The War of the Five Kings began with one humiliating defeat after another in the Riverlands. The Westerlands nearly beat them flat without leaving them any chance to fight back. At the Battle of the Golden Tooth, four thousand men from House Piper and House Vance were lost. Then, in the relief battle beneath Riverrun, more than ten thousand Riverlanders were routed again.
Four banners hung high on the walls of the council chamber in Wolf's Den. A black crowned stag on a golden field, with a crown and warhammer now set above the stag in matching symmetry. A three headed red dragon on a black field. Below that, a pack of wolves racing across a white snowfield. And on a sea green field, a silver slave shattering his chains.
Today's discussion was about entering the war in Westeros. Present in the council chamber were Gendry's most trusted followers. His squire Anguy, the financial officer Handsome Man, the spymaster and maester Qyburn, the quartermaster and adviser Fletcher Dick, the captain of the Kingsguard Ser Barristan Selmy, Longspear, Steelfist, and Black Billy of the Wolf Pack, Greywolf of the Free Company, formerly the commander of the Unsullied, Gylo, formerly commander of the Long Lances, Ser Jorah of the Second Sons, Morosh, commander of the Twin Cities Fleet and a smuggler from Myr, and Hallis, commander of the Narrow Sea Fleet and once an exiled slave from Volantis.
Gendry felt that talent surrounded him on every side. Free sellswords, freed slaves, fallen maesters, and exiled knights. Yet he believed they were no weaker than any army in the world. Under his command, they were a force no one could stop. In Westeros, it would have been nearly impossible for him to gather such a host. Westeros cared too much for noble rank and proper order. Across the Narrow Sea, however, men could still be given their place according to ability.
"We may be the last force to prepare for the civil war in Westeros," Gendry said as he rose to address them.
He wore a black studded leather vest, marked only with a quartered sigil. Myr lay far to the south, after all, and the weather was milder there.
Gendry now stood six feet six inches tall, a towering presence who stood out from the crowd like a lone crane among chickens. His strength matched his size. The warhammer he wielded was something few others could even swing. He looked like the union of strength and beauty in mortal form. Black hair, blue eyes, a sharply handsome face, clear bright eyes, broad shoulders, and the powerful arms of a smith.
Even so, Gendry did not think himself the tallest among those of storm blood. The Laughing Storm of old had been about the same size as Tall Duncan, and Ser Duncan the Tall had stood six feet eleven inches tall.
The room broke into laughter, pride plain in their voices. They were the last army to rise, while the other lords had long been sharpening their blades, the Old Lion, the usurper Renly. What did it matter if those men had prepared first? In the end, they were destined to fall before the Breaker.
"That does not matter. What matters is that I mean to win this war. Winter is coming, and we face a danger unlike any before. Maester Qyburn, how long has summer in Westeros lasted?"
"After a long summer comes a long winter. Summer and winter are nearly equal in length, and a long summer is the stuff of legend. This summer began in 289. Even with a conservative estimate of nine years, there is a very good chance that what follows will be a winter of nine years or more. Do you understand what that means?" Maester Qyburn said. "This winter may be the harshest one of all."
"So we must be prepared for that. Victory is only the first step. How to feed all those hungry mouths, and how to mend the wounds left by war, that is the urgent matter before us," Gendry told them. "That is why discipline must be strict when we march. We are not merely an army of summer. We must become an army of winter as well."
A crown was not only an honor. It was also a duty. In that regard, Gendry felt he and Stannis might still have some common ground.
"Yes."
"Yes," the others answered in assent.
"The war in Westeros is deadlocked. We need to find an opening in this tangled situation," Gendry said. "That opening lies in the Riverlands. Many may think I intend to enter through the Stormlands, but compared to the Stormlands, my first move must be in the Riverlands."
"The Riverlands?" They already knew this was his line of thought, so the discussion continued smoothly.
"Even so, we still need to keep watch on the situation in the Stormlands. Maester Qyburn will be responsible for that." Renly might want to win Stannis over, but Stannis had plans of his own.
"Yes."
"What is the situation at Riverrun right now?" Ser Barristan asked next.
The old knight was battle tested and deeply respected. Once he was entrusted with a task, almost no one objected. Old Ser Barristan, old Maester Qyburn, and old quartermaster Fletcher Dick were the three elders of Wolf's Den. No one questioned their authority or their wisdom.
"Riverrun is still under siege by the Kingslayer's divided forces, but it should be able to hold for now. After the Kingslayer won beneath the Golden Tooth, he drove straight on Riverrun and smashed Edmure Tully's hastily assembled army outside the castle. Before that, Ser Edmure had split the main Riverlands force to pursue the Mountain's men and protect the villages. When he learned that the defenders outside the Golden Tooth had been wiped out, he could only hastily call back his scattered troops. Because of that defeat, Edmure's army was broken. Edmure himself and many Riverlands bannermen were captured. Riverrun was left exposed directly to the Lannister siege and placed in grave danger. Fortunately, Lord Blackwood escaped back to Riverrun and opened the floodgates, which allowed the castle to hold," Qyburn replied.
"Now that they have fallen back to Riverrun, they should be able to hold. Riverrun also has enough food to keep the garrison going for two years. Even so, after such a disastrous defeat, morale inside the castle is bound to be low," Ser Jorah said.
The castles of Westeros were almost absurdly strong on the defensive. The Eyrie, Casterly Rock, Storm's End. Each one was like a great turtle shell, with ample stores of food inside.
