The Songs of Sheeran - A CKII AGOT Narrative AAR

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 70: The Sword III

The Narrow Sea
Albin Sheeran

The journey was long and boring. During the entire voyage, he kept hearing names of cities like Oldtown, Sunspear, and Lys, but none of them were Volantis which was apparently close to the location of his sword. He had read all the books he had brought and had nothing to do, Vaekar offered light conversation but it was not exciting to him. The mysterious man brought out a checkered board and began laying various wooden pieces on it, there were archers, knights, dragons, swordsmen, and kings. After placing all of the pieces on the board, he placed a screen separating the board in half.

"Have you ever played Cyvasse, my lord?" Vaekar asked.

​

Albin had never seen or heard of the game, but he wanted something to do to pass the time.

"I've played a few games," Albin said.
"Good. I will warn you, I have met and played with many masters in Volantis, the Free Cities are where the champions live."
"Let's just play."

Vaekar was rearranging his pieces behind the screen. Albin had no clue on what to do and started placing his pieces according to his own standards, he placed his king at the front, he always believed a king should lead from the front. His dragon piece guarded the left flank, he imagined he could have it make a hard right and burn the entire frontline. With the king on the front was his archers and rabble, troops to skirmish and soak enemy arrow fire. On the right flank was the elephant, a great beast used to drive through the enemy as his light and heavy horse pieces were placed right behind it on the second line. Finally, the crossbowmen, catapult, and trebuchet were behind the king, ready to launch their projectiles on his command.

"Are you ready, my lord?"

Albin nodded and Vaekar removed the screen. Vaekar scanned Albin's formation and squinted his eyes while his lips moved as if they were trying to leap off his mouth. Albin thought of Vaekar's arrangement as strange, he had positioned his king on the right flank, the only thing in the path of Albin's dragon was an elephant. The only other significant deployment was the light and heavy horse deployed in the path of Albin's elephant, scraps to be picked off by his cavalry after his elephant's killing spree.

"Prepare to be defeated, Vaekar."
"Your arrangement... I've never seen it before in my entire life."
"Which is why you should prepare for your inevitable defeat."

Vaekar gave a confused expression to Albin, he looked at the board again and pulled out a gold dragon from his robes.

"If it lands on the side with the three-headed dragon, I will go first."

He flipped the coin and it landed on the side with the head of Queen Daenerys Targaryen.

"I get to go first, but you've already lost."

Albin had his dragon fly across the board and land right in front of Vaekar's elephant. Vaekar's eyes widened and he took some time to figure out his move, he moved his rabble in the centre forward, it was heading straight for Albin's king. The rabble could only move a few steps forward, Albin still had time to do something to stop the advance on his king. Instead, he decided to continue pressing with the assault with his dragon and knocked the elephant piece off the board with his dragon. Vaekar looked stunned, Albin prayed that it was a worthy stratagem rather than an illegal move.

"The Volon Therys gambit, you have been modest about your mastery of this game."

That meant absolutely nothing to Albin, but he was glad that there was nothing wrong. Vaekar randomly moved his swordsmen, they still had a great distance to travel while Albin's dragon stood before Vaekar's king. Once it was Albin's turn, he moved his dragon and knocked it off the board and onto the floor.

​

"Victory for House Sheeran!"
"Where did you learn the game? Only a student of Gallio Notarrys would play the Volon Therys gambit."

Again, that meant absolutely nothing to Albin.

"I met him once, in an Inn."
"You are lucky, the man does not pass his knowledge to anyone."
"Shall we play again?"

A bell started ringing outside on the deck. It did feel like a storm was starting to rock the seas but the bell was to be run for a different occasion, a pirate attack.

"Corsairs!" the muffled voice of a man on the deck yelled.

​

Albin's personal guards from Riverspring came into the room, they had their weapons drawn while one of them carried several crossbows.

"M'lord! Draw your sword!" a guard said.
"What sword? Don't you know why we're on this voyage in the first place?"
"But, your sword is in its sheath, m'lord."

Albin ripped off his belt and lifted the sheath attached to it for everyone to see, it was still quite heavy for it being just an empty sheath.

"What sword? All I know is the magic that has cursed this sheath to be heavier than any weapon known to man."
"Take a crossbow, m'lord," the guard with the crossbow said as he handed one to Albin.

There was fighting on the decks, the sounds of footsteps and falling corpses tapped on the wood above the group while screaming and the clangor of steel seeped through the gaps of the walls. Albin heard footsteps outside in the corridor, he pulled the trigger mechanism of the crossbow which launched the bolt right into the door, instead of going through the bolt lodged itself halfway into the door. The door creaked open and a corpse fell forward into the room, a hole big enough to have been penetrated by a crossbow bolt had formed on the corsair's forehead.

"Good shot!" Vaekar praised.

Another corsair stepped over the body of the first and Vaekar fired his weapon and missed, one of the other guards carrying a crossbow quickly dispatched of the corsair to compensate. Some more corsairs ran past in the corridor and were shortly followed by several of Albin's crew who were all carrying weapons. Albin ran outside into the hall and tried to find the stairs to the deck, Vaekar and the guards rushed after the man.

When he stepped up onto the deck, he could see his men were winning and even jumping over to the corsair ship to press the advantage.

​

A corsair ran for Albin but fell backward after he heard the sound of crossbow shoot. The storm was growing in intensity and both sides were losing their balance, Albin had fallen over on the deck. He saw a loaded crossbow laying on ground with no one to shoot it, Albin crawled forward and held the weapon in his hand. Albin stood up and tried to maintain steady feet as the storm continued to be generous with its fury. The storm made him fall over again but kept the crossbow in his grasp, he stood up and aimed the weapon, not at an enemy, but at the sky.

"A thousand curses to you storm! You will not stop me from finding my sword!" Albin yelled.

Albin pulled the trigger and the bolt flew straight into the storm, disappearing in seconds. Thunder and lightening cracked like a thousand whips while the waves shook the two ships with the torment of a Dothraki Khalasaar.

​

Men fell overboard while some still fought as if they were oblivious to the raging sea around them that stretched for leagues. One of Albin's guards had fallen overboard and took another man with him when he was trying to save the guard. Vaekar was holding onto the centre mast with his arms and legs as if it were a lover in his bed, Albin chose to lay himself on the deck, a deck that slowly got more slippery as more water crashed onto it.

He felt his body start to move on its own, the water was taking him and the grip of dry wood had released Albin. His body slid back and forth on the deck, eventually, he began to inch close and closer to the side railing. Albin tried to stand back up but the currents refused him this right, he was just about to fall overboard when he heard a loud cracking noise followed by what sounded like a falling tree. The last thing he saw when he looked up was the centre mast falling straight for him, what followed was a sudden bright light and then darkness.

Unknown Island
Albin Sheeran

Albin awoke to a burning sensation and coughed, water fell out of his mouth like a raging waterfall. He felt pain in his chest and continued coughing until it had subsided. There was no storm, only the calm crashing of weak waves and the sounds of gulls cawing in the sky. The burning sensation turned out to be the hot sand of a beach, its brightness reflected the sun and temporarily blinded Albin. Albin used the strength coming back to him and pushed himself to stand up, an occasional cough followed by the expulsion of water pestered him along the way of his rise.

Around him was debris and flotsam scattered across the beach, there were no bodies or other men, Albin was all alone. He noticed that a great weight had been lifted from his waist, his belt and sheath were gone, as great as it was to be rid of his defective sheath, his sword would not have a vessel to carry it in once it was found. Albin was worried he was all alone, yet, he heard the sounds of voices, whispers, they spoke of killing. One of the voices mentioned a sword, Albin listened intently but they spoke of other things the moment he started eavesdropping, as if they were aware. He looked around and still saw no people, but then he looked in the direction of the whispering and saw a humble castle sat atop a cliff along the coast.

Albin wondered if the castle was a figment of his imagination, there was no harm in finding out if this castle was real or not. He began his trek along the coast, the only guide he had was the image of the small castle on the cliff. The voices continued whispering in the direction of the holdfast, again they spoke more of killing but mentioned a sword for the second time, this compelled Albin to walk faster. One way or another, he was getting his sword back from whoever stole it.

​

 

[EmpireofOne]

um....should...should....i laugh? cause some of this was funny serves the fool right

Laugh all you want, he had it coming.

 

[stnylan]

You know, I am not entirely convinced that Albin has ever left Riverspring. Part me of thinks he may have just jumped off his bed and is now crawling around on the floor of his room.

 

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 71: The Sword IV

Unknown Island
Albin Sheeran

As he got closer, the whispers went from their talks of killing to the ramblings of nonsense and irrelevant topics. Albin hesitated, but then he heard a voice say something about a sword, just in time to give him some more faith in the direction he walked. The sun's gaze followed Albin intensely like a merchant appraising wares, it burned him just as the heat from the sands crawled into the holes of his boots. Aside from the cawing of the gulls and the whispers of invisible men, there was another noise within the trees of the jungle, it was the rustlings of leaves and breaking of branches.

Albin realized he had no way to defend himself as the sound approached, he stepped back toward the water and picked up a jagged piece of wood. The noises revealed itself to be Vaekar, his robes were torn in several places while it was blackened from dripping water.

"Lord Albin! Praise Meraxes I found you!" Vaekar cried.
"Where is the ship?" Albin asked.
"I don't know."
"Anyone else?"

Vaekar shook his head.

"Where are you going?"
"That castle over there."

Vaekar turned and looked at the castle on the cliff.

"Let us hope the people living there are kind."

The two continued stepping on the scorching beach before climbing up a steep footpath up to the cliff. In front of the castle was a fountain that was in a state of disrepair, the sculpture at the centre was a hand holding a sword, the fingers and palm were shedding pebbles while the sword itself looked as if it were crafted by a masterful stonemason yesterday. There was no gate, simply a wooden door with bits of steel placed on top like armour.

Vaekar knocked on the door, a small slot opened up and and two green eyes appeared within it, looking left and right at Albin and his companion.

​

"Who are you? What do you want?" the eyes behind the door asked, his voice creaked between every syllable like the wooden door he stood behind.
"I am Vaekar, and this is Lord Albin Sheeran of Riverspring," Vaekar introduced.
"Why are you here?"
"Our ship was lost in a great storm and we washed up on the shore."
"Well, my master was never one to turn away a lord, you may come in and meet him."

The slot was shut and the sound of several locks being fiddled with came before the whirr of the door opening. A hunchbacked man wearing bland grey robes extended his arm toward the doors to the keep prompting Albin and Vaekar to come in. While the castle was small and humble, the interior was an incredible assortment of colours, tapestries, and fine treasures of increasing value.

At the end of the hall was a man laying sideways on a bed of pillows, he wore a gold circlet with sapphires encrusted on the centre and robes with laces that shone like gold. He was drinking from a silver chalice covered in a messy array of precious metals, not even caring about the flakes of silver or gold that rained off with every swift movement. Albin looked around at the man's guards, even their armour was covered in fine silk or other expensive materials, their spears were tipped with silver and on them were an engraving of a dagger stabbing a heart.

"Welcome, my honoured guest," the man laying on the pillows introduced, he clapped and sultry maidens brought out golden plates of food that ranged from meats with a fine aroma to fruits washed with the cleanest of water.
"Greetings, my lord, this is Lord Albin of Riverspring."
"It has been years since I've had a Westerosi guest, I would like to practice my Westerosi with you."
"Where is my sword?" Albin demanded.

Vaekar's eyes widened and looked at Albin as if there were a great beast behind him, Albin looked behind him and saw no beast.

"I beg your pardon?"
"Where is my sword? I know you have it, you stole it from me."

Vaekar grabbed Albin's arm and whispered something, Albin did not care and ignored Vaekar.

"Please, my lord, forgive Lord Albin, he had recently hit his head during the storm."

The rich man looked at one of the maidens and nodded, the beautiful woman poured wine into two other cups crafted from ivory horns and handed them to Albin and Vaekar.

​

"It was a horrific storm, I could see it from my chamber. Now, have a drink, I know you Westerosi are very fond of Arbor Gold."

Vaekar gulped down his drink quickly and went back to reassuring the rich man of Albin's intentions, Albin drank it slowly, a fine wine deserved to be drank with respect. There was a bitterness in the flavour, Albin loved Arbor Gold and knew something was off. Albin's vision blurred just as the man stood up from his bed of pillows, the world began to turn and the sounds of voices became distorted. He heard a very odd sounding thud and saw that Vaekar had collapsed, Albin fell to the floor and tried to stay awake, he stared at the boots the lord was wearing which were made of Zorse leather.

​

"Fools, take them to the dungeons with the others."

It was the last thing Albin heard before his vision faded to black, this seemed to happen often to Albin.

Dungeons
Albin Sheeran

"My lord! My lord!" Vaekar's voice cried as he shook Albin.

Albin's vision returned but took its time in clearing. They were in a dark place lit only by torches that needed changing. Around the two were many other prisoners, there had to be more people in this dungeon than there were in the castle Ablin was just in.

"Where are we? Did we find my sword?" Albin asked.
"He tricked us! Poisoned our wine to make us sleep."
"Get used to being here, there's no way out," another prisoner said.

Out of the crowd of prisoners, this man was the only other Westerosi, the others were a combination of people from Essos and the many islands of the sea.

"Who are you?" Vaekar asked.
"I don't even remember my name, I was barely a man grown when I was first here."
"How did you get yourself trapped here?"
"Poisoned just like you, my companions however were seduced by the bastard's maidens and had their throats cut, I thought they had it worst but now I realized they had it easy. If I could get out of here, I would choke the life out of that pampered little fuck."

Vaekar looked outside of the cell and saw no guards. He slowly pulled something out of his robe, it jingled like coins but were just keys.

"I knew what was happening, I managed to palm a guard's keys before we were thrown in here."

​

"Thank whatever god I believe in today!" the other Westerosi whispered loudly.
"We're getting out of here."
"No, first I find my sword, then we can leave this island," Albin demanded.
"Fuck you, I'm taking these keys and getting the rest of these cunts to help me kill that little shit upstairs."

The man snatched the keys out of Vaekars hands and unlocked the cell door. He said something to the other prisoners in a foreign tongue and they all started standing up and staring at the door. After a short speech by the Westerosi prisoner, the other men yelled and gathered what strength they could and rushed out of the cell. Once the prisoners were gone, Albin got up and went the opposite direction as the rioting prisoners.

"Where are you going, my lord? Everyone is going that way."
"My sword is here, I know it. They're telling me it's here."
"Who is telling you?"
"The voices, can't you hear them?"

Vaekar shook his head and cautiously followed Albin as he continued on. There was an abandoned passageway at the end of the dungeons, it was filled with debris and spiderwebs that forced the two to crawl or climb. It was very dark and the only sense that seemed to work was touch, after what felt like an eternity of crawling, Albin could see a dim light at the end. They reached a square corridor that had cracks in the ceiling letting through the natural light of the sun.

​

Albin looked at his hand and saw a bit of blood squeeze through a few small cuts, he only started feeling some pain when he actually saw the injuries. At the centre of the room was a stone tomb on an altar, it was a familiar sight that Albin had most definitely saw before, he just couldn't place it. He approached the tomb and climbed the small steps of the altar, he pushed the stone covering of the tomb while Vaekar quickly came and helped. The two managed to dislodge the top and watched as the stone covering broke into several pieces from falling to the floor. There it was, inside the tomb was a sword surrounded by dust and bones, the sword Albin dreamed about since the day it was stolen from him.

​

"Wait, my lord! I must tell you something." Vaekar yelled.
"What is it?"

Albin turned to Vaekar and kept his back to the sword, he inched his hand closer to the blade's grip while he locked eyes with Vaekar. He feared that this was all an elaborate ruse by Vaekar to steal his money and sword in one swoop, just as he brought the sword into his hand, Vaekar bent the knee right in front of Albin.

