Robb barely took a moment to breathe before he had managed to corral a horse and ride off alone towards the rear of Raventree Hall. It was not that he did not believe the messenger, but he needed to see it with his own eyes. As he turned the corner, he saw the words were true. Rows of Vale cavalry were battering against the rear of his Father's lines, and the lines were barely holding. He could see banners from many prominent houses in the Vale, Corbray, Waxley, Belmare, Hersy, Ruthermont, Egen. This was not some rogue house aligning itself with the Lannisters. The only conclusion was that his own Aunt had betrayed her family, her own blood. For what reason, he did not know. He swore he would discover why, one way or another and the treachery would be repaid in kind.
Reluctantly, he turned his horse around and rode back to where he had left the messenger. As Robb relayed what he had seen, he ignored the string of vitriol and vile curses that were flowing out of Lord Royce's mouth at the confirmation of his countrymen's actions, and instead turned and looked towards their lines. They were spread and it would take time to reorganize, time they did not have. His Father and his men were being crushed between the might of two enemy forces.
Robb grabbed the reins of the messenger's horse, forcing the man's attention to him. "Tell Lord Blackwood that I want every single archer he has on the walls to concentrate fire on the Lannister rear. We need time, as much as he can give me, to form an attack. Once our western force has engaged the Lannisters again, have him open the gates and empty out the whole fucking castle. We need every single man who can carry a sword fighting. Go! Now!" Robb shouted.
"Yes, my lord," the rider replied, nodding his head vigorously as he redirected the horse back toward the rear of the castle.
"Robb!" A voice called behind him. He looked and saw the Greatjon had pulled his horse up behind him. "What is it? What's happened?"
"We've been betrayed," Robb stated, his body still shaking with both fear and anger. "Tywin has somehow convinced the Vale to march against us. They've ridden south and have my Father pinned."
The surprise at Robb's pronouncement was clearly evident on Lord Umber's face. "We should take our horse and swing them behind the castle and charge the fuckers down," the Greatjon angrily bristled.
"Not yet. I have plan," Robb stalled, ignoring the fact that the older man was supposed to be the one in command. He greatly respected the Greatjon, but cared little at the moment for formalities with his Father's life in the balance. "Lord Royce, I want you, Ser Edmure, and Lord Manderly to take a third of our remaining horse and rally them behind the castle as the Greatjon suggested. Provide relief for the rear of my Father's lines. The Greatjon and I will swing the rest of our cavalry around the front of the castle and charge the rear of the Lannister lines."
"With all respect, Robb, you're crazy," Lord Royce exclaimed. "You don't have enough horse to attempt something like that. They'll swallow your charge in minutes."
"Aye, and I'll take every single minute I can get," Robb countered, as the sound of bloodshed in the distance only hardened his resolve. "We just need to hold the attack long enough to reform the infantry line behind our charge. Once our horse have engaged, then the infantry will push forward. We can fall back into their lines once they are close enough. We'll be organized, while we've hopefully scattered some of their forces."
"You're a bloody bold boy, I can say that," the Greatjon stated, shaking his head. "I like it. If I'm going to die today, what better way then riding into a line of red and gold traitorous fucks and sending them straight to hell. Maybe I'll even take Tywin Lannister's head off before they strike me down."
"Try not to die if you can help it, Lord Umber," Robb retorted. He turned to where the Blackfish stood. "Uncle, I would leave you in charge of reforming the infantry behind us. We won't be able to hold long against them, so you'll need to move with all haste or we're done for."
"It will be done, nephew," the Blackfish answered, immediately moving away and barking orders.
"Incoming! Arrows!" Robb did not know who shouted, but he turned quickly, just soon enough to see a volley of Lannister arrows fall into their lines. Men screamed and fell as they were torn into by the bits of steel and wood. Robb cursed that he had overlooked that the Lannister archers had remained in place to hold them down.
"Archers!" Robb yelled at the top of his lungs. "Fire back! Bring them down!" Their archers, who had mostly become intermingled with the rest of the infantry, scrambled to find their bows and return fire. "Their going to pick us off as soon as we push forward," Robb bemoaned to the men around him. There was no time to wait for their own archers exchange volleys with he enemy. While he was loathe to separate more of his riders, he knew he had little choice.
"Lord Umber, who do we have at the ends of our lines?" Robb questioned.
"Hornwoods, Tallharts, Ryswells, Mollens, Lockes…" the Greatjon replied.
