"M...my lords?" Young Sam Tarly asked the twins. Sent to serve as a page by his father, Randyll Tarly, Sam knew that this was not meant to be a prestigious position, and indeed it wasn't, for Lord Paxter Redwyne's sons, the twins Horas and Hobber did not hold him in high regard. They would tease him for his weight and young age, even if they were only ten years old themselves. Only their younger sister Desmera showed any sympathy for Sam in his position. They were the same age after all.
"What is it, piggy?" Hobber replied. He was only younger by a minute and eighteen seconds than Horas, but he was younger nevertheless, and for this, he slightly resented his older brother, Sam noticed. As if he envied the heir. He wore a dark green and black striped shirt to stand from his brother's light green and purple, the house's colours. His black trousers also contrasted the white of Horas. "Don't you have some truffles to dig up in the fields?" Horas laughed at this, and Hobber joined in.
"I think he must have eaten them all by now!" The older brother chipped in. That led to more laughing, and more of Sam's awkward silence.
Sam starts anyway. "Y-your father wishes to speak to you. He...he sent me." Sam was always courteous around the twins, to not be so meant he might be disciplined, or worse, sent back to Father.
"Does he now?" Hobber sneered. "Is this about those supposed invaders that the fishermen claimed? Father can't seriously believe those claims, can he?"
Horas showed similar dismissive eye rolling. "I have better things to do than this." He walked off, leaving Hobber and Sam. Hobber dwarfed Sam in height, but he wasn't quite as imposing without his brother.
"My Lord, he is-is as serious as serious can be, he does indeed wish to see you and your brother. He's on the balcony, with your mother." Sam replied, as confidently as he could. He needed to work on his voice. Being shy and fat only made him a bigger target.
The younger twin, after a moment of squinting at Sam, sighed. "Alright then." Hobber pushed Sam aside and headed up the doorway to see his father. Now Sam needed to find Horas and Desmera to see if they were around. Sam knew that bad things were coming, though he didn't quite understand what. He had heard the servants whispering about some kind of attack coming. Was it the Ironborn? The Lannisters? The Targaryens, perhaps? And there were stories about a great bird or dragon there too. Or that the Drowned God had emerged from the sea! Was any of this true? He did not know. What he did know was that Lord Paxter Redwyne himself was concerned about what was coming and was issuing preparations.
Sam rushed down the hallway looking for Paxter's other children, eager to tell them the news. The guards weren't here as usual for some reason, perhaps with Lord Redwyne himself. He-
He bumped into a shape taller than himself and fell. He heard a gasp as he tumbled to the floor, paper in hand.
"Sam! Are you alright?" It was lovely Desmara, in a pretty white dress, her long red hair grown out, her freckles cheeks blushed like rose. His father had sent him to woo her with the possiblity of betrothal, though she was far too beautiful for him, he knew it. She would no doubt be wedded to some higher lord's son when she got older, not him. The best he could hope for was in the Citadel, and that would be very lucky. She likely only felt pity for him.
"I am fine, my lady." He shamefully said as he got up on his own, scrambling to get the papers he had dropped. He certainly wasn't fine on the inside. "Your father wants to see you."
"Papa?" She questioned. "You mean my lord father wishes to see me now?"
Sam maintained his urgency. "Yes. And your brothers, too! He seemed urgent!" Lord Paxter had practically shouted at Sam to get the children, and his wife, Lady Mina had been no different. "I'm sorry for bumping into you, my lady!"
She giggled. "It's fine, Samwell, you were just scared, is all! And you don't need to call me 'lady', I'm only his daughter. You're going to be heir to Hornhill! Now let's go and see my father!" Hornhill would be very lucky for me, he thought.
Sam ran after her, panting and sighing. Before he could catch up to her proper, Horas, the eldest came through between them. "Where are you going, little page?" Sam never liked Horas. Whereas Hobber was mean out of jealousy of some sort, Horas was genuinely arrogant.
"Your father wants to-" he was cut off with a slap on his head. "Ooooowwww!"