​

"When I heard rumours of you, they called you a fool and a madman, a man destined to fall. But I learned that they simply do not understand you, you are a true genius among men. You are a master Cyvasse player and planned this expedition well so that we were well prepared for the corsairs. In my travels I have met and served many, but today, I learn that I have found a worthy master."

Albin took the sword out of the tomb and tapped Vaekar's shoulder, he noticed a twinkle in his eye, although it must have been a reflection of light from the sword.

"Rise, Ser Selmond of Sowerby."
"Who?"

Vaekar looked confused but stood up anyway. After Albin listened to Vaekar's oath, he brought his sword up into the air like a king rallying his troops. He let out a great yell and laughed.

​

"My sword! I finally found my sword!"

Albin lowered his weapon and moved to sheath it. He suddenly heard the sound of bouncing metal and saw his sword on the ground, slowly grinding down the steps of the altar. Albin quickly picked it up and wondered where his sheath went, he swore he had it a few minutes ago.

Unknown Island
Albin Sheeran

On the other side of the castle was a small dock where a ship was docked. The prisoners had slaughtered the previous occupants of the castle and took the maidens and treasures for themselves, a just reward for the suffering they had gone through in their minds. Albin and Vaekar looked a the ship, it was not a massive warship but was still too large for two men to crew. They wondered about their options when the Westerosi prisoner came to join the two, he was wearing the fine robes and gold circlet of the lord of the castle. Behind him was a group of men with silver hair, some were old while others were still quite young.

"Thanks for freeing me, we really let that fucker have it," he said.
"Well, we're happy for you, but we don't know how we'll get home to Westeros," Vaekar replied.
"Yes, I need to get home before someone can steal my sword again," Albin said.
"Well, I'm staying here, the men have taken to calling me the 'Sapphire King' after all we've been through. I owe you for that, the men behind me are all from Volantis and also want to go home and will gladly be your crew. Additionally, you may take a portion of the treasure with you to sell and secure transport back to Westeros."

The Volantene men started loading chests of gold and other valuable goods onto the small ship, while the ones with free hands inspected the ship.

"That is most generous of you."
"Never would've made it out of that prison cell without you two, now I can eat, drink, and fuck all I want."
"Well, enjoy that, I got what I came for," Albin said.

The Sapphire King smiled. He turned around and started walking back to the castle, passing by the Volantene men who were bringing on supplies. The man suddenly turned around.

"Oh! I heard your man call you a lord earlier, I would like to know which of the noble houses of Westeros has freed me."
"This is Lord Albin Sheeran of Riverspring."
"Never heard of it. Perhaps you can tell me what sigil to look for so I can lend what aid I can wherever I see it."
"White heart over a field of green," Vaekar answered.
"Aye, I'll remember that. I wish you fortune on your voyage home, your family will always be welcome here, if you can find it."

The Sapphire King nodded at the two and gave one last smile before turning around for good. He walked off the dock and onto the steep footpath up to the castle, Albin waited for the man to disappear before joining Vaekar on the ship. The skies were clear of any clouds and the gulls hovered by the ship, the signs were in place for a good voyage home. He played with the sheath he had stolen off a dead guard in the castle, the sword was too big and parts of the blade stuck out. As glad as he was to have something to put his sword in, he kind of missed his old heavy sheath, he was getting used to it.

 

[EmpireofOne]

You know, I am not entirely convinced that Albin has ever left Riverspring. Part me of thinks he may have just jumped off his bed and is now crawling around on the floor of his room.

Spoilers for Chapter 71.

Spoiler

As awesome as that twist would have been, he actually did get his hands on a sword so now House Sheeran has two Valyrian Steel swords. I never actually knew where Dale got his from in terms of the game, the wounded trait he had when I took the screenshot makes me think he also went through the voyage quest chain, but he got his sword at 17 which seems pretty early for the AI to want to take the ambition or even for the events to fire since it took decades for Albin's quest to fire.

 

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 72: Passing the Sword

Yunkai
Jorelle Sheeran

Jorelle had been sneaking Rhae out of the Pyramid on multiple occasions for over a year. They had it down to a science by having a girl of similar appearance disguised as a Silent Sister walk in with Jorelle, Rhae would put on the girl's clothes and leave without rousing any suspicion. The two would always return before the guards became aware, their excuse was always about a sudden phase of religious fervour and the princess' desire to pray with a Silent Sister.

Jorelle had been planning how she would remove the girl, she did not want to harm Rhae but she could not be around if Jorelle's children were to inherit Yunkai. The plan was simple, an abduction in an arranged spot where Jorelle would act like she was also a target. Rhae was a free spirit, she wanted to explore the markets and see the sights rather than go to the meeting spot. Jorelle needed a way to convince Rhae to follow her.

"How could father keep me from all of this? The city is so alive and safe," Rhae complained.
"He wants to protect you," Jorelle said.
"Protect me? Like some mothers who keep their sons suckling on their teats at the age of ten?"
"The only thing those children need protection from are their own mothers."
"Maega would have loved the city, so many opportunities."
"Speaking of opportunities, I could use a drink, sneaking you out is thirsty business."

This was her attempt, Jorelle waited in anticipation to see if she would take the bait.

"I'm thirsty too, do you know any good taverns? You've done so much that I'll pay."
"I know of one, in the noble quarter."

Rhae smiled and followed Jorelle. The noble quarter was on a further side of the city and Rhae savoured the freedom she had for today along the entire way. Jorelle had to admit that her curiosity was fun to watch, it reminded Jorelle of her own daughters, girls finally coming to the age where they could run and learn. She stopped thinking about that, it was weakness that needed to be stamped out. The two finally came to the tavern in the noble quarter, the meeting spot for the plot.

"Dornish Red!" Rhae called politely as she entered and took a seat.

The tavern was mostly empty, the only people around were the serving wenches and a few hooded men sitting at different tables. Jorelle looked over at one of the serving women who nodded at her, she turned to some cups and poured three drops from a vial into one of them. Rhae was smiling and settling herself in her seat, she was looking around and waited for her drink.

"Quite empty, even the street was not so busy," Jorelle said.
"It does not matter, we'll have a few drinks and be off to continue exploring."
"Don't get too drunk, you still have to act like a Silent Sister when we bring you back."

The serving wench brought over a tray of drinks and laid the cups in front of Rhae and Jorelle, she nodded at Jorelle when she noticed Rhae was not looking. Rhae did not hesitate and drank a large portion of the wine, she sighed after drinking and wiped her mouth with her hand.

"Hmm, tastes quite different from last time, there was a slight bitterness to it, but it has been years since I've had good wine."

Rhae smiled and drank again. She squinted her eyes and tried to stay up in her chair. The effects of the Essence of Nightshade were starting to affect Rhae, Jorelle started to mirror her movements.

"Rhae..." Jorelle said, she tried to make it sound weak.
"Mother..." Rhae said.

The girl fell out of her seat and onto the floor. Jorelle stopped acting like she was drowsy and watched the hooded men get out of their chairs and surround Rhae. They lifted her and began binding her wrists and ankles while gagging her with a cloth.

"We'll take things from here, your grace. The Wise Lady will be most pleased with your assistance," one of the men said.
"Where are you taking her?" Jorelle asked, her body felt cold with a short poking sensation crawling throughout her spine.
"None of your business, your part of the deal was to bring her here."
"I'd like to know."
"Why do you care? A fortnight ago you were telling us you didn't care what happened."

Jorelle stopped talking and could only watch as the small group of men brought a large chest from upstairs and put the unconscious girl inside. They locked the chest and lifted it up to take away, some of the men bowed their heads while others did not say a word. In a few short minutes, it was over, Jorelle could only sit and drink her wine. Again, Rhae called Jorelle mother, Jorelle was not the one who gave birth to Rhae yet she called her mother as if her sister Joanna never existed. She felt the weakness in her mind, it had no place to be there. Jorelle's daughters were now the heirs of Rhaekar, she should have been happy, yet, she somehow felt that her accomplishments were empty.

Lannisport
Dale Sheeran

Dale was watching the troops row boats to their respective ships out in the sea. He was taking a paltry force over to the Bay of Dragons, Rhaekar Targaryen's daughter Rhae had been kidnapped while Dale's sister Jorelle was also taken, fortunately she was quickly found by the guards before she could be taken away.

​

As much as he never wanted to go back to that place, he was duty bound to protect his allies and family. The memories of that fateful day outside the walls of Yunkai haunted him, he was a younger man back then. While Ser Ronald Corton was no longer around, the Valyrian Steel Sword in his sheath served as a close and permanent reminder of what happened, the losses and horrors he faced.

There was an unknown ship approaching the harbour, it was a modest ship with no sigil. The warships did not pay any mind to it, but the guards at the dock started to stand around the piers with their spears and swords held close. Dale watched the ship drop anchor and lower a rowboat, there were no familiar figures he could see at a distance and waited for the men to row closer. As it got closer, he could see two of the men had silver or grey hair narrowing down the ages of the men to be above fifty.

Dock workers came over to the pier the boat was heading for and caught the ropes the men on board threw. Dale walked over to the pier as the workers were pulling in the boat, his eyes widened as he noticed his father. He had heard from Ellyn that his father had ran off in order to chase some sword, he never expected his father to have travelled as far as Lannisport, let alone travel by ship. His father and the man he travelled with climbed onto the dock, Dale approached the men and noticed his father had a sheath with a sword that barely fit in it.

"Father? What are you doing here?" Dale asked.
"Dale! I should ask what you're doing here? Shouldn't you be at Casterly Rock?" his father greeted.

Dale turned his head and looked at the giant mountain Casterly Rock was housed in.

"I am preparing for an expedition."
"I am just coming back from an expedition! See this? I found my sword that was stolen from me!"

Dale looked at the blade, he was shocked to see that it was a blade of Valyrian Steel.

"Valyrian Steel? I never knew you had a Valyrian Steel sword, and who's this?"
"Oh! This is my good friend Vaekar."
"I am pleased to meet you, Lord Dale, your father is a great man and I hope some of his greatness has rubbed off on you," Vaekar introduced.

He wondered where his father had found this man, to even consider his father was not a rambling madman throwing everyone around him into danger. Dale examined his father closely, the shelves underneath his eyes were dark while the wrinkles on his face and neck were like slight cuts from a weak blade.

"Where are you going? I see you have a sword of your own."
"The Bay of Dragons, someone tried to kidnap Jorelle but managed to take Rhae Targaryen."
"Jorelle? A strange name for a sword."
"Jorelle is my sister and your daughter, father."
"Sister? Never loved my sister, don't see why you should go after her."
"My sister, father."
"Now you're confusing me."

Dale sighed and placed both his hands on his father's shoulders.

"It was nice to see you again, father. But I have an expedition to lead."
"Well go on and do that then, see if I care, I have my sword."

The man must have sailed through the ruins of Valyria to become so strange, Vaekar looked to be of some sort of Valyrian origin which might have explained why his father would go so far. Dale worried about Ellyn, things were going well for her in Riverspring after she regained control, the Lord of Riverspring was coming back to claim his seat. Dale looked forward at his ships, he was preparing to get onto a rowboat with his guards when he heard a sudden thud, followed by steel bouncing on wood.

"My lord? My lord?!" Vaekar yelled.

Dale turned around and saw his father laying on the dock, his sword fell out of its sheath and was close to the edge. He rushed over and checked on his father, the man was barely breathing and his face was going pale.

"Father?" Dale asked.
"Get a maester!" Vaekar yelled.

Dale could only stare helplessly at his father, his almost lifeless body still laid on the dock.

Casterly Rock
Ellyn Sheeran

Ellyn had gotten word of her father's sudden collapse at Lannisport. She left her son Elys in charge of Riverspring with the guidance of the council so she could come to Casterly Rock to see her father. He was a man with a horrible reputation, however, Ellyn felt a sort of obligation to sit by her father in this time as his daughter. She finally arrived outside the door of her father, Dale and Joanna were standing by it speaking to each other. Dale saw Ellyn approaching and informed Joanna by gesturing behind her.

"Ellyn, I'm glad you could make it," Dale greeted.
"I had to come," Ellyn replied.
"It's good to see you after all these years, Ellyn," Joanna said.
"And to you too, your letters were very pleasant to read."
"Have you still been practising your needlework?"

Ellyn smiled, she had stopped working the needles after taking responsibility in Riverspring, memories of the times she and Joanna shared when they were still girls came back to her, her father was a more reasonable man back then.

"It's been a while, but my small hands still have some skill left in them."
"Let's go in and see father, the Maester is with him now," Dale said.

Dale opened the door and lead the two women inside. Maester Arthur of Casterly Rock was sitting beside Ellyn's father's bed, the Maester who was just as old as her father placed a wet cloth on his forehead.

"Just in time, my lord, I fear he may not have much time left," the Maester said.
"Where is my sword?" the dying man asked.
"Right here, father," Dale answered as he lifted a sword that did not fit in its sheath.
"Good, it's still here. I hear whispers."
"Whispers?" Joanna asked.
"They call me killer, they want to take my sword away."

Ellyn looked to Dale, the Lord of Casterly Rock who became what he was because of her father's plotting. She wondered why her father was so obsessed about his sword.

"Why do you care so much about your sword?" Ellyn asked.
"I must protect my sword, people want to steal it. My father gave me a sword," her father answered weakly.

Her father buried the back of his head into his pillow and made strange noises from his throat. A revelation came to Ellyn, it was more like a theory than a revelation but it could potentially explain the madness.

"Riverspring, the symbol of Riverspring is a broken sword on a red field," Ellyn told Dale and Joanna.
"Father was our grandfather's successor when he died," Dale said as he crossed his arms. "The sword his father gave him."
"It can't be that, can it? I think he's just obsessed with his actual sword," Joanna said.
"Maybe father was truly devoted to Riverspring all along, he just showed his devotion in a strange way."
"Hmph, he's killed many innocents for all of us to be here right now, as much as I hate it, we owe him something for his sacrifice," Dale admitted.
"Sacrifice? Sacrifice is staying behind to hold off an army, our father has murdered and cheated to get what he wanted," Joanna argued.
"You're right, but because of what he's done, none of us will ever have to fall so low like he has."
"Is that a worthy sacrifice?"

Dale picked up his father's Valyrian Steel sword and pulled it from its sheath. He walked over to Ellyn and presented it to her.

"I have my own sword, you've shown yourself to be a just and capable ruler when our father could not, you deserve this one, Ellyn."

Ellyn held her hands out for the blade to placed along her palms, it was heavy and she struggled to keep it balanced.

"I would never be able to wield this thing," Ellyn joked.
"Keep it at Riverspring, it can be our ancestral sword, or at least until you have a son that's tall enough to wield it."

Ellyn and Joanna laughed. The dying man pushed the Maester away and tried to sit up.

"Lelia! You whore, I thought you were dead! Don't touch my sword!" Ellyn's father screeched, his voice was at its weakest but he still marshalled his strength to call at Ellyn.

Ellyn put the sword down to please her father, he said a few more obscenities before he fell back into his pillow, his eyes were having trouble staying open and his mouth was slightly agape.

"You were right the entire time, Dale, he hated me because he saw me as mother."
"If he could not differentiate you two back when you were a child, maybe his madness had extended much further back than we previously thought."
"I'm glad I was gone before he got any worse, I've heard of the things he's done, I still can't believe it," Joanna said.
"My lord, I'm afraid there is nothing more I can do to prolong his life," the Maester warned.

Dale sighed.

"Thank you, Maester, you may go. We'll stay with our father until he passes."
"As you wish."

The Maester got up and left the room, taking care not to make too much noise when he closed the door. Ellyn and her siblings watched the dying man rambling about strange things that made no sense, he acted like everyone had left with the Maester. It made Ellyn feel uncomfortable, the man who had schemed Dale to Casterly Rock was now a bumbling madman dying in a quiet room, she had never felt so mortal than right at this moment.

