Loren Lannister sat at the head of the table, eyeing all of his generals as well as the newly-defected riverlords. As the vanguard of the alliance, the lords of the Rock took the lead in the High Septon's call for the holy war and were able to muster their banners, forty thousand men from houses such as Crakehall, Marbrand, Westerling, Lefford, and Reyne, in just one moon. Passing through the Golden Tooth, their troops soon came into contact with a riverman army comprised of twelve thousand troops from Houses Bracken, Piper, and Darry. Before a battle could commence, however, an envoy from Lord Prestan Bracken of Stone Hedge approached Loren Lannister's tent and stated that the troops of House Bracken would switch sides to a king rooted in the Faith. He didn't say anything about his lack of strong piety, but he welcomed Lord Bracken supplementing his army with his six thousand men. House Piper also switched sides, but the two thousand men of House Darry wisely chose to fall back and scouts reported that they were moving along the Red Fork towards Riverrun. He spent
Loren Lannister convened his generals, both from the Rock and from the Brackens and Pipers, on how next to proceed when his scouts brought back reports on the troops sworn to Dragonstone. The reports read that ten thousand men from the riverlands, four thousand men comprising both Valyrians and those from around the Blackwater Bay, and ten thousand from the stormlords were converging on the Red Fork and marching to meet them before they got to Riverrun. While he commanded the larger host, Loren Lannister kept in mind that the Valyrians defeated armies many times their size because of their prowess in battle and their dragons. Unlike Black Harren, he wasn't going to throw his troops against them and would rely on strategy to bring down the Valyrians. He also had to be mindful of the dragons, as Rook's Rest and Wailing Willows showed that the dragons could wipe out entire formations of troops in a blink of an eye and he thus had to find ways to limit their usage against his troops.
But first, Loren Lannister had to get some understanding of who he was dealing with. The problem with most men of martial inclinations was that they simply charged into battle without first getting a sense of who their opponents were. For that purpose, he sent a raven to the Citadel and had a face-to-face meeting with Maester Harrion, who was the maester at Dragonstone before Lord Aerion Targaryen sent him away. He knew the Targaryen brood since they were children, so he was the best source on who they were.
Maester Harrion described Aegon Targaryen, the heir to Dragonstone, as an enigma, who never really talked with many people besides his bastard brother Orys Baratheon. However, Harrion had good things to say about Aegon, describing him with a strong sense of duty, respectful, and kind to all. He also took his lordly duties seriously, as he never hesitated to learn from his more experienced father in how to run a keep, how to deal with vassals, and so on. He was also very good with a blade, wielding a Valyrian steel sword named Blackfyre, and Maester Harrion observed from his sparring sessions with Dragonstone's master-at-arms Quenton Qoherys that he had the potential to be one of the most renowned warriors on the continent, only needing to participate in tourneys and get knighted. The past campaigns had seen him mature into a hardened battle commander who could command respect and admiration from his troops, if Rook's Rest and Wailing Willows indicated anything. Maybe Lord Aegon sees the futility of tourneys and that knighthood doesn't really mean much other than killing the right person at the right time, and both don't determine if one becomes a great warrior and leader .
Maester Harrion went on to Rhaenys Targaryen, sister and currently wife to Aegon. He thought her as a precocious girl, taking a lot of interest in their lessons and was especially enthralled by his tales of the Kings of Winter. Maester Harrion had come from the North himself, the Barrowlands to be precise, and was very familiar with the Starks. While Loren could see that he doubted some of the tales he told about the North, he continued to tell such stories if it meant that Rhaenys continued to be engaged. She also partook in many of the pastimes befitting of a noble lady such as dancing, singing, poetry, and playing instruments, showing incredible skill with the fiddle, recorder, and harp among others. He also mentioned that Rhaenys knew how to handle a bow, but was not quite good at it and only killed a stag one time. Lord Aegon chose his wife well, even if it was his sister, as a warrior should be tempered by one skilled at song.
Orys Baratheon was described by Maester Harrion as a whoremonger, bull-headed, and insecure given his bastard status. However, he also described Orys Baratheon as a fierce warrior, able to handle an axe, warhammer, spear, and sword equally well while demonstrating great strength. He was also the tallest of the Targaryen brood even if he didn't carry his father's name, but being a bastard did little to prevent his entry into manhood. While Orys relied on strength, Aegon was a little faster and more nimble, which allowed them to have draws in their sparring sessions. Like his trueborn brother, Orys Baratheon also seemed to take his lordly duties seriously, learning from his father on how to run his own keep and keep his vassals under control, lessons he must've applied well if his leading the stormlords indicated anything. However, he was not ready to take Maester Harrion's words on Orys Baratheon at face value, as it took a certain type of person to kill King Argilac on the field of battle and rule over his domains without a rebellion breaking out, which it didn't for the past six moons. He must be better at being a lord than even the maester expected.