"Jon," Robb grabbed his brother's focus. "I want you to ride to the end of our line and join with Lord Hornwood and and Lord Tallhart. Take a hundred riders and ride beyond our lines aways. Find a break in the pitch fires and lead an attack on their archers. Cut every single one of them down. Then circle back and rejoin our ranks."
Robb watched as his brother opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. He knew Jon wanted to remain by his side, but their was also pride there that Robb had singled him out in front of the others. He would not question Robb's command. "I'll see it done and meet you back here," Jon agreed. They stared at each other for a long moment, realizing that there was a strong chance it may be the last time. Finally, Jon looked away and moved to secure his own horse. He watched for another minute as Jon rode off before turning his attention back to the others.
"Lord Royce, go and rally your men with Uncle Edmure's and Lord Manderly's forces now. I don't know how long my Father can hold two armies at bay."
"Trust me, Robb, we're going to give my so called friends a proper greeting," Lord Royce sneered as he and Robb's Uncle rode off as well.
"Where would you have us, Stark?" Theon asked from beside Gendry.
"I would have you ride beside me, Greyjoy," Robb responded. "Gendry, you find the Blackfish and remain with him. It will hearten the men to have the man who brought down the Mountain fighting beside them."
"I won't let you down, Robb," Gendry promised as he ran off to join the infantry.
"We're about to charge headfirst into an army of thousands with less than half their number," Theon pondered from beside him. "We're going to fucking die aren't we?"
"Maybe," Robb conceded, the reality of that fact not actually sinking in. There was something fueling him at that moment, something bigger than his own life. His Father always spoke of honor, and there was truly something in the notion that he was standing for what was right that made the potential sacrifice worth it. "If this is where it ends, then let's give them all something to remember us by."
The moments that followed unfolded quickly, though to Robb, it felt like hours were slipping away. With the loss of the Manderly, Tully, and Royce riders, they were able to scramble together a force of four thousand horsemen. It was not nearly enough, but it would have to do. Robb sat on his horse beside the Greatjon at the center of their assembled force, waiting for the first sight of his brother's riders. Grey Wind sat on his haunches beside Robb's horse, a coiled spring ready to be unleashed. As soon as Jon appeared, Robb would make his charge. The infantry lines had separated into squads so that their were intermittent gaps in their line that would allow for the horsemen to ride quickly out between them. The foot soldiers had hunkered down into a wall of shields, still trying to avoid the missile attacks from the Lannister archers.
Finally, Robb saw movement out of his peripherals. A stampeding horde of northern horsemen riding full speed straight towards the Lannisters bowmen. At the head of the line, outpacing the horse, Ghost moved like a blur towards his prey. "Archers!" Robb called out. "Give them one more volley! Nock… draw…loose!"
The attack was timed just right. The northern arrows flew high and fell into the Lannister line, forcing them to make the unenvious choice between turning to face Jon's charge and fleeing the incoming arrows. As it was, some of the archers gave up, running for their lives, some were felled by arrows, and the remaining men did their best to try and form a makeshift defensive line. It was all for naught though, because Jon's charge crashed right into the line, slicing through it as if it was not there at all.
Robb pushed down his helm and drew his sword. He had spent enough time watching. He spurred his horse forward out in front of the cavalry line, riding across it a distance with his sword held high. "The Lannisters think we are beaten! They think their conniving and treachery will win the day. Well, we are not beaten! We still stand, and we will fight until the last man draws breath! We stop them here, now, on this field! Ride with me!"
The men shouted back in response, swords drawn, and Robb could practically feel the Greatjon's own roar. Without a glance back, Robb turned his horse and spurred it fiercely through the nearest gap in the infantry. He rode over and between piles of corpses, before he reached the open fields in front of Raventree Hall. As he turned his horse east, Robb felt the earth move behind him as thousands of hooves beat against it repeatedly, and he saw Grey Wind breeze passed to his left. As he completed his turn, Robb finally looked up and saw what was happening on the other side of the castle. Thousands of Lannister soldiers and bannermen were stacked against Eddard Stark's line, which looked to be on the verge of collapse. The two armies were crawling over piles of bodies to try and engage one another.
The Lannister cavalry was being held back in reserve, and that was where Robb meant to make his assault. The mounted soldiers would pose the greater threat to Robb's infantry, so thinning them out, even a little, would pose some advantage. Robb had just made it passed the center of Raventree Hall when the enemy realized that they were about to be attacked. Lannister war horns blew in the distance, prompting their soldiers to shift to meet the oncoming charge. However, the horns also had the unfortunate consequence of alerting Tytos Blackwood that Robb's attack was about to come to fruition.