"Don't come after my sister again, you little fat turd!" He stood in front. "You don't think I notice the way you look at her? As if she were some flower for you to pluck? She will never marry you, pig!" He pushed Sam back again, where he nearly tripped over.
"Horas! Don't be so mean to him!" Desmera intervened. "He's just telling us to see Father and Mother! That's all! Stop it!"
Horas relented before any more teasing took place. "Very well, seeet sister. I'll see you in Father's quarters." He walked off now, up the chamber.
Sam was grateful to Desmera for what she did. "Thank you, my lady." He smiled, in spite of the pain, as he still winced. "I'm but a page boy, yet you helped me regardless."
"He shouldn't treat you like that, Sam, it isn't fair to be like that!" She held him up back to his feet. "I'll see you in Father's quarters!" She ran up the stairs. Sam stares there for some time. Now he needed to make it. Pages had their duties after all.
The side of Sam's head continued to ache as he slowly climbed the stairs. He needed to take a break before he could go any further, tired and out of breath. As he waited, one of the maids came rushing up, towering over him, with short brown hair, and sweating with what appeared to be fear. She tried to shout at him but he couldn't tell what she was saying. She stopped next to him. "They're...getting...closer. Ships! Less...than three...hours off shore!" Sam's breath lost him once again. Ships were coming! There was something coming! And fast!
They finished their way up the stairs into Lord Paxter's chambers. He was already telling the boys what was happening, while Lady Mina held Desmera closely. Before Sam could open his mouth, the servant explained what she had saw. Lady Redwyne held her daughter closer, and soon her sons went to her as well, their faces laced with fear.
"My love! Go down to the cellar with the maids and servants! Jenna here will escort you there now! Boys! You go with her too. Samwell, you will stay by my side."
Horas protested. "But father, we should be by your side fighting the enemy! Why does the pig page stay with you?"
Lord Paxter spoke up. "You are my sons, and I can't risk you falling into enemy hands." But I can be risked, Sam thought. Somehow he thought his father wouldn't care either way what happened. As soon as Dickon was born, Sam knew his time as heir was numbered, when that horrible bath had been given to him. Sam wished his own father cared about him the way Lord Redwyne did about his. "Sam will stay with me and send a raven or message should the Arbor fall, so reinforcements from Oldtown should come to meet them. Ser Merigold shall lead the ground forces, while I shall lead our fleet against the invader, to protect not only our island, but Oldtown itself!"
The sons, while nervous, nodded, and soon they and their mother obeyed and went down in the direction of the cellars. Desmera looked back at Sam, worried about what was coming, as was he.
Sam turned to Lord Redwyne, no less distressed now. "What is your wish for me, my Lord?" Sam had no idea what these Ironborn or pirates would do, but it couldn't have been good. He was too young to understand the things of grownups, but he knew bad men were coming.
"You will come with me. I won't let you fall into enemy hands, don't worry, or your poor mother would never forgive herself. Or me for that matter. Come with me." His voice was stern here, and so Sam followed the big grown up lord to the balcony. Two guards and a nervous servant looked over, and the guards didn't look happy either. Sam was only six years old, and so couldn't see over the wall. Lord Redwyne suddenly grabbed him, heaving a little due to Sam's pudgy weight, and stood him up on the side of the wall. It felt uneasy being on a wall even with a grown up supporting him.
Below the castle, the port town of Ryamsport was blocked up to limit ships coming in and out, the Redwyne fleet was readying itself for what was next beyond it, vast in number and well versed. Prepared for the enemy. To his left, the other town of Starfish Harbor, while smaller, seemed similarly prepared, with more ships setting off to meet the enemy. But Sam didn't see anything yet. The Isles to the north east were visible, but not much else was clear from here.
"Selwick, pass me the Myrish glass." A servant same with a bronze coloured tube with glass inside. It looked like a small torch.
"There, milord." The willowy servant said to his lord. Now Sam could see it had some language written on it. Septa Dalla has talked about giving Sam Valyrian lessons, though there were many dialects and he didn't know Myrish.
