No Greater Fury: A Horse Grenadier company in Westeros

[Balaur]

"Gared had to go and make water. I can assure you, he wouldn't flee." Renly said. Tane kept stomping towards the doorway, dodging past everyone in the way.

"He's making a break for it." Tane said.

"Tane is right. Davos, have the gates closed and the passageways watched." Stannis said.

"Oh, first you assume a criminal is trustworthy, now you assume that having a bladder is treason?" Renly asked.

"The evidence of foul play is clear enough, and I will know the who's and why's of it. Find him, and bring him back here." Stannis said. Tane didn't need the reminder.

She, Morgan and Sace ducked out the servant's side door, into a courtyard or garden of some sort wedged between the walls and the throne room.

"See him in your third eye?" Tane asked. Morgan could see every soul within a hundred or so meters.

"I can see him again. Barely. In that building over there." Morgan said. They took off at a jog towards the building Morgan had pointed out, Morgan mumbling behind her about why she chose today of all days to wear her dress.

Morgan pointed at a half-open door in the side of what looked like some sort of storehouse, up against the curtain wall.

Tane took off at a jog, her hand going to steady her rapier.

She pushed open the door. It was a smaller door built into what looked like a barn door, with a large stairwell going down into blackness inside. Some sort of winch lurked in the dark above, like a bat hanging from the ceiling. Morgan snatched up a pair of torches from a stack in the corner. "I have a lighter."

Tane nodded. Morgan lit hers with three quick clicks of her lighter, then lit Tane's torch off hers.

"Sace, hold this doorway and direct anyone who comes up behind us to follow us down here." Sace nodded, the cornet-no, lieutenant now-nodding and drawing her smallsword and a pistol she'd hidden under her dress. Tane wished she'd had the good sense to bring her pocket pistol.

She took point on the stairs with her rapier drawn, Morgan keeping her updated. "He's moving… right under the throne room now, actually."

"You couldn't see him before?"

"Too much stone in the way. Blocks the third eye. He's right under us now."

The staircase wound around itself three times before it reached the bottom. There was only one way from there, a long, broad corridor.

"I'm losing sight of him." Morgan said. "He should be straight under the throne room by now."

"Stun him." Tane said.

She heard distant, muffled swearing a moment later.

Witchcraft, Tane thought, near instantly. Morgan got the fucker with witchcraft. As long as Morgan was within a hundred or so meters and recognized his soul well enough not to have friendly fire, she could take him out from a safe distance, stabbing out with an extension of her soul into his. The soul affected the mind, and the mind affected the body.

"Dead souls up ahead. Very old ones. Too old to tell if they're human or not." Morgan said.

The passageway was yawning blackness. She drew her rapier and kept the torch ready. Her heart was hammering. Moving forwards into the pitch blackness outside the torchlight, with bloody tongueless children and Father knows what else crawling around in there, scared her far more than any amount of hand-to-hand fighting.

"Antiquarianism can come later." Tane said. Stay calm, stay focused, stay in control. The passageway, near solid black, expanding out into a vaster chamber. There were shapes, some surfaces smooth and other jagged, looming out of the darkness. The only light besides the torches came from a couple of slit windows and a single, dropped candle at the centre of the room. There was a flash of movement as Gared darted for the candle, then thought better of it and dropped back behind one of the shapes.

It had to be a dragon skull. It was as big as a whale's head, far vaster than anything natural she'd known to fly. The fangs seemed sharp as swords, even in the failing light.

She tensed, her heart hammering faster. Her eyes still hadn't adjusted, there was cover everywhere, and she had no armour. One mistake and she was dead, or they'd lose their best chance-

"Knock him down." Tane said, reverting to Brythwic. "Then I'll go around and take him. Stay close on my back."

There was no time for fear.

"Aye." She heard the faint sound of metal on wood as Morgan drew her backsword.

"Down!" Morgan yelled a few moments later, and Tane moved. She skirted around the dragon skull, going as wide as possible around the corner to avoid getting jumped, just in time to see Gared staggering to his feet.

