Ser Leo Lannister took a breath to steady himself.
He was a son of House Lannister. He was a son of Ser Jason Lannister, the heir of Casterly Rock, and Lady Alysanne Lefford, the heir of the Golden Tooth. He was a son of the Rock.
He was a lion, and lions aren't afraid of sheep.
The armor that he was wearing was specially fitted just for him. The finest smiths of Casterly Rock and Lannisport and the entirety of the Westerlands labored over them so that they would be the strongest and most impressive that he could have. The lions of House Lannister stood prominently on his breast plate as well as his shoulder plates. His gorget was gilded gold with more lions of gold along it. The red of their house was also displayed in his armor, and it formed the background for the golden lions that pranced across the metal.
It was as if he was a walking banner for House Lannister.
He was a Lannister though, so in a sense he was a walking banner even without the armor.
He took another steadying breath and slipped on his last piece that he needed. His right gauntlet was the last piece of armor that he had yet to put on. That, and his lion helm, but father always said that the helmet goes on last, during the march towards the enemy. They were currently at Casterly Rock, and the closest enemy was the Young Wolf, Robb Stark, who was at Riverrun with his host.
There were no enemies here, so the lion helm did not need to go on yet.
Leo secured the gauntlet to his hand and took one final steadying breath. This would be his first true war, and he was determined to not only survive it, but win glory for House Lannister. He grabbed his helm from the table and took one last look at his room.
This would probably be the last time for a while that he would be able to see it. He would be trading his soft featherbed for an army bed. There would be no servants where he was going, only his squire. The meals wouldn't be prepared by the finest of House Lannister cooks, they'd be made by an army cook who took whatever meat he was given.
They were necessary sacrifices to make in the search for glory, however.
Leo exited his room and made his way through the winding halls of Casterly Rock. The portraits of past Lords of Casterly Rock and past Kings of the Rock lined the halls. Them, and their families, were all windows into the past and Leo had often glanced at them and wondered what their lives had been like. He was walking the very halls that they once had.
He was going to war and was more than likely going to kill Rivermen, same as his ancestors did. He would be killing Northmen, just like they might have. Their footsteps would now be his footsteps, and Leo promised to himself that he would not bring dishonor to House Lannister on the battlefield.
Gerold was already in King's Landing, commanding the Lannister Household Guard and the hundred men of the Lion Guard that their father had sent with him. To hear tell from the ravens that they had received, Gerold had his work cut out for him. The red cloaks were still soldiers of House Lannister, but their time in King's Landing had made them weak and undisciplined compared to their counterparts in the Westerlands.
His brother would get them into shape though. Leo knew that Gerold was the man for the job. His brother was always the smartest of the family, well, after Isabella of course, but the smartest son of the family. He would bring House Lannister glory when he became Lord of Casterly Rock and Leo would do the same when he inherited the Golden Tooth.
They would make House Lannister stronger, more united, and respected across the Seven Kingdoms.
They would.
Leo made his way towards the massive lift that the Rock had and started the journey down to the ground floor. Casterly Rock was nearly three times as tall as the Wall to the North, or the Hightower of House Hightower in Oldtown. It was a truly massive keep, and thus it took a rather long time to traverse it. There were hundreds of tunnels and rooms about that no single map could keep tract of them all.
A fact that annoyed their father.
Uncle Tyrion had also tried to map out Casterly Rock and had too failed at the task. It seemed that the seat of House Lannister would remain ever filled with secrets. Rooms and tunnels that would go unused and forgotten only to be rediscovered again.
Mayhaps his grandchildren would stumble upon a new tunnel that he had once found himself. They would proclaim themselves explorers and one of them might even try to map out the many halls of Casterly Rock.
Hells, they might even succeed.
Leo was pulled from his thoughts as the lift came to a stop. It jerked to a halt and the massive chains groaned as the weight they were carrying was gone from them. Leo stepped off of it and made his way through the main entrance of the Rock. The Lion's Mouth they called it. A cavern opening so large that twenty riders on horseback could ride through it abreast and still have room to maneuver. The Golden Lion statues flanked each side of the Lion's Mouth and had their maws open in a mighty but silent roar.
