The pursuit lasted two days and one night.
Jon Connington and Captain Harry pressed on without rest, driving their men forward despite exhaustion.
At last, on the southern shore of the Gods Eye, they caught up with their quarry.
But instead of an easy capture, they ran headlong into another force.
Jaime Lannister.
He had clearly learned of the fall of Duskendale and the king's escape as well, and was rushing his troops in to meet them.
When enemies met, blood was inevitable.
Both sides quickly formed up, ready for battle.
...
Jon Connington led five thousand light cavalry onward to continue the pursuit of Tommen and Kevan, leaving Harry Strickland to face the enemy along the southern shore of the Gods Eye.
The battlefield was a nightmare.
The Golden Company excelled at fighting in tight formations, and their cavalry relied on wide, firm ground to deliver crushing charges.
Here, however, puddles dotted the field, hidden marshes lay beneath the surface, and the only passable road was narrow and slick with mud.
Jaime Lannister, meanwhile, had already seized the center of the field, a limestone rise known as Frog's Toes Rock.
The high ground was small but dry and solid, easy to defend and difficult to assault.
His troops had arrived lightly equipped, clearly fighting on familiar ground and well aware of the terrain.
"The Kingslayer has the advantage of the ground,"
Captain Harry said grimly.
"But we can't let him pin us here. Infantry formations, advance slowly along both sides of the road. Watch your footing, shields up. Dothraki riders, spread out on the flanks. Harass them with arrows and draw out their archers."
The Golden Company moved with iron discipline. Heavy infantry trudged forward through the mud in steady ranks.
The Dothraki swept along the flanks with wild cries, loosing arrows toward the heights.
Jaime stood at the edge of the rise, watching calmly.
He did not order a full countervolley. Instead, he had his archers loose only sporadic shots to drive back Dothraki who ventured too close, while the shields on the slope held firm.
"They're testing us, trying to wear us down,"
Jaime said quietly to the officer beside him.
"Do you see their path? They won't leave the road that still looks solid, or the shallow water on either side. But the real killing ground isn't the road."
He pointed to the low ground on the left, where a thin layer of water shimmered.
"It looks shallow, but underneath is a deep mire. A man could sink to his waist or worse."
Then he gestured to the dense reeds on the right.
"The water there is deeper, but beneath it are tangled weeds and thick silt. Once men or horses go in, they won't get out easily."
The officer's eyes widened in understanding.
"My lord, you mean…"
"Exactly."
A cold smile curved Jaime's lips.
"Let them come a little closer. Order the spearmen to hold the slope at all costs. No advancing. Archers wait for my signal."
Seeing that the defenders on the high ground were doing nothing but holding their line, Harry's troops grew bolder.
The vanguard reached the base of the slope and began to climb, clashing with the spearmen above.
The muddy incline made every step a struggle for the attackers, giving the defenders a clear advantage.
Harry judged the moment ripe.
"Cavalry! Charge up the center of the road and smash through them!"
Several hundred Golden Company heavy cavalry spurred forward along the muddy road.
Their speed was slowed by the terrain, but even so, the weight and momentum of armored horsemen were terrifying.
Just as the cavalry reached the halfway point and were about to hit the slope, Jaime's eyes flashed.
He raised his hand sharply.
"Now! Archers! Fire arrows! Target the flanks!"
Westerlands archers, already prepared, loosed flaming arrows into the hollows and reed beds on both sides of the road.
It was the dry season.
On the left, the withered grasses and reeds caught at once.
The flames were not large, but thick smoke rolled out quickly, swallowing the cavalry's left flank and blinding them.
On the right, the reed beds erupted into fire even faster.
Fanned by the wind, the flames spread in moments, sealing off the flank completely. The crackling fire and choking smoke sent the warhorses into panic.
Meanwhile, Jaime shouted, "Pikemen, hold the front! Archers, loose freely and spook the horses!"
The road leading up to the high ground was narrow to begin with. Now fire and smoke erupted on both flanks. Warhorses, terrified of flame by instinct, panicked at once and bolted out of control.
The cavalry's charging formation collapsed instantly, men and horses crashing into one another.
From the heights, Westerlands archers calmly picked off panicked mounts and fallen riders, driving the chaos even deeper.
At the same time, the Golden Company infantry attempting to advance along both flanks ran into trouble.
On the left, the formation was forced to compress to avoid the smoke and fire, becoming tightly packed and sluggish.