As for the oldest of the Targaryen brood, the one thing that Visenya Targaryen shared with her younger sister was that they were both curious about the world around them. However, from there they divulged. She was not as strong as her brothers, but she was the fastest amongst them and was not above discarding the rules in their sparring sessions. Wielding a Valyrian steel blade named Dark Sister, Maester Harrion described as a fierce warrioress who could also fight with her bare hands and unbound by the conventions surrounding a lady. What's more, she was very interested in the tales of old Valyria and voraciously read every book available that talked about blood magic rituals, which Maester Harrion tried to hide but she was able to find them anyway. She was also quite creative, as she tinkered with the many ways she could thrust and parry with Dark Sister and was not afraid of going outside conventional norms of combat. He also studied her deeds in the former Storm kingdom, which show that she was just as able of a commander as her brothers and her husband. Quite a woman, this Visenya Targaryen. But she would not survive the schemes of the south with her attitude and inclinations.
Loren Lannister needed information on Jaenyx Belaerys, which Maester Harrion couldn't provide as he barely knew him. He then turned to the other riverlords such as the Brackens, who weren't very helpful due to their anger at his and House Targaryen's favoring to their traditional rivals, the Blackwoods. He could not allow man's prejudice to distort how one viewed an opponent, as an imbalance in views results in key traits being left out and thus causing uncertainty when dealing with the person in question. What the riverlords and Maester Harrion did provide was Jaenyx Belaerys being rather… aloof. He said little and only dealt with most people from a distance, dealing most of the riverlords on tax matters and other mundane affairs but nothing else. Like his good-brothers and wife, he was very good with a blade and a competent commander, performing admirably at Wailing Willows and against King Argilac. But what made him stand out to Loren was his actions at Haystack Hall, where he was able to infiltrate the castle and open the gates with little to no casualties. Combined with his abilities to get information from the most unlikely sources, he saw Jaenyx Belaerys as one who was most comfortably operating in the shadows, meaning that he was more unpredictable and thus more likely to do the unexpected. I'll need to keep an eye on him .
Not much could be said of Aerion and Valaena Targaryen, Lord and Lady of Dragonstone, other than the former being politically experienced enough to prevent his tiny demesne from being overtaken by those around the Blackwater Bay and the former being a proper lady despite having a strong fire within her. Maester Harrion was also able to provide Loren Lannister with information on the dragons, at least the three dragons of House Targaryen. Balerion was the oldest and the only one to have been born while Valyria was still alive, but was the biggest and most powerful, his dragonbreath being enough to wipe out the ironborn at Rook's Rest. No more information could be gained of the other two dragons, Vhagar and Meraxes as they were called, other than Rhaenys Targaryen enjoying riding on her dragon more than her siblings. As for the last dragon, Cloudwynd as it was called, Maester Harrion knew nothing.
Moving back to current events, Loren Lannister found out that the seat of House Bracken was slighted and burned by dragonfire after their defection, their error being that they followed Jaenyx's orders and emptied their lands of all of their troops. If you were going to defect, why follow his orders ? Apparently, it didn't cross their minds that there would be repercussions to their actions and they didn't expect their former overlords in reacting so swiftly and ruthlessly. One thing the Valyrians are doing right: they don't show mercy to traitors . Regardless of the recent occurings, Loren Lannister decided to use the Brackens' angers against the Valyrians to his advantage by making them the first wave of attack in the upcoming battle. The Pipers were much more controlled and Loren held them back, as he would need them should the Brackens act too rashly.
At the same time, Loren Lannister kept a connection with the Poor Fellows via his septon, who he made in giving him the names of all of the Poor Fellows operating in the riverlands. Information was key and he would be damned before he let a holy man control how he got it. But the reports were quite… troubling. Broden Tully, nephew of Edmyn Tully, Lord of Riverrun, had been supplying the Poor Fellows with weapons and food, citing his reason being that Dragonstone did not do enough to help the Faith in the riverlands and was doing what his lord uncle was too cowardly to do. While Loren Lannister welcomed dissent among the ranks of his adversaries, he couldn't deny that Broden Tully acted stupidly. Did he honestly think his scheme would work when he had no strong source of help ? The Poor Fellows reported that Broden Tully was captured Jaenyx Belaerys' agents and taken as a hostage against Edmyn Tully, who they now distrusted as he failed to control his nephew. Their army was encamped around Riverrun, both to intimidate House Tully and to prepare for the inevitable battle against the armies of the Rock.
