The Unyielding Stag (Game of Thrones AU/Invincible)
Chapter 54: The Bloody Gate

A/N: Axel arrives at the Bloody Gate.

-x-X-x-

There was something to be said for physically exerting oneself. Axel could count the number of times he'd been out of breath in his life on one hand, really. Only two had taken place recently. First, there was his encounter with the Strangler in the Vale, the particularly virulent and fast acting poison giving him a bit of trouble at first before he'd gotten used to it.

And now there was his run from King's Landing all the way to the Bloody Gate in the Vale. Racing up the High Road with his new method of bounding leaps had been particularly exhilarating, and for the first time in much too long, Axel had felt sweat beading on his brow.

Of course, he slows down as he gets closer to the massive series of battlements that make up one of the most respectable fortifications in Westeros. And by the time the Bloody Gate comes into view, his breathing is already evened out and he's already stopped sweating.

The last time he'd come through here, Axel had admittedly not been paying as much attention as he should have. Now, as he puts his sheathed sword back at his belt and approaches the Bloody Gate, he takes in the sights while his beating heart swiftly calms down.

The Bloody Gate is dominated by two long parapets that are built into the stone cliffs of the Mountains of the Moon. The High Road is watched over by twin towers joined by a completely covered bridge and grows so narrow here that less than four riders could pass side by side.

The men stationed at the Gate can fire through arrow slits from all three locations, be it the towers, the bridge, or the battlements. Axel remembers from his lessons in the Eyrie hearing that at least a dozen armies were slain during the Age of Heroes, trying and failing to take the fortifications.

Meanwhile, during Aegon's Conquest, the Targaryens bypassed the Bloody Gate entirely, with Visenya Targaryen personally flying her dragon Vhagar straight to the Eyrie in order to force House Arryn to bend the knee.

Perhaps Axel could have and should have done the same. There was certainly nothing stopping him from scaling the Mountains of the Moon and appearing in the Eyrie without ever stepping foot through the Bloody Gate. However… while he was here for vengeance, he was also here as King of the Seven Kingdoms.

And one question had plagued Axel's mind more than any other as he'd bounded across the land on his way here. Just how deep did the rot run? Even if he thought he would succeed in killing Axel along with his Small Council, Baelish choosing the Vale as his place of retreat told a story. A story of corruption, of deception, and of lies.

Axel wanted to get to the bottom of things. He wanted to believe that it wasn't as bad as he feared. And finding out the truth started here, at the Bloody Gate. The title for the man in command of the Bloody Gate was Knight of the Gate… and that position had been held by Ser Brynden the Blackfish for over two decades. Ser Brynden Tully, uncle to Lysa Arryn, once Lysa Tully.

Jaw set, eyes narrowed, Axel makes his way up towards the Bloody Gate… unsurprised when a voice calls out to stop him in his tracks.

"HOLD! The Bloody Gate is closed by order of Lady Arryn! None may pass through."

Its not Brynden Tully's voice. Perhaps the Blackfish is not in attendance. Tilting his head to the side, Axel's eyes flash as he considers the battlements for a heartbeat. He's not wearing his crown. From this distance, he probably doesn't look like much, nor would he be recognizable to normal human eyes. Finally, he calls out, his voice carrying through the air.

"For what purpose does Lady Arryn close the Bloody Gate?"

There's a pause and for a moment Axel wonders if he's going to even get an answer. But finally…

"They say the King is dead, and Lord Arryn with him! They say it was treachery most foul, more wildfire but this time purposeful! The Bloody Gate is to be locked down until further notice. You must turn around and leave!"

Interesting. So they didn't know he'd survived yet. Or more likely, didn't believe the tales of his survival. After all, if Petyr Baelish truly was behind the wildfire attack, which was looking very likely, then he would be more certain than anyone else that Axel couldn't have survived.

Axel could have had ravens sent to the Vale to let them know he still lived, but that came back to the question of just how deep the rot extended. In the end, he'd chosen not to, coming here alone instead so he could find out just how many men had to die for Baelish's crimes.

For a long moment, Axel considers announcing himself… but at this distance, he knows he won't be believed. Better to get closer first, even if by subterfuge, so that men who will recognize his face can vouch for his identity.

"… I have no supplies with me. If I turn around now, I will surely die on my way down the High Road. Allow me to share your table this evening, to fill my belly so that I might return to Darry in the morning!"

There's another pause at that, no doubt with them conferring among themselves. But the next time a voice sounds out, it's not the voice of the man who was speaking to Axel before. Instead, it's the more commanding, more familiar voice of Ser Brynden Tully, the Blackfish.

"I'm afraid that we cannot do that, good ser. We have our orders from the Lady Regent of the Vale. None are allowed through the Bloody Gate. None are to be allowed to even approach the Bloody Gate. This is the Lady Regent's decree."

