Ashara
280 A.C The Old Lady
Did it all seem necessary for the defeat of Ned, he was to her knowledge from the talking of men alone with maybe ten other men. Including Brandon Stark and Robert Baratheon, if nothing else she thanked the gods Ned had a fighter like him, she had prayed constantly since they overheard the news of his arrival and the consequential hours following this. She slept for maybe four hours at most. Now it was morning and she was looking at a rather discouraging sight. The outlaws had come to mass, maybe a good if she were counting sixty outlaws. All of them riders among them where some of the commanding figures. Dick the quiet man, who always seemed to lurk around the keep but never speaking a word. Big Belly Ben was leading the charge, Simon was meanwhile gathering the rest of the keep and preparing it for a siege. All in all it was a perfect time, the smiling knight was away and their guard…well was a single fool who didn't seem all that competent.
Ashara turned from the window seeing the assembled men and looked to Elia. They with some material had sown together, some breeches and clothes. Their dresses discarded for this would only burden them. Using old sheets they made cloaks and fastened them around their shoulders. Ashara opened her door and looked outside. Her guard was yawning and from the look of the deflated skin by his side quite drunk. Ashara nodded and steeled herself, this was different not unlike when that one bloke tried to rape her. So with all the courage she could muster she grabbed their sowing needles the four of them tied together the points slightly blunted but it would be enough. Sighing Ashara looked to Elia and hugged her friend and for whatever reason she pecked her lips.
"What was that for?" Elia raised a brow half confused.
"I'm nervours thought it lightened the mood" she grinned and Elia smiled slightly hugging her friend.
"I can do it if you'd prefer" Elia began but Elia had been so strong for them both, she needed to return the favor. Looking out the window Elia was awaiting the right moment. Ashara peeked from the open door the man was so drunk he didn't even notice Ashara slip next to him. A loud cheer erupted from the outside and Elia nodded to her their signal the gates though crumbling and old opened and took ages to close and open again. So Ashara prayed to the seven and clutched the sowing needles, with her wits gathered she roughtly grabbed the man's hair and pulled it back baring his bearded neck.
"What?" he tried and Ashara jammed the needles into his neck, blood gushed and her hands became slick on the needles. Worrying almost sardonically that she wouldn't kill him properly she grabbed the butt of the needles and pushed them further. Pulling back the man tumbled forward clutching the needles writhing on the ground. The sounds he made gurgling made her stomach churn yet she could not look away. When she killed that outlaw before she had been so angry she never really saw him die she had been so busy being furios before….the pain. Now as the man gave the last of his writhes spitting out blood into the pool already soaking under him. He died, Elia came out of the room and paled herself seeing the body.
"Alright come on w-we should move" Elia grabbed the spear careful to avoid the blood. Clutching it they put their hoods over their heads and made their way down to their second objective. The keep was a bustle men moving here to there seeing them cloaks up and a spear in one of them. They blended in no one paid them mind the keep was being prepared for a battle. The halls twisted and turned until they found what they were looking for. Down by the stables nearly empty was a makeshift holding cell for their prisoner. The knight they captured a Frey from the Towers on his breast plate to be sure. He was sitting on the muddy ground his hands unbound but he looked terrible. Elia spoke hissing at him in a quiet tone.
"Ser" she hissed and repeated twice before the Frey knight looked up.
"What the fuck do you want" he said turning from them.
"Freedom" he looked at them and snarled.
"Fuck off" he said and turned away, Ashara looked to Elia and she was confused, clearly this man didn't notice their male voices.
"Ser we aren't outlaws it is I Elia Martell and Ashara Dayne" the knight looked to them and stood moving up Ashara kept a lookout and Elia nodded removing her hood.
"my lady…I'm sorry" he bumbled.
"Nay come we will free you and we must flee! We cannot flee without you" she hissed. Elia used a spare needle she had requested and jammed it into the lock holding him.
"Hurry!" he hissed and Elia nodded before the lock clicked and she thanked the gods it worked. The door opened and the big knight stepped out nodding.
"Horses let's saddle them" hissed Ashara.
"Nay too much time just grab them and…well we can deal with soreness later" Elia sighed and the three grabbed horses putting reins on them. Making their way out of the stables they rushed to the back of the keep where the tower leant and the wall was breached. To their fear two men guarded the entrance and the knight looked at them taking the spear from Elia.
