Lyonel POV
They rode hard.
Harder than they had since leaving Harvest Hall.
The road stretched long and dusty through the rolling hills of the Stormlands, winding between clusters of trees and patches of open grassland. The sun had climbed high in the sky and now hung heavy above them, beating down on the riders and their horses alike.
For hours they had not stopped.
The pounding of hooves had become a constant rhythm beneath Lyonel, Thunder's powerful strides carrying them forward mile after mile.
But now Lyonel could feel it.
Thunder was slowing.
Not by much, but enough that Lyonel noticed.
The stallion's breaths had grown deeper. Foam had begun to gather around the bit in his mouth, and his muscles trembled slightly beneath the armor and saddle.
Thunder was strong.
But even the strongest horse had limits.
Lyonel leaned forward slightly and ran a hand along the stallion's neck.
"Easy, boy," he murmured.
Ahead of them, Ser Hary continued riding without pause, his horse charging down the road like a war mount on the battlefield.
Hendry rode somewhere between them, glancing back occasionally.
Lyonel finally raised his voice.
"STOP!"
His shout carried across the open road.
"Our horses need rest!"
Hary did not even turn his head.
He simply kept riding.
Lyonel watched him disappear further down the road and sighed.
Of course he would ignore him.
Lyonel pulled gently on Thunder's reins and brought the horse to a stop near a patch of grass beside the road. The stallion snorted loudly and lowered his head slightly, grateful for the break.
"Good boy," Lyonel said softly as he dismounted.
He loosened the saddle straps and rubbed the horse's neck, letting Thunder relax.
He could still see Hary far ahead, a distant rider kicking up dust as he pushed forward toward Greenhill.
Lyonel shook his head.
"Fool."
He muttered it quietly, but he meant it.
A few moments later, hoofbeats approached from behind.
Lyonel looked up to see Hendry riding toward him.
Hendry slowed his horse as he approached and eventually brought it to a halt beside Thunder.
"You stopped," Hendry said.
Lyonel nodded.
"I'm not going to kill my horse just to keep up with him."
Hendry gave a small smile.
"That makes two of us."
He dismounted and stretched his back with a quiet groan.
"My legs were starting to feel like wood."
Lyonel chuckled softly.
They led their horses a few steps off the road toward a patch of grass where the animals could graze.
Thunder immediately lowered his head and began chewing the grass eagerly.
Hendry's horse followed his example.
For a while the two knights stood in silence, listening to the quiet sounds of the countryside.
Wind moved through the grass.
Somewhere in the distance a bird called out.
The quiet felt strange after hours of hard riding.
Hendry finally spoke.
"How long will we rest?"
Lyonel looked up at the sky.
The sun was still high.
But their horses were tired.
"We rest until they're ready," Lyonel said.
Hendry nodded.
"That's what I thought you'd say."
Lyonel glanced down the road where Hary had disappeared.
"He'll reach Greenhill before us if he keeps riding like that."
"Probably," Hendry said.
Neither of them sounded particularly worried.
After a moment Hendry added,
"He'll either find the bandits."
"Or get himself killed," Lyonel said.
Hendry did not argue with that.
Instead he sat down in the grass with a tired sigh.
"You know," Hendry said after a moment, "my brother has always been like this."
Lyonel raised an eyebrow.
"Reckless?"
"Impatient."
Hendry plucked a blade of grass from the ground and rolled it between his fingers.
"He believes that if he moves fast enough the world will bend around him."
Lyonel laughed quietly.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is," Hendry said with a grin.
They sat there for a while longer.
Their horses grazed quietly.
The wind carried the smell of grass and earth across the hills.
Eventually Lyonel crouched beside Thunder and poured a small amount of water from his flask into his hand, letting the stallion drink a little.
"Not too much," Lyonel murmured. "You'll get the rest later."
Thunder snorted softly.
Hendry watched the horse with interest.
"You really care about that horse."
Lyonel shrugged.
"He carried me through battle."
He scratched Thunder behind the ear.
"I owe him that much."
Hendry smiled.
"That's the difference between you and Hary."
Lyonel looked up.
"Oh?"
"Hary sees a horse as a tool."
"And I don't?"
"No," Hendry said. "You see a companion."
Lyonel thought about that.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Well," he said, "tools don't save your life."
Hendry laughed.
They continued resting there beside the road, letting their horses recover strength for the journey ahead.
Greenhill still lay somewhere beyond the hills.
Hary POV
Hary rode alone.
The road stretched ahead of him in a long line of dust and dirt, cutting through the hills toward Greenhill. The sun hung lower now, though it still burned hot against the back of his neck.
