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Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 15 chapters ahead
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—
Storm Kingdom
Blackwater Rush
8 BAC
It was the dawn of the next day, and the host stood ready to cross the Blackwater Rush, waiting for the queen to solve the bridge issue, as she had said.
Queen Argella held out her hand, a purely theatrical move on her part, though none but her knew it, and a purple path sprang from the ground, quickly reaching to the other side and creating a floor matching the color of the queen's eyes.
Where there were only deadly waves, now stood a bridge, a work of sorcery that would allow the host to cross to the other side.
Some fell on their knees, some began to pray, but all had the same doubts and fears at the feat of sorcery before them.
Grumbling, the host shied away from crossing the bridge, wondering who would be brave enough to go first to show them that the path forward was safe.
The queen mounted her horse, gently nudging her forward, before her father, the now Prince Argilac, followed her. Lords closest to him and his good-brother considered raising objections, but, if not him, then who would take the risk?
Argilac quickly rode next to his daughter and guided his horse forward. His steed moved right after Argella's horse and stepped on the bridge as if it were solid ground, and within minutes, they were on the other side, safe and without even a single drop of water touching either.
Lords looked at each other, trying to see who would cross the magical bridge next, and Garrin called for the host to march forward. "Let us not make Her Excellency wait. I am sure even her patience is not endless."
Nobles followed after the queen, and the knights and men-at-arms followed after their liege lords, taking courage in their willingness.
Slowly the host crossed the Blackwater Rush.
—
Without the need to build a bridge or march upstream to cross the Blackwater Rush at one of the fords, and with the width of the purple glassy ground, the host crossed the bridge before even halfway to noon.
A feat unthinkable without the aid of sorcery.
The time the host gained would be a tremendous advantage against the Ironborn, who must be thinking that the host is still stuck on the other side of the Blackwater Rush.
The first destination of the host on this side was House Rosby, a house once sworn to Storm's End but conquered by Halleck Hoare.
Ei would fix that mistake.
—
Rosby
The castle of House Rosby was surrounded by a village with daub-and-wattle huts, a small sept, apple orchards, and fields of barley.
Lord Symond Rosby had come out with his two hundred men, meeting Ei outside the boundaries of the village.
Symond gave a small bow, a weariness in his gaze that was too much even for his advanced age. "Queen Argella."
"Lord Symond. I am sure you are aware of the war against the Ironborn. I came here to have you reestablish your allegiance."
The Lord of Rosby shook his head. "I can't bend the knee to you, not when the Ironborn hold my family hostage in my own castle."
An easily rectifiable situation. "And if the Ironborn were to be dealt with?"
"Then House Rosby will bend the knee to the Storm Kingdom, as was the case not so long ago, but they barred the gates, and you cannot afford a siege, and neither will I let you." His family would be in danger if he conspired with Queen Argella.
Ei raised an eyebrow. "Keep your aggression in check, Lord Symond; it is unnecessary." His reasons were understandable; a man couldn't be expected to fight against the people holding his family hostage, so Ei would fix that situation. "Kage." She called out.
Her shadow appeared next to her in the blink of an eye. "Yes?"
Men were startled by the sudden arrival, and Symond rolled his eyes at the sight of obvious sorcery.
"Kill the Ironborn holding Lord Rosby's family hostage, and bring me their leader."
"Understood." Kage leaped, the power behind her jump leaving cracks on the ground.
"So it is true, you are a sorcerer." If it saved his family, perhaps the Faith were too zealous in their stance against sorcery.
"Not a mere sorcerer, something more."
"Which would be?" If not a sorcerer, perhaps a demigod, as some of the more outlandish rumors claimed?
Ei smiled. "You shall see soon, as will everyone else."
No sooner had her words ended, Kage landed between her and Lord Symond, dropping the struggling Ironborn she was holding by the throat.
"There weren't many, but he seemed to be the one with the most authority." Kage reported having slain the Ironborn waiting on the wall with Lord Symond's wife and eldest son.
He gestured to the prisoner, who, but moments ago, was holding Lord Rosby in the same situation through his family. "Well, Lord Symond?"
Lord Symond dismounted his horse, nostrils wide with fury, and took out the wicked-looking double-sided axe from his back, looking down at the Ironborn.
"You won't get away with this; King Harren will put your…" The Ironborn's tirade was cut short when Lord Rosby took the axe to his skull with a scream of fury, separating the top half of his head from the rest of his body.
Spitting on the corpse, Lord Symond got on his knee. "My axe is yours, Your Grace."
—
The host had set up camp for the day outside the village, giving Lord Rosby time to gather the rest of his men and her host the opportunity to resupply.
Lord Symond hosted her at the castle as the guest of honor, though Ei declined the offer of a feast, explaining they had to catch Vickon Greyjoy's host off guard and weaken the Ironborn before putting an end to Harren Hoare.
Ei also had met Lord Symond's eldest son and heir, Oswyck Rosby, a more peaceful individual compared to his father.
The death of the Ironborn had lit up a fire under Symond, and his tired visage was gone, replaced by a simmering fury, and he was preparing accordingly.
