13 Act II: Chapter 4

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"What bloody plan of attack do we need?! We have 12,000 infantry, 3000 archers, and 2000 cavalry. They have 9000 troops split into 3 different armies. We will march through the night and just as dawn shows it's face we will crush them before they can group!!" Robert said as he was looking at the map laid out in front of us.

"Who will lead the forces, then?" Ser Courtney Penrose asked. He was a man of 30, maybe younger, but his head was bald and his red beard was full. His weathered face would have been called handsome at one point in his life.

But he looked like a fucking warrior. He wore chain mail underneath his white gambeson with his houses standard on his chest. He looked me in the eye at about 6 feet tall and was definitely thick with muscle underneath his clothes, where I was lithe.

"I will lead the Van. Petyr will command the Cavalry. You have command of the archers Ser Courtney." Robert commanded as if he had thought about it for a long time. I knew that he had only just decided who would command what.

"Three green boys?" A random Storm Lord asked from his position at the table. The white haired man stood up as he said the words.

"Green is it?!" Robert bellowed as he bowed up to the man. "When was the last time you killed a man, Lord Rogers?"

The lord took offense to this and turned to his liege lord. "I will not be talked to like this!"

"Yes you fucking will!" Robert said as he took the necessary steps to get in the mans face. The man turned around to leave the tent as if to prove his point, but he didn't get very far. Robert grabbed his shoulder and shoved him around to face him.

'Smack'

I honestly have never seen anyone get slapped as hard as that. Robert reared back and open palm slapped the man right on the cheek. Lord Rogers stumbled at the blow, and it looked like it had almost knocked the man out. Some of the other Lords reached down and grabbed him underneath his arms to hold him up.

"You walk out of this tent and I'll have your head on a pike." Robert said as he turned back to the other lords in the tent. "Anyone else want to question their Lord?" Robert asked.

Obviously, nobody was stupid enough to do such a thing. I did my best not to laugh. Robert did have a certain way about him.

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I swung my leg over Gimli's saddle.

I was a bit heavier than I was used to. It was the first time I ever had any sort of armor on. I had refused the full plate, and instead opted to go with only a breastplate to cover the vitals of my chest, while the rest of me had tough cloth with chainmail sewed into it.

Very similar to Jon Snow when he was King in the North, but instead of just the upper chest area having plate, my entire torso did.

I had put on the full plate before the battle, but it constricted the movement of my arms and legs too much. It was hard to even draw my bow with the plate down my arms, so I decided to get rid of it.

I had decided to keep the greaves on my shins, because I was on a mount. Wouldn't want someone getting a lucky shot and cutting my leg off at the knee. I doubt a weirwood would be able to heal that wound. Not that there were any this far south.

Gimli moved forward once I got comfortable, and I practiced drawing my bow as I rode, to get used to the new feeling. It would do, and I would only get better.

I rode by the gathered Cavalry, which was full of all knights. I had lost a few men because they wanted to be on foot with Robert to protect their Lord. Ben wanted to be by my side, but with his commander talents, I had sent him with Robert for protection and the boosts he would give to the men around him.

Gimli softly dug into the ground beneath us. We were trying to be as quiet as possible, although only an absolute idiot wouldn't expect such a basic plan of attack.

Then again, Robert wasn't known for his tactical abilities, at least not yet. Today would prove them wrong, I believed.

When I arrived, most of the cavalry had already been lined up at the predetermined location. As was typical, we would send in the infantry first to begin the melee. Only then would I look for openings to charge or flank.

Gimli and I climbed onto the hill that the rest of the cavalry was hiding behind. When I breached it, I immediately saw the enemy camp.

If I hadn't been moving with 19,000 troops, I would have thought that the amount of tents in the valley below was intimidating. Really, I knew that our numbers would see us through this battle. It was a great time to bloody the troops also, and get them ready for the war to come.

My eyes moved past the tents in my vision, to where I saw a large congregation of men already standing in wait for the battle.

'So much for catching them by surprise.' I thought as I looked below me onto what would become a battlefield in the next few hours.

Just then a large cry sounded out to my right. It was the cry of thousands of men, charging into battle. My eyes sought out the source, and on a hill similar to mine about a hundred yards away, I saw our infantry charging in the morning sun.

And at the head of the army was Robert Baratheon in full plate with a magnificent antlered helm and a warhammer in his hands. Despite being weighed down by his armor, he was still faster than most of the men to his side and he gained distance from his infantry.

'This is it.' I thought to myself.

I turned Gimli around and went back down the hill where all of my cavalry was finally becoming fully formed.

