A/N: Axel and Sandor talking on the Gold Road~
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There's something to be said about the sizable army that Axel finds himself traveling down the Gold Road with. For all that they're moving painfully slow for someone of his capabilities, it's nevertheless an inspiring sight to see so many men working together towards a common goal.
And this is just the combined forces of the Crownlands, the Stormlands, and the Mountain Clans at that!
The Knights of the Vale, along with the armies of the Riverlands had joined forces by this point and were travelling along the River Road towards Casterly Rock in tandem with Axel's forces.
Meanwhile, the armies of the Reach had split their forces. The majority of Reachmen would travel by land up the Ocean Road that ran all along the coast of Westeros.
The rest would travel by ship from the Arbor to what remained of Lannisport, catching up once the Royal Fleet finished making its trip around the southern edge of the continent. And the Royal Fleet would in turn be stopping in Sunspear along the way to pick up a good amount of Dornish Spears, promised by Prince Doran Martell himself.
The North would of course be a bit late to the party, but that was through no fault of their own. Simple geography, really. Though they would be forced to wait for the Northmen all the same, because Lord Eddard Stark was bringing Theon Greyjoy with him.
If it had been Balon Greyjoy who had rebelled against the Iron Throne, then Theon's life would have been forfeit for his father's crimes. That was, after all, the entire point of him being a ward of Winterfell all these years. However, since Balon had died and people were pretty sure Euron had killed his brother and usurped his seat, things were a fair bit murkier.
Theon might very well be the heir to the Iron Islands, at least by the laws of Westeros if not the laws of the Ironborn. But would the Ironborn who survived the following war ever accept Theon as their leader? Asha certainly hadn't thought so and privately Axel wasn't sure either.
Fortunately, he would have a chance to meet the man and get his measure in the coming days, once everyone and their armies finished converging on the Westerlands. Axel may not fully understand why Euron was so dead set on taking Casterly Rock that he hadn't bothered to move from that spot in weeks now, but he certainly wasn't complaining.
The Ironborn Kraken had reared back and lashed out with its many appendages, no doubt believing that it would find an easy meal in swiping away part of a school of fish that had already been damaged by another predator's actions.
But it was wrong. In the end, the Ironborn Kraken had struck something bigger than itself, angering a veritable giant in the process. In the end, Westeros remained a Realm United under Axel Baratheon, First of His Name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.
The Ironborn were in for a hell of a time, as their idiocy had once again brought the rest of the Seven Kingdoms down on their heads. Even Dorne had been roused to action, though Axel suspected that was entirely because of Arianne's presence in King's Landing rather than any true outrage over the Ironborn's antics.
Still, as eager as the young King was for the battles ahead and the chance to avenge Jon's death by slaying the final conspirator in his demise, there was nothing he could really do to make his army travel any faster than it already was. Instead, he's stuck on a horse, riding along the Gold Road under the protection of his Kingsguard.
… Perhaps that's why, out of sheer boredom, he turns to the member of the Kingsguard currently riding alongside him and protecting his person and grins cheekily.
"So… you and Brienne, huh?"
Ser Sandor Clegane stiffens at those words and growling comes from within his helm for a moment before he falls quiet. Axel just continues grinning, having long gotten past the horrifying memories of witnessing the two of them in… sexual congress. There had been… so much body hair. So, so much body hair.
"… Surprised you didn't take my head for violating my vows, Your Grace."
Axel tilts his head to the side at that, humming thoughtfully.
"If I did, I'd have to execute my entire Kingsguard, save for perhaps Ser Arys."
Sandor gives him a surprised look at that, his head turning so fast Axel can almost hear the snap. Snorting derisively, the young King shrugs.
"You think the likes of Trant can keep his dick in his trousers? Of course not. And the men who fought with me in the Trial against Renly… they're all good, solid men, each and every one. But they're still men. I turn a blind eye to any indiscretions… hell, I'd do so for Ser Arys even. For now though, he seems to be intent on staying celibate."
