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-Chapter 96-
🕑 Added 2025-01-29 23:07:40 +0000 UTC-Chapter 96-
-POV Tommen Baratheon-
"What do you recommend, Ser Balon?" I asked the knight, knowing he was far more knowledgeable in all matters concerning war and siege strategies.
'His experience in this matter can only benefit me,' I thought as I curiously awaited my Kingsguard’s opinion on the matter.
Ser Balon observed the castle for a few moments before finally turning to me and saying:
"Normally, I would have advised splitting our forces evenly to attack all four fronts at once, but upon further reflection, it may be wiser to keep our troops united to guard against a potential enemy ambush."
I nodded, agreeing with him, but Sandor Clegane shook his head and said:
"If they had enough men to face us, they would have set deadlier traps, but more importantly, they would have engaged us in the forest instead of letting us reach this point."
'He’s not wrong,' I thought, acknowledging his perspective as well before taking a few seconds to ponder the best possible solution and the risks I was willing to take to win.
After a moment, I finally made up my mind and said:
"We will split our forces into four different armies, but we will keep the bulk of our troops here with us in a central block that can defend against any surprise attack."
"How many soldiers shall we send to the other fronts?" Ser Balon asked, curious.
"10,000," I said in a neutral tone, having decided on our course of action.
'This will leave us with just over 30,000 soldiers to counter any unexpected attack from behind,' I thought, extremely confident that we could destroy the army that had ambushed us in the woods with 30,000 men.
'Even if we fail to defeat them, we will hold out long enough for the other troops to return and trap them in a pincer movement, suffocating them,' I thought before quickly issuing my orders to the lieutenants who had been listening but had not dared to intervene.
---
-POV Alynne Connington-
I frowned as I observed for a few moments how the troops loyal to the whore and her bastard were deploying, then I said to Ser Arlan:
"Make sure the other Black Knights are positioned on the other walls. We cannot afford to let that wench Cersei’s soldiers overwhelm us."
"Understood," he said, nodding before giving his orders.
"Archers!!!" I shouted, grabbing an arrow from a bucket to my left.
"Draw your bows!" I cried, setting an example by drawing my bow to its maximum, waiting for the enemy troops to come within range before releasing my arrow.
It did not take long, as the first soldiers entered our range a few moments later, holding shields and ladders above their heads.
"LOOSE!" I yelled as I released my own arrow first.
Swiish Swiish Swiish
Swiish Swiish Swiish
Swiish Swiish Swiish
The fact that the enemy soldiers were trying to protect themselves with ladders and shields, of course, did not stop me from hitting my mark.
My arrow struck between the breastplate and helmet of a soldier, who collapsed to the ground, unable to breathe.
I felt a small lump forming in my throat, but I did not allow myself to get lost in the thrill of battle or the fear of what I had just done.
I simply picked up another arrow calmly and called out a second time:
"Draw your bows!"
All the archers drew their bows to the fullest, then, this time more quickly, I ordered in a calmer, more monotone tone:
"Loose."
Like before, the sound of numerous arrows soaring through the sky, accompanying mine, whistled in my ears.
Swiish Swiish Swiish
Swiish Swiish Swiish
Swiish Swiish Swiish
I watched with satisfaction as the arrows rained down upon our enemies like a deadly storm sent by the Gods to reclaim the sinners who had dared to think they could strike us down and seize my brother’s kingdom in his absence.
"Draw your bows!!" I commanded again, repeating the same movements.
'You will drench the ground with your blood before you take even an inch of a Connington’s land,' I thought, fully prepared to die for him, as were all his men.
"Loose!!" I shouted again, releasing my arrow.
Swiish Swiish Swiish
Swiish Swiish Swiish
Swiish Swiish Swiish
---
-POV Tommen Baratheon-
"The enemy archers are causing too much damage in our ranks," I said in a displeased tone, watching yet another rain of arrows fall upon our soldiers.
Even though I had only sent 5,000 men to assault the Northern Wall, it was probably more soldiers than the entire fortress held.
'And yet, we have already lost nearly half our men,' I thought, slightly bitter about the outcome.
"Why are they standing there doing nothing?" I asked, frowning as I saw soldiers stepping out of formation and freezing until an arrow pierced their arm or leg, creating an opening for another arrow to strike a vital point.
"It’s normal," Sandor Clegane grumbled, the former 'hound' of Joffrey at my side, itching to be on the front lines. "They still don’t know how to hold a damn shield properly."
'He could change the tide if I gave him an opportunity,' I thought, hesitating for a moment before resigning myself.
'He is too valuable for me to risk his life like that,' I told myself, abandoning any thought of using him to rally my soldiers and create a breach in the enemy’s defense.
