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Moat Cailin listened intently to the report delivered by his men—news from King's Landing.
They had lost. Stannis's navy was destroyed by wildfire, reduced to ashes, and his army was crushed by the combined forces of Tywin Lannister and the Tyrells.
"My lord," the guard said, "Ser Camillo has taken over the city's defense and opened the gates."
"What?" Gilbert shot to his feet in shock. Had word of Stannis's defeat already reached them? Were they planning to surrender?
He grabbed his sword and rushed toward the stairs, but found the path blocked by a knight named Jose. With a stern expression, Jose said, "Lord Moat Cailin, where are you going?"
Gilbert's face darkened. He realized he was already too late. "I am the acting lord of the city. What are you doing?"
"Nothing personal," Jose replied. "The acting Lord of Storm's End is Ser Cole. I'm only following his orders. Please remain inside the keep, my lord. I'll inform the people that you're unwell."
Gilbert's voice rose with anger. "His Grace ordered your lord to hold Storm's End, and yet where is he now? He's clearly forgotten his duty."
But Jose ignored him.
Gilbert drew his sword. "The king tasked me with defending Storm's End. I won't stand by and let you hand the castle over to the enemy."
"Hand over the castle?" Jose looked confused. "Ser Cole would never order that."
"Then why open the gates?" Gilbert asked, sword still in hand.
"To let the militia inside," Jose answered calmly. "We're reinforcing the city's defenses."
Gilbert paused. His responsibilities were mostly internal. Military matters had been left to Camillo and Jose under Cole's command. He had heard of the militia's training, but since their activities were often outside the walls, he knew little of the details.
He sheathed his sword. "Locking me up won't help defend the castle. Step aside."
"Please stay here until Ser Cole returns," Jose said, unmoved.
Gilbert felt humiliated and nearly reached for his sword again to challenge him. His loyalty to Stannis was unshakable—his own son still stood with the king.
But this was not the time for pride. Storm's End needed to preserve its strength.
"When Cole returns, I'll ask him for an explanation myself," Gilbert said, turning back.
Soon after, four hundred militia entered the castle. But the enemy followed close behind. Without ravens to send messages, it had taken three days for the news of Stannis's defeat to reach them.
The first wave of enemies to arrive at Storm's End was a small force from Highgarden—only about five or six hundred men.
The gatehouse and drawbridge were sealed tight. Including the militia, the defenders now numbered around nine hundred.
On the fourth day, the enemy force grew. From the battlements, they could see the banners fluttering above the growing siege camp.
By the fifth day, nearly five thousand enemies had gathered, and they built a military camp outside the walls.
A herald called for the castle to surrender.
In response, arrows flew from the ramparts. The siege army, enraged, returned fire, and the skirmish escalated into an exchange of arrows.
Neither Jose nor Camillo had experience running a castle, and the logistics quickly fell into disarray. After some discussion, they had their literate men write a letter and posted it at the place Ser Cole had designated.
The letter was sent to Ser Cole via the white dragon. Cole read it, penned a reply, and attached it to a raven's leg. He sent it flying back to Storm's End the old-fashioned way.
By then, Ser Gilbert had "recovered" from his illness, though he still looked pale.
He resumed managing the castle's affairs, leaving the defense in Jose and Camillo's hands.
As the army outside the walls grew larger, the heavy, oppressive atmosphere once again settled over Storm's End.
"We have no reinforcements, my lord," one of Gilbert's attendants informed him.
That day, the besieging army once again came to the gates of Storm's End to urge surrender. Camillo was ready to order the archers to cut them down, but Gilbert stopped him.
Gilbert told Camillo that whenever the enemy came to negotiate, they should act as though they were considering surrender—to buy time, to wait for help that might still come.
But the envoys soon brought even worse news.
Stannis's army had been nearly destroyed at the Blackwater. Surrender meant surrender. Death meant death. Only around two thousand men had escaped with Stannis back to Dragonstone.
There would be no reinforcements.
In anger, Camillo ordered the archers to release their arrows and shouted, "Lord Cole's reinforcements are on the way! Storm's End does not stand alone!"
That night, Gilbert approached him and asked quietly, "Are the reinforcements real? How many men are coming?"
Camillo replied, "We must have faith in Lord Cole. He has beaten the men of Highgarden twice. He can defeat them a third time."
He spoke with confidence, but never actually answered the question.
Gilbert couldn't help but think that this talk of reinforcements was just to keep spirits up. What army could possibly come to Storm's End now?
Stannis was surely finished. Word was that he had been seriously wounded.
Only two thousand men remained at his side, exhausted and demoralized after a crushing defeat. If he were to throw what little remained of his strength into defending Storm's End, it would only lead to ruin.
As for the armies in the North, they were entangled in their own wars. Why would they send help?
Storm's End would have to hold on its own. The army from Highgarden wasn't as large as Renly's force during the previous siege, and the castle had enough supplies to last. If no disasters occurred, they could hold out for a year or more.
And once Stannis recovered at Dragonstone, he would surely come to their aid.
With that belief, Gilbert's resolve to hold the city hardened.
The enemy had not launched a full assault yet. For now, they merely kept the city surrounded, and archers from both sides traded shots.
The men of Highgarden knew well how hard Storm's End was to take. They had failed twice before.
But everything changed with the arrival of one man—Lord Mace Tyrell.
He came from King's Landing with two thousand cavalry and assumed command of the Highgarden army besieging the castle.
Immediately, the Tyrell forces began cutting trees, building siege engines, and preparing for a full assault.
Lord Mace was determined to erase the shame of his previous failures. He knew Cole Julius was inside— the same man who had twice burned his supplies and humiliated his army.
His second son, Garlan, held a high opinion of Cole and had advised against assaulting Storm's End directly.
But now, the castle stood isolated, and Mace saw the perfect opportunity to take it at last.
Storm's End had been the focus of nearly all his military campaigns. This time, he swore, he would ride through its gate and sit on its high seat as conqueror.
As soon as he heard that Storm's End was still holding out, he rode quickly from King's Landing to join the siege.