My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
I just realized again how huge this story is going to be, given that especially the first two chapters will probably be among the shortest in the whole story. Right now I'm amazed, terrified and very excited.
I guess I can tease that there is a lot to look forward for in the next 1000 comments
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
That king, Harren Hoare, is king of the Isles and the Rivers (=Iron Islands and Riverlands). The king they are talking about here is the king of the Reach, Mern Gardener.
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
Lucas will decide to bring Dairon and Lord Raylan's last will to the king
Marak will tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless
The next part is halfway written and will be up later today!
On another note, many thanks to InGen for creating the polls you voted on. Judging from the results of the first one, many of the current readers have been following the story from the very first pages, which makes me really glad that I managed to keep you interested for almost 3 months now. I hope you stay with me in the months to come!
The result of the second one tells me that, unsurprisingly considering the huge list of characters waiting to be introduced, many of you have created 4-9 characters, or even more. Currently, there are about 200 characters waiting to be introduced and it slightly scares me that I won't have problems including and developing all of them over the course of the story.
Of course, that means that some characters will be waiting to be introduced for months, for which I am very sorry, but in the end every character will have a nice role in the story. If a new character get's submitted, the story just get's a bit longer, it's easy like that. It will also result in the enormous length of chapter 3 (compared to chapter 1) probably becoming standard length in future chapters.
Today's shout-out goes to a new, but very awesome story, The dark before the dawn written by @1632699, also known as mr.quality.
I already gave mr.quality's first story, Stranded, a shout-out a few pages back and I did this for good reason: Stranded is great and mr.quality's writing is amazing. Similarly, his new story is also more than deserving of more readers and stuff. The story takes place in the US, after it got attacked by a mysterious and very powerful terrorist group and follows a number of characters all across the country as they try to survive this war. The writing is compelling and I am sure you won't regret clicking on this link
The Voting is closed!
Lucas will decide to bring Dairon and Lord Raylan's last will to the king
Marak will tell Ser Darren that Noelle… more is crazy, but harmless
The next part is halfway written and will be up later today!
On another note, many thanks to InGen for creating the polls you voted on. Judging from the results of the first one, many of the current readers have been following the story from the very first pages, which makes me really glad that I managed to keep you interested for almost 3 months now. I hope you stay with me in the months to come!
The result of the second one tells me that, unsurprisingly considering the huge list of characters waiting to be introduced, many of you have created 4-9 characters, or even more. Currently, there are about 200 characters waiting to be introduced and it slightly scares me that I won't have problems including and developing all of them over the course of the story.
Of course, t… [view original content]
And before we come to the next part in a few hours, there's another subject else I'd like to approach. Now I wish I would have checked the submission box before closing the voting, because I would have adressed this in the same post. It's about a few characters who got submitted without usernames with them. Of course, it is optional, but again, highly recommended. Makes it easier for me and you to communicate if I have questions about your characters. So, that's why I thought it can't hurt to try to contact a few creators of these admittedly very great characters here. If the creators of the following characters read this, could you send me a private message please, so I know who to contact in case I have some questions:
Laina Snow: The newest submitted character, she will all in all be wonderful to use. You wrote that if I'd like you to write her family I should mention it in the comments, which indicates that you are a reader, yes? In that case, welcome and thank you very much for hinting that I apparently have a few silent readers. That's very amazing Anyways, if you could create her family I would be thankful. I guess I'll be able to write some good stuff for them. Also, if you could write me a private message or mention your username in the next submission, I'd be grateful. It would help a lot to make it easier when I have some questions later. I promise, I won't bite
Sebastian Sand: A great character personality-wise, who still has the best first name ever and who has an interesting backstory... with the single problem that the backstory is linked to events of the show, 300 years after this story takes place. I will definitely use him, but if you don't want to contact me I would have to create a completely new backstory for him, which could end up disappointing for you.
Dreck Rat: The first and so far only Unsullied submitted, which makes him very interesting. I already have something planned for him, but I just wanted to mention that it could take a while until he appears in the story, since Volantis won't be a location in Book 1. Also, if you read this and could submit his master, it would help a lot!
Robb: Another good character to use, but I have a few questions about his backstory. There are a few things that slightly confuse me here and it would be great if you could contact me.
Esso, Semsi the Slicer, Richard Snow, Benjamin Snow: These characters are in this little list for a similar reason as Dreck Rat. I just wanted to inform you that it could take a while until they appear in the story. You don't really need to write me a message if you don't want to, but it can't hurt.
Dimitri the Wise: You don't really need to contact me if you don't want to, I just wanted to mention that your character is hilariously funny and I look forward to write for him.
Keat, Nalia, Adian: Such great characters! It would be great to know who submitted these and I also have a few questions, or better, a few things I'd like to kindly ask you to give me permission for, but since these would be light spoilers I'd like to clarify them in a private message.
Rayden: Here is one major problem with the character. I will use him, but I am unsure if I'll be able to use him in the way you intended him to be. If you could write me a message, then I could clarify my problem without giving away too much spoilers for the rest.
Ser Jar-Jar of Binks: Wait... what? No, in all seriousness, I simply wanted to thank you again for this hilarious character. Maybe he will be introduced soon
So, these were all characters I'd like to clarify some things about. If the creators of these characters could write me a private message, that would be awesome! If you have submitted a character without giving me a username and if I haven't mentioned your character here, it's all fine and I have no questions about your character for now. In most cases, I already have a role for your character.
Ser Jar-Jar of Binks: Wait... what? No, in all seriousness, I simply wanted to thank you again for this hilarious character. Maybe he will be introduced soon
And before we come to the next part in a few hours, there's another subject else I'd like to approach. Now I wish I would have checked the s… moreubmission box before closing the voting, because I would have adressed this in the same post. It's about a few characters who got submitted without usernames with them. Of course, it is optional, but again, highly recommended. Makes it easier for me and you to communicate if I have questions about your characters. So, that's why I thought it can't hurt to try to contact a few creators of these admittedly very great characters here. If the creators of the following characters read this, could you send me a private message please, so I know who to contact in case I have some questions:
Laina Snow: The newest submitted character, she will all in all be wonderful to use. You wrote that if I'd like you to write her family I should mention it in the comments, which indicates that you are a reader, yes? In th… [view original content]
I'm afraid that my plans don't include them, at least not right now. But, who knows, there might be a way to introduce them more or less in a very special future part.
Ser Jar-Jar of Binks: Wait... what? No, in all seriousness, I simply wanted to thank you again for this hilarious character. Maybe he will be introduced soon
What about Bump and Mike Rotch?
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could give him an answer, he continued. “Of course not. Your father does not like the war. He's even more cautious than Tallian. Never gave you a taste for blood. But still, I can see something in your eyes. You are different than him. You have potential. You can be a true warrior”
Again, Willfred was impressed with the vitality Lord Crakehall expressed when about to go into the battle. Of course, General Tallian had advised caution and had been furious when Willfred expressed his wish to fight at the frontlines. But Tallian was a craven, someone who rather stayed behind the lines, someone who would rather sacrifice a hundred men to keep himself safe than fighting someone directly. Crakehall was different. His father would say that Crakehall was no true lord, that a lord can't risk to die with his men, simply because of his importance. But his father was wrong. A true lord was a warrior. The kings of the First Men had been great warriors and they ruled Westeros for thousands of years until the Andals came. Even the Andal kings had been warriors at first. And the Rhoynar, who landed in Dorne a thousand years ago even had women fighting for them. A true leader must also be a true warrior, Willfred knew this.
“I am ready, Lord Crakehall. I will fight them and I will kill them”, Willfred exclaimed. Crakehall gave him a grim nod. “I'm sure you will do good. All these games you have been fighting in must have been good for something, right?”, he shouted before turning his horse around, facing his army. Willfred had left his own men behind to guard General Tallian, mainly because the General had insisted on it. Still, almost two hundred men under the banner of Crakehall, a black and white boar on a brown field, stood in front of him. Crakehall's men were among the best trained in the whole kingdom, mainly because the old lord never wasted an opportunity to aid the Rock in the war. And it slightly peeved Willfred that even the lowest soldier in this army had more experience than he had.
“Soldiers! Warriors! Brothers!”, Crakehall shouted, pointing his axe at the valley below. “These men down there aren't conscripted fishfuckers from the Riverlands. These are killers and they call themselves Ironborn. But that doesn't mean shit! They say they are true iron. They say their god commands them to...” His voice got harder for a moment as he narrowed his eyes. “To rape our women, to pillage our villages, to burn our fields! Here is what I say to these sons of a whore, these cowards who would rather slaughter children than to fight against one of you” With these words, Crakehall spat on the ground and his soldiers started to cheer.
“I know most of you. I fought with you in countless battles. A single one of you is worth ten so-called Ironborn! If they are hard, you are harder! If they are the iron, you are the rock! Show them what happens when iron hits a rock! Show them their god, when they drown in their blood! Show them that there is none so fierce as you!”, he screamed and his men started to shout. “None so fierce! None so fierce! Crakehall! Crakehall for the Rock!”, they screamed and Willfred had to chime in. “For the Rock!”, Lord Crakehall shouted, turning his horse towards the enemy force. “For the Rock!”, he screamed again and started to ride down.
His cavalry followed close by and Willfred had to run his horse to keep up with him. Crakehalls infantry was separated into two battalions with the task to flank the Ironborn. The enemy forces had already been depleted by Crakehall's scouts, who pushed them into a small basin. Right now, the scouts were somewhere behind the Ironborn, waiting to shoot at anyone who tried to flee the battlefield. Of course, Tallian had advised against using the cavalry in a frontal attack. But Tallian was a coward. Crakehall betted on a single, lethal attack with forty men on horses to crush the Ironborn. His infantry would do the rest. Against an equal force, this would likely be a foolish move. But Willfred understood that the Ironborn had been hounded for the past two days. From over a hundred men, over thirty found their death at the hands of the scouts. They were tired and demotivated and they had to fight against cavalry. Even worse, the had to fight against cavalry lead by Quentyn Crakehall. Willfred felt an excitement in him that he never felt before, not in Lannisport and not in Ashemark.
The first attack was befitting to the reputation the old lord had. Crakehall was the first in battle and his axe hit one of the Ironborn heavy enough to send part of the man's head flying, while his horse crushed two more. Willfred rode to his right, slightly behind him, swinging his sword at the first Ironborn in range. The man wore a helmet but the sheer force of Willfred's strike was enough to knock him to the ground, where he was quickly trampled by the attacking horses. A second man tried to jump backwards, out of the reach of Willfred's sword, but merely bumped into the man behind him, unable to get away far enough to evade the strike. Willfred hit him at the throat, sending the man to the ground, gurgling for air.
Crakehall's plan worked indeed. Willfred saw the Ironborn retreating, trying to flee either to the sides or running in the opposite dircetion of the cavalry, where the scouts greeted them with arrows. The Ironborn at the sides quickly found themselves in a melee against the infantry. They hadn't even managed to hold their line a single minute against the cavalry. Still, Willfred was impressed with the ferocity the Ironborn expressed. They tried to run, yes, but they also refused to give up. The ones fighting against the infantry would have had a good chance if they weren't outnumbered two to one. They had even managed to bring down a few horsemen. Yet it was an easy victory, all things considered. Willfred landed a heavy blow against an attacking Ironborn, splitting the man's face in half. He was impressed with the quick victory, but he would have wished a real battle, like one of the battles Two-Face told him about. The Ironborn had so much potential as his enemies. Brutal melees, bloody duels, yes that would be...
