At King's Landing…
"Get a move on, lads! Keep your eyes open and stay alert!" Ser Lucius led the resistance movement alongside the City Watch's commander Duran. "The buildings give us plenty of cover from those damned scorpions, but it gives the enemy a perfect location to hide!" he ordered.
The days since the occupation began to grow seemingly longer; the sun was barely coming up, yet still things remained the same. Ironborn archers atop the walls and rooftops shot arrows down upon them, those manned the scorpions on the ramparts shot large bolts in the streets—targeting countless civilians and gold cloaks indiscriminately. Ser Lucius and Commander Duran groaned in frustration before they noticed that attached to the one bolt lodging itself into the ground tip had three to four jars tied to it with green liquid substance leaking out of them and had an enflamed cloth wrapped around it before igniting in a near-instant fury.
"Wildfire!" Commander Duran realized. "GET DOWN!" he yelled.
*KABOOM!*
Most of the central plaza near Cobbler's Square went up with a whoosh; the force of the explosion knocked Ser Lucius and Commander Duran off their feet, sending them flying backwards, but the heat of those ominous dark green flames quickly ensnared those unfortunate enough to be standing too close to it. Civilians and gold cloaks alike screamed as the explosion travels through the streets, incinerating any in its path. It didn't go far enough, though, but more ironborn manning the walls shot more into the streets as local resistance fighters picked up their own bows and arrows and started returning fire; as the streets burned, the screams got louder.
Hidden from one of the numerous alleyways, a red-cloaked female kept her hood up. Vaeraleah, having managed to sneak past the guards, did her best to keep a low-profile and remained out of sight before pressing onwards closer to Aegon's High Hill.
Burning buildings quickly crumbled. Ser Lucius pushed a fallen wooden beam off him; the elderly Kingsguard knight groaned and rose to his feet. Gah! Seven hells, at this rate, we won't be able to reach the Red Keep! This nightmare must end, he understood. "Commander! Have your men disperse into smaller four-man squads and get them into the alleys! Protect the civilians!"
"Protect the civilians!" Duran yelled. "Come on, boys, move it! Watch those bolts!"
"Steer clear of the wildfire!"
"Archers on the roof!"
"It's burning!"
"Keep to the alleys!"
"Everything is burning!"
In the meantime, ironborn raiders manning the ramparts hustle into position – readying themselves for what seemed to be an inevitable showdown. On the streets below, a stream of citizens rushes anxiously in multiple different directions—either fighting back against their occupiers or fleeing the carnage with their children behind them. A building explodes from wildfire, speckling across the burning city and causing a burning avalanche of debris. Plumes of small green explosions chime in small sections, but not enough to cause total devastation while dark and putrid smoke fills the sky.
Sliding through the gates, a Golden Company battalion march out into the open field—swords and spears at the ready, some raising their banner displaying a cluster of gold skulls hanging from a red spear on a burgundy field. Each sellsword lined up in front of and beside each other in an orderly fashion, highly disciplined and composed—the world's largest private sellsword army, whatever remained of it, stood at attention unafraid and ready for the fight that was to come their way. Some of their faces betray their trepidation; acting as their frontline commander, Black Balaq, guides his horse in front of them – along with the Golden Company's archer unit. His eyes are fixed on the distance, where the ground beneath their feet began to rumble. The distant rumbling grows stronger and louder!
"Battle formations!" Balaq shouts.
Without hesitation, the Golden Company on the ground and ironborn marauders quickly manning the city's defenses atop the ramparts, pointed their weapons north towards the Rosby road.
—Inside the Red Keep—
Jon Connington walks to the window and surveys the great capital city, even as small portions of it were burning; he hadn't set foot in the Red Keep in over twenty-five years, not since before the Battle of the Bells took place. Euron Greyjoy still had his men and Connington's guards stand ready – training their weapons on the captive royal family—Sansa, Lyonel, Cassana, Torrhen, Myrcella, Tommen and Margaery, along with the rest of the Small Council members—Tyrion, Pycelle and Trystane. Ariyana Dayne, despite her fame as the Sword of the Morning, was bound and tied tightly; her two swords including Dawn were taken from her.
