Chapter 9

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***

Silver Hill. After a while.

The lying man's eyes opened abruptly. He was greedily gulping air with his mouth as if he was suffocating.

- Breathe calmly. - He heard the quiet, confident voice of his cousin.

Rex sat beside him and held a mug of water to his mouth.

After drinking the water, Damian lay back on the bed and relaxed again. He could now clearly feel the pain in both legs, arm and chest.

- What happened? And where am I?

- You were shot several times and you lost consciousness. I even thought you were killed by bolts, but your armour was of good quality and the bolt only penetrated one fingernail into your chest, but the arrows did lodge in your arm and leg, but that's okay. Maester says you won't even limp. But you need to lie down and lick your wounds. You didn't pass out from your wounds or pain, but from loss of blood. When I jumped up, I saw your left leg was covered in blood. The dressing was bad, and in the heat of battle you didn't notice that the bandage had come off and blood was oozing down your leg. It would have been a foolish death for you. You hadn't fulfilled your destiny, and you hadn't achieved what you wanted in this life.

- Where am I?" the wounded man repeated his second question.

- Silver Hill. We took it when you were already unconscious. I sabotaged it and opened the gate with a dozen trusted men, followed by Lari's cavalry into the courtyard, and we took the castle very quickly. But at the same time our employer was killed, and as it turned out, almost all of his family "presented themselves" to the Lion of Night, only the infant grandson was alive and now the bastard of the late Lord Serrett is regent under him.

- Is that so? How long have I been unconscious for?

- Almost a week. Today, by the way, the rebellion is over and the last Sarrett vassal has knelt. Well, we helped again. That knight's house, where one woman was in charge, is all but gone, thanks to Varick and his archers. A couple of days ago, they sent back a reply that was, to put it mildly, insulting to Ser Jacen Hill. So we've done some work there too. The lands that were vacated went to an old friend of Hill's. And there's nothing to fear now. He's a little short on men, though. His old allies, friends and debtors are gone, and now he doesn't have many men. I think he wants to offer you a contract extension. But that'll come later. You get well for now. I'm gonna go check on our guys and see how they're training.

- What are our losses? - Rivers asked him one last time

- Not as bad as you might think. - He shrugged. - Twenty-five dead, plus wounded. But it seems that some of the peasants, the ones who have been forgiven, want to join our band of mercenaries. Mostly those ex-soldiers from the kings' rebellions.

- Hm. I see. How many?

- A dozen and a half, I'd say. I haven't counted, ask Varick, he's taken over while you've been laid up. Although some people were beginning to think you'd never recover. Gerda, Larry and Barry were ready to mourn you.

- It's too early to bury me. - Damian grinned.

- Get some rest, brother. - He said, and walked out the door.

Damian was alone for a while. Then he fell asleep.

A little after two days, when Damian could move around more or less normally, of course not without pain in his limbs, he met Ser Jaecon.

The blond man was quite good-natured and content with his life. Rivers even envied his success and the circumstances, he had managed to get his house under his control, and he might well get the property officially his own in the future. After all, legitimising or adopting a new surname was not uncommon in this world.

- Ser Damian. - Hill smiled cheerfully at him.

- Ser Jaecon. - Rivers nodded to him.

- I'm glad you're alive and well. You've proved yourself a very good commander and a very clever man in general, and your fighting talents will soon be the stuff of ballads.

- We'll see. - Damian shrugged.

- I agree. After all, who could have guessed that I, Lord Sarrett's bastard, could take the regent's seat under my sweet nephew?

- It's a pity he has so few relatives left. Especially one as loyal as you, sire. - Rivers grinned, knowing full well the play on words they were having.

- I don't mean that. It's just me and my twin brother who's in Myr now. He sailed some years ago across the Narrow Sea in search of adventure, fame and money. He raised his own mercenary force and fought in the Disputed Lands. I have sent him a raven, and he will come here with his troop to defend our nephew's lands and serve our house. But until then, I have few men to keep order in these lands. So I would like you Ser Damian and your green cloaks to stay here for another six months. At least.

Damian was silent and thought it over. Only after a while did he speak again:

- Only until the first month of next year. No longer than that! We will have to set certain terms of our contract, payment, supplies and many ordinary matters.

