Barristan Selmy quickly scanned the area outside Renly's tent.
Within a single glance, he understood the situation.
Only moments had passed since the shadow slit Renly's throat, but the commotion had already spread throughout the camp.
The sounds of battle, screams, and frantic shouting could no longer be contained within a single tent.
Turning toward Loras Tyrell, who still knelt beside Renly's lifeless body in a state of shock, Barristan shouted,
"Move!"
He knew there was no time for explanations.
If they stayed...
They would die.
Only by escaping now would they have any chance of uncovering the truth and avenging Renly.
More importantly...
Barristan was convinced this assassination had been planned from the very beginning.
If Stannis had resorted to such terrifying sorcery, he undoubtedly had further plans already in motion.
Everything happening now was only the beginning.
His words finally pulled Loras from his grief.
The thought of revenge reignited the fire within him.
Barristan was right.
Only the two of them knew the truth behind Renly's death.
If they died here...
Renly's murder would remain unanswered forever.
Loras gently lowered Renly's body onto the ground.
His trembling hand instinctively reached for the sword at his waist...
Only to find it missing.
His eyes slowly fell upon the sword he had personally given Renly.
Stepping forward, he drew it from Renly's belt.
Holding the blade tightly, he whispered,
"I swear..."
"I'll avenge you myself."
"I'll personally kill Stannis."
By then, more soldiers had already begun pouring into the tent.
"Move!"
Realizing there was no hope of explaining themselves, Barristan grabbed Loras by the arm and rushed through the opening he had cut into the tent moments earlier.
Behind them came furious shouts.
"The murderers are Barristan Selmy and Loras Tyrell!"
"Catch them!"
---
The icy wind before dawn struck their faces as they fled through the camp.
Tears streamed down Loras's face.
His vision blurred.
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve before asking,
"What... was that?"
"How did Stannis do it?"
Barristan remained silent for several moments.
He had been asking himself the same question.
"I don't know."
"It must have been some form of dark sorcery."
"You saw it yourself."
"It was nothing but a shadow..."
"And yet it carried a sword."
He paused before continuing.
"That shadow resembled Stannis."
"Even the weapon looked identical."
"I think it has something to do with that mysterious woman we saw today."
"The one who cursed Lord Eddard Stark..."
Suddenly, Barristan froze.
His expression changed dramatically.
"Damn it!"
"Lord Stark!"
"He's still inside Storm's End!"
"We have to go back!"
Loras immediately understood.
If Renly had been murdered...
Then Eddard Stark was almost certainly in danger as well.
Both men came to an abrupt halt.
Looking back, they saw Renly's magnificent green pavilion engulfed in flames.
The fire illuminated the entire camp.
In the distance, Storm's End still stood proudly beneath the night sky.
Behind them...
Their pursuers were closing in.
"What do we do?"
Loras's grief was quickly replaced by urgency.
Barristan answered immediately.
"We leave first."
"Then we'll circle back."
"We must find a way to reach Storm's End and warn the Hand."
Neither of them wanted to flee openly.
Doing so would only make them appear guilty.
But they had no choice.
The camp behind them was filled with soldiers hunting them.
Their bloodstained clothes and the accusations echoing through the camp made hiding impossible.
Barristan gritted his teeth.
"We'll fight our way out."
"We're the only witnesses."
"Even if we surrendered now..."
"No one would believe us."
He looked directly at Loras.
"This situation has become far more serious than before."
"If anyone stands in our way..."
"We kill them."
Loras closed his eyes briefly.
Then he nodded.
He had to survive.
For Renly's sake.
---
Rain scented the cold night wind.
Behind them, Renly's pavilion burned fiercely, sending towering flames into the sky.
Some soldiers chased after them.
Others ignored them entirely.
Everywhere they ran, they heard people shouting.
"Fire!"
"Murder!"
"Conspiracy!"
"Barristan and Loras are the killers!"
As they continued fighting their way through the camp...
The blood covering them no longer belonged only to Renly.
Much of it belonged to former comrades forced to stand in their way.
Eventually...
After an unknown amount of time...
They escaped into the forest beneath the walls of Storm's End.
Using the darkness, scattered trees, and uneven terrain, they finally lost their pursuers.
Hidden inside a narrow ravine, both men leaned against the rocks, exhausted.
Loras finally spoke.
"Ser Barristan..."
"I mean no disrespect..."
"But unless you deal with your appearance..."
"We'll never make it back."
He pointed toward Barristan's white Kingsguard cloak and shining armor.
Even stained with blood...
They remained unmistakable.
Barristan looked down silently.
After a long pause, he sighed.
"Help me remove it."
"We'll retrieve everything once this is over."
Without another word, Loras helped him remove the white cloak and armor.
Afterward...
Loras also removed his own armor.
Barristan looked at him questioningly.
