Daeron rode at full speed, his heart beating as fast as the horse's hooves, and sweat ran down his face. Beside him, Jacks struggled to keep up with him and Mark hung limply, his blood-soaked clothes making Daeron shudder. The village walls appeared ahead, they were greeted by Ser Leo, his eyes widened with concern when he saw the amount of blood on Mark's clothes.
— By all the gods, what happened? exclaimed Ser Leo, his voice full of alarm. Other guards approached to see the situation.
"There is no time!" Daeron could barely control the tremor in his voice as he leapt from the horse.
He helped Jacks down to Mark, who was already turning pale.
Ser Leo and the soldiers moved closer to support Mark's weight.
— Take him to the Maester, quickly! — Ser Leo ordered.
As two soldiers took Mark to the fortress, Ser Lymond approached on horseback and surrounded by knights.
Ser Lymond looked perplexed, but not surprised. What made him feel like something was wrong was Daeron's scared expression and him being on Gwayne's horse, he knew immediately that the situation was serious. Daeron ran up to him, almost tripping in his haste.
— Gwayne needs help, sir! — he said, catching his breath. — we have to go now! He is in danger, he will be surrounded by the Sarsfield knights!
Ser Lymond's expression hardened and his face turned grim.
— Where is he? — asked Ser Lymond, his voice firm and resolute.
— To the south, not far from the entrance to the lake...
Ser Lymond tightened his hold on his horse's reins, his jaw clenched with a rage he could barely contain.
— Knights! With me! — he shouted, raising his sword. The knights shouted in response, "For Vikary!"
Daeron saw Ser Hoot descending the stairs and mounting a horse.
— Organize the defense, Ser Leo. said Lymond, then turned to Ser Patrick.
— We don't have time, I'll go ahead with the knights and you lead the men on the ground.
Ser Patrick nodded.
— I'll come along, sir! said Ser Hoot. — I know where their camp is.
Lymond accepted and turned the horse towards the road.
Daeron threw himself back onto his horse, the image of Gwayne, surrounded and fighting alone, was unbearable to him.
"Please be well," he galloped after Ser Lymond and his knights.
Meanwhile, Lord Wyli begged for his life and cried at Gwayne's feet.
He heard riders running on the opposite side of where he waited, Gwayne had hoped his grandfather would arrive first, but so be it. He thought.
— Get up, fat man! — Gwayne shouted, lifting himself up and turning him towards the sound, placing a dagger at his neck.
Soon the knights appeared and began to circle around him, cursing him and pointing their swords.
Gwayne laughed.
— Let go now! — said a beardless boy.
Gwayne made a small cut on Lord Wyli's neck, causing blood to flow.
— Kill him now! said Lord Wyli.
The knights looked at each other, two of them got out and Gwayne turned the fat man in their direction.
— One more step and I'll cut his jugular!
They stopped.
Then, the sound of thousands of hooves hitting the ground began.
Gwayne laughed.
"They're all going to die," he whispered in Lord Wyli's ear.
The knights returned to their horses, drawing their swords, and it wasn't long before Ser Lymond fell upon them.
Upon seeing the number of knights, some tried to fight but most tried to flee, none of them managed.
As the fight cooled down, with only the sounds of clashing swords, Ser Lymond got off his horse and walked over to Gwayne, who threw Lord Wyli to his feet.
— I hand you Lord Sarsfield, sir.
said Gwayne.
Ser Lymond was enraged by his grandson's attitude.
— Look what you did, Gwayne!
Lord Wyli was whimpering on the floor.
Daeron got off his horse and hugged Gwayne.
— I did it for Gerard and Mary! By Every!
— I thought of everything, made no mistakes. — he said.
"I was so worried," Daeron whispered.
They will disappear on the journey to Casterly, with no bodies to be found.
— And those who have already arrived in Casterly, Gwayne? exclaimed Ser Lymond.
— We are at war and they certainly know your master better than we do, they will think that he decided to stay with us for a while longer.
—The Lannisters?
— They're at war, the Sarsfield army will be there and they won't notice the lack of this guy's presence, they don't need the fat man, they need his men. — Gwayne approached and kicked him in the stomach.
— Why did you bring your little daughter, Lord Sarsfield? — asked Gwayne, with interest.
