At Harrenhal…

The assembled Stark, Lannister and Tully host gather at the Great Hall of Harrenhal discussing strategy. Seated at the table were the great lords and their generals. At the head of the table sat Lord Tywin Lannister, next to him stood his brother Ser Kevan Lannister. Across from him stood Robb Stark, accompanied by his mother, his direwolf Grey Wind, Talisa Maegyr, Theon Greyjoy, Ser Rodrik Cassel, Lord Roose Bolton, Lord Greatjon Umber, Lord Rickard Karstark, his uncle Edmure Tully and his great-uncle the Blackfish. They had been arguing for hours once they received word of the renegade Tyrell fleet led by Ser Loras was rapidly closing in on King's Landing with 28,000 men – outnumbering the city's 9,000 defenders.

"King's Landing will fall an hour after the Knight of the Flowers lands his force," spoke Kevan. "It's not too late for King Daveth and the court to ride west to safety."

"Surrender the Iron Throne?" inquired Tywin.

Robb shook his head. "No. Daveth's not the kind of person who'd simply retreat and leave his holdfast undefended. If anything he'll be more likely see this through to the very end."

"You think it's the better alternative, boy?" Kevan said.

That made the Young Wolf angry as Grey Wind began to growl. "Don't call me boy, Lannister. You'll find that we northerners are more than a match for any southern soldier."

"Winter is coming," chimed Greatjon Umber and Rickard Karstark.

"Winter is coming," joined in Rodrik, Theon and the other northern lords.

Tywin had to give the Young Wolf credit for courage and the willingness to fight, even if the boy had lacked actual combat experience since his assembled lords are seasoned veterans advising him.

"My father is the Hand of the King, both my sisters are at the capital," continued Robb. "And Daveth has been my friend since we were children. So long as he reigns, the North will always stand ready to assist."

"Your bannerman, the Mountain, wreaked havoc across our home for a long time, Lannister. The Oathkeeper has done more for us during the past year," Edmure said. "The Riverlands stands with King Daveth as well."

One of Tywin's bannermen, Lord Leo Lefford stood up sharply. "And need you forget that the Westerlands also supports King Daveth considering his familial ties?" he shouted. "His mother is the daughter of our lord!"

"I heard Cersei and her son are not on good terms as they used to be," mocked Edmure.

Others stood quickly, a fight looking ready to break out.

"ENOUGH!" roared Tywin.

Tensions briefly subsided.

"Brother," Kevan spoke finally. "As talented as the Oathkeeper may be, the numbers are not in his favor. The Knight of the Flowers outnumbers his forces nearly three-to-one. Better for him to fall back for now than let us see his head, Cersei's head and the other courtiers' heads mounted on the city gates. From what the scouts in the Stormlands tell us, Ser Loras Tyrell will plan to execute them all."

"No, a King who runs will not be King for long. My grandson is a smart lad and a skilled warrior. A Baratheon and a Lannister. He'll stand and fight."

"At least we finally agree on something," Robb remarked.

Kevan shook his head and Tywin rolled his eyes.

"If I know Daveth…" he continued, "he'll mount a defensive strategy and draw in Loras's forces close enough to be lured into a pincer maneuver on broken ground. Cripple the invaders and reduce their numbers long enough for us to move in and do the rest."

"A sound strategy but do you think it'll work?" asked Rodrik.

Greatjon Umber stood tall and bellowed in laughter. "Bah! Daveth may be young but he's never lost a battle, my lords! He'll risk anything at any time. Remember that little mess at Highgarden? That folly was because the Kingslayer diverted from his nephew's battle plans and chose instead to carry it out his own way."

Tywin narrowed his eyes. He didn't like anyone insulting his eldest son Jaime in that manner. But last he heard, Jaime was being escorted to King's Landing by the surrendering Tyrell host before movements ceased.

"If anything," Roose spoke up, "we should begin a forced march to the capital. Should we arrive too late, then I foresee the realm would spiral into chaos. North, south. East and West. The Oathkeeper wields great influence, and many would seek to take advantage."

