War Council Room, Harrenhal - Riverlands - 4 days before Stannis' army Reaches King's Landing
After the latest raven reached them, Tywin wasted no time to have another war council. This time, the topic was not Robb Stark but Stannis Baratheon; who was ready to sail his army and head straight for King's Landing.
With most Lannister soldiers either at Casterly Rock or across the Riverlands, the capital city did not have the numbers and neither had the walls to defend itself against an army coming from the water.
And of course, the fact that Winterfell had fallen to Theon Greyjoy and had the two youngest Stark boys killed to secure his power and claim.
Tywin was as per usual sitting as head of the table with Visenya by his right and Kevan on his left, while other Lannister generals and bannermen were present. Of course, Arya was there to attend to them by refilling their goblets with water while listening to their conversations in silence.
"King's Landing will fall an hour after Stannis lands his force. It's not too late for King Joffrey and Cersei and the court to ride west to safety." Kevan suggested, from the few capable of speaking freely enough without worrying that their head would be put on a spike.
"Surrender the Iron Throne?" Tywin asked with a hint of mockery and annoyance.
"Better than seeing their heads mounted on the city gates. Stannis will execute them all."
Tywin placed his goblet on the table with enough force that it echoed across the now quiet room.
"No, a king who runs will not be king for long. He's a Lannister" he reminded everyone by looking at them one at a time. "He'll stand and fight. Stannis is four days from the capital and the wolf is at my doorstep."
"The scouts assure us Robb Stark remains north of Ashemark."
Visenya scoffed.
"Oh please, cousin" she started. "The last time the scouts assured us of Stark's movement, he lured us into a trap and where did that lead us?"
There was silence amongst the group, no one having the guts to say it out loud.
"My son is his prisoner," Tywin said as he stood up, trying to control his temper.
This foolish war had dragged on too long; too many mistakes and traps had been set. Tywin had been put in a tough position, his side of the board with fewer available movement squares and fewer pieces while his opponent spread across the board.
He had to end this now but the stakes were too high, the attacks coming on multiple fronts and he had to narrow down which was more worthy of losing and which was not. The fact that he was surrounded by incompetent men and scouts did not help either, in fact, it made his job even harder in winning that war.
"Too close to Casterly Rock." He added, one hand placed on the upper rock part that made up the light fireplace and leaned on it as he tried to think.
"He sent a splinter force to recapture Winterfell. The Greyjoys have done us a great favour. Stark won't risk marching on Casterly Rock until he's at full force."
"He's a boy and he's never lost a battle" Visenya cut in. "He'll risk anything at any time because he doesn't know enough to be afraid." She pointed out.
She felt a migraine forming for this discussion was taking them nowhere. People forgot who Robb Stark truly was and that would cost them greatly unless someone did something. With having to face multiple fronts and key places under threat of an invasion...this real-life game of Cyvasse was becoming too much.
If they kept residing in Harrenhal, Robb Stark most likely would attack Casterly Rock and none of the two Lannister leaders wanted to see that happening. While Casterly Rock had never fallen before, it did not mean Robb Stark would not try.
Even if he failed, he would have his hands upon their home, gold and port. They couldn't let him have it.
However, they couldn't just march back to Casterly Rock because King's Landing was under attack. They needed to assist against Stannis but that would leave them fully exposed to be taken down by another attack from Robb or lose certain key points for them.
Even she was not sure what to do next, conflicted by everything. Every move was risky, every single move had hidden dangers and the odds were not in their favour. Despite the scenarios, despite the constant planning; there seemed to be no clear answer.
They would have to take the risk, the leap of faith and that would either result in their victory or their deaths. Sometimes, Visenya wished her dragon dreams could help her in times like that or at least offer her a true clue.
The fact that she saw Jaime by Tywin's side did not mean it would happen right now. A thousand scenarios could take place before that scene was to become reality. Of course, she never truly mentioned to Tywin the chance that she was wrong or had misinterpreted the dream.
It was a very rare thing to happen and she doubted she would make such a mistake but as the war kept going, she was becoming less and less confident when it came to that part.
Eventually, Tywin made a decision.
"We'll ride at nightfall" he informed as he moved and stopped behind her chair, placing both hands on it while staring down at his sitting council. "I want a full night's march before he knows we're on the move" he then turned to his loyal mad dog. "Clegane, you'll maintain a garrison here at Harrenhal. Track down this brotherhood and destroy them" he ordered and moved to take his usual seat until his eyes landed on Arya. He remembered what he had promised Visenya but right now, there was a change of plan. "The girl has proven herself a good servant. She'll stay on with you." He continued, feeling the glaring stare of his wife but would deal with her later. He focused on the kid. "See that he doesn't get drunk in the evenings. He's poor company when he's sober, but he's better at his work."
When the meeting was over, Visenya and Tywin did not get up from the table right away. Instead, they remained seated and anyone smart enough could see the tension rising between them.
Kevan did and silently instructed Arya to also leave the room before he closed the door behind him.