After some time, the man stopped talking and soon, stopped breathing.

​

The three siblings bowed their heads and said a silent prayer to the gods. While their father was a high ranking lord, the three knew the man was not well liked back at Riverspring and decided to hold a private and intimate funeral right in the room. They had already said words about their father earlier, there was nothing else to say. And so, the funeral of Lord Albin Sheeran was a quiet affair that did not involve his entire family. Ellyn wondered if a man who had done so much in his life deserved such a small and short gathering, she did not ponder for long, the man was dead and now Dale was the head of House Sheeran.

​

 

[stnylan]

Well, I cannot say I am sorry to see Albin dead. The death-scene was well done, true to what he had become.

Dale has to make the most of a strange legacy.

 

[EmpireofOne]

College begins tomorrow so it may affect the frequency of updates, I won't be able to do the two chapters a day I have done and will from this point on follow a one chapter a day release schedule. If I'm in the mood or have free time, I may try to get two chapters in one day.
Chapter 73: The Lord of Casterly Rock

Casterly Rock
Dale Sheeran

​

Dale sat with his council, he was supposed to be travelling to Yunkai to aid Rhaekar Targaryen in finding his daughter Rhae but the death of Dale's father delayed that. He was worried about leaving for Yunkai again, the last time he left, a few unruly vassals rose up in revolt against him. It was still a recent memory in everyone's mind, the entire council had served Dale during that tumultuous time. He was considering other options, he could not afford to look weak after his father's death.

"We have confirmed that Rhae Targaryen is being held in Meereen, another plot by the Meereenese to destabilize the colonies," Spymaster Leonette reported.
"Those scheming bastards, they'll continue holding their grudge against the Targaryens until the end of days," Master-at-Arms Tywle said angrily.
"The ransom will be quite high, I'm afraid King Rhaekar will not be able to afford it," Lord Treasurer Theomore warned.
"But Casterly Rock can," Dale said.

​

"What would we stand to gain from buying her freedom?" Castellan Pate asked.
"Peace of mind, my friend. I haven't even told Joanna her daughter is alive, I at least want the girl to survive for her sake, even if she doesn't know," Dale answered.
"We have the money, however it will take a large portion of the treasury."
"How much of a portion?"
"We'd have less money than a landed knight after paying the ransom."

​

"Do it," Dale commanded.
"My lord, this will only set a precedent, the Meereenese will continue to kidnap nobles from Yunkai to ransom," Leonette warned.
"It will be up to Rhaekar to protect them, this will be the last time I give him such aid."
"If that is your wish, we will make the preparations to send the ransom to Meereen," Pate said.

The council nodded their heads and got out of their seats, today's business was done and they were all heading off to carry out orders or return to their chambers. Once everyone was gone, Dale stood up and left the chamber to navigate the corridors of the castle. Dale decided to visit the Maester's study, his son Humfrey was currently receiving a lesson from Maester Gawen, the new Maester of Casterly Rock.

He opened the door and saw the Maester watching over Humfrey writing something down. the Maester was a young man from the North, he may have believed in the Old Gods but that did not stop him from serving his Andal lord with the greatest diligence. Maester Gawen noticed Dale come in but Humfrey continued writing as if his father was never there. Dale peered over and looked at what his son was writing, the Maester had given him a list of the descriptions of the sigils within The Westerlands. Humfrey was currently on a sigil that was described as a brindled black and white boar on a field of brown, the sigil of House Crakehall.

Humfrey wrote his answer and Dale waited for the boy to move his hand, his answer was House Crakehall. Dale could not help but smile, he also saw that the other houses he wrote down perfectly matched with their corresponding descriptions.

​

"Very good," Dale said.

Humfrey suddenly looked up and opened his mouth at the sight of his father.

"Father!" Humfrey said, his smile was curved like the limbs of a bow.
"The young lad knows his noble houses well," Maester Gawen praised.
"You've taught him well, Maester."
"Part of the praise should go to the young master, he's taken to his studies well."
"Your answers are all correct. Humfrey, it is important to know all of the noble houses of The Westerlands, they are our vassals and our decisions affect them."
"I know all of the houses! Test me!"

​

Dale laughed and began to think of a house.

"House Brax?"
"Purple unicorn on a silver field!"
"House Westerling?"
"Six white shells on a sand coloured field!"
"And House Piper?"

Humfrey hesitated, he stared at his sheet of parchment and said nothing for a moment.

"I don't know that one."

Dale laughed and messed with his son's hair.

"House Piper are the Lords of Pinkmaiden across the border in the Riverlands."
"Why did you ask me that?"
"You're a proud one, but I also see that you're willing to admit that you don't know. There's a reason I have a council, all of us know different things and we can work together to figure out the things we don't know."

Humfrey nodded his head and maintained a stern expression.

"That's smart."
"And I want you to be a smart one when you grow up."
"I will!"
"Continue with your lesson, Maester, Casterly Rock counts on your success."

The Maester bowed his head and told Humfrey to continue working on his studies. Dale bid the two farewell and closed the door quietly to not disturb them. Just like his son, Dale was proud and expected great things from the young boy, at the age of seven he was already showing brilliance. He made sure to be heavily invested in his raising his son, Dale's father never got the chance to raise him but maybe that was for the best. Humfrey on the other hand needed his father's love, it was the only way to tap into the child's true potential.

Yunkai
Jorelle Sheeran

The Pyramid was busy with activity and whispering, Rhae's freedom had been bought by Jorelle's brother Dale. Everyone had expected the girl to be dead, some even gossiped that Dale was swindled out of his money. She had just arrived outside the Pyramid and the royal court waited in the throne room to see what state their princess had been left in. Jorelle waited in fear, she worried that the Meereenese divulged their plans to Rhae in some sort of sadistic torture which would only mean the end for Jorelle and even her children.

The grand doors to the throne room opened and a century of guards walked in with their spears held at the ready. After the last guard walked through and the men formed a lane, Rhae came into the room, she had a cane to help her walk as she almost stumbled with every step. Jorelle almost gasped when she noticed Rhae was missing a foot, a bundle of bandages were the only thing stopping everyone from seeing what the wound looked like.

​

Rhaekar got off of his throne and rushed down the steps to meet his daughter, the man ran up to Rhae and threw his arms around her.

"Rhae! Thank the gods! I thought you were dead!" Rhaekar cried.
"Father..." Rhae said softly.
"How could you sneak out of your room?! This was exactly what I was trying to protect you from!"
"I wanted to be free, father."
"And now here you are, although your freedom was bought rather than given. Who helped you sneak out? Who helped bring you into the clutches of the Meereenese?"

Rhae looked around the room and spotted Jorelle.

"Father, it was Jorelle that helped me."
"Seize her!"

The guards pushed through the crowd and grabbed Jorelle, their force was so strong that her crown had fallen off her head. Jorelle did not scream or cry, she had no scheme to free herself from Rhae's testimony.

"Father, wait! She helped me because I wanted it, it's not her fault."
"She still disobeyed a king's command, she must be punished."
"Please, father! She is like a mother to me ever since mother was taken, don't hurt her!"

Rhaekar grunted in frustration, Rhae suddenly got down on her knees and covered her face, everyone looked at her confused. The guards were ordered to stand down after Rhae stood back up.

"What was that?"
"Nothing, father..."
"You will never leave your room ever again! Look at you! Your burnt arm, the scars on your body, and now you're missing a foot! The next time I lose you I might not be getting a daughter back!"

Rhae nodded and meekly followed the guards Rhaekar tasked with taking her to her room. Everyone in the throne room whispered to each other as the princess left, Jorelle could hear them all call Rhae names like "Broken" and "Ruined" which displeased Jorelle. She followed the guards and Rhae while everyone still mingled with each other as Rhaekar sat silently on his throne, Jorelle even forgot to pick up her crown.

"Rhae!" Jorelle called.

The princess turned around and saw the Queen without a crown approach.

"Jorelle," Rhae greeted.
"You're safe, as safe as you can be."

Rhae frowned, she looked away from Jorelle.

"If father is angry at you, then it's my fault, I'm sorry."
"Don't be, all of us are just glad you're safe."
"I heard it was your brother who payed for my ransom, thank you."
"He looks after his family."
"Just like you do, mother."

Jorelle mustered all the strength in her body to be able to look the girl in the eyes, her lip quivered while her body began to heat up, she prayed Rhae could not detect this fear and anxiety.

"Does... does it still hurt?"

Rhae moved the leg that had no foot.

"It feels like it's still there."
"You should get some rest, we can talk some other time."
"Thank you. Farewell, mother."

Rhae continued on with her guards and walked down the corridor. Jorelle watched every step the young woman took before she turned the corner and out of her sight. The princess had been through the worst the world could offer her, she was attacked by a dragon, sold into slavery, and betrayed by those she trusted, to survive all of this amazed Jorelle. She thought about how all of the things she went through were her fault, Rhaekar wanted to protect Rhae from the horrors outside the walls, but the only thing Rhae needed protecting from was Jorelle.

A servant rushed out of the throne room carrying Jorelle's crown. The man placed the crown gently on her head and adjusted it, he bowed his head and stood by Jorelle. The Queen waited in silence, from this point on, the crown never seemed to fit comfortably on her head.

Casterly Rock
Dale Sheeran

Dale had called an emergency meeting with his councillors. As there was still some chaos in the realm as Queen Helaena Targaryen after a few years still did not fully solidify her rulership, there were many that took advantage and stood to gain in this uncertain time. Northwest of Casterly Rock, Lady Jeyne Prester of Feastfires declared open rebellion against her liege lord Lord Pate Kenning of Kayce, Dale's castellan. In view from the balconies of The Rock itself was an Ironborn fleet and army laying siege to Lannisport, one of the last few strongholds of the crumbling House of Lannister.

​

The areas around Dale's seat were in crisis, he needed to act quickly to show his strength.

"I don't know where she got her army, but she's laying siege to my keep as we speak!" Castellan Pate yelled.
"Ironborn raiders will continue to raid our shoreline if we allow these raiders to get what they want," Spymaster Leonette argued.
"House Kenning has always been loyal to House Sheeran, we're not going to help the Lannisters over loyal vassals," Master-at-Arms Tywle said angrily.
"My father helped your father get you to where you are now, don't abandon us after all these years!"
"Lord Pate's right, the Prester's are loyal to the Lannisters, we should crush them while the Lannisters at Lannisport suffer."
"My lord, you have to help my holdfast!"

Dale slammed his fist on the table. Pate sat down while the rest of the council silenced themselves.

"Theomore, tell me, do we have the funds to raise two armies at once?" Dale asked.
"We'll only have enough to raise six-thousand men and supply them for three months," Lord Treasurer Theomore answered.
"And the Prester and Ironborn forces are each around three-thousand strong, we wouldn't be able to split up our men."
"My lord, the Presters have the larger force, let's deal with them first and deal with the Ironborn later," Pate suggested.

Dale stared at Pate.

"You're letting your own feelings cloud your position as my castellan."
"My lord, Lady Jeyne's sellswords are going to slaughter my people and loot my castle."
"As ruler of The Westerlands, I am responsible for the protection of all of my lords from external threats, the Ironborn are an external threat."
"So you're just going to abandon me after I've done for you?"
"No, we're going to march on the Ironborn at Lannisport first."
"That's abandoning me!"
"At the same time... Leonette."

The lady perked up and awaited her lord's order.

"Yes, my lord?"
"You are going to send a letter to Lady Jeyne Prester and demand she end her rebellion against Lord Pate Kenning. I promise her that there will be no retribution from me and that House Kenning will swear no vengeance. You will also inform her of all the houses that are loyal to me and give her a report of how big their armies are."
"As you wish."
"There's no guaranteeing she will heed your command," Tywle warned.
"House Prester is loyal to the Lannisters, yes, but Lady Jeyne is loyal to House Prester."
"You're saying she'd betray the Lannisters to protect herself?"
"It's what you're doing right now."

Pate's eyes widened, he opened his mouth to speak but said no words. Dale looked over at Leonette who smiled and bowed her head.

"If that is your wish, my lord, I will follow your wishes," Pate acknowledged.
"Good, Tywle, make the preparations. I do not want to delay in crushing the Ironborn scum."
"Yes, my lord."

The council bowed their heads and sat in silence for a few seconds, Tywle got out of his seat and rushed out of the room, most likely to begin gathering the army. Pate looked ashamed and avoided Dale's eyes, he could not blame the man, his family was at stake. The Castellan's desperation reminded Dale of the rebellion against King Daemion Targaryen, that time he made a choice to march against the family of someone he cared for deeply. This was a different time, Dale did not need to make a difficult choice, he was strong and he was going to show both the Lannisters and Ironborn that strength in one swift move.

 

[stnylan]

Dale is quite a clear thinker in a crisis.

I fear for Rhae. She is entirely too trusting. Jorelle is so fortunate that Rhae has not accused her.

As the schedule, don't worry about it. I hope you have a good term.

 

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 74: Jade

Lannisport
Dale Sheeran

Dale watched his cavalry run down the Ironborn on the fields outside the walls of Lannisport. The enemy did not even stand a chance against Dale's forces, the foolish Ironborn thought to land their ships away from the city in order to surprise it rather than attack Dale's large fleet in the harbour. With no quick access to their ships, over a thousand Ironborn were slaughtered without mercy.

​

Dale mounted his horse and wanted to see the killing fields himself. The bodies were like the seas the Ironborn loved to travel, their spears looked like heads of grain watered with blood. There were some men that had survived Dale's deadly charge and were either being treated by Silent Sisters who had shadowed the Sheeran army or were being carried off by Dale's troops to be held as captives. Dale tried to take his mind off the sounds he heard, the screams and cries for mercy were disturbing, it made the Ironborn's reputation as fierce and horrifying warriors seem less real to him.

Dale continued riding until he stood outside one of Lannisport's gates. The men on the walls stared at Dale, he could see the Golden Lions on their banners and armour. Master-at-Arms Tywle joined Dale outside the gates and took part in staring at the walls.

"My lord, the Ironborn have been crushed and we are continuing the chase," Tywle reported.
"Good, let's be glad it was only a lord's host, if the Greyjoys had managed to rally everyone to take Lannisport they would've crushed us with ease," Dale said.
"I don't remember the noble houses of The Iron Islands, I don't recognize the sigil."
"Whoever decided to raid us, his army will be considerably weakened, he will come to regret his actions."
"Aye, the man thought he could take opportunity of the instability of the Queen's realm."
"Opportunities are plenty in this world, with this battle, we have gotten an opportunity of our own."
"And what would that be?"

Dale looked over to the walls, there were signs that the Ironborn were assaulting Lannisport.

"Lannisport, we have saved them from the Ironborn, look at the walls, ladders and fallen banners, if we had not come, they would have broken through eventually. We will use this as an opportunity to oust the Lannisters for good."

​

"Regenard Lannister will not like that."
"I don't care what the old man thinks, I care what his smallfolk want."

The gates to the city opened and a lane of Lannister troops stood along the main road as hundreds of people rushed to see the saviour of the city. Tywle looked worried but followed Dale when he and his knights rode through the entrance. Dale removed his helmet and threw it on the ground so that everyone could see their saviour, he had the knight carrying the White Heart lift it as high as he could so that everyone would know the house of which their saviour belonged to. He waved his hand at the smallfolk who were trying to push through the guards and shouted praise and blessings to House Sheeran.

The Lannister soldiers watched Dale carefully, but they were aware a riot of epic proportions would engulf the city if they did anything to harm the man who marched to their aid when no one else did. Dale could do nothing but smile and decided to stop his entourage outside Lann's Keep, the seat of Lord Regenard Lannister. Everyone cheered Dale's name right outside the most powerful Lannister's window, Dale tried to spot the man who ruled Lannisport but could not find him, he laughed as the old man stayed out of sight as Dale won the love of his people.