Tywin nodded at the Lord of the Dreadfort. Placing his fist from his chin, the Old Lion of Casterly Rock finally stood up. "I concur," he said. "All of you assemble your forces. We ride at nightfall. I want a full night's march before Loras Tyrell knows we're on the move."

Robb nodded. "Lord Umber, Lord Karstark. You two come with me to King's Landing. Lord Bolton, I'll need you to maintain a garrison here at Harrenhal should the Reach decide to retaliate against us."

"As you will, my lord," said Greatjon and Rickard.

Roose said nothing, but merely crossed his arms and nodded in acknowledgment. Robb then turned his attention towards Catelyn and Talisa.

"Mother," Robb said. "I need you and Talisa to go back to Riverrun with the Blackfish. I'll be with you shortly."

"Robb…" Catelyn spoke worryingly.

"I'll be all right, mother. We'll all be together again soon, I promise."

Catelyn pulled away from her eldest son and looked into his eyes. "I remember the day you came into this world. Red faced and screaming. And now I find you leading a host to war."

"There was no one else," Robb insisted.

"'No one'?" Catelyn replied almost incredulously. "Who were those men we saw just now?"

"None of them are Starks."

"All of them are seasoned in battle!"

"If you think you could send me back to Winterfell after the King called on us—"

"I would if I could," she sighed in resignation. "How many men do you have?"

"20,000. The Riverlords have roughly 25,000. And the Lannisters have more than 50,000."

"And the capital?"

Robb shook his head. "9,000 according to the letter father and Daveth sent me. If the attack last longer and is reduced to attrition, then King's Landing won't last long without help. If we lose, father dies, Sansa and Arya dies… along with Daveth and his family. I can't let that happen. I won't allow it. But if we make it in time, the Knight of the Flower's men will have no choice but to sue for peace. Father, Sansa and Arya will be safe. We'll all be together again soon, I promise."

Catelyn didn't like that worst-case scenario. But her son's declaration helped to set her mind at ease… even if it's just a little bit. "You will achieve so much," she smiled. "Your father would be… proud."

Robb looked down at his feet for a moment before walking out to leave with his troops.

"Gods. Please let the Mother to hear my prayers, bring my family back to me in one piece."

Somewhere in the Narrow Sea, en route to King's Landing…

Aboard the Fury, Stannis Baratheon and his fleet sailed forth from Storm's End and Tarth in pursuit of the Tyrell fleet from behind. They had already sailed around the Summer Sea and went straight up the Narrow Sea and were already miles ahead. Stannis calculatingly knew his forces would take time to catch them. With any luck, the Baratheon fleet should arrive to cut off Ser Loras Tyrell's escape route and give chase on foot. Having gained control of the Stormlands and Renly's former bannermen, Stannis felt confident at his odds. Ser Davos Seaworth and his son Matthos accompanied Stannis aboard the ship.

"If the wind holds, we'll be able to reach King's Landing in a day," said Davos.

Stannis looked up at the sails. "Will it hold?" he asked.

"I can't make promises for the wind, my lord."

"I admire you, Ser Davos."

"Thank you, my lord. I'm pleased to hear it."

"Some highborn fools call you 'the Onion Knight', thinking they insult you. So you take the onion for your sigil. Sew it on your coat, fly the onion flag."

"My son wishes me to change it," Davos remarked with a sense of humor. "Three mermen with tridents, something like that. I understand why the older families look down at me."

"Do you? Why?"

"My father was a crabber."

"And?"

"Sons of lords don't like to break bread with sons of crabbers; and our hands stink."

Stannis folded his arms, looking rather crossed. "And where were those lords when Storm's End starved?!"

Davos was briefly taken aback by Stannis's outburst. "Many fought bravely for your brother. Many fought for the Mad King."

"You defend these men who insult you behind your back."

"Some are happy to do it to my face."

"We were forgotten," Stannis remarked angrily, his voice dipped with a sense of deep bitterness. "Robert and Ned Stark, they were the heroes. The glorious rebels. Marching from battle to battle, liberating towns from the yoke of the Mad King while I held Storm's End with only 500 men."

Davos swore he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow and gulped. "No one's forgotten, my lord," he tried to reassure his liege lord.

Stannis, however, wasn't buying it. "No? Robert did. He gave Storm's End to Renly after the war. Renly never fought a day in his life!"

