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CHP 76: Everything Falls
🕑 Added 2024-12-29 10:29:47 +0000 UTC(A/N: Longest chapter I've written to date.)
Oberyn's little challenge had ended as any would think, with his face planted firmly in the mud the moment he thrust his little spear at me. He took his loss with some grace, more than I was expecting from someone so seemingly brash and that was something noteworthy.
He had introduced the dark haired woman that shared his bed as his paramour, Ellaria Sand, and had even suggested some curious... activities. Of course, as a man of some standards, I politely declined the offer.
Now, now we stood facing the tall, impenetrable walls of King's Landing, rising against grey sullen skies. I couldn't see into the city at all from where I stood, but there was little doubt I could peer in if I were a few miles back seeing as the city was built on three hills.
There were shanty settlements outside the city, but they looked rightly abandoned. No sane man would stay outside the wall during a siege. And especially not one from King's Landing as the city had been sacked not two decades ago. Ironically enough, it was done by the Lannisters.
"The last time these gates were passed, it was because Tywin Lannister opened them from within." Oberyn said sourly, hands behind his back, "His dogs raped my little sister, and crushed her babes."
"Then you'll be happy to know I burnt him alive, along with just about all of the Lannister host. The Tyrells too."
The proper answer to any challenge was overwhelming violence that left no hope for a second time, so Lord Godfrey lived. Radagon just married the woman he was ordered to destroy. And honestly, I could never find it in me to not respect that.
"A kinder fate than he deserved."
I shrugged.
Behind us, the Dornish waited for the command, with their trebuchets and their catapults and then their ladders to scale the walls.
"You sure you have the numbers?"
"No," Oberyn admitted, smiling. He pointed at the top of the walls. "But they do not have them either. In their hurry, Tywin Lannister and Mace Tyrell did not think to check for scouts. We counted them as they left. There is no host left here save for a thousand or two green boys too scared to raise a sword, much less slay a man."
That made sense. The city was too vast to be held down by such numbers logically... but, an experienced commander could hold it down for quite some time, if they had one. Still, there was no point in holding because there was no one coming to reinforce them.
Highgarden and Casterly Rock were gone, annihilated, men and lords all.
What had Tywin even been thinking?
Certainly he'd now go down in history as the man who took one last stand against me but was it truly worth it? I could see his logic. And the legacy he had now left behind would last centuries... if history was written correctly and it never really was.
Only the victor's version was true, now and forever.
And there was little doubt now that Stannis would be King so maybe it was time to have some fun.
"So that's your plan then? A straight up siege," I wondered aloud, "I can't say that's all too wise. Not if he left behind Kevan Lannister, which he definitely did."
"It is harrowing but I agree. The Lords of the Sands would have it so that we attack them up front," he scratched his shaved chin. "But the Lords of the Sands have not fought a true battle for a generation. Were that not the case, perhaps my sister would be alive. But no, they chose to sit and wait and bled for Rhaegar Targaryen instead. What use have I for their decisiveness now?"
It was always... touching to see familial devotion. But, it seemed that he had well and truly made revenge his purpose. In that case, that devotion was nothing more than poison.
I patted his shoulder, and offered him a small smile, "Maybe making revenge your whole personality isn't a good idea."
My words fell on deaf ears, and he continued, "Now. Now I raise my banners for the oaf that saw fit to spare those bastard rapers and shrugged aside the murder of babes."
Damn.
"If Stannis was like he is now back then, I'd wager he'd have crippled House Lannister permanently... Of course that depends solely on him being in Robert's place."
No man who knew him would dare say that Stannis would have done the same. Robert had declared rebellion for his love, and the other lords of the realm saw fit to join him on the basis of growing hostilities between the realm and the throne.
Oberyn let out a low chuckle. The copper plates woven into his armored shirt clammered with him. "The day Stannis Baratheon decides to wage war for a woman, the men and women of Dorne will all be celibate."
"Fair enough," I admitted. He was too much of a hardass... but then again, those kinds were often the fiercest with their emotions. "Right now he's probably freezing his balls off on the Wall."
"Not much of a loss. From what I hear, it's most like he thinks they hamper him."
"He's high then. Mine haven't 'hampered' me in centuries."
Though, there was that one time I had been stabbed-
"Come friend. Dine with us. Or fuck whom you please. I have little doubt many among the camp will be unwilling."
