Hello to the Internet and my thoughts and prayers go out to my readers in these trying times of crisis and madness.
We just have to remember that after every storm, the sun will still shine.
Chapter 27: The Dornish Marches
Joran
Holding his hand up, the Prince's ten-thousand soldiers halted as they arrived at their destination.
Nightsong hung out of a mountain, passageways leading to the gates and his eyes saw the Singing Towers greet him as the garrison of 400 men did.
Telling Aurane to form several palisades to stop the Dornish army, behind them will form a line of constant pikemen and archers while the rest remains as a camp of sorts.
Kicking his horse to go forward, Gulian Swann and Rolland Storm followed him up the trail with a dozen other riders and footmen. They entered through two gates before being welcomed into the yard of the castle, it definitely reminded him of another such castle.
Blackhaven is much of the same, a hanging fortress made to spot out invading forces coming up the Boneway. A good general would split up his forces and go down both trails. Joran thought but no sign of movement had come from Blackhaven, the scouts only reported a large force following the Prince's Pass.
Joran sighed and dismounted from his horse, the steward of Nightsong came up to him and Rolland who was the brother of their Lord.
"We welcome you, Prince Joran, and we have news." Gesturing for the man to walk and talk, the conversation continued. "Our scout sent a raven back not an hour ago, the host is nearly two times the men you've brought with you." It doesn't matter, they'll stand and fight if it comes down to it.
"Siege weapons?" He questioned the steward who shook his head.
"None to be accounted for, they mean to simply pass Nightsong without resistance." The arrogance of the Dornish to think they could just roll into the Stormlands, they will be made the fools when they come and see ten-thousand of the Stormlands most elite waiting for them.
"Who leads them?" It was the question he wanted answered most, the older man hesitated to answer at first and it made him annoyed. "Who leads the host?" He asked once more and this time a little more forcefully, the steward gulped and stood straight to answer him.
"The Red Viper, my Prince... Oberyn Martell leads the host."
Joran now understands the man's hesitance, turning and for a moment hesitated on meeting him as well.
It was a longtime theory that he suspected it was Oberyn who sent that assassin from Dorne to give either his father, mother, sister or him that Greyscale infected toy.
If it is true then he will be negotiating peace with the man who had tried and failed to kill him, Joran took a deep breath and felt his sword hand clutch into a fist with anger and rage.
"Send out a rider, parlaying for peace when they arrive." Was all he said before going inside to find something to eat, it has been a long march to get here.
Three hours and the palisades were put into position, Aurane joined him with two hundred men while Gulian went down to join the men preparing for a fight with Oberyn and his sixteen-thousand men.
The sky began to darken as the torches were seen from down the path, a thousand torches and many illuminating the banners of at least six Houses of the Dornish Kingdom.
Martell, Yronwood, Dayne, Blackmont, Fowler, and House Allyrion. Yronwood has no doubt made the bulk of the Host, them being the second most influential family in Dorne other than House Martell.
As was commanded, a rider left from the gap between the palisade line and rode toward the Dornish army.
He watched from one of the Singing Towers, a group of Dornishmen split off from the army and began following the messenger toward his line and up the path. Signaling below, Rolland ordered for the two gates to raise for the incoming guests that were riding toward them.
Joran closed his eyes for a minute, gathering his will before descending to meet Oberyn Martell and whoever he brought with him.
Black coated mares rode through the entrance, riding around in circles as a form of intimidation against the garrison and servants within. Joran and his companions weren't frightened by their actions, it was more an insult of his offer of parlay to drag it out.
His eyes had quickly spotted who was Oberyn. The Red Viper has the features of a Salty Dornishman, a tall and slender man and when he took off his helm the Prince noticed Oberyn's black viper eyes, the man smirked when he saw him.
"The Scaled Stag I've heard so much about, a vanquisher of flowers as the Realm is spreading about you." The Prince stated and looked down at him, gripping his spear which had made some of the men a little tense.
"Not as much as the Realm's heard of you, the Red Viper of Dorne. A master of poisons as I've read." Joran hinted and the older man hummed and dismounted from his horse and squared up to him.
The air was thick within Nightsong, all watching the commanders of both armies that were already impatient on whether or not a fight was to take place.
