The red river

The red river

Davos POV

It has not even been a day since we set up our camp just outside Lord Tarly's sight. And yet the Blackfish already had trouble dealing with the scouts. Lord Tarly probably was suspecting of us, and the more scouts he sends our way and the more don't return, the more sure he will be. I understand now how scary the intuition of people who lead tens of thousands of men can be.

Lord Dondarrion knew that they couldn't delay an attack any further. And even I was concerned about it, even though I was doubtful of our success. But right now, we still have some element of surprise, and we might lose it entirely if we wait any longer. And Lord Tully's defenses were slowly breaking under Lord Tarly's siege engines.

"Lord Seaworth, Lord Dondarrion, you have to see this."

I glanced at the soldier as Lord Dondarrion moved. Following closely behind, we came up a hill with a good view of Lord Tarly's camp. The Blackfish was already waiting for them with a far-eye prepared. Even to me, it seemed that Lord Tarly's men were moving faster and more. It didn't take long to realize that they were preparing for a massive attack.

"Lord Tarly will push through today," The Blackfish said. "Once the outer wall collapses, he will use all his might to attack the Ruby Ford."

"He probably knows of us then," Lord Dondarrion replied. "He doesn't know our position or numbers, but he knows of us. We can't delay the attack any further. It all ends today."

"He could be baiting us," The Blackfish said.

"Then we will take the bait," Lord Dondarrion wasn't too concerned. "I will not allow all our work come to naught because we were afraid of few hastily erected defenses. Even if we lose our lives, we will win."

"Lord Davos, what do you think?" The Blackfish asked me.

"Lord Tully might not know that you have succeeded in your mission, Lord Dondarrion," I answered. "I think we should show him that we are here."

The Blackfish nodded and Lord Dondarrion was quick to agree with me. I wasn't much of a fighter, so all I could do was stay behind and watch over them. But even then, I had no intention of leaving, no matter what. In all but numbers, we had an advantage. We now surrounded Lord Tarly's camp with Lord Tully on one side of the river and us on the other.

No matter how expected our attack might be, it won't be easy to defend against it. But our concerns weren't unwarranted. In numbers, we were far behind what the Lannisters and the Tyrrels could bring out. Every man lost was too big of a sacrifice. I knew that we would need much more men to take over King's Landing.

Lord Dondarrion and the Blackfish quickly gathered the men and horses and lined up for all to see. Morale would play a big part in this battle. The enemy had to see that there was a force at their back, and the allies needed to see that they weren't alone. We knew we could win. There was no way for Lord Tarly to defeat both us and Lord Tully effectively.

Yet, as Lord Dondarrion led the men into the fight, I feared how many would not return. But all I could do was stay and watch. I could only believe in Lord Dondarrion and the men. If there was anyone who could break Lord Tarly's defenses, it had to be Lord Dondarrion. To my eyes, he was the best cavalry commander we could hope to have.

Like thunder, loud and fast, Lord Dondarrion led the cavalry. Even when they saw them coming, it didn't seem like they could prepare themselves fast enough to meet them. The archers were too slow to form a formation, and only a few loose arrows hit the cavalry. Still, they managed to pull spiked fences to close off their camp.

A group of heavily armored horses with massive lances came forth from the cavalry. They hit the fences first and even as they fell, they still managed to break most of the fences. It created enough of a gap for Lord Dondarrion to squeeze through and then jump over the trenches. But Lord Dondarrion took only a small group of a couple of hundred with him.

I could only watch as the rest of the cavalry struggled to push the fences down and make bridges to pass the trenches. While another part pushed through the gap, Lord Tarly left for his men to leave the camp as they pleased. They were shot by arrows, even as Lord Dondarrion and a small group pushed deeper into the camp.

As much as I wanted to think that the attack was a success, I wouldn't call it a success. Lord Tarly's forces defended well against Lord Dondarrion's cavalry, and there were just too many of them. Looking through the far-eye, I counted that even if Lord Dondarrion killed three for every one of his cavalry, the small group that entered with him was just too little.

