A/N: Been busy with personal stuff, but still writing.

Please give your regards to my friend Longclaw 1-6, who is going through a difficult time.

KENZOU

With his sword drawn, the knight then attempted to thrust at Kenzou before he slid to the right and used his own sword's pommel to strike him in the head, stunning him. Kenzou then spun around and buried his knife in the exposed part of the back of his neck.

He then saw Lord Lefford himself, who had worn his coat of arms in a sash over his shoulder. He might have been past his prime, but Kenzou saw a fury behind his eyes as the head of the ruined Golden Tooth made visible his teeth. He gripped his sword tightly as he readied himself.

"You!" Lord Lefford bellowed. "You took everything from me and destroyed my home!"
Kenzou shook his head. "It is over, my lord. You must see that."

"No matter. My family shall be avenged." Lord Lefford charged through the mass of men fighting each other and struck at Kenzou, who just managed to avoid his thrust.

Kenzou parried Lord Lefford's sword as he swung downwards. However, he proved his warrior reputation true by bringing his helm to Kenzou's face, stunning him and making him step backwards. He then thrusted again, this time stabbing him through the opening in his armor over his waist.

Yelling in pain, Kenzou grasped his waist as he saw blood coming out of it.

"It hurts, does it not, you yellow bastard?" Lord Lefford taunted. "That is what you are, a simple foreigner with yellow skin and rejected by your homeland."

"And yet, here we are." Kenzou challenged.

"Soon, I shall put your head in a spike atop my spear." Lord Lefford charged once more.

Kenzou brought his sword up, but as Lord Lefford closed the distance, he feigned striking from above and instead ducked as he avoided Lord Lefford's sword's swing before push-kicking him on his breastplate and throwing him off-balance. Kenzou then swung his sword downward and struck him in the leg. His armor protected him, but Lord Lefford screamed in pain from the force of the strike.

However, Lord Lefford was not done. He still had powerful swings, but he could not move as much with his right foot destroyed. Seeing his chance, Kenzou parried another of his swings before bringing his pommel up to his face, stunning the head of the ruined Golden Tooth again and breaking his nose before threw a final punch at his cheek, knocking him to the ground and making him collapse into the dirt.

Knowing that he promised no quarter to the remainder of the enemy, Kenzou put his knee on Lord Lefford's breastplate, took out his knife, and stabbed the head of House Lefford into his chin and through his bottom jaw. The light soon left Lord Lefford's eyes, but not before giving Kenzou a last look of defiance.

Ignoring his wound while tying his belt tighter over it, Kenzou moved on. Scanning the nearly sequestered host from the remaining houses of the Kingdom of the Rock, Kenzou spotted a highborn, with the coat of arms of the House of Westerling on his breastplate. He charged through the lines and pushed through before he got into sword's reach of the Westerling man.

"Let us get this finished," he said to himself as he forced his way through.

The Westerling man was busying swinging away in order to avoid getting stuck by an Reyne pikeman. While he succeeded in parrying the pike away and stabbing him through the heart, he failed to notice Kenzou running towards him and pushing against him, hard. Falling down to the ground, he stood up and faced the only remaining son of Konno Haru.

"Looks like you found me after all," Kenzou remarked, recalling Lord Westerling's promise to avenge how his home was ransacked in the mountains.

"You will regret showing your face to me!" Lord Westerling snarled.

"Then come claim your prize!" he challenged as the head of House Westerling charged towards him.

Kenzou brought his sword up, but as Lord Westerling closed the distance, he feigned striking from across and instead ducked as he avoided the highborn's swing before using his sword's pommel to push him away and throwing him off-balance. But Lord Westerling possessed better footing than anticipated, as he quickly recovered from his push.
His blade clashed against the head and shaft of Kenzou's sword, the sound of steel striking each other with a sharp cling. Although he was very able as a swordsman among the highborns of the Kingdom of the Rock, he did not expect for the son of Westeros' master assassin to react so quickly to his strikes and to wield a weapon so well, as seen from his eyes widening through the openings of his helm.