A sudden jolt went through his body as Willfred felt his horse caving in under him. The world started to spin as Willfred fell down heavily, barely managing to evade getting crushed by the horses behind him, hitting the ground violently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small throwing axe stuck in his horse's head, an axe that was likely aimed at Crakehall originally. Willfred tried to get on his feet, doing his best to ignore the terrible weight of his armour. This was indeed something he was prepared for. It wasn't easy to get back in his feet after a fall like this, even without the armour, but he had done it plenty of times in the tournaments. Willfred got his hands on his side, slowly pushing himself up again, managing to raise his knees. In that moment, he felt a heavy blow on his back and a sharp pain flashing through his spine as he hit the ground again. The pain in his back was almost unbearable, but to his relief he was able to move his feet. As he raised his head, he saw a man holding an axe in his hand, slowly raising the axe. He tried to get to his feet, but the sharp pain in his back made him fall down again. No! No, he shouldn't die here, it was only supposed to be a small skirmish, they had already won, he couldn't die here, not now, not before he finished his mission. He thought of Alanna, of Tinnet, of his mother, of his father. His father would be disappointed. He thought of Lorna. Maybe King Loren would be happy that he would be able to marry his daughter to another kingdom after all.
Suddenly a lance hit his opponent in the chest. The man got to his knees, the axe falling down, only a few inches away from Willfred's face. He saw shock in the man's face, pain, as the man fell down, gurgling, drowning in his blood. It did not look as if he saw his god in his last moments. Strong hands pulled Willfred up, causing him to cry in pain as he was forced to put weight on his back. “Can you move your legs, boy?”, he heard Crakehalls voice. Willfred gave him a short nod. “Good. Would have been terrible if Reyne's heir would gotten crippled in a battle like this” Crakehall moved his horse into Willfreds field of view. The old lord had a small cut on his upper arm, but seemed to be cheerful and enthusiastic. “What a battle! Hah, you saw them run, boy?”, he chuckled making a handwave over the battlefield. There were a few duels still fought and Willfred saw a few of Crakehall's men lying dead on the field. But for every dead man of the rock, two Ironborn lay dead on the field.
It turned out that not all of the Ironborn had tried to run away and not all of them had tried to go down fighting. A handful of them had actually dropped their weapons. Some of them were gruesomely wounded, unable to continue the fight, others were just scared, having dropped their weapons. To Willfred's surprise, some of them seemed to be close to tears. He would have expected dirty, brutal monsters from what his father told him. But on the ground, cornered by Crakehall's soldiers lay simple and scared men. Some of them looked a bit rugged, different from what Willfred was used to from the generally pleasant looking people of the Rock. Others looked a bit closer to the Ironborn of his father's stories, these murdering, rampaging beasts. Still, in the stories it was told that the sight of their sails instilled fear in the people of the western coast for thousands of years. Willfred wasn't afraid of these men. He pitied them. They were pawns, used by a cruel king, used for his sick ambitions, they were send to slaughter for things they never believed in, weren't they? The things the Ironborn did in the backroom of the small house they had stormed a few days ago came into mind. He remembered what the scout had said. The women had it worse... It was hard to believe that these crying men, some of them not older than Willfred would be able to do something like this, something that was able to put Quentyn Crakehall off. These men were pawns, but Willfred wasn't so sure anymore if that would be enough to redeem them in the eyes of the Seven.
Out of the corner of his eye, Willfred saw Vashord Tallian approaching, accompanied by his father's men. The general had watched the fight from afar and in this moment Willfred was appalled by him. A true general had to be like Crakehall. Brave. Strong. An able fighter. As far as Willfred knew, Tallian had never won any tournament. He was a knight, of course, but he only fought in some tent, he fought his battles with a map and his mind. There was no honour in this.
“You're alright, Willfred?”, Tallian asked and Willfred gave him a nod. His back was killing him, but he wouldn't let the general know. He wouldn't appear weak in front of him, he was strong and he fought brave! Tallian slightly smiled, clealry unconvinced. “Next time we should make things my way. I see a few of Crakehalls men lying dead here. Needless deaths”, he hissed and Crakehall gave him a glare. “Glorious deaths”, the old lord insisted. “They knew the risk. They died as the rock that dulled the iron” Tallain's smile vanished, replaced by a frown. “There is no bigger lie than the 'glorious death', Lord Crakehall. Every death is pathetic. In his moment of dying, a man has no dignity, no grace, no honour, no glory. I thought an old soldier would know that”
Crakehall started to laugh, a rough and brittle sound. “You are pathetic, Tallian. You talk a big game, but you know nothing”, he hissed. Tallian similarly glared at him. “Pathetic? Pathetic! I led the Rock to victory countless times. I don't charge head first into a battle, I don't have to”, he growled. Crakehall shook his head. “You are pathetic. You are a craven and your cowardice disgusts me. Look at my men. They love me and they would follow me to the Seven Hells and back. How many men would follow you, Vashord Tallian?”, he asked and spat on the ground. For a short moment, the lord of Crakehall and the General looked at each other. “No man calls me pathetic, Lord Crakehall...” Tallian said and his voice was dangerously calm. Willfred noticed that he had his hands on the hilt of his sword. It was an elegant sword, similar to Willfred's own. But unlike his own sword, Tallian's weapon never had any blood on it. Crakehall let out a loud, roaring laugh. “Sure, Tallian. Go ahead, attack me. I am half your size and twice your age. Attack me and I will show you how wrong you are when you mock the deaths of my men”, he growled. Tallian looked him straight in the eye and simply put his hands away from his sword. This lead to Crakehall laughing even harder. “Like I said... craven”, he hissed.
