Routine Makes a Man

His routine had fit in well during his time at Storm’s End, as it helped entertain him whilst he wasn’t assigned anything to do, other than stand around and wait for something to happen. It irked Hadrian so, having to sit and wait, like cattle in a field, waiting for the wolves to arrive and feast. Hadrian prefered going on the offensive, making sure that the enemy does not grow comfortable and cannot organise its armies. A good defense is a great offense, and those are words Hadrian lived by, as he had integrated that into his combat, weilding two swords simultaneously when fighting to make sure the opponent were too focused on parrying and blocking blows to even think of a counterattack. He wore a wooden heater shield, although always strapped to his back, as he had seen the lack of honour that archers have, and if the shield stops an arrow from entering his back, that’s all the reason to have one.

The annoyance of having to sit and wait was fumed by the daily cleaning of his armour and weapons at the end of the day, just before dusk, and it allowed him to be alone with his own thoughts, and to review the day.

A Targaryen and his army have landed on the shores of Westeros, and we sit and wait for them to come to us!? We might as well give up the throne while we hide behind these walls like cowards. It’s pointless to think they will attack Storm’s End...the losses in taking the castle will be too high to justify an attack on the damn thing.

He began cleaning his two longswords, though not beautiful as some can be, they fit their purpose as a weapon of war quite well, albeit untested, like their wielder. Using a rough cloth to wipe of the dirt and mud that has gathered on it, he begins to bring back the blade’s earlier shine, to the point he can see his own reflection on the blade itself.

These blades will be the instruments of the execution of those I have never met, and never known. Can I do it? Can I bring myself to end the life of another?.....Remember what Staedmon said, “doubt is the first thing that leads to the death of men”. I guess when it comes to it, I will have to butcher those whom my Lord deems as unfit to live while he sits safely with us protecting him, the bastard.

He pondered Staedmon’s view in this whole thing, seeing as Hadrian might be sacrificing his life for the man in the coming days. His relationship with Staedmon was a fickle thing….he saw the man as his superior, and compared to some others he had heard of, a respectable one at that. But he still viewed his lord with annoyance, seeing him as greedy, and he rarely saw eye to eye with Hadrian, due to his defensive stance on most things….no doubt the man happily supports waiting in this prison till the Targ’s arrive. What has made Hadrian most distrustful of that man out of anything, is the agreement between Staedmon and his father, that caused him to be here.

What could lead a man to give up his only fucking son at the age of 13!? Why did Staedmon demand that I join his retinue, and abandon all I love and held dear? What the fuck actually happened? That bastard is going to one day have to tell me, whether it is of his own volition, or I pull a blade to his throat and make him spit them out, I will get answers!

Having cleaned the blade’s, he swings them around a few times, with possibly a bit of unnecessary force, and puts them back in their leather sheath, leaving them lying on his bedside. Now cleaning his armour, the dist seemed to be sprayed everywhere on the breastplate, giving Hadrian a sense of unease of what was to come.

Soon I won’t be cleaning this armour of dirt thanks to this war….it will certainly be harder to get off dried blood compared to the mud I would assume….

Why was he even here, to fight for a man he didn’t believe in, whom he thought was a coward, who prefered to hide behind walls and hope that the problems just ‘disappear’ if we close our eyes and count to ten. He would just have to put up, and shut up, and hope for something to happen. But before then, the routine must continue, and so he continues to clean his armour, before going to sleep, only for the cycle to restart…...