A Tale of Two Dragons
Chapter II The Wandering Red Dragon
(NdA all what you reckgnize belong to GRRMartin.)
"HOLD!"
Yelled Aegon, as he hacked to the nearest bandit with Dark Sister, cutting his head off neatly; nearby, Bittersteel was fighting back to back with Ser Duncan; the other three kingsguards, Lord Commander Roland Crakehall, Ser
Edmund Storm and ser Winston Manderly, were fending off the rest of the bandits, shielding theyr king and Prince Duncan from the arrows.
Then, a horsman charged, mauling many of the royal soldiers.
"Fuck the bugger!" Aegon swore, as he went to face the man, who was the infamous Headless Knight himself; his black armor was crafted to give the impression he had really no head;
He laghted maniacally as he hacked and slashed at Aegon;
Other bandits charged, keeping busy the kingsguard;
"How the hell did we manage to end in a deadly trap our first day? They wer supposed to be near Brownhollowm not near Rosby!" Mused Aegon loudly, as he parried the blow of the Headless Knight broadsword with Dark Sister.
"Thanks the Gods, Betha, Jace, Daeron and the girls halfway to summerhall, now, or they would have been in ever greater danger!" Aegon thought, while trying to focus on his opponent.
Finally he found an opening, and manged to cut thought a weak point of the plate; blood poured from were the chest of a very tall man would have been, as the Headless Knight fell on the ground.
Another bandit, enraged, knocked on an arrow and fired; it would have been the death of Aegon, if Lord Commander Roland Crakehall, in spite of his age, had not managed to jump just in the way of the arrow, getting pierced in the eye and dieing immediatly;
Before the archer bandit could try again, a tall young man, with the Hightower coat of arms, cleaved throught the ranks of the enemies and killed him oppening him in two with a single slash of his broadsword.
The archer had to be the last of the leaders of the bandits, because , after his death, the outlaws were routed;
"Hunt them to the last man!" Ordered Aegon to his men; he ordered his men to put the body of Ser Roland on a carriage; "we will entrust him to the silent sisters onece we reach Rosby." He said, saddened by the lost of the old knight.
He kept his blodied white cloack with him, however. "Ser Duncan!" He said to his best friend. "Your Grace?" He replyed "I hereby name you the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard!"
Duncan frowned but bowed his head.
Than he reached the young knight who had slayed the archer bandit. "Ser Gerold Hightower!" He called. Ser Gerold went on one knee. " I, King Aegon, fifth of my name, Wandering King of the Seven Kingdoms, hereby offer to you a place in my Kingsguard!" Ser Gerold stuttered "I'm humbled and honored to accept, your grace!" Argon nodded and put the White Cloak arounf his shoulders, saying "Ser Gerold, do you swear in front of all the gods, to take no wife, sire no children, hold no lands, and protect the royal family, fighting theyr enemies, and guard your king for the rest of your life?" He nodded "On my honour and life, I will, your grace!" he replyed "Than stand on Ser Gerold Hightower, knight of the Kingsguard!" He stood on, looking even taller than before, beaming with pride.
The rest of the day was spent hunting down the outlaws which were given a choose, the Wall or the rope; many choose the Wall, and were chained in the wagons; those who choose the rope were hanged by Aegon himself.
It was the down of theyr second day of traveling, when they reached Rosby, a small prettym, stone walled town ; several people came out theyr house to take a look of the inusual big royal party;
A man, in his late fourties, with a small retinue of soldiers with brown cloacks, walk ou the moat to wellcome them; He was a slim man, of average height, with a long nose, wately eyes and fading grey hairs; he wore a light red clock of erminefur, clasped with three red chevronnel gules. That man went on his knee and said "Your Grace, I, lord Wayland Rosby, lord of Rosby town, wellcome you in my home; Rosby is your, my lord!"
"Thank you my lord, My man shall camp and find accomodation in the town I, my son, the kingsguards, Grand Maester Pycelle, and Master of Law, lord Bittersteel, shall enjoy your hospitality."
"Indeed," mused Aegon "it was lucky the Conclave accepted our recomendation, and nominated a man in his early thirthies as Grand Maester; an elderly man would have been unsuited for the task"; maybe, he and Aenys would need to change theyr decision, and take the deputy, and not the actual Grand Maester, as theyr Wandering Maester.
Rosby Castle was smaller tha the Red Keep, but it was wellcoming, and Lord Rosby was a generous host.
They entrusted him theyr prisoners before they departed; They reached Duskendale were lord Arlan Duskendale, a kindly looking , plump, bald man of average height, wellcomed them; he asked Aegon to hold court at Duskendale but comprehended the reason for Aegon to start his court holding in a land where the king's justice and inflence was less strong, like it was Crackclaw Point.