"...Aren't they all men?" I questioned after a pause, head cocked.
Oberyn offered no words, he just grinned with his back to the high walls of King's Landing.
It appeared the promiscuity of the Dornish had NOT been underestimated by available literature. It also meant that most of them were likely walking-talking breeding grounds for all manner of ungodly sexual diseases.
"No."
"A shame. There are women aplenty. You may come join me at nightfall and we will begin with the city."
-
It was when the Sun had dipped beyond the walls of King's Landing and the stars were shimmering across the black skies above that some brown youth with shaggy dark hair and a lanky form stumbled into the tent where I'd been eating blood oranges from the gardens of Sunspear.
He walked up to cushions I was unceremoniously sprawled on, bowed his head low with glassy eyes and began, "Lord Oberyn has ord-" he quickly corrected himself, "requested your presence at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush."
Humming, I rose to my feet and shrugged on my dark trench coat. The one with the Erdtree patterned on its back in gold as one of my many fuck yous to the Greater Will and all it brought. Then came the top hat.
It was the first set of clothes I'd had prepared when I decided to help the people of this world and so, it felt oddly fitting for the end of this particular tale.
As I briskly made my way through the Dornish camp, I heard moans of pleasure, and laughter. Many of them sat around great fires, drinking and shouting amongst themselves with reddened faces. The wind was still and so the scent of their oils and perfumes and wines hung heavy in the air.
I couldn't say I particularly enjoyed this sort of confidence but-... unless... That warranted more thought.
Oberyn was in command here. The younger Prince of Dorne had studied at the Citadel as a maester AND been a sellsword in the lands that laid beyond the Narrow Sea so he had nothing if not experience.
Then, there was his infamy for liberal use of poison and other such 'under-handed' tactics.
Once I was past the stakes that marked the end of the Dornish camp, I all but appeared next to Oberyn. As I suspected, he awaited me with several dozen men in dark garbs and bandages covering their arms. Curved swords hung from their waists and I could see little else about them past their eyes.
He smiled, standing where the Blackwater Bay met the wall and beckoned me over.
"You will join us, yes?"
"Don't see the point but yeah, of course."
"From their high walls the Lannisters see drunken fools, confident in their victory. And with promise of coin, one of them was more than willing to turn a blind eye rather than die for a cause without legs. We will take the city from within."
Smart.
'Honorless', but smart.
He put a cloth over his face, up to his nose, "I see you are dressed for the occasion."
I wondered if he knew just how much resistance he would encounter. Any battle commander worth his salt would realise that holding the city was a lost cause and reinforce just the Red Keep.
He'd also have to scale a cliff... but I figured he had ways of doing that.
"What about the smallfolk?"
"I will have any man who touches them gelded or put to death. We are not Lannisters. And I will not suffer any thinking we are like them." Oberyn said, plainly. "Now, I trust you will open the gates while I secure the Keep?"
I nodded and whistled, "If your men are willing."
He quietly disappeared into the dark night, and soon torches were snuffed.
Scaling the wall was... well, for myself it was as easy as merely grabbing the stone of the wall hard enough and going straight up. Still, I made sure to break it in such a way that it left a sort trail for the men behind me to climb.
"Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make," I chuckled to myself. "Unless you wanna just not come with me... which is always an option."
Clearly, they thought otherwise considering not even one was dissuaded.
Who was I to deny them their freedom?
Six of the two dozen men fell screaming to their deaths about halfway up the wall. The rest were skilled enough to make it to the top with me where I found a guard staring at me with eyes as wide as saucers.
Before th-... my men could climb over. I pulled his dirk from his belt and sliced him gut to shoulder, then tossed him over the wall to hide the body.
A stealth job could be done a number of ways.
My way was making sure no one survived to tell the tale.
"Remember. There's no proof of a crime if there's no witnesses."
The man closest to me gave a slight nod, "You heard him. Kill everyone you see and toss them over the wall."
Over a dozen blades were drawn and the men scurried off into the dead of the night. I took that time to kneel down and retrieve the sword the youth I killed had dropped. Twirling it in my hand and humming, I followed the Dornish at a leisurely place.
King's Landing had been the seat of power of the Targaryen Dynasty for the better part of three whole centuries and so even the walls around the city were thick enough for a good number of men to walk abreast and have room to spare. In the distance, three hills, named after the conqueror and his spouses, rose past the sprawling city squares and cobbled roads and manses.
