But still, he had to do a little bit of digging. After entering his old escape tunnel, instead of following the same path, he dug downwards, towards the cliff side of Aegon's High Hill that faced the sea.
Woosh!
Thud!
Soon, he fell through a hole with a hard thud. Right away, the salty air of the sea struck his face. He grabbed the torch on the verge of dousing and raised it high. It was common knowledge that the Red Keep had secret passages under it.
Wylis had found the secret cavern that faced Blackwater Bay, the best and easiest route to escape the Red Keep. He walked around, making sure that the place wasn't guarded or used by any smuggler.
After finding no footprints, nor any boats at the cavern's mouth, he walked back inside. Quickly, he started to use hand gestures and carved a small room in the cavern's wall, just enough for four or five people to sit or stand. Then he covered the opening that led into the open cavern, leaving just tiny holes for air to pass.
Effectively, even if someone were to patrol that cave and search, they wouldn't find the hidden room Wylis had made.
Too much digging for one day.
Although he hadn't swung his sword, Wylis felt sore all over.
But wasting no time, he started digging upwards from that secret room. He had a general direction in mind, aiming for Maegor's Holdfast. Unlike the rest of the Red Keep, there was no secret passage leading into Maegor's Holdfast.
Adjusting the slope and the size of the tunnel, he had to dig it bigger this time, enough for people to crawl through easily. He also had to dig horizontally to reach under Maegor's Holdfast. Wylis was, effectively, making the first and the only secret passage into the most guarded inner castle of the Red Keep.
Creak!
Hmm?
All of a sudden, he felt a nearby wall chip a little and make a hole. It only meant one thing: he was very close to another cavern.
"Hah! This will be my finest work!"
Wylis heard a voice and quickly doused the flames of his torch. Then he looked outside through the hole. It was all dark, but there was one flickering light alongside footsteps. It came closer.
Two?
"King Aerys is wise."
"My Lord, we must leave."
"No need, no need at all! Lord Tywin himself waits beyond the walls, and soon King Aerys shall open the gates wide. Then the city will be sealed, sealed tighter than stone, brighter than wildfire. Impenetrable!"
What the… Holy… shit!
Wylis almost cursed loudly. The two men, dressed in brown robes, walked with a lantern covered by glass. Wylis only got one glimpse, but he noticed long racks behind the walking men. It was full of jars.
Wildfire!
He waited for the two men to leave. But then, just as he was about to leave, he thought of something.
What if… It'll be easier to hide things.
Slow, careful, he crawled out of the tunnel into that cellar, grabbed the smallest sealed jar he could find, and took it. Then he patched up the hole in the wall as strongly as he could. Then, without burning his torch, he continued to dig. He was afraid that there could be more wildfire stored somewhere.
West, slightly going up. He took short rests, ate some dried beef he'd brought along, and then continued. It was taking longer since he was digging for others. He had Earthbending to push him through steep slopes, but others didn't.
He used his Earthbending to sense the surroundings. And eventually, he converged back with the old tunnel he'd dug for his escape. It was right underneath Maegor's Holdfast.
Quickly, he went up through the old tunnel, passing by the torture chamber where he'd last seen Pycelle experimenting. Going up, he neared the Black Cells.
Wait a moment… Air?
He stopped crawling. He remembered having sealed the tunnel's opening from inside the castle. There should have been no air current inside.
Grrr~
Grrr~
The sound of something dragging on the dirt came closer to him.
Wylis moved towards it, just ahead in the tunnel.
Bam!
What?!
Something bumped into his head hard.
"Who's there?!" Wylis roared and grabbed his dagger from his waist. With Earthbending, he sensed one lone man.
"Ugh! My fucking head!"
The other man groaned.
Wylis crawled backwards a little to build some distance, and then grabbed the quashed torch. Using flint and his dagger, he quickly made fire and stretched the torch ahead. He wasn't scared; he could deal with the enemy by just collapsing the tunnel a little.
"Who ar…" Right as Wylis was about to speak, the other man raised his face. "You're alive?"
"Wylis?"
Silence fell between them. Then they both smiled widely like long-lost brothers. Then they rushed to each other.
Bam!
They ended up banging their heads on the ceiling at the same time. The aim was to hug each other like brothers.
"Shits, Wylis, keep that to yourself. I don't kiss lads." Brandon groaned and sat back, laughing.
Wylis chuckled, questions plenty in his head, but he didn't ask them. Seeing Brandon alive and in good health was enough. If Brandon could still joke, things were alright.
"Escaping?" Wylis asked.
"Damn right I'm done with this dung heap. Fell into this cave in the Black Cells and thought I'd see where it led. And here you are. Come to rescue me, are you?" Brandon asked back, smiling. "I knew you'd…"
Wylis shook his head. "I didn't even know you were still alive."
"..."
Brandon frowned. "Then…"
"Why not? I carved this tunnel myself when I needed to flee," Wylis said with pride. "The rebellion's done. I killed Rhaegar, drove steel through his heart. Here to claim the King's head."
"We won?" Brandon barked out a laugh. "Ha! Then tell me, where's Ned? Did we batter down the city gates already?"
"No, just me. Tywin's set to sack the city and kill the King himself to earn Robert's favor. Can't let him do that." Wylis revealed honestly, since there was no other way for Brandon to confirm it. "You?"
"Ser Barristan," Brandon replied, his brows creased in anger. "Aerys wanted me burned like Father. Ser Barristan begged to keep me caged, a hostage for Ned. Fed me daily too."
Thank heavens I didn't kill him at Trident then.
"So, what's the plan? We take the King's head?" Brandon asked back. "Two of us."
"You don't look that good. Barristan's been away from the Red Keep for weeks, and it shows. You're frail as a wraith, not even strong enough to bear a sword. You'll slow me." Wylis sternly told him. He had other things to do as well, after all. "Go down this tunnel, keep left when it turns. There's a chamber I made, hidden from all eyes. Wait there till I come back."
"Bullshit! I'll fight!" Brandon protested.
Wylis shook his head. "We've lost enough already, Brandon. Trust me—I'll see the Mad King dead. Take the torch and move."
Glaring eyes, Brandon stared at Wylis' face for some time. But then he silently grabbed the torch. "You better kill that bastard, or I'll kick your ass."
"As if you can," Wylis smirked.
"We'll see." Brandon chuckled and started moving. He made Wylis crawl flat to one side of the wall, and then slid past him himself. It was a tight squeeze, but enough to do that. "By the way…"
Wylis heard from the darkness, the voice coming from behind him.
"What happened to Winterfell? I mean…"
"Eddard's the Lord of Winterfell now," Wylis answered. "Married Catelyn to get Tully's support. Already got himself a son."
There was a long silence.
"Fuck!" Brandon cursed. "She had fine tits!"
"..."
That's what annoyed you?
"Aye, she did," Wylis replied.
"Wait, when did y—Ah, the bedding? Dammit, I missed the chance to see 'em." Brandon sighed and started crawling away. "Better describe them to me later, Wylis. They were… dreamy, kept me sane here."
Wylis chuckled, a little admiring and a little questioning of his friend. Brandon was one of the fiercest and weirdest men he knew. Even after living in Black Cells for over a year, he still has a sense of humor and reality.
"With fine details, Brandon."
In a way, Brandon had lost everything. Winterfell, the woman he was to marry, his father, and also his sister. It made Wylis wonder what would happen later. Would Eddard give up the lordship? Would Hoster Tully allow that? His precious daughter being demoted to a second son's wife? Would Brandon fight Eddard over Winterfell?
Time will tell.
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