United we Stand – Divided we Fall
Volume II Chapter 1 : Freedom
Welcome back to United we Stand – Divided we Fall, second volume.
The first volume was the foundation of the story.
It had several purposes: worldbuilding, character-building and it helped me learn how to better write a story.
Hopefully, the second volume will avoid the pitfalls the first one encountered. Your feedback helped me realise some points that would improve the way to write the story (especially: avoiding to have too many characters and shorter paragraphs).
Thanks to those who pointed this out.
The second volume will see Lucas and other characters blossom, they will be put to the test and evolve.
It is not necessary to read Volume I, nor Interlude I before Volume II – even if doing so would help you understand the story better.
For those who might be following my other ongoing story, Lacerta, don't be afraid, it will continue to be updated in time.
Without further foreword, I wish you a pleasant reading.
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Castamere, 198 A.C., first moon, first fortnight
The Lord's Solar
Summer
Lucas POV
"No"
Silence stretched for several heartbeats in the now dark room, the night having settled.
"Excuse me, I believe I heard you wrong."
"And I think you just heard me perfectly clearly, my Lord. I said no."
After several heartbeats, taking pleasure in turning down the request of someone socially higher than himself, Ser Argos, Lord Lauros Lydden's brother, explained his reasons.
"I won't risk House Lydden's most valuable miner in an area where several skirmishes led to many deaths between your House and House Banefort. In addition, you might remember that Lord Lauros' only daughter is married to Lord Kendrick Banefort. It wouldn't do House Lydden any good to be involved in the disagreement your House have over your common border with his son-in-law. Besides, your House isn't wealthy enough to hire our help."
The last was said with more contempt than Lucas had ever heard any one utter. Which was quite a feat in itself.
Ser Argos didn't fear to deny Lord Roger Stackspear's request, face to face. It was a personality trait the young miner could respect – one of the few. It was however really stupid to call a highborn Lord a pauper – anyone surviving more than a moon in Westeros had learnt it – those that did were generally not given a second chance.
Two moons ago, Lucas was sent together with Captain Hook and Mina to help rebuild a part of Castamere's galleries due to an important mudslide followed by a flooding of several important galleries that had happened during Spring.
Until that point, Castamere's own senior miners and highly skilled Maester had not been able to put an end to the flooding under the castle. Already, several sizable cracks had appeared on the castle's walls as well as in its foundations, leading the proud Lord of Castamere to ask House Lydden for their best miner's advice and help.
A year ago, Lucas, an eight nameday old young boy, had followed the shrewd Lord of Deep Den, Lord Lauros Lydden, from Banefort where the latter had married his daughter to Lord Kendrick Banefort, to his ancestral seat, to the east of the Westerland, at the border with the Reach and the Riverlands.
The Maester of House Banefort, Maester Jorgen, despite being a cold bastard, had done Lucas a favour by appointing him "senior miner" despite his very young age.
The young Ironborn had indeed in less than a year discovered an ochre and a tin deposit, improved the extraction of tin by a fourth and detected traces of gold on House Banefort lands.
This had, however, earned him the interest of Lord Lauros.
For better or for worse.
Despite not having any proof, Mina, Lucas' half-sister of twelve nameday, strongly suspected the greedy Lord to be the mind behind the fight between Harmond, one of Lucas adult comrade, and one of the Lydden men-at-arms who ended paralyzed after hitting his neck on the edge of the hearth when he tried to assault Mina.
It had led to Harmond's banishment and death as well as to Lord Lauros asking that Lucas be sent to his castle by way of compensation for his soldier's disablement.
Lucas hadn't believed her theory at first, but the more he worked for Lord Lauros, the more this seems plausible. Besides, Mina was seldomly wrong when it came to people. She had an uncanny ability to assess people's motivations.
Harmond's death had badly hurt the three remaining refugees from Blacktyde. From the five running away, two had died in a year's span.
Harmond's demise had had far mor impact than Harry's, however, who had always acted selfishly – and sometimes cruelly – like when he cut one of Lucas' ear.
Harmond, shy Harmond, had been a steadfast presence. Harsh and cruel environment had broken his spirit and the only times he had been stubborn was when Mina had been threatened. He had had a soft spot for Mina. Sadly, it had cost him his life.
Even now, each time Lucas was thought of Harmond, he was reminded how precarious their situation was, despite the recent improvements.
Maester Jorgen, the Banefort's scholar, had been more than angry when his Lord had foolishly accepted to part with his protégé. His 'revenge' had been to make sure Lucas would cost more to Lord Lydden than he had in all likelihood expected by making him a "senior miner" - how ever aberrant it may have looked due to his young age. But what the lad had achieved couldn't be denied.
This 'promotion' had indeed improved Lucas' situation a bit as he wasn't looked down as much as before, when they were only 'Ironborn refugees'.
But Lucas wasn't deluding himself: they were still quite at the bottom of the social order.
Despite Mina's suspicions, there was nothing they could do against Lord Lauros regarding Harmond's death.
Lucas, Mina and the Captain didn't wish to jeopardize their new improved situation. Therefore, Lucas was doing his best to help House Lydden get back on track after Quentyn Ball's path of destruction had ravaged their lands.
House Lydden had been extracting lead from their mines for generations. They had found several deposits of silver that had been the source of the House ascension, centuries ago.
By "discovering" a way to extract silver from the waste heap accumulated by almost a millennium of extraction, Lucas had already raised House Lydden wealth to a new level.
Regarding the mining activity, the young miner had implemented several new mining techniques to dig safer galleries and improve the quantity of extracted ore. As a result, he had become known as a miner prodigy in few moons, even outside Lord Lydden's fief.
Before Castamere, he had already been sent to Silverhill to overview the implementation of the same techniques he had put into place at Deep Den.
There was no doubt that Lord Lauros was benefitting greatly from this. As they departed from Silverhill for Deep Den, several wagons of various goods had followed them.
Not a fortnight after they were back, they had left again this time for Castamere.
Hence Lucas' current situation, in Castamere as an expert in mining.
His attention came back to the present and the tensed atmosphere.
Lord Roger Stackspear's face became red at Ser Argos' afront.
"How dare you speak to me like this, to me, the Lord of House Stackspear? You are nothing but a knight turned miner!" roared the man with a scar that went from above his left brow to his jaw.
Both men had their hands on the pommel of their sword, but the next words of Lord Rolland stopped them.
"Peace, my friends, peace."
Turning towards the Lord of Stackspear, he played the tactful host.
"Lord Roger, Ser Argos is my guest and under my protection. I'm sure we can settle this cordially, don't you think?"
Speaking then to the vain knight: "I doubt your cousin, Lord Lauros, would like you to speak in his name the way you do to another important Lord."
Lord Roger and Ser Argos quieted down, understanding very well the implied message.
The ruling Lord of Castamere, Lord Rolland Reyne, was a powerful individual, not someone you would like against you. He was shrewd and experienced. Under his care, his family has gained even more influence and wealth.
Some even whispered his family was aiming to overtake House Lannister's place in the Westerland.
How ever Lord Rolland tried to look neutral, even Lucas, who had sometimes difficulties to pinpoint people's real motivations, was aware that Lord Rolland would side with Ser Argos, at least until his castle and mines were secured. But he couldn't let Ser Argos insult another Lord under his roof.
The discussion went on without really making any real progress. At some point, Lucas was asked to leave the Solar where he had initially come to present the solutions that should be implemented.
The discussion had veered towards a survey on Lord Roger's lands after Lord Rolland together with his Maester and his most experienced senior miner, Alyn Breckeneck, had approved his proposals regarding several actions to stop the flooding and systematic reinforcement of the galleries.
When he went back to their room, the one where Mina, Captain Hook and himself were sleeping. It was a real improvement to have a room, even small and with only one bed, just for the three of them.