Unbind me, scum, so I may tear you apart limb from limb, Ariyana glared at them.
"Won't be long now," the King of the Iron Islands mentioned. "Can't you hear it? The sound of thunderous footsteps is approaches ever so closer."
Connington didn't look at him. "Yes, I know. He's coming." With desperation comes invention. Malcontents outside the gates, an uprising in the city. This is a rather unorthodox move for him. It's too aggressive, even by Baratheon standards. I had not thought it possible the Usurper's seed would surprise me like this. Still, they are nothing but simple vermin needing to be put down. Once inside, they'll be right where I want them to be. This will not be another Battle of the Bells.
Still bound, Tommen remained ever so defiant. "We told you Daveth would be here. He never leaves any of us behind," he stated.
"You won't be getting away with this. Our brother will stop you," Myrcella agreed.
Connington chuckled with amusement. "Still you cling on to hope that your brother will save you all. How obviously naïve of you to even think so. Even if your friends do manage to take this city, it will be their tomb as well – a reminder of what happens to whoever dares defy House Targaryen!"
Sansa, protectively keeping her children close to her as they whimpered and cried with fear, glared at Euron and Connington. "Knock us down, beat us bloody, threaten us with death… But life always finds a way if given the chance, Lord Connington. And I assure you there are more than plenty of chances. Those people you see down there in the streets? The ones you claim are stirring up dissent? You are strangers in someone else's home. They are fighting for their homes. What is theirs. They're just as fearless as their King because they know who keeps them safe and fed. The crimes you've committed will not go unpunished."
Euron grinned. So the Red Wolf does bite. Good.
A sword was pressed against her neck, but Sansa showed no signs of fear.
"Mama!" the twins wailed.
"Sansa!" shouted Myrcella and Tommen.
"If I'm going to die," she continued, "let it happen while there's still some of me left."
Even with the threat of death, this one remains perfectly calm and composed. Impressive, Connington thought. He waved off his guards. "Fight if you must, child. It makes little difference. Since Daenerys strayed too far from her destiny and your cousin choosing to side with the Usurper's seed over his father Prince Rhaegar's wishes, then no one will claim the throne. Perhaps it's time a new underdog had its day."
"You heard 'em, girl," Euron leaned in close. "But it doesn't matter who has the better claim. By blood or right of conquest, anyone can call themselves Kings."
"You are no King," Sansa replied.
"Oh-ho-ho, but I am. And once this is all over, I'm going to put my big cock inside your warm, tight little cunt. Heard you liked it hard and deep. Or was it slow and gentle? Perhaps a finger in the bum?"
Sansa felt disgusted. "Anything you put in my body, Euron Greyjoy, you're going to lose," she threatened.
Euron did not like that. "Oh no, girl. I don't think you understand," he waves his axe inches from the children's face – frightening them even further. "You do that, and you can kiss every single one of your offspring goodbye – even the one in your belly." He reciprocated the threat with a menacing one of his own. "But I'm not without logic. Can't give me any heirs until yours are out of the way. So… I'll do the right thing and dispose of Daveth first. It'll be quite the reunion. Then you and all Seven Kingdoms will be mine."
The King of the Iron Islands then pressed his lips onto Sansa's and kissed her hard; Sansa felt her stomach twist in knots and was further appalled at this unwanted, unwelcomed advance on her. When Euron tried to force his tongue into her mouth, without hesitation, she bit down hard on his lower lip, raking it with her teeth until he was forced to pull back. His lower lip was bleeding; Sansa had drawn blood. In response, Euron backhanded Sansa across the face hard and she fell to the ground.
"Mama!" the twins wailed.
"Sansa!" shouted Myrcella and Tommen.