"Remember!" I yelled, getting everyone's attention. "If it becomes a rout, do not kill those that surrender!"

I led Gimli down the line a little bit to try and talk to all of the men. "Lord Grandison's forces are over this hill. Let us smash the Oathbreaker! Show him your Lord's fury!" I yelled and drew my sword at the same time.

The men let out a cheer at my words. I knew they weren't very encouraging, but I didn't need to be. Behind me were mostly knights of the Stormlands, and they knew what was to come. They did not need me to encourage them.

But they did need me to lead them, so I turned Gimli around, and he read my thoughts. He immediately began running, although it wasn't his full speed so that those behind me could keep up. Their horses weren't nearly as magnificent as him, after all.

I heard hooves begin to beat on the ground behind me just as I peaked over the hill. Unlike a few seconds ago, I did not stop Gimli and we went charging towards the men gathered below.

Robert and the infantry chose that moment to smack into the front lines of Lord Grandison's army. I caught glimpses of his warhammer swinging around and I had no doubt that he was killing with every swing.

I was rapidly approaching the army, as I was on horseback. I looked behind me to see that my men were still in formation and following me although they were lagging behind.

Gimli slowed down, and I sheathed the sword in my hand before I pulled my bow off of my chest. I nocked an arrow and aimed towards the nearest knight I could. He was behind the front lines and dressed in plate but he had yet to see combat.

He would not get to this day.

I put an arrow in his throat. He fell like a sack of potatoes to the ground, clawing at his neck. I was already aiming for another knight in plate when he hit the ground.

That was when I saw the standard of a black lion on a yellow field plastered on the armor of a fat man towards the back of the army.

'Lord Grandison.' I deduced as I saw the man sitting on his horse.

Options ran through my mind quickly. On one hand, I could kill him and end this battle quickly, saving possibly hundreds of men from dying, men that we would need for the coming battles.

Or I could let him live, and allow Robert to earn his allegiance at the cost of men's lives.

The answer was a simple one for me, although I wasn't sure if it was the correct one. Saving the lives of men seemed like the obvious choice. I aimed another arrow and loosed it.

My arrow sang through the air and I didn't even have to look to know that it would hit it's mark. Had him or one of his men been paying attention, they would have seen me and the arrow coming. I immediately slung my bow on my back and drew my sword again.

I was about twenty yards from the army in front of me when I decided to turn. I raised my sword in my hand and pointed it to my left, to signal the cavalry to follow me. I wasn't sure if they would follow, as we had no chances to practice marching.

"Retreat!"

"Lord Grandison is dead!"

'Right on que.' I thought as Gimli and I swung wide.

I sped my mount forward and soon I passed the entire army and approached where I had killed the latest Lord in Robert's Rebellion.

I took a glance to see that about half of the cavalry had charged straight into the infantry at the bulk of the army, causing mass mayhem and panic and allowing them to destroy the left flank. It was to be expected that not everyone would follow my last minute order.

'That is something that I will remedy for sure. We will be marching everyday to avoid that again.'

The other half was behind me, cutting off any means for escape. I meant to surround the army and force them to throw their arms down, or to join us.

"Cut them off!" I yelled behind me as we encircled them.

I looked to the middle of the fighting to see an all out melee amongst the two armies. Directly in the center Robert was swinging his hammer looking around for the next opponent.

There seemed to be a lull in the activity as the men realized their lord was dead. Grandison's body had already stopped twitching on the ground.

"Surrender!" I yelled towards the men below me. "Your lord is dead! Throw down your weapons and you will not be harmed!"

All of the men nearest me threw their weapons down as they heard me. Most fell to their knees not in worship but in defeat. Then, it was like a wave hit the crowd of men below me. Once the men closest to me threw down their weapons, the men behind them followed suit.

Soon, all of the fighting was done and nearly all of the men had thrown their swords down.

"I AM ROBERT BARATHEON!" Robert bellowed towards the surrendered men as he walked amongst them. He looked fucking epic honestly. His silver-grey plate gleamed in the sun where blood did not cover it. His torso was covered in a sort of poncho that displayed his banner proudly. His antlered helm was unlike anything these men, or I for that matter, had seen.

"YOUR LORD GRANDISON WAS AN OATHBREAKER. I AM YOUR TRUE LORD! ANY MAN THAT WISHES TO FIGHT WILL BE REWARDED WITH RICHES AND GLORY BEYOND IMAGINATION." Robert continued to yell.

I had to admit that I was jealous of Robert's presence. He just had a way to him that made other men listen to him. He also had a voice that could carry for miles, so that probably helped a lot.

