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Chapter 11
Flames of War
(Golden Tooth)
Ser Barristan Selmy walked somberly to the chambers occupied by the Commander of their Strike Force. The battle of the Golden Tooth had barely finished last night with great success, however the veteran Kingsguard knew this was just the beginning of a brutal campaign into the Westerlands.
It had shown in Jon's conduct as well.
Something had changed within the young boy upon witnessing the deaths of nearly all the men he led in battle to capture the Castle, with the most painful loss being that of Robin Flint with whom Jon had just started developing a new friendship.
Robin's sacrifice in opening the Castle gates alongside the deaths of his men had hardened Jon Snow's heart.
It was witnessed when he offered the surrendering enemy forces two choices:
The Wall or Death.
Most chose to take the Black and were already sent under a small escort to the Riverlands from where they would be taken North to join the Night's Watch, yet some had refused and stood their ground expecting to be imprisoned at worst.
They were proven wrong when Jon sentenced them all to death.
Now, it was time to act upon that ruthless order the Commander had given with the morning rays of the sun piercing the Castle Walls.
When he entered the lord's chambers, he found Jon surrounded by Dacey Mormont and Ser Wendel Manderly. Upon his entry, Ser Barristan saw Jon's gaze harden as he understood it was time.
"We're ready, Commander" reported Barristan, and curiously watched as Jon nodded before going back to finish a letter he had been writing. The old Kingsguard walked towards the desk and was touched by what he saw being written.
It was a letter addressed to Robin Flint's mother at Widow's Watch in the North.
Dear Lady Lyessa Flint,
It is with great pain that I wish to inform you of the martyrdom of your son- Robin Flint.
While I cannot divulge the exact circumstances behind his death at present due to our sensitive military situation, I can atleast say without hesitation that he died valiantly and with honor in the line of duty.
He fought fearlessly by my side and made the ultimate sacrifice that saved the lives of thousands of our comrades including my own. The battle would have been lost had Robin not fought for all of us at the cost of his life.
The North, King Robb, House Stark and I are in your debt.
Your son's memory gives me strength and his sacrifice will not be forgotten. I will avenge him against our enemies, no matter the cost.
Nothing can be equal to your son's life, but in light of his fearless bravery and as his Commander- I am bestowing upon him the Winter Cross- the highest honor that is bestowed upon the true heroes of my army.
Should I survive the War and with your permission, I would like to visit Widow's Watch to offer my respects in person to your family and tell you how your son lived for us.
With Respect,
Jon Snow
Field Commander of King Robb Stark's Armies
"This is a good letter. Most honorable" commented Barristan with an approving nod,
"Robin's family need to know their son didn't die in vain. He truly did the impossible for us at the cost of his life, this is the least I could do for him" answered Jon somberly,
"You remind me of Lord Eddard Stark more and more, Commander"
Jon didn't respond to that remark of the former Kingsguard leader.
"Winter Cross? We don't have or need any medals for doing our duty" said Dacey flatly,
"They are for the martyr's families and the men who still fight for us. As long as I am in command, my men will know their deaths will not go unrecognized. Winter Cross shall be the highest honor that shall be bestowed upon the true heroes for impossible feats, Dager and all the common infantrymen whom we lost in the surprise attack shall all receive the Wolf Cross- the second highest honor for their sacrifice. I want the names of all our fallen documented, we have captured quite a lot of gold from this Castle- a respectable portion will be paid to the bereaved families of our fallen" explained Jon in detail,
"While admirable, wouldn't all the gold be better useful for the War and avenging our dead?" asked Ser Wendel Manderly seriously,
"You've already giving the men a respectful medal to honor their sacrifice, this hasn't been done by any recent Northern military commander including King Robb" pointed Dacey,
"That is my decision"
Ser Barristan saw the strength and conviction behind that simple statement and it reflected in Jon's hardened gaze which made Dacey and Ser Wendel give quick bows of acknowledgement before departing to send the letter to Robin's mother and carry out Jon's order in full towards all their fallen comrades.
"This will inspire the common soldiers. You understand their hearts better than most lords or Kings" praised Barristan,
"It's because I am one of them. I am no Lord or King, Ser Barristan" answered Jon frankly, earning a nod from the old knight.
"Lord Lefford's family has been imprisoned, though we have kept their conditions as respectful as possible. They will be valuable hostages, the prisoners who refused to take the black are ready for your sentence...and so are our dead" reported Barristan, which made Jon nod before grabbing Ice and getting up from his seat.
In silence, the two men walked outside of the Castle where a large section of their army had taken up residence in the courtyard. An elevated station had been erected where a dozen men were ready to be hanged. On the opposite side were the funeral pyre's of the Northmen that had died under Jon's command in battle.
