EPTMoon (MMA)
All men kneeled when king Lim Yo Hwan entered the room. His fine golden armor shone in the morning light. It was a piece of master craftmanship, the crowned double-headed eagle of his house carved on the chest plate and not a weak joint to be found. He carried the two-handed valyrian steel sword "Emperor" on his back. The spellforged blade was of absolute beauty, and sharper than anything in the world. Nothing holds an edge like Valyrian steel, sadly the art of smithing them had been lost thousands of years ago. Now only a couple of hundred remained in the world. Queen Ka-Yeon wore a magnifcent red gown, and as always many a man couldn't resist catching a glimpse of her.
Most houses had sent at least one member to the capital city of King's Landing to hear the king's decision. Years of service in the kingsguard had taught Moon to pay attention to every facial expression, yet today he didn't need any experience to see the crushing impact of the king's words.
“Ser Fields is no threat to the realm. His rebellion failed ten years ago, and if he is foolish enough to invade us I shall push that exiled oaf back into the sea. You do not require more forces, so I will not send you any.”
Boxer unleashed these words from upon his iron throne, the traditional seat of the king of Westeros. It was crafted thousands of years ago, in a time where dragons still ruled the sky and the great Aegon Targaeryen ruled the seven kingdoms of Westeros. Hundreds of blades taken from defeated enemies were heated in the breath of the dragon Balerion, after which the finest blacksmiths hammered them together into the iron throne. The chair felt cold and hard, with many sharp edges to remind a king that he could never rest comfortably. Today was one of those days that proved the statement.
The highborn lords all deemed themselves more than valuable enough to oppose the king’s decision, resulting in a clash of words and fiery arguments. Moon held his hand on the leather grip of his razor sharp castle-forged sword, ready to react in case one of them would not be able to control his temper.
The kingsguard serves for life. They are the seven finest knights in all of the seven kingdoms, each of them ready to die for their king. They held no land, they took no wife and they fathered no children. Wearing the white cloak of the guard meant you devoted your life to protecting the king and his family until death. Inglorious as it may be, Moon was grateful to be part of this ancient order. Born a peasant son, his chances of becoming a knight were as big as dragons flying the skies again.
Yet here he stood, and Boxer was to thank for it. After the eight year old Moon lost his parents during the Fields rebellion, it was Boxer who found him crying in the dust and ashes of his burning village. The king must have been drawn to him for some reason, for he picked him up and took him with him on his beautiful white stallion. He took him home and later raised him alongside his trueborn sons, Lee and Keysu. The joyful boys were now twelve and eleven, awfully bored by the grown-up discussion and playing on the floor instead. It was Boxer who taught him what it meant to be a knight, it was Boxer who gave him a sword, and it was Boxer who taught him how to wield it. And in the end it was Boxer who donned the magnificent white cloak around his shoulders and created the man he was today.
“All men must die”, the king once told me. "I would gladly do so for him."
When the lords finally ceased their storm of words, Lord Nazgul, the head of the great house Liquid, spoke: “The Gracken is east from us, just across the Narrow Sea. There is no peace on his mind; the bastard has even declared himself the bloody king of Pentos. Your grace, we have to reinforce our borders. My great city of Storm’s end is right at our shores, it is far too valuable for us to lose. I urge you to send me more men.”
Lord Nazgul’s wisdom and strategic insight always made his arguments more powerful and logical. Clever as it may have been, that same logic was the main reason not a single one of these glory seeking men listened to a word that came out of his mouth.
“He is right”, Moon thought. Pentos may not be part of the seven kingdoms, but it was one of the nine great free cities of the world. Capturing one of these was not something every exiled rebel could manage, and you would certainly not spill blood for Pentos just to have Pentos. A full-blown invasion seemed unlikely with only 2000 men. However if he could establish a foothold in Westeros by capturing the eastern seaside city of Storm’s End, more lords could join his banner like they did ten years ago during the rebellion.
"If he dares to set one foot on my country, I will drive my sword through his heart and avenge my parents at last."
Moon glimpsed at his fellow brothers, the greatest knights of Westeros, vigorously watching the crowd for sudden movements. The kingsguard members were Ryung, Clide, Alicia, Min, Puzzle and their lord commander Dongraegu. The seven white cloaks wore suits of golden armor, and stood proudly at their king and queen’s side. Queen Ka-Yeon’s guardsmen were positioned on the east-and western sidewalls, wearing crimson red armor with the golden flower sigil of house Kim. Dongraegu seemed to be coordinating the protection of the king with them, constantly giving signs and nodding.
