Interlude: Battle of Duskendale II

Brienne found herself in a sewer alongside Ser Barristan the Bold and a party of eight other men. Apparently, the sewers were one of the entry points that had been considered by Ser Barristan during the Defiance and discarded. That wasn't out of any consideration of feasibility, mind you, but out of expediency. Tywin Lannister had given him a time limit for rescuing Aerys via the ultimatum he'd given Lord Darklyn, after all. Were Ser Barristan forced to fight his way out of Duskendale in a chase, the amount of time he would have to spend navigating the sewer system would have been prohibitive compared to the deadline. After all, he'd be heading in after midnight and only had until dawn. At the same time, Aerys was likely to have sustained wounds that might fester in the fetid environment of a sewer system. The last thing Ser Barristan had wanted was to have rescued the King only to have him die days later of rot in his wounds.

Here, there was no such deadline. Nor did they have a King who had wounds from having been tortured to the edge of insanity to worry about. The sewers were, accordingly, a much more viable option. No doubt, the Garrison would have been on the lookout for anyone attempting to repeat Ser Barristan's trick of scaling the walls in disguise at any rate. That made attempting such a trick infeasible and the Sewers even more attractive. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the stench. It seemed as if the sewers of Duskendale hadn't been maintained since the Dance of Dragons. The brickwork was crumbling and the stench required them to wrap cloth soaked in scented oils around their faces like a common brigand's mask. Of course, Brienne refused to complain, taking Ser Barristan's example. The same could not be said for others in their party, however.

"This stench is awful. Do these Sunset Barbarians not do any maintenance of critical facilities?" Complained Demostynes of Pylos.

Demostynes was a hook-nosed, scarred, Myrish Swordsman with a bushy, black, beard who had emigrated to Bloodstone after having his fill of fighting during the recent Daughters War. He'd joined the Bloodstone Militia to lend his expertise and had been called up to fight in the Civil War. He fought in Arsenal Steel Chainmail and Brigandine, Leather Gauntlets, and a Barbute Helm, with a Myrish Sidesword in his main hand and a Myrish Stiletto in his off-hand and was one of the better swordsmen that Brienne had brought to Duskendale, owing to his experiences as a veteran of the Conclave Guards that city had utilized to supplement their Sellswords. He was, effectively, equivalent to one of the Braavosi Sealord's Guard, a professional soldier, and thus a natural pick for this mission.

"Money hasn't exactly been forthcoming for such things. I'd imagine most Lords don't like to invest in Shite." Responded Conn of Smallplains.

Conn was a Pointsman, the son of a Minor Chief, who acted as headsman for a small Pointsman Clan and their pair of villages. Conn, accordingly, was armed and trained as a Gallowglass, with a Sparth Axe, Arsenal Steel Mail Shirt, Burgonet Helm, and Brigandine. He was part of the contingent sent by Lord Crabb and one of the men who hadn't been retrained in time for the war to fight in the fashion that was quickly becoming the norm for Westeros. Pike and shot had yet to reach beyond the major settlements in Cracklaw Point, as the notoriously fractious Clans and Lords had isolated themselves ever since the Rebellion and were only just coming out of that isolation. Conn was one of the larger members of their contingent, tall enough to match Brienne's own formidable height. His red beard was closely cropped to his jawline, though he shaved his head regularly with a knife.

The other six members of their group made noises of acknowledgment or derision, depending on their place of origin. Most Native Westerosi were more understanding of the plight of Duskendale's Sewerage, while those from the Stepstones, Summer Isles, or Free Cities were far less so. The Summer Isles and Free Cities were used to functioning infrastructure, while those from the Stepstones had the benefit of years of Ricasso's rule proving that Westerosi Lords could prioritize infrastructure if they wanted to. Granted that had been largely because the Pirate Lords had failed in upkeeping the infrastructure in the Stepstones and Ricasso wanted a clean break with the past, but still.

"Quiet. We should be nearing the section of sewer directly under the Maidenpool Gate." Intoned Ser Barristan.

"And there will be a way into the gatehouse from there?" Questioned Brienne.

"Indeed. The sewer grate should let out near the Guards' Door to the Gatehouse. At this time of night, the Gate's Garrison will be inside the Gatehouse and Towers. They won't realize the Gate is under assault until we are already attacking." Nodded Ser Barristan.

"At which point we'll defeat the Garrison and open the gates for the Army led by my Father." Reiterated Brienne.

"Just so, My Lady." Concurred Ser Barristan.

"What happens if the grate is sealed? I do not profess to be an expert, but usually, such instances are kept shut with ironwork, no?" Queried Demostynes.

