Chapter 148 - Battle of the Crossing (I)

"Soldiers without fear, forged in unwavering obedience and faith." - Aenar Targaryen, looking at the twenty legions of the Legiones Astartes.

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Climbing a relatively high hill, Aenar looked at the huge twin castles on either side of the Green Fork of the Trident. The castle was one of the most formidable fortresses on the continent of Westeros.

"Honestly, without dragons and cannons, it would be extremely difficult to conquer Twins." Eddard said as he saw the twin castles, one on either side of the river. A tower in the middle of the bridge connected the castles. The walls were thick and fortified, looking powerful and impenetrable.

Aenar nodded. The castle before him was truly powerful, almost a second Harrenhal in terms of defense.

"How do you want to attack?" Eddard asked in a calm tone.

"Use the cannons first, I want to test the attack power against such a powerful castle." Aenar said, looking at the castle with a smile on his face.

Eddard was also curious about the cannons. He had seen the power of the guns and wanted to know if they were effective against castles. If they were, he planned to arm Winterfell's walls with cannons, making the already powerful castle even more formidable.

With Aenar's orders, the army set to work in full force. As well as building the camp, the soldiers began to position the cannons.

Oberyn and Tyrion were even more excited. Being close to Aenar allowed them to see something they had never imagined. Civilization, which had previously seemed stagnant for seven millennia, was slowly advancing with Aenar at the helm.

"What do you think Walder Frey's expression will be when he hears the cannon fire?" Tyrion asked, with a curious tone, as he sipped some wine.

"He's so old, he might be scared to death." Oberyn commented with an amused smile on his lips. Walder Frey was almost ninety, almost an old relic who refused to die of natural causes.

"I heard that the old man had recently married a young woman." Tyrion commented, amazed at Walder's efficiency in having children. The man had so many children and grandchildren that he was like a small army.

"I want to know that secret too." Oberyn said with a lascivious grin on his face, imagining himself at ninety and still being able to fuck men and women.

Oberyn and Tyrion looked at each other and laughed.

"Looking at their smiles, they're talking about women." Arianne commented with an amused smile at the sight of the two enemies turned friends.

"Well, that's our father." Obara said, looking at the dwarf and his father chatting happily, even though they were at war.

Nymeria shook her head as she deftly moved a dagger between her fingers. "The most important thing is to focus on the war. Our father has already legitimized us with the victory at Haigh Castle, now we have to earn merit to receive fiefs from King Aenar."

Hearing Nymeria's words, Obara and Tyene didn't know what to feel. They had never imagined that they would have legitimate status after so long living as bastards in the eyes of all Westeros.

"Have you chosen the name of the Noble House yet?" Arianne asked curiously. She was happy for her friends; only nobles could have armies, and armies meant power to protect themselves in the future.

The three girls looked at each other and shook their heads, expressing that they hadn't thought of anything like that so far.

"I'll help." Arianne said with a smile, looking at the three women with a helpless look. Others would be thanking the gods if they were legitimized, but the three women seemed in no hurry to create a Noble House.

While the women were talking, Titus and Sigismund appeared next to Aenar. Both were tall and powerful, veritable mobile fortresses. No one doubted the power of these men.

"Messiah." They both greeted Aenar.

Looking at his first Primarchs, Aenar nodded with satisfaction.

"Has the mission been completed?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer. The two Primarchs wouldn't return if they hadn't completed the mission.

"Yes, all the blood has been saved and is waiting to be used by the Son of Light." Sigismund, who was bald and had a robust, angular face, replied with a serious tone, incredibly calm and firm.

Aenar flashed a smile and said: "Thank you for your hard work."

"For the blood spilled and saved, it's enough to turn three hundred people into super-soldiers." Aenar muttered to himself. It wasn't a large number, but if you compared the combat effectiveness of these three hundred men, they were equivalent to two or three thousand ordinary soldiers.

A smile appeared on Aenar's lips. He realized that he was rushing too fast. It was only the beginning of the war, and he wouldn't be short of blood to complete the Blood Ritual on his soldiers.

However, he knew that the empire could never stop expanding. The blood of sentient life was necessary for the Blood Ritual, and he couldn't simply sacrifice the human race. So, in the future, foreign races would be the focus of expansion.

Honestly, if the enemy didn't have armies in infinite hordes, Aenar wouldn't want to embark on limitless expansionism against the other races of the known universe. But without the blood needed for the ritual of the Astartes Warriors, the Empire of Humanity would be defeated in the face of the Warp's endless hordes of demons.

"Titus and Sigismund." Aenar looked at the Primarchs and spoke with a cold tone. "When the attack begins, I want you two on the front line."

"Yes, my Emperor." Titus and Sigismund beat their chests and spoke aloud. There was no hesitation or any other unnecessary sentiment, just the mission and nothing more.

Leda looked at them both with envy. Although she considered her duty to protect the king sacred, she also wanted to go to war. However, she knew that her duty was more important than anything else. Still, he couldn't help the feeling.

On the other side, inside the Twins, all the sons, daughters and grandchildren of the Lord of the Crossing were gathered in the Great Hall.

[Note: Walder Frey has around thirty-five sons and daughters, not counting his grandchildren... and that's not including the unknown bastards].

Sitting behind a table, calmly eating and drinking, Walder Frey, the Lord of the Twins, kept a cold, calculating gaze.

"Father, King Targaryen's army seems to be camping on the hill in front of the castle. They don't seem to have any intention of entering the castle... and..." Hosteen Frey hesitated to continue.

"Speak up, you incompetent fool." Walder asked impatiently.

"There are no coats of arms of Houses Charlton, Erenford and Haigh. There's no sign of Stevron, Emmon or Aenys either."

When Hosteen had finished speaking, a heavy silence spread through the hall. All eyes were fixed on Walder Frey.

Chewing the meat in his mouth, Walder narrowed his eyes. There was an almost uncontrollable fury reflected in them. He already knew that Aenar had not come to accept his surrender. As for the fate of Stevron, Emmon and Aenys, it was obvious: their children were dead.

"Send a messenger. Tell him I allow his army to cross the Twins into the Riverlands." Walder said with a cold and extraordinarily calm tone.

The probable death of his eldest sons caused no great stir in his emotions. He was almost ninety and few things could make him lose his temper. The death of his children was not one of them.

At the same time, Walder had completely given up on the plan to poison Aenar and his family. All he wanted now was for the enemy army to leave his domain. He didn't dare even think about fighting. If Houses Charlton, Erenford and Haigh were not with King Targaryen's army, then they had been defeated and destroyed.

Walder didn't have an army and could only rely on the castle to defend himself. But the other side had dragons, and he didn't want to become the second Harrenhal. He had worked too hard to raise House Frey to its current status to simply commit suicide by facing dragons.

"Yes, father." Hosteen replied loudly and hurried out of the Great Hall.

However, thirty minutes later, Hosteen returned holding a letter and handed it to Walder Frey.

Opening the seal with a knife, Walder read the contents of the message. He couldn't help but notice that the letters were written in blood.

"There is no surrender for traitors. Death awaits you and all your lineage."

"Signed: King Aenar of House Targaryen, First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Roiners and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm." Walder read aloud, his tone cold and chilling.

"Prepare for war." He ordered, rising from his chair with a look of fury that was simply frightening.

"I will resist until the Crown Army arrives to confront House Targaryen." he muttered, his gaze as cold as the death that lurked within him.

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