103 Making a Push

"M'lord!" The rider called urgently, Lord Mallister signalling for his men to continue the march south as he came to a stop. "Lord Blackwood has engaged the Targaryen forces north of Darry on the Widow's Ford. He seems to be gaining the advantage, they have yet to secure a foothold."

Smiling, Jason clenched his fists triumphantly. "Good, let us double our pace. We have to make sure that King Aegon can't disembark soldiers on the north of the river. The moment he does our advantage will be lost."

He had no doubt that some of the Targaryen forces would have already safely disembarked from their ships. Possibly parts of their cavalry but more than likely it would be their archers. That had been something they always knew would be a possibility and while concerning, it was not something major. They will have been at sea for many weeks now so they would still be weary and recovering. Not to mention that with the battle taking place, their numbers would not be large either.

On top of that, they would continue to be at a disadvantage as the soldiers would then have to cross the river to assault Lord Blackwood. No matter what they did, Lord Blackwood's iron defensive would withstand whatever was thrown his way by Aegon Targaryen and his commanders.

It was up to him and his force of two thousand men to deal a devastating blow to their rear. Enough that it would swing things fully in their favour.

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Aegon for the first time in a long while was calm. The battle was in full swing, the Stark forces holding a strong advantage as they defended the shore against his soldiers. Their attempts to secure a foothold with their superior number of light infantry troops met with constant rebufal.

Yet as he watched it all unfold before his eyes, Aegon was calm and focused, eyes looking across the field carefully.

"We've lost another foothold." Jon Connington murmured, a frown upon his face. His commanders were losing hope, Aegon knew that, but not he, to Aegon he knew this represented opportunity. Robb Stark had predicted his plan, that much they all knew and that meant today would be a deciding factor in the war.

'No doubt he intends to link up with the thirty thousand men that were pursing my men's escape from Kings Landing.' Aegon deduced easily. 'Lord Blackwood is meant to slow us down, keep us trapped here until the thirty thousand men reinforcements led by Robb Stark can arrive.'

Just as Robb had predicted his movements, Aegon was predicting Robb's. To Aegon, he knew all of the Wolf King's achievements, had read and listened to the tales and reports of his battles. One thing that became very clear was that even with lesser trained and armed soldiers, Robb still earned victory. First by relying upon his enemies underestimating him coupled with the crippling speed of his army. Then through careful manoeuvring of his commanders and meticulous planning.

Robb Stark was a military genius, that much Aegon knew and was prepared for. He wouldn't make the mistake Robb's previous enemies had by overestimating himself and underestimating the Stark.

Because of that, Aegon knew how important this battle would be for the future of his war. If he won this, then everything would change.

"Keep sending our light infantry out. Pressure them." Aegon ordered, much to the shock and even dismay of his commanders. They were doubting him, questioning his leadership, Aegon wasn't blind to that fact. However, none of them understood the way his mind thought, nor could they see what he could.

"We've tried this many times, your grace." Harry Strickland began. "Already our losses are numbering a thousand. If we lose anymore it could cripple our war effort entirely. If we intend to push, we need the heavy infantry to go in."

Aegon shook his head. "Not yet, hold them in reserve. Send out the light infantry once more." But he would not be deterred, Aegon finally had spotted a weakness, a small one and it would not be easy to exploit. But he could see it, all it would take was this and he could win. "That's an order."

Reluctantly, his commanders nodded their heads, another wave of light infantry was dispatched into the fray. Quickly, the Stark forces seemed to fold, sections of the defence curving inwards as it seemed to buckle under the Targaryen charge. Except, it was but a ploy, suddenly fierce fighting taking place as the purposeful caving of the defensive line threatened to leave those Targaryen troops cut off.

Any foolish commander would have tried to push further inwards, viewing this as an opening they could turn against the enemy commander. More experienced commanders would attempt to call back their forces, not Aegon however.

He simply did nothing, even as his officers tried to offer suggestions on what they could do. Yet Aegon had already figured out the key to Lord Blackwoods highly impressive defence, fluidity. It was able to shift and change depending on the actions of his enemies, Lord Blackwood able to make it a rock-solid defence that was all but impenetrable, or one that could shift and change, threatening to swallow those inside. Any attempt to change or move the forces caught within the trap would only lead to it ending in failure.

And so, Aegon did nothing, watching as one foothold was all but destroyed, barely a few men stood right on the edge of the shore left fighting. The remainder being slowly pushed back or cut off from the shore entirely as the men within the formation moved.

"Uncle," Aegon called, never tearing his gaze away from the shifting of the Stark forces. "Lead a push there." He pointed towards the centre were a large force still remained fighting, one that looked to be n the verge of collapsing at any minute.

Nodding his head, Oberyn set out, Jon and Strickland turning to him in confusion. "There's nothing going to come of this." Jon tried to explain. "We should disembark more soldiers to the north, set up a camp and plan our next move from there. Securing the southern shore is impossible at this rate."

"I agree with Lord Connington, your grace," Strickland said. "We must do something before we lose Lord Oberyn. If we do, the Dornish will lose hope."

Aegon just smiled, watching as Oberyn joined the fray, making a powerful push up the centre. One that looked to actually catch the Stark forces off-guard. But a few flags were raised from the headquarters that once again allowed them to regain control of the field. 'It's a truly wonderful defensive formation. So flexible and powerful, no wonder Lord Blackwood is known as a master of defensive warfare.'

It was also no wonder why Robb Stark gave him command of the Riverlands while his army marched south towards Kings Landing.

"Lord Blackwood, I do wish he will join our side someday," Aegon noted, completely ignoring the concerns of his officers. "He will be a great aid to our cause, make sure he is captured alive and treated well."

"Aegon?" Jon questioned.

"Give the signal, send the heavy infantry out towards the west." Aegon finally gave the order for something the two had clambered for many times in the past, yet they both hesitated.

"The west? We have no soldiers there? No foothold?" Harry murmured, confused as to why that area of the battlefield at all. They had no forces there at all, those that had were already defeated. The more logical option would be to push in through the centre, capitalising on the actions of Oberyn Martell.

He said as much and Aegon smiled. "Do we have no men there? Are you sure?" Both men quickly turned and there, completely overlooked where the sight of a handful of soldiers still fighting. Something all had overlooked because they were all but defeated, a non-factor in the entire conflict. Especially in comparison to the other footholds of the east and centre. "Send our heavy infantry there."

Just as Harry Strickland and Jon Connington had overlooked that area, viewing it as a lost cause and never paying it any heed. Aegon knew from the movements of the Stark forces that they had also forgotten. He intended to make use of that with a powerful push from the heavy infantry that would help them cease victory.

But defeat had never crossed Aegon's mind, it was never an option for him.

Only victory, over all his enemies.

No matter who they may be or how powerful.