"As you so eloquently stated, the sewerage system of Duskendale has not seen maintenance in some time. Old Iron tends to shatter against sharp, powerful, blows, especially when rusty." Informed Ser Barristan.

"Leave that to me. I'll have any old, rusty, ironwork down in no time, like as not with only a single swing of my axe." Remarked Conn.

"Just keep focused. We could be fighting a counterattack if the Gate Garrison manages to get off a signal to the Dun Fort." Cautioned Brienne.

"Do you truly believe they will?" Asked Ser Barristan.

"After the surprise they pulled in the Naval Battle? It is better to be safe than sorry where the Rykkers are concerned." Answered Brienne.

"Sensible." Agreed Ser Barristan.

"Sensible nothing. I lost good friends aboard the Thrify Gull one of whom was pledged to marry my sister. I'll be taking the loss out of the hides of the Gate Garrison." Scowled Conn.

"Revenge isn't as sweet as the songs make it out to be most of the time, my Young Friend. Take it from someone who has been down that road before, it is often lonely by the end." Offered Demostynes.

The rest of the party remained silent at that proclamation, leaving Conn and Demostynes to go back and forth between themselves on the merits of revenge. Demostynes debated passionately, using arguments Brienne thought were quite good and rooted clearly in personal experience. Conn, however, was stubborn, a trait shared by many Pointsmen and no small number of Dornishmen, and refused to concede. Soon enough, however, the debate on revenge was silenced as the group arrived at their destination. Up a short flight of dirty stairs, through a sloping, slime-covered, brick tunnel, they came to a rusted iron grate that led out into the cellar of a small stone hut that adjoined the Walls of Duskendale.

Such Gonghouses had been part of the works of Donnel The Great, the only Darklyn Dusk King to consolidate enough of Cracklaw Point and Blackwater Bay under his rule to be considered a major contender in the period of the Hundred Kingdoms. He was largely responsible for laying the groundwork for much of Duskendale's Power and Prestige today, though his grandson had lost his expanded realm and his great-grandson was forced to kneel to Monfryd the First, the Storm King known as the Mighty. For a brief shining moment, however, Duskendale had been the center of the Dusk Kingdom, a short-lived Eighth Great Kingdom of Westeros. Now, it was time to assault that ancient center of power.

True to his boast, Conn stepped up and with a single stroke of his Sparth Axe, shattered the rusted iron grate. The years of neglect of such vital infrastructure in favor of better Guard Forces, more trade power, or various schemes at Court had proved a fatal weakness. As the party stepped through the shattered remnants of the rusty old iron, they began climbing the ladder into the Gonghouse's main and only floor. The small hut was a single room, meant for a small group of a few ratcatchers and gongfarmers to inhabit at any one time. It was currently being used for storage of various tools that could be used to shovel debris into makeshift barricades in the event of a wall breach, further reducing its capacity. The small, ten-person, band was stretching it to its limit, forcing Ser Barristan and Brienne out onto the small square abutting the Gonghouse, Walls, and Maidenpool Gate.

It was here that the chance of discovery was greatest, while the party was exiting the sewers. If they were spotted by a passing patrol, they would need to act fast in order to silence the enemy before they could raise the alarm. Fortunately, that didn't happen, at least not until they were all out of the Gonghouse. Once they were, however, a small, three-man, Guard Patrol rounded a corner within spitting distance of the assault group. Three Duskendale Guards in the white, blue, and black livery of House Rykker, one bearing a torch, one a horn, and one a halberd spotted the party and a short melee ensued.

The Horn Guard raised his horn to his lips to sound the alarm but found Demostynes' stiletto buried to the hilt in his eye, the thrown dagger striking true and slaying the Man. Brienne dispatched the Torch Guard with an overhead blow of her Bastard Sword that split both Sallet Helm and Skull alike, while Ser Barristan easily dispatched the Spear Guard with his greatsword, cutting the spear in twain before decapitating the Guard on the backswing. The whole skirmish lasted perhaps ten seconds, with no one on their end being wounded at all in the least.

"Douse that torch and take the corpses into the Gonghouse." Commanded Ser Barristan.

Brienne noted that Demostynes was already on that, smothering the torch flame out with one of the dead Guards' Tabards. The Man was a professional Soldier after all. Meanwhile, Conn organized a party to dispose of the corpses with just Ser Barristan's prompting as well, though Brienne noticed with some distaste that he also had the group strip the Guards of coin purses and any other valuables. She ignored that, however, as just another facet of war, if an ignoble one. Still, at least Conn had the sense not to pry out the Horn Guard's Silver Tooth. She couldn't say the same for some other soldiers she had known in her time. Soon enough, however, the corpses were stashed in the Gonghouse and the real assault could begin.