Loren Lannister would never admit it to his other generals, but he was… a little nervous about the upcoming battle. All four dragons had been spotted and he knew that his army would have no chance in a battle. However, that's when it hit him! All of the battles involving dragons occurred with some daylight, with the battle that killed King Argilac being an exception since the dragons killed his missile troops but let the ground troops of Dragonstone take care of the rest. I wonder, what happens if I decide to fight them at night ? So, he slowed his army's march, quickening their pace only during the dusk and using the night to mask his troops. Black Harren didn't notice and died. King Argilac had luck, but he died also.
Loren Lannister also had a representative from Braavos consult him. He had sent a raven to the Iron Bank requesting a loan, prompting them to send a representative to Lannisport, along with a specialist that was said to have knowledge on how to counter dragons. The Iron Bank representative, Sallos Paenel, stated that the bank was prepared to offer an initial loan that would be enough to supplement the campaign for three moons. While the Iron Bank had confidence in Loren Lannister's abilities as a king and commander, they were not prepared to give him the amount he needed to avoid strain on his own treasury, as the war was just beginning. They also requested a complete cancellation of all trade duties for goods coming from Braavos to Lannisport for a period of ten years, but Loren Lannister managed to negotiate a partial cancellation for twenty-five years, as the merchants in Lannisport would be in an uproar. Kings who neglected the merchants risked financial ruin, as nobles only knew a few ways to make money while merchants were gifted with a wealth of knowledge on how to make coin from various sources outside of land.
In return, Braavos turned over thirty of its ships to House Lannister and had contacted a specialist from Slaver's Bay, a Ghiscari sellsword named Shaqnal zo Rhola. A veteran of the many conflicts in the Disputed Lands and a native from Yunkai, he was one of the more well-read sellswords Loren Lannister met. He had studied the wars between Ghiscar and Valyria, of which not much could be gleaned due to the lack of significant texts pertaining to that period. However, having little knowledge of dragons was better than having none, so Loren Lannister put Shaqnal on a retainer and secured permission from the Citadel for him to go through their historical texts.
Shaqnal quickly found a solution, which he got from reading of the Rhoynish wars with Valyria, of which there were many texts. A common tactic that the Rhoynish employed was to hug the Valyrian troops on the ground as closely as they could, more exactly "to grab them by the belt buckle." The dragons were devastating on the field of battle, but the dragonriders wouldn't risk burning their adversaries if it meant burning their own troops as well. At the same time, getting as close to the Valyrian troops as possible was easier said than done, as the dragons had excellent line of sight during daylight and would be able to tell friend from foe. So Shaqnal zo Rhola recommended that they attack the enemy army at night, as the dragons wouldn't be able to see as well without daylight and the dragonriders might withhold their dragons for fear of hurting their own troops.
Such was the reason why Loren Lannister had his troops wear bright red tunics at night, as they couldn't risk being seen by one of their dragons if they used torches and having them train to fight during twilight hours. He chose twilight because his troops would have enough light to engage in close combat, but he gambled that it wouldn't be enough for the dragons to cause serious damage.
Of course, having the army march during the dying light of the day had its own difficulties. Using an advance guard to guide the way without torches despite wearing the brightest red sashes available did nothing to prevent confusion among the ranks and Loren Lannister had to personally get involved in keeping them in line. At the same time, he was doing something that none of the other rulers who fought against the dragons had done before and it was never going to go smoothly. Still, he was thankful that at least most of his troops were able to remain on the march before the advance guard came upon the Dragonstone encampment. Just as expected, there were banners from the stormlords, riverlords who remained loyal, and those from around the Blackwater Bay. But strangely, none of the four dragons were seen. What are they up to ?
Knowing that attacking the Dragonstone forces even while they were encamped Riverrun was folly, Loren Lannister decided to make them come to him. North of Riverrun was the Blackwood Vale, which he would send part of the riverlander force following him as well as his light infantry and cavalry. To the south of the fortress lay thick forests, which he would use to disguise his primary infantry and cavalry. The goal was to encircle the Dragonstone banners, getting them distracted in the north while he would strike from the south. No army was able to take Riverrun without suffering heavy casualties, but that didn't stop the dragons from burning Black Harren and most of his sons alive at his vanity project. He could only guess that Edmyn Tully, Lord of Riverrun, had no knowledge of his nephew's actions and thus Lord Belaerys and his Targaryen family had surrounded the fortress in order to force an explanation from him. He relied on Riverrun acting as an anchor for his adversaries, as they wouldn't be able to maneuver freely around the deep moat of the castle and once they were close enough, their dragons wouldn't be able to strike due to a lack of sufficient daylight and to avoid burning their own troops.
Loren Lannister went over his plan with his generals, most of whom accepted. Except for Weslar Reyne. "Any doubts you have, Lord Reyne?"
"Yes, Your Grace," the Lord of Castamere affirmed. "We'll be fighting under the cover of night. While that may offer protection against the dragons, there is a possibility they may be entrenched enough to resist our advances. What if they don't fall for the attack from the north? What if they realize that our real attack will originate from the forests of the south?"
"As much as I disagree with Lord Reyne on many matters, I have to voice the same concerns, my king," Lord Lefford joined in. "Aegon Targaryen, Orys Baratheon, Jaenyx Belaerys, and their women have proven to be very competent commanders in the field. They would not have been able to defeat forces three times their size if they were able to fall so easily to feints."
"Not to mention that we haven't seen their dragons in flight. Even with night, they could still cause heavy casualties among our troops with their dragonfire," Lord Marbrand added.
"I would suggest that we halt our advance and wait for them to come to us. If that happens, we can control what field we meet them on," Lord Emory Lannister of Lannisport suggested.
"No," Loren Lannister shook his head. "We will not halt our advance, Emory. And we shall follow the plan I formed. But remember that I had the assistance of a Ghiscari sellsword, one who is well-versed in how dragons were used in the days of old Valyria. While more solutions are being developed, the only viable one that could be applied is to use the cover of night to attack the Valyrians and their other vassals. That way, we can get close enough to their troops so as to prevent their dragons from causing too much damage."
"But Your Grace," Lord Reyne looked at him straight. "Many of our troops will die at least, because even if we do get close enough, not all of our troops will have the same protection and there'll be nothing to stop them from turning into ashes."
"You're correct, my lord," Lore Lannister nodded. "But would you have the possibility of a victory at the cost of thousands, or risk it by not fighting and thus endangering all of us? We are not the Rhoynish or the Ghiscari, and even they eventually fell to the dragons. Besides, any losses we suffer can easily be replaced by men from the riverlands who follow the Faith and merely need to see that the dragons could be beat. Already, they've turned against the Tullys, who are still wavering. If we can show them that we could win, then we would have the Red Fork secured and other riverlords will follow."
"I would not be so sure of the riverlords' loyalty, Your Grace," Lord Lefford stated. "They were sworn to Black Harren, but once his army was defeated at Wailing Willows, many of them rose up, including the Brackens." He stared hard at the defectors, which earned him a hard scowl from Prestan Bracken. "This is a very shifty region and while that may be advantageous for us at the moment, it may not be so in the future."
"How dare you, Lord Lefford!" bellowed Prestan Bracken. "We follow the Faith and as fellow brothers of the Seven, we chose to side with the ones who would reinvigorate the Faith in this fallen region and to drive foreigners away from this continent."
"Then why didn't you do that when the Hoares, worshipers of the Drowned God, took your region over?"
Prestan Bracken's face reddened, as his house's betrayal of Agnes Blackwood was well-known and he couldn't claim to have a strong sense of loyalty given his and the region's tendency to switch allegiances. "We had… practical considerations--"
"Oh, you mean Dragonstone favoring your traditional rivals the Blackwoods for being the first to rise up against Black Harren?" Lord Reyne asked bitingly. "I would choose a Blackwood man over a Bracken, as at least the Blackwoods could be trusted to fight for their beliefs instead of self-serving horse-breeders like yourself."
Prestan Bracken reached for his sword at Lord Reyne's insult to his house, only for him to be stopped by Loren Lannister slamming hard on the table. "ENOUGH! This petty squabble is getting us nowhere. Thank you for making your opinions known, my lords, but understand this: I am in command, but I never make decisions without getting the best advice available. I will not countenance dissent amongst my ranks, for I will send the heads of the loudest ones back to their families for being oathbreakers. All of your loyalties are to House Lannister, and therefore you owe your allegiance to me. We shall have attack at twilight. Understood?" All of the lords gradually nodded their assent. "Then let us prepare. We have a battle on our hands."
Loren Lannister and his personal guard took up positions in the forests south of Riverrun. While he was past his prime and could not wield his sword as ably as before, appearances mattered and his troops wouldn't really respect him if he didn't show himself being ready to take the same risks as his soldiers. Clad in red armor with lion-faced shoulder pads, a red sash over his torso, and a golden helm that also had a crown on top, he clutched the longsword on his left side tightly, the one made from Valyrian steel that he purchased from a Dragonstone bannerman in Lannisport. He knew that it was a tradition for great houses to own a Valyrian steel weapon and after Tommen Lannister lost Brightroar on his ill-advised trip to Valyria, House Lannister was bereft of their heirloom. It was no Brightroar, but Liontooth was a proper heirloom of the King of the Rock with its golden pommel and lion's head pommel.
Loren Lannister carefully kept his main troops hidden in the forest while he made the troops from the northern approach as visible as he could. He changed his mind on having the Brackens being the vanguard, as he realized that their anger in losing their home to Dragonstone would be better utilized in the thick of the fight. He had Piper bannerman alongside those from Houses Moreland, Lefford Payne, and Banefort comprise the troops coming from the north alongside a large continent of Poor Fellows that were hastily-armed with swords, spears, and axes. He expected the Poor Fellows to suffer heavy casualties, but promised compensation to Lords Moreland, Lefford Payne, and Banefort should they suffer heavy casualties. He gambled on the Dragonstone forces to turn their attention northwards, thus leaving their southern approach relatively open.
While the attack from the north would comprise of a total of ten thousand men, Loren Lannister led the main forces comprised of troops from House Reyne, Marbrand, Westerling, Crakehall, alongside those from House Bracken and a mounted contingent of Warrior's Sons, totalling thirty thousand men. He would start the attack from the south with a missile barrage and a cavalry charge, allowing the Warrior's Sons to take the lead while following up with formations from the other houses of the Rock. Once they've done enough damage to the enemy lines, they would proceed with an attack comprising of infantry. Eventually, the cavalry would regroup and attempt to extend their lines to eventually encircle the enemy towards the Red Fork, thus cutting them off from retreat and destroying their main army. It should've been simple enough.
As Loren Lannister waited in the treeline, he felt the distinctive rumble of troops marching to their positions and knew for certain that the attack from the north had begun. He exhaled, trying to control his nervousness as he never fought against dragons. But the lack of proper daylight should work to his advantage, as dusk left both armies at the mercy of the night.
Suddenly, the King of the Rock hear battle cries and louder rumbling as troops from the northern approach charged against the enemy lines. But before they could close the distance, he heard screeches pierce the air and the loud flaps of what he suspected were dragon wings. Looking to the sky, he could make four black shapes descending towards the north bank of the Red Fork. Then, streams of dragonfire pierced through the darkness of the night, a concoction of blue, black, yellow, and orange pouring down on the troops and turning many into ash while those unlucky to have not died in the initial fire were left screaming into the dirt.
However unfortunate those losses were, those troops had fulfilled their intended purpose in distracting the enemy to the north. Loren Lannister raised his right hand before pointing towards the enemy lines on the south. "Cavalry, forward!" Lord Crakehall yelled as the mounted knights of the Rock and the Warrior's Sons galloped steadily towards the enemy.
"Archers ready," Loren Lannister ordered.
"Archers, nock!" Lord Marbrand shouted as three thousand bowmen lighted their arrows with fire and drew back on their bows. With a nod from the King of the Rock, Lord Marbrand yelled, "Loose!"
Thousands of lit arrows hurled through the night sky as they descended upon the enemy and many finding their marks. However, Loren Lannister noticed that there wasn't a lot of screams of pain coming from their lines, which he found… odd. He quickly shook it off, as he ordered the archers to ready one more volley before the cavalry double-timed their charge towards the enemy line. Two thousand cavalry cried out as their lances lowered and shouts such as "For the Seven!" echoed across the darkened field.
What Loren Lannister did not expect was several cries of pain following the charge. Squinting his eyes, he saw many of the cavalry being run through by pikes and many others being unhorsed and finished off by the enemy infantry. That's when he realized it. They must've expected us to at least attack with cavalry from the south . However, he knew that the plan must continue despite the cavalry charge not producing the expected results and acted quickly.
"Prepare the infantry for combat!" Loren Lannister ordered. "And get word to Lord Westerling. Time to extend the lines."