Axel frowns, hearing a note of discontent in the Knight of the Gate's voice. Ser Brynden doesn't sound too happy about his orders, for all that he'll still obey. Still, is it possible that the Blackfish isn't actually involved in all of this? Of course, when he doesn't immediately turn and walk away, Ser Brynden's voice echoes out again.

"There are multiple archers trained on you at this point, good ser. I suggest you leave with your life while you still can. Better to risk it on the High Road than lose it with certainty here and now."

Oh? Now that… that pisses Axel off. Baring his teeth in a rictus of a grin, Axel shakes his head.

"The first man to fire an arrow at me loses a hand."

Perhaps this would have been the time to announce himself. Perhaps he might have even been believed or at least gotten Ser Brynden's attention enough to see if the man was truly in on it or not. But Axel isn't feeling very logical. Nor is he feeling very merciful.

When the first arrow flies out of an arrow slit a moment later, Axel reaches up and catches it, taking note of the distinctive fletching. Then, he tosses it aside and darts forward. More arrows swiftly follow the first one, but none of them so much as come close to hitting him, even if they would have just glanced off anyways.

Axel is done playing around. He's not sure why he gave them a chance, honestly. Everyone who followed Petyr Baelish and Lysa Arryn… would need to be purged.

To that end, he crouches down… and leaps. Shouts of alarm and shock reach his ears as Axel soars through the air, one fist out in front of him and the other holding the pommel of Stonehart steady at his side. A moment later and he slams into the covered stone bridge that arches over the mountain pass.

Axel's fist and the stone of the Bloody Gate meet… and Axel's fist wins. He crashes right through into the covered bridge, landing on the wooden floor within, a snarl on his face.

"By the Seven!"

"How did he do that?!"

"Kill it! Kill it!"

Drawing Stonehart in one smooth motion, Axel turns as the first man runs at him with a blade. He cuts them down before they can even swing at him, and then bats an arrow out of the air aimed for his head for good measure. Not that he really needed to, but it was like a gnat flying in his face… he moves on instinct.

The rest of the men on the bridge look torn between charging him and fleeing in terror after seeing what he's capable of up close and personal. Axel just bares his teeth, not intending to let any of them get away.

In the end, it doesn't matter because the doors at either end of the bridge that lead into the Bloody Gate's two towers, burst open and more men in armor come filing in. There's suddenly no room for anyone already on the bridge to flee even if they wanted to, unless they wanted to throw themselves out of the hole Axel had made upon his entry.

At the head of one of the groups is the Blackfish, a look of steely determination on his face as he holds his sword aloft. It's a good look. A courageous look. Of course, it only really lasts until Ser Brynden gets a look at Axel's features. Then, the determination melts away in an instant, replaced by astonishment as Brynden Tully's eyes widen in surprise, his jaw dropping open in shock.

Immediately, the Knight of the Gate lifts up his hand.

"HOLD!"

His men on both sides of Axel skid to a halt, showing their discipline even as their faces contort in confusion. Well, not all of them. As they finally get a good look at Axel's snarling features, he sees more than a few men begin to recognize him. He'd grown up in the Vale, after all… and a bit of stubble and mostly bald head isn't enough to hide his familiar features entirely.

Axel himself is somewhat shocked when Ser Brynden Tully suddenly drops to a knee in front of him before shouting out a command to all other men in the vicinity.

"Kneel before the King! Kneel before Axel Baratheon, First of His Name."

As men drop to their knees all across the enclosed bridge, Axel frowns, his blood still pumping in his veins. Was that it? Really? Did this mean that the Blackfish wasn't part of the plot after all? Or was this some scheme to get him to drop his guard so they could try and kill him? In the end, it didn't really matter. None of them had the ability to end his life.

The rage, the bloodlust, the anger… it'd all come so quickly. But just as quickly, it flees as Axel looks to the man he'd already slain, the one who had come at him with a sword. He… can't bring himself to regret the death right now. But he might come to in time if the man was truly innocent of any crime save for being in the wrong place.

"My King, forgive my men, they were only following my orders. We were told you were dead… and you did not announce yourself."

Ser Brynden is careful to keep even the slightest note of reproach from his voice as he speaks, but Axel can tell that the man is displeased about the way things played out all the same. Scoffing, he just shakes his head as he pushes away any feelings of guilt.

"Would you have believed me? Besides, I knew not how deep the rot went. I still don't."

The look on Brynden's face is one of pure confusion, but can Axel really trust it? Can he trust any of this? Blood drips from Stonehart, which remains bared at his side, even as he sweeps his gaze across the kneeling men, just waiting for one of them to make a move.

When none do and the silence stretches on for a moment too long, Axel lets out a sigh before huffing and waving his free hand through the air.

"Someone bring bread and salt."

Like a man clutching onto any chance at life, the Blackfish's eyes light up and he quickly backs up Axel's command with one of his own.