"He was only a boy."

"Then why give him Storm's End," Stannis snapped. He took a moment to calm himself and sighed reminiscently. "First, we ate the horses. We weren't riding anywhere, not with the castle surrounded. We couldn't feed them, so fine. The horses, then the cats. I've never liked cats, so fine. I do like dogs. Good animals, loyal, but we ate them too. Then the rats. The night before you slipped through, I thought my wife was dying. She couldn't speak anymore, she was so frail. And then you made it through the lines, slipped right through in your little black sail boat with your onions…"

"And some potatoes. Some salted beef, I believe."

"Every man at Storm's End wanted to kiss you that night."

"I was relieved they did not."

"Robert told me to hold Storm's End, so I held it. Then he told me he was giving it to Renly, so I gave it up. Insult or no, I gave it up because Robert was my older brother and he was the King and I've always done my duty. But Daveth saw to it to correct his father's mistakes. He restored my rights to Storm's End and all of the Stormlands. I rule them now. My nephew kept his end of the bargain, so now it's time to keep ours. Have the men double our efforts. We need to reach King's Landing before the Knight of the Flowers beats us there."

"At once, my lord," Davos replied. He turned to his son Matthos and told him to pick up the pace.

Once Stannis was alone again, he returned his gaze to the open waters of the Narrow Sea. "In the meantime, Daveth," he thought aloud, "time to show me what you're capable of when you experience your first battle."

At the Red Keep…

King Daveth I stood next to Eddard Stark, along with Ser Lucius Blackmyre and Ser Barristan Selmy to examine the map detailing the city's structure. They had all determined that Ser Loras Tyrell will land his forces where the gates are weakest: the Mud Gate. All the preparations were made for the city's defense. And with Tyrion Lannister instructing Wisdom Hallyne of the Alchemists' Guild to provide wildfire after learning of Cersei's plan to catapult it against the Knight of the Flower's fleet. Daveth knew it was a dangerous method, and ordered Tyrion to produce it for his purposes instead of his mother's.

"Should the winds hold, Loras will land here," Daveth pointed to the map. "Our scouts suggest he has more than 28,000 and dozens of ships. Much smaller than the main Redwyne Fleet, but still large enough to cause trouble."

Eddard chimed in. "With this many troops stationed at the garrison and the City Watch to provide support, we will need to keep them at bay long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

"It'll be a close call, Your Grace," said Barristan. "Are you certain with this plan of yours?"

Daveth shook his head. "What other choice do we have, Ser Barristan? If it comes down to attrition then we won't last long. Our only hope is to cripple Ser Loras's fleet, bring his numbers down a bit and hold the line for as long as it takes. Has word been sent to Harrenhal?"

"Word has been sent, Your Grace," said Lucius. "Though Barristan is right about this: it'll be a close call. No matter what strategy we use, many people will die."

"Thousands will die regardless," replied Daveth. "What of your son, Lord Stark?"

Eddard looked at Daveth. "Robb has already begun a forced march to the capital, Daveth, along with the Lannister and Tully host. They're on their way here as we speak."

Daveth nodded and returned his attention to the map, studying every detail. He had already had a rough month since the riots… and another heinous event that took place not long afterwards.

ooOoo

Last month…

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Daveth stared down at Joffrey, who stood before the court in chains, from the Iron Throne. Their mother tried to intervene, but there was no way out this time; the Illborn had gone too far. After making the bold decision to arrest Joffrey for instigating the riots, Daveth learned his younger brother ordered Janos Slynt, Commander of the City Watch, to execute their father's illegitimate children. All but one had died, the survivor fleeing King's Landing to parts unknown.

The Young Stag was quick to take action. He sentenced Janos to death and appointed Bronn as his successor, sent the other City Watchmen involved to the Wall and replaced them with able-bodied volunteers, drafted a list of Joffrey Baratheon's crimes and formally charged his sadistic sibling with crimes against the people of the Seven Kingdoms.

"It should have been me up there," Joffrey hissed. "I should have been the firstborn! I should be on the throne! Why must you always overshadow me, damn you?!"