"Yes, Your Grace," Lord Marbrand affirmed before galloping off.
"Archers, cover the advance," Loren Lannister commanded as he drew Liontooth. "Infantry, forward!" While the cavalry charge did not go as planned, the enemy focusing on them should keep them occupied long enough to bring up his fresh infantry formations. He only had to get his troops close enough to the enemy lines, as that would prevent them from suffering the same fate as their comrades in the northern approach.
A rider approached Loren as the infantry closed the distance with the enemy, with the close combat turning more fierce. "Your Grace," the rider bowed. "They're slowly pushing our cavalry back. But they're proceeding with a counterattack against our advancing infantry."
That should keep them pinned. "Get word to Lord Westerling. Tell him to continue extending the lines until they reach the southern bank of the river. Once that happens, tell him to punch through the enemy's left flank."
"Yes, Your Grace!" the rider galloped off.
"You," Loren Lannister turned to a rider on his left. "Inform Lord Marbrand. Tell him to have the infantry slowly walk backwards while keeping the enemy engaged. I'll have archers let loose another volley."
"But, Your Grace. Wouldn't we kill our own men that way?" the rider questioned.
"Either that, or we all die by dragonfire. Just follow the fucking order and we'll live!" Loren Lannister barked. The rider did not hesitate and rode off. "Archers, nock!" he shouted. He wanted to let off one more volley before involving them and himself into the fray, as he gathered that he and the archers would be targets for the dragons if they remained in one place for too long.
Another rider approached, this one bearing the colors of House Marbrand. "Your Grace, we're keeping them engaged but we're getting closer to your position. Lord Marbrand is merely awaiting your volley."
"Good," Loren Lannister nodded and turned to the bowmen. He couldn't see well in the darkening twilight, but he could wear the clash of swords and thumps against shields get closer to his position. Then, he saw the backs of the rear rank of his infantry formations. "Volley, loose!" Flaming arrows pierced through the night as like the last volley, many found their marks. However, his attention was diverted by the screech of dragons. Hearing the flaps of their wings, he guessed that the dragons found out his position and now was the time to join the fray.
"Archers, engage! Do not let the dragons burn you!" Loren Lannister commanded as he urged his horse forward and Liontooth in hand. While some bowmen were quick enough, many others were too late and the King of the Rock felt a very intense heat on his back as dragonfire burned his archers to ash. He had only just avoided them.
Squinting his eyes, Loren Lannister looked to his right and made out the distinctive seashells of House Westerling. He had guessed correctly that the enemy was distracted in the south and north, but didn't have the troops to cover their left flank. Him using the men of the Crag to punch through their relatively undermanned flank had paid off, as the enemy troops fighting on the south bank was in danger of being encircled. All that is needed now is to close the loop .
But before he could send in troops to reinforce Lord Westerling, Loren Lannister heard another dragon roar and a stream of blue fire burned through a part of the Westerling advance and his right flank. This was followed by a stream of black flame going the opposite direction, preventing the men of the Rock from advancing further. Scanning the field, he saw the enemy moving between the streams of fire and saw what they were doing. They're withdrawing. They're close to being encircled and we're too close to their troops for their dragons to do enough damage, so they're falling back . He found Lord Marbrand. "My lord, take a contingent of cavalry with you and pursue the enemy. Cut off their escape."
"Yes, my king," Lord Marbrand complied.
To their credit, the enemy held off his infantry and cavalry just long enough for their comrades to escape between the flames and withdraw themselves. Lord Marbrand returned quicker than he expected. "Why aren't you going after the enemy?"
"Heavy resistance, Your Grace," Lord Marbrand breathed out. "They have mounted archers, which they used to take out many of the cavalry before we were forced to pull back."
"How many did you think withdrew successfully?"
"I estimate nineteen thousand men, Your Grace."
Damn it! They still have an army, meaning they will fight another day . Loren Lannister calmed himself, as he was still able to accomplish something by driving the enemy back.
Just then, Lord Westerling, his armor covered in black soot, came up to him. "My Lord Westerling," Loren Lannister addressed him.
"Your Grace, I am sorry. I failed to make an effective breach on their left flank," he answered with contrition.
Loren Lannister normally would have punished failure, but he also understood that he performed to his best given the circumstances, so he willed thoughts of punishment away from him. "You've done well, my lord. House Westerling's valor will be remembered today."
Lord Westerling bowed. "Thank you, Your Grace."
Another rider approached, this time being Emory Lannister of Lannisport. "My king," he bowed. "We've got a prisoner with us."