A display of wealth and power that House Lannister was known for. Leo passed by one of them on his way to his destination and rubbed the front paw. It was good luck after all.
"Leo! Finally, we thought you'd gotten lost."
Ser Clarent Crakehall waved a hand as Leo approached the gathered party of riders. The man was a little older than Leo and had a small beard growing on his chin. Clarent was a distant cousin to the Crakehalls of Crakehall and was more of a landed knight than anything else, but he was still a man of the west, so when Leo's father had called the banners, he had come.
"Just had to say goodbye to the place is all." Leo said as he made his way towards the riders. There were men of the Lion Guard as well as regular red cloaks amongst the party. Leo also spotted some Crakehall men here and there and he spotted his horse and saw that it was already saddled and that his squire, a boy from one of the Lannisters of Lannisport, standing next to it and holding the reins.
"Ah, we'll be back in no time." Clarent said.
Leo wasn't as confident as the knight from Crakehall was. As of right now, Robb Stark had yet to lose a battle. He had taken Uncle Jaime prisoner at the Battle in the Whispering Wood and smashed the man's host and lifted the Siege of Riverrun. The Young Wolf had delivered them to nasty defeats in a row while Grandfather Tywin had smashed a Northern Host that made an orderly retreat.
The war was not going in their favor and now there were two other kings they had to deal with.
"Once we beat Robb Stark, we'll have to go and defeat both Stannis and Renly Baratheon. I fear that this war might be a long one." Leo said and took the reins of his horse from his squire.
Lucas, that was the boy's name. He was short, as thin as a twig, sandy brown hair, and eyes a dull green color.
"To hear the rumors going around camp, the Baratheon brothers will be fighting each other first. Hopefully they'll kill each other and save us all the trouble." Clarent said.
"Rumors are just that, rumors." Leo said and urged his horse on. Their destination was Oxcross, a village where the host of Ser Stafford Lannister was assembling.
Leo's orders were to meet up with Ser Stafford's host and help prepare it for their march east. Leo's father was making his way towards the Golden Tooth with fifteen hundred men of the Lion Guard. It was a small host, but the Lion Guard were the elite of the Westerlands. His father had left the other half back at Casterly Rock with Leo's mother.
Lady Alysanne Lefford was the Lady of Casterly Rock, and Leo's mother was a capable leader and someone who could be intimidating when necessary. She had wished him good luck and told him to keep safe, and then had gone back to her duties without looking back. The Rock would be in good hands with her in charge.
"How many men has Ser Stafford been able to rally?" Leo asked.
"Uh, last count had it at, what, fifteen thousand?" Clarent said. The thundering of the horses' hooves made it so that Clarent had to nearly shout to be heard.
"Sixteen thousand Ser! The last of Ser Forley Prester's men rejoined the host." A red cloak said.
Sixteen thousand men, with around four thousand experienced men of the remnants of Uncle Jaime's host that Ser Forley Prester had managed to rally as well as a lot of inexperienced boys from Lannisport and the surrounding areas. While their numbers might have been formidable, the quality of their men were not. Leo hoped that they would have enough time to train them all.
Father said that they would. That if Robb Stark ever tried to move into the Westerlands that if he tried to go around the Golden Tooth, that it would be his death. Father had a plan after all, Leo had been at the meeting where he and the remaining bannermen of the Westerlands had planned it.
"Hammer and anvil Leo." Father had told him. "The Young Wolf's army will break under a Lannister hammer… and on a Lefford anvil."
Hammer and anvil.
Leo repeated those words like a prayer as the party journeyed towards Oxcross.
"You sure you have no idea what Joffrey wants with me?"
"No idea my lord."
Gerold sighed as he continued on his way towards the throne room. His royal cousin was probably up to no good and Gerold would have to be the one to clean it up. Damned fool was more focused on himself than the war that was going on. People were dying and King's Landing was filling with refugees and all Joffrey wanted to do was… whatever he did for fun.
Which was probably nothing good.