As Jon approached the steps towards the platform holding the doomed enemy prisoners, Lord Umber stopped him when he unleashed Ice.
"We can do this dirty task, Commander. You need not sully your hands with these scum" suggested the Greatjon kindly,
"My father taught me the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. I condemned these men to death, it is my duty to carry out the deed myself, Lord Umber" answered Jon calmly,
The Greatjon gave him a respectful nod upon hearing that answer before stepping aside to allow Jon to climb the steps and finally look upon the dozen Lefford men waiting to be hanged.
There was an eery silence in the courtyard with Jon's own men looking for a resolution in anticipation, and were not kept waiting for long as Jon swiftly sliced the fateful rope with Ice and hanged all the enemies in a single moment. After a few seconds of painful struggles, the former guards of House Lefford went into the cold arms of death.
Jon closed his eyes after witnessing the sight of the first executions he had ever carried in his life, but steeled himself before turning around to look at his lords and men- many of whom gave him firm nods of approval.
The next part was much more harder for him as they all turned towards their fallen.
Dacey handed him a torch upon request as Jon silently walked towards the funeral pyre holding Robin's body.
"What a loss for the North...and for me" he whispered sadly,
Dacey wanted to comfort him upon witnessing his grief but couldn't do so when a large portion of their army was around them. They had lost nearly forty men in the stealth assault in the Castle and watching their dead's funeral pyre's all together had somewhat dimmed the army's cheerful aura over their victory.
Jon must have sensed those feelings as he turned towards the men and looked them all in the eye without hesitation.
"This victory belongs to these brave men who died for everyone of us. They met death without hesitation so that we may live to fight another day. I will never forget them...and I promise you we shall soon avenge their deaths by crushing the last remaining Lannister army in these lands!" promised Jon fiercely,
There were no roars of approval but the men did thump their armored chests and gave firm nods.
"Golden Tooth won't be the last...after we crush Stafford Lannister's host, We will take the War to their lands, their armies, their blood. Are you with me?" asked Jon,
The army gave a roar of vengeance and it was with those hardened hearts that they lit the funeral pyre's with Jon doing it personally for Robin Flint.
Ser Barristan Selmy saw the making of a true battlefield Commander in Jon Snow as he joined his men in offering a final salute to the fallen as the funeral pyre's burned higher. If King Robb Stark was considered by many to be a tactical military mastermind, then his half brother was slowly becoming a leader whom many Stark soldiers would walk into hell together with a smile.
Lord Eddard, you have raised fine sons. Your legacy lives on in them...
(Few Days Later)
It was a moonless night when Jon and his entire cavalry army arrived the near village of Oxcross, bypassing the seat of House Sarsfield through a hidden path via the forest which Ghost discovered luckily.
To their astonishment and relief, their Scouts had reported that Stafford Lannister had not yet received any word that the Golden Tooth had fallen to the Starks and the way into the Westerlands was wide open.
It was in part thanks to Robin Flint's act of burning down the ravenry of Golden Tooth thereby preventing the Castle defenders from sending out any emergency messages to Stafford or nearby Castles of Westerlords, and a decent garrison that Jon had left behind which not only kept an eye on the captured Lefford family and its imprisoned retainers but also the villagers living near the Castle who had submitted to the Starks after their liege lord's castle had fallen.
With vengeance in their hearts over their fallen, a force of more than 2800 Stark cavalry under Jon's command had set out to destroy the army being raised by Stafford Lannister.
Their enemy outnumbered them nearly 3 to 1.
But while Jon knew he lacked the numbers in an open fight, his force was mounted and made up of mostly veterans from Robb's past battles, even the Frey's who were proving their worth much to his surprise.
Shock and Awe would again be his strategy to do what was needed to be done.
The enemy felt safe and hadn't bothered posting any decent sentries near their large camp or employed Scouts to patrol the area believing they were safe so deep within their own lands and no enemy force could penetrate so far without them knowing.
Jon pledged to show them their grave mistake tonight.
"We have cut the reigns of their horses, Commander" reported Harrion Karstark eagerly,
"When I unleash Ghost, their horses will panic and run straight into their camp trampling everything in their way. As their forces descend into chaos, we will launch a four-pronged attack from all directions. Each flank will made up of nearly 700 of our cavalry. Lord Umber and I will lead the attack from the Northern direction, Lady Maege and Dacey will lead the attack from the South, Ser Barristan- you lead the attack from the East whereas Ser Wendel and Harrion- you lead the attack from the West. We'll pincer them from all directions and crush them by converging on the middle!" explained Jon decisively, as he pointed towards the respective entries of attack for each commander.