With these words, he stepped aside, giving Willfred a slight nod. “It's been a long day and Tallian doesn't make it any better”, he said before looking at the captured Ironborn. “I would send their heads back to Harrenhal. But I'm sure Tallian has something to say against this and I am in no mood to argue with him today. Willfred, I leave the fate of these men in your hands. Kill them, torture them, imprison them, set them free. Your choice. And now excuse me while I go and find some ale to drink!”, he explained and started to walk away.
Tallian looked after him, his face filled with disdain. “Look at this man, Willfred”, he said. “Look at this old, stubborn fool, but never look up to him. Don't you ever become like him” Willfred gave Tallian an angry look. “Lord Crakehall is a brave man. He lead us to victory today, he fought valiantly and with honour”, he exclaimed.
“Honour? You haven't listened to me, Willfred. Honour does not matter on the battlefield. Dead men have no honour and bravery gets you killed. I don't question Crakehall's honour. I don't question his ability to fight bravely, I question his ability to lead. He is a lord and shouldn't behave like a common soldier. His life is too valuable. Your life is too valuable. My own life is too valuable”, he explained and Willfred gave him an angry look. Pathetic! “One day you will be the northern rock's most powerful lord. The lion of Reyne bows only to the lion of Lannister. Crakehall slaughtered at least a dozen men today. True to his house's words, there is none so fierce as him. But if he dies, who would have led the men? Any soldier can get to the point where he can kill a dozen men. With the right training and a bit of luck, everyone can do this. But leading? Commanding an army? Show me one common soldier who can do this”, Tallian explained. “I understood this. If you want to be a good lord, you need to understand this too. At the end of the day, there are two things that matter. First, surviving, so that you can continue the fight. Second, victory, so that your enemies fear you. They don't fear a brave dead man, they fear an undefeated man” He looked at the captured Ironborn and gave Willfred a handwave, commanding him to follow. “And trust me, you want these men to fear you”
The Ironborn looked at Willfred, some with hatred, most of them with fear. Almost a dozen of them had survived the battle with wounds that weren't severe enough to kill them. Crakehall's men had dealt with those who would have died either way. Tallian looked at the captives with a cold look on his face. “Trust me”, he said again. “You want these men to fear you, for they will never respect you. They are Ironborn. Fear is the only concept they understand”
Right now, fear seemed to be the only emotion they had. One of the Ironborn even started to plead under tears. “Please. Please mylord. Mercy!”, he whined. “I never wanted to do this. Harren Hoare would have killed my family if I refused to fight for him, he....” The Ironborn was interrupted by Tallian's plated boot hitting him in the face. He dropped to the ground, spitting blood and teeth. “That is pathetic!”, Tallian hissed. “Harren Hoare would have killed your family? Well, for what I know, maybe he would have done that indeed. Or maybe he would have killed them for looking at him the wrong way. He commanded you to fight? I believe he has. But has he ever commanded you to rape our women? Has he ever commanded anyone of you to slaughter our children?” His voice got an angry tone as he grabbed one of the Ironborn at the shoulders. The captive was an older man with a scarred face and obviously one of the braver ones. He didn't look at Tallian with fear. He was furious and his eyes were full of hatred. “No”, he answered. “He never commanded us to do it. But we did it regardless. Every single one of us raped your women and killed your screaming whelps before murdering them with our bare hands. And, what can I say, your women had been the worst whores any of us ever had. They were dull as a rock”
Some of the Ironborn were cheering at the man who had spoken. Others started to whine, pleading for mercy, claiming that they had never did any of these things, that it had been the rest, but that they were as innocent as a soldier could be. Tallian looked at Willfred. “You see now, boy? They need to fear you”, he said. Willfred didn't answer. He had to deal with these men. He had to send them to their deaths. Some of them were monsters, but monster or not, this was something else than killing them on the battlefield. He looked at Tallian for help and the general sighed. “Crakehall was wrong when he said I would disagree with him. These bastards should be sent back to Harrenhal, but not just their heads. I say we torture them. Ironborn aren't afraid of a few heads. But if we cut of their dicks and a few other parts and send them back to Harrenhal in shame... Now that would send a message, that would give them something to fear. Fear is the only language they speak”, he suggested. Indeed, as he spoke some of the Ironborn gave him startled looks.
Willfred closed his eyes. He hated torture. He wasn't a monster like Harren Hoare. He was Willfred Reyne and he was a knight, a good man. Though maybe this time it was the right thing to listen to the general. On the other hand, these men were prisoners of war. Ironborn or not, it wasn't knightly to treat them bad, to torture and mutilate them, no matter the reason behind it. He could simply order to imprison them at Crakehall, maybe trading them for prisoners from the Rock. A true knight would do this. Or he could follow Crakehall's wish. A quick death, still better than these men deserved.
[Let Tallian torture them, before sending them back to Harrenhal][Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal][Treat them like a knight would do and imprison them]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Maya is coincidentally planned to be the next part, since we haven't seen her in a long while. I just noticed that I don't have any room to write her part after the Willfred part was already 12000 letters long shortly after the battle ended, so I just decided to enhance Willfred's part with an extended dialogue between Willfred, Crakehall and Tallian. I'll write Maya next, with either Ellena, Kersea or Jaron as the second PoV, if there is room for a second PoV, though I also really want to write the next Ellena and John parts.
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
I want to see another Lyria chapter, but that is mostly because two of my characters are in that one lol. Either way though the story is getting better and better.
Maya is coincidentally planned to be the next part, since we haven't seen her in a long while. I just noticed that I don't have any room to … morewrite her part after the Willfred part was already 12000 letters long shortly after the battle ended, so I just decided to enhance Willfred's part with an extended dialogue between Willfred, Crakehall and Tallian. I'll write Maya next, with either Ellena, Kersea or Jaron as the second PoV, if there is room for a second PoV, though I also really want to write the next Ellena and John parts.
[Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal] I think Lil Willy wouldn't torture these men, but he does need to show strength. Send them to the chopping blocks!