The halls of the Red Keep were filled with either servants or members of the Lion Guard. Gerold had the gold cloaks out of the Red Keep itself and focused on the city of King's Landing. He didn't need any half incompetent fools accidently killing someone just because they misheard an order. The City Watch of King's Landing was a poorly trained group of sellswords at best and Gerold wanted them nowhere nearby.
He was tasked with taking commanded of Lannister forces within the city and that meant he was effectively the Commander of the Red Keep's Garrison. He would only have men personally loyal to himself in that position, and that meant the Lion Guard. Captain Vylarr and the red cloaks were still in question on where their loyalties lay. They had been in King's Landing for many years and served under Aunt Cersei.
They also let Lord Stark get executed and allowed this entire war to start, so their competence was in question. Captain Vylarr had assured him that the red cloaks were loyal to House Lannister and Casterly Rock, but Gerold would need more than words, for words were wind as father was wont to say.
"Ser Gerold." Ser Julian called out as Gerold turned a corner.
His second in command quickly fell into step besides him and handed a rolled-up parchment to him. The seal was unbroken and bore the Lion of Lannister on it. Gerold looked towards Julian and got a simple shrug in return. Well, it was news from someone, most likely Grandfather Tywin.
Gerold broke the seal as he walked and unfurled the parchment. He was met by his father's handwriting, which was a surprise to be sure. He hadn't heard from the man since he had left Casterly Rock with Grandfather Tywin's host all the way back in the beginning of the war.
Gods, that felt like a lifetime ago.
He read his father's neat handwriting and then he took a moment to reread it.
Do not trust the old man, the mockingbird, or the spider. Only trust in yourself and the Lion Guard.
Gerold quickly rolled the parchment back up and slid it into his sword belt. The message was clear to him, and it didn't take too much thinking to guess who was who. The old man was most likely Grand Maester Pycelle. He was most likely the oldest man in the city that was of any important. The mockingbird was Littlefinger as the man had taken a mockingbird as his sigil. And the spider could only be Varys, the eunuch.
He already didn't trust those tree and if his own father was telling him not to, well, he'd best heed those words. This city was full of schemers and liars. Backstabbers and graspers just waiting for the first sign of weakness to exploit. Gerold had to make sure that he and his family came out of this alive.
They didn't want to end up like Ned Stark and his household had.
A whimpered cry drew his attention and he pulled himself out of his thoughts and found that they were already near the throne room. The massive doors were just up ahead and Gerold spotted several knights of the Lion Guard standing in front of it, and none of them looked happy.
Those were grim faces, which was unusual as they were in the Red Keep, in relative safety.
The knights formed up behind Gerold as they entered the Great Hall and Gerold found a sight that made him frown as well.
Joffrey was holding court and it seemed that everyone was watching the spectacle that was going on in the middle of the room. A knight of the Kingsguard was standing in the center with his blade drawn and held at a lady who was kneeling on the floor. That dress was ripped and Gerold certainly saw what looked like bruises on her back. That red hair was all messed up and there was certainly blood running down this lady's body.
The Hound, Sandor Clegane, stood by the Iron Throne and along with the other Kingsguard knights. Cousin Lancel was also present, standing with all the other nobles that were present. And in the back, was that drunken knight turned fool, Dontos Hollard, with his motley getup and all.
Gerold's little shit of a cousin was sitting on the iron monstrosity and looking down at the scene with what looked like a smile on his face. This was the last thing anyone should feel when looking upon a young lady being beaten, and it made Gerold clench his lion helm just a little tighter.
The court herald only then noticed their arrival even though they were halfway to the Iron Throne and decided to announce them.
"Ser Gerold Lannister! Lord Commander of the Garrison of the Red Keep!"
Gerold decided to just ignore the lord commander bit and focus on all the eyes that turned to look towards him. The various minor nobles of the Crownlands were present as well as some faces that were foreign to Gerold. That Summer Islander prince was among the crowd as well as some Essosi merchants and one or two Reachmen from the looks of it.
Joffrey stood from his seat and made his way down the steps while smiling all the way. It was never a good thing when Joffrey smiled like that. Like he had just gotten a new toy to play with, or that he had just done something gruesome and was now going to boast about it. Gerold still had memories of Joffrey killing that cat during a visit to Casterly Rock.