"You should be honored to survive such a disease, those scars shouldn't be shunned but embraced." Oberyn's praise was a surprise to him, Joran looked at the man with suspicion. "You wanted to parlay? Let us parlay."
Both men entered the hall after giving up their weapons, the negotiation had begun.
Stannis
Stannis's army had broken Oldtown, two days they sieged and shot down every raven calling for help.
The rightful King led the charge within the city, swinging Lightbringer and cutting down the defenders who tried to stop him from claiming the Hightower fleet.
Seventy-two ships were relieved and twenty-eight others had to be torched, as they resisted capture. He reined in the looting and pillaging of the city, that wasn't their purpose as they disarmed the defenders.
Ordering Axel to hold the city, he split his forces while leaving the bulk here. Seven-thousand of the thirteen-thousand he had command of took the ships. The remaining six-thousand under the command of Lord Estermont and Grandison and ordered to begin sending food and supplies to Oldtown, Nightsong where his son is and to the Stormlands.
The food within the Reach is a far greater boon other than the soldiers, they'd need them to feed their war-efforts against Tywin and his family of traitors.
Eyes had looked out to the sea from Lord Hightower's favorite ship, the Harp's Song. It would be the ship that he would sail to the Arbor with, from its hull his soldiers will deploy and fight against the traitors.
Mace Tyrell will have difficulty with his wife, mother, and daughter in his custody. His eldest son a broken man on his way with many other captives going to Storm's End, then there's that Loras Tyrell who had run off with what was left of the army that defended Highgarden.
Perhaps if he played things out, Mace will surrender and aid him in defeating the traitors that have taken his throne.
Of course, in his mind, he will never forget their treachery in the first place. The Tyrells, Lannisters, all of them, they'll all be punished for treason and although some will be allowed to live to see his reign... Others cannot be forgiven for their treasons such as Cersei and others that were involved in Jon and his brother's murder.
"We are ready, your Grace." He heard the new captain say to him, he nodded and turned from the city of Oldtown.
"Set sail for the Arbor, we take Mace Tyrell's family." He ordered and he looked out to the sea, giving thought to his son who is in the Dornish Marches meeting with the host of Martell soldiers.
His son has become a man far too early in his eyes, Joran shouldn't have been on a battlefield though it is expected. His son should not be leading yet despite him teaching to do just that, it's his duty and that meant men like him and his son are not meant to have normal lives.
Men like them are made to serve the Realm, to give them their hands, feet, sword, and courage.
Although, he wasn't lying when he said that his son made him proud, proud of what man he's become. He's a strong warrior, a leader that resembled what Robert used to be. The memory of how his son fought at the Battle of Highgarden, how fiercely he fought against their enemies.
If what he's seen at Highgarden is anything to go on, then anything the Dornish do won't hinder him.
Tywin
The Warden of the West received gratitude from Ashemark on their aid when the Young Wolf attacked, Tywin dismissed it as what he was duty-bound to do when his territory is being invaded by barbarians from the North.
But, if he had been too late it wouldn't have been a great loss to him. He's lost too much to care about small settlements like Ashemark, he'd still have slaughtered Robb Stark's host and sent them running home.
Mace wanted to give chase, he told the Warden of the Reach that he could do whatever he wished with his own men.
It was still the wrong choice, he advised that Lord Tyrell instead send 4,000 to the Riverlands while the rest of them turned their eyes on the Reach which Stannis had begun to invade with the defeat of Willas and Loras Tyrell at Highgarden.
The Reach's soldiers and castles are quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it is the land and its food that are the targets.
This war is going to be exceedingly long, they need the provisions that the Reach can provide them. No doubt that the usurper and his son had already begun transporting supplies to the territories they control.
"The territory needs to be retaken, Stannis will no doubt be waiting for us." He said to the assembled Lords of both the Westerlands and Reach.
Mace Tyrell disagreed, "The man has my family for all I know, he will harm them if I move on him." Tywin wanted to throttle the fat oaf, his hesitance reminded him of his own when the Young Wolf had Jaime.
"They will die if we don't, trust me, my Lord but Stannis doesn't mean to let either of our families live past this war." He stood from his seat and stared at every man in this room as he continued, "Robb didn't think two about murdering my son, he won't hesitate on yours or any of these families that stand against him." The hall became silent, eerie was his words to the Lords present that he even believed it.
