Chapitre 76: New addition
This is not and will not be dropped, I'm just still busy with work for now.
"My Lord" Brendan heard someone calling him from the side. Turning his head he saw a blonde, short hair girl riding to his side.
"Brienne I told you to call me by my name when we're alone." The boy smiled seeing one of his new companions cheeks turn red. Her shyness still surprised him every time.
"I know my Lord, I apologize, it's just hard getting used to." she looked at him almost with stars in her eyes.
"You'll get used to his antics." said a voice from the other side.
Noya was never one to obey what was the common sense between the high born.
"I will try my best my Lord to not disappoint you," Brienne hesitated for a moment, "if you don't mind me asking my Lord, I noticed a lot of scars on your body when we were on Tarth..." she looks for any sign of discontent from her new Lord.
"Oh so that what you wanted to know." Brendan laughed out loud as did his guards riding up closer to the three of them at the front of the convoy.
"I'm curious as well m'lord." a skinny boy with freckles on his face and red hair said while clumsy directing his horse closer to the group.
From his movement it was evident that he didn't have a lot of experience in horse riding.
"You too Anguy? You better pay attention to your horse or you will again fall down your arse."
Everyone laughed out loud remembering the last few days when the red head boy joned them.
They already understood why their Lord wanted this small folk child to join them after looking at his unrivaled skill with the bow, and seeing someone in similar age to their liege they felt happy for the relaxed atmosphere that spread around after his addition to their pack.
"M'lord! Don't change the subject!" Anguy shouted in embarrassment.
"Alright, alright." Brendan liked how his men were laughing and joking around, it was a big difference from the usual stern and tense feeling they emanated on their crusades in the Dothraki sea, Lgazareen plains, Slavers Bay sands or Disputed lands deserts.
"You're one of us now so there's no harm in telling you, but do note that everything said here should not be repeated outside." The new additions felt cold feeling a momentary bloodlust directed at them from the people surrounding them and instinctively understood the price if they betrayed their trust.
"Truthfully, each man and woman that you see around you was fighting at my side for the last 5 years. We conquered and build New Lhazar, we've shed blood in battles like no man saw here before when men died in hundreds of thousands, we've conquered Slavers Bay and fought against every possible enemy in the known to the both of you lands and some even outside of your imagination." Brendan looked at the faces of his companions while they were reminiscing the old days.
"But how is it possible my Lord..." Brienne looked at him feeling her blood boil after hearing about the adventures and battles for the life she chose.
"What's so impossible here girl?" One of the Praetorian asked.
The short, dark hair girl used to be a bed slave before joining the 1st Legion. "We crashed the Dothraki and Jogos Nhai on their zorses, we've fasted on the elephants meat of the Golden Company when they scrambled in fear before us, we killed the undying warlocks and crushed the Unsullied. Tell me child, what is impossible for us?"
Looking at the faces of the men surrounding them Brienne and Anguy couldn't find even an ounce of falsehood.
"Riders approaching! Riders approaching!" Loud shouting brought everyone back as the rear guard galloped up to Brendan. "My Lord! About 300 riders from the rear fast approaching!"
"Did you see any banners?" Ser Hightower asked already planning in his head. He and his wife Cerea joined the group as soon as they disembarked in Stormlands.
"No commander, they don't fly any!" The Praetorian replied.
"Bandits?" Asked Brienne feeling her body getting tense and excited at the same time.
"Impossible, they wouldn't be able to gather so many horses. Even if we are on the lands of the Reach the summer knights would take care of them. Especially with Lord Tarly lands being this close." Arthur added.
"No use thinking about it now. Defensive formation, prepare for a charge." Brendan gave the order.
Finally Brienne and Anguy had a chance to see the Praetorians of the 1st Legion in action.
The future Damme of Tarth was speechless seeing how quickly and efficiently they moved. She couldn't think of another force in Westeros trained as good as them.
In less than 20 breaths they were organized in a perfect defensive formation ready to ride out to meet their enemy.
Scouts were dispatched even before that and all this under the leadership of a 12 name day boy.
She felt her horizons expand as till now the young lords she met that were his age were just whining, privileged cunts in her mind.
