章節 23: The King is Dead, Long Live the King
298 AC, King's Landing…
It had been a week since the king returned from his hunt with a fatal wound. Many different things happened during these dire times and, currently, Lord Stark was having a meeting in his solar with his allies regarding these events.
"Renly, what news do you have of the city?" Lord Stark asked.
"Things are not looking good. People talk about the good queen's grief and her actions of sending hundreds of Red Cloaks with the Lord Commander of Kingsguards to hunt down the assassins. I saw some Lannister men spewing lies about how you are planning to usurp the throne for yourself. If we do not do anything soon, even if we take control of the Red Keep, the city will be at our throat." Lord Renly said.
"Aye, we need to act soon, lest we get caught in a trap. My father-in-law, Lord Hoster Tully, wrote to me about Lannister men roaming and raiding his lands. Last I heard, they did not carry any banners or wear any coat of arms but they were led by blond haired and green eyed men." Lord Stark said.
"My lord, clansmen are restless." Rody chimed in. "They did not see any children of the Spider roaming the tunnels."
"Spider is the least of our worries, right now." Lord Berric Dondarrion spoke with a concerned voice. He turned his head to Lord Stark and Lord Renly. "The number of Lannister men is increasing. A day before, there were at least a hundred more coming from Westerlands. Allow me to call upon more men from Stormlands, my lord. It would only take three days to bring two hundred men."
"We have no time for that," Lord Renly shook his head, "We need to act now, or everything will be lost."
Lord Stark looked disturbed by Lord Renly's words because he did not want blood to be spilled but there was nothing else he could do. "Lord Renly is right. We should act before the Red Cloaks who were sent to hunt down the assassins return. Or else, their number will be our bane." He sighed and said.
"The plan is the same then." Lord Renly spoke with an excited but anxious voice. "My men will secure the bastards while yours will be securing the queen."
"We can inform Robert after we deal with everything. We will end this when the moon is at its highest point in the sky. All of them will be sleeping in their rooms so we can use the tunnels to act." Lord Stark said.
"May the fortune be with us then," Lord Renly said and turned his head to the man sitting beside him. "Ser Loras, here, endorses this act as the representative of House Tyrell and the Reach."
"Yes, my lord." Ser Loras said. "The Reach has no love for Lannisters. We will act accordingly to give justice."
"And I thank you, as the Hand of the King." Lord Stark spoke with a stoic face. These Reachmen were always the same, they were just going to offer a verbal promise and stay with that. However, even the verbal promise counted for something, considering the allegations they were going to use to blame the queen and her family.
"Lord Stark, I know we have talked about this before but I believe all of the kingdoms share my concern regarding the future of the Seven Kingdoms." Lord Renly said.
"The law is clear, my lord." Lord Stark frowned and spoke. "Stannis is the rightful heir. As his brother, you should be happy for him instead of coveting what belongs to him rightfully. Now, if there is nothing else, I will visit Robert."
Rody watched as the tension in the room grew and Lord Renly clenched his hands with a fake smile on his face. Lord Stark considered this man as a trustful ally but he was not going to do the same thing.
Lord Renly rose to his feet with his followers and left the Hand's solar after bidding good days to Lord Stark.
Rody watched them leave and then turned to his liege. "My lord, we should not trust in Lord Renly. His ambitions run deep and he won't rest until he takes what is his brother's.
"Rody is right, my lord." Jory said. "I saw Ser Loras nudging Lord Renly to bring up the matter. Tyrells are probably the main reason why Lord Renly seeks the throne for himself."
"I already sent word to Lord Stannis. Hopefully, he will arrive before anything happens." Lord Stark sighed. "Tyrells know that Stannis has no love for them. We are fortunate that they do not support Lannisters. Let Lord Renly think that he can obtain the throne after ousting Lannisters. We will deal with them when the time comes."
Lord Stark turned his head to Rody and said, "You and Jory let our men know that it will happen tonight. They should prepare themselves. After informing them, you can rest. Both of you should be in your top condition."
"Yes, my lord." Rody and Jory spoke in unison as they bowed their heads. They left Lord Stark's room with him. Lord Stark went to visit the king while Jory and Rody went to inform their men.
Rody gathered his men, Grey Cloaks, in the Small Hall and let them take their seats. Most of them had the carefree attitude of a normal guard. If Rody did not discipline them personally, he would have thought that they were a rag of riffraff.
Rody sat upon the high table and watched them. They joked with each other and laughed hard. He thought that he grew lax with their training. If they had acted like this in the North, they would have been punished strictly.
