章 9: Chapter 9 (Revamped)
(Erlend Mudd, Stoney Sept)
The majority of the Vance Coalition boasting about 12,000 men had already linked up north of the Stoney Sept and south of Acorn Hall.
Castlewood, Blanetree, and Atranta had all been left with a skeleton guard, allowing the Banners to quickly besiege and capture them. This was a deliberate move by the Vance coalition to slow the Banners down while they positioned themselves and made preparations for the battle.
Their methods of slowing them down had worked despite it being obvious, as they simply couldn't afford to risk having hostile strongholds at their rear. It also whittled down Banner numbers as they had to garrison each seat with their own men.
Interestingly, the Coalition having reached the Stoney Sept had chosen to leave almost immediately. The shadows had reported that this was mostly due to the hostile reactions towards them, as a large part of the Coalition was made of former Targaryen loyalists who committed atrocities upon the smallfolk during the search for Robert.
Fearing betrayal if they were besieged, the Vance heads had chosen to leave and meet the Banners in an open battle where they would have a better chance at winning.
Still, their willingness to sacrifice the rest of the East in hopes of slowing their enemies down had made the Banners cautious. So they did not rush to meet them head-on, not when there was no longer any worry about them holing themselves up within the Stoney Sept.
…
There was only mild surprise on Erlends face when the scouts came with the news that the Coalition had managed to scrape another 3,000 men, putting them at a total of 15,000 against the Banner's 18,000.
The Banner's numbers had decreased as they garrisoned the territories under their control or reinforced the 6th Banner within the Crownlands. It was obvious their enemy had taken advantage of this delay to reinforce themselves, though it was hardly worth sacrificing their Seats.
Not many soldiers would have high morale when they knew their homes and families were under the direct authority of their enemy.
Most of the central and northern Crownlands were now under his control. Words of Duskendale's capture were brought to him by the shadows and confirmed by ravens sent by Strong, the 6th banner would soon take Rosby and what remained of King's Landing.
Despite all that had happened these past few weeks, there was an obvious difference in the quality of the two forces. The Banners were all better equipped, had more experience, and were in good shape. The Vale and Riverlands forces loyal to Erlend were also experienced and bloodied either from the rebellion or the last Blackfyre attempt.
On the other hand, the Coalition had effectively scrapped the bottom of the barrel to get their numbers, most of their forces were green, as the core part of their host had remained neutral during the rebellion, and thus weren't yet bloodied.
Of course that didn't mean he would underestimate them. The Riverlands was the battlefield of Westeros, it was in their blood to fight and preserve, honed by several millennia of being dragged into their neighbor's wars willingly or not.
As the Banners marched, they would soon be closing in on their enemies. Erlend would be commanding the center. Lorimas would be taking the right, whereas Yohn would lead the left.
Now meeting the Coalition head-on, he could see Wayfarer banners within the center, the Atranta banners on the right, and a mixture of others on the left.
Ordering a halt and for his men to get into positions, Erlend observed the hostile host with a keen eye. They were nearly all levies, while a small portion of them were made of Knights and men-at-arms.
There was no reason for him to call for a farce meet, simply giving the command for his men to form.
If they weren't already put off by his refusal to call for a meet, then his next actions gave them no time to make their displeasure known.
His men immediately began closing ranks, shields locked together, making an impenetrable wall, and their spears at the ready to reap the lives of any incoming opponent.
The archers in position quickly began to fire volleys of arrows; hundreds of levies were brought down in one fell swoop, and a few good shots managed to take out the more lax Knights. Screams of agony and pain filled the battlefield as men unlucky enough not to be killed swiftly by an arrow howled in agony.
In response hostile archers began moving in range, some died as the Banners archers shot them down while others hid behind their allies as they prepared to fire back.
The Banner commanders quickly ordered the archers to retreat behind the shield wall and absorb most of the arrows that headed their way.
Wayfarers men were the first to move, as they began advancing, with the Atrantas quickly following suit. Leading them was Karyl Vance, his birthmark darkening in anger at the death of his comrades.
Both hosts met head-on as the enemy tried to break through the shield wall, their cavalry being impaled by spears, some crushed by their own horses as panic spread.