He didn't respond.
Gwayne laughed and scratched his head with his dagger.
— Last chance Lord Wyli, next time I will cut off your nose. — he said, eloquently.
Lord Wyli shuddered when he heard this.
— I intended to offer her hand to Martyn Lannister... — he stammered. — son of Kevan...
— I know whose son he is. — Gwayne bent down and whispered in his ear. "where's Every?" Lord Wyli looked at him in fright and Gwayne laughed.
Ser Patrick had just arrived with the army.
— Let's put an end to this! — exclaimed Gwayne, as he mounted his horse. — let's massacre his men!
Ser Lymond noticed that he had no choice but to participate in his grandson's plan, he was enraged but he also noticed that Lord Wulf taught him very well, he could not deny feeling a little proud, after all his grandson was meant to be... While his grandson shouted orders and stirred men's hearts, Ser Lymond found himself remembering Gwayne's birth, the happiness on Jeanne's face when she saw the baby she gave birth to, he grew up and became a beautiful and healthy child, everyone was attracted to him. to the light of Gwayne, a child easy to laughter and even more so to fury... I should have known then, he was destined for great things and who could say otherwise?
Everyone adored him and even those who were indifferent to him were attracted to Gwayne's light and eloquence.
A time long ago, I think he was on his seventh name day when he was dragged everywhere by Jeanne, to be displayed as the new pride of the family.
Gwayne seemed to enjoy the trips, she took him to Fair Island to meet the Farmans, and also the Cliftons, a knightly house sworn to the Farman house, it was a short trip, then she took him to Sea Lion, the seat of the Rotherlys of his mother, then Marbrand, Westerling, Crackenhall, Brax and Lannisport... Finally, to the Rock, but that only happened three years later, Jeanne wanted to introduce him to her old friend, the Queen.
Jeanne and Ryam discussed the matter during these three years of waiting, it was long enough to affect Gwayne, I was against all of this, but she had already made up her mind.
Then, the day came when King Robert would announce his coming to the Rock for a great tournament, and with him, his queen.
Jeanne went against Ryam's wishes, but he accompanied her, my daughter was loved by many and had many acquaintances in many places, including the Rock. She did not want her son to be hidden because of past quarrels, she had been Cersei's lady-in-waiting when they were still young, so Jeanne hoped to see her friend again and introduce her son to the Queen of the kingdom.
When they returned, Jeanne and Gwayne seemed happy... but not Ryam, their love seemed to have faded during the trip, after that, they stopped sleeping in the same room, they maintained a friendly relationship despite everything, they didn't want This would affect his son, but it was useless.
I realize now, a few months later they died, and the second great sadness in Gwayne's life arrived.
Ser Lymond mounted his horse and raised his sword.
— You heard! Kill them all! exclaimed Ser Lymond.
The men roared in response.
Gwayne nodded to his grandfather but got no response.
Ser Hoot approached them and informed them of the location of the camp.
Ser Lymond sighed and his face turned grim.
"Those bastards"
Gwayne put on his helmet again and went forward, trampling on Lord Sarsfield's legs.
Ser Lymond looked at the fat man shouting and then at some knights standing around.
— Take him to the castle...
— Sir, he has to come along. said Gwayne. — this ends today!
Then he sent some men back to the castle and fetched the dogs.
— Why the dogs? asked Ser Lymond.
Gwayne smiled fiercely and pointed his sword at Lord Wyli.
They surrounded the camp an hour later, Ser Lymond used Lord Sarsfield to make his men drop their weapons, and then ordered the archers to attack.
The shouting that followed was frightening, the knights advanced after a hail of arrows from the archers.
Gwayne advanced with them, it didn't take long for them to finish, men were agonizing on the ground and were finished off by dismounted soldiers.
Gwayne dismounted and sat on a rock, death surrounding him.
He removed his helmet at last and had Lord Sarsfield brought before him.
Two men dragged him by the arms and threw him in front of Gwayne.
Ser Lymond and the knights approached to see what would happen.
— She's in Sarsfield! The girl is in my castle! shouted Lord Wyli. — leave me alive and I will have her brought back...
The men laughed.
Ser Lymond looked at Gwayne after hearing about the girl, but his face was stern.