As the scarred knight chews on Axel's words, he continues on.
"Besides. Technically, it's not a vow of celibacy anyways."
That gets another confused look from Sandor which… seriously? The man is literally a member of the Kingsguard, he's the one who swore the damn oath. Does he not see the distinction that Axel sees?
"… Think about it, Sandor. You're sworn to the Kingsguard for life, yes. And you're forbidden from owning land, taking a wife, or fathering children, also yes. But technically there isn't anything in there that says you aren't allowed to fuck!"
Sandor actually looks floored, causing Axel to let out a bark of laughter.
"Look, so long as you aren't set on marrying the Maid of Tarth or pumping her belly full of a baby or two, it's fine. Unless…"
He trails off meaningfully, giving Sandor a look and then waggling his eyebrows for good measure. The scarred man shudders and shakes his head violently in response.
"Fuck no! It was just a fucking shag! And I wasn't stupid enough to cum in the bitch either. She just…"
He trails off there, though Axel can imagine what he might have been about to say. 'Lady' Brienne was probably the only woman outside of a brothel willing to give Sandor Clegane the time of day. And just like the rest of his Kingsguard, Sandor was only a man.
Axel hums for a moment before changing the subject.
"So your brother is likely to be at Casterly Rock by now."
The Hound stiffens up again, just like he always does at the mention of Gregor Clegane. But finally, he nods brusquely.
"… Aye. He will be. Nowhere else that the Old Lion will let him be at a time like this. He'll be with the Lannister Armies outside of the Rock, contesting the Ironborn."
Right. Casterly Rock was under siege, but only really from the water. It was a bit of a stalemate, almost like back when Renly had sieged King's Landing. The Lannister's forces had mustered by this point and made their way to the Rock, but they couldn't fully push the Ironborn back because they were being resupplied constantly from the water and said water was inhabited by a fucking massive Kraken.
And so they were forced to wait, to bide their time for reinforcements. It would be when Axel and his armies arrived that shit would really kick off.
Eyeing Sandor quietly for a moment, Axel grunts.
"My promise to you still stands. I'll kill him for you as soon as I get the chance. Unless you want to do the deed yourself now?"
It was always something Axel had found a little strange. The Hound had to be one of the best fighters he'd ever known. And Sandor had only gotten better over these past several months of fighting Axel. Sure, he hadn't won a single spar… but the Hound was the kind of warrior who saw an insurmountable challenge like Axel and kept trying, rather than so many other knights who had lost a few fights to him and then simply given up.
But Sandor doesn't seem to agree that his skills had improved all that much. Either that or he just didn't want to be branded a Kinslayer, because after a moment of hesitation, he shakes his head wordlessly. When he leaves it at that without saying another word, Axel just snorts and offers the Kingsguard a crooked grin.
"Any advice then? Should I go for the knees?"
His joking tone is met with a deadpan look from the scarred man. And then… something almost thoughtful appears in the Hound's eyes.
"You want my advice, Your Grace?"
Sensing something beyond just their conversation about Sandor's brother, Axel waves a hand through the air.
"Speak freely, Ser Clegane. I promise not to punish you for telling me your mind, no matter what you have to say to me."
Even with that, Sandor still hesitates for a second as they continue along the road on horseback. But finally, he finds his voice.
"Don't let the Ironborn off easily so easily this time. Or you're just going to have to do this again in another ten or twenty years. If not you, then your heir will have to deal with their shit instead."
That was one of the last things Axel expected to hear from Sandor Clegane. He had never taken the other man for being very politically minded. But the disdain in the Hound's voice as he talks about the Ironborn makes it clear just how little he thinks of them.
"… I wasn't planning on letting them off easily."
Sandor gives him a look at that, one that makes Axel bristle a little bit. But he told the man to speak freely so he holds his tongue and wordlessly gestures for Sandor to continue.
