Land of the King
Chapter 40: Tears of Lys
"Tears unnumbered were shed the night Lys…"
The homeland had gone insane. That was all Kilaren son of Ecthelion would ever say when asked about the ongoing war back in the mainland.
'Homeland' however was a term used subjectively. Like many others, Kilaren had been born and raised in Lys, as the past five generations of his family were. He could even trace his lineage back to the original garrison that had been sent to the isle during the reign of Argeleb II six hundred years ago.
Kilaren had never even seen the homeland, Lys was all he had ever known. Many of the Dúnedain adventured far and wide when they were younger but Kilaren had never felt the urge to venture further than the neighbouring Stepstones and the cities of Sarhoy and Volantis.
And why would he? Who would ever want to leave the paradise of Lys? A sunny lush and fertile isle, filled with palms and fruit trees and clear blue-green waters teeming with schools of fish.
Kilaren had always felt thankful that he had been born in such a wondrous place. The war in the homeland mattered little and less to Lys. Little had the kings come to the isle since Argeleb II and even less did they pay attention to it.
To the distant kings in Annúminas, Lys was little more than a far flung outpost of their empire, a place for them to station their ships and fill their coffers.
Yet many of his fellow Lyseni avidly paid attention to the war so Kilaren could not help but be aware of what was going on. Two years ago, Argeleb the usurper had failed to take Annúminas and end the war swiftly. Six months after that, he had been forced out of the strategic city of Morlond, going on the defensive but not before dishonourably killing prisoners.
Since Morlond, the Purists had been on the defense, being forced back from Raumdor. Currently most were paying attention to the Tircarnë campaign, led by Lord Ondoher of Minas Anor in a bid to wrest control of the province even as Calenardhon and Ithilien were invaded by Lord Pelendur of Emyn Arnen, Prince Earendil of Dol Amroth and the King himself.
Nominally at least, most in Lys supported Arvedui's ascension. He was after all the rightful king though in Kilaren's mind he should change his name if he was to be their king.
Tales of Arvedui's bravery had made it to Lys. Speaking of how he fought on the front lines beside his men, suffering and enjoying the same pains and pleasures. The kind of man that even Kilaren would follow as his king. Who knew, perhaps King Arvedui would pay more attention to Lys? Though Kilaren doubted it. He would no doubt have much work to do in the homeland when the war was won, and the war would be won. It was a foregone conclusion that the Loyalists would win the war already, it was only a matter of time.
Yet the stubborn Purists refused to sue for peace, knowing what punishments awaited them and had prolonged the war. From what he had heard, some had estimated the war would last another two to three years at least if the Purists did not suffer a major defeat.
Kilaren was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Lys Guard, a regiment of soldiers who bore the responsibility of not only defending but policing the island which was directly ruled from Annúminas by the Viceroy. Despite his complicated feelings towards the homeland, Kilaren genuinely respected and admired the Viceroy, whom he saw as a wise and capable man who had so far kept Lys out of the war.
By all rights, the Eastern Fleet should have already set sail to contest the Purists for control of the Sunset Sea. It was the Viceroy of Lys, along with his counterparts in Vinyambar and Peluicarnë who had decided not to send ships. Though loyal to the King, they could not in good conscience, leave their territories undefended.
Still the war would last far longer if the Loyalists could not gain naval superiority in the Sunset Sea and so a compromise had been agreed. Ships from Morlond and Osgiliath, from the Northern Fleet, would arrive to bolster their defences and a major part of the Eastern Fleet would sail for the Sunset Sea.
If he was being honest, and allowed to speak his opinion, Kilaren would say that the homeland would have to resolve the civil war without the fleet. It was far too dangerous for any ships at all to leave their posts in the Narrow Sea Territories.
Kilaren was still an Arnorian and loyal to his country, despite resenting the lack of attention paid to his beloved Lys by the capital. Yet too close to Lys for comfort was a hungry dragon.
The Valyrian colony of Volantis was less than 800 miles to the east. Far, far too close in Kilaren's mind. In recent years, the Valyrians had become increasingly belligerent against the Rhoynar whom they shared the Rhoyne with. Arnor had long maintained friendship with those peoples and as the closest outpost, it had always been Lys which had provided them aid.
Now that the homeland was tearing itself apart, it would be the perfect time for Valyria to attack. Kilaren held more than a little faith in Arnor, for who could best the great fleets and armies of the West? Yet though mastery they held by both land and sea, they could not contest the Valyrians in the skies. Dragons were dangerous and formidable foes, and Kilaren would be lying if he felt confident fighting them.
His opinions were not shared by his colleagues. Far too many of them believed too strongly in the superiority of Arnor, that if dragons could be slain by even Ghiscari then surely they the Dúnedain could fell them with ease? All of them ignored that the Valyrians had bred and mastered their dragons far beyond what they had used against Ghis and Kilaren did not wish to test how well Lys's anti-dragon weaponry fared in actual combat any time soon.
