Chapter 118: Thunder and lightning
Thunder and lightning
Davos POV
I was never devout, but at times, it was easier to look at the gods and ask for their guidance than to look for them in your head. Even if they never reply, at least I can say that I tried. The past few years were hard on me and my family. The war didn't seem to be ending any time soon, and I was starting to think that my life might end before the war will.
How many have died? How many more will die? And when was my time? I have been asking those questions quite a lot lately. Being trapped in this castle without knowing anything was torture. I could only rely on my faith in Stannis and Edmure, so why not turn some of that faith towards the gods? Maybe they will hear me and show mercy.
"The gods are cunts," The Blackfish said as he entered the chapel. "If they even are listening, they surely are laughing at us right now. We adore them, worship them, listen to their scriptures and then ask for their forgiveness and blessings. But to them, our actions are nothing but a mummer's show. Our suffering is more enjoyable than a peaceful and plentiful life."
"And yet, what else can we do but dance to their tune?" I asked.
"Nothing, probably," The Blackfish replied. "The least we can do is enjoy the tune for what it is worth."
"The attack has begun again?" I finally asked.
"Aye," The Blackfish sat down next to me, probably seeking for a moment of calmless. "We barely have five thousand of us left that still can fight."
"About half of what we had at the beginning," I commended.
"Injuries are piling up," The Blackfish wasn't happy. "And yet the enemy forces don't seem to be losing anything. For every man we take out, another is here to replace or sent by the Lannisters. And so the cycle continues."
"How long can we last?"
"It is the medicine that will run out first," The Blackfish answered. "With more than a thousand men injured and waiting for treatment, I don't think we will last for another month. They have hastened their attacks and are giving us more and more pressure every day."
"What do you want me to do?"
"What can you do? There is a reason why I don't let you on the walls; one misplaced arrow, and our morale will crumble. All I want is for you to listen to my complaints. At least I know you won't be laughing at them like the gods do."
I nodded. The Blackfish was doing everything he could to defend Harrenhal, but there was only so much we could do. It was only a matter of time before they discovered that we had fewer men than they thought, and then they would relentlessly push us until we broke. There was no news from Stannis, and since the army outside the walls wasn't moving away, it meant that the Lannisters still could spare them.
"I still should go," I finally broke the silence. "As the Hand of the King, I should know how our men are handling the defenses. And they should see me at least once in a while to know why they are fighting."
"If you insist," The Blackfish said. "I probably should return to the command, too. There is no point in standing around here when the only audience I have will mock me to death."
"Are you worried about Edmure?" I asked while we walked to the walls, as it was on my mind.
"He is fine."
"How can you tell? We have not received any messages from him."
"Because Lord Tarly isn't here," The Blackfish replied. "Now is my turn to ask if you are worried about your children. They are with Stannis, aren't they?"
"My eldest is a captain of one of Stanni's ships. I still remember how excited and happy he was when he received the title of captain of the Wraith. He acted like a child. My second is captain of the Lady Marya, another ship of Stannis Fleet, named after my wife. I think they are doing fine. As long as they don't face the Greyjoy ships, I am not too worried about them. My third and fourth are also serving in Stannis Fleet. But I am mostly worried sick about my fifth, Devan. It was an honor that Stannis accepted him as his squire, but knowing how much Devan wants to prove himself, I am worried he will get himself in trouble."
"Five children?" The Blackfish laughed. "I can't imagine myself raising even one."
"Seven, ser, I have seven children. The youngest two are with their mother. Gods might forgive me, but my wife would surely not have if I had taken all the children from her."
"Ha, she must really love you to give you so many children to you," The Blackfish said.
"We were blessed."
"I am sure you were. Hopefully, the gods won't demand the price from the blessing they gave you."
The lighthearted conversation ended as they reached the walls. The young and the greybeards bravely defended the walls from the invaders. Arrows were exchanged relentlessly throughout the day. I saw men were treated on the spot, with arrows stuck in their shoulders, chests, legs, and arms. Those were the lucky ones, the ones who could get the arrows out and their wounds patched.
The ones lying lifelessly pushed or thrown to the side so they wouldn't get in the way of the others weren't so lucky. Seeing the arrows stuck in people's faces painted a grave picture of what one stray arrow could do to me. The Blackfish's advice wasn't for nothing. But I was still determined to look around, to see them so they know that as long I was here, so was the King's will.
"What is that sound?" I asked as I heard something beyond the whistling of arrows. "A thunder? No, it feels different."
"It can't be," The Blackfish's face turned grave as he listened to the same sound as I did before rushing up the walls.
I followed him, not even a few steps behind, as we together reached the top of the walls. The Blackfish pushed people out of the way as he tried to get a better look. As old as he was, the Blackfish could easily push around men twice as younger. That was good because if he hadn't done that, I wouldn't have seen what was happening.
"Purple lightning?" The Blackfish asked as we both found banners with purple lightning leading a cavalry in absurdatly fast pace.
"Lord Dondarrion," I recognized to whom the banner belonged.
We weren't the only ones to see it, though. The men besieging Harrenhal quickly tried to form defenses and face Lord Dondarrion's cavalry. It was futile as the cavalry crashed at them with the fury of thunder and the strength of lightning. The Blackfish saw the opportunity, too, and sent out the rest of the men we had inside the walls to support Lord Dondarrion.
…
I never thought I could leave Harrenhal so quickly. I was starting to think I would never be able to leave it. But now, looking at the destroyed camp of the Reachmen army that had surrounded us for months to no end, I didn't know what to think. Maybe the war would finally come to an end now. As absurd an idea as it was, I hoped it was true.
