109 What is dead may never die
Barbrey was shocked at the sight.
Hundreds, thousand's of men kneeling on the left and right side of the road with a Legionare saluting her standing behind the Ironborn captives.
She slowly walked inside after her guards did and looked around just standing at the gates.
She could see some of the Ironborn men gagged and struggling to get free, still hoping to fight the invaders only to be backhanded to the face by a heavy Legionare gauntlet calming the wrestling men immediately.
Her gaze looked forward, down the only clean street, or rather the only street in the town as everything else was destroyed.
Down the road, where her eyes reached the port where yellow sail warships towered over everything, her gaze stopped momentarily.
In the distance stood a man, almost too far for her to clearly see, but the three big beast howling to the sky as she looked at them made her sure it was her boy, her son, her Brendan.
Without hesitation she took a confident step forward on the stoney road, and just as she did there was a sound of a blade cutting something soft and someone choking on both of her sides.
She was terrified for a moment and turned her head.
The terror was still there, but now not in her eyes as she now saw what it was.
The step that she took brought her in line with the first two captured Ironborn soldiers and when it did... the Legionaries standing behind the captured men took their daggers out and slit their throats simultaneously.
Now two struggling bodies choked and gagged while bleeding out to the stone road she walked on.
Barbrey was taken aback by what they did yet she didn't even let a sound out of her mouth.
She looked at the other men in line struggling to get free after seeing what their capturers did, to no avail as the strong hands of Legionaries pressed the bodies of the most unruly ones down.
Barbrey turned to look at Sandor, Anguy and Bryce just behind her.
"They did worse things my Lady... You saw and even experienced it yourself as well. They do not deserve to live." she never expected such vicious words from the always happy, joking and positive boy in her son's entourage.
She didn't know if she should proceed, there were thousand's of them on both sides and if she would continue...
'No! Now is not the time for hesitation!' she told herself and moved again and the same thing happened.
Two cut throats, Harlaw sigil armours stained in blood on the sidewalk and another two Legionaries saluting her on their knees in total silence.
Blood already stained the bottom of her dress as she stood on the sidewalk, the eyes of the captured Ironborn now begging her to stand still and not take another step.
And yet just as she lifted her leg and took it, the hope in the Ironborn eyes disappeared.
Now her step was confident as she moved steady with a slow pace looking directly down the road to the harbor.
She could almost feel her son watching her judging if his "gift" for her made her happy.
She walked slowly for an hour, blood now colored the waters of the harbor red after flowing down the road.
Her dress left a smudge on the stone as it was absorbing the red liquid, the smell of iron in the air would make the faint hearted vomit, but not even one Legionare gave any sign of weakness.
She was now close... close enough to recognize her boy and the man that watched her closing in with his lifeless eyes.
She looked keenly trying to find any remorse in him, maybe to get some satisfaction, maybe closure...
On the small podium her boy stood tall, like a warrior, like a conqueror, like a wolf holding his pray in his grasp.
= = = Brendan POV = = =
"My Lord, your mother is here." the Centurion informed him about the obvious.
Brendan already knew from his wolves she was close.
He could feel their excitement and relief.
Just as for him, she was a mother for them as well, at least that's how they felt about her.
Brendan looked down where Rodrik the Reader kneeled with the remaining family he had left.
Brendan watched as his mother entered the town, he could imagine her surprise after she took her first step, he almost felt her hesitation when she understood his "gift" to her.
Did he regret? Never.
Everyone of the captured men were overflowing with loyalty to Rodrik and all of them had more innocent life's on their conscience than any of his men did.
When the blood started flowing down the street in their direction, every captured person did everything they could to find a way out from their predicament.
Some shouted, some struggle, some decided to try and take their own life unsuccessfully, yet the boy just watched his mother calmly walking down the street.
Time passed, but finally his mother was here.
He saw her bruises and scars... She lost so much weight... it's a miracle the baby in her bulging belly was alive...