"You understand nothing," Daveth said as he rose to his feet. "Not a hint of what it means to rule. You don't even seem to realize the repercussions of your actions. You're no better than the Mad King himself."

"And you are a fool!" Joffrey shouted in anger.

The courtiers looked at one another, scandalized at the Crown Prince's behavior. No one came to his defense; no one testified to his character, no one showed any sympathy. Not even Lord Stark, whose daughter nearly lost her life because of a boy's uncontrollable temper. There was nothing left to do, nothing except watch as the King passed sentence.

"Joffrey of House Baratheon," the Young Stag said for all to hear, "you have betrayed your King and your kin. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have spilled innocent blood in my city and proven yourself unworthy of effectively handling the responsibilities that come with governing these kingdoms. You do not deserve any of the gifts the Seven have given you. Not even the loved ones you have betrayed. Therefore, I, Daveth of the House Baratheon, First of My Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, sentence you to live out your days in permanent exile at Castle Black as a sworn brother of the Night's Watch."

"No!" Joffrey cried. "You can't do this to me! You can't—"

"From this moment forward, you are stripped of all rank and titles, removed from the royal line of succession, and forever banished from King's Landing. And if you ever come back, I will not be as merciful as I am now."

The two City Watchmen flanking the now-former Crown Prince dragged him out of the throne room, grimacing as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Daveth! Daveth, listen to me! Listen to me! I am your brother! We're family!"

"Not anymore."

ooOoo

"Your Grace?" asked Barristan.

Daveth shook his head. "It's nothing. Now, our archers will take positions atop the wall and…?"

The door burst opened as Cersei Lannister made her entrance known. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" she hissed at Daveth. "Do you think I'd let you get away with this?!"

Daveth noticed his mother's anger and motioned for his war council to leave and begin preparations. Once they left, Cersei and Daveth were alone. "My decision is final, mother." he said without looking at her. "I warned you what would happen if you continued allowing him to do as he pleased."

"You shipped off your only sister, and now you've exiled your own brother. You've always hated Joffrey―!"

"―and you did nothing to keep him in line! It was a poor choice to force my hand like that."

"Bring him back," Cersei demanded. "Send for the Lord Commander and tell him to allow Joffrey to leave and come home!"

Daveth narrowed his eyes as he met Cersei's gaze. "I will not," he said flatly. "I have a battle to fight, mother, and I will not afford such distractions at this time since I will be taking part on the battlefield."

"You wish to die that badly?"

"On the contrary. I'm doing everything in my power to bring this nonsense to a close. And all will be right as rain once more."

Cersei started to smile. Daveth noticed it.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked.

"Because I'm happy!" she replied. "Because a Lannister always pays her debts. You've been scheming against me since the day you took the throne. You sold Myrcella, banished Joffrey. The Stark girl you like. You like her very much? Don't worry, she'll be treated gently enough. Every wound I suffer, she'll suffer too."

'Sansa?' thought Daveth. He slowly pressed against the table and lifted himself up, turning to face his mother as he figured out what Cersei intended to do with Sansa. "If you or your sycophants think you can do as you please… well, dearest mother, let me point out that scale tips two ways," he said. His tone was calm, flat, uncaring; he'd reached for his grandfather's voice and found it. "Whatever happens to Sansa happens to you as well, and that includes the beatings and rapes."

Cersei had not expected that. "You wouldn't dare!"

Daveth crept forward towards Cersei, his blue eyes started directly into her green ones. "Would I now? Need I point out that it was you who's been scheming against me from the very beginning? How you sought to undermine me? Who knows? Maybe you even plan to have me killed and rule through Tommen. Do you hate me so much? Do I remind you of father?"

In a fit of cold rage, Cersei's hand flashed at Daveth's face, but he quickly caught her wrist and bent it back until she cried out.

"How unbecoming of you," Daveth looked down at Cersei. "You were my own mother, and I've done all I could to make you happy. But I return I get nothing from cold scorning, scowls and ridicule. Whatever affection I had for you, you've ended that. Try anything else and you will find that Lannisters aren't the only ones who pay their debts. Now get out."

