—The Riverlands—
Outskirts near Riverrun…
Tight rows of loyalist infantry were forming on the frontlines with fresh cannons being primed, officers staring through Myrish spy glasses to gauge the length and angle of the aim. Behind them, in the tree line, cavalry soldiers astride huge Clydesdales were waiting for the order to charge and cut down the rebel forces.
"Incoming!" yelled a militia.
"Watch that crossfire, boys!"
"Take out those cannons!"
Mortar fire continued bombarding the fields, scattering nearby rebel foot soldiers as the Lannister forces pressed inwards. Another cannon fire landed close to Gawain's position.
"WHOA!" Kay exclaimed. "That was a little closer than I'd like!"
"Which is why you are staying out of the way," Gawain said as he reached into the coat of his uniform and took out a round object wrapped in a piece of cloth, placing it in the hands of the private.
Kay glanced at the object and then at his captain. "But ser, it is too early for it!" he stammered.
"First rule of war, lad: learn to adapt. Keep your eyes on me and wait for my signal." Gawain unsheathed Nightfall and waited for the next sound of cannon fire from the side of the loyalists before looking back at his men. "CHARGE!" He shouted as he and the men under his command surged forward like a tidal wave, while Kay remained where he was, holding the object he had been given with great care.
During the early weeks of the war, Gawain and his battalion had earned a reputation among the infantry corps for being hard fighters, some called them brave, and others called them reckless. Loyalist sharpshooters lined up and aimed their weapons, "DROP!" Gawain shouted as he and his men fell to the ground, as a volley of bullets were shot, most of his men had avoided the shots, but a few had dropped too late and would never rise again.
Gawain and his men launched back to their feet and with a roar, they ran straight into the lines of the loyalist soldiers who had been rapidly reloading their weapons. With swords, knives, and hatchets they hacked and slashed at the men who earlier they had called their comrades.
Gawain, seeing a loyalist standing over one of his men, ready to plunge a bayonet into his chest, immediately pulled out his musket pistol and squeezed the trigger, igniting the black powder and causing it to fire; the lead ball tore through the loyalist's neck and the man dropped his rifle as he tried to stifle the blood spurting through his neck while simultaneously choking on his blood.
From a distance, Kay and Gawain's other men observed the ongoing battle between Loreon Lannister and the Stark brothers Rodrik and Brandon. Indeed, Samson's warning about him carries weight. Not only was he easily fending them off, but also dispatched any rebels that tried to ambush him.
One casualty became five, then ten, then fifteen... All without breaking a sweat before refocusing his attention on the Starks.
"Do not engage Colonel Loreon," one of Gawain's men warned. "Stick to the plan!"
"We're getting massacred out here!"
"Stick to cover!"
Kay, meanwhile, kept his eyes focused on Gawain, who was fighting in the center of the battlefield, his heart pounding like a mustering drum. His eyes were sharp, so often he had been used as a lookout. The Stormlands commoner admired the captain. When he had first been conscripted into the Royal Army, forced to leave the farm he had known his entire life to fight in a war he did not fully understand, he had been certain he was going to die. However, the Seven had been kind and he had been assigned to Gawain's unit, the captain had looked out for him, and showed him the basics of artillery. He was like the older brother that Kay had never had. So, when Gawain had told all of them of the plan to defect, Kay had been one of the first to agree.
And then, Kay saw it. Gawain turns and looks in their direction and waved his sword in the air. And he knew it was time. Kay with the object he had been given still clutched in his hand, immediately ran to a cannon. Unwrapping the cloth, he revealed the object was a rocket flare. He stuffed it down into the cannon's bore. He then positioned the cannon so that rather than pointing across the field, it was now pointing straight up into the air. Lighting the fuse and covering his ears with both hands, Kay crouched down just as the cannon fired. Sending the rocket into the air, where it hovered for a moment in the sky before exploding in a flash of light followed by a cloud of red smoke, like a spurt of blood in the sky.
On the enemy lines, a few hundred yards from the fighting, an area had been cleared for the storage and distribution of arms, ammunition, and ordinances. The commanding officer was Major Jonah of House Swyft. Like most members of his house, he had a small almost non-existent chin. His commission in the army had been purchased and his connections kept him out of the fighting. Managing the weaponry, he believed it was far safer than fighting with them. He was looking over a dispatch requesting additional cannonballs to be delivered at once when he saw the puff of red smoke in the air of the tree line in the direction of the battle.
