It was pure and unchecked chaos.
Half the time, Ignotus hadn't an idea on what was truly happening. Arrows were whizzing past him from the towers as horses and men were dying to the swings of his sword. He had killed his first one sometime back, and he could not even recall his face, the armour he wore, if he was even one of the ironborn or the rivermen that chose to side with the Hoares and Lord Harroway.
In the moment, with his mind setting them all as Jeynes rapers, he could not bring himself to care.
The fighting seemed to be everywhere. Even on the ramparts and the towers, he was sure, because there had been a drastic decrease in the number of arrows he had to raise his shield to catch. On the ground was where it was the clearest. Around him, men were screaming, in pain and in fury, as the rivermen who fought for their homes were doing their best to cut their way towards the massive keep doors, and the defenders were doing their best to cut them short.
At a point, Ignotus had lost his horse - thankfully on a trot - and he had fallen back with a grunt as pain shot through his back. He had looked up to see an ironborn charge him, and he had already thought himself done, and he was quick to say his apologies to Jeyne and prayed to whatever god may be listening. Yet, one of his guards had stopped the man with a trident to the throat, and without even turning to acknowledge him, went on with the rest of the men.
Fighting once more, he could not say he remembered the guard's face.
The size of the castle worked to their advantage. Owing to the space of the courtyard and everything in between, they were able to use their numbers over the ironborn.
They seemed to know it too, because behind them, they were forcing the giant doors to the keep closed as their numbers just outside of them continued to shrink as what felt like hours went by.
'We'll need a ram,' Ignotus knew at once. Axes would make small openings, but there any man would easily cut down before they made it through.
He didn't know how long the fighting went on for, but he counted each man he killed - not for glory or to brag of with his other lords when it was all over. It was more for himself than anything. He could not remember their faces, nor did he know their names, but all the people that died here, ironborn or rivermen, would be recalled when Harren the Black was brought to his knees and forced to negotiate.
It was with that thought he occupied himself sometime later, when the walls and towers were all but captured, and the fighting outside the keep was scarce and isolated. He stood in the courtyard, amidst the men that were organizing once more for an assault at the keep as the gates behind him were being drawn and raised for one of the rams, which were slowly being pushed through.
Ignotus wondered of their numbers, if any of the river lords had died or were injured.
When the ram was smashing the doors, he spotted Lord Caldron Codd stalked up to him, sword in hand, sweaty, bloodied and with a gash on the metal of his breastplate.
For some time, there was nought but silence between them, but then the ironborn spoke, "They..." his jaw visibly clenched, "They killed my son."
It was war. Death was a near sure thing. Still, Ignotus couldn't imagine the pain the man was enduring for the sake of said war, and in that moment, he could not bring himself to have any form of distrust towards the man.
He found himself remembering Jeyne, 'They've killed her too.'
"You'll have your revenge, my lord," he muttered, as the wood of the doors cracked, 'And I will have mine.'
The exterior of the castle had been ridiculously massive, and the same could be for the halls and the rooms. Men on horses could have battled in here, and archers had more than enough space to let lose arrows to the men behind the ironborn lines as they were being pushed back. Trees could grow here, and never be able to touch the ceilings of the monstrously large halls and solars.
Eventually, Ignotus felt like he did more walking than fighting, and only when did feel like his legs were ready to give up on him, did he realize the end was near.
Across his lines and the corridor were more rivermen loyal to their cause, likely the men under Oscar Tully that had gone around the massive keep to probe the northern gate to the keep. Between them, were streams of ironborn, being pinched to the doors of the main hall, where Harren no doubt sat upon his throne.
Clearly, even the kings own men seemed to realise their dire situation and were fighting hard to keep them off. For every ironborn that died, he took three of their rivermen with, and yet, they were still being pushed, and the doors could not be closed behind them this time, on account of their lines growing unorganized and extending into the hall itself.
That gladdened him. For when he laid his visage upon the man on his throne, who did not look even nearly fazed at his impending defeat, he found his strength returning him, as an inferno of anger toiled in his gut.
