Who Dares Win

Chapter I

2009, Afghanistan, Unknown place

"Shit ! Shit ! Shit ! Shit"

That was the only thought running through his head as he was running for his life. Today was supposed to be an easy day, a quick patrol around the sector of Jalalabad and then back to the base to train.

It was supposed to be their last month in this hellhole so all his men were eager to be done with their work to be able to return quickly to their temporary home, and more importantly, to call their wives and children.

And now he was nearly sure all of them were dead and he was running for his life. A shameful display for one such as he. He was on his sixth command in the region, one of the officers who had the seen the most action in Afghanistan and the only one without any loss in his group.

Till now.

He was known as Edward Baldwin, Captain of the Third Squadron, of the First Regiment of Marines Paratrooper or more commonly known as the French S.A.S. He has been a member of the Special Forces for about 4 years now and he went to all countries where France was engaged, but mostly Iraq and Afghanistan.

And now it seemed, his career and most importantly his life were to be over in an ambush.

"No, I will not die here, not like this, not in a fucking ambush."

He got up from the rock where he took a moment to rest and got back to running, his loyal companion by his side. It was commonly know that war forged a bond like no other and it was doubly true for him and his dog. Orso was his name, a Belgian Malinois of 6 years who has been with him since birth. Their bond was so powerful that most of the times he felt closer to Orso than all his friends.

"You will not die here, my boy. I will not let them touch you"

Orso turned his head, and in his eyes he saw the love and determination that was always there. The message was clear : no matter what comes, they would face it together.

An explosion, about 10 meters from them shook him from his reverie and he went back to running. Gunshots sounds came from behind but no impact, he still had a bit of a head start over his pursuers. He didn't know how the Talibans knew where to catch them but his superiors had to be informed.

Flashback, 30 minutes earlier

It was still early in the morning when they took their vehicles, two armored cars made for speed and not combat. They were making their way through a valley when the first car exploded on an IED, Improved Explosive Device, killing the five men inside. He didn't even have time to understand that they were dead before gunshots were heard all around. He was in the second car today, but he was not sure if it was blessing or a curse. Sure, he didn't die in the explosion but they were now caught in a crossfire in the middle of a valley with the way forward blocked by the burning car.

The car they were in was armored but mainly built for speed and not even thirty seconds into the gunfight, the window on the driver side broke and a few bullets followed, killing the driver and spreading brain matter and blood in the cabin.

"Seb, give me the radio ! " Screamed Edward to his second in command. He was the oldest sergeant in the regiment and a very experienced man. But now in face of a near certain death, he was as scared as a green boy. The bald giant of a man was wide eyed and his breathing was quick.

Ed shook him and screamed again.

"The radio ! Now !"

Seb regained his composure and his eyes focused back on his captain. He searched the radio in his pack and passed it to him.

Ed took it in his hand and pressed the main button.

"Base for Delta-1 ! Base for Delta-1 !"

"Base listening Delta-1, go ahead"

"Delta-1 is under fire ! I repeat we are fixed under fire ! Requesting air support asap"

"Roger that, Delta-1. How many tangos ?"

"At least a hundred tangos ! I repeat at least a hundred armed pax firing on us !"

"Roger, we have your location and a drone is on the way, ETA 20 seconds. Hold on Delta-1"

The problem was that they were in the middle of a valley and that meant that the drone couldn't kill all the enemies. They were effectively trapped. This was not a new situation for the French Army. Something similar happened last year, the Ambush of Uzbin where twenty one soldiers lost their life. They tried to fight to the last man and Ed got to speak with some of the survivors during a debriefing with the goal of never repeating this tragedy. All of them said the same thing : always keep the last bullet for yourself, and try to kill as much of the fuckers as possible. But now that he was thinking about it, they didn't have air support and so they didn't have the same options either. Ed knew only one way to try to save some of his men.

"Base for Delta-1, use the drone to clear the hill on the east side ! We will try to escape !" He didn't know how he kept his voice for wavering, the bullet impacts were now all over the car and it was only thanks to the fact that the talibs have the same aim as his grandmother that saved their lives.