Robb was only one hundred yards away when the castle unleashed an unholy blitz on the Lannister army. The men on the walls and in the towers fired down everything they had, arrows, crossbow bolts, containers of flaming pitch, and rocks, all rained death on the western part of the enemy army. The enemy were clearly staggered, and Robb leaned forward on his horse pushing him faster. He looked ahead to the first rider he saw, the distance closing quickly, until he was right on top of the red and gold clad soldier. Robb slashed beneath the man's arm, cutting through the exposed flesh at the armpit.
After he cut through the first man, he was suddenly in a frantic crush of bodies and horse. The Stark charge barreled into the Lannisters and shoved them back. Robb watched as Grey Wind leaped onto the back of one Lannister, before then launching his muzzle into the neck of the next. Robb was forced to look away as two men bearing the sigil of House Rosby on their coats swung at him. He managed to dodge the first attack, and block the other on his sword. The first man was quickly cut down by the Greatjon, who had somehow made it to Robb's side. The second Rosby soldier made to swing again, but the attack took too long, allowing Robb to drive the pommel of his sword into the man's face, and then the blade through the stunned man's belly. He swiftly cut down five more men, but he could not tell if he was making it any further into the line. The bodies were pressed together on all sides, and Robb could feel his horse trying not to stumble over the dead.
The slow crush of bodies continued to move slowly, and Robb could feel the blood of his fallen opponents running down through his armor onto his skin. Occasionally, he would see four or five spooked horses jump onto their hind legs at once, and he knew that was where Grey Wind was currently tearing his fangs through flesh and bone. Robb continued to viciously and mindlessly kill every enemy that came within his reach, the lust of battle taking over his body. While they had managed to hit the Lannister line hard and caught them off balance, Robb could tell that the element of surprise was beginning to wane. A group of heavily armored Lannister knights led by Stafford Lannister and his son Ser Daven Lannister were beginning to cut a path through the right side of Robb's army. Riders were falling everywhere, and Robb could feel the mob being pushed backwards. He felt something approaching on his right and brought his sword up to attack, but instantly stopped when he saw it was Theon.
"We need to fall back!" Theon shouted over the chaos around them, slicing his sword through a Tyrell rider's neck. "Lord Ryswell and one of his sons are both dead, and their men are routed. We've held them as long as we can, Robb. They are going to break us!"
Theon was right, they could not hold any longer. They had done damage as intended, but it was time to make a tactical retreat and hope that the Blackfish was ready.
"Lord Umber!" Robb called to the Greatjon a few yards away, where the man had just separated a Tyrell solider's body from his sword arm. The man turned a looked at Robb. "We need to fall back!"
The Greatjon looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do, but even he could clearly see they were giving much more ground than they were taking. He nodded, shoving his sword straight through another man's face. "Fall back! Northmen, fall back!"
"Fall back!" Robb shouted to the men around him. He fought off two more attackers before turning to look back. The riders behind him had begun to heed his call and were retreating. This allowed him to get his first glimpse at the field in front of Raventree Hall. He sighed in relief when he saw the organized lines of their infantry formed and marching their way. It was also evident that the Lannisters had just seen the marching army coming towards them because they began to retreat back as well.
He waited as long as he could, trying to fight off stragglers to allow the rest of his cavalry to make their retreat. Finally, the Greatjon led the last group of riders away, and Robb took to follow. However, when he was halfway back toward the safety of the infantry line, his horse came to an abrupt halt, nearly throwing Robb off in the process. He looked back and saw a spear sticking out of the beast's rear right leg. The horse tried to stagger forward again, but it was clearly in agonizing pain. It made it one more step before it collapsed to the ground. He managed to throw himself over before he could be crushed by the animal's weight.
While Robb counted himself lucky for not having been upended by his horse and breaking his neck, he quickly realized that he had not been the victim of a random spear hurled in his general direction. He turned and saw a dozen riders barreling towards him, and he immediately recognized the man who was leading them…Jaime Lannister. Robb was in the middle of nowhere, no immediate help around him. He stood no chance against so many, but all the same, he tore off his helm and gripped his sword with both hands, staring the golden-haired Kingslayer down. Everything around him faded away, and all he could feel was the chill in the air and the wind as it blew through his hair.