The gods must have truly cursed Joffrey if he thought murdering cats was fun.
"Cousin! Now that you've arrived, we can begin!" Joffrey said with a cheer in his voice.
"Begin? What is it that we are beginning. And who is that?" Gerold asked and pointed to the young lady who was still kneeling on the ground. She had not turned to look when the herald announced his arrival.
"She." Joffrey said and pointed at the lady. "Will be answering for her brother's treasons. Stark took my uncle and now she will pay for her treasons."
Gerold only realized who Joffrey was talking about when the boy grabbed Lady Sansa by the hair. She yelled in pain and brought her hands up to Joffrey's but the Kingsguard knight, Trant by the looks of it, brought the flat of his blade down on her arms. The slap of steel on skin earned another cry of pain and the girl's hands fell back down. Joffrey threw Lady Sansa forward by the hair and didn't laugh when she fell onto her hands and knees.
The girl was bleeding from her back and now her forearms, both presumably from Ser Meryn Trant's blade. Her dress was ripped in several places and there were tears streaming down her face. It was a hard sight to see and Gerold turned his gaze away from Lady Sansa and back to his royal cousin.
Joffrey was looking back at him, as if he was expecting Gerold to say something. Did he want praise for this? Did he want Gerold to say that he agreed with this? A young girl was being beaten for the crimes of her brother. She was innocent, yet she still suffered the consequences.
This was wrong.
"Lady Sansa did not take Uncle Jaime prisoner. She did not lead the Northern host that scattered Uncle Jaime's. How is beating her helping us win the war?" Gerold said.
"By sending a message cousin. Her brother will know about what will happen to her if he doesn't yield." Joffrey said.
"She is still your betrothed. You cannot mean to do this to your future queen." He tried to grasp onto any last sense of reason with Joffrey.
Which was a hopeless effort in the end.
"Her brother took Uncle Jaime! Mother said I can't kill her, so we'll just have to make do with another way to get a message through. Meryn!"
The flat of the Kingsguard knight's blade flashed through the air and impacted Sansa Stark before Gerold could even do anything. The sound of steel hitting flesh sounded throughout the throne room and it was quickly followed by a cry of pain.
Joffrey just looked on with nary a frown, just a look of contempt. Gerold couldn't believe that his cousin, someone of his own blood, could act in such a fashion. This wanton brutality was unheard of, and yet it was happening right in front of him. He was bearing witness to Lady Sansa being beaten by a knight of the Kingsguard for the crime of her brother.
This was wrong.
He felt his hand go to his sword after the second strike landed on Sansa Stark's shoulder, the skin cutting deep even from the flat of the blade. Gerold's motion was accompanied by those of the Lion Guard and in seconds nine blades were drawn, steel bared and ready to bite.
"Swing that blade again ser and you shall lose that hand." Gerold said as looked at Ser Meryn Trant.
"No man threatens His Grace in the presence of the Kingsguard." Another knight, this one much fatter, said. Somewhere in Gerold's mind the name Boros Blount came to mind.
"I am not threatening the king you lackwit. I am protecting the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Her brother may be a traitor, but she has not committed any treasons that I know of." Gerold said and put his lion helm on with his free hand while keeping his longsword pointed at the ground.
"She's a traitor." Joffrey said.
"She has remained in the Red Keep for the entirety of the war. Tell me, what battles has she fought in?" Gerold asked.
"She has the blood of the wolf."
"Aye she does, yet your uncles are also traitors to the crown. Does that make you a traitor as well? Should I be punishing you for having blood of the stag in your veins?"
"That was a threat against the king." Ser Mandon Moore said and unsheathed his blade. The emotionless statue of a knight was the most dangerous of the Kingsguard after Uncle Jaime and Ser Barristan, but those two were here right now.
"Sheath your sword ser." Ser Julian Stackspear said, raising his own blade.
The Kingsguard knight did not. Trant and Blount moved to stand besides Joffrey and had their blades out. They would protect their king, though Blount was useless with a sword and Trant seemed to be more fit with beating girls than anything else. Ser Mandon Moore, Ser Arys Oakheart, and the Hound were the ones to look out for. Mandon was already bearing his steel while Oakheart looked like he didn't know what to do.