"The enemy may fight desperately if they do not see a way to retreat. If they mount a formidable defense, our attack may falter and losses increase" warned Lady Maege,
"If we let any sizeable enemy force retreat from here, they will only go and take up residence in any nearby Castles making it even more harder for us to storm and capture them in the future" said Lord Umber gruffly,
"I say we give them no quarter. We don't have enough men to take many prisoners, I doubt they will be able to hold assaults in every direction. Whichever of our flanks break through can then go and reinforce the one who is in troube and crush those enemies from the rear with our cavalry" suggested Harrion Karstark coldly, vengeance burning in his heart for his slain brothers at the hands of Jaime Lannister.
"I agree with Harrion. Give them no quarter or means to escape for they would have given us none had the situation been reversed" advised Jon without hesitation,
The assembled lords looked at each other for a moment before nodding their consent making Ser Wendel ask the final question.
"What shall be our rally call to begin an all out assault from every direction?"
The Northmen around him only grinned savagely before answering his question.
"FOR KING ROBB!"
Lord Umber's battlecry echoed across the open fields as Jon lead the cavalry charge from the North. The hooves of the horses of 700 of his cavalrymen and the sounds of battlehorns blowing from all directions could be heard as the rest of their army emerged from every direction as Ghost launched himself among the horses making them madly run straight into the Lannister camp.
"FOR THE NORTH!"
"FOR THE NORTH!"
"KILL THEM ALL!"
Ferocious roars of the Stark Army echoed near Oxcross much to the horror of Stafford Lannister's host who were already in the midst of a frenzied trampling unleashed by their own panicked horses.
Jon raised Ice high in the air making many of his front cavalry raise their lances and spears, the ones following in the second and third lines readied their swords.
A few dozen Lannister soldiers were desperately trying to form a shield wall to stop the approaching cavalry attach but were dispersed further when Ghost leapt wildly among them from the side creating a hole in their formation momentarily.
Jon was not going to waste the priceless opening given by his direwolf as he made his horse gallop faster and was upon the defenders in the next few moments. The Valyrian Steel Greatsword of House Stark in his hand cleanly sliced open the upper halves of two enemy infantrymen even as his horse trampled over three more men in rapid succession.
The cries of the defenders were swiftly silenced as the rest of his cavalry trampled all over them and butchered them to the last man even as Ghost had already ran away in another direction to find his next set of prey.
They continued charging through the camp relentlessly and butchered hundreds of helpless enemy soldiers along the way and setting their tents on fire.
The quality of the Lannister conscripts was extremely poor as they simply weren't fast or strong enough to mount an effective defense, most were mown down by Northern cavalry or simply fled for their lives in whichever direction they felt could save them.
Except there was none escape route left.
Looking ahead, Jon saw his cavalry from the East under Ser Wendel Manderly and Harrion Karstark broke through the defenses and enemy forces in their direction.
From the West, Ser Barristan and Stevron Frey were making good progress.
It left only the Southern attack being led by Lady Maege Mormont and Dacey.
Jon was alarmed when upon galloping forward a few more dozen yards, he caught sight of them. He grit his teeth in frustration upon seeing their charge had been halted by a disciplined shield wall manned by trained enemy forces, with more and more enemies joining them either in order to bolster the defense or simply to find a way to escape through sheer numbers.
"Those are Forley Prester and his veterans from the Battle of the Camps. Bastard made his men retreat in good order when King Robb captured Riverrun and broke the siege after capturing Jaime in the Whispering Woods. Guess we now know where the slippery bastard and his cunts ran away to!" informed Lord Umber urgently,
Jon was alarmed when the Lannister's under Forley's command deployed several teams of archers behind their shield wall holding the Northern cavalry. The first volley of arrows mostly missed in their panic, but one lucky shot caught Lady Maege in the shoulder as she lost her balance and fell from her horse eliciting a furious scream from Dacey who dove into the frenzied melee to save her mother.
"To the SOUTH! Break their lines NOW!" roared Jon, as he charged upon his horse and grabbed a spear from a fallen Lannister soldier's corpse in his left hand.
Lord Umber roared his eagerness and made the rest of his cavalry follow as together they rushed towards the only capable defense being mounted by the enemy even as Ser Barristan and Wendel Manderly alongside Harrion Karstark continued crushing the enemies on their respective flanks and also sending a few additional riders upon seeing Jon's charge to aid their allies.
The thundering of horses and battlecries of the Northmen didn't go unnoticed by the archers who were quickly ordered to turn around and stop the Stark onslaught approaching from their rear.
Jon threw the spear in his hand skewering it clean through the nearest archer's skull and knocking down two more as the slain bowman fell.