Mina was already there. They decided to wait for the Captain's return before heading for the servant's room where they would have supper.
Lucas used the time to tell Mina what happened in the Solar. Just as he finished telling her, the Captain came back and they departed.
During supper, which consisted of soup and bread, Lucas pondered over the first implementation of the galleries' reinforcement. He would begin only tomorrow, but he was prioritizing the tasks and pondering over the logistics.
He didn't have as much time as he would have liked to think this over, however.
It was only at the end of supper that Mina's silence became obvious to him.
Despite his lack of social awareness, he decided to wait when she refused to share until they were alone with the Captain in their own room.
As soon as they closed the door, Mina fired the question that had been on her mind the whole evening at Lucas and their surrogate father.
"What do you believe will happen to us? What will Lord Lauros do with us? After Castamere, I mean."
That was a good question. One Lucas – and probably the Captain too judging by his face - had often thought about too.
They could continue to work for Deep Den's family. It was the easiest solution.
He didn't liked it, however, and for two reasons.
First, despite being appointed "senior miner", he wasn't paid as much as an adult, far from it. Even after the improvement he implanted when the mines began to make more profits than ever, he got nothing, not even a "thank you".
Needless to say, Lucas didn't like being conned at all.
That wasn't however his greatest concern. It lays with Lord Lauros' greed itself.
When Lucas was still at Deep Den, he had to insist many times so that old and new galleries be strengthened accordingly, that good quality wooden beams be used for props, that accurate maps be drawn of the galleries and that extracting rooms as wells as galleries be monitored through frequent inspection to detect any hazard.
It cost time and gold, however, to use good quality beams or to control that the galleries would not collapse. And Lord Lauros was not someone who liked to spend money.
He had insisted several times that pine wood be used for extraction rooms and oak wood be used for the main galleries, despite costing more than some other varieties. Despite his attempts to demonstrate that, in the long run, it costed more to work like a slob and endanger the miners' lives with rushed construction, Ser Argos had tried to cut the costs as much as possible.
But after four moons of absence, Lucas feared what would have been done. If they had cut costs a lot, it could lead to a caving in, sooner or later.
And who would be blamed if the galleries were to cave in? Himself, naturally. This worried him a lot.
He told Mina and the Captain about his doubts.
Captain Hook, seated in a corner, his arms folded, added his view.
"I don't like Ser Argos either. He is almost worse than Lord Lauros when it comes to money and costs. He has been put in charge of the mining activities but he believes it is fool work, according to him, unsuited for a highborn. From what I understand, Lord Lauros has appointed him to this position precisely to spite him, the two doesn't get along at all. His lack of interest and his greed will bring nothing but woe."
Ser Argos despised miners and smallfolk in general. He had been a knight in his youth but years of no physical work and a strong liking for ale had turned him into an overweighted, always complaining selfish snob.
Lucas remembered their days in Deep Den very well.
Men and children, working in the mines the whole day. They were exploited, they were paid almost nothing and their lives were deemed irrelevant.
Despite helping House Lydden increase its wealth on their backs and shoulders, Lucas was feeling responsible for their fate. No doubt, that back on Earth, some middle-class bobo would say that by helping the House Lydden make profits, he was part of the problem too.
Try saying that, he thought to himself, however, when your stomach hurts so much that you could eat mud, or when one wrong word could lead you to physical punishment. There was no place to right-thinking people in Westeros. It was a lesson Lucas wasn't ready to forget after Maester Jorgen threatened to torture Mina.
"Maybe we could use our current situation to our benefit." Began Mina. "If I remember well, you said the gold deposit was very probably south of the Banefort's border. We could work for House Stackspear." Mina came out with an idea that he had already toyed a lot with.
"But Ser Argos will never agree to this."