"What in the seven hells is that?" Jonah asked aloud to no one in particular. As he gazed upwards, he did not notice one of his captains, Ser Osbert Cordwayner come up behind him with a knife. A quick slash across the neck and Major Jonah was down on the ground, as his blood-stained his previously spotless uniform. The last thing he saw before the darkness took him was loyalist troops fighting each other.
Captain Osbert Cordwayner spat on the dead Westermen. "Fuckin idiot," he said as he sheathed his knife. His men had already killed the few other troops in the immediate area that had not been part of the plot.
"What is happening, Captain?" one of his Lieutenants asked. "I thought the plan was not to attack until night?"
"Doesn't matter what happened. The signal had been shot and that means it is time," he said as he looked up to see another rocket being launched in a different direction, when it went off it was blue. Osbert gave a sharp whistle. "Our turn. Send it up!" Using one of the cannons that had been stored in the clearing, they launched the third and final flare, which went off as a bright yellow. Osbert grinned and pulled out his pistol. "Take whatever you can carry boys and burn the rest… we're rebels now," he said. "Let's go kill us some loyalists."
Nearby…
"Captain!" one of Gawain's scouts reported. "Word from General Samson! Says intel just arrived. He says that reinforcements from the Vale and Iron Islands are en route to our location from both the east and the west!"
Gawain made certain his ears were functioning properly. Vale soldiers and ironborn marauders are on their way here in the Riverlands... then that means...
"LOOK OUT!" Kay warned in a panic.
Gawain turned to see mortar fire approaching their location.
"Captain!"
One of his men pushed Gawain aside before the mortars made an impact, sending several flying amidst the screams and shouts. More kept bombarding them.
"We're taking heavy losses!" Sergeant Echbert shouted. "Captain, it's not safe here! We must fall back to Riverrun. We-"
A loud bang interrupted the sergeant's report when Echbert suddenly went completely stiff. It was then that Gawain realized that a small lead ball pierced the back of Echbert's head and exited his forehead. As he slumped to the ground, Gawain turned his head to see Colonel Loreon Lannister pointed at him with a flintlock pistol.
"My, my. Aren't we treasonous little rats," Loreon gloated.
"Your fight is with us, Lannister!" Brandon shouted.
Loreon then redirected his attention to Rodrik and Brandon once more.
Kay turned to see a legion of 15,000 troops converging towards them. "Captain! We have to fall back!" he pleaded.
Gawain's pride demanded that he cut a bloody path through the battlefield and beat that smirk off Loreon's face. However, he could not deny that his troops were now exhausted and could not take another pounding from the enemy for much longer. "Another time Lannister…" he hissed under his breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs. "FALL BACK! RETREAT TO RIVERRUN!"
Gawain's men then began to disentangle themselves from the fray, getting one last jab or shot off at the enemy before heading back to the rebel lines. A few of them, though, Gawain among them, stopped to help the wounded.
"Captain, look!" Kay yelled as he pointed to the sky.
Gawain turned and looked up, his eyes widening in momentary rapture as he saw the burst of blue smoke followed shortly by yellow. This meant that months of planning were now coming to fruition, he only hoped that it would be enough.
Further back, away from the main bulk of the fighting, chaos was erupting all over the loyalist siege line. As soon as the flares had gone off in the sky, the members of Gawain's conspiracy threw themselves into action. Sentries guarding caches of gunpowder, suddenly took oil-filled bottles and hurled them at the wooden barrels and ran like a bat out of the Seven hells as the caches started exploding. Horses were let out of their corral and set loose, running all through the camps. Men who had been in their tents came out, only to get stabbed in the back, by the very person they had been sharing the tent with. Officers, who had thought the enemy had broken through were suddenly shot or had their throats slit by their former subordinates.
Mass confusion was breaking out in the backs of the enemy line as the soldiers fought each other, which was made worse as the loyalists were unable to tell who a conspirator was or not.
Meanwhile, in the center, where the true and heaviest fighting was taking place, the air was hazy with smoke and reeked of gunpowder. Screams and shouts of soldiers were mixed in with the roaring of cannons and the clash of steel.
Colonel Loreon dominated in the center; with a sword in one hand and his flintlock pistol on the other, his uniform was even redder with the blood of the enemies that he slew. The lion within him roared and the rebel mice seemed to flee in terror. He would win this battle, he would devour the trout, the wolves, and then sink his fangs into the little fawn and she-falcon next. He would have them brought back to the capital in irons like common criminals to present before the King and his father. But then, his emerald-green eyes suddenly caught sight of the thick black smoke coming from the direction of his camps.
Riverrun…
Back at Riverrun, Gawain and his men hurried inside and went up the battlements. From there, they could see the chaos ensued from above.
