Chương 17: Unrelenting, Raging Spirit
The army on the horizon seemed to grow and grow, numbering in the thousands. All of them were mounted riders, a great fraction of them seeming to be knights in shining plate armour. Stannis Baratheon had taken all of his cavalry forward to prepare to meet them while Edric Storm held his hill with the rest who were archers and spearmen. The closer they came, the more apparent it became that the approaching Lannister force outnumbered them by a good number.
'So it begins.' Edric Storm took out his goldenheart bow and loaded an arrow. He frowned slightly as he observed a figure that was visibly larger than everyone else. Even from afar, it was apparent. 'The Mountain who Rides…'
He looked down, seeing Sandor Clegane alongside Stannis Baratheon.
'It seems to be fated.'
Gregor Clegane led his men forward while Stannis Baratheon waited for them to get closer. Once they did, he led the charge forward and the two forces clashed in a mighty frenzy. All across the field, the sounds of clashing resounded. Hundreds were slain by lance in what seemed but an instant.
'Close enough.'
Edric Storm took a deep breath, trying to narrow his eyes on a single target. However, in the chaos, it was especially difficult, even for him.
'Focus…'
Time seemed to slow as all else faded from the background. All he saw was his target. Lightning cracked in his fingers.
"LOOSE!"
Edric Storm fired his first arrow and it cut through the air, soaring down to pierce its first target.
The knight's eyes widened as he observed an arrow pierce his throat… and then he looked up, seeing the horned demon atop the hill before collapsing to the ground. The first volley of arrows from Edric's formation gave mixed results. Some arrows did little to the plate armour of some of the riders, some arrows pierced through the less rich free riders while some had their horses killed. Of course, quite a few arrows missed as well.
"DRAW…" Edric Storm loaded an arrow atop his horse and the rest below him did the same. "LOOSE!"
Another knight fell to an arrow from Edric… and another. His arrows struck with such force that even plate armour could be effectively pierced. Meanwhile, further down and ahead, the Mountain had engaged in combat with the Hound. The larger Gregor Clegane had already pierced through half a dozen men with his lance alone… but his reign of terror ended as Sandor Clegane was the one to strike him off his horse with his lance. The lance cracked through the Mountain's armour despite its several layers and wounded him.
The Mountain had managed to reach his horse and draw out the massive sword that it carried for him while Sandor Clegane prepared to ride him down with his now blunted lance. Gregor Clegane recognised that armour all too well, raising his sword.
Sandor Clegane hurried his force forward and lowered his lance, aiming straight for his throat. Gregor Clegane waited…
As the two came closer, Gregor Clegane swung his massive sword in anticipation while Sandor Clegane rode onward.
PIERCE.
SLASH.
The Mountain cut into the side of the Hound's horse, dismounting him. However… with all the surging momentum, Sandor Clegane had managed to hit his neck albeit with less force than desired. The Mountain stood back, grabbing at his throat. The lance had shattered and left its steel tip there.
"Huh…" Gregor Clegane only grunted after dragging out the tip and grabbing his sword. A man of few words, he was. "You are a dog for stags now."
"A dog who fights to kill you, older brother. That is all I want." Sandor Clegane got up from the ground and drew a warhammer which he had strapped to his horse "The scar along my face never fails to remind me."
The Mountain laughed in an uncaring, sadistic, tone. "I should have burned both halves."
Sandor Clegane frowned as his eyes lit up with fury. That day had thoroughly scarred not only his face but also his life. It robbed him of the bond that brothers should have, of the ideal of knighthood which Gregor had corrupted by becoming one and made him this ugly dog that many feared and even disliked on appearance alone.
He had waited for this day for a long time… and now, it has come to pass.
"Look, the Mountain has fallen!" Rolan observed from the hill. "Now is the best time to slay him."
"Let the Hound finish him." Edric replied, shaking his head.
"No, this is a chance that cannot be missed. This is where the tides of battle change. This is where I earn my glory and my knighthood!" Rolan grinned, riding down the hill with his lance.
Edric rolled his eyes and aimed for Rolan's horse… but stopped as he saw Arthur riding down with him.
"You too?"
"In a way, Rolan is right. We're not doing much on this hill regardless!" Arthur replied, charging down.
"LOOSE!"
Instead, Edric fired upon another heavily armoured enemy.
Meanwhile, the Hound duelled his brother. Ser Gregor swung his sword around like a madman with all his strength… but there was little skill behind his blows. Not a single strike so much as scraped Sandor's armour.
"ARGH!"
Once again, he swung his sword for Sandor's head but he ducked and proceeded to smash his warhammer against the crack in Gregor's chestpiece… breaking further into it. Gregor stepped back, feeling a surge of pain as his wounds began to pile up. He swung in retaliation but Sandor dodged again, crashing his warhammer into Gregor's sword arm.
