I do not own any George R. R. Martin articles and or any aforementioned literary articles.
Captain Varad pov:
When lord Walder returned from his meeting with the lord hand, he said we're to join the king's host to help put down a house in the Reach part of the Dornish marches that was rebelling against house Targaryen alone.
We made camp outside of Kings landing for the night instead of trying to find an inn that would take us all in for a night.
In the morning most of the party would be joining the king's host while eight guards would leave with the servants, the fallen, the money from the ship's sale, and the belongings of the fallen back to the Twins.
This will be lord Walder's first battle beyond fighting bandits, and pirates in small skirmishes, this will be a battle of warriors against warriors.
Walking to lord Walder's tent he was sitting outside of it on a log next to the fire, and was sealing a letter before placing in a small chest next to him.
"Milord." I said, bowing to him
"Captain Varad, what is it you need?" He asked, closing and locking the chest
"Do we really need to bring the sellswords with us, I don't trust them." I said, taking a seat across from him
Putting the key to the chest around his neck, "They've already proven themselves." Lord Walder said, looking me in the eyes
"That was when they had no other choice, and they would've had the same fate as us if we lost." I said, trying to keep my voice calm
"Then they will be proving themselves again." Lord Walder said, sounding adamant at his answer
"If I fall in battle against House Peake deliver this to Alora, it holds everything that will be needed." Lord Walder said, touching his hand to the chest next to him
The way he said it holds everything that will be needed, and the way he touched it, and it gave me the feeling that it is the most important thing in the world to lord Walder besides his children and lady Alora.
"That won't happen milord, we will both return to see are families again." I said, sternly
"I'm turning in for the night Captain Varad, make sure the men don't spend all their loot on drink and whores." Lord Walder said, walking into his tent with the chest
"Yes milord." I said, standing up from the log
Walking through the camp, I started to think how different lord Walder was compared to his uncle and father when they ruled house Frey.
His uncle and father were good men but never took a large interest in the lives of the smallfolk beyond settling grievances, and disputes between the smallfolk.
Lord Walder has changed the lives of the smallfolk within Frey lands beyond what I remember from my younger days.
He built his roads, built Agartha, built bathhouses, built plantations, and ranches that supplied steady work to smallfolk, a surplus of food and more importantly provided trade beyond grains, meat, and leather.
He ordered that every year for one month that every man and boy from the age of seventeen name days old to fifty name days old to be trained to fight, and the same for knights, but he recently changed it from one month ever year to three months every year.
He recruits orphans from throughout his lands to be trained and taught at his manor for something, only people who are allowed on the manor are those that have Lord Frey's sealed written permission.
Lord Walder also showed a willingness to spread his wealth around to others when he sees fit to do it.
All of this has garnered the loyalty and support of the smallfolk throughout Frey lands to House of Frey.
Looking around the camp I was checking that everything was in its proper order, Lord Walder has rules of how camp is made for the night.
Tents must be an equal distance from each other, there must always be sentries at all times at there posts, clean and care for weapons and armor, latrines must be forty yards away from any tents or water sources, and animals aren't allowed beyond their area.
The only things that Lord Walder didn't have rules against were gambling in camp or bringing whores into camp, and as long as no major fights breakout among the men lord Walder didn't care what they did in their free time.
Walking to the outskirts of the camp towards where the sellswords have made their camp.
In the middle of the camp were many of the men yelling and hollering at something going on in the middle of the camp.
As I walked forward the men started to make a path for me until I reached the middle of the huddle, and there in the middle of it was one of the sellswords and the men wrestling.
Looking around at those in the huddle, some of them were suppost to be on sentry duty at the camp.
"I will close my eyes now, and those that should be at there posts will be gone when I open them!" I yelled, closing my eyes
I could hear the scuffle of boots all around me, and the jingle of coin being exchanged.
Opening my eyes, looking around there was no one besides the sellswords and me, it has barely been a day since returning to Westeros, and the sellswords are causing milord and I grief.
"Dear captain, you costed me fifteen stags." Zontar Choqu said, walking up to me smiling
Stepping up to him, "You pulled the men away from their posts." I said, glaring into his eyes
"Isn't this friendly territory for you Westerosi." Zontar said, grinning
"Lord Walder doesn't believe in friendly territory." I said, tilting my head up at him
That's another difference from his uncle and father, lord Walder never goes any where without a group of guards or a few weapons on his person.
"Lord Walder sounds a bit paranoid." Zontar said, making his way to a tent
Walking away, "Then you shouldn't disappoint him." I said, over my shoulder
Sellswords should never be trusted for they will always change sides with ease or later become bandits that ravage the lands and people of their former employer.
After leaving the sellsword's camp, I went onto check that the men were back at their posts around the camp before heading to my tent for the night.
The next day we broke camp at the first light before we joined the king in his march down the road to the Reach.
We were at the back of the line before the baggage train, I rode a horse next to lord Frey ahead of the men.
The sellsword's rode on their striped horses on either side of milord and I, lord Walder had allowed them to bring their striped horses with them to Westeros.
"Lord Frey, who are we going to fight?" Zontar Choqu asked, to lord Walder's left
Looking at him, "House Peake, a noble house in the Reach marches." Lord Walder said
"Are they a wealthy house?" Zontar asked
I can't fault him for wanting to bring loot from battle, there is a difference between gaining wealth from showing your skills and being paid for your loyalty.
