Hail to the Stag Kings

Chapter 8: Battle of Riverrun (Part 1)

—At Riverrun—

Two days later...

It was barely nighttime deep within the heart of the Riverlands, but already the landscape had changed drastically with the barrage of musket shots and mortar fire; the sounds of explosions and shouts were deafening. The first wave of House Lannister's army had arrived earlier than expected and had camped themselves on the highest hill a few meters out, armed with infantry soldiers, artillery, cavalry, and heavy weapons, including cannons and mortars. Samson, Petyr, and Daemon were running as fast as their legs could carry them through the battlefield since their horses had been shot from underneath them. Tully militiamen and Royal Army defectors scrambled all over the place to avoid getting hit—though some were too late.

"Gods dammit! Where did they come from?!" Petyr hollered.

Balls of lead whizzed past their heads so fast.

"How did the Lannisters get here so fast?!" Daemon shouted.

"Don't let up! Keep pushing ahead!" Samson replied. "Put your heads down! And watch that damn cover fire!"

Both Petyr and Daemon huffed and panted, trying to maintain their composure as they ran in the middle of the war zone. However, as this was Daemon's first time, his adrenaline levels shifted into overdrive. He had some initial training from the Red Keep's Master-at-Arms but had no combat experience under his belt as most of his family had. The young Prince was terrified.

"There it is! Off in the distance!" Petyr pointed.

What seemed like a couple of hundred yards away past the first checkpoint laid the castle of Riverrun, ancestral seat of House Tully and regional capital of the Riverlands sitting along the river road at the confluence of the Tumblestone and Red Fork rivers. Even as an ancient fortress, Riverrun was a strong three-sided castle, even though it was nowhere near the size of the Red Keep. In times of danger, the sluice gates can be opened to fill a wide moat and leave the castle surrounded on all three sides by water, turning Riverrun into an island and leaving it practically unassailable and commands a view of many leagues—meaning getting to it will be difficult and many stationed atop the battlements would see them coming from miles away on all sides.

Before the trio could progress any further, armed Tully guards pointing their muskets at them stopped them in their tracks.

"Stop right there!" shouted one of them.

"Identify yourself!" exclaimed another.

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Daemon tried to defuse the situation. "It's okay. We're friendly. We mean you no harm."

"They're not wearing the standard Lannister uniforms—"

"We've had six Lannister spies already try to infiltrate Riverrun and assassinate the Colonel! I know little about you," the agitated guard pointed his weapon at the Prince's face, "but there's no way in Seven Hells I'm taking a gods damned chance!"

"Damn it, lad! Put the gun down!" exclaimed Petyr.

"YOU WANT SOME TOO?! YOU WANT SOME TOO?!"

Samson intervened. "ENOUGH!" his voice echoed a loud, commanding boom. All guards flinched. "I'm General Samson, commander of the rebel army and Master of War to Prince Daemon Baratheon. Now put. Your guns. Down."

The Tully guards were clearly intimidated, unsure what to believe until a Royal Army defector approached.

"G-General Samson? The General Samson the Tenacious?" he asked.