WILOW-Ch.390: The State of the Lannister Army
Towards Golden Tooth, Riverlands
POV of Tywin Lannister
The next day.
Tywin rode at the front of the Lannister army with 100 riders on each side and 200 on the front.
He looked at his troops, and every one of them looked tired as they marched forward on an empty half stomach with black bags under their eyes.
Last night had been disastrous for them.
The horse archer troops that he had feared so much had finally arrived and had engaged in a hit-and-run tactic with Ser Marbrand and Gregor Clegane's men.
The direwolves had howled throughout the night, keeping the men awake in fear of an imminent attack.
More than a few times, the Direwolves snuck in between the scouts and entered their camp, entering tents and ripping the throats of as many men as they could before disappearing into the forest.
Even worse was that the Wyverns that he had once dismissed as the delusions of the madman were finally here as well.
The Wyverns flew above their tents throughout the night. Screeching in an unholy manner and dropping head-sized stones all over their camp.
More than a few dozen men lost their lives this way, but the worst part was the morale.
The loss of sleep and the fear of being attacked from anywhere had chipped away at the morale of his men, and he was afraid that if he didn't make a few examples now, then he would soon have a mass desertion on his hands.
The worst part of this, however, was the fact that the Bolton boy had managed to sneak some of his men into the camp and had burned down most of their food supplies, which forced him to ration the food so that they would not run out of food before they even reached Golden Tooth.
So now here they were. Starved of food, deprived of sleep, and worried for safety.
He clenched the reins of his horse tightly as he heard the howls of the direwolves in the distance.
When he had heard about the defeat of Ser Devan and Ser Lucian in the Riverrun and outside Casterly Rock, he had given credit to the fact that Lord Bolton managed to sneak up on their armies and had used surprise to get the better of them and destroy their armies before they could put up a proper defense.
Now he knew better.
Now he knew just how dangerous Lord Bolton was. And the fact that his reputation, if anything, had been significantly watered down.
The articles published in Lord Bolton's newspaper fully revealed this fact.
Not only were his achievements and strategies detailed in his newspaper, but Ser Barristan Selmy's pledge of loyalty to Lord Bolton further enhanced his already high reputation.
Ser Barristan Selmy was no ordinary knight. He was one of Westeros' most renowned swordsmen, and one of its most honored knights.
Yet his foolish grandson thought it reasonable to dismiss such a man from his post.
His offering of allegiance to Lord Bolton, after being freed from the Kingsguard for refusing to lay a hand on an innocent girl, sent a message to all of Westeros.
King Joffrey Baratheon was unworthy of his loyalty, while Emperor Domeric Bolton was worthy.
And Domeric Bolton did not hesitate to reward this loyalty.
After declaring Ser Barristan Selmy an Imperial Knight, he honored him with Dark Knight armor and gave him a seat at the Round Table with the title of Commander of the Round Table.
The Dark Knights, a guard unit Lord Bolton created, was not something new.
Essentially, they were the same as the Kingsguard of the Seven Kingdoms. Their only duty was to protect the Emperor Domeric Bolton and those close to him.
But they were clad in all-black armor and cloaks, the Dark Knight armor. Their number was not limited to seven knights as in the Seven Kingdoms. And these knights were not forbidden to marry and start families.
While Lord Bolton declared Varko the Commander of the Dark Knights, he gave the title of Vice Commander to Raksa the Giantess.
But what truly interested Tywin was the Round Table, a council of knights founded by Lord Bolton.
This council was responsible for advising the Emperor Domeric on many matters, making suggestions, training new knights, and commanding the imperial armies when necessary.
Tywin did not doubt that many knights in Westeros would travel to the lands Lord Bolton had declared the Imperial Capital, hoping to curry favor with him and secure a place on the council.
Now he could understand just how capable Lord Bolton truly was, and those realistic paintings he published in his newspaper were imprinting his power and his face on the memory of all of Westeros.
His newspaper called these realistic paintings photographs, claiming that instead of being drawn, they were the result of a device invented by Lord Bolton that froze a scene someone had seen in real life and transferred it onto paper.
Tywin didn't know how much of this was true, but the impact of those photographs was undeniable.
Many photographs of Lord Bolton's men building a bridge to bypass the Twins, his victory over the Lannister army in the Riverlands, his capture of the Golden Tooth, his defeat of the army outside Casterly Rock, and his capture of Casterly Rock were published in his newspaper.
Along with pictures of direwolves, giants, and wyverns.
But what angered him most was the photograph of Lord Bolton at Casterly Rock, with a throne placed on HIS solar while Lord Bolton sitting on it with a crown on his head.
Although this had angered Tywin, it had also helped him to understand Lord Bolton's power better.
And alongside his strategic acumen and administrative skills, his greatest challenge was Lord Bolton's military might.
With only a thousand men, some direwolves, and 2 wyverns, Lord Bolton had pressured his army to the point of breaking.
He wanted to give his all against the Tooth in a do-or-die situation.
Now he was starting to wonder if they would even reach the Golden Tooth at all.
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The second night was similar to the first one.
The Direwolves kept on howling throughout the night and kept his men awake.
The Wyverns still roamed the night sky and threw down rocks upon rocks at his men.
The Horse Archers still used the hit-and-run tactic and kept chipping away at his scouts throughout the night.
Gregor Clegane lost his temper during one such hit-and-run and made the mistake of chasing after the horse archers.
He did not return.
Learning of this, his men deserted into the night.
By morning, he had more than 1000 desertions in his hands and more than a few examples to make.
He knew that one more day of this and his army would finally break.
Fortunately, this was the last time that Lord Bolton and his forces would conduct such night raids on them.
Only later would he learn that this was not him being fortunate but merely a trap laid out by Lord Bolton for him and the rest of his army.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.391: Saving the Damsel
Ch.392: News from Beyond the Narrow Sea
Ch.393: The Approaching Lannister Army