"You and Yara get into position," Connington said with a huff. "He'll be here soon. Take Daveth Baratheon's head, and you can do what you want with her," he referred to the Wolf Queen. "Get the pyromancers into position. The rest of you, guard the entrances I've shown you. No one gets in or out."
No one rejects the kraken! Huffing with annoyance, Euron Greyjoy grabbed his two-handed battleax and stormed out of the Red Keep. I will never see those shit-stained rocks again. Strange that I'm getting old, and I find myself wanting to sit down as my father Quellon and brother Balon did in their time. But they chose the wrong chair. They chose the Salt Throne. I only need one: the Iron Throne.
Feeling a bit dazed and somewhat disoriented from the blow, Sansa slowly pushed herself back up. Her right cheek was bright red; a bruise would be forming shortly. Placing one hand on her swollen belly, Sansa immediately had to ensure the unborn child growing in her womb was unharmed. Once she felt a tumbling motion, Sansa breathed a sigh of relief knowing her child was all right. But Lyonel and Cassana were crawling their way over to their mother, tears and snot still going down their faces. Instinctively, she held her children close to her.
"Mama! I'm scared! We want papa!" the twins sobbed.
"Shhh, shhh, shhh. It's okay, my sweetlings," Sansa said soothingly as she gently stroked their hair. She had to be brave for her children and protect them despite everything. "Papa loves you all very much; he will be here soon. Okay? Papa is coming."
—Outside—
From the Rosby road, the batted and snarling royal armies charge down the hill towards one of the gates of King's Landing, the Dragon Gate. Behind them, scaling ladders, battering rams and nine siege towers are being pushed towards the Iron Gate. On horseback or on foot, they come in hordes, forward and fast over valleys and hills like a swarm over the land.
Once they were in proximity, the ironborn on the ramparts deploy their deadliest arsenals. Triggering the mechanical levers, scorpion bolts and trebuchets start hurtling through the skies towards their adversaries. Massive bolts and stones pounded the ground, scattering advancing infantry and cavalry, scrapping past some towers, but obliterated two or three of the royal army's trebuchets. But that didn't deter them from pressing forward.
*BAM!*
*BAM!*
"For the King! For the Queen!" they echoed a battle cry.
Robb ducked his head sideways to avoid the incoming bombardment. "Don't stop! Keep up the momentum!" he shouts.
*BAM!*
*BAM!*
"Go! Go! Go! Follow your commander!" Ser Davos beckoned.
More veterans echoed the call.
"Move along, lads!"
"That's it!"
"Go on, move it!"
"Come on! Move, move! Faster, faster! Come on, move it! Keep going!"
Balaq rears his bowstring back. "Archers, nock arrows! Draw!" he hollered.
"Nock! Draw!"
"Loose!"
"Loose!"
*TWANG!*
With the volley of thousands of arrows soaring through the air, accompanied by scorpion bolts and trebuchets hurling stones, the first wave of royal army infantry and cavalry, including militia take heavy casualties by the hundreds; the battle on the ground was quickly becoming a slaughter. But they do not give up. Yelling, the Vale cavalry was the first to break through. The sounds of hooves and horses, like a distant thunder, grow closer. The sellsword infantry at the front were quick to ride in front and lower their shields to form a perfect phalanx, a solid wall of gold from one side of each other to the next. No sooner did the knights of the Vale make first contact with the Golden Company's spearmen unit pointing the tips of their spears forward did some ironborn atop the walls notice suspicious activity when a runner came panting up to them.
"Quickly now!" the raider threw himself to one knee. "There's still too many of them on the grounds, hundreds of thousands! Even with those damned artillery weapons we've seized! They're bringing a ram to the Iron Gate."
"Shit! Take it out before it reaches the gate! Someone get rid of those blasted towers!" hollered an ironborn lieutenant.
