A/N: Hope you all are staying safe in these uncertain times. Also, quick update. Things will be busy ahead as I prepare for jobs and all that, and I will try my best to update regularly. But please bear with me if I don't seem consistent in my postings.
Without ado, enjoy!
JAENYX IX
Jaenyx went over the plans with Konno once more, as they needed to get every detail right before their next move. Like on the Red Fork, the men of newly raised House Haru would be at the forefront of their tactical design, as everything hinged on them maintaining concealment and allowing the rest of the army to achieve surprise.
It was an acknowledged fact that the taking of Stonebridge would be of vital importance to the dragons, as control of that bridge that the army could advance southwards on both banks of the Mander. More importantly, the army would be in a good position to strike at Longtable, seat of House Merryweather which was placed at the confluence between the Mander and the Blueburn. Control of both Stonebridge and Longtable equaled control over a good portion of the entire northern Reach, thus securing their advance.
Unfortunately, their plans were forced to speed up. With the capture of Hallis Karstark by the Fossoway men of Cider Hall, it wouldn't be long before the Gardeners figured out what they were trying to do. In fact, both Aegon and Jaenyx expected Mern Gardener to call whatever forces he could muster and reinforce Cider Hall, the only major fortification before Highgarden itself. The loss of that castle would have been unacceptable to the Gardeners, meaning that they would reinforce it and enjoy a strong defensive advantage.
While Torrhen assured Larence Karstark that they would try to get his cousin back, the dragons and the northmen all concurred that they needed to advance and secure Stonebridge earlier than expected.
"The enemy will expect us to strike at the bridge itself. I doubt that they'll leave such an important landmark so unguarded," Ethan Reed pointed on the map.
"We do have a few advantages going for us," Joseth Glover placed his finger on the various parts of the land surrounding Stonebridge. "The land is flat around the small castle and we can encircle them easily with light footmen and cavalry."
"But advancing between the banks of the Mander will be quite difficult, especially since the parts of the river in this area are pretty muddy and rough," Warrick Manderly added, his anxiousness evident from being at the river where his family assumed their name from. "We can't use boats to cross and it's too deep for horses to move through."
"Not to mention that any arms and armor our men will carry will weigh them down," Rogar Bolton contributed his piece. "This will take some deception on our part, just like at Fairmarket," he eyed to Jaenyx and Konno, the latter being present for his first session in the command tent.
"Well, Lord Bolton, the obvious way to achieve surprise is by attacking at night, but I am expecting that the enemy will have adapted thanks to the Red Fork," Jaenyx replied. "Alternatively, we can attack in the early hours of dawn while we can fight under the young rays of the sun, but the enemy will still be asleep just like at the Red Fork."
"It won't be like the Smith's Day, Your Grace. They probably won't be as drunk as Ser Serrett's forces were," Ethan Reed warned him.
"Maybe, but this is the Reach we're talking about. Whatever moral limitations our enemies in the riverlands were confined to would be multiplied in this place, especially since they would expect us to fight in a 'polite fashion,'" Larence Karstark scoffed, causing chuckles among the other commanders except for Warrick.
"Since when was there ever such a thing as a 'polite war?'" Rogar Bolton sneered alongside the Lord of Karhold, but Torrhen was a bit uneasy given the Boltons' past.
"Lord Konno," Aegon turned to the former assassin. "How would you recommend we proceed against the Caswells?"
"Well… we… have… bad… habit… in… doing… unexpectedness," Konno said slowly while surprising everyone with the fact that he could speak the common tongue at all. Out of respect and catching his meaning, they allowed him to speak without interruption. "So… we… continue."
"How so, my lord?" Torrhen was amused that the harsh man of House Haru was capable of telling a joke.
Konno tapped his finger on the parts of the Mander that were muddy. "We… make… bridge… here."
"A pontoon bridge, like what our enemies from the Vale did at the Green Fork?" Aegon's eyes widened.
Konno nodded. "We… can… circle… them… from… side."
"But with a diversion, I assume?" Ethan Reed inquired.
