Chapter 10

SIEGE OF GULLTOWN PART 1

"War is delightful to those who have had no experience of it."

DENYS

The battlefield rang with familiar noises, noises of people dying, screaming and yelling and then there were the occasional victory yells. He was so tired. It had all went wrong very very quickly but such was life as Uncle Jon used to remind him, one moment it's sunshine and rainbows the next it's all gone to crap. The smell of blood stung his nose, he had a fair bit of it on himself as he tried to rise, his eyes greeted him with vivid images of living hell.

"Denys!"

It was Martyn, a man at arms back at the Eyrie, he was running around like a fool, as Denys's eyes adjusted to his vision, he was greeted with the grotesque sight of a broken man searching for his dismembered hand, blood was pouring out of the cut, but Martyn seemed in a mad daze.

"M-martyn?"

"D-did you see my hand Denys, my hand, I'm searching for my hand! I can't fight without a hand, please someone find me my hand!", and he trod off ahead of Denys soon disappearing to nowhere.

Denys pushed himself up and looked around to see Arryn men at arms all around, some with their limbs cut, some with necks slit, some headless corpses lying around, he even saw a poor man trying to put his entrails back into his stomach in a desperate, almost mad bid to survive. He felt bile rise through his throat but somehow managed to not throw up, it wouldn't do for him to show weakness, he was one of the commanders of the left flank, or whatever remained of it. He stood straight up and limped around trying to locate Uncle Jon, surely he must be safe, some brave knight must have brought him back to-

"SER DENYS!"

Thankfully this time it was no broken man, it was a familiar ser he'd known to be in Uncle Jon's retinue. He couldn't remember his name though it didn't deter the knight to come near him and speak,

"We need to retreat Ser, it's a crisis, Lord Jon's down!"

Surely he must be japing, Uncle can't go down, how will Robert go south? What will be the point of rebellion if one of the main leaders dies before it even starts.

If only Corbray hadn't betrayed them. It was going well for us till those blasted loyalists hit our flank from the east. It had all gone to shit after that.

"T-tell me more, Ser", he despaired.

"The bastard Corbray battled with Lord Jon, I was sent back to bring Lord Royce in for back up, the Waynwoods were completely fucked in the center so we couldn't go there, by the time we came back, Lord Jon was down and heavily bleeding, and the bastard had gone disappeared to the seven hells."

It was an effective strategy, he had to give them that much. The rebels had started storming the Grafton walls on the first day and they had easily attained victory, it was easy though, Arryn, Waynwood Royce against the lone Graftons was very very easy. It was after they'd stormed to ransack Gulltown had the Corbray skirmishers hit them on the left. The force was split with the Royce's on the right and the Waynwoods on the center. 3000 Arryns, 2000 Waynwoods and 1000 Royces hastily gathered against 2000 Graftons would had been a no contest if not for the 3000 Corbrays suddenly rushing in. He'd even heard the Arryns of Gulltown joining the loyalist faction. Oh what a shame on the honour of the Arryn name! Uncle Jon was always right to shun them. They'd still had the numbers but the Loyalists had the quality. The Waynwoods weren't able to gather their knights for a quick call and had to be forced to gather levies who'd been trained for barely half a month, the Royce's were better trained but they'd been tired as they were hastily gathered. Only the Arryns had an ample number of knights with them and now most of them had been sent to the Stranger.

"Grafton came out of his keep with all of his 3000 men and the Waynwood peasants couldn't hold, the center is gone, Lord Yohn tried to help but the scoundrel Corbray had ran from the left to appear on the right flank, they're holding but not for long, according to Lord Yohn, we must retreat Ser Denys! There is simply no other option."

I had considered refusing but as the lone knight half dragged me to a hastily constructed tent where a maester sat attending my Uncle, I had no choice, as he had warned but to reconsider.

It had all gone to shit far too quickly.

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3 DAYS EARLIER

JON

"No you will not accompany me Robert and my word is final."

I looked over to my increasingly irate black haired foster son as he nearly started yelling.

"Let me have my first battle at least! I wouldn't disappoint you, I swear, by the Seven, I do."

