The fall

Edmure POV

A mist settled on the ground. It was thin but still obscured one's vision. It didn't stop the trebuchets from hitting the walls of the city. King Jaehaerys forces surrounded the city. Every gate was being besieged. And after a month of letting the Lannister suffer under the falling rain of rocks, we finally can move.

During this month, there were plenty of riots in the city. Every lord agreed that the city was weakened enough. It was time to storm it. The North, the Riverlands, and the Reach joining hands had created an army of a hundred thousand men. There was no hope for the Lannisters. Should they try to run, we will hunt them down.

"Are you sure you are ready, my lord?" Edmund asked as he fastened my armor.

"I am ready as I can be."

"But the healer said it would take at least one and half months for you to heal fully."

"I am fine. Prepare my horse."

Edmund did as commanded and left my tent. After putting my sword in the belt on my waist, I took the helm from the table. Red and blue were the colors of House Tully, and so was my armor. I still felt the discomfort in my movements, but it was something I could manage.

Leading the tent, Edmund was waiting for me with my horse Rain. I caressed my horse with care. The black stallion was by my side for a long time. He accompanied me in many battles. He was the trustworthy stead that I always could count on. Mounting him, I left Edmund behind. My squire wasn't ready for are actual battle just yet.

"Edmure," Patrek greeted me. "Good luck out there."

"To you too," I replied. "Be careful of the Flea Bottom. It is dense with crumbling buildings, a great place for an ambush."

"So, you have heard that father and I are going through Iron Gates."

"I know where everyone is going," I answered.

"Should we start calling you all-knowing instead of Redfish?"

"It was you who named me in the first place. If you want to complain, do it to yourself."

"Lord Edmure, ser Patrek," Lord Bolton rode next to me. "I am to ride with you, Lord Edmure, through the Gate of the Gods."

"Our force will be the biggest. We are to ride straight to the Red Keep," I said. "Once the Red Keep is ours, this battle will be over."

We had enough men to cover all the gates. Once we breach the gates, it will be up to us to take the city down. After a month of being besieged, most of the towers on the walls were destroyed, so sending battering rams to breach the gates wouldn't be so difficult anymore.

As we spoke with each other, the battering rams were pushed forward. Patrek seeing that it was time to join his father, left. Lord Bolton and I went for our positions too. We waited beyond the reach of arrows as the gates were battered.

"It is time, Lord Edmure," Lord Bolton said as the gates were almost broken.

"Send the men. We shall join too."

The foot went first to secure the path. Once the gates were breached, the foot pushed back the Lannister men and took control of the gates. With a signal, I ordered my men to ride with me. We entered the city without too much of a problem, and once in King's Landing, we didn't stop.

The path was secured, and we rode fast. Our horses trampled everyone who tried to stop us. The city was in pure chaos. In Cobbler's Squire, the first genuine obstacle presented itself. A couple of hundred knights wanted to challenge us. My lance broke upon them, not giving them a chance to give a good fight.

Arrows flew behind the buildings or on top of them. Our steel armor stopped them; if it didn't, the arrows couldn't pierce through the chain mail. I left the foot to deal with them and let my two thousand knights through the city.

We were the first to reach the city center, but I could see and hear the fighting in the streets of King's Landing. Many of the Lannister's men surrender in the sight of us. Others would die to our swords. Just as I could feel the victory in our hands, I smelt something. The smell was like no other, yet it was familiar.

"Wildfire," The word came to me. It smelt like Wildfire. "Everyone, to the ground."

My yelling was drowned by the sound of the Great Sept of Baelor being consumed by the dark emerald flames. I dropped to the ground and hit Rain to run away. The sept wasn't far from the city's center, and I could see the flames spreading. The screams came first, then the smell of burned flesh.

"To the Red Keep," I ordered the men.

The flames had blocked our path to retreat. The only way was to go forward. Most of us lost our horses in the panic, or, like me, others dismounted and let them run freely. In this chaos, it would be almost impossible to control them.

We pushed forward through the meager defenses. Those who had not surrendered before were now running in panic and fear. Yet it was not over. I saw that the dark emerald flames suddenly engulfed the Flea Bottom. I was worried about Patrek as I knew he was fighting there, but I had to move forward.

