The Riverlands were a wasteland. So many fields had been burnt that even now, months after the last of the flames had been extinguished, you could still smell the smoke in the air. The journey from Kings Landing had gone as well as could be expected for an army of near five thousand men. Foraging parties had been sent out regularly. Few returned with anything but wounds from fighting broken men and roaming packs of wolves. Near Castle Darry Tyrion had caught sight of a massive wolf staring down at them from atop a hill. When he had pointed it out to Jaime, his brother told him that he might very well be looking at Arya Stark's direwolf. If so, Tyrion was glad that it had shown no desire to attack the column. He remembered the Stark direwolves, even as pups they had been massive. He shuddered to think of what a full grown one could do to a man. Jaime however informed him that he had no need to imagine it as he had seen what Robb Stark's direwolf had done to his men at the Whispering Wood.

When they had reached the Crossroads Inn, Tyrion saw that the gibbet his father had erected had been torn down. The current innkeep, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, was tall, thin and plain. When he and Jaime had asked for lodging and permission to camp their men around the inn, the girl spit on the ground in front of them and told them, "No Lannister will ever be welcome under this roof. There's a burned village over yon. Camp your sorry arses over there if you've a mind to. But I'll have no golden haired bastards residing under my roof."

Tyrion was impressed. The number of people who had the sheer guts to speak to his brother in that manner could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Still, he couldn't let a common girl order them away like this. Tyrion tutted and said, "You may wish to reconsider. The last time I was refused lodging here did not end well for the previous innkeep." As Tyrion finished speaking, he nodded to the spot where the gibbet had been erected.

"I know who you are, Imp. Your father hanged my aunt for no cause at all beyond his wounded pride. You and yours can burn in all Seven Hells for all I care."

Jaime now spoke up and said, "Are you mad, girl? Do you not see the men I have arrayed behind me? One way or another my men and I will be staying here while we wait for the rest of my force to join us. We can either pay you handsomely in gold, or we can pay you less handsomely in steel."

From behind the tall girl, an even taller man appeared. He was well muscled with short black hair, a black beard and piercing blue eyes. He said, "Is there a problem here, M'lady?"

"Not yet. Not if these, people, leave at once."

Tyrion felt shock run through him. Judging from Jaime's face, he was feeling the same. The man in front of them was the spitting image of Lord Renly and King Robert. The man, in a voice straight out of Fleabottom, but with echoes of Robert's commanding tone, said, "You heard M'lady. You and your kind are not welcome here. Now be off with you, you've gotten your answer."

Jaime, his voice now full of suspicion, asked, "And who are you to order us about?"

"I am Ser Gendry of the Hollow Hill. This inn is my home. And M'lady has asked you to leave it. Lannisters are not welcome in these parts, Ser Jaime."

Tyrion sighed. They were getting nowhere. This Ser Gendry, if he truly was a knight, was almost surely one of Robert's bastards. Not that it mattered. What did matter was that if the man wouldn't see reason, he was about to see his blood spilled in the dirt. Tyrion didn't care whether the man died or not, but he wanted a hot bath and a soft bed. And his odds of getting those went up considerably if the girl could be convinced to let them stay.

He said, "Ser Gendry, Mistress, what is your name, actually?"

In a curt tone the girl said, "Jeyne Heddle."

"Thank you. Ser Gendry, Lady Heddle. My brother and I have no quarrel with you. We are simply passing through the Riverlands on our way to the North. The Riverlands has been returned to the King's Peace, why should more blood be spilled here? Allow us lodgings, our men shall ensure that no bandits bother you while we are about, we will even send patrols out to rid the land of some of the bandits that infest it. And perhaps most importantly for you, you shall be paid well in gold upon our departure. I urge you to accept my offer. Otherwise my brother and Ser Bronn over there will have no choice but to insist on our staying here."

Gendry and Jeyne shared a look between them, and Tyrion did not like it. They seemed to be sharing something private, something that could come back to haunt them later. Finally, Jeyne looked back at him, nodded sharply and said, "Fine. For two hundred dragons and you supply your food and fodder. You and your kind have stripped the land bare and there's barely enough for me and mine to eat."

Tyrion nearly choked when he heard her price, but Jaime quickly responded, "Done. Ser Bronn, Ser Ilyn? See the men quartered. Set up the tents around the inn, see that our horses are secure in the stables and mount a guard on them. Have all the commanders join us in the common room."

As soon as he was finished giving his orders, Jaime spurred his horse into the inn courtyard, dismounted and walked inside. Tyrion eased his horse close to the innkeep and hedge knight and said, "You are lucky, Lady Heddle. My brother is rarely forgiving of people speaking to him as you just have."

"I'm no Lady, Imp. And I'll thank you to keep as far from me as you can. I've allowed you lodging because we need the coin to see us through the winter. But I would gladly slit your throat myself if you weren't here under guest right."

Turning to Gendry, Jeyne told him, "I'll be off to the fishmongers to arrange the purchase of trout for the children. See that they pay what we agreed. And watch over Willow. You know her mouth gets the best of her."

Gendry told her, "Of course. Are you sure you don't want me to ride with you? You know there are outlaws a-plenty in the woods."

Jeyne smiled, touched Gendry lightly on the cheek and said, "I'll be safe. Keep the children in line."

Gendry smiled and said, "Aye, M'lady."

Tyrion looked at the hedge knight as he watched Jeyne walk to the stables and said, "Ser Gendry. You're fond of that girl, and she of you. That much is plain to see. If you wish to protect her, you'll go after her and advise her not to do whatever it is the two of you were planning on. The look you shared was not subtle."

"Don't know what you're talking about, M'lord. We've got a lot of children here that need to eat, and fish is about the only thing we can buy enough of to feed them."

Tyrion shook his head and sighed. "Fine. But her fate will rest upon your shoulders. If I may? How did a boy from Fleabottom come by a knighthood? Your accent is as plain as day, Ser. And Fleabottom is not know for producing an abundance of Knights."

Gendry's eyes filled with suspicion and wariness. "And why would you want to know that?"

"Simply making conversation, my good man. Seeing someone raised to Knighthood from an origin in the slums of Kings Landing would surely be a tale worthy of a minstrel's song. And I would dearly love to hear such a tale." Privately Tyrion thought, or more likely you're an outlaw serving the Brotherhood.

Gendry seemed to weigh if he wished to respond or not before shrugging his shoulders and said, "No such tale from me, I'm afraid. I was knighted in a cave by a Lord during the war. We were sheltering in it at the time, and he knighted me for helping to save a Lady's life. I'd had no other name to speak of, nor any idea of where we were so, 'Ser Gendry of the Hollow Hill.' No more nor any less than that, M'lord."

"Well, Ser Gendry. I must say I am pleased that you found opportunity to see yourself raised in station, though it would be a lie to say that I am not disappointed that your tale is not more dashing. One more question, and then I swear that I shall leave you to go about your business. As I said, your accent is quite plain, and to anyone who has heard it before, it is obvious that you are from the capital. Has anyone ever asked you who your parents are before?"

Gendry snorted and shook his head before saying, "Highborns. Every fucking time I get stuck talking to highborns all they want to do is talk about who my father was. Why are you and your kind so fucking interested in who fucked me into my mother?"

"While I can't speak to any others that you may have encountered, you remind me of someone that I knew once. Two someones actually. They were brothers that shared a strong family resemblance. You have the same look they did."

"Maybe it was one of them, then."

"Perhaps. Be well, Ser Gendry of the Hollow Hill. I shall try to keep out of your way and the way of the formidable Lady Heddle when she returns. Given my small stature, I doubt that shall prove difficult."

Tyrion rode into the yard, gave his horse over to the care of Podrick and entered the common room. When he walked in, he stopped dead in his tracks. Well, now. Jeyne and Gendry actually were telling the truth. There were at least half a dozen thin and scared children at the far end of the room. It seemed that this was a day for surprises. He would have wagered a month's output from his father's mines that there were no children here, and the tale told by Mistress Heddle was no more than that, a tale. Good thing he hadn't actually wagered anything. Beyond the children, Tyrion spied Jaime before the fire, nursing a mug of dark ale. Behind him was a dark stain on the floorboards. Unless he was much mistaken, that was, or had been, blood.

When Tyrion joined Jaime after drawing his own mug of ale Jaime said, "Did you see what I did in the courtyard? That boy, Ser Gendry. Does he remind you of anyone?"

"If I had to wager, I would say he is one of Robert's bastards. Gods help him if Cersei ever learns of him."

"She won't hear of him from me. I could care less about the fat oaf's bastards. What do you think they're up to?"

"Ah, you saw the look they exchanged as well? I would say the formidable Lady Jeyne is on her way to tell all about us to the Brotherhood Without Banners. They've been known to be active in these parts. And when I asked him how he came by his Knighthood, Ser Gendry grew quite evasive about it. Very few of those born in the slums of Fleabottom can ever even dream of becoming a Knight, yet our indomitable Ser Gendry somehow accomplished it. I would wager any sum you care to propose that he is a member of the Brotherhood."

"No bet, brother. That was my guess as well. I doubt the brotherhood would be foolish enough to do anything with near five thousand men around, but I'll have the guards doubled just in case they're stupider than I'm giving them credit for."

"Do you know how long it will be before the men from Littlefinger arrive?"

"A week? Maybe two. Father told me he was having the little weasel send us a thousand heavy horse from the Vale and another thousand infantry from the Riverlands."

"I have a feeling we shall need them. Unless father was somehow able to convince Lord Manderly to strike his banners to preserve his son's life, I doubt we would have the numbers to defeat the North, not on their own lands, and certainly not with winter so near. Speaking of the North though, how do you plan to deal with Jon Snow? If he lacks the men to defeat us in the open field, he will almost certainly stay behind the walls of Winterfell when we arrive. And if he does have the men to fight us openly, we will only be meeting him across a battlefield."

"Once we cross the Neck, Lords Ryswell and Stout, along with Lady Dustin, will meet us on the Kingsroad just past Moat Cailin. From there we will march to Winterfell. And that is where you come in. If Snow is sill within the castle, we will place Winterfell under siege. Once we have placed the castle under siege, you will go to Winterfell's gate under the cover of night and ask to parley with Jon Snow. If he is in the field, well, you will largely do the same. Approach his camp under the cover of night and ask to parley.

"All alone? Father's trust in my abilities is heartwarming."

Jaime smiled at him and said, "Surprisingly, he actually does think you have a good chance of succeeding. If you do, all well and good and you've done your part for House Lannister and you will have earned the Lordship Father gifted you. If you fail, well, you'll probably be dead and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that Father wouldn't be upset at that outcome."

"No, you don't. Though hopefully Jon is more respecting of Guest Right than our Lord Father was."

"Do be careful, brother. I quite like having you by my side, and with your head still on your shoulders."

"Oh, pish-posh. I never take unnecessary risks. Especially after I lost half my nose on the Blackwater."

"Tyrion, I've watched you sneak into a woman's bedchamber while her husband was outside chopping wood. Don't tell me you don't take risks."

"I said unnecessary risks. Given the woman in question's ample bosom, that risk was entirely warranted."

Jaime laughed and took another drink of his ale. Before he could say anything else, they were joined by their commanders and they began to go over their plans to once and for all end the War of the Five Kings.