"Son" – the Captain had get into the habit of calling him "son", at first to give people the impression that they were indeed family, but now, it looked like he was really seeing him as some kind of a son, and Mina as the daughter that he probably would never have – "if you wait for the highborn to decide what is in your best interest, you will live many winters before seeing it happening - and starve before it happens."
He had a point, he admitted.
Harmond's death, with all the unfairness it carried, had awoken something in the Captain. When it was only the three of them, he would criticize more easily than before. Harmond had been his comrade for months on Blacktyde. They had sailed and went fishing together. Two years ago, their escape from Blacktyde had for the most part relied on them.
Mina and Lucas had noticed how Harmond's unjust death had broken the Captain's faith and unsettled him, he who had always been a pious believer. He wasn't praying as much as he used to and would often look at his seven-pointed star necklace he had carved himself when he was at Drymoat with Mina and Harmond, instead of praying, with a faraway look.
Not being a strong believer himself – Lucas still struggled with how he ended on Planetos instead of being at the bottom end of a frozen lake in Canada – thus, he refrained from advising him.
Afterwards, Lucas tried to spend even more time with him and Mina. He tried to help him as best as he could.
Every evening, despite their tiredness, Lucas had continued to teach Mina how to write, as well as more advanced calculus like square root and geometry. She was very bright. Out of boredom during their travel back from Silverhill to Deep Den, he even began teaching her some Russian, his mother tongue (1).
Captain Hook hat taken a more proactive role in their lives since several moons. It was a good thing because despite having the experience of his previous life on Earth, the westerosi culture was too different. The Captain's experience was much needed. Just like now.
"We need a plan. A long-term plan, in this case" he finally agreed.
"One where we will not risk our lives in galleries the whole bloody day would be better."
Captain Hook was a man of the sea. Lucas knew he disliked being in dark and damp enclosed spaces like galleries.
Most of that night, as well as the next ones, were spent discussing about their future.
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Castamere, 198 A.C., second moon, first fortnight
Castamere's courtyard
Summer
A month had passed. Together with the miners and thanks to Lucas' suggestions, the flooding had been stopped and the cracks had stopped becoming wider, making repairs possible.
For a fortnight, Mina, the Captain and Lucas discussed what they should do, before the three of them agreed on a plan and got in touch with Lord Reyne's steward – his help was indeed needed.
Today, Ser Argos was leaving Castamere to return to Deep Den with the ten guards who had come with him.
Today, the three refugees from Blacktyde were about to take their first step towards freedom.
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The young Ironborn was observing the scene from a secluded spot, together with Mina and the Captain.
"Very well, it's time to go!" Ser Argos' voice rang out in the courtyard where he stood on his horse after exiting the castle. The guards were ready and had been awaiting him for some time.
"Where is Lucas?" he asked the leader of his guards, displeased that he wasn't already there.
From their place, Lucas held his breath. This was it.
They were too far away to hear the guard's answer who gestured to the castle and the servants milling around. He was probably explaining how he had asked servants to go fetch them. Not that he would be successful.
A servant chose this exact moment to exit the tower where he had lived with Mina and the Captain. He came up to Ser Argos holding out the letter Lucas had left in the room.
The servant was visibly unsure how to proceed.
The Lydden knight snatched it away, opened it and read it before cursing loudly. He dismounted and grabbed by surprise the servant by the neck.
"Where is he! Speak! Where did he hide himself!"
The servant was struggling and tried to free himself. Ser Argos punched him in the stomach with his free hand before tossing him on the ground. But before the knight could do anything else, Lord Rolland Reyne exited the main tower and stepped in, getting quickly closer to the leaving party, followed by five, then five more guards, including the Captain of the guards and the master-at-arms.
"What is the meaning of this! Ser Argos! May I know the reason for manhandling one of my servants, in my own courtyard, no less?"
The Lord of Castamere's voice was full of suppressed anger in front of such a breach – his powerful voice could be heard in the whole bailey and everybody had stopped his activity to see what was happening.
Behind Lord Rolland, the guards were clutching their spears firmly and looking at the knight with animosity.
