A Tale of Blades & Blood-Chapter 12: The Hound

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[Loreys' Point of View]

Before the toast, an old hound makes preparations...

The villages burn tonight. The very thought of it makes me smile- I never smiled before, not once. Ser Magrae and Ser Maserr had succesfully taken the young prince back to the tent city. Sooner or later, the cries and wails of nobles will echo, and a fire will be lit inside the keep. Then, I will blow my horn. I rest inside my tent, the largest amongst them all. In front of me was a table. On it, was a map of the city, and on top of that, were the pieces that were our armies.

I stand from my bed and walk on over to the table. I could see the names of towns and villages. "All to be burned to ash..." I told myself. I saw the beautiful courtyard of Northrest Keep. "To be stomped by our feet, and made into mud..." I reassured myself.

I take hold of my helmet, solid steel, adorned with green feathers, and wear it nicely on my head. I open the helmet's lid, revealing my face- old, and worn down, with a scar on my right eye, and a scar on my lips. With a sigh, I exit my tent, sword in my hilt.

I am greeted by a sight I would kill for- the soldiers in their ranks, the men changing into their armor, and the construction of the siege machines finally coming to an end. Ser Maerys Abberan approaches me, wearing his armor, and holding his halberd, Jaerry, a long axe with a protruding spike atop it.

"My lord..." the bannerman began, "...the fifth legion is ready." he remarked.

"Good." I replied, "Get your men in formation now. Tell your brother, Ser Mareste that he is the only one left. Whip the man's ass if you wish; just get his men ready." I ordered.

"As you command, my lord." he exclaimed and left.

That damn prideful imp, I thought. May as well visit him myself. "You!" I shout as I point to a soldier, "And you as well, follow me!" I shout as I point at another. I walk towards another tent- Mareste's tent to be exact. From afar, I could already hear the sound of whores and his moans. That lustful cunt-of-a-soldier, I thought. I approach the entrance of the tent, only to be stopped by one of my men. "My lord, it is not wise to enter at this time. Ser Mareste has requested complete privacy-"

"Do enlighten me, soldier." I reply. "Do you hear the sounds of whores inside this tent? Do you think of correcting this man's actions 'not wise'?" I ask him. I demanded an answer. I meant my words. I wanted him to give me his stupid reply. Instead, he chose the wise thing to do. He let me into the tent, and I enter it, only to be greeted with quite a sight. Ser Mareste laid on his bed, two naked whores on top of him; brown were their hair and large were their spoils. The naked man frantically fell out of his bed along with his one whore.

"My lord!" he shouted as he tried to get up. "Apologies for-"

"Get your men ready..." I ordered him. "...and get your whores out of my tent city or mark my words their heads are coming off." I threatened him, revealing my sword and pointing it towards the woman still on the bed.

"My lord, forgive me, I-"

"Get this man on his armor. Tell the soldiers outside to take these whores out of here..." I ordered. "...do whatever you want with them. I do not care."

I make my way outside the tent, and I am greeted with my stallion, leashed by another soldier. I put my foot over my saddle and secure myself atop my horse, clipping metal hooks on holes on my belt. I am accompanied by the other Abberan brothers, all except Ser Magrae and Ser Mareste. One still putting on armor, and the other taking the prince to another side of the army, teaching him to lead a legion.

We gather atop a mound, looking upon the tent city and the fields beyond it. I saw it all. The army, fifty thousand strong, accompanied by seventy-five trebuchets, twenty siege towers, and five battering rams. A quarter of those men rode on horses, positioned on the flanks. Some of the men held spears and shields, while others held bows and arrows to accompany the infantry and cavalry.

I saw no red army. Perhaps they did not consider such a thing as this when they decided to disband their forces. Many men would say this would be a fair battle. Many men on our side, however, would disagree to that notion. Soldiers rejoice and cry that they have won, even though the battle had not even begun.

My men do not fear an army of ravens led by goats, I thought to myself. They fear an army of outcasts and owls led by a hound. There, I see the signal in the distance. A window at the keep, lit by a fire, bursting with flames. Soon, that will not be the only place where fire will spread.

I look to the east, seeing the third legion finally form. The prince stood out like a rose in a field of violets, but protected by a loyal guard. Hopefully that scarred soldier will be able to keep the prince alive, I thought to myself. "Sers of Abberan!" I called, "Manage your legions! Move to your positions!" I commanded as I rode off. I needed not to speak an order as I passed through the armies- the men moved aside as they heard my stallion. I could faintly hear their loud reply of "As the lord commands!" as I made my leave.

Sooner or later, I arrive at the front ranks of the army. I look down on the soldiers I commanded... then I turned my horse to see the city. This would be my greatest battle yet, right after the great war with House Eiren... Oh, how I satisfied I am just thinking about it. I remember it all. House Eiren rebelled against House Strix, and the lord of The Spire, Lord Foros, the father of Lord Folius, hid in his house, and knew not what to do. I took care of it all. I rode my banners against their castle of Stoneheart Keep, armed with trebuchets. So many men speak praise for The Abberan Brothers, but they forget that I destroyed a House by sieging a castle they thought impenetrable and bringing its walls down, and that they were no older than the age of ten, those Abberan brothers.

I see the faces of soldiers behind those helmets. Trust me, I know they are afraid. Do not mistake me for a man that discourages fear. Fear is normal in war, I would tell my legions back then, but courage is rare. May as well raise these men's spirits before the siege. I would not want to have frightened men go to the battlefields. I move my horse closer to the army's front line, and I open my mouth to speak.