"Roger that Delta-1, ETA 5 seconds, good luck"

"Brace !" screamed Ed to his soldiers.

A few moments later, the top of the hill on their right side exploded and they saw a hand fly and hit the car, leaving a bloody path on the glass. Three more explosions were heard and the gunshots stopped. Ed guessed that the talibans were shocked by the speed of the air support, they probably sought to kill them all before the help came. But he did not have time to waste, they had to escape.

"Alright guys, now is our time. Get out of the car by the right side and we will try to pass the hill !" He ordered, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Captain, should we try to see if there is any survivor in the first car ?" asked Robin, the youngest member of their squad, only 21 years old and strong as an oak. It was his first exterior operation.

"I'm sorry Rob, it's impossible to live through that. They are dead" Answered Seb in his place.

"We don't have time anyway, if we want to live we need to go NOW !" Cried Ed.

Seb was the first to exit the car, he directly took position and shot a few bullets to cover the others. Robin went next, the sound of his HK-416 joined Seb's.

"Orso, let's go !" Ed followed the other two with his dog and took the radio again "Base for Delta-1, nice shots ! We are out of the car and getting ready to move out, can you do another pass ?"

"Delta-1, the drone is out of fuel and ammo. You are alone now, good luck guys, Base over"

"Shit !" He swore before looking to Robin "Can you smoke these fuckers ?"

"It would be my pleasure" Answered Rob with a smirk.

"Perfect, create a smoke screen for us and as soon as they are blind, we run like hell"

Robin took out the smoke grenade and did a perfect launch. As soon as it hit the ground, some white smoke began to spread around, temporarily blinding their enemies.

"Ok go go go !" Screamed Ed and all three soldiers plus a dog began to run to the hill that was recently cleared. There was little chance of a talib hidden there, the drone was very thorough. On the order side of the valley, a few gunshots were heard. They were trying to shoot trough the smoke but with little success. More worrying was the order that were shouted in Arab. Evidently they had no intention of letting them go and they were going to pursue them.

Thanks to all the training they did during the selection in Bayonne, the hill was climbed in a less than a minute but to their horror, the other side was a rocky plain. If the Taliban followed them, they would have no chance here. And the way down the hill was rocky and treacherous, if they tried to run they would break their ankles and if they were too slow, the talibs would kill them.

They had to stay on the hill now but which way to go ? Forward would mean the unknown and the possibility of falling in another ambush, while going backwards would mean joining the little village they were in before their patrol, the noises from the explosions and gunshots will have drawn all the enemies of the sector here, without mentioning the fact that the villagers will be angered by the fighting.

All in all, Ed decided, they had no choice. Forward it is.

He turned to his men.

"We will go north, we need to put as much distance as possible between us and the talibs. When the way down will be easier we will take it."

Seb and Rob nodded, and all four began to run. If the situation wasn't so dramatic, the run could have been pleasant. At this time of the year, the temperature was just perfect, not too chill and not too warm. And running atop a hill was always something that Ed liked, usually he was imagining that he was Aragorn in The Lord of The Rings, running to save the hobbits. But now he was running for his life with his three companions and the orcs were behind them.

The gunshots had completely stopped now and gave way to an eerie silence. No orders were shouted and that worried him.

They were running for less than five minutes when they saw just in front of them three previously hidden men getting up and aiming in their direction. There was no need to wonder if they were allies or enemies, their attire and their weapons were telling enough. It was trap.

"Take cover! " Screamed Edward, but it was already too late.

They were close, way too close and Robin was in the front when they fired. He did not have time to hide behind a rock. He didn't even have time to draw his weapon.

Ed saw his friend's body moving in weird way with the impact of the bullets. They were lined in a single line so his body protected them but nothing was protecting him.

Ed didn't have to wonder when Robin fell, nobody could take that many bullets and live. His friend was dead and he couldn't mourn for him. Rage overtook him and he took aim from behind this rock. He shot three times and all three of the talibs were dead. All operators of the French Special Forces were elite shooters and Ed was the best of them all. He got up and ran to Robin, hoping against hope to feel a sign of life but nothing. His torso was shredded and his eyes were empty and lifeless. Edward closed them and got up.

He turned to Seb.

"We need to go down the hill now, or we are dead." His voice was cold, full of rage but determined.

He observed the man who until now was his second in command. Seb was an experienced sergeant, nearing 40 years, he was one of the longest serving member of the regiment. He was always the one full of good advices and Edward relied heavily on him to lead his men. Coming from African descent, he was black as night and bald. Some joked that he was born to fight during the night, as was the habit in the Special Forces.

But now, he could scarcely recognize him. Usually standing tall and strong, he was now scared shitless. His eyes were wide and unseeing, stuck on the lifeless body of Robin. He was mumbling under his breath. Ed had to remember that even tough Seb was experienced, he had never been in a reel combat situation until now, his life was never really threatened. And seeing people, especially close friends, die like this was bound to have consequences. Ed was working on adrenaline now but he was sure that later, if they could get out of this situation, he too would have a break down. But he refused to lose control, not now and not ever. He will not die here.

Ed decided to shake Seb.

"Come on, get a grip ! We have to move now !"

No answer.

Ed crouched near him and passed his arm under his second's to support him.

"I won't let you here, let's go !"

Orso sat before them and was looking at Ed, he swore that he could see him raise an eyebrows, likely asking why he would bother with dead weight.

"Come on, don't give me that. We are a team, you know that" Answered Ed, and the insolent dog had the audacity to roll his eyes before running again.

Luckily this side of the hill was easier to run and so they began to go down. Ed was still supporting Seb when he began to hear gunshots again from the back. They were likely out of range and so he was not too worried about that.

The next thing he heard, however, was an entirely different matter. Something exploded a few meters from him and he now understood why the talib took that much time to chase them. They were bringing a mortar.

He continued to run for a bit before noticing that it was getting harder to support Seb and something warm was on his hand. Orso was still running in front of him so he called him to stop to look at his friend.

Edward got the urge to shout his anger to the sky when he noticed a piece of shrapnel stuck in Seb's neck and blood running freely from his sectioned carotid artery. Seb was choking on his blood when Ed gently lowered him to the ground. An injury of this type was hard to treat in a modern hospital but here, in the middle of the fight, without any equipment, it was downright impossible. Seb was a dead man and it was a hard pill to swallow for Edward.

So much loss on a single day..

An other shell hit the ground a few meters away from him. And he decided to run. His team, his family may be dead but he was not. And he would live to avenge them.

End Flashback

They were tracking him, he was sure of it. Nobody could fire that many shells of mortar with that much precision, least of all some fucking no name Taliban.

The repercussion of that revelation were dire indeed. If their enemy had access to their GPS system, all of their secret operations were in danger.

Ed decided to chase that thought, the war could wait, for now he had to get his dog and himself to safety. And so he ran.

Shells were still falling around him and his breathing was getting heavy. He was used to sprinting long distance but this was ridiculous. And he didn't even know where he was going. The only chance at survival for him and Orso was to find some allies around here.

Another shell hit the ground but this one was close, way too fucking close. He had the feeling that his heart was in his throat when he heard a low whine. Orso was hit. His best friend, brother and son was hit.

He rushed to him, hoping and praying that it was nothing.

It was his leg, a shrapnel got him in the leg and it was a now completely mangled. He will never run again.

Orso was whining and bleeding on the ground. In his eyes, Ed could read the fear and the pain.

"I will not leave you, boy" He crouched near his dog and put his arm under his body to lift him, Orso cried in pain but he didn't try to bite him, their bond was too strong. "I know boy, I know. It will get better, I promise." But he didn't know if he could keep his promise. He was tired and the talibs were still chasing. He had to try though. For Orso. For Seb. For Rob.

