Cassana
After the death of Kresimir, Lord Selmy had sent his cavalry to watch over Blackhaven from all sides. Anyone travelling to and from the castle were watched carefully. Selmy kept his distance when the travelers were too great in number, whilst the individuals or smaller groups of men were ambushed whenever possible.
Those whom they did not slay were taken back to Cloudwatch and sharply questioned. Cassana did not deign to inquire how the answers were obtained; Lord Selmy would never admit to the truth even if she did press him for it.
After four days of this, the council of war was assembled once again to discuss the latest captive's information.
"Alfred Swann remains at Blackhaven, so he says," Lord Selmy explained, "but he has been forced to cede his command to his nephew, Ser Eward."
Cassana was familiar with Eward. The shining heir to Stonehelm was praised by all for his skills at arms and his sharp mind. For her part, Cassana still fondly recalled the time when Eward had been knocked off his horse by Baldric and landed on a pile of horse dung. All the same, she knew that he was far less boisterous and rash than his uncle. She said as much to the council.
"Indeed," Ser Orryn Bolt agreed. "Do we know how many men are under his command?"
"All our prisoners have claimed a different number," Lord Selmy replied, "but most of the answers hover somewhere around four thousand."
"That should account for most of House Swann's strength," Selmy's heir, Lanval, added. "Stonehelm will be almost entirely unguarded."
"I don't understand," Orryn mused worriedly. "Lord Gawen is not a stupid man. Why should he make himself vulnerable as he makes his neighbours into enemies?"
"We threw back Ser Alfred's forces," Lord Selmy answered impatiently. "Now he wishes to crush us with his superior numbers."
"If that is so, my lord," Orryn retorted, "then why doesn't he? Where is Ser Eward? Is there no word of a planned attack?"
"Mayhaps he wishes to lure us into a fight," Cassana mused.
Ser Orryn frowned. "What makes you say that, my lady?"
"He knows me, ser. He knows I will not rest until I regain Blackhaven. He knows that between us, we can set up any number of ambushes once their army marches out. But we cannot best them in a direct assault."
"Then our only option is clear," Lanval declared eagerly. "We must capture Stonehelm!"
"Easier said than done, even with this proposed plan we have been nursing," drawled Lord Selmy. "We must needs give Blackhaven a wide berth, which will add several days to our journey. And even if we slip past unnoticed, even if we do take Stonehelm by surprise, what will stop the Swanns from joining the Carons and taking our castles unawares?"
"They have already taken my castle," Cassana interjected. "And as for you, I thought you'd already secured your people inside Harvest Hall?"
"Not all, more's the pity," Selmy grunted, "and I have no wish to risk my smallfolk's lives any more than I must. And you would do the same in my position."
That much was true. Cassana gave him a respectful nod, not wishing to create a rift between them.
"All the same," she resumed after he'd returned the gesture. "I still support your son's idea. Short of some unexpected turn of the tide, we have no better choice."
Selmy was still frowning, but he said no more.
It was Ser Corbin Tain, a vassal of House Selmy, that broke the silence. "If I may ask, is there any word or sight of House Caron?"
"Still nothing," Lord Selmy answered. "Stranger than that, we've seen no trace of their army. Either they have not summoned their banners, or they have sent their bannermen elsewhere."
"Perhaps they went west to attack the Reach," Lanval suggested.
"Pray that they did so," Geraint warned his son, "else your plan might be the death of us all."
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They were dressed much as they'd looked when Cassana had first become acquainted with them. Keir was still limping, and some of their wounds were still healing.
"When you reach Stonehelm, make them believe your injuries were more serious," Lord Selmy instructed them, as if they had forgotten how Kresimir had fooled Alfred approached each man and gave them a kiss on their forehead. "Whatever may pass, House Dondarrion shall never forget its debt to you."
Whether it was from the seriousness of their mission, or the solemnity of the moment, Dagnir and Orleg seemed too overwhelmed to speak. Keir and Koss were still brooding from the death of their father, though Cassana did not miss the look of longing that Keir gave to Falia, who stood nearby. Vin and Danel blushed at Cassana's kiss, while Basil saluted her and Lord Selmy with such a flourish that he managed to put a rare smile on Geraint Selmy's face.
All seven knew the plan thoroughly. They were to ride back to Stonehelm as if they were messengers from Blackhaven. They would wait for an opportune moment and then open the gates to the army.
It was not only Lord Selmy's forces which would storm Blackhaven. Ser Orryn Bolt was taking as many men as could be spared from Cloudwatch's garrison. Much to Cassana's surprise, men were trickling into Cloudwatch, hearing word that House Dondarrion was still fighting back. Over a hundred had joined, though most were older men armed with little more than axes. It was decided that these men would man the walls of Cloudwatch.
