiers came forth carrying a headsman's block and Magnar Belmont drew his blade. It was a strange blade. At first glance, the blade was colored bronze, but closer inspection allowed an observer to note the pale-white and rippling waves on the blade itself. The fuller had Runes carved into it, It looked similar to that of the Old runes, but Rogar could not decipher them, which implied that the blade itself was far more ancient.

Where would they have gotten such a blade?

His thoughts were cut short when he heard the first man being dragged to the block, demanding to have his last words be heard. Only for the Southron Magnar to cut his head off in one swift stroke.

"Traitors and Oathbreakers do not deserve to say their piece." Belmont coldly declared as the next man was dragged to the block.

"All you get is oblivion, embrace it." The second man was screaming up until the Blade fell down on his neck, a Ryswell, Rogar believed.

For the next hour, rebels were dragged to the block screaming, and Adrian Belmont's Blade kissed their necks, separating their heads from their shoulders.

The cloying smell of blood got stronger and stronger the more people he killed. The bodies were dragged off to be cremated and all Rogar could see was the growing and billowing stacks of smoke from the pyres.

He barely looks winded, Rogar thought.

Then it was his turn.

Rogar Dustin, last of the Barrow King line, having narrowly escaped the King of Winter in battle, outfoxed and caused headaches for Magnar Belmont for several years was now staring at the blade of his executioner.

The Soldiers dragged him up to the black, forced him to kneel, with his head laying on the block.

For a brief moment, Rogar was able to look into the Southron Magnar's eyes. He had heard that the Belmonts claimed to have been Northerners themselves, their ancestors exiled by the Red King's and forced to wander the South for generations. At that moment Rogar thought it might not have been some false claim, his eyes were cold, unyielding and decisive.

It was no false claim, He may have been born in the South but the Magnar bore the eyes of a man from the North.

He is one of us after all... it was the last thought that ran through Rogar's mind.

The Blade fell down.

Sea Dragon Point: The Arsenal of the West

"A location vital for the existence of the Ashfield Fleet, and as such it has been appropriately fortified, garrisoned and defended. Why the Ironborn often thought it would be easy to take is a mystery for the Ages." - Unknown

In many ways, Sea Dragon point was an Ideal location, It was dotted with many coves which could be used as natural harbors. Seals, otters, Salmon were abundant which meant fishing could be done during all seasons and last but not least, the Lands around it were rich in Pine and Cedar Trees both ideal materials for shipbuilding. The features of said land had never escaped the notice of the Masters of Blackstone.

Its first incarnation was simply a naval base granted by the Starks to the Belmont's to be held in their demesne and it served it's purpose well. The ruined ringfort was restored and the many coves were used to anchor down the Fleet. As time went on what was originally meant to be a harbor became the largest complex of shipyards in Westeros. It's many coves repurposed into shipyards and it's close proximity to the Wolfswood and the multitude of Pine and Cedar forests gave immediate access to ideal shipbuilding materials.

When the Ironborn made an attempt to attack Sea Dragon's Point in an attempt to capture recently finished ships, House Belmont responded by strengthening its fleet further and launching counter raids. This culminated in the Taking of the Iron Isles during Theon Stark's Campaign. Sea Dragon point saw new construction, watchtowers, boom-chains and positions with ballistae and catapults were built. Yet it did very little to dissuade the Ironborn, the only boon, if there was any, was that the Ashfield Navy became far more experienced in Naval warfare than the rest of their peers in the other kingdoms, thanks to the fact that they had to drive off Ironborn ships and contest the Sunset Sea for generations.

Most of the Ashfield Fleet ships that had not been captured from the Ironborn had been built at Sea Dragons Point. Post Conquest, King Aegon was surprised to find out about its existence, at which William Belmont pointed out that he had to have gotten a fleet from somewhere. He was unaware for a long time that his wife Visenya was the only Targaryen aware of Ashfields Naval capabilities. At that point, King Aegon would them commission House Belmont to construct eighty War Galleys for the Royal Fleet, which was to the astonishment of the King were built and brought to King's Landing in less than a year.

By the time of Aerys the Mad, Sea Dragon Point was devoted to the maintenance of sea-going vessels rather than shipbuilding but had not lost the capability. Sea Dragon Point's industrial capability had often been compared to that of the Arsenal of Braavo's, more so when the Sealord himself had visited Sea Dragon Point he called it 'The Arsenal of the West'.

AN:

Perspective matters. The Northerners are stubborn, it wouldn't be a surprise if they didn't like how things have changed.

You may notice that this was never mentioned the Ashfield overview, it was omitted on purpose, because as far as the rest of the North was concerned the Rebels weren't actually rebels, just people who died during the Winter as the Belmonts had pretty much covered it up, but informed their king when it was asked of them.

If you care for the perspective of the Belmonts, They were annoyed that the enemy was granted clemency when it would have made more sense to kill them(as they were aware that they would cause issues in the future and wanted to head that off), they acquiesced only because the king told them to.

So when they rebelled despite giving an oath of loyalty after being spared... well they had no inclination to spare the Rebels at that point, but at the same time wiping them out root and stem would have also been wrong as not all of them had rebelled (or in this case too young to rebel). The fact that it solidifies their control over their domain, via influencing the Rebel's successors was just icing on a cake they didn't realize they had up until that point.

Are the Belmont's being hypocritical or cruel? Maybe. From the Belmont perspective, they were waging war against the Rebels back when they were Kings. Though from the Rebel's perspective they forced to make an oath at metaphorical sword point, they had several choices.

