Hail to the Stag Kings

Chapter 17: Battle of Riverrun (Part 3)

—The Riverlands—

Outskirts near Riverrun...

Tight rows of loyalist infantry were forming on the frontlines with fresh cannons being primed, officers staring through Myrish spy glasses to gauge the length and angle of the aim. Behind them, in the tree line, cavalry soldiers astride huge Clydesdales were waiting for the order to charge and cut down the rebel forces.

"Incoming!" yelled a militia.

"Watch that crossfire, boys!"

"Take out those cannons!"

Mortar fire continued bombarding the fields, scattering nearby rebel foot soldiers as the Lannister forces pressed inwards. Another cannon fire landed close to Gawain's position.

"WHOA!" Kay exclaimed. "That was a little closer than I'd like!"

"Which is why you are staying out of the way," Gawain said as he reached into the coat of his uniform and took out a round object wrapped in a piece of cloth, placing it in the hands of the private.

Kay glanced at the object and then at his captain. "But ser, it is too early for it!" he stammered.

"First rule of war, lad: learn to adapt. Keep your eyes on me and wait for my signal." Gawain unsheathed Nightfall and waited for the next sound of cannon fire from the side of the loyalists before looking back at his men. "CHARGE!" He shouted as he and the men under his command surged forward like a tidal wave, while Kay remained where he was, holding the object he had been given with great care.

During the early weeks of the war, Gawain and his battalion had earned a reputation among the infantry corps for being hard fighters, some called them brave, and others called them reckless. Loyalist sharpshooters lined up and aimed their weapons, "DROP!" Gawain shouted as he and his men fell to the ground, as a volley of bullets were shot, most of his men had avoided the shots, but a few had dropped too late and would never rise again.

Gawain and his men launched back to their feet and with a roar, they ran straight into the lines of the loyalist soldiers who had been rapidly reloading their weapons. With swords, knives, and hatchets they hacked and slashed at the men who earlier they had called their comrades.

Gawain, seeing a loyalist standing over one of his men, ready to plunge a bayonet into his chest, immediately pulled out his musket pistol and squeezed the trigger, igniting the black powder and causing it to fire; the lead ball tore through the loyalist's neck and the man dropped his rifle as he tried to stifle the blood spurting through his neck while simultaneously choking on his blood.

From a distance, Kay and Gawain's other men observed the ongoing battle between Loreon Lannister and the Stark brothers Rodrik and Brandon. Indeed, Samson's warning about him carries weight. Not only was he easily fending them off, but also dispatched any rebels that tried to ambush him.

One casualty became five, then ten, then fifteen... All without breaking a sweat before refocusing his attention on the Starks.

"Do not engage Colonel Loreon," one of Gawain's men warned. "Stick to the plan!"

"We're getting massacred out here!"

"Stick to cover!"

Kay, meanwhile, kept his eyes focused on Gawain, who was fighting in the center of the battlefield, his heart pounding like a mustering drum. His eyes were sharp, so often he had been used as a lookout. The Stormlands commoner admired the captain. When he had first been conscripted into the Royal Army, forced to leave the farm he had known his entire life to fight in a war he did not fully understand, he had been certain he was going to die. However, the Seven had been kind and he had been assigned to Gawain's unit, the captain had looked out for him, and showed him the basics of artillery. He was like the older brother that Kay had never had. So, when Gawain had told all of them of the plan to defect, Kay had been one of the first to agree.