Chapter 276: 24 vs. 200
On the Road, Stark Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
Domeric subtly pointed at his wand and cast an Imperio on Arya's horse before he rode his horse toward her.
He ruffled her hair, and she ducked away and then glared at him.
He chuckled and said. "You don't need to worry about me, Lady Arya." She bristled at being called a lady, and his smirk widened.
"Do you not remember who these two are?" Domeric said while pointing at both Raksa and Varko. Arya's eyes widened as she remembered the scene of slaughter that Raksa had caused in Winterfell.
"Ygritte is the greatest archer in probably the whole of Westeros, if not the world. And these twenty guards are the best of the best that my lands could produce." He smiled, "And you, of course, know about me. Don't worry. We'll deal with those Lannister men and come back as soon as possible."
Arya looked conflicted and gritted her teeth. "What if you don't?"
"Aww… Look at that Domeric. She's so worried about you. That's so cuteee." Ygritte said as if she were talking about a puppy, and Arya sent a glare toward his lover, who merely smirked back.
"Alright. Enough talk. We still need to prepare for the enemy." Domeric said, "It is time for you to leave Arya."
"But…"
"No buts." He said, and smacked her horse, sending a mental command not to stop until it had gone a few kilometers ahead.
With how hasty this whole attack had been, he was sure that she and the Stark guards would not run across any more bandits up ahead.
The Stark guards quickly rode their horses behind Arya and began to follow her. The two direwolves Arya had brought with her, Nymeria and Lady, were in Arya's saddle. As cubs, they weren't strong enough to travel the distance from Winterfell to Dreadfort on their own.
Domeric and his men watched Arya and the Stark guards advance on the horizon for a moment before Ygritte broke the silence.
"Should we prepare then?" she said, and he nodded.
"Set up the caltrops and the palisades. I'll dig the trenches and cover them up." He said as his personal guards took out their own bottomless pouches, pulled out the caltrops and palisades, and set them up on the main road.
"Also, set up a line of Wildfire behind the battleground. I don't want any of them to escape." Domeric said.
He, on the other hand, used magic to transfigure multiple large holes in the road, then created a larger one just before them, and then covered all of them to make it look like a normal road.
The Lannister men had already covered a great deal of ground by now, so he turned to his men.
"Climb down from your horses and set up a line before the larger trench." He said, and his guards quickly followed the order. "Take out the pump-action crossbows. Fill in the magazines and be ready."
Then he turned to Ygritte and said. "I don't want any of them running away from the battle. Kill anyone who tries."
Ygritte nodded and prepared her bow and arrows.
"Use the multiple projectile magical arrows." Domeric added, "We might as well test their effectiveness in this battle."
Ygritte nodded and took out 20 rune-carved arrows from her bottomless pouch.
"Let them enter the range of 80 meters. Fire with the men and not before." He told her, and she frowned but complied with his orders.
Domeric knew that with her talent, she was already capable of hitting a target from a kilometer away easily. Still, he didn't want any Lannister men running away before the battle even began.
Once the Lannister men came into range, he raised a hand and gave the order "Release!"
Twenty crossbow bolts were released at once, taking out a few Lannister men along with their horses, which served as further obstacles to the riders behind, some of whom fell to the ground as well before the other learned and trotted over them.
If the bolts were effective, then the arrows released by Ygritte were a beast in their own right.
When each arrow reached mid-flight, it turned into a dozen heavy, metal needles before picking up speed. And then it rained death upon the Lannisters.
The guards were able to release two more volleys, and Ygritte was able to release five more before the Lannister guards finally came close enough for the traps.
"Now!" He shouted, and his guards pressed on the magical devices, causing all the palisades to spring out of the ground, causing the Lannisters to either jump over them or fall to their deaths.
"Fire at Will!!!" he said, and his men picked up speed, releasing bolt after bolt at the downed Lannister men.
The others coming from behind them tried to veer away from the main road, but quickly realized their mistakes when they fell into deep trenches one after another, and the legs of their horses broke from the fall.
The riders were either thrown off, breaking many bones from the fall, or were crushed under the horse's weight.
Even now, only half of the Lannister riders had fallen to the ground. More came from behind and continued. Trying to take a walk around the palisades and the trenches, which were now visible to them thanks to the sacrifice of the other guards.
His men changed bolt magazines and continued to fire at the Lannisters, taking a few lives every single moment.
Ygritte was doing the same, but with much more success and at a faster rate.
Half of the remaining Lannister men managed to pass through the traps before them, but before they could reach them, a large trench formed between the two parties, and a good many of them fell before they stopped and realized this trap for what it was.
Their grave.
With a wave from his wand, the Wildfire cashes hidden behind the Lannister men burst into life, cutting off their retreat. The remaining Lannister men looked indecisive and terrorized, not knowing how the whole battle ended before it could even begin.
They had offended someone they should never have offended, and now they must face the consequences.
Domeric may have been sorted into Gryffindor House and become a Lion when he entered Hogwarts, but before every Hogwarts student became a Lion, Snake, Eagle, or Badger, they wore the plain black robes of Hogwarts.
And to Hogwarts, every student was, first and foremost, a Dragon.
And it wasn't for nothing that the Four Founders made that famous saying, the school motto: Never tickle a sleeping dragon.
Today, the Lannisters dared to wake the sleeping dragon.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.277: Arya Starts Making a List
Ch.278: Experiments on White Walkers and Wight
Ch.279: News Reaches the Casterly Rock