The battle for Venice (II)

The entire town was bustling with activity, like an overturned beehive the defenders began to work in strengthening fortifications, It has to be enough, Artemisia thought as she helped some of the guards in boarding the gates, strengthening the walls, and assisting the general fortress in the current assault, "my Lady" Captain Farrows called to her as she turned her attention to the man.

"Captain Farrows, what is it?" she asked as the man began to pat her shoulder.

"My Lady you should rest" he said as he looks at the people who were fixing the walls and the others who were assisting them in giving out food and water so to keep them fresh when the battle started, "the rest of us could do the job, you need to take a breath we would need your strength at the walls" Artemisia then went down of the walls accepting a waterskin from one of the serving women.

A rest wouldn't hurt, she thought as she agreed with Captain Farrows as she decided to sleep on the garrison towers, her eyes quickly being overwhelmed by the familiar feeling of tiredness. Artemisia woke up as she saw soldiers rushing and quickly arming themselves, "my lady the enemy is preparing to assault the walls" a serjeant said as Artemisia quickly rubbed the sleep of her eyes.

"Tell Captain Farrows I will be joining them shortly" Artemisia said as the serjeant gave her a salute and then rushed towards the open walls, looking down at the thousands of people looking at her, the trebuchets, the ballistae, and the engines of war were set now the only thing to do is to make sure the people fight with it, "my father built this town..." she said letting her voice be heard, "with you, all of you, built this town, with your sweat, with your blood, with your hard work..." it was a rousing speech as everyone's attention began to turn towards her.

"Aye!" shouts of approval were heard as Artemisia raised her hand letting the men stay silent.

"Outside of the walls are invaders who will stop at nothing in undoing what we have accomplished, these raiders will not just content themselves in taking your homes and your lives, they will rape your mothers, your wives, your daughters, your sisters, destroy your fields, slaughter your babes, take away your property, will you let them do it?" shouts of disapproval was heard as the townsmen let her hear their outrage and anger, "then what are you waiting for?! We fight here! Today and only today! Tell these invaders to come here, call for them to come here and let them know what we can do!" with rousing cry everyone went to their stations.

"A good speech" Farrows commented as Artemisia just smiled as she readied her bow and notched an arrow with others of the men following suit.

"Tell Apollina to make ready the western wall" she said as Captain Farrows nodded and then shouted for someone to send a message to Artemisia's sister, father is coming, we just have to wait for him, Artemisia thought as she felt the blood in her veins pump adrenaline around her.

"300!" came the call from one of the markers as Artemisia raised her hand and behind her fiery balls of burning pottery flew into the air as onagers launched projectiles to the besiegers. The first of the projectiles crashed on the ground, "250! Archers!" bows drawn as Artemisia signal the torch bearer to light the tip.

"Aim for the pitch!" she calls out as the arrows flew through the air then into the pitch as flames began to blaze in and the first of the Bolton army was surrounded by flames, screams can now be heard.

"150! Ready yourselves!" swords are drawn as shouts to up the ante and the spirits by the men is to be heard.

"Where are the foes worthy to meet me?!"

"Give 'em steel, give 'em fear!"

The towers began to approach the walls as its bridges began to lower, the first wave of the Bolton soldiers was greeted by a hail of spears and axes as war cries began to sound and the battle ensues, Artemisia spun and slash with great flurry against the first of the enemy warriors that face her, it was a haze, a blur of steel and flesh as her blade meets its marks, she twists and turns as a circle was formed around her, she lost track of the comings and goings around her as she fight with wild abandon until she heard a voice.

"Lady Artemisia!" a hand held her shoulders as the lady's eyes snapped back from her battle fever, it was Captain Farrows who was pointing at the first assault of the enemy breaking down into a massive rout, "the enemy are retreating, we have pushed them back, they wont be back until tomorrow" the man said as he handed her a waterskin.

"Have guards posted around the walls, I want a wolf hour watch, we might push them back but that doesn't mean they wont try anything underhanded" she said as Captain Farrows nodded and then began to shout below the walls.

Jaune released a breath of relief as he looked at the letter sent by Artemisia, thank the Great Dust she's alive, he thought as he looks at the people Ruby had brought with her, Team KYTO and Team TUFY, many things have changed, Jaune thought to himself as he and the remnants of the army of the North was in Winterfell, despite the garrison that the Boltons had left there.

"So you're Team JNPR's leader" Team KYTO's leader, Kenshin Uesugi, said as Jaune nodded, "you don't look like much, but from what I've heard from our travels and from your teammates Ren and Nora, I can say you are far quite different from the goofball they say you are" the woman then regarded Pyrrha as they both size up each other before nodding.