On the right, the blaze cut off all progress entirely.
Harry Strickland watched from the rear, his eyes burning.
He had not expected Jaime to be so ruthless, using fire to create chaos and striking at the precise moment of the cavalry's charge.
"Hold steady! Fall back! Reform the line!"
Harry roared until his voice was hoarse.
In that brief moment of paralysis, Jaime once again showed his sharp grasp of the battlefield.
He did not cling to defense. He chose to strike.
"Everyone who can move, with me! Charge!"
Jaime led from the front, driving every mobile Westerlands soldier straight down into the chaotic seam where cavalry and infantry had collided.
The Golden Company's front ranks were in complete disorder, while the commanders in the rear were wholly focused on restoring control. No one expected a defender like Jaime to launch such a sudden and ferocious countercharge.
Jaime's men tore straight through the disordered front.
Jaime himself cut a blazing path, parrying and striking with deadly precision, cutting down several officers who tried to block him.
Harry Strickland's face went pale as he saw the crimson lion banner of House Lannister and Jaime himself drawing closer. His personal guards rushed forward to shield him.
"Retreat! The entire army, fall back five hundred paces and regroup!"
Harry had no choice but to give the order.
Golden Company soldiers fled in chaos, trampling one another. Losses were heavy, with abandoned heavy gear and men stuck fast in the mud left behind.
For a time, despite his numerical advantage, Harry Strickland was caught completely off guard. After suffering significant losses, he was forced to pull back and reorganize.
...
Elsewhere, Jon Connington, fearing the king might slip too far away, did not take part in the main engagement. He personally led five thousand men around the battlefield and continued the chase westward at full speed.
As expected, at an upstream crossing of the Blackwater Rush, he caught the rearguard, Addam Marbrand and Damion Lannister, who had only a little over a thousand exhausted soldiers with them.
A fierce battle erupted.
Jon Connington's forces were fresh and superior in number. The rearguard was quickly shattered.
Unable to hold, Addam and Damion fled with the remnants, scattering in different directions to draw the pursuers away.
Back on the main field, Harry Strickland had suffered heavy losses after being checked by Jaime.
At that moment, Quentyn Martell arrived with thirty thousand fresh troops to reinforce Captain Harry.
With Quentyn's arrival, the balance of the battle shifted at once.
Jaime Lannister fought fiercely, but the disparity in numbers was overwhelming. His men were worn down by constant marching and fighting, and they could not withstand the ferocious assault of the rested Dornish and Norvos troops.
After a brutal struggle, Jaime's forces broke. He was forced to retreat westward with what remained of his men.
During the retreat, Jaime ran into Addam Marbrand and Damion, who were fleeing in equal disorder.
From them, he learned news that made his blood run cold.
Cersei was not with Kevan. She was likely still trapped in Duskendale, or being escorted away by others, but either way her situation was extremely dangerous.
Without the slightest hesitation, Jaime Lannister made a shocking decision.
He handed command over to Addam and Damion, ordering them to gather as many stragglers as possible. Then, armed with nothing but his sword, he turned his horse around and rode back along the perilous path he had come, determined to find his mad, foolish, yet irreplaceable twin sister.
Addam and Damion stared after him in disbelief. Unable to stop him, they could only carry out his orders.
Jaime pressed on alone. Guided by his knowledge of the land and keen instinct, he finally found the Mountain and Cersei near the edge of a forest close to the Goldroad, where they were being attacked by a detachment of Golden Company soldiers.
The Mountain was already badly wounded.
Several arrows jutted from his massive body, his movements slowed. His white armor was stained deep red with blood.
Yet he still stood like a wall in front of the trembling Cersei, his greatsword claiming lives with every swing.
Jaime did not hesitate. With a shout, he spurred his horse into the fight.
His sword flashed like lightning, punching through one Golden Company soldier's throat, then batting aside another's spear before slicing away half his head in a single backhand stroke.
His sudden arrival and deadly skill threw the Golden Company soldiers into confusion.
"Jaime!"
Cersei cried out, her voice breaking with relief.
There was no time for words. Jaime fought his way to her side and shouted, "Get on!"
He pulled her up behind him and then called out to the Mountain, still fighting.
"Ser Gregor, hold them!"
The Mountain answered with a rough, wordless roar.
Jaime dug his heels into his horse's flanks. The steed surged forward, carrying him and Cersei westward at a full gallop, leaving the clash of steel and dying screams behind them.