Jaime Lannister was only thirty yards away, and Robb could see the satisfaction and the sneer on his face. He stepped back with his right leg, planting his boots in the ground, preparing to launch himself at the Kingslayer before he was inevitably riddled with holes. Twenty yards…fifteen yards…and then before Robb could meet his end, hell opened up around him. Direwolves, one grey and one white, leaped ten feet in the air and converged in the middle of the Kingslayer's men. The horses whinnied and the men screamed. They did not have long to try to beat off the two wolves, because all of a sudden, twenty more horsemen converged on them from the south, crashing right into the middle of their group. Robb grinned as he saw Jon in the center, thrusting his sword into an enemy knight.
Jaime Lannister looked back in rage, watching as his men were engaged by the northern soldiers. He started at them for a moment, clearly contemplating what to do, before he ultimately turned back to Robb, eyes firmly set on his original target. He spurred his horse forward, abandoning his own men and riding straight for Robb. For his part, Robb had not moved an inch. As the Kingslayer approached ever closer, Robb picked up his abandoned helm, and just as his pursuer was almost on top of him, threw it at him with all his might. Jaime Lannister clearly had not been expecting something unorthodox, because he did not even make a move to raise his arms to shield himself, allowing the ball of steel to hit him right below the chin. He was knocked backwards, and slipped sideways from his horse, rolling across the hard ground as he did so.
The Kingslayer pushed himself up to his knees, trying to get his bearings. He ran a hand along his jaw, swiping away the blood from the cut that the helm had opened. Pushing to his feet, he retrieved his sword and stalked towards Robb, hatred in his eyes. Robb gripped his sword and moved to meet him.
Robb knew that the Kingslayer was enraged, because he did not even try to taunt him. Jaime led with a wild swing, which forced Robb to lean backwards. Then another strike came from up high, and Robb brought a high guard up to meet the attack. They traded blows, moving in circles and looking for any opening they could find. Robb rushed his opponent, feinting to the right before bringing a swinging attack from the left. The Kingslayer blocked the strike, locking swords with Robb. They pushed at each other in a battle of wills, before the Kingslayer raised his knee and struck him in the groin. The air left Robb's lungs at the sudden, crippling pain, and he stumbled backwards, breaking the impasse they had been locked in.
Jaime Lannister gave him no time recover, rearing back was his blade. Robb saw it coming and knew he would not block it in time. He turned at the last moment, but the sword pierced Robb's left side, just above his hip. He screamed as the sharp blade split his flesh, going deeper and deeper. Robb dropped his own sword, gripping the Kingslayer's arm and doing everything he could to stop the blade's progress through his torso. The pain from the cold steel was so intense that it brought tears to his eyes. Every ounce of strength he had left was being expended to try and hold the Kingslayer's arm. The man finally looked at Robb, clear satisfaction and glee projected on his face.
"The dream you have been living in where you were better than me is finally over, Stark," he mocked. "You are going to die, and no one is going to remember your name. Your house will die, everything you hold dearly will be wiped away from this world."
"My house has survived for thousands of years, Kingslayer," Robb grunted out. "We've survived deadly winters that last years, and attacks from wildlings more fierce than you could ever hope to be. It won't fall to some fucking cunt like you and your family just because I die."
The Kingslayer smirked, pressing his sword a little deeper into Robb. "Your Father is already dead, Stark. The north is going to crumble and break into nothing but a memory after I'm finished with you."
Robb had to stop himself from crying out at the man's proclamation. "You lie!" He finally accused, hissing as the blade dug deeper.
"It's no lie, boy," Jaime Lannister cackled. "The fool had no idea that the Knights of the Vale were not there to fight with. They rode right through him and struck him down. I saw it myself. It was truly wondrous how quickly Lysa Arryn was willing to betray her family at the proposition of marriage to Littlefinger. Although, the man has a strange fasciation with your Mother. Maybe when I sack Winterfell, I'll ship off Lady Catelyn and he can have the pair. I'll even let him fuck your sisters if the desire strikes."
The words were like poison in Robb's ears. He comprehended them briefly before something inside his mind broke, a boiling madness that took control of his body. He roared, letting go of the Kingslayer's arm. The sword sank further into Robb, but he barely noticed the pain now. He and Jaime Lannister were now chest to to chest. Robb swung his head backward and then viciously brought his forehead into the bridge of his opponent's nose, concaving it. Blood spurted out of each of the man's nostrils, and he let go of his sword as he staggered away, cupping his face. Robb, holding his breath, gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and quickly pulled it out of his side. Blood poured out, but he did his best to ignore it.
