Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 257 The First Battle of the Midsummer Hall

When the old maester tremblingly reported from Storm's End that House Tyrell of Highgarden had answered the Mad King's call and sent troops to support the Targaryens, Robert Baratheon was like a powder keg that had been lit, instantly erupting in fury.

"Damn roses!" he roared, slamming his fist on the heavy oak table, making wine glasses jump. "They dared to side with that madman! Once I've dealt with the traitors in Summerhall, I'll personally lead troops to Highgarden and uproot those thorny vines, crushing them to dust!"

Just as Robert's rage was about to lift the roof off, Euron Greyjoy let out a low laugh.

"Calm down, my Lord of Storms." Euron toyed with a dagger, his tone languid yet undeniably penetrating. "Elena Redwyn, the Queen of Thorns," that old woman, was as shrewd as a viper lurking in a rose bush. She would never stake all of Highgarden's resources before the situation was clear. Believe me, their military action was merely a show on the border, a performance for the mad king of King's Landing.

Euron stood up, walked over to the enraged Robert, and said calmly, "Ignore them, let them practice their formations. We have more pressing matters to attend to—" He changed his tone, becoming sharp and pragmatic, "First, think about how we should deal with those three traitorous families who are preparing to gather in Summerhall tomorrow? They are the real thorn in our side."

Stannis Baratheon, who had been listening silently, stepped forward. His face was serious, and his tone was stern yet incisive: "Brother, Lord Euron is right. The roses of Highgarden are still far away, but the traitors of Summerhall are right before our eyes. This is the real threat that is imminent."

Euron nodded approvingly and continued, "We have three objectives. First, to completely eliminate the royalists entrenched in the Summer Palace with the fastest speed and the most ruthless methods, leaving no one alive."

He held up a second finger, his gaze sweeping over every Stormlands general present: "Secondly, this victory is not only about eliminating the enemy, but also about deterring all those wavering and hesitant within Stormlands. They must clearly see the consequences of resisting House Baratheon, and the future that loyalty can bring."

"Finally," he clenched his fist and made a gesture of closing up, "only by completely unifying Stormlands and clearing away all internal obstacles can we gather all our forces without any worries, march north, join forces with Eddard and Jon, and head straight for King's Landing."

Robert, upon hearing this, let out a loud, confident laugh. He patted Euron on the shoulder, then looked at his stern brother: "Don't worry, Euron! Stannis! I know those cowards and idiots better than anyone!" He brandished his fist triumphantly, as if the enemy had already crumbled before him. "They only know fists and victory! I assure you, one battle is all it takes to break their bones, and they'll be begging to pledge their allegiance again. After this battle, I'll have a fortified army, free from internal strife!"

His words were filled with an undeniable air of dominance, as if victory was already in his grasp.

The three Earls of Summerhall stood firmly on the side of the Iron Throne, openly raising an army in rebellion against their legally appointed Lord Robert Baratheon. They answered the call of the then Hand of the King, Earl Owen Mariveth, vowing to suppress the "traitors."

House Fell's coat of arms is a grey stone castle on a blue background. Earl Gerald Fell is an old-school knight known for his unwavering loyalty; his hair and beard are now completely gray, yet he still dons armor for battle. He personally leads his army north from his family's ancestral fortress, Stone Nest, his gaze resolute, determined to uphold the royal legitimacy he serves and crush Robert's "rebellion" with his sword.

The coat of arms of the Cavalin family consists of two crossed bronze axes on a green background. The family's army mainly came from the southeast, and the soldiers were known for their bravery and warlike nature. Like the battle axes on their coat of arms, they joined the royalist camp with the momentum to cut through all obstacles.

The Grandson family's coat of arms features a sleeping black lion on a yellow background. Now, that black lion has awakened. The Earl of Grandson's forces are approaching from the southwest; their arrival is swift and efficient, like the claws and fangs revealed by a sleeping lion opening its eyes—silent yet brimming with a formidable threat.

Three armies converged on the designated location from different directions, intending to form an encirclement and extinguish the flames of "rebellion" in the Stormlands in their infancy.