"WHAT SAY YOU!?" Robert asked as he pointed his warhammer to the men around him. "WILL YOU FIGHT FOR ME? WILL YOU FIGHT FOR YOUR LORD!?"

It was quiet for a moment and everyone was looking towards the men in the center of what I would call a death pit. Then a man in plate armor, most likely a knight that had never supported his lord, bent down and picked up his sword off of the ground.

"Ahhhh!" The knight said as he raised his sword to the sky. He didn't actually say anything, but the imen around him knew his intentions.

Then, almost at once, the men that had just thrown their weapons down bent down to pick them back up. They mirrored the knight and raised their swords up before letting out a loud cry.

A horn sounded in the distance, causing me to look towards it.

Another army, most likely one of the other lords, was marching towards the north east, close to where Robert had charged from, and where I knew our archers would be waiting to strike.

A volley of arrows dotted the sky, as our archers realized what was happening. We were being flanked by one of the other Lords, and their target was the archers. They meant to crush them before dealing with our main host. I wouldn't let them.

"Cavalry!" I yelled out to my men.

I pointed my sword in the direction of the enemy marching soldiers. "Charge!" I yelled as Gimli sprinted ahead.

A quick look and some rough math made me quite aware of the fact that I was leading a cavalry charge into superior numbers of infantry. Depending on how well they were trained, they could smash my cavalry. What was worse, was the spears in all of the enemy soldiers hands. Spears are exactly the weapon needed to counter a cavalry charge.

But if they made it to the archers, it would be devastating. They just didn't have the proper equipment needed to fight the infantry. All they had was leather armor, a short sword, and a bow and arrow. The enemy soldiers were bound to have better armor and a shield to top it off, which could prove devastating in close combat.

I still had close to a hundred and fifty yards between me and the marching infantry. I was closing the distance fast and thankfully it looked like I would make it in time to hit the infantry on their flank.

I peeked behind me, only to find that my cavalry was not charging in proper formation. Some of us would hit way earlier than the rest, and that could be bad depending on the skill of the enemy commander.

Another wave of arrows peppered the marching enemy. Some men fell, but the vast majority escaped harm.

I was still debating on continuing the charge haphazardly or to form my men into position when another horn sounded out.

The blast was loud, and caused Gimli to rear his head slightly. I was about fifty yards away, getting close to a distance that I wouldn't be able to stop, but I slowed Gimli down after the horn.

My instincts saved me, as the marching infantry turned abruptly to face my charging cavalry. They dropped into a stance with their shields towards me, and spears pointed in my direction.

It wasn't quite a shield wall that anybody would be proud of, but it was certainly more than I had expected. There were gaps in the formations, and I could tell that many of their men would flee at the sight of my cavalry. I could win this battle.

But it would cost me a lot of men.

Gimli turned and I raised a sword to my men. "Halt!" I yelled as I turned full circle and rode back towards them.

Most obeyed, and began shutting down the charge. Those men, I took the opportunity to ride in front of them.

"Form a line!" I told them, riding in front of my men. The few that hadn't seen my commands finally heard me as they saw their comrades stop the charge and form up.

"Form a line!" I continued to yell at my men as almost all of them caught up with me.

'Come on, get the archers out of there. March them out!' I thought as I looked in the direction I knew them to be in.

My positioning on the battlefield wouldn't allow me to see them because of the hill they were on. If I was in the position of the army across from them I could probably signal for them to retreat behind the cavalry, but I wasn't.

'If we can stall them a little bit, the archers can flee, and Robert can catch up allowing the infantry to engage them.'

Another volley of arrows peppered the enemy soldiers in front of me. Once again, not many men fell. It might have been a total of 20. They were just too well equipped. Almost as equipped as Roberts infantry. Arrows bounced off of armor, or impacted flesh that wasn't too important.

"Coward!"

I looked to the voice who said that. It was one of the few men in the enemy formation that was on a horse. He had a shield in his left hand and a sword in the other. I couldn't see his face because of the helmet on it.

'What are the odds that is a Lord?' I wondered as I sheathed my sword.

Once again I took my bow off of my chest and grabbed an arrow. I sent it straight at his neck with almost no time to aim. Truth be told, I didn't need to aim anymore.

The arrow flew true, but the man was paying attention and he raised his shield to block it. My arrow sunk into the wood of the shield.

The man beat on his chest with his sword and yelled something unintelligible towards me. He was obviously taunting me, and I didn't take to it very well.

"Oh yeah?" I muttered as I drew another arrow.

I fired it towards his neck again, although this time I didn't wait to see what happened. I drew another arrow, aimed a bit lower and fired.

The man in plate rose his shield to catch the first arrow, and he did successfully. But what he did not see was the second arrow.

