(Eddard POV)
The group Jon sent with me is doing very poorly. Knights of the Vale might think themselves the best ones in the realm, but they are quite easy to deal with if I ever find myself on the opposite side. Jon has no idea how an endeavour like this should be handled. Armour is the worst possible thing to wear if you're trying to approach native clansmen. Thankfully, I have Ezio with me, who is scouting further ahead to make sure we're not discovered. He will either give me a sign or take out other scouts.
It has been three years since I started his training as the first member of my Raven Guard. Initially, I had planned to call it the Shadow Guard, but Ezio spontaneously started calling me 'Corvus' due to the mysterious love Ravens and Crows have for me. I found out that I can converse with them in some way. Like giving them very basic commands. Very basic, like 'come here' or 'go away'. This may prove to be a valuable ability in the future. So, for that reason, we changed the name to Raven Guard, and it works either way. I won't be telling anyone about them, so the name itself is inconsequential. If Ezio prefers it this way, I am fine with it.
"At least try not to make as much noise as you are. We wouldn't want the entire mountain range to know we're here," I tell the men behind me.
"You try to move 'silently' in full-plated armour, and I'll tell you the same thing. Why are we hiding this way, anyway? We aren't the rats; they are." Elbert Arryn tells me.
What a name. Elbert. I think his father was drunk when he named him.
"Thank you for reminding me. But I'm not wearing full-plated armour because I knew that we would most likely have to do this. If we want to achieve more than your predecessors against the Mountain Clan, we must think differently and approach this intelligently instead of brute forcing it."
"I find it bothersome. I can't believe that Uncle made you the leader of this group. You are a child."
"And you are a simpleton without imagination. Now that we have expressed our mutual dislike, can we get on with it?"
"Ugh."
.
After wandering through the woods for a few hours, I finally got a message from Ezio. A raven flies to me with a message. I take it and read the note.
'Clan found. Ambush up ahead for Jon's group.'
That's what I expected to happen. The Mountain Clan know this area better than anyone else does. No matter what the Andals claim to be their lands, these descendants of the First Men genuinely know it. The fact that Jon wants to 'deal' with this now is calculated. He knows that they are a problem, not only for the smallfolk but also for House Arryn. The Andals couldn't deal with the Mountain Clans fully, and now they are a thorn in their side. But where he sees a problem, I see a great opportunity. Jon wishes to test our skills in battle and how we react to true bloodshed. But he will be disappointed if he believes in finding his two wards scared or terrified by blood. Robert enjoys fighting and bloodshed a bit too much for my taste. I also have no problem with it.
"It seems we found the mountain clansmen. They have prepared an ambush for Jon and his group. If we wish to surprise them instead, we should make haste."
"What are you talking about?" Elbert asks me, "How could you know that?"
"I have my ways. Now, everyone, we will wait for the exact moment Jon and his group are attacked and then launch our own. They will be absorbed in the fight, while we will cause chaos and great destruction. Try not to kill everyone. We will need as many men or women alive for questioning."
"How should we do it?"
"We will split into three groups. I'll lead the first one from the left, just up the hill in front of us. Elbert will take five of you to the right, and the rest will attack from the left of the hill to give us another angle to the fighting."
I see the knights nodding their heads. They didn't like this excursion we took, but they are willing to go through with it for the operation's success. I am about to continue explaining the plan when another raven appears, holding yet another note from Ezio.
'The Clansmen moved further up the mountain. The ambush is off.'
"Hmm."
"What is it?" Elbert asks me.
"It seems like the plans have changed just now. They have pulled back and are moving higher up the mountain."
"So, what do you suggest?"
"We follow them. It is bothersome, but Jon is moving rather slowly, giving us enough time to reposition ourselves afterwards. Depending on what the Clansmen are planning, we may or may not have a better position than before. Let's get moving."
.
The forest at the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon is thick with pines, their roots twisting through the damp and cold ground, making marching challenging. The air smells of moss and pine needles, fresh and pleasing to my senses, but beneath it lurks the smell of sweat and metal — men waiting for blood to be shed. Despite the words Elbert and I exchanged, we are on the same page. The mission comes first, and our personal feelings come later.
I kneel in the undergrowth, pressing my gloved hand against the ground, feeling for any vibrations around and letting all of it sink in. I have become a lot stronger in the past years ... a lot. My senses have expanded, making me believe that I live in a different world compared to before. The Mountain clansmen are near. I can feel it. We have been tracking them for hours now after Ezio first located them, following the few trails the native clansmen left behind. And now we have finally reached the place where the fight will no doubt take place.
