DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING
A/N: Big thanks to Ramzes and Bess Woodville for the reviews, they keep me going!
They were two days from the capitol when Aemon and his entourage came across a rider bearing the Targaryen sigil and a personal message from Jaehaerys which he timidly handed over to the young prince.
Aemon felt his stomach twist as he hastily read over his brother's finely written letter, a slight scowl crossing his face. He dismissed the rider and told his men to give him a meal and a place by their fire for his troubles before turning to Ser Harlan and Gerold. "It seems I'm needed in the Riverlands, I shall ride out on the morrow and send the rest of the company to escort Aerys back to Kings Landing, Ser Harlan, I'm afraid I may still have need of your blade."
"The Riverlands ey? You know I do fancy myself a fishermen." said Gerold with a lazy smile.
"You don't need to come if you don't want to, things in Oldtown-"
"Oldtown will still be there when I get back! Life on the open road is much more exciting than listening to my brother bark orders at me and Leyton." Cut in Gerold loudly, startling some of the nearby knights with the volume of his voice.
Aemon smiled back at his friend in appreciation before spotting his nephew running about with a wooden sword after Ser Gwayne Gaunt around the camp, the young white cloak laughing happily as the prince parred with him playfully before Aemon called the boy over. Aerys, upon hearing his uncle's voice came bolting up to the elder Targaryen excitedly.
"Did you see uncle? I nearly had him!" Aerys announced happily, a broad grin on his face.
"I did indeed; you've got quite a sword arm." replied Aemon before going down to one knee to look his nephew in the eye. "Now Aerys, I've been called off to do some very important business for your Grandfather but Ser Gwayne and the rest of these knights will take you back to the Red Keep, can you do me a favour and behave for them?"
"Why can't I come with you?" asked Aerys looking at Aemon as though he was being punished for some wrongdoing.
"Because it might be dangerous and you're much too important to be involved in such a matter." He said, trying to be as gentle as he could.
Aerys shook his head at that. "But what if you get hurt?" he asked desperately.
Gerold broke in then, his already towering form made all the bigger from their current level. "Don't worry my prince; I'll look after your uncle."
Aerys looked sullen but gave a nod before Ser Gwayne ushered the boy back to his tent. Aemon had tried not to hurt the boy's feelings too much but knew that he couldn't bring him along where he was headed, not if Jaehaerys' letter was right.
He gestured for Gerold and Ser Harlan to follow him back to his tent and once they entered Aemon collapsed into his chair and tiredly rubbed his face before looking over at the two knights sitting across from him.
It was Gerold who broke the silence first. "What's all this business in the Riverlands that's ruffled your feathers?"
Aemon gave a weary sigh before pouring himself a cup of cold water –wine would have only increased his agitation- and handed Gerold the letter his brother had sent. "It seems there's some trouble brewing just outside of Maidenpool, riots and dissention. Lord Tully's son is preparing to strike against this rabble of demagogues but my Father and brother would prefer I go and try to find a diplomatic solution."
Gerold skimmed the letter to confirm what his friend had just said and gave a solemn nod after he was done. "Well I suppose we should waste no time in getting to Maidenpool then."
Ser Harlan, usually just a quiet fixture in the background, cut in then with an anxious look on his wrinkled face. "My prince, would it not be wiser to take a few more men besides the handful you've requested?"
"No, I don't want to give the impression that the crown is afraid of these upstarts, besides if worse comes to worst then I'll have Lord Tully's forces just a few miles away."
"As you say my prince." replied the White Cloak
Without meaning to, Aemon gave a great yawn and absently rubbed at his eyes tiredly, the long day of riding taking its toll. Gerold exchanged a glance with Ser Harlan and then rose to his feet. "I'll leave you to your rest; we'll talk again in the morning." And with that the big man left the tent and not long after Aemon wearily gave Ser Harlan leave to go.
