Aerion Brightflame
The Stormlands were living up to their reputation and their name. It was pelting it down with rain, and Aerion knew that thunder would soon be on its way. How anyone could bare to live in this place he knew not, and for him it seemed to explain the rather grim outlook that most of the Stormlords had of life. Well it was either the weather or the fact that they were now serving the Blackfyre cause instead of the Targaryen cause. That was something that Aerion himself still found a bit odd and jarring at times. He was fighting for the people who wished to see his father removed from the throne, and would more than likely have those he had grown up knowing as family put to the sword if they won. It was a very strange feeling to have, and a very odd thing to think about, he often tried his hardest not to think about it, but on occasion such thoughts would rear their head once more.
The conquest of the Stormlands had begun on Cape Wrath, the men of the Golden Company along with men from the Second Sons and the Company of the Cat had set sail from Tyrosh and had landed on the western coast of the Stormlands. There had been some resistance, a small group of men led by one Lord Boremund Fell had tried to prevent them from marching any further but he had been killed and his host routed and now they held Rain House, Mistwood, Stonehelm, Crow's Nest and Grandview. Joined by Blackfyre loyalists from the Reach led by Lord Addam Osgrey, they had managed to take Blackhaven, before learning of a force marching up from Dorne and a host marching from Highgarden, as well as a host marching from King's Landing being led by Aerion's own little brother Egg.
Bittersteel had decreed that Addam Osgrey would lead the host of rebel reacherlords against Egg's host in order to prove his loyalty to their cause, and that Aerion would lead a raiding party close to where the battle would take place. As Bittersteel had said. "It's not that I don't trust you lad, it's that I don't trust you not to do something rash." The move had not paid off, Egg's host had crushed the rebel reacherlords in the Kingswood, and now they held Osgrey as well as several other Reacherlords prisoner. His brother was camped near Haystack Hall, a place that was lightly garrisoned, and should be easy to infiltrate. At least that was what Bittersteel had thought when he had sent Aerion to go raiding near the place, with some 500 men.
Not a sizeable host, but one that would be enough to distract any larger host from getting near Bittersteel and the rest of the company as they made for Griffin's Roost. Aerion though could not afford to think of that now, not when he could see banners flapping close by, the banners of his house, the banners his father had adopted before he had become king. Aerion felt something drop inside of him, beside him his squire Aegor's son Aenar spoke up. "Shall I sound the horn my lord?" Aerion shook his head, this was to be a surprise attack, they did not need the men there to be alerted to their presence before they were ready.
Aerion drew his sword and spurred his horse on, the rain masking the sound of his and his men's horses hooves on the ground, the men in his brother's camp realised what was upon them too late. Aerion let loose a roar, and began hacking and slashing his way through the men in his path. They fell like dolls to the ground, cuts and thrusts letting blood leak from the wounds Aerion had given them. This process went on and on and on, hacking and slashing, hacking and slashing he went. Cutting men down to nothingness, he was given as good as he got a few times, his armour was dented in several places and he could feel the beginnings of a nasty wound where that Cafferen bastard had hit him with the war hammer.
The battle was raging around them, and Aerion cut down two more men before he saw place where the prisoners were being kept. He bellowed some commands and then charged off towards the prisoner camp, cutting down those who came in his way. He could hear the sound of his men following him, those on foot soon charging towards the cells beginning to pick the locks free whilst those who were mounted stood guard. He turned to his squire then and said. "Sound the horn lad." When the horn blew, it seemed as if the whole world went quiet and then from the shadows came an answering horn blast and then the sound of hooves and mounted men. The men of the Second Sons came streaming out of the Kingswood and began cutting down those men who still remained of Egg's host near the prison camp.
One of the foot soldiers came up to him then and said. "We've managed to get most of the prisoners free my lord. What would you have us do?" Aerion was about to reply when an arrow came whizzing by and buried itself deep within the man's throat, silencing him for good. Aerion turned round and saw a man bearing the coat of arms of House Grandison mounted on a horse, with a man in a white cloak and Aerion's brother next to him. Aerion turned his horse around then to better face his brother, whilst two men came up next to him. "Brother so nice to see you. Though a shame we are fighting on opposite sides."
Egg had always been a bit of a snotty brat, and it seemed age had not changed him; his voice was laced with anger when he replied. "Traitor. I should have killed you when I had the chance. At least I can rectify that now." No more conversation was held, as the two brothers drew their swords once more, both were glistening with blood and were wet from the rain and they spurred their horses on.
They meet in a clash of steel, sparks flying. They break apart and then begin the dance once more, swinging their swords like men possessed. Sparks continue to fly from their swords, and Aerion pushes with all his might and manages to break their contact. The dance continues, on and on it goes, they meet in the middle of sparks and flames, and both push against one another with all they have, neither has the bull like strength of the men they grew up hearing of, but still they swing at each other, striking steel more often than they strike armour or exposed flesh.