"Make sure your company reforms its ranks properly and stops standing idle," I told a mercenary from Braavos who had joined our army for gold and was reportedly so competent that he had been named captain.
'Let’s see if he is as capable as he claims to be,' I thought as I watched him gallop forward, then stop at a safe distance from the castle to proceed on foot, shield raised high to protect himself from the arrows raining down from the sky.
---
After about a quarter of an hour, I could see the first changes on the battlefield, as the troops had reformed, although they were far fewer than before.
"Only just over half of our men remain," I said, frowning, as it was a true defeat for me to lose so many men on the front lines before even reaching Bronzegate’s ramparts.
"Alynne Connington is defending the fortress. It makes sense that they fight with such determination. Once we take Bronzegate, we will have the upper hand," said Ser Balon.
I frowned and asked:
"How do you know that?"
"Ronnet Connington’s personal sigil is a bloodstained silver griffin. His brother Raymund’s is a red griffin, and his sister Connington’s is a pristine white griffin," he said naturally, pointing to one of the banners near the center of the wall.
'How did I overlook such an important detail?' I thought, deciding in an instant to abandon my initial strategy in favor of a more aggressive approach.
"We won’t even need to take the castles one by one until Griffin Roost. As long as we take Bronzegate, the war will end," I said, my heart pounding, my mind swirling with a multitude of strategies and ideas to end this war as quickly as possible.
"It is a possibility, Your Majesty," Ser Balon said cautiously, but I did not let him finish before saying:
"Advance all our troops and spread the word. I want this castle taken within the hour!"
---
-POV Ronald Connington-
"The situation has changed significantly, Your Highness," said Ser Frederik, frowning as he halted his horse less than two meters from me.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned about the progress of the battle.
"The usurper Tommen Waters has decided to advance all his troops at once. Judging by the messengers I saw leaving his camp, I believe he has given the same order to all the other parts of his army that had initially split off to besiege the other three walls," said Ser Frederik.
I did not comment on the disdain with which he spoke of Tommen, as I was used to his hatred of the Lannisters.
I simply asked:
"How long do you think my aunt will be able to hold out like this?"
"Honestly, I have no idea," he said at first before adding:
"But even with the five black knights you placed at her disposal, I don't think she will last very long."
I frowned, as this situation was far from ideal for me.
If Tommen had followed what I had initially predicted, by the end of the day, his troops would have been completely exhausted and unable to put up any resistance against a surprise attack from behind.
'But now, the future is more uncertain than ever,' I thought, suddenly feeling an immense pressure weighing down on my shoulders.
'Should I sacrifice our soldiers to exhaust Tommen’s troops as much as possible, or should I engage in battle?' I kept asking myself.
'What would you do in my place, Father?' I wondered as I closed my eyes.
---
-Beginning of the Flashback-
"Why do your soldiers treat you more like another soldier than like their master? Grandfather wasn’t like that," I asked, curious about the way Father interacted with his men.
Father burst into laughter and then said:
"I am not their master, and they are not my slaves. They are all free to fight for me or not."
He paused for a few moments, watching his men train, then continued:
"They all enlisted for a reason that likely has nothing to do with me, and unlike most 'masters,' I am aware of that from the start."
He took another brief pause before adding:
"When I see a soldier or speak with one, I don’t just see him. I see his family, his friends, his loved ones, everything that makes him a fighter, everything that makes him a warrior, everything that fuels the fire within him that drives him to push himself beyond his limits and keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles in his path."
I frowned, still not understanding how this related to my initial question, and then Father said:
"My soldiers treat me like a member of their family because I make sure they feel that way. For my soldiers, I would be willing to shed my blood and die. I always lead from the front, taking the same risks as them, never throwing them to the wolves as mere human shields. I treat each of them like a brother. That is why, today, each of them follows me without question."
I lowered my eyes slightly to the ground, then asked:
"And for me?"
"For you, what?" he asked with a confused look.
I lowered my head even more, then nervously asked:
"Would you be willing to fight for me?"
Father smiled without saying anything for a few moments before finally placing a hand on my head and saying:
"For you, I would be willing to lay down my arms, my son."
I lifted my head, surprised, and then he added:
"Family is sacred. Never forget that, Ronald. Always protect the members of your family… all the members of your family."
-End of the Flashback-
I took a deep breath, then reopened my eyes before drawing my sword and shouting:
"Behind this hill lies the enemy besieging our brothers-in-arms. Are we going to let them massacre our brothers?"
"NO!"
Comments
sky_demon
Nice
VBDA
Let's gooooo
VBDA
Peak has come once more