1. Lay down and die. (If they were in the same position, the Belmonts would've found this unacceptable)

2. Keep Fighting (Belmonts would have chosen this in their position)

That is as far as the Belmont perspective was, but in reality, the rebels also had these options:

3. Surrender and throw themselves at the Mercy of the Winter King

4. Surrender and swear themselves to the Winter King

The Rebels chose Option four and due to certain practices in the North the defeated made their oath in the Godswood, due to their personal beliefs Magnar Belmont and his Clan essentially allowed it as they believed that the defeated would hold to oaths made before the gods, right?

Then the rebels break their oaths a few years later, which results in the above snippet.

Not sure if I did it justice in the end but it was meant to show that the OC House could be quite vicious (read: Adrian did order the deaths of men barely grown or Teenagers) when provoked and that they have a few pet peeves. The Belmonts during Seven Kingdoms Era and the Belmonts of the Iron Throne Era are different entities. One is far more ruthless and the ones we see in the future (read: Targaryen Rule) have more 'measured' responses, relatively speaking.

Dealing with Midterms at the moment so here are quotes with context about things to come.

"...Hey don't look at me, I didn't do it, this time at least." - Said by every Belmont of Blackstone to the Stark in Winterfell at least once per generation.

"Every bout of madness that occurs here is often tied to the Belmont nearby..." - Northern saying

"I've always said the man was either insane or had balls of steel. Belmont had a dragon roaring in his face and treated the entire situation like he had been told the Mabari** had gotten into the Skyhold larders, which was to say stoic resignation. Well...that, and complaining that his ears were ringing." - Brandon Snow in the aftermath of the Parley between the Kingdom of Winter and House Targaryen

"I can't help but wonder dear, why did your brother decide on conquering the Five of the Kingdoms if he couldn't be bothered to rule it himself after?" - Lord William Belmont to his wife Visenya, after his wife had received a missive requesting help from Lord Hand Orys Baratheon

"How long have you been hiding this from me?"

"... you never asked."

- a supposed exchange between King Aegon I Targaryen and William Belmont upon visiting Sea Dragon Point during his Royal Progress in the North.

"While I am touched that you think so highly of me cousin, this was why I didn't want to come South." - Maegor Belmont to his cousin Aenys upon seeing the reactions of the Faith.

"Remind me again mother, why is it that I and Aenys are building this damn keep when my esteemed uncle can't be bothered to check up on its progress?" - Maegor Belmont to his mother during the construction of the Red Keep, her response was never written down but was noted to be 'colorful'.

"Did you hear the news?"

"I did, oh gods I did, I still can't believe I'm related to those fools. I'm almost certain that Lady Visenya is rolling in her grave..." - An exchange between Lord Cregan Stark and Lord Gareth Belmont, upon hearing of the Dance of the Dragons in the South

"He is your distant kin Gareth, "

"I know Cregan, that's why I'm leaving men behind."

"To control him?"

"To protect him, until he comes of age. I have no idea why the King must be protected by just the supposedly seven best knights and considering what just happened, I do not trust them."

"Right, you do realize that still leaves the vipers in the court?"

"I know, which is why I wish to ask something of you my Lord."

- Another exchange between Lord Gareth Belmont and Lord Cregan Stark, shortly before the 'Hour of the Wolf'

"Marshal the Fleet." - Gareth Belmont upon receiving a missive from King Aegon III informing him of the 'Secret Siege' in King's Landing

"They did what now? Oh, of course they did..." - The response of every Belmont at some point in their lives when finding out the Mabari packs had successfully raided the castle larders.

"Right, I was annoyed with the damn statue worshipper before, met him before he was a king and called me a heathen and a faithless savage to my face, I actually felt the urge to show him how 'savage' I could be... It was only because of Elaena that I did nothing. But now? I'm absolutely livid, remind me to apologize to my father and Lord Stark after this..." - Asher Belmont, after receiving a missive from Princess Elaena Targaryen and shortly before taking a third of the Ashfield Fleet for the 'Storming of the Maidenvault'

"I never really knew how it truly started. It was only through blood ties that I bothered to go South in the First place, I swear that's the only reason we bother with the south nowadays, because someone with blood ties to us asks us to intercede. I know how it began though, my fool of a Grandfather gave a sword to my natural-born uncle rather than my trueborn one and that was the spark that lit the dry chaff, and from the dry chaff came an inferno that set the Kingdom ablaze." - Lord Alaric Belmont on the Blackfyre Rebellion

"Only a fool would fight the Dothraki on an open field. Only a Belmont is insane enough to try... and actually succeed." - Lord Jon Arryn upon finding out of the Reclamation of Sarnor and the participation of the Company of the Rose under Saera Belmont

"There were very few in the south that I considered true friends. Baelor, Lyonel, Duncan and Egg- no, Aegon, they were the only ones I could call my friends. Baelor was a good king, the Second of his name, 'Breakspear' they called him in his youth, saved his life at Ashford, took a blow meant for him and suffered painful headaches in the following weeks, but I'd do it again. As kings, I reckon he and Egg were both close seconds to the Conciliator, at least as far as I'm concerned. They both became kings and both of them were my friends... and maybe that's why despite everything Egg's descendants done to my family, it still breaks my heart to do this." - Alaric Belmont to Jon Arryn, during Robert's Rebellion the night before the Battle of the Trident

"It hasn't been that long, yet Jahaerys II and Aerys the Mad made Baelor the Great* and Aegon the Unlikely's reigns feel like a lost Golden age." -Unknown Noble

*AU, Baelor Breakspear survives and was king, displacing Aerys I and Maekar for that duration (about 24 years)

**Mabari are an import from Records of the Eighth Kingdom, different origins in this AU, taken from Dragon Age