New chapter!
Thanks for all the support!
x The sun slanted west, scattering gold across the calm sea.
A few gulls skimmed the water and broke the shining reflection into pieces.
Samwell had no mind for the beauty of it.
When Todd returned again, he asked, “Still no sign of the missing scouts?” “None.” Todd’s face was grim.
“And the wild men who struck us?” “No clear trail.
They will not face us openly.
They strike and vanish into the trees.
We do not know the ground, and we cannot catch them.” Todd clenched his jaw.
“I mean to take ten men farther out and search.” Samwell said nothing.
Todd mistook the silence.
Anger rose in him.
“My lord, I sent those scouts out.
I must bring them back.
Otherwise—” “I am not stopping you.
I want you to take more men.” Todd’s expression eased a little, but he shook his head.
“Ten is enough.
Any more, and the camp may not be safe.” Samwell smiled faintly.
“That is exactly what I want the wild men to think.” Todd frowned.
“What do you mean?” “You were right.
I underestimated their hostility.
They will not speak with us peacefully, at least not yet.
So first we make them fear us.” For once, Samwell let the steel show in his voice.
“Take every Tyrell soldier out of the camp.
Let the wild men believe the valley is exposed.
When they attack, I will hold them here with my men.
You wait for the right moment, then return and seal them inside the valley.” Todd stared.
For a long moment, he looked as if he could not believe what he had heard.
“My lord, that is a great risk.
We do not even know how many they have.” “If they had the strength to meet us head-on, why have they been skulking and striking from trees?” Todd still hesitated.
“We should learn their numbers first.” “How?” Samwell cut in.
“This is their country.
Our men cannot even catch a shadow of them here.” Todd lowered his eyes.
Samwell’s voice hardened.
“This is our best chance.
Once the tower is raised and the palisade is set, they may not dare come in even if we try to bait them.
Then they can use the mountains against us, striking whenever they please, forcing us to hide in the valley for safety.
If that continues, construction slows, men lose heart, and the whole settlement could die trapped between stone and sea.” He stepped closer.
“We must show weakness now, while it still looks real.
Draw them in.
Hurt them badly enough that they remember us.” Todd weighed the plan in silence.
At last he struck his fist against his chest in a solemn knight’s salute.
“Very well.
If you have such courage and such trust in me, I will not fail you.” He turned and left.
Samwell went to find Gavin, but the boy’s face made him pause.
“What is it?” Gavin lowered his voice.
“My lord, are you not afraid Todd Flowers will leave us to die?” Samwell looked at his young squire for a moment, then smiled.
“Todd is clever.
Clever men do not make stupid choices.
Supplies and food are here.
If he watches us die, can he really lead a hundred unsupplied soldiers safely out of the Red Mountains?
And if he somehow does, will House Tyrell forgive him?” Gavin hesitated, then tried again.
“Even if he dares not abandon us, he might delay.
Let us bleed against the wild men before he returns.
Why not reverse the plan?
Let Todd and his men defend the valley while you lead our men out and return once the fighting begins.” Samwell shook his head.
“My men have never seen a true battlefield.
They are better suited to holding ground behind a defense.
Feigning departure and striking back at the right moment is more complex.
Todd and his veterans are better suited for it.” Gavin looked ready to speak again.
Samwell stopped him.
“Do you know the worst thing on a battlefield?” “What, my lord?” “Division.” His face grew stern.
“Suspicion between men who must fight on the same side.
Whatever stands between Todd and me, against the wild men we are allies.
If I arrange this the way you suggest, Todd will know at once that I do not trust him.
The battle will be weaker before it begins.
Even if we win, only suspicion remains between us afterward.” Gavin lowered his head.
“I understand, my lord.” Samwell’s tone softened.
“Good.
Tell the men there may be an attack tonight.
They eat early and rest early.
No one removes armor.
Weapons stay close.
Listen for the horn.
Then bring me Master Vido.” “Yes.” In truth, Samwell had another reason to trust Todd.
Margaery’s last letter had warned him not to kill recklessly again and added that Todd Flowers would follow his commands from now on.
That line told him Lady Olenna’s attitude had changed.
Before Carter’s death, she may have seen him as a puppet to be controlled.
After he killed to seize command, she seemed willing to give him a chance.
For now, Todd could be trusted.
If Samwell failed to satisfy the Queen of Thorns later, the knight might well step forward again to contest command.
Samwell did not doubt that.
Olenna Tyrell was not soft-hearted.
This battle mattered.
Not only for him, but for his recruits.
For four months, he had spent freely to arm them, fed them meat, and drilled them with his own body beside theirs.
Now came the test.
If they won, the recruits would change.
Samwell would have the first soldiers who were truly his.
If they won…
Gavin returned with Vido, pulling Samwell from his thoughts.
He explained the plan, and they began arranging the defense.
There was no time to build a tower.
No time even to finish a palisade.
Fortunately, the craftsmen had already spent the afternoon raising a low mound of earth and stone inside the valley mouth, using the shape of the ground.
Reinforced and prepared, it would serve as a defensive position.
The entrance itself was narrow, wide enough for only six or seven men abreast.
If Samwell formed his men on the mound, they would hold the higher ground.
Once the plan was set, he ordered Vido to gather stones and round logs and pile them atop the mound.
After the sun vanished beneath the sea, Todd led his men out of the camp.
The craftsmen busied themselves with the defenses.
Samwell and his soldiers lay down early to preserve their strength.
Under the wide, glittering sky, Samwell could not sleep.
The waves struck the rocks below.
In his mind, images from before his crossing into this world rose and faded, though that life now felt impossibly distant.
The night deepened.
It felt as though the dark itself were drawing breath.
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS TheDevotedReader I hope you enjoyed this chapter.