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What is dead may never die (Chapter 102)
🕑 Added 2024-01-07 14:19:51 +0000 UTCThe fated
Jaime POV
I looked at the forty thousand men at my command. They were armored and armed well, but behind those helms were eyes that hadn’t seen blood. Green boys and old men alike marched with me. The men from the Reach, the Westerlands, and the Crownlands combined as hosts. It was formidable and probably the strongest host in the Seven Kingdoms.
We had only one task: take down Stannis and Storm’s End. After hearing that we were returning, my father wasn’t happy, so he supplemented me with more men and supplies before ordering me to take down Stannis’ forces. If Stannis tries to run again, take Stormlands. It was revenge for all done to the Westerlands; we will do to the Stormlands.
It wasn’t fair for the innocent common folk who suffered under our swords and fires. I didn’t want to do the same things that were done to my people. So, I have instructed my men to march as fast as possible to Storm’s End. Not able to cross the river at Bitterbridge, our host was forced to cross at Grassy Vale.
As much as I wanted to follow the river and march through the Kingswood, I had to be careful. Even though I didn’t think Stannis would dare to station his men so close to King’s Landing, it would surprise me if he left some of them to scout the woods and prepare traps for me. Traveling through the main road was safer, as it was wide enough to defend from most ambushes.
I didn’t know how many men Stannis had under his command, but it shouldn’t be more than thirty thousand. With how scattered his forces were, Stannis needed to be careful how he would use them. If he hears of us marching to the Stormlands, Stannis will try to stop us, mostly likely at the Bronze Gate. There will be his last battle.
“Ser Jaime,” Ser Garlan came up to me. “We reach the Kingswood; how should we proceed?”
“It is better to be careful,” I replied, remembering the days of the Kingswood Brotherhood. Stannis wouldn’t be hard to set up ambushes in these woods. “We will send part of the cavalry to clear the way, and a hundred men will scout the area from each of our sides at all times.”
“I will take a contingent and breakthrough to the front,” Ser Garlan proposed. “If Stannis waits for us, he will surely react to me. That is if he is confident about taking on me."
As much as I didn’t like the Tyrells, it was good to know that at least one of them was a capable man. Stannis might think he has beaten us in experience, but with Ser Garlan, I can counter anything he has planned. There was no escaping from me now. It was time for reckoning, and after I was done with him and the Stormlands, the Iron Islands would fall next.
…
Slowly, we marched through the woods; every day, we awaited resistance. And as expected, on the way, roads were blocked, trying to slow us down. But Ser Garlan easily cleared them. Every night, someone would try to sneak behind our ranks and sabotage our supply chain, but I was prepared for such tactics, and we quickly caught them.
If Stannis thought he could use smallfolk to turn on us, he clearly didn’t understand how it worked. The smallfolk quickly turned any loyalty they had for Stannis in exchange for some gold, food, and wool. I wasn’t a fool Stannis thought I was. He will soon get reports of us leaving the woods and entering his lands unscathed; then, he will understand that his little rebellion was fated to fail.
I wasn’t an impatient young man. Stannis thought I was. I carefully moved through the woods, making sure not to leave any weakness to be exploited. And I also secured our supply chain. So, I can start a siege without delay if Stannis decides to hide in one of his castles. Lord Hightower will block the waters, leaving Stannis with no escape route.
He would move now as we leave the woods if he had anything else prepared for us. But Stannis did not take the bait nor made any big moves. The Tyrell cavalry efficiently cleared the pass, and the main host soon followed, leaving the Kingswood behind. It won’t take long before we reach Bronze Gate and fully enter the Stormlands. Then, the Stormlands will receive the same fate the Westerlands did.
“Everything is prepared,” Ser Garlan informed me as he rode beside me. “Stannis will probably hide in the Storm’s End while gathering every available man he can find.”
“How many could he possibly find?” I asked, already forming a number in my head.
“With our analyses, he cannot have more than thirty thousand men in the Stormlands, and that accounting for forceful recruitment of the farm boys and even elderly,” Ser Garlan answered confidently. “This time, it will be our victory. The best of the Reach and the best from the Westerlands and the Crownlands are with us.”
“You right, we outnumber him, and we have not only better men but also better weapons and armor,” I agreed; there was no chance for us to lose. “This will be the end of Stannis' rebellion. And once he falls, the Riverlands will surrender. Then we can destroy the Iron Islands.”
After all, how can anyone oppose us when the Reach is supporting us? As soon as the Reach joined hands with us, it was fated to be our victory. Stannis was only a fool, one of the many who could think otherwise. And with this battle, the rest of the fools will soon know that opposing us was only wishful thinking that would bring their houses down.
…
“How many do you see?”
“About twelve thousand mounted. Ten thousand foot and three, maybe four thousand archers.”
Twenty-six thousand in total. Less than expected, but Stannis probably didn’t want to risk this land burning down, so he decided to meet us here at Bronze Gate. He knew what fate his lands would receive if he continued to hide. So, even if he knows he can’t win, he will face us now. I am grateful for it because I won’t need to subject the people of the Stormlands to the same fate my people were subjected to.
“Shall we?” Ser Garlan asked as he rode next to me in front of twenty thousand cavalry, fifteen thousand foot soldiers, and five thousand archers.
“It is time to end this war,” I agreed.
There was no need for a conversation or anything like that. We were enemies, and we could only accept victory and nothing else. There will be no negotiations, and only our blades will speak. There was no need to hesitate, even if they had Bronze Gate at their back with half a thousand archers, as long as we don’t get near it, they will be useless.
