The Mountain of Ice and Fire

"General, Beric and Thoros are staying in the village."

"How many people in total?"

"About thirty in total. Beric recruited three more farmers as soldiers in the village tonight."

"Good, I want to annihilate them all. Surround the village first."

"Yes, General!"

In the night, Amory's four hundred-odd brothers spread out and surrounded the village.

Amory rode his horse and lit the first torch.

He rode his horse, surrounded by twenty-seven riders, and behind him were more than thirty infantrymen, spears raised.

One torch after another was lit, illuminating the village, and the dogs in the village barked wildly. The villagers were awakened and got up one after another, peering out through the windows and door seams.

"Lord Thoros, Earl Beric, come out, or I will set this village on fire." Amory Lorch shouted loudly. His voice carried far in the night and echoed back.

The whole village was silent, and the dogs' voices also lowered.

The oppressive atmosphere made the twenty or so domestic dogs feel the pressure.

The whole village was surrounded, with torches everywhere.

"Earl Beric, don't take chances. I have already surrounded the whole village, and I also know that you are in the village. Come out quickly, so as not to hurt the innocent." Amory Lorch shouted. But his voice was not as loud as it was at the beginning. When he shouted loudly, the back of his heart, which had been hit by the warhorse, faintly ached.

No one came out, and no one responded.

Amory Lorch smiled and said, "Okay, if you don't come out, let the whole village be buried with you. Soldiers, set fire!"

Four hundred soldiers against Beric's twenty-odd men would be a victory no matter how they fought. But Amory feared the ferocity of the red priest Thoros and Beric Dondarrion, and did not go into the village to search.

There was no need to sacrifice more of his own men.

Duke Tywin's army had not yet arrived at the Inn of the Crossroads, and the armies of the Vale and the North had not yet officially engaged in battle. He could not afford to lose too many soldiers before that.

"Wait a minute!" a voice shouted loudly, "General, don't set fire."

A man walked out of the village, raising his hands, and came to Amory's horse.

The guards stepped forward, and swords and spears were thrust against the man's body.

"Who are you?" Amory's tone was full of contempt.

"I am the village chief." The man with the full beard was still calm.

"Hand over Beric and Thoros."

"They are not in our village."

"Oh, really? Village chief, are you in a hurry for me to cut off your tongue, rape your wife, and sell your daughter as a prostitute?"

"...General...some outsiders did come to the village to stay overnight, but they left before the General arrived."

"Left?"

"Yes, General. They have all left."

"How long ago did they leave?"

"...Left...uh...about an hour ago..."

Amory could tell from the village chief's flickering words and expression that Beric and the others had not left for long.

But he didn't want to chase them. He wanted Beric and Thoros to come back obediently.

"Village chief, you harbored rebels and deserve to be executed. Men, arrest him and hang him on the big tree at the entrance of the village."

"Yes, General!"

Soon, the village chief was hanged on the big tree at the entrance of the village.

Amory ordered the soldiers to enter the village, search every house, and drive everyone out, gathering them at the entrance of the village.

The village chief's wife, daughters, sons, and parents were all tied with ropes. With a wave of Amory's hand, the soldiers pulled the ropes and hanged the village chief's family on the big tree at the entrance of the village.

Amory said to the villagers, "Send two people to inform Earl Beric, tell him that I want him and Thoros to surrender. As long as they come to surrender, I will release the village chief's family and not harm the lives of the villagers. If he does not come to surrender in more than a day, I will hang two people every day until all the villagers are hanged. You, and you, hurry up and find Earl Beric and tell him my words."

*

On a small hillside outside the village, Beric and his attendant Edric Dayne, along with three family knights and five free riders, watched this scene. Several brothers had already been ordered by Beric to find Lord Thoros.

Thanks to Thoros's reminder, Beric had strengthened the night watch. His scouts discovered the army that came to raid the village one mile outside the village. Beric and his brothers escaped from the end of the village in time and came to a small hillside not far outside the village.

Although Edric Dayne was only twelve years old, he was already the heir to Starfall. He had been practicing martial arts with Edric since he was five years old, and had been practicing swordsmanship, swordsmanship, boxing and kicking for seven years. Although his face was still childish, his body had already developed and grown. He reached out and grabbed Beric: "Uncle, you must not go."

"You also heard Amory Lorch's words. As long as I go down, he will let the villagers go. One life in exchange for more than two hundred lives is worth it!"

"His words are absolutely not to be believed." Edric blocked Beric's path.

A knight said: "Lord Earl, let's see what Amory Lorch does first. Even if you want to exchange yourself for the villagers, it is too early now. As soon as you appear, Amory will know that we are all still nearby, and send troops to chase us. None of us will be able to escape."

Beric was persuaded by the knight and no longer insisted.

Edric said: "Uncle, Amory Lorch wants you and Lord Thoros. Let's find Lord Thoros first."

*

Early the next morning, the two villagers who were sent to deliver the message returned.

"Lord, Earl Beric is willing to surrender, but you have to take the village chief's family down first and swear to release all the villagers."

"I want Beric and Thoros." Amory ate his hot meal without even raising his head.

"Last night, Thoros did not leave with Lord Beric. He escaped one step ahead. Currently, Lord Beric does not know where Thoros is. Thoros asked the soldier to send a message back, saying that he has decided to return to the city of Myr and will not return to Westeros."

The bread that Amory had put in his mouth stopped. After a while, he said, "Okay, I will take the village chief's family down from the tree first. You go and tell Earl Beric that if he comes to surrender, I will let go of all the old and young in the village. I swear by the honor of a knight and the name of the Lorch family that there will be no deception."

*

The Mountain and his brothers slept soundly all night. After breakfast the next day, they slowly mounted their horses and headed west.

At noon, they saw a fire burning in the village ahead. The fire was raging, and it was very obvious in the daytime sunlight. In the thick smoke, all kinds of sounds also came: the sound of swords colliding, women's screams, men's shouts, children's cries, and soldiers' laughter, all mixed together.

The Mountain squeezed his legs, and the sound of horses' hooves rose, running forward. Behind him, five leaders and more than three hundred Clegane cavalrymen roared like wolves and tigers.

On the big tree at the entrance of the village, a handsome young man had already been hanged. His eyes were wide open, his face full of anger.

"Earl Beric!" Ellin, Anguy, and Ser Gendry shouted in unison.

Ellin jumped off his horse, and Anguy shot an arrow to cut the rope. Beric fell down, and Ellin reached out to catch him. He laid Beric flat on the ground, probed his breath with his hand, and then touched his chest. Then he looked at the Mountain on the horse and shook his head.

The Mountain said nothing and rode his horse slowly into the village. There were corpses of villagers everywhere on the ground, men, women, old and young. Amory did not let anyone go. Young women could have been sold as prostitutes, but Amory was bloodthirsty, and with this action, even young women were killed together.

In the huge village, every house was on fire.

This morning, Earl Beric came as promised, wanting to exchange his own life for the lives of more than two hundred people in the village. After Amory Lorch tied him up with a rope around his neck, Amory ordered the village to be slaughtered.

Earl Beric was shocked and angry, unable to believe that Amory dared to break his oath even after swearing by the honor of a knight and his family. Amidst Amory's laughter, the soldiers pulled the rope and hanged Beric. Beric looked at the village with wide eyes and died in a burst of anger.

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