River Battle

There was a light breeze that came through the air. Sun high in the sky, beating down upon their backs, clouds nowhere to be seen. A rare moment of good weather in an otherwise dreary and wet time. Many said that when Robb Stark and the Northmen marched south, that they brought the entirety of winter with them, Tytos found it difficult to disagree.

'However, with such nice weather, it must be a good omen.' Gripping his reins, Tytos smiled grimly as he kept a close eye upon the river. Scouts had returned, reporting that Aegon Targaryen and his fleet of ships had sailed into the Bay of Crabs and were not making their way up Widow's Ford. 'They intend to make haste for Riverrun and to capture Margaery Tyrell. With her and the child in his grasp, Aegon can leverage for peace.'

That was something he could not allow.

All around him, men carrying heavy shields marched down the embankment, coming to a stop at the edge of the river. Ten thousand men, all who had been searching the Riverlands to find the elusive Petyr Baelsih, recalled and reposition here, to ambush Aegon Targaryen. Jason Mallister and two thousand men would be marching from the north, linking up with him and providing aid.

They would need the additional numbers.

"Father." Brynden Blackwood called as he rode up to his side. "The men are in position. Jason Mallister has sent word, he is but a few hours march from our position."

"That is good news," Tytos murmured.

It would not do for Jason to arrive before Aegon did, if he did, the Targaryen King would be a fool not to target the smaller force. Disembarking from a ship all the while battling against a force defending the shore was never easy. Not only would soldiers be weary from sailing, but they would also not be able to form proper formations in time to defend themselves. It would be a free for all the moment the soldiers got off their boats, with no structure and no organisation.

Therefore, attacking a smaller force would be the smartest decision to make. It would not only be easier to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, but also allow them to organise their forces in preparation to face them.

Tytos was not confident in beating the Targaryen King with the soldiers he had currently. The makeup of his army was composed entirely of five thousand light cavalry, two thousand archers and three thousand light infantry. On the other hand, the Golden Company were composed of five thousand heavy infantry, three thousand heavy cavalry and two thousand archers. The Dornish were composed of twelve thousand light infantry, five thousand light cavalry and three thousand archers.

The only thing that would give him the advantage in this battle was the fact he could properly structure his force. Defeat the difference of numbers and quality with proper organisation and chain of command.

Jason Mallister knew all of this and had no doubt slowed his march in order to allow Tytos to engage the bulk of Aegon's forces before he arrived. "Tell Hoster he is to take command of the front, you are to take command of the back." Nodding his head, Brynden rode off, leaving Tytos surrounded by his reserve forces, five hundred light cavalry, his only cavalry force still mounted.

The remaining four thousand, five hundred had been ordered to dismount and fill in as infantry troops. To win this battle, manoeuvrability was the last thing he needed. What he needed was a strong defence force that could hold off any assault.

Lucky for him, he had chosen the perfect position to launch this ambush. The river was a treacherous place, the Ruby Ford the only suitable place in which armies could comfortably cross. However, between that and the Widow's Ford was a smaller area, the river flow was calmer and the embankments lower. It was the only suitable place to actually disembark besides the Ruby Ford.

This is precisely why Tytos had positioned his troops here.

A horn sounded, all eyes turning to the east where they finally saw ships coming round the bend, each bearing the flag of the Targaryens. "Archers!" Tytos ordered flags raised and the archer unit raising their bows into the air. He waited, watching as the ships drew closer and closer until, from the trees, a torch was thrown onto a ship.

It didn't do any damage or even put the ship ablaze. In fact, it was thrown into the water almost as soon as it landed upon the lead boat. But what it did do was send a signal directly to Tytos Blackwood.

"Loose!"

Hundreds of arrows flew from bows, whistling through the air as they reached their peak before curving, plummeting down onto the approaching ships. Even from this distance, Tytos could see the movement upon the ship, no doubt the soldiers scrambling to raise their shields up into the air.

Yet here could still hear their shouts and screams all the same.

Even more so when a second volley was unleashed.

Then a third.

A fourth.

A fifth.

A sixth.

Until finally they reached the small opening and that's where the first problem that the ships encountered appeared. They were too big and this part of the river while wide, was quite shallow and so, they ran aground.

Leaving them as perfect targets for the arrows that continually rained down upon them. They also served as the perfect blockade that stopped their other ships from passing by.

Tytos smiled as he saw it all. 'Big boats like yours may be able to carry large numbers of troops, but they can't handle shallow waters.' If Tytos hadn't been here, then perhaps Aegon's plan might have worked, he could safely disembark his soldiers here and march the rest of the way to Riverrun. However, Robb had seen through his intentions and Tytos was here to stop him.

-X- Line Break -X-

"It's just as we expected." Jon Connington noted as they watched the mess taking place before their eyes. "The shallow waters of the rivers make sailing beyond this point without smaller boats impossible."

"We're also under fire." Harry Strickland concurred. "Taking the shore will not be easy. However, our numbers are larger. We should make a push now while we have the chance."

Aegon nodded his head. "We suspected that they might be laying in wait." Robb Stark had left ten thousand men behind in the Riverlands before his main force marched south to Kings Landing. They had been prepared to face an ambush along the way and had prepared accordingly. "Have our front boats disembark all soldiers. Secure a foothold upon the shore."

Taking the shore was going not going to be easy by any means. Aegon knew it would be a hard-fought battle, but one that he knew he was destined to win. Defeat was not an option for him, he had to succeed at all costs.

He would not lose, not to Robb Stark of all people.