"Impressive light show, captain," Samson said. "Although you caught the Lannister boy off-guard, they eventually will recover and coordinate a new strategy. But that is not why you have all been recalled here."
"They... they killed Sergeant Echbert, general," Kay said with his voice full of dread. "They just... just shot him in the back of the head like... like..."
"Snap out of it, sergeant!" Colonel Vargo snapped. "You think you're the only one who's lost friends in this war? Get in line and steel yourself."
Samson said nothing, but then afterward three horns blew loudly in near-perfect unison. From then on, Gawain saw more explosions from behind the Royal Army, soldiers scurrying and panicking as ironborn marauders charged from the western flank and blew up their siege weapons with black powdered explosives.
From the east, Vale cavalry rode in hard and fast - cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. Being excellent expert sharpshooters and mounted knights, the Vale military made short work of the army in front of them from all sides.
"I'll be damned..." Vargo exclaimed with a faint sense of hope. "He did it... The boy fucking did it..."
Samson smiled. "You see, Vargo? I told you he would not let me down."
"Hah, I guess not," Vargo said. "ALL HANDS, BEGIN THE COUNTERATTACK!"
"Begin the counterattack! Light 'em up!"
"Open fire!"
"Fire all!"
Outskirts near Riverrun…
With the order given, every cannon on the battlements of Riverrun fired in near-perfect unison. The heavy iron balls whistled as they soared through the air and exploded as they made contact with the ground.
Loyalist soldiers caught in the explosion of the cannonballs were blown to the heavens, some were fortunate enough to just lose a limb or get a face full of shrapnel, which either scarred or blinded them. The sight of ironborn and vale reinforcements caused the Rivermen rebels to fight with renewed zeal, charging forward with whoops and yells.
Loreon Lannister, commandeering a horse, was shouting orders left and right, with soldiers hasting to obey. His face was streaked with sweat, blood, and other smoke from the fighting, which he wiped off with a rag as he got a look at all that was happening; the more he saw, the more he gritted his teeth.
"Colonel, our stock of ammunition and cannons are wiped out!" a corporal, his uniform ripped and bloody. "Most of our nearby caches have been destroyed, we think the rebels had men among our ranks. Other caches are still intact but getting supplies from them is proving difficult due to all the confusion."
Loreon's eyes shot towards Riverrun, it was not the rebels… it was that damned turncloak Thayne, this was his doing, he was sure of it. He should have been killed along with his blasted father. Ironborn from the west, knights of the Vale in the east, River lords in the front, and traitors among their ranks. Victory had been in their grasp, the end of this blasted rebellion in one fell swoop had been in sight, and now…
The rebels had won themselves a reprieve, nothing more. The lion would triumph in the end.
Riverrun…
"Look!" one of the rebel militias pointed. "They're retreating! They're running away!"
Indeed, Gawain accompanies Samson to the battlefield to see the Royal Army in full retreat. They were repelled from Riverrun and morale was high. Cheers and celebratory gunfire rang out across the plains. The Vale and ironborn, long been out of the ear, had joined in to lift the siege. Arryn, Stark, Tully, Greyjoy... half of the Great Houses have effectively sided with the rebels.
Clearing their way through the substantial number of surviving rebels, Petyr, Broden, Baelor Farrin... and Daemon Baratheon arrived on the scene. Next to them was Asha Greyjoy, ruler of the Iron Islands - covered in dirt and dried blood. Though Daemon's cheek was still bleeding from the slash wound he received earlier on Pyke.
"General," Petyr and Broden saluted.
"Professor..." Daemon panted.
Samson placed a hand on the prince's shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't let me down," he said.
Daemon smiled.
"Bring him in!" one of the Stark soldiers called out.
Gawain turned to see Rodrik and Brandon Stark hauling in a tied and bound Loreon Lannister, chucking him into the mud. Blood ran down one cheek from a gash across his scalp, but the pale light of dawn peeking through the rainclouds had put the glint of gold back in his hair.
"Ompf!" Loreon grunted.
"By the time they realized what was going on," Rodrik stated, "it had already happened."
"Brother," Brandon said, "he still cut down twenty more of our men just trying to get to you."
"I know. I will never forget them."
Loreon was brought to his knees. "Ahhh... not bad, General Samson. For a crippled old man," he panted.
Samson shook his head disappointed.
"Kill him, captain!" Kay shouted to Gawain. "He killed Sergeant Echbert! You saw him!"
"He killed our friends too!" echoed another. "He killed over 2,500 of us! He killed our lord, Edmyn Tully!"