When they do strike armour or flesh, the sound of it hitting the relevant part must be nothing compared to the pain the other feels at the contact. Swinging at each other like mad men, the duel continues, as around them the battle ebbs and flows. Men are sent to their graves, others make a name for themselves, but Aerion and Aegon Targaryen continue to fight one another, irrespective of what happens around them. Eventually though, Aerion's experience wins out, and he manages to disarm his brother, with his sword pointing at Aegon's throat, Aerion thinks that he could kill his brother now, and make Bittersteel's life so much easier, without Egg, their father would have no real alternatives. But then he wavers as his mother's face flashes before his eyes. No he can't do that to her, he is many things but he is not a kinslayer.
He sheathes his sword. "You have lost little brother. Retreat back to King's Landing. I will not slay you." With that he turns his horse back and rides for Griffin's Roost where hopefully, Bittersteel has taken the castle. When he arrives at the designated meeting point he is met by Ser Robb Reyne, who always views him with suspicion. "What news of Griffin's Roost?" Aerion asks.
Reyne is silent a moment before replying. "It has fallen, Lord Connington is slain his son our prisoner. What happened at Haystack, did you get the prisoners?"
As if on cue one handed Lord Addam Osgrey rides up next to them, his armour is covered in mud and blood, but he seems happy. "Aye he did. Our boy here managed to see to our release as well as the release of some 50 other prisoners before the Targaryens fell onto us."
Reyne nods and then asks. "So what has happened? Do we hold Haystack Hall now or no?"
Aerion is silent for a long moment, so caught up in fighting his brother that he had not remembered the other reason why they had been sent out. Lord Addam thankfully answers for him. "Aye Lord Reyne we do. Prince Aegon and his white knight retreated with some 2000 men back to King's Landing. Prince Aegon is quite badly wounded though, he won't be fighting for some time. Old Derryck Hill holds Haystack for his grace now."
Reyne nods and then rides back towards Griffin's Roost. Aerion, Osgrey and the men who are left to them ride with him. Upon entering Griffin's Roost, they are greeted with a celebratory atmosphere; the men of the company are drinking and feasting, toasting their successes, confident of more to come. In the centre of it all sits Bittersteel, the man Aerion has come to regard as a father figure, more of a father than King Maekar ever was. For once a smile graces his features, it widens as he sees Aerion. He gets up and clasps Aerion on the arm saying in that deep voice of his. "Well done son. I heard about Haystack, could not have done it better myself. Storm's End is now pinned in on itself. Felwood and Bronzegate have declared for us. But we shall talk of politics later, now we celebrate." And celebrate they do, long into the night and the early hours of the next morning.
Aerion's head is pounding when he awakens the next morning to a summons from Bittersteel to join him and the other commanders of the company in what was once Lord Connington's solar. Aerion sees that he is not the only one with a sore head and wishing for another few hours of sleep. Bittersteel though is still chirpy and active. Once Aerion has sat down and the chatter ceases Bittersteel begins speaking. "We have done well so far my lords. We hold the whole of Cape Wrath now, with only Estermont and Tarth standing in our way. Haystack Hall is ours, as are Bronzegate and Felwood. Dondarrion has declared for King Aegon, and Summerhall has surrendered to us. Storm's End will play no further part in this war. Now we must focus on the north and taking King's Landing."
There is much murmuring at that, the good kind, with the Stormlords all effectively for the Blackfyre cause, they should have some solid strength for when the final battles come up. Ser Garse Flowers the company's spy master speaks then. "Prince Aegon retreated back to King's Landing with some 2000 men, but the prince himself is quite badly injured and most likely will not take part in any further battles. Lord Walder Mooton led some 3,000 men to fight Daeron Stark and his northmen, they were defeated and some of their key lords sit in the dungeons in Harrenhal. And Maekar Targaryen sits and broods in King's Landing."
More cheers met this announcement, Osgrey spoke next. "What of the Reach and Dorne?"
"The Yronwoods and their allies are keeping the Martells busy, whilst the Florents and the Costaynes and their allies harry the Tyrells host. Maekar shall be left stranded soon enough." Flowers replied.
Aerion looks at the man he has come to regard as a father, and sees that the smile that is on Bittersteel's face looks as if it might break his face it is so big. His voice is calm though when he speaks. "That is all well and good, with our allies in a strong position, and the Targaryens as good as dead and buried; we could march on King's Landing. But we shall not, no that is what Maekar will expect us to do, and we are not green boys. We shall march north for Harrenhal, to meet up with the King and Daeron Stark, and from there we shall take King's Landing!"
