NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56: ' Red Tones '
POV: Maege Mormont;
Allied camp, Bear Island.
About an hour after a song was sung...
"So maester Louis, the casualty report?" Maege asked the maester to serve his family for over twelve years.
"My Lady, thirteen of our soldiers have will be in no condition to fight, two of them permanently...
Twenty-six others have sustained medium or minor wounds. If necessary, they will be able to take the field. All were treated urgently. Thanks to the seven Tallhart home healers and the medical supplies they have provided, I estimate that we will not suffer any losses due to infection or other complications." Maester Louis.
"Well...
Let all the wounded rest safely inside the caves, they may be discharged." Maege.
"My Lady, although we have won a great victory I do not think we should..." Maester Louis' advice was interrupted.
"Thank you for your hard work, maester. That will be all for the moment.
In a few hours, House Mormont will need your services again, please remain available." The maester was taken aback for a moment, Lady Mormont had always listened intently to whatever advice the man gave her, this was the first time in twelve years that he had been sidelined in such way.
"Yes, my Lady..." Louis bowed and prepared to leave the tent.
Maege was also slightly injured, she had suffered a cut on her hand and one on her shoulder. The island's castellan and her protector, she had fought on the front line with her warriors.
Armed only with her faithful spiked mace, the 'Bear' of House Mormont had single-handedly crushed sixteen squids. She had bitten through the jugular of one of them. She could still taste the putrid, vile blood in her mouth.
She could still feel the adrenaline and exhilaration coursing through her veins, the veteran of over thirty battles and a hundred fights, she had never witnessed anything like it.
The battle that took place less than three hours ago was certainly the most epic and glorious one she had ever participated in.
The victory was practically certain before the fight began.
Now Maege was certain, the allies had already won and repelled this invasion. After witnessing the strategies and modus operandi of that 'Bloodthirsty Squid Demon', she had no doubts about the fate of Denys Drumm and his men.
''Those Tallharts are monsters....
Strategy, coordination, and martial skill...if they had 10,000 of those units, there wouldn't be an army in Westeros or Essos that could defeat them in the field.' Maege thought about every moment of the battle.
Maege estimated that the entire Mormont forces could never beat Bloody Snow and his 350 elite men. Even if reinforcements had not arrived, Maege was now convinced that they could have prevailed on their own.
Denys Drumm had just lost over a third of his forces and the allies had at least 9/10 of their militia still ready to take the field.
Maege's gaze lifted from the map on the table to catch sight of the individual who had just entered. Her daughter Dacey had just entered.
"Mother, may I speak with you for a moment?....
NO!...Emm...Lady Mormont, may I request an audience with you?" Said the girl with a tired and embarrassed look, correcting her words on the spot.
"...Go ahead, Dacey.
You may address me as 'Mother'.
Ted told me how you performed in the field.
I am proud of you, my daughter. You fought bravely for your House and the North." Said Maege with a look of pride but still keeping a serious face.
"Thank you, my lady...NO!
I mean mother! Thank you, mother! " Dacey.
"Calm your mind, Dacey. Take a deep breath first and then speak." Said Maege seeing her daughter's agitated and worried state. The leader of House Mormont knew it was nothing urgent. If something had happened her men would have informed her.
"Yes, Mother!...Phew..." Dacey took a few seconds and only spoke after she saw her mother nod.
"Here...I wanted to ask you...emm..." Dacey blushed and froze not knowing how to continue.
"Dacey...we're still in the middle of a war.
I don't have time to waste." Maege.
"...I wanted to ask you...
How...How do ladies get guys to like them?..." Dacey almost whispered the last words and her face turned beet-colored.
"...I think I heard that wrong, Dacey. Say it again, please.
Speak like a true Mormont and make your words audible." Maege.
"...I LIKE A BOY!
...I want...I wish I knew how I could make him mine!" Said Dacey making a herculean effort to admit those words.
"...Dacey...I don't think I need to tell you again that..."