"No," Samson refused. "Under the military's code of conduct, Article 27, Section 3B, Clause 8, no prisoner of war is to be harmed. Besides, he's more useful to us alive than dead."
"What's that matter to them?" a militiaman shouted from the background. "They kill a bunch of our people they take captive!"
There were grunts and shouts of approval, followed by various voices calling out ideas on what to do with the captured Colonel.
"Hang him!"
"Shoot him!"
"Take his head!"
"Hit him with a rock!"
There was a loud bang, Gawain had fired a shot into the air from his flintlock pistol "Shut your gobs!" he said. "You heard the General. We are not killing this fucker… yet," he said as he glared down at the bound lion.
Loreon, who had been captured by Stark forces, still maintained a look of arrogance as he gazed around "Well, so this is the rebellion then? Just a bunch of old men, little boys, and ugly girls," he said, his last remark directed at Asha, whose grip tightened around her axe. Loreon's eyes then focused on Daemon. "You think your little victory here and at the Iron Islands means anything, boy? All you have done is delay the inevitable. A ragtag army and handful of victories do not make you a conqueror."
"Well, after what you put us through..." Daemon shrugged his shoulders coyly, "I'd say karma just bit you on the ass."
"If that's what you believe, boy," Loreon stated as he was brought to his feet, "then by all means let's settle this. You fight for a ragtag of peasants, I fight for law and order. Swords, lances, guns, bows, teeth, nails – choose your weapons, whatever you want. And we can end this here and now."
"Don't let him bait you, cousin. That's what he wants," Brandon spoke to Daemon.
Samson stared at the Prince before Rodrik stepped between them.
"If we did things your way, Lannister, you'd win," Rodrik said. "But we're not doing it your way." He turned to his men. "Lock him up. And do not take your eyes off him."
"Ha!" Lord Harmond Umber bellowed. "Come on, pretty man!"
As the rebels hauled the captive Loreon Lannister away, Daemon embraced the Stark brothers.
"Seven hells, I thought I'd never see you guys again!" Daemon chuckled.
"It'll take much more than Argilac's torturer and executioner to kill us, cousin," Rodrik returned the gesture.
"But how did you escape? How'd you get out of King's Landing?"
"It wasn't easy. But it wasn't until riots started breaking out did the dungeon guards realize what was happening. The chaos created a lot of confusion. Once what was left of us who weren't beheaded made our escape, I took ship to White Harbor - and from there to Winterfell on foot."
"Once brother told father what had happened, we called the banners and rode south as fast as we could," Brandon confirmed.
"Great-uncle Jon must be royally pissed off," Daemon shuddered.
"To put it mildly," Rodrik said. He turned to his men. "Tend to your wounds… and we can begin to mourn our fallen kin. But keep in mind that this war is far from over. So long as Argilac Baratheon reigns, none of us are safe. He will not stop until we are on our knees before putting us all to the sword. However, the battle for Riverrun proves one thing: we are at our strongest when we are united against a common foe. This battle marks the turning point. We are far from done. This is just the beginning."
Brandon and Samson nodded in agreement.
"General," Petyr approached. "If I may, there is something we should discuss inside."
"I imagine so, major," Samson replied. He turned to Daemon. "Join us as soon as you're able, lad. You will need to hear this."
"I understand, professor," Daemon said. You see this, brother? The more you tighten your grip, the more resistance you'll get. And the more you try to snuff them out, the more people will revolt against you. Understand? All of this is your fault. You drove us to this. And I'll make sure you pay for everything you've done!
Chapter End
Author's Note: The battle for Riverrun has finally ended in a major victory for the rebels and a devastating blow for Argilac's forces. But what else is in store for them as the civil war begins to progress? How will King Argilac Baratheon react when he learns of this? Find out in the next chapter.
CodeWesteros: Hi, is me i back,,, i love reading your story and i hope see more of romance, conspiracy, whispers... and the past of Deamon and Argilac and his mother and the baratheon history... i want to know abaut the Kingsguard (Deamon and Argilac) who is the lord Commander of Argilac and his past and the other 6 members of the orden, the are like the Kingsguard of Arys the mad king or more like Joffrey (book and series) a gang of pompous thugs and murderers
C.E.W: The rebel victory at Riverrun is a major victory, and a moral boost for the rebellion under Daemon Baratheon. The North, the Riverlands, the Iron Islands and the Vale join together make a formidable force. The war however as only just begun, no doubt that King Argilac will be furious over this, and will mean to retaliate.
The royal army of Argilac can still regroup, the Westerlands, the Stormlands, and the Reach can still make up the bigger army.
The only kingdom that hasn't declared for either side is Dorne.