Once the men had left the solar, it was just Aerion, Ser Aegor and Ser Haegon. Aerion felt as tired as the two other men looked, and was surprised when Haegon spoke, so rarely did he talk. "We know Targaryen fought you Aerion, and that you spared him, and whilst we understand why, it has harmed our war effort slightly."
Aerion looked at Bittersteel, but his mentor was not looking at him, instead he was flicking through reports. Aerion was silent for a long moment before saying. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill him. He might be the enemy, but he's still my little brother and I couldn't do that to my mother."
Aerion sees Haegon's nostrils flare as they always do when he is angry. His voice his quiet but laced with venom when he speaks next. "The boy would not have hesitated to kill you if he had been more skilled Aerion! It is no secret that your family despise you. And with good reason to, if you are to craven to kill them when duty dictates you do so."
Aerion feels his own anger begin to boil then. "I am no craven Haegon. I would not make myself a kinslayer, no matter what the cause was. I am not you." The minute the words leave his lips he regrets them.
Bittersteel looks up then and says softly. "Enough. We shall not fight amongst ourselves, not when we are so close to victory. Aerion next time the opportunity presents itself, you are to kill those who stand in your path. And that might happen very soon. Haegon, learn to control your temper better."
Aerion stands up and bows before leaving the room, when he enters his own he begins writing a letter that he knows he will not send. It is too risky to send anything to Tyrosh now, and so the ache in his heart for his wife and children will have to remain without contact for some more time.
Prince Aegon 'Egg' Targaryen
He can still feel the pressure of the blade as it was pressed against his throat, can still hear the pounding of his heart in his ears, as he thought that the end was approaching. Aegon Targaryen had faced many dangers in his life, but he had never faced death in the face before, and the experience had left him shaken, shaken to the core. What made it worse was the fact that it was Aerion who was the one who had brought him so close to death. Aerion, the brother who all said was mad, who was a traitor, the brother he had sworn that he would kill if he ever got the chance, Aerion was the person who had held his life in his hands that day, and Aegon hated that, hated it more than he could voice.
Their duel still played in his mind, the swinging of their swords, the clashing of steel on steel. Aerion had always been a talented swordsman, even Aegon could acknowledge that, but he had never thought his brother would have such control over what he did. It was almost as if he could read ever movement Aegon made before he made it, and was ready with a stroke or response of his own when Aegon did eventually make the move. Aegon had been battered and bruised after their encounter, not to mention humiliated. He should have been killed but no he had been spared, and would have to live with the knowledge that Aerion, mad old Aerion had nearly killed him.
Then there was the fact that he had had to order his men to retreat as well. They had been doing well; his brother had come with nearly half of what Aegon had at his command even with the battle with the rebel reacherlords, and yet somehow had ended up winning. It was treachery that won him that battle nothing more. Deception had played a part, the Second sons or was it the Company of the Cat had come crawling out of the shadows and had massacred his men were they stood, leaving nothing behind, leaving them no chance to mount a defence, and their once allies in Lords Cafferen and Fell turned their cloaks and began massacring more men.
Had they remained there they would have all been killed, and not even Aerion would have been able to spare him, and so he had bellowed for them all to retreat. They had left for King's Landing whilst the Stormlords fought each other, and killed each other, and managed to make it back to King's Landing unmolested, though Aegon himself felt bloody tired and sore. He had spent the past moon and a half taking milk of the poppy and seeing the maester waiting for his wound to recover, and in that time he had had to brood on the betrayal of his brother.
Aerion had always been mad, Aegon still remembered when he had been a little boy how Aerion had put a knife to him and threatened to cut his balls off so that he could become a sister for him to wed. This had been before Rhae or Daella had been born, but even after that Aerion continued in his bullying of Aegon, taunts, threats all carried out to some extent, leaving Aegon with a deep rooted hatred of the brother whom he had at first looked up to. And now this same brother was wed to a Blackfyre, had sired children with her and was fighting for the Blackfyres. Aegon had been completely surprised when his father had told him this, he had thought that his brother would have had more common sense than that. The Blackfyres were the enemy not their friends.
And yet from the reports Aegon had heard on the small council, Aerion had done everything to ingrate himself in with the hierarchy of the Golden Company and the Blackfyres, he had commanded their men in battle and won acclaim for himself, and was even said to be being groomed for successor ship should Bittersteel finally die. Of his goodsister and nephews, Aegon heard little apart from the fact that they seemed to be peaceful and quiet people, who were giving his brother some form of peace and love, and that they were responsible for his 'newfound sanity.' It hurt Aegon knowing his brother was a traitor and that at some point he would have to fight him once more and kill him, this time he would get the better of their duels, and he would win.