He did not slow.
He did not look back.
"Fucking cowards," he muttered.
Lyonel and Hendry.
Stopping to rest their horses like frightened old men.
Hary spat into the dirt.
"Scared cunts."
Lyonel thought himself clever now, didn't he? Knighted by the king, riding around like some hero of the realm. As if one lucky moment in battle made him better than the rest of them.
Hary tightened his grip on the reins.
"And Hendry…" he muttered bitterly.
That one stung worse.
His own brother.
His horse slowed beneath him, its breathing growing heavy.
Hary scowled.
"Move," he snapped.
The horse did not pick up speed.
Hary kicked its flank hard with his heel.
"MOVE!"
The horse lurched forward a few steps.
Then suddenly—
It reared.
"—WHAT THE—"
The horse's front legs shot into the air, and before Hary could react, the animal twisted violently.
Hary lost his balance.
Then the ground slammed into him.
CRACK.
Pain exploded across his back.
"FUCK!"
The air rushed out of his lungs as he hit the dirt hard. For a moment he could not breathe at all.
He gasped, his chest heaving as he tried to pull air back into his body.
"FUCKING—"
He tried to sit up.
Pain shot through his back like lightning.
Hary collapsed back onto the ground with a groan.
"Seven hells…"
He lay there for a moment, breathing heavily.
The sky stretched above him, bright and endless. A few thin clouds drifted slowly across the blue.
His horse stood a few yards away, snorting nervously.
Hary glared at it.
"You useless bastard."
The horse flicked its tail.
Hary tried to move again.
More pain.
He winced and stopped trying.
His chest rose and fell quickly as he lay there in the dirt.
"Father Above," he muttered bitterly to the sky.
"Why have you forsaken me?"
For a moment, nothing answered.
Then—
A bird chirped.
Hary blinked.
Another chirp followed.
He turned his head slightly and spotted the bird perched on a nearby branch, tilting its small head as it watched him.
Chirp.
Hary stared at it.
Then his expression twisted with irritation.
"Oh shut the fuck up."
The bird chirped again.
Hary groaned.
"I'm lying here half-dead and you're singing like it's a fucking summer morning."
Chirp.
"Oh, do you think that's funny?"
The bird hopped slightly along the branch.
Chirp.
"Yeah, laugh it up," Hary snapped. "Go on. Sing about it."
He scowled up at the sky again.
"Probably the only witness to my glorious fucking fall."
Chirp.
Hary's anger began boiling over.
"Oh you smug little shit," he growled at the bird.
"What are you looking at?"
Chirp.
"You've got more sense than Lyonel at least."
Chirp.
"Maybe I should knight you instead," Hary muttered bitterly. "Ser Bird, the Brave."
The bird chirped again.
"Oh shut up!"
His voice grew louder.
"Maybe you'd like Lyonel, you stupid feathered bastard. He'd probably talk to you about honor and horses and all that noble knightly nonsense."
He spat into the dirt.
"Fucking Lyonel."
The name tasted bitter.
"One lucky fight and now he thinks he's something special."
Chirp.
"And Hendry," Hary continued, voice rising.
"My own brother."
He laughed bitterly.
"Running back to Lyonel like a loyal little dog."
Chirp.
"Traitorous bastard," Hary muttered.
"If he had any real Caron blood in him he would've ridden with me."
The bird chirped again.
Hary glared at it with fury.
"Oh go to hell!"
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Hary froze.
The sound came from somewhere nearby.
Someone was clapping slowly.
Hary's eyes widened.
"Hello?" he shouted quickly.
"Help!"
More clapping.
Hary turned his head as far as he could.
A man stepped out from behind a nearby tree.
The clapping stopped.
The man looked down at him with a wide grin.
He wore rough clothes, stained and worn. A knife hung from his belt.
Hary's heart skipped.
He knew that face.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Well, well."
Hary's stomach dropped.
The bandit.
He had seen him before.
During the ambush.
The man's grin widened.
"Looks like we found the lordling again."
Hary's mind raced.
"Fuck you" he spoke.
The bandit laughed.
"Fuck me?"
Hary tried to move his arm.
Pain stabbed through his back again, stopping him.
The bandit stepped closer.
"So this is the mighty knight who escaped us."
Hary clenched his teeth.
"I'll kill you."
The bandit chuckled.
"You might," he said casually.
"If you could stand."
Hary tried to swing a fist.
His body refused.
The bandit stepped over him and stood directly above him now.
"You should've stayed with your friends," the bandit said calmly.
Hary glared up at him.
"Coward," Hary spat.
The bandit smiled.
Then—
THUD.
Everything went black.