"Okay when I start at them ride to the breach." He said gruffly and mounted the horse after a few hops. Not only was it unsightly it made them feel a bit uneasy as well. The Frey knight rode to them and the guards turned looking confused before the knight yelled and Elia and Ashara sent each other withering glances. Jumping on their horses not exactly graceful themselves they rode to the ensuing battle where the Frey man speared the first guard and jumped on the other knocking him over. Elia and Ashara slowed their horses and rode out of the breach. Turing the Frey Knight grabbed a boulder and Ashara turned flinching hearing the pleads of mercy and then the crunch of his head smashed open. The Frey knight this time using the broken wall jumped on his horse and rode out. They rushed out the Old Lady quickly fading away in the distance. After they gained enough distance the trepidation melted away the wind on her face ashara laughed. She cared not for the pain in her thighs or her cunt burning something fierce against the horse from the bucking.
"FREE!" yelled Ashara and Elia laughed with the Frey knight roaring heartedly. The tables had turned and now the outlaws previously winning just lost their bargaining chips to keep their heads. Now came the part Elia had promised under her breath Ashara muttered in her somewhat awful Valyiran.
"Valar morghulis" Ashara could not wait to see their enemy's dead.
Eddard
280 A.C Kingswood
The men held together and their little conversation with their newest captive was enlightening. He broke rather easy with little probing necessary, on their part. Robert rode next to him and Brandon just a leg behind leading the men with one of the men having the prisoner tossed over their horse like a sack. They were in a short trot down the unpaved goat pass the generations of commonfolk trudged until they became what they are. Trudging to the path Ned looked to the woods and wondered if where Rhaegar was aware of his presence. Four riders came to him and he sent them back with word of their captured prisoner, Rhaegar would have met them already wouldn't he?
"The riders were intercepted, we should be ready for an attack" Ned said to Robert.
"Aye this quiet makes me uneasy" Robert said all of the men felt it on their bones, since leaving the town it was an odd feeling. They had one of the outlaws and he spilled his guts to them, they were much targets now. Ned looked to the forest and felt his gut twist, and before he could dwell on it he saw shadows move. While common sense told him to stop the men, his gut told him something else Ned scowled and instead looked to the men.
"Ride! Fast and hard!" Ned growled and snapped the reins of his horse and sprinted forward the men followed suit with Brandon yelling over the fall of hooves.
"What is it?" Brandon yelled and Neds gut feeling proved true. From the forest riders began storming to them swords drawn and lances at the ready.
"Oh bullocks good call Ned!" Robert bellowed winging his hammer to bare.
"Swords!" Ned yelled and the command went down the line steel singing blades bare and at the ready. From the other side riders poured on as well they were overwhelmed! Both sides were closing in and Ned wasn't sure they didn't have the men to hold them off.
"From the back!" Brandon carried the information of their men. From both sides and behind this was an encirclement and they would run into the rest of the circle in a few moments. Thinking fast Ned ordered the formation to tighten up so they could punch through the encirclement. The forest was far too easy to move this amount of men for in Ned's mind. A larger force and the outlaws would have been too cumbersome to pursue them effectively. His mind instantly brought him to the attention of the Outlaw that led this, Kingwoods Brotherhood.
An encirclement with just enough men to outnumber Ned's and be able to maneuver them. Bundled tighter together forming a tighter formation Ned saw the incoming. The thundering of hooves made Ned lick his lips and aligned himself in the incoming gap. Swords drawn and Robert hammer ready for the swing barreled for a collision.
"Break through them!" Ned roared and yelled loudly his men following suit. The outlaws yelled in return their swords up the two chargers met. Stell sang Ned parried swords with the first man and ducked down almost losing his head to the second and swinging up cut the third rider knocking him off his horse. The loud noises of horses neighing and men dying screaming cursing, and steel biting. Ned grunted parrying another hit and cut down another man. To his right Robert smashed his war hammer into riders utterly destroying them. One poor bastard had his block knocked his head clean off from the powerful blow. Brandon roared and killed men left and right with his sword Ice wasn't meant for Calvary combat. They broke through somehow, after however many seconds he broke through the other side.
"Shit!" Ned growled and slowed his horse down his men followed suit breaking through the front line only let their pursuers come up. Ned panted and the outlaws were once more encircling them leaving them surrounded. This Simon Toyne was a smart bugger, even if Ned had continued riding he would hit nother line of men. The others pursuing him would encircle him again and repeat the process until he was bled dry. Panting Ned held his sword and looked to his men circled up facing the enemy and made a head count.
"Were down to six M'lord" one of his riders licked his lips breathing hard and Ned looked to him he was wounded his side bleeding. From the men lost the captured outlaw was gone, well he at least kept the doublet. Should he meet with Princes Elia she might want it for her fallen knight.