Brienne and the party made their way over to the solid oak door set into the bottom of the left-hand tower flanking the Maidenpool Gate. The square, thick, stone towers would have been easy to undermine, but difficult to bombard. Mind you, undermining was less employed in Westeros than it was in the disputed lands due to most lords preferring siege engineers to build and operate siege weapons. Careful undermining of walls wasn't as glorious as an assault through a breach, after all. Regardless, Brienne tried the door and found it locked, only for Demostynes to produce a set of lockpicks from a belt pouch and set to work on the lock.

"You know how to pick locks?" Questioned Brienne.

"But of course, did you think this is the first gate I've taken by infiltration?" Answered Demostynes.

"Heh, you know this is one of the reasons so many Kerns turn to banditry out in the Point during peacetime." Smirked Conn.

"That and until recently, Cracklaw Point had a distinct paucity of non-stone-ridden arable land." Reminded Ser Barristan.

"Aye, that too." Agreed Conn.

"Hush, let Demostynes work." Chided Brienne.

"Thank you, My Lady. I almost have it." Thanked Demostynes.

A few moments later, Demostynes managed to get the last pin into the tumbler and the way into the tower lay open to them. Brienne opened the door with a nod to the rest of the group, and then they all rushed inside the Maidenpool Gate to begin their assault on the Garrison.

It would wind up being a fairly easy fight, all things considered. . .

XXXX

Gareth Waters, Captain of the Maidenpool Gate wasn't normally a pessimist. As the Natural Son of Ser Myles Mooton, who had sired him just before he had been slain during the Battle of the Bells, he'd grown up knowing of his father without ever having the benefits of being acknowledged by him. His Lord Uncle, Lord William Mooton, had refused to acknowledge him as his Nephew and sent him away to Duskendale. A few lucky breaks, however, and a moderate amount of talent for fighting, led to Gareth joining and then quickly rising through the ranks of the Duskendale Guards. That was the sort of background that tended to breed optimism, as things had turned out for the better in the end.

That was likely why, when granted command of the Maidenpool Gate, he'd been more lax in discipline than he otherwise should have been. A position hard-won was all too often more sincerely held than one that seemed to fall into your lap by talent and luck. Perhaps that was why, when the siege came and the Guard on the Gate was doubled from thirty to sixty men, Gareth had let twenty of those sixty Garrison Guards visit their families for one night a week on a rotating schedule. It was poor discipline, perhaps, but the Enemy hadn't even brought out their artillery to begin bombardment yet so he hadn't seen the harm in it. Had he been more suspicious or more pessimistic l, he might have wondered why it was that the bombardment had not immediately begun.

Unfortunately, he was not that man, so when his Gate suddenly came under attack from within, Gareth was caught by surprise without a third of his increased forces. It had started with the Left Tower, as fifteen of his forces had been lost in the fighting there, taken by surprise without armor in many cases and butchered. Then it had proceeded into the Gatehouse where he currently was. He'd called for the fifteen men in the Right Tower to reinforce the ten in the Gatehouse, but it wasn't going well. Somehow, the enemy vanguard had already managed to cut their way through ten of his remaining men.

Now, Gareth was engaged in combat with an Enemy Axeman wielding a Pointsman Sparth Axe. His talent for fighting seemed not to avail him here, as his opponent was more heavily armored than his Arming Sword could deal with without scoring a blow that bypassed the heavy mail and brigandine, such as to the neck or leg, which his Opponent was skilled enough to prevent. His one saving grace was that his Enemy's Sparth Axe couldn't be freely wielded in the close quarters of the Gatehouse, rendering much of the sort of maneuvers you could use with such a weapon impossible. They were at a stalemate as it was now. Unfortunately, that wouldn't last forever, as his men fell to the assault like wheat before a scythe. Soon, Gareth would be alone. He would need to change things fast before that happened.

Deciding to attempt to capture the Axeman to attempt to use him as a hostage to secure his escape, Gareth tried something desperate. He ducked the careful, shortened, swipe of the Sparth Axe, and as he came up, attempted to tackle the Pointsman Gallowglass to the floor. Ordinarily, that wouldn't work on such a large man, but the Pointsman had advanced on Gareth so his back was to a small table, providing leverage to Gareth's attempt at a tackle. Just as predicted, the combination of Gareth's bull rush and the table tripping the Pointsman allowed the maneuver to succeed, though not before Gareth took an elbow strike to the face that smashed his nose flat on his face thanks to his lack of helmet.

