I took another bite of the hardened bitter bread and winced slightly at the pain in the back of my mouth as I chewed. I was lucky enough to be in the middle of the Lannister army when the battle started. I only ended up getting into a few short duels myself and fortunately escaped with just a sore jaw from a swinging pummel. I sat down and my armor shifted slightly upward covering more of my neck. Laying down, I put my hand behind my head and let out a deep sigh. I've been a part of the Lannister army since Robert was king. I was at the Battle of Blackwater, I have seen many battles in these numerous wars. Yet, it never gets any easier. Taking the life of another man does not come easy to me. I've been hilt deep in a man's abdomen and stared into his eyes as he fell on top of me, lifeless. Horrifying images haunt my slumbers, but I still fight. I fight because the Lannister's have taken care of my family for generations. I fight because I don't believe the evil things they say about Queen Cersei. She is a good and noble woman and will lead the seven kingdoms to so much glory. I can feel it… I can.
Looking around I could see the rest of my unit was also taking these brief moments to rest. We did not lose any of our number, we fought well today. I looked up the hill towards the top craning my neck. I could barely make out the white steed that Sir Jaimie sat upon. A slight smile appeared on my face, I was glad to see him alive. I met him once, when I first started out in the army. He came to my unit's final day of training and spoke to us all. He spoke to us about loyalty and family and how a pride of lions always stick together. He was so inspiring. I brought my gaze back forward and closed my eyes.
"How about you shut your greasy trap!" My eyes shot open to see Fredrick from my unit arguing with one of the Tully bannermen. The bannerman was almost two heads taller than Fredrick. However, Fred had always been the hot head of the group and he wasn't backing down. The Tully bannerman put his finger on Fred's chest plate and pushed slightly. "I grew up with some of these men. Speak with some respect."
"Maybe if you would have taught them how to stay honorable rather than betray their Queen –" Fredrick's words were interrupted by a swift right hook to the jaw. His head whipped to the side and he stumbled back slightly. His long red hair, mangy from sweat and a lack of washing, covered his face with the momentum of the blow. Beneath the red hair I could hear Fredrick's low laugh begin to emerge. I immediately started standing, I knew Fredrick and he wasn't going to take this lightly. The bannerman was fuming, fists clenched. The look on his face was one of anger and pain. I understood where he was coming from. The Tully's and the Tyrell's were close and, justified or not, killing someone you've known for so long can never be easy. "You should not have done that, friend." Fredrick spoke the words as he pushed his hair back with his gloved hands. I could see a little blood beginning to pool in the corner of his mouth.
In a flash, Fredrick was on top of the Tully bannerman. He lowered his shoulder into the Tully's abdomen, grabbed his calves and lifted, shoving him into the ground. An audible grunt emitted from the bannerman as the wind was knocked out of him. I started rushing forward, this will not end well if one of the captains sees this. Fredrick was straddling the bannerman and slamming his fists into his face, once, twice, a third time. The bannerman was so taken off guard by losing his breath that he did not block the blows. It was clear that he was out by the second punch but Fredrick kept hitting. The other Tully standing with the bannerman leans back and kicks Fredrick right in the shoulder sending him off his comrade. "Enough!" The other Tully yelled as he stepped in between them. Another soldier from our unit, Thomas, reached Fredrick before me and started pulling him back. I finally reached my friend and assisted Thomas in getting him away from the situation.
"Bloody cowards. Can't fight like real men and get beaten like women," he punctuated the last statement by spitting some blood in the direction of the Tullys. The other Tully turned his back and bent forward to help up his friend, who was starting to come to.
"You've always gotta start shite, Fred," I said as I stopped pulling him and spun around pushing him back a few more steps. "What if the Captain saw you? Or Gods forbid, Sir Jaimie."
"Such a hard on you have for, Sir Jaimie," Fred said the knight's name with mockery, but towards the direction of me and not the Kingslayer. "He'd probably be proud of me for shutting up some trough eating beggar who stands up for traitors."
"We just spent the last four hours slaughtering men they grew up with. Have a little empathy, Freddy." I rolled my eyes and straightened up my armor. Fredrick and I had known each other since we were little. We were never that close as young tots running about, but when it came time for us to become the men we are, and serve for the Lannisters, we met again and immediately kindled a friendship. I have a feeling we were put in the same unit because they saw how well we worked together and the connection we had. Lately, though, Freddy had been acting more and more aggressive and it was concerning me.