Gregor's swings became even slower and no longer carried the overwhelming strength they did before… leading to many more blows against his armour. After several minutes, he was a walking dead man.
"Death to the Mountain!"
Rolan roared, riding down across the field. And yet, in a turn of unfortunate events, his horse had crashed into another and reared back in pain. After that, another rider charged and struck him right in the head with a lance.
Rolan was sent down from his horse, his skull pierced by steel.
Edric's expression fell as he watched from afar.
'...'
Drop… drop…
It had begun to rain.
Arthur rode in and avenged Rolan, striking down the very same rider who had killed him with his own lance. Then he drew his sword and cut through the one who had crashed into him.
"Rolan…" Arthur dismounted, lowering himself beside his friend. He grabbed his head and observed the steel tip which had gone through his helmet. "It can't be…"
He didn't speak any last words.
Arthur closed Rolan's widened eyes and grasped his sword.
A rider had charged Arthur from behind…
He turned, seeing him at the last moment.
BANG.
An arrow had descended from the sky and pierced the rider's skull.
Arthur looked up at Edric whose figure grew darker along with the clouds.
"I'll kill them… I'll kill them all!"
Arthur swore as his blood boiled with fury.
He swiftly got back on his horse, continuing to fight.
"ARGH!"
Gregor Clegane charged Sandor… and missed once again as the swifter Hound ducked and smashed his warhammer into the Mountain's legs. He got onto one knee as a result…
"WRAHHH!!!"
Sandor Clegane, with a thunderous roar, struck Gregor Clegane's head.
BANG.
The force of the Hound's blow dazed even the Mountain… but it was not the end of it.
"WRAH! WRAH! WRAH!"
He struck again and again and again… all the memories of terror in his childhood coming back to him with each blow.
Before long, the Mountain was most certainly dead. His armour was shattered all over and many grievous wounds laid beneath it. Yet Sandor kept hitting… eventually stopping as he ran out of breath.
"It's done…" Sandor Clegane laughed, shaking his head. "It's finally done… I've killed you…"
And yet… he felt strangely empty as he looked around the field, watching all the men killing each other.
"AAAAAH!"
A rider charged down to strike the Hound from the back while he wasn't focused.
And yet… he fell to an arrow that pierced into his skull.
Sandor Clegane looked up, knowing precisely who had shot the arrow. He took a deep breath and grabbed a sword off the ground. He mounted the horse of the man who had tried to kill him and turned to his closest enemy with maddened eyes.
…
As the battle raged on, Edric Storm's head hunting of all the skilled combatants greatly benefitted the royal army under Lord Stannis. With the mountain dead, Sandor Clegane going on a mad rampage, Lord Stannis bravely fighting with the vanguard and Edric's archers putting down men by the hundreds, the battle turned to the royal army's favour and they routed the Lannister forces further west.
Lord Stannis ordered his men back to the hill, observing what had happened to the main force with eyes of disbelief. They had been routed by Ser Jaime and forced back to the other side of the fords. With the King dead along with Ser Jaime cutting through people like butter… their morale had been completely shattered.
"My brother… has fallen?" Stannis Baratheon's eyes widened in shock. "My brother…"
"We must take the fight to the Lannisters or else the Lannisters will be able to focus on Eddard Stark. We can't allow him to be surrounded." Edric Storm stated, shaking his head as he turned to Stannis. "All men, regroup with the main force! We need to restore their morale and lead the charge forward."
"... Yes, this battle must be won." Stannis Baratheon agreed, gritting his teeth as he watched the Lannister forces from afar. "Riders, advance ahead!"
"I'll stay with the archers and infantry." Edric Storm stated, his eyes glowing purple. "If the reinforcements arrive… they would try to cross here and return to the Westerlands."
"... Very well." Stanis Baratheon nodded, grabbing his shoulder. "Do not be careless."
"I would say the same to you."
~
Eddard Stark cut through several Lannister men, albeit with some struggle and suffered several minor wounds. He was not quite the swordsman that many believed him to be. Yet still he had the fearless spirit of a true soldier… something that some that were more skilled than he lacked. He led his men valiantly across the fords and made some progress… although he was halted by Lord Tywin's force and some of Jaime's. Battle raged on, endless clangs of steel and iron could be heard all over.
With the royal forces in disarray, Jaime Lannister turned his attention to Eddard Stark's forces and focused on sending them back. Despite Jaime's leave, the Lannister forces on the north side of the Red Fork stood strong with many knights and lords holding the fords. The royal army barely had any will left to attack them regardless…
With Ser Jaime riding down, the tides turned even more in the favour of the Lannisters as they began to push back Eddard Stark's army. Jaime Lannister rode closer and closer to the lord with fierce determination. All his obstacles were cut down, one after the other…
And then, the sound of a horn boomed.
Ser Jaime raised an eyebrow as he saw many riders coming from the north on two fronts. One, Lord Tywin's reserves down the land between the green and blue forks while the other Ser Jaime's forces between the red and blue forks. He saw the banners of House Stark and House Arryn… and many of the banners beneath them.
