(23) Men of the West!
( POV Thorin Stark )
It was just a few hours to nightfall as I sailed to the base of the mountain that Casterly Rock sat upon, behind me you could still see Lannisport burning.Storming the Rock would be nearly impossible and besieging it could take from months to years. So I was taking a page from Lan the Clever's book and I'm going to take the keep through deception.
For months Lord Karstark had been sending soldiers into the castle under the guise of refugees, the forces only numbered a few hundred but it would be enough for the plan. As I was scouting the Rock through Warging I also discovered a series of hidden doors that lead to the sewers, this tunnel is how I planned to get another large force of men into the keep.
As the sun rose yesterday Lord Karstark had begun to besiege the castle, it was nothing serious it was only meant to be a distraction. He has been launching boulders at the thick walls of the keep, it does little to no damage but it has kept the men at arms awake so when I lead the attack I'll be fighting tired men not fresh soldiers.
"My lord. We have reached the tunnel." Came the hushed voice of Ser Martyn Silverswan.
"Good set a watch for the ships and prepare the rest of the men." I commanded and I got a nod in response before he hurried of to carry out my orders.
The tunnel was covered by an iron door, to get through it I had two large men from bear island hammer away at it with large hammers. It broke soon enough and in an hour we were climbing our way through the tunnels that eventually lead to the sewers, and from the sewers we made our way into the keep itself.
We came out deep into the mountain the Casterly Rock was situated on, right by the famous Lannister Vaults. At the same time Lord Karstark was leading his first real assault on the castle, he had a giant battering ram, the men carrying the ram held a large tower shield high to protect from archer fire, and every time one of the people carrying fell their role was picked up by some one else immediately after.
It took a while to make our way through the giant keep that was Casterly Rock but soon enough we found ourselves in the main keep, it was abandoned, the servants had either grabbed a weapon and made for the walls or hidden in a secure area, so we faced no opposition making our way through out and soon we found ourselves attacking the Lannisters from behind.
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( POV Lannister Soldier )
'The battle had started so well' I thought as I drew another arrow and loosed it into the hoard of Northerners that had gathered in front of the gate. I couldn't let these savages past the gate, we wouldn't survive I knew. Ser Daven tells us that even a thousand men could hold the Rock from a hundred thousand 'Snow Savages' but I knew better.
I was stationed on the southern bank in the battle of Riverrun, I remember seeing the Black Bear on a green field illuminated by blue fire as my friends got cut down by giant men clad in fur cloaks, I was one of the lucky few to get away from that battle, and my luck lasted when I survived the battle of Oxencross.
Ser Daven collected any of his fathers men who survived Oxencross, me among them and marched us to the Rock. We are safe in the Rock he says, but no one is safe from the Bloody Wolf. I look over the walls as I draw yet another arrow I see the White Sunburst banner but the one that catches my attention is the black wolf on a white field, the wolf had its red fangs bared in a snarl. I felt a shiver of fear go down my back as i loosed my arrow.
Maybe Ser Daven is right and our five thousand men can hold the Northern at the gate but the fighting isn't only at the gate for nearly an hour the Northerners battered their ram at our gate when the fighting started behind us, Ser Daven sent one of his trusted men to deal with it but I know not what happened.
"The gate is failing my Lord." A hurried voice addressed Ser Daven I loosed another arrow before someone finally spoke.
"So much death. My father, my brothers, what can men do against such savagery?" Came the Brocken voice of one of Ser Davens friends
"Ride out and meet them!" Ser Daven said furiously as he drew his blade, the hilt showing a roaring lion.
"For death, and glory?" His friend asked furiously "you'd have us die for glory!"
"No! For the West!" Ser Daven responded
"For the sun sets and darkness comes but we will not go quietly into the eternal night at the end of Northern spears!" Ser Daven said
"MEN OF THE WEST!" I called to us all
"Let this be the hour that we draw swords together! A red hour! A bloody hour!" His voice echoed above the sounds of battle
He leapt on his horse as me and everyone around him mounted and we turned to face the gate.
"There may be a day where the courage of the West fails! But it is not this day! It will be a day of wolves and shattered shields when the men of the West bow down meekly! But today is not that day! Today is a day of Lions! And swords!" He roared and his thick blond main billowed in the wind
"And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low!" Ser Daven began to sing
"Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the truth I know!" we took up the song beside him
"In a coat of gold or a coat of red, a lion still has claws, and mine are long and sharp, my lord as long and sharp as yours!"
