SIEGE OF GULLTOWN PART 2

DENYS

Uncle Jon was huddled around the table with the Lords Royce Waynwood alongside several other prominent landed knights and respected warriors. The makeshift war council was actively discussing their actions as Lord Royce's booming voice sung, "We should storm the walls my lord, they have lesser men than us and Gulltown barely has sufficient defenses."

Royce was true, the Gulltown walls were built to protect from mountain men attacks, not from their own liege lord's army and it made sense considering he would've never believed it a moon ago if someone had said Lord Arryn was marching on Gulltown. Denys sighed, it was somewhat of a shame that the Arryns didn't command absolute loyalty over their domain unlike Ned's homeland even after several centuries of Arryn rule. Corbray and Graftons turned out to be Dragon lovers.

"And what would we do if Corbray comes down on us from the North", lamented Lord Waynwood.

His Uncle's voice reverberated throughout the tent, firmly," He won't, a raven has been sent to House Melcom, they will stop his charge, I've also sent a rider to the Redfort to provide them reinforcements. We can trust the Melcoms, they have been leal bannermen for a long time."

Uncle Jon had the presence about him of a man who was raised from the birth to command. His final note was enough for the Lords to understand that was the end of the conversation.

They would storm Gulltown tomorrow.

XXXXX

They started the siege early morning on the next day. Siege machinery wasn't brought as it was a hastily prepared army, but Uncle Jon didn't think trebuchets and such were particularly needed. Grafton barely had 3000 men, a third of them were ill-trained levies taken from the town itself. The more professional trained men at arms and knights were most likely guarding the nobility while a few were commanding over the walls. Gulltown's walls were vast and it was reckoned by the war council that storming the walls would be easy, to drown out the enemy in their superior numbers. Gulltown wasn't to be sacked though. Jon declared that the last thing they needed was for the Vale's richest fief to be impoverished, by their own hands nonetheless. The plan was to storm the walls, overwhelm the levies, garrison around the city, encircling the Lord's Keep in the middle and lay siege to it. It wouldn't take long for Grafton to break after that.

XXXXXX

They were beyond the walls now. Yet it wasn't fulfilling. Somehow it felt too easy.

The kind of easy that was deceitful.

It was a mockery of a battle, a slaughter more like. Denys didn't know how Lord Grafton's mind worked, although he simply couldn't wrap his mind around giving up the walls so weakly. The loyalist lord had put barely trained recently conscripted men on the walls. He and Martyn, one of the Arryn men had scaled the walls first. One of those Grafton men came at them holding a spear awkwardly, poor bastard couldn't even wield it and Martyn ended him before he could throw it at Denys. The problem was that person wasn't the only awkward levy that they had come across, the whole damn city walls were manned by barely conscripted men. It was a bloody slaughter. Besides a few hitches during the early moments of trying to scale the city walls, most of the siege had went flawlessly, perhaps too flawlessly. And however much he emphasised that part to Uncle Jon, he just wouldn't take it seriously.

"It's alright Denys, no need to be so paranoid."

"I am not, Uncle, why don't you find it interesting that Lord Grafton chose to enclose himself inside his castle with his best men, numbering about a 1000 and leave barely 100 on the walls."

A booming voice cut in,"Because Grafton's a bloody idiot, he was one before the Rebellion and he is one now", said Lord Royce, a huge horn of ale in his hands,"Tis time to cheer young Ser!"

Denys grimaced. The lord didn't realize the fact that treachery was afoot, not that Denys expected him to realize that, his heir Yohn was more sensible, perhaps -

"Take rest, Denys", intoned Uncle Jon,"You clearly have stressed a lot on this."

Denys made to interrupt, how could they not see how dubious this victory was,"But-"

Uncle Jon grimaced,"This is an order Denys, sleep well and perhaps tomorrow you'll not see shadows and deceit everywhere you look."

What could he have done in face of that order so he made his way back to his tent, hearing Lord Royce's booming self chuckling as he made his way out.

He wished he could have had persuaded his Uncle more.

He did wake up, but not in the day but rather to midnight.

He woke too blood curling screams and cries of agony.

XXXX

ROBERT

Jon will be pissed at him. He knew that. And yet he would defy him. There was no way Robert Baratheon was to be kept from battle. Smashing his hammer into someone's chest, crushing that poor fool... Ah! That sensation was simply amazing.

And so he found himself down the way to Gulltown, with a group of his friends and other hedge knights, a ragtag bunch, but a ragtag bunch of 800 it was. Old Nestor had grumbled on about the logistics of feeding all of them and the extra costs but Robert convinced him to let him go. It was easy for Robert to convince people. Everyone liked him especially Ladies!

If only Lyanna would look at him like the other lasses. It was a part of why he liked her so much, she was a conquest, a conquest that was taken away from him, one he would claim back at any cost. Part of the reason he was making his way to the port, fight those damned Graftons, go to Storm's End and wait till he could sink his Warhammer in that silver bastards -

"My lord!"

Hm.. It was one of his newly made friends calling out to him. A hedge knight, but a damn good drinker.

"Theo?"

"Banners down the road my lord, they look beaten and exhausted."

"Sigil?"

Theo squinted,"A.. Red castle my lord."

"Hm. House Redfort."

What the fuck where the Redforts doing here.

The man at leading the small army came ahead towards them looking haggard and exhausted. Robert recognized the leader, it was Lord Horton Redfort.

"Horton, is-is that you?"

The man raised his tired gaze towards him and exclaimed,"Robert..didn't expect to see you here, not that I would deny your help, we need all we can get currently."

"What happened?", inquired Robert.

"Lord Jon gave us a duty, to assist the Melcoms in resisting any potential attack from the Corbrays, who are in the loyalists camp. The orders were sudden and I rode out as fast as I could with barely 500 men with me.'

'We arrived near the Melcolm castle a day past, expecting them to welcome us with open hands which they did. They opened their doors for us, me and my nearly 500 men made our way inside. They offered us bread and then they betrayed us, Robert. They closed the castle portcullis and when we were at ease, making merry inside the castle, the Corbray.. Back the I wondered how the crept in unnoticed, the only way that could happen was for the Melcoms to betray us. It was a bloody battle and if not for a few brave men I wouldn't be standing here besides you, I have barely a hundred men left now with no means to fight back we retreated. The Corbrays and the Melcoms have made their way south."

"Where are they making their way to?" ventured Robert.

Lord Horton grimaced,"Gulltown. The loyalists are smart. You'd think they'd be foolish to hope for victory with so few men and allies but they aim for a swift attack and end Lord Jon in Gulltown itself. The Arryns have been Targaryen men for a long time, and most of their bannermen only became rebels due to Lord Arryn's influence. With his death the tide could turn swiftly. I suppose most of our men at Gulltown are barely trained levy. They wouldn't know what hit them,and before they know it they'll be dead",he finished.

Robert felt a deep embrace of fear creep in, as if he already knew the answer but wanted to deny it till he heard from someone else.

Oh Jon.