More trebuchets, scorpions and ballista let loose another barrage on the attackers as they fork around obstacles, getting closer and closer until more gradually came into contact with the Golden Company. The siege towers were being ripped apart with the bombardment, three of them eventually giving way to the pressure and collapsed onto the royal armies—each militia and soldier moved and scattered to get out of the way, yet some were crushed underneath the pile.
"Protect the ram!" Jon commanded.
"To the Iron Gate!"
Above, the archers let their arrows fly as others threw down stones, which crushes the skulls of the unlucky; Jon himself gets sprayed with the blood of his bludgeoned soldier. Those who got to the gates raised their shields and placed them above their heads. Arrows land as the bulk of the royal armies converged at the Dragon Gate; Brienne slew three Golden Company infantry, but she noticed the ironborn above had already redirected their attention towards the battering ram and siege towers at the Iron Gate.
"Engineers, target the ramparts!" she commands.
"All right, boys! Man the trebuchets!"
Quickly, the engineers moved to aim the few trebuchets at the scorpions atop the city's ramparts—all whilst avoiding the archers taking shots at them. Some were lucky enough to avoid the arrows, but others received hits in the legs and arms. Noticing the range and distance, the engineers retreated even as more were hit in the back and knees. Once far enough away, they sprang into action. Pulling the throwing arm down, creating incredible tension in the releasing mechanism, the engineers placed heavy stones and other projectiles onto the throwing arms. The trebuchets were aimed at the ramparts and armed.
"Do it! Let 'em fly!" one shouted.
However few remaining trebuchets on the royalist faction there were, the remaining siege weapons' triggers were flung into the air. They watched it fly until it made contact with the walls; damaging the stones and destroying a mounted scorpion; a couple more strikes, they could not only lessen the long-range artillery, but they could bring down the Dragon Gate. But their primary objective was to keep the enemy's attention focused on them instead of those gathering at the Iron Gate.
Nearby, Jon led his men with the battering ram closer to the Iron Gate.
"First and second squads, get the ladders up!" exclaimed the White Wolf. "Third and fourth squads, set up the siege towers!"
The ironborn above noticed. "Do it! Pour it down!" they shout.
Wheeling over a dozen heavy cauldrons, the ironborn strained and pushed the cauldrons over the sides—dumping wildfire substance on the attackers below.
"Wildfire! Get back! Get back!"
One of the ironborn unveiled a flaming arrow and took aim, pulling back on the bowstring and released, sending it straight down. In a near instant, a blast of wildfire swept alongside the gate consuming everything and everyone in its path indiscriminately. Jon proved to be as swift and nimble to avoid the initial blast, taking cover behind one of the ramparts' fallen stone pillars as the blast slowly subsided. Three of the siege towers was quickly engulfed and collapsed; men and women screamed, some retreated, others despite being on fire maintained a firm grip onto the ram as their armor melted and their skin steadily burned.
Jon groaned in frustration; they had to get the ladders and siege towers up to climb the walls, but the ironborn above and Golden Company below were giving them a hard time. Looking up, Jon could see the ironborn prepping another batch before they were getting picked off by Dornish archers.
"Keep up the pressure, boy!" hollered a Santagar archer.
Cleared of the threat of wildfire from above, Jon nodded. "Forward ladders!"
"Heave!"
*BAM!*
"Heave!"
*BAM!*
"Heave!"
*BAM!*
Forming a shield wall over the ram, the men and women holding them in place to protect it, straining as heavy stones and arrows were bouncing off. The battering ram starts pounding relentlessly into the Iron Gate, hearing the booming crash of wood on wood. The groaning of the great hinges sounded like the moans of a dying giant. Next to them, several started bringing scaling ladders – but the ironborn quickly recovered and took aim at the men rushing towards the walls; arrows were sent flying and took out those closest. Meanwhile, more are getting crushed by stones. The royalists soon reach the walls to set the ladders into place and start climbing, dodging stones, but some were felled once they were hit with arrows to the face.
"Loose!"
"Put your backs into it!"