Kenzou wrenched the shaft of his sword upwards and moved its head to the right as their weapons continued to clang against one another, with Lord Westerling having no choice but to go with the move as Kenzou forced himself forwards and thus made the head of the great rivals of House Reyne move backwards, all to keep his footing, even as his sword seemed to come alive in how fast it twisted around his own blade.

As the duel between them continued one, the head of House Westerling struggled to keep a grip on his weapon, forced to take his left off. With his joints being made to assume unnatural and uncomfortable angles that started to take a toll on his body in addition to how much armor he was wearing, a single strike of Kenzou's elbow towards the Lord Westerling's helm got the son of House Haru to force him back and down again. That weakened the Lord Westerling's sword arm just enough to allow Kenzou to reach forth and take hold of his hilt while grabbing Lord Westerling's hand. Then, doing something that he never done before, he banged his helmet against the Lord Westerling's helm, causing loud rings to echo in each. However, Kenzou recovered quickly enough and used the stun that Lord Westerling was still in to snatch his sword from his hand.

As he took the sword away from him, Kenzou could hear, "Protect Lord Westerling!" He prepared himself to fight more of his entourage, only for Lord Reyne and then his friend Tetsuo Masaki to rush in and hold them off.

But while his personal guards were engaged, Lord Westerling also recovered and threw a punch at his helm while grabbing onto him. Rolling around in the dirt, Kenzou punched back with his right hand and got Lord Westerling off of him before he moved to get his sword, which he had dropped when Lord Westerling surprised him. Before he could, he pounced on Kenzou again, pinning him and his right hand down.

Kenzou then elbowed Lord Westerling's face, knocking him off again before turning around and trying to punch him with his left hand. Pushing his face away, Kenzou then lunged for his sword while Lord Westerling went for his. But Kenzou was faster that time and before Lord Westerling could bring up his blade in a upward slice, Kenzou swung downward, catching it before it touched him and forcing it from his hand. And due to the sheer force behind his sword, Lord Westerling's blade snapped into two and thus leaving the head of House Westerling without a weapon.

Kenzou then unsheathed his knife and held it to Lord Westerling' neck. "Yield!"

Lord Westerling gulped, but he nodded his head and shouted, "Stop!"

Upon seeing their commander captured, Lord Westerling's troops duly dropped their weapons.

Afterwards, once all of the prisoners were sorted through, Kenzou was approached by Lord Reyne and Tetsuo as he was tended to by a healer.

"You did well today, my lord," Lord Reyne nodded in respect. "First, you killed a major lord and you got another, my rival, to surrender. While I would have preferred that he die, I realized that he is more useful to me alive. Now, his home will have to bend the knee to the dragons and then to me as their new overlord. Otherwise, House Westerling will never rise again."

"I would advise you to not show mercy, Lord Reyne," Kenzou suggested. "If you leave some of them alive, they will not forget what you did. And if history has to anything, my lord, it is that memories can be passed onto for generations and they will grow to hate you and then kill you. You cannot do anything to gain their loyalty, so just kill them all."

"And who would you suggest would obtain their lands and castles?" Lord Reyne asked.

"You are to be the overlord soon, so that decision I leave to you. As for myself, once I healed enough, I will move onto Lannisport."

"Why do you want go there? I know why we have to take that port, but why now?"

"I have to prepare the city to be taken, and the only way to do that is to observe the defenses, watch the mood of the city, and so on," Kenzou explained. "That way, I will know how best to overcome the port without suffering too much casualties."

Lord Reyne bobbed his head. "Well, that is an area of expertise that you have. Do what you have to do."

After Lord Reyne left the tent, Tetsuo spoke to Kenzou in nihongo. "We won a great victory today, Kenzou."

"We did."

"You want me to accompany you to Lannisport?"