"Dorne has rebelled," said the Viceroy.
All present were stunned, including Kilaren. The tributaries of Dorne had been subject to Arnorian rule for over a millennium. Surely they could not simply rebel, even in the midst of a civil war?
"Your Excellency, how exactly did Dorne rebel? Surely the fractious and divided Dornish have not united?" one of Kilaren's colleagues asked.
"It seems exactly that has occurred. Yronwood has gathered all of Dorne save the Daynes to him and has declared himself High King of Dorne. His armies have seized the passes and are marching on Vinyambar as we speak. The Viceroy of Vinyambar has reported that he cannot spare any men or ships for the expedition force as all must be kept in reserve to suppress the rebellion. The Stepstones too are contributing men to putting down the Dornish. That means that the bulk of the expeditionary fleet sent west must be from Lys,"
"Who exactly does Annuminas think we are? Just their servants to supply them with men and ships and leave Lys undefended to the Valyrians' tender mercies?" Kilaren demanded. This was very concerning, that the whole fleet and not part of it would sail west.
"Watch your tone Colonel," the Viceroy warned.
"Forgive me Viceroy," Kilaren said. He was out of line he knew.
With Kilaren rebuked, the Viceroy continued, "The Iron and Southern Fleets are continuing to harry Malldolan and Siriand. So long as the Purists maintain supremacy in the Sunset Sea, the Loyalists cannot bring their full force to bear on the Purists to end this war. The Northern Fleet cannot contest them alone. The Eastern Fleet, our fleet must aid them. I agree with, it would leave Lys weakened, yet we have little choice. However, neither can we leave Lys undefended. That is why it has been decided that the original number of ships we were to contribute will depart from Lys to aid in suppressing the rebellion in Dorne first. Once that has been accomplished, we would return to the original plan."
"It would still be risky Your Excellency. Dorne is not that far from Lys, yet neither is it that close. So long as the war remains ongoing in the homeland, I fear any lessening of our military force will be too dangerous," Kilaren said taking the opportunity to again try and convince the Viceroy of the danger of any ships leaving Lys.
"Not this again Colonel. Valyria is dangerous no doubt but they will not dare provoke the wrath of Arnor. Even in the midst of a civil war, our kingdom's reputation is strong enough to deter aggression," the Viceroy said.
"Your Excellency I somehow doubt that Valyria will not take the opportunity. Especially with Vinyambar and Peluicarnë dealing with the Dornish rebellion. A rebellion which is far too conveniently timed for my liking," Kilaren reasoned.
The Viceroy considered his words but remained steadfast, "I stand by my word. I promised the King those ships, they will sail."
After the meeting, Kilaren had stayed behind to try and reason with the Viceroy further.
"I am not blind Colonel. Yet we have a fleet of two hundred here. Sending fifty west would hardly matter in the long run."
"It is not the ships but rather the message it sends Your Excellency. It implies that we are not prepared to deal with an attack because we are reducing our numbers, which would in turn provoke said attack."
The Viceroy sighed, "If it makes you feel better I will double the watch and the patrols. Nothing gets within a hundred miles of Lys without us knowing. Yet those ships must go west. You know as well as I that the homeland is destroying itself. The sooner the war ends, the sooner things return to normal and the sooner you can rest assured that Valyria would not attack with a united Arnor backing us."
"I understand Your Excellency," Kilaren said reluctantly.
That night, Kilaren had dinner with his wife and son. His wife and he were only a little over a hundred and had had only one child so far though Kilaren hoped to have more in time.
He smiled as he watched his young son, only a child, excitedly tell him about his 'adventures', letting himself calm in the presence of his family.
Perhaps the Viceroy was right. After all it was the Viceroy who had at first refused to send ships west when the war had begun. Now that the tides clearly favoured the Loyalists, the best thing for the kingdom was to help bring the war to a swift end. And the sooner the war ended, the sooner they could all feel secure once more with the homeland united and at peace, ready to support them at any moment.
Yet Kilaren could not shake the feeling that something bad would happen soon. He just did not know what.
It was the screams that woke them later that night. Kilaren and his wife had scrambled out of bed when they heard them, shrill and full of fear and despair.
Running to the window, Kilaren saw his greatest fear come to life.
The city was on fire. Men, women and children screeched in pain as their bodies burned. And in the dark, moonless night sky above, dragons flew, bringing desolation.
Panicking, Kilaren turned to his wife and told her to get their son.
Taking his bow and sword, Kilaren scrambled from the house, his family right behind him.
Yet just as he made it out the door, he felt a searing heat on his back and he lurched forward to escape it. Turning around, he was horrified to see the half-burnt body of his wife, his son nowhere to be seen, likely turned to ash.
Shock seized Kilaren. He froze, his mind unable to process what had occurred as he fell to the ground.
He should have stood up, should have run and left the remains of his family behind, but who would have been able to do that in that moment? Unable to react fast enough, it would soon be too late as Kilaren was consumed by the flames as well.