"Your father had Balon Greyjoy dead to rights, Your Grace. But he let the man bend the knee, even after his rebellion. Barely any punishment at all and now look where we are. And you did the same with Mace Tyrell too, letting him slink back to Highgarden with his tail tucked between his legs but his seat and power largely intact."
Axel opens his mouth, only for the words to die on his lips when he realizes his initial thoughts are all excuses and some variation of 'Well Jon advised me to do so'. His teeth click shut and he falls into silence, considering Sandor's words carefully. Honestly, he's more shocked than anything else that he's hearing this from Sandor fucking Clegane of all people.
As if reading his mind, the Kingsguard just grunts and shrugs one of his shoulders.
"… Been keeping my ear to the ground since you made me wear this shitty white cloak. Thought you might want to know what some people say about you."
Tch. Didn't surprise him that he had detractors muttering shit behind his back. Then again, were they wrong? Was Sandor even wrong? The more Axel thinks about it, the more he finds himself questioning everything.
On the subject of Mace Tyrell… maybe they should have done more to punish him and House Tyrell. They'd taken one of the man's sons from him though, along with his daughter and his mother. And of course, there were the reparations that the Reach would be paying, likely for generations given just how long a season could be.
Meanwhile, it wasn't like Balon Greyjoy had rebelled again after Axel's father showed him mercy. If Asha was to be believed, then Balon had been assassinated and his position usurped.
However, the rest of the Ironborn hadn't even questioned Euron taking over and leading them all right back into war. It was one thing for the man to bypass the traditional Kingsmoot with a massive fuck-off Kraken. It was another thing entirely for him to get everyone on the Iron Islands to go along with him declaring himself their King and waging war with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.
The Ironborn were just waiting for another chance to revert to their precious so-called 'Old Ways', to get back to reaving and raiding and pillaging. Euron offered them that opportunity, so of course they'd rushed to follow him into his madness.
… What would Jon say if he were still alive? What would he advise Axel to do once he sent Euron and his Kraken packing? Show mercy? Temperance, maybe?
Jon… had probably been the one to recommend that Robert let Balon off lightly the first time around if Axel was being honest. The Lord of the Vale had not liked to rock the boat. He'd preferred to stick as close to the status quo as he could, no matter the cost.
Arianne's words from before Axel left King's Landing echo in his mind for a moment. Jon's good nature had allowed him to be taken advantage of by many other men. More even than Axel had truly realized.
"… You're right. I can't leave the Ironborn in a position where they'll just do this all again in another generation. Something has to change."
The only question was… what? What should Axel change? What should he do? Sandor just grunts beside him, staying silent. The scarred Kingsguard knows when he's given as much advice as someone of his station is allowed to give. It's not up to Sandor to figure out what to do in this situation anyways. No, that falls to Axel.
… Forcing Theon Greyjoy onto the Seastone Chair was one option. According to Asha, her brother was viewed as an outsider at this point. A 'Greenlander' as she'd called it. But maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it would force the Ironborn to change. Or… maybe they'd just kill Theon in a few years and start making a mess of things again.
That in and of itself was an option though. Let Theon take charge. Have him be the first sign of trouble. Come down on the Ironborn twice as hard when they inevitably killed him for not being 'good enough' for them.
Or the other option… prop up Asha instead. They wouldn't respect her because she was a woman, but they would respect her more than Theon because she was also a Captain. Might actually work as a sort of stopgap measure. Only thing was, Axel didn't necessarily want to risk Asha's life in the same way he was considering risking Theon's. He was selfish like that and he liked Asha Greyjoy quite a bit.
Neither option was perfect, admittedly. Still, no matter what he decided, one thing was for sure. Axel was done sticking to the status quo. He was the King of the Seven Kingdoms… and he would do what he needed to, to make sure everyone understood that fact.
Axel did have to wonder though… what the hell was Euron Greyjoy doing focusing all of his efforts on the Westerlands? Why did it feel like the man was just waiting for all of them, both armies and fleets, to come to him? Just what was the other man up to?
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A/N: Next time, we find out what Euron Greyjoy is up to~
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