Rhaenys' Hill to the North, with a collapsed dragonpit atop it that had been closed for over a century after in-fighting led to the extinction of the great beasts that made the Targaryens Kings.
In that vein, it was fair that Stannis had me to aid him. Aegon the Conqueror had neither the numbers nor the influence to conquer if not for his three dragons.
Visenya's Hill stood in the West, crowned by the Sept of Baelor. Even from here, I could see candles burning in the windows of its seven crystal towers.
And last but not least. Aegon's Hill. Where the Red Keep stood proud as ever, the seat of power all these kings of men were fighting over. And the same Keep where my journey in this world began.
"I thought they were joking about the fucking smell," A Dornishman to my right mumbled, pinching his nose over his mask.
I chuckled, "Think about how it is for me, your nose can still get used to it."
Then, I pointed to a simple cottage closer to us.
"I can even smell how many people are in there. And that one of them just shit himself for some reason."
"That's... I'm sorry."
"You get used to it," I shrugged and continued my work.
Oberyn had picked his men well. They quietly got to work, slitting throats as they went and leaving the larger patrols for me to handle. And, killing was a lot easier than saving.
I didn't exactly agree with a night attack... but this was a war. Had it been the Dornish who decided to continue the war, it would be Sunspear that I would have razed to the ground without batting an eye.
When we finally arrived at one of the gatehouses, the men dropped their stealthy approach and attacked the Lannister men in the stone room. Thus, the place where they had been sitting idly became their grave.
I clapped my hands together and sauntered over to the other side, retrieving a halberd from a weapon rack by the wall, before standing guard at the door.
"Chop chop now. Get to work opening the do-..."
My words were cut off by warhorns thrice blasted and the city was ripped from its slumber by the low thundering hum of drums.
A simple glance outside revealed that the Dornish had started their march, and columns of spearmen carrying large round shields had used the time to form up outside the Old Gate we'd just commandeered.
On the wall, I saw men of House Lannister and the City Watch scamper into a frenzy. Hurriedly, they took up arms. Hurriedly, they prepared for a war already lost.
By the time they thought to stop us, some of my men had begun opening the great wooden doors whilst a few used the winch to raise the thick iron portcullis.
I paid little attention to them after, gripping my halberd with both hands and a small grin as hundred men came charging with their weapons aloft, crying out the names of their King or their House.
"I am Karl. I'll make the offer once as I must. Surrender."
I waited.
I waited because I didn't care either way.
I waited, until they were but a step away to lean down low and cut them from the side with both hands. My coat flapped, and the halberd tore through iron and flesh, split helms and shattered steel.
A dozen men. A dozen fresh corpses.
Some brown haired youth found his own comrade's sword buried in his skull. Another had his knees shattered. They stumbled over their own. They fell dead to the steel they brandished. I lopped off heads. I opened them from gut to shoulder. I cut them in half. I broke arms. I shattered knees. I pierced hearts. I killed and killed and killed. With their swords. With their axes. And then with my bare hands.
And then when corpses littered the wall, and warm blood seeped into stone, and men laid dead, and men laid broken.
One took a step back.
Another followed.
Then all did.
Those that laid down their arms and begged mercy, I let go. Those that wished to resist, I crushed.
They all made their own choice.
Who was I to deny them?
There was a sudden urge to call myself Horah Loux but I pushed it down. I respected the man who made such sights each day he lived too much to use his name as my own.
A great roar echoed and I looked around confusedly. But... none other than myself seemed to have heard it for some odd reason.
"Wait... Placidusax."
That was his voice. I'd never forget it even if I wanted to.
Why did he feel the need to do that out of nowhere?
Shrugging, I tossed my halberd aside, wiping blood from my face with the freed hand as I stepped closer to the edge and peered over the wall.
Double columns of Dornish in close formation marched through the streets, long spears poking out of shield walls.
"Huh. That's not something I was expecting."
Shrugging, I backed away.
"I'm gonna need a change of clothes." I said, turning back to the Dornish in the gatehouse.
Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf ears. They were as terrified as the few men I hadn't cut down.
...I hadn't even used any of my power.
"Guess I'll get it myself."
Shrugging, I stepped off the wall.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
I'm finishing this in this month, dw.
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Delltree100
Happy new year!