Kenzou shook his head. "No. I was already approached by someone who is willing to switch sides. They told me that they will only meet with me."

Tetsuo crossed his arms. "Is that so? You never told me this."

"I honestly am not sure of the veracity of this man's offer, but to reduce risk, I will go alone. I am leaving in charge of the men until I get back."

Tetsuo exhaled before nodding. "Of course."

Kenzou sat across Adrack Kenning, the head of the Kenning vassals of House Harlaw in the ironborn. He admitted to himself that he was surprised that the ironborn lord approached him via an intermediary, but he was going to accept help wherever it came.

After the both of them agreed to meet in Lannisport at a tavern, Kenzou studied a bit about House Kenning. A relatively minor house, the Kennings of Harlaw might have served House Harlaw but their shared history was far from peaceful. As for the man across him, he was as disheveled and crazy-eyed as the few other ironborn Kenzou met.

Getting into the city was difficult, but Adrack Kenning's crew took him past the guard boats of Lannisport and he was able to come into the city seeming unnoticed.

"Why did you call this meeting?" Kenzou was not going to waste time.

"I wish to switch sides. I knew which way the wind is blowing and I am not going to burn alongside Mern Gardener, Loren Lannister, and Darvin," Adrack was also blunt.

"If you want to live, which is a very steep demand, you have to give me something of equal value," Kenzou made clear.

"If I was to tell you how you can take this city and even kill Darvin Hoare, the one who caused all this mess?"

Kenzou remained blank-faced, but that was to hide his interest and not allow the ironborn a chance to pounce. "I am listening."

"The Lannisters in this city have good watches during the day, but they have to rely on us ironborn to patrol the waters during the night. After that little raid in Casterly Rock, they are not taking any chances."

"Of course not."

"So, the only way that you can take this city by force is to deny the city its night protection and that is to strike against the Iron Islands themselves. Force the ironborn to defend their homes and thus you leave this city exposed."

Kenzou crooked his head at him. "That seems sensible, but why would the Lannisters rely on you lot to protect their port? The last time that I checked, you people caused a lot of trouble at Oldtown."

"With the death of Loren Lannister, the remainder of that family, including Seamus, do not have much of a choice. We have an accord, but it will not last, either if this war ends or all of us dies. And Seamus is not as strong as his father was nor as capable, so he cannot resist Darvin."

Kenzou took this in. This was indeed new information and if it proved reliable, they would have to rethink the strategy.

"I will confirm this with my scouts, but what do you want?" Kenzou asked.

"My life, and I would like the support of your rulers in overthrowing my overlords. I do not want to be ruler of the Iron Islands, but I would like to repay the favor that my current sworn lords have done to my ancestors."

Kenzou nodded. "Of course you do. But if I find that you are lying to me—"

"We are both liars, so you must know whether or not I am lying. Am I?"

Kenzou studied him closely and was struck. "No."

Once the deal was set, Kenzou decided to make his way back to Kenning's boat. But some distance away from tavern, he realized that he was being followed by men in cloaks.

Making a quick decision, Kenzou turned left and headed towards Lannisport's docks. Moving his way through the many dock workers and crewmembers who were busy unloading their goods, he noticed a wooden stairway that led up to the upper crust settlement in the city. While he could not go into the area without setting off an incident, the stairway would be perfect, for it would allow him to bottleneck his would-be attackers while also granting him a higher elevation.

Quickly making his way halfway up the stairs, Kenzou turned around and saw the three men in Lannister sigils not far behind him. By the looks on their faces, they were caught off-guard.

"Why are you following me?" Kenzou asked in the common tongue. From their short hair and trimmed beards, they seemed to be well off for common cutthroats sworn to House Lannister, whichever branch they belonged to.

"What did you talk with Kenning?" one of them barked back, with Kenzou assuming he was the leader by his commanding posture.

"Who?" Kenzou denied.

"Do not play games with us, you yellow bastard," the second man spat. "We know who you are, and we know what you are. You would not talk with Kenning unless you knew who he dealt with."