Then, the old king shouted something from the back of his men, something Ignotus could not hear, but he saw its effects. From the back - those who heard him best - men started laying down their arms, and slowly - reluctantly - the stream of falling weapons extended to the those facing them. Even their own rivermen began to pause then, as the fighting in the big hall began to die down.
"A man knows when he's beat," Harren Hoare was beat, but he stilled carried the voice of a king, "Even an ironborn. Looks to me that you were informed of the weakness of our walls. An expected thing, it truly makes not matter. I would issue a challenge to you, boy. Single combat, in your greenlander fashion, if you would prefer -"
"No," Ignotus interrupted the man plainly with a shout of his own. He had come this far with his men, he would not risk it by taking a challenge of single combat. Even if he was sure he could beat the old man, "You will surrender yourself to us. You will be chained and escorted to a cell, as will your remaining men. Let it end, Hoare. For your men, if not for yourself."
The hall descended into silence then, and for once, Ignotus saw the man's smile fall. He must've have been certain Ignotus would have accepted his challenge.
"These are ironborn you see before you, fool," he spoke then, "They would die in battle. They would die to defend their king."
"Then let them die."
Few did move. There were two men, who picked up sword and axe, but were put down in their attempt at taking fight.
Ignotus waited then, for any more attempts, and when none came, he spoke to the king again, "Your cause is done."
"Never," He pulled on a weapon of his own, another axe, clean and unused, and began a long trudge towards them, "If you cravens would sooner be prisoners rather than pick up your weapons and fight, so be it, but I will die with a weapon in hand, and the blood of my enemy marring my face."
It had been the kings own fault, he knew. The man had told them to lay down their weapons and proclaimed their defeat, but had hoped to win out with a dual with Ignotus. The man seemed so sure he would have accepted. Strange thing, that was to him.
"Stop him, but don't kill him," Ignotus would have loved to do so himself, but he could not take the risk of walking between the lines of enemies. He was beginning to see how important he was to this war, and his death could change much and more. Many rivermen listened and rushed forward, and still, the men between them did nothing as they approached their king.
Harren killed the first man, but a second managed to catch his arm before he could swing, and another caught his other. Grunts reverberated around the hall as the king struggled, but it was for nothing, as he was eventually subdued wholly and brought Ignotus, and forced to kneel.
It took much effort from Ignotus not have his head of then and there. He had his sword in his hand. All it would take was a single swing...
"Take some men for a guard and find a cell for him," he said, dropping his sword after realising he had raised it. The king was dragged away between parting soldiers, and then roars of celebration echoed through the hall.
Ignotus sat upon the base of the steps that lead to the throne, his bloodied sword on the floor between him. Around him, the Great Hall had just about been cleared of all the dead bodies and those that had accepted captivity had long been taken to the cells of the keep. Men were already out counting the lost numbers, and most of the other lords had already been called away from their prayers and patrols of the keep for a council meeting
"Many here died today," Lord Patrek Vance muttered to his left, sitting on some the seats that had been brought for a council.
"Aye," Ser Jared came walking to the gathered lords, "Lord Oscar Tully is dead, and his bannerman Andrey Chambers, and Lord Harwin Strong, Bennifer Blanetree, Lord Peytr Paege with them. Your master-at-arms...Pardon, my lord."
"Percival," Ignotus said sadly, and the man nodded gratefully.
"He was among the dead."
The man had trained his brothers and he since they could hold swords. It was a strange thing to acknowledge that the last remnant of his childhood was gone, with all his family dead and buried. He tried to tell himself that this was war, but it hurt all the same.
"And our numbers?" Ignotus inquired, trying to push on.
"We have not finished our counting."
"How far have you gotten?"
"Three thousand, but there looks to be plenty more."
"The price of victory," Lord Olyver Bracken said to Ignotus' right.
"Aye," Robert Darklyn retorted, ever-smiling "But what a victory it was!"