He released his grip on Cersei and stormed out of the room. Daveth made his way back to the armory with a thousand armored feet marching behind him and worked to put on his armor. His shining black armor donning a golden crowned stag on the breastplate, gold linings and gold cloak were fastened on. His Valyrian steel sword Stormbringer was at his left hip, and Daveth now took the black helm with large golden antlers on each side in his arm.

*DING!*

*DING!*

*DING!*

"And now it begins," Daveth murmured quietly.

The ringing of the bells warned the inhabitants of King's Landing that the invading Tyrell fleet was now within plain sight entering Blackwater Bay. Soldiers and City Watchmen were scrambling, getting themselves into position.

The Battle of the Blackwater has now begun.

Chapter End

Author's Note: The first phase of the Battle of the Blackwater is now officially underway. Ser Loras Tyrell versus King Daveth I Baratheon. Highgarden versus King's Landing. Numbers versus strategy. And the bond between mother and son has been severed. What would you like to see in the battle? Who do you think will come out on top? Thoughts? Let me know.

Patty 4577: When Tywin here's what happens he'll probably have Cersei sent back to the Rock. Also when Daveth brings it to his attention, have him say something like.

"You have told us how our actions effect the image of our house. But all of my mother's actions have bought nothing but shame to us and the realm. If you practice what you preach Grandfather, then for the good of House Lannister and Westeros remove her from the Capital."

―That does sound something like Daveth would probably say to his maternal grandfather since he's half Lannister himself. He'd have to choose his words carefully when speaking to him though.

Seraph: Make joffery into a white walker so daveth can end him n the night king

―O_o

C.E.W: Joffrey got what he earned when he murdered innocent children. Daveth couldn't afford to face a revolt among the people, executing the Lord-Commander Janos and sentencing his brother to exile shows the people that Daveth had nothing to do with it. It was weak for Joffrey to beg though, because as far as Daveth is concerned, exile is a mercy compared to what the people would've done to him, boy they'd have ripped him to shreds. Loras Tyrell leads his fleet to take King's Landing and kill Daveth, Mace Tyrell has surrendered to Daveth but I doubt he'll raise a blood against his own blood and heir. So instead of Tyrell reinforcements, it is the Starks, Lannisters and Stannis Baratheon coming to aid. The Stark/Lannister forces to aid by land while Stannis aids by sea.

―The feedback regarding Joffrey's fate has been flooding my inbox almost non-stop. Daveth wields great influence and is quite popular among the nobles and smallfolk. He condemned his brother for inflicting a huge stain on the Baratheon name and held Joffrey fully responsible for what he's done; no acts of favoritism will be tolerated while Daveth rules from the Iron Throne. Mace Tyrell? He might not be the most intelligent man, but he's an amiable fellow well-liked by most of his bannermen and a loving husband and father so he would plead for Loras's safe return. So yeah it'll be the Starks, Lannisters, Tullys and Stannis coming to Daveth's aid.

Hail King Cerion: Ooh! That scene at the end was nice, putting Cersei in her place. You know, the show Cersei and Book Cersei are different, on the show she is a mother looking out for her children and in the book she only cared for her own power, she honestly couldn't care less for her children then and I kinda hope the Book Cersei is what you're using as much as I prefer Show Cersei.

Banishing Joffrey will hijack the story in new directions, I do wonder if being a Night's Watchmen will temper his behavior for the better or make him more bitter and angrier at Daveth. Well I enjoyed this chapter and the other ones before that I haven't reviewed, sorry about that.

―I figured Cersei in the books and TV are somewhat different from each other; I think Cersei is more in line with the books than the one on TV. Daveth's not going to let anyone manipulate him or get in the way of his goals, even if they're members of his own family.

―It'll be interesting to see how the story turns out now that Joffrey's been exiled to the Wall. Though I doubt that it'll change Joffrey for the better; I think it'll make him worse and get him into even more trouble with the other Night Watchmen.

big allen: No crown topped helmet? If any baratheon could pull it off daven can. Kings should stand out from the others in there house. Great chapter by the way.

―A crowned helmet would be something to see, but it would also make Daveth an easy target to spot from all sides on the battlefield. Thanks for the review btw.

DaddyChad: I want to see how Daveth slaughters Loras in the way how Robert killed Rhaegar.