They couldn't hear what followed, being too far away. Ser Argos was trying to play down things, it seemed, but Lord Rolland was having none of it. The Lydden party was now surrounded by twice more guards and the atmosphere was tensed.
In the end, Lord Rolland made a motion towards the gatehouse, clearly annoyed. Ser Argos mounted again his horse, clearly upset and his party was escorted by Castamere's guards up to the gatehouse in deathly silence.
Several servants came in a rush to help their injured comrade as soon as the Lydden party crossed the gatehouse.
"Wow, he really took it badly" whispered Mina. "I hope the servant will not suffer from the blow too much. The poor."
We hadn't thought Ser Argos would attack our unwilling "messenger" physically.
"Let's go, Lord Roger's party will arrive soon" answered the Captain, unmoved by the servant's fate.
Living as a thrall for most of his life had desensitized the man.
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It was their turn to depart, escorted by the Stackspear party. Once in the courtyard and about to leave, they were surprised to see Lord Rolland come toward them, followed by a servant.
Lucas, Mina and the Captain bowed low in front of the highborn Lord, quickly followed by the men of House Stackspear who had arrived not long ago.
"Raise."
Lord Rolland eyes went over Captain Hook, Mina and finally Lucas which he observed for several heartbeats before speaking again.
"I wish you all good fortune" he stated.
Lucas took it with the cynicism it deserved. Mina had told him how Lord Rolland had agreed on a betrothal between his niece and Lord Roger's heir should gold be found on his lands, in acknowledgment for the help the Reyne Lord was providing in helping them escape Lord Lauros' tyranny.
Tit for tat. Another unsaid law that worked on Planetos as well, he thought to himself.
"We will pray the Seven to bless you for your help, my Lord" answered tactfully the leader of the small party that would escort them to the Stack, the seat of House Stackspear.
While pleasantries were exchanged, Lucas looked back on how they came to being here.
The Captain had presented Lord Rolland's steward with their plan a fortnight and a half ago. At first, he had been dubious. Mina, who had been able to be present too, was however able to sweet-talk him and the next day, the two of them had discreetly met with Lord Rolland.
Once again, it was Mina's silver tongue that made the difference.
In the letter they had left for Ser Argos, Lucas had explained that they had run away. In reality, he had agreed to survey the Stackspear's land and look for a gold deposit.
This time, he had made it clear that he would do it for a fee. Ten stags a moon and one hundred gold dragons if he was able to find the gold deposit.
The reward he asked, should he be successful, earned him disbelieving eyes at the beginning. The amount was more than most men could hope to earn, even in five lives. But the young Ironborn turned miner prodigy had pointed out that they would recoup it quickly if he was able to find the deposit.
They had tried to convince him that they would ask someone else to do it for less. Lucas hadn't bought their lie, however, and three days ago, after much waiting, the steward had brought them the Stackspear's assent. In writing, as he had demanded.
Brokering was best done when one had the edge.
"Before you leave" began Lord Rolland, drawing back his attention, "I would like to thank you personally for your help. People with such skills will always be welcome in my halls, should you seek employment. Please, accept these small gifts on behalf of my family."
A servant came closer and gave a surprised Captain Hook a brand-new pickaxe first. After him, another servant came up to Lucas and finally Mina, each of them with another tool . Each one was of superior quality and wore the Reyne's coat of arm.
"Thank you, thank you my Lord" Captain Hook almost stammered, followed by Mina. Tools were very expensive and it was commonplace for employer to loan the tools to their craftsmen when they weren't rich enough to possess their own.
"It's very generous of you, my Lord" added Lucas, while at the same time he couldn't refrain from seeing these gifts as part of Lord Reyne's "soft power strategy".
Shortly afterwards, the small party exited Castamere's bailey and began their trip northward - towards Stackspear.
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It took the small party a fortnight to travel from Castamere to Stackspear. Uneventful but tiring.