"I think I know you Stark" the outlaw a rather fat man with a mace came to him.
"Can't say we've met, me or my brother" Ned responded and Brandon looked to Ned and then shrugged.
"Aye we haven't but you met a good lad of mine, killed some of our boys mighty angry at you" grunted the outlaw leader.
"Well you know us, who are you?" Ned at this point was trying to buy time, for what? Seven hells he didn't know maybe come up with a way to break the encirclement and not get surrounded again.
"Lads call me Big Belly Ben" the man introduced himself and began closing in with his men swords drawn.
"Big Belly Ben I recall the name now" Ned said his own circle of men had their horses trot back and raise their blades. The outlaw stopped and looked to his men with a grin.
"Do you know?" He smirked and chuckled his men joining him.
"That group of outlaws in my lands mentioned the name" another lie, but he just needed to think of something. Brandon wasn't helping the matter when he cursed at the outlaw.
"For such a big man, you wouldn't think to need so many men to capture us" Brandon growled.
"So this is the Wild Wolf? Have to say I'm not all that impress" smirked the fat man.
"So what now? You want to kill us here? Before you do how many of your men will die?" Robert span his hammer once and the outlaw's glared steel raised.
"Come now surrender here and no one has to die…more than already" grinned Big Belly Ben.
"No more men have to die, one on one you and me" Brandon barked out.
"Oh what would an outlaw like me know about honorable combat" Ben pointed his mace at them.
"I think you would know how to fight like a man in single combat" Robert growled back.
"Well I guess negotiations have broken down, let's end this" Ben once more started to enclose on Ned's men.
"Your man Longneck, he sold you for coin you know?" this time the outlaws all stopped themselves. Robert and Brandon both looked to Ned this time.
"Longneck he was leading a raiding party of brigands in my lands. When I sent my men after him, he gave me your names for coin and letting him go" Ned's gambled paid off and the gathered outlaws began talking among themselves.
"Shut it you cunts!" Ben yelled at them.
"The Kingswood Brotherhood does not betray each other…not under a penalty of death" he reminded the men and they began agreeing.
"So that's why you came here to kill your own man? Is that what loyalty to Simon Toyne means?" Ned got the men talking again.
"If anyone talks they are betraying us" Ben said.
"They are under duress with the threat of things worst than death" Brandon prode in.
"Aye no man would be foolish enough to keep their tongue held" Robert shrugged but his eyes on their attackers.
"Simon rewards loyalty we aren't a bloody army for some cunty lord!" Ben growled and the tides turned against them again. This time Ned wasn't even allowed a response as the group began agreeing with each other.
"Simon came to us! Killed any cunt that threaten our homes!" Ben yelled
"Aye!" his men responded.
"He put coin in your purses when the lords took it!" swords raised they responded again.
"Aye!" they roared and this time it seemed like they would not be dissuaded. Swords up Ned readied to fight for everything and tried encouraging his men.
"Don't die here men, show these outlaws !" Ned knew his men would fight loyally, but he knew they died when they had something to return to.
"For what you want lads! Fight for what brings you joy! Ashara!" Ned yelled his horse neighed jumping on its hind legs.
"Lyanna!" Robert yelled and his brother had his own battle cry.
"The North!" Brandon, and his men threw names of sons and wives. The outlaws closed in more when the sound of thundering hooves reached their ears. Ned shifted his sight to his right and a few banners were seen flapping on the wind. A black banner with a three headed red dragon flying came along with a battle cry of men coming for them.
"To the rear!" Ben yelled and only about half of them turned and their saviors smashed into the outlaws steel and horses neighing followed a flurry of chaos Ned pushed forward stabbing a distracted outlaw and staring an engagement. It was chaos Ned cut down an outlaw to his left and then reached right parrying a strike and then stabbed his attacker too slow to react to Ned's stirke's in the fury of the melee he found Rhaegar moving his horse to his friends rear and saving him from an outlaw trying to get lucky.
Rhaegar
"Ned!" Rhaegar smirked and parrying a strike and locking swords with outlaw. Freeing his footf rom the stirrup Rhaegar kicked the outlaws side and he doubled over allowing Rhaegar disarm him and cut his chest throwing him off his horse.