—
Lord Rosby had brought in a thousand men, but seeing as most were levies, Ei had turned them back, only accepting the five hundred strong force consisting of knights and men-at-arms.
Civilians had no place in the battlefield.
At dawn, they broke camp and marched to Stokeworth, which was less than a day's ride away.
Lord Jareth Stokeworth, upon hearing that her host had crossed the Blackwater Rush way earlier than anticipated and that Lord Rosby had bent the knee, had put the Ironborn in his lands to the sword in a night raid.
He had opened his castle gates to welcome the host, bending the knee without any trouble.
With Harren and his host heading through the lands of House Wode and Hayford to where her host would have to march upstream to cross the Blackwater Rush through a ford under normal circumstances, Castle Stokeworth would be safe from any retaliation.
Another day, another lord had bent the knee, and her twenty-one-thousand-strong host marched to Duskendale.
—
Duskendale
Duskendale was ruled by House Darklyn, once petty kings, now lords with no ties to either the Storm Kingdom or the Riverlands. The Ironborn had tried to conquer them, but with the Riverlands bordering five kingdoms, besieging Duskendale wasn't worth the trouble it would invite.
She intended to have Lord Corwyn Darklyn bend the knee, join her host, and then destroy the Greyjoy host, who were heading through the northeast of Antlers, lands of House Buckwell.
Her host rode to the southern gate through the road connecting to House Rosby, and as Lord Corwyn had not ridden out, they met while he looked down on them from the top of the wall surrounding the city.
"The sorcerer queen of the Storm Kingdom. What brings you to my lands?" Corwyn asked with an arrogant smirk, thinking himself secure on top of the city walls.
"I am here to have you swear allegiance to me." Either the easy way or the hard way, which did not really matter to her.
Corwyn sneered down at her, not pleased with the prospect of an overlord. "Duskendale has never bent a knee to anyone, and never will. You cannot afford a siege, so turn around while you can, little girl."
Ei blinked at the words before she disappeared from sight, and the walls protecting the sea east of the southern gate came down, from one turret to the other.
—
Storm clouds gathered over Duskendale, and purple lightning crackled like whips as Ei floated before Lord Corwyn.
"I don't think there will be much of a siege." She quipped at the young Lord of Duskendale, who had fallen on his back from the shockwave. The wall protecting the sea point was nothing but rubble now.
"Sorcerer, foul sorcerer!" Corwyn screamed, pointing at her with his finger. His retainers seemed stuck between pulling their weapons to defend their lord, no matter how futile, and running away in fear.
The storm overhead intensified, and lightning struck the sea, a clear warning. "You can bend the knee, or I can bring down your wall entirely, and we shall see if your resolve stands."
"I…"
Ei pointed her naginata to the western side of the wall, towards the Middlor Gate. "Perhaps destroying another section of the wall would convince you?"
Lord Corwyn's son, Cedran, helped his father up, just as fearful, but put on a braver face. "Father, we should consider it."
The son and father turned their backs for a furious whispered conversation, and rude as it was, Ei allowed it in the hopes the son would convince the father.
—
Gates were opened, and Lord Corwyn bent the knee, however stiffly, and pledged his swords to her host. Duskendale was a city, so the Darklyns could raise a larger host of four thousand, more so when levies were included.
It would take a couple of days for Lord Darklyn to be ready to join the host, and at the speed Vickon Greyjoy's ten thousand-strong force was moving, the battle would occur somewhere northeast of House Stokeworth's lands.
Pressing Lord Darklyn to be quicker in his preparations, the now twenty-five thousand strong host left Duskendale on the dawn of the third day, marching back to the lands of House Stokeworth.
There was no time to train the new additions to ensure cohesion across the whole host, but most of Lord Corwyn's men were cavalry, which brought the number of mounted troops to six thousand, with five thousand archers and twelve thousand infantry, along with the two thousand or so support units.
Marching to lands of House Buckwell, they let the Greyjoy host pass through and allowed them to set up camp, giving her host the perfect opportunity to strike.
—
War Tent
Robert Penrose slammed his fist on the table, an uncharacteristically bloodthirsty look on his face. "The bastards have no idea we are here; we should strike immediately."
He turned to him. "First of all, language—I don't appreciate profanity in my presence," Robert's throat bobbed, nodding, "and second, we shall indeed strike. Prepare the archers to weaken them first, and as soon as the cavalry is in range to run them down, they will cease fire. The footmen will clear up what's left. I want Vickon Greyjoy alive if possible; the rest does not matter."
A chorus of agreement rose from the gathered nobles. "Yes, Your Excellency."
"I shall be leading the cavalry; the marcher lords will be in charge of the archers." Ei gave out her final orders and dismissed the lords so they could see to the preparations.
Her father stayed behind to speak to her as the rest of the lords filtered out. "I had never thought I would see this day." He was smiling, both at the chance for revenge and to pay back the humiliation his kingdom had faced.
Ei too smiled, but hers was gentler. "Neither did many others, but it has. Best be ready, Father, lest you miss the battle."
Argilac nodded, leaving to go and don his armor.