Paxter looked through nervously and only seemed worse when he shave it to Sam. "Look through the small end." Sam did as he was told and now the sea and islands looked much bigger. He noticed that trade cogs and burning warships were sailing away now.
Then he saw them.
Sam saw many strange ships surrounding the Isle of Pigs in the distance, and as he squinted, it seemed as if there were bright flashes, despite there being no clouds in the sky. As he turned, he also saw ships docking on Horseshoe Rock. He saw little shapes coming on the beaches, some may have been men, but others looked larger. Horses? Bears? He didn't know. Something bigger than all the others came out of one ship, resembling a horse, but he still couldn't tell, they were too far away. It was an invasion after all!
"My Lord! They're taking the little islands with ships and monsters!" Sam cried. "They're that close to us! How long do we have before they reach Ryamsport?" Sam didn't want to die, even if living meant going back home.
"I must be honest with you, it'll be two and a half hours if the tides are right! Until that, we wait till they come, till-" he paused. "What is that?" Lord Redwyne pointed to a growing shape in the sky. Slowly growing, but growing nevertheless. "Seven hells! To the fleet!" He grabbed Sam and rushed to the exits with the guards. "Carry him if you have to!" Sam was slow, so they did have to.
"What did he see?" Sam asked as he was being shaken as they moved. He thought he might be sick with all the motion.
Ser Laenor replied. "It's better not knowing, boy. We're all in this situation together."
Ser Graham by his side sneakily said "it seems you'll find out soon enough!" Laenor pushed st him for that remark. He was right though. This wasn't the time for jokes!
Sam was now being carried into the courtyard directly behind Lord Paxter, who was getting on his horse with his escort and heading straight for the docks. "Don't let the attackers near the castle. Guard my family with your lives!" He got on his horse, and Laenor put Sam up on another horse alongside him, a white mare. Now they began to gallop toward danger.
Sam has never been so scared. As he shook under the horse's galloping, tears soured from his eyes. He wanted his mother now! Why wS all of this happening? He wanted to be back home again, with his siblings, and mother! Even father didn't seem so bad at this time!
Now as he approached the town's gates, he saw the shape in the sky, getting closer and closer. It had two great wings soaring out like a seabird, but appeared far larger, and it seemed as if it had been thunderstruck. A great bird! It was almost at the coast now.
Commotion and panic set in as the people of the town fled in all directions. Lord Redwyne would not flee, but headed for the port, to the ships, where he was in his element. There were also weapons on those ships that could shoot down enemies. They needed to be quick though.
As they rose through the streets, a deep boom went through the air, like a bird's call, but far louder and deeper, like thunder. Sam knew the monster was coming and fast. The sounds of the docks were near too. Men were rushing ahead. Lord Paxter cried out "to arms!" as his men prepared to dock the flagship "the Grapes of Wrath".
A great noise like a buzzing insect filled the air, followed by the screams of many men by the dock. Sam saw little, but saw what he thought was lightning heading sideways behind a few buildings where the dock was most visible. The lightning stories were true. He knew from the septa that being in or near water was the worst place one could be when lightning struck, but this wasn't natural.
"Oh father, protect us!" Graham exclaimed. "A monster that breathes lightning as a dragon breathes fire!" Nothing like this was in the storybooks!
"It's wings must be a hundred feet from tip to tip!" Laenor exclaimed as the monstrous bird came into view over the ground. In one talon was a horse and some knight Sam recognised. "Oh Ser Patryck!" Laenor noticed. "Reduced to bird food. What a terrible fate!" Sam had seen how gulls ate their food, fish or bird. They would pick at it bite by bite as it continued to struggle. He only imagined Patryck and his horse had a similar fate to come.
Lord Redwyne charged out his lance regardless. "To the Grapes of Wrath! We have the weapons to- dear gods, it has a rider!"
Sam looked up. Paxter was right, a man rode on the back of the great bird, sword in hand. It was too loud to take in, but Sam could have sworn he heard laughing as the great monster descended upon them.
There's no place like home, he thought, reminded of some old story he'd read in a book. There's no place like home, there's no place like home.