Behind him, Lord Umber and a few of the Frey horsemen launched their own spears killing few more but couldn't stop the archers from launching a half strength volley of arrows at them.
One missed Jon's eye by a mere inch and unfortunately embedded itself into the throat of the Frey horsemen behind him.
That was the sole victory the archers could manage before Jon's cavalry was upon them with vengeance. No quarter was given to the enemy as Jon and Lord Umber skewered many of the archers in half with their greatswords, while most others were brutally trampled beneath the horses of the Frey's.
Even as they died, the enemy archers couldn't stop the cavalry charge as it crashed headfirst into the rear of the defensive line of Forley Presster's troops in a thunderous crash.
Jon saw a short knight with a horned helmet charge towards him bravely drawing what was left of the Lannister men on their foot to follow. He batted away a wild swing from the older knight before kicking him in the face breaking a few of his teeth and making him stumble backwards.
No ordinary sword would have covered the distance between them, but Ice was an exception.
Jon swung the Greatsword- Ice at the Knight with a furious roar and the edge of the Valyrian Sword cut clean through the older man's neck, taking a good chunk of his flesh instantly. If the grizzly and fatal blow wasn't enough, Lord Umber hacked the man's head off from behind in a wild slash.
"There goes the bloody Prester!" boomed the Greatjon with a mad laugh,
Watching their veteran commander's brutal death made quite a few Lannister men fight back with greater vengeance, but those were only a handful veterans. Most of the conscripts freshly pulled out of farms, mills, stables and various civilian walks of life were not ready for such brutalities and started losing the fight.
Many tried to surrender but were aghast in their final moments when no mercy was shown.
Jon felt a little remorseful at that sight of young boys the same age as him being cut down by merciless Frey cavalry. Many cried out for their mother's and shit themselves creating an awful stench, but the Commander in him knew his smaller army would never be sufficient to hold large number of prisoners under captivity, not without jeopardizing their mobility which was their biggest advantage in this campaign.
They were living off the land with most of their supplies they had carried from the Riverlands having depleted by nearly half already.
Nor could he allow these enemy conscripts to run away for some other Western lord would surely shield them in their Castles if only to bolster their own defenses and make it even more damaging when Jon's force tried to launch their next series of attacks.
The cold reality of war had finally sunk its claws into his soul with the deaths of his friends and soldiers, as well as the hard decisions to be taken as a battlefield Commander fighting in a war of existence for his family.
It was why Jon didn't hesitate and plunged himself into the thick of the fighting and drenched his body alongside his soul with the blood and lives of men alongside boys whom in other circumstances he would have offered a chance of an honorable surrender.
Dacey and the Mormont's had already recovered the injured Lady Maege who much to everyone's surprise continued fighting, not that there was much left to fight except few pockets of Lannister Veterans from the Battle of the Camps who fought valiantly but were soon mowed down by Jon's cavalry mercilessly.
The last vestiges of fighting continued for another hour before it was all over.
Jon and his Commanders walked in silence across the destroyed enemy camp surrounded by thousands upon thousands of dead in every direction. The stench was the worst he had ever experienced in his entire life.
"How did we fare?" asked Jon seriously,
"Total victory, Commander. Barely a hundred or a little more enemies managed to escape, the rest of their army was slaughtered" reported Lord Umber with a victorious grin,
"And our own losses?" questioned Jon,
"Fifteen dead, eighteen wounded. Lady Maege will make a swift recovery, her wound was not lethal. The decision to attack them from all sides proved vital in ensuring barely any of their forces escaped the trap. The Lannister's will not recover from this loss anytime soon!" replied Harrion Karstark proudly,
"Send our wounded back to the Golden Tooth for better treatment, our dead are to be given an honorable military funeral by sunrise today. Put the enemy wounded out of their misery, round up every scrap of supplies that is still salvageable. We will keep a good portion to sustain ourselves, send the rest back to Lord Bryden Tully near Harrenhal. They will need it as well" ordered Jon, earning a firm nod from Harrion who departed to execute the command.
"Most of the levies and conscripts were gathered from seats of Lannisport, Crakehall, Sarsfield, Deep Den and Ashemark. With most of their young men dead here and the veterans away with Tywin Lannister, these Castles are severely weakened and can be conquered. Capture the noble families and the Lannister's will lose the support of their sworn bannermen" advised Ser Barristan,
Jon paused and looked at the veteran Kingsguard commander for a long moment.