— bring the dogs! shouted Gwayne.
Lord Wyli shuddered and the dogs were positioned around him, with men holding them back.
— I will give you gold! Lots of gold!
— let go!
A second later the dogs were on top of him, a large spotted dog stuck to his face, tearing off his nose and parts of his cheek.
The men were unsettled by the horror of the attack.
"Pull" said Gwayne.
The men brought the dogs back and Lord Sarsfield was dying on the floor.
— Tie his limbs with ropes! said Gwayne.
The men looked at each other and then at Ser Lymond.
— Do as he says. he said, then walked away into the trees.
The men tied ropes to their legs and arms.
— Now tie them to the horses. — said Gwayne, approaching.
They did and walked away.
Daeron looked away.
Lord Wyli gave one last shout before the horses began to walk.
Gwayne hit one of the horses with his sword, making it move forward quickly and taking one of its arms with it.
He laughed.
The other horses were frightened and did the same, and what was left of Lord Sarsfield fell to the ground.
Gwayne sat on the rock again and watched the destruction around him as the men retreated back to the road.
"Now your trial is over," whispered Gwayne.
Daeron felt a strong compassion for his friend when he saw him in the middle of that desolation, he sat down next to him.
Ser Lymond turned and walked away to the road with the men.
— Shall we go? asked Daeron.
After a long silence, he spoke.
— You need to go, Daeron. — Gwayne stood up and stopped in front of Lord Sarsfield's body. — go with my grandfather.
- But...
Daeron kissed him on the cheek and left looking back, when he reached the trees he looked one last time and he was still there, standing still.
Daeron went out onto the road and met Ser Lymond on horseback.
— Where is he? asked Ser Lymond.
— He didn't turn...
Ser Lymond took a few steps towards him with his horse, but gave up and returned with his horse, galloping ahead of the men and leading the march towards the village.
Daeron was the last to pass through the village gate, turning his horse and looking into the darkness of the road.
— Don't worry about him, Gwayne knows how to take care of himself. said Ser Hoot, as he approached with his horse.
— I know... Still...
— I understand, but there's nothing we can do. said Ser Hoot, as he walked away.
Ser Leo began to close the gate and Daeron climbed the village wall to continue looking at the road.
After three hours he gave up and went home.
...
Gwayne awoke in the middle of what the old men called "the hour of the wolf," the darkest time of the night, when the cold and fear intensify. He opened his eyes slowly, but didn't find Daeron beside him.
Then, he noticed that the wind was shaking the tent violently and fear rose in his heart. Thunder rumbled like the roar of colossal beasts, while lightning ripped across the sky and rain fell heavily.
Gwayne came out scared.
Everything around was plunged into darkness, but the sky lit up the world in a red hue, contrasting with the black clouds that covered the sky.
"Is anyone here?" he shouted.
But his voice was overshadowed by the roar of the storm, there was no response, only the silence of an abandoned battlefield, he saw corpses scattered everywhere and winged creatures flying in the sky. In the distance, a black mountain glowed, its surface streaked with fire and smoke, as if hell itself was trying to escape.
Then he saw her.
The girl appeared, standing on the edge of a cliff, looking into the emptiness of the ocean.
He walked over, before he could say anything, she turned to him.
The wind made her torn dress fly in the air, her eyes purple and desperate.
"You have to bring me back, please save me" she whimpered, her voice almost swallowed by the howl of the storm.
"What is your name?" Gwayne asked.
He approached her, extending his hand, wanting to bring her to safety.
But the closer he got, the more she backed away, until her feet were dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.
"Please..." He begged, stretching his hand out further.
"Aerea..." she whispered, tears streaming down her pale face. Then, in a last act of complacency, she stepped back and disappeared into the darkness.
He felt the world stop.
Without thinking, he ran to the edge and threw himself into the abyss, the wind whistled in his ear as he fell, his hand outstretched in the hope of reaching her, at the last second, his fingers touched hers, but it was too late, Aerea hit the black waters with a violent crash and disappeared into the depths. Gwayne crashed into the waters shortly after her, emerging above the surface seconds later.
Gwayne dived in right away, trying desperately to find her,
but there was no sign of her in the darkness below, and when he unsuccessfully returned to the surface, despair rose within her.