Tywin leaned back on his chair, his shoulder and neck stiff from stress and his expression sour. He held his empty goblet in one hand, the other resting at the arm of the chair.
"Go on, say it," he said, glancing at his wife without fully turning his head to acknowledge her.
"You promised the girl would come with us. Now you let her here with that uncontrollable mad dog of yours" she pointed out, anger quick to rise but her tone remained civilised.
"Clegane will not harm her after knowing for so long she is my cupbearer" he said, wishing for this discussion to end so they could both armour up and head for the camp.
"And Elia was your important hostage; her children were your 'bargaining chips' as you called them. Yet, remind me again what happened to them because you were not specific enough when you sent the Mountain after them" she said before truly thinking, her temper getting the best of her.
Silence spread quickly in the room as Visenya dug a knife right at his back. He brought up something that he had done to save her from Robert's hands and fix her mistake but she was still bitter about it.
She was not angry at him for giving the orders, she was angry at the Mountain for being the brutal barbarian that he was. She had made it clear that she did not like him, having countless fights with him when he wanted Ser Gregor to be Trystan's protector.
Yet, she did not have to deal that blow.
Frustrated just like her, he lost his temper first and slammed both hands on the table as he stood up.
"What do you want me to do? Hmmm?" he asked, looking at her as he remained hunched above the table. "We are to head straight to war and the last thing I need is to have a weak girl in my ranks. For all we know we might not survive this fight" he confessed and sat down on his chair. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "She will be better here. I trust her that she will keep Clegane in check and when this is all over, we will bring her back" he finally said, proposing a new idea to end this matter.
Visenya kept looking at him, her amber eyes narrowed all this time and not once did she cower under his temper or his actions. She never cowered in his presence; she never would even if he held a knife to her throat.
She was too stubborn, too prideful to ever do that. Sometimes, that stubbornness of hers was getting on his nerves and more than once he let it slide. Why? He was not even sure about it himself but he often gave in to her requests or ideas.
In his mind, it was to keep conflicts to a minimum. Two personalities and minds such as theirs often clashed when things got complicated or when the path would fork. They could be great together, an unstoppable team but they could also be each other's worst enemy when choosing opposite sides on a matter.
However, a part of him mocked him for thinking like that. A small part of him mocked him because the truth might be the fact that he wished to give in to her requests. There were more feelings when it came to her other than respect and sexual desire and he knew it.
He hated it sometimes and tried hard to ignore it but deep down he knew it. Just like it had happened with Joanna, he was getting attached and was slowly losing the professionalism and mutual ground they had agreed upon when the marriage idea was dropped on the table.
Slowly, she was breaching through his walls and his defences; and he hated it. He wanted to be in control, he wanted to be on top of everything and everyone and yet he backed down or reconsidered when it came to her.
He was never sure whether she knew it and that's why he tested her luck and his temper. He was not even sure if she had similar struggles or if she had, somehow, managed to be more professional than him.
It would be a first time for such a moment but considering their past and where they were now, he wouldn't say it would be impossible either.
He watched her as her gaze softened just a tad after a while, seeing the exhaustion catching up to him...to both of them. They were tired, they were frustrated and they only had each other to release all that tension when in reality; none of the two parties were to blame.
She passed both her hands over her face, slowly pulling them up and then passing them through her white hair; pushing every strand away from her face. She took a deep breath, exhaling loudly enough.
"Order your dog to not touch the girl and no men left behind will do so" she finally said after a long pause.
"I will but you better keep your head cleared until this is all over. If I see you are being distracted, I will force you to remain back even if I have to chain you to a damn pole" he said right after, making his point clear.
She scoffed faintly and it was her time to roll her eyes at his threats. Honestly, the threat of being locked somewhere was becoming old for he never did that, he never would and she would never give him reason to do so.
"I won't"
Relieved that this was over, he stood up and offered his hand to her.
"Let us go armour up. We head to camp right away to prepare the men for our marching at night"
She took his hand as she had done countless times, each time with the same amount of trust she had in him and even more. She let him help her get up and for a moment, she felt his finger squeeze hers faintly like he had done the way of their wedding; a small silent moment of comfort and reassurance.
They knew that marching back home would not be easy, they knew and they knew they would face resistance; just not that kind of resistance.
Because as they were getting near Tumblestone, Lord Edmure Tully appeared and blocked their way forward with his army.
Despite their best efforts and tactics, the Tully Lord and his men did not allow them to continue forward and casualties were suffered from both sides. Since they could not pass through like that, Tywin and Visenya forced their armies to retreat and recover while they made a quick plan to eventually win.
However, the idea alone was put to a halt when riders out of Bitterbridge reached them with news of a successful new alliance and a plan to stop Stannis before taking King's Landing.
With the opportunity given to them to take down the bigger fish and save the crown and their family, the mighty couple moved their host south towards Tumbler's Falls; a town in the southern Riverlands that lay on the Blackwater Rush.