Erlend watched on with no change in his expression at the gruesome deaths occurring in front of him, having killed more Dothraki than anyone alive with likely only the Dragonlords having succeeded in slaughtering more than him. This was nothing in comparison.
The fighting went on as the Banner's experience showed, for every man they killed from the Banners, 5 of their own would fall.
His eyes remained on Karyl, the only male Wayfarer Vance currently alive from his branch. The man's anger seemed to reach a boiling point, as he could no longer stand back and watch his men get slaughtered like pigs.
As he charged, Erlend quickly followed suit, manipulating the environment around him to hinder anyone who got in his way and that of his Guards. The chaotic battle around him made sure no one realized what was going on.
If there was a chance for the enemy to stumble they would, a horse to suddenly step on something spiked and throw off its rider then it would happen and a bird that would prevent archers from properly targeting his men, well it was just a coincidence. Individually events like this wouldn't mean much, but put into a large-scale environment and it would severely hinder any move they could make to gather themselves and increase their effectiveness in battle.
Ardent carved a bloody path into their lines as his men made room for him to maneuver himself. A spear thrust towards him was quickly parried and a ram from his guard quickly turned the attacker into a corpse.
He blocked another blow, this time from an armored Knight likely seeking glory. Who continued to attack him, yet each attack was blocked and parried before Erlend had enough, and Ardent cut right through his blade, leaving the glory hound weaponless. He could only look at the Mudd with horror before Ardent went right through his heart.
Karyl quickly noticed his actions, and he was furious, more than likely the glory hound was a friend of his. Erlend cared little for his reaction as he cut down any fool who got in the way.
It would have been intimidating for anyone else, as the scarred Vance charged Erlend with blind rage, yet a slight tremor on the ground caused his horse to panic as he struggled not to be thrown off it. Taking the opportunity with no hesitation, Erlend swiftly cut off the head of the struggling lord before he could steady himself.
There was no room for honor in these trying times.
Karyl's Knights who saw the whole farce, quickly charged their lord's killer seeking to avenge his death. Despite being outnumbered by the enraged Knights, there was no panic within him, as they failed to break through his defenses while he cut through them one by one.
The center quickly broke after that, as the men became aware of the death of one of their leaders and his Knights. Panic quickly spread and it was made worse by a horn blowing from the side, signaling the death of Norbert at the hands of Yohn.
With the death of its leading figures, the coalition began to fall apart, as men tried to flee or surrender. Some tried to keep fighting but they paid with their lives almost instantly.
Theomar Smallwood, a man Erlend specifically ordered to be spared, did his best to gather the surviving Lords and men around him. Instead of making a stand as many of the Banners expected, a white banner was held high, ending the battle as the Coalition officially surrendered.
The Battle of Stoney Sept had ended with a Mudd Victory.
…
(Lorimas Mudd, High Heart)
Their victory over the Vance Coalition as his nephew would call it had spread all over the Riverlands. House Piper declared for their banner shortly after the battle and it's expected that Riverrun will quickly follow suit.
Erlend had already been well regarded before their landing on Westeros, his accomplishments against the Dothraki and successive military victories against mercenary companies hired by the other free cities were well-known and widely discussed within the continent.
Combine that with the Siege of Harrenhal and Battle of Stoney Sept and he was now an established commander within Westeros, something that could prove crucial to House Mudd's future.
Lorimas knew he was not exactly the brightest, but even he could see that his nephew was on the rise, though the question remained, how far did he want to rise?
Then there was little Mya, it was no secret that he always wanted a child to care for, something Dalia had also sought, but no matter what they did, it simply wouldn't work. They had sought numerous healers in the past, all of who had confirmed that Dalia was simply infertile and unable to have a child.
His wife had been distraught by the news and would've continued being despondent had it not been for the appearance of their nephew, the poor lad lost both his mother and father only a few moons apart, and they decided to be strong for him.
He was the son they could never have and their love for him was fierce, to say the least, but he was growing older and more independent and would no longer need them to hover over him.
Lorimas couldn't help but want another child to care for, so when he noticed little Mya whose mother had recently passed away, he decided to adopt her on a whim.
