Negotiations
Edmure POV
The night began to fall when we had patched our injuries and rested enough. I have sent scouts to watch the Yunkai host and what they are doing and put men in the perimeter to watch out for search parties. I did not doubt that the Yunkai would want to take revenge upon us, even if that was the last thing they did.
We were lucky to find a hill to stay close to. It overlooked the lands nearby, so I was confident that no host could sneak at us without us noticing them first. The problem was that we didn't have much food, only enough for a few days. So, if the Yunkai doesn't retreat, we might be in trouble.
If the worst comes true, we could raid the Yunkai forces' camps and steal some supplies. But it would be my last resort, as it was perilous, and I didn't want to lose any more men. Our force was small already. If I lost more men, we wouldn't be a threat to them. I could only hope that my plan worked and that the Yunkai army won't betray my expectations.
"A group of riders is approaching," A scout rode as fast as he could and yelled to our camp.
"How many?" I asked immediately.
"A dozen riders," He answered.
A dozen was an odd number. Too little to be a force to challenge us, too much to be a group of scouts or search party. It might be bait, but again what kind of a trap could they prepare for us that we wouldn't be able to notice? I had to meet them, as running away from only a dozen men would be counterproductive.
"Prepare for a battle," I ordered them.
While the rest of the camp quickly prepared for an attack. I took a score of men to meet them at the foot of the hill. In my mind, a couple of scenarios played out. There wasn't a forest, nor were we near enough to the sea for the enemies to come unnoticed. Another motive for these riders could be to have a parlay.
When I saw the blue and white banner, I knew it was a company from the Windblown. I knew quite well of their leader, the tattered prince. I kept notice of more prominent sellsword companies. Even though the tattered prince was an enigma that even his real name wasn't known. But I knew what he wanted, what he desired the most.
"Stop," I yelled when a dozen riders came closer. I didn't risk them getting too close. "Speak your intends or die."
A man rode a bit closer. He had silver hair and wore silver armor. His stallion was an enormous grey war horse. I would consider him an elegant man if not for his tattered cape. He sat tall and straight. I moved my hand to my sword hilt when he stepped too close. Seeing my actions, he stopped.
"I am the leader of the Windblown," He spoke softly in High Valyrian, yet his voice carried clearly to me.
"Speak what you want, and know that your life is in our hands," I replied in High Valyrian.
"Your plan left the Yunkai forces crippled," He replied.
"Have you come to seek peace?" I asked.
"No, I came to ask for a deal."
"And why should I even consider it?" I wanted to agree, but I needed more information before deciding.
"You left the Yunkai army crippled but not defeated," He responded. "Commander of the Iron legion took command of the rest of the army, and now we are waiting for reinforcements from the Yunkai."
"Yet you seek a deal with us?" I asked, suspicious of his words.
"I am a sellsword," He replied. "The Yunkai would pay us handsomely, yet I can see that the battle for Astapor is and would be more challenging than anyone suspected. If you can pay us what we want, I will be able to help you defeat the remaining army that is left outside Astapor."
"Then we shall speak alone," I said and ordered my men to leave.
"If you want to," The Tattered prince did the same.
"I shall give you something that you always wished," I began once we were alone. "If you serve me, that is."
"What do I wish?" He asked, and I could see his eyes narrow.
"Pentos," One word from my mouth, and I could see his hand move to his sword.
"Who are you?" He asked, and I rode close to him, close enough for our swords to reach each other.
"I am Edmure Tully, Hand of the King Jahaerys the Third of his name, lord paramount of the Trident and lord of Riverrun," I told him. "I have the power to give you what you want, but you will have to serve under me until our goals are achieved."
"I heard of that name, yet it is hard to believe he would be here before me," The Tattered prince said. "With your scarred face, how would I know you speak the truth?"
"You already decided to work with us with a smaller reward. Why are you so hesitant when I offer your most desired dream?"
"In this world, a man must learn to seize whatever gifts the gods chose to send him. That was a lesson I learned at some cost," The Tattered prince replied. "I shall trust your words, but you shall pay my men their due first."
"Very well," I agreed. "You shall keep my name to yourself. I am known as ser Oscar here, a former slave."
"I shall do as you ask, ser Oscar," He agreed.
Once we made our deal, it was time to plan our attack. Both he and I agreed that we should strike tonight while the iron is still hot. The Tattered prince told me of the forces outside Astapor and how we should attack them. I liked his plan, but I didn't put my guard down around him. For all I know, it could be a trap, even if it were a bit too complex and unnecessary.