A rider from outside the city rode up to Dale and handed him a rolled up letter with Lady Jeyne Prester's seal. Dale tore the seal and read the letter as the crowd continued to clap and cheer, the lord smiled again as he finished reading. The letter was short and sweet, Lady Jeyne had heeded Dale's command and retreated back to Feastfires to stand down, she also made sure to emphasize the promises of holding back from pursuing any justice.

​

"What is it?" Tywle asked, trying to speak just loud enough for only Dale to hear.
"Lady Jeyne's forces are standing down, she knows her place."
"Incredible, I didn't think she would actually follow your orders."
"My army surrounds Lannisport, would Regenard Lannister come to her aid?"
"A crafty ploy, my lord."
"We have defeated the Ironborn, asserted our authority, and have stolen the loyalty of Lannisport's people, the time of the Lannisters will truly end soon."
"And all of us will be there to see it, my lord."

The smallfolk were too loud to be able to hear the scheming and plotting between the men. Dale put the letter away and continued greeting the adoring crowd, the Lannister guards were starting to constrict as even more people began pushing and wanting to see the lord. He heard someone in the crowd call him "The second coming of Tywin Lannister." Dale did not like this, he was a great politician like his great-grandfather, but Tywin Lannister was a ruthless man who used fear to keep his men in line. House Sheeran would be different, it would foster loyalty through excellence and its care for the people of The Westerlands, Dale hoped Regenard Lannister was fully aware of that no matter how deep he hid in his keep.

Yunkai
Jorelle Sheeran

Jorelle and her three daughters attended court, Rhaekar had an announcement to make and wanted all of the people to be aware of it. Rhae could not attend the event as some complications with her injuries had kept her in bed, Jorelle did not feel her absence would affect the announcement. The King sat on his throne and waited for the court to shuffle in, there were still many people entering the throne room.

The Queen's three daughters stood in front of her, she was proud to see how big they had become. Daeoril and Rhaelle were the twins, but Daeoril took her father's features while Rhaelle took after her mother. Daella was the shortest and also the youngest, she had trouble standing still and Jorelle constantly tapped the girl's shoulder to stop her.

"There are so many people," Daeoril said.
"I wonder what father has to say," Rhaelle wondered.

Daella resumed moving her right leg back and forth.

"Daella, stop moving, stand still and listen to your father's words," Jorelle berated.
"Sorry, mother," Daella apologized.

The last of the court had come in and the guards shut the door. Rhaekar continued sitting on his throne and made himself comfortable before starting his announcement.

"My noble lords and ladies of Yunkai. My daughter has been returned to me but she is not the daughter my first wife had given birth to. She was assaulted by a dragon and kidnapped by the Meereenese, Princess Rhae has seen enough. I have three other daughters as well and I fear the dastardly Meereenese and Dothraki will continue to try and undermine my rule, I will not sit back and allow them to also become targets to be exploited and attacked," Rhaekar said.

Jorelle nodded at this statement, Rhaekar cared for Jorelle's daughters, she however wondered what made that relevant to his coming announcement.

"Listen to your father, this will be important," Jorelle whispered to her daughters.
"I, Rhaekar of the House Targaryen, first of his name and King of Yunkai hereby announce that from now on, the Crown of Yunkai will exclude all females from the line of succession. As I have no male heirs yet, my grand nephew Orys Targaryen son of Allyria Targaryen shall be my successor until I have a male heir."

​

The throne room was filled with chatter and gossip, Jorelle could hear people arguing quietly about Rhaekar's decision. Her eyes were as wide as the Narrow Sea and she looked at her daughters who stared at each other confused, only Daeoril seemed aware of the consequences of the announcement. Jorelle rushed over to the steps of the throne and quickly climbed up to her husband. Rhaekar saw her approach and waited for her to speak.

"Rhaekar? What are you doing?" Jorelle asked.
"Protecting my children. Orys is in Westeros and the Meereense and Dothraki have no influence there," Rhaekar answered.
"How are we going to explain this to Rhae and my daughters?"
"They will all come to understand."
"Rhaekar, you can't do this to me. I came all the way here so I could be queen and see my children become kings and queens."

Rhaekar's expression turned to a stern and angry one, his brow squeezed itself as he stared into Jorelle's eyes.

"Your motivations were always to see your children become rulers? Hmph, if only your sister was still alive, she would understand my decision."
"I will give you sons, let us retreat to the bedchamber tonight so we can conceive them."
"I will have no sons, my niece Allyria has three sons and I will let them have Yunkai."
"Rhaekar!"
"I will hear no more, Jorelle, go back to your daughters and let them know what this means."
"Rhaekar!"

Jorelle's yell silenced the entire room. She had her fists clenched and continued to stare at the King as everyone attending court watched her. Everything she had done, all the people she lied to and hurt, it was all for nothing. In one announcement, Rhaekar had unknowingly ruined the opportunities Jorelle was trying to give her daughters. She almost wanted to laugh, it was quite ironic, the plots to remove Rhaekar's original heirs ended up excluding Jorelle's daughters as well.

Lannisport
Dale Sheeran

It had been some time since Dale lifted the siege of Lannisport, despite this long period of time, the people still loved him. Dale was visiting the city on business, he had brought with him much gold and his priceless Valyrian Steel Sword which turned many heads as he walked the streets of Lannisport. The lord had the intention to reforge the blade into a weapon unique to House Sheeran as noble houses like Tarly and Stark did with their own. There were many blacksmiths across Westeros who could reforge Valyrian steel, there were two very close in Lannisport who were offering their services to Dale.

​

Out of the two, the blacksmith named Kennett had a reputation of being an honest craftsman.

​

Dale and his guards entered the man's shop, it was an intimate hovel cramped with racks of weapons and armour, the blacksmith's equipment was not placed out front and was most likely behind the wall and door at the back. Kennett the blacksmith came out of the back room and bowed his head, Dale could see the man's hands were darker and had many calluses on them.

"M'lord, how may I help the saviour of Lannisport?" Kennett asked.
"I have heard of your skills, they say you can reforge Valyrian Steel," Dale said as he browsed the shop's wares.
"Aye, better than that Kelvan, he'd ask for your firstborn and give you low quality steel."

Dale snickered to himself. The man's work with regular steel was of the finest craftsmanship, his shop also featured tools and other smaller handicrafts, showing the man knew his way around the anvil.

"I have a task for you and I am willing to pay, I would like to commission you to reforge this sword into one worthy of my noble house."
"Do you have the sword, m'lord?"

Dale unfastened the sheath from his belt and presented it to Kennett. The blacksmith pulled the sword slightly from its sheath and listened to the sound it made.

"Aye, looks and sounds like Valyrian Steel."
"Can you reforge my blade?"
"What design would you like, m'lord?"
"A heart on the pommel made of white jade. I would also like the hilt to be made of hard green jade."

​

"I don't carry any jade in my workshop, m'lord."

Dale gestured for two of his guards to come over. The men were carrying a small chest and placed it on top of a rack to open in front of Kennett. Kennett's eyes widened at the sight of the jades and gold inside, a dozen lifetimes worth of treasures for most of the people in the city. The blacksmith slid the blade back fully into the sheath and called two of his workers to come to the front. Dale's chest of riches and his sword were taken to the backroom, Dale was about to follow when Kennett warned him that his presence would only make the apprentices nervous.

He agreed to this but demanded he wait at the front until his weapon was reforged, Kennett smiled and accepted that. Dale continued looking at all the items in the shop, he was eyeing a fine longsword and even considered buying it for Humfrey to practice with. It had to have been an hour since Kennett had gone back to reforge the sword, Dale was starting to get hungry and wanted to inform the blacksmith he would be leaving some guards behind so he could visit an Inn for food and drink. He approached the door and positioned his ear close to it, he could hear two men talking to each other.

"I don't know where he went," a muffled voice behind the door said.
"He seemed like he was in a hurry," another muffled voice replied.

Dale immediately realized what they were talking about and burst through the door, prompting his guards to follow quickly with their swords drawn. Everyone in the back room dropped what they were doing to turn to Dale and his men. He looked around to find Kennett, he was not there, the forge itself was barely being kept hot. Further back was another door, it was open and lead to the bright sun outside, Dale was not even aware the building had a backdoor as there were no alleys between the shop and its neighbours.

He stepped outside and noticed a small miniature stable with no horses tied to its post. On the ground was the chest Dale had given Kennett, the bags of gold and jade had been taken while the finely crafted chest laid in the dirt nearby a pile of horseshit. Dale came back inside and saw the men working in the workshop were all looking nervous and eyeing the blades Dale's guards carried.

"Where did he go?!" Dale yelled.
"We don't know, m'lord. The man was in a hurry," an apprentice said.
"Who is the highest craftsman after Kennett?"
"I am, m'lord. We studied under the same teacher," a man answered as he raised his hand.
"Congratulations, you're now the owner of this shop."
"But what about Master Kennett? It's his shop."
"Kennett's a dead man when I find him."

​

 

[stnylan]

Well that is some sort of comeuppance for Jorelle.

Dale - masterfully done at Lannisport but clearly a poor choice of blacksmith. I hope his hunt is successful.

 

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 75: The Champion

Casterly Rock
Dale Sheeran

Dale sat in his study. He was reading reports from the council and writing letters to various lords of The Westerlands. His mind was too fixated on the theft of his sword, the blacksmith Kennett was still out there somewhere and the longer he delayed, the further in Westeros he could travel. Dale put down his quill and sighed, he could not bring himself to continue working.

Someone knocked on his door, Dale called for whoever was outside to come in. The door opened and Spymaster Leonette entered the study, she carried an open letter in her hand. Dale had tasked her to find Kennett, but most days she simply reported on other matters, he expected more of the same.

"My lord," Leonette greeted.
"What do you have for me today?" Dale asked.
"Lord Jason Lannister of Castamere and Regenard Lannister of Lannisport have reportedly been sending agents to meet each other in secret."
"Where have these meetings been taking place?"
"Several different locations, Silverbrook and Hornvale to name a few."
"They're planning their next move, they know I will come for them eventually."
"We will continue to monitor the situation, we'll see if we can apprehend an agent."

Dale nodded and pulled a blank sheet of parchment to write a letter.

"I will write Lord Crakehall to keep a close eye on Lannisport while Pate can make sure Jason Lannister is kept in check."
"Very good, my lord."
"Is that all, Leonette?"
"That is all I have about the Lannisters, but I have good news, it's about Kennett."

The ink had yet to dry on the first sentence of the letter Dale was writing to Lord Crakehall, he perked up when he heard Leonette say something about the sword.

"Where is he?"
"Seagard, not as far as we thought he'd go. My agents have closed in on the city."

​

"Very good, bring justice to that thief any way you see fit."
"As you wish, my lord."

The woman smiled and bowed her head. She left the room and closed the door quietly behind her. Dale resumed writing his letter to Lord Crakehall about the movements of the Lannisters. There was a sudden burst of energy in the lord, he knew he would soon be reunited with his sword. With the worry of Kennett escaping with his sword out of the way, Dale turned his focus to the Lannisters, their time was coming to an end and Dale would wield a great sword of his house when the time came for him to lead his armies against them.

Oakenshield
Ermond Sheeran

Lord Alekyne Middlebury was dying. Ermond stood outside his parent's chambers and knocked on the door, he wanted her to be there for his father in his final moments. There was no answer and Ermond pushed hard on the door to open it. His mother was sitting in a chair and staring at her bed as if someone was there. She then turned her head to another chair in the room and acted like a person was sitting in it. He had heard servants gossip about this behaviour in the isolated halls of the castle, he did not want to believe it was true but could not deny what he was seeing.

"A very good idea, Willard," his mother said.
"Mother?" Ermond asked.

The woman turned to Ermond and smiled.

"Ermond!"
"Who are you talking to?"
"My friends Reyna and Willard of course! I believe you have already been introduced."
"Mother, there's no one there."

His mother laughed.

"Ah, I told you, Reyna, Ermond did have quite a sense of humour."
"Reyna's dead, mother, I saw her head myself when I was just a boy."
"What's that, Reyna? Ermond, you're starting to annoy her."
"Mother, father is dying, we need to go be with him."
"I am busy, Ermond, we are planning our next move against my brother Albin."
"Lord Albin is dead as well, mother, Ser Willard is dead too."

Ermond's mother got out of her chair and approached him.

"If you have nothing to contribute to our efforts, then you may leave."
"Mother!"
"Please leave me!"

Maester Welton came into the room, the old man kept his head low and his hands together.

"Master Ermond, Lady Sylvia," the Maester called.
"Maester, how is my father?"
"He... he has passed, my lord."
"Then that makes me lord then."

​

"I live to serve, my lord."
"Mother, father is dead."
"After all the jokes you made about my companions and Albin, I'm not inclined to believe you."
"Mother, you have to stop this!"
"Get out! Get out! I don't need your help! I have Reyna and Willard here with me."

Ermond grunted and stormed out of the room. The Maester followed and closed the door behind him, he quickened his pace so he could walk along with Ermond.

"Your mother has been hearing voices and seeing people that aren't there. She has lost her mind."

​

"Just like my uncle, I pray this does not run in the family."
"Lord Alekyne wanted me to tell you that he believes you will make him proud."
"If I knew that coming to get my mother was going to be a waste of time, I never would've went."
"I'm sorry for your loss, my lord."

Ermond thanked the Maester for his support and dismissed him. His father was dead and while his mother was still alive, she might as well have died along with the lord. Not long ago he heard his sister had died from complications in childbirth, the family of Oakenshield was getting smaller. He still had his two daughters and son Sumner, but they were still just coming of age, not ready to do their duty to House Sheeran. Ermond was an established battle commander, liked by his people, and respected by his new liege Lord Harlan Tarly who had replaced the childless Willas Tarly after he fell in battle, he had everything he needed to build a strong realm and yet he felt a great sadness in his heart.

​

Casterly Rock
Dale Sheeran

The young ward could barely contain his excitement at the great sights within the halls of Casterly Rock. Dale kept his hand on the child's shoulder. The boy was tall for a boy of six, he may not have been freakishly tall but Dale did not have to bend down to keep the boy in tow. Ellyn had sent her grandson Elys to Casterly Rock to receive an education from one of the keep's tutors, Dale decided to educate his grandnephew himself.

​

It was quite confusing, he was at first under the impression that Ellyn was sending her son as he was also named Elys. Dale had heard that his nephew was a self-absorbed and angry man, the fact that he would name his heir after himself tipped the scales in favour of the rumours. Young Elys was taken to the great hall, he gasped at the pillars made of marble, the silk carpets that were coloured green, and the many guards that stood at attention.

"What do you think of Casterly Rock, Elys?" Dale asked, smiling and tapping the shoulder of the child.
"Riverspring's small!" Elys answered.
"Aye, I said the same thing when I first visited Riverspring. I believe Humfrey will say the same thing if he ever visits our ancestral home."
"Where's Humfrey?"
"Training with my Master-at-Arms, Humfrey loves to fight."

Dale was about to lead Elys to his study when he heard the sounds of quick footsteps, they were not the stomping of men's boots but the clacking of woman's footwear. Dale turned and saw Leonette walk quickly to close the distance between the two.

"Who is she?" Elys asked.
"My spymaster, Leonette, she is like Master Lucion back home in Riverspring."
"My lord," Leonette greeted.
"Leonette, this is my grandnephew Elys, he will be receiving an education here."
"Greetings, young master."
"You're pretty!"

Leonette rolled her eyes to look at Dale, her cheeks turned red in a short amount of time, Dale smiled and pat the boy on his back. The Spymaster cleared her throat and avoided Dale's eyes for some time.

"My lord, my agents have successfully seized Kennett and reclaimed your sword."
"You have? That is most excellent news!"
"He was easy to find, the man had used some gold to hire loyal sellswords and went around boasting about slighting you. We gathered men of our own and dealt with them accordingly."
"And my sword, is it still in transit?"
"It will be here any moment, I wanted to tell you before it came here. In fact, I think it's coming right now, my lord."

