Ice and Fire by Charles Osborne..Prologue Two hundred years after the events of A Song of Ice and Fire, Westerns seemed to enjoy relative peace. The alliances among the great houses of the seven kingdoms remained mostly true to how they were in antiquity: the Tersely and Marvels were still bitter towards each other, Weightier plotted in silence against their liege lords, House Harlan dreamt of driftwood crowns, Starks and Lancaster gave each other a wide berth, and the Frees remained close with the Lions

 Bullish ruled in the Riverbanks, Aryan in the Vale, Lancaster in the Wastelands, Gregory in the Iron Islands, Parathion in the Standards and Croplands, Martial in Doreen, and Stark in the North.
The Lord Commander and his black brothers at the Wall still fought to keep the White Walkers and the Wilding at bay. The Golden Company still sought to return, although now from their stout keep on the isle of Bloodstone.
Though none opposed the King openly, the great houses were power-hungry and scheming and plotting for a chance to get closer to the crown. The King, Harry Parathion was a strong man, though naive and rash. He kept his friends close and frustrated his banner. Not one to turn down a fight, he was ready to turn to war at the first sign of a threat. In this turmoil, the King threw a feast to celebrate the beginning of the new year. Here like in times gone past, the high lords began their Game of Thrones anew.