"Soldiers!" I called out to them. "You do not know these lands!" I told them. "You are mercenaries from the free cities of Cain, Abelos, Tudora, and Melinia! You do not know these lands!" I remarked. Indeed, they are foreigners, I thought to myself. "However, do not falter in the face of their walls! Know that you are led by brave and ruthless men who would not sacrifice a life for nothing! Have courage for you are led by a Hound!" I exclaimed.

"And why mustn't we fear them, lord commander? We run to the very mouth of death!" A soldier remarked. Little outcast, I thought, I shall comfort your fear. "Death is inevitable in the world of man." I reply to him. "Death cannot be avoided!" I repeated. "Yet, is it not better to die an honorable death than to die in a stable filled with the waste of your cattle and sheep?" I ask.

I pause, waiting for a reply. The soldiers whisper amongst one another, others agreed, others did not. "We fight an honorable battle today!" I tell them. "Fight for your brothers and do not let them perish in vain! Find victory! Let the hopes of your beloved ones back home not be in the wrong place!" I shout out. The men's voices began to be louder... and louder.

"We fight for our lands and honor!" I tell them. "Who do you fight for, my soldiers?" I ask.

"OUR WIVES!" they answered.

"We fight for our king and glory!" I yell out. "Who do you fight for, my soldiers?" I asked again.

"OUR CHILDREN!" they answered.

"We fight for peace!" I stated aloud. "Who do you fight for, my soldiers?" I asked a final time.

"FOR THE KING AND FOR OUR LORD!!!" they replied loudly, and after it all came a loud cheer. A chanting of "War!" began amongst the lines of men. That was all I could hear as I turned my horse to face the fortress once more. The chants of "War! War! War!" continued amongst my men.

"Today..." I whispered to myself, "...my men will burn all."

At the wedding, a deadly toast is made... [Orevian's Point of View]

I rush down to the stables. I had already explained it all to Lady Norien as I held her hand, as we ran downstairs to the stables. Under cloaks, we hid who we were and posed as workers. Through hallways, down stairs, and past the narrow allies of the keep, we eventually arrive to the horse stables. The floor was littered with hay, and the smell of horse waste was putrid, but the masked boy was there, just as he said.

"Your graces!" he called out. "Where are is your family, my lord?" he asked.

I could not bear the guilt and I shed a tear. "They had already taken them all. My father I cannot save. My sister had already been taken away-"

"Wait." Lady Norien interrupted. "Where is my brother!?" she demanded, breaking free from my grasp.

"He was taken in by the men in cloaks..." I told her. "...I could not tell them in time. They were guarded my Strix men. If I had to guess, they would have killed me and him then and there if I told him!" I explained.

"We must leave now, your grace!" the stable boy remarked.

"I cannot leave my family behind-"

"Your grace!" the stable boy called. "They cannot be saved..." he began, "...the men of green have overrun the keep already, undetected by your guards. They already infiltrated the keep and they will set it on fire any time now! We must leave!"

"Our army is there, my lady." I told her. "Do not forget that men of the red banner are present. We have the strongest soldiers in the land." I reminded her. Indeed, Ballister men were there to protect our family, but would they be enough against a fair army of Strix men?

"Why leave when we can try and save them?" she asked.

"Because we cannot risk anymore lives, my lady!" the stable boy remarked. "We can only hope the keep, along with those inside, will stand against the siege. For now, we must exit the city and move to... anywhere that is safe!"

From above, we could already hear the wails of maids, and the screams and shouts of men. "Where are they!?" one seemed to shout. "We've got four missing, ser!" another one seemed to remark. "Check the stables!" were the words that shook our spines.

Without hesitation, we joined the stable boy on his small carriage. Even though only a single horse pulled it, it was a strong horse. We passed under an arc and headed for the side gate of the keep, which thankfully had Ravenhan guards, not Strix ones. We pass through the guards and traverse the city.

I could only pray to the three men- the king, the warrior, and the scribe –to aid my family... and hers. During the ride, all I could hear were screams in my head, accompanied by the soft crying of Lady Norien. I set my cloak on her, to mask her face, and I wiped her tears with my cloth.

"My lady..." I told her in a soft, shaky voice, "...I am sorry."

"D-do not be, my lord." she told me. "You saved me from my demise, I could not thank you enough-"

"Thank the one that carries us away, my lady. Not me, but him." I say as I point to the stable boy atop the horse. It turns out, he heard me.

"Thank the one that sent me, your graces!" he exclaimed. "I would not be here if it were not for Lord Forien." he explained. That was true, I thought. But why would he betray his father's plans?

"What did he tell you?" I asked him, curiously.

"He said to me it was time to begin doing the right thing..." he began, "...and that he had to keep you safe. He thanks you for your meeting with him at the courtyard. He also asks for forgiveness, and that he was only being forced by his father." the stable boy finished.

"Lord Forien..." I managed to get out of my mouth, "...what else did he say?" I asked him.

"He told me something else, my lord- something grim." he replied.

"And what 'grim thing' is this that he told you?" I asked.

"They plan to siege the city today, your graces..." he began. "The green army, led by Lord Loreys of House Tiberrun, should be ready by now to siege." he finished.

What!? I asked in my head. A siege of Northrest Keep... has Lord Folius lost his mind!? I asked myself. It took a while to take it in. Those words echoed in my head. It likely did inside Lady Norien's head as well. Poor Lady Norien, I thought. If House Strix ever does plan to siege, the red army will be ready, I reassured myself. I could only pray that this is all a dream, and that I could wake up, apparently asleep at the wedding, and dance with Lady Norien again.

I pray, to the three men above, to please save us all. "To the king...I pray you protect ours. To the warrior... I pray you send your soldiers down to us. To the scribe... send messages to all, so that we can be saved". With a heavy breath, I finish my prayer. I say the words "Desire and Remember the Love of The Men," and here I was, praying for their mercy.