Dale could hear the footsteps, this time it was the boots of men. Two men came in, each holding an end of the sheath that held Dale's sword. The blade was not visible but Dale could see the pommel was a heart of white jade while the hilt was made of green jade, just as he instructed Kennett. The sight almost made him tear up, there was a side of him that resigned itself to losing the sword forever. When the men stood before Dale, they knelt and held the sheath up high for Dale to take. He took the sword and felt its weight in his hands.

​

"Kennett stole it before he could reforge it, how could it have the design I wanted for it?"
"We had actually found your sword quite some time ago, we had it secretly reforged, I wanted it to be a surprise, my lord."

Dale pulled the sword from its holding and listened to it sing the song of swords with a Valyrian dialect. What mattered to him more was the hilt and pommel, it displayed the symbol and colours of House Sheeran proudly. He handed the empty sheath to one of the two men and distanced himself to swing it around, it felt like the original Valyrian Steel sword he picked up off the ground at Yunkai. Elys watched Dale play with his sword with fascination.

"Leonette, you have done well, you have my highest gratitude."
"I live to serve, my lord."

Dale knelt down in front of Elys and put the tip of the sword on the ground so the pommel would be before the child's face.

"Do you know what kind of sword this is?"
"Valyrian Steel!"
"Very good, and do you see the hilt and pommel? What does it tell you?"
"A heart, it's a sword for love!"

Dale laughed, he swore he even saw Leonette smile.

"Hah, no, this is a symbolic weapon. What is the sigil of our house?"
"White heart and green."
"And the hilt and pommel?"

The boy's eyes widened at the realization.

"White heart and green, it's our sword!"

Dale gently placed his hand on Elys' shoulder and nodded. He took back the sheath from the man holding it and let the weapon return to its slumber. The lord unfastened his plain sword's sheath from his belt and exchanged it for his Valyrian Steel sword. He fastened it to the spot his placeholder weapon took and adapted himself to the weight, it felt good to have his trusted sword back.

"This sword is called Jade. Heartsbane, Blackfyre, Red Rain, all of them are great swords that the songs have sung about, Jade shall join them in the years to come. Elys, the man who wields Jade shall become the champion of our house, our influence has spread across Westeros but it is the one who wields Jade that shall lead and unite the others."

​

"Can I hold it?"

Dale laughed.

"Maybe someday, you will prove to be a worthy champion for Jade, but for now, you're far too young and not to mention small."
"I will be big," Elys said as his lips pouted.
"I do not doubt that. Now come, let us see if Humfrey is finished training. Leonette, I will arrange a suitable reward for your efforts, but for now farewell."

Leonette bowed her head and left the great hall. Dale tried to remember the words he told Elys, he wanted to be able to repeat it to Humfrey as he would be the one to inherit Jade in the future, the boy was already showing promise as a swordsman. While Elys would most likely never get his hands on Jade unless some sort of catastrophe struck Dale's line, he saw the potential in this boy as he was curious and eager to learn. Dale knew that once he was gone, Humfrey and Elys would be working together and the only way he could ensure both would become exceptional men was to take them both under his tutelage himself.

 

[stnylan]

So the Sword is back. Hooray!

As for Sylvia - that is sad, so very sad, but alas not unexpected given the reality of her life.

 

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 76: A Lion's Squire

Yunkai
Jorelle Sheeran

Rhae's face was pale, the only thing that even indicated that she was alive was the weak sounds of breathing coming from her mouth. Rhaekar sat at her bedside while Jorelle sat further back along the wall, the king was clutching his daughter's hand and stayed silent the entire time. The Maester had said that Rhae's wounds had gotten infected despite previous treatment, there was nothing more he could do other than keep the young woman in her current state.

"Someday," Rhaekar said, he hesitated and held himself in silence. "Someday I will see Meereen burn and the great plains of the Dothraki Sea become a field of fire like the one Aegon the Conqueror had created."
"Burning down cities won't do anything," Jorelle replied.
"I don't care about riches or conquest, I want to see those that killed my beloved Joanna and harmed Rhae to face the wrath of the dragon."
"Westeros has the armies."
"Cynicism fits you well. Oh how I wish my beloved Joanna was back."

Jorelle sighed and looked at the floor. She was about to look up again but noticed Rhaekar was looking back, she dared not meet his eyes, especially considering who was actually responsible for Rhae's condition.

"Joanna this, Joanna that, I have given you three daughters, but maybe that doesn't matter anymore considering that you disinherited them."
"Disinherited? Again, that is all you care about? I did it to protect your daughters, what have the enemy done in the time we've gotten Rhae back? Nothing, and it shall remain nothing as it is my grandnephew Orys that will become their target."
"Our marriage is political! What's the point of all of this if the children we produce do not get anything?"
"Our two houses are close, your brother is the saviour of House Targaryen, your marriage to me was repayment for that loyalty."

Jorelle had become even more angry, she could feel the heat forming in her head.

"Repayment? I am not coins to be traded, I am a woman, a queen."
"You are a woman, and you are a queen, but you will never be your sister."

Rhaekar turned back to Rhae and did not say a word. Jorelle grunted and abruptly got out of her seat, she pulled open the door and slammed it shut behind her. She paced back and forth in the hall outside the door to reflect on her life. The gods were cruel, to bless her with princesses but ensure they would never inherit Rhaekar's throne. Whether it was Joanna's children or the change of succession, there was always some obstacle standing in the way no matter how much Jorelle wanted the best for her daughters. She had heard that it was those that seized their opportunities that prospered, to Jorelle, that was a load of bullshit.

Jorelle decided to go back inside the room to check on Rhae. She pushed through the door and called Rhaekar's name softly as she came in. Rhaekar was smothering Rhae's face with a pillow, he was crying while Rhae's arms slightly jumped, trying to fight for survival.

"Rhaekar!" Jorelle called.
"It is a mercy," he answered.

Jorelle ran to Rhaekar and tried to pull his hands away from the pillow. He effortlessly pushed Jorelle to the ground with his elbow. She fell on her bottom and got up again to stop Rhaekar but he used his foot to kick Jorelle away.

"You're killing her!"
"She was going to die."

Rhae's arms stopped jumping. Rhaekar continued crying and threw the pillow on the floor after taking it from his daughter's face. Between the sounds of Rhaekar's sobbing, Jorelle could not hear the faint sound of Rhae's breathing.

​

"Murderer!"
"Silence! I did what I had to do!"

Rhaekar got out of his seat and approached Jorelle who was on the floor again. Jorelle held her arm up to cover her face when the Maester came into the room. Everyone froze as the Maester stared at the scene in confusion.

"Y-y-your grace, there's urgent news from Westeros," the Maester stumbled.
"Give it here."

Jorelle watched as Rhaekar began reading the letter as if he could easily just ignore the lifeless body of Rhae. Tears still ran down from his cheeks, but his attentions turned to whatever was on the letter, it was making him concerned. She was disgusted, Jorelle never got to say goodbye, she never got to hear Rhae call her mother one more time and it was all Rhaekar's fault.

Casterly Rock
Dale Sheeran

Dale was watching Humfrey and Elys spar with wooden swords at the courtyard. Master-at-Arms Tywle stood to the side and observed the two boys fight. The two were of equal height but it was Humfrey that had the advantage of age. Humfrey attacked quickly, forcing Elys to step back several times as he tried to dodge and deflect blows, he moved so far back that he ended up against a wall giving Humfrey the chance to pretend to give his opponent a most gruesome death.

"Killed you!" Humfrey yelled.
"Very good swordsmanship, Humfrey, you're taking after your father well," Tywle praised.

​

"Try not to step back Elys, you're making it easier for Humfrey," Dale instructed.
"I'll beat you," Elys said as he stared at Humfrey.

Humfrey returned a smug grin and readied a stance. Elys charged while holding his sword up like an Ironborn savage, he let out a great yell as he closed the distance. Dale watched Humfrey stand in place and move his sword in anticipation, he could only smile, he knew Humfrey was ready. Humfrey sidestepped to his right and swung left at Elys' sword, Elys' army flailed away from the force and opened himself up for Humfrey to jab him with the tip of his wooden sword.

"Excellent, Humfrey! You'll be a great fighter some day!" Tywle cheered.

Elys stood still and scowled at Humfrey. The two were about to start fighting when Dale's wife Leana came out into the courtyard, she was carrying a small plate with four cups.

"How are my warriors?" she asked, smiling.
"Humfrey will become a great soldier, a true knight," Tywle answered.
"I see you've been training hard, have a drink, you're all covered in sweat."

She began handing the cups to the men, she gave water to the children while Dale and Tywle received Dornish Red.

"Not drinking, my dear?" Dale asked.
"I'm not thirsty."
"And why did you bring these out? We have servants to do it for us."
"Habit, I was caring for my self back at Barrowton when I was a girl."
"Even then, you would have servants to cater to your needs."
"I didn't brew the wine, it was no effort to bring the drinks out to you."

Dale smiled. As a major lord of Westeros, he would be involved in the wars and politics of the land, to have someone so gentle and caring at home relieved him of much stress. Leana would wait for Dale to finish his business and come to bed before sleeping, she would speak encouragements to him, and she never complained about Dale's absences or attention to duty. Dale had known he loved her, the years of marriage served to prove it.

​

"I'm sure the servants are glad to have you around," Dale said.

Leana laughed.

"Mother! Watch me beat Elys!" Humfrey yelled.

The two readied stances and walked circles. Humfrey launched an attack and the two resumed their sparring. Dale was watching intently when he heard the clanking chains of Maester Gawen. He turned his head and saw the man approach with a letter in his hand, Dale was not paying attention to the fight and only heard Elys grunt in frustration.

"My lord, an urgent letter from the Queen," he reported.
"The Queen? I wonder what she has to say," Leana said.

Dale saw the royal seal keeping the letter closed. He tore it and opened the letter to reveal a paragraph in hastily written handwriting. Lord Paramount Lucas Tully of The Riverlands had called his banners and declared open rebellion against Queen Helaena Targaryen.

​

Other notable participants were the Manderlys of The North, the Hardyngs of The Vale, and the Wagstaffs of The Stormlands, the enemy was a formidable gathering. The only person to declare for the crown so far was Rhaekar Targaryen, but he would not be alone.

"The realm is at war. The factions are quite similar to Robert's Rebellion so far."
"That many lords have rebelled? Well, my lord, will you fight for the Targaryens?" Tywle asked.
"I forsake my loyalty House Targaryen and almost lost those I cared for once, that will never happen again. Maester, call the banners, we will march to King's Landing immediately."
"As you wish, my lord," Maester Gawen acknowledged as he left.

Humfrey stopped fighting and let Elys hit him so he could walk over to his father.

"You're going to war?" Humfrey asked.
"Yes, would you like to join me?"

Humfrey turned to look at Leana, Dale also turned and saw that Leana was displeased.

"You want me to go with you?"
"Only with your mother's permission, it's dangerous out there but the best way to learn is to be there."
"Dale, Humfrey is our only child, we can't risk losing him," Leana said.
"He will stay at the camps. My father and Aunt Sylvia were born in the camps during the War of the Five Kings, if my grandfather could keep two babes safe, a young boy will be easy. Besides, it's about time Humfrey became a squire."
"A squire? Who will I squire for?"
"You will be my squire, Humfrey, I hope you will serve me well."

Humfrey put down his sword and hugged his father.

"I will make you proud."
"Can I be a squire too?" Elys asked.
"I'm afraid your grandmother and father might not allow it, Elys. You were sent here to receive an education at Casterly Rock, not go off to war."

Elys frowned but nodded his head. Leana knelt down with the boy and patted his shoulder.

"I've seen you fight, you're a soldier and you will have your chance some day," she encouraged.
"Then, good luck, Humfrey. Keep practising, you know I will," Elys said as he smiled.
"My lord, it'd be best for us to make our preparations now," Tywle said.
"Come, Humfrey, there are many things we need to prepare before riding out," Dale said.

Dale embraced Leana and kissed her. He let go and took his son's hand while Tywle followed. Humfrey's hand was trembling slightly, it was good for the boy to show fear, it meant he was not stupid.

Moreland
Humfrey Sheeran

There had to be a million men at the camp. Humfrey had heard that this was only one of the three camps in The Westerlands, if that was true, that meant the other camps had to be just as big as this one.

​

Everywhere his father lead him, there were soldiers marching, sitting, and doing other things. Numerous banners littered the camp, Maester Gawen had taught him well, he could point them out as he passed. Lefford, Moreland, and Kenning were the most prominent while he also noticed minor houses like Hawthorne, Brax, and Drox. While there were plenty of his father's bannermen, the White Hearts outnumbered the others, Humfrey would often see a Sheeran banner flying next to any other house.

Humfrey had only started learning how to ride a horse last year, his grasp of the reins and control of the horse was tenuous at best. His father rode proudly next to him, he had most definitely been riding and going off to wars for decades. The soldiers and nobles bowed their heads and greeted his father as he passed, nobody was paying Humfrey any attention.

"Are you nervous?" Humfrey's father asked.
"The legends said the armies were big, but I didn't think it'd be this big," Humfrey answered.
"But are you nervous?"
"Yes, father."
"Don't worry about being afraid, we all get scared. See some of these men? I've been in a few wars and I can tell a fresh man when I see him, they're nervous just like you."
"But they're older, adults shouldn't be nervous."

His father shook his head.

"Everyone's scared, the only remedy is the fact that the men with you are the only thing keeping you from death. Trust is what will keep us all together, the moment we believe the men we fight beside cannot win, we flee, we die."
"Do the men trust you, father?"
"They trust me with their lives as I trust them with mine."
"I want to be like you some day, father."

​

"Just stay safe and watch me carefully, you will be lord one day and you will have to earn the trust of your men just like I have with mine."
"I will, father."
"Good, not only are you my first son, you're my only child, you are my future and I am expecting great things from you."

Humfrey nodded his head.

"Thank you, father."

The column approached a large tent where many guards stood outside. His father halted the column and ordered everyone to dismount. Humfrey awkwardly got off his horse by almost slipping out of the right stirrup when he lifted his left leg. He managed to maintain his balance and reach the floor without anyone noticing. His father and his guards approached the flap to the tent, the guards bowed their heads as he held it open for Humfrey.

"We'll be heading into the war council. Listen carefully, some of our strategies may rub off on you."
"Yes, father."

Humfrey nodded and entered the tent. Several men in armour sat around a table and stood up to bow their heads to Humfrey's father, the only man that was familiar was Master-at-Arms Tywle. They all said a greeting and quickly sat down as his father sat down at the head of the table. A servant brought cups and placed them onto the table, he presented wine and poured it for all of the lords while they spoke short conversation to each other.

"Now that we're all here, let's begin planning," Humfrey's father declared.

 

[stnylan]

Well the situation in Yunkai is bitter indeed. I think, in many ways, they are suited for each other in a horrible fashion.

As to the war - no doubt as to why Dale has chosen as he did. Hopefully he will not regret it.

 

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 77: The West Heads East

Peckledon, Encampment
Dale Sheeran

The table was being prepared for the war council. Dale's army had been marching at a quick pace in order to reach King's Landing to link up with the few Targaryen loyalists still in the Crownlands. The situation was dire, the enemy were prepared in advance as the Manderlys and Hardyngs were already entering The Riverlands despite the rebellion barely being a month old.

Dale's army had recently stopped their march as nightfall was approaching, he and his son Humfrey were the only ones in the tent watching the servants prepare as the other lords were overseeing the settling of their troops. He decided to help the servants in order to have everything ready quickly, the servants were quite surprised to see a lord so high join them. Humfrey was inspired and also came over to find what tasks he could assist with, Dale nodded and smiled at his son.