Once he was alone Aemon stripped himself of his riding gear and fell onto his cot like sack of potatoes and stared up at the roof of his tent for a while as he tried to stop his racing thoughts as he felt the anxiety growing in his mind. It was nearly an hour and sleep didn't seem any closer, of course such experiences weren't new to Aemon; he had struggled with his sleeping for as long as he could remember and there were even times when it got to the point where he would spend days on end without even an hour's sleep. Finally Queen Rhae had had enough of her youngest son's suffering and had firmly told the Grand Maester that every hour Aemon stayed awake so would he, so from then on the young prince was given small amounts of dream wine every night before bed.
Inside the tent there was no such medicine, and the only rest he would get would be from the stillness of his mind so instead of allowing his thoughts and fears of Maidenpool to dominate his head, he instead thought of Alerie waiting back at Summerhall for him. His wife knew how to calm him like nothing else and it didn't take long before the thought of her warm embrace began to set his mind at ease and helped carrying him into the realm of sleep.
It had taken them three long days of hard riding before they were in sight of Maidenpool and they eagerly accepted the hospitality of the Tully's camp. As soon as Aemon dismounted he was met by two young men with auburn hair and bright blue eyes, both wearing the silver trout of House Tully across their armoured chests. The taller of the two brothers gave a deep bow and smiled at the prince with a look of extreme excitement on his youthful face.
"Prince Aemon, well met. I am Hoster of House Tully." announced the young man before gesturing to the shorter Tully standing beside him. "This is my brother Brynden."
Aemon shook hands with the Tully brothers before quickly scanning his surroundings; the camp was alive with activity as various soldiers got ready for what they assumed was to be a violent battle with the upstart rebels. He had no delusions about what was to come and knew that it was likely that he and the Tullys would have to put a great many people to the sword, yet he had to try and make them see reason. The Dragon should be a protector.…
"Well met, though I wish it had been under better circumstances."
The elder Tully just smirked at that. "Not to worry my prince, we'll soon have these traitors dealt with and after House Tully is through with them none will even consider rebellion again."
There was something Aemon did not like about the young man's attitude but tried to ignore it. "Well, I'd rather try something diplomatic before we rush into anything. Where are the rebels now?"
It was the younger brother who spoke up then, a much more solemn look on his face as he answered. "They're all gathered in the centre of town to listen to the leader-a bastard by the name of Sam Rivers-spout his anti-Targaryen sentiment." Then the young man hesitated before looking at Aemon with a pleading look. "They're just afraid my Prince, winter was hard on Maidenpool and many of them lost their families. It's just the bastard who's been stirring up trouble that's caused all of this."
"Forgive my brother, he is still green in the ways of the world." Cut in Hoster, shooting his brother a look of anger.
"It's quite alright. Though I think your brother has the right of it; we need to cut off the head of the snake to end this quickly." He told them firmly. "We should waste no time, I'll take my guards as well as ten of your best and ride out to treat with this Sam Waters and see if he knows when enough is enough."
The Tullys looked slightly flustered at his brazenness but did as they were commanded none the less and hurried off to bark orders for their men to mount up and begin to move out. Eventually Hoster returned with ten knights all standing proudly before the prince in their gilded armour that looked as if it hadn't even seen a day of combat.
They then mounted their horses and followed the two young Riverlords and their elite towards the outskirts of Maidenpool. Once the companions arrived at the small town they were greeted by a number of men armed with crossbows peering down at them from the ruins of some old fortress that appeared to have been haphazardly repaired.
Contrary to Aemon's expectations the rebels hardly looked like the warriors who had defied House Tully and the other Riverlords, instead the people guarding the town seemed as if they hadn't had good meal in days and their faces were marred with exhaustion as they stared down.
"NOT ONE MORE STEP!" shouted one of the men.
Hoster Tully looked up at the gaunt men aiming their crossbows at him with a look of utter disgust. "I am Hoster of House Tully, you men serve my father and in his name I order you to cease this madness!"
Instead of heeding their liege's heir the rebels broke out into a rapture of laughter at the young man's boldness. Aemon could see Hoster's face turning more and more crimson as they laughed at him so decided to act on his own and rode forward so that the crossbowmen could get a better look at him.
"I am Aemon of House Targaryen, son of Aegon the fifth of his name and your rightful king. I've come to treat with your leader, the one called Sam Rivers." He told them firmly, trying to act like the dragon that adorned his chestplate.