"Do as the King says, immediately!"

The next few minutes are rather tense as someone scrambles to get the provisions. Guest right was an ancient, sacred law of hospitality. When invoked, neither the guest nor the host could harm the other for the length of the guest's stay. Of course, Axel would only consider such guest right to extend to his time at the Bloody Gate. He wouldn't let it stop him from doing what needed to be done up at the Eyrie.

Still, when the bread and salt are finally provided and he partakes of both, he can see how the men around him all exhale in relief. Axel himself calms down further as well, cleaning Stonehart and sheathing the Valyrian Steel Blade back at his side. This was… well, it wasn't perfect, but it went a long way to assuring him that Brynden Tully truly might not know what had happened or what sort of treachery he was being made party to.

The Blackfish was an honorable man in truth and deed as well as reputation from the look of things… and so Axel reigns in his temper, despite the ever-present urge to just slaughter everyone around him and continue onward to the Eyrie.

He even wordlessly discards his earlier promise of cutting off a hand of the first archer to fire at him without comment. And that was after he'd already identified the man in question from the fletching on his arrows.

"Your Grace… what did you mean by 'rot'? Why have you come here all alone?"

Eyes blazing, Axel stares Ser Brynden down.

"Justice, Ser Blackfish. I have come here to enact justice for the deaths of Lord Arryn, Lord Varys, and Grandmaester Pycelle. Petyr Baelish knows something about what happened in the Small Council Chambers over a week ago. He fled the city by ship the very hour that the explosion went off… with your niece and her son at his side."

The Knight of the Gate's eyes widen, even as whispers and mutters break out all around them. Once again, Axel sweeps his gaze back and forth, looking for any man who seems like he might be a co-conspirator. Surely Baelish wouldn't have come to the Vale if he didn't have his own spies embedded in the important places. Places like the Bloody Gate.

… There.

Suddenly, Axel strides forward and points unerringly towards the back of the gathered men.

"That man. Do not let him leave."

Fortunately, between Ser Brynden identifying him as King and his partaking in guest right, Axel has enough pull that the men all turn towards where he's pointing instantly. When the man he's pointing at jolts and tries to run, they all lunge forward and quickly wrestle him to the ground.

Soon enough, the man is dragged before Axel and Ser Brynden, already blubbering and bawling as he begs for mercy. Stepping forward, the Blackfish backhands the man across the face, causing him to fall silent. Axel then drops into a crouch before him, looking into the trembling man's eyes.

"Speak."

"I-It weren't nothing bad, yer Grace! L-Lord Baelish just pays me for information. I was just going to send 'im a message, l-let him know you was coming! Please yer Grace! Mercy! Mercy!"

Axel grits his teeth and shakes his head as he rises to his feet with a disgusted huff. Upon seeing that he's not going to take matters into his own hands, Ser Brynden orders the man imprisoned in one of the Bloody Gate's cells before turning towards him. Axel speaks before the Blackfish can though.

"I'm heading onwards to the Eyrie to settle this once and for all. I can't say quite yet just how involved in all of this treason your niece is, Ser Brynden. If you wish to stay here at your post, I will not blame you."

Brynden Tully blinks a few times before shaking his head.

"N-No, Your Grace. You're right that we must get to the bottom of this immediately. If Lysa… no. I suspect to my dismay that she's at least partially involved in this. She's been infatuated with Littlefinger since they were children and he was fostered in Riverrun. All I can hope is that she's merely been led astray and doesn't know everything he's done, but either way… you have my sword, my King."

Good. The Blackfish's presence at his side would give Axel added legitimacy… not that it really mattered. Everyone in the Eyrie knew who he was. And even if they all decided to side with Baelish and Lysa and attempted to kill him, they would fail. One way or another, this would end today.

"Then have your two fastest horses prepared. We will leave immediately."

That seems to surprise Ser Brynden.

"Only the two of us, Your Grace? Give me a bit more time and I can have us accompanied by more of my men…"

But Axel is shaking his head before Brynden is even done talking.

"No. I want to move fast. It'll either be us on horseback, or me alone. Do you think that man was the only one Littlefinger had on his payroll? He was probably just the most likely. I want to be at the Eyrie before 'Lord Baelish' can hear of my arrival."

Fortunately, the Blackfish really is the loyal sort. That look of steely determination appears in his eyes again as he nods sharply.

"… As you say, my King."

While Ser Brynden goes to get the horses, Axel spares one last glance towards the dead man who tried to attack him. Then, he leaves the bridge and heads back down to the ground, this time the normal way through one of the towers.

It was far past time that Petyr Baelish had his reckoning.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Ser Bryden dodging bullets like Neo in this chapter. An inch away from getting him and every last one of his men killed by a slightly irrational and extremely furious Axel…

Next time… Petyr Baelish gets his comeuppance.

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