Battle of Pine Ridge
"How far are we from Bronzegate?" Orys asked as he reined in his horse. Six thousand men marched in two files besides him.
"About a day's ride sir," Balion Qoherys replied as he rode up to Orys. "Our scouts confirm Argilac has camped outside its walls."
"So the fool has indeed come," Orys said. "How many men did he bring?"
"Our scouts report no more than four thousand."
"Good, then fortune smiles down upon us."
For five days they marched, from King's Landing and into the Kingswood Forest. All along the way local villages and towns have surrendered to the forces of Aegon. There were rumors that Argilac had marched from Storm's End with a massive army and Orys had to do well to keep his men's morale up. But now it seems Argilac has even less men than him. The fish has indeed taken the bait.
"General!" a scout yelled as he furiously rode up. "Argilac's forces are approaching!"
"Looks like the battle is going to be here," Balion said.
"At least the terrain is favorable," Orys mused as he looked around. The forest was beginning to think out so it left plenty of room to move and maneuver. However the sun's rays still barely penetrated and it kept his men cool, whereas Argilac's men must be dying from the heat. Orys eyed a small ridge to his left and smiled. "Balion take all our riders and mount that ridge. When you hear my war horn blow thrice, attack Argilac's army from behind. Understood?"
"With pleasure," Balion replied and rode off, with all of Ory's cavalry in tow. That still left him with half the army, although it composed mostly of spearmen and mounted infantry.
"Battle formation!" Orys yelled as his troops prepared for battle. "Pikes in front, archers behind. Come on, form up!"
A line of spearmen knelt down on the ground with their spears pointing forward at an angle. Behind them was a line of archers, standing up with their bows in hand. Finally came his regulars and spearmen. Orys and his commanders rode into a gap between the line of archers and infantry; he felt it would be more appropriate that he himself lead the charge rather than watch from afar. He only hoped that his formation would be enough to seriously wound the first line of Argilac's knights.
The sound of hoof beats and the clanging of armor filled the air. Slowly the first wave of armored riders appeared. "Archers at the ready!" Orys shouted as he drew his greatsword. "Aim for their horses. Fire on my command."
The enemy knights got closer and closer and closer. Orys could see the stag of Argilac's house on the knights' banners. They drew their swords. "Fire!" he shouted.
The first wave of bolts struck the horses and the creatures fell to the ground, throwing their riders off with them. Those who couldn't get up in time were trampled to death by the second line. "Brace for battle!"
The impact was brutal. The long pikes impaled the horses that couldn't jump over them, causing them to fall and crush their heavily armored riders. Those that did jump trampled over the men below, causing the archers to flee and the line of pikes to break. A knight unsheathed his mace and rode straight for Orys. The Targaryen commander yelled as he swung his sword above him and sent it straight into the stomach of the knight, piercing his armor and spilling his intestines. "Men of Dragonstone, CHARGE!" he yelled as he pointed his bloodstained sword forward.
Chaos was all around him. Everywhere he looked, men were clashing and falling. Argilac's knights brutally murdered the sword wielding infantry, only to be slaughtered in turn by spearmen. For a moment Orys thought he saw Argilac himself in the fray and he steered his horse towards that direction.
The shouting of a knight snapped Orys out of his focus. He looked to his left and saw one of the Storm King's riders coming straight for him. The knight swung his blade but Orys ducked his head down to avoid a beheading. He swung his own sword and the metal cut into the knight's side. When he withdrew his blade, the enemy rider fell off his horse with blood gushing out of him.
Two more riders approached him and Orys charged straight towards them. The two riders separated, with the intention of letting him pass between and cutting him to pieces but Orys saw through their trick. As he passed he ducked down to avoid the swing of their swords and proceeded to stabbing one of the riders in the back. His powerful sword penetrated the man's armor and easily slipped into his stomach.
Orys turned his horse around and faced the remaining rider. The two charged again and their blades met, slashing and hacking at each other. Orys raised his greatsword and with a powerful roar brought the weapon down. The knight managed to raise his sword in time to defend himself but the force from Ory's blow caused his sword to break in half. Without second thought Orys plunged his sword into the knight's chest. Behind the visors, Orys could see shock and fear in the knight's eyes. The Targaryen commander drew his blade out and with a single swing dislocated the man's head.
Reaching into a pack tied to his horse, Orys retrieved a large horn, made from the horn of an auroch. He put the tip into his mouth and blew it three times.