"Our main goal of this mission now stands accomplished with the destruction of this enemy host that would have threatened a two front war for King Robb. We can take these Castles, but so long as Tywin lives and the base of his power Casterly Rock stands- his bannermen won't abandon him out of fear even if we hold their families prisoners. He has created too much of fear in their minds with his past actions" suggested Jon,
"Then what is your plan?" asked Lord Umber flatly,
Jon pondered over the question until his eyes landed upon a small band of prisoners being watched over by their forces. By the looks of their expensive armor that was bloodied and battered, it was clear these were Western noblemen who were more useful alive as prisoners than being slaughtered like the rest of their army.
He quickly marched over in their direction making Ser Wendel Manderly who was overseeing the prisoners with a small detachment of Frey's give him a firm nod of respect.
"Who are they?" asked Jon curiously,
"Stafford Lannister and his son, Devan. Both were trying to escape until I cornered them, the others are Lord Roland Crakehall and Lord Antario Jast. Couldn't capture rest of the noblemen, they were killed in battle" reported Wendel frankly, earning a nod from Jon.
"Good work, Ser Wendel. Keep them under tight security and make sure they stay alive until we figure out our next plan of action. Send a raven to King Robb informing him of our victory and seek our next set of orders now that our main goal is accomplished" said Jon seriously,
"We have the advantage, Jon. It's best if we seize it and continue our attacks" urged Lord Umber,
"Raiding attacks can continue at your discretion. But no further major assault will take place on any enemy Castles until we decide upon a suitable course of action after consulting our King. My brother was in agreement with destroying this host, but now he is returning back to the War with the Vale army and I wish to have us both on the same page so there is no difference in our thoughts and strategy" explained Jon without a flinch,
Lord Umber sighed making Jon place a comforting hand upon his shoulder.
"Luck, element of surprise, the enemy's mistakes, and the bravery of our men has given us two great victories. But we are a very limited Strike Force with just about 2700 cavalry force left from our original host of more than 3000. The more Castles we take- the more men we will lose in assaulting them and further more when we have to leave garrisons to hold them. Slowly our host will dwindle to barely a fraction of what we started with, positioned deep inside enemy territory. I'm not saying we shouldn't, but if we must then we will need reinforcements and the support of our King. We need to win the War and not just battles, Lord Umber" explained Jon patiently,
He was relieved when the detailed explanation made most of his Commanders give reluctant nods including Lord Umber.
"What we have achieved together so far is truly remarkable. I am proud to fight alongside everyone of you"
The rare praise had the desired effect making many smile and earn a brief bow from Ser Barristan.
"We are honored to fight alongside the White Wolf. First taking down the Mountain, then capturing Golden Tooth, and now the victor of The Battle of Oxcross. Your legend grows, boy! Capture Bloody Casterly Rock and we'll make you a God!" replied Lord Umber with a booming laugh, and gave a rough pat on the back to the younger boy making him stumble.
Even Ser Barristan couldn't help but laugh alongside the other lords upon that remark and seeing Jon's own smile.
The War was far from over, but they were going strong.
(One Week Later)
Standing atop the deck of a fine War galley of the Vale, Theon Greyjoy was lightly armored than he had ever been in his entire life. So were the hundred odd men on the deck made up from warriors from the Vale and a few Northmen.
They all wore uniforms that closely resembled those worn by various houses from the Crownlands who supported the Crown at the moment. The hastily prepared Crownland banner they were carrying should be hopeful, Theon hoped.
Their suicidal mission had but one goal.
Sansa Stark.
Their King had entrusted them with the important task among other objectives. Lord Karstark had been swift in employing nearly half of their force to depart for Dragonstone to initiate a Siege of the ancient castle, while the rest were waiting far away from Blackwater Bay where the entirety of Stannis Baratheon's army was about to invade the lightly defended city of King's Landing.
Rickard Karstark was determined to smash Stannis should he lose the battle and try to retreat by launching a surprise attack. At best, he would capture the Baratheon lord alive with little losses and at worst put him out of his misery thereby removing another contender standing against their King.
He had not been pleased when Smalljon Umber, Theon and Lucas Blackwood had begged the older lord for a hundred of their finest and fastest men -in a noble but nearly suicidal mission to rescue Sansa Stark when the city came under attack by sneaking inside the Capital using the chaos and the pre-occupation of the defenders with thwarting Stannis's forces about to swarm Blackwater Bay, and launch their invasion through the Mud Gate among others.
That left the Iron Gate lightly defended and the safest one they could use to enter King's Landing. The Stark forces had already heard of reports from their lone Scout sent ahead who reported scores of civilians using the old gate to flee from the doomed city about to be engulfed in the flames of war.
Lord Rickard Karstark had nearly executed Theon when he implied the older Northern lord of cowardice and hesitation in saving their King's sister and relented in sparing the troops requested for this mad rescue.