Moon owed everything to the king, but even more to the beautiful queen Ka-Yeon. Boxer gave him a sword, she gave him love. The death of your parents can rip any man apart from the inside, and if it wasn’t for her Moon wouldn’t have escaped that same fate. Not a day went by without him wishing he could just go back and save his parents, to see the happiness in their eyes, the smiles on their faces and the fire that burned in their hearts; but he hadn’t let lost moments and desire for vengeance consume him. Ka-Yeon had mended that hole in his soul, as she had mended many things over the course of years.
“He has no army. Give the order and I will lead the fleet and burn his fucking city to the ground.”
Lord Min-Chul’s battle command and valor were unquestionable, as was his stupidity. Give the man an army and the man would charge them right at the highest of walls and the widest of concaves. His never ending to desire to attack was both his greatest strength and weakness.
I defeated him in a tournament when I was fifteen. Even then the great MC didn’t have enough patience to wait for the right moment. He paid it with defeat.
Moon remembered that day, Keysu and Lee were so proud of him then. The next weeks they turned the playgrounds into the ruthless battlefields of Moon vs Min Chul. They were like little brothers to him, and he as a big brother to them.
“Ser MC, lord Gregory has two thousand soldiers and the walls of Pentos are strong. Fifty thousand men could storm the city and get feathered by arrows before they even reached the gates. And even if they would manage to capture the city, the scholars would write about the battle in blood instead of ink.”
Uproar immediately followed the king’s answer. Dongraegu kept messaging the guardsmen to insure safety. Even he seemed to be affected by the nervousness of the crowd.
“Your grace, we cannot sit idly by while he takes more land and more soldiers gather under his banner. Maintain peace by attacking him now, we need to finish what we started ten years ago”, Naniwa of the southern house Quantic said.
"Our great houses are all for peace as long as they can kill for it."
Boxer had managed to rule in peace for over a decade now, his reign brought nothing but wealth and happiness. He is a good king, one that didn’t let his dark alter ego take over when he was presented with all this power. Kings like him don’t come along often, and when they do power often consumes them before their first year of reigning ends. The people loved and praised him for his resent of war, his bannermen hated him for it. War is fun. Especially if you let others do the fighting for you, and take all the gained glory and riches afterwards.
Everyone started shouting: From “War!” and “Death to the Gracken!” to “Pussy king!’ and a roaring “LET’S FUCKING FIGHT ALREADY!”.
“SILENCE!” the king was furious. “I shall hear no more of this nonsense, we are at peace and we will remain at peace. Me and my family are going back to our chambers. We will meet again tomorrow; try to have at least a slight clue what you’re talking about then.”
Lord Commander Dongraegu raised his hand and gave the guardsmen the sign to escort the king back. The crimson red cloaks marched forward and lined up horizontally in front of the throne, golden flower signed spears and shields in their hands. Moon stood right at the king’s side, as maneuvering through the enraged rows of angry lords might prove to be a challenge.
“Now”, Dongraegu said.
It felt as if a giant slammed on his chest from the inside. Before he could blink he had sunken to the ground. The iron spear point pierced his golden chest plate, blood poured out of the wound and left a red pool on the floor. He looked to his left, then he looked to his right. All he could see were blood drenched white cloaks and the dying faces of his brothers. The spears had slain them before they could even draw their swords. Little lines of blood ran from their mouths to the marble floor, and a red flow of blood dropped down the stairs. Their eyes were still open, but there was nothing to be seen in them but dead. People were screaming and he heard the clashing of steel. The excruciating pain prevented him from getting up, and the wound sent a bolt of pain through his arm when he tried to grab his sword. Darkness and light played a dance of death before his eyes. He breathed heavily. When the light came back he saw the guardsmen imprisoning the high lords one by one, and killing those who refused to yield without even the slightest bit of mercy and without any form of respect for their names. Darkness again, then light. He looked up and saw his king slowly tumbling of his throne and down the steps. Queen Ka-Yeon smiled at him, her lips tried to say “I love you' but the blood coming out of her lungs wouldn’t let them make a final sound. Dongraegu’s sword was as red as the cloaks of his treacherous men. Red with king’s blood. He looked at the two little princes who had crawled behind the throne, they were crying and screaming.
Lee...Keysu....no...
The darkness took over again, and when he opened his eyes Dongraegu stepped from behind the throne, his cloak even redder than those of the brothers he had killed. The sight of the blood dripping down the sword made Moon sick. His eyes were filled with tears; yet they were tears of blood now, slowly dripping from his eyes. The air punched his lungs. Dongraegu stole the golden crown from the head of the king he had sworn to protect with a ferocious grasp. Each step brought him closer and closer to the iron throne. He sat down and smiled as he looked at the throne room, the crown glimmering on his black hair and the dark steel swords of the throne rising up from behind him. And he smiled and smiled and smiled.
The king and queen lay side by side as they reached their final moment, and as they breathed their final breath.
All men must die. And Moon gladly did so for them.