- Well, let us discuss them, Ser Damian. - The blond man splashed his hands in joy and called a servant to bring wine and something for him.

And so it came to pass. In the course of long negotiations, the Green Cloak Squadron was placed in temporary service with Regent Jason Hill until the first month of the year 298. From then on, they're free. But during that time Damian was going to make up for lost time with training, both his own and his squad's, as well as increase its manoeuvrability and numbers, and make some connections.

The conditions were pretty good. Plus a bit of the permanence of the castle walls didn't hurt the squad. Rivers, and the rest of his closest comrades, had noticed that the process of "fatigue" from the endless taverns and forest camps had already begun. Therefore, these six months were a good relief for the squad.

From time to time, the squad walked on patrols of the domains they were guarding. Three times they also did forest clearings from bandits. And also a couple of times they escorted important guests of Jacon Hill.

One of them was Kiwan Lannister himself. He had come on his brother's errand to investigate a case of rebellion and the transfer of power into the hands of the previous lord's bastard. What exactly they talked about there, no one knew, but it didn't matter much, because in the end the brother of the Guardian of the West confirmed Hill as regent of the minor lord.

Life flowed and people lived.

A month before the 298th year of Aegon the Great's Conquest, Jacon Hill's younger twin brother arrived with his troop of a hundred lances.

Now the regent of Silver Hill had nothing to fear, given that he had even augmented his own retinue and castle guards with sword knights and mercenaries that had decided to settle down for the long haul. So for Damian Rivers, who had already begun to be called "Black Heart" in his troop, was preparing to leave this place and move north.

During one of the rank and file training sessions with two swords, he was called out by Rex and shown a message brought by a raven.

Damian stopped training and put the swords away. He had been training with two hands for a long time now. Ever since he got here. The old Damian was a fighter with only one sword, but the new Damian was determined to increase his skills and chances in combat. Plus it allowed him to develop his left hand well. After all, who knows how fate would turn and maybe he would lose his right arm like Jaime Lannister did? So Rivers has endeavoured to make up for lost time. True though the promotion is, but an excellent two-handed swordsman, he was embarrassed to call himself...

- From who?

- The Twins. - his brother replied in a neutral tone.

- How interesting..." Rivers smiled and began to read. - Hmm. How interesting.

- What is it? - The assassin asked.

- My father has learnt that I am here with an experienced mercenary squad and invites me and my Gemini squad to visit him. He wants to talk about something important. It's kind of intriguing.

- Will you take us there? - Rex asked again.

- I think so. My plans were to visit the Riverlands anyway. I think we can visit my "childhood home" too.

- There's no anger or joy in your words. - he remarked.

- That's true. - nodded the red-eyed man. - I have nothing to love them for, but I don't hate them either. They raised me, gave me a sword in my teeth, and thank you for that. Not all lords give that to their children.

- What they have is what they have. I'll see if I can find us a caravan or some other work for the journey.

- I'll see what I can do. I trust you on this. - Rivers assured him and went back to training.

A month later they left their friend Ser Jaecon Hill and travelled north from Silver Hill.

A troop of 160 men plus a small wagon moved at a leisurely pace north of the castle and made their way to the Golden Road, then followed it to Casterly Utes where they bought some parts for the staff blacksmith, provisions and herbs for the "medical staff". And only then followed the River Road through Oxcross, Sarsfield and reached the Golden Tooth.

There they made a brief stop to take part in the tournament and meet the other few lords and knights of the West and the Expanse.

Everything went more or less well for Damian. He never once fell in the main competition, and four times accepted ransom for the armour and horse of the defeated, twice bumping into his own from the squad, so he didn't demand anything from them. And in the final he met Larry Shorthorn. Three heats and only on the third the tournament got a winner in the person of Larry. Alas, luck was not on Damian's side, but he was not upset.

Then there were a couple of days of festivities after the tournament and they set off again. Riverrun, Stonewall, Harroway, then they crossed the Ruby Broad and travelled up the King's Tract to the Twins.

At the end of their already month-long trek, they arrived under the walls of the Twins.

Continuation follows....