"VROOOOM! VROOOM! VROOOOOOM!" The bursts of sound floated above the screaming of men. Orys could see movement on the ridge and moments later the cries of charging soldiers pierced the air. The dragon banners of House Targaryen flew proudly as Balion Qoherys led his men down the ridge and directly into the rear of the enemy force.
Sensing their rear destroyed, Argilac's men began to scatter. Those who couldn't make it out in time surrendered under the threat of swords and spears. Within a few minutes, Argilac's army was completely routed.
"WHERE IS ARGILAC?" Orys shouted as he cut down a soldier who tried to unseat him.
"There sir!" a rider shouted back, pointing to a lone man surrounded by Targaryen soldiers. His armor was stained with blood and his face was contorted with rage. He waved his sword around furiously, daring someone to come closer and attack. The soldiers lowered their spears and began moving in.
"Stop!" Orys commanded as he rode up. "I will slay him myself."
"Come on you Targaryen scum," Argilac spat. "Your treacherous ways will not save you from my wrath."
"Empty threats Argilac," Orys replied as he climbed off his horse. The soldiers created a gap to allow him to enter the ring. "Bow before me and beg for mercy and maybe King Aegon will spare you or else you will join your knights in death."
"I would sooner die than bow to a boy." Argilac raised his sword and slashed and Orys brought his own sword up to block it. Orys swung his sword widely in front of him but the Storm King simply jumped back to avoid it.
"Is that the best you can do?" he laughed. His laughter was replaced with rage as he brought his sword down to defend his flanks against Orys' attacks. He stepped aside as Orys tried to stab him and attempted to cut off the Targaryen commander's hand. But Orys pulled his sword back just in time. That was too close.
"You know nothing of fighting young fool," the Storm King taunted as he block more strikes from Orys.
"Your army is decimated Argilac," Orys said. "Your bannermen will bow to the might of Aegon Targaryen. Why are you putting up such a useless struggle?"
Argilac did not respond but instead thrusting his blade forward. This time Orys was ready; he grabbed the Storm King's elbow, raised his blade, and brought it down. Argilac screamed as his arm dropped to the ground, his hand still clutching his blade. Argilac clutched the lump with his remaining hand and dropped to both knees screaming. Taking a deep breath, Orys walked behind the Storm King and raised his blade again. Argilac's head dropped the ground a few seconds later.
His men froze for a second and then cheers went up in the air. "Argilac is dead! The Storm King is dead!" they shouted.
Balion Qoherys fought his way through the crowd and inspected the head. "Well done general, what should we do with the prisoners?"
"Those who wish to stay in our army can do so. Those who would rather leave let them leave," Orys replied simply.
"It will be done. And our next course of action?"
"We march into Bronzegate and then Storm's End. Send scouts to report that Argilac has fallen to all the lords. Tell them if they continue to resist they will suffer the same fate as Argilac," Orys said as he picked up the Storm King's sword. He waved a soldier forward and handed him the sword. "Give this sword to the King immediately. Tell him his loyal subject Orys Baratheon has slain Argilac the Arrogant."
Balion turned to carry out his orders but suddenly stopped. "One more thing," he said as he turned around. "What do you want to do with the head?"
"Find the tallest pike you have and mount the head on top of it," Orys replied. "I want everyone to know the fate of those who resists."
"I, Kennard Buckler, Lord of Bronzegate, hereby swears loyalty to King Aegon, the true ruler of Westeros," a fat man said as he knelt down in front of a large Targaryen banner. He unsheathed his sword from his scabbard and laid it in front of him.
Orys Baratheon watched the ceremony with smug satisfaction. His army, combined with those who had surrendered, was now camped outside of Bronzegate, at the exact location Argilac had kept his forces just several days earlier. Faced with a Targaryen host and the death of his king, Lord Kennard Buckler chose to surrender. A much wiser choice than the one Lord Sage Fell of Felwood made. It was said that Sage Fell refused to submit to Aegon and was murdered by his brother Randal Fell. Foolish man, Orys thought to himself.
"That's two lords down," Balion Qoherys mused as he walked up to Orys.
"Now it's a clear road to Storm's End," Orys said. "If we leave early tomorrow we should arrive before the sun sets."
"What if Argilac's daughter doesn't submit? She is the Storm Queen now and she can call on her banners to meet us."
"Storm Queen, it's just an empty title. Her bannermen are deserting her everywhere. Argilac's head would be enough to convince her to submit."
"If not we would have another bloody battle on our hands."
"Then we will crush her the same way we crushed Argilac."