Sandor Clegane was also coming towards Joffrey's side, though he had yet to draw steel.
"She's a traitor cousin. I'm sending a message." Joffrey spat.
"Lady Sansa is your betrothed still. Have you no regard for her honor?"
"She's a traitor. She has no honor. Nothing but a northern whore."
Joffrey punctuated his words by grabbing Lady Sansa. The girl tried to struggle against him and received another hit from Trant's blade and this time Gerold moved forward. The knights of the Lion Guard were at his back and soon enough Trant had two blades at his throat. But that didn't stop Joffrey from ripping Lady Sansa's dress open, revealing her bare chest and stomach to the world.
The girl let out a cry as she was pushed to the ground by Joffrey. She was desperately trying to cover up her modesty and Gerold grabbed his cousin and pushed him back. That made Oakheart and Clegane draw their steel and step forwards.
"Ser Gerold. I order you to stand down." Joffrey said in his most kingly voice, which wasn't much in Gerold's opinion.
"As Lord Commander of the Garrison, I, Ser Gerold Lannister, am taking Lady Sansa Start under my protection for the duration of her stay in King's Landing. You all are witness to this statement." Gerold said in a commanding voice to the rest of the court who had remained frozen in place during the entire ordeal.
"You cannot-"
"I can cousin. My first priority is the safety of all of the Red Keep's inhabitants. That includes Lady Sansa."
"She deserves death for what her-"
"Unless you want Uncle Jaime to lose his head, I would suggest you stop. Harming her will not help Uncle Jaime escape Riverrun. It will not help us defeat Robb Stark."
Joffrey was fuming at this and snapped to look at cousin Lancel. The boy looked like he didn't know which one of them to support and fumbled with his words.
"Ser Lancel, I order you to take command of the red cloaks and seize my traitor cousin!" Joffrey yelled. The Kingsguard knights at Joffrey's back tensed at that. Sandor Clegane had a hand on Joffrey's shoulder to prevent him from running and getting himself hurt.
"Belay that order Lancel! King Joffrey does not have the authority to give such an order."
There were several drawn blades, and they were all pointed at each other. Kingsguard knights were facing off against Lion Guard knights and Gerold didn't know how the situation had gotten so bad so quickly. What in the seven hells was Joffrey thinking when he decided to beat Sansa Stark for the purpose of sending a message? What madness had taken ahold of him?
"But he's the king…" Lancel's words trailed off.
"A king who has yet to become a man grown. The Queen Regent and the small council have the final say to any decision he makes." Gerold said. Not that he had faith in Aunt Cersei and those schemers on the small council to make the right decision.
Hopefully Uncle Tyrion could steer them in the right direction.
"I am the king! The king can do as he likes!" Joffrey yelled.
"Julian, give Lady Sansa your cloak and get her off the ground." Gerold said and didn't take his eyes off Joffrey as Ser Julian went about and carried out the orders given to him.
In moments, Sansa Stark was no longer had her chest exposed. Her breasts and stomach and whatever modesty she had left was covered up and the girl was oddly still in Ser Julian's hands. Gerold saw that her eyes were wide with shock and that she still had tears streaming down her cheeks.
Gerold's father was right, this city truly did bring out the worst in people.
"I have been charged with defending this city cousin. Do not get in my way." Gerold said and lowered his sword.
He walked away from Joffrey slowly while facing him the entire time. The knights of the Lion Guard gathered up Lady Sansa and formed a circle around her as they moved towards the main entrance of the throne room. Gerold walked backwards and kept his eyes on Joffrey and watched as his cousin seethed with rage. His eyes were positively aflame with hatred, and he shook off Clegane's hand with a storm upon his face.
Gerold only turned around and continued to walk out after Joffrey stormed away with his Kingsguard in tow. Lady Sansa was in a bad way and would need someone to look at those cuts and bruises. There was also the political mess that Gerold had just made, and there were bound to be repercussions from it, but that could wait for now.
One problem at a time after all.