"So?"
"I think you should see for yourself, Your Grace."
Curious, Loren Lannister followed Emory Lannister towards the southern bank of the Red Fork. There, he saw an armored man with a red and yellow sash over his torso and blood over his face on his knees and his hands tied. He had black hair and black eyes, but was unafraid and instead was very calm. He looked back at Loren not with defiance but with a hard stare.
"Who is he?" Loren asked Emory Lannister.
"This," Emory Lannister walked to the kneeling man and grabbed his hair to jerk his head back. "Is the bastard of Dragonstone, upjumped to Lord of Storm's End. Orys Baratheon."
"How did you find him?" Bastard or not, he was a valuable prisoner and Loren Lannister wanted to get him into his own custody quickly.
"He killed ten of our men when he tried to escape between the flames before one of our knights collided with his horse and got him to the ground. He then punched another in the teeth, knocking out some from his mouth, before our men were able to secure him."
"How do you know it's Orys Baratheon?"
"He had this with him," Emory Lannister handed to Loren a large warhammer made of Valyrian steel. If he remembered correctly, Orys Baratheon wielded a weapon like that in his expedition to the Stepstones.
"Thank you, Emory. I shall reward you and the others at Lannisport accordingly." Emory Lannister nodded his thanks before Loren Lannister walked up to Orys and squatted in front of him. "Good to meet you, Lord Orys."
"You must be the King of the Rock," Orys Baratheon stated evenly.
"That's 'Your Grace' to you, bastard," Lord Marbrand scolded before he spat at his face.
"There, there, my lord," Loren Lannister stopped him. "He's a prisoner and bastard, so we must move past it when he has lapses in decorum." He turned back to Orys. "Looks like you don't have much loyalty amongst the stormlords. They left you to be captured by us."
Orys sighed, but more out of annoyance. "If you're going to kill me or ransom me, let us go through that quickly. Don't waste your breath with talk."
"You are speaking to--" Lord Emory stepped forward before Loren Lannister held up a hand to stop him.
"I have other things planned for you, Lord Orys," Loren Lannister smiled. "You're more useful as my captive and I'm not sure if your family can pay your ransom, for it is not gold I seek."
"What is it, then?" Orys asked.
"More than what your family can give, I presume," Loren cryptically replied before turning to his personal guard. "Take him away." As Orys Baratheon was led off the field, the men of the Rock cheered for their first victory against the dragons.
Loren Lannister opened negotiations with Lord Edmyn Tully and allowed him to keep his castle and titles if he bent the knee to House Lannister in perpetuity. Still fearful for his nephew's life, he was reluctant to make a decision that would put him and his house in jeopardy should the dragons return. However, Loren Lannister promised to get his nephew back but warned him that he had thousands of troops surrounding Riverrun, all of whom were fresh from battle and would not hesitate in fighting again. With some hesitation, Edmyn Tully bent the knee to his house and thus securing the Red Fork.
Loren Lannister received reports from throughout the riverlands over the next two weeks. While there were some riverlords who would remain loyal to Dragonstone because they liberated the region from the rule of Black Harren, key houses such as the Freys of the Twins, both branches of House Vance, and the Rootes came in person to bend the knee to House Lannister. Two houses remained defiant to his incoming advance, the Mallisters of Seagard and the Blackwoods of Raventree Hall. While he was confident that he could have the Mallisters switch sides, the Blackwoods holding out was a cause for concern, as they were among the most powerful of the riverland houses. He had Prestan Bracken lead the force to ravage the Blackwood Vale, but he lacked confidence that they could actually storm their keep. He would send reinforcements later, but not now.
For now, Loren Lannister occupied himself with his valuable prisoner, Orys Baratheon, who he had locked in the dungeons of Riverrun. The dungeons of the great castle were windowless and damp, and their doors heavy and made of wood and iron, which was lacking in comparison to the dungeons at Casterly Rock. But it would do.
Accompanying Loren Lannister was his kennelmaster, who he relied on many trips and who always kept three black dogs with him. He needed his muscle for what he intended to do Orys Baratheon. He had his shirt ripped off and his hands tied to the wooden plank in front of him. Rolling his sleeves, he approached the Lord of Storm's End with a pair of tongs in his hand.
"My lord," Loren Lannister addressed him. "What do you know about the torture methods used by the Good Masters of Astapor on incorrigible slaves? Hmmm? What's your guess on the first method?"
"What are you on about?" Orys asked with some confusion. That prompted the kennelmaster to backhand him hard across the face, which he recovered from with a grunt.