Those prisoners whom Bolt and Selmy had taken during the battle outside Cloudwatch's walls were also riding to Stonehelm. Cassana had promised a reprieve for their past treachery if they proved loyal in this fight, whilst Lord Selmy was determined that they prove themselves in the first wave rather than hang back. Now the rest is up to them, but they ought to be counting their lucky stars for such an opportunity.
Cassana insisted on accompanying the army. "If men will risk their lives to fight for me," she had lectured the rest of the war council, "then they will see that House Dondarrion does not hide in castles."
Still, she was persuaded to leave her sons behind at Cloudwatch, though she took her twin cousins as her lady companions. Orryn Bolt remained in command of Cloudwatch, with orders to maintain the watch upon Blackhaven. Should the Swann army march, they should keep distance and harass them whenever possible. Cloudwatch was left with a sizable garrison, and more levies were trickling in.
Cassana knew that she and her cousins were unwelcome company amongst the commanders, but the Dondarrion soldiers seemed to take heart in seeing their liege lady walk amongst them and share in the hardships of their journey.
After what Cassana had endured in the dungeons and out on the run, she had no complaints about the condition of her tent, nor with the handful of servants allotted to her. She walked amongst the men, speaking to them as she'd become acquainted with Kresimir and his companions.
Falia and Jocelyn were less tolerant of all that, but Cassana also suspected that Falia was grieving the departure of Keir. She is becoming far too attached to him.
By the third day, the army was making the slow journey around Erich's Pass, the great dip between the Red Mountains which all men traveling east from Blackhaven needed to cross. They set up camp on a far slope of the past, lighting no fires in case a Swann soldier might come across them. Archers took watch, standing on the slope while the full moon illuminated the valleys below.
Cassana made her last round with these men, only to see Geraint Selmy sitting apart with a longbow of his own. "Might I join you?"
"As you wish," Lord Selmy replied, never taking his eyes from the pass.
"I am curious," Cassana asked, "you are so quick to doubt your son, yet you never punish him for defying your wishes? You indulge him in this plan?"
"Was it not you who sees merit in it?" Selmy retorted.
"I do," Cassana answered, "but I wondered about the manner in which you run your house. I have not met many lords who would do the same." She tried her best to make the question sound complimentary, for she was in no mood to antagonise her ally.
Selmy paused, as if he were in deep thought. Then he shook his head. "My son is a brave young man. He is headstrong, but that is a good thing. If he can stand up to me, then he will hold his own against any man."
"Well said," Cassana mused. "I have no doubt that he will make you proud."
"He already does," Lord Selmy observed quietly. But this gentle tone changed as he recovered himself. "He has a long way to go before he becomes Lord, of course. He thinks himself clever, but I do not know if that is true. It is best that he prove it himself. If he is wrong, then he will learn a sharp lesson. If he is right, then he is clever."
"Or lucky," Cassana quipped.
Selmy gave several snorts which passed for laughter. "Aye, mayhaps."
When Cassana returned to her tent, her cousins were still awake. They were speaking quietly together before Cassana entered, and went silent as she opened the flap. "Are you keeping secrets from me?"
Neither of the twins looked her in the face, and despite the dark shadows of the tent, Cassana could see that they were abashed.
Cassana began to change into her night clothes. "Pray tell me, how was Ser Lanval today?" She had arranged so that they rode alongside Lanval, and Cassana had made it clear that they should treat him as a suitor. Lanval had been instructed to do the same by his own father.
"Well enough," Jocelyn replied. "He is a gallant knight."
"On that much, we agree." Cassana lay atop her makeshift bed and attempted to make herself comfortable. "I count him as a staunch ally to our family. He is risking a great deal for us."
"Yes, Cousin," Falia confirmed.
"Falia." Cassana sat upright again. She seized a candle which had been granted to her inside the tent and lit it with a flint. As a flame flickered to life, Cassana glared at her resentful cousin. "I am not having this. I am the only family that you have left until this war is over. Speak plainly."
Falia sat upright as well so that she looked her cousin in the eye. Cassana could not be sure due to the meagre flame, but Falia seemed flushed.
"Why should we both entertain him? He can only marry one of us."
"You had best hope that it is you," Cassana suggested. "The next lord who will wed you might not be so promising. I was introduced to many young men before I married Baldric, and I promise you this; Lanval is the best sort of man that you can expect."
"Then you are mistaken," Falia retorted, "for I found a better. And he has done more for our house than Lanval Selmy."