There was no regret in doing so and he knew once Dalia stopped being furious at his brash move, she would grow to love Mya, just as he had.
As his thoughts drifted towards little Mya, a soldier requested permission to enter and handed over a letter to Lorimas before quickly leaving much to the Mudd's bafflement.
Taking the letter curiously, he shivered in dread as he noticed his beloved Dalia's seal on it.
…
(Yohn Royce, High Heart)
If someone were to tell Yohn a few years ago that he would witness the near-destruction of the House of Dragons, the effective extinction of his liege's House, the return of one of the oldest dynasties in Westeros, and the heralding of a new Sovereign.
He would've had them thrown out of his court, and potentially thrown in the cells of Runestone for good measure.
Yet, beside him stood the Lords that had participated in the 'Battle of Stoney Sept', as they observed their Liege, a King in all but name. Someone who had ushered in the return of a House many thought would never return to Westeros.
They stood vigil on top of High Heart as their liege knighted those who proved themselves during the campaign. Around them was a ring of thirty-one weirwood stumps, which was once a sacred place to the children of the forest, now the grounds by which those who showed valor and bravery would be knighted. His son Andar was one of them, thank the seven he survived that battle.
A symbolic move by Lord Erlend if he had to guess, though it was not without its own issues. Some would see this as an insult to the Old Gods, whereas to others it would be an attempt to bridge the divide between the old and the new, and most would simply be curious.
He believed that Erlend intended to bridge the gap. Despite holding faith in the seven, like all Royce's before him, Yohn also believed in the Old Gods and a joining of the two would be a welcome endeavor, no matter how blasphemous it sounded.
Why else would the faith regard them as 'Old Gods' if not to acknowledge the legitimacy of their existence?
Still, when he talked about the children of the forest, there was a feeling of pure distaste in his liege's voice towards them, as for the reason, Yohn did not know. Though he believed, like with all things, Erlend had his reasons for it.
…
(Catelyn Tully, Riverrun)
"Cat, are you sure about this?" Worry tinged Lysa's tone.
"Truthfully no, but we can't just sit here and do nothing, eventually he'll come and he should know that we aren't hostile," She said.
"But aren't we a threat to his rule?"
"Not if I offer myself towards him" Despite the disagreements they had in the past, it was clear Lysa didn't like the idea of her effectively selling herself to a stranger.
Unfortunately, it was the only way she could see House Tully continuing to exist, there was little else that they could offer aside from the claim that came with them. He would never trust the Tullys otherwise, and she didn't want to see the legacy of her House to be destroyed out of paranoia and mistrust.
"Will he accept though?" This time Lysa was skeptical.
"Perhaps not, but we must show our sincerity, otherwise…" Left unsaid, were the consequences that could befall them if he chose not to.
Of the 4,000 men originally under her House, only 1,500 were left, the rest either dead at the trident or had deserted, uncaring of their plight and choosing to save themselves.
They had barely enough men to protect their own Lands, the Riverlands on the other hand had been in a state of uneasy peace till Erlend arrived and then the peace fell apart just as quickly as it had begun.
She didn't know why her Uncle acted the fool and decided to stand against Erlend, but he did and while she knew her maternal kin were still alive, she had no clue as to what would happen to House Whent after the war ended.
Both Vance branches were removed as their heads had died at the Battle. Wayfarer had only its female members, who were likely to be married off to Erlend's subordinates, whilst the fate of Atranta was unknown as it had 3 living sons that were still unaccounted for.
Many presumed them dead as they had been present at the Battle that saw their lieges slain.
House Vypren was all but extinct with Lord Lucias and his heir Damon dead, his only daughter grieving within the Stormlands.
Bracken's seat Stone Hedge was under siege by Erlend's allies and the Freys if they somehow survived the North, would not be spared for their role in the death of his Uncle and Cousin.
Erlend Mudd was not merciful to those who targeted his kin, even more so now that they were dead.
The Riverlands was now Erlend's to rule and she had to quickly prove to him that House Tully would not be a threat to his rule, or they were liable to meet the fate of their predecessors.
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