:-[Chapter 19]-:
In a mighty push, the rowers started their job in unison, grunting under the intense effort to move a rowing boat full of armored knights. After a few moments, they managed to get going with the help of the water's current.
It took them around a dozen of minutes or so to reach the shore. By then, the violent sound of battle was heard by all.
"Get ready men! Sound the horn! Let us save our Prince!" said Gerold Hightower a he was the first one to put a foot on Duskendale's dock.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Rhaegar was losing his mind. One minute he was being saved by one of his best friend and the other he was shoved behind crates and told not to move. He was sure he had been abandoned once again. Of course. Why else? Why else would his suppose friend would let him rot alone in a fucking smelly storeroom? He would have to go back. Back in his cell. Back to her.
She had raped him. So much that now, she was carrying his child in her belly. His first child. A bastard born from a monster in a monstrous way. The last time a Targaryen had bastards, multiple rebellions occurred. He could not let it live, even if he had to endure torture until he died.
He didn't even hear the commotion outside. His mental state didn't let him have a span of only few minutes.
"Fuck you Arthur for leaving me in this fucking mess." Snarled Rhaegar, his face starting to get red. "You too Selmy. And you too Winterstorm. I shall made all three of you burn as soon as I am out. You three abandoned me. I shall not forget it."
As Rhaegar felt deeper and deeper into his mind, the three other who definitively didn't abandon him were still fighting like the Gods themselves were at their back. Barristan Selmy was on a one on one duel with Symon Hollard, the slayer of Gwayne Gaunt. Arthur Dayne was protecting the storeroom door with all of his might and skills.
"I'll fucking kill you like I killed that other Kingsguard, Selmy. Prepare to meet the Stranger in person!"screamed Symon, trying to push the other knight's buttons.
"The only thing you'll kill tonight is your honor, Ser." Simply retorted Barristan, easily deflecting his sword blow.
"Honor! I'll show you honor, scum!"
While Symon Hollard was a very good swordsman, he wasn't nowhere near Barristan's level. The master-at-arm of Duskendale was quickly overwhelmed when he pushed a little too hard. Immediately, he realized he error when he saw his enemy's blade slashed his non protected face, killing him.
'This is for you, Gwayne.' Said Barristan before charging at the other knights who were in shock at the death of their leader.
As the same moment, the Kingsguard heard his Lord Commander's booming voice from the shore. Reinforcement had arrived. The horn was blown and surprised the now smaller number of Darklyn men on the dock.
"Lord Commander!" called Barristan, through the crowd of fighting men.
"Ser Barristan. Reinforcements are here. Brief me." Commanded the imposing man.
"We have the prince." Said Barristan, showing the storeroom with a sharp nod. Ser Arthur is protecting the door. We need to move."
"On your mark, Ser. Lead the way to our Prince."
The two Kingsguards rushed to their brother with was against multiples opponents at the same time. His back was literally against the wall while he furiously defended his position and his prince. The Crownlands company managed to completely surprise the Duskendale's knights thus slightly reversing the situation.
Selmy nodded and ran toward the storeroom, still fiercely defended by the Sword of the Morning. The knight could see Winterstorm anywhere but then again, his armor was a black as the night, making him harder to see in the heat of battle. He hoped the lad would survive this fight to tell the tale.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Harry Winterstorm was having the time of his life. His connection with Hedwig gave him a huge boost in stamina, strength and speed. The more he fought, the more he felt one with his sword. No enemy fighters were able to touch him, not even a little. The adrenaline was pumping hard into his veins, giving him an almost euphoric feeling.
He knew he was killing men. Some were maybe innocent from torturing the Prince, but he was going to let them recapture him to redo the same. It was kill or be killed.
With the Crownlands reinforcement in their back, the knights of Duskendale were now stuck between them and an unstoppable storm of steel. His sword was so fast they could barely see it, let alone block it. However, he could see his weapon starting to chip the more he used it. The force of his blows was too great even for steel. He would need to find a solution to this problem since he couldn't lose his sword edge every time during battle.
Suddenly, he heard a faint scream from inside the storeroom, Rhaegar's scream.
:-[T.A.B]-:
'I'll burn them. I'll burn them all!' thought Rhaegar vindictively.
The prince of Dragonstone was still ruminating on his thoughts when he felt a hand pull him harshly from his hideout. His scared purple eyes saw the angry face on Jon and Robin Hollard. All the more humiliating, it was the young squire who pulled him by the beard.
"Oh, my prince! Where are you going without saying goodbye?" asked Robin with a over the top pout.
"N-No… leave me alone! He promise to come back to help me!" whined the Targaryen.
"Who? The piece of shit that killed my Uncle, or one of the others? Well who the fuck care, I fucking kill you anyway."
"No! No, no, no, no, please!" screamed Rhaegar.
"Look at that, father! A Targaryen prince is begging us Hollard. The Gods are favoring us tonight." Said Robin with a manic smile.
"I see that, son. Maybe we should give another lesson on why he shouldn't have left his cell, don't you think?" said Jon.
"Oh! How about removing some of his fingers on his sword hand? A prince who cannot fight! Ha ha ha!"
Suddenly, the door opened in a bang. Two persons entered the room and immediately evaluated the situation. They saw the young squire Robin Hollard holding their Prince by the beard and his father doing nothing to stop him.
Ser Barristan Selmy and Ser Gerold Hightower went into rag mode in a fraction on a second seeing the scene. They knew Prince Rhaegar since he was born in the tragedy of Summerhall. They knew the man was kind and would hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. To see him so frail, so afraid and treated so poorly made them beyond angry.
They moved fast against the two Hollard men. Barristan went against Robin, as he was closer to him. The poor squire tried to put a resistance against the knight but Selmy wasn't in a forgiving mood. He simply parried one blow from the young warrior and smashed his fist so hard in his face that he lost consciousness before he hit the ground.
At the same time, Gerold Hightower entered a duel with the Hollard's patriarch. Jon didn't have time to see what was happening to his son since he was facing the might of the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Determined to quickly end this fight, the Reachman fought harder.
What both knights didn't saw coming was Rhaegar starting to run toward the inside of Dun Fort, screaming non sense.
"My prince!" screamed Gerold, losing his concentration on the fight. He never saw coming the knife blow in his side. The weapon managed to pierce the mail under the armor.
Screaming in pain, the Lord Commander had no other choice than to put a knee to the ground. Jon Hollard immediately used the opportunity to hit his enemy cuirass with a powerful kick, sending him flat on his back.
The Duskendale knight grabbed Rhaegar by the neck and threw him on the ground. The prince hit his head hard and all he saw was black.
"Fuck you, you fucking sack of shit!" screamed Jon Hollard lost in rage.
He tried to swing his sword toward the defenseless man but the sword never came. Jon looked at his hand but didn't saw it. In its place, he saw a bloody stump. It took him a moment to realize that he lost his sword hand. The pain hadn't register in his mind yet and he managed to see the culprit.
He saw a smaller figure than the two Kingsguards dressed in black leather armor. He could only see the bright emerald green eyes looking at him angrily. Hollard could easily see the anger in those eyes. The pain register at the same time that a deep fear took its roots inside him. His world was crumbling down around him in a way he didn't saw coming at all. Prince Denys was supposed to convince the King and the Hand of giving them their Principality. He wasn't suppose to
"Striking down a man already down? What kind of knight are you?" said an angry voice resembling a growl. The warrior moved his body and sword so fast that even with all of his experiences in fighting, he could react at all. He didn't feel the blow coming his way, smashing his steel helmet against his face.
Harry put his sword in its scabbard and rushed to Rhaegar. With his heightened strength, he easily put the unconscious prince on his back.
"Ser Barristan! I'll leave you with Ser Gerold. We need to.." started Harry before getting interrupted by the Reachman.
"None sense lad. This feeble injury simply took me by surprise. Barristan. You are at the front, make sure our prince is safe until we get to the boats. I'll follow our friend here and watch his back until we are all safe and sound." Ordered the Lord Commander, taking the situation into his hands.
"Yes, Lord Commander." Immediately said Ser Barristan, following his orders.
He opened the door and saw the chaos still raging. More men were coming from Dun Fort, creating an immense pressure on the Crownlands men. Fortunately, they had managed to form a wall with their own body nearby the storeroom, making the exit easier in the situation.
Barristan went out the room, sword in hand. The knight made sure to clear a path for his accomplice and his prince. He carved up his way through the Duskendale men and the rowing boats. Already, men were starting to form another wall of men, protecting the retreat. As soon as Harry was embarked on the boat, Barristan and Gerold followed. The Lord Commander was starting to get pale from blood loss.
The young wizard put carefully Rhaegar in the rowing boat and quickly cast a spell of lightness on it. Men from the Crownlands host were already starting to row with all of their might, leaving some of their compatriots on the docks.
"Go Ser Knights! We shall hold while you are out of reach!" said one of the Targaryen commanders.
"They shall not be forgotten." Grimly said Ser Gerold, clutching his bloody side.
"No, they shall not." Confirmed both Barristan and Harry.
:-[T.A.B]-:
:-[277 AC, Royal camp around Duskendale, a couple of hours later]-:
"It's seem that I misjudge you and your men, Stark. You manage to bring me back my son, even thought he is badly injured." Said Aerys.
The lords of Westeros were gathered in the royal tent, looking at the scene before them. The king had ordered them all present to assist to the recompense to the men responsible for his son rescue.
