- Mattias -
The army gathered around as Mattias looked at the people who are known to be the best archers and most steady hands as well as the most disciplined among the army of Stark and Tully.
He doesn't need a whole lot of people to understand firearms and this individual will be fighting at the rear. Bryden was there along with Catelyn and Arya as they looked at the weapon at the table.
Mattias had been making these weapons during their travels and managed to create a handful of them.
"What are these, Your Grace?" Bryden asked, eyeing the strange metal instrument laid before him.
"They're called guns—or firearms," Mattias replied, picking one up with practiced ease. "They are a superior kind of bow and crossbow."
He reached for a small, round object and held it up between his fingers. "This is a superior kind of arrow, called a bullet." Then, taking a larger rectangular object filled with bullets, he continued, "And this is called a magazine. It's similar to a quiver—it holds the bullets, but…"
Mattias smoothly inserted the magazine into the weapon with a sharp click. Everyone watched in silence as he raised the gun, taking aim at a well-crafted piece of armor set on a wooden stand.
With a single pull of the trigger, the weapon thundered. The sharp crack echoed across the yard, followed by a plume of smoke and the ringing sound of impact. The armor, once proud and polished, now bore a ragged hole through its center—torn apart as if made of parchment.
The gathered men flinched back, wide-eyed. Bryden stared in disbelief, his jaw tightening. Catelyn covered her mouth, while Arya's eyes gleamed with a mixture of awe and excitement.
Mattias lowered the smoking weapon calmly, his voice steady as he turned back to them.
"As you can see," he said.
"Even the finest armor is no match for it."
Bryden left dumbstruck that a weapon exists.
"Are these weapons from your homeland?" He asked fearing such a country could easily overwhelm them.
"Yes. I intend to teach people who are gathered here to use it."
Mattias looked over the gathered soldiers — a hundred in total, fifty from House Tully and fifty from House Stark. They stood in organized lines, a mixture of discipline and unease in their faces, still processing what they had just witnessed.
"Listen well," Mattias began, his voice cutting through the murmurs like a blade. "We do not have the luxury of months to train. You will learn quickly, you will learn properly, and you will obey without question."
He gestured to two tables laid out before them — one holding long, sleek rifles, and the other filled with shorter, heavier weapons.
"Those of you with steady hands and sharp eyes—step forward," he commanded. A group of men and a few women stepped out.
"You will learn to use these," he continued, gesturing toward the sniper rifles.
"You will strike from afar, unseen. Accuracy is your strength."
He then turned to the rest. "The rest of you will learn to wield the automatic firearms. These are meant for suppression and assault. You will advance, cover your comrades, and keep the enemy pinned."
Bryden watched silently, impressed despite himself at Mattias's commanding tone and organized approach. Catelyn stood beside him, observing how naturally he slipped into the role of a leader from another age—efficient, ruthless, and precise.
Mattias continued, pacing before the assembled troops. "You will learn how to load, aim, and fire. But more importantly—you will learn control. These weapons can turn the tide of war… or destroy everything if handled carelessly."
He raised a rifle and demonstrated the stance, finger discipline, and aiming posture.
"Every shot you fire must not be wasted. Every bullet must count."
Mattias knew that this weapon can be stolen or leaked but without a steady supply of bullets then it's nothing. Mattias would know who would steal them simply by sensing the metal being taken away without his permission.
He also places them in the rear to avoid them from being killed and having their weapon taken.
======
- Mattias -
Time passes by, everyone grows stronger by day, the rest of the army train alongside Darius who has aptitude on training soldiers and making them the best they can be.
Swain helped with Bryden on the logistics that allows them to use everything they have as effectively and efficiently as possible.
He is currently intended to summon Kaiser Ghidorah that he had acquired during his first threesome with Catelyn and Arya.
In addition to this, Mattias was also intending to use his other ability called Kingdom soul where he could see the souls of the deceased and absorb them to his kingdom.
He expects to see Catelyn's father's soul but it appears he has passed on without leaving any resentment.
Regardless, he had been taking souls from Riverrun and absorbing them as a source of energy and summon. It ranges from a rat to a human soul.
He could communicate with the rat and used them to spy while the human soul is used as a potential battery if he needs the extra boost.
Mattias had experimented on it a bit and learned that he could use body parts that have residual souls residing in them to be absorbed and reform inside the kingdom soul.
'If I could get my hands on Targaryen dragons from the house of dragons then my army would become even stronger than before!'
Mattias recalled the Prequel T.V show and remembered how Vhagar and Ceraxes died in God's Eye and their skeleton should still be there while Balerion the black dread is in Kings landing.
He already nonstop at the start but things are just turning for the worse.
At this time, he stood far from Riverrun alone to not cause a panic.
"Are you saying you're going to bring forth a dragon?" Arya was rather excited at the news, eager to see a dragon in person.
"It won't harm us, would it?" Catelyn worriedly said as she rubbed her belly that seemed to be steadily growing.
"It won't and if it did then I'll protect you." Mattias said with a smile.
The trio found an open field just outside Riverrun, where the golden light of the afternoon sun stretched long shadows across the grass.
The air was heavy and still, as though the world itself was holding its breath. Mattias stood at the center of the clearing, his cloak fluttering in the wind, while Catelyn and Arya watched from a short distance away—both curious, both anxious.
He raised his hand, and the ground began to hum. A circle of deep crimson and pale gold light formed beneath his feet, glowing brighter with every passing second. The magic radiating from him was suffocating, primal—something ancient that made even the air tremble.
