The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 453: Seizing Maidenpool (Seeking Subscriptions)

(Apologies, the update is late again!)

*

The next morning, Sansa opened her eyes to find a handmaiden standing before her bed.

"Who are you?"

"My lady, I am Bellamy Darcey, a handmaiden from House Westerling. Master Reynard instructed me to attend to you."

"Bellamy Darcey, I am a handmaiden myself, and I don't need a handmaiden to serve me," Sansa said, getting up. Bellamy Darcey hurried to bring her clothes and busied herself tidying the bed, but Sansa firmly refused.

Bellamy Darcey was at a loss!

"Are you General Reynard's handmaiden?"

"Yes, my lady. Please allow me to serve you, or General Reynard will scold me."

"Go and call General Reynard in. I have something to say to him." Sansa folded the high-quality silk dress that Bellamy Darcey had brought, put on her own handmaiden's coarse cloth clothes, combed her hair, and refused Bellamy Darcey's service.

"My lady, General Reynard went to train in horsemanship, archery, and swordsmanship early this morning."

Sansa looked out the window. The sky was just beginning to brighten, with a faint glow in the east, but the sun had not yet risen.

"General Reynard went to train so early?"

In Winterfell, only the soldiers of the House would train so early, and even then, only during their recruit period.

"Yes, every day. The General hopes his swordsmanship, horsemanship, spear skills, and archery will be the best, or he will be laughed at by the generals of the Clegane army."

Sansa nodded slightly. Reynard had a strong desire to improve himself; she had noticed that last night.

"House Westerling is very wealthy. So much military pay was delivered yesterday!"

Bellamy Darcey opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped herself.

Sansa realized that the money might not have come from House Westerling. If not, where did it come from?

There was a convoluted story here!

But Sansa didn't intend to continue asking. In the Red Keep of King's Landing, Sansa had learned many things. A handmaiden betraying her mistress's secrets was disloyal. If there were no other changes, General Reynard would be her husband. Although she hadn't been able to marry a prince, Reynard was, by all accounts, more pleasing than the other noble youths she had met.

If she wanted to know the secret of that military pay, Sansa decided that asking Reynard herself was the most appropriate course of action!

Reynard was honest, which wasn't a good thing. He would die quickly in the Red Keep of King's Landing. But if he was honest with his own people and maintained sufficient vigilance against enemies, that would be very good.

Sansa needed time to understand Reynard Westerling. She hoped she could help her husband, and if she couldn't change things, Sansa decided to accept it!

As a lady carefully cultivated by House Stark, Sansa had transformed from a pure and innocent girl into a reader of hearts. Even when singing hymns, she could clearly see the dark side of people.

Sansa and the handmaiden Bellamy walked out of the room together.

Clegane New Village was very well built, with symmetrical village houses, each household with the same layout, looking neat and orderly.

"Bellamy Darcey, has the Mountain left?"

"Yes, my lady. The Mountain led the light cavalry and his guard away from Clegane Keep before dawn."

Sansa thought the Mountain was taking a bit of a risk. He had only recently killed Tywin, and entering the Riverlands again risked his murder of Tywin being exposed. His light cavalry plus his guard was only about five hundred soldiers.

If things were revealed, five hundred soldiers could not stop the nearly ten thousand Westerlands troops loyal to Tywin, let alone the twenty thousand troops of House Tyrell and the Crownlands.

Although the Mountain had set off in the middle of the night, made a long-distance raid, and then quietly returned late at night to cover his tracks, killing Tywin's hundred-man guard might have left some traces or witnesses. The Hand's decree summoning the Mountain of the Westerlands to participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Brotherhood Without Banners, Sansa thought, might not be simple.

Littlefinger Tyrion Lannister was no simple dwarf; he was very clever. Although he wasn't malicious, the Mountain had assassinated his father, and this kind of hatred was beyond the scope of kindness to resolve.