To their surprise, near the headwaters of the Blackwater Rush, they met Lords Mathis Rowan and Randyll Tarly; both men now in alliance with them thanks to the Tyrells. They had brought their men as well.
Glad to see more men and more allies, the three Lords and the Lady had their formal greetings before forcing a march to Tumbler's Falls. When they finally arrived at the small town, they were greeted by Lord Mace Tyrell and his sons, who had been waiting with their huge host of more than 50,000 men and a fleet of barges.
Before setting sail for King's Landing by taking the Blackwater Rush River, they had to make a plan.
Thus, they all met in the main tent of Lord Mace Tyrell; a man whom Visenya had met a couple of times. The Head of the Tyrell house had fought for her nephew in Robert's Rebellion, taking over Storm's End from Stannis. Ironic that now once again he marched against him only that this time he was far better prepared.
Inside the tent were each of the great Lords, Lord Mace's sons Garlan and Loras, Visenya and even Littlefinger; since he had been the one to make this alliance work by persuading the Tyrells to marry Margaery to Joffrey and crown her queen.
Once all gathered around the war table, everyone looked at the map of the CrownLands where tokens had already been placed; Lord Mace having prepared in advance while waiting for them.
"Here is the final plan that I believe we all agree on" he started, taking the lead since it was his ships and his men that would play the biggest part in this relief party. "We sail down Blackwater Rush and we are to disembark here" he pointed to a marked spot on the map. "It's only half a day away from King's Landing and if we have no delays, we should be able to arrive before Stannis overpowers the troops left to protect the city"
Everyone looked at the map, nodding heads and humming in agreement. Pieces to represent the vast army were placed next.
"What is the attack plan then? Who will command what?" Lord Mathis Rowan asked, wishing to go to the most important part of this plan.
"Lord Tywin, you and your Lady Wife can lead the right wing on the north side of the river while Lord Randyll Tarly will command the centre and I will take the left"
Tywin looked over the map, visually imagining the battle position.
"It is a good strategy, Lord Mace" he started. While a prideful man, Tywin respected a good plan especially one that would help him win this war faster and with as less obstacles as possible. "However, I do suspect we will meet resistance by Stannis' army, especially the main centre and the vanguard"
Visenya understood where her husband was leading the conversation and so, she nodded her head before she added her own comment.
"The coast of Blackwater by King's Landing is not as wide and we need to keep in mind that Stannis most likely will have men waiting in their ships and that would leave us open for a side attack while our forces will be narrowed due to the limited land"
Her points made Lord Mace think deeply, passing a hand over his beard.
He had not truly thought of that detail but now he could not unsee it when his eyes were on the map. If her predictions were to be right, then they would lose a significant amount of soldiers.
They had more men than Stannis but ambush from the ships and the fact that they could not truly use their full force all at once could challenge them.
The least likely member to interfere in a military plan was Littlefinger, who chose the moment of deep thinking and mental questioning to propose an idea he had come up with.
"Forgive me, my Lords, My lady, if I may add an idea" he started and Lord Mace nodded, allowing him to continue. "What if Stannis' men retreated on their own? Their morale is high and by pushing back the guards protecting the capital, they will be more determined for victory. I suggest we create chaos amongst their ranks and attack them" Baelish suggested, somehow not surprising those, who knew him.
Only a man, who thrived in chaos and knew how to take advantage of it, would have ways of causing it as well.
"An unsettled army is a lost army" Visenya muttered loud enough for the men to hear and Petyr's eyes seemed to glow upon someone recognising his thoughts.
He was not surprised that it was the Dragoness with the fastest mind and most likely, more aware of his plan already; if rumours were to do her justice.
"What do you have in mind, Lord Baelish?" Lord Tarly asked him, now intrigued but also partially confused.
Baelish smirked in a way that many men would feel uncomfortable.
"We are in possession of Renly's Baratheon armour. How do you think his followers would feel if they saw their former dead leader leading the vanguard? After all, they did turn loyalty to his brother the moment he dropped dead in his tent"
There was a silent exchange of looks between them until Lord Mace broke the small silence that existed.
"Let us say this work, which might as well do, whom will we sacrifice to wear the armour and lead the Vanguard? It certainly cannot be any common soldier"
"This is where a problem lays, my good lords, my lady" he confessed, earning looks with arched eyebrows from almost all of them. "Renly Baratheon had a specific body build that was base for his armour. I am afraid that none of you, my lords or any of your great generals are thin enough to wear it"
"Then why bring it up in the first place, Lord Baelish?" Loras Tyrell said, his young temper getting the best of him. "If none of us can wear the armour, what's the use of it?"
"You misunderstood me, my lord," Baelish said, quickly defending himself. "I never stated that none of you would be a matching fit for the armour. I merely pointed out that no man in this tent would be a matching fit to portray the deceased Renly Baratheon"
The point was quickly made clear and one by one, the Lords turned to look at the only person, according to Baelish, who could make that plan work; Visenya.