First clash

**Big thanks to Charlie Puente-Duany for your continuous support**

Benjen got his men ready to continue their task, some of the men suffered from hang overs but with some words from Benjen they stood at attention suffering in silence. Surprisingly Locke who Benjen could have sworn drank the most was completely fine even mocking the men who found it increasingly difficult to continue their march.

As they made their way towards the next tribe, Benjen felt the silence. With winter ranging it was true one could barely hear from the animals, but it was never truly silent.

From the shift of the behavior of the men following him Benjen was sure they shared the same thoughts as him. They kept a steady pace as they tightened their grips on their weapons.

*Crack* the crisp sound of a twig snapping made its way into Benjen's ears. "Take cover!" Benjen shouted out just before a rain of arrows came from around them.

The screams of some of his men who had been a tad slow, alongside the squeals of the unicorns around them.

Benjen hid behind his unicorn and suffered it's screams as it bled out behind him. There were five volleys of arrows before the war cries and thundering steps made it to the ears of the survivors.

Benjen was quick to get to his feet followed by Locke who had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Benjen gave a quick glance to the other surviving men before shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Huddle! Now! Quickly! Now!" The men rushed to get together holding their ground watching as the enemy kept rushing out of the woods and toward them.

"Shield!" Benjen rose his shield up just in time to meet an enemy's swing, some of Benjen's men had fallen with the first contact but the others covered the gap holding the ground.

Benjen continued to mow down the enemies stupid enough to come before him. His shield halting their charge before moving on with his strength to stop them from forming a defense before ending it with a sword thrust.

"Break to the left!" The sudden charge to left caught their attackers who had fallen into a pattern by surprise allowing for Benjen's men to cause massive damage to the enemy.

They were still surrounded but the enemies found it difficult to land clean hits on them without harming one of their own, and Benjen had no intention to make things any easier for them.

"Spread out! survive! live!" Benjen screamed out as the warm blood of an enemy doused his face, his words turned into just pure screams as a sword found its way into his side.

Biting out another scream that threatened to escape as the blade was pulled out of him. His shield flew into the man's face causing a satisfying crunch before the man dropped.

Benjen did not have much time to catch his breath as he had to continue moving, he knew if he stopped it would mean his death.

Tripping, Benjen fell back first loosing his shield, three of the enemies were soon atop him hacking down with their weapons. With naught but his sword Benjen endured their attacks which sent numbing waves into his arm.

Two of his assailants had a spear lodge itself into their heads as Locke jumped in with a knife which he lodged into the last guys arm causing him to drop his weapon.

The short reprieve allowed for Benjen to make it back to his feet charging towards the two, using his body was shield against four arrows that flew towards Locke.

Locke soon dealt with his opponent as Benjen sent his sword towards an Archer, unfortunately he missed the Archer's head but his blade still managed to get the archer's shoulder.

"We need to make it out of here now! or it will be just us and then we will die!" Locke spoke up as he and Benjen continued to battle with their backs against each other.

Benjen performed a quick scan of the battlefield and saw that Locke was right. His men were dropping with each passing second but no matter how many of his enemies his brought down ten more seemed to take their place.

Taking the head of another enemy Benjen managed to spot three people further away who look upon the battle with contempt. Their showed the status they most certainly had allowing for Benjen to make a guess, they were the leader's of the three tribes.

If they were here then the plan was already a success, now they had to get out of here. "Retreat now!" Benjen screamed with Locke repeating his words so as to ensure the others heard over the songs of steel.

Benjen had no idea which direction to retreat to, all he knew was that they had to leave now if they wanted to see tommorow.

They swung their weapons with all the ferocity they could muster, Benjen abandoned the notion of pacing himself as he demonstrated his brute strength forcefully clearing a path.

His subordinates who joined him the farther he went helped to make sure the path remained clear. Breaking through finally they made a mad sprint into the woods to loose their pursuers.

Taking a quick look behind him, Benjen saw a few who had failed to rush out with them and were now trapped waiting to be slaughtered. His heart tightened but he knew there was nothing he could do against those numbers.