Chapter 1 - The return of Lord Grinsal

Link to the Prologue

The young Lord was looking down a hill towards the castle. He hadn't been there for ten long years. He could still remember the good old times back then. The times with his father ... before that fateful night so long ago.

It seemed like bandits had taken parts of the castle grounds and the castle buildings were in disrepair. Nothing of the former glory remained.

It would be a new beginning. He and the remaining soldiers were on their way back to the castle. The bandits luckily seemed to keep to their locations but to be sure the young Lord and his men would move to the castle from the docks.

They stole a boat and got still had to wait till nightfall. The young Lord was not patient ... he wanted to get it over with. He needed to get the families castle back. So close to his goal he could not sit still. He was pacing. If only he was there already. He would be a good lord like his father had been. He knew he would have to be cautious. If their enemies knew he was still alive, there would be no place safe for him.

When night finally fell, they took the boat to the harbour. There were no sentries. The whole old city seemed empty. When they moved towards the castle gate he noticed the ruins of the market and the Iron Bank. He wanted to take a look but it would be better to get to the castle fast.

The lower city looked even worse. The embassy, the bannerman hall, the hospital, the barracks ... all gone. Only burned down ruins remained. It would be a lot of work needed to bring it all back to its former glory. A lot of work and a lot of resources. Resources he did not have at the moment ... but he would get there.The young Lord kept a list of what had to be done. There were still skeletons lying around. He looked at one of them. There was no way to tell who it had been and the remaining clothes were too worn down to be sure if they had been defenders or attackers. They would need some time to clear the remains out too. At least they had rotten away and ... most likely been eaten by rats a long time ago. Otherwise the stench would have been unbearable.

They moved up the great staircase towards the small sept. The maesters tower was gone too.

The young Lord looked towards the stronghold. The building itself looked okay ... at least if you did not look too closely. Scorch marks were visible on the outside. The windows were broken or gone altogether. The gates at least were open.

They party moved into the stronghold. No one challenged them. There were a lot more skeletons lying around here. The defenders had their last stand here. One of the knights of his group knelt down at one of the skeletons, inspecting it. Then he stood back up and all the knights saluted them with their swords. The men had earned their rest and the young Lord would make sure the remains would be burried.

There was still the stronghold to examine. Despite the fire that had spread through the building it seemed quite intakt. They would check it all out in the morning. Tonight they would just check the shelter and sleep there, if it seemed safe. That meant going down through the lower city again but he didn't mind. He would rebuild the castle. He would bring it back to glory and he would find those who betrayed his father. The young Lord was finally back home.

A few days later

The bandits were still out there somewhere but they had not bothered them. The young Lord was helping the knights to clear out the stronghold and they had even managed to find more help from the surrounding villages. The people there were happy to earn some coins. Some of them would stay to staff the castle. Most of them would get back to their villages after the cleanup was done.

An old friend of the family should arrive soon. He was a Lord in his own right but most just called him Insolent Man. The young Lord did not know why but the man was a bit strange ... maybe a bit crazy. At least he was said to be trustworthy, a friend of the young Lords late mentor.

The throne room had been cleared and while construction work was still to be done, most of the stronghold seemed to have fared way better than expected. At this speed it would take months to get the castle and the city back in shape.

A few more days later ;)

The insolent man had arrived and he had brought help. A lot of help. They had arrived via the harbour too and his men were already clearing out more of the city. He had even brought a few craftsman to repair the stronghold.

They had started their work and were deconstructing the ruins. Some of the materials would be used to rebuild, most of them would have to be thrown out. Yet it was going much faster. That's when the first attacks of the bandits happened. It was only a small group and they were subdued fast. The young Lord could not let that stand though.

He sent out scouts to check the first of their locations in the city outskirts. It seemed like there were only a few thugs. His men would clear them out.

In the outskirts they would be able to build a farmland, the lumberyard and all the other buildings needed to take back the surrounding areas.

The young Lord was eager to get it done. His mentor waddled into the throne room and went right to the young Lord. Insolent Man for some reason was reminding the young Lord of a penguin. It was their first real meeting, all other contact the last few days had been through his knights. You could never be too careful.

Insolent Man finished his report of what had been done and what was still needed, when a messenger arrived. The raid on the bandits had been successful.

The young Lord ... no ... he could not keep it that way ... Lord Grinsal had a lot to do, a lot to rebuild. He would restore the family castle, he would restore the army ... and then he would get back at all those people who had turned on their family.

Babysteps ... he would take as many as needed. Every step would bring him closer to taking revenge!

Link to chapter 2