Ser Jaime's frown deepened but he remained focused on his target.
However, the royal forces had regained their morale due to the reinforcements… and Eddard Stark's bodyguards had already seen him coming. Archers began to aim for him, forcing the knight to charge Lord Eddard. He drew his sword and rode down with the courage of a hundred knights. He did not fear losing at all. He lived in the moment… and in the moment, he saw an opportunity to give the North a devastating loss.
Alas… he was fired upon and his horse was shot in the eye. It fell to the bloodied ground, taking Jaime with it. Several men at arms and even knights paced forward to slay him but a volley of arrows fired upon them as he got to his feet.
One of the victims was struck with several arrows… and fell to his knees.
Ser Jaime's eyes widened as he observed that Eddard Stark was grievously wounded. The bodyguards had all focused on him, ignoring the threat that Lord Tywin's forces had.
Lord Tywin observed from afar, almost smiling.
Yet still… they had the forces from the north to fret about.
"RETREAT!" Lord Tywin commanded, turning away from the field.
He had not expected the forces to arrive so swiftly.
~
As they retreated down the Red Fork, the Lannister forces were surrounded from almost all sides. From the north, they had the royal reinforcements in the form of cavalry… from the south, the royal army now led by Stannis Baratheon and what was Eddard Stark's forces from the east. The western crossing of the Red Fork… it seemed to be the most wide open by far.
And yet, the crossing was held by none other than Edric Storm who stood with under a thousand men. The Lannister cavalry rode across the bank of the river until they stumbled upon the crossable ford, rushing in to break past Edric's formation.
Seeing so many riders, the morale of Edric Storm's forces sharply fell.
"Spear wall!" Edric Storm ordered but some of them dropped their spears and ran. Edric Storm grit his teeth in anger, holding his bow tightly. "SPEAR… FUCKING WALL! ARCHERS… LOOSE!"
"It would be wise to retreat." Dorian suggested. "Unless you want to end up like your friend Rolan."
"Yeah… it isn't looking good." Arthur added.
"Don't be stupid." Sandor Clegane shook his head. "Let the bastards cross."
'... Fuck no. What would be the point if I allow them to walk all over us?'
Seeing as the men were hesitant to do anything… he turned back and glared at them all.
"Very well… run if you choose!" Edric Storm roared as he loaded an arrow. "Run, cowards. All of you… RUN!!!"
"FUCKING RUN! SAVE YOUR PRECIOUS LIVES! IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE SPIRIT TO FIGHT… IF YOU'RE AFRAID OF DEATH, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE!? FUCK OFF TO WHEREVER YOU CAME FROM, I DON'T NEED YOU HERE! I'LL FIGHT THEM ALL MYSELF IF I NEED TO!"
He fired his arrow, shooting down a knight.
Crack…
BOOM!
Lightning struck the earth, hitting a westerlands knight and his horse. Edric Storm's hands lit up with cracks of violet lightning as he began to fire again and again and again… faster than ever. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen men had fallen.
"GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING ARROWS IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO USE THEM!"
Edric took an archer's whole quiver for himself.
His constant barrage of insults kept the men in line… strangely enough, telling them to run away had the opposite effect. The fact that a boy was determined to fend the Lannister forces off while they, fully grown men, quaked in fear was shameful beyond words.
"AVOID THE HORNED DEVIL… CROSS THE FORDS FURTHER AHEAD!"
Edric Storm heard one of the lords state and scoffed…
"Hahaha… YOU THINK YOU CAN TURN YOUR BACKS TO ME!?" Edric Storm fired again, this time supported by his archers. "FIRE AT WILL… KILL THEM ALL!"
A volley of arrows soared, dismounting quite a few of the riders. With Edric Storm almost replicating a machine gun in his great and lethal firing, the Lannister forces kept away from him as much as possible. After all, the further away… the worse his accuracy, right?
Eventually, they were all far away from the bank… and yet Edric Storm kept firing with deadly and terrifying precision.
After some time, Edric noticed one figure especially. Far, far, away… and yet he saw his image. He loaded an arrow and focused entirely on him… before firing without hesitation.
Lord Tywin moved his head slightly…
Creak-
An arrow scraped the side of his helmet.
He looked for the origin of the arrow, seeing no enemies nearby. He was completely confused… until he saw a force in the distance. He focused his eyes as much as he could, seeing the blurry figure of Edric.
Tywin Lannister rode on even further ahead, leading all of his cavalry and leaving behind all the foot soldiers.
By the end, Edric Storm fell off his horse out of exhaustion.
"Edric… Edric…!" Arthur dismounted and joined his side. He took off his helmet and touched the side of his face. "Are you alright… Edric?"
"Tired…" Edric muttered as his blue eyes blurred. "So… tired…"
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