Of course, what Sansa considered might not happen at all. The Mountain's murder of Tywin had no witnesses; the Mountain had done it perfectly.

Since the Mountain had left, she was now Reynard Westerling's handmaiden.

"Bellamy Darcey, what does General Reynard like to drink during his training breaks?"

"He likes to drink plain boiled water."

"No honey?"

"No, nothing at all."

"Oh, I see. You take the boiled water, I'll take the honey, and we'll go to the training grounds."

"Yes, my lady."

"Don't call me 'my lady'."

"Yes, Sansa!"

*

A cavalry unit was moving slowly but surely along the River Road.

The River Road started at Casterly Rock, the capital of the Westerlands, and ended at the Inn at the Crossroads on the Trident River.

It was a long road of a thousand miles.

The Mountain's Red Smoke Beast could rush and sprint, but the light cavalry's warhorses were far inferior and couldn't keep up with the Mountain's speed.

Behind the cavalry, horse soldiers led warhorses with empty saddles.

One cavalryman, two horses, for easy switching!

"My lord, aren't our numbers a bit too small?" Captain Alyn looked back at the formation.

"What are you worried about, Captain?"

"The Riverlands nobles won't allow us to freely search for the Brotherhood Without Banners on the Riverlands plains," Alyn said.

"Randyll Tarly's twenty thousand troops are enough to easily contain all the Riverlands armies. If the Riverlands nobles fight each other individually, they will be defeated one by one by Randyll Tarly. If they gather together to fight, they will be wiped out by Randyll Tarly in one fell swoop," the Mountain said.

"But our strength is still too small. If an internal legion wants to harm us, we can easily fall into a passive position."

"You're worried the Hand's decree is a trap?"

"Yes, my lord. We defeated Duke Tywin's Westerlands army in the siege of King's Landing, killing many Westerlands nobles. And the Hand is Littlefinger, who is a Lannister."

The Mountain smiled: "Not bad, Captain, your suggestion makes a lot of sense, so the place we're really going this time is somewhere else."

Alyn was stunned: "My lord already knows the Hand's decree is a trap?"

"The Hand's decree is not a trap, but compared to chasing down a small army of hundreds of people on a thousand-mile plain, we actually have more important things to do."

"What is it?"

"A happy occasion!"

*

Randyll Tarly, a famous general of the Reach, led twenty thousand allied troops from the Westerlands, the Crownlands, and the Reach, first defeating three thousand Northmen troops at Duskendale, killing Lord Robert Glover and Earl Herman Tyrell, with only two hundred Northmen soldiers escaping.

Roose Bolton perfectly 'sold out' all the troops that the Young Wolf had given him. Although the 'foolproof' Red Wedding he had planned at the Twins had a 'fool', it did not affect the fact that the overall strength of the Northmen army had declined from twenty thousand at the time of the expedition to seven thousand. And among these seven thousand, there were also his three thousand five hundred soldiers who had been recruited by Eddard Stark. The troops that truly belonged to Stark were only three thousand five hundred cavalrymen.

Randyll Tarly led his troops north, and the towns and villages of the Riverlands surrendered along the way, including Maidenpool, the easternmost coastal town in the Riverlands.

Between Maidenpool and Duskendale was a territory belonging to the Mountain: Crackclaw Point.

Randyll Tarly captured Maidenpool without much effort.

Earl William Mooton of Maidenpool was locked by Randyll in a small tower outside the town, with special guards watching him. He forced William Mooton to agree to marry his eldest daughter, Elanor Mooton, to his son Dickon Tarly. Earl Mooton was forced to agree to the marriage, but he was still imprisoned in the small tower, to be released only after Elanor and Dickon were married on the first day of the following year (Aegon's Conquest 300).

Randyll Tarly continued north, and the two hundred Riverlands soldiers guarding Harrenhal fled upon hearing the news, abandoning the castle very simply. Randyll Tarly took Harrenhal, known as a world wonder, without bloodshed, and then took nearby Darry, killing the teenage Lord of Darry, and the Riverlands House Darry was completely destroyed.

