The sound of men training echoed across the yard and into the castle. Rhaegar heard it and felt a pit form in his stomach. War was never a pleasant experience. The songs would never tell you of the chaos and the destruction that came from fighting, they would not tell you of the men who died screaming for their loved ones, they would not tell you of the look on the faces of the men who had just watched their friends, their fathers, their brothers cut down before them. Songs could never tell you of what it felt like to feel guilty that you had survived when so many other worthy men had died. Rhaegar listened to the men fighting, he listened to the steel as it clanged off other steel, and he sighed.
The war they had tried so desperately to prevent had come anyway. It seemed that when man was determined to bring his own destruction he would stop at nothing until he had pulled his fellow man down into the dirt along with him. Bracken had laid siege to Raventree Hall after forcing Blackwood away from battle. Bracken had then fled before Rhaegar and the royal army he commanded could handle him. Bracken was most likely at Stone Hedge, but they needed time to regroup. There had been a minor clash against House Grell and their allies. Rhaegar had wielded Dark Sister and cut down Lord Grell, he had seen the anguish on the son of Lord Grell, and he had wanted to comfort the boy, but there was nothing more he could do. Grell and their allies had chosen their side and they would be treated as such.
That had been three days ago, since then there had been quiet. It was unnerving. Rhaegar hoped his wife and children were well, he hoped Aegon could heal and be well. He was not sure when he would return, but he knew he would. He had to, he had made a promise after all. He pulled himself away from his musings and turned to face the men who were sat watching him. "Forgive me, my lords." He said, the lords nodded and he continued. "It has been three days since Lord Grell and his allies attacked us. Three days since we sent them back to meet the Seven. In that time, we have heard nothing, not whisper of sound or movement from Lord Bracken, or from anyone else for that matter. This isolation does us no good. Lord Whent, what have your scouts heard?" Lord Whent had sent fifty men out around the Riverlands to learn what they could, and with the money and wealth of Harrenhal behind them, it was hoped people would talk.
Lord Walter Whent was man of middling height, but firm morals. He had rallied early to the King's call to arms and had used his vast wealth to bring in not only his own retainers but some five thousand sellswords as well. He looked contemplative as he spoke. "So far thirty of my men have returned. They report that Lord Stark and the North have crossed over at the Twins, they wrought destruction there when Cleos Frey refused to let them passed. The Twins now lie in ruins and the Freys who were there are either all dead or being sent off to meet their makers at one point or another."
There was a murmur at that, Rhaegar felt a brief tinge of sickness in his stomach at the thought of women and children being murdered, then pushed that thought away when he remembered that the Freys had had no more children since Walder Frey had died. It was mainly young men and women with treasonous intentions. "Lord Stark plans on making his way to Fairmarket." Rhaegar stated, a rider had come hurrying down the King's Road a few days ago to tell them that. "We should plan on meeting him there."
"Your Royal Highness, Fairmarket is due north of here. Would it not make more sense to ask Lord Stark to bring his army here? After all, the more men we have here, the better prepared we shall be for when Arryn finally decides to bring his army over the mountains." Lord Blackwood said.
"I do not think Arryn will bring his men over the mountain to attack Raventree Hall, my lord." Rhaegar replied. "I think he will make a move to capture as many towns as he possibly can before he tries to link up with Robert Baratheon. The sensible solution would be for him to take the High Road southwards and attack Darry, which is why I asked Lord Darry to remain there with some four hundred men. However, from the reports I have read, Arryn would most likely either try and make a move south from the Vale crossing over at Saltpans, or he will make a move further north crossing down the path from Strongsong. Either way he will be splitting his host in two and will aim to meet up again. For his war effort to succeed he will need to take a town where there are plenty of resources. Fairmarket is that town."
"Common sense would dictate that he march down the High Road and take Darry then move northwards. But if he wants to link with Robert Baratheon, he would need to move toward Saltpans and go from there. Which would leave King's Landing very vulnerable. There is also the matter of the ships that are stationed in Gulltown. I am surprised that he hasn't used them." Lord Whent stated.
"Arryn is not the sort of person to use a merchant fleet of only about thirty ships to do something he could do with twenty thousand men." Lord Mooton replied. "He is more likely to do as His Royal Highness suggests and make for either Saltpans or Fairmarket."
"In which case Your Royal Highness, I would suggest sending a host to Saltpans to better prepare it for whatever Arryn might throw in its direction." Lord Blackwood suggested.
"Send a host to Saltpans and divide the army? We cannot do that, Your Royal Highness. The Riverlands are a veritable cesspool of treachery at the moment, we need to preserve our resources in one place for as long as possible." Replied the conservative Lord Stokeworth.
Lord Brune snorted. "And what? Leave a town like Saltpans open for rebels to take? They take Saltpans they have access to more wealth and resources than Fairmarket has. They would more than likely decide to advance on King's Landing directly, and they'd have the crossing to do so. I say we send a small contingent to Saltpans to protect it. Knowing the Cox family, they're more likely to fight properly if a contingent of the royal army is there."