The pair scrabbled for a brief moment, Gareth pulling every dirty trick he'd learned as a Duskendale Guard to equalize the strength disparity. At some point, the big Pointsman lost his Burgonet Helm in the squabble and they had both lost their grip on their primary weapons and drawn daggers. Gareth slammed a pair of gauntleted punches into the Pointsman's face, repaying the Man for his broken nose with interest. However, eventually, he took a knee strike to his crown jewels and the momentum shifted. Now the Pointsmen was straddling Gareth and trying to plunge his dagger into Gareth's eye, while Gareth tried desperately to stop him. It was ultimately futile, the Pointsman having size, strength, and leverage on his side as Gareth's doom inched ever closer.

"Conn, enough. We have the Gatehouse." Came a feminine Voice.

The Pointsman let out a low growl of dissatisfaction, but another, aged, male Voice joined in. "That's enough. If the Captain will yield to you, there is no need to kill him."

"Aye, I yield!" Exclaimed Gareth, jumping on the way out like a drowning man on a floating timber.

"Fine. Then you're my prisoner." Grumbled the Pointsman, relenting.

Gareth allowed himself to be disarmed and placed under guard then. However, when he turned to thank the Man who had finally convinced the Pointsman to relent and capture Gareth instead of killing him, it was the last person Gareth had expected to see. Ser Barristan the Bold had apparently thrown in with Stannis, returning to Duskendale to capture it once more for a second King. It was then that Gareth Waters realized that the Rykkers would lose.

Moments later, two of the surviving enemies went to open the gates for their army and Gareth was proven right. . .

XXXX

House Rykker was caught by complete surprise by the sudden assault. Coup de Main had allowed Brienne to seize the town and the majority of the Rykker Forces completely off-guard. Now, only Lord Renfryd Rykker and his heir, Ser Raymund Rykker lay holed up in the Dun Fort with five hundred men. It was a hopeless situation, made all the worse by how Brienne had a cannon brought up to the gates of the Dun Fort from the Artillery and was preparing to blow the gates down. She had given Lord Renfryd a single hour to surrender before she blew down the gates and stormed the Dun Fort. That hour was almost up.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Commanded one of the pickets near the cannon.

Brienne turned to see a Wiry Man with a head of curly black hair and a beard cut into a goatee walking toward them waving a white cloth as an improvised flag of Parley. Ser Raymund Rykker, Brienne recognized the man from a past Tourney. He wasn't looking as confident as he had been back then when he'd boasted he would thrash the 'Giantess of Tarth' in the Squire's Melee, which they had both entered. Of course, she had bested him then, but been forced to withdraw due to the 'impropriety of allowing women to enter a melee unmasked'. As if she hadn't proven herself the equal of her age cohort back then.

"I come bearing a response from my Lord Father!" Called out Ser Raymund.

"And why has Lord Renfryd not come himself?" Demanded Brienne's Father.

"My Lord Father has suffered a shock, Lord Tarth. I fear losing the town so suddenly was not good for his health. He is currently sick abed from shock to his heart, our Maester says." Informed Ser Raymund.

"And what answer do you bring?" Queried Ser Barristan.

"If King Stannis will allow House Rykker to retain Duskendale and the immediate surroundings, House Rykker will surrender." Informed Ser Raymund.

"We will have to send a Raven to King Stannis to confirm. Otherwise, we can make no promises regarding lands." Informed Brienne.

"We are willing to wait under parley until then." Acknowledged Ser Raymund.

"Acceptable." Agreed Brienne's Father.

And with that, the fighting died down as Ravens were sent out, seeking King Stannis' approval. His reply came two days later from his Camp in the Stormlands. House Rykker would be allowed to retain Duskendale but would lose several outlying villages and hamlets, including Woolton, where much of the Town's Raw Wool was produced. They had to be reminded that Loyalty to the Iron Throne was well and good, but misplaced Loyalty would be punished. And with that, the Dun Fort surrendered.

Brienne had her victory. . .

XXXX

AN: So here we have Duskendale's capture by Coup de Main. Once again, Ser Barristan has been involved in that exact feat and once again it resulted in Duskendale being taken and the Dun Fort surrendering. This time, its Lord will retain the Town, but lose several outlying villages, including their main cloth production village. Whoever gets awarded that is going to get a nice little economic bonus, which is likely to induce defections in Duskendale's neighbors.

At any rate, the next chapter will be an interlude featuring Stannis and the Battle of Storm's End.

Stay tuned. . .