Chapitre 53: Chapter 52: Robert's Rebellion: Battle of the Bells
(1,200 words)
- Percival Bolton POV -
- Stoney Sept - Westerlands - Westeros - 283 A.D -
By now we had reached the Westerlands, specifically Stoney Sept where Robert Baratheon and some of his men were taking refuge. The rest of his armies I don't know where they are, but they were separated after their defeat at the hands of Randyll Tarly.
Mace Tyrell, after arriving on the battlefield, with the battle over. He began his journey to Storm Ends, where Stannis was. That with the aim of starting a siege in front of Robert's brother.
This, would have different results than in the original story, and would be quite beneficial to me.
The only way not to get Dragonstone, was that, as in the original story, Robert would give it to Stannis. But now that wouldn't happen.... Well, most likely Stannis would die in the siege.
In the series, there was only one person who saved Stannis Baratheon and his men. That was the smuggler Davos Seaworth. Who was able to break through the Redwyne and Tyrell sea blockade to deliver food to Stormends. But now... Davos would never do that.
True, I could fake the scene to curry favor with Stannis. But the things he did were no secret. And men with a high sense of honor, morals, as well as great stupidity, such as Ned Stark or Stannis Baratheon, would not repay me a debt properly, so it was not worth saving him. I risked losing Dragonstone as well as Davos.
"Lord Percival, I believe your soldiers are capable enough to attack on the front lines," Jon Arryn said to my side as we looked down on the city from a hill with our armies at our backs.
I had 30,000 men, The North had 45,000, Riverlands had 30,000 and The Vale had 40,000 soldiers. It was a force to be reckoned with...
On the other side, there was the Crownlands army alone. House Lannister did not intervene despite being in their territory, The Tyrells were in Stormlands, and the Martells were on their way, but clearly they would not arrive in time. They had to cross the entire Reach. The second largest territory after The North. Something that was not possible in a short period of time.
The Crownlands forces numbered 60,000 men, clearly smaller numbers than us. I doubt there could be such an army in Crowlands alone, so I suppose there are other minor houses in The Reach as well. I don't know what they expected anyway. Even without my intervention the rebels had over 50,000 more troops.
But I guess that's one reason the crown lost. Their disorganization and the lack of ties and compatibility between the commanders. Mace Tyrell was an inept idiot who wasted the largest force in The Seven Kingdoms to besiege Storms End. Doran Martell was too passive and moved at too slow a pace. And lastly, Aerys II Targaryen did not see the rebels as a threat, and because of his lack of judgment he changed officers and commanders more than he changed his underwear. Add to that the foolish and impulsive Jon Connington who brought his forces to face an army twice as large just for the hope of hunting Robert. They were not friends by any stretch of the imagination, they were just allies. And the Martells only supported The Crown because of Elia Martell.
On the other hand, Jon Arryn, Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon, had a genuine and close relationship, which also led to their soldiers. But best of all... They had a just cause to fight for. Rescuing Lyanna Stark who had been kidnapped and raped, as well as overthrowing "The Mad King".
"My soldiers may be capable, Lord Arryn. But I do not think it is appropriate for foreign soldiers to lead such an important battle as this. It would be best for my men to play a secondary role to your armies in the rescue of Robert Baratheon," I told him, and he could refute no further. I was right in a sense.
The people of Westeros are quite averse to foreigners. Unlike the Essosi, who in their free cities welcome all people. Which is why Daenerys couldn't just arrive with her Dothraki, Unsullied and dragons to slaughter all the armies and bend their will. People would not listen to a queen with foreign armies. Especially if they are armies as infamous as the Dothraki.
After our discussion, Jon Arryn led the charge with the Northmen and Rivermen into the city. There was no need for gunpowder, as this was not a fortress like Gulltown. This was a simple civilian town that had the misfortune to be drawn into this war by rebels and loyalists.
Bells were rung to warn the population of what was coming. Causing everyone to take shelter in their homes to try to save as many civilian lives as possible.
The clash began and the forces clashed, with my mercenaries behind the rebel forces originating from Westeros, and with my own men still outside the city. Though many arrows were being fired at the enemy from the hill we were on.
When the clash occurred, to keep up appearances I began to advance along with a group of soldiers plus my personal bodyguards. The Clegane brothers were at my sides with their Valyrian Steel swords in their hands. Left Eye next to Right Eye.
Harry Strickland had Brightroar, though clearly modified. Tywin would declare war to get the sword. And I didn't want an unnecessary war. A war in which you defend what's yours means you don't win anything. You just don't lose something... Although you do in resource mode. So those kinds of wars aren't worth it. His sword was now called Black.
As for me, I carried my awesome bow along with a sword at my waist. The sword was the same except for its handle, which instead of brown and silver was now black. The blade was still gleaming like a star. This sword was Dawn, or now known as Emperors Wrath.
I was already 22 years old, while Gregor Clegane was 17. But the guy was much bigger and more massive than me despite the age difference. It's to be expected if we're talking about "The Mountain".
We entered the battlefield area, and I was being quite cautious as I was surrounded almost hermetically by my men. I don't consider myself a lucky person, and surviving on a battlefield is almost solely down to luck. Even Arthur Dayne can be attacked and killed from behind.
We kept moving forward until we reached the city's sept. Where there was an interesting scene... Which was Robert Baratheon, fighting Jon Connington. But still Robert was winning the fight, which made Jon call his men to start retreating.
But just as they were leaving the place, and were about to give the order to retreat. An arrow flew past.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone