D'artagnan saddled his horse next to Aramis nearly a week after getting the news of his farm. The others had tried to talk to him but he had ignored them, glad when they finally realised he didn't want to talk about it. Constance had kept her word and had managed to persuade her husband to let him stay for free, on a promise that he would pay him back when he got the money.

"Where are Athos and Porthos?" D'artagnan asked when his horse was finally saddled. Aramis was giving his own horse an apple.

"Porthos has gone to drag Athos from bed." Athos' drinking had become more excessive of late and none of them could understand why.

D'artagnan had expected Aramis to refuse to help, seeing as it was helping the Lannisters, but Aramis had said that he people being attacked weren't Lannisters and as such didn't deserve what was happening to them.

Athos and Porthos entered then, both going to saddle their horses. Aramis shared a look with Porthos but neither said anything, even though it was clear they wanted to. D'artagnan could see from the way they were glancing towards Athos that they were worried about their friend.

They had been given orders the day before by Treville to go to the outside farms and villages to find out what damages had been done and offer help. Apparently Stark men had gotten over the borders of the west and were now attacking the small farms there, making their way to Lannisport.

"Ready?" Athos said, walking his horse over to D'artagnan, who nodded. He was a little apprehensive about going out of the city after what had happened the last time. But Porthos' wound had fully healed and Aramis assured them he wasn't going to get arrested again. Athos had only frowned at that.

Treville had wanted to send more musketeers with them but Athos had persuaded him not to, saying that they couldn't leave the city undefended with the Starks so close and that it wouldn't take many of them to spend a few days in the villages, which was just to so that their Lord hadn't forgotten them. D'artagnan was just glad to be finally getting out of the city which had started to become constricting after being stuck in there too long.

It only took them a few hours to get the first village, which wasn't that badly destroyed. Deciding that they'd move onto the more outer villages and farms, Athos had led them further away from the city. The outsides of the city were close to the Riverlands, with the final ones nearly overlapping with the mostly destroyed Riverlands.

Athos found them the easiest route to these farms, which D'artagnan was glad to see avoided the Kingsroad. It wasn't that he was afraid of a fight it was just he didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time they'd travelled this way.

By the second day of riding they reached the last village before the Riverlands. Unlike the other places they'd seen on their way east, this was more severely damaged. Most of the houses had been burnt to the ground and the remnants of dead bodies and animals were strewn across the road. Aramis murmured a prayer under his breath as they passed.

"We should bury them." Porthos said, with barely contained rage.

"I agree but we cannot stop." Athos answered, not unreasonably.

"We can't just leave them like this." Aramis argued.

"I know." Athos said, jumping from his horse. "D'artagnan, Aramis guard the road." They did this as Porthos and Athos collected the bodies. "We'll burn them." Athos said, knowing they didn't have the time to dig graves.

Porthos nodded his agreement, lighting a fire over the half decayed bodies. D'artagnan felt oddly sick as the stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils. "Don't breathe it in." Aramis said, seeing his younger friend's distress.

D'artagnan nodded and did so, though it didn't work well it did mask the smell a little. Athos was the last to leave the burning bodies and D'artagnan watched him worriedly. The older musketeer seemed to sense them watching him as he shook his head and quickly mounted his horse, leading them up to the village.

A group of me met them as they entered, holding farming tools that were mostly blunt. "What are you doing here?"

Athos jumped from his horse, followed quickly by the others. "We come on behalf of Lord Louis to help with repairs." The man who had spoken before snorted in disgust or possibly laughter.

"Where was our Lord when the Mountain came and destroyed our crops?" Aramis went very still when they said that.

"Gregor Clegane did this?" Athos sent Aramis a deadly look but the other man ignored him when the villagers nodded. "Why?"

"Said we were harbouring the criminals." Aramis might have said more if Athos hadn't spoken first.

"We aren't the Lannisters." "

"Yes you are. Our Lord is loyal to Tywin Lannister and he's the one that did this. Why else would his mad dog burn our crops?" There was no arguing with this. "You lot are Lannisters and I want you off our lands. And tell your Lord that he ain't welcome here anymore."

Athos could see the unease in the villagers faces as their crude weapons were being moved around. Sharing a look with Porthos, Athos quickly remounted his horse motioning for the others to do the same. For a moment Aramis looked like he might refuse but a Porthos placed a hand on his shoulder, which seemed to drag Aramis from his thoughts as he did so.

"What was that about?" D'artagnan asked when they were far enough from the village.

"The Lannisters must have thought they were part of the Riverlands." Athos said with a tone in his voice that was oddly sobered. D'artagnan wondered for a minute why when he remembered that Athos was from the Riverlands. Which meant that the Lannisters would have been burning places he knew, probably killing people he knew as well. It would explain Athos' excessive drinking.

"Tywin Lannister knows which village belongs to him he just doesn't care." Aramis said bitterness lacing his tone.

"We can't blame them for the way they're reacting then." Porthos was giving Aramis concerned glances as he said this. "So what do we do?"

D'artagnan wanted to find the man who had done this to the villagers, knowing what it was like to lose his own lands because of some Lord, and from the look in Aramis' eyes D'artagnan knew he wanted to as well. Though D'artagnan didn't think it was just because of what happened to the village. Porthos was angry as well, wanting to help the villagers but Athos only shook his head at them.

"We can't risk it, no matter what they've done."

"If they won't accept our help this was pretty pointless then." Porthos argued.

"Not entirely." Athos replied. "Treville will want to hear of this and perhaps we can help these people."

"How?" D'artagnan asked but Athos didn't answer, probably because he didn't know how either.

Aramis was looking back at the village when he spoke, suddenly. "Why would that village be attacked?" Porthos looked at him curiously. "I mean we all know that Tywin Lannister would know that village belonged to one of his bannerman."

"So?" Porthos asked, not sure where Aramis was going with but Athos seemed to realise as he suddenly looked up, realisation over his eyes.

"Gregor Clegane only does what Tywin Lannister tells him to and he wouldn't tell him to attack his own villages." Athos continued.

"So, what someone else did this?" D'artagnan asked. "Who?"

"Someone who could pass as the Mountain." Aramis said and something clicked in D'artagnan's head.

"Labarge." Aramis nodded his head when D'artagnan said this.

Labarge was a new recruit of the Cardinals and was a vicious man who would have murdered anyone in their sleep. And was the only other person who could pass as Gregor Clegane. The question, though, was why would he and if he did was the Cardinal behind it.

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