The scorching sun hung high overhead, heatwaves rolling across the land. An endless stream of soldiers converged upon Starfall, winding across the terrain like countless ants returning to their nest.
Above the towering fortress, a falcon circled for a while before finally spreading its wings to the west, sweeping over the barren desert and jagged hills before diving toward the coastal docks.
Inside a wooden hut, Samwell opened his eyes and rubbed his aching temples before stepping outside.
Just as he opened the door, he found Natalie standing nearby, nervously watching the falcon perched on the roof with both curiosity and trepidation.
"Hey!" Samwell's sudden voice made Natalie jump.
She spun around, her large eyes narrowing in irritation. "You startled me!"
Samwell chuckled. "What are you sneaking around for?"
Natalie glanced back at the falcon on the rooftop and, after a moment's hesitation, said quietly,
"So…you've got a bird too?"
Samwell smothered a laugh. "Sure do."
"Guess what? I've got a secret," she continued, edging closer, whispering conspiratorially, "I have a bird too."
Samwell tried not to laugh. "Is that so? You've got a bird?"
"Yes," Natalie nodded, serious. "But mine's smaller than yours."
Samwell couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Natalie asked, confused. "Want to see my bird?"
"Oh, I'd love to!" Samwell laughed even harder.
Natalie pouted, growing annoyed. "Fine then, you don't get to see it!"
Samwell straightened, gave her hair a good tousle, then dashed away before she could protest.
A few supply ships were docking at the pier.
"Ucha!" Samwell called to a young wildling just disembarking. "Come here."
Ucha jogged over and bowed. "Lord Caesar, what do you need?"
"I've been away for days now. How are things back at Eagle's Point?"
"Everything's good. My brother-in-law is leading people to rebuild the huts, and he says the settlement should be restored within a month."
"And the castle?"
"Master Vido is handling repairs on that end, though I don't know the details."
Samwell nodded, not pressing him further. "And our food supply?"
"We have enough. We stored quite a lot earlier, and my brother-in-law has already sent people to Sunhouse to get another shipment."
"Have any messages arrived, or has anyone visited?"
"No, nothing of the sort."
"Alright, carry on."
"Yes, my lord."
Watching Ucha leave, Samwell sighed.
The reinforcements he so hoped for had yet to arrive, leaving him feeling uneasy. Meanwhile, the Dornish forces were amassing, and Samwell could now see banners from houses beyond House Dayne, showing that Arianne had managed to muster far more troops than he'd anticipated.
Although they hadn't attacked yet, Samwell sensed it wouldn't be long. If the Reach didn't send reinforcements, he knew he couldn't hold the docks.
Not only that—if he lost here, Eagle's Point would fall as well.
Arianne Martell, the ambitious woman, would not relent easily.
The fiery tactics he'd used against Ulrick Sand certainly wouldn't work again; all his brandy reserves were already depleted. And that kind of attack had clear drawbacks. It had worked so well last time because the enemy had been caught off guard, but that wouldn't happen again.
Unless he could get his hands on real wildfire.
But according to Maester Qyburn, crafting true wildfire took not only a huge amount of time but was also incredibly costly.
No wonder, in the original story, only the royal family could afford to manufacture it in any substantial quantity.
"Lord Caesar! Lord Caesar!" A voice snapped Samwell from his thoughts.
"What's going on?" Samwell recognized the speaker as Hal, a new squire under Todd's service.
Hal caught his breath as he reached Samwell. "Sir Todd sent me to tell you that the Dornish vanguard has arrived. They could attack any time."
Samwell's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly followed Hal to the front lines.
Reaching the first defensive line along the ridgeline, Samwell looked down through the wooden barricade.
Sure enough, a contingent of Dornish soldiers had gathered on the plain below—about six or seven hundred of them.
This was likely just the vanguard, as Samwell could see more troops arriving from the direction of Starfall in the distance.
It seemed the Dornish were indeed preparing for a full-scale assault.
Thanks to his falcon, Samwell already knew that a massive force had gathered at Starfall, so this didn't surprise him. From what he could estimate, the Dornish army likely numbered close to fifteen or sixteen thousand.
It wasn't unexpected, given the long-standing enmity between Dorne and the Reach. And here he was, a Reach knight with his forces on Dornish soil—no wonder the fiercely proud Dornish had erupted in response.
Yet even with that in mind, he hadn't expected Princess Arianne's rallying power to be quite so immense.
Knowing the story as he did, Samwell knew Prince Doran actually had other plans for Arianne. But the Dornish lords had no way of knowing this; to them, Arianne was still Prince Doran's heir and their future queen.
But nearly twenty thousand men…all to seize a dock? This was clearly more than just a desire to hold onto a bit of coastline.
That insane woman must have designs on the Reach itself!
Samwell's head pounded as he looked down at the growing ranks of Dornish soldiers. He only had six hundred men in total—and most of them were newly trained.
It was a relief he'd claimed the high ground and set up defenses when he did; otherwise, he'd already be fleeing by boat.
Even with the advantage of terrain, the situation was dire. His men weren't Spartans; they couldn't hold off a hundred times their number.
So, he held out hope for reinforcements from the Reach. If they didn't come in time, he'd have to retreat, unwilling though he was.
If it came to that, he doubted he'd have a face to show upon returning, likely to be little more than a dog under House Tyrell's command. And in that case, Samwell thought he might be better off fleeing across the Narrow Sea to Daenerys.
The Dornish didn't launch an immediate assault; instead, they were patiently waiting for their full force to assemble.
By late afternoon, nearly twenty thousand Dornish troops covered the plain, stretching as far as the eye could see in an overwhelming mass of soldiers.
It looked like Arianne was intentionally showing her entire strength to shake the Reach forces' morale.
But this show of force had little effect.
After their recent string of miraculous victories, the men of Eagle's Point had developed a nearly blind faith in Samwell. To them, there was no foe their lord couldn't vanquish.
What they didn't know was that their "invincible Lord Caesar" was just as worried.
Still, to keep morale high, Samwell kept a calm, confident facade.
"Just a bunch of farmers barely off the plow," he muttered, gesturing at the Dornish forces below. He was about to hurl a taunt to boost his men's spirits, but a deep horn blast interrupted him.
In the golden light of the setting sun, he saw a small Dornish detachment of about four or five hundred soldiers detach from the main force and advance toward the Reach's defensive line.
The front line of the Dornish held up large oak shields, followed by spearmen and swordsmen, with archers bringing up the rear.
Uniform in leather armor and marching in disciplined ranks, these were clearly seasoned soldiers.
Samwell swallowed his half-formed taunt. The word "farmers" no longer seemed fitting.
Taking a steadying breath, he pushed his concerns aside and, with a calm and measured voice, issued his command:
"Sound the horns! Prepare to meet them!"
(End of Chapter)