With Orso in his arms, he was a bit slower but he could still run faster than most humans on the planet. And run he did.

He had begun to lose hope when he saw in front of him a new hill with something like a mountain plateau at the top. Here he could hide or take a position to defend.

Orso was whimpering in his arms but that was good, whimpering is better than dead.

He began to climb the hill, sure now that they would be safe. The mortar was not firing anymore and the gunshots had long since stopped.

He adjusted Orso in his tired arms, getting a small whine from him, and he continued to trek to the top of the hill.

His head was down, he was looking to the ground to avoid falling on the more treacherous rocks ,and at the same time keeping an eye on his dog, when finally he got to the top.

All was silent save for his labored breathing and the small whimpers coming from Orso when he heard it.

"Click"

He lifted his head and felt his heart falling. In front of him was a small army of Taliban, all pointing their weapons at him. The small click that he heard was probably one of them lifting the security.

It was the end, he knew it. His feelings were bittersweet. On one hand he was sorry and terribly sad that Orso was with him but on the other hand, a small part of him was glad, glad that even in death they will be together.

Because it was death, he will never allow them to make him prisoner. They were not shooting straight away, so that was probably their goal but he will not accept that, never.

So he shot a quick look to his dog, surprised to see him looking at him too and when they crossed eyes, he was sure that Orso was telling that he was okay with that. He had stopped crying and his eyes were peaceful. He too was happy to die with his best friend.

"I'm sorry, son." Said Edward. And his hand went to his holster on his right leg, where he was keeping his glock. Distantly he was hearing the talibs screaming in Arab, probably telling him to drop his gun, or the dog, or both. But his choice was made and quicker than they could see, he took out his gun and shot one of the Talibans.

Sadly there was at least fifty of them and when they saw one of their own die, they all shot the French officer in front of them.

Edward Baldwin died before he could even blink.

But death is not always the end.

Somewhere else, Time Unknown

He awoke with a great gasp of air. He was alive. But how ? He distinctly remembered being shot, the brief feel of metal piercing his skin. But now he was back, back from where ? He was lying half sitting against a tree in a forest. It was a dark night. He could hear a fire crackling but the wind was a little bit cold. He had the weird sensation of being heavy and uncomfortable, like during the selections when he had to sleep with his 70 kg something backpack. He quickly looked at himself and to his shock, he saw some plates of dark metal on his body. His hands were gauntlets of plate.

"Is everything alright, my Prince ?"

What the fuck ?

Ed slowly turned his head in the direction the voice came from. It was a soft voice, with a near Scottish accent. A girl's voice. Training kicked in and he swiftly became aware of his surroundings. He was around a campfire and he was not alone. There was girl, a young girl he would say around 15 or 16 years old. And on each of her sides were two men. They both wore full plate, but where his was black, theirs were white. They honestly looked like medieval knights, and he knew exactly what that looked like. Representations of knights were plenty in France, it was after all the country of chivalry. One of them was sleeping while the other was sharpening a great sword. He had seen a lot of swords when he went to medieval representations but never one like that.

"My Prince ?" The voice was worried now. Ed brought back his eyes on the girl. She was pretty in a cute girlish way. He imagined that if he was still in high school he would have a crush on her but now he could only see a little girl. She had long dark hair, not completely black but more dark brown and her face was a bit long. However it was her eyes that drew him in. She had grey eyes, the type that he had never seen before and she was looking at him with worried concern. Who was she ?

It was clear that she mistook him for a Prince, but they were pretty close in distance. She should have seen that he was clearly not a prince. He decided to answer her however, maybe by going along with her he could learn more about her and her two companions. The guy sharpening his sword was now looking at him too.

"Yes ?" He answered and he was surprised by his own voice. It was not as deep as before, it even sounded… musical.

"Did I wake you ? I am sorry, my Prince. I just wanted to know when we were going to move. My family has probably noticed my absence by now."

What the fuck ?

What was he supposed to answer ?

He was supposed to be dead and by the forest around their camp, he was clearly not in Afghanistan anymore, so where was he ?