Brendan trembled imagining what the most important person in this life had to go through.
His anger burned so bad that he almost could feel the flames on his skin.
"Mother..." he dropped on both knees in front of her not even paying attention at the blood that seeped deep inside of his armour, he looked at the ground not daring to lift up his head.
'Will she detest what I've become?' He hesitated.
Brendan clenched his fists at his side, the gauntlets were the only thing keeping him from hurting himself.
Looking at her boy Lady Dustin slowly moved up to him and hugged her child to her blossom.
Her fingers gently brushed over each dent, each scratch, each hole in his armour.
"My boy..." she hugged him tighter as his arms wrapped around her legs.
She felt his pain as he squeezed her legs like he was afraid she would disappeared.
They just stayed like that without another word, amidst the sea of blood.
Only after Red, Loki and Laika whimpered feeling their master's emotions did the couple stop and look at each other smiling.
They were finally reunited after each of them went through so many struggles.
Barbrey gently brushed her boy's face and hair, coloring her hand red from the blood he had all over him from her dress when he hugged her, yet she didn't mind at all.
"My blood wolf..." she lovingly whispered without taking her eyes off of him.
Brendan hugged her again for a moment, enjoying the feeling of calmness his mother brought back with her.
Even if only for another moment, he just wanted to stay like that.
Unfortunately for both of them it still wasn't the end.
Barbrey looked in the eyes of the man that kidnapped her, his ambition overshadowed everything that he could have without paying the price in iron.
Brendan felt something and looked up to see his mother watching the man.
"You will die today Ironborn." he heard her saying and stood up just to move next to her and watch the lifeless man.
Brendan just nodded his head and the two Centurions took out the piece of cloth from the man's mouth.
"What is dead may never die." he spit at her feat infuriating Brendan even more.
"Maybe..." she calmly towered over him. She looked around and saw a big wooden cross just behind the man and looked at her son.
Brendan didn't need to hear her voice to know what she meant, he came closer to Rodrik and pushed him on his stomach while two Centurions held the man.
The 1st Legion stood right behind Lady Barbrey as they gathered after killing the last Ironborn soldier.
Lady Barbrey, the Legion and the guards that escorted her watched without blinking as Brendan lifted Rodriks head and his lips gave a short, loud whistle.
Rodrik watched as the rest of his family members were teared to pieces by the three wolves without any mercy, he was already dead inside as the last person gave a fainting painful scream when Red and Loki bit each of his arms just to tear them from the body a moment later and bite another part.
Now... it was only him and he choose not to think about what that monster will do to him.
Even now, when he closed his eyes he heard them screaming.
"Now it's your turn." Brendan looked at his mother only to see her slight nod.
With a swift move he teared the shirt from Rodrik only to subtly brush his gauntlet over the man's spine.
Taking out his Valyrian steel dagger he slowly moved it over Rodriks back, just to inflict as much pain as possible to the pinned down man.
Brendan didn't wait long to hear a heart wretching scream from the man that tried to keep his dignity a moment before.
"What is dead may never die..." Brendan said for the man to hear. "But it does feel pain does it not?" he leaned his head to Rodrik ear and whispered while tearing his skin to the sides as the man screamed from pain.
Brendan checked if the man was alive after, seeing his prisoner weakening he gave Rodrik one of Qyburn potions to strengthen him so that he would be alive through everything.
He took a small axe from one of his Centurions and separated the ribs pushing them to the outside.
Even for some of his guards this was too much as they wanted to look to the sides, yet not even one Legionare broke the eye contact, his mother did not as well.
For few hours Rodrik suffered the pain of Blood Eagle torture, just to die in loneliness and regret after loosing everything.
Brendan watched as the cross with the tortured man towered over the port like a warning for anyone who wished him or his family harm.
Close to 4000 corpses were left in the town keeping their Lord company.
No one dared to stay there ever again after Brendan and his men left the place.