Kenzou shook his head in annoyance. "Yellow… you should not have said that."

"What are you going to do about it, you yellow bastard?" the third one sneered.

Kenzou curled his hands into fist. "Here is what I will do. First, I am going to give you all a thrashing to all three of you for ruining my day. Then, I'm going to knock the teeth out of you two," he pointed to the ones who insulted him. "Because you obviously do not know how to keep your mouths shut. And when I start asking my questions, I better get satisfactory answers, or someone is going to walk home with their feet shot."

The three men laughed at Kenzou before revealing short wooden clubs, pulled from inside their robes. "We cannot kill you, foreigner, but we can beat you within an inch of your life if you do not tell us what you discussed with Kenning."

Already angry that they used such low insults, Kenzou knew that he was going to fight his way out. To meet their challenge, he took off his cloak, revealing his katana and wakizashi still in their sheaths. However, he unstrapped them and laid them both on the stair railing while he kept his dagger hidden. Calling on what remembered from the many fighting sessions with his father and the brawls of his youth, he tensed his body and curled his hands into fists.

"Come at me, you white bastards," Kenzou challenged while repaying them the favor of using racial insults.

Immediately, one ran up the stairs quickly and swung his club at him. Using his superior elevation, Kenzou was able to block the club with his right leg. Before they could respond, Kenzou grabbed onto both railings kicked the first attacker hard enough that he fell backwards onto the leader and the other attacker, causing them all to fall down the stairway. Taking his club out of the holder, he instead held it like a proper bludgeon and quickly climbed down the steps before any of them got back up.

As the first attacker tried to get up, Kenzou whipped his face with his own club, knocking him out and he noticed a few teeth landing on the ground. Turning around, he saw the leader try to strike his head with the club. Ducking his head, he threw a strong hook at his ribs, causing him to let out a sharp groan. He pushed him backwards before he turned to take care of the second attacker. Although he managed to get on his hands and knees, Kenzou kicked him in the belly, making him fall back down on the ground again. Kenzou then kicked him again, this time upwards in his face, stunning him.

Kenzou turned around once more, but the leader had managed to stand up again and he lunged for Kenzou's weapon. Their hands struggled for control of the club, strength trying to overcome strength. One moment, Kenzou was able to lean forward and push him close to the ground. Another moment, the leader was able to do the reverse and their noses almost touch. But they kept their eyes on each other, eyes filled with a mixture of rage and desperation. They also bared their teeth while grunting, both expressing their need to overcome the other.

However, with each passing moment, Kenzou felt himself gradually tire. If there was one thing that the leader had over him, it was endurance and he only needed a few more moments of struggling for him to overwhelm Kenzou, take his club, and either kill him or start to beat him severely. At the same time, he remembered the promises he made before the fight and he was going to keep them. Come on!

As the leader was about to finally overpower Kenzou, he spit in his face, distracting him just long enough for him to take the club from the leader's grasp. Pushing him away, Kenzou threw a punch with his left hand, this time hitting him on the cheek. The leader was dazed, allowing Kenzou to close the distance once more, grab his robes, and headbutt him. He could hear bone cracks, as he saw that he hit the bridge of the nose. Blood flowed out of it, while Kenzou push-kicked back to the ground.

Kenzou secured the leader by putting his knee on his chest and pressing his at his face.

"Shhh," he shushed him. "I have questions and you will answer them."

"Or what?" the leader remained defiant, even if his voice was weak.

Kenzou pushed his sword harder against his throat. "Do you really want to know what I will do? Now, I will ask again." He pushed the barrel against his cheek. "Why are you following me?"

"You were talking to Kenning. He might be one of us, but why he would work against us is what we want to find out," the leader answered.

"Who is we?" Kenzou pressed him.

The leader gulped. "If I tell you, they will kill me."

"What do you think I will do to you, since you tried to attack me?" Kenzou reminded him.

