Loki: Storm of Swords

Chapter 86 - Lines Are Met

Sansa darted with Ashfall and Alfheim between the advancing armies, much to the dismay and irritation of Bronn, Jon, and Robb. "She is going to get herself and the baby killed!" Robb declared angrily as he signaled for some of Stark men to follow him. 

"Stay here and I'll go after her," Jon informed his cousin as he swung his horse around, riding after her. Bronn was right behind him, and Robb maintained his position on the ridge over looking the plains. To his left, the men of Bear Island were on their way to intercept the rogue Greyjoy men as they scaled the cliffs near Blackwater Bay. 

"Wait for 'em!" he ordered, and the Stark men watched as the Golden Company continued to come on. Robb looked to where Sansa was galloping with Bronn and Jon close on her heels. He saw the grass moving and figured that it was Alfie as he followed her. When he faced forward again, the Golden Company were charging at full speed. "For the North!" Robb shouted, raising his sword.

"For the North!" his men joined in as the two lines clashed. Robb was still mounted, so it was easy for him to beat down the men below him. It was harder though because their armor was strongly forged, and Robb found himself using more technique and less hacking and slashing. Once, he was almost pulled from the back of his horse, but one of his men stepped in and stabbed the man who tried to get him down. Robb knew the Golden Company were professionals and he had to pay attention if he was to survive this. Stay focused, Robb. You've got a wife and children to return to in the North, he reminded himself. Robb then concentrated on slicing the throat of the man who tried to attack him next. 

Daenerys sat Drogon and watched as her ranks met the ranks of the Golden Company. Her eyes flitted back and forth from them to where Surtur still stood his ground with his giants. She was waiting for them to make their move. Her dragon was getting antsy, and Viserion clearly wanted to get involved as well. Daenerys tilted her head as she tried to catch sight of Jon in the fray. When she saw the flash of red that was Sansa's hair, she quickly saw Jon following behind her. "Go, Viserion. You've clearly chosen your rider," Daenerys told her youngest child. The golden dragon snarled at her mother and took off, heading in their direction. Daenerys leaned forward and watched as men threw themselves at each other, stabbing and wailing in death. Daenerys had always marveled at how her soldiers would obey her every command. This command had been difficult for her to issue; they were a distraction. A lure to keep Surtur busy until her half-brother could return. It broke her heart to watch her Unsullied create a defensive wall against the Golden Company, their shields interlocked and their spears out. Whenever a member of the Golden Company got too close, one of the Unsullied would jab with his spear to either kill him or force him back. Daenerys' eyes shifted a little to see a group of men marching on the city, and she knew she did not have to worry. Her own dear husband, and Thor, God of Thunder, were watching over it and the people inside of it. She knew all they had to do was stall. Suddenly, Daenerys had an inkling and looked back towards Kings Landing. "What the bloody hell?!" she all but shouted. The gates were opening, and the enemy troops were entering it. "What is Tyrion doing?!" Daenerys exclaimed as she urged Drogon to flight. The dragon soon reached the appropriate altitude and flew towards the city, startling the Golden Company as he went by. The Unsullied were used to the dragon flying by them, as they trained regularly with the dragons all circling or flying low around them. As Daenerys approached the city, she saw the enemy troops battling the City Watch in the entrance square. Now, Daenerys knew the City Watch were not the greatest of fighters, but they were not that bad. They were giving ground and letting the intruders walk all over them. Daenerys leaned forward and was about to whisper the command in Drogon's ear, when Thor came flying up from the Red Keep. 

"Don't do it!" he commanded, landing hap-hazardly on Drogon's back.

"And why shouldn't I? Explain why you're letting these men into the city?" Daenerys queried.

"It was Ragna's idea," Thor answered and Daenerys blinked.

"And you and my husband are abandoning our original strategy on the word of a six-year-old?" Daenerys challenged.

"She presented a good scheme," Thor defended, and Daenerys just gave him a look.

"My City Watch is retreating, and how is this supposed to be good?" Daenerys asked.

"Ragna said that the attack on the front gate would be a distraction, while another smaller force attempts to break Tywin Lannister out of the pits beneath the Red Keep. There are secret passages that lead into the pits; and she knows this because she found them. She's certain that Lancel Lannister knows this as well, and means to use Tywin Lannister as a new beacon of rebellion," Thor explained. Daenerys was in awe. Her niece had come up with all this?

"So... opening the gates was a feint?"

"Yes, and if you'll excuse me, I've got to go back down there and kill some bad guys. Because that's what heroes do," Thor said, and he dropped off Drogon's back. 

And he needed to say that why? Daenerys thought as she watched him land in the Square of Baelor. The redhaired warrior, Volstagg, was also waiting for him there. The City Watch split, leaving the remaining enemy soldiers to face the two Asgardians. 

"Are you ready, Volstagg?" Thor asked as he twirled Mjolnir.

"You know me. I just want to eat, and these people are in my way," the voluminous warrior responded. Thor threw Mjolnir and it collided with several men, smashing their heads into oblivion and rendering their bodies inert on the floor. Volstagg swung his great ax about, dismembering several soldiers as they attempted to do battle with him. Thor continued to smash the heads of his opponents, hoping to avoid Ragna's decree of hanging their heads from the ramparts of the city. Volstagg removed a few heads in battle, just so he could say it was already done. 

"Volstagg! Stand back!" Thor bellowed as he rose in the air, Mjolnir overhead. The companion of the God of Thunder bolted out of the immediate vicinity just as Thor brought Mjolnir smashing down on the ground, sending a shockwave of electricity all around. The metal of the soldier's armor acted as a conductor of the lightning. They fell to the ground, moaning in pain and unable to defend themselves. 

"Thor," Volstagg said as he approached his prince, and the young god looked at him. "Some of them are still alive." Thor looked around and beheld the ones that were still breathing and grimaced.

"Kill them quickly, friend Volstagg. I have a feeling Ragna will make an appearance and demand we mount their heads. I'd rather they be dead already," Thor said. Volstagg nodded and drew a knife from his belt. He began his mercy killings just as not Ragna, but Tyrion rode from the palace, followed by the Brotherhood Without Banners. "Friend Tyrion! What news from the palace?" Thor asked.

Tyrion drew his horse to a stop and leaned forward to look around the courtyard as he said, "It is as Ragna predicted. Lancel sent men in for my father. We caught them before they could find him in the Pits. We're adding their heads to the ramparts." Thor saw the bloody bags hanging from the saddles of the Brotherhood, and he winced. "Your friend finishing them off?" Tyrion asked as Volstagg walked around with a bloody dagger.

"Indeed, he is. Please, you may take their heads," Thor informed the dwarf king.

"Thank you. We will," Tyrion responded.