"I… I.. I need some time, please wait here." Said Edward while getting up. The armor he wore clanked with each movement he made, which woke the other knight. By now his three companions were looking at him with concern.

He couldn't deal with this right now. He needed to get away. He began to walk in the woods when he heard an another armor clanking behind him meaning that one man or both got up. As he walked, he could that one of them was following.

He swiftly turned around, glaring.

"I said to wait here !" It was the younger of the two, the one that was sharpening his sword.

"Where you go, I go." He simply answered, clearly he was not going to wait here.

For fuck's sake, can't a man simply enjoy a moment of solitude here ?

He walked a bit further in the forest before sitting down on a rock. The armor making a big noise and probably scaring all the animals around.

"Rhaegar…" Began the other man but he stopped instantly as Ed quickly turned around to face him. He probably scared him too with his swiftness.

"What ?" Said Edward with a low tone. "What did you call me ?"

"Rhaegar…my Prince… please I just want to talk. I worry for you…" Answered the knight, he appeared to be shocked by Ed's tone.

Rhaegar…Rhaegar….Rhaegar !

The name was repeating itself in his head and he didn't know why. His name was Edward for fuck's sake.

Rhaegar…Rhaegar….Rhaegar…..

He knew of only one Rhaegar. And the implications scared him, more than he could ever say.

Rhaegar…Rhaegar….Rhaegar….

He gripped his head in his hands, suddenly viciously attacked by a headache. He fell against the rock where he was seated, vaguely aware of the knight rushing to him and saying his name again and again, without knowing that it was making things worse.

He saw things…visions that were not making sense. He was seeing a great fire and a birth. A man with long silver blond hair with a beautiful woman singing to him. He saw a silver haired child, reading books and singing with a harp. Then he saw this child reading a book about a great warrior and his little helper and afterward he saw him begin to practice with the sword, under the supervision of a middle aged man with the same white armor as the two around the fire.

The same child became an adolescent then a young adult. He lost his baby fat and became beautiful. He was not the type to call a man beautiful usually but here it was the truth, he was not self-conscious but even he admitted that he was jealous of this guy, it should not be possible to look this good.

Then the image changed and he was again presented a breath taking image, but this time of a woman. She was dark haired and with a darker skin tone. If he had to say, it was a mix of Hispanic, Arabic and Indian characteristics but with the best of them all. She was the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, and her eyes were kind… so kind.

He was disappointed when the image changed, but not for long as just after her appeared a child, a little girl that looked a lot like the woman but with the purple eyes of the man. He didn't know this girl and still he couldn't help feeling a great love for her, he wanted to protect her, to nurture her to best of his abilities. He could have spent his whole life looking at her and he wanted to scream when the image changed again.A ee

"Let me look at her again !"

The next image was a baby, a cute baby. Contrary to the girl, this one was fair skinned with silver hair. Then the baby gave a cute laugh and he felt himself melting, he even had the same purple eyes as the man and the girl. This time again he felt a great love for this little being, a deep need to protect him and profound pride in his every move.

The images began to disappear and when he felt the headache leaving, he heard a voice. A melancholic voice, carrying such sadness that he wanted to help.

"Protect them… I wish you success where I have failed…."

As the sad voice faded, a second one took his place. This one was gravelly with disuse but oh so powerful. Each word was pronounced with gravity.

"As Promised…The Prince is Born…Go with our blessing…And always Know that we are Watching….The Ink is not Dry Yet…You have to Dare"

This voice faded too and the headache left as he came. His senses came back to him and he became aware of the shaking and the screaming.

He opened his eyes and saw that the knight, Arthur, he knew that now, has brought the other two from the camp. Lyanna and Ser Oswell.

He knows their names. He knows where he is. He knows what he has to do.

He is Rhaegar Targaryen and he is Edward Baldwin.

He is born again and he will Dare.

Who Dares Wins.

A reader messaged me and asked me to post it on the Game of Thrones side. Here it is !