The table and chairs were in place while the refreshments had been prepared. Dale unrolled the map of the Crownlands and began placing wooden figures brought in by the servants. He remembered the reports of all movements and placed the figures accordingly, his third army that he left in command of Lord Raynald Westerling was lagging behind and was still in the area near Drox Castle. As he finished placing the last of the figures, the lords that were part of Dale's army began to arrive.

The first was Lord Tion Moreland, a man Dale had been wary of many years ago, his messy hair had no trace of black left in it and his eyes were surrounded by wrinkles. Next was Daric Kenning, Castellan Pate's brother who was leading his house's troops as Pate had to manage Casterly Rock, his appearance was similar to his brother but Dale never had the pleasure of knowing anything else. Third was Lord Martyn Payne, Dale's brother-in-law who had served faithfully since Preston Brax's rebellion. Finally, Lord Tywle Lefford arrived with the rest of the minors lords like Halbart Drox, Tywold Brax, and Kenric Hawthorne. Dale turned to Humfrey and looked at him, the young boy had seen the men many times before yet he still looked on in awe at the proud Westerlander lords wearing their fine armour.

"We are all here, let us begin," Dale announced.
"My lord," the men said in unison.
"What news of the vanguard under Jaesin Marbrand?"
"He has been advancing his forces along the Blackwater, his scouts have encountered a Tully host eleven-thousand strong across at Chyterring Brook," Tywle answered.

​

"Where are the rest of the Tullys?" Tion Moreland asked, he scratched his chin through the thick forest of his beard.
"The last report said they were still at Riverrun, most likely to wait for the main forces of The Vale and North," Tywle answered.

Tywle began placing wooden figures on the map according to the reports.

"They'd be forty-five thousand once they meet, we cannot allow this eleven-thousand to join the rest, we should attack the Tully vanguard before it can retreat to Riverrun," Martyn Payne suggested after sipping from his wine.
"We'd be able to cut the bastards off if Raynald Westerling could move fast enough," Tywold Brax complained.
"We'd have to move deep in the Riverlands to do that, it'd be too dangerous even if he was here," Halbart Drox warned.

Dale stared at the map, the Blackwater was a formidable defence but noted just how far the river went. He was about to speak when Daric Kenning spoke up.

"No, we're in a position to intercept the Tully army, if we cross from Peckledon to Mosborough, the Tullys won't be able to stop us like they would if Lord Marbrand tried. Once we're across, we can force a confrontation to give Lord Marbrand time to reinforce us," Daric Kenning explained.
"Very good, Daric, but if we fail to catch them, we'll have to head for King's Landing," Dale said.
"If we fail to catch them, this war's going to get a lot harder for all of us. Knights of The Vale on an open field, they'd run us through," Tion Moreland warned.

Dale noticed Kenric Hawthorne was not saying anything, while he was a lesser lord, he still might have some valuable insight.

"Lord Hawthorne, do you have anything to say?" Dale asked.
"Nothing, my lord, what needed to be said has already been said," Kenric Hawthorne answered.
"Hmm, then we will follow Daric Kenning's plan, we will cross the Blackwater further west of the Tully host and attempt to catch them."
"My lord," the men said in unison.

The lords were satisfied with the plan and drank from their cups. Tywle said something to Martyn Payne which made him laugh while Daric Kenning and Halbart Drox were talking about the year's harvest. Tywold Brax and Kenric Hawthorne simply sat in silence while Tion Moreland groomed his beard after scratching his chin for so long. Humfrey was standing patiently the entire time, his face indicated that he was deep in thought, the boy must have been taking care to soak in as much information as he could. Dale heard the sound of a horse coming to a halt outside the tent and quick footsteps, the flap opened to reveal a scout who bowed his head in the presence of the lords.

"Report, m'lord!" the scout said.
"Tell us what you know."
"The Wagstaff army made a forced march and are besiegin' King's Landing, forces from Astapor landed nearby and joined the siege after Rhaekar Targaryen won in the Bay of Dragons. The Manderly vanguard has been spotted at Hayford while Tully reinforcements are heading south and are at Atranta right now."

Dale could see the men's faces were quite displeased, even though main armies of The Vale and North had yet to arrive, the loyalists were already outnumbered with Stormlanders and Astapori besieging King's Landing while Tully forces threatened to link up.

"What in Seven Hells are the Tyrells doing?" Tywle asked.
"The Martells and Ironborn haven't made any moves either, we're the only ones that have any chance of stopping all of these armies and even then our chances are slim," Dale said.
"How many are outside King's Landing?" Halbart Drox asked.
"Thirty-thousand, maybe more," the scout answered.
"And if the Tully armies and the Manderly vanguard joined together, that's another thirty-thousand."
"Thirty-thousand to our north, thirty-thousand to the east, even with Raynald Westerling's army, we're still only forty-five thousand," Tion Moreland said.
"Don't forget the thirty-thousand that is the main forces of the Manderlys and Hardyngs," Martyn Payne interjected.
"Fuck me you're right."

The lords were looking around at each other, soon they turned to Dale.

"My lord, if we waited for Lord Westerling's army, we'd have our forces together," Tywle said.
"We can't afford to wait, we have a prime opportunity to strike the Tully forces one by one, let us rid ourselves of twenty-thousand while we still have a chance," Dale replied.

The lords nodded their heads.

"We'll arrange to have word sent to Lord Marbrand of the plan."
"We will also leave a large portion of our baggage train and entrust Lord Cedric Sarsfield and his outriders to escort it, we will only take enough supplies for the march and battle along with our equipment," Dale instructed.
"Is that wise? If the Tullys were to get word that our baggage train was left with a token force of cavalry, they'd strike it in an instant," Daric Kenning warned.
"We'll never catch the Tullys if we had to stay with the baggage train," Dale replied.
"Besides, the Tullys would be too busy trying to join together and fight us off than hit our supplies with their army, the Sarsfield outriders will be able to keep it safe from any small attacks," Martyn Payne assured.
"Before the sun can even show itself, we must be ready to make a forced march, we may not get a chance like this again," Dale commanded.
"My lord," the lords acknowledged together while they nodded their heads.

Dale ended the council and bid the lords a good night. After the last of the lords left, Humfrey sat in one of the chairs and studied the map.

"Your legs must be sore from standing for so long," Dale joked.
"A soldier needs strong legs," Humfrey replied.
"Hah! Well, how much did you learn from today?"
"A lot, father."
"That is good, and what did you learn?"
"Wars are more than just fighting between two armies."

Dale rested his arms on the table and leaned closer to Humfrey.

"That's right, there's a lot to war. You have to plan movements, move supplies, and consider the world around you. But there are also the horrors of war, the Sarsfield outriders are supposed to be scouting and screening our forces, but you don't want to know what they are doing while we aren't watching them."
"What are they doing?"
"They are in enemy territory, they are doing what most soldiers would do in a time like this."
"But, aren't we fighting for the right side? We're the good ones."

Dale snicked to himself and smiled, it barely lasted a second and turned to a frown. He sighed and took a sip from his cup.

"I used to believe I was always fighting for good, now I just fight for survival and those I care for, that may be good and just but then aren't our enemies doing the same? Even if we were truly the good ones, I'm under no illusion about what my men do when I'm not around, looting and pillaging do not make as fine a tune as glory and victory."
"The songs are lies?"
"No, they're true in a way. I'm glad you're here, I wanted you to learn how war is truly like, I was fourteen when I participated in my first war but I was seventeen when I fought my first battle. Even as a man grown, I was not prepared for the sounds, the losses."

Humfrey tilted his head and squinted his eyes.

"If war is so scary, why did you want to join it so quickly?"
"Duty, my son. House Targaryen will always have my loyalty, our houses are connected and there is one I hold dear that is now in danger at King's Landing. I wish we didn't have to fight, but I cannot let those who I've given my loyalty to suffer because of my hesitation."
"That makes sense."
"Does it? There are men who think duty is nonsense and others that don't think it's worth fighting for, you're merely a boy past eleven, does it really make sense to you?"
"It makes sense to me, my father is a great man and he believes in it."

Dale smiled and messed with his son's hair.

"You're a good boy, let us head back to the tent, we need to be fully rested for the march."

The two got out of their chairs and Dale kept his hand on Humfrey's back as he lead him out of the tent. Dale almost wanted to tear up at how proud he was at Humfrey, it made him want to reflect on his relationship with his father which was a whole different experience. The war was forging a warrior and with the guidance of Dale, Humfrey would most definitely become a warrior that understood duty above all else.

Chyterring Brook
Dale Sheeran

The fighting had been fierce and the battle was entering its seventh day. Dale's army had managed to cross the Blackwater and march quickly through Mosborough which placed his forces in a position to strike the Tully host at Chyterring Brook.

​

Reinforcements from both sides were approaching from all directions but it was the army under Jaesin Marbrand that arrived first just last night. Time was running out as the Tully reinforcements lead by Lord Paramount Lucas Tully himself along with the Manderly vanguard were approaching.

​

Dale was watching the fighting from the rear on a small piece of elevation. Behind him were his guards along with two-thousand cavalrymen that he decided to place under his personal command. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Targaryen loyalists would win in this battle yet the Tully forces held on. The centre of the enemy formation proved to be the most defiant and fought on as the flanks gave ground or even fled. Battlelines had fractured into large melees spread across the battlefield, Dale was eyeing one fight in particular, the odds looked too even for his liking.

A rider from the right flank of the Westerlander army approached Dale and bowed his head.

"Lord Tywold Brax has broken the enemy's left flank and is pursuing the enemy!" the scout reported.
"Good, the battle is won then, let us prepare to join the fray!" Dale yelled to his hornblower.

Dale closed the visor of his helmet and drew Jade from its sheath, the sword's voice overpowered the distant sounds of battle to ensure its presence could be heard. On the sounding of the horn, Dale urged his steed forward and was quickly followed by his guards while the two-thousand riders let out a great battlecry before following. Dale felt the wind blow through the slots in his helmet, it felt quite cooling as the hot sun beat down on the battlefield.

He began slightly turning right in order to guide the cavalry into the massive gap left by Tywold Brax's troops who were pursuing what remained of the enemy left flank. The target of this massive charge was the largest of the fights in the centre, their rout would most certainly trigger a reaction from the rest of the Tully forces. Dale began to turn left as his cavalry were moving into position to smash the enemy's rear, he intended to use his infantry as an anvil and his cavalry as a hammer.

As the formation approached, the Tully troops at the rear either turned to face the cavalry charge or began to flee. Dale slowed his horse down in order to melt into the cavalry charge, the troops masterfully avoided any collision and parted to allow their lord into the formation. Once more the cavalry let out a great roar and smashed into the hastily put together line of spears and swords. Many Tully soldiers were killed in the impact but the momentum was slowly being lost and it became a slow crawl through the enemy as the cavalry cut down the wavering troops.

"Kill the Tullys!" the cavalry screamed.

Dale rode by a man trying to avoid getting run down by horses, the man did not even notice as a Valyrian Steel Sword with a hilt made of jade came upon his head and cut it off with ease. He could see the enemy commander a few rows back trying to rally his men, his armour had black scales rather than the brown scales of the soldiers or boiled leather of the levies. Dale lead his guards and nearby cavalry through the line and forced their way toward the commander, he was aware of this and tried to push himself back through his troops.

What this commander did not realize was that the Westerlander infantry had renewed their assault and were also cutting their way through the Tully forces, Dale continued to push hard in order to make sure the enemy commander kept his eyes on him. Dale felt a spear slide along his armour, he turned over and jammed his sword in the chest of the man that tried to kill him. Once the man fell to the ground, Dale watched as the enemy commander pushed himself backward right into the Westerlander infantry who were quick to cut the man down. The enemy lost heart and began to flee while they could as the cavalry regained their momentum.

​

"Run them down!" Dale yelled as he pointed Jade in the direction the enemy was fleeing to.

Dale suddenly heard a screeching noise, a noise he had not heard in years. He looked up to the skies and could see a massive beast covered in black that Dale swore was the size of a hundred horses. It was Drogon, Allyria's dragon, Dale wondered what it was doing here rather than at King's Landing where the Wagstaffs and Astapori were already laying siege. The vague dot that most likely was Allyria could be spotted atop the dragon, it circled the battlefield prompting the infantry to stare at it in wonder.

The dragon suddenly aimed itself toward the ground and flew downward close to Dale's position. Dale tried to yell at his men to clear space for it to land but the cavalry's screams and the thundering of their hooves had overpowered him. The dragon arched itself up and began to hover over the blob of cavalry on the battlefield running down the Tullys, it patiently waited for the cavalry to clear out before landing and walking on all four limbs. Dale could see Allyria climb down the dragon's body, it had gotten too big to simply jump off like before and it took her some time to make it down.

When Allyria was finally on the ground, she ran over to Dale. Dale dismounted his horse, before he could recover from the quick jump he made to get off, Allyria wrapped her arms around him.

"Dale! Thank the gods you're here!" Allyria cried.
"Allyria, why aren't you at King's Landing?" Dale asked.

Allyria released her hold on Dale and held her hands together in front of her waist.

"I had to see if you were coming, we need you, Dale. Just like what you did with my grandmother, I need your army to smash the enemy camps and end the siege."
"Royce Wagstaff is in command of the siege and was there on that day, I fear he will have ensured that it would not happen again."
"The city won't hold forever, we can last another four months. But... we could last two years if we denied the citizens food."

Dale took Allyria's hand and looked her straight in the eye, he tightened his grip to emphasize his words.

"Do not ever let it come to that."
"Then we need you to help us end the siege."
"I want to march to stop the siege, but the Hardyngs and Manderlys will have assembled at Riverrun by now."
"If you defeat Royce Wagstaff and the Astapori, then we can march out to deal with the Hardyngs and Manderlys together."
"We'll try, Allyria, but one of my armies is falling behind, a good fourteen-thousand men."
"I'll see if I can hold the siege off with Drogon, you need to bring all of your troops and stop them before they take King's Landing."
"I will, Allyria."

Allyria frowned.

"I'm glad to see you again after all these years, I wish it was under better circumstances."
"I'm just happy to see that you're all right, how's your niece?"
"She is doing what she can, but she's confided with me that she doesn't think we're going to win this one."
"I hope to prove her wrong when I reach King's Landing."

Allyria hugged Dale again and stuffed her face in Dale's breastplate.

"Please hurry, House Targaryen needs you."

Dale held Allyria's elbows and pulled away so that the two were standing straight. He nodded and placed his right fist on his heart.

"I will do what I can to end the siege, Allyria. Hurry back to your niece, she needs you."
"Thank you, Dale."

Allyria turned and ran back to her dragon, she began climbing and tried to hurry. Dale moved to mount his horse, by the time he was settled on the saddle, Allyria reached the top and gave Dale one last wave before the dragon lifted off and flew away in the direction of King's Landing. The dragon flew with great speed and Dale waited for it to disappear before turning to address the troops nearby.

"We must regather our forces! King's Landing needs us and we cannot waste anymore time!" Dale yelled.

Horns blew across the battlefield to signal the army to regroup. The day was still young and Dale estimated he could march a quarter of the way across Hayford before having to stop to rest. He prayed that Raynald Westerling was close with his army, if the Westerlanders were to break the siege of King's Landing like they did during the time of Daenerys Targaryen, Raynald Westerling's army would need to be present.

​

 

[stnylan]

Bitter times indeed, but a dragon means much. And if Dale can do something at King's landing ... well, you can only fight the battle in front of you, and the next one, and the next one, until either you are defeated or victorious.