Riverrun might not be as grand or imposing, but its design had its own strengths. It was a sturdy triangular castle. Two sides faced the rivers, while the third side to the west was protected by a massive man made moat. In time of attack, the sluice gates could be opened to flood the moat, turning the castle into a small island ringed by water on three sides, almost impossible to take. Even so, losing the heir of House Tully and so many castles across the Riverlands was a tremendous blow to the men defending it.
"The garrison has been holding Riverrun the whole time, and there are still outriders in the Riverlands harassing House Lannister's supply lines, so the Lannisters cannot devote themselves fully to the siege," Gendry said.
Tywin's burning and slaughter had indeed turned the Riverlands into a wasteland, but the people of the Riverlands, united in their hatred, had scattered and fled in every direction. Most of the time, House Lannister had to depend on supply lines from the Westerlands to feed its army. That was a weakness in itself.
"Ser Edmure is no great commander. In war, a good heart and concern for the smallfolk are not enough," Handsome Man said with a sigh. It was a good thing that Edmure cared for his people and defended his lands, but he was simply too incompetent.
"For one thing, the Riverlands lacks both the capacity and the habit for positional warfare. For another, Edmure Tully truly is too incompetent. But now is not the time to blame Edmure. Now is the time to raise an army and lift the siege," Gendry said. "In war, timing is everything. If we can reach Riverrun and set an ambush nearby, then it is possible to wipe out the Kingslayer's force."
"If we mean to strike Ser Jaime," Ser Barristan said, "then there are indeed advantages to doing it around Riverrun. Jaime has won victory after victory, and the Lannister army has grown arrogant and complacent. The Kingslayer himself is proud, flamboyant, and short on patience. A siege will wear on the temper of his men, and beneath Riverrun they are forced to divide into three camps, which weakens their strength."
The old knight had served alongside the Kingslayer for a time and naturally knew his style well.
In truth, it was not only the Kingslayer. Even the Old Lion, Tywin, had grown somewhat swollen with pride from his string of victories, looking down on his young foes. Though the Mountain had already been defeated, Tywin's overall approach had not changed. That arrogance was precisely what could be used against him.
"That is true enough. The Kingslayer has won battle after battle, but he has his weaknesses too," Gendry said with a nod. "If we are to play this game well, the opening must begin in the Riverlands."
The Kingslayer wanted to take Riverrun, but his soldiers were split among three camps, which kept him from making full use of his advantage in numbers, while supply pressure also worked against him. In truth, it was a very difficult position.
"It is just that our troops, and the crossing itself, must be considered very carefully," the old knight said gravely. "Prince, do you still intend to recruit the men of Crackclaw Point and the knights of the Vale?"
Gendry nodded. "Speed is precious in war. If I start moving the legions I have across the Narrow Sea, the commotion will be too great, and it may invite intervention from Lys and Volantis. Better for me to lead a force of picked men, together with the men of Crackclaw Point and the royalists of the Vale."
"The half wild men of Crackclaw Point are famous for their ferocity and savagery, and the loyalty and reliability of the Vale knights are well known. But to lead such an army into battle without ever having met them first is simply too risky," Handsome Man said earnestly. "An army is a disciplined body, after all. Using newly attached troops in a formal campaign is especially dangerous."
"I will lead the vanguard myself. If I appear in person, I am confident I can persuade them," Gendry said.
Both the men of Crackclaw Point and the knights of the Vale were groups that stood to lose under the new Lannister order. If they were unwilling to seize this chance and take a bite out of it, then something would be wrong. As for how he would persuade them, that would depend on his own ability.
"Since you have that confidence, then I ask leave to protect your safety," Ser Barristan said.
"Please let me go with you, Prince. I am your squire and your companion," Anguy said at once, his red hair blazing like fire.
"I am definitely taking you," Gendry said, patting Anguy on the shoulder. "I still need my marksman with me to cover my advance."
"No matter how many men you take, I will see to their supplies," Fletcher Dick said.
"But there is still the question of the marching route," Fletcher Dick added.
"Once the men of Crackclaw Point and the Vale knights join up, whether we go by land or sail part of the way, we must cross at Ruby Ford or open a new crossing before Tywin's army can block us at Harrenhal, and then cross the Green Fork."
"It is a good plan, but we must be wary of Tywin's scouts and any leak of information," Ser Barristan said. "Tywin's first concern is the North. He will certainly have scouts posted near the Kingsroad to the north."
"That is exactly what we need to solve. A proper flanking march," Gendry said.
The plan was bold, but it was far from impossible. Even gods could bleed, and the Lannisters could nod off at the start of a war as well. Glory and the right to speak in war would belong to him. More importantly, it would prevent the North and the Riverlands from drifting apart.
"There is one more matter," Handsome Man said. "If you appear in person on the battlefield in Westeros, then I fear our enemies will move against us very quickly as well."
"I will deal with the enemy on that front, lift the siege of the Riverlands, and take the Twins. Once the road between the North and the Riverlands is opened, and House Tully and House Stark understand the situation, I will order them to submit," Gendry said coldly. "And if Robb Stark refuses, then I will seal off the northern army's route south."
"But, my lords, our center of gravity remains across the Narrow Sea. We must govern the Twin Cities well. As for the situation in Westeros, once the Vale, the Crownlands, the Riverlands, and the Stormlands are joined together, then even if Tywin returns to Casterly Rock, he will be doing no more than clinging to life."
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