| Southward Bound |
| Summary: | Ser Kamron has to convince several people that he should head southward with Lord Stark's forces after The Trident. |
| Date: | 09/06/2012 (OOC Date) |
| Related Logs: | None. |
| Players: |
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| Somewhere along the banks of the Green Fork of the Trident |
| Almost immediately after the Battle of the Trident, 283 |
The hammer and clash of arms had been replaced by the moans of the wounded and the shouts of commanders gathering in their scattered banners. That, and the rush of rumor.
Kamron Mallister had just seen his second battle, the battle that turned the tide of what was already being called Robert's Rebellion. He had seen great men fall before the lance and sword of his liege lord, and had seen a prince die under the hammer of the man who would be king. And he wanted more.
Even now, he could see Lord Stark's horse being gathered behind the mess that had been the Rebel right wing. The northern cavalry had not fought at all in the battle, and now they were being gathered with purpose.
Kamron looked about the field, finding another knight in the silver and purple of his house, "Ser…" it took his mind a moment to dredge up the sworn sword’s name, "Donnell. Could you inform my father and Lord Mallister that I'm going to see what Lord Stark's men are doing."
The common knight stopped for a moment, as if to question the lordling's intentions, then just nodded, "Of course, Ser Kamron." That sounded like approval, right? Kamron certainly took it as such, turning the head of his horse and goading it in the direction of the Northerners.
The slab-sided grey courser wasn't the horse Kam had started the battle riding. No, Glory had been killed during the first charge of the Mallister knights. Kamron had found another horse then, calling it "Two" when he had to yell at it, but that beast too had been killed under him. Now he rode "Three," and he was pretty certain that if there was another battle, Three would go the way of Two.
Riding across the battlefield made Kamron feel more than a little lucky. Between the stove-in breastplates, shattered links of maile, and poor unarmored corposes scattered across the ground, he almost felt bad to have only lost a few flakes of lacquer and gained a few bruises.
The Northern cavalry didn't even look the worse for wear, as if they hadn't even fought. Catching sight of a spurred man gathering a few others in jacks-of-plates, Kamron walked Three in that direction, calling out, "Ser!" He touched his right hand to his chest, "Kamron Mallister. Are you off to find another fight?"
The Northman smiled just a bit, nodding his head. After the cacaphony of the battlefield, his voice was soft, quiet, "Ser Mark Ryswell." The Ryswell hesitated a moment, and then relented, gesturing around the little group, "My Lord Stark rides for King's Landing with the cavalry."
Immediately, Kamron's eyes lit up, "You'll need all the men you can get for that, Ser." Patting his breastplate lightly, he added, "I'm unhurt, I've always wanted to see King's Landing, and my new horse is not yet blown." A bit of laughter touched the Riverlander's lips, "Hells, I think he spent half the battle grazing."
The joke wrung a chuckle from the Northman as well, and he looked the Mallister over seriously. There was a bit more hesitation, and then Ryswell relented, "Get your Lord's permission, and bring at least three day's food. You've got…" he squinted up at the sun, "Somewhere just under an hour, Ser Kamron."
The Mallister laughed again, a triumphant ring to the sound, and he nodded sharply, already starting to turn his horse back the way he came, "I'll bet I'm back in half that, ser Mark." Despite the sudden drive to ride southward burning in Kam's chest, he kept his horse to a slow trot as he headed back toward where his father and Lord Jason Mallister were gathering up the Eagles. Now, how am I going to convince them to let me go, by the Crone's wrinkled ass?"
His father had to be first. If Kamron couldn't convince his own father, he had no chance of convincing Lord Mallister, and if he could convince his father, he'd have an ally in speaking with his third cousin and liege lord.
"Ow! Stranger's balls, man… keep those stitches straight. My lady wife'll have your hide if this leaves an ugly scar." Finding his father was easy enough. Kam could hear the half-joking griping from a long ways off. Ser Arvan was half a head taller than his son, a boisterous man who laughed as much as he did anything else. Now he sat shirtless in a camp chair while a maester sewed up a slash across the back of his right shoulder.
"There you are, godsdamn it. Ser Donnell said you were going over to talk to the Northmen. What do our dour friends to the north have to say, boy?" Arvan's continued use of the term 'boy' always made Kamron feel equal parts annoyed and 14 again. Still, he knew his father used it fondly. Kamron dismounted, coming over to stand by his father and watch the maester stitch the shallow wound closed.