"Halt!" Tane bellowed. "Hands above your head." The gaoler raised his hands.

"Take off your belt." Tane said.

His hands came down to his belt. She kept the tip of her rapier aimed dead at his centre of mass. He undid it and pulled it away from his body, looping it around before he-

Her torch hand jerked up just in time to block the belt as he whipped at her, part of it catching her on the head. The dull thwack of it stung to her bone as she lunged at him with her rapier. His hand slapped her rapier aside and grabbed it. A knife flashed in his other hand, and she reacted just in time to slam the lit torch into his knife hand. It batted his attack away, and she followed up with a jab to the face just as she tugged back on her rapier.

A strong enough grip on a sword, enough to stop it sliding across the hand, would stop it cutting. Having a lit torch shoved in ones face was not conducive to a strong grip. He let go of the weapon with a scream of pain, and stumbled back straight onto a dragon's lower jaw.

Tane stepped back out of striking distance and levelled her point on instinct.

Gared was twitching and struggling like a half-crushed fly, his belly arched forwards supported by the dragon's jaw. He made an effort to push himself up, but collapsed back down, whimpering in pain.

"Men coming. A dozen at least. Loras is with them." Morgan said, her voice as flat and calm as it always was. Tane had no idea how she did it.

There was the click of her working her lighter, then the rush of flames.

Morgan stepped over to the man, illuminating him for Tane. She saw the glint of his dagger on the ground, well away from his hands.

"Well, at least we know you're guilty." Tane said. "Trying to run like that."

There was only groaning. She heard the rattle of plate harness, and someone's voice, Loras she thought, yelling orders. She turned back to them, goldcloaks with crossbows and spears, Loras at their head.

"We got him. He's hurt badly. Someone send for Connor and a Maester!" Tane called. Her drill-ground yell echoed through the cellar, bouncing off the walls over and over. The Kingsguard knight-Loras she thought-had already strode over to them by the time the last of the echoes had faded. The rattle of his armour mixed with Gared's whimpering.

"What happened to him?" Loras asked, his voice accusatory as he pulled his helmet off.

"Tried to knife me. Didn't work. Took a fall. Wait for Connor to move him. Those teeth should be plugging up the wounds."

"You already killed me." Gared said said. "At least give me the mercy of a quick death."

She though of Sallereon's ruined joints, how the man would lose his livelihood. How his forgery had helped Renly set off riots that killed hundreds. How a dying confession could tell her the full extent of Renly's treason.

"Keep him there." Tane said

She untucked the hem of her shirt and wiped her rapier down, then sheathed it. Her heart was still hammering, coming down from the battle-rush.

Then Loras called for the goldcloaks to move him anyway.

Gared didn't scream as they pulled him off, but he did moan, low and awful. He tried to push himself up with his arms, but his legs were deadweight. They dragged him across to the walls, propping him up. Even in the torchlight she could see the red smear he left.

"Why'd you run?" Loras spat.

"I'm not talking." Gared said, voice slurred.

Loras drew his sword.

"Why'd you run? Why'd you abandon Renly-" Loras repeated. Tane came up behind him, hands brushing her hilts.

"Stannis would have had my head once he knew. At least this way I had a chance. Good job." He added, nodding to Tane.

"Renly would have defended you-"

"Him, defending his mercenary?" Gared laughed, his breath sputtering. He oddly calm for a dying man. "I think not. Not if it meant he could let me die and wash his hands of it."

"You dishonour Renly!" Loras snarled, then with less conviction "Liar!"

"I did what I was told. Nothing more, nothing less." Gared said. "Never did get that knighthood he promised me, though. So I suppose he betrayed me, in the end." He tried to laugh, only for it to come out as wet coughing.

"Liar" Loras said again, flatly. Then his sword scythed through Gared's head, ripping it apart in a spray of teeth and brains.

He turned to Tane, eyes burning with anger. "Renly knew nothing of what Gared did. That was a dying man's spite."

A dying man's spite, against the man who brought him to this point.

He stomped towards her, the bloody blade naked in his gauntleted hand. Tane tensed, and found herself unconsciously profiling her stance. Every inch of her screamed for her to go for her rapier and dagger, but she ignored it. Loras was as fast as her, stronger, fully armoured, and had a half—dozen men with spears backing him. Without Morgan, he could hack her to ribbons if he wanted. With her, Tane still didn't fancy her chances. Where's a jazerant or a brace of pistols when you need it?

"Do you understand?"

She kept her eyes on him, didn't back down or go for her weapons. It was like facing down a sicklehawk hunting. The slightest sign of weakness or aggression would see it strike, but stand your ground and you were fine.

"I understand that Renly knew nothing." Tane said. "I understand that if you murder me, my troops will be honour bound to avenge their captain. I understand that the Silvercloaks and Grenadiers outnumber your household men, and are better trained and equipped than the Goldcloaks. I understand that your sister and your lover both stand to loose their lives if this turns into a bloodbath because of you. And I understand that was a dying man's spite."

Loras turned away, yelling in anger. His sword sent sparks flying as it skipped off dragonbone like a hardened cuirass.

Tane wanted to do the same. Instead, she kept herself focused. Calmness, vigour and judgement. "Morgan, is Connor coming?"

"With twelve grenadiers."

"Good." She strode off to meet with them. They needed to tell Stannis what had happened as fast as possible. And Renly and Margaery. Play it right and hopefully, she could end this without a bloodbath.

 

[Balaur]

They brought up the body like undertakers, wrapped in a golden cloak with black blood oozing through. Loras came first, the goldcloaks Stannis had sent with him straight behind, the body slung between them and then the Grenadiers, muskets on their shoulders with bayonets fixed.

Good. Two men could keep a secret if one of them was dead.

"Most unfortunate." Renly said. "We shall never know his innocence or guilt now."

It had felt like an eternity since since Tane and Loras had left. The throne room had nearly descended into pandemonium. Rumours swept back and forth, like a jostled tub of water. Renly sent Gared away to pin the blame on him, he ran because he knows Stannis kills even those who do him good service, there's goldcloaks and Grenadiers gathering to slaughter all Stannis's enemies, Renly aims to kill Stannis and take his throne…

He kept his mouth shut. He needed to know what happened to Gared before he acted. He'd been impatient before, at the Ocean Road and the Inquiry, and it had cost him dearly. He had to play this carefully.

Tane strode across to Stannis, pacing at the base of the throne. Davos joined her.

"We should leave." Mace muttered next to him. "Stannis will not listen to reason on this. He will take any excuse to see this as ill-will."

"Look how running worked for Gared." Margaery said.

Oh, just shut up-

It didn't matter. Stannis had ordered everyone to remain in the throne room and barred the doors until the matter was resolved. It was probably already crawling with Grenadiers and Silvercloaks out there.

Loras marched over, his helmet off and his gauntlets speckled with blood.

"What happened?" Renly asked.

"Tane wounded Gared, then I caught up. He beschmirched your honour, so I killed him."

"What did he say?"

He could guess well enough what Loras meant by "besmirch his honour."

"He told me you did what he told him to, and that you promised him a knighthood."

"Bastard." Renly muttered. Both himself and Loras knew well enough what was going on, but he had to put just the right spin on it to the court. Gared going and blabbing would not help that. At all.

Stannis beckoned to him from his position across the hall. Renly marched across, using every inch of willpower he had to stop himself limping. He'd been standing for hours now, and his leg was aching with pain.

"What did the gaoler do?" Renly asked.

"He went to make water in the Red Keep's cellars, and there attempted to attack the Captain-General. She wounded him mortally, and Loras then slew him against her orders."

"He was uttering the vilest slanders against me." Renly said. "That whatever he did was at my order. I ordered him only to use any means necessary to secure a confession about who had hired the assassins, and then to gather any other evidence."

"And the knighthood?" Stannis asked.

"The killers maimed my wife, murdered the High Septon and nearly killed me. Any man who helped find the killers deserved a knighthood."

I'm sure you'll understand, raising the lowborn high. Better a gaoler than a smuggler.

Stannis took his arm and guided him to the base of the throne, with only the kingsguard within earshot. "If this was the only irregularity, I could assume that you were manipulated by our enemies or that Gared was a base opportunist looking to elevate himself at the expense of the Queen. Robert certainly was. If that Inquiry was the only irregularity, or seizing Selyse without orders, then I could assume mistakes were made in your rush for justice. But together…"

"You are accussing me of treason?" Renly asked in his most innocent voice.

"Mayhaps."

"Trusting a man who took my orders perhaps too literally is not treason."

"So you knew nothing of this? Incompetance is only a small improvement over malice. And that does not explain your own actions."

Stannis loomed over him. "First you deny anyone but your own men access to the prisoner. Then you ignore every sign that your man has falsely accused the queen, disobeying my commands and getting hundreds killed with your "inquiry'. And now you have attempted to cover for this traitor up to the very last moment, before your goodbrother kills the traitor when he accuses you of treason."

"I will confess to poor judgement." Renly said. "But you must understand the situation at the time. All of Selyse's past actions made her seem likely to harbour myself and Margaery ill-will, and I found Gared's evidence most persuasive. I was over-cautious. My own man had tried to kill me, and yours had let the Lannisters slip. But I deny any treason. Gared's cowardice betrayed his true loyalties. He tried to flee through the same route that Varys's agents were like to use. And I can assure you, I have no love for Varys or his creatures."

"And how do you intend to prove this?" Stannis asked.

Renly turned back to Stannis and strode into the middle of the crowd of courtiers. This had been the plan, one of them, all along, but confessing fault in front of the entire court… it stung his pride. It stung to the core. He could laugh at himself with the best of them, but begging forgiveness of Stannis in front of the entire court-

It had to be done.

He raised his voice, to a pitch where it would carry throughout the courtroom.

"It would seem some think me guilty of treason. There might very well be treason afoot, and I may have had some part in it, to my shame. Gared is accused of forging evidence and then fled, where he was slain after making the vilest accusations against me. I assure you I had no idea of what Gared was alleged to have done, though it may well be that trusting him was a mistake. As a show of goodwill, I will resign from the handship and retire from King's Landing, until Stannis determines whether or not Gared was guilty and whether to reinstate me. Indeed, I had already ordered the gathering of 5,000 Stormlands Horse, to be sent to the aid of Oldtown. Now, I will personally lead these knights against the enemies of the realm, and prove my loyalty to the realm, my family and to my King and Brother."

There were murmurs of shock amongst the courtiers. Oh, I am loyal to the realm and family. Stannis?

Stannis had burned what little loyalty Renly had once borne for him like kindling.

"In the meantime, I trust that Stannis will complete a thorough investigation of the great matter." Renly said. He turned to Queen Selyse, still standing surrounded by guards.

He walked over to her and took the knee in front of her.

"I am truly sorry for the harm I have caused you with my misjudgements. I am, and always have been, loyal to the realm and to your husband first. When I come to Oldtown's defence, I will pray for your wellbeing and forgiveness in the Starry Sept."

Selyse looked down on him, contempt dashed with a taste of fear. "You did not misjudge. You meant me harm all along. You, and all those who aided you."

She looked like she was gripping her own leash tight, holding herself back from going for his throat.

"You wound me." Renly said. "What I did, I did for the realm and with only the purest intentions."

He turned back to Stannis, his brother's eyes boring into his. "I will accept your resignation of the handship." Stannis said, his voice raised. He strode over to Renly. "Now, I would like you to swear me your allegiance. Now and forever."

Renly blinked. Stannis actually had him there. Profess his allegiance to Stannis then rebel and be known as an oathbreaker, or openly declare his disloyalty, here and now.

He ground his teeth. Words were wind, and oaths sworn under duress were no true oath. Once again, he took the knee and raised his voice.

"On my honour as a Baratheon, by the Old Gods and the New, I swear my loyalty to the one true king of Westeros. From this day to my dying day."