They were cordially welcomed by Lord Roger's steward, Quentyn Gilrock, just before the drawbridge was raised, in the evening.
After a night of rest, they met him again, together with Maester Corus, House Stackspear's scholar.
For the first time since he opened his eyes on Planetos, the three of them spoke with highborn who weren't looking down their nose at them. They weren't being warm toward them, but at least, they didn't get the feeling that their lives only depended on their mood. It was a welcome improvement.
As much as Lucas would have like to believe it was genuine, however, his newly developed cynicism didn't allowed him to give it more than a second thought.
Despite being only nine nameday, having already proved their worth, as well as the lure of profit, their usefulness meant they were given at least the minimum of courtesy.
This time, they would travel and survey together. Each of them brought his or her strongpoint. Lucas, his technical knowledge, Mina her silver tong and acumen when it came to people and the Captain, finally, his age and knowledge of westerosi culture.
An experienced miner named Brett would join them later. His job would be to guide them on Stackspear lands and provide any help he could.
It went unsaid that he would be there to ensure Lucas was working diligently.
Besides looking for the gold deposit, their missions included mapping the area and looking for any exploitable ore. Lord Roger and Master Corus were smart enough to ask they report anything of note worth economically.
Lucas had strongly advised to make first a general survey of the region where it seemed likely, following his previous observations, that gold could be found. While doing it, he would gather evidence of the natural resources they would encounter.
The steward and the Maester approved the plan without hesitation, seeing the wisdom behind it.
Once this was done – it may take at least three to five moons – they would begin stage two and look more carefully where the geological morphology and the samples Lucas would be collecting would lead them regarding the plausible gold mine (or mines if they really were lucky).
Five guards would go with them as well – Lucas knew first hand that the area they were going to survey could be dangerous.
Knowing what a few coins could achieve, Lucas promised a monetary reward if they were successful in their quest to the five guards.
Grange, their leader, was an experimented man who knew the region quite well. He was thirty-five nameday old and the third son of a minor vassal from House Stackspear.
Before their departure from the Stack, Lucas ordered a spade, several bags, three ropes, several wooden slabs he would later recover with beeswax to draw, as well as sturdy shoes, gloves, warm clothes and waterproof capes made of sealskins for the three of them, a good quality tent and dozen other things they would need in their quest.
Lucas knew from experience that going unprepared may be the difference between success and failure, and that getting sick could be tragic, so he decided it was worse buying this.
Naturally, in this medieval era, they were the one to pay for this. As he didn't have enough money to cover the costs, it was deducted from his future wages.
He really didn't like the idea of borrowing money in a culture where failing to pay it back would probably cost him a limb or whatever physical punishment some sadistic power-hungry law enforcer would come with, but was there any other possibility? No. So he went with it.
Grange, however, was kind enough to go and see the craftsmen with him to buy the necessary tools and clothes. His presence and his backing helped to negotiate the prices a bit.
The decision to include Mina was meet with bewilderment. The time spent at Banefort's castle had taught them however that to remain together was safer, even if it wasn't the traditional place for a young woman to be.
She would be the only woman in the group and they were going to walk dozens of miles every single day. They would be using a mule, but each of them would have to carry his own stuff. Sleeping would be done in the outdoors…
Mina assured Lucas and Captain Hook – later Grange too - with absolute certainty that she would rise to the challenge. Grange warned her how dangerous it would be, how there would be little respite and almost no comfort. Nothing would make her change her mind.
After what almost happened at Banefort, the Captain and Lucas agreed it was for the best that she come with them.
When the second fortnight of the year ended, the party of eight had already departed from the Stack for the first stage of their mission: updating the maps of the Stackspear's fief.
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Here it is, first chapter of Volume II. Quite a bit of description, the following chapters will see more dialogs.
(1 ) Volume I was imagined and started before the on-going conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Lucas speaking Russian is not a political choice, just a fictional need for this story.
This story is NOT a political statement, so please, do not interpret this as a stance for or against one side.
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