The Sworn Sword

"He did, m'lord. Before he took me on". Dunk had been no more than three or four at the time, running half naked through the alleys of Flea Bottom, more animal than boy.

"Was he for the red dragon or the black?"

Red or black? was a dangerous question, even now. Since the days of Aegon the Conquerer, the arms of House Targaryen had borne a three-headed dragon, red on black. Daemon the Pretender had reversed those colors on his own banners, as many bastards did. Ser Eustace is my liege lord, Dunk reminded himself. He has a right to ask. "He fought beneath Lord Hayford's banner, m'lord".

"Green fretty over gold, a green pale wavy?"

"It might be, m'lord. Egg would know". The lad could recite the arms of half the knights in Westeros.

"Lord Hayford was a noted loyalist . King Daeron made him his Hand just before the battle. Butterwell had done such a dismal job that many questioned his loyalty, but Lord Hayford had been stalwart from the first".

"Ser Arlan was beside him when he fell. A lord with three castles on his shield cut him down".

"Many good men fell that day, on both sides. The grass was not red before the battle. Did your Ser Arlan tell you that?"

"Ser Arlan never liked to speak about the battle. His squire died there, too. Roger of Pennytree was his name, Ser Arlan's sister's son". Even saying the name made Dunk feel vaguely guilty. I stole his place. Only princes and great lords had the means to keep two squires. If Aegon the Unworthy had given his sword to his heir Daeron instead of his bastard Daemon, there might never have been a Blackfyre Rebellion, and Roger of Pennytree might be alive today. He would be a knight someplace, a truer knight than me. I would have ended on the gallows, or been sent off to the Night's Watch to walk the Wall until I died.

"A great battle is a terrible thing", the old knight said "but in the midst of blood and carnage, there is sometimes also beauty, beauty that could break your heart. I will never forget the way the sun looked when it set upon the Redgrass Field… ten thousand men had died, and the air was thick with moans and lamentations, but above us the sky turned gold and red and orange, so beautiful it made me weep to know that my sons would never see it". He sighed. "It was a closer thing than they would have you believe, these days. If not for Bloodraven.. ".

"I'd always heard that it was Baelor Breakspear who won the battle", said Dunk. "Him and Prince Maekar".

"The hammer and the anvil?" The old man's mustache gave a twitch. "The singers leave out much and more. Daemon was the Warrior himself that day. No man could stand before him. He broke Lord Arryn's van to pieces and slew the Knight of Ninestars and Wild Wyl Waynwood before coming up against Ser Gwayne Corbray of the Kingsguard. For near an hour they danced together on their horses, wheeling and circling and slashing as men died all around them. It's said that whenever Blackfyre and Lady Forlorn clashed, you could hear the sound for a league around. It was half a song and half a scream, they say. But when at last the Lady faltered, Blackfyre clove through Ser Gwayne's helm and left him blind and bleeding. Daemon dismounted to see that his fallen foe was not trampled, and commanded Redtusk to carry him back to the maesters in the rear. And there was his mortal error, for the Raven's Teeth had gained the top of Weeping Ridge, and Bloodraven saw his half brother's royal standard three hundred yards away, and Daemon and his sons beneath it. He slew Aegon first, the elder of the twins, for he knew that Daemon would never leave the boy whilst warmth lingered in his body, though white shafts fell like rain. Nor did he, though seven arrows pierced him, driven as much by sorcery as by Bloodraven's bow. Young Aemon took up Blackfyre when the blade slipped from his dying father's fingers, so Bloodraven slew him, too, the younger of the twins. Thus perished the black dragon and his sons.

"There was much and more afterward, I know. I saw a bit of it myself… the rebels running, Bittersteel turning the rout and leading his mad charge… his battle with Bloodraven, second only to the one Daemon fought with Gwayne Corbray… Prince Baelor's hammerblow against the rebel rear, the Dornishmen all screaming as they filled the air with spears… but at the end of the day, it made no matter. The war was done when Daemon died.