"The first method is the water dungeon, which works by having drops of water impact on the forehead, which would make the slave go insane over an extended period but we don't have time for that. The second method? That involves twisting the arm and putting the slave's face in their own shit, which I can imagine would not be very pleasant for any sane man." Loren Lannister looked at Orys, who still looked at him with confusion. "I thought so. You're a warrior and you're dealt with actual shit before, so that wouldn't really work. But what about the third method? Now, that is called 'pulling nails from fingers'. What do you think, my lord? Does that sound preferable to you?" Loren Lannister twirled the tongs around, but he saw Orys' eyes widen. Whether it was from fear or shock was irrelevant at the moment. "The purpose of these methods was to get the slaves or whoever dared to strike against the masters to become more obedient, as scars are very effective reminders. What if I had to get you to become obedient? That would be pretty difficult, wouldn't it? You are the blood of old Valyria after all, even if it's diluted." He saw Orys clench his teeth. "But what if I gave you an option, where we wouldn't have to resort the third method?"
"And what would that be?" Orys asked.
Loren Lannister pulled out a scroll from his pocket. "I will make you a deal. These are documents concerning a marriage annulment. I understand that your wedding ceremony to Argella Durrandon involved aspects of the Faith, which makes your union under the jurisdiction of the Starry Sept. I want you to sign the documents declaring your union to Argella Durrandon void. Whether it was consummated or not does not matter at this point."
Orys perched an eyebrow. "What do you have to gain from me annulling my marriage to Argella?"
Loren Lannister caught how he used her first name, but put it aside. "It won't be me that'll benefit, but my ally, King Mern Gardener. He never forgot Argilac killing his uncle, Garse Gardener, at Summerfield and he sees his family ruling his former kingdom as the ultimate vengeance. He wants his son and heir, Edmund, to marry Argella, thus uniting the Storm and Reach kingdoms by marriage. I'm doing this as a favor to him."
"All right," Orys nodded. "You said you have a deal with me. You said what you wanted. What do I get?"
"One way or another, the dragons will be defeated, as the Rock, the Reach, and the Vale can command armies many times their size. But you still can get something out of it. If you sign these documents, I will persuade Queen Sharra Arryn to legitimize you and make you Orys Targaryen, Lord of Dragonstone. You will swear fealty to the Arryns as the new overlords over the Blackwater Bay and she will find you a suitable wife to marry. It's a generous deal, my lord, and one I would seriously--" But he was interrupted when Orys spit in his face.
Orys scoffed. "I thought lions were supposed to be smart, but I never saw a more thickheaded move than today. I might be a bastard, but they are my family and I will burn myself in hells before I betray them."
Wiping off his spit from his cheek, Loren Lannister suddenly felt rage surge through him. Dropping the tongs, he pulled out his dagger. "Forget the nails! You will sign those documents even if I have to spill every drop of blood from you and break your bones!" He then took his dagger and cut through each digit in Orys' pinky, causing him to grunt in pain, but barely.
Calming himself after Loren Lannister cut off the second digit of his pinky, Orys spat at him again. "Come, King Loren! I know that you're not doing this because of the Faith. You don't look like one of those Seven-Pointed Star thumpers."
"Shut up," Loren Lannister responded. "Will you sign those documents now?"
"Fuck you!" Orys defiantly shouted. That cost him what was left of his pinky and Loren Lannister proceeded to his ring finger. Three more times Loren Lannister tried to make him sign the documents and at the end of thee times, Orys also had his ring finger chopped off gradually. To keep him conscious, Loren Lannister got a handful of salt and rubbed against where his fingers once were, causing even louder grunts of pain.
Getting tired, Loren Lannister turned to his kennelmaster, who merely used his hands for such events. He proceeded to punch Orys Baratheon savagely and repeatedly in the face. "You fucking fuck, fucking fuck, stupid fuck, what the fuck, this is a war! Fuck, YOU'RE A PRISONER of FUCKING WAR! Give him the signature!" He then backhanded Orys hard, causing him and the chair to tip over to the floor, and blood to drip from the many punctures on his face that resulted from the punches. Wiping off sweat from his brow, he went to one of the knives in his belt. "I'm cutting his fucking head off, Your Grace."
"You'll do no such thing," Loren Lannister calmly said as he wiped off his hands with a rag. "I'll take him to Casterly Rock, where I can continue my conversation with him." With that, he exited the dungeon to resume his meetings with the lords of the Rock.