"Yes… you… swamp cunt," Konno answered.
A pause ensued in the tent, before the northern lords burst in laughter. The way he said it and given how small his knowledge of the common tongue still was, he either didn't know what 'cunt' meant or didn't know how to use the word correctly. Whichever was true, it did much to put the former assassin and teacher of Rhaenys in a new light and the fact that he would make such a simple mistake with words was entertaining.
After a few moments, the laughter got more intense, as some began crying as the brutal image of Lord Haru began to thaw in their minds. Even Lord Bolton smiled and shook his head at the whole ridiculousness of the situation alongside Ethan Reed, who wasn't offended.
As a king, Aegon had to keep himself above his subordinates, but he and Jaenyx had also chuckled lightly while Lord Konno was obviously unamused, along with Aevor Rahitheon and Rhaedar Tarareon.
Eventually, the laughter died down, but some of them wiped the tears from their eyes.
"You're a pretty wit, my lord. A pretty wit," Ethan Reed wagged his finger at Konno. "'Swamp cunt.' I have to remember that."
"Back to what we were discussing," Jaenyx wanted to reorient their attention back towards the battle plan. "We build a pontoon bridge, allowing many of our troops to cross onto the same bank of the Mander that Stonebridge castle is on, while our diversion will draw the enemy's attention away from our main hook."
"But how will we achieve the diversion, Prince Jaenyx?" Warrick Manderly asked.
"We use the most threatening-looking troops that we have under our command," Aegon eyed towards Lord Rogar. "The Bolton hoplites."
Lord Bolton was taken aback. "You would risk my men so willingly, Your Grace?"
"I feel that we haven't been utilizing you and your house to their full potential, my lord," Aegon answered. "Given how disciplined the men of House Bolton are, I am sure that your reputation will make the enemy see you as the most dangerous asset we have."
"You honor me, Your Grace," Lord Rogar dipped his head at Aegon's flattery.
"Therefore, we can use the conspicuous setup of the Bolton formations to draw the enemy out from their fortifications and have them focused on the bridge from one side," Aegon continued.
"You would have us act as the diversion alone, Your Grace?"
"Egg, I suggest we have the Manderly cavalry act as support," Jaenyx suggested. "Since the Manderlys are still well-known in these parts, they should also achieve the purpose of getting as much attention onto them as possible."
"That's right, Your Grace," Warrick bobbed his head. "The Reachmen will not take too kindly that the house who almost took the crown of the Reach have returned, so they will do whatever it takes to make sure that we don't come back and regain power here."
"Then, it's settled," Aegon concluded. "My lords, all of you should prepare accordingly. I shall ride on Balerion and fly only in support of the attack while Jaenyx will act on my behalf on the ground. But Jae, I expect to join me in the air."
"Better count on it," Jaenyx beamed.
The nearly eight thousand strong force of Bolton hoplites and Manderly cavalry began their advance further southwards while the men sworn to House Haru worked quickly to build the boats needed for the pontoon bridge. Finding the boats wasn't hard, as they had to "persuade" the people who lived in the immediate area to loan them theirs. Not that I would care about what their feelings are, considering that they are not our people yet.
They decided to keep two thousand northerners in Tumbleton to maintain order and ensure that the people didn't rise up against them while the majority were engaged in battle. Against them at Stonebridge were six thousand troops from both House Caswell and House Merryweather, the latter contributing troops to his neighbor's defense since he saw their advance as a threat on his own home. Although they outnumbered them, Jaenyx and Aegon both agreed that the best way to achieve victory in the Reach was to use surprise and overwhelming force at key points. They would not rely on strength alone, as the Reach could muster more men than they could despite their recent losses in the stormlands and from when Prince Gawen was killed.
Felling some trees nearby, the men of House Haru tied the boats together and laid the planks that connected them all into one bridge. Torrhen mounted his horse and rode across its length. Satisfied that the bridge was sturdy enough, the remaining ten thousand men under Torrhen's direction began to pour onto the southern bank of the Mander under the cover of twilight.
"You do realize that we won't be enjoying the advantages we hold right now, right?" Konno asked Jaenyx in nihongo.
"That's why we have to move quickly. At the same time, we won't invest the time and effort it will take to attack Cider Hall. No matter how fast we go, it's very possible that Mern Gardener will have reinforced that place," Jaenyx answered.
"And what then?"
"We have to keep the Reachmen focused on us, while Orys, Vis, and Rhae win the fight elsewhere," Jaenyx smiled at the thought of his wife and sister wreaking havoc on the Valemen.
"Will they be able to return quickly here? With the forces that we need to prevent a long stalemate in this region?"
"Remember what you taught me, sensei. 'Fast is slow, but slow is fast,'" Jaenyx reminded him. "We can't rush it, but if we allow it to, we will have what we need for the decisive battle to come."
"Right," Konno groaned. "Which reminds me. This war will end one way or another, hopefully in our favor. After peace is achieved, what will you do with your new titles and new castle?"
"I might be occupied in the south for a while, sensei," Jaenyx answered. "Have to make Sphinx Rest into a proper Valyrian fortress and ensure that the Faith adherents in these parts will never threaten us again. I also imagine that much of my time will be spent here in the Reach, where the center of the Faith is."
"Will Aegon do what we did with the Blackwoods and Starks? Make a Reach house the single powerful house in the Reach? Because that might be a bad idea," Konno pointed out.
"I know," Jaenyx acknowledged. "That's why we have to make sure that no one house in the Reach has all the power and can keep each other in check, but we'll maintain the Reach's territorial integrity."
"And you do realize that your Valyrians need to have their own lands and keeps if a strong Valyrian base can hope to arise?"
"They will be," Jaenyx nodded. "And alongside the Valyrian families that were here before us, they'll be vital in achieving that purpose."
"Not going to ask what exactly you have in mind for that, but I will say this. They Targaryens are your family and you might not be as stubborn as before, but don't settle for less. What you do now sets a precedent, so don't fuck it up," Konno warned.
"Yes, sensei," Jaenyx nodded. "And don't worry. Our enemies will know that they made a mistake in provoking us and we'll show them that aggression has consequences."
Konno nodded approvingly. "Very good. Now, let's trim some flowers, shall we?"
Jaenyx cracked a smile before riding with Konno and the men of House Haru towards a small hill that overlooked Stonebridge. There, they saw the men of House Bolton and House Manderly already set up in their positions, with the hoplites in the center and the Manderly cavalry on the flanks in a basic arrangement. And as expected, the Caswell and Merryweather bannermen had fortified their positions on and near the bridge for the expected assault.
A horn blasted from the Bolton ranks, causing the hoplites to lower their pikes and begin the march forward to the bridge. Footmen carrying the cornucopia sigil of House Merryweather had quickly formed their own ranks, getting their shields up, lowering their own spears, and their swords ready. Despite the Bolton and Manderly force outnumbering the Merryweather and Caswell force by two thousand men, this was the latter's home and so they had a defensive advantage. With the control of the bridge, they thus had a choke point from which to negate the slight numerical superiority from the Bolton and Manderly men.
However, the Bolton hoplites had two things going for them. Their pikes were slightly longer than those held by the Merryweather footmen, allowing them to strike at their adversaries with greater reach. Size did matter in certain cases, and that was one of them.
Another was the flayed man sigil of their shields. Jaenyx and Konno were personally indifferent to its origins, but they both agreed that Rogar Bolton as a slippery man. However, they also concurred that the Boltons did know how to utilize fear and counted on their flayed sigils to scare at least of the Reachmen, all of whom could not even fathom such an act as their moral and religious conventions only endorsed certain and "acceptable" methods of killing. Maybe I should have had Lord Bolton flay one of the prisoners since we are at war, but that would have pissed Torrhen off.
Jaenyx and Konno both saw the Bolton hoplites and Merryweather footmen finally clashing into each other. As expected, the Boltons drew first blood as their longer-reaching pikes killed some of the Reachmen at the start. The Merryweather responded by getting into tighter formation, with their shields leaving as little gaps as possible, before advancing further. However, a shield formation was hard to maintain if the men had different weapons, which was especially true of those armed with swords. Some broke formation to charge into the Bolton pikes and few managed to swing away and crash into the "flayed man" shields. Their success was short-lived, as their bravado got them killed and thus weakening the shield formation of the Merryweathers'.
Meanwhile, an archery exchange ensued between the combined Bolton and Manderly force and those from especially the Stonebridge castle, with the Caswell archers shooting from the ramparts. Despite the shields on both sides offering protection, a few arrows managed to find their way through the gaps, wounding and killing their marks.
Turning around, Jaenyx saw that the rest of the northern army led by Aegon and Torrhen had finally reached their position in full force. Walking up to Torrhen, he gestured for Konno. "The Boltons and Manderlys are heavily engaged. Lord Konno will cover your advance while Aegon and I will prevent their escape by burning the fields in the south."
"Just a suggestion, Prince Jaenyx, but I think we should burn the castle. It'll cause us more pain just to hold it and we only need the bridge," Torrhen said.
Jaenyx thought about it, before nodding. "I'll let Egg know. But don't attack until the dragons have finished their burning, understood?"
"Yes, Your Grace," Torrhen bobbed his head.
"Once you see fire, rain down arrows on them," Jaenyx told Konno.
"Give them hell, Jaenyx," Konno answered before he and the rest of the Haru men readied their bows.
Pick me up, girl, Jaenyx signaled Cloudwynd. The northmen with Torrhen made way as the blue dragon landed and took off after her rider grabbed her spines.
Quickly rising into the air, he scanned the skies until he saw the unmistakable shape of Balerion. Aegon waved at him while Jaenyx pointed to the castle below. He gestured to his goodbrother what Torrhen recommended, which Aegon agreed to with a simple bob with his head. He then pointed to himself, telling Aegon that he would destroy the castle, only to receive a shaking of the head and instead for him to point at Balerion and indicating that they would do it.
Jaenyx was surprised, as the Aegon of a few moons ago would have hesitated in destroying a castle and thus potentially wiping out a house. But with their new status and seeing how the enemy had treated Orys, the new King of Westeros was less inclined for leniency towards any that raised their arms against them and did not submit.
Jaenyx nodded in agreement while patting to Cloudwynd on what they had to do. Roaring in acknowledgement, she pointed her head downwards and began her descent, the ground south of the Stonebridge castle laying wide open for them.
"Dracarys!" Jaenyx shouted. Flying in a wide semi-circle, Cloudwynd let loose her blue flames on the southern approach to Stonebridge while igniting the grasses that made up the largely flat ground surrounding it. The arc extended all way to the Mander, completely cutting off the Caswells and its lord from escape or reinforcement.
Cloudwynd ascended back up, with Jaenyx turning his head and seeing the large form of Balerion begin his own descent. What followed next reminded him of what had occurred at Harrenhal, as the black dragon unleashed his fire onto the castle and engulfing its ramparts, its keep, and whoever was unlucky to have remained inside. The stream of fire was so strong that parts of the walls and the keep crumbled from its power, effectively making the castle useless to the enemy. Adding to the sight was the charred remains of the cornucopia sigil, meaning that House Caswell's future was in doubt since it was unlikely that its lord or its heirs had survived Balerion's flames.
Upon the signal, Torrhen charged forward with the remainder of the northerners, with the Harus letting loose an arrow stream that struck the Merryweathers and the remaining Caswell men from behind.
With the loss of their archers on the now collapsed walls of the Stonebridge castle and the entry of the dragons themselves, the Boltons and Manderlys were now able to make good progress against their foes who had remained entrenched on the bridge. Jaenyx and Aegon were careful as to not hit the bridge with fire, as they needed it to effectively cross between both banks of the Mander and be able to march on the enemy effectively. Torrhen and the rest of the northmen struck into the unprotected archers of their Reachmen foes of that day, along with any others that were not in formation.
Balerion and Cloudwynd landed some distance away from the carnage, with Jaenyx and Aegon sliding off of them to take part in the fight. "I think we might want to check what's left of the castle," Jaenyx pointed to the ruins of the seat of House Caswell.
"You sure there will be somebody left, after what Balerion did?" Aegon was skeptical.
"Can't hurt to be sure," Jaenyx shrugged. "And given how that our army won't take long to mop them up, we shouldn't miss the action."
Aegon gestured to the castle. "Lead the way, Jae."
Unsheathing Seablaze and his dagger, with Aegon bringing out Blackfyre for this occasion, they made their way past the collapsed parts of the wall and took a few moments to survey the carnage. Just like at Harrenhal, the stones had blackened with ash and soot and whatever structures remained had crushed under the power of dragonfire. And as was the case of the former seat of the Hoares, there were bodies strewn everywhere in various poses and shapes, all of them charred.
"We might find more luck inside the keep," Jaenyx said aloud.
"Or what's left of it," Aegon noted.
"Let's go," Jaenyx kicked down a crumbling door and both entered.
But to their surprise, the great hall of the Caswells was largely intact. In it, they found eight men there, all sporting the centaur sigil. In the center was a man who both Aegon and Jaenyx presumed to be Lord Caswell, judging from his clean armor and high-quality steel sword.
Six men armed with swords, two with axes, all of them thirty paces away from us, Jaenyx calculated. All of them were cocky but wary, thinking that the king and prince might be coaxed into attacking one of at a time. Both immediately assumed defensive stances, Aegon raising Blackfyre and Jaenyx readying Seablaze and his dagger.
No words were spoken, as the men of House Caswell were not inclined to speak to the ones who burned their home. Raising their swords, they stood there with their guard down. The ones who struck first were the axe men, who swung their weapons at Aegon and Jaenyx. But the greater reach of Blackfyre and Seablaze allowed both to parry and stab at them, with Aegon running one through in a downward diagonal cut and Jaenyx cutting the other's throat with a quick slice of the dagger.
Jaenyx and Aegon don't run at the group, but they circle it from the right and left. One of the swordsmen took the bait, running at Aegon directly. The first swordsman twirls from left to right to avoid a head on slash from Aegon and slash at him from above, but he lunged his sword into the man's throat from the side and ripped it out savagely.
Jaenyx slowed down his gait to a prowl, his side to two other swordsmen, inviting the them both to attack him from in front of and behind him. One came from behind and was one step in front of the other, and Jaenyx pirouettes to his left to dodge the sword and slash him across the face. He then turns to his right, dodges the sword swung at his head by the other swordsman, pivots around the first one and slashes the second one at the ankle. Kneeling close to the ground, he grabs that man's head and moves it in the way of another attempted thrust from a sword.
Jaenyx shoves the other man's body away and backs up defensively as another swordsman rushes him. Knowing surprise won't work, he posts up in front of him in a defensive posture. To Jaenyx's left, another swordsman rushes him. He runs, jumps up in the air, folds his knees, and uses the combined force of the jump and his legs onto the swordsman rushing him, which knocks him off balance and causes him to fall.
Meanwhile, Aegon parries another attempted slash. Yet another swordsman takes this opportunity to step forward but Aegon ducks, pirouetting to his right towards the stumbling swordsman and slashes him in the neck. The stumbling swordsman falls into the defensive one as he readied his second attack and Aegon slashes savagely at his head. The second to last swordsman comes at him from in between the two previous, spinning into his attack with his sword aimed at his head. Aegon catches his sword arm with his hand and impales the last swordsman's head with his sword.
Jaenyx then sees that the Aegon is about to attacked by Lord Caswell. Before he could, Jaenyx rushes to him, pushes him away, and readies his arms. The Lord of Stonebridge lunged at him again with a high slash, but to his surprise, he brings out a dirk and jabs it into his abdomen as he tried to dodge it.
As he staggered slightly, he slashed once again at his head, which he evades and then he stopes the second jab with his dirk with his sword. He tries to swing at his legs, but he hits her again, this time in the nose causing her to stumble. Slowly he steps forward and swings at her arm which he blocks, but the power of the swing, staggering him backwards once again. He swings again at her head but this time she dodges, and when she counter swings he blocks it with his sword.
While locked together, he stabs his dirk into his leg. Unexpectedly, she tries to push off of him to rip out his dirk from his leg. But Jaenyx grabs his hand, keeping it in his leg. He then headbutts the Lord of Stonebridge, and as he slashes at his head defensively, he ducks and cuts him in the leg with an upward slash. The force of the slash causes his foe to spin, landing on the ground disorientated, his sword and dirk falling away from her. Defenseless, he coughs, but barely winces.
Jaenyx pulls the dirk out of his leg while Aegon dispatches of the last swordsman. Seeing the Lord Caswell on the ground, he then eyed to his goodbrother, rushing immediately to his side upon seeing his wound.
"It's nothing," Jaenyx assured him. "Just pour some wine on it and tighten this up with clean cloth, and it'll heal."
"It better," Aegon said before looking at the wounded form of Lord Caswell. "You fought well, my lord, and you have shown great skill with the blade. I just wish that you fought on our side."
"I'd have never sided with you, dragonspawn," the lord defiantly hissed before spitting in his face.
"For a flower, you sure have some nastiness to you," Jaenyx scoffed as Aegon wiped his face. "Let's end your suffering," and with that, he bent down and stabbed in his throat, making him bleed out to death.
Then, Torrhen and some of his bannermen entered the hall, surprised at the carnage he had seen.
"Both of Your Graces did this?" Torrhen asked.
"Yes," Aegon answered. "Have we won?"
"We've secured the bridge and have captured the few that remained, only five hundred and a few knights. Where's Lord Caswell, Your Graces?" Jaenyx pointed to the dead body of the Lord of the Stonebridge. "I see."
"We'll rest here for a few days and continue southwards. Once we're within sight of Longtable, we'll begin the preparations for the attack," Jaenyx told Torrhen, who nodded his agreement.
"Let's get someone to see to your wound, Jae," Aegon put his arm on Jaenyx's shoulders. "Can't have my goodbrother be limping."
"Worry about yourself, Egg. That was some nice swordsmanship I saw," Jaenyx noted.
"Took a page from your book. Have to be a little creative with Blackfyre," Aegon shrugged.
"Glad I'm a good teacher," Jaenyx jested. "Maybe I'll have you call me 'master' and make you do runs."
"Don't even mention it. I don't want to be reminded of how Lord Haru teaches," Aegon groaned.
"Well, we got more where that came from," Jaenyx said. "Ask Rhae."
"Wonder how they're doing in the Vale? Rhae and Vis?"
"They're our wives. They'll be fine, especially with the Mormont ladies and Lord Snow with them."
"Let's hope they stay that way," Aegon smiled. "I long to be Rhae's arms again soon."
"Be patient," Jaenyx rubbed Aegon's head. "It'll make it more satisfying, as I know it will be with Vis when we are together again."
"And our babes?"
"Gods, Egg. You worry too much," Jaenyx moaned lightly. "Just trust that they will be safe and everything will be fine. After all, our babes' first memory of us shouldn't be one of anxiety."
"Right," Aegon conceded as both walked out of the ruined castle towards the camp that was now being set up, with Balerion and Cloudwynd resting.
A/N: The battle was based on Stamford Bridge (1066), with the bridge crossing taken from Arcole (1796).
I trust that all of you have a good grasp on the politicking on both sides, so from this point, the chapters will be mostly focused with the war and other aspects of combat. And I got inspiration for that swordfight after watching the Witcher's market fight against Renfri and her gang, although Aegon and Jaenyx don't have the Witcher's magical powers beyond their control of dragons.
Also, the focus on the war is more accommodating for this period as I continue to search for jobs, so please bear with me. Thanks!
Next, we will see Orys heavily engaged with the Reachmen in the stormlands.