Cassana sighed. She was growing very weary of this conversation. "Falia, you may not believe me, but I find no faults in Keir. I know better than anyone what he is worth, as do the gods. But men see worth elsewhere, and in that, he is lacking."
"Reward him, then," Falia urged. "He has earned such already, you said so yourself."
"All our vassal knights have earned such rewards. They all remained loyal in this war. And you urge me to reward them by supplanting them for this young hedge knight who was not even a squire?"
Falia said nothing, but it was clear that she wasn't conceding her position.
Cassana was far from finished. "Do you enjoy living in this tent? Are you accustomed to eating food which was not prepared in the kitchens of Blackhaven? Keir cannot provide you with the life that you want. One day, perhaps, but I do not know if that day will ever come. You must accept that."
"Must I?" Falia refused to let the matter pass. "He is an anointed knight, and this is a war. Why shouldn't he earn land for himself?"
"I will not be lectured by you," Cassana retorted, intending to put an end to this nonsense. "You are my cousin, and you live as I allow. You ought to recall what duty toward family means."
"Easily spoken by you," Falia countered. "You were permitted to choose your husband, did you not?"
Cassana did not hesitate. She leaned forward and slapped Falia's face hard enough to make her cry out.
"You stupid girl," Cassana snapped. "You will never understand what I have endured for this."
The twins regarded her with mingled wonder and alarm. Cassana had never spoken so harshly to them, nor had she hit one of them since they were children.
Cassana had nothing more to say. Blowing out the candle, she lay back down on the ground and waited for sleep, ignoring the twins' sullen silence in her wake.
The rift had not ended the following day, but the twins continued to spend time with Lanval as the army crawled on. Not only were they slowed by wagons and infantry, but they were also moving as cautiously as possible to maintain the element of surprise.
As soon as they'd crossed through Erich's Pass, they avoided the roads, which were still patrolled in certain places. Smallfolk continued to travel the realm, usually in large groups to deter an attack.
Unfortunately, it only made their progress slower. Cassana began to wonder what had become of her seven knights. Basil would undoubtedly do most of the talking. The others are clever enough to hang back and leave that duty to him. But how will they send word to us of the right moment to strike?
The army crossed the Slayne north of Stonehelm, and slowly made their way to the eaves of the rainwood. There they made a new camp, hidden amongst the trees, some of whom had been allowed to grow for over a hundred years.
Cassana avoided time with her cousins; Falia's accusation had awakened a terrible wroth within her, just as Baldric had done in Stonehelm. She could recall the look on his face; it had remained with her ever since she'd first seen it, suppressed beneath the waters of her mind, yet never failing to resurface. It had been a look of betrayal. It was the same expression on Falia's face when she'd been slapped.
It was all resolved. The matter was settled. Why does it still cut me so deeply?
Two cursed murderers, with not a shred of regret.
She was no kinslayer like Titus. Tyana had not been her kinswoman, and she would have been terrible if she had succeeded. Maester Gerold had been a murderer first, and he would never have faced justice for his crime. I am not like Titus. I am not. He turned against Father and delighted in his death. If he had any idea what sort of man Father had been…
She took to walking by herself, brooding on these thoughts which circled round her mind. It was as though she was trapped in a maze, and ever turn she took brought her back to where she'd begun.
The forest was certainly a maze, but at least she could make her way with markers. There was a large weirwood tree not far from their camp which she visited regularly.
It was on the second day, whilst waiting for the scouts to return, that she sat beneath the weirwood boughs, with the book she had taken from Cloudwatch's library.
She was beginning the sixtieth page when she heard them approach. Springing up, she was about to cry the alarm when Danvir and Orleg emerged from the bushes. They looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.
"Gods!" She approached them. "What are you two doing here?"
"We came to pray," Orleg answered. "Lord Swann knows about the men of the rainwood. They know the old gods never fully left us."
"We was hoping you might arrive one of these days," Danvir added.
"This is wonderful!" Cassana clasped them by the hands. "Come with us and speak of what you know!"
"Begging your pardon," Orleg interrupted, looking sheepish. "We wasn't lying about prayers."
While they paid their respect to the weirwood, Cassana hurried back to assemble the war council. Finally, the cousins joined them in their war tent.
"There's about forty men left," Danvir explained. "Twelve knights and their squires too. We been looking for a way in while we take turns on watch."
"Perhaps if all seven of you might be on watch in the same shift," Lanval suggested, "would you have a chance to take one of the gates?"
"Not by ourselves," Orleg replied. "We would need help."
Cassana leaned forward. "A diversion?"
"Aye, mayhaps."