The crossbowmen all muttered to each other for a moment before one of them suddenly called back. "How can we be sure this isn't some kind of a trick?"
"We are less than twenty men, you have three hundred. How can we possibly pose a threat to you?"
A pause. Then "Alright, OPEN THE GATES!"
After that a flood of men swarmed out and trained their weapons onto the small group who gave no resistance as they were roughly led into the small town. As he walked through the mud and slush Aemon took note of various children who peered out at him from inside the small homes and buildings, all of them looking as gaunt and malnourished as the adults, some even sickly. How is it that things have deteriorated so badly? My father would have made sure that those in his realm are cared for by their liege lords…
Finally they came to the centre of town where it seemed everyone had gathered to watch someone speak from a platform, their eyes caught in rapt attention as the speaker shouted about the indignities that the smallfolk had suffered under the harsh liege. The man in question stood tall, almost as tall as Dunk did and seemed to be twice as muscular and fierce looking as the old Knight and looked as if he had been in some form of fire as much of the skin of his neck and head seemed distorted and burnt.
The man's beady eyes suddenly found the newcomers and he burst into laughter. "Well look at what the Seven have sought fit to give us! Two of the Trout's offspring and even one of the inbreed abominations from Kings Landing!"
"And you must be this Sam Rivers we've all been hearing so much about." Replied Aemon casually as he brought his purple eyes to the big man's black ones.
Rivers' rounded face twisted into something that may have been considered a smile and he flashed several rotten teeth as he spoke. "I'm flattered that you know of me princeling, have you come to see the show?"
Aemon swallowed his disgust and forced himself to keep eye contact with the man. "I've come to see if we can resolve this matter peacefully, I've been-"
"It's too late for peace Dragonspawn! The time for talk and negotiation ended when you lords took it upon yourselves to dominate and starve our people! When you taxed us until we had nothing and left us to die in the cold!" the crowd suddenly came alive around Aemon and begun shouting obscenities at the young prince and his companions, all the while Sam hadn't finished with his tirade. "You think you have the power over us don't you? But by my reckoning there's more of us then there is of you nobles. We are the strong ones; we are the ones with the power AND WE'RE TAKING IT BACK!"
The crowd erupted in a violent cheer at the big man's words and the prisoners found themselves suddenly shaken and spat on as the mob of angry peasants grew more and more rabid at their leaders' words.
"We'll hang these fuckers over the walls as an example for all the other highborn fucks who thinks that they can keep us down any longer!" announced Sam happily.
"There are over a thousand men circling this town who will be more than happy to put you all to the sword. I beg you, see reason!" pleaded Aemon before being silenced by a sharp blow to the stomach, sending the young prince to his knees. He heard Ser Harlan struggle to get to him through the waves of people, but the old knight was overwhelmed before he could reach the prince as he struggled for air as blood ran from his mouth.
Sam looked down at Aemon with an expression of utmost disgust, his beady eyes trailing down the crumpled form "Do you think that I am not willing to lay down my life? Of course you wouldn't, you people have no idea what sacrifice means. I'll kill you last."
Suddenly the shouts were cut off from a booming voice who echoed out through the crowd. "If you're so damned selfless then fight me!"
If Aemon could have managed to stop himself from retching up blood he would have smiled as he heard Gerold's confident voice cut through the air and silence the ravings of those around him as they all looked to the Hightower knight and then back at Sam.
"Fight me, man on man." challenged Gerold again, this time with the other man's full attention. "That is, unless you're a coward as well as a madman."
Sam Rivers scowled at that but then gave a bitter laugh. "You think me a fool? You who have the finest armour and steel gold can buy, it would not be fair."
"Believe me; I can kill you just as easily with my hands."
The crowd seemed to break out into a series of murmurs at that as they looked between the two big men standing ready to face each other; no doubt they found the idea of their leader and this highborn knight beating each other to death an entertaining premise. Eventually a few even began to call out that Sam needed to "show the nobles that they bleed just like the rest of us!" or to simply "kill him!"
Rivers began to look anxious but then nodded. "Alright then, if you're so eager to die then I'll oblige you. Right here, right now."