I had aimed the second arrow for his knee, in hopes of getting him somewhere his armor didn't lay. Unfortunately the movement of him raising his shield caused the horse beneath him to move it's head a little bit.

My arrow sunk right through the eye of the horse and into the brain. The horse reared up in pain and shock before it's body realized what was happening and fell backwards.

The horses reaction caused it to fall right onto the taunting lord. I couldn't tell if the man died from his fall or not, as his spearman blocked my view. His plate might have protected him, or it might have crushed him.

That seemed to be a shock from everyone in attendance, including me. I could hear the sounds of men talking, and then some of the infantry broke off to try and help the fallen lord.

Sounds of laughter came from behind me, where my men still sat on their mounts looking at what had just happened. I turned around to smile at them. While I did this, it allowed me to see that Robert had gotten our own infantry into gear and was currently marching in our direction.

The spearman in the front row even shifted a little bit, as some looked behind them to see what the commotion was.

Another volley of arrows fell on to the men from the archers on the hill.

This time, the arrows did a little bit more damage as the ranks of the spearman were unorganized and not paying attention. More men fell to the arrows. It was then that I realized I had all the power. If the spearman in front of me did not move, or charge, then they would slowly be withered down by the arrow fire. Not to mention Robert was marching this direction.

Perhaps that was why the lord had taunted me, because he knew that if we attacked him he would have the advantage. But if I could just wait out a little longer, then it would be a decisive victory, so that's what I would do.

My cavalry and I stood there, staring down the spearman in front of us waiting for them to make a move. The longer we did, I began to realize that the man I had felled was the commander. He had yet to show his face again, and the spearman had yet to move. They were still awaiting orders, but had nobody to give them.

The footsteps of Roberts infantry caused me to look behind me again.

Another volley of arrows rained on the spearman.

"Make way!" I commanded, waving my cavalry away so that the footsoldiers could approach. They obeyed, albeit not as fast as I hoped.

"Petyr!" Robert yelled as he jogged up to me.

"Their commander is down, and now they will not move. What is your orders?" I asked as I tried to explain the situation.

Another volley of arrows felled some of the men.

Robert walked forward, towards the spear man until he was within yelling distance.

"LORD CAFFEREN, LORD FELL, SHOW YOURSELF." Robert yelled and his voice easily carried the remaining distance.

The spearman shuffled a bit and looked around. There was no answer for a while. It was long enough to piss Robert off.

"I SAID SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD!"

"He's dead!"

That surprised me. Who would have thought killing the man's horse would have led to his death? It was not a very glorious one that was for certain. With three arrows, I had rid two houses of their lords.

"HOLD!" Robert yelled as he looked to the hill above us.

I looked in the direction to see Ser Courtney Penrose looking down at the happenings from his place on his horse. He held his hand up to the archers behind him and yelled for them to hold as Robert told him.

"WHAT WILL YOU DO THEN? FIGHT FOR A DEAD MAN? A TRAITOR." Robert asked as he held his arms out wide.

"I AM LORD ROBERT BARATHEON, I AM YOUR LORD. JOIN ME, OR DIE!" Robert yelled.

A part of me wondered how easy it was for Robert to ask that. How could you know that the men you are bringing in wouldn't betray you? How could you trust these spearmen to obey your commands? It was truly astounding what Roberts' voice and conviction could do to those around him. It was hard not to admire the man.

Nevertheless, just as it was with the first men we had defeated that day, it all started with one man lowering his spear.

The others followed suit.

In the end, the last army led by Lord Fell surrendered against our superior force. We had won 3 battles that day, and only had to fight in one short melee.

'Ping!'

Let's just say it was astoundingly successful.

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"Retreat!" I yelled, and Gimli immediately swung wide to turn around and follow my orders.

The entire time, I looked behind me and watched my fellow cavalrymen turn their steeds together. There was not 4 feet between them as they banked as one. It was like some choreographed dance with me at the helm.

It was going great, and the men had yet to bump into one another. The horses were getting used to marching in formation with one another.

For a moment, I thought we would perform the maneuver correctly for the first time. And then, within the last fifty men, a horse stumbled and bumped into another one, causing limbs and men to go flying into the air.

I ignored it for a moment, and continued to lead Gimli in the same direction. As I continued to look behind, I saw four sections of my cavalry begin to go in slightly different directions.

I brought the horn on my side to my lips and blew a relatively short command into it. It was the same command I had been using for this particular maneuver.

Gimli swung around, and the men following me did as well. The other three groups turned in a different direction, but all four of us were converging on what would be a target one day. My group would attack the charging army who was no doubt looking to rout us after they heard a retreat, while the other four groups would hit different sections of the routing army.