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower… more side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could … [view original content]
Comments
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is a dangerous witch]
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that there is nothing to worry about Noelle]
[let dairon go and bring the will back to harris]
[tell ser darren that Noelle is crazy but harmless]
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is a dangerous witch]
This meme, XD
1000st comment as well.
*1,000nd
[Bring Dairon and the will to Lord Hightower] Hmm... I don't think lord Hightower's actions would be that bad....maybe.
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless] This is just the thing I could see Marak saying
Happy 1000 comments.
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
Thank you
I just realized again how huge this story is going to be, given that especially the first two chapters will probably be among the shortest in the whole story. Right now I'm amazed, terrified and very excited.
I guess I can tease that there is a lot to look forward for in the next 1000 comments
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
[Bring Dairon and the will to Lord Hightower]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is a dangerous witch]
Isn't the king that Psycho at harrenhall? Or is he just a warden
Anyway I guess (Tell him she is harmless)
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
That king, Harren Hoare, is king of the Isles and the Rivers (=Iron Islands and Riverlands). The king they are talking about here is the king of the Reach, Mern Gardener.
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
(Bring dairon and the will to the king )
(Tell him there is nothing to worry about Noelle)
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
[Refuse to leave him]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
The Voting is closed!
Lucas will decide to bring Dairon and Lord Raylan's last will to the king
Marak will tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless
The next part is halfway written and will be up later today!
On another note, many thanks to InGen for creating the polls you voted on. Judging from the results of the first one, many of the current readers have been following the story from the very first pages, which makes me really glad that I managed to keep you interested for almost 3 months now. I hope you stay with me in the months to come!
The result of the second one tells me that, unsurprisingly considering the huge list of characters waiting to be introduced, many of you have created 4-9 characters, or even more. Currently, there are about 200 characters waiting to be introduced and it slightly scares me that I won't have problems including and developing all of them over the course of the story.
Of course, that means that some characters will be waiting to be introduced for months, for which I am very sorry, but in the end every character will have a nice role in the story. If a new character get's submitted, the story just get's a bit longer, it's easy like that. It will also result in the enormous length of chapter 3 (compared to chapter 1) probably becoming standard length in future chapters.
Today's shout-out goes to a new, but very awesome story, The dark before the dawn written by @1632699, also known as mr.quality.
I already gave mr.quality's first story, Stranded, a shout-out a few pages back and I did this for good reason: Stranded is great and mr.quality's writing is amazing. Similarly, his new story is also more than deserving of more readers and stuff. The story takes place in the US, after it got attacked by a mysterious and very powerful terrorist group and follows a number of characters all across the country as they try to survive this war. The writing is compelling and I am sure you won't regret clicking on this link
Thanks again liquid!
And before we come to the next part in a few hours, there's another subject else I'd like to approach. Now I wish I would have checked the submission box before closing the voting, because I would have adressed this in the same post. It's about a few characters who got submitted without usernames with them. Of course, it is optional, but again, highly recommended. Makes it easier for me and you to communicate if I have questions about your characters. So, that's why I thought it can't hurt to try to contact a few creators of these admittedly very great characters here. If the creators of the following characters read this, could you send me a private message please, so I know who to contact in case I have some questions:
Laina Snow: The newest submitted character, she will all in all be wonderful to use. You wrote that if I'd like you to write her family I should mention it in the comments, which indicates that you are a reader, yes? In that case, welcome and thank you very much for hinting that I apparently have a few silent readers. That's very amazing
Anyways, if you could create her family I would be thankful. I guess I'll be able to write some good stuff for them. Also, if you could write me a private message or mention your username in the next submission, I'd be grateful. It would help a lot to make it easier when I have some questions later. I promise, I won't bite 
Sebastian Sand: A great character personality-wise, who still has the best first name ever and who has an interesting backstory... with the single problem that the backstory is linked to events of the show, 300 years after this story takes place. I will definitely use him, but if you don't want to contact me I would have to create a completely new backstory for him, which could end up disappointing for you.
Dreck Rat: The first and so far only Unsullied submitted, which makes him very interesting. I already have something planned for him, but I just wanted to mention that it could take a while until he appears in the story, since Volantis won't be a location in Book 1. Also, if you read this and could submit his master, it would help a lot!
Robb: Another good character to use, but I have a few questions about his backstory. There are a few things that slightly confuse me here and it would be great if you could contact me.
Esso, Semsi the Slicer, Richard Snow, Benjamin Snow: These characters are in this little list for a similar reason as Dreck Rat. I just wanted to inform you that it could take a while until they appear in the story. You don't really need to write me a message if you don't want to, but it can't hurt.
Dimitri the Wise: You don't really need to contact me if you don't want to, I just wanted to mention that your character is hilariously funny and I look forward to write for him.
Keat, Nalia, Adian: Such great characters! It would be great to know who submitted these and I also have a few questions, or better, a few things I'd like to kindly ask you to give me permission for, but since these would be light spoilers I'd like to clarify them in a private message.
Rayden: Here is one major problem with the character. I will use him, but I am unsure if I'll be able to use him in the way you intended him to be. If you could write me a message, then I could clarify my problem without giving away too much spoilers for the rest.
Ser Jar-Jar of Binks: Wait... what? No, in all seriousness, I simply wanted to thank you again for this hilarious character. Maybe he will be introduced soon
So, these were all characters I'd like to clarify some things about. If the creators of these characters could write me a private message, that would be awesome! If you have submitted a character without giving me a username and if I haven't mentioned your character here, it's all fine and I have no questions about your character for now. In most cases, I already have a role for your character.
What about Bump and Mike Rotch?
I'm afraid that my plans don't include them, at least not right now. But, who knows, there might be a way to introduce them more or less in a very special future part.
Willfred
“Are you ready boy?”, Crakehall asked, lowering the visor of his helmet, shaped like stylized boar with small tusks at the lower side of his visor. “This will be something entirely different than the small fights you're used too. Your enemy knows no honour, will follow no rules. When it comes to battle, all he will think off is killing the man in front of him before getting killed himself. Do you understand that?”
Willfred gave him a slightly annoyed look. This wasn't his first fight! He scored third in the tourney Lannisport two years ago and fourth in the tourney of Ashemark last year. “Of course I do, Lord Crakehall. And I am not a boy”, he answered. The old lord let out a loud laugh. “Oh yes, boy, you are. Trust me, this is different than the stuff you and your knightly friends played in the tournaments. As far as I have heard you have never fought against the Ironborn before, right?”, he chuckled and before Willfred could give him an answer, he continued. “Of course not. Your father does not like the war. He's even more cautious than Tallian. Never gave you a taste for blood. But still, I can see something in your eyes. You are different than him. You have potential. You can be a true warrior”
Again, Willfred was impressed with the vitality Lord Crakehall expressed when about to go into the battle. Of course, General Tallian had advised caution and had been furious when Willfred expressed his wish to fight at the frontlines. But Tallian was a craven, someone who rather stayed behind the lines, someone who would rather sacrifice a hundred men to keep himself safe than fighting someone directly. Crakehall was different. His father would say that Crakehall was no true lord, that a lord can't risk to die with his men, simply because of his importance. But his father was wrong. A true lord was a warrior. The kings of the First Men had been great warriors and they ruled Westeros for thousands of years until the Andals came. Even the Andal kings had been warriors at first. And the Rhoynar, who landed in Dorne a thousand years ago even had women fighting for them. A true leader must also be a true warrior, Willfred knew this.
“I am ready, Lord Crakehall. I will fight them and I will kill them”, Willfred exclaimed. Crakehall gave him a grim nod. “I'm sure you will do good. All these games you have been fighting in must have been good for something, right?”, he shouted before turning his horse around, facing his army. Willfred had left his own men behind to guard General Tallian, mainly because the General had insisted on it. Still, almost two hundred men under the banner of Crakehall, a black and white boar on a brown field, stood in front of him. Crakehall's men were among the best trained in the whole kingdom, mainly because the old lord never wasted an opportunity to aid the Rock in the war. And it slightly peeved Willfred that even the lowest soldier in this army had more experience than he had.
“Soldiers! Warriors! Brothers!”, Crakehall shouted, pointing his axe at the valley below. “These men down there aren't conscripted fishfuckers from the Riverlands. These are killers and they call themselves Ironborn. But that doesn't mean shit! They say they are true iron. They say their god commands them to...” His voice got harder for a moment as he narrowed his eyes. “To rape our women, to pillage our villages, to burn our fields! Here is what I say to these sons of a whore, these cowards who would rather slaughter children than to fight against one of you” With these words, Crakehall spat on the ground and his soldiers started to cheer.
“I know most of you. I fought with you in countless battles. A single one of you is worth ten so-called Ironborn! If they are hard, you are harder! If they are the iron, you are the rock! Show them what happens when iron hits a rock! Show them their god, when they drown in their blood! Show them that there is none so fierce as you!”, he screamed and his men started to shout. “None so fierce! None so fierce! Crakehall! Crakehall for the Rock!”, they screamed and Willfred had to chime in. “For the Rock!”, Lord Crakehall shouted, turning his horse towards the enemy force. “For the Rock!”, he screamed again and started to ride down.
His cavalry followed close by and Willfred had to run his horse to keep up with him. Crakehalls infantry was separated into two battalions with the task to flank the Ironborn. The enemy forces had already been depleted by Crakehall's scouts, who pushed them into a small basin. Right now, the scouts were somewhere behind the Ironborn, waiting to shoot at anyone who tried to flee the battlefield. Of course, Tallian had advised against using the cavalry in a frontal attack. But Tallian was a coward. Crakehall betted on a single, lethal attack with forty men on horses to crush the Ironborn. His infantry would do the rest. Against an equal force, this would likely be a foolish move. But Willfred understood that the Ironborn had been hounded for the past two days. From over a hundred men, over thirty found their death at the hands of the scouts. They were tired and demotivated and they had to fight against cavalry. Even worse, the had to fight against cavalry lead by Quentyn Crakehall. Willfred felt an excitement in him that he never felt before, not in Lannisport and not in Ashemark.
The first attack was befitting to the reputation the old lord had. Crakehall was the first in battle and his axe hit one of the Ironborn heavy enough to send part of the man's head flying, while his horse crushed two more. Willfred rode to his right, slightly behind him, swinging his sword at the first Ironborn in range. The man wore a helmet but the sheer force of Willfred's strike was enough to knock him to the ground, where he was quickly trampled by the attacking horses. A second man tried to jump backwards, out of the reach of Willfred's sword, but merely bumped into the man behind him, unable to get away far enough to evade the strike. Willfred hit him at the throat, sending the man to the ground, gurgling for air.
Crakehall's plan worked indeed. Willfred saw the Ironborn retreating, trying to flee either to the sides or running in the opposite dircetion of the cavalry, where the scouts greeted them with arrows. The Ironborn at the sides quickly found themselves in a melee against the infantry. They hadn't even managed to hold their line a single minute against the cavalry. Still, Willfred was impressed with the ferocity the Ironborn expressed. They tried to run, yes, but they also refused to give up. The ones fighting against the infantry would have had a good chance if they weren't outnumbered two to one. They had even managed to bring down a few horsemen. Yet it was an easy victory, all things considered. Willfred landed a heavy blow against an attacking Ironborn, splitting the man's face in half. He was impressed with the quick victory, but he would have wished a real battle, like one of the battles Two-Face told him about. The Ironborn had so much potential as his enemies. Brutal melees, bloody duels, yes that would be...
A sudden jolt went through his body as Willfred felt his horse caving in under him. The world started to spin as Willfred fell down heavily, barely managing to evade getting crushed by the horses behind him, hitting the ground violently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small throwing axe stuck in his horse's head, an axe that was likely aimed at Crakehall originally. Willfred tried to get on his feet, doing his best to ignore the terrible weight of his armour. This was indeed something he was prepared for. It wasn't easy to get back in his feet after a fall like this, even without the armour, but he had done it plenty of times in the tournaments. Willfred got his hands on his side, slowly pushing himself up again, managing to raise his knees. In that moment, he felt a heavy blow on his back and a sharp pain flashing through his spine as he hit the ground again. The pain in his back was almost unbearable, but to his relief he was able to move his feet. As he raised his head, he saw a man holding an axe in his hand, slowly raising the axe. He tried to get to his feet, but the sharp pain in his back made him fall down again. No! No, he shouldn't die here, it was only supposed to be a small skirmish, they had already won, he couldn't die here, not now, not before he finished his mission. He thought of Alanna, of Tinnet, of his mother, of his father. His father would be disappointed. He thought of Lorna. Maybe King Loren would be happy that he would be able to marry his daughter to another kingdom after all.
Suddenly a lance hit his opponent in the chest. The man got to his knees, the axe falling down, only a few inches away from Willfred's face. He saw shock in the man's face, pain, as the man fell down, gurgling, drowning in his blood. It did not look as if he saw his god in his last moments. Strong hands pulled Willfred up, causing him to cry in pain as he was forced to put weight on his back. “Can you move your legs, boy?”, he heard Crakehalls voice. Willfred gave him a short nod. “Good. Would have been terrible if Reyne's heir would gotten crippled in a battle like this” Crakehall moved his horse into Willfreds field of view. The old lord had a small cut on his upper arm, but seemed to be cheerful and enthusiastic. “What a battle! Hah, you saw them run, boy?”, he chuckled making a handwave over the battlefield. There were a few duels still fought and Willfred saw a few of Crakehall's men lying dead on the field. But for every dead man of the rock, two Ironborn lay dead on the field.
It turned out that not all of the Ironborn had tried to run away and not all of them had tried to go down fighting. A handful of them had actually dropped their weapons. Some of them were gruesomely wounded, unable to continue the fight, others were just scared, having dropped their weapons. To Willfred's surprise, some of them seemed to be close to tears. He would have expected dirty, brutal monsters from what his father told him. But on the ground, cornered by Crakehall's soldiers lay simple and scared men. Some of them looked a bit rugged, different from what Willfred was used to from the generally pleasant looking people of the Rock. Others looked a bit closer to the Ironborn of his father's stories, these murdering, rampaging beasts. Still, in the stories it was told that the sight of their sails instilled fear in the people of the western coast for thousands of years. Willfred wasn't afraid of these men. He pitied them. They were pawns, used by a cruel king, used for his sick ambitions, they were send to slaughter for things they never believed in, weren't they? The things the Ironborn did in the backroom of the small house they had stormed a few days ago came into mind. He remembered what the scout had said. The women had it worse... It was hard to believe that these crying men, some of them not older than Willfred would be able to do something like this, something that was able to put Quentyn Crakehall off. These men were pawns, but Willfred wasn't so sure anymore if that would be enough to redeem them in the eyes of the Seven.
Out of the corner of his eye, Willfred saw Vashord Tallian approaching, accompanied by his father's men. The general had watched the fight from afar and in this moment Willfred was appalled by him. A true general had to be like Crakehall. Brave. Strong. An able fighter. As far as Willfred knew, Tallian had never won any tournament. He was a knight, of course, but he only fought in some tent, he fought his battles with a map and his mind. There was no honour in this.
“You're alright, Willfred?”, Tallian asked and Willfred gave him a nod. His back was killing him, but he wouldn't let the general know. He wouldn't appear weak in front of him, he was strong and he fought brave! Tallian slightly smiled, clealry unconvinced. “Next time we should make things my way. I see a few of Crakehalls men lying dead here. Needless deaths”, he hissed and Crakehall gave him a glare. “Glorious deaths”, the old lord insisted. “They knew the risk. They died as the rock that dulled the iron” Tallain's smile vanished, replaced by a frown. “There is no bigger lie than the 'glorious death', Lord Crakehall. Every death is pathetic. In his moment of dying, a man has no dignity, no grace, no honour, no glory. I thought an old soldier would know that”
Crakehall started to laugh, a rough and brittle sound. “You are pathetic, Tallian. You talk a big game, but you know nothing”, he hissed. Tallian similarly glared at him. “Pathetic? Pathetic! I led the Rock to victory countless times. I don't charge head first into a battle, I don't have to”, he growled. Crakehall shook his head. “You are pathetic. You are a craven and your cowardice disgusts me. Look at my men. They love me and they would follow me to the Seven Hells and back. How many men would follow you, Vashord Tallian?”, he asked and spat on the ground. For a short moment, the lord of Crakehall and the General looked at each other. “No man calls me pathetic, Lord Crakehall...” Tallian said and his voice was dangerously calm. Willfred noticed that he had his hands on the hilt of his sword. It was an elegant sword, similar to Willfred's own. But unlike his own sword, Tallian's weapon never had any blood on it. Crakehall let out a loud, roaring laugh. “Sure, Tallian. Go ahead, attack me. I am half your size and twice your age. Attack me and I will show you how wrong you are when you mock the deaths of my men”, he growled. Tallian looked him straight in the eye and simply put his hands away from his sword. This lead to Crakehall laughing even harder. “Like I said... craven”, he hissed.
With these words, he stepped aside, giving Willfred a slight nod. “It's been a long day and Tallian doesn't make it any better”, he said before looking at the captured Ironborn. “I would send their heads back to Harrenhal. But I'm sure Tallian has something to say against this and I am in no mood to argue with him today. Willfred, I leave the fate of these men in your hands. Kill them, torture them, imprison them, set them free. Your choice. And now excuse me while I go and find some ale to drink!”, he explained and started to walk away.