The men continued to laugh and joke with each other. They were like children who gathered together after not seeing each other for a few days. "Milord! Let's have a round of drinks. I bet we can last much longer than you." One of the men said while the others yelled in unison.
Rody did not let them continue this farce much longer and he slammed his fist down. "I see each of you have grown soft since coming here." His eyes wandered his men as they grew silent, "While you drink your days away here, Lord Stark is struggling against Lannisters. If we had been in the North, all of you would have been whipped a hundred times! You do not deserve to be a Grey Cloak!!"
Anger marred Rody's face while Grey Cloaks looked down in shame. "I will give you only one chance to prove yourself worthy of being a Grey Cloak. Tonight, each of you will serve beside Lord Stark."
"Prepare your blades and maces because you will need them. The lions want to kill our lord but we will act before them. The clansmen will use the tunnels to catch the queen unprepared while you will stay with Lord Stark and follow him wherever he goes." Rody pulled out the dagger from his belt and stabbed it on the table. "If I hear that Lord Stark has a small scratch on his hand after this, none of you will escape from the punishment. However, if you can complete this job successfully, I will reward each of you with ten golden dragons and a house back in the North, in my village."
The men cheered and went out to prepare themselves. Rody cautioned them to be careful about their words around others and told them to rest until the night. He went to his own room to rest. Tonight he needed every bit of strength in his body. To be frank, he was nervous as he had not experienced such a thing before.
He stripped his clothes and laid on his bed. A little bit of sleep was good for everything but no matter what he did he couldn't sleep. He turned to his left and right but his eyes did not close.
His thoughts drifted to the simple days he spent in the North. Back in Wintertown, his father and Rody had a simple life. He would spend his days playing with his friends while his father would go out in the Wolfswood to cut down trees.
He still remembered the army returning back from the war. He was waiting to see his father while sitting on the stone arch which stood at the entrance of the town. However, his father never came back. And he was thrown into a life he was not prepared for.
He was lucky enough to meet people with good intentions and befriend them. He couldn't remember his father's face anymore but now he had a life of his own. And he was not going to allow anyone to steal it from him.
Lord Stark treated him like a noble ward until now and he was going to show his worth this night. With Crag and his Grey Cloaks beside his liege, nothing was going to happen to him. They would give away their life before they allow something to happen to Lord Stark. Thus, he was content to focus on the job given to him.
It was with these thoughts Rody closed his eyes and drifted to sleep…
…
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
"Rody!! Get up!!" Rody heard a yelling sound coming from somewhere. He cracked open his eyes to see who it was. He saw the sky was already dark and there was rain pouring inside through the opening.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
"I'm coming!!" Rody groaned and rose to his feet. He rubbed his eyes and opened the door. He met with Jory who was wearing his armor and holding his sword in his hand.
"Is it time?" Rody asked.
"What fucking time are you talking about!? Be quick and wear your armor!" Jory yelled in annoyance. "Fucking Lannisters must have learned about the plan because Lord Renly sent one of his servants to inform us about the Gold Cloaks amassing their numbers in Red Keep."
Seeing the panicked state of Jory, Rody quickly went to put on his armor. He could hear the running and yelling people around the tower. "Who told them?" Rody said while weaning the last piece of his armor.
"No one knows and it is not important. Probably, one of the Stormlanders, you can never trust those bunch. With the help of the City Watch, the Red Cloaks will butcher both Stormlanders and us." Jory said. "Lord Stark already ordered the evacuation of everyone."
Rody tightened his belt and said. "If the City Watch is already siding with the Lannister, then we are fucked." Rody opened the chest hidden beneath his bed and took out a sheathed dagger. He stripped it to his belt and picked up his sword.
He left the room and followed Jory down to the tower. All of the people were climbing the steps towards Lord Stark's chambers while Jory and Rody went down the stairs. Just as they left the tower, they heard a bell tolling. They looked at each other and their eyes turned to Maegor's Holdfast. The bells of the Great Sept of Baelor were tolling. It was to announce the death of a king. The death of Robert Baratheon…
However, what surprised Rody was not the bells tolling in his ears but the sight that greeted him as he exited the tower. Nearly three hundred Northerners, a mix of clansmen and Winterfell guards, with armor were standing before the tower with their weapons in their hands. And at the front of them was Lord Stark who stood there his head held high under the pouring rain. Beside him was Crag and his Grey Cloaks.
Jory and Rody passed through the crowd of Northerns and arrived just beside Lord Stark. They heard muttering the name of the king. The rain was pouring down his face but his eyes were closed down like he was in pain. "My lord, I brought Rody as you have asked." Jory said.