The retinue waited, already feeling the earth trembling below the hoofs of the incoming party, 200 Praetorians with calm and focused looks observed the horizon trying to spot the other party.
Anguy and Brienne felt their hands getting sweaty, glimpsing at the other guards circling their new Lord from each side they felt calmer.
For the young Dornish Marches inhibitant it was his first time in a situation like this, his nervous eyes couldn't calm down, he looked around seeing his companions looking in the distance.
Anguy watched as Set Bryce, Ser Sandor, Ser Arthur, Noya, Ser Hightower and Ono and Amo surrounded Lord Brendan, the cute girl Missandei and Lady Cerea with her child in her arms from each side.
"Lances up front!" They all heard the order issued by Ser Hightower and repeated few times by the officers with the drums and the raised flag signaling the maneuver the Centurions moved their men.
The first line of about 70 riders moved their horses to the front and waited patiently.
Finally from behind the hill a lone rider emerged, in his hand a small Dustin banner fluttered on his lance in the wind as he sped back to his lord.
"My Lord! It's the Tribe!" The scout excitedly reported making everyone relax a bit.
"Tell us the details soldier." Brendan's face almost didn't change.
"My Lord! It's Lady Rina with her men and the tribe riders!" His reply confused Brendan a lot, remembering the last order he gave her, he could not understand how the Tribe people and her could come together, and what's more unbelievable is that they found him here in the Reach.
There were some whispers in the lines formed by the Praetorians, yet not even one person lowered their guard and no orders to stand "at ease" were given.
This was a standard procedure for each of his forces to avoid being misled or ambushed.
They didn't have to wait long, from behind the hill one after another people in their armour emerged.
Even in his sleep he could recognize the Tribe's light mail, he used to wear it daily after all for years and his lips curved into a smile.
"At ease men!" Brendan said when the faces of the new arrivals were recognizable.
Now everyone relaxed watching the Tribesmen and Lady Rina get down from their horses and kneel on one knee in front of Lord Brendan.
"I'm always awed by your ability to surprise me Rina." Brendan chuckled and walked up to the kneeling lady helping her up.
"That's part of my job as well my Lord." Her beautiful smile made Anguy mesmerized as his cheeks turned red.
"We will speak about your things later, but this..." Young Lord pointed at the kneeling group.
"We found them on our way here from Pentos when they were fighting Stepstones pirates, seeing Dustin ships under attack we moved to aid them.
Later Whisperers in Stormlands gave us your location and destination so we rode as fast as we can to get to you." Rina said in one breath wiping the glistening sweat from her forehead.
"Why are you here?" Brendan asked in fluent Dothraki surprising Brienne and Anguy once again.
"My Khal we speak Andal." The biggest of them raised his head. "We were sent by your brothers to serve as your swords, spears and arrows. 100 best from each city." Hearing the man Brendan looked at the men and women still kneeling, his head started to hurt as he instinctively moved his hands to massage his temple and glabella at the same time. How the fuck would he explain a convoy of 500 armed forces and twice as much of supporting people...
The silent giggles and laughs that he herd from behind his back didn't help.
"How am I going to explain all of this?" Brendan turned and looked at Missandei and Cerea not expecting to see them covering their lips clearly fighting to tune down her laughter. "Enough! Get up! Ser Gerold, I assume we won't get anything done like this so just set up the camp for today. Send scouts to deliver the message and check on my mother's retinue location, we will move again next morning. We all need a drink tonight."
Just as Brendan finished speaking everyone cheered. The last few days they were riding hard to meet Lady Dustin so clearly they didn't have enough rest yet no one complained.
Soon after the tents were erected and the cooks started preparing a feast for the men, at that time Brendan and his closest aides were gathered in the largest tent in the center of the encampment.
"Did you find them?" Brendan was as excited as everyone else. He expectantly looked at Rina's face only to be disappointed as she shook he head.
"The dragon eggs were not in the vault my Lord," This one sentence made Brendan's body deflate. Did he make a mistake? Wasn't Illyrio the owner of the eggs? Thousands of thoughts came and went when he herd her next words. "but we did steal this my Lord." She moved to one of her subordinates and took a long black silk cover and revealed the object inside making few of the people gathered eyes almost fall from their sockets.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone