A/N: Hi, guys! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And let's just look forward to a more brighter 2021.
Orys galloped on horseback in front of his mounted vanguard, from which he commanded three thousand men that disembarked from their ships with the purpose of riding towards Goldengrove. Once they were aware that the areas along the sea road were largely devoid of major enemy formations, he made the decision to land to the closest point near the seat of House Rowan and lend whatever assistance he could give. Like everyone else, he knew that this was the clash that would very much determine the outcome of the war. Must go faster, he thought.
Orys had left the encirclement of the Arbor to Erik, as he trusted the former ironborn enough to handle matters in his absence. He didn't have the manpower to assault and secure the main keep of Lord Redwyne, a fact that both he and his father Aerion were fully aware and which caused them both to rethink their options. They could have continued the plundering and the raids along the coasts and the banks of the Honeywine, but that achieved nothing strategically and they were merely annoying the Reach lords in that part of the kingdom, specifically the Hightowers.
Orys was aware of the history of the Hightowers, them being minor kings before being subsumed into the Reach kingdom and becoming their most powerful bannerman. But it wasn't until after he authorized the raiding did he get a better idea of the power structure in the Reach.
Even with the throne located at Highgarden, it was fair to describe the Reach kingdom as being two kingdoms in actuality, even though the Hightowers swore loyalty to the Gardeners. In fact, the entirety of the southern Reach along the Honeywine could be described as the personal fiefdom between the Hightowers and Arbors, the former controlling the land and the latter controlling the seas. There was untold wealth in this part of Westeros, and the two houses were holding all of it. That allowed to challenge the Gardeners if they wished, but they found that the less painless and more efficient way to rule was to submit to the Gardeners and thus keep their areas of influence. And therein lied the solution.
"The riverlands were just as divided under the rule of Black Harren. They might have upheld this arrangement for much longer and it has become normalized, but it is still divided. And that's something that we must exploit," Aerion assessed.
"But how do we do that, father?" Orys asked. "We can't use this situation for our advantage like in the riverlands. Unlike with the Blackwoods and with the Tullys, they will never work with us for any reason no matter what we offer them."
"And we're not going to offer them anything," Aerion told him. "It'll be foolish to work with the very people who form the backbone of the Faith's strength, but that doesn't we're not going to play their divisions to our advantage."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I'll keep flying above Oldtown, keep the Hightowers on their toes and also wary enough that they'll withhold most of their strength, or recall any of their banners back to safeguard their city," Aerion explained. "If I am correct, Lord Addam Hightower is the overall field commander for his father."
"You know him?"
"I've heard of him from my previous visit to Oldtown. At the time, I was just on a trading mission for my father, your grandsire, and the Hightowers are a haughty bunch, which is quite something in these parts. Like any other high and mighty family, they'll prioritize their needs over their liege's, and that's something that we need to count on."
"But what about Egg, Rhae, Vis, and Jae? We need every dragon we can get for the battle ahead," Orys pointed out.
"I'm sure all of you will manage until I can come join you," Aerion assured Orys. "You have four dragons already, all of whom can do a lot of damage in my stead. And don't worry. I've got business to attend to on that field of battle."
Orys raised an eyebrow. "Business?"
Aerion held up Orys' hand, the one that was missing fingers. "I'm sure that among those at Goldengrove is King Loren, the one who maimed you. I hope it's not too much of a request that I be the one to kill him. No one harms my child and enjoys the privilege of a long life. I will see to it that nothing is left of King Loren when I am through with him, so I must be the one to send him to the deepest circle of hell."
This was one of few times that Orys saw his father express any unmistakable sign of emotion outside of affection, and he saw the need for blood to be sated in his father's eyes. Aegon had that same look when he saw Rhaenys almost drown in the Blackwater Bay. Visenya had that same look after she had killed the knight who had tried to force himself on her. And Jaenyx had that look when he was about to strike Orys for those remarks about his deceased family. Orys couldn't point exactly on what it was, but that stare, which possessed a need to bring down destruction on all those against him or her, was on every one of his family's faces and they were all dragon riders. It was an expression that Orys himself could never have, for he did not ride a dragon. He wondered if riding such a creature made one behave and think differently, or whether the potential for violence was unleashed when they finally bonded with one. But whatever it was… Orys was not afraid. In fact, he welcomed it.
"Thank you, father. And I shall relay your wishes to Egg and the others. I'm sure that they'll be more than happy to let you be the one to kill Loren," Orys nodded.
"Of course they will be. I am a dragon after all and I must do my part to show a united front in my family," Aerion grin became wider. "And before I do, I guess I should practice my dragon fire strokes and see the terror in the eyes of those below me."
"What do you have in mind?" Orys was honestly worried on what his father would do.
That night, as Orys and select men not under Erik's command sailed with the intention of skirting the Shield Islands towards the closest point near Goldengrove, they finally saw the elder dragon use his mount to terrible effect. While they cheered when he burned the Redwyne ships on the water, they remained silent when he burnt the fields, most of the docks in Oldtown, and even the hills with the help of the Black Fury, which they began to refer to Vermidrexes. While Balerion commanded the dread of their enemies, Orys could swear that he saw a smile form from Vermidrexes' teeth, as if the dragon actually liked to release his coal-black flames. One untrained with the specificities of the pair of black dragons would only be able to identify the two based on size, but Orys could tell that Balerion kept his feelings close with only Aegon able to catch on. Whereas for Vermidrexes, the Black Fury made no attempt to hide his own and wanted everyone to see that for every scream heard, his smile grew bigger.
Maybe that's why he killed those hatchlings in the dragonmont. He wanted to hear their squeals before he ate them, Orys thought. While he could no longer eat hatchlings without incurring the wrath of the other five dragons, that certainly didn't stop Vermidrexes from demonstrating a more sadistic side to a dragon. Even some of the crews began to notice the smile that seemed to be evident on his mouth and they were rightly afraid. Good thing that dragon is on our side.
After landing, Orys had his men requisition some horses while he had his captains sail back to the Arbor. "Beware of any ironborn in this area. They're causing trouble against the Reach as of late. If you see any ship not carrying the stag, sink them."
"Yes, my lord," they acknowledged his command.
Orys had to avoid coming across the sea road, for that was the main artery to and from the most potent kingdoms aligned against them. He had neither the manpower to engage in a major battle or the time to do so, for he needed to render his assistance.
And just like his father, he wanted to make his mark on the final clash ahead.
Visenya stared hard at the throngs of women and children in front of her. For the first time in a long time, she felt sympathy for those not outside of her own family and those who were supposed to be loyal to them. She kept her hand on the pommel of Dark Sister, but for once, she had no intention of drawing it. Nor did she want Vhagar to fly down and burn those who were in front of her.
The siege had been going on for more than a few weeks by that time, and besides Aegon and Rhaenys finally arriving along with the advance guard with the rest of the army not far behind, everything remained uneventful. Food and water were rationed, the men were kept alert, and there was still no sign of the enemy reinforcements besides the word that they were coming. With four dragons now flying through the air, the chances of taking Goldengrove had increased dramatically and if they wanted to, the siege would be over. However, they had to stick to the plan. Now I know why men hate sieges. It takes too long, she thought.
But to their surprise, the gates of Goldengrove opened and out came women and children, presumably the families of the fighting men of House Rowan. As soon as the last child and woman left the castle, the gates closed and thus making them walk towards the wooden fortifications. They stopped just short of the first trap, but it was their look that got to Visenya.
All of them were starving, their thin frames and nearly sallow forms being evidence of that. They were tired, from their bloodshot eyes and darkness around their eyeballs. And they were sluggish, which was shown from how they stumbled and struggled to keep themselves standing while the very act of walking was becoming taxing for them. But, they were able to stare up to their enemies and give them those looks, which communicated their request for mercy and help. None of them said a word, but in this case, they didn't need to, for their plight was obvious to all watching, especially the men from the walls of Goldengrove who had to see their families literally caught in the middle.
Aegon, Rhaenys, and Jaenyx joined her, having been informed of the new developments. "My gods," Aegon breathed out. "Look at them."
"They're starving," Rhaenys noted with sadness.
"Looks like Lord Rowan doesn't have enough food to feed the women and children," Jaenyx assessed.
Visenya might have not hesitated in bringing harm before, but this was different. Now, she was facing people who never done her any wrong, but they were still separated because of the conflict going on around them. While these people were supposed to view the dragons as enemies, their feelings at that moment were not of malice, but of desperation. Their fear of the Valyrian people were outweighed by their need to escape and to eat, and that flustered Visenya for she was never in this type of position.
"I think we need to discuss the next step, by ourselves," Jaenyx suggested.
But as Visenya, Aegon, and Rhaenys were about to leave to their private tent, the gates of Goldengrove opened again. This time, an armored but elderly man moved through the throngs, surprising the women and children. He wore the sigil of House Rowan on his surcoat, indicating that he was connected to the family somehow. Like the women and children, he stopped short of the first trap.
"Dragonlords of Valyria, I request an audience with you!" the old man called out. "Please, have mercy on these poor souls. They have nothing to do with the battle between us."
"Who are you?" Aegon asked.
"I am Lord Bryan Rowan, Lord of Goldengrove."
Visenya exchanged glances with Aegon, Rhaenys, and Jaenyx. "And what do you expect us to do about these people?" her husband inquired with a raised voice.
"Let them through your walls and grant them safe passage," Lord Bryan pleaded. "And they need food. You won't condemn innocent women and children to starvation, would you?"
Visenya cleared her throat. "That's asking very much, Lord Bryan. But you are wrong also. These women and children are under your watch. Therefore, whatever actions you took, you are responsible for their welfare and this extends to their current predicament."
"And it is because of that that I seek an audience with you," Lord Bryan answered. "I'm sure that negotiations can be undertaken to ensure the safety of the people under my charge."
Rhaenys clicked her tongue before she whispered to her family. "Let's hear him out. We still have the advantage."
Aegon nodded. "I agree. What about you, Vis? Jae? What do you think?"
Jaenyx kept his eyes peeled, but Visenya was looking at the children. She was now a mother herself and she began to realize that not everyone had malicious intent in their hearts, especially children. At the same time, she knew that they had to remain strong. "We can't just give them food or passage, but let's invite Lord Bryan and hear what he has to say."
Jaenyx bobbed his head. "Just him, though. Any wrong move on his part, or that of his knights or footmen…" Visenya, as the well as her brother and sister, knew what he was implying and agreed strongly.
"You yourself will come through and we'll talk. No one else," Aegon turned back to Lord Bryan. "But beware. We are still at war. Any of you make any sudden movements or try to manipulate us, you will pay dearly."
"You have our word. No one is going to do anything rash."
Visenya turned to Lord Tarareon. "Keep the bows on the walls and on the women. You see anything suspicious, kill them."
"Yes, Your Grace," he affirmed.
Jaenyx ordered the gates to be opened, with the elderly Lord of Goldengrove entering and dismounting his horse. One of the Tarareon men searched him by patting down his cloaks, pants, and boots, nodding upon finding no weapons. Once the gates closed, the head of House Rowan was led to where Vhagar was resting, and her eyes opened upon seeing the newcomer. Visenya scratched her snout to calm her down, but she still growled at the old man. Cloudwynd, Meraxes, and Balerion flew above, providing extra support by bellowing.
"All right, Lord Bryan. You told us what you want from us, safe passage and food. But there are exactly two problems with your requests," Jaenyx crossed his arms.
"And what would they be? And my apologies, but I don't know your name," Lord Bryan admitted.
"That is my husband, Prince Jaenyx Belaerys," Visenya stepped in. "I am his wife, Princess Visenya. The other two dragonriders are your new king and queen, Aegon and Rhaenys Targaryen, and they are also my brother and sister. You would do well to not forget who you're talking to the next time."
Lord Rowan gulped, but he nodded. "Of course, Your Graces. But going back, what types of problems do you refer to, Prince Jaenyx?"
"When it comes to safe passage, everything comes at a price," Jaenyx said. "I highly doubt that you're going to pay ransoms, as you can't do provide the necessary gold to pay for all of the women and children without bankrupting yourself and also because we don't need it anyway. Second, while it's obvious your food stores are dangerously depleted, it's not like we're in a position to just freely give you our food supplies to help women and children whose husbands and fathers are fighting against us. In essence, however noble your reasons are in trying to safeguard your women and children, you have nothing to give us."
Lord Rowan cringed, as there was no arguing with the master of whisperers. "You are right, Prince Jaenyx. And that is why I am not offering gold or materials. I am, however, interested in ending the siege if you won't allow passage."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Visenya also crossed her arms.
"I will admit that my position has become increasingly untenable and that to further resist by myself, with the means that I have, will be most unwise. At the same time, the ravens that I sent out will have reached King Mern and the other Reach lords, so they will be on the way because they understand that should my home fall, Highgarden will be dangerously exposed and there will be nothing to stop you from burning the throne of the Gardeners," Lord Bryan outlined.
"So, what are you trying to say?" Aegon tapped his fingers on the pommel of Blackfyre.
"If you won't allow the women and children to pass, then I shall surrender Goldengrove and hand over the keys to my castle should the reinforcements not arrive. As there has been no blood spilled between us, you have no reason to kill us all in retaliation and therefore have all of the reasons necessary to be merciful."
"That's quite presumptuous of you, Lord Bryan," Rhaenys was surprised at his gall.
"We might be of different faiths, Queen Rhaenys, but surely, whatever quarrels that you have doesn't involve at least the children," Lord Bryan became increasingly desperate. "And you don't know me, so you don't know if my word has value. But I can guarantee that should the reinforcements from the rest of the Reach be insufficient to relieve us or not come at all, I will surrender."
Visenya thought about it more, and she realized that Lord Bryan was offering a good deal. However, they had to approach it carefully so as to not compromise their overall plan. "If those are your terms, we require one more thing."
"What do you require, Princess Visenya?"
"Should the enemy come, you don't fight or sally forth to help," Visenya stated. "As you have mentioned, no blood has been spilled between us and we thus have all of the reasons needed to show mercy. But the moment you engage us in combat, we will then have what we need to burn you and everyone in that castle to ash. Good faith can only bring you so far, and you should walk that boundary carefully."
"Indeed," Aegon added. "And it's not like that your men are in a condition to provide assistance to your king anyway. Spare them the rigors of battle and just hide behind your walls should the battle commence."
"And don't even think about communicating through the ravens, for not only will we shoot them down, that will be a breach in trust and you will also die," Jaenyx warned. "This is your chance to prove that your word has weight, so don't waste it."
Visenya was surprised that Jaenyx was going to offer Lord Rowan that opportunity, as he usually didn't care about such trivialities. At the same time, she knew that he wasn't going to do that unless he was prepared to inflict the consequences upon him.
"All right, Prince Jaenyx. I shall stand by my promise. But please, at least feed the children. You don't want to be considered the killer of kids, do you?"
"Don't talk to us in that tone, Lord Bryan," Aegon growled. "You came here instead of the other way around. Therefore, we decide whether or not those children in between the walls will get food or not."
"Go back to your castle, my lord," Rhaenys led him back through gate. "And be prepared."
After Lord Rowan rode away, Visenya looked once more at the children who had gone without food. She sighed, for she was not normally influenced by pity, but this event would be on her conscience and she wasn't sure how she would come to terms with it. "Do we have spare bread?" she asked.
"Vis, you are not seriously considering—" Jaenyx was about to protest, but she put her fingers on his lips.
"I am serious. And these are children. We're going to keep them there, but I am not sure how I will look in the eyes of our son when I tell them what happened here."
"My, my. You have changed," Rhaenys observed before hugging her older sister tightly. "I like it."
Visenya was caught off-guard, but she returned the hug. "We're both mothers now. Life is more precious to us."
"I know," she bobbed her head. "Let's see how much bread we can provide without compromising our stores."
Visenya turned around and saw Jaenyx accepted it, but he was still unsure. "Don't worry, my love. We're just showing a little mercy, something we all deserve."
"I trust you," Jaenyx kissed her. "Just as I have seen the errors of my thinking before, I'm sure that I will see the errors of my thoughts now."
Visenya grinned. "Good man. Our son will be proud of you."
Jaenyx smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Vis."
Loren drank his wine, the one made of honey extract from Lannisport, as Mern and the other Reach lords were hoarding their stock of Arbor gold once all access to the seat of House Redwyne had been cut. He had to really consider his options, as the situation against them was not faring well for all those involved.
For starters, Loren had to fight hard to keep his composure at the stupidity of Mern's decision to involve all of his sons and other male members of House Gardener into their war councils. When his third-eldest son Prince Hugh Gardener, who had insisted upon being referred to as "Ser Hugh Gardener" for everyone to know, suggested that they follow the examples from stories of old. "Why don't we just charge forthwith on horseback, lower our lances, and the power of the gods will blow away their accursed wooden walls while we bring divine punishment on the Valyrian heathens?"
The Reach lords, most of the lot, were either sycophants or a close friend like Lord Appleton and they smiled at Ser Hugh's contribution. But for Loren, he felt that a part of his brain was already rotting from the utter stupidity of such a tactic. If it were any of my lords or even my son, I would not just kick them out of the tent. I would not even remove them from command. I would just kill them, for such naivete has no place in my ranks.
Mern and Edmund were the most able of the Gardeners, but his brothers and youngest sons were prime examples of everything that was wrong with how the Reachmen behaved themselves within the confines of Andalic tradition, and that was saying a lot. Lord Westerling told him that it was supposed to be a morale booster, because Mern believes that seeing all of the Gardeners in the field of battle would finally persuade the gods the commitment of the king's family towards the final victory. I change my mind. Mern is starting to become desperate and thus giving into stupidity.
Mern's actions, which included allowing his inexperienced sons to make war decisions, communicated to Loren that the Reach lords were no longer to be relied upon besides their food, their gold, and their manpower. And Loren had sacrificed too much already for his efforts to be brought to waste by the incompetence of a scion of a kingly house that was about to become overdue on their reign from the throne of flowers. If it weren't for Mern and Queen Victaria being able to breed well, the Gardeners would've been extinguished decades ago.
And that was the reason he agreed to meet a captain in the Warrior's Sons, Ser Adwyn. He might not have liked to work with fanatics, for Mern was too pious for his own good, but for the purposes of his new plans, Loren knew that Warrior's Sons were at least competent on the field of battle and would not crack in the face of pressure.
"Your Grace, thank you for agreeing to see me," Ser Adwyn began.
Loren, however, was not interested in pleasantries. "I'll get to the point, Ser Adwyn. I need your opinion on something."
"My opinion, King Loren?" Ser Adwyn was clearly not expecting that question.
"What do you think of King Mern allowing his sons and brothers authority on the decision-making for the battle to come?" Ser Adwyn blinked and looked around, concerned that his words might reach the wrong ears. "Worry not, good ser. Whatever you have to say will be kept within the confines of this tent."
"I trust you don't mean to undermine the King of the Reach?"
Sharp one, Loren thought approvingly. But he had to maintain appearances, for it seemed that Ser Adwyn would become uncooperative if he confirmed it. "I am merely concerned about their ability to command. The Warrior himself welcomes all who express their willingness to fight for not only his cause, but the cause of all of the gods. At the same time, we must be able to ensure that the men who will take charge of the troops on the Warrior's behalf have experience in doing so. We might all be serving the purposes of the gods, but we must also conduct ourselves with ability."
Ser Adwyn sighed in relief, not detecting the deceptive purpose behind the King of the Rock's words. "Sers Hugh and John have potential to become great knights and leaders of men like their dear departed brother Prince Gawen. But they are still boys and have many years to go before they can take the heavy mantle that is accompanied with leadership. From what I could gather, their time as squires were abruptly ended with King Mern knighted them in Highgarden."
Loren nodded. "Given the importance of this war in securing the permanent peace in Westeros that we all seek, don't you think that's a cause for grave concern? We cannot allow anyone to make mistakes, but the chances of serious blunders have increased with Mern including his green sons in the planning."
"I don't mean to disparage them, Your Grace, for that would be most improper for a fellow knight. However, I do share your concerns and wish that Gawen was still alive. Prince Edmund might be a good substitute, but I can recognize a courtier when I see one and he doesn't have a good place on the battlefield."
"And rightly so, for how could one familiar with court be guaranteed to know what it's like to command men in the heat of battle?" Loren stood up. "Whereas myself and my bannermen have continuously acquitted ourselves when it comes to fighting other men."
"With respect, King Loren, that wasn't enough for you to retain control of the riverlands."
Loren moved his head to and fro. "All right. I concede that point. But the fact remains that our conduct against the dragons indicates our ability to fight them evenly. Only problem is, I cannot have the same confidence in the Reach bannermen. That is, if they have the right motivation to continue and are given the right spiritual reasons."
Ser Adwyn narrowed his eyes. "Your Grace?"
"You might be a knight and captain in the Warrior's Sons, but you are foremost a holy man responsible for ensuring that everyone is devoted to the Faith. And with your experience and King Mern's piety, Sers Hugh and John might benefit from serving under your watch while any other lord that had just allowed green boys to lead fighting men would exchange their positions to other holy men," Loren suggested.
Ser Adwyn started to understand. "And thus, any Reach lord that doesn't meet up to your expectations will not be in a position to cause damage while you will be able to influence all of the decisions because I will work with you?"
"As I said, we are all serving the will of the gods. But sometimes, we're going to initiate the needed changes ourselves if we want to serve the gods best," Loren continued the pretense. "I am merely giving you suggestions, because the outcome of this war will determine the fortunes of the Father and his instrument in the Starry Sept."