"He is of noble birth and from the North!" Cut Dacey short.
This time, it was 'Mama Bear's turn to keep a cool head, a clear mind, and to breathe deeply.
Maege took a moment making a simple logical reasoning level [1+1=2] then closed her eyes and thought to herself:
'...Seraphine...thank you! Thank you for answering my prayers!
You protected my House, my people, and gave wisdom to my Dacey!
Thank you!
I swear, every day for the rest of my days, I will pay tribute to you! '
End POV.
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POV: Vice-Commander William;
Allied Camp, Bear Island.
As a mother explained to her daughter the laws of nature between a male Bear and a female Bear...
William stood beside his general as they surveyed the battlefield with over 1,800 ironborn corpses on the ground. The field looked like it was painted brick-red, due to thousands of gallons of blood mixed in.
Before the flames dispersed, the Allied army had impaled a hundred heads on pikes visibly highlighting those of the three captains.
"That was a beautiful song, General." William.
"When you address me with matters of 'non-military' concern, you may do so by simply calling me Duncan, William.
Anyway, thank you.
And most of all, thank you my friend for protecting Lady Dacey.
Without your help, I would not have been able to give my all in the field.
' Said Duncan turning a friendly smile on his companion.
"You're welcome, General! It was an honor for me...
Yes, my lord... Yes, Duncan." William corrected himself and then continued.
"General, there is no need for you to expose yourself so much.
We can easily win even with the forces we have left and your uncle, General Leobald, should be arriving soon...I don't think..."
"The need is there, William.
It's not Northern blood I want to see flowing on this island." Bloody Snow.
The screech of an eagle in the sky interrupted the conversation between the two Northern warriors.
"The time has come, Vice-Commander.
Let us send the messenger."
End POV.
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POV: Vice-Admiral of the Fleet.
Less than a mile from Bear Island Harbor.
About five minutes after an eagle managed to deliver a message.
Meldred 'Seven Fingers', Vice Admiral of the Iron Fleet, captain of the 'Maelstrom', was an ironman to the core, serving House Drumm for over forty years.
He was called 'seven-fingered' because he had lost three of them during multiple ax-wielding contests in the Iron Islands' most famous game, 'The Fingers Dance'.
Although he had lost a little finger, half a ring finger on one hand and the tip of his index finger on the other, Meldred was still the undefeated champion of the game.
No one could wield more than seven axes at once, only Meldred.
He was not only good at 'playing' with an ax, but also at using it. Hundreds had fallen under his blade and he was also one of the best navigation experts in Old Wyk.
Meldred was hand-picked by Lord Dustan Drumm himself and tasked with training his two sons, Denys and Donnel, to be true ironmen.
The Vice-Admiral was not only a master of arms for Denys but also a second father.
Denys had been at his master's side on numerous raids.
When Denys was appointed Fleet Admiral, he didn't think twice about appointing him as his second-in-command.
Meldred would have done anything to never let his 'protégé' down. He would have gladly given his life if it meant bringing glory and honor to the boy's shoulders.
He thought him a worthy commander worth dying for.
"VICE ADMIRAL! SHIPS IN SIGHT ON THE HORIZON!" Shouted Maelstrom's best lookout.
"HOW MANY AND WHAT KIND? WHAT BANNERS DO THEY CARRY?" Retorted Meldred without panic. The man, like Denys, suspected that the Mormont-Tallhart forces were attempting a naval attack.
"FOUR GALLEYS, FIVE CARACAS, AND THREE MERCHANT SHIPS, ADMIRAL! BEARS AND THREE PINES ON THEIR SAILS!!! THEY'RE AN HOUR'S SAIL FROM US... LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE TURNING TO CHANGE DIRECTION!" He described the lookout in detail.
Could it be a way to divide the forces?...No...it wouldn't make sense.
Do they think they can escape us? We have the wind at our back in less than two hours we could take them...
...Denys's target could be on those ships...' Meldred thought carefully about what decision was the best one to make.