 

[EmpireofOne]

9,000 views, hot damn! Thanks for sticking around for so long everyone. And to all you new readers making it to this point, you deserve your own commendations for reading through the story of three generations littered with numerous characters and plots. It won't be long before we reach quintuple digits and I'm still excited to write so that we can reach that milestone together as author and reader. Now, on campus, I don't have access to my screenshots and can only write notes for chapters, but I have been working on some supplementary content which is something that I am able to do on campus. I'm not gonna say what it is as I am unsure when it will be ready, but rest assured it will be a helpful resource for people that may have trouble following along or are interested in reading deeper into The Songs of Sheeran.
Chapter 78: Red Walls

King's Landing, Rebel Siege Camp
Dale Sheeran

A report had come in from spies within the enemy siege camp, Lord Paramount Royce Wagstaff died from illness. Dale had feared that Royce Wagstaff would have prepared himself well for a sudden attack from the Westerlanders as he was a victim to that decades ago, with his death and the general uncertainty in the enemy camp, the time was right to recreate the battle that made him a legend. Lord Jaesin Marbrand's army would attack the north, Lord Raynald Westerling would attack from the west, and Dale would lead his troops from the northwest. The plan was to secure the northern side of the city and sweep down the entire camp.

​

Unfortunately the enemy was made aware and were prepared to receive an attack. Dale ordered a great volley of arrows and crossbow bolts to soften the enemy forces holding the barricades and trenches. Jaesin Marbrand's forces charged forward and were the first to draw blood with the enemy, Dale quickly ordered his troops to assault another portion of the siege camp when he saw Raynald Westerling's forces taking position. Dale had the numbers, victory seemed certain.

​

Dale watched the city from an elevated piece of terrain, the Targaryen loyalists remained at their posts while the gate stayed shut, he was wondering why they were hesitating. A rider from the direction of Jaesin Marbrand's army rode toward Dale and bowed his head.

"M'lord! Lord Jaesin Marbrand's been wounded and has withdrawn!" the rider reported.
"What? Then who's in command?" Dale asked.
"A knight named Lester took the command!"

​

Another rider came forward to Dale and greeted him.

"Lord Raynald Westerling requests reinforcements, the other side of the camp is coming!"
"Damn, commit my reserves! Raynald Westerling must hold while we finish off this section!"

A hornblower relayed Dale's command to the reserves waiting further back. The cavalry surged forward while the infantry and ranged units marched in formation. Dale could see his men struggling to get past the defences the enemy had placed, especially the wooden palisade that stood tall above the trenches filled with wooden stakes and caltrops. With nothing else to hear about or command, Dale drew Jade and ordered his guards and what troops he had left to follow him.

The archers and crossbowmen holding the palisades did not see Dale approach in the open ground and were too busy picking off men trying to raise ladders or ram open the gate. Dale stopped his horse and jumped onto the ground, his guards quickly surrounded him with their shields and slowly advanced toward the palisade. He looked left and right, to his left were men climbing ladders while his right had the men trying to smash through the gate. Dale decided the ladders were too risky and waited nearby with a large group of soldiers holding their shields up to protect from projectiles while they waited for the gate to open.

A man close to Dale's position took a crossbow bolt to the eye after it pierced right through his shield. Dale looked over to the ladders and saw a large group of enemy soldiers converge on a section of the palisade a ladder was placed upon, before the first man could reach the top the enemy soldiers pushed it and forced it to the ground, some poor men landed in the trench where the deadly traps were placed. The gate was giving way, every impact was forcing it open even more, it reached a point where Dale could see the men behind it trying to push against the gate.

"Come on you bastards! Get that gate operrrrggghhh," a knight yelled right before taking an arrow to his throat.

Dale watched the man grab at his throat and slowly collapse to the ground, the man rolled up into a ball as if he was a newborn baby. There was a crash and the sudden cries of hundreds of men, the gate was open and the enemy could no longer keep it shut. Dale's men rushed through the gate as if they were water bursting through a dam, the defenders fell back and the Westerlanders continued to pour in.

"Let's go!" Dale yelled to his guards.

Dale joined in the crowd of men at the gate, they pushed him from all directions as the men eagerly exploited the breach. Arrows and crossbow bolts were still raining down from the palisade and the makeshift gatehouse, Dale decided he would clear it out before heading into the encampment. He finally made it through the mob at the gate and looked for someway to climb up onto the palisade, there was a stairway a little bit over to the left where some men were already fighting.

Dale and his guards joined the fray and began to overpower the few defenders. One man Dale was fighting with slowly retreated back up the stairway and eventually tripped on a step, giving Dale the opportunity to finish him with Jade. Dale lead his guards and a few men up to the palisade and engaged a crowd of enemies trying to push down a ladder. Dale sidestepped an attack from a knight in armour, this left the knight open to one of Dale's guards who kicked him off the palisade and onto the ground. One of the enemy was still trying to push down the ladder, Dale ran over and ran his sword through the man and took the hands of the men climbing up.

"Arrows!" a man yelled after holding up his shield.

Archers down the palisade turned their attention to the men already on their walls and loosed arrows at a very quick pace, Dale ordered the regular soldiers to charge the archers while he turned to the gatehouse.

"Guards with me!" Dale ordered.

Dale rushed at the gatehouse where a few soldiers and archers were holding out, they were ready for the attack and made a small shieldwall at the doorway while archers fired over them. The guard fought the shieldwall and tried to pry their way through, they could not push through and were at the mercy of the archers trying to find what shots they could. A single guard stepped back, Dale thought that this man would possibly flee but the man continued to face the gatehouse, he soon ran forward and jumped straight into the shields of the enemy. He rolled to stand back up while the rest of Dale's guards took advantage of the temporary gap and cut down everyone in the gatehouse.

Dale went inside and saw the last of the enemy falling to the floor. There was a Manderly banner on the wall, Dale ripped it off and threw it through one of the openings for archers to shoot through. There was a great cheer after it flew into the crowd of men and Dale could see his men making sure to step right over it as they continued to pour through the gate. Dale stepped out of the gatehouse and looked at King's Landing, there was still no response from the city, not even Allyria's dragon could be seen. He wondered what the garrison was doing, the last time his army smashed the enemy outside King's Landing the garrison joined him, even during that standoff with Corwyn Hardyng had the garrison march out to surround him.

"Where is our lord!?" A man running around the encampment yelled.
"Up here!" Dale called.

The man only heard Dale the second time he called and made his way up to the palisade. Dale received the man and waited to hear what he had to say.

"Ser Lester has fallen! Jaesin Marbrand's army has no commander!" the man reported.

​

"Go find either Lord Tywle Lefford or Lord Daric Kenning, give them command here, I'll take over for the Marbrands."
"Yes, m'lord!"

Dale called his guards to follow him and ran down along the palisade in order to reach the forces in the north.

King's Landing, Westerlands Encampment
Humfrey Sheeran

"It's a raid!" a soldier yelled.

A group of riders flying the Wagstaff banner rushed through the camp, setting fires and cutting down isolated soldiers wherever they could. Humfrey was caught outside of his tent with the guards his father had left behind. The men tried to usher him away, but the riders always seemed to come right when everyone felt they were safe. A group of riders came upon Humfrey and his guards and attacked, the guards pushed Humfrey back so he would be safe as they fought off the horsemen.

Humfrey stood back and watched his guards, they were neither winning or losing. Another rider was coming to join the already equal sides, Humfrey knew his presence would make a difference. He saw a weapon rack where a few spears were rested on, Humfrey ran over to pick up one of them and took deep breaths. His grip tightened, he never trained that much with a spear, it was a peasant's weapon after all. Humfrey dismissed his thoughts and fears, it was the perfect weapon to stop a horse and he needed it now.

The rider came closer, Humfrey made the first move by spearing the horse in its neck. A torrent of blood burst from the wound and the horse whinnied while it flailed its body around. The rider was thrown off his horse and Humfrey dropped the spear when he noticed a dead man holding a sword nearby. He ran for the sword and picked it up just in time for the rider to begin walking toward him. Humfrey had been practising with steel swords, but he was still used to the wooden swords from his childhood, nevertheless, he gripped the sword with both hands and prepared himself.

The man approached and made the first strike, time seemed to slow as Humfrey watched the blade come toward his left. Humfrey moved his blade accordingly and blocked the attack, he had to take a step back as the grown man had too much strength imbued in his strikes. He regained his footing and held his sword right above his forehead, one of the many stances he had learned from Tywle Lefford. The rider launched forward with a thrust that was quickly met when Humfrey forced his sword to come crashing down on his opponent's sword.

Using the momentum and opportunity, Humfrey tried to respond with a thrust of his own, the man took advantage of his brute strength to simply push the blade aside and both fighters returned to eyeing each other. Humfrey prepared another stance, he held his sword as if it were like the orienting arm of a compass pointing northwest. His opponent launched an attack at what he most likely thought was Humfrey's exposed right, Humfrey stepped slightly right and caught the man's blade with his crossguard. From there, Humfrey used the weight of his opponent's sword as a pivot so he could push his sword through the man's gambeson and into his gut.

Humfrey pushed his sword through as far as it could, the man shoved Humfrey away, he still maintained his grip on his weapon and pulled it with him. As the sword was taken out of the man's body, Humfrey felt what he thought was rainwater on his face, he landed on his back while his sword covered in blood fell close to his side. The man was screaming and clutching his gut while Humfrey was still panting, he had done it, he was a boy barely past eleven and he had practically killed a man.

​

The defenders of the camp managed to rally and organize themselves, Westerlander soldiers finally arrived to assist Humfrey and his guards, the riders were pulled off their horses or fled after doing what damage they could. One of Humfrey's guards put the screaming man he had fought with out of his misery and looked around. The men did not waste any time and pulled Humfrey away from the scene of the fight, there could still be danger. Humfrey's thoughts turned to his father, if the enemy had launched an attack on the camp, what could that have meant for his father and his army?

King's Landing, Rebel Siege Camp
Dale Sheeran

Dale had taken command of the host that was originally under Jaesin Marbrand. The men were at the breaking point but Dale had managed to convince the troops to continue fighting after running through the camp with Jade held high. King's Landing had still yet to send any aid, Dale wondered what was going on but he payed no attention to it, he was winning where he was. Dale ran forward at an unsuspecting knight and thrust Jade into a weak point in the man's armour, the knight collapsed almost instantly and dropped his sword.

The poorly equipped levies he was commanding hesitated at the sight of the armoured lord wielding a large sword of Valyrian Steel, they soon fled when Dale's guards caught up with him. The men around Dale cheered and proceeded further into the city of tents. Before Dale could join them, Tywle Lefford came upon Dale, he was pulling along a horse without a rider.

"My lord!" Tywle called.
"A glorious victory will soon be ours!" Dale yelled. "We need to continue pressing our advantage so the Targaryens will send us help."
"My lord! Lord Raynald Westerling is pulling his forces back! Tywold Brax is leading a rearguard effort!"

From behind his visor, Dale's eyes widened and his mouth was agape.

"What?! Impossible!"
"The Wagstaffs and Astapori have rallied, they overwhelmed Raynald's forces. The north and northwest of the camp were thinly guarded by the Manderly vanguard."
"They must have known we were coming from this direction, they drew us in with a weak force while they dealt with us one by one. Damn you, Royce Wagstaff, you may be dead, but you've learned your lesson."
"My lord, we need to get you out of here, the enemy will destroy the Brax rearguard soon."

Dale shook his head, he suddenly felt one of his guard's take hold of his shoulder.

"M'lord, go with him, we'll head back to our horses," one of Dale's guards suggested.
"That gatehouse we dismounted at is a league from here, it could be overrun with enemies by the time you reach it," Dale protested.
"Get out of here! The battle is lost, m'lord!"
"Where are the Targaryens?!"
"My lord, get on the horse quickly!" Tywle pleaded.

Dale reluctantly got on the horse Tywle brought with him and whipped it forward. He could hear his warhorns sounding, they were signalling a full retreat. The cavalry had an easy time creating distance between them and the enemy, but Dale could only watch as the infantry were helpless and only survived due to the fact that they were not at the rear. When he was outside of the palisade, Dale turned his horse around and looked at the giant siege camp that surrounded King's Landing, thousands of dots scurried about while numerous fires engulfed the tents. The enemy were running down what troops were still left in the area, Dale gripped the reins of horse and turned it back around, he hesitated but soon commanded his steed to flee.

​

King's Landing, An Inn
Dale Sheeran

​

The retreat was a disaster and the army of The Westerlands was scattered all across the area around King's Landing. A large portion of the army had taken up positions around a relatively large inn, Dale and Tywle arrived at the inn and tried to find any of the other commanders. The men had thrown off their helmets and were sitting around while men covered in dirt patrolled the perimeter, it was a pitiful sight. Silent Sisters were already seeing to the dead and wounded, their timing was almost supernatural, as if they predicted where the battles would take place along with the locations everyone had scattered to.

Soldiers bowed their heads as Dale rode by, he resisted the urge to look at them, he had failed them and the once invincible army of The Westerlands had been shattered by a band of rebels. He felt betrayed, the Targaryens did not sally out like the last time, Allyria did not fly out on her dragon and burn the entire siege camp down. Had they come out to help, victory would have been assured, Dale would demand to know the reason behind the hesitation the next time he would see Allyria.

"Damn those cowards!" Dale yelled.
"We need to regroup quickly, the Manderly and Hardyng armies will be arriving soon," Tywle warned.

​

"How many did we lose, Tywle?"
"I don't know, we may have lost over ten thousand men."
"Ten thousand? Gods, has the day really been that bloody?"
"We lost so many men and have nothing to show for it, King's Landing is fucked."
"We need Allyria's dragon, it's our only hope now."

As if on queue, Dale heard the familiar screech of a dragon's call. Dale looked up and saw the swift black cloud that was Drogon circling the position the men had taken. Some soldiers laid down in fear while others simply watched, Dale ordered the men to make room for the dragon to land, the men quickly obliged when they saw the dragon coming down. Dale saw Allyria on top of the dragon, he dismounted his horse and walked over to Drogon, his fists were clenched and his brow was squeezed inward. Allyria began climbing down the dragon, her movements were slow and she seemed to be using her left arm more than the other.

"Dale," Allyria called weakly.
"Where were you?!" Dale yelled angrily.

Allyria suddenly fell from the dragon and landed on the ground, she did not move to stand up. Dale ran over and held Allyria in his arms, there were no visible wounds but there was a great number of bandages rolled around her right arm and shoulder.

"Dale, I'm sorry."
"What happened?"
"I was trying to hold them back so that you would come, there was only so much I could do before they gathered their archers. Drogon's scales were strong enough to stop the arrows, but one of them found me."
"Are you alright?"

Allyria sucked in air and gritted her teeth, Dale tried to hold her as gently as possible.

"I'll be fine, it hurts, but it won't kill me."
"Why didn't your niece order the garrison to sally like your grandmother did? We needed help."
"She's gotten paranoid, she believes no matter how hard you fight, this war is over, she's ordered her men to fortify the Red Keep as much as possible."
"The damn fool! She has only fulfilled her prophecy by not sending help!"

Dale realized that his anger may have hurt Allyria, he bit his lip and again tried to hold her as gently as he could.

"Even if I held back the enemy with Drogon, our food will run out eventually."
"We don't have the forces to try again and the Manderlys and Hardyngs will be here soon."
"Dale, there's still hope."
"I lost over ten thousand men back there, there's nothing I can do."

Allyria made a faint smile.

"My Uncle Rhaekar's fleet has been sighted sailing past Dragonstone, the report also said he was bringing a dragon."
"Rhaekar is coming? How many men is he bringing and where will he land?"
"I don't know how many, but he will be landing near Rosby."
"We have to hurry to Rosby, we'll need to combine our forces if we want to defeat the enemy."
"I will go back to King's Landing."

Dale shook his head.

"Allyria, it isn't safe for you back there."
"Drogon and I are the only thing keeping the enemy out of King's Landing, the only thing keeping my family safe. I fear I may have already wasted enough time by being here."
"At least rest a bit before going, that fall may have done damage to your wound."
"There's no time, Dale, help me climb back up to my dragon. And once I'm gone, gather your forces and head to Rosby."
"Allyria..."
"Dale, my niece needs me, King's Landing needs me."