Grey Wind and Ghost lunged left and right, sinking their teeth into Golden Company spearmen's throats while the Vale cavalry swept through their ranks. Balaq seems to hone on the sound of the next charge, but he is too late; Yohn Royce rode through and knocked Balaq off his horse with a swing of his sword. Although the blade bounced off the Summer Islander sellsword's armor, he survived the initial impact as more members of the Golden Company screamed. Stunned, Balaq pulls himself up on his hands and knees as he looks to either side. Until…
"Blerugh!"
Yohn turned around and impaled Balaq from behind, sinking his blade into the back of his neck and out his trachea. The Lord of Runestone pauses to withdraw his sword from the Summer Islander with a grunt before resuming the charge with the rest of his fellow knights.
As Jon starts to climb one of the ladders, he makes it to the top and engages the ironborn marauders atop the wall. Wielding Longclaw, Jon swings left and right dispatching any who raise their blades at him. Recognizing a team reloading a scorpion, Jon rushed over and made quick work of them and forcibly kicked an ironborn off the ramparts—sending him plummeting to his death below.
Panting, the White Wolf examined the smoldering smoke of King's Landing engulfed in flames. His attention snaps to the scene in front of him; frozen with despair when Jon sees terrified women and children running for their lives, building structures collapsing on top of them as they burned… Time slows down. Suddenly, Jon comes back to his senses.
"Take out the ironborn manning the scorpions!" he yells to his men climbing up behind him.
—Nearby—
Arya and a team of her men follow closely to one of the nearby sewers near the shore; once they approached the gate, she uses a dagger to pick the locks and remove the chains. The sewer tunnels were small and narrow. She thought she could probably fit, but the saboteurs would have to discard their cloaks and follow behind her without giving themselves away.
"Eugh! The smell!" she gagged quietly. Come on. Don't vomit. Don't even breath it in, don't even think about the horrid stench. "All right now, these pipes lead from here straight to the center of King's Landing. It's one of many passages, but it's also one of the more troublesome. There will be a crossroad leading to twelve different directions. Remember the plan?"
They nod.
"First team, you guys take the fifth one on the right—it leads to the Muddy Way. Second team, take the second on the left—it'll take you straight to the Street of Sisters. Third team, you follow me through the ninth leading directly to the Hook. Keep your eyes open for traps. Disarm them, cause as much mayhem for the occupiers as much as you can, open the gates, let our troops on the outside in. From there, we'll converge near the gates leading Aegon's High Hill. Take out any who get in your way. We'll have the element of surprise on our side if things go according to plan. After that, everyone will head out via the eleventh tunnels and rendezvous near the kingswood."
"For the Queen," they echoed silently.
"For the Queen," Arya replied. "Now go. Get in. Go, go, go!" she motioned them to get inside.
One by one, they squeezed their way into the sewers. Arya retained a firm hand close onto Needle's pommel, the other on a small hidden dagger. Holding her breath, Arya crawled her way into the sewage pipe and shoulder crawled her way forward… stopping at the multiple passages. Much of the saboteurs had gone off to their assigned tasks, but Arya instead crept through the twelfth and final passage leading to her destination.
Pushing the gates open, Arya quietly let out a gasp for breath and slumps out, landing nimbly on the ground with her hands and knees. Taking a quick moment to acknowledge her surroundings, she recognized the area and the stairway leading down into one of the Red Keep's underground vaults when she was younger… the last time she was here.
It's still here. Good. 'Cause we'll be needing a way out.
"What the—?!"
Coming face-to-face with one of Connington's pyromancers holding a small barrel, Arya instinctively spun around and slips her dagger beneath the man's chin, then removes it. The old man didn't have a chance to react and slumped forward onto his assassin, thick blood pouring from his chin and mouth. Arya quietly lowers him to the ground, drags his body away to avoid detection. Sinking the blade into the man's face, she utilized her training as a Faceless Man to disguise herself as him. Moments later, she remembers what it the person she killed was carrying.