Robert Baratheon and Euron Greyjoy's allied forces, like lurking beasts, had already arrived first, silently concealing themselves in the rolling hills and dry, barren forests surrounding Summerhall, waiting for their prey to step into their trap.

Earl Gerard Fair's army was the first to arrive at the designated area. They marched along the wide King's Road, maintaining an ancient and disciplined formation, the blue and grey castle banners fluttering in the wind. Earl Fair himself rode at the head of the column on a tall warhorse, his aged back ramrod straight, his armor polished to a gleaming shine, reflecting a cold, hard light.

This old knight, known for his unwavering loyalty, was completely unaware of the destructive force lurking in the hills and woodlands ahead.

The time was right when the Fair family's party had fully entered a wide-open valley surrounded by hills on three sides and lacking cover.

Robert Baratheon did not wait for Euron's signal to flank him. Driven by a surging fighting spirit and a thirst for revenge, he let out a deafening roar and personally led the Stormlands' most elite cavalry in a ferocious, earth-shattering charge from behind the hillside!

As Robert Baratheon tore through House Fell's lines like a god of war, a silver figure rode forward to meet the onslaught, attempting to halt this unstoppable tide. The newcomer was none other than Edric Fell, the eldest son and heir of Earl Gerald Fell, known as "Silver Axe" because of the magnificent battle axe he wielded as a family heirloom.

The young knight, shouting his family's motto and brandishing his gleaming silver battle axe, charged bravely toward Robert. The two horses met, their metal clanging together!

But courage could not ultimately bridge the gap in absolute power. Edric's exquisite skill with his "Silver Axe" paled in comparison to Robert's pure and ferocious strength. With a single blow, Robert's fearsome warhammer, "Robert's Wrath," slammed down with overwhelming force, and Edric's silver axe slipped from his grasp, spinning through the air like a lost silver meteor.

The immense impact not only knocked weapons away but also threw Edric off his horse, sending him crashing heavily into the dust. Before he could even struggle to his feet, Robert's soldiers swarmed him, swiftly subduing him and taking him prisoner. This battle on the battlefield began and ended in the blink of an eye.

Lord Gerald Fair witnessed his eldest son being thrown from his horse and immediately captured, and a roar of despair and rage erupted from his chest. Forgetting his age and tactics, the old earl was driven only by the most primal impulse of a father. He spurred his horse, raised his sword, and charged headlong into Robert Baratheon, who was like the eye of a storm.

It was a brief yet brutal duel, a clash between aging loyalty and raging fury. Robert didn't even move; he simply turned his horse to meet the charging old knight. His great hammer, "Robert's Wrath," with a tearing, piercing sound, slammed down with devastating force, instantly shattering Lord Gerald's oak shield, adorned with the coat of arms of Greystone Castle, into pieces!

The immense impact did not cease; the warhammer continued its relentless advance, slamming heavily onto the old Earl's breastplate. The steel armor emitted a teeth-grinding groan, visibly caved in, and the ribs and internal organs beneath were instantly shattered. Earl Gerard Fair's body jerked violently on his horse, then slumped to the ground, dying instantly.

The sudden death of their commander was like the removal of the backbone of the entire army. The soldiers of the Fair family, who had been struggling to hold on, witnessed this scene and their morale collapsed instantly. The army disintegrated, with some scattering and fleeing, while others threw down their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy.

As Robert's cavalry crushed the main Fel family lines from the front, Euron's Ironborn had already silently completed their deployment, like ghosts. They formed a cold and deadly iron ring, silently encircling the entire battlefield.

When Count Fell was killed in battle and his army collapsed, the survivors scattered in terror into the surrounding hills and withered forests, only to find that survival was not the way out.

The Ironborn emerged from the shadows and from the trenches, silent and efficient, like experienced hunters rounding up their terrified prey. Battleaxes and scimitars swung mercilessly, felling every soldier who tried to flee. Screams echoed along the battlefield's edge; desperate escapes ultimately ended beneath the cold steel. Euron's encirclement left no gaps, utterly extinguishing the last hope of survival for the Fell family's army.