Lord Selmy arose and pored over the crude outline of Stonehelm which the cousins had drawn on a large piece of parchment. "We shall attack from the south. Ladders, archers, the lot. When the attack begins, make your way to the postern gate here." He jabbed his finger down at the castle's northeastern corner, the closest one to their camp.
As the cousins hurried back to Stonehelm, the army began preparations for the impending night assault. Selmy led all the infantry into the rainwood, circling wide around the castle. Cassana and Lanval remained behind the rest of the army, awaiting the opening of the postern gate.
After Lord Selmy took his leave, Cassana accompanied her Dondarrion troops to the edge of the forest. She ignored Lanval's suggestion that she stay behind at the camp, though she took care to wear a black cloak which helped her blend in with the shadows.
As the sun was nearly finished setting, horns and trumpets broke the stillness. Answering cries rang out from the castle walls. Cassana could see the flickering of torches, small as fireflies, racing along the battlements. Each twinkling light was another man running toward the assault. How long will they take?
"Father, see the justness of our cause," she whispered as she felt herself growing agitated. "Warrior, bless the arms we bear in your name."
"Smith," Lanval interjected, "lend us your hammer and break down that bloody wall!"
Some of the men laughed; Cassana was not sure if it was an earnest response or if they were obliged to laugh.
The first ranks of dismounted knights were right at the treeline, carefully covering their armour with black cloaks. All seemed afraid to breathe, staring intently at the postern gate. The music of Selmy's battle continued to play faintly.
Cassana almost cried out in shock as the postern door swung open. It was not the suddenness shocked her, but the sight of a man staggering out beneath the full moon, clutching himself. He fell forward onto his knees, then collapsed in the tall grass.
"Go!" Cassana hissed, but Lanval and several others had already broken into a sprint. They cast aside their cloaks, so that their armour gleamed beneath the red and purple clouds of twilight.
For the first time in her life, Cassana envied the men who charged forward, trained in arms to kill her enemies. She was also distressed for the man who'd fallen, whoever he was. She grabbed two men who were about to rush forward. "Bring me that wounded man! He is a knight and he needs a healer! Hurry!"
They did as she bid, even as the other knights entered the castle. Loud war cries sounded out, as well as the faint clash of weapons. As more men continued to enter the castle, the trumpets of alarm sounded even louder in Stonehelm. Cassana could even hear the sound of a few arrows shooting from the wall.
One of the two rescuers suddenly collapsed with a cry. Cassana gasped as the other man fearfully dropped the wounded knight and raised his shield.
She was scarcely aware of what she was doing, but Cassana began to run forward. She heard men calling out in shock, but she did not heed them.
When she approached the fallen man who'd opened the gate, she saw that it was Vin. The man whimpered as he kept both hands on his stomach. The front of his leather armour was already turning dark with blood.
"I will help you," Cassana told the surviving rescuer. As he held up his shield to protect them, Cassana tried to hold Vin up from the ground. "Come on," she ordered the wounded knight.
Vin groaned as he forced himself to hobble forward, held up by three hands that could barely keep him steady. Several squires who'd been ordered to stay back joined in to carry Vin to safety.
"Help any other wounded men back to camp," Cassana ordered the squires, even as the knight turned back and rejoined the assault, desperate to join in the fighting.
Three squires shouldered Vin and half-carried him after Cassana, who was too exhausted to assist any further.
The camp had been preparing for the assault, with a team of healers watched over by the maester who served House Tain. Vin was the first wounded man whom they were assigned.
Cassana sat beside him in the tent, watching with dismay as the maester shook his head after a quick examination. "He is beyond our help, Lady Cassana."
Sighing resolutely, she knelt beside Vin and held his hand. He was chalk-white, and his breathing was raspy. "Give him something to dull the pain, at least."
It was barely in Vin's power to gulp down the milk of the poppy. He gave a low moan as he looked back up at Cassana. "Lady…"
Cassana shushed him, putting a finger to his quivering lips. "The gods have seen you, ser. They will be glad to have you in their company. Blackhaven will always honour you."
She watched the light flicker in his eyes, then suddenly go out as his last breath rattled out of his open mouth.
Cassana slowly closed his eyes, only to realise that other wounded men had been brought into the tent whilst she'd attended Ser Vin. She recognised three of them immediately.
Keir and Koss were awake and alert, albeit nearly as pale as Vin. Healers were hastily wrapping strips of cloth around their injuries, even as they were urged to drink water. Dagnir was only recogniseable by his clothing; half his face was bandaged, whilst the other half was caked with dried blood. The maester did not abandon him. He might yet live.
"We held them off," Koss stammered. He was shaking as if violently cold, sighing with relief as Cassana wrapped a cloak around his shoulders. "We showed them! If only Da could see us now!"