"Rhaegar! Your rear gods I was gone only about a month and half!" Ned smirked and turning his horse and parrying a strike up and stabbing his attacker through the neck and pulled back. Robert rode in fast like the weapon he wielded and hammered through outlaws. He swung hard and Ned could have sworn he heard the sound of bones crunching when Robert smashed an outlaw's chest. There was no organization and it was just a mesh of death. Steel clashing men cursing and spitting, death all around. Arthur was cutting down men like they were nothing, Dawn was on his back just using a longsword. Brandon Stark the heir to the North was proving himself the warrior and was whirl of steel and curses as he cut down men with fury.
"The left!" Robert said and Ned turned his horse parrying a sword to the left on Rhaegar's left and Rhaegar turned cutting the man's throat.
"On your rear Ned" like gears working in unison Ned ducked down and Rhaegar parried the strike meant for Ned and Robert swung his hammer breaking the attackers arm. The bone punctured through his sleeve and he yelled bloody murder. Ned stabbed him through the heart killing the poor sod and then Robert swung his hammer back smacking an outlaw off his horse into the ground gasping for air. Ned rode up and traded blows with a man that sneaked up on Rhaegar and the prince returned the favor taking the head of a man coming up for Ned. Robert came in swining up hitting a man up the jaw knocking teeth out and breaking his neck. The horse ran off the body limply hanging on it.
"Robert god's man!" Rhaegar said the way he swung that hammer made him feel sorry for whoever fell to it. The melee was turning to their favor the outlaws were dropping, and they were starting to break. Rhaegar scanned the field and found Jaime fighting big belly ben. He parried the mace that he swung and then parried Ben's strike. With a work of his sword Jaime forced Ben's hand up and with a horizontal swipe upwards.
"AAAGHH!" Ben yelled Jaime took his hand and then Jaime swung again yelling with might and slew the outlaw Big Belly Ben taking his head off.
"Fucking hell! Ben's dead!" yelled an outlaw.
"Where's Dick!" another desperate outlaw yelled before this Dick man spoke up from the outlaws rallying them.
"Form up! Form up! cut them down the middle!" yelled Dick and rallied his men charing at their middle after riding away from the melee and turning smashing into their exposed flank.
"With me! With me now!" Ned yelled and Rhaegar nodded simply and followed Ned, with him his Duskendale men came with him. Ned led them through to smash against the outlaws dead on. Some of the outlaws smashed horse against horse with Ned's men and Ned cut a swath through the riders Rhaegar came up with him protecting his left and Robert his right. Ned met Dick and traded blows, Ned cut Dick's side. The outlaw dropped his sword holding his side, this was good a prisoner! To Rhaegars surprise Ned didn't ask the man to yield and with a roar he split his skull in two his sword stuck in the man's skull.
"Flee! Flee!" the outlaws said and Ned yelled over them the battle fever on them.
"Run them down!" Ned kicked his horse and the men yelled Robert and Brandon Stark right after them. Ned cut down the first man he reached and they followed suit until only three men remained and were able to get away.
"Come on rally let them go!" Rhaegar took command of the situation and they gathered together. Ned grunted his gaze stayed on the retreating outlaws before returning to Rhaegar.
"Come on say aye if you're alive!" Ned yelled loud cheers came from the surviving men.
"I don't think you heard the bloody man say aye!" Robert bellowed and for such a small amount of men the yell felt thunderous to Rhaegar.
"AYE!" Robert laughed and cheered before Rhaegar took control of the situation.
"Alright! Good job men we arrived in the nick of time, now comes for the hard part." Rhaegar looked to the killing field before them. Horses stood unmounted and dead, men were on their bellies holding wounds and begging for the mother's mercy.
"Sort out the wounded and count the dead Lord Crakehall! Rhaegar said and from the men rode out the Lord of Crakehall armor bloodied.
"At your service my Prince" Rhaegar nodded to the Lord.
"Take an escort to get more men and bring carts for the dead and wounded" Rhaegar orderd.
"Aye my prince, Jaime stay here with the prince…and good job lad" the Lord of crakehall smirked and nodded to the young squire and rode off with four men. The young squire had praises from the men who saw him only just fourteen slew Big Belly Ben. Then the Duskendale men Ned had with him praised him for killing Dick the other outlaw that tried rallying the remaining men. Ned had remained on his horse sending orders while Arthur after shaking hands with Ned set up a perimeter to guard the working men.