"Did you sleep well, Rody?" Lord Stark asked without turning his head as he opened his eyes which were reddish like a lemon was squeezed into them.
Rody's face turned red under the cold rain. "Yes, my lord. Though I would have preferred to awaken to better circumstances."
Lord Stark did not deign to answer and asked another question. "Jory, did you send the rest of them to the tunnels?"
"Yes, my lord. The route we are going to use is clear and guarded by some clansmen." Jory said. "You should also retreat, my lord. We can cover your back."
Lord Stark finally turned his head and looked at Jory. "What kind of man would I be if I abandon my people while they give their life for me?"
"It is not cowardice to retreat, my lord. You are the head of House Stark. If you get caught here, Lannisters would not allow North to rear its head anymore." Jory said.
"Lord Renly should have been here by now. With him, we could stop the Lannisters." Lord Stark stayed silent but one of the guards amongst the crowd spoke to others.
Just at that moment, someone came galloping towards them from the opposite direction. He had a sword at his hand and there was blood all over his face. Rody pulled out his sword like others and stepped forward to stop the man.
"Stop! Make yourself known." Rody yelled.
The man stopped his horse and unmounted it hurriedly. He was wearing Lord Stark's coat of arms but everyone was tense seeing the state of the man.
"My lord," The man spoke but it was apparent he was wounded. He took a deep breath and spoke. "Lord Renly took his men and left the city, leaving a bloody path behind him. As soon as seeing them leave, I tried to bring the news with others but we were ambushed by the Gold Cloaks on the way. They are on their way, coming after me."
Rody looked at Lord Stark with worry in his eyes, things were not going good for them. "My lord, you should escape through the tunnels. We could hold them here!" Rody watched as Lord Stark clenched his jaw and looked back at the men who were standing behind him.
"Retreat to the tower, we will hold them there while everyone escapes through the tunnels!" Lord Stark yelled for everyone while Crag led the clansmen back inside.
Rody was the last one to enter the tower and he glimpsed several Gold Cloaks and Red Cloaks coming towards them before barring the doors. "My lord, you should head to the tunnels, we will hold them here," he insisted.
In the end, Lord Stark yielded to Rody's insistence and agreed to head outside of the city using the tunnels. "Jory, Crag, you are with me. Rody, stay behind and stall them as much as possible but if the situation turns for worse, do not hesitate to follow us." Lord Stark looked at Crag and said. "Crag, tell the clansmen to follow us to the tunnels." Lord Stark said.
Lord Stark's words raised a commotion amongst the clansmen after they heard it through Crag's mouth. One of them came forward and raised his axe before Lord Stark and cut his hand, letting blood fall to the ground. He spoke some vague words in Old Tongue.
Rody watched Crag frown and look at his clansmen. All of the clansmen followed the example of the old man and cut their hands. Their eyes were ferocious like a shadow cat's.
Crag watched them with an ugly face and turned his head to Lord Stark and translated their words. "They say they are old, my lord. Instead of letting the young spill their blood, it should be them who do it." Crag let the words sink in to everyone and only then continued. "They gave oaths to not let any living man pass through the stairs before you leave the city…"
Everyone in the tower looked at the clansmen with respect in their eyes. Lord Stark wanted to insist they follow him into the tunnels. However, someone needed to stay back to stall the Lannisters and shedding old blood instead of new was the most pragmatic choice. Thus, he pulled out a small dagger from his belt and cut his own hand with it. Then, he gave the dagger to the old man before him. "I accept your oath, and know this, your families will have a place at my hearth."
None knew whether he understood the words or not but the old clansman accepted the dagger and nodded his head to his lord. Lord Stark whispered something to Crag's ear and did not dwell any longer. He climbed the stairs with others while Rody stayed behind with the clansmen.
Crag did not follow Lord Stark immediately. Instead, he whispered something to the clansman's ear, who received the dagger from Lord Stark.
Rody was not required to give any instructions to the clansmen. With those with spears in the front row, they crowded the steps in a structured manner. Rody knew this was going to be the last stand for many of them but those who were going to die were going to save the lives of their families and young Northerners.
Soon after, someone banged the door with heavy fists. "By the orders of King Joffrey Baratheon, open the gate at once!!"
The words of the man fell to deaf ears as none of the clansmen knew the Common Tongue. Rody brandished his sword and gripped it tightly. He was not at the front row because the clansmen didn't allow him to waste his life and pushed him back towards the second floor of the tower.