"Lord Stark is riding south with his cavalry, Father. To King's Landing." The eagerness in his voice must have given him away, because Kamron's father narrowed his eyes. Before he could say anything, Kamron bulled onward, "I'd like to go with him. If the Mad King holds the walls, Lord Stark will need all the men he can get, and I'm not hurt, and Three's still fresh."
"What's a Three?" There was a blink as Kamron's father put the the pieces together, "Your horse, what kind of name is Three for a horse? I liked Glory better."
Kam shook his head, "A Gaunt footman put Glory down with an axe during the first push. I found Two wandering around a minute later — wearing Manning colors. He lasted, oh, five or six minutes, saw me through the charge to the ford, and then he went down to one of the Pr — to one of Rhaegar's bodyguards. I found Three here in his Bracken colors toward the end of the battle."
"Right… I remember you going down by the ford. You did us proud out there today, boy. You did a damned good man's work." Kamron could tell his father was working his way up to one of his famous "talks," and he was well aware that the sun was continuing to track across the sky.
"About the Northmen, Father?" Kam prompted. "I'd like to see this thing to the end." He could see the worry pass across his father's face, although Arvan tried to hide it with a wince and a wordless growl at the long-suffering maester. Surging on, Kamron continued, "At least a few of us Mallisters should push on, if only to show we aren't some sort of godsdamned Freys, only there when it suits us."
"Watch your mouth, boy." Arvan's grumbled words were half-hearted at best, his eyes clouded by the reference to the Freys. "You're taking Arron with you?" Kamron only hesitated a moment, then nodded, admitting that he meant to take his squire along with him. "Then you'll take Ser Lon and his squire too." that was one of the hedge knights Talon Point had hired on for the war, "Neither of them are hurt. I think you've half a mind to just sneak away if I tell you no, and I'll not have you going with the damned Northmen with just Arron for company."
Kamron's eyes widened, and laughter sprang to his lips, "Thank you, Father!" He had never thought it would be that easy, but he certainly wasn't going to question his good fortune. His father's next words, however, made him think that maybe he should have.
"You'll be the one to tell Lord Jason though."
It was the work of only a few moments to send Arron off to gather up Kamron's gear and Ser Lon as well, but that left plenty of time for Kam to think of just what he was going to say to Lord Mallister. He thought he had just the right words by the time he had reached Lord Mallister's pavilion, but the words he had gathered were scattered away by what the Lord of Seagard was saying to his brother when Kam arrived.
"The Freys and their bannerhouses will be travelling south with Lord Stark, but our own men are too spent from the fighting to go." Lord Jason was a tall, spare man, with a tight beard who managed to give of an aura of strength even sitting down in a camp chair and bearing several bandages over new wounds. His brother Calvan was standing, but also bandaged.
Calvan opened his mouth to respond, then looked over at Kam, studying him for a moment before he nodded, "Ser Kamron." Lord Jason looked up as well, nodding his head as Calvan continued, "It's good to see that you came through safe and sound."
Kamron bowed, "Lord Mallister, Ser Calvan." He tried to keep his features composed, but a crooked little grin slipped through, "I'm on my third horse, but still my first skin." The elder Mallisters chuckled on cue, and Kam shrugged helplessly as he continued, "You were mentioning that the rest of our men aren't able to ride south with Lord Stark?" That drew the chuckles to a close, and Lord Jason nodded his head.
"I may have a solution, Lord Mallister. I would like to ride to King's Landing and beyond with Lord Stark." Kamron's words came quickly, as if trying to beat his liege lord's objections into being. "I've spoken with Ser Mark Ryswell, a knight in Lord Stark's forces. He has a place for me in the column, if I have three day's supplies and my Lord's permission. My father… suggested… that I bring my squire, one of the common knights sworn to Talon Point, and his squire." Maybe 'suggested' was a little bit generous, but Kamron didn't really want to tell Lord Jason that his father had ordered him to do something. It wasn't the best way to seem grown up and responsible. "Show Lord Stark and Lord Baratheon that the Mallisters are with them from beginning to end, unlike the Late Lord Frey."
By then, the torrent of words had Lord Jason and his brother watching bemusedly. There was a stretching silence, and Kamron opened his mouth to present another line of reasoning, but a smile broke over Lord Jason's features, and he held up one hand, "Peace, cousin. You may go. I think your father's 'suggestion,'" there was a hint of a broader smile on the Lord's face at that, "is a sound one. Come back to us at Seagard when the war is over and done. We'll want to hear everything."
Calvan's grins was a bit toothier than his brother's, "And who knows. Maybe your mother will have found you a bride by then, Ser Kamron." And that was enough to speed Kamron southward.