"Hmmm," Ser Adwyn led out and then thought about it.
"I might not be as devout as King Mern, but I was able to survive by a combination of the gods' good graces and of my wits. You should heed my words," Loren added.
Ser Adwyn slowly bobbed his head. "I shall bring up the matter with King Mern. But also understand that I won't do anything to compromise his temporal authority, for he was chosen after all by the gods to rule."
"No doubt. Even those appointed by the gods need to heed sound advice. That's part of the reason why I lasted long on the throne, for the crown is heavy and everyone seeks it," Loren was as theatrical as he could.
"All right, Your Grace. I do hope that your bannermen will continue to fight as well as you have claimed."
Loren smiled and nodded before bidding Ser Adwyn leave, and then he chuckled. "Now, I will regain majority control again. No more will I have to tolerate the babblings of children. Mern might be King of the Reach, but he never got his hands dirty and therefore doesn't want what it takes to keep his crown."
As he poured himself more of the Lannisport wine, a messenger burst in and dipped his head. "Your Grace, I bring news!"
Loren groaned. "What is it this time?"
"There's been an uprising! Lord Weslar Reyne has revolted and many of his troops have joined in on his mutiny!"
Loren dropped his goblet. "What?"
"He just besieged the Golden Tooth and he's about to make his way into the main areas of the kingdom!"
Loren controlled himself. "Get me Lords Westerling and Lefford right now!"
"Yes, Your Grace!"
Loren rubbed his cheeks and his beard before flipping his table over in anger. "Damn you, Reyne! I should've killed you the moment you showed your indiscipline to me!"
At that moment, Lords Westerling and Lefford arrived, along with the Lord of Lannisport. "Your Grace," the latter started. "The messenger told us what happened. Such treachery from Castamere."
"I told you that you never should trust the word from those red lion spawn," Lord Westerling boasted. "After all, my house was loyal while the Reynes were always looking for a chance to supplant us all."
"Oh, you think this is a good time to rub your words in our faces?" Lord Lefford growled. "My home is being attacked?"
"Enough!" Loren barked. "I… want Lord Reyne dead. But as we are marching towards Goldengrove, we're going to have send reinforcements back up the sea road. And there's a reason why I brought you two here, although my blood from Lannisport also showing up is quite fortuitous in this occasion."
"You want all three of us to lead part of the army against Lord Reyne?" Lord Westerling grinned.
"All three of you have the most reason to fight him, so I can trust that you will not allow yourselves to succumb to bouts of mercy. Lord Reyne has surrendered that course when he decided to do this." Although Loren wasn't honestly sure that Lord Reyne actually revolted, this was a sure way to remove the thorn from his side and he was placing the three lords with the most grievances against Castamere to lead the response. "I want every last trace of the red lion wiped from the face of the earth."
"With pleasure, Your Grace," Lord Westerling nodded eagerly.
"Now go. Get your men and leave at first light," Loren commanded.
But at the same time, he realized that with the Westerling, Lefford, and Lannisport banners absent, a large portion of his core strength would be absent from the battle. Without them, Loren would be exposed to the Reach bannermen and his plan with Ser Adwyn would have to alter beyond his comfortability. And the longer he was absent from his throne while the lions of Castamere continue their revolt, the weaker his hold on his kingdom would be since nobody would appreciate a king who was not present while a rebellion was taking place.
I have to get this done quickly, then, Loren resigned himself. He wasn't normally about rushing a march and then attacking at the first sign of the enemy, but the battle and thus the war had to be won quickly. Loren was sure that Lord Reyne made some kind of deal with the dragons in order to supplant him. If I can destroy the dragons, I can destroy him for sure. Many thoughts were going through his mind, most of which made sense but he had no evidence to back them up. Still, he had to return home fast and he wasn't going to unless he emerged as a victor.
Time to don my armor, Loren resigned himself. He may have led his troops into battle at Riverrun, but he now had to fight alongside them and cover himself with the mud and blood. A king fighting with the troops will be secure on the throne, just like Argilac showed.
A/N: Not much action in this chapter, but it will build up with Orys coming, the dilemma similar to the one between Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix at Alesia, and Loren now having to deal with a major uprising. Now, everyone is primed to fight and the usually calm will make mistakes (three guesses who that will be)
Next, we see the revolt against Loren happen from our most reliable Haru.