Several men came up and practically tore the armour from Gerold's chest and arms before pushing him towards Waters while the crowd gathered around in a large circle, howling and hollering like wild animals as the two men circled each other. Aemon felt a pair of hands pull him to his feet before he was trampled by the mob, he caught a glimpse of his saviour and found that it was none other than Brynden Tully who nodded to him anxiously.
Gerold continued to circle his opponent while Sam Rivers continued to shout all manner of taunts, trying his best to provoke Gerold into making a mistake fuelled by anger, yet it was all in vain as Hightower continued to move about as Rivers swung at him sluggishly. The bastard feigned right before striking Gerold with his left, catching the knight on the jaw, sending a trail of blood and spittle across the air.
It took less than a split second for Gerold to recover and sending a hard right into Rivers nose, stunning the bastard long enough for him to follow through with a swift jab in the ribs. Aemon felt like cheering as he watched his friend continue to press forward with a flurry of blows while Rivers struggled to keep his guard up, just barely swatting away every second or third hit.
Just as Gerold prepared to strike again, Rivers crashed his own forehead into Hightower's with a sickening thud that sent the knight to his knees as he struggled to keep his bearings. The crowd came alive upon seeing the noble brought to his knees and their cheers became more and more deafening as Rivers tackled the knight into the mud, using his own impressive body weight to hold down the struggling man as he laid punch after punch into his opponents face.
"HA! YOU SEE? YOU SEE HOW WEAK THEY ARE?" shouted Rivers as he continued his assault, provoking a cheer of agreement from the crowd.
Brynden looked at Aemon fearfully as they watched Gerold getting beaten to death, while the young prince didn't show it he was absolutely terrified as his best friend was slowing getting his head caved in by a madman and wished not for the first time that he was as strong as Duncan.
Rivers laughed madly as he looked around at the crowd cheering him on, revelling in the excitement and attention of it all when suddenly his laughs were silenced by a sharp uppercut to his jaw, slamming it shut with a sickening crack that stunned the big man long enough for Gerold to kick him off and quickly return to his feet.
The knight spat out a wad of blood as his black and blue face focused on the rising form of the bastard Sam Rivers, who began to laugh yet again as he rubbed at his jaw which was now absent three teeth. "Not bad…still…fight left…" he slurred madly.
"Shut up and fight."
And with that the two raced at each other, all sense of form or style gone as they unleashed all that they had on each other. Rivers gave a desperate roundhouse to Gerold's side leaving a purple bruise right where the man's kidney resided while Gerold continued to punch at the bastard's jaw, again and again and again until a sickening crunch echoed through the air.
Rivers jaw hung open in a way that did not at all look right and Aemon didn't have to be a Maester like his namesake to realise that Gerold had broken the madman's jaw. Before Sam could do anything but grasp at his jaw, Gerold rushed forward and gave a solid kick to the big man's side, sending him flat on his back. Kneeling down behind him so that the man's head was cradled in his arms, Gerold gave a sharp twist and let Rivers body fall inert into the mud as he got to his feet.
The crowd was now in absolute silence as they looked down at the broken body of their leader while Gerold hastily grabbed his armour back from one of the men and gestured for Aemon and the others to step forward. With his companions now at his side once again he looked at the crowd, the rebels who had threatened him and friends.
"This man was a liar; he took advantage of your misfortune and grief for his own ends." his loud voice was as strong as ever despite his bloody form. "You people have been through much and for that you have my sympathy and my word: Riverrun has not forgotten you, and we will ensure that you are given your dues…..but just remember the Iron Throne does not tolerate rebellion. Just ask your friend there." He said grimly as he gestured to the inert form of Sam Rivers.
When they had finally limped back to their waiting horses outside of Maidenpool Aemon helped his friend gingerly back into his armour, careful not to press it too tightly against his bruised body. The Tully brothers had graciously offered for them to feast back at Riverrun which the companions couldn't pass up given their haggard state.
As they rode onwards Gerold leaned over to Aemon with a lazily smile on his swollen face.
"Next time you can do the fighting and I'll be the negotiator."