Gripping the Kingslayer's sword, he stepped towards the man who was listing from side to side, clearly disoriented. Robb had no care at that moment about honor and facing an unarmed opponent, only revenge. He raised the sword back over his left shoulder and then swung it low, cleaving Jaime Lannister's right leg away from his body just above the knee. The Kingslayer fell onto his backside, ignoring his broken nose and instead looking at his now missing limb in utter shock. He stared at it for several seconds, before his right hand reached out desperately for where Robb's own sword had been lost. Jaime managed to grab the pommel, but as soon as he did, Robb swung down, as if chopping wood, and separated the Kingslayer's sword arm from his body this time.
Whatever fight the Kingslayer had left dissipated quickly after the loss of his second limb. He laid back in the dirt, gasping in torturous pain. Robb stepped over him, hovering over his fallen form.
"Get it over with, boy," Jaime Lannister managed to rasp out.
Robb wanted to drive the sword through the man's heart, but stopped himself. "No, I won't kill you today, Kingslayer," Robb answered. "You've sentenced my Brother to a life as a cripple, so you'll live out the rest your despicable life like this, a broken man, who gets by on dreams of his past glory." Robb made to step away, but he immediately turned back, lifted the sword once more, and brought it down through the beaten man's groin. A howl escaped the Kingslayer as he writhed in agony. "That was for your sister."
"Robb!" A voice called, and he looked up to see Jon riding towards him, Grey Wind and Ghost at his side. Their skirmish with the other Lannisters had broken off, and Robb could see a newly formed Lannister infantry line marching towards them. Jon pulled up next to Robb, looking down briefly in shock at the sorry form Jaime Lannister pinned to the ground through his cock, before reaching an arm down for his Brother to grab. Robb, after retrieving his lost sword, hoisted himself up behind Jon, and they rode back toward their own lines. When they approached, the men separated, allowing them to pass through.
Behind the safety of their line, Robb slid off of Jon's horse, stumbling to his knees as he did so. The pain that he had ignored now felt like knives being repeatedly jabbed into his side.
"Are you alright?" Jon asked, threading his arm under Robb's and pulling him to his feet once again.
"I'll be fine," Robb said, shedding his brother from his side. He neglected to tell his brother of their Father's fate, still not sure whether he could believe the Kingslayer's words. "Let's go drive these fuckers away."
Robb and Jon moved back to the line, joining the march toward the Lannisters. Robb looked to his left, and with a renewed sense of hope, saw Lord Tytos leading his men out of the castle to join their ranks. Seeing more men join the northern line forced the Lannisters to slow their own march. Robb didn't feel like going slow any longer. It was time to fight. "Charge! Charge!" Robb shouted. A great shout sounded along the line, and the men in front raised their spears and ran in a full sprint toward the enemy. Robb fought through the pain in his side and ran right behind them until they collided with the the first man in red and gold. With Jon, Grey Wind and Ghost beside him, they viciously tore through every enemy within reaching distance. The northmen and Riverland allies fought with astounding vigor, while the Lannisters were fast to give ground.
The two armies clashed with each other for an hour, and the Lannisters continued to be pushed back. The skies were beginning to darken, and it was becoming hard to tell friend from foe. As Robb pulled his sword out of Ser Devan Lannister's guts, the sound of horns behind the Lannister line interrupted the sounds of dying men. The call for retreat came next, and the Lannisters began to pull away, moving south and back towards Harrenhall, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. Seeing them run, Robb raised his arms to the sky and yelled, the thrill of victory running through his veins. The men around him raised their swords and hugged each other in jubilation as they watched the enemy run.
As Robb moved to embrace his brother, a jolt of pain again brought him to his knees. The loss of blood was beginning to make him feel lightheaded. "Robb we need to get you to the maester," Jon worried, dropping to his own knees in front of Robb. "Your entire side is covered in blood. Theon!" Robb looked to his other side and saw a ragged Theon Greyjoy coming to them. "Theon, we need to get him to the castle."
"Here," Theon said, reaching his arm under Robb's own to support his weight. Before they could move, Robb grabbed Jon's shoulder.
"What is it, Robb?" Jon questioned.
"You need to find Father," Robb ordered.
Jon looked at him in confusion. "I'm sure he'll make his way to the castle soon as well. They may still be fighting off the Vale."
"No, you need to find his body," Robb corrected, his slurred words desperate. He knew. The Kingslayer had not lied. Deep inside he could somehow feel the truth. Eddard Stark was dead. Those were his final thoughts before he finally succumbed to the pain and passed out.