Dale nodded his head and helped Allyria to her feet. He held her hand as he lead her to Drogon, the dragon seemed to be sympathetic to Allyria's struggle as it laid as flat as possible so she would not have to climb too much. Allyria used her left arm to pull herself up as Dale held her feet with his hands. She reached the top and tried to hold onto one of the dragon's spikes as tightly as possible before commanding it to fly. Its wings almost forced Dale to the ground as the dragon lifted itself into the air, the dragon arched itself and turned in the direction Dale had fled from.

"Don't get yourself hurt!" Dale yelled.
"Get to Rosby!" Allyria replied.

The dragon flew away and disappeared behind a forest of tall trees, the leaves and branches were still swaying everywhere long after the beast had left. Dale ran back to Tywle who looked stunned, even after several encounters with Allyria and her dragon, the man still never seemed to get used to the giant creature.

"We need to head back to our encampment and send riders to anyone we can find, we must all head for Rosby."
"As you wish, my lord."

Dale mounted his horse and rode down the road, he yelled for his men to pick themselves up and follow him back to the encampment, another decisive battle was approaching and it would most definitely take place at Rosby.

 

[stnylan]

That was a very well written battle scene. Very clear imaging the crash and flow of it.

A bitter repulse even so. So close ... but in this case second really does mean loser.

 

[EmpireofOne]

Chapter 79: The Dragon Strikes Back

Rosby, Coastline
Dale Sheeran

Dale watched the massive fleet of ships out in the sea. They had black sails with the three-headed dragon displayed proudly making it clear who they fought for. Humfrey was next to him and kept his attention on the dragon flying over the ships, it was nowhere as big as Drogon but it was the first dragon the boy had ever seen. Hundreds of rowboats were advancing upon the shore, had they been enemies Dale would have had something to fear. The first of the rowboats made it and the men began disembarking and unloading supplies.

The dragon flew over to the beach and turned to Dale's position. Humfrey recoiled when the massive beast flapped its wings as it hovered over Dale and his entourage. Atop the dragon was a familiar face, Rhaekar Targaryen jumped off the dragon and landed on his feet when it was close enough to the ground.

​

Dale rode his horse over to Rhaekar while Humfrey and his guards followed. Humfrey could not keep his eyes off of the dragon.

"Rhaekar! It's good to see you here, this is my son Humfrey," Dale greeted.
"Your grace," Humfrey said quickly after coming out of his trance.
"Pleasure. Lord Dale, I bring four-thousand troops to aid you in the coming battles," Rhaekar greeted back.
"And a dragon too! I never even heard that you managed to tame one."
"It came into my lands one day, most likely attracted to the dragon that killed my daughter and hurt the other."
"With two dragons, the tide of this war may shift into our favour."
"I just want this war to be over with, Meereen must pay for what they've done."
"Rhaekar, focus all of your attentions to this war, we're in a bad spot and we need your support if we are to turn this around."

Rhaekar nodded.

"I'm sorry, you are right, I must protect what family I have left than avenge those that I've lost. How is my niece Allyria?"
"She was wounded during an attempt to stop an assault on King's Landing, frankly it is her and not Queen Helaena that is keeping everything together."
"I only see you and a few guards, where is your army?"
"They're camped not that far from here, we've been waiting for you, the army besieging King's Landing has decided to come finish us off rather than continue their encriclement."

​

"They'll soon learn that their plan will be a great mistake," Humfrey said proudly.
"I will burn them all, my family will not be slighted again," Rhaekar declared.
"Let's not get too carried away, we're here to win battles not burn cities to the ground," Dale warned.
"We've wasted enough time, we will join your camp and prepare for battle."

Rhaekar turned to head back to his dragon.

"Rhaekar, how is my sister?" Dale asked.

He stopped in his tracks and remained silent. Rhaekar continued walking to his dragon and mounted it, he did not even look at Dale as he settled himself on top of the beast. The dragon lifted off the ground after Rhaekar leaned forward to whisper something in its ear, Humfrey flinched at the force of the wings and almost fell off his horse.

"Dragons, they're so big," Humfrey said quietly.
"That one isn't even the biggest, wait until you see the one that Allyria rides," Dale replied.
"Why didn't he say anything about Aunt Jorelle?"
"It is a complicated situation, it'd be better off if you didn't know."
"Is he angry at Aunt Jorelle?"
"Perhaps."
"I've never met my aunt, I wonder what she's like."
"Come now, we should head back to camp and prepare for battle."

Dale turned his horse around and commanded his horse to trot in the direction of the Westerlander camp. He turned his head and noticed Humfrey was still watching Rhaekar's dragon, it was still flying circles around the fleet and making its call. Dale called Humfrey who quickly turned his horse around and rejoined the column. The short conversation about Jorelle triggered a sudden number of thoughts about her, Dale wondered why Rhaekar was upset at her and he also was curious what she was doing right now with her husband and army all the way in Westeros.

Yunkai
Jorelle Sheeran

The guards were running down the halls, their weapons were drawn. Jorelle could hear the echo of the bells all over the city, a warning of an attack. It was all so sudden, even Jorelle would have been able to hear if an enemy army was marching on Yunkai, even then, it was the army of Yunkai that was laying siege to Astapor. Her dress was limiting her speed as she ran through the halls, Jorelle wanted to be with her daughters in their chambers throughout the crisis.

The guards outside the door to her children's chambers bowed their heads and opened the door to let her in. Jorelle had three daughters and only saw Rhaelle and Daella, Daeoril was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the entire room again, her eyes were not deceiving her.

"Mother, what's happening?" Daella asked in a worried tone.
"Everything is going to be fine," Jorelle assured. "Where is your sister?"
"She was having a lesson with Septon Trystane," Rhaella answered.
"Stay here!"

Jorelle did not even wait for the girls to acknowledge her command before heading out the door. More guards continued running through the halls, a great number of them were carrying crossbows. The captain of the household guard took hold of Jorelle's arm and looked her in the eye.

"Your grace, get back to your chambers!" the captain warned.
"I have to find Princess Daeoril!"
"We will find her, but get back to your chambers, the dragon is flying above this pyramid as we speak."
"Dragon? No..."
"Your grace!"

Jorelle ran away down the corridor and weaved her way through the hundreds of guards scurrying about in the halls. She found one of the exits to the exterior of the pyramid and went outside for a better view and could see the hundreds of structures of the great city. Something flew swiftly by Jorelle and almost made her fall on her bottom, there it was, that great green beast that had killed Maega and injured Rhae was circling around the pyramid. Guards rushed outside to try to pull Jorelle back inside but she fled and began climbing the steps.

The guards continued calling for Jorelle but she ignored them and made her way to the top. Standing next to the giant monument of the Harpy was Daeoril, her head followed the movements of the dragon, she showed no fear and stood her ground.

"Daeoril!" Jorelle screamed.

The girl turned to her mother.

"Mother?" Daeoril greeted in confusion.
"Come now! We must get back inside!"
"The dragon isn't hurting anyone."
"It will! Daeoril, please! Come with me!"
"How do you know it will hurt us?"

The images of the times she lead Joanna's daughters to the dragon returned to her. She could hear the screams, see the great plumes of flame, and smell the burning ashes from leagues away.

"Because I've seen it! I've seen it kill and ravage the land! Get inside before it hurts you!"
"Save yourself, mother. I feel, I feel drawn to the dragon."
"Are you mad?!"

Jorelle ran over and grabbed Daeoril. She was about to drag her away when she heard a deafening screech, Jorelle watched as the dragon approached the top of the pyramid and latched onto the side while its head peered over the edge of the top. Daeoril broke free of her mother's grip, Jorelle tried to hold her again but the dragon made another call and slowly crawled up so it could look down at the two. Every time Jorelle went to take Daeoril away, the dragon made the screech that could pluck a thousand leaves off a thousand branches.

It continued to crawl up to the top and knocked over the monument of the Harpy, it fell over the side and began tumbling down the steps and breaking into hundreds of pieces. Jorelle wanted to grab Daeoril and run, but she noticed the pattern and was forced to watch helplessly as Daoeril walked closer to the dragon's jaws. The dragon stared straight at Daeoril and breathed through its nostril making Daoeril's hair fly backward as if it were in a strong wind.

Daeoril reached forward with her hand and slowly inched closer and closer to the beast. Jorelle's memories of the time she lead Maega to the dragon's lair became vivid, it was almost as if she were experiencing that day all over again. She wanted to scream, but she knew that would only startle the beast, her only option to keeping her daughter safe was to remain silent. The dragon did not produce a great plume of flame like it did with Maega or attack like it did with Rhae, it simply waited for Daeoril to touch its snout with her hand.

The girl ran her hand along the beast's scales, Jorelle could not believe her eyes, the dragon seemed to want Daeoril. Daeoril began to climb the dragon, again, Jorelle wanted to scream but she held her tongue and made a silent prayer to all aspects of The Seven to ensure her safety. Daeoril managed to climb onto the dragon's back and held onto one of its spikes tightly, after some time the dragon made a short leap off the pyramid and began flying with Daeoril riding it as if she had done it all her life.

​

Jorelle ran to the edge of the pyramid and watched her daughter, she feared Daeoril would fall or that the dragon would suddenly turn on her. As time passed, her fears slowly began to dissipate, the dragon had accepted Daeoril as its rider. Jorelle made a silent curse to the gods, this moment was them taunting her for what she had done to Maega and Rhae. When the people of Yunkai began to notice Daeoril was riding the dragon, the bells stopped and the panic in the city became celebration.

Rosby
Dale Sheeran

The battle was going well. Dale had the numbers and the element of surprise, the loyalist forces were able to conceal Rhaekar's landing from the enemy by intercepting scouts and ravens across the region.

​

Dale was watching the proceedings with Humfrey, Lord Tywle Lefford, and Daric Kenning. Leana would have had a fit if she knew Humfrey was so close to the battle, but the boy had already bloodied himself and Dale knew this battle would be a victory. Humfrey seemed to be interested in the battle, he said nothing but looked to be studying the movements and capabilities of the troops. Dale could see the numerous banners of those that rose up against the Targaryens: the Manderyls, Rykkers, Wagstaffs, and the Astapori were scattered and disorganized while the banners of The Westerlands maintained formation.

A rider from the front came forward and bowed his head.

"M'lord! The troops have slain Ser Lyonel of Burleigh, an enemy commander!" the rider reported.

​

"The time to strike is now!" Tywle said loudly.
"Commit the reserves, press our advantage now," Dale commanded.

The hornblower next to Dale sounded his horn, the hornblowers ahead of them in the battle echoed the tune. With the signal being sounded, the reserves waiting behind the fighting charged forward and joined the fray, the enemy relayed their own signal and what reserves they could muster also joined the fighting. While Dale had a few advantages, the enemy was still fighting hard and the loss of a commander did not make them break.

"Rider, we haven't heard from our cavalry in some time now, see if you can find them," Daric Kenning ordered.
"Yes, m'lord!"
"Hmm, my brother is the lord, but I could get used to being called one too."

The rider charged away and headed in the direction where the lords had last heard their cavalry was. Dale had hoped to use them to smash the rear of the enemy army, but he had heard about enemy cavalry manoeuvres and was forced to commit them to stopping any attacks.

"Where's the dragon?" Humfrey asked.
"Our forces are too close together and the grass is quite dry, it'd be too risky having the dragon attack the enemy," Dale answered.
"The dragon is our best advantage, you said it yourself, why don't we use our advantage?"
"We've already lost too many men in this war, I can't have the rest of my troops burn to a crisp because a fire got out of control."
"Rhaekar can control the dragon."

Dale was about to say something when Tywle gestured.

"Young master, the dragon will most certainly win us this battle. But it would harm us, there is still a war beyond this battle and we need all of the men we can get," Tywle explained.
"Are we watching the same battle? We're winning but they're still fighting, we need to run them down not grind them down until sunset like we have been for days."
"Humfrey, the cavalry will return and win us the battle, we just need to hold," Dale said.
"I agree with the young master, we don't know where the cavalry is, they may have pursued the enemy too far to be of any use for today," Daric Kenning argued.

Dale looked to Tywle who agreed with his sentiment, Tywle however was watching something down the line. He turned his head to see what Tywle was staring at and saw a large dot well beyond the centre spewing fire. Rhaekar had taken matters into his own hands and brought his dragon to the battlefield.

​

Dale wanted a better view but he could barely even see the centre which was closer to him. He had no idea what was happening over there, but he could assume the enemy was taking considerable damage. As much as he did not want to resort to using the dragon, the cavalry had yet to make their presence known and it was the only way to force a rout.

Another rider carrying the sigil of House Targaryen came from the direction of Rhaekar's troops and bowed his head.

"The Forrester army is routing! The enemy centre is beginning to break as well," the rider reported.

​

"See, father?" Humfrey said.
"Another glorious victory to make up for our defeat at King's Landing," Daric Kenning said.
"We need to kill as many of these men as we can, they'll only regroup and attack us again," Tywle warned.
"The cavalry need to come back now, this is our only chance to run them down," Dale said angrily.
"Still no word from them," Daric Kenning said.
"Can we get the dragon to burn the fields ahead of them so they're trapped between us and the flames?" Humfrey asked.
"It would indeed kill them all, but we're fighting to restore peace, we will not win hearts and minds by burning thousands of men," Dale answered.
"But Aegon the Conqueror..."

Dale shook his head.

"He built a kingdom governed by his strength and fear from his vassals, when that strength and fear waned, rebellions and civil war ravaged the nation. Humfrey, you are a soldier, but I am a lord. You have impressed me by knowing how to win battles, but the land needs peace for it to prosper and you have yet to understand that."
"But what if we kept that strength and fear powerful?"
"I need only look at my great-grandfather Tywin Lannister, the man was ruthless and efficient. The Westerlands feared him and obeyed, but once he died, the cracks formed immediately and now here we stand while House Lannister can barely call itself a powerful family."

Humfrey crossed his arms.

"People will always want to rebel, we need to be strong to stop them."
"Tywin Lannister and Aegon the Conqueror's strength came from fear. Our strength lays in prosperity, because of my ruling and desire for peace, I fielded an army larger than The Reach. Coin and the love of the people is our weapon, I won't inspire fear in men, but I will inspire respect."
"You should listen to your father, young master, he is most wise and is what's best for this land," Tywle said.
"Then maybe he should sit on The Iron Throne," Daric Kenning joked.

Everyone except Humfrey laughed. The boy would understand Dale's point of view some day, but for now Dale allowed him to see things from the eye of a fighter. The same rider that Daric Kenning had sent to find the cavalry returned, the man did not bow and went on with his report.

"M'lord! The cavalry pursued the enemy cavalry further ahead and encountered the main army of The Manderlys and Hardyngs!" the rider reported.

​

"They're here already?!" Tywle said loudly.
"Dammnit, we defeat one army and another one comes," Daric Kenning said.
"We can beat them! We have Rhaekar's dragon!" Humfrey encouraged.
"They'll be too many, we've chased the enemy enough, we should retreat north and take up positions near Duskendale," Dale said.
"Duskendale? We're fighting House Rykker right now," Tywle warned.
"We need to regroup in order to stand against them, we also need to draw the enemy away from King's Landing to buy time for the garrison to receive supplies and troops."
"If that is what you want, we will relay the command, my lord."

Dale let his men run down the enemy army for some time before calling his troops to fall back. It was just as he feared from the beginning of the rebellion, there were too many enemy armies and they could simply keep throwing themselves at Dale until he had no more soldiers of his own. It did not matter how many dragons the Targaryens had, they were not numerous or possessed the ability to be in multiple places at once like the rebels could. Dale's life was filled with many challenges and trials, this war was slowly proving to be his greatest test.