"I don't believe they were ever a very wealth house, but they were heavily connected to house Gardner when they ruled the Reach." Lord Walder said, rolling his neck
Even if they were wealthy most of the loot will be given first to house Targaryen then to the Crownlands houses, and if there is any left it will be left to house Peake if there is a house Peake left.
"Then you're going to pay us then Lord Frey?" Zontar asked
Lord Walder hummed, "Zontar see this as a test of faith, faith that I will repay you for your loyalty and sacrifice." He said, giving Zontar a piercing stare
"Forgive me lord Frey but faith is for the blind." Zontar said, with a curt laugh
"Faith is just another word for trust." Lord Walder said, turning away from Zontar
As we rode down the road some of the men began to sing the Dornishman's wife as they marched behind us in a loud chorus, and soon the sellswords joined the men in their chorus.
I started to think on what lord Frey said about having faith that he will repay those around him for their loyalty and sacrifice.
I have served the Frey's as a guardsman since Walder Frey's father was a young lord Frey, I want my children and their children to have a better life than I did, and that is what all fathers should strive to do, be better and do better than those that came before them.
Lord Walder Frey will recognize me for all my loyal service to his house, and I have a feeling that the coming battle will be the moment I am rewarded for my service if the gods be willing.
Coming out of my head I joined the men in their singing of the Dornishman's wife.
It took nine days before Starpike the seat of house Peake came into sight, it sat in the middle of the Dornish marches surrounded by nothing but tall grasses and rocks jutting from the ground.
The keep was a square shape with square towers at either corner surrounded by a curtain wall dotted with towers and a gatehouse.
Early in the day Lord Frey was invited to the war tent by a Targaryen guard, and when he returned, he said we would be joining the forces that would be besieging the gatehouse.
Lord Walder stood wearing a plain gambeson shirt that ended at his knees, chainmail hauberk that was as long as the gambeson, sleeveless cuirass with pauldrons, elbow guards, greaves, vambraces, a spengenhelm with cheek guards, and a war mask that had a human face.
Any piece that was a solid piece of metal was painted a dark grey while the chainmail hauberk was plain.
He held a wooden oval shield in one hand and in the other a spear, at his side he had a short sword, and a dagger.
The men and I wore leather lined helms that had face plates with chainmail beards going full around them, gambeson shirts that ended at our knees, sleeveless cuirasses with pauldrons, elbow guards, greaves and vambraces.
We all had the same shields and weapons as lord Walder had, and all of them had the seal of house Frey on them.
The sellswords wore tan gambeson shirts, dark grey scale cuirasses, dark grey scale pauldrons, dark grey scale skirt protecting their upper legs, dark grey greaves, dark grey vambraces, a dark helmet that covered everything but the eyes, and their colorful feathered cloaks.
They wielded spears with massive circular shields that had images of animals on them, and they had long daggers at their waists.
We stood ready and waiting on the front lines along with five thousand Crownlanders waiting for the king to give the signal to begin the siege.
I always hated the moment before battle where the silence is deafening, and where a second feels like an eternity.
The king in his crowned helm stepped out from the line, he turned to the men holding his mace high above his head, and gave a roar to the men.
The entire army returned the king's roar tenfold with roars, yells, slamming weapons against shields, and beating hands against their chests.
The first group moved forward pushing the ram to the gatehouse, and the minute they reached it the defenders began to hurl everything they had hot sand, boiling water, boulders, and loosing arrows on those ramming the gate.
This went on for hours, group after group moving forward to reinforce the last.
A man from the ram came running to the vanguard, "Your grace the ram will breach the gate soon." He said, out of breath
The king stepped out from the vanguard, "Bring the rebels to their knees!" He yelled
The vanguard and our group rushed forward with the king to the ram at the gate with our shields held above our heads.
"Heave!" Someone yelled
Pulling the ram back we push it forward with a roar, slamming into the gate with a loud crack.
Just as the crack resounded, boulders began to rain down onto us from the battlements as we pulled back from the gatehouse.
All around me I could hear the boulders crashing against men's shields or if you were unlucky crashing onto their heads.
With one final push the ram breached the gate, as the ram was pulled back men pushed their way through the gate.
Pushing forward through the gate a man in red armor on my left was impaled by a thrown spear as he tried to pass the gate.
Blocking arrows with my shield as I moved forward, I tried to stay with lord Walder as we made our way out into the courtyard.
Running forward I charged a Peake guard with a longbow readying to fire at the breach.
Ramming him with the boss of my shield he fell to the ground, stabbed downward with my spear into his neck and chest.
Looking around the courtyard it looked like the castle will be taken soon with it flooded with crownlanders.
I spotted lord Walder fighting his way to the keep, a Peake guardsman was charging up behind lord Walder with a sword raised high for the kill.
Flipping my spear in my hand, I threw it at the swordsman.
The spear flew true to its target, impaling the man before he could strike lord Walder.
When the man hit the ground Lord Walder turned around looking at the man on the ground.
He looked around before he looked directly at me, he lifted his spear high in the air in my direction.
I returned the gesture with my shield to him before moving onto fight another Peake guardsman.