Game of Thrones: I Created the Magic Web

Chapter 153: The Fleet Approaches

That night.

Storm's End was brightly lit by bonfires, and no one slept.

Servants checked the granary's reserves of grain, salt, and fresh water, calculating how long they would last.

The barracks rooms inside the walls were empty, the beds cold, as the soldiers tensely made their final preparations, going to the armory to collect weapons, armor, and siege equipment.

The ravenry of the Citadel was mostly empty, but the maester was still tying messages to the legs of the few remaining ravens and releasing them.

The great hall was deserted.

Acting castellan Ser Cortnay Penrose personally ascended the walls, arranging defenses and urging the soldiers to action.

All this was because:

The fleet was coming!

Ser Cortnay Penrose had issued the alert: the fleet from King's Landing was moving out in force, intending to ravage the coast, and Storm's End was in the direct path!

It was information that was hard not to doubt.

The fleet from King's Landing wasn't focused on defending the Blackwater Rush, but had instead sailed so far to harass the coast?

But on closer thought, nothing was impossible, especially during war. Besides, it was Ser Cortnay Penrose's order, and no one thought the serious and upright knight would lie.

And so, to protect the castle, and also their own lives.

The soldiers worked very hard.

Crossbow bolts, stones, pitch, and wildfire were transported in batches to the vicinity of the battlements.

Squads of guards dispersed to every gate and passage in the castle, ensuring that the gates were tightly closed, the drawbridge raised, the chains and winches strong, and the dry moat was full of iron spikes.

There was a cave under the cliff face on the seaward side of the castle, and this waterway was not forgotten by the guards.

The waterway went deep under Storm's End, but an iron gate was lowered from the rock wall at the top of the waterway straight into the cold, dark water, blocking half of the passage.

And before the iron gate, the top of the cave was covered in a dense array of murder holes. If anyone dared to enter the cave without permission, the soldiers above the murder holes would give them a lesson with crossbow bolts, stones, and hot oil—their last lesson.

Many older veterans couldn't help but sigh with emotion. The last time Storm's End had made such serious defensive preparations was during the siege of Storm's End in the War of the Usurper.

At that time, the land outside the city was occupied by Lord Mace Tyrell's Reach army, and the sea was occupied by Redwyne's fleet from the Arbor. Stannis, who was besieged in the city, had even fewer troops than he did now.

And what was the result?

Ha!

Storm's End held out for more than a year, and remained safe and sound!

If King Robert hadn't overthrown the Mad King, and Mace Tyrell had surrendered to Lord Eddard, who had come to the rescue with his army, Storm's End would have continued to hold out for who knows how many more years!

Of course, provided there was no shortage of food and drink.

At this time, welcome news came from the granary: the city's food and wine were enough to support the current three thousand people for two years.

The smarter soldiers began to think that they might be besieged by the fleet for quite a long time.

Storm's End's reputation for being indestructible was well-known, and Lord Renly naturally understood this even more clearly and had even more confidence in the fortress.

King's Landing had no fleet, what a good opportunity.

Would His Majesty choose to go north and take the undefended King's Landing, or lure the fleet to land and wipe out this enemy?

After all, Storm's End could at least hold out for two years.

Even against a large fleet.

The busy soldiers occasionally looked up into the distance. The sea was in complete darkness, with no light, and only the sound of the waves kept stirring the silence.

The fleet was coming.

When would they arrive?

Cortnay Penrose couldn't be completely certain either.

Perhaps during the day, perhaps in the dead of night. In short, after accounting for the necessary voyage, the fleet could appear at any time.

The second letter from Rain House said exactly that.

The letter stated:

Rain House was safe.

Although the King's Landing fleet had successfully approached quietly, the means they took were truly unworthy of such a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.

The fleet first created lights and noises, attempting to scare the castle's defenders.

It did have some effect at first, but the earl's loyalty to King Renly overwhelmed his fear. He firmly rejected the enemy's invitation to surrender and ordered the soldiers to prepare to defend the city.

The first letter was written at this time.

After that, the fleet, having failed to persuade them to surrender, first tried to throw stones and shoot arrows from the sea, but it was even weaker than an infant's punch.

Rain House was unscathed.

The enemy troops on the fleet then began a landing operation, launching attacks from the three landward gates.

Fortunately, a thousand soldiers who had been preparing to go north to reinforce had already gathered in the city, and the armaments were also sufficient. They repelled four enemy attacks one after another.

After that, the fleet abandoned Rain House and retreated back to the sea.

The last scene Rain House saw was the fleet splitting into three groups, one heading south, one heading west, and the one with the brightest flags sailing into the channel leading to Storm's End. The false king Joffrey was suspected to be on this last fleet.

A simple summary would be:

Rain House was safe, the fleet was attacking everywhere, and one of the routes was attacking Storm's End.

Cortnay Penrose really didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried about this news from this letter.

On the bright side, the so-called strange lights and sounds didn't have much effect, and the strength of the King's Landing fleet hadn't increased much. They couldn't even take Rain House.

And the false king had actually foolishly dispersed his forces, making the fleet, which was already not good at siege warfare, even weaker.

It seemed that Joffrey didn't bring one or two smart and outspoken courtiers with him this time. No, perhaps he did, but they didn't have the ability to make this king listen obediently.

Thinking of Prince Joffrey in his impression, Cortnay Penrose didn't doubt the extent of his recklessness at all. Besides Cersei and Lord Tywin, who could persuade Joffrey?

Of course.

Even so, it didn't mean that the places the King's Landing fleet went would remain calm and peaceful, unscathed or unharmed.

Nor did it mean that Storm's End could continue to rest peacefully without taking precautions.

Even if the fleet had fewer soldiers, they still had more than the thousand guards in the city. If they were negligent and underestimated the enemy, and allowed Storm's End, which had never fallen, to be breached by this enemy.

Cortnay Penrose firmly believed that he would not be able to rest in peace even after his death.

With this in mind, he carefully and meticulously arranged Storm's End's defenses, treating the approaching enemy as an army of 100,000 and the enemy general as Lord Tywin Lannister.

He had to be able to resist such a strong enemy.

That way, no matter how many accidents occurred, Storm's End wouldn't be breached, right?

At this time.

The defenses on the walls and in various parts of the city had been completed, most of the soldiers had returned to the barracks to rest, the patrolling soldiers were in high spirits, and the watchtower lights were bright.

Looking at all this, Cortnay Penrose was full of confidence, and his drowsiness disappeared.

So he stood silently on the city wall, staring at the darkness outside the city. He couldn't see anything, but it seemed as if he could see swords and shadows, blood and fire, and approaching warships.

Finally.

When the sky was slightly bright.

Long, hazy shadows rippled inadvertently on the gray sea, gradually increasing in number and becoming wider and wider.

One ship shadow after another.

The sentry on the watchtower rang the bronze bell and blew the horn, waking up the sleeping people.

The bell and horn sounds formed a song of war, and the air suddenly became intense and heavy, occasionally mixed with a few shouts from companions. Everyone immediately understood.

The fleet was coming.

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