As a Chained Maester of the Citadel, I have forsaken the life of the common men, noble or small. House, family, love, glory, these things was supposed to be dead to me. Knowledge and duty are my watchwords now as I have faithfully served the Peake family for three generations. However, I hold no illusion when it comes to a question of Black vs Red. I maybe a scion of a most minor house of Rosamund, but within me runs the blood of Mern the king who burned at the field of fire. The Gardeners left no true born heirs but plenty of bastards as the Houses of the Reach can plentifully attest to. During the Blackfyre rebellion, I relished the news that Daemon had killed this noble or that one. They are all lackeys of the Targargyens to me. After the tragedy at Redgrass Field, and my Lord knelt to the so called good King Daeron, that was a dark day for me. Little did I know, the real battle has yet begun
As I walked towards my chamber during a cold and windy morning, I spot my Lord Peake with fierce fire in his brown eyes walking through the great hall. His auburn hair cropped to a majestic crown, he looked nothing like a middle aged man but a virile wolf with hunger in his eyes. He spotted me immediately and shouted: "Maester Hardwyck, just the man I needed to see. Bloodraven and his host has just left and Ashford with him too, I need ravens to summon Mayor Binkledge and Ser Bronn Hartwell and their host. They currently hold Cawthorne and New Barrel in my name but they belong to other Lords now, the so called Loyalists." A grin slowly crept up his face. "Make sure to inform them of this fact and they will know what to do. Also I need a Raven to Lord Gawen Cockshaw to inform him that I would like his son Alyn Cockshaw to come to Starpike and be my squire as we have discussed previously. Where is that damned Petyr Manderwell, I called for a compilation of my deeds, titles, debts, and warrants an hour ago and he has yet to show himself. If you see him, tell him that I need them for the council this afternoon and for every page of document he fails to supply he shall pay with his fingers!"
"Yes, my lord I shall sent the Ravens out at once." Hurriedly I walked away to the Rookery while Lord Peake bellowed in the distance: "I need the map of my lands as well, Maester, bring them yourself and some stimulating khafi, we have much work to be done."
Mayor Binkledge and Ser Hartwell are in every sense of the word my Lords left and right hand. A middle aged man with gray trimmed sideburns, Mayer Binkledge is a keen administrator of these lands and did much to make the Peake lands prosper. House Peake supplied four thousand men, three hundred knights and various other sell swords to Black Dragon's cause all the while holding Starpike with out a shortage of food nor arms. All of these are due in no small part to the plans of the Mayor who was addressed as Lord Mayor by Leo Tyrell himself when he bestowed that honor on him three summers ago. Ser Hartwell with his fiery red head and beaming gray eyes made him look like a demon himself. He was given the nickname "Devil's Whip" for his fearsome countenance as well as the double flail that he wields in battle. When Lord Gormon Peake slew Hayford in the Battle, Hayfords three sons all charged at him. With both of his flails flying in the wind, Ser Hartwell dispatched them all to the Stranger in the time it took Lord Peake to wipe the blood off his sword. After Redgrass field, Lord Gormon retreated to his strong hold of Starpike but ordered these two to his other two castles as a strategy to shield one another and to harass the Loyalist supply line. To take all three castles, the price would have been enormous. King's terms to Lord Gormon is as much out of mercy as out of practical considerations.
As I walked in the meeting with all the maps I could find in the castle, a fierce argument has already broken out. "A thousand carts! A THOUSAND CARTS of provisions. Hundreds of animals and I have information from good source the entire stockpile of armors and weapons! How could you leave them for the Fossaways! Our enemies! The peasants too, all of them are still at New Barrel with their families and properties. How dare you show your face to me with naught but the miserable three hundred men I assigned to you!?" Lord Gormon was bellowing like a wild beast with spit flying in the face of a sullen looking Hartwell. With smirk on his face and crossing his arms, Binkledge watched silently from the other side of the table while Petyr practically buried his face in the documents pretending to read this and that.
"But the children and women need provisions for the winter. The war has all but destroyed this year's harvest. I was only thinking of your good name..."
"Good name! Thats what I need to rebuild my land, good name and plump fat peasants singing my praises. Yes they will be happily singing and toiling the land that now belongs to OUR SWORN ENEMIES! You your own flail gave Raymund Fossaway a nice present across his chest on the Redgrass field, maybe you should go take up service with him and see how he repays your fucking kindness. Why am I surrounded by honorable fools and proud idiots. Binkledge, tell me you have better news than this."
His sly grin quickly disappeared, Mayor Binkledge quietly began to speak "My lord, alas I was not able to provide for the peasants as well as Ser Hartwell had done. My men saved what they could, but somehow a mysterious fire has destroyed Cawthorne and most provisions were burned. Also During our retreat to Starpike, a hundred of my most violent and capable men disappeared into the country side. I fear that they will form a band of robbers and rapers who will wreck havoc uppon the lands around Cawthorne. I stand ready to receive my lords punishment."
Smiling and pulling his beard, Lord Gormon considered his words for a moment when he noticed my presence. "Ah, Maester Hardwyck, just the man I want to see. Have you news from Lord Cockshaw and are those the maps I requested? Find me the one of our neighbors the Ashfords and our lands ajoining them."
"Aye my lord, Lord Cockshaw informs me that his son will be here within a fortnight with his retinue and he has given his heir full power to act in his name. I only have a map here showing most of our lands but only half of Ashford, I hope that will be enough."
"Thats good and yes it will suffice, go and see to it that you prepare a place for young Alyn Cockshaw's arrival. Now lets see how far downstream Lord Ashford land is from Starpike. The Cockleswhent are in such a dirty state that me thinks this year the water might be especially foul..."