"Divide the army and we are sunk. I am telling you this now, Arryn might make you think he is going to Saltpans, but knowing his movements he will make for Fairmarket." Stokeworth fired back.
"And how can you be so sure?" Brune asked. "Has he spoken directly to you, to tell you of his plans?"
Rhaegar saw that Stokeworth was getting increasingly aggravated, and so before he could say something that would make things worse, Rhaegar spoke. "Fairmarket would be where his allies within the Riverlands would want to meet. Furthermore, if he takes Fairmarket he can then plot a direct course southwards to King's Landing. It would be much easier than trying to get to King's Landing from Saltpans." Rhaegar looked down at the map and sighed. "Actually, the more I look at it, the more I think that if he takes Darry, he might well take the King's Road southwards to the capital."
"That would be too obvious, Your Royal Highness." Lord Walter stated. "I believe that whatever Arryn does, he would not do something so very obvious. No doubt he will be looking at all the possible options and assessing what the destruction of the Twins means for him and his plans. Is there any way we could convince His Majesty to venture northwards from the Stormlands?"
Rhaegar remembered the argument he'd had with Father over that, and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not think so. His Majesty is quite convinced that he must be the one to defeat Baratheon directly to prevent him from joining with Arryn." Privately, Rhaegar thought Father harboured dreams of doing what Baelor Breakspear had done to Daemon Blackfyre's army at Redgrass field, and to take credit where before only Tywin had gotten some credit for their exploits during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. That Baratheon had defeated both Cafferen and Tarly was another thing to consider as well. "I think we must trust that His Majesty knows what is best and prepare as best as we ourselves can." He trailed off, thinking that things would be so much easier if they knew exactly what was happening in the Reach, but as of yet it seemed that all communication had been cut off. Tentatively he asked. "Lord Whent, have your men received any information from the Reach? Do we know what the Tyrells are doing?"
Lord Walter shook his head. "Unfortunately not, Your Royal Highness. From what little news they have received, it seems that Lord Tarly is hanging onto life by a thread, and it appears Tyrell is having difficulty deciding what to do. As far as I know Florent, Peake, the green apple Fossoways, Ambrose and Blackbar have all refused to answer Tyrell's summon to arms, and so I think that they shall be handling that for some time."
Rhaegar fought the urge to sigh. With Tarly, out of action, Tyrell would need to be depended on and having met Mace Tyrell a few times, Rhaegar did not hold out hope that the man would be able to deliver anything of note. He ran a hand through his hair, then looked down at the map once more. "We must draw Bracken out of Stone Hedge and we must do so quickly. The longer we remain within these walls, the more time he has to ask for aid. The more time we spend here, the more restless the men get. We must keep them ordered and within reason."
"What do you suggest we do, Your Royal Highness?" Lord Blackwood asked.
"I say we send a raiding party northwards, toward the border area. Dress them in your colours, do what we can to bait Bracken into coming out of his castle. When he is out in the open, we pounce on him and capture him. Without their lord, the Bracken soldiers will not be so willing to commit treason." Rhaegar said, he was not sure how true that was, Bracken and Blackwood sometimes seemed to be a law unto themselves sometimes.
Thankfully, Blackwood seemed convinced of the plan for he responded. "Very well, I shall send some of my men as well, they will make it more convincing. Furthermore, if they go toward the Ledge, then Bracken will definitely make his move from his castle. Unlike his uncle, Hendry Bracken most definitely has attachment to that lump of trees and rocks. He will be outraged."
Rhaegar nodded. "Good. And remember, I want Bracken taken alive. I do not want him murdered in cold blood. Whatever feud you two have, the good of the kingdom must come before that. I want to know why he is rebelling and what he has been promised." No man rebelled for someone such as Jon Arryn unless they had been promised exorbitant riches, and Rhaegar wanted to know what that thing was.
Lord Blackwood nodded. "Of course, Your Royal Highness." Rhaegar waved a hand and the lords stood up and walked out of the room, bowing as they did so.
The sound of men practising had faded. "What hour is it?" Rhaegar asked.
"Lunch, Your Royal Highness." Ser Arthur replied.
Rhaegar said nothing, thinking through what had been discussed in the meeting, debating which course to take. Eventually he spoke, a question in his voice. "Which do you think makes more sense? Saltpans or Fairmarket?"
Ser Arthur spoke first. "I think remaining within the boundaries of the Riverlands makes sense. Fairmarket is in a clearer course to King's Landing. The Saltpans have resources yes, but Fairmarket comes with the prestige that it once belonged to House Justman and also contains symbolic relics from the time of the Andal settlement."
"I agree with Ser Arthur, Your Royal Highness." Ser Oswell said. "Fairmarket would be a symbolic victory for Arryn, and it would greatly impede the Tullys."