Lord Tully, seeing the fight, started to push his army to Lord Tarly's camp, too. But it just wasn't enough. It was impossible to tell if we were winning or not anymore. And even if we did win, the sacrifice would be too much. The longer the battle continued the more it looked that Lord Tarly was in control of the battlefield.

Just a little more. I had to watch as Lord Dondarrion and Lord Tully were stuck, trying to push the enemy. But the numbers weren't on our side. Lord Tarly's defenses were just too much for them. But if they could just push a bit more and make a breakthrough, the battle would tilt to our side. It took all my self-control not to join the battle.

My job was to watch and, if we failed, return to Harrenhal. But I couldn't help but wonder if the hundred men or so with me could change the tide. It wasn't possible, with Lord Tarly directing the battle. Even while surrounded, he seemed to be in control. It was probably his plan to exhaust our men completely; even if he were to lose this battle, the Riverlands would have no men to fight anymore.

It was disgusting how people like him were able to throw the lives of tens of thousands. And for what? I could never understand it. This war was all about destroying and killing. And yet the Lannisters still clung to the Iron Throne, while Stannis had to fight battle after battle to get closer to his rightful place.

"What is that sound?" One of the men left behind asked.

It wasn't just him who heard it. Everyone on the battlefield seemed to have turned to the east as they heard horns. Everyone, including me, was shocked to see longships sailing through the river. They crashed in the middle of the battle. Destroying the bridges built by Lord Tarly and dividing his army before men jumped out of the ships and attacked the surprised and unprepared reachmen.

"King Stannis," I said, seeing the banners of the Stag rising above the ships.

The battle changed instantly. Lord Dondarrion joined back with the Blackfish as they pushed through the now-disorganized camp, destroying the rest of the defenses. The whole cavalry finally entered the camp and completely trampled Lord Tarly's men as they were cut down by the new arrivals. It felt like a rock had slid off my chest. I felt like I could breathe again.

The battle was now completely out of Lord Tarly's control. His men started to run, jumping into the river and swimming away, only for arrows to hit them. I watched from a distance as the river turned completely red and was filled with the dead. And then I saw King Stannis riding out of the ship and leading the men to capture Lord Tarly.

"We won," I felt weak for a moment like I could finally relax.

Even with the strands of defiance, Lord Tarly couldn't defend himself. It was over. The battle was won. The last remnants of Lord Tarly's men were quickly run down by Lord Dondarrion or hunted down by Lord Tully, bringing it to an end. The battle was over as the river was red.

…

Without King Stannis' timely arrival, the men from the Riverlands would be floating in the river of blood right now. The beaches on both sides were trampled and completely changed from what I remembered. Looking over Lord Tully's and Lord Tarly's broken defenses, I couldn't even recognize the Ruby Ford any longer. Months and months of fighting made their mark on the land.

"Your Grace," I knelt before the King I had not seen for a long time.

"You did great, Davos," I could barely recognize King Stannis. "Round up the men. I want the lords and knights to report to me immediately."

"It will be…"

Before I could finish my words, Lord Tully rode between me and King Stannis. He didn't dismount his horse as he looked down on the King. Then Lord Tully looked at the King's ships and men. And only now did I notice how worn out everyone was. Their armor and even swords seem not to have been taken care of. They didn't look like fresh soldiers from the Stormlands.

"Tell me you came to save me," Lord Tully said. "Tell me you haven't run off here because you were defeated."

"Lord Tully, you need to…"

"Silence!" I couldn't utter a word as Lord Tully's bloodshot eyes turned to me. "Answer me, King Stannis. Is this all the men you have?"

"We were attacked," King Stannis answered, to my surprise. Only now I could see how much thinner he had become since the last time I saw him.

"The Lannisters have won?" Lord Tully asked, seemingly defeated.

"It wasn't the Lannisters who attacked us," King Stannis replied. "We had won against them and were prepared to take the next action. But a new force entered the war. Gather everyone; I will not repeat myself."

