(Game of Thrones) The Weirwood Wolf

(24) War in the Kingswood

( POV Loras Tyrell )

The War in the Kingswood should have been an easy victory. We don't know the exact numbers of enemies but there can't be more than ten thousand, and we where fifteen thousand. The men of the Reach under the command of myself and Dickon Tarly and the Westerlands men under the command of Ser Addam Marband.

Tarly was representing the Reach, Marband the West and I was to represent the Crown as a member of the Kingsguard. Our forces where mainly heavy foot with tower shields and long spears, the specialty of the Westerlands aswell as mounted Reach knights. While in a  field battle our knights would destroy these rebels in only one charge they are easy pickings for enemy archers in the woods. The heavy foot faired better than the knights during the past few weeks.

But the light armoured Rivermen where in there element here. We haven't had any true battles only a series of skirmishes, quick battles where the Stormlands own heavy infantry would attack from the front while the Riverlands light cavalry archers would fire from the back, by the time our lines are formed the retreat is sounded and the enemy is on the run. When our cavalry gives chase we are lead on a wild goose chase only to be hit yet again by the Riverlands horse archers.

So far in the past few weeks we'd suffered three thousand deaths and two thousand wounded in these numerous skirmishes with the Blackfish and his men. But the battle that we lost the most men wasn't even lead by the Blackfish. No that battle was lead by some minor Stormlord with dreams of grandeur. Ulfric Stormcloak.

Once from a powerful house, in the age of Kings his family ruled as the Kings of the Kingswood. Even before the Andals came to Westeros the Firstmen Stormcloaks ruled. It was the Storm King Beric Durrandon that finely subdued the powerful house and even then it was said that for every Stormcloak that fell in the Kingswood ten of the Storm Kings men died to traps or the so called Sons of the Storm. 

Well Ser Osmund Kettleback learned how effective these 'Stormcloaks' could be in there own forrest. There is only about five hundred of these Stormcloaks or 'Sons of the Storm' as they call themselves, and they are lightly armoured with no plate only leather and mail. But everyone of them grew up in the Kingswood, they know the land better than any of us ever will and they fight with the ferocity of someone protecting there home.

All the Stormcloaks had similar armour with there leather then mail then a piece of blue cloth that wrapped around their torso. They also wield a simple wooden circle shield with the white roaring bear on a blue field proudly displayed. They all have a crude melee weapon, either a short sword, spiked mace or an axe. But what makes them so dangerous is their knowledge of the environment and their ability with a bow. Everyone of them has a longbow strapped to there back and our heavy knights without the ability to charge are just giant targets for them to shoot at.

The battle was last week a few days after Margery's wedding to the King when the battle happened. I wasn't leading this one, I was fighting on the other side of the Kingswood the battle was led by Ser Osmund Kettleback another Kingsguard. We outnumbered them three to one, with our three thousand men we should have destroyed them. And in the beginning we where.

The Lannister heavy infantry began to overwhelm the Stormsland troops and they hadn't enough horse archers to effectively harass the cavalry, it was looking to be the best success we had in weeks until the horn was sounded. Every arrow these Stormcloaks loosed a knight fell.

I've been told that Ser Osmund got as many knights prepared for a charge as he could, Dickon Tarly amongst them and he charged into the tree line with hundreds of heavy knights following him. But the Kings of the Kingswood where famous for their traps and this Ulfric was no different. As Ser Osmund neared the Stormcloaks the trap was sprung and several trees fell on top of the charging Knights.