Lucius Aurelianus

The morning drizzle damped Lucius' short hair, he had cut it before they left King’s Landing, long hair was only a bother in battle. The sun was yet to come out and river winds hit coldly against his face. Lucius walked through the tents of sleeping soldiers in silence only meeting the occasional lookout who greeted him warmly. The dim light of torches lighted the way towards the big tent on the edges of the camp, a single man was guarding the entrance. Lucius greeted the guard with a nod as he entered the tent.

The insides of the tent smelled of death. Next to the entrance, there were two blooded pallets the maesters and septas used to move the wounded. The wounded rested on the floor, they laid on straw mattresses separated from the floor by thin wooden planks, there weren’t many wounded, most had been left behind when they retreated from Stoney Sept. Lucius made his way across the tent towards the other side of the entrance, this was where the most grievously wounded were kept, where Ben and Ser Myles rested. Both were unconscious, the maesters constantly fed them with milk of the poppy. Lucius sat on the floor between them.

A few days had passed since the battle, but this would be the first day the army would not resume the march at dawn, Lord Connington had deemed that they put enough distance from the enemy to be able to rest for the day. Lucius looked at Ser Myles’ leg, the maesters had immobilized his knee with a cast made of wood, leather and cloth, they had told Lucius Ser Myles wouldn’t be able to ride a horse or fight in armour again, they needn’t had to, Lucius was no stranger to such injuries, he knew that, and he knew Ser Myles would hardly be able to properly walk ever again too although the maesters hadn’t told him that. Then he looked at Ben, the kid was alright, praised be Sol, he had lost a lot of blood during the battle from a wound on his left upper arm, but his skin was already regaining its colour. Ben also broke a rib during the battle, but the maesters weren’t worried, the rib hadn’t punctured any important organs nor caused internal bleeding or infection, they had wrapped his torso with a supportive bandage and told Lucius his friend would be fine after two months rest. He sat there for a few minutes, he liked this tent, few people came by, especially this early in the morning, and the only other conscious man was a half-asleep maester making sure the wounded were fine. He could think peacefully here.

The march had been slow, and Lord Connington didn’t allow for much rest. They had been thoroughly defeated, the loyalist army had been a mighty host when they took the Stoney Sept, more than forty thousand strong, now they were less than five thousand. They had lost almost all their horse, only a hundred mounted knights and fifty free riders remained. At least the rebel armies didn’t care to pursue them, Lucius was certain they could have been scattered by a single cavalry charge, so low was the morale of the men.

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Lucius was hungry, they had left their food supplies behind when they retreated, and what little they had rescued they left behind when they crossed the upper Blackwater. Lord Connington had secured some supplies from house Gaunt, but they would not arrive until midday. He could wait, hunger was something an army man learned to live with.

His thoughts drifted back to the day of the battle. Ser Myles had commanded him to stand guard on one of the sentry towers. As soon as he saw the cavalry charge towards the city he knew that something was terribly wrong. He alerted the men on the wall and the gatehouse and took charge of its defence. There were no knights at the walls, only levies, farmers with poor equipment and no experience, he must have looked lordly enough for them because they listened without complaint. When the rebels tried to take the gate Lucius led the defence that repelled them. Twice they tried to take the gatehouse, twice Lucius led a ragtag mess of farmer boys clad in leather carrying rusted swords to hold them off.

Eventually, the rebel horse realized the gate wouldn’t open and they moved on in search of another way into the town, the rebel knights inside the wall were cut down by the loyalists who arrived to relieve the assault on the gate. The battle didn’t last long and from the wall, Lucius could see how the rebel army cut down the loyalists through the streets, soon retreating men began to arrive at the gate looking for a way out, Lucius intended on keeping it closed, he didn’t want the army to leave the safety of the walls only to be picked piece by piece by the enemy cavalry.

Soon enough Lord Connington arrived at the gates and ordered them to be opened, he organized a defensive line to hold their rear as long as possible while he commanded the retreat in as much order as he could. An hour later they were marching away from Stoney Sept with little more than a tenth of their initial numbers, Lucius expected the enemy to pursue and crush them, but apparently, Lord Connington had defeated both Denys Arryn and Hoster Tully in single combat, leaving them bleeding in the streets of stone, whether they were dead or injured Lucius didn’t know, but the rebels decided to stay put in Stoney Sept, giving no pursuit. The state of two of their most important commanders probably played a role in that decision.

The rebels were gaining a clear advantage in the war, not only they had defeated the loyalist host, but now it was clear that the Tullys were siding with the rebels, and with them most of the Riverlands. Prince Rhaegar was nowhere to be found, King Aerys was unfit to command the war in any way, and the loyalist might have an advantage in sheer numbers still, but there was no clear leadership. Jon Connington seemed like he was taking the role of the leader of the loyalist war effort, he was young and had just been defeated but Lucius thought the young Lord had potential, a rallying figure was what the loyalists needed.

Maesters and septas began to enter the tent and the noise took Lucius away from his thoughts. The sun must already have come then. Lucius stood up and whispered goodbye to his unconscious friends, he had duties in the camp he had to attend to.