The leader groaned in frustration. "I am sworn to House Lannister of Lannisport, but I also watch those who I am not familiar with as part of the City Watch."

Kenzou knew about the City Watch of Lannisport, but he did not take them to be this good in close combat. "What gave me away? Let me guess, that I do not look like a white man."

"We get a lot of foreigners these days, but we are aware of Yi-Tish men operating behind our lines. You just happened to fit the background," the leader answered.

"I would suggest that you really consider your position here." Kenzou decided to show some mercy. "Do you really think that you will be able to keep your position as of now?"

The leader rolled his eyes. "No, the war is not over. We shall not rest until our king has been avenged, and Seamus Lannister is secure on the throne."

Kenzou shook his head in disapproval before the next question came to his mind. "If I was to bribe the City Watch with positions of power when the dragons finally come here, will you lot accept it?"

"Positions?" the leader raised his voice. "Never. We know loyalty, unlike those shits from House Reyne. And we will not accept any offers of wealth, for we would rather die."

"That is not a very good attitude to have," Kenzou warned. "Just ask those poor bastards who became ash outside of Goldengrove."

"You think that killing our king would make us bend the knee to your pagan masters? You will never succeed, even if you wipe us all out."

"What do you mean by that?" Kenzou inquired.

"Foreigners will not thrive here, especially if they have Valyrian blood or are yellow like yourselves. It will be very easy to spot you and kill you man to man."

Kenzou was quickly agitated, causing him to club whip his face and knocking him out. Standing up, he went back up the stairway, got his cloak, and continued upwards.

However, a few more came at him from nowhere. The first one that he ran into hesitated, then turned and ran. Kenzou spun on the other. They were slightly short in stature, wearing the all black attire of common cutthroats. Leather boots, trousers made of dirty fabric, the top buttons undone on the shirt. Kenzou thought he saw gold from a thin chain beneath their shirt. The person was wearing a black hood and a scarf around their nose and mouth. Behind the black paint smeared on their face was deep green eyes. Kenzou swore he could have seen a scar in the man's eyebrow, but there was no way to know for sure.

Kenzou was too caught up staring at the person to realize they made a move. With dual curved daggers in their hands, the cutthroat swiped at his stomach. Kenzou dodged it. The person stabbed and stabbed, but each time Kenzou blocked it with his forearm against theirs. They were skilled. Kenzou quickly whipping his sword out. It was a long, silver sword with a black leather handle. There was a golden lion design wrapped around the hilt with gems for eyes.

It was weighted in his hand as he swung it at the person's neck, who quickly ducked to the ground. He barely had time to jump as the person attempted to kick his legs out from under him. It happened so fast and it was very much a cheap shot. Kenzou took another swing, this time the person deflected it with both their blades. The sound of metal clanging on metal was loud and abrupt.

The next swing Kenzou took was at their feet. Kenzou almost grinned when he realized they were not going to dodge the swing. The grin quickly fell when the person came way too close for his liking. Before he could move, the person kicked the hand that held his beloved sword swinging at full speed. It clattered on the floor from his hand.

Kenzou would not give up. He threw a fist at the person, who was not expecting it and got a hit in the stomach. They gave an exasperated sound. Kenzou was going for another with his other hand, but the person saw that one. They spun out of the way to his side and swiped Kenzou's thigh. However, Kenzou brushed it off and started using his legs to push the few others back. A heel to the cheek, the balls of his feet colliding with foreheads, and knees bruising bellies and ribcages. Kenzou lost track of how many kicks he threw, but by the time it was done, all were on the ground.

However, Kenzou had to limp back to the Kenning boat, careful to avoid more entanglements along the way.

A/N: Kenzou singlehandedly took out two houses out of the fight.

As for Kenning, who knows if he is the only one thinking about defecting among the ironborn?

This chapter is shorter than the ones I usually write, but been caught up with a lot of things in my life. So please understand