I sighed."I don't doubt it my boy, but you are far too valuable to risk on a battlefield, Grafton will fall within no time, then you'll go back to the Stormlands and raise your banner for Young Viserys."

The almost grown man reddened further and it took quite a few more words to quite him down but Jon succeeded finally and in no time he was heading with his Waynwood banners and Arryn banners to Gulltown.

He made some small talk with Lord Waynwood on the way to Runestone where they would link up with the Royce men.

The lord looked apologetic when he spoke to Jon, "Forgive me my lord, but the sudden call meant I wasn't able to gather as many knights as I would have liked. At best we tried to train some peasant levies over a fortnight but they'll fight hard and true. They're none men braver than green men", he chuckled.

Jon wondered if they'd have to deal with half as many broken men by the end of this battle. Desire of glory in youth was good and all, but there was no doubt that despite their numbers, the Waynwood's would have the weakest host in the army. He hoped Yohn Royce would whip up some tough men, the Rune Lords had a reputation for making tough warriors out of green boys, constantly warring with the mountain clans and bandits.

He turned to his nephew and heir, after Elbert's unjust death, Ser Denys Arryn who would face his first major battle. The boy had a facade of bravery on his face but Jon had no doubt he was all nervous inside. Denys had a newly wed wife and while they had no child yet he didn't think Denys would be as unlucky as him. He hoped Denys would come out safely through this, not that he expected Grafton to put much of a fight.

"How are you holding up nephew?"

"Just fine uncle, although the prospect of killing so many men at once daunts me somewhat, if Iron and Oak don't protect me till the end, I might be doomed to the seven hells!"

'And House Arryn with it', thought Jon dreadfully, there were not many Arryns remaining anymore.

"Uncle", intoned Denys with a serious note, "Why is Lord Grafton raising his banners when we are fighting for a Targaryen?"

"Ah, but it's not the Targaryen he likes, the south has spread some vile rumours about Lord Stark kidnapping the Prince and what not, he choose to support his king over me, and he will go down for it."

There would be no mercy for traitors.

"But aren't we the traitors, if we do not support the King, I think Lord Grafton and his allies are good men, people who think they are fighting for their king always are."

Jon suddenly went stiff and swiftly looked around if anyone had heard the words coming out of Denys's mouth, thankfully there was no one significant around them. Then he angrily swerved his destrier towards Denys and furiously whispered,"You will not utter such words in the company of our banners! What you are implying is outright treason to Viserys, we have chosen a side and we will stick to it."

Denys had a sudden surge of courage as he whispered back,"We had no reason to rebel, Ned and Robert may be brotherly to me but they are no kin of mine and yours, I think it's unwise to put House Arryn on line for them!"

Jon gave him a angry glare,"You will shut your blasphemy nephew, you know nothing of what you're talking about."

And he did really know nothing, but Jon knew, he experienced and seethed, plotted and finally he was getting to the executing after such a long wait. The Northern part of Westeros was largely ignored by the Targaryens and not respected either, he had witnessed it firsthand when we he was as little as Prince Viserys and he and his father had went to the Capital on a random visit to pay tribute to King Aegon V.

He was a good king, the 'Unlikely', but it seemed prejudice was rooted deep in the southerners. His father was a brilliant man and had brilliant ideas, ideas that would had changed the Vale's economy completely, it would've found a solution to their major problems and the made the region peaceful and rich. But the King and his bunch of small council losers had laughed him off, his father's confidence greatly waned by that shaming and never quite got around to implementing his measures, but Jon couldn't let it go, Aegon eventually paid for his life in the usual Targaryen folly and he thought things would get better but they only got worse. Intellectual people like him had always thought the Dragons were unsuitable rulers for Westeros, far too many of them thought themselves above the law and ruled the massive country on their whims and moods, Jon wondered whether it was the few hard working Hands who had kept the country going through the last century. Then had come the umpteenth Blackfyre Rebellion and he thought perhaps if he could put the Vale's efforts into the war they could get a few rewards out of it. The war ended, Jon and his entourage of brave Valemen came back victorious to nothing but empty compliments and a few crates of gold.