After another minute, finally, Vice Admiral made a decision and turned to the boatswain.
'Signal the fleet that we are going after them.
I want twenty longships in pursuit.
Have Captain Wexat remain on port watch with the remaining ten." Meldred ordered.
"Yes, Vice Admiral." Boatswain.
"MEN! LET US TEACH THESE PEASANTS WHY THE IRON FLEET IS UNRIVALLED AT SEA!" Meldred.
"UUUUARRRRGHHH!!!" Forty-eight members of the crew roared in unison.
About an hour and a half later...
'Why are they turning?...Do they want to surrender and try all-out melee?
...no it's not that...' Just as the instinct of a hundred battles roared and alerted the Vice-Admiral, the lookout thundered.
"VICE ADMIRAL!!! EIGHT MORE GALLEYS ON THE HORIZON! ...BANNERS TALLHART AND GLOVER..." The lookout.
'Eight? Glover's house? They couldn't have sent reinforcements at such short notice.
We can still make it. It's going to be a hard fight.' Meldred.
"Vice Admiral! Behind us! Enemy ships behind us and on both flanks!!!" Said the boatswain with a worried face.
"WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Meldred blurted out with genuine disbelief.
'No, it can't be!
Even if they had time to call in reinforcements so quickly, they'd have no way of getting around us!!!
The sun is overcast!!! You can't see the coastline from here! HOW WOULD THEY GET THEIR BEARINGS?!' A sledgehammer of contradictions mercilessly struck the skull of the 55-year-old who had lived two-thirds of his life on the salt-water.
Despite everything, the Vice-Admiral managed to keep control and asked his boatswain:
"How many? How many Elligh Ships?!"
"...Captain Dexos reports the presence of eighteen Northern galleys and one flagship...The flagship's sails are purple and gold, Captain..." The boatswain said in a surrendered tone. He too had realized that the twenty longships in that fleet were about to be claimed by the Drowned God...
'Purple and gold...
House Lannister?! '
End POV.
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POV: Petty Officer Watt;
Bear Island Harbor.
About two hours after a valiant Vice-Admiral attempted one last heroic resistance...
Watt ran with all the strength he could muster in his legs.
He had been running non-stop for an hour and had just witnessed a naval battle about eight miles from the harbor.
Watt and his four companions, who had been tasked by Admiral Denys to check that nothing abnormal was happening to the Fleet's longships, had managed to catch a glimpse of the entire course of events over the last two hours, some 200 feet up on a slope of the island. Watt, himself, had climbed a forty-foot-high rock to get a better view and understand what was going on.
Although he could only see dots... the number of those dots and the smoke rising from their ships could only mean one thing...
He had to warn their last forces that a serious threat was about to present itself to the port.
"HEY, YOU!!! Anf ! Anf! Who...Anf
WHO'S IN COMMAND OF THOSE TEN SHIPS?" Roared Watt tried every way he could to find the breath he needed to communicate.
"Huh?...Captain Wexat.
What are you yelling about? I'm less than three feet from you and as you can see I have both ears." Replied one of the ironmen keeping watch, along with about fifty other men, over the 82 empty longships of the Iron Fleet.
"FAST! WE MUST WARN WEXAT NOT TO LET THOSE SIXTEEN LONGSHIPS IN THAT ARE HEADING HERE!!!" Watt.
"And why would I notify the Captain to stop Vice Admiral Meldred from entering the harbor?" The man asked showing a smirk and expression that roared a message [ If you want to commit suicide, do it yourself, you idiot].
"THEY ARE NOT ALLIED SHIPS!!! I WATCHED THE ENTIRE BATTLE FROM THAT PROMONTORY OVER THERE!!!
MELDRED HAS BEEN DEFEATED!
THOSE WHO ARE ENTERING ARE ENEMIES! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, IDIOT? !!!!" The sailor was stunned for a moment by this slap in the face, then thought about it for a moment and replied:
"That's not possible, no one could defeat Weldred 'Seven Fingers' at sea..." Screams in the distance stopped the man's words.
Bright red and orange flames began to spread across more than one ship of the remaining Iron Fleet forces.
End POV.
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POV: Maester Louis.
Midway between the Allied and enemy camps, Bear Island.
About twenty minutes before an attack on the harbor began...
This is a bad idea...
Why did Lady Mormont send me?!
I was the one who gave birth to her daughter Dacey and her other two daughters...Why, why send me?!' The poor man who had barely turned fifty years of age though in terror.
His Lady and that Bloody Snow, had forced him to be the emissary of the allied camp and to go and propose a deal to that bloodthirsty madman Denys Drumm...
Though Louis was escorted by a Mormont man and another Tallhart, and all three were under the white banner, Louis could do nothing but tremble like a scared little girl at the cowardly and thankless task that fell to him.
He had even pleaded in tears before his Lady begging her to send someone else, but Lady Mormont was immovable on her choice.
In her opinion, only a man as skilled in the art of speech and diplomacy as he was, could carry out this task in total safety.
'Security my ass!!! The Iron Islands is the kingdom that most disregards the treaty of non-violence against the order of the Masters!!! Only maesters who are 'too open-minded and not very keen on the council's guidelines' are sent to those barren islands forgotten by the gods!!!'
Louis was right, it was only about a hundred years ago that the Iron Islands had begun to treat the order of Masters with a modicum of respect. Even Balon considered their order ''useful'', but that didn't change the fact that more Maesters died in that realm than in all the remaining six combined...
Oldtown ' turned a blind eye ' to several and numerous 'incidents'...
Few knew that the citadel, mainly used those Isles to get rid, in a 'clean and justified' manner, of maesters who were inconvenient or not so loyal to the order.
'That Lady Mormont knows?...No it is not possible!
I have always been very careful!
The greatest taboo of the order would not be revealed so easily....
'No, Lady Mormont cannot know about the quarterly reports...there is no evidence...I have always carefully burned every lead. ' Maester Louis tried to regain his composure by breathing deeply. The three men continued to walk carefully over the burnt ground.
Louis noticed a hundred burnt and charred bodies.
They were the bodies of the Ironborn who had been pushed into the flames by the allies during the battle.
Captain Ted and Assistant Commander William, stopped.
"Why are we stopping?" Louis asked, erasing his gloomy thoughts for a moment.
"Orders from the General and Lady Mormont, Maester Louis.
You will proceed alone from here on." William said as Ted nodded as a gesture of confirmation.
"But...But I cannot go alone! They..." Louis was interrupted.
"Don't worry maester. Just look over there. See that white flag over there? Even the enemy has agreed to receive you.
Even if they had hostile intentions, Captain Ted and I would have no way of escorting you safely back to our camp.
Having us by your side or not would matter.
Don't worry Maester, even ironmen wouldn't kill a messenger of peace. They are still human beings." William explained calmly.
Louis did not know how to respond to this logical explanation. He did not agree with the last part at all, but he could not justify his objections.
For a moment he thought of going back and shouting at Lady Mormont that he was the only competent healer in the field!
But reason brought him back down to earth.
It was not true that Master Louis was indispensable.
At least three chainless healers from those damned Tallharts were superior to him in many areas and healing treatments.
The first healer's skills and knowledge were amazing, Louis had never seen such treatments. No one in the citadel had ever taught him or even hinted at them.
This was one piece of information he would surely take back to the Old City as soon as he returned to his study.
"The entire North is counting on you, Maester.
Thank you for your service." William.
"Thank you, maester. I wish you a profitable and safe negotiation." Ted.
Louis had no choice but to accept his bitter fate.
It wasn't a death sentence, of course, but the risk was still high. Especially when he knew 'what his message contained'.
The maester, after staring for a moment at his dark-red blood-stained feet, looked up at the enemy camp just over three hundred feet away and resumed his slow walk.