Esmond[AT1]
This is just like the Sack, thought Esmond as he made his way down the streets of Meereen. The only difference then was that the fighting had started when the Lannister army was actually in the city. The Targaryen queen had not even attempted to march against the city and the inhabitants were already fighting.
When conflict approached, the slaves rose against their masters and free men rose against other free men. Many lit fires in houses and on the streets. The guards and soldiers of the city were too busy occupying the walls to stop any of the bloodshed that ensued within the city itself. Everywhere people were looting and killing.
"This is the bloody Sack," Esmond said aloud as he watched two men force their way into a house. Seconds later they dragged a mother and her baby girl, not even one year old, into the street and murdered them there. No one tried to stop them.
The air became thick with smoke when a two-story building caved in while aflame. Flaming timber fell into the street and killed several while wounding more. Esmond did all he could to save a girl trapped within the flames. Her long yellow hair burned as her face melted while the flames rose tall and hot around her. As she disappeared in the flames, Esmond could only hear her screams that slowly became gargled as she burned and eventually died. Soon the whole narrow street was taken up by wood and flame while bodies lie everywhere.
The main streets may have been dangerous, but the alleyways were worse. Men were murdered and women were raped. Some entered the alleys in hope of finding safety. None of them ever came out.
Esmond ran through one alley to get away from the spreading flames and three looters armed with good steel met him.
"Prepare to die old man," said one as he raised his sword and swung it down.
Esmond sidestepped and struck another of the men in the chest before whirling his body around and passing his sword through the neck of that attacker who swung his sword. The third dropped his steel and pleaded for mercy but Esmond paid no attention as he continued through the alley.
While in the back streets of the city, Esmond kept being confronted with similar situations but he resolved them all with steel and blood. It was a long way to the harbor and he met many foes. But along the way, many saw his skill and joined him in his battle through the streets.
When Esmond and the men with him came upon the way leading into a plaza that led to the harbor, they saw that it had been blocked. A hastily built wall of debris blocked the street and upon stood looters armed with bows.
When the looters saw such a large group of men that were armed approach, they let their arrows fall upon them. Luckily, a man with Esmond was armed with a fine yew bow and shot arrows of his own back at them as the others ducked behind the buildings.
When the looters saw a stalemate had been reached, they went on the offensive and leaped over the wall with their swords drawn. Esmond and his men did the same. The two groups crashed together like two waves in a storm. Many were killed on both sides and the looters began to push Esmond and his men back.
As the sun fell out of sight beneath the walls of Meereen, their battle of conquest had become one of attrition. Esmond and his supporters were being defeated and more and more looters were coming over the wall.
The man with the yew bow had climbed a house over looking the street and began to rain fire arrows on them. The looters began to panic as their clothes caught fire and Esmond saw his chance.
"To me. To me," he yelled as he raised his sword and charged the enemy. In the confusion, Esmond was able to push them against the wall they were trying to protect. The looters submitted and Esmond and his men began to climb the wall.
But an even larger skirmish was taking place in the plaza. The plaza had been lit up with torches and they provided a view into the battle at hand. It seemed that two groups of looters had engaged in a battle for who would hold the plaza and others, slave and free, had also joined the fight. The plaza had been blocked off by walls like the one on which they stood and all of them remained untouched but one.
The wall that remained untouched had been burned down and only smoldering wood laid where new fighters were constantly rushing into the plaza. Then from beyond the much larger makeshift wall that blocked off the harbor, a horn blew and men yelled. Fire rose over the wall from the ships in the harbor that had been set ablaze.
"We need the break through the wall and secure a ship," yelled Esmond to his men. "Once a ship is taken, we can escape and I will give safe passage out of Meereen to anyone who fights with me."
"We will fight for you and sail with you," said the archer upon the house.
"Then let us take the plaza and the burn down that wall," said Esmond as he raised his sword and charged. His men followed behind them with sword and shield. From atop the house, the archer heralded their entrance into the battle by firing several flaming arrows into the battle.
Esmond led his group straight to the wall and in doing so; they cut off the force defending it and the force attacking it. The defending force began to dwindle because they could not survive an attack from two different directions.
When the defenders finally lay dead on the ground, the leader of the attacking force stepped forward.
"Thank you for aiding us," he said.
"Thank you," said Esmond, "We are only able to defeat them because we fought together. Come with us and escape this doomed city.
The two groups began to light fires and burn the wall down. It was so tall and thick that the wall would take a while to burn. While it burned, some climbed it to study the damage done to the harbor and the ships within.
Then, a horn blew across the whole city and others answered with their own blasts. Esmond knew what this meant immediately. The gates had been breached and the Targaryen queen's forces were storming the city.
"The city is fallen," said Esmond. "Defend the walls and hold this plaza until we can enter the harbor."
Another horn was hastily blown. Pouring through the previously burned down wall was a host of slaves from the fighting pits. They were all armed.
"Form a line," yelled Esmond as those with shields and spears stepped forward, "Hold the harbor wall."
The slaves came upon them like a storm in high tide. Many were impaled with the spears or knocked away by the shields, but many more made it through the line. They were immediately met by the rest of the defenders who Esmond himself led. The slaves fought hard and bravely, but they never made it to the wall.
For an hour, they held the wall and as time went on, the wall got smaller and smaller. The yew bowman set archers up in high points to fire down on the enemy.
After two hours of siege, the attackers broke and Esmond retreated into the harbor. Those who climbed the wall earlier had directed the flames and saved three large trading galleys from the flames. Those who fought with Esmond and even some of the slaves climbed into the ships.
As they prepared to sail, Esmond had not yet seen Jared. But as the galleys departed from the harbor, Jared and his love, Hali, approached. As the climbed aboard the ship, Esmond noticed that they were worn and covered in bruises and scrapes of battle. On Jared's sword, blood was beginning to dry.
[AT1]Chapter 2: Esmond
