BLAZING TRAILS, FORGING TALES : A TALE FOR B a n e PART I

I am Bezedash and welcome once more into my GoT world.

I, Bezedash, had been living in the kingdom numbered 276 for several moons, playing the role of court minstrel for King Vangark. Despite the wealth and hospitality of the court, a part of me remained tied to k299, my true home, where my wife, LadySam, and my alliance watched over the land.

Evenings in King's Landing were often lively. Just the night before, i had wandered through the cobbled streets, mingling with the crowd. The air was thick with the aroma of seared fish and honeyed ale, mingling with the damp stone and the occasional whiff of unwashed bodies. The murmur of voices, bursts of laughter, and the rhythmic clatter of hooves on the pavement created a chaotic symphony that only a capital at night could compose.

Disguised in humble clothes, i had half-heartedly listened to Archer-Bard O’Biehn, a flamboyant figure known as much for his love of gold as for his clumsy compositions. The flickering torchlight danced on his gaudy attire, casting exaggerated shadows against the walls. His voice, nasal and shrill, cut through the evening air like an off-tuned fiddle.

"No need to call nine-one-one," he chanted, striking a dramatic pose, "but better call two-nine-nine!"

The crowd let out bursts of admiration, clapping with unabashed energy.

I froze at the mention. 2-9-9. The realm of my alliance. The words struck me like a warning, though the song itself was nothing more than an irritatingly mediocre tune. By the Old Gods and the New, how that honeyed tongue can be a curse to the ears! I muttered to myself:

"That O’Biehn… lover of gold more than his own songs… should remember that silence is gold's true colour."

As i turned to leave, a familiar figure caught my eye… Simon, the old hermit, hunched by a wooden post, his gnarled fingers tracing enigmatic patterns in the air. He did not look at me but spoke in a voice like rustling leaves.

"The trees whispered to me and told me the secrets of dreams."

I hesitated, the weight of his words pressing against my chest. Before i could even react, he melted into the shifting crowd, lost among the city’s restless tide. This encounter stirred unease within me, and a shiver ran through me… one that had nothing to do with the crisp night air.

Later that night, back in my castle along the treeline of King’s Landing, sleep eluded me. My restless mind played a strange melody made of broken dreams, flames and whispers of a kingdom in peril. At dawn, a cry jolted me awake. 

It wasn’t a real cry but a gut-wrenching lament in the world chat. Someone, somewhere, expressed raw grief, a loss too great to bear. The voice cut deeper than a hunter's knife, etching itself into my thoughts.

I sat up, my heart heavy with a worry i couldn’t deny. Could the mention of 299 the night before have been mere coincidence? Or was there a darker truth hidden in O’Biehn’s clumsy words?

Throwing on my cloak, i grabbed my lute and stepped into the cool morning air. The familiar weight of the instrument on my back brought me a small measure of comfort. I had come to k276 to sing tales of valour and exploits, but now my thoughts turned homeward, to a place where silence screamed louder than any song.

 "What bane does the wind carry tonight?" i murmured as a raven landed before me, a message tied to its leg caught my eye.

My Lord Husband,

A great misfortune has befallen us.

We are under invasion.

I miss you dearly

LadySam

The words blurred on the parchment as i reread them, my mind struggling to grasp their full gravity.

We are under invasion.

My pulse pounded in my temples like a war drum. The ink of my wife LadySam’s message seemed to burn into the parchment… flames of distress and urgency. My fingers clenched around the paper.

"No, not now. Not while I’m in the middle of the Lord of the Lords on k276."

I instantly turned back toward the Maesters' Tower. Taking the steps four at a time, i burst into Maester Luwin’s study.

"Maester, show me all the recent battle reports from K299."

Luwin complied without hesitation.

So Shivar was that cry of agony from my dream. Shivar is one of the officials from our alliance MFs.

"There is something else you must know, Minstrel-Knight," he said gravely.

"The battles are raging as we speak and the enemy is B a n e."