"My armor is just as recognizable."
"The important thing now is reaching Storm's End."
"We need to confirm whether Lord Stark is still alive."
"And tell him what really happened."
Barristan nodded.
The two quickly hid their armor beneath branches and thick bushes before quietly making their way toward the castle.
---
Without their distinctive armor, moving through the camp became much easier.
Hardly anyone paid them any attention.
By now...
Renly's entire army had descended into complete chaos.
Even worse...
The Reach forces had begun fighting the Stormlands soldiers.
Old tensions erupted into open violence.
Men who had once stood side by side were now killing one another.
The accusations against Loras had spread throughout the camp.
Combined with Renly's death and his sudden disappearance...
Many accepted the rumor as fact.
But the Reach soldiers refused to believe it.
Long before Renly abandoned his claim to the throne, tensions between the Reach and Stormlands armies had already existed.
Only Loras's personal prestige had kept everything under control.
Now...
With Renly dead...
All those hidden conflicts exploded at once.
Watching the fighting from the shadows, Loras bit his lip so hard that blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Barristan spoke urgently.
"To stop this..."
"We must secure Storm's End."
"If Lord Eddard Stark is still alive..."
"He can restore order."
"He has enough prestige to calm the army."
"And afterward..."
"We can continue the war against Stannis."
Barristan continued,
"Earlier today, Lord Stark also sent letters to King's Landing and Oldtown."
"Reinforcements should arrive soon."
"As long as we hold Storm's End..."
"Even if everything else collapses..."
"Stannis will eventually lose."
Both men understood the painful reality.
If Renly had been assassinated through sorcery...
The chances of Eddard Stark surviving were frighteningly low.
Even so...
They had to try.
Loras nodded firmly.
"I understand."
"Let's keep moving."
Barristan added quietly,
"If I were Stannis..."
"I'd use this chaos to attack immediately."
The two continued toward Storm's End, avoiding patrols and weaving through the confusion.
Finding the castle again proved difficult after their desperate escape.
Seeing Loras still distracted by grief, Barristan tried to encourage him.
Loras could only force a bitter smile.
Whether Stannis attacked now or not...
The answer seemed obvious.
---
Eventually...
The two finally reached the vicinity of Storm's End's main gate.
There...
They froze.
Roughly two hundred soldiers had already gathered before the entrance.
Dozens of torches flickered in the darkness.
The massive gate slowly opened.
Men from inside hurried out to greet the newcomers while voices called out, asking what had happened in the camp.
Loras frowned.
"Reinforcements?"
"Whose soldiers are they?"
Neither man could identify the banner in the darkness.
Yet they both understood one thing.
The situation in Renly's camp had already become a full-scale military disaster.
Rioting.
Mutual suspicion.
Friendly forces slaughtering one another.
It was every commander's worst nightmare.
Normally...
Only outside intervention could restore order.
Whoever had arrived first had made the correct decision.
Barristan and Loras were still wondering how to slip inside...
When everything changed.
One of Storm's End's guards approached the newcomers.
Without warning...
A soldier stepped forward from behind him...
And drove a sword straight through his stomach.
That single strike became the signal.
The entire force suddenly erupted into action.
They rushed through the gate and rapidly seized control of the entrance.
Barristan's face turned pale.
"Stannis..."
"It's Stannis's men!"
The truth became instantly obvious.
Rather than exploiting the chaos by attacking the camp directly...
Stannis had chosen to seize Storm's End itself.
Loras clenched his sword.
"We can't let them take the castle!"
Barristan nodded grimly.
"That was his objective all along."
But before either of them could move...
Hundreds of torches suddenly ignited in the darkness nearby.
One after another...
More than a thousand soldiers emerged from concealment.
Like a tidal wave...
They surged toward the breached gate.
Barristan and Loras stood frozen.
It was already too late.
Most of Storm's End's defenders had marched out earlier that day in preparation for battle.
The castle had been left dangerously undermanned.
Everything...
Had been part of Stannis's plan.
Under the cover of darkness...
Storm's End was already lost.
Loras instinctively stepped forward, preparing to charge into battle.
Barristan immediately grabbed his arm.
"Ser Loras."
"I know this is painful."
"But we cannot change what has already happened."
"Storm's End has fallen."
"Our duty now is to report everything to King Karl as quickly as possible."
"The main army must deal with this."
He paused before adding quietly,
"But..."
"I intend to remain."
Loras stared at him.
"I must determine whether Lord Eddard Stark is still alive."
"And if possible..."
"I'll rescue him."
His eyes remained fixed upon the captured gates of Storm's End.
"If Stannis captures Lord Stark alive..."
"He'll become the father of the King's future queen..."
"And a hostage of immeasurable value."
Barristan's voice was calm.
Resolute.
No matter the danger...
He had already made his decision.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)