Catelyn shielded her eyes as the light intensified. "Mattias… what is this?" she asked, her voice wavering between awe and fear.
"You'll see soon enough" he answered calmly.
"Stay back."
The glow deepened until it erupted into a column of energy that split the sky. Wind howled through the field, grass flattened under invisible pressure, and the world seemed to quake. The column pulsed once—twice—then exploded outward in a blinding flash.
When the light faded, a massive shape loomed within the rising dust.
The ground shook as something enormous stepped forward. A golden limb crashed into the soil, followed by another, each impact sending tremors through the land. The air filled with the sound of low, resonant growls as the creature fully emerged from the fading light.
What stood before them was a dragon unlike any other.
Its body glowed faintly under the sunlight, covered in smooth, molten-gold skin streaked with veins of vibrant teal that pulsed like living lightning. From its back and shoulders rose jagged spikes, faintly humming with restrained power. It stood on four colossal legs, each clawed and strong enough to crush stone with ease.
Three long, sinuous necks extended from its massive torso—each head distinct and terrible. One bore a crown of jagged horns, another sleek and serpentine, and the third marked by curling spines. The central neck was longer than the others, rising above them as though commanding the rest. Its eyes burned like dying suns, each pair radiating dominance and ancient fury.
Its smaller, muscular wings flexed behind its back, not meant for elegance but sheer force, while two whip-like tails lashed against the ground, carving deep furrows into the dirt.
A deep, rumbling growl reverberated through the air before erupting into a deafening triple-voiced roar that rolled across the Riverlands like thunder made flesh. Birds took flight in terror; distant horses panicked and screamed.
Catelyn stumbled back, clutching her chest as her breath hitched.
"Seven hells… Mattias…"
Arya's eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and awe.
"It's…it's beautiful… and terrifying."
Mattias watched the beast in silence, a faint smile tugging at his lips as it lowered its central head, gazing at him with burning golden eyes.
"It recognizes you," Catelyn whispered, trembling as the creature rumbled lowly, almost reverently.
Mattias nodded slowly, his expression calm, controlled.
"Of course it does," he said quietly.
"It knows its master."
Mattias smirk as Keiser Ghidorah lowered it's middle head towards him while the other two each looked at Catelyn and Arya respectively.
The creature exhaled at them while Mattias stared down at the creature without fear. It was growling and grunting before letting Mattias know he submitted to him.
Mattias touches his snout feeling the rough texture of it. He was unsure how massive Keizer was but he was confident he was bigger than Balerion simply by the measure of the black dread's skull.
Back in Riverrun, the clang of metal and the steady rhythm of marching feet echoed through the courtyard. Rows upon rows of soldiers trained under Darius's sharp gaze. His presence carried the kind of authority that demanded respect—not through fear, but through conviction.
He walked among the men, his cloak brushing against the dirt as he adjusted a soldier's stance, corrected another's grip, and barked orders that carried more wisdom than harshness.
"Again!" Darius shouted as a line of archers loosed their arrows. "Breathe before you shoot, not after! You control the bow—don't let it control you!"
He moved to the next group—those training with rifles. Their movements were stiff and uncertain, still unfamiliar with the weapons Mattias had given them.
Darius stopped beside a young man struggling to steady the barrel.
"You flinch because you fear the weapon," he said calmly, his tone not cruel but firm.
"You must understand it. It is not the gun that kills…it is the man who wields it."
The young soldier nodded and tried again, this time steadier, firing a clean shot that hit the center of the target. Darius gave a small approving nod.
"Good. Remember why you fight. Not just for the Lord Commander, but for the land, for the people who trust you to stand between them and death itself."
His words carried across the yard, quieting the mutters of exhaustion. Men who had been training since dawn straightened their backs and pushed through their fatigue.
Nearby, a small group sparred hand-to-hand, and Darius observed closely. When one fell, he offered a hand to help him up instead of scolding.
"You fall, you rise again. Every failure is just another lesson earned. We train not to win a single battle, but to never fear war again."
The soldiers cheered faintly, their spirits reignited.
Just as Darius prepared to address the next formation, a deep, resonant hum filled the air—a vibration that grew into a thunderous boom. The ground trembled as shadows swept across the courtyard.
Heads turned skyward. Gasps and shouts followed as something massive blotted out the afternoon sun.
A colossal, three-headed dragon soared overhead—its golden form gleaming, teal streaks flashing like lightning against its scales. The wings beat the air with enough force to send ripples through the river and dust spiraling upward.
And upon its back, they saw him.
Mattias stood tall, the wind whipping his cloak like a banner of dominion. In his arms, Catelyn clung to him, one hand protectively on her swelling belly, while Arya gripped his side, eyes wide with exhilaration and awe.
They were able to see the riverrun below and understood how the Targaryen felt when they rode their dragon in the sky.
The dragon let out a thunderous roar that rolled across the valley, shaking the very stones of Riverrun's walls. Soldiers froze, some dropping to their knees in instinctive reverence, others too stunned to move.
Darius looked up with a smirk of grim satisfaction.
"So," he muttered under his breath, eyes following the beast's arc through the sky.
"He has more secrets than we expected."
Then, louder, to the troops:
"You see that? That is the power of our Lord. The day will come when every banner under his command stands beneath that shadow—and none shall dare oppose us!"
The soldiers erupted into cheers, their voices rising like a war cry beneath the dragon's echoing roar.
Their morale rose as the thought of losing against their enemy army had disappeared.