“How do you wish to proceed, Ser Jaime?” Ser Garlan asked as he readied himself. “If I may, I suggest we take our respective forces and surround Stannis. We can’t afford to drag this war further and must root out Stannis today.”
“I will charge with my men first, then,” I agreed; we could not make any mistakes, no matter how small they were. “Your men should stay a few steps behind us so they don’t suspect anything and surround the battlefield when we engage in battle.”
“Good luck then, ser Jaime,” Ser Garlan nodded and joined his men.
Drawing my sword, the Lannister men looked at me. And with the roar of a lion, our charge began. I didn’t care at that moment how many men I would lose; my only goal was to kill Stannis. There was no escape for him now. Their first line broke as soon as they met with our charge, and from here on, we pushed them back, not giving a chance for them to regain any footing.
“Stannis!” I let out a roar as I looked at the rearguard of their forces where Stannis was. “Come at me, you coward!”
I didn’t know if he heard me, but I am sure his men heard me. It is only a matter of time before Stannis will be forced to meet me if he doesn’t want his men to lose morale. It didn’t matter if they were loyal to the bone to Stannis; in the face of defeat and death, their morale would crumble. Stannis should do that so he would face me if he hoped to win.
And as I hoped, Stannis chose to die. He took the vanguard and tried to strike out our side, looking for weakness. It didn’t matter much, as even if his best men tried to push, Ser Garlan would soon engulf them all. Leaving Stannis with no chance of victory nor a chance to escape. Yet, as I envisioned my triumph, I heard a horn blowing behind us.
“How?” I couldn’t understand it.
A cavalry force was coming from behind us, from the directions of the Kingswood. It couldn’t be; I made sure to secure the path; even if they hid deep in the woods, they wouldn’t have been able to sneak behind us. The only possible way they could have hidden from us was if the smallfolk helped them. That meant that they were loyal to Stannis and not the Iron Throne.
Stannis threw a few men at us to make us feel secure while he hid the rest and waited for this moment. I couldn’t accept it. It wasn’t me who baited Stannis to move. It was Stannis who baited me into this situation. If I left to deal with them now, Stannis would dominate this battlefield, but we would be pinched down from behind if I didn't.
“Ser Jaime,” I turned to Ser Garlan, who hurried my why. “Leave it to me. My men still haven’t fully engaged in the battle yet. If you can hold down Stannis, I will bring their reinforcements down quickly.”
“How many are there of them?” I asked, anger building inside me.
“About eight thousand,” Ser Garlan replied calmly. “Don’t worry, I will use all twenty thousand men from the Reach and crush them. You only need to hold Stannis in place before we return to you.”
“Do it. I will manage the battlefield here,” I agreed with him. Even if splitting our forces wasn’t ideal, it was better to use overwhelming forces to crush them fast.
It was still manageable. Even if Ser Garlan split from us, we weren’t that much outnumbered and still possessed the momentum. Those eight thousand were nothing but a distraction. I couldn’t let go of the sight of the main prize of his battle for a distraction. So, while Ser Garlan split his forces away and rushed to defeat Stannis' reinforcements, I will kill Stannis.
“With me!” With one yell, the men gathered around me and rode to where Stannis was.
I couldn’t let Stannis monopolize the situation and turn the tables around. I will hold him in one place, stopping him from making any moves or directing his men. Even if his men were quite tough, they couldn’t block me. My sword carved a path to Stannis. And soon, I was clashing my sword with his. I was so close to cutting him down that my heart started beating faster in excitement.
“Foolish lion cub,” Stannis looked at me with his cold as-stone blue eyes. “The old lion couldn’t come, so he sent his foolish son. Not only were you used by your father and sister, but even Tyrells are using you now. How pathetic.”
“Stop yapping nonsense, you senile bastard,” Even though he didn’t look like it, Stannis was still trained well in swordplay to defend himself from me. “I will cut your head off and end your foolish rebellion. Only ashes will be left of your family and lands.”
“It is you who should watch your mouth,” Stannis replied calmly as the fighting around them intensified. “It is your actions that brought this war. All the dead are on your hands. You can’t wash the blood away anymore. And even now, your men will die because of you.”
“I told you to stop talking so readily!” I yelled and knocked Stannis' sword from his hands. “It is over. Ser Garlan should be finishing your meager reinforcements and will soon join me in finishing whatever is left of you. Even begging won’t save you anymore, Stannis.”
“The most foolish mistake your family could ever have made was to ally themselves with the Tyrells,” Stannis didn’t look afraid even one bit. “And only a naïve and foolish boy like you would believe the words coming to the foul mouth of the Tyrells. Look around you. You were left to die.”
“What?” I couldn’t believe what I saw as I looked behind the battlefield. “It can’t be. What kind of trick is this!?”
Ser Garlan and his forces were retreating to the Kingswood, leaving the defeated Stannis’ reinforcements behind them. They weren’t chasing anyone but leaving us behind as they retreated to the West. Stannis surrounded my men and slowly pushed us back. Seeing half of our men leaving us put down our morale quickly.
“I will kill you, Stannis!” I couldn’t let this happen; even if I died, I would kill Stannis.
At least, that was my last thought as I was hit in the head and knocked down from my horse. The mace knocked my helm from my head, and blood started to fall over my eyes, but I still saw my sword and crawled to get it. As my hand reached for it, a foot stepped on my hand, crushing my bones, and a sword was put at my neck as Stannis stood above me.