Glancing at the floor, Arya recognized it right away and ran up the stairs leading into the throne room. Wildfire! Bastards are planning to burn this castle to the ground and kill everyone inside! Hang on, Sansa! I'm coming!
Chapter End
Author's Note: Here is part two of the Battle of King's Landing; the royal armies converge on King's Landing while the Golden Company and ironborn lay devastation to the city and put up a resistance on the walls, but it seems the siege towers and ladders were put into place while the ram does its work. Jon climbs the ladders as Arya sneaks in with the saboteurs, each intent on carrying out their mission. Sansa, in the meantime, shows no signs of fear or backing down – even biting Euron Greyjoy in the progress when he makes an unwanted advance on her. What are your opinions of her actions despite being held captive? Think of what'll happen next? Stay tuned for more updates!
Bad Ass Female Fighter: Gotta respect Sansa for having teeth.
Guest #1: This coming battle is going to end bloody, and destructive, that's for sure.
Chris the Metis: Dragon should know that resistance is futile. History bound to repeat itself.
GreatAce50: don't you dare killed daveth and his families.. I swear if you did.. I'll be greatly dissapointed I've been reading this for awhile and this story is really good and rare to have a story of a first true born baratheon and I hope that kill euron and connigton very slowly and painful for what they did
RHatch89: Awesome update :)
RubyDragon123: Having Daveth die at this point in the story would really ruin the work you put into the story. While it would be a twist, you'd be doing it just for the sake of being unexpected (like the show after Season 5). Euros and Connington need to die very slow, and very painful deaths. And nothing should happen to Sansa and the kids, but that's just my hopes
mpowers045: Daveth's wife and kids better not die in the next or later chapter
fiend89: This is a thrilling turn of events. All of this carnage lays at Danearys feet. She is delusional after all of this mayhem that her people brought that she is the answer of what Westeros needs.
10868letsgo: Good on you, Arya! Save the Queen and the family.
C.E.W: Yara perhaps may be allowed to have a quick death, but somehow I doubt Euron and Connington will die quick. Euron will finally get what's coming to him, I just hope Arya arrives in time to get Sansa and the family out of harm's way.
Jon Connington has become the very thing that Rhaegar was against, Connington didn't deserve Rhaegar. Connington is a traitor to House Targaryen, he choose vengeance over the good of the realm, he proved that when he conspired with Euron to take the capital against Daenerys' wishes.
However, it ain't Euron or Connington I'm concerned about when it comes to Daveth making it out of this. Daenerys Targaryen, if she on Drogon clashes with Daveth on Rhaegel, then I fear it is a confrontation that both would not survive. Daveth will do anything to protect his family and people, even at the cost of his life.
Hear My Fury: Boy Connington has snapped. Now it's a three way war for the throne. Kind of figured that it was going that way. No way Euron is just going to settle for being King of the Iron Islands. Nice to see you put a little bit from the History and Lore from season 8 in there, even though the Greyjoy Rebellion section was kind of pointless and the only thing that mattered was that Euron wanted the Iron Throne, even though he never planned to betray Cersei in canon, so, yeah, here it makes much more sense. And my girl Sansa impressing me once again! I now imagine her doing that to Ramsay in canon during season 5. We didn't get the Yara rescue from the show so I assume Arya's rescue of Sansa is going to be that. Hope Connington burns with wildfire, and slowly too. Speaking of wildfire, it seems the city may be going up in smoke because of that, but I could still see Dany doing this out of spite because the people don't want her, you could even have them say for her to go home and she's not their queen and she snaps herself. However, don't have Jaehaegon kill her, have that be Jon, that Velaryon traitor should die alongside her. In fact, we haven't had a Red Wedding scenario so, perhaps for her forces this could happen and you kill people who should have died in canon?
Mlp: Great chapter on trials and tribulations of the oath keeper,so can you please put up the next chapter to the story now please
Bio RL: If you let Yara, Euron and Connington die quickly I will be disappointed v: