DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GAME OF THRONES OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS
Chapter 3
The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon when Austin was jolted awake by a leather boot in his side. He rolled to the side, grasping his sword, and shot to his feet, whirling to face his would be attacker. But it was only Bronn, holding his hands out to his sides with an amused smirk on his lips.
"Seven hells," Austin cursed, sheathing his sword and fastening the belt it was attached to.
Bronn grinned. "Thought I'd give you a test to see how quick you react. You need some work."
"Couldn't have woken me up like normal?" Austin complained.
Bronn patted the hilt of his sword. "Thought I'd teach you a thing or two."
"I'm doing just fine on my own," Austin said, shrugging off the sellsword's offer.
Bronn shrugged. "Suit yourself, but when you get murdered in the same fashion as I knocked you over with, don't say I didn't warn you."
Austin sighed. "Fine. But let's make it quick, before Edric wakes," he said, jerking his head towards his still sleeping cousin.
Austin followed Bronn several dozen yards into the woods, emerging into a small clearing with a stream running through it. Almost immediately, Bronn whirled around and brought down an overhead swing which Austin had to slide backwards to avoid. He dropped into his ready position, holding his drawn sword out in front.
The sellsword grinned at Austin as he quickly crouched down, his hand grasping at the dirt. A second later, a handful of sand was thrown into Austin's eyes, causing him to yelp, drop his sword, and begin furiously rubbing at his eyes.
By the time he'd cleared his orbs of sand, Bronn was yawning as he held his sword close to Austin's neck. "Dead."
"That's not fair!" Austin protested.
Bronn shrugged. "Life's not fair. You think everyone's just gonna sit around and wait for you to fight someone honorably? If you were in a battle, you'd be stabbed in the back before you could blink. Skill with a sword is one thing, but if you can't survive based on instincts, then you have nothing."
"How am I supposed to know how to survive a battle if I've never been in one? I grew up in a castle, remember? I was taught to fight properly," Austin reminded.
Bronn spread his hands out. "There is no proper way to fight, lad. That's just a fantasy made up by all you highborns that care about honor. A real fight means that anything goes as long as one side loses."
"Alright," Austin sighed quietly. "Let's go again."
Bronn dropped back down into his ready stance. It was a far cry away from Austin's. The young Dayne held the hilt with both hands, the sword out in front of him. Bronn, on the other hand, held his sword with only one hand, it hanging down by his right side while his left hand remained free.
Austin paced around Bronn, always keeping his sword between him and the sellsword. After a few seconds, Bronn closed the gap, his sword flashing upwards to knock Austin's towards the sky. The young Dayne used his momentum to spin, bringing the sword back to his chest as he did so, point facing Bronn's chest.
He jabbed and retreated, Bronn simply avoiding the thrust as he pursued, swinging his blade down towards Austin's feet in a feint, shipping back up at the last second. Austin brought his blade up in the nick of time, locking their guards together. The corner of Bronn's mouth twitched in amusement as the pair stood face to face, blades locked between them, battling for strength.
"You know, your sword skills are impeccable for a lad your age," Bronn said. "But you're not creative."
Austin was sent reeling by a sharp left jab that hit him in the center of his nose. Bronn laughed as the Dayne dropped his sword again, holding his throbbing and bleeding nose in his hands.
"Stop hurting him!" a sharp voice said from behind them. Bronn whirled around, spying a recently awake Edric, who was glaring at Bronn from beneath his violet eyes.
Austin sniffed, wiping the last of the blood from his nose on his sleeve as he walked towards Edric. "It's alright, he was just showing me a few things about fighting, even if they were a bit brutal," Austin said with an irritated glance at Bronn, who shrugged, muttering something to himself.
Edric still didn't look too sure, but he seemed to accept Austin's comment, nodding in agreement. "Can we have breakfast now?" the young Dayne asked.
Austin nodded. "Aye, I believe we can."
Two Weeks Earlier
Lord Eddard Stark rubbed his eyes, trying in vain to wipe away the burn of exhaustion. He'd been poring over various raven messages from his scouts. He'd sent over a dozen men to scour the countryside in search of the missing Dayne boys. It'd been over a month since Starfall fell, and still no word. The Warden of the North was doing everything in his power aside from riding out himself to find the boys, but to no avail.
Lord Stark saw this as his opportunity. The opportunity he'd been waiting for, to repay Ser Arthur Dayne for his less than honorable death at the hands of Howland Reed and Eddard Stark. Regretfully, the legendary knight was slain from a backstab just as he was about to give the final blow to Lord Stark.
"My lord," called Maester Luwin as he entered the room, carrying yet another scroll. The old man's quickened pace, however, alluded to the nature of the news.
Eddard took the letter. It was from Lord Leo Ashford. When he'd finished reading, his eyes shot up towards Luwin. "How long ago was this?"
"Three days, my lord," answered the old maester.
Eddard practically vaulted over the table on his way to the stables.
"Seven hells, boy. You didn't hit me once," boasted Bronn. The pair had just finished their latest sparring match, dominated by Bronn once again.
Austin rolled his eyes. "It's not exactly a fair fight, now is it? I'm thirteen, and you've been in war already."
Bronn nodded. "Aye, that'll make for a mismatch."
As Austin sat down on his bedroll to pull out some dried meat for breakfast, Edric stirred. This was probably the longest the young lad had slept in several weeks.
"How long have we been on the road Bronn?" Austin asked.
Bronn seemed to think for a second. "Maybe...two weeks?"
"And where are we now?" Edric asked.
Bronn chuckled. "So many questions. We passed Antlers three days ago, so we should cross the Trident sometime today."
Austin sighed. He wanted nothing more than a soft, feather bed that he could use to relax. But alas, he was a lord, yet he was barred from such comforts. Looking down, Austin saw his once pristine white tunic was caked with mud and grime so it looked like any other peasants' wear.
"I need a bath," he commented.
Bronn shook his head. "Seems like you're not cut out for this sort of life, little lord."
Edric snorted. "I'm supposed to be the lord of a castle, not some street urchin."
Bronn scoffed as he chewed the last of his bread. When he rose to untie his horse and began to saddle it, Austin did the same, letting Bronn do Edric's, since the lad was still too small to do it himself.
"Come on, if we're lucky, we can make it to the Crossroads Inn before dark," Bronn said, mounting his horse. Austin hopped up onto his and followed the sellsword down the winding path through the woods.
Austin's first signal that they were near the Trident was the fact that all the trees had virtually disappeared. They rode onto a barren field that gradually sloped down towards the running water ahead. This crossing was a major trade highway, as the only other crossing was at the Twins. It was here, just two years ago, that King Robert had slain Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, signalling the end of the war. The combined might of the Reach, Dorne, and the Crown had all been bested that day by the North, the Stormlands, and the Vale. It is said that you can still come here and find rubies in the shallow water, fragments of Rhaegar's once elegant armor.
While Austin marvelled at the sight of such a large river crossing, Edric was half asleep in his saddle, and Bronn was scanning their surroundings. Austin chanced a look back at the forest they'd ridden out of, and was alarmed when he saw men on horseback emerging from it, carrying banners with the sigil of House Dayne, a falling star crossed by a white sword on a purple field.
"Bronn!" Austin warned.
Bronn's head whipped around. "Who are they?"
"Men here to capture us, I'd wager," Austin explained.
"Well maybe I can talk them down," the young sellsword reasoned.
"Not likely," Austin said as one of the men pointed and shouted. There were maybe a dozen in total, and they spurred their horses into a gallop once they saw the three riders.
"Run!" shouted Bronn. Austin made sure Edric sent his horse into a gallop before he followed along, Bronn bringing up the rear. Austin's horse was in full gallop, yet when he looked behind, he was dismayed to see that their pursuers were gaining ground ever so slightly. They were maybe fifty yards from Austin as their horses' feet hit the shallow water of the Trident. Austin urged his horse on, willing it to go faster, and it didn't take long for the animal to reach the other side.
Edric took off again, and Austin heard the rasp of metal as Bronn drew his sword, preparing for a fight. The three of them galloped onward, coming to a small road and making a right turn.
"There's the inn!" Bronn shouted.
Up ahead, a large tavern was clearly visible, jutting out from the surrounding trees. It was a simple, yet clearly popular stone inn, with almost a small village clustered around it. The three were hauling full-tilt towards it when arrows suddenly started whizzing past Austin's head. He ducked low to the saddle, practically laying across his horse's back, yelling at Edric to do the same. As soon as they'd entered the village, Austin told Edric to take a hard right, ducking into an alley between two buildings. Bronn followed, and they proceeded towards what looked like the main road of the village.
Unfortunately, their pursuers followed, not letting them get away so easily. Austin was becoming increasingly more angry. First they force me from my home, and now they want to capture or kill me? he asked himself.
As they shot past the thatch buildings that made up the village, they left the group of buildings behind them, heading into another forest that the Kingsroad led through. Bronn drew his sword as they rode
The young sellsword nodded to Austin. "You're a good lad, go live your life," he told Austin before he charged towards the men of House Dayne.
"No!" yelled Austin as he drew his own sword. As soon as he'd uttered that word, the thundering of hoofbeats behind him signaled the arrival of a new group of horsemen. Ten men flew past him on horses, drawing their swords as they followed Bronn. They were in boiled brown leather armor and had steel sallets atop their heads. Slung over their shoulders were several steel-coated shields with direwolves engraved on them.
Austin marveled at the sight. These men were battle-hardened warriors, not losing a single man, easily cutting down the Dornish men of House Dayne. Glancing at Edric, Austin noticed that he too was enamored at the wolf soldiers. The small skirmish was over just as quickly as it had begun, with the only surviving Dayne man galloping off on his Dornish stallion. No doubt he'd take the word of their failure back to his cousin Gerold.
Austin sheathed his sword as another set of hoofbeats forced him to turn his head. He blanched at the sight. It was a face he had not seen for two years, the face that had brought news of his father's death. He didn't know whether to be angry and stubborn or grateful and relieved. He settled for the latter.
"Lord Stark!" Austin called, half bowing in his saddle, Edric doing the same as the Stark men returned with Bronn.
Eddard gave a small smile. "Thank the gods we were able to arrive at such an opportune moment. Ever since we heard of the fate of Starfall, we've been eager for news of the two of you."
"How did you find us?"
"We received a raven from Lord Leo Ashford with details of your whereabouts. I figured that if you continued on your due course, you'd end up on the Kingsroad. Me and my men have been riding hard South for two weeks," Lord Stark explained.
Austin nodded to each of Lord Eddard's ten men, a silent thanks. Each man had the look of a true warrior. And how could they not? They were but two years removed from a massive rebellion.
"Ser Rodrik!" Lord Stark called.
One of the Stark men answered. He was nearing the latter stages of his life, with wisps of gray appearing in his beard and hair. "My lord."
"See to it that the Daynes and Bronn here are well fed and washed. They are no doubt exhausted from their long journey," Lord Stark commanded.
Austin nodded thanks to Lord Stark before following Ser Rodrik towards the inn. Bronn halted next to the Stark Lord. "My lord, if I may, I'm only escorting these lads for the reward, so I believe I'm owed for getting them this far."
Lord Stark seemed to be half amused until he realized the sellsword was serious. "You will be paid fairly once we return to Winterfell," he sighed.
Bronn nodded acceptance before resuming his course towards the inn behind the two young Daynes.
"Sellswords," Lord Stark muttered, shaking his head, earning a few laughs from his men.
Austin had never felt something so amazing in his entire life. The hot bath he was taking was a big step up from the ice cold ones he'd been taking in the rivers the past month and a half. He soaked until the water cooled off before clambering out, drying off before donning the new tunic that Lord Stark provided from the village.
He slipped on a new pair of boots as well before walking into the main hall of the inn. In one corner, Lord Stark's men were having a great time, apparently Bronn was teaching them a Braavosi knife game. In the opposite corner sat Lord Stark with Ser Rodrik, who Austin learned was the Master-at-Arms for Winterfell. Austin sat down at the table with the two men, eagerly digging into the food present at invitation from Lord Stark.
"So, Austin, what happened exactly? With Starfall, I mean. Tell me everything," Lord Stark asked.
Austin paused for a second, all the memories flooding back, but he shook his head to clear it. "I was in the courtyard, training, when the horn sounded for attack. It was Gerold, come to claim Dawn and Starfall for himself. Aunt Ashara, she…"
Austin felt a lump form in his throat as tears threatened to flow in mourning of the woman who had raised him. He became aware of a large, warm hand on his shoulder. "It's alright," Lord Stark said, attempting comfort.
Austin nodded, wiping away the tears before continuing. "I led us North to the Roseroad. In Ashford, Lord Leo mistook us for beggars, though now I suspect that he knew it was us all along, and did nothing for fear of Gerold. We met Bronn south of Bitterbridge, and have been travelling with him ever since."
Lord Stark nodded along, intently listening to every detail of Austin's story before sitting back at the end of it. "Well, our first priority should be your safety. Especially Edric's, as he is the Lord of Starfall. You will accompany me back to Winterfell, where you will remain for the foreseeable future, as my wards, at least until I can find a way to involve King Robert in the liberation of your home."
Austin nodded. "Thank you, Lord Stark."
The Wolf Lord shook his head and smiled. "No, Austin. It is the least I can do, no thanks are required."
The rest of the day passed like molasses in wintertime as Austin rested and conversed with Lord Stark. But there was one question that Austin held back: how had his father died?