And I would like to see Cersei arrested for treason and plotting to attack the betrothed of Daveth and the future Queen.

―Daveth's goal is to capture Loras alive, not kill him. He'll find the Knight of the Flowers too valuable and plans to use him as a bargaining chip to bring House Tyrell to the negotiating table. A similar showdown like the one with Robert Baratheon vs. Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident would be interesting, though.

―Cersei's threats would most definitely piss off House Stark and all of the North.

GREAT CELESTIAL-DRAGON: she serious is taking things too far, threatening Sansa in front of her own son. Wonder how long Joffrey will last at the Wall with the White Walkers make their move. Well, if he wants the Tyrells to marry into royalty, least his younger brother will be a suitable choice. Lets hope Cersei doesn't do anything stupid like bringing the Faith Militant back into active role.

―Cersei really seems to have a death wish challenging Daveth like that.

BigWilly526: Ha Joffrey going to the Nights Watch is great, If he arrived before the great ranging even better since we could see him in the training yard with the rest of the guys, I think even Sam could beat him and Thorne would turn all his hatred toward a spoiled boy he thinks is hald baratheon half lannister.

―No one gets special treatment in the Night's Watch. I think Joffrey'll try to use that and bully Sam until Jon Snow arrives and beats him senseless. He'll be the most hated person in the Night's Watch.

Riverdog: Good chapter!

But I agree where did they pick up Talisa? I highly doubt Ned is gonna allow Robb to marry her.

I hope the Oathkeeper just dominates the fight and battle before reinforcements arrive. Once he does this it sends a massive message saying to every lord and lady and all of Westeros of his battle prowess, skill its tactics and ruling a kingdom.

It would be cool if Dany hears all the praise the Oathkeeper gets from high merchants, common people, etc and she sees him as her biggest obstacle in her quest to retake the Iron Throne.

―Not sure how Ned would feel about Robb and Talisa; we've already seen how Cat feels about her.

―We'll see how Daveth's small army fares against Loras's much larger forces. As for the message being sent in the aftermath there's no doubt that it would be seen that way.

―It would be cool to see what Daenerys has to hear about the Oathkeeper from his contacts in Essos.

The Three Stoogies: ooooh an epic duel between daveth and loras of course and some highlighted fights with Ned and barriston against loras army as well. great chapter keep up the great work.

―Epic duel? I'll include that. Highlighted fights with Ned and Barristan against Loras's army? I'll see if I can include it.

Moshi: Yay! The dickhead has been sent the Wall, oh how they will hate him. Cersei truly is an idiot. Looking forward to the battle. Just one question, where the fuck did they pick up Talisa? I was kinda hoping she would not show up. She adds nothing, Robb would be better off with a Northern Lady (Manderly has two readily available girls). Ok, I lied, two questions, why was Talisa at the meeting for the armies?

―I figured Talisa was wandering the Riverlands treating the sick and wounded when the Stark host came down the Neck and was asked to accompany them figuring there would soon be a lot of injured soldiers on all sides that'll need tending to.

―As to why Talisa was at the meeting for the armies, Robb was starting to grow closer to her.

luccajorge21: Is Daveth going to talk about Cersei with Tywin? Why not simply send her away to Casterly Rock to stay under the view of the Old Lion?

―I imagine Daveth would have to have a little one-on-one with his grandfather about his mother.

Artemis0406: obviously daveth. you are no Martin. You won't kill lead characters

―Depends on who pisses him off.

mpowers045: I bet Cersei takes it as a bluff and did it anyway

―If she does, then Cersei better be prepared for another face-off against an angry Oathkeeper.

47: Yay Joffrey is banished
Nice way of using parts of Odin's speech when he banished Thor

―I tried searching for an inspiration to make Joffrey's exile have more "umpf!"; something that tells readers that Daveth lost all patience and finally had enough.

Guest: Great storyline ship away Cersei she is toxic and short minded

―Her plans always have a way of blowing up in her face, don't they?

Oto Mustam: now that the link is broken what will happen with cersei?

―I guess that'll depend on what she does next and what Daveth will have to say to his grandfather Tywin Lannister.