It was then the gate smashed open but no one stopped singing. Ser Daven lead the charge his voice could be heard above the sounds of dying men and The Rains of Castamere was sung by hundreds if not thousands of men as we rode out the gates to face these Northern savages.
"And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere!"
"But now the rains weep o'er his hall, with no one there to hear!"
"Yes, now the rains weep o'er his hall, and not a soul to hear!"
"And so he spoke, and so he spoke that lord of Casta-
I rode beside Ser Daven into the the Northern army and I watched him cut men down in droves and I watched as his horse was downed by a spear. But it didn't come from a fur clad snow savage but it came from a Westerman who rode just behind him.
The man dismounted and unsheathed his own sword as Ser Daven wobbled to his feet. Ser Daven searched frantically for his sword and when he found it he was able raise it just in time to block the swing from the attacker. I dismounted determined to help My Lord but I was blacked my hulking Northman with the white sunburst on his shield. We fought for a few minutes before he slipped in the mud and I got the upper hand drove my sword through his stomach.
Sun had fallen and darkness had settled on the land and it had began to rain though I didn't notice. My sword refused to budge from the man's belly so I looked for a weapon nearby. I found a crude hatchet embedded in the shoulder of one of my brothers in arms. I wrenched the weapon free and advanced towards Lord Lannister.
Ser Davens armour, previously covered in shiny gold lion was now covered in blood and mud. His full face helmet lay at his feet with a large noticeable dent in it. Ser Daven was looking worse for wear, with a bloody gash in the side of his head an arrow in his shoulder and another one in his stomach. Yet he still faced his opponent all the same.
I heaved the axe high in the air and tried to get closer to the fight. Before I could reach Ser Daven his opponent was able to run him through with his great sword. I rushed to his side determined to avenge him.
"But now the rains weep o'er his hall, with no one there to hear" the voice said in a low voice
"Yes, now the rains weep o'er his hall, and not a soul to hear" I raised my axe high and charged but I never made it to my target. I looked down in shock, I saw an arrow shaft in my stoma—
The axe fell from my grasp as my hands went to my throat, there was a shaft there to, I felt no pain only shock. And cold. I looked at my bloody hands before I dropped. As I lay in the mud the life draining from me I looked to the man who killed my Lord, I couldn't see his face but I saw his banner clearly. A red lion on a silver field. Long and sharp indeed.
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( POV Thorin Stark )
I sat in the great hall, in Tywin Lannisters own seat as I waited for the last of the Lords to join me. Most of the Lords where here already, Asha sat on my left and Lord Karstark sat at my right. I didn't have to wait long before the last of the Lords arrived and with them arrived our new allies. The Reynes of Castamere.
There were two brothers, the largest and oldest, Roland Reyne The Red Lion was large man with a clean shaven face and a thick mane of black hair that fell to his shoulders. He stood in his full armour, his barbute helmet helmet held under his arm and a lion cloak around his shoulders. On his back a large great sword rested in its sheath. Brightroar the lost Lannister sword now wielded by a Reyne, the thought brought a smile to my face.
Next I looked to to the second brother Roger Reyne. While not a small man easily 5'8 compared to his 6'2 brother he paled in comparison. Where his brother was bulky Roger was thin, where his brother was clean shaven Roger had a thick beard. Roland's hair was long and wild, Rogers was cut short. And where his brother had Brightroar strapped to his back Roger had a giant longbow. It was one of the famous Goldenheart bow from the Summer Isles.
The bow was only a head shorter than Roger himself. He also had a circular metal shield that the unsullied used and and Dothraki arakh that he no doubt uses to great effect. Rogers armour was made from boiled leather over mail not like the plate his brother wore and he had a cloak made from fox pelts. Roger also had a full face great helm under his arm and a noticeable scar from above his right eyebrow down to his lip. In his hand was a bloody bag. I stood from my seat to my full height.
"It seems that tales of house Reynes extinction where greatly exaggerated. Now if you don't mind my asking how did you survive" I asked them
"When my Grandfather was drowning in the mines of Castamere my mother was escaping with us across the narrow sea with a great sun of gold." Roland replied
"In Essos we trained with the best warriors and eventually formed our own sellsword company. And when we heard of a chance to bloody the Old Lion we jumped at the chance." He continued
"And to show our allegiance to the King in the North we brought a gift." Roland said before gesturing to his brother who took a head from the bag he held and passed it to me
"I present you Ser Daven Lannister." Ser Roland said. I gave the head to a Stark guard before turning back to Roland
"Lord Roland Reyne do you and your brother name Robb Stark your King?" I asked them
"We do" Roland replied before he and his brother kneeled
"Then then I name you Lord Roland Reyne, the Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West." I said to the new warden of the west
"You will take your own men and join them with Lord Karstarks host. The both of you will bring the West to heel, the Lords will swear allegiance to the King of Winter or their line will die." I commanded them.