Again he seethed but this time he swore revenge.

There were two kinds of men who would exact revenge in their own ways, there were men like Tywin Lannister with their brutal bloody and quick ways to end conflicts but Jon simply wasn't the person for too much bloodshed and unnecessary cruelty, no, he would plot and plot till he found an opening to exploit and then he would pounce like a ruthless falcon upon the wingless dragons. And he did plot successfully for several years, quickly forging bonds with Hoster Tully and Rickard Stark his two immediate Northern neighbors. A stroke of luck had him see Steffon Baratheon's son coming north as well. It was the only time Jon had struck a stone into a dark well and hoped to strike gold, it was a reckless move and he would never attempt such again. But he never regretted Young Robert coming north nor Eddard. Throughout all his plotting some things didn't go according to the plan. He could never have any children, there was no problem with his dead wives but he suspected he was infertile. He would never say so in public though , which proud Valemen would say such unmanly things? He had no regrets about that either, Robert and Ned were like the sons he had never had and he had plenty of nephews to make heirs off.

And then the Mad king had made his move and Elbert was dead, now only Denys remained although one of his sisters with the Waynwoods was with child, he had no idea whether it would be a boy or a girl, the Eyrie couldn't be given to a girl, the chivalrous knight would go red with fury at that and make the region unstable. Even with all this recent tragedies Prince Viserys's and Lord Stark's moves had completely changed the game. He didn't like Targaryens aye, but perhaps he could make a good king out of the young boy. Seven knows, what with the boy had done so far, he might have been the most decent Targaryen he had met in a long while.

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1 DAY LATER

GULLTOWN

JON

Gulltown was a fine place. The one real city of the Vale. It was such a pity that at least half of it will be reduced to cinders in the near future. And it was all the fault of one man who choose the wrong side. The one whom Jon and Lord's Waynwood and Royce would soon parley with.

They had stopped on the way to Runestone to join with a thousand Royce forces and then headed south to Gulltown. Lord Royce had requested Jon to let one of his nephews squire for him and Jon didn't deny him, Walter Royce seemed a fine lad and obedient too he would make a brave knight. Everything was going good till the morning of their departure when they received a raven from the Eyrie. Lord Corbray had decided to side with Aerys. That was expected with the man being on the small council, he was obligated to support the King. He sent a raven in return to House Melcolm of Old Anchor to stop any such advance of the Corbray's. He also sent a raven to the Redfort's to the assist the Melcoms in their defence. No doubt they will finish their business in Gulltown and then go and crush the Corbray's. But that wasn't the worst thing yet. It was the news that stubborn young Robert had gathered whatever able spare men remaining

at Eyrie, barely 500 and marched to Gulltown under the pretense of the helping with the Corbray's march and what not. Jon cursed internally upon hearing that. The boy was far too valuable to be risked on the battlefield. His being alive guaranteed the Stormlands coming over to their side. He hoped he would have enough to time to stop Robert from committing some stupid folly by the time they reached here.

"My lord, Graftons approaching."

Jon was brought out of his musings with the enemy forces arriving with a convoy of five men as had been agreed. Marq Grafton looked at them with disgust before bringing his courser closer to them. He spoke before Jon could start the parley.

"Traitors! Welcome to Gulltown, I can guarantee guest right if you throw down your arms and let yourself be peacefully escorted to the Capital for the King's Justice."

Jon contained a snort threatening to burst out of him. That would had ended the parley right there, although Lord Royce showed no such caution while Waynwood looked on astounded and exclaimed,"I can't believe how delusional you can be my lord, we have twice as much the men you have and thrice as many supplies, surely you would see some sense and come back to our side, there's no need for conflict."

Grafton sneered back,"Side with whom, friends of child abductors and honorless savages, I think I would gladly pass on the offer."

The rest was parley wasn't significant. Jon and his party tried to convince him out of his folly and the fool kept insulting. It was after one such insult that he abruptly turned around and left without a parting warning. The other Lords with him just shrugged and went back to our tents.

In the morning, we scaled Gulltown and the siege begun.

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