By the time we reached the walls of the Red Keep, half of the city was burning. Everyone was running through the streets, trying to find a place to go. I saw burning men and children alike burned alive. The screams have gotten only louder and louder.

"Arrows," Someone screamed, and I held my shield above my head.

"Lord Bolton, are you alright?" In the chaos, I saw Roose Bolton fall to the ground.

"Lord Edmure, I am fine. Only my shoulder got hit."

"Too bad," I said, taking the arrow from his shoulder. "It seems I have to do all the work."

Before Lord Bolton could realize what I meant, I thrust the arrows into his neck. He looked at me with a shocked face. Yet his eyes were accepting his death. Even in the hell that the city turned into, I had to do my job. Boltons don't have a place in my future.

"My Lord, is everything alright?" Some knight came to check on us.

"Lord Bolton was hit into the neck," I said as Lord Boldon breathed his last. "He is dead."

"What are your orders?"

"We keep moving to the Red Keep," I said.

I gathered the remaining men and pushed forward. I was surprised to see the Red Keep almost empty. The gates were opened. I feared that it was a trap, but I soon saw weapons and shields dropped on the ground. The men who guarded the Keep had run away.

"Search all the chambers," I ordered the men. "The rest come with me to the throne room."

I knew it would be hard for the others to join me. So, I had no choice but to rush and take the Red Keep myself. The few thousand I had with me split and went inside the keep. A few knights tried to stand before me on the way to the throne room. My Valyrian sword cut through them like they were made of paper.

Once we arrived at the throne room, I was tired. Covered in dirt, ashes, and blood, I forced the doors to be opened. On the Iron Throne sat Joffrey, below him fifty knights. They wore full armor and had swords with shields in their hands. Behind me stood about seventy tired but furious men.

"Kill him, kill them all," The little shit screamed.

"You are dressed as knights," I said to the men who stood before me. "You may call yourself such, but you die like dogs."

They rushed at me, and I stepped back. Not everyone could fit through the doorway and could use it to dwindle some of them. I blocked one sword with my shield and another with my sword before kicking the third away from me. Letting one get closer, I hit his head with my shield. After three hits, he fell to the ground.

I bend my head to avoid a sword. And stabbed my own at someone's neck. Even though it looked like they pushed us back into the hallway. The truth was that those knights had to step over their dead companions. It was too late to realize it, as only ten were left soon enough.

Pushing myself to one knight, I drove my sword through his armpit. A few blades grazed me, but my armor protected me well. It was not hard to kill the last of them, who rushed, consumed by madness. The last one's head flew quite the distance.

"Are you done, bastard?" I asked the false King walking through fifty dead knights.

"Hound, kill him."

I looked at the man with the hound helm. He looked at me and then back to his King. He drew his greatsword and then dropped it to Joffrey's feet. The Hound took his helm next and threw it on Joffrey's lap.

"Fight him yourself," The Hound said and backed off.

"I will have your head, Hound. I will have all of your heads."

The boy has gone mad from fear. Standing up from his throne, he tried to lift the greatsword, yet he couldn't do so. The tip of the sword stayed on the floor. Getting tired of this nonsense, I walked up to him and bashed his head with my shield. He dropped to the ground like a log.

I was tired, too, so I sat on the steps below the Iron Throne. I waited for the rest of my men to be done searching the Red Keep. From the windows, I saw smoke filling the sky. It was a dark sky, even though it should be in the middle of the day.

"My Lord, we searched all the Keep," One of the knights returned shortly after. "We found the queen regent."

"The rest of the Lannisters?" I asked.

"Apart from the servants, and there were few of them. Neither Tywin nor Tyrion was seen in the keep. Tommen and Myrcella are missing too."

"Bring the queen to me," I told them.

"I am sorry, she is dead."

"Dead? Who killed her?"

"She did it herself; we found an empty cup near her. Probably poison."

"Question everybody. Someone should know where are the rest of the Lannisters."

It should be a sweet victory, yet only a bitter taste was left in my mouth. I couldn't rest, not yet. I ordered a hundred men to stay in the keep while the rest followed me. The Lannisters had escaped, they could run, but there was no place to hide. Thousands of people in the city needed help, and I had thousands of men in my command.

A.N. Thanks for reading, if you want more, up to five advance chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852