"Empathy? For the traitors?"
"They were just following orders, I –"
"You!" A voice boomed from behind me, ending my words. I turned to see the bloodied bannerman walking briskly in our direction, his companion trying to stop him unsuccessfully. "You think you can get away with such disrespect, you bastard?"
"Oh bastard, eh?" Fred pushed past me in a flash. I reached out and caught his sleeve but he pulled away and continued to walk forward.
"I don't see any other person worthy of that title around."
Fred said nothing, but began to unsheathe his blade, the bannerman reached for his as well as a smirk creaked across his bloody face. "Wait!" I yelled out!
"Horses! Get to your horses, spearmen!" All of us stopped in our tracks and turned in the direction of the large hill. Sir Jaimie and Sir Brom were riding through the army screaming for defenses. My instincts kicked in and I immediately ran to where my helmet and shield were. I grabbed Fred's helm which sat next to mine and turned to throw it to him. He was still a few yards back staring at the Tully bannerman.
That's when I heard it, a low rumble that I had been subconsciously feeling was now at the forefront of my attention. Beyond the hill, and over the sounds of rushing soldiers and whining horses, I could hear a low roar of hoofprints sprinting in our direction. My first thought was the northerners, but then I started hearing faint yelps and hollers. My eyes widened, the savages actually came. While my brain was trying to comprehend the prospect of a Dorthraki army over that hill, my fear was multiplied tenfold. Over the distant cacophony and commotion that was taking place in the field, beyond the hill and out of sight, was the loudest screech I have ever heard. A screech that turned into a loud guttural roar of a noise. Images from my childhood horror stories filled my brain. Dragons were back in Westeros.
I yelled towards Fredrick, "Freddy! Now!" My friend new the dire situation this had just turned into and began sprinting back to me. The Tully bannerman, without second thought, ran off with his comrade to find the rest of his unit. When Fred was a few feet away, I tossed him his helmet and turned to grab my shield. I used my other hand to put on my helmet and check and make sure my sword was firmly strapped to my side. I turned to face Fred and his eyes had to be just as wide as mine.
"Was that a Dragon, Sylas?" Freddy's usually hardened demeanor, was shaken and terrified.
"I don't know, Freddy. I think so." I responded in horror. We ran to the top of the hill with the rest of our unit and found our place near the front lines. All of us stood in line, shoulder to shoulder, in silence. The rumbling of the hoofprints got louder and louder until they finally crested the hill that held our gaze. They were at a distance, but the savages were clearly the Dorthraki. They were wearing furs and sported long black hair and beards.
That's when Freddy and I had our question answered. From behind the approaching horde, rose a giant silhouette. A larger than life dragon appeared soaring over the hill above us. His wings were as long as at least 30 men and his head five times my size. Another loud screech echoed across the battlefield and I almost had to cover my ears. Several soldiers just began to scream and run. I faced Freddy who was staring up in pure terror. "Sy, what, what do we do?..." His expression turned from pure terror to a slight hint of confusion as he narrowed his eyes. "Wait, what's that?" He pointed up and I looked up on the dragon. My jaw dropped instinctually from what I was seeing. On top of the giant dragon, a tiny, white-haired figure sat gripping the spines of the dragon. A long dark gray dress wrapped around her.
"She's real," was all I could think to say. She seemed to lean into the ear of the dragon. As she did, the dragon reared its head back slightly and from its mouth, a beam of fire shot forward. Seemingly hitting no one, but sending a very strong message. I happened to look further down towards our front lines, and I saw Jaimie riding back and forth. He turned towards us and started shouting, but what, I could not hear. Like always, the words finally reached us through a series of shots from the other soldiers.
"Charge!" My heart somehow began pumping even harder. The grip around my shield tightened. I looked towards Freddy, and our eyes locked, both of us almost frozen in fear. Then, in an instant, we rushed forward with the rest of our companions. Rushing towards the riding horde of savages. Rushing towards a giant dragon. For all I knew, rushing toward our own deaths.