"Never thought I'd run a suicide mission with a Greyjoy" joked Smalljon Umber with a grunt,
"Squid, you do know Karstark will not send us any reinforcement or come to our aid should we get trapped. Not that he can even if he wants" warned Owen Norrey,
"Chickening out, already? I thought Northerner's were made of stronger courage" teased Theon, making Owen glare heatedly.
"We are not afraid to die for our King. We know the score...not sure about you though for you are too soft. The Lannister's will kill you real slowly and in great pain" spoke Owen flatly,
"Enough! We will not succeed if we continue bickering like brats...we are a team! Either we all fight together and succeed, or die side by side with honor tonight. If not for anything else, stand together for Lady Sansa!" rebuked Lucas Blackwood sternly,
The harsh remark was enough to silence the continuing squabble as Theon loaded his crossbow making many of their men carrying the same weapon do the same. Smalljon and Owen lifted their swords even as Lucas Blackwood commanded the small squad of archers and crossbowmen to fall in line behind Theon.
Smalljon Umber who was chosen to lead this suicide mission stepped before the men and looked them straight in the eye. Most of their force had been made of warriors who had sons to support their families and had been veterans of past battles.
A quarter were able Knights of the Vale with great skill while a small contingent were Umber fighters and a very minor group of Northern Clansmen who had fought alongside Owen Norrey. The rest of the force was common Vale fighters from various houses of the mountainous Kingdom.
"Time for revenge is now, lads!" boomed Smalljon with utmost confidence making the men roar and nod as the son of Greatjon pounded his large chest fiercely.
"Lord Eddard Stark and Lord Jon Arryn were murdered in this city! Northmen were butchered without mercy, our daughters were taken hostage by its corrupt rulers! Tonight, the sons of the North and the Vale return with vengeance in our North to avenge the injustice wrecked upon our people!" urged Smalljon angrily, making even Theon grip his crossbow tightly as he remembered the slain liege of House Stark who had been a father to him more than his own blood father had ever been.
"I won't lie to you brave men! Many if not most of us won't be making it tonight, but no matter the cost including all of our lives if needed- we will rescue Sansa Stark or die trying! There will be no room for retreat and surrender would lead to a fate worse than death! Stand fast, Stand Together- Be victorious and you will be forever remembered favorably by our King, fall in battle and the bards will songs about us that a hundred brave men fought till their last breath for their lands and King! Let's hit the bastards where they live!"
"Fight for King Robb, Lord Eddard and House Stark!"
"Fight for the most noble Jon Arryn tonight!''
"Fight for honor and history shall remember you!"
Theon had never seen eye to eye with Smalljon, he had barely gotten to know the giant man ever since they marched from Winterfell. Yet, he couldn't deny the fire that had ignited within his heart upon hearing that speech by the heir of House Umber. The men felt the same and roared their support when their Commander finally asked for the honor of following him into battle.
As their ship landed ashore far away from the watchful eyes of the city defenders, they waited until midnight when the battle truly began for King's Landing between the Baratheon and Lannister forces.
Theon and Lucas Blackwood alongwith their crossbowmen and archers made up the Tip of the Spear for their new commando style unit. Their task was to lie in wait for the right opportunity and clear any token forces at the Iron Gate should they attack them even if they were dressed in uniforms resembling forces of the Crownland lords still loyal to Jofferey.-
They were banking upon the city defenders desperation for any form of aid against the mighty Baratheon force knowing Tywin and his army were still not near the City to defend it from the upcoming slaughter. Their long range weapons were crucial in the assault while Smalljon and Owen alongside the rest of their 'infantry' were to deal with heavy resistance should they face enemy reinforcements or during the assault on Red Keep.
How they would breach that mighty Castle was still unanswered and frightened Theon most, but after his family had forsaken his life after launching minor raids on Northern shores, he knew they didn't care if he lived or died knowing their actions would doom him. Yet Robb had shown him mercy for not making him suffer for the actions of his own family and for that Theon was determined to prove his loyalty to his friend and King even if he was scared.
They waited for two hours into the night as the battle became more fierce until a great ball of fire engulfed a huge part of Blackwater Bay.
"Seven save us...is that Wildfire?" asked Lucas in horror, only for the Smalljon to chuckle madly.
"Keep your shit together, Blackwood! For we are marching straight into hell!" encouraged the Smalljon with a laugh,
"Is he crazy?" whispered Lucas in disbelief, making Theon sigh with a nod.
"All Umbers are"
The remark only made Smalljon chuckle even more but it relaxed their troops upon seeing their Commander not buckling even under such dire circumstances.
It was another half an hour before their lone Scout came rushing back towards them and reported a steady stream of civilians rushing out to the safety of the Crownlands through the Iron Gate.