So much death looking on from a rough estimate they lost twenty men. The outlaws had been wiped piecemeal leaving behind so many bodies. As he saw the visage of death and what a battlefield was. Rhaegar saw something that could only be a premonition. North to the forest Rhaegar saw four of his men with outlaws limbs and gore proper to look at. The dead had died so as to pile in small stack nothing immense from what he felt was to come. From the pile of horses and men Rhaegars standard barer laid on the pile face down on his hand firmly planted on the bodies was his lance. The banner of the black dragon, his dragon waving over the carnage. The price for the Iron Throne should he fail to remove his father peacefully. Gripping the reins of his horse a haunted look came to his eyes as in his mind he saw himself in armor banner in one hand, sword on the other standing on a field of bodies. From the sky bodies fell like rain and before Rhaegar the Iron Throne seemd to stare at him while the throne itself bled.
"Rhaergar" Ned's soft voice snapped him from this horrifying visage. The burden of the lives on his hands could not be forgotten already he had sent men to die.
"Forgive me Ned, I just could not phantom the loss today…but you my friend" Rhaegar turned his horse to face his friend and Robert.
"Are you fine?" Ned looked downcast for a bit before looking around.
"Good men died here, and more are to come…these…outlaws took from me. From us Rhaegar forgive this side you see but I am angry" Ned gritted his teeth his grip on his bloody sword tighten his leather crackling under it.
"Aye should have seen him interrogated this poor sod so bad he pissed himself" Rhaegar looked surprised to think his gentle friend would be capable of such a thing. Still he knew his feelings for Ashara Dayne to be strong.
"Forget him…he's dead anyways" Ned said dismissively looking to the sorting dead.
"My Prince, the Smiling Knight wasn't here" a Dornishman came to them.
"Ezack how do you fair?" Rhaegar asked the man was bloodied but didn't looked bother by it.
"Fine my prince no wounds but more so I wanted the Smiling Knight Dead" grunted the Dornishman.
"He shall see justice soon enough soldier" Ned spoke up trotting his horse closer.
"Were you in service to Princess Elia?" Ned asked.
"Aye My Lord, I was part of her guard" Ezack responded.
"Then I think you should have this, I would have saved it for princess Elia. But perhaps you knew the man who wore it better" Ned handed Ezack the doublet he had described to him when they found Ser Alberts body.
"The father's mercy….you saved it" Ezack said his voice filled with emotion.
"The outlaw we captured had it on him and we reclaimed it" Ned said before looking to Rhaegar. The prince nodded to Ned and him and Robert followed Ned riding away.
"We shall leave you to your thoughts Ezack" Rhaegar nodded and the Dornishman nodded dismounting and changed into the doublet. Getting to the edge of the perimeter Ned told Rhaegar of the interrogation, the plans that had been made to assault Kings Town in the night. Rhaegar then updated him of the fire and the boys he had executed which lined up with a deistraction meant to disorient them for the coming attack. The capture of the outlaw had changed their plans all together, the irony wasn't missed that had they kept with the attack Ned would have probably arrived to his men being slaughtered.
"The Old Lady huh?" Rhaegar said the name of the keep hidden in the Northeast end of the Forest. They will know we're onto them." Rhaegar sighed.
"True we need to prepare for a siege, crumbled caslte or not they still have walls to hide behind and we do not" Robert shrugged.
"Well we have much to discuss plans to set, but to the current point in my mind" Rhaegar sighed.
"I missed you two" Rhaegar grinned lightly and Ned smiled along with Robert.
"Yeah wasn't the same with only one hen nagging me" Robert laughed and Ned chortled.
"Oh when we get back I got a tale to tell you about ser Robert the gentle lover of women" Ned smirked.
"Gods man can't we keep that to ourselves?" Robert said sighing.
"Oh not a chance I want to hear this, come on…let's leave this place behind" Rhaegar said trotting away and his brothers coming along. Brandon Stark staying behind to finish up the cleanup with Arthur and Jaime.
Oh man okay I think I need a second beta. My current beta has her own stuff to do so I will be searching for a second beta. Anyways sorry for my lack of response to your questions I have been busy quite a bit with school. I now regret taking summer classes! Especially math ugh!
Anyways the siege of the Old Lady is coming up and we'll be wrapping up the Kingswood Brotherthood. After that the main plot kicks up again and Rhaegar continues to gather allies for his claim to the throne. Rhaegar once more fears for the future that might bring war and thousands of deaths.
Now comes a bit of a crossover, nothing Lore changing mind you just the use of some very attractive armor. The crossover is from the Witcher series, when the time comes you get to see what I mean haha. This little crossover will be centered on Ned as he will have a special role to come in helping Rhaegar with his vie for the throne.
READ AND REVIEW LADS! ALSO IF YOU'RE A BETA AND YOU'RE INTERESTED….LET ME KNOW!