Randyll's military power soon covered Earl Harroway's town, the Inn at the Crossroads on the Trident River, and reached the border of the Ruby Ford on the Red Fork.

At this point, all of the Tully family's southeastern territory in the Riverlands was swept away by Randyll Tarly.

All the nobles of the Riverlands were shaken. They swore allegiance to the King in the North, but King Robb of the North currently had less than ten thousand troops after gathering the Frey family and the legions abandoned by Roose Bolton when he fled, and was busy returning to save the North, so he could no longer rescue the Riverlands. Therefore, the lords of the Riverlands who could escape abandoned their homes and fled, and those who could not escape surrendered.

Randyll Tarly used Harrenhal as his base and sent troops to sweep through the major nobles of the Riverlands one by one, unstoppable. During this time, he received the Hand's decree, so he sent the not-fully-recovered Addam Flowers, giving him one thousand Reach soldiers and one thousand Westerlands soldiers, a total of two thousand people, to pursue and suppress the Brotherhood Without Banners along the villages south of the Red Fork.

*

A few days later. Night. Maidenpool.

"Who's there?"

The sentry on the tower outside the town shouted.

On the avenue, in the night, the sound of horses' hooves rang out, and a team of cavalry came. At night, it was not clear what the pattern was on the flag raised by the cavalry.

"Clegane army!" a flag-bearing soldier shouted.

The soldiers were surprised to hear that the Clegane army had arrived and quickly reported to the centurion.

There were not many troops stationed in Maidenpool, three hundred-man companies, all of them Tarly family soldiers.

The three centurions did not dare to neglect and quickly rushed to the avenue entrance outside the town to block the road.

The Mountain, wearing plate armor, rode the Red Smoke Beast at the forefront.

The three centurions had come courageously, but were all frightened at the sight of the Mountain's divine power. The three hundred Tarly family soldiers were all discolored when they saw the Mountain coming like a giant, with the Red Smoke Beast's red eyes shining brightly in the night.

"Lord Mountain, Maidenpool has already been captured by General Randyll Tarly. I don't know why you have come here?"

"I received a secret report that the Brotherhood Without Banners's partisans are hiding in Maidenpool, so I came to investigate," the Mountain shouted.

One of the centurions forced a smile: "My lord, we have been stationed in Maidenpool, and there are no Brotherhood Without Banners partisans in the town."

The Mountain shouted: "Centurion, I think you look very much like a Brotherhood Without Banners partisan, otherwise why would you block our way?"

"...My lord...you're joking..."

The Mountain led his army without stopping slightly. The three hundred soldiers blocking the road in front of him seemed to not exist at all. The Red Smoke Beast approached the three centurions, and suddenly a warhorse went crazy, reared up, knocked the centurion to the ground, and ran diagonally into the nearby woods and escaped.

The other two centurions quickly reined in their horses and made way, and wherever the Mountain went, the three hundred soldiers made way.

The Mountain led his army into Maidenpool.

He saw that the city walls had collapsed, the city gates were shattered, and half of the homes and shops had been burned or looted. The prosperous Maidenpool was a mess.

Maidenpool was a rich place. Not far from the city, there was a very busy small port. The lights were bright at night, and large and small boats lit up, but now, looking down, the port was pitch black. Obviously, it had also been looted by Randyll Tarly's troops, and there were no ships in the port.

The Mountain led his army to Mooton Keep. Tarly soldiers stood at the entrance of the keep, two rows of soldiers, six on each side. They were all horrified when they saw the Mountain leading his army and looked at each other.

"Get out!" the Mountain shouted.

The six soldiers sensibly slipped away.

"Anguy, go and see Miss Elanor Mooton!"

"Yes, my lord."

Anguy dismounted and walked towards the main gate of the keep. A Tarly centurion hurried up to block him: "General Anguy, Miss Elanor Mooton is our young master Dickon Tarly's fiancée..."

