7th Month of 299 A.C Maidenpool
King Axel I Tully
The war was coming to a close, the Lannisters and the Tyrells were tearing at one another's throats, and there was a sense of discord amongst the enemy ranks that was greatly beneficial. Of course there was a sense amongst Axel's men and those of his goodbrother's that the Arryn boy was too hot headed for his own good. That he was going to get them all into danger, he was not his brother who had been calm and collected if somewhat nervous, he was quite aggressive and unafraid to say what he thought. Which in some regards was a good thing for it meant that they knew exactly where they stood with him, but in other regards it did make it hard to plan accordingly. That was why the boy had been given command over leading the initial assault on Maidenpool, the city would be weak what with Randyll Tarly's death and the fracturing of alliances between Mooton and Tyrell. It should provide the perfect chance to expose some of the weaknesses within the city. As for his goodbrother, well there was something different about Eddard, before he had been honour bound and a very quiet man, now there was a darker side to him, a side Axel had rarely seen but had always suspected was there beneath the surface. The man was willing to do whatever it took to win this war and Axel could appreciate that.
As for things at Riverrun, well his father was gone, done with this mortal coil for the final time. He had breathed his last and gone out peacefully. The journey for his father had begun and ended at Riverrun and though his final moments had been painful, Axel was glad he had had the chance to be there when his father had gone. His uncle and brother were holding down Riverrun, and Axel knew that when he returned he would need to discuss marriages with his brother, after all Edmure was nearly thirty and as such needed to be wed quickly given the state the kingdom was in. The number of noble ladies that his brother had impregnated only continued to cause headaches for Axel and he was more than tempted to give his brother off to one of them. But of course they would not be good marriages, and so he refused to give into the temptation. His own son was betrothed now as well to Ryella Arryn the sister of King Artys Arryn, a match that Axel was not entirely sure he was comfortable with, but a match that had secured their alliance nonetheless. He was also getting requests for betrothals for his two girls and though he was not entirely willing to consider them, he did think that perhaps the time was coming where he would need to discuss such a thing with his daughters.
Right now though, he could not truly concentrate on the issue of marriages. For they had marched forward from Riverrun the allies for Maidenpool. The city where the Tyrells had their last bastion of power in his kingdom. He meant to end the threat there and then, Mace Tyrell would die a painful death as would Willam Mooton, and neither man would escape their crimes. Artys Arryn had already set off with his Valemen for the city and Axel could see and hear the barrage that the boy and his men were giving the city walls. It gave him a bizarre sense of pleasure watching as the walls of the city that his most hated bannerman lived in was attacked, it was justice. The man had betrayed his king, and now he was going to pay for it with his city and the lives of his family. Axel watched as the Arryns and their men battered down the walls and began removing the defenders from the walls. He knew that Mooton or rather Tyrell would soon order the city gates opened so that they might retaliate, and that would be when Axel and his goodbrother rode forth down the hill and toward the action.
As he waited for that to happen he looked around and saw that his goodbrother and nephew in the distance looked grim, there was something about them, something that was different, he was not completely sure what it was but there was something not quite the same as it had been before the war had come to this point. His own son was beginning to change as well, no longer was he a boy with the ideals of a child in his head, he was a man who knew the grim realities of the world and the destruction that man could bring to themselves. War had a way had of doing such things, it was how the world worked, and it was something Axel believed should work, that such realizations should never come from war, but that to try and protect one's own children from such things was foolish. The world would never be nice to anyone, and so why should they be nice to anyone? It was a question he had often pondered, but then again there were many things that war could make a man ponder.
As a groaning sound filled the air, Axel stirred from his reverie and drew forth his sword. He took one quick look across the hill to where his goodbrother had also drawn his sword, he looked at his son and then said a quick prayer, and then he barked the commands and they rode down the hill. It was more a gallop than anything else, Axel allowing the blood that was quickening through his veins to guide him. It was a chance to allow the tension and the frenzy of his mind to take over before the battle began. Just as they reached the Valemen the gates to the city opened and the Tyrell host came pouring out. Axel roared with glee and entered the fray of battle his sword drawn. The chaos that was about to come before them was something he relished the chance to kill invaders. The people who threatened his home and his family, they were the ones he fought for.