"We don't have time to rest," Lord Dondarion's voice thundered through the camp. "I need all the men who can fight and ride. I don't care if they are injured. As long as they can ride and hold a sword, I will take them. We need to ride and ambush Lord Tarly's back before the word reaches him."
"Such a reckless plan," The Blackfish sighed. "Very well. We shall let them escape to the South then, I guess. There is no point in chasing the stranglers. But the most we can offer is a few thousand, and even then, I don't think we have enough horses, and yours are exhausted, too. If you go now, what use will you be in the battle? Your horses won't be able to run, and your men won't be able to swing their swords."
"Ruby Ford is three days away, sers," I interrupted them. "I understand that we should rush it. But I think this time it would be faster if you let your men and horses rest for the night and leave with the sun. Lord Tully had held Ruby Ford for this long I believe he is capable of holding it for a bit longer."
"Ugh," Lord Dondarrion was clearly frustrated. "Then we will sharpen our swords and clean our armor while our horses rest. But by the sunrise, I want everyone to be prepared to leave."
I turned away as the Blackfish nodded in agreement. Walking around the camp that once belonged to our besiegers, I tried to find some solace. If the plan worked as Lord Dondarrion wished, the tide of the war would be turned. As long as Stannis is safe and has secured the Stormlands, there is little the Reach and the Lannister can do to stop him.
With the Riverlands and the Vale, we would have enough men to challenge even the Reach. Lord Tully has earned great recognition for his accomplishments. Having him by King Stanis's side reassured me. Maybe even the North can be pleased with Lord Tully's help. Leaving only Dorne as an unknown entity and then King Theon.
The Grejoys won't join King Stannis no matter what he offers them. They don't need gold, and they certainly don't need King Stannis to raid and conquer new lands. And Stannis will never stop until he can quell them. He won't allow another King to create discourse in the Seven Kingdoms. Will the war ever end? I didn't know anymore.
…
What would take three days for most men only took two for Lord Dondarrion. By the time we reached Ruby Ford, my back and arse were stiff as a board. I was too old for this, but I had to watch this. To the very end, I wanted to see how this war will proceed. It was my responsibility as the Hand of the King.
"How it went, Blackfish?" As the Blackfish returned from his scouting mission, Lord Dondarrion quickly went to him.
"We managed to hunt down their scouts, but the situation isn't favorable for us."
"What do you mean? We have seven thousand men with us, and Lord Tarly doesn't know of us. I believe those are quite favorable odds to me."
"Against anyone else, yes," The Blackfish replied to Lord Dondarrion. "But against Lord Tarly, it isn't. Is it better for you to see it yourself? Follow me."
I wouldn't say I liked the Blackfish's tone. And I was starting to get nervous as we rode a bit further around Ruby Ford without anyone seeing us. It didn't take long to see what the Blackfish was talking about. Looking over Lord Tarly's camp with far-eye made me sigh in disappointment. Nothing ever was simple, and nothing ever went as planned.
"How?" Lord Dondarrion was shocked to see trenches and spike walls protecting Lord Tarly's back. "He shouldn't know of us. There certainly wasn't enough time for him to prepare this."
"He didn't know," The Blackfish replied. "He predicted. As proud as I am of my nephew, Lord Tarly is an experienced and competent commander. He doesn't leave anything to chance and is always prepared for everything. He might not have expected Edmure's tenacity, but tenacity doesn't win wars."
"How can you be so calm?" Lord Dondarrion asked. "He is your nephew; your family and your home are at risk. And yet you are so calm."
"Because I have to," The Blackfish replied coldly. "I need to keep my mind straight so I can think of what I can do."
"They still don't know of us," I interrupted them. "Can't we sneak and dismantle their defenses? Maybe sabotage their camp one way or another?"
"Sadly, I don't see how we could do it," The Blackfish said. "The spike walls wouldn't be hard to push or pull apart or even break with hatchets. And we can make wooden bridges to cross the trenches. But it takes time. And look carefully. There are guards everywhere; even a shadow won't be able to pass by them."
"Only a narrow path was left for supplies to enter," Lord Dondarrion added as he seemed to have calmed down. "But it is too narrow. Before we passed it, half of us would be shot dead by their arrows."
"And another half would be surrounded by the reachmen. We wouldn't be able to take advantage of a surprise and lose too much to be of any help," The Blackfish finished. "The best we can do is surround their camp and put pressure on them. Taking their supplies away would quickly diminish their morale."
"We don't have time for that," Lord Dondarrion said as he pointed out to the river. "They are using barges to build a bridge. I suspect that Lord Tarly has almost twice as many men as Lord Tully. And with those trebuchets, he will be able to destroy the defenses we have built."
"But with us here, he can't win," I tried to hold on to hope.
"No, we would win," The Blackfish agreed. "But at what price? We would lose most of our men, leaving the Riverlands defenseless against another host the Lannisters would send our way. But I guess we have no other choice. We will attack the moment most of Lord Tarly's forces are focusing on Edmure and we will hope for the best."
"Lord Dondarrion," I turned to our commander as he stayed silent.
"We keep our presence secret. We kill any scouts sent our way and will not let anyone reach Lord Tarly's camp," Lord Dondarrion said finally. "We will prepare and wait until Lord Tarly launches a full attack on Lord Tully. And we will hope that we are strong enough."
That wasn't reassuring in the slightest. I understood little about tactics and was never taught strategies. Still, I just couldn't believe that people could predict other people's actions to such a degree that everything seemed to become meaningless. Lord Tarly was such a person, and it said a lot about Lord Tully to be able to challenge him in every way.
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