Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 161: Battle of King's Landing (Part 3)

Near the Red Keep — By the cliffs...

Armed with only Stormbringer, Daveth had separated himself from the main unit of his armies—absconded off to sneak into the Red Keep via one of the secret passages he's aware of. Treading along the shoreline, the gulls cawed, but the sound of the fighting continued to rage on behind him. Some part of him felt bad for leaving his troops and Kingsguard knights behind to go off on his own, but this was something the Young Stag felt he had to do alone. It had to be him; someone else might have gotten it wrong.

I'm sorry for doing this, Robb. You too, uncle Jaime. Brienne, Olyvar. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to my family. That's why I had to go. This is my burden to bear, my responsibility, my fight. I hope you'll understand someday.

Contemplating on how far he's come throughout these years, Daveth had gone from a carefree little boy, grew as a hardened adolescent molded by trauma, mature in the decadence of war, and to having now transitioned into something—into someone—he of all people had not expected to be. Life has a strange way of paving a man's path, his destiny, but Daveth swore he must be going mad at such philosophy because he felt himself giving a small chuckle. Had things been played out differently, he might have been exactly another Tywin Lannister... only with black hair and the Baratheon physicality.

Perhaps... redemption isn't so bad.

If he had to sacrifice himself so that his wife Sansa, their sons Lyonel and Torrhen, their daughter Cassana, his sister Myrcella and his brother Tommen could live... then so be it. But first, he had to get into the Red Keep, find them and get them out to safety before it was too late. Daveth, of course, forced himself to press onwards despite the pain in his chest and ribs still being present.

Gagh! Seven hells, it hurts! Come on now. Don't stop. You're almost there, damn it!

Ignoring the discomfort, he kept going. Upon turning the corner, Daveth was finally able to reach the mouth of the cave leading into the Red Keep. Perfect! This is what he's been looking for. Even still, the secret passages were supposedly full of traps; some made of stone, others are earth supported by timber. The only individuals familiar with the secret passages were King Maegor the Cruel, Petyr Baelish and Varys. Thankfully, Daveth was made aware of such passages from Varys and his little birds during his adolescence and still remembered where to go.

He hadn't taken two steps towards the cave until he heard a voice behind him.

"So... we meet again, Oathkeeper," the stranger revealing to be Yara Greyjoy wading onto the beach spitting out seawater. The Iron Fleet and Royal Fleet burned in the distance behind her. Armed with a longsword, Yara had been waiting at this spot for quite some time.

Daveth stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Yara Greyjoy," he remembers her vividly. He hadn't seen her since the he sentenced her in her trial after the end of the Second Greyjoy Rebellion. He recalled Yara having escaped captivity from House Glover's cells and fled to Essos to serve Daenerys. She must still be wanting revenge after all these years. Foolish ironborn. "Go away. You don't interest me," he tells her.

"Well, you'd best get interested because I still have an old score to settle with you," replied Yara defiantly. "Don't think after all these years I haven't forgotten what you've done. Killing my father, butchering my countrymen like cattle, destroying our home, turning my own brother against me... I could go on and on." She raised her blade at Daveth. "But I've waited for this moment for far too long. It's finally happening. I've got you right where I want you."

"Loras Tyrell couldn't kill me, Victarion couldn't kill me, the Night King couldn't kill me... Many have tried long before you."

"Ah, but look at you now. Out here by yourself, all alone. With no one nearby to come save you from the kraken's wrath. Are you hurting? Are you in pain? Good. 'Cause what you're feeling pales in comparison to what I'm going to do to you. You are going to suffer before you die an agonizing death like no man ever has."