"He speaks true," Ser Jared Frey uttered in agreeance, "Prince Harrag is dead, along with the traitor of his countrymen Leslyn Harroway and his heir. Lucean Lolliston is captured, as are many cousins and second cousins of the iron lords who held court with the king. More especially the Goodbrother heir.."
"Do not forget that we have the king. All we've to do now is bring him to the peace table with the lord of the Iron Islands and this war is won," Dafyn Vance put in, and there was another round of celebration from the lords and their bannermen.
"Assuming they will keep to the terms of such a peace - and I am near certain they will not -" Ignotus spoke when the noise died down - the victory was still clearly in their blood, "What is it that we will be negotiating for, my lords? We obviously cannot fall under ironborn rule once more. We have seen the horrors of that."
"The Storm Kings are weak. They failed to protect us when we last called them kings, I refuse to bend the knee them once more," Walder Blackwood said strongly.
"The course seems clear, then," Robert Darklyn retorted, turning to Ignotus - whose heart fell to his stomach in dread when he saw the ambition spiralling in the eyes of his good father, "Any foreign king we kneel to will test our will - as the Storm Kings were apt at doing, or put us under the harsh rule like that of the now defeated Iron King. Why can we not rule ourselves once more, as we did during the days of old? Why can we not restore the title of King of the Rivers and the Hills?"
Those were the words that he dreaded, as he did the positive reception his godfather's words brought with them. At that moment, he strongly regretted calling a council so soon after the battle, without giving them time to ease from the victory and come in with a clearer mind. And yet, perhaps, it did not matter. This may not have been something that could have been avoided at all.
"And," Robert Darklyn shouted over the roaring men, "For me, there is no man here that is more deserving than my own good son. He pulled us from our squabbling to a common purpose. Led the Riverlands to victory over the tyrant king. There can truly be no other. Ignotus for king!"
He rose, only to bend a knee and low his head in submission to him.
"Lord Darklyn has the right of it," Walder Blackwood spoke then, rising, "What can the Iron Born hope to accomplish against a united Riverlands? One more so led by the man who gave them defeat? Nothing. The course is clear. Ignotus for king!"
He too bent his knee.
Their words roused the other lords, and even the common soldiers in the giant hall. They all took up the cry and bent their knees, proclaiming and beckoning him to take up the restored title of the Kingdom of the Rivers and the Hills.
Ignotus had wondered what he would do when this moment came. When the lords and the people of the lands he claimed to be fighting for called for him to be their protector and their king. He had never gotten to a personal answer, even with Jeyne seemingly working to convince him to be king, perhaps in a confused state. He, personally, did not want to be king.
The very same lords who were asking for his house to rule the Riverlands had once betrayed and fought against his forefather and had the last of the Teague line renounce all claims to the Riverlands. That proved how kingship was a fickle business, and though they loved him now, who was to say they would do so in the years to come? Or if their sons would love his sons?
Yet, he also feared another riverlander being crowned. If they made the mistake of crowning a house that feuded with another, the Riverlands would once again be divided. If they crowned a weak man, the ironborn could plague them once more with war and defeat could become the destruction of his house for leading this defiance against them. It was a scary thing for him to imagine.
What was there for him to do but fight his hardest for his family whilst he could?
Then, the cries that reverberated around the hall had died, and his response was awaited.
Ignotus rose, and with his stomach churning with each step, he climbed to the throne King Harren had carved from himself - the dark-stone seat surrounded by the humongous imagery from the Hoare banner, the longship, the pine, a cluster of grapes, and a raven.
With a last sigh as a lord, he turned and sat upon the throne, and cries were revitalized and changed to suit his quiet confirmation:
"The King of the Rivers!"
"The King of the Rivers!"
A/N: The next chapter will be the longest thus far and bring to head important aspects for Harry's story - with some history-changing plot points - and include the time skips in Ignotus' life. Thereafter, it will be the main story.
Thanks for reading.