They are the ones giving him the strength to raise his sword to kill and fight. To protect those he holds most dear, he swings his sword and allows the heat of battle, the craziness of it all to engulf him. His sword has a mind of its own, it swings and cuts, and arcs through the air, as men come towards him. Some of them die, some of them don't. Those who do not die lose limbs and tail off to the side crying out in pain and agony. Axel cannot feel anything for them but contempt. They were the ones who decided to come here and try and take his people away from him. He will not allow that to stand, he is the king, and the Tyrells have no place here.
The streets are lined with people fighting for themselves, the people of Maidenpool are fighting their fellow Riverlanders, they are fighting the reachmen, and they are fighting to remain alive. Axel cannot blame them, but he has no time to try and reach some sort of accord with them, the reachmen are numerous and as such he must concentrate on removing them from the world. His sword follows its own path as it arcs and swings, more men fall to the ground, bodies are growing on the streets, there is a river of blood flowing through the streets of Maidenpool, and yet there is none here that he knows to be the commander of the army.
He looks to his side and sees his son Edmyn fighting bravely and boldly, his son looks natural at this, his sword seemingly a part of him. It makes Axel proud that his son can hold himself well on the field of battle, but it also makes him sad that his son had to learn how to do that in the first place. He curses the Lannisters and the Tyrells for that, and that is what drives him on. It is what makes him continue pushing through the city as the throngs of people mix in with one another. It becomes hard to distinguish friend from foe, and Axel has a feeling he may have killed some of his own today, but the guilt is pushed down by the anger that it has come to this. Mace Tyrell's greediness has cost them all and now the man shall pay.
The push continues, Mooton Castle sits atop a slight hill and Axel knows that Willam Mooton will be locked inside the castle cowering like the craven he is. His brother would never have cowered, his brother would have stood firm and would have welcomed the fight. That is why his brother is dead, and the Mootons have fallen so far from favour, they are not willing to take risks and so must pay for it. He will ensure that their line ends today. They will not remain here nor shall they hold the city. Perhaps Edmure will marry the girl Eleanor, Axel thinks her name is. Yes that would work, it would teach Mooton well as well. The push continues, and Axel's sword drips red. There are many and more bodies on the ground, soldiers, women, children, men, those who did not get out of the way when the fighting began, they all lie there unseeing, and desolate.
The Tyrells have made this happen, they have brought this destruction. It makes him angry, a former steward has cost them all of this. A man's greed has seen the war continue. They could have worked together, but the man continues on his path to destruction and Axel is determined that the Tyrells will never rise high again. He roars a command and a challenge and men rush to do his bidding and to come and fight. Those that come to fight die, they do not die honourably, and they are slaughtered like lambs. He laughs as he fights, laughing from the sheer stupidity of it all. The Tyrells are done for, they must know this and yet they continue fighting because Mace Tyrell is a man too stupid to recognise when it is a good time to surrender. They will die, many more will die to keep a Tyrell as queen and it makes him sick.
Maidenpool is awash with blood, red pools on the streets, and forms a river. It is a sight Axel has only ever seen once before, and that time it ended in death, for almost all of them. His son is by his side fighting through the chaos that is still pushing its way toward them. They are both covered in mud, gore and blood, and still they have the strength to carry on. That is the thing about battle, when one is caught in it during the heat of the moment, one is able to do almost anything. It is only later when the fighting has stopped and the adrenaline has cooled that anyone thinks to wonder where their wounds have come from, where their pains and hurts come from. Axel knows that he will be injured once this battle is done, but right now he does not care. He simply wants to make sure that the enemy is dealt with.
He gives a command and the final push toward Mooton Castle begins, he knows that once this is done, the Riverlands will be safe for a time. But tiredness is beginning to engulf him, he does not know how long the fighting will go on for, he hopes it will end when they reach the castle. But knowing that Mace Tyrell might well still be alive, he wonders if the fighting will continue on for longer than it needs to. The thought of that makes him angrier and encourages him to keep fighting. His sword is red now, completely red and after dealing with three men they break down the doors of Mooton castle and ride through toward the great hall, where they find the body of Mace Tyrell and a cowering Willam Mooton.