"I told you," Lord Tully jumped off his horse and walked up to King Stannis. "If you will lose, I will not continue this meaningless war."

"I haven't lost yet, boy."

Lord Tully didn't back off. He stared at the King, and the King stared at Lord Tully. Lord Tully's men reached for their weapons, and King Stannis' men got into formation. It was Lord Dondarrion's arrival that stopped everyone in their tracks. As his horse came in close, he stopped and looked at King Stannis.

"Your Grace, what are your orders?" Lord Tully turned around and motioned for his men to relax and left with them. Lord Dondarrion breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to the King. "I know it should warrant your response, your grace, but Lord Tully is tired, and he is sure to reconsider his words with time. Please do not pursue it any further."

"He questioned the King," the red priestess replied by the King's side. "No matter his reasons, that was a transmission that can't be overlooked, or others will soon follow him."

"Gather the men," King Stannis ignored everyone and repeated. "I want to see the lords in half an hour. Meanwhile, start telling everyone to clean up the battlefield. Davos with me."

"Your Grace," I followed behind him as we left the bloodied place.

"The situation isn't good for me," King Stannis confessed. "I lost most of my men and my lands. I could do nothing but gather what I could and escape. That is why I need people like Lord Tully by my side more than ever. I need you to check on him and see if you can calm him down before the meeting begins. I need him by my side. I need the Riverlands."

That wasn't how I remembered King Stannis. He didn't have that ironclad stubbornness in his tone as he used to have. He was thinner, too. And even though we had just won a major battle that would push the Lannister and the Tyrrels to their last legs, he didn't look happy in the slightest. He knew something that scared me.

…

The Targaryens? What has the world come to? A foreign army has entered the war, and the Stormlands were the first to fall. The half an hour I spent calming down and seeking reassurance from Lord Tully seemed now to be wasted. Every lord from the Riverlands was on their feet. Their voices probably reached the sky itself.

"The Tyrells, the Lannisters, and now the Targaryens," Lord Tully's low voice silences everyone. "This war doesn't seem to be going to end. Even if we defeat one, another enemy will emerge. But as long as I stand, no army shall enter my home. No man shall threaten the safety of my people. I don't care what their names are or what their reasons might be. I will fight them all, and if any of you can't do the same, you are no men of mine. You are no men of the Riverlands."

"We fought the mad king," Lord Blackwood was the first to answer Lord Tully's call. "We fought under your brother's banner, King Stannis. So, if my lord fights under yours, I will too."

"Our combined men don't reach forty thousand, my lords." Lord Royce voiced his concerns first. "The Reach still had at least that much to spare, if not more. And who knows how many more men the Lannisters are preparing to throw? I am sorry to say, but our men are exhausted. Even if more reinforcements could come from the Vale, would it change our situation much?"

"Dorne has yet to enter the war," Lord Mallister was the second one. "Theon Greyjoy is who knows where and who knows what he is planning. I will fight to the bitter end to defend my lands. But alone, we can't hold out for too long."

"It is time, your Grace," Lord Tully continued, seeming to have expected such a response from his lords. It is time for you to ask for help from the North. They are our last hope of winning this war. I am confident that I can convince King Robb to agree to fair negotiations."

"There is but one…"

"Send a raven to King Robb," It caught me by surprise that King Stannis interrupted the red priestess and even called Robb Stark a King. "Tell him I want to meet him. At the Twins."

King Stannis's decision to contact King Robb meant that he came around to accepting the North as independent in exchange for King Robb's support. To bend his will to such an extent made me worry for King Stannis. I didn't know enough to decide if it was the right thing to do or not, but it didn't seem like we had any other choice.

A.N. Well, I will leave the story here for now. It is somehow wrapped up right now, even if I rushed things in the last few chapters. Next time, I will write through Theon's pov until I finish everything up in Essos. And then return back to westeros when Theon is ready to come back too.