Robb Stark will die, his sisters will die, Catelyn will die and every one the pup ever knew will feel his wrath.
But right now, their attention needs to put to taking back the Reach and smash Stannis and the Scaled Stag until the memory of them is nothing but that, a memory.
After dismissing everyone but Lord Tyrell, he poured him and the man a glass of wine. The grieving Lord took it and downed half after taking it.
"Mace, your line will still live on... And I hear he is unwed." Yes, Loras Tyrell had arrived three days ago and informed them of the taking of Highgarden, the loss of many Lords and their soldiers.
Mace had looked up to him, his eyes brimming with anger and sadness, such feelings were comparable to his own when Jaime was killed. "Loras, he will require a maid, no such coupling will suffice." Perhaps if Olenna was here, but she isn't and he is not interested in haggling.
"My daughter is a former Queen, she's mother to the King and the King himself is unwed." Two weddings, that's what he is offering and the slight lowering of Mace's eyes gave him the victory he needed.
The next several hours, the army had been scrambled and the camps dispersed. Mace had given command to Lord Tarly, to take six-thousand men into the Riverlands, to keep Robb focused and away from King's Landing.
Tywin set his own gaze on a confrontation with Stannis Baratheon, to destroy the usurper and his ill-born son.
Joran
The study of Nightsong was as good a place as any, the negotiation began the moment everyone was sat down but Joran and Oberyn had refused to take one another's eyes off the other.
"I wanted to talk to you about aiding my father against the Lannisters." Oberyn laughed a little, it made him more irritable than he already was.
"You expect me to help your father? His brother allowed the murder of my sister and her children, he all but murdered Queen Rhaella's daughter." Joran cut in and defended his father against what Oberyn was saying.
"You are marching for my uncle's son, Joffrey isn't even a Baratheon but a Lannister bastard." He leaned inward, narrowing his blue eyes on Oberyn who leaned back and was comfortable. "Tywin is the one who sacked the city, then. It was his man who raped and murdered your family, not my uncle nor my father." He didn't even bother defending against the death of the Targaryen Princess.
"They still allowed that very injustice to go without consequence." Oberyn spat out with clenched fists, glaring at him for a moment before calming down.
It had to be done, if she had lied and begotten sons and more daughters then his uncle would still be fighting a rebellion. It was a miracle that the last son is gone, not a word was heard of Viserys Targaryen. Joran thought a calming face.
Oberyn, on the other hand, was getting a little angry with him but at the same time not with him. It was the Lannisters, Joran deduced as silence flooded the room with the exception of the crackling of the hearth.
"Listen, I don't expect our families to mend our troubles but I know one thing for certain... Our enemies are the same." He muttered out to the Red Viper who stilled at the comment. "If you join us, you will be given justice, I swear it. The Mountain, Amory Lorch, even Tywin Lannister will be given to you and Doran Martell." He promised to the older man and sat back and waited for Oberyn to respond.
He doesn't have the faintest idea of what Oberyn was thinking about, he suspected that he was considering his offer.
"I have dreamt about revenge for the longest time, seeing Gregor dead and Tywin's head on a spike." That is understandable, he would have dreamt the same in his place. "Joran Baratheon, how sure are you that you can win this war?" He straightened his back and answered Oberyn's question.
"We defeated nearly thirty-thousand Reachmen at Highgarden. Our fleet is stronger than the bastard can assemble. Robb Stark had even dug into the Westerlands, pillaging and taking castles... We can win." He lied at the last part, hoping that the news hadn't reached Dorne quite yet.
Oberyn stood from his seat, giving him a look of sympathy. "Then I wish your father luck, but I cannot accept your offer." There went the negotiations, Joran sighed impatiently but Oberyn continued. "I won't attack the Stormlands, neither will I aid the Lannisters." The Red Viper began leaving and stopped to tell him one more thing. "If and when you march on King's Landing, I can promise you the support of myself, however. I will fight for you, for revenge."
So that's it? They've gained one man over that of 16,000 for their war. His father won't be so glad for this response.
Joran closed his eyes and waited a long moment before nodding, accepting the Red Viper into his host.
AN: So ends chapter 27, I hope you all have enjoyed it as I enjoyed writing it. So, until next time, this has been Hail King Cerion and wishing you all a good night.