He blamed the Starks and Bittersteel for corrupting his brother. Bittersteel, King Maekar had often told Aegon was a manipulative and angry man who took what he wanted regardless of the consequences, and it was likely that he had taken advantage of Aerion when he had been in Lys, alone and vulnerable and mad, so very mad. The man would end up using Aerion for as long as he was useful once he was not, he would be dead, and it did not seem as if Aerion realised that. The Starks, now they were the biggest bunch of traitors that Aegon had ever met. They professed to support the true king and were all about duty and honour and yet their king was the biggest critic of all, supporting and harbouring would be usurpers and waging war on his friend and family simply for a promise he had made to a power hungry mad man.
The problem was that Stark and the Blackfyres were winning. The Stormlands completely belonged to them now; Storm's End held out but could send no aid for the Targaryens. The Riverlands also belonged to the Blackfyres, as for the Vale and the rest of them Aegon knew not, for he had been out of action for some time, though there were more battles to come he knew it, he could feel it in his bones. A knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts, he called for whoever it was to enter and found himself looking at his father. King Maekar seemed to have aged ten years since last he saw him, there were lines and more around his face, and his scowl seemed fixed in place.
"How are you feeling?" his father asked him brusquely.
Aegon stretches out and says. "Better than I was yesterday Your Grace. Why do you ask?"
His father looks at him as if he has grown a second head. "Why would I not ask Aegon, do not play the fool with me. I know you were badly injured fighting Aerion, I need to know if you need any more help."
Aegon sighs and says. "No father I am fine truly I am. But I am getting so bored cooped up here, what has been happening at court and in council? What news of the war?"
His father is silent for a long, long time and then he slumps into the chair beside Aegon's bed and runs a hand through his hair, before saying. "It is not going well Aegon. As you know the Stormlands belong to the Blackfyres, Walder Mooton's men were destroyed at the Battle of the Roads. The Riverlands are spent and now belong to the Blackfyres as well. We have also had word from the Westerlands, it appears the Ironborn have been raiding and pillaging along the coast, and the Lannisters are too divided to do anything about it, so command has fallen to Lord Lefford to lead the charge."
Aegon nods feeling the hopelessness of their situation, how can they win from this position. "What of Dorne and the Reach, surely they must be marching towards the Riverlands now?"
His father shakes his head then and says. "Dorne is in the midst of its own civil war. The Yronwoods and their allies hold the passway as well as the desert sands. The Martells cannot do more than fight their own bannermen and hope for the best. The Reach…" his father seemed to hesitate there for a long moment before he spoke once more, his voice seemingly choked. "The Reach is in ruins son. Lord Tyrell fights his own brothers as well as his own bannermen. We will need to rely on the Vale if we want to end this war."
Aegon nods feeling his gut beginning to sink. "What can I do father? How can I help?"
His father sighed then. "No Aegon there is nothing you can do now, except rest and get better. Soon enough you shall be needed out in the field. But before I leave you to your rest I need to ask you about your brother and the raid he performed."
Aegon swallows nervously then, the fact that his brother beat him and in such a fashion still stings but he speaks then because his father needs to know what he is up against. "The Golden Company had been camped well south of where we were in Haystack Hall, and the Reacherlords who had rebelled were kept in prison cells heavily guarded ones at that. Yet I think Aerion decided to lead the raid on the camp himself, he came with only 500 men and at first we had no sign that anything was amiss, but then Ser Duncan noted that there was movement in the camp past curfew, and so we mounted our horses and battle began." He pauses for breath and then begins speaking once more. "BY the time we were all ready for battle, the prisoners had been freed and were causing chaos in the ranks. We lost many men, and then I fought Aerion and you know what happened after that."
His father is silent for a long time before eventually speaking. "It was most certainly a daring raid, and does seem like something Aerion would do. But the way it was carried out reeks of Bittersteel more than your brother. It was a ploy, a distraction to take the attention away from what he was doing, and it worked. Not that I blame you, your actions might have saved many thousands of lives, but still this is worrying. Daeron Stark remains in Harrenhal his strength growing by the day. I shall need to ride for the Vale, or sail by ship to reach Gulltown and move from there."
His father seems to be talking more to himself than Aegon, and he eventually walks away and disappears somewhere else perhaps to his own solar. The next time Aegon sees his father is the day before he rides out for the Riverlands. "I need to deal with this threat now, and not let it fester. King's Landing is in your hands until I return." Rhae will later tell him that their father rode out with some 10,000 men from the crownlands expecting men from the Vale to join him later on the march. A moon goes by and word comes from the Reach, the rebels have been defeated there Lord Tyrell successful and beginning to march for Harrenhal. Another moon goes by and there is no word from King Maekar and Aegon begins to fear for the worst.