Tallian looked after him, his face filled with disdain. “Look at this man, Willfred”, he said. “Look at this old, stubborn fool, but never look up to him. Don't you ever become like him” Willfred gave Tallian an angry look. “Lord Crakehall is a brave man. He lead us to victory today, he fought valiantly and with honour”, he exclaimed.
“Honour? You haven't listened to me, Willfred. Honour does not matter on the battlefield. Dead men have no honour and bravery gets you killed. I don't question Crakehall's honour. I don't question his ability to fight bravely, I question his ability to lead. He is a lord and shouldn't behave like a common soldier. His life is too valuable. Your life is too valuable. My own life is too valuable”, he explained and Willfred gave him an angry look. Pathetic! “One day you will be the northern rock's most powerful lord. The lion of Reyne bows only to the lion of Lannister. Crakehall slaughtered at least a dozen men today. True to his house's words, there is none so fierce as him. But if he dies, who would have led the men? Any soldier can get to the point where he can kill a dozen men. With the right training and a bit of luck, everyone can do this. But leading? Commanding an army? Show me one common soldier who can do this”, Tallian explained. “I understood this. If you want to be a good lord, you need to understand this too. At the end of the day, there are two things that matter. First, surviving, so that you can continue the fight. Second, victory, so that your enemies fear you. They don't fear a brave dead man, they fear an undefeated man” He looked at the captured Ironborn and gave Willfred a handwave, commanding him to follow. “And trust me, you want these men to fear you”
The Ironborn looked at Willfred, some with hatred, most of them with fear. Almost a dozen of them had survived the battle with wounds that weren't severe enough to kill them. Crakehall's men had dealt with those who would have died either way. Tallian looked at the captives with a cold look on his face. “Trust me”, he said again. “You want these men to fear you, for they will never respect you. They are Ironborn. Fear is the only concept they understand”
Right now, fear seemed to be the only emotion they had. One of the Ironborn even started to plead under tears. “Please. Please mylord. Mercy!”, he whined. “I never wanted to do this. Harren Hoare would have killed my family if I refused to fight for him, he....” The Ironborn was interrupted by Tallian's plated boot hitting him in the face. He dropped to the ground, spitting blood and teeth. “That is pathetic!”, Tallian hissed. “Harren Hoare would have killed your family? Well, for what I know, maybe he would have done that indeed. Or maybe he would have killed them for looking at him the wrong way. He commanded you to fight? I believe he has. But has he ever commanded you to rape our women? Has he ever commanded anyone of you to slaughter our children?” His voice got an angry tone as he grabbed one of the Ironborn at the shoulders. The captive was an older man with a scarred face and obviously one of the braver ones. He didn't look at Tallian with fear. He was furious and his eyes were full of hatred. “No”, he answered. “He never commanded us to do it. But we did it regardless. Every single one of us raped your women and killed your screaming whelps before murdering them with our bare hands. And, what can I say, your women had been the worst whores any of us ever had. They were dull as a rock”
Some of the Ironborn were cheering at the man who had spoken. Others started to whine, pleading for mercy, claiming that they had never did any of these things, that it had been the rest, but that they were as innocent as a soldier could be. Tallian looked at Willfred. “You see now, boy? They need to fear you”, he said. Willfred didn't answer. He had to deal with these men. He had to send them to their deaths. Some of them were monsters, but monster or not, this was something else than killing them on the battlefield. He looked at Tallian for help and the general sighed. “Crakehall was wrong when he said I would disagree with him. These bastards should be sent back to Harrenhal, but not just their heads. I say we torture them. Ironborn aren't afraid of a few heads. But if we cut of their dicks and a few other parts and send them back to Harrenhal in shame... Now that would send a message, that would give them something to fear. Fear is the only language they speak”, he suggested. Indeed, as he spoke some of the Ironborn gave him startled looks.
Willfred closed his eyes. He hated torture. He wasn't a monster like Harren Hoare. He was Willfred Reyne and he was a knight, a good man. Though maybe this time it was the right thing to listen to the general. On the other hand, these men were prisoners of war. Ironborn or not, it wasn't knightly to treat them bad, to torture and mutilate them, no matter the reason behind it. He could simply order to imprison them at Crakehall, maybe trading them for prisoners from the Rock. A true knight would do this. Or he could follow Crakehall's wish. A quick death, still better than these men deserved.
[Let Tallian torture them, before sending them back to Harrenhal] [Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal] [Treat them like a knight would do and imprison them]
[Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal]
[Treat them like a knight would do and imprison them]
Awesome Chapter!!!
I think the next part should be Maya´s. I want to see her stab the hell out of Brune :P
Maya is coincidentally planned to be the next part, since we haven't seen her in a long while. I just noticed that I don't have any room to write her part after the Willfred part was already 12000 letters long shortly after the battle ended, so I just decided to enhance Willfred's part with an extended dialogue between Willfred, Crakehall and Tallian. I'll write Maya next, with either Ellena, Kersea or Jaron as the second PoV, if there is room for a second PoV, though I also really want to write the next Ellena and John parts.
[Let Tallian torture them, before sending them back to Harrenhal]
Got to treat him like the Hoares do.
[Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal]
I want to see another Lyria chapter, but that is mostly because two of my characters are in that one lol. Either way though the story is getting better and better.
[Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal] I think Lil Willy wouldn't torture these men, but he does need to show strength. Send them to the chopping blocks!
[Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal]
**[Let Tallian torture them, before sending them back to Harrenhal] **
[Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhall
[Treat them like a knight would do and imprison them]
[Give them a quick death and send their heads back to Harrenhal]
[Let Tallian torture them, before sending them back to Harrenhal]
Let's make some Theon Greyjoys.... i mean Reeks