"I need you to help me in this war" Jaune finally began as he look at the table that contained the map of the North and the Riverlands, "if you want me to help Ironwood to settle, a favor for a favor is something I would need from him, I will give you detachments of my men to try and take all of the territory around the Dreadfort, the enemy is the Boltons and this is their sigil" he pointed at the flayed man sigil.

"We don't have anything to do anyway so all we can help you with that problem" the leader of Team TUFY, Torbjorn, said as he looked at the map and then Jaune began to also put his attention to the map where the Bolton forces are as well as the Lannister forces.

"A small force led by Roose is besieging the Moat Cailin, what I need you to do is to go there and buy the defenders some time, give them a breather, small as that force can be it's still far more large than the garrison there" motioning towards some of the lords, "Lords Brett and Lord Glover will accompany you with their men, use them as you will" Torbjorn shrugged while Kenshin nodded.

"Shall we depart now?" Kenshin asked as Jaune nodded one of the lords nodded to him and then escorted Team KYTO out of the tent.

We have to be careful with them, Jaune thought as he went out of the tent escorting the two teams out of there towards the horses, Jaune was sure that their loyalty is to Atlas and they are only helping him because it would ensure the easier access of the people who are from Remnant on this continent, "my lords we march at dawn, we need to relieve the siege of Venice if we want to liberate our king from the clutches of that traitor Lord Bolton" there were cheers as he said it, the army of the North began to mobilize now and Jaune prepared himself for battle.

"We got 'em on the run!" one of the soldiers roared as they began to feast inside the walls, mead was flowing as serving maids served the soldiers defending the town with food and refreshments, morale was up after the first assault at the walls, they had thrown back the Bolton assault and were now resting and replenishing their strength for the next bout.

"Let those Bolton scums come here and I'll show them how real men fight!" Arthur yelled to his comrades as he accepted a bread from a passing serving maid, "they'd totally think twice before attacking us again!" the cheers didn't let up as they began to sing songs.

"Let them have their fun" Captain Farrows said as he looks at one of the officers who tried to berate them, "it'll do some good" he said as he went towards his station seeing Apollina who is busy looking at the battlements, her eyes zoomed in on the enemy camp.

"I don't like it" she said as she watches the fires burn on the camp, "I want every corner of the city searched" she said as Faroows looked at her with a question in his mind, why? he thought as he looks gestured at some of the men.

"You think that the Bastard of Dreadfort might be up to something my Lady?" Apollina nodded as she looks at the canals of their town, it was silent with only the crickets, the birds, the cackling of the fire, and carousing of the men.

Ramsay looked at the tunnelers as they began to dig towards the foundation of the town, they had to make the defenders occupied with their frontal assault so Ramsay decided to send some of the boats to distract the defenders, it was effective in some way as it made the town into disturbed anthill as every defender scrambled to fend off their attack.

It was a ruse of course, the real attack was underground where they would tunnel towards the walls then burn up its foundations so that it would collapse and then they would attack on the ruined part of the wall where the defenders never expected it, after this the town would be ours, Ramsay thought as he signaled his men to commence their assault. The diggers began to do their best to tunnel towards the walls.

"My Lord look a sortie"

"My Lord!" one of their scouts began to ride towards him, their lookouts were assaulted by an outrider from the Manderlys, the fucking mermen! Ramsay grits his teeth as he began to call for his horse and rally some of his men to drive out the attackers.

Banners of the Manderlys can be seen from afar as Ramsay began to ride out of his siege camp to meet them on the field, "any man who gets me the Merman's head I will give them twenty gold dragons!" he calls out as cheers among his men was heard and they began to charge to the Manderly lines, swords clash and lances break as both Bolton and Manderly cavalry crash on each other in a disorganized manner.

Ramsay's helm flew into the air as a lance grazes him, wounding a side of his cheek, he snarls then pushes his lance to a Manderly horseman pushing him to the ground plunging his lance deep into the enemy belly, an arrow fell his horse quickly throwing him off to the ground he snarls as he began to wave his sword blocking and parrying all those who surround him.

"Its the Lion of the North! The Lion of the North! Run for your lives!" came the cry from one of his men as he tries to get up.

No, NO! Ramsay thought as he tries to rally the men "no retreat!" he calls out trying to go towards them, but was knocked out by blow from a mace, he knows no more only the soft feeling of despair and tiredness that overwhelmed his whole being the screams of his men just a distant noise far, far away from where Ramsay Snow dreams whenever he fell asleep.