"Do or die, lads! It's time" commanded Smalljon with a devilish grin,
Theon and Lucas alongside their long range unit mounted upon their horses holding the banners of House Rosby, Stokeworth and Rykker mostly. They even had a captured Lannister Flag hoisted for good effect to mask their intentions.
The second son of Tytos Blackwood sounded the charge and together they made the suicide run hoping the Stranger would not be eager to embrace their souls soon.
Theon had never been as scared as he was in his entire short life as the Walls of King's Landing came closer and closer. Upon seeing the horsemen approaching, the civilians panicked and dashed in every direction to avoid the onslaught. A few were still slow and an older woman was trampled underneath Theon's horse making him grimace.
He couldn't wallow in the unfortunate death of the innocent woman at his hands, for two squads of Lannister soldiers upon the walls of the Iron Gate took up positions upon seeing their approach. Lucas waved the Lannister flag as high as he could hoping they wouldn't be skewered by arrows before they even reached the gate.
The trick worked as one of the Captains upon the gate stopped the enemy archers from skewering the approaching Stark forces in a volley of arrows. The poor bastard even cheered the arriving 'reinforcements' in desperate hope and ordered his men to let them through the gates.
Most of the Lannister men dropped from the walls to greet the much needed reinforcements and could only blink in horror when Theon and his comrades aimed their crossbows and arrows to murder them in cold blood. A few survivors tried to flee to warn the rest of the City defenders but Theon would not allow that as he reloaded his crossbow and fired a second volley alongside his men to silence them forever.
The fleeing civilians panicked even more and rushed towards the other City Gates to save themselves as Smalljon and the rest of their force arrived charging upon their horses a few minutes later.
"Good job, lads!" praised the Umber commander,
"Our element of surprise is gone. Diversion team needs to hold this gate to keep our exit route secure and draw more reinforcements from the Red Keep and nearby city Gates" said Theon quickly,
"Harlan Hunter, setup defensive positions with your team of Knights!" barked Smalljon, making the younger brother Lord Gilwood Hunter nod swiftly.
"Jace, you were with Lord Arryn for a few years as part of his personal guards in the city. Lead us through the city and quickest route to the Red Keep!" spoke Smalljon next, making the Arryn men thump his chest as he lead the way making the rest of their mounted force follow after him.
They had barely passed through two alleys before they met the first wave of enemy forces who looked equally surprised.
Smalljon was at his best as he roared and cleaved a brutal way through them by trampling over men and skewering many in half with his longsword. Their Commander's fierceness made Theon and the others to fight bravely by unleashing volley of bolts and arrows to butcher the City defenders to the last man.
They fought their way through alley's killing enemy defenders with their own casualties mounting rapidly, from the fifty who had rode with them towards the Red Keep...thirteen were dead and two were missing. The Smalljon was unfazed through mad bravery or bloodlust as he pushed on under Jace's guidance.
Theon counted a little more than thirty men left in their ranks by the time they saw the Red Keep on the near horizon.
"FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES! STANNIS HAS BREACHED THE GATES!"
The Stark forces couldn't believe what they were hearing from fleeing civilians and even few dozen shaken City Watch forces who were running away with terror etched upon their faces. A few tried to warn the new 'reinforcements' to not go further into city and run away for Stannis's men had apparently breached two gates and were carving a river blood.
Lucas grabbed a fleeing City Watch defender and shook him violently bring back some sense into the half crazed man.
"Where's the King? How did Stannis breach inside?" asked Lucas sternly,
"The golden shit- Jofferey fled...probably running back inside the Red Keep now! Coward abandoned us...the Imp tried to hold them off...but there were too many from multiple gates...can't hold them...flee...the...city...is...lost...even...the...fucking...hound...ran...away...Run...Stannis...and...his...bastards...will..burn...you...all..alive!" answered the teenaged City Watch defender in terror,
Lucas let the terrified boy run away as their remaining group looked at Smalljon for nobody had expected Stannis to actually do the impossible, but the veteran Baratheon had proven his military prowess and done exactly that even if they didn't want to believe it.
"Nothing's changed! Push on!" ordered Smalljon without a flinch,
Theon was the first to obey the command and urged his horse onward earning an approving nod from the Smalljon as the rest of their men followed suit. As they neared the Red Keep, they saw a desperate stream of City Watch defenders fleeing towards its safety through a lone open gate to save themselves.
Downhill, Theon and everyone of their group actually saw the impossible with vast swaths of the city burning madly and desperate street fighting raging in every corner with Stannis's forces.
Before they could carry forward, they met another unexpected visitor.
"Fuck! It's...the Hound!" exclaimed Jace in horror,
The sworn shield of Jofferey Baratheon growled madly upon seeing what he perceived to be Lannister 'reinforcements' and was about to attack Jace until Theon stepped forward.