Many men joined the Royal Wandering Army, there, first of them, ser Donner Hollard, heir of Ser Karlon Hollard, lord Darklyn commander of the guard.
They reached the end of the Kingswood at dawn in theyr sixth day of march; There was seated Brownhollow, a heartly moat reinforced with stone, surrounded by the omonimous village; it was humble but cozy, and Ser Maynard Brune, a stout man in his late thirties, was a great host.
"And so" went on the man "once Lord Alyn Stokeworth fell, at the hand of Red Harren, Benard Brune, a cadet son of the Lord of the Dyre Den, avenged his master, killing Harren with a swift axe blow; for his bravery, Benard Brune got this lands, and an ereditary knightood; in respect of his heritage, he choose a brown bear paw, since his father coat depicted a brown bear head; in his honour the inn in the village is named "the Avenged Lamb", as a lamb is on the coat of house Stokeworth!"
Duncan seemed particularly fascinated by the story, and asked "And he choose also words for your house?" Ser Maynard nodded "He did, they are "we are the avenging paw!"Both branches of house Brune had been loyal to the Targaryen in the Blackfire rebellions, but they did not seem to loathBittersteel very much; Ser Maynard wife, lady Lysa nee Rosby, while having the delicate figure of her house, seemed quite healty, she bore her husband four healthy children, two daughters and two sons; the older of the latter, was a fourteen years old lad with the build ofhis father, but the delicate facial features of his mother; young Rickard Brune was pestering Bittersteel about stories of the fightings the old warrior had done; surprisingly, Aegor Rivers was indulging the young man.
"A trait of Lord Bittersteel I did not suspect it existed, grandfaterly instict!" He said to Duncan "Neither did I". The taller man replyed chuckling. "Let we hope we see this side of him more often!"
They stayed at Brownhollow for two days, and Bittersteel agreed to squire the younger son of ser Maynard, Bennard Brune, a very excited lad of nine years.
Theyr next step was Dyre Den, home of the powerfull and old main branch of house Brune;
Bear's Abode, a flourishing town, the biggest settlement of the Crackclaw Point, was defended by solid oak walls, and the Dyre Den was a stout fortress, carved out in the side of an hill.
"So, Grand Maester, what do you know about house Brune of the Dyre Den?" The king asked to Pycelle, the eveningof theyr seventh day of wandering, when the walls of Bear's Abode were in sight.
The blond bearded man cleared his throath and started "well, your Grace, they are an house who traks its roots to the First Men; they tryed to carve themselves a kingdom in the Crackclaw Point, but the various lords and clans fiercly opposed it. They renounced definitly at the title of Kings of the Point, only after Aegon the Conqueror landed, and Visenya negotiated, for each house of the Point, direct submission to the Iron Throne and to the Irone Throne alone. They can raise one thousand of swords, if needed, from theyr lands. They styles themselves defenders of the Southern Point, and Masters of Bear's Abode; Theyr coat of arms shows a brown bear head on a green field, and theyr words are "Enemy, we wait!" "
Aegon nodded at that as himself, his son, Ser Duncan, Ser Edmund, Ser Winston, Ser Gerold, Pycelle and Bittersteel rode to the Dyre Den.
They were wellcomed by a tall man, with black hairs and deeop blue eyes. He was in his late twenties and greated the king kneeling down "I, Lord Lucifer Brune, Lord of the Dyre Den, Master of Bear's Abode and Defender of the Southern Point, wellcome you in my home, my king; The Dyre Den is yours!"
"Raise lord Lucifer, please, you have our thanks!" Lord Brune stood up, and guided his guests inside the castle; The entrance gate resembled the head of a bear. They entered it and found themselves in a big hall, were a feast had been prepared for them. Ser Bennedict Brune, Lord Brune's uncle and castellan, and his wife, lady Barba Cave, a comely woman heavily pregnant, wellcomed them. "My son Balthazar is a boy of four, and I'm afraid he did not manage to wait for your grace!" She said, Aegon chuckled "do not worry, my lady I perfectly understand!"
They enjoyed the food greatly, and then they went to sleep; on the morrow, King Aegon, along with Ser Duncan, Pycelle and Bittersteel, met with lord Brune and his maester in his solar;
"Your grace", said Maester Barton "this message arrived today at dawn!" He said handling it to Aegon. "It's from King Aenys" Aegon said noticing the seal, a three headed dragon in black wax.
He opened and read it."I received your message from Rosby, my condoleances for Lord Commander Crakehall.I hope you are all right; Lady Shaera suggest us that, after you hold court here for three days, as planned, that you head back to Duskendale; it seems that you will have to resolve a problem there, when you arrive; She did not give specifics, but knowing my aunt, is better to heed her advise! I hope to hear from you soon, your fellow monarch, Aenys II, King on the IronThrone" Aegon read the message aloud, nodding. Bittesteel frowned slightly at the mentioning of Shaera.
"As you requested, your grace, I have had dais prepared in the tourney ground." Explained Lord Brune. "Thanks, Lord Brune!" The king replyed with a smile. "As it was also requested, my men went all over the nearby lands, informing you would hold court here, and that you shall meet petitioners for three days!" He added.
Aegon nodded. "Allright, my lord, than I think it's time for us to break our fast, so that we can start the first day of court!" He said. Lord Lucifer nodded and added."If I'm not too bold, I would like you to hear me as your first petitioner, my king!"
"And what you wish to ask the king, my lord?" Asked Pycelle politely.
"An old question, one of the few my fellow lords og the Point agree with me on. " He said. "As it is
something of punlic interest, I would like to make my question in public!" He added.
Aegon thought on it and nodded; breakfast was served in the solar, moments after. Than, it was time
to hold court; A wooden throne was prepared on the dais, with smaller seats for the king's councillors, and for Lord Brune himself; who, however was not sitting there, but instead, stood, first of a long line of petitioners, in front of the dais.
"Good people of Crackclaw Point!" Aegon announced "I wellcome you to the first session of the Wandering Court of the Seven Kingdoms! "
Bittersteel stood up and called "Lord Lucifer Brune, you are allowed to come forth, and speak!" He said.
Lord Brune nodded, bended one knee, and when allowed to raise, spoke: "My king, here I come to ask you a very old question one that kings of the past have never given a clear answer to; and the question is this; while Crackclaw Point is, and always will be sworn to the Iron Throne, must it be regarded as part of the Crownlands? I mean, we of the Crackclaw points are a litigious lot, but we all agree on one thing, we are not the same people as the people of Duskendale, those of Rosby or those of the Blackwater Bay!"
There was a murmur of approvation beetween the various lords of the Point who had traveled to Bear's Abode.
Aegon looked to Pycelle, who thought on it "mmm there were a petition of the lords of the Point to King Aenys I, to obtain the reckognizing as an autonomus Kingdom of Westeros, but the uprising of the militant faith, and King Aenys death, followed by Maegor tyranny prevented it to be taken in consideration; under the rule of King Jaehaerys the Councilior it was taken in account, but lord Lucifer Hardy attempt to gain preminence in the region, and the following unrest, discouraged the king and his council to go on with that reform; one last attempt was done at the and of the kingdom of King Viserys the First, but the rivalry between Black and Greens, which lead to the Dance of Dragons once again stopped the matter from being discussed!"
Pycelle said.
Aegon nodded "It strike me as a complex matter, lord Brune; the first question which I must ask is what changings would this autonomy you request entitle!"
Lord Brune nodded and said "Aside for having the right to implement a name of our own for our bastards, the most important change would be that we would be able to organize our troopers under one of our commanders, instead of having to defer to a Darklyn, a Rosby or a Stokeworth, as it usually happened."
"Yes my lord" Bittersteel said "But you are, to use your words, a litigious lot; who will commandyour autonomus troopers, if not the kings themselves?"
Lord Brune smiled and said "we discussed it beteween ourselves and we reached a consensus: the crown shall name one of us as Speaker of the Point; every five years the title shall pass to another lord or clan chief; he will be a first among peers, an arbiter for minor contentious, and each of us shall still be sworn to the Iron Throne and only to the Iron Throne!"
Aegon thought on it "You seem to have thought on it quite a lot, Lord Lucifer!" Aegon said. "My lords of tyhe point, who shall be the first Speaker?"
"Lord Lucifer Brune!" Was the unanimous answer, and Aegon said "Allright, knee Lord Lucifer!"
He did so, and Aegon said "I hereby name you, Lucifer of House Brune, Lord Speaker of Clacklaw Point, for five years; should you die, before the time is over, the eldest member of your house shall take your place until the end of the term!" There were murmurs of approvations, as Lord Brune went to sit at his place, and than the next petitioners come;
Ar the end of the the first four hours, before luncheon, Aegon was satisfied, yet very tired.
"I wonder," he said to himself "how Aenys is faring, on theIron Throne!"
(Reviews and constructive criticism are wellcomed, remember that English is not my mother language)