"Aerea!" he shouted.
He dove again after her, going as deep as he could, but it was no use.
Then, when he returned to the surface he looked up at the top of the cliff.
Up above, a shadowy figure was watching him. It had the form of a man, but... It was as if it were made of living shadows, its eyes... A sickly yellow... The creature's gaze seemed to pierce Gwayne's soul, he felt a deep terror that froze his blood .
Gwayne knew he was faced with something beyond the comprehension of men, something ancient and powerful.
"So that's what she was getting away from, he was after me this whole time" he thought.
The figure exuded an aura of evil, a power that threatened to devour him from the inside out.
He tried to swim away, but a wave exploded on top of him, dragging him into the depths of the sea, darkness completely engulfing him as his body sank without resistance.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw Aerea next to him, floating in the darkness, lying next to her, looking straight at him, her face was now untouched by any wounds... Her face was calm, almost serene. Gwayne reached out to touch her face, he felt a strange calm beside her.
"I will save you!" he promised in thoughts. They both closed their eyes, surrendering to the darkness that enveloped them.
After a brief moment, Gwayne realized that he hadn't drowned so far, then, he woke up in shock.
"For seven... Aerea..." He thought, then looked around.
Looking back, he saw something big...
"Oh, lovely Gwayne... You woke up too early" said a sweet voice, but what was it... Gwayne felt terror and fascination at the same time.
It looked like a monstrous elk, but... Where the animal's head should have been, there was a female trunk, and where hands should have been coming out of it, there were horns and underneath, a face... "Go back to sleep, little man" said the thing, with a terribly sweet voice...
Gwayne woke up the next morning, and immediately looked around to see what had happened.
"What was that..." Gwayne noticed the sun high in the sky, shining as if darkness had never existed in this place.
Gwayne then looked at the corpses, Lord Sarsfield's body was not in the same place, it was piled up, forming a morbid sculpture and in most of the trees around the clearing, there was a body impaled on the branches.
"That thing did it" he finally understood and laughed.
"How am I going to explain this to them..."
Gwayne mounted his horse and returned to the village, Ser Leo looked at him in surprise.
He didn't understand and continued to the castle, where he found Cerella in the fireplace room eating breakfast with Ser Lymond.
Gwayne entered the room with blood-damp hair and red-stained armor.
— By the seven hells, Gwayne. — she gave an astonished look. — what happened, are you okay? — she said, getting up and going to him.
— I am... — he said, with a strange smile. — I just need a shower.
— What happened while I was gone? — she asked the two of them.
— Problems have been resolved... — he said, leaving.
When he was about to leave, his grandfather spoke.
— We need to talk, Gwayne.
So, he left.
Gwayne asked one of the soldiers to help him take off his armor, then he showered and put on decent clothes.
He ordered his armor to be cleaned again, and returned to the room.
Ser Lymond then spoke.
— We urgently need to talk about the Lannister call. — He said looking at Cerella.
Gwayne joins Ser Jaime's ranks, and Daeron can go along if he wishes. — he said looking at him.
"Septa Lorren and Ser Belvedere will look after you, Cerella," Ser Lymond said bluntly. — we are obliged by our honor to go... And you, by your duty, must go to the beautiful island.
— I'll leave later, I have to clean up some messes in the forest... — he said looking at Gwayne — I'll take care of recruitment and improve what I can improve on the defense, then I'll join Lord Tywin's army.
Cerella sat down.
"I know that Lady Stark was a Tully before her marriage," she said, distraught. — It will be two against one...
— Cyre, everything is going to be okay. — said Gwayne, sitting next to her. — I will have thirty thousand men at my side, we will defeat each other without a doubt.
Then he got up and went to Ser Lymond.
— If we both die, what will become of her? — he whispered.
Ser Lymond sat in the armchair and his face was in amazement.
— You have to stay grandfather, take care of the defense of this place and I'll deal with the northerners.
— This is crazy, Gwayne. — said Cerella, hugging him. - No! No!
— One of us must stay... I'm young, I was raised for war, that's what's expected of me — Gwayne got up and went to his grandfather, putting his hand on his shoulder.
— The Lord proved his courage in Pyke, leave it to me this time.