…
When the night was the darkest, we moved. Slowly we rode, trying to make the slightest sound as we neared Astapor. It was good that most of the lands were flat and easy to traverse in the dark. We didn't light torches to keep ourselves hidden and only saw as much as the moon's illumination let us.
When we came before the enemy camp, we waited. I made sure to be careful of scouts near the camp, but the Tattered prince seemed to take care of them as he promised. It didn't take long before the camp descended into fiery chaos. Tents were lit on fire, and a particular pattern could be seen to direct us to our targets.
As the sound of steel clashing with each other and men woke and left their tents, we descended upon them. Two and a half hundred riders we had, and all of them, without fear of hesitation, went for our targets. Before they could realize what was happening, we cut through them and rode deeper into their camp.
A man from the Windblown had put their banner to where the commander of the Iron Legions was. Seeing a big man angrily shouting and waving his sword gave me an indication that he was whom we were looking for. A dozen guards could do nothing to stop us as we trampled them under our horses before they could even get into a formation.
I took the head of the man swiftly and then ordered a small portion to split from me and wreak more chaos. While they did that, I turned to the company of the Cat. After the Iron Legion, they were the second strongest and most important. Before the camp regained any control and order, I rushed to finish it.
The camp of the company of the cat was in the most intense battle as the Windblown company rampaged through them. Seeing us, they let us through as we carved our way to where I saw the colorful rags blowing in the wind. Once I reached the Tattered prince, without a word, he pointed at a man not far away.
Bloodbeard has to be killed. As long as he is alive, he will pose a problem. He was known for his brutality, and I knew very well that he wasn't fond of peace. He was the kind of man who sought revenge for the pettiest things. Seeing him furiously cutting the sellswords of the Windblown, I rode to him without hesitation.
His reflexes were fast, as were his arms strong. With his greatsword, he blocked me and pushed me out of my horse to the ground. Rolling to my feet, I avoided the sword from crushing me as it crushed the ground where I was a moment ago. I kept him in sight as I dodged his greatsword from cutting my head.
"Show yourself, you damned dogged prince," Bloodbeard yelled in bastard Valyrian as he furiously swung his sword at me. "Don't stand in my way, little queen's dog."
His words didn't bring him victory but made him a target of my men. Two horsemen, one after another, managed to ride by him and cut his arms. Taking the chance, I rushed at him, first stabbing his exposed armpit, and then after getting behind him, I cut his back. Blood spluttered to the ground, but Bloodbeard still stood.
His eyes were mad as he coughed blood from his mouth. Barely able to hold his sword, he turned to me and tried to lift it above me. Yet before he could do so, a sword went through the back of his head and emerged through his mouth. For good measure, I cut his head off. The Tattered prince looked at his sword with the head of Bloodbeard and nodded to me.
Without leaders, Iron Legion and the cat's company fell without too much resistance. Before the sun rose, most men had thrown their weapons away and surrendered while the rest ran away. As per our deal, the loot from the camp belonged to the Windblown company. I didn't care about it and left the Tattered prince to oversee the camp while I rode to Astapor.
…
It certainly shocked the Astapor when we entered the city victoriously. The citizens cheered as they realized they could keep their freedom. But it wasn't the end. The Yunkai fleet of twenty ships still blocked the harbor. Soon, the news of what happened would be brought to Yunkai, and they would undoubtedly send twice as many men to reclaim Astapor and hold on to their reputation. A little girl can't defeat the Wise Masters, not after they have surrendered once to another girl.
"Ser Oscar, thank you for your services," Shireen said.
"It is still too soon to celebrate," I said. "We should discuss our next action."
"We shall," Shireen said. "But not before you have rest."
"I rest later," I replied. "We should first take a look at the Harbor. The Yunkai fleet still is a danger to us."
There wasn't much I could do about them. But we could stop anyone from getting to the fleet and informing them of what happened on the land. I could only buy a little time before they noticed something, but we had to do anything we could. If we managed to inform Meereen of our victory before the Yunkai got the news, we might be able to stop them from gathering another host.
That was if Meereen agreed to help us. It wouldn't be good for Daenerys to refuse us any longer. As I was thinking of it, we arrived at Harbor only to see a small fleet sailing to Astapor from a distance. Looking from the far eye, I spotted a golden Kraken on its black sails. I unconsciously started to tremble as unfounded fear gripped my heart.
A.N. Sorry for the late update. I was busy going to job interviews the past week. Hopefully, I will get a job next month. If not, you can wait for a new story in April.
As always, If you want more, up to five advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852