By that time, they wouldn't be in rank and susceptible to a counter attack.

The Mongols had conquered nearly all of Asia and some of Europe with this technique, and there was no way I would let it go to waste. The only thing I was missing was their famous horse archers. I would make do with knights in full plate.

'One day maybe.' I thought as I brought the horn to my lips again.

Three consecutive deep sounds from my horn caused the cavalry around me to disperse. We were done for the day.

'Commander Skills'

'Commander Skills:

Unrelenting Charge! (Elite.)

Troops under your command charge headstrong into battle giving them 10% strength and 10% stamina! Cavalry troops receive 20% strength, 20% Stamina!

This City is Mine!

While attacking a city, troops under your command will fight with unrivaled bravery. Troop attack increased by 7%! Cavalry attack increased by 10%! Defenders receive -5% morale. The city walls will be 5% weaker.

Skillful Maneuver!

Troops under your command receive a 5% increase in mobility. Cavalry units receive an additional 5%!

Locked***

Locked***'

"Meet back here tomorrow, we will continue to drill until we leave again!" I called out to the men as they began to leave.

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'Ser Ben 'Red' Rivers:

Companion Lvl 95

Ben respects you more than any other man he knows. He believes you are a good lord and will obey you no matter the cost.

Commander Talents (Advanced) - Infantry, Peacekeeping, Defense

Shield of the Gods (Advanced) (Active)

For 20 seconds, any troops under Ben's command receive 10% more stamina and defense. Infantry troops receive 12%

Commander of Men! (Passive)

Infantry units under Ben deal 5% more damage to oathbreakers, and barbarians.

Locked***

Locked***

Locked***'

"Ben!" I called out.

My friend turned at the sound of his name. He had grown up in the last year. For starters, he had taken to wearing his hair like I did, close on the sides and only slightly longer on the top. Not only that, but he had begun to keep a closely trimmed blonde beard on his face. Women were beginning to notice him, especially now that he was filling out as well.

Although it was hard to get noticed standing beside Robert Baratheon, the man who was making maidens swoon all around Westeros. If Rhaegar attracted women on how pretty and thoughtful he was, Robert attracted them based on how manly and handsome he was. They were two different extremes of men.

After reading Ben's commander skills, I couldn't help but look towards Roberts. It had been unlocked after the Battle of Summerhall.

'Robert Baratheon: Lord of Storm's End.

Companion Lvl 88

Robert thinks of you as a good friend, a great fighter, and an excellent commander. He trusts you.

Commander Talents (Legendary) - Leadership, Conquering, Skill.

Feel My Hammer! (Active)

As soon as Robert enters battle, he deals 2000 skill damage to the enemy. All types of troops under his command deal 20% more damage for the next 20 seconds.

A Kings Voice! (Passive)

All troops under Robert receive a 20% boost to morale.

Fuck the Targaryens! (Passive)

While attacking a city, Roberts forces receive 15% more health, 15% more stamina, and will fight till the death.

Join Me, Or Die!

After every battle, 10% of wounded troops under this commander will find their wounds disappear within the next five days.

Expertise! Feel My Hammer! (Active)

As soon as Robert enters battle, he deals 2000 skill damage to the enemy. All types of troops under his command deal 20% more damage for the next 20 seconds.'

Every time I saw Roberts Commander Talents it took everything I had not to stare in awe. He had the very first skill that did 'Skill Damage' that I had ever seen, and he was a 'Legendary Commander', which apparently meant that he had all of his Commander Skills maxed.

Ben only had two of his skills unlocked, and was considered an advanced Commander while I was an Elite Commander and had 3 skills unlocked. I arguably had accomplished more deeds than him, how the fuck was he more advanced than me?

My eyes sought the 'Lord of Storm's End' title, and I had a sneaking suspicion that was the reason for his rapid development. After all, he had 20,000 men under his command, while I only had roughly 2000. Maybe the higher numbers led to higher rewards? Definitely something to look into.

"Lord Baelish!" Ben said seriously.

I swung a fist towards his face. Ben, expecting such an attack, ducked the blow with a laugh. He knew better than to call me by that.

"Petyr, I mean." He said with a grin. "Have you come looking for a spar now that we are back at Storm's End?" The man asked. He knew me so well.

I shot him a grin before responding. "Of course, what else are you good for?" I asked, completely straight faced.

"I'll be joining you then!" Robert yelled across the hall, as he was obviously eavesdropping on our conversation.

Ben and I could only groan at the prospect of sparring with the beast.

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A/N: Boom!

End of chapter!