A few seconds later, the voices from the other side of the door ceased and swings of the axes and swords took their places. Lannister men were trying to break down the door. War cries of the Southerners were ringing in their ears but inside, there were no cries. Rody could only hear some murmurs from the clansmen.
It did not take long for the doors to be taken down. Lannister men poured in with cries in their tongue. However, they were immediately greeted by the Northern spears. The first blood spilled to the ground when one of the Gold Cloaks thought he could overcome some old men. His throat was pierced by the spear and he drowned in his own blood.
Rody listened to everything from the top of the stairs. At first, he thought they could hold them here forever but not long after, Gold Cloaks and Red Cloaks realized their mistakes and from behind came full plated men who were carrying spears.
Their spears pierced the unprepared clansmen and spilled their blood. However, even in death, they were ferocious. One of the clansmen, who was pierced by a spear in the abdomen, did not fall to the ground and grabbed one of the Red Cloaks and bit him on the throat.
Even that was not enough because no matter how many Red Cloak or Gold Cloak they killed, more was coming. Before they reached the first floor, the stairs were filled with corpses and the Lannister men had to halt their advances to clear it out.
In the end, clansmen could not stop their advances and the enemies reached the first floor. The clansmen had the higher ground so they were in advantage. On the other hand, Gold Cloaks and Red Cloaks were getting slain one by one. Their corpses formed a small mountain just at the foot of the stairs leading to the top floor of the tower.
Their numbers were down to 10 men when there were only a few steps left before the enemies reached the top floor. Rody took a deep breath and watched as the clansmen before him fell to the ground.
Those who wielded spears on both sides were already gone and they were replaced by the pure brutes who only used axes and swords. Seeing an opportunity, Rody stabbed his sword forward and dyed a Gold Cloak's clothes red.
Blood splashed on his face but he did not deign to wipe it. He slashed his sword vertically and cracked another Gold Cloak's head. Before he could slay another one, someone fell on him from his side. Rody took support from the wall to not fall and turned his head to see that it was a clansman who had his throat open by a blade.
Rody felt someone grab him and pull him back, he fell to his back and watched as a clansman stabbed a Red Cloak through his armor's opening. The clansman turned around as another took his place. He grabbed Rody and pulled him on his feet sharply.
Rody recognized the clansman as the one who received the dagger from Lord Stark. The clansman pointed towards Lord Stark's chambers and spoke in a crooked Common Tongue accent. "Tunnel!"
Rody was confused so he pointed to himself and said, "Do you want me to retreat?"
The clansman groaned and dragged Rody towards Lord Stark's chambers. Rody tried to free himself but the grip of the old man was unlike any other. The old man opened the door and pushed Rody inside. He barred the door with a candle holder soon after he got in.
Rody sheathed his sword and yelled to the old man. "Why did you drag me here? The others are dying out there?"
The old man did not give an answer, instead, he pulled one of the larger rugs and revealed a trap door hidden in the stone floor.
The old man moved away from the door and pointed towards it. "Magnar… order…" he said in vague words.
Only then did Rody realize what the old man was trying to say. He remembered Lord Stark told him that he should follow them through the tunnels should the situation turn for the worse. Lord Stark also whispered something to Crag and then Crag whispered the same thing to the old man. It was probably to ensure that Rody escaped through tunnels.
Rody attempted to argue but before he could say anything, someone kicked the door. The old man quickly opened the trap door and Rody did not hesitate anymore. He climbed down and waited for the old man to come down.
"Come down, we do not have much time." Rody said.
However, the old man closed the trap door. Rody watched as the last lights of the candles seeping through the openings got covered by the rug. He waited for a few seconds and then, he heard the door getting broken.
The last thing he heard had been sword clashes and a few bodies hitting the ground. Then, all of the sounds ceased. Rody also did not stay any longer as he was afraid of being found even before leaving the city. He grabbed the last burning torch hanging on the wall and quickly ran down the tunnel.
As far as he remembered, if he continued down the tunnel he was going to come to an opening which connected half a dozen other tunnels. Rody continued to run for a few minutes and finally reached the opening.
There were some voices coming from the way he came. He looked around but all of the tunnels looked the same. He remembered hearing some guards talk about the tunnels, the second tunnel from the left was leading directly outside of the city. Rody walked towards the second tunnel but he stopped at the last second.
The guard who talked about the tunnels was someone who confused his right and left frequently. Rody looked at the second tunnel from left and the second tunnel from right but still, he couldn't find any difference…
每周推薦票狀態
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榜單 
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