Pa!

Anguy struck, a loud slap on the centurion's face, staggering him. The accompanying three hundred Tarly soldiers watched quietly, no one dared to make a noise, and no one dared to step forward to help.

Before the centurion could stand still, Anguy's short knife was already against his throat: "Tell Randyll Tarly, Miss Elanor Mooton and I were engaged first. During the Battle of the Blackwater, I made military contributions, and His Majesty the King personally ennobled me as a Baron and bestowed upon me to marry Miss Elanor Mooton. What is Dickon Tarly?!"

The centurion was speechless and dared not move.

The Mountain shouted: "Tarly's soldiers, Ser Anguy Clegane is the master of Maidenpool, and the fiancé of Miss Elanor Mooton. I am the foster father of Miss Elanor Mooton. Now you know why we entered Maidenpool. Tarly soldiers, all get out of Maidenpool, or be killed!"

Shua!

The four hundred light cavalry immediately leveled the spears in their hands, aiming at Tarly's three hundred infantry. The Mountain's fierce hundred-man guard did not bother to take action. They watched the Tarly soldiers coldly, without moving.

"I will count to one, and those who dare to confront us without retreating will be killed without mercy!" The Mountain shouted sharply.

Without the Mountain speaking again, the Tarly soldiers immediately loosened their formation and quickly turned and retreated.

In a short while, the three hundred Tarly soldiers were gone. The three centurions mounted their horses and rode away, not daring to stay in the slightest.

No one dared to take away their armor, weapons, personal belongings, or marching tents left in the barracks.

"Julie, send a small team to guard the west town intersection; a small team to guard the port road; a small team to guard the south intersection."

"Yes, my lord."

Three cavalry teams rushed out to guard the three intersections.

"Captain Aelin, release the raven and accuse Randyll Tarly to His Majesty the King of using military force to coerce my foster daughter, Anguy's fiancée, Elanor Mooton, into marrying Dickon Tarly. Randyll Tarly must apologize for this matter, otherwise the anger of the Clegane soldiers will be difficult to quell. This is also a humiliation to Gregor Clegane, the Master of War, Warden of the West, and Duke of Dragonstone."

"As you command, my lord!"

*

Anguy and Elanor walked out of the main castle. Elanor hurried forward to greet her foster father, the Mountain.

"Elanor, where is your father, Earl William?"

"They are holding him in the small tower outside the town."

"Take me there."

"Yes, Father."

The Mountain, Anguy, and Elanor arrived at the small tower on the hill not far outside the town. The Tarly soldiers guarding the Earl had already slipped away. Anguy opened the tower door and released Earl William.

"Earl, is Sister Evelyn still there?" The Mountain said.

Elanor Mooton replied, "Father, Sister Evelyn is still taking care of me."

Father?!

Earl William's face twisted.

It wasn't easy to have a daughter, and it was even harder to raise her into a noble lady. These bandits have all taken a fancy to Maidenpool's fertile territory and want to forcibly marry Elanor, but I am powerless. Damn it!

"Elanor, what about the Mooton family's soldiers? Were they all killed?"

"They are locked in the underground dungeon, Father."

"Very good, release them, and then ask Sister Evelyn to preside over your wedding with Ser Anguy."

"When, Father?" Elanor was taken aback.

"Tonight." The Mountain reached out to Earl William and grasped the hand he refused to extend. "Earl William, after tonight, you and I will both have a good daughter and a good son-in-law. From now on, we will stand together against outsiders. The Maidenpool alliance will unite the Claw and Dragonstone, and no longer be bullied by anyone. The Mooton family will finally be able to hold their heads high, and the family knights will wield their swords and compete for glory. You don't need to thank me!"

*

ps: Hope remains, there is still hope. 1 is busy, 2 is a bad state. Seeking. Support, no writing.

Thanks to [Chau534] [Burning Soul] for the reward support, thank you, handshake!