"Now fetch me the Maester I have letters to send" I ordered before returning to my seat in the great hall.
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( POV Tyrion Lannister )
I sat at in Small Council chambers, It seems the King has come to grace us with his presence. My father named me Master of Laws after the Blackwater. Ever since this Gods forsaken War of the Five Kings began every Small Council meeting had resulted in a worse headache than the last. This meeting had began with good news for a change the giant Scorpions we had commissioned to combat the Stark Dragons had been completed, the walls of Kings Landing had already began to put them in place.
The Scorpions had been tested on the dragon skulls in the dungeons but we had no idea if they could penetrate dragon scales, he'll we don't even know if these Ice Dragons are the same as the Valyrian ones. After the news about the scorpions we discussed the Royal Wedding, Mace Tyrell talked for a full ten minutes about how happy he was to see his house joined with the Crown. Fool. It seems the Royal Wedding was to proceed as planned and in just a week the King would have a Queen.
"What news of the Northern traitors?" My beloved nephew asked in his hateful venomous voice
"Ah but it's not just the Northern traitors is it? How many Kingdoms is it now, Varys?" I asked my... Friend?
"The North, Riverlands, Vale, the Iron Isles as well as the Stormlands. So over half of the kingdoms your Grace."
"By the Seven! It's Roberts Rebellion all over again!" Uncle Kevan, the master of coin exclaimed. Kevin was appointed when father had Littlefinger a head shorter for stealing from the crown.
"Actually even Robert lost a battle in his own Rebellion, yet the Wolves of War have yet to suffer a defeat in the field." Lord Tarly the Master of War pointed out.
"Yes I crushed his host in the battle of Ashford." Lord Tyrell said pompously though everyone knew it was Lord Tarly who won the battle.
"He had not lost in the field because he has not fought me in the field." Father replied
"No you where just caught sleeping by his bastard brother" my comment got nought but a glare from my father.
"If Robb Stark comes to the city I'll cut off his head myself, and feed it to Sansa." My lovey nephew decided to contribute to the conversation.
"You'll do no such thing, she's to be your aunt a soon as you marry the Lady Margery." My father replied. I looked at him in shock knowing what that means
"She's is just a child I'll not do it!" I ranted at my father though I knew it was no use my father always got his way.
"Everyone out, I need to speak with my son." Father said and everyone began to stand though Joffrey looked like he was about to protest
"Actually a note came just before you called this meeting, addressed to you from Casterly Rock" came the old voice of Pycelle as he handed my father the scroll. He read the letter quickly before he clenched his hand in anger and threw the letter on the table.
"Out! All of you out now! He shouted and everyone scurried off including the King though I stayed and read the letter and father walked to the window, he filled himself a goblet of wine as my eyes scanned the scroll.
To Lord Tywin Lannister, former Lord of Casterly Rock and Hand of the King to Joffrey Waters.
I am begging if the Old Lion has gotten too old for the great Game of Thrones. For I have heard you roar but I found that wolves howl louder. And I've found lions with a coat of red are better Lords of the Rock than those with a coat of gold. And your nephew found that Lions with a coat of red have claws that are long and sharp, as long and sharp as yours.
From Lord Thorin Stark, Lord of Erebor, Warden of the Rivers and the Isles and Hand of King Robb Stark.
After I read the scroll I looked to my father, and I thought about his precious legacy, the first Lannister to lose the Rock and the thought brought a smile to my face.
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{ Authors Notes }
Sorry I had a bunch of essays to write for English homework and I was tired of writing so I took like week long break then write this in just a day.
What are your opinions on how I brought in the Reynes?
And I gave Ser Daven that really cool speech that was based on a mix of Aragorn (black gate) and Theodin (helms deep) and after such a cool moment I felt bas about killing him.
I finally did a Kings landing POV even if it was a small one.
Roland Reyne:
Helmet:
Brightroar:
Roger Reyne:
Helmet:
So thoughts?