Cassana stretched her lips into a smile as she offered him more water to drink. Then she stepped out of the tent to get some air.
She could not hear any sounds of battle; the rainwood's trees grew so thickly that she might not have known there was a battle if it were not for the wounded men straggling into camp.
Others were carried into camp. Squires and servants laid the dead in neat rows beneath the trees, covered with the same dark cloaks which the knights had worn. Cassana's heart sank as she walked amongst them and lifted up the cloaks.
Ser Danel of Hegg's Mine had been stripped of his armour, revealing a deep wound in his chest, where the lungs were found. There was still dried blood on his chin and lips, and his eyes gazed upwards at the branches.
Nearby, Ser Orleg of Edain had been nearly beheaded. A dagger was still buried in his side. Cassana felt herself shaking with horror as she replaced the cloaks and stepped away from the bodies. But she could not leave yet; there was one man still unaccounted for.
She continued amongst the dead, but she could not find Ser Basil of Stag's March. She returned to the medical tent.
Falia was at Keir's side once again, bathing his brow with a damp cloth and weeping as she whispered to him.
Nearby, Lanval Selmy was also injured, being attended by the maester himself. Cassana could see him straining to maintain his composure, biting his lip so hard that he was drawing blood. Jocelyn hovered nearby, wide-eyed and frozen with indecision.
Falia should be with him too. Yet Cassana could not bring herself to pull Falia away from Keir. Whether she might have mustered the will to do so, she would never know, for it was then that she saw Ser Basil of Stag's March.
The old knight was lying apart, shaking as Vin Storm had done. No healers stood over him; they were attending other men.
Cassana forgot about her cousins as she knelt beside Basil.
"Well," the old man murmured. "I daresay this is it, then, is it?"
Cassana did not know what to say. She simply held his hand in both of hers.
"Aye." Basil nodded hesitantly. "D'you know, I feel bally cold."
Cassana undid her cloak and laid it over him. "Try to rest, ser."
Basil shuddered. Much to Cassana's surprise, she saw the old man's eyes welling up with tears.
"It's not just that, Lady," Basil continued. "I'm afraid."
Cassana felt a shudder through her. Basil had always been the jolliest of the seven, so garrulous and irrepressible. He had possessed the energy of a man half his age and the courage of three put together.
"It's true," Basil affirmed, as if he could sense her thoughts. "I've always been afraid."
The confession seemed to break his resolve. Basil began to weep softly, blinking as tears ran down his face. Much to her own surprise, Cassana felt tears running down her own cheeks.
"I always wanted to be a knight," Basil whimpered. "Me old ma would have been so proud…"
"She is," Cassana whispered to Basil as she planted a kiss upon his forehead. "You will see her again soon, ser. And tell her what I say now." She kissed him a second time. "You were magnificent, ser. You and the others. The most magnificent men that ever served my house."
Basil said nothing else as he lay beside her; he simply looked up at her in silence, until his eyes closed for the last time.
Cassana continued to hold Basil's hand, pondering his final words. She would never have imagined that a man such as him would be afraid of anything.
Even when a herald burst into the tent and declared victory, Cassana did not cheer with the others. She thought of Basil, Orleg, Vin, and Danel, and how they had risked everything for her. That made her think of the other men whom she'd walked past, and she suddenly felt ashamed.
Only then did she stand up from Basil and order two servants to take him out of the tent. She joined the healers, holding men's hands as they spoke to her in ragged voices. She listened to their words as she'd done for Basil, hearing confessions as if she were a holy woman. Instead of prayers or blessings, Cassana simply held their hands and spoke gently, brushing hair from brows and praising their valour. Some of the men had been taken prisoner, and begged her pardon for their past betrayals. Cassana was careful to tell them that all was forgiven.
Finally, she went to her own tent and collapsed into a weary sleep, dreaming of the dead. By the time she was roused back into wakefulness, the morning sun had risen.
Lord Selmy had personally come to tell her the news. He seemed to have been unscathed but for a cut across his cheek.
"Lord Gawen Swann is our captive," he told her. "Stonehelm is ours."
Cassana felt strangely hollow as she took in the good news. "That is well," she said. "Lanval was fortunate after all."
Selmy nodded. "They are speaking of his bravery already. But they speak more loudly of the brave Lady of Blackhaven, who brought wounded men back and guided them to the Stranger."
Cassana shuddered. "Men's tongues are prone to wagging."
"Mine isn't, Lady," Selmy said with a firm finality. "You are a gallant woman."
Cassana felt sour at such flattery, but she did not contradict Selmy. I saw gallantry last night, Lord. And I saw the price that men pay for it.