"Your grace, I must put all the glory on my sworn sword. It is he who decided to go with your Kingsguards without myself and Ser Rodrik. It is he who broke Prince Rhaegar from his chain in his cell. It is he who put the prince on his back and put him in the boat before rowing him away to safety." Answered the honourable Ned Stark.
"I see. Well, what do you want, Winterstorm? You save my son and a act of bravery deserve a reward. Well? What is it going to be, a Lordship maybe? We are going to have a city without a House soon. What do you say?
Harry was already beside his friend Eddard, no willing to risk the wrath of the king if he wasn't near his friend. Hearing the king offer, the young wizard humbly raised his head toward the monarch.
"Your grace, I am humbled by your gracious offer." Started the warrior cautiously. "The North is my home however."
"My offer is not good enough for you, lad? What would a Northerner wish for? Snarled the king.
"If it pleased your grace, I wish to be made a knight. It is a dream of mine ever since I could dream." Said Harry, hoping he didn't insult the king more.
King Aerys pondered at the words spoke before him. Harry and Eddard could see a sneer starting to form on the man's face. They started to fear the worst when Ser Gerold Hightower, who was beside his king even thought he had be wounded, spoke before him.
"Your grace, I saw what the man can do. He fought single handily versus multiple men, many of them knights in their own rights. He never lost his temper during the mission, as Ser Barristan told me during the briefing we got. He performed himself admirably, like a true knight should, with honour." Spoke the Lord Commander.
Aerys looked at one of his oldest Kingsguards with narrowed purples eyes. Rarely his Lord Commander spoke like this. The northern lad must've made one hell one a impression on them.
"Well, Selmy? What do you say?" insisted the king.
"The Lord Commander Hightower speaks true, your grace." Started the stormlander. "Winterstorm was the reason we got in Duskendale without being seen. It was his idea of using a servant to find your find. He saved Prince Rhaegar's life, he absolutely deserved it, your grace."
"Fine. I refused however to knight myself a believer of the Old Gods. Who do you wish for to proceed in the ceremony, Winterstorm?" snapped Aerys.
"Your grace, I would be honored to have Ser Barristan Selmy granted me knighthood. We saved each other lives and he is a honorable man." Said Harry, bowing his head, hoping for the best.
"Very well. Barristan, finish this quickly. We need to speak about House Darklyn's and Duskendale's punishments." Finished Aerys.
"Yes, your grace." Confirmed the knight.
Barristan Selmy approached Harry, sword in hand. He moved his white cape away, freeing his sword arm and put the steel weapon upon the young warrior's right shoulder.
"Harry Winterstorm, do you swear before the eyes of the Old Gods, the New and the man to defend those cannot defend themselves, to protect all women and children, to obey your captains, your liege lord, and your king, to fight bravely when need and do such other tasks as are laid upon you, however hard or humble or dangerous they may be?"*
"I do. I swear upon the Old Gods." Vowed the young man, emotion in his voice.
Barristan moved his sword toward the left shoulder and looked solemn in the moment.
"Rise, Ser Harry Winterstorm. Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!" proclaim the Kingsguard under the polite applause of the crowd.
The new knight of the North rose up to his feet feeling pride in his heart. Keeping his back straight, he bowed his head in Barristan's direction, showing his respect, than the king. He returned beside Eddard's side as his sworn sword.
King Aerys raised his hand, silencing the group of lords present. His gaze took a murderous turn, making even Harry's back shivers.
"My lords. The time has come. We will attack Dun Fort and capture the traitors of House Darklyn. The Royal Fleet has position itself so that no ships can escape from the city. Our hosts do the same for the main roads. All shall see the fate of those traitors." Said Aerys, trying to fuel the passion of his bannermen.
"No." said a hoarse voice.
All turned toward the tent's entrance, only to see a cloaked figure. The person was accompanied by Arthur Dayne, making his identity very easy for all.
"No, my son? You do not wish to see those filthy traitors' heads on spikes?" asked a surprised Aerys.
The lords of Westeros retained their breath, not knowing what their Prince would say.
"No, your grace. I meant to say that everyone in Duskendale is guilty of many crimes. The crime of lying. The crime of killing. They shall burn! The crime of torturing me for months. Hanged them all! They don't deserve to live another day, father." Said vindictively the prince of Dragonstone. "Burn. Them. All."
:-[T.A.B]-:
Author Note: Taken from asoiaf wi ki!
Thank you everyone for reading Chapter 19 of The adventure begins! Please let a review in the comment, letting me know what you think about my story.
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Criticism is always welcome as long as it is constructive.
To Ptool: Thank you for reading! I've read your bio a little and your review made me really happy! Seem that you are exactly the kind of people I hope are reading it! What do you like in the story? Anything you wish would happen? Stay tuned!
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