Chapter 151 - Battle of the Crossing (IV)
"Fear is a good weapon in many situations." Visenya II Targaryen looked at the Twins gates being opened, finally understanding the fear that dragons could cause.
------------
"Anyone who dares speak again about opening the gates will end up like this." When Hosteen said this, he raised his hand and showed a decapitated head.
Hosteen hadn't expected that, just as his father had said, there really were people who already wanted to open the gates to allow the enemy army in. This was completely unacceptable to him and to the whole of House Frey.
The soldiers, seeing their dead comrade with only his head left, felt only fear. The stress of consecutive attacks was even worse for them, who were not between the walls of the castle, protected by its thick walls, which at least blocked out some of the thunder of the strange weapons on the other side.
If Hosteen couldn't sleep even between the thick castle walls, the situation was even worse for these soldiers. Not only did they have to stand exposed on the wall, but they also ran the risk of dying at any moment.
They had personally seen a comrade-in-arms blown into a thousand pieces when he was hit by a metal ball from the sky. They would never forget the terrifying scene: one moment they were chatting normally and the next, their friend had died right in front of them.
Now, at the sight of another dead companion, their stress reached alarming levels. So high that, for a moment, they wanted to shout at Hosteen, the son of their feudal lord. But the last remnant of rationality kept them silent. They just watched, full of rage, as their companion's head was thrown to the ground like something disposable.
Hosteen and Walder didn't know it, but when it came to psychological warfare, a concept that didn't exist in a medieval world like theirs, Aenar was the absolute master. He knew very well that, in the face of pressure, anger could often lead to extremely violent mutiny.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Hosteen showed a satisfied expression and left without looking back. He didn't care what those soldiers thought, nor did he want to waste energy thinking about it.
However, he could never have imagined that, after his actions, the last vestige of loyalty that those soldiers still had for House Frey had completely disappeared.