"A tragic and worthless curtain call."
Sitting calmly on horseback and watching the soldiers tend to the wounded, carry away the dead, and gather prisoners, Aegor silently concluded the battle.
Stannis had the chance to leave soldiers behind as cover and withdraw to the south bank of the Blackwater River, but in the end, he chose to stay and fight to the death.
Led by Stannis, who fought at the forefront, the last royal army he personally commanded fought bravely and honorably. That charge, aimed straight at Aegor, even made him briefly feel again the sense of danger he had experienced in close combat with White Walkers.
Unfortunately, they were too few.
With less than a quarter of the opposing force, clashing head on in the open field against a tiger wolf army that had not only faced the wight horde but had also just beaten the Golden Company half to death, the outcome was inevitable. Even without the assistance of cannons and bombs, that small patch of red vanished instantly, swallowed by the Black Cloaks like a piece of charcoal thrown into a pond. They were either killed or captured, unable even to get close to Aegor.
Some prisoners identified Stannis's body, which was easily found. Although they had no concept of what a king was, even the Free Folk understood that they had just killed the chieftain of the largest hostile tribe on the entire continent. Arguments over who had the greatest merit and who delivered the final blow nearly turned into a brawl between two groups, until Aegor led his personal guards forward at a measured pace. Only then did those who realized they would gain nothing grudgingly disperse to loot other spoils of war.
He ordered that the enemy's remains not be insulted or desecrated, but aside from that, he did not dampen the soldiers' spirits too much. As he watched them gleefully carry a corpse off the battlefield, the sun had just passed its zenith and begun to descend westward. The short lived House Baratheon, on the last day of its existence, did not even see the sunset.
...
According to the scouts' reports, two small boats carrying individuals suspected to be the false king's family had successfully crossed the river and escaped to the opposite bank under cover of the battle. This was bad news, but Aegor was not overly concerned. After repeated devastation from the conflict between the two stags, the invasion of the Golden Company, and the long winter, even if Stannis's wife and daughter managed to return to the Stormlands, there were no powerful nobles left there capable of raising the stag banner again.
More than tension, he felt conflicted.
How should he deal with Stannis's survivors?
This was originally something Daenerys needed to consider. To avoid being burned, Aegor had not even offered a suggestion.
Who could have expected that Stannis's failed breakout would suddenly place the burden in his hands?
If he wished to show loyalty and share Daenerys's concerns, the best course would naturally be the same as Tywin Lannister's treatment of Rhaegar's wife and children back then. Engineer a tragic accident, then present the bodies. By doing the dirty work to spare the monarch worry, he would completely eliminate a threat to the new dynasty.
However, it was Daenerys Targaryen who had a blood debt to settle. He, Aegor West, had no feud with House Baratheon. Killing Stannis in open battle was one thing, but laying hands on unarmed widows and orphaned daughters would greatly damage his character and reputation.
Of course, if he forced himself out of loyalty, he could dispatch trusted men to pursue them quietly and eliminate them, creating a disappearance with no bodies found or disguising the scene as banditry. It was a workable method, but another problem immediately arose. His white gloves capable of such dirty work were not present.
Roose Bolton and Jarman Buckwell, one the Lord of the Dreadfort, the other an exile condemned for betraying Stannis and supporting Renly, were both ruthless and decisive. Yet the former was a hundred miles north guarding against an attack from the Westerlands and the Vale upon Daenerys's rear, while the latter had led a force into the city to assault the Red Keep. Distant water could not quench a nearby fire.
Sending the Free Folk to pursue them would pose no problem in terms of killing, but expecting them to do it cleanly and flawlessly so that no one could find fault, and afterward to keep silent instead of boasting everywhere about killing a queen and a princess, would be nearly impossible.
Asking the Dornish for help was no better. They would likely be eager to go, but as members of the nobility, without the promise of immense benefits, they would surely bring the targets back alive and return the problem to him.
Aegor sighed, troubled, when a shout came from afar. He looked up in surprise. The two small boats that had clearly reached the opposite bank an hour ago had inexplicably returned.
He hurried over with his guards. At the landing, surrounded by soldiers, he clearly saw a familiar figure among the Gold Cloaks disembarking one after another.
"Lord Commander, I am Ser Jacelyn Bywater. I accompany Queen Selyse, Princess Shireen, and the remaining River Gate guards to surrender to you." The white haired old man knelt and placed his sheathed sword before Aegor. "Please observe knightly conduct and the conventions of war, and guarantee our safety."
---
Damn it.
Looking at the old man who had once helped save his life, and at the mother and daughter behind him huddled together and trembling, whether from fear or anger, kneeling before him, Aegor cursed inwardly.
That stubborn second stag had chosen this moment to be cunning.
Ironhand Bywater was not the sort to betray his lord for glory. This meant his surrender had come from higher orders.
Stannis had not abandoned the Red Keep and come out to die out of foolishness. From the beginning, his intention had not been to break out or kill him, but to remove his wife and daughter from the Red Keep, that dangerous place Daenerys would inevitably storm, and deliver them into Aegor's hands, since he bore no blood feud against them.
Now he no longer needed to agonize over what to do.
If, back then, Princess Elia had secretly fled Maegor's Holdfast with her children before the Westerlands host entered the Red Keep and surrendered directly to Tywin Lannister, what would have happened?
The answer was obvious. No matter how furious the old lion, who valued his reputation, might have been, he could only swallow his anger, grit his teeth, and argue earnestly with Eddard Stark, Hoster Tully, Jon Arryn, and the other great lords, doing everything possible, even risking Robert's wrath, to protect the safety of the mother, son, and daughter.
Stannis had used his death to remove Daenerys's greatest threat to legitimacy, then used this public surrender, led by his former benefactor and friend in broad daylight before all eyes, life for life, to force Aegor to protect his widow and daughter from Daenerys's vengeful wrath.
...
Suppressing his annoyance at being used, Aegor quickly dismounted, helped the surrendering old knight to his feet, accepted the surrender, offered brief reassurance, and ordered that they be properly housed and cared for. Then he waved his hand and issued another command.
"Bring the two ladies and the young princess. We are entering the city at once, to the Red Keep."
The mastermind was dead, and there was nowhere to vent his anger, but at least he could still cut his losses.
Judging by the resolute resistance shown by King's Landing's defenders during the first assault on the walls, Stannis had most likely not revealed his plan to them. If the Red Keep's defenders did not know Stannis's whereabouts, they were likely still holding out, waiting for him to return.
If so, then he could use the presence of the Queen and the Princess to persuade them to surrender, reducing unnecessary casualties among Daenerys's army.
(To be continued.)