"Clegane! Stop you mad bastard...or we will kill you. There are thirty of us!" warned Theon,
"Fuck me bloody...Greyjoy cunt! I must have pissed off every miserable god in existence if I am seeing your shithole of a face!" cursed Sandor in disbelief, even as he kept his sword ready to strike.
Knowing the barbarism and strength this monster possessed made Theon forcefully grab Smalljon from attacking.
"Bloody kill the monster like his brother! He fights for the Lannister's, there are thirty of us and only him!" said Smalljon furiously,
"Gregor's dead?"
Never before had Theon heard Sandor Clegane speak so softly with disbelief clearly etched upon every corner of his burned and bloodied face. Even from a distance, they could smell the alcohol and blood reeking from him...and yet the Hound was stunned for once in his miserable life.
"Yes, Jon Snow butchered the monster in single combat! We'll do the same to you as you're in our way" threatened Smalljon fiercely,
None of them had expected the Hound to burst out in a mad rage of laughter.
Theon, Lucas and the Smalljon looked on disbelief as Sandor smacked himself on the head multiple times while continuing laughing. For once tonight, even they weren't sure of what to make of this situation at their hands.
"Clegane?" asked Theon hesitantly,
"The...monster...was...mine...to...kill...and...the...bastard...Snow...stole...it...from...me!" replied Sandor amidst laughing,
"The fool's drunk and gone mad" exclaimed Smalljon in disbelief, and was about to attack to end this farce only to be stopped by Theon once again.
"Step back Greyjoy! You fight for King Robb and this monster is standing in our way from saving Lady Sansa! Have you forgotten that?" roared Smalljon angrily,
Before Theon could defend his actions, they were once again surprised when Sandor stopped laughing and lowered his sword a little much to everyone's continuing shock.
"You're here for the little bird? You must be as mad as Gregor!" said Sandor in disbelief, and was there a grudging respect in the man's voice that Theon presumed?
"That is our mission. The city is lost and we can't afford losing more men in killing you...step aside if you want to live!" warned Theon once more,
"You little shits are gonna die. If not by the Lannister's inside the Red Keep trying to save themselves, then by the crazy madmen of Stannis who have breached the walls" answered Sandor harshly,
"We have our mission and will die trying if needed...her chances of surviving the coming storm without our attempted rescue are bad. Let us pass, you lived your life for the Lannister's but this City is lost if Stannis is already inside. Let us save one innocent girl's life at the very least and in doing so save your own!" said Theon in a final attempt to convince the monster who could easily kill five or seven of them before they could put him down for good.
Men they couldn't offer to lose knowing what lied ahead.
Sandor Clegane lowered his sword completely for the first time in his life without the command of his masters much to Smalljon and the Stark Unit's disbelief. The burned man looked at Theon for a long moment...
"Fuck the King! Fuck the Lannister's...go and doom yourselves in saving her if you must, I already tried once!" said Sandor bitterly,
"Wait! You tried to rescue her, do not lie to us!" spat Smalljon angrily, earning a scathing glare from the beast of a warrior.
"Fuck you, stupid giant!"
"Clegane...will you help us?"
Smalljon smacked Theon harshly on the face making him nearly fall of his horse which only made Sandor laugh boisterously. The Greyjoy glared at his commander angrily and continued his defiance.
"He knows exactly where she is and the routes in the Castle better than any of us! Help us and we can aid you in escaping from the Lannister's. I doubt the Lannister's or Stannis will spare your miserable life if you're trying to flee now by the looks of it" said Theon bitterly, as he spat a mouthful of blood from his mouth.
"You can't even save yourselves, bastard! And why would I help the Starks!" spat Sandor harshly,
"King Robb will reward you handsomely if you help us save his sister!"
Smalljon looked ready to murder Theon for this continued farce only to lose his shit upon hearing what came next from the wretched monster in front of him.
"How much?"
Author's Notes: End of Chapter.
Hope you guys liked it.
Merry Christmas to everyone in advance in case I can't upload before the fateful day. I have already started working on the next chapter and I'm quite excited to share it as soon as possible.
A few readers want either Robb or Jon to be King, that's not my main goal of writing this story to be honest. I love both the characters dearly, and will do as much justice to both of them. The vision I had when I started this story was of the Wolf Brothers fighting together against all their enemies and defending the Seven Kingdoms.
Jon's Targaryen aspect of the story will be fleshed out as we go through the Saga, some readers who are concerned about the same need to wait a little more. Needless to say, Jon will get his due as per my vision but not at unjust expense of other characters in the story.
Reviews would be much appreciated.
Until Next Time,
Blackwolf501