The corridors rushed past me as i sprinted toward my chambers. My hands trembled with rage as i grabbed my travel bag. i barely had time to fasten the straps before dashing to the stables. Every breath seared my chest. Was it already too late?

Hermine neighed, sensing my agitation as i leaped onto her back. For a fraction of a second, i hesitated... the transnational teleportation would be instantaneous, and knowing myself, i would land straight into chaos. Was my alliance still holding strong? Was LadySam safe? Or would i return only to find ruins and a deathly silence?

 "Do not mistake speed for recklessness," i murmured, tightening the reins, recalling King Vangark’s words.

I took a moment to properly prepare. To adjust my strategy, i equipped my lancer gear and changed my castle’s exterior to a more discreet appearance. The idea was to deceive the enemy, making them believeiI specialized in spears. Once baited, at the last moment, i would switch to my full cavalry setup. I had to keep a cool head.

Then, in a flash of light, the world around me vanished. Finding B a n e wasn’t hard; i simply had to follow his blazing trails.

I quickly realized that B a n e was not alone! At his side stood Cunningham, KHVL, and Duncan Silva, all from the NWB alliance, the NightWalkersBunnies.

But time was running short. The four invaders were still attacking Shivar, and knowing henomaus, my lifelong friend, he wouldn’t hesitate to throw himself in their path to protect the members of MFs.

The problem was that he was alone. And there was no way i would let him face them by himself.

By the time i finished preparing, henomaus had already intervened, and dropped his bubble. No sooner had he done so than B a n e unleashed his dragon, Sapphire, using its blockade ability to prevent him from escaping the fight.

That’s when i arrived.

Without hesitation, i sent a lone spearman charging at Bane’s castle... a provocation, a signal.

The response was immediate. My screen flashed red. A rally was forming against my castle.

Five minutes. That was all i had before all four warriors descended upon me.

I waited until the last thirty seconds before making my move. Quickly, i switched my gear, my badges, my castle's exterior and my troops' appearance to maximize my cavalry bonuses.

It was a gamble : B a n e could attack with either a spears or an infantry line-up. I could feel my heart beating hard but this time i was prepared. But still, it was very stressful, and adrenaline surged through me.

The battle was brutal. I took the full impact without flinching, losing many t1s and t2s that served as my shield.

The report came in : Defeat.

But B a n e's rally had paid a steep price : the infantry, including t5s, had suffered heavy losses.

Time stood still.

I could almost see B a n e analyzing the aftermath, weighing his next move.

If i had won this battle, i doubted i could withstand another.

I decided to disappear before they regrouped. I needed time to rebuild my troops.

But before vanishing, i reached out to Bane in the World Chat. 

I greeted him as an old acquaintance, for we had crossed paths long ago in my journeys across the numbered kingdoms. I acknowledged his skill in battle, and to my surprise, our exchange was respectful. The conversation soon turned to KvK... it was approaching fast.

Then, B a n e’s message came, brief but weighty:

"Enemies yesterday, allies tomorrow… but when the war is over, what will we be then?"

The storm was coming. And this time, no truce would hold forever.

But something lingered in that message, something more. We were enemies, yes, but were we not becoming something more than that? Allies... or perhaps something even more dangerous than friends. Only time would tell.

As my screen flooded with messages of cheers and praise from my friends and allies, a grin tugged at my lips. A battle was over, but what will come next?

 In the heat of the moment, with adrenaline still coursing through me, I couldn’t help but let the words flow :

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Through the smoke, through the flame, we rise,

Blazing trails under storm-filled skies.

B a n e’s fire may scorch, but it lights the way,

Together we stand, though yesterday we’d sway.

Enemies once, now allies reborn,

In the ashes of conflict, a new dawn is sworn.

What will we be when the battle is done?

Forging tales for tomorrow, where all will be one.

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Dear readers, thank you for your attention. I look forward to sharing part II of this tale with you very soon.

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