Rhaegar nodded, the Tullys were under siege in Riverrun, but seemed to be winning. Rhaegar knew the Lannisters were going to their aid, and if they lost Fairmarket their legitimacy as Lords of the Riverlands would be lost alongside the knowledge of House Justman, which every house who had ever ruled the Riverlands had borne. "Still, Brune made a valid point. Arryn might well try a circular movement against us. I would not be surprised if he tried something like that which Aegor Rivers tried against Daeron the Good during the Blackfyre rebellion." That little manoeuvre had been what had led to Redgrass field, and all the lives that had been lost.
Lunch was roasted chicken and potatoes. He ate it, and savoured it, but he did not truly taste it. His mind was on other things, mainly how to force Bracken to give over the information that he wanted, peacefully. He did not want to have to torture Bracken, for the lad was young, he was doing what he thought was right, but at the same time, he had still committed treason, and the crime for treason was death. At the same time, Rhaegar was wary of giving Stone Hedge or much of anything to Blackwood, the man was a snake, and it had taken time for Father to think through what needed to be done with Bracken and the Bracken lands. He sighed, finished his food and then started to rise, when there was a knock on the door. "Enter." He called out.
The door opened and in ran Lord Blackwood himself. "Your Royal Highness, my apologies for the disturbance, but you should come and see this."
"What?" Rhaegar asked getting up.
"Men, thousands of men, flying the banner." Blackwood said.
Rhaegar felt something rise in him, what it was he was not sure, but he moved to the door, his Kingsguard knights behind him. He followed Blackwood to the walls and saw them. There were at least three thousand men, armoured and mounted, flying the banners of an enemy long thought dead. A three-headed black dragon on red, crossed with what looked like a hawk, and a red headed dragon. Rhaegar took a deep breath. "We cannot let them come to the walls. They come to the walls we are finished."
"Do we ride out and face them?" Blackwood asked sounding nervous.
Rhaegar watched as the enemy continued their march, he thought quickly. Raventree Hall had strong walls and a solid moat, but the walls had taken a battering under Bracken's assault, and the moat might not be enough for these foes. "Pull in the drawbridge and get the archers ready." Was his response. He watched as Blackwood did as commanded, and then moved away to prepare himself. He informed Arthur and Oswell of what was happening and then the other lords as well. He was changed quickly, re-emerging dressed in black as night armour with the rubies glittering on his breast plate, Dark Sister was at his side. The vats of oil were being poured into the moat, preparing it for the flames to come. Rhaegar watched this and then saw that the force had stopped a few feet away. Nothing happened for the longest time, and then he heard the whirring of a machine. "Duck!" He yelled just as a rock was flung at the walls.
"They've got trebuchets." Lord Walter yelled. "The walls will take an absolute battering."
"We need to bring them closer." Rhaegar said in response as another rock was flung at the walls. It hit and Rhaegar watched as some of the men fell down into the moat below. Another rock was thrown and another, one hit and the other missed. Rhaegar felt the ground shake beneath him and swore. "They're coming closer now. Archers at the ready." The command was passed down the line. "Come on, a bit closer." The knights were riding hard, the foot soldiers were coming closer, every closer. When they got into good sight, he yelled. "Fire." Arrows soared into the sky, he watched fascinated as the arrows rose, and then came tumbling down to hit the enemy. Men grunted, and fell, but others kept coming. "Fire." He yelled. More arrows, more bodies fell, but the enemy kept coming. "Fire in the moat!" He bellowed. Oil and flame, the fire spurted, and the enemy's horses reared up in protest. "Fire." He shouted. More arrows, more bodies. Rocks were thrown, walls crumbled, bodies fell into the fire, screaming.
He watched as arrows were exchanged, men on both sides fell, his blood was rushing through, and he knew then that maybe just maybe the fire had been a bad idea. "Douse the flames!" He roared.
"Your Royal Highness, that might not be wise!" Lord Whent yelled in response.
Rhaegar spun. "We will lose more of our men if we don't. Douse the flames!" Water was brought and poured down onto the moat, which burned and burned. Slowly but surely the flames were dowsed. The enemy came then, battering ram and all, but this time it was easier to pick them off. The bodies only grew, a clogging occurred in the moat. The knights began retreating, their banner was on the ground, in pieces. "Get their commander!" Rhaegar roared.
The man was at the rear of the retreating host, an arrow, or several were aimed and fired. They took down his horse. "Open the gates." Rhaegar bellowed, and he watched as Lord Blackwood and his men rushed out killing those who were still there straggling behind, he watched as the commander was dragged from his horse and into the castle. As the men returned, and the gates were closed, they cheered. Rhaegar made his way down to the courtyard and looked at the man who was thrown at his feet. "Who are you?" Rhaegar demanded.
The man's helm had been ripped from him, his hair was brown and mottled with sweat, his armour was covered in dirt and blood. "I am Nestor Royce." Rhaegar looked at the man and then at Lord Whent, Arryn was closer than they had thought.
