court of lies | robert's rebellion

ptiv | the kingswood

281 AC, Kingswood

They had a reason.

Ulmer was like a son to Fletcher Dick, both lived at Stonehelm, under the care of House Swann. Knew nothing but hunger and pain and bruised pride, looked down, made fun of, and got humiliated by the lords who were sworn to protect them. Fletcher had to teach himself how to use an arrow so he could hunt, so he could feed their village and with time, he took Ulmer under his wings, and taught him how to fetch for himself as well. And when the time came, they ran away from the Marchers and sought refuge at Kingswood, only to be getting mocked once more.

They did have a reason

Big Belly Ben, unlike his company, was not a Marcher but a Westerlander. Lived at the Ocean Road once upon a time, under the command of House Crakehall. Until the lord claimed the right of the first night when his sister got married to one of his men and his supposed liege lord offer him gold in order to keep his mouth shut. Tywin Lannister was the Hand of the King, his impeccable reputation was far more important than the rape of the sister of nobody. So he took the gold, he killed his sister's husband who basically sold her, and both ran away to Kingswood. She could not handle the journey, the illness and the dangers of the Kingsroad were too much for her, but he survived, buried her, mourn her, and reborn with the urge of revenge.

He did have a reason.

Oswyn Longneck aka the Thrice-Hanged, was a Marcher as well. Unlike his friends, he was not nobody but a man at the service of House Caron. He had a brain inside his head and a talent for mathematics and geometry. He had helped his lord to build the safest bridge in the whole known world and then got hanged as a traitor by the chief builder who wanted to take the glory for himself. He survived, used physics to keep his neck from getting broken and he had a friend or two that helped him off of the rope. The second time happened when he sought refuge at Horn Hill, from Lord Tarly, but the man blamed him for witchcraft and his end was the same. And finally, he found his way to Kingswood, only to get this punishment once more by the Hand of the King, declaring that he was laying about both prideful lords.

He did have a reason.

Wenda of House Cafferen, or other words Wenda the White Fawn, has lost her everything only recently due to the schemes of House Hightower. Her brother was murdered by the whore he married and her sister soon after and with the few strings the so-called 'honourable' pulled, it was not Doratien's bastard son, he did not possed a legitimate one but still was his father's heir, who inherit the Fawntown but their uncle who hated all three of them and sent Wenda away. In a way, it was her siblings who messed up with the Hightowers and then lost but still, she blamed them. She was a high-born lady and now a vigilante, because of them.

She did have a reason, in a way.

Those who did not have a reason were their so-called leader and his right-hand man.

Simon Toyne was a man who came from the lines of not watered-down imbeciles. His great uncle was one of the most honourable men in the realm, a kingsguard, then decided it was a good idea to sleep with the headmistress of the Unworthy, got butchered, and then his two brothers -one being his great great grandfather, this time decided it was a good idea to kill the kind and instead, they killed his only brother, the Dragonknight instead.

Their house fell because of one man could not control his cock and the others did not possess a brain Simon blamed the Targaryens, Simon blamed the Dornish for the king was under more stress because of the failed Dorne conquest. Once a glorious castle was just Simon and a few men in the end and after the humiliation he got from the silver prince two years ago and the scolding from his so-called liege lord, he decided to make them pay.

His reason was not valid.

And then there was his friend. Arthur, who chose this name as some kind of prayer, a promise, was also known as the Smiling Knight.

The deadliest amongst them.

The cruellest amongst them.

The maddest amongst them.

Nobody knew his back story, nobody knew why he was there, nobody knew why he was after revenge. They only knew that even though it was Simon who was leading them, it was Arthur, who was their actual mastermind and that he was obsessed with his namesake, Arthur Dayne and wanted the kingsguard to come to play.

"Alright, alright!", Simon stood up on one of the woods with a cup of ale in his hands and a smile on his lips. "Then let us drink to us!", he declared. "Not to shitty Gods who care only themselves or to the petty king that sits on the throne but to us!", the smallfolk cherished. "Us that pays for their food and ale, not them! Us that share our richness with you, not them!", the cheers got louder and louder. "Us that does not look at your daughters with dirty eyes, not them!", people were basically roaring, while the nobles were celebrating Aerys' 19th year on the throne. "And soon enough, we will have more, soon enough we will liberate all of our brothers and sisters that were overlooked throughout the kingdoms!", he made a move with his hand and silenced the people around him. "Soon enough, we will have the princess in here and I'll steal a kiss from her as you all steal her gold -gold that she never earned, gold that she never worked for. They all shit it at the end of the day and yet they are too proud to give us what we deserve!", this time, not many people cheered though it went unnoticed.

Not everyone was happy that they were planning to attack the princess's entourage and kidnap her for ransom, still, nobody betrayed them and alert the kingsguard.

Let the tragedy happen.