The clansmen are sons and daughters of the mountains. They will not fight on even ground, knowing they are up against the Knights of the Vale. They will strike from above, from behind, from the trees, using the terrain to their advantage. I would do the same in their position. Jon, Robert and the rest would be clueless and caught by surprise.
That is why I am here.
I turn to Elbert Arryn, a seasoned warrior despite his name. We had to change my original plan of splitting up into three smaller groups due to the location change. Now, in the protection of the towering trees, Elbert's expression was hard and focused, his hand resting firmly on his sword hilt. I can tell he is ready for a fight.
"They'll be waiting at the pass," I murmur, my voice barely more than a breath. "They won't strike until the main host is deep inside. We don't have much time, but it is imperative that we wait until after they attack. That's the best chance we have."
Elbert nods. "How do you want to play it?"
I glance at our men, only a dozen in number. Enough to turn the tide, but only if we strike at the right moment. Speed and surprise are our only advantages; thankfully, that's my speciality. I gesture with my hand, repeating my earlier plan. It would have to be slightly altered, but it still applies here.
"We split into three groups like we wanted to before. The clansmen will be positioned along the ..." I tell them the plan like before. Not all of it, because I have Ezio who will help me, but enough to sound logical to them. Everyone nods their heads.
.
The forest swallowed us as we moved into position. My mind has started to shift gears and is entirely focused. My muscles tense, and my blood flows faster than before, but my heartbeat remains relatively stable. I feel my muscles filling with enough blood for the upcoming battle. I am not nervous, or scared, or worried. I am calm and collected as if this were another day in the Eyrie. We are ready; any moment now, it should happen, and I am waiting for it.
... a sound.
A low whistle, barely audible over the wind. The signal.
Elbert is in position.
I hold up a hand, telling the men to wait. Everyone can hear the main host now, their armour and swords clanking loudly in the ravine below. Any moment now. Just a second longer.
Then it arrives. The moment we have been waiting for. I lower my hand and signal the attack.
A wild war cry, followed by the sharp hiss of arrows splitting the air. The clansmen erupted from the rocks, pouring down from the high ridge with axes and spears, their crude weapons in their hands. The ambush has begun.
And so has the counterattack.
"Now!"
I burst from the forest. My sword, unlike those of my fellow knights, is sheathed. I am not planning to cause too much bloodshed. The first clansman never saw it coming. My fist meets his face. Time slows down as my fist makes contact. The skin is bent, as are the muscles and blood vessels. I can hear and feel the cracking of the bone. The force of my punch knocks him off his feet and makes him fly through the air. It is hard to believe how much stronger I am compared to grown men. I could have killed this man and crushed his head if I felt like it, but I chose not to. I don't let anything get to my head and move automatically.
A second clansman turns, raising a crude axe — too slow. One of the Vale Knights drives a spear through his side, pinning him to the ground and killing him. That's what I am trying to prevent. The frustration is not showing; I simply continue. The clansmen are caught between hammer and anvil. I speed up more and knock out one clansman and clanswoman after the other. Only using the strength necessary to knock them out and remove them from the fight. My fist impacts faces and hands, breaking bones but not killing anyone.
Another clansman attacks me with a sword and swings at me wildly. I move back, dodging the swing, and then move forward into his guard. I punch his stomach lightly, pushing all the air out of his lungs. My other hand moves upward and hits the arm holding the sword. I hear the crack of his bone breaking and see his hand opening automatically. The man shouts in pain, holding his arm and starts to cry. Another light punch to the face ends his pain momentarily, in time for the next attack.
I feel the air pressure change and duck under the swing of an axe. As if I had been doing this for years, I turned and faced my attacker. It is a young woman, about the same age as me, maybe a little younger. This Clanswoman appears to possess more skill than the others. I take a step back, allowing her the opportunity to launch her attack. She exhibits a ferocity that I would not have anticipated from anyone other than my sister, Lyanna. Although she has not been formally trained in combat, and her movements are wild and inefficient, she compensates for this lack of technique with sheer determination and spirit, which I find admirable. I weave and duck beneath her swings, allowing her to tire herself out. I wish to see her full strength instead of ending this quickly. Then, I notice an opening that is simply too advantageous to ignore. As she steps forward in an attempt to close the gap between us, raising her axe high above her head, she makes a critical error. I raise my hand to block her fist from coming down, effectively halting her movement entirely.
Her eyes widen as she sees a large fist in front of her face.
*Crunch*
...
As I stand there, I hear a loud shout. Another woman, older than the one I just knocked out, rushes towards me with her weapon in hand.
"RAAAAAHHH, Chella!! Get away from her, lowlander!"
Then she starts attacking me. From her looks, I would guess that she's her mother. She has more strength and fighting experience than her daughter has. Her fiery spirit is, however, making her a bit rash. She swings her sword in one and and the axe which her daughter dropped in the other. Wild swings are sent my way, trying to shoo me away. But she has no idea who she is fighting against. If I were Robert, she would have died as soon as she ran forward. I think she has potential and don't want to see her die. So I end this. I catch her left hand and pull her towards me, surprising her and causing her to lose her balance. She looks at me surprised and meets my fist, similar to how her daughter did.
*Crunch*
.
The battle lasted minutes, not hours. The untrained and inexperienced Clansmen and Clanswomen stood no chance. Their ambush was turned against them, and this is the result. Thankfully, I could prevent the clan's extinction. They can be useful.
"Hahahahaha! Ned, that was brilliant! You didn't even draw your sword. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've done this before."
I don't smile, though. Robert has gone ahead and killed all of the opponents he faced. The brutality he is capable of dishing out is second only to my own. But he seems to enjoy it truly and chooses to kill rather than incapacitate. I don't enjoy that quality in him.
"Let's regroup with Jon. We're not done yet."
.
"We will never submit. No matter what you do to us, that will never happen."
The woman in front of us is called Cheyk, the daughter of Corr and the chief of the Black Ears. She is a strong and fierce woman, unwilling to submit to Jon or anyone else. This was to be expected as her pride and hatred for the Andals wouldn't allow her to do so.
"You will. Or you will all die."
"So be it. I would rather die than bow to anyone. And especially not an Arryn."
"You would see your daughter be killed just for your pride?"
"Pride is everything. Do you know what it's like to have our land taken from us and given to pathetic invaders like you?"
"Are you talking about the Andal Invasion? That was thousands of years ago; what do you know of that?"
"What do you-"
"If I may," I interrupt the talk.
Everyone looks at me. Cheyk's sharp eyes flick to me, going over my form and judging me. The other clansmen murmur. I can hear their silently spoken words of disdain and anger. Jon gives me a look, but then nods his head.
"And who are you?! Another lowlander?" Cheyk asks with disdain. I step closer to reveal myself to everyone and look her in the eyes. No one who could make me flinch when looking at me has been born.
"My name is Eddard Stark. Well met, Cheyk, daughter of Corr."
At my introduction, her expression shifts lightly. She seems surprised and confused to find a Stark here among the people she loathes.
"Stark ... how surprising. To see a descendant of the First Men here among these Andals." Cheyk utters. Her words are like darts thrown at me. Her posture changes slightly. I can see her curiosity. Good.
"Aye, it is strange. But the world has changed; the First Men and the Andals no longer war one another. I am a ward of Lord Arryn, learning from him and forging closer bonds between our Houses. But that doesn't mean we have forgotten our roots, our ways."
She crosses her arms and tilts her head.
"So what do you want, Eddard, son of Starks?"
"I come with a proposition. I would like your people, the Black Ears, to consider a change. I want to teach you crop rotation — how to sow and reap wheat."
"Growing our food? We already have that knowledge. For how stupid do you take us?" Cheyk snorts and looks offended.
"Not stupid, no. I only wish to see you and your people prosper and to have you stop raiding the villages. The Vale lords will never stop hunting you and hating you for who you are. The lowland villages will always raise their banners when you raid. If your people could sustain themselves and feed them without risking their lives in battle, you would not have to fight just to survive."
"You want us to change our way of life? To forget who we are and become like these lowlanders?"
"No matter what anger you may have for the Andals, the smallfolk are innocent of those crimes and don't deserve your violence. You don't have to forget who you are; you need to adapt. A wolf that does not change dies in winter."
"..."
I can see her thinking about it for a while. A heavy silence settles over the people present. This will be hard for her, but she will agree. She looks around the camp, observing the men, women and children. I can see her weighing the options, and despite what she said to Jon, she does value the lives of those present. She knows what would happen if she just remains proud and dies.
"Your pride means nothing if you're dead, chief. A dead clan leaves no warriors, no men or women to tell their stories or children to carry its name. The victors tell the stories, those who survive. I can guarantee that you will not be forced to become slaves for anyone, should you agree to these terms. What do you say, Cheyk daughter of Corr?"