The anguish of a lion

Kevan POV

Two and a half years. With the family, the servants, and the guards, we have resources for two and a half years to survive. Casterly Rock can hold on for only that long. After that, I didn't know what would happen.

Tywin should need to return with an army to bring back the family from this ruin. He told me to trust him as I had trusted him all those years, yet I had too many doubts this time. Even if he brings tens of thousands of sellswords, the Riverlands alone could defeat us.

The news of King's Landing burning made it even more stressful. What was Tywin thinking? Even if we won all the coming wars, the Lannister name is tarnished forever. We are nothing but murderers now.

"Father, a raven came," My boy Martyn came to the solar to deliver a letter.

It was a short letter, but it said everything it needed. Golden Tooth has fallen. Lord Edmure Tully now had a direct supply chain from the Riverlands. Even a fool would know where he is going next. By now, the world has learned of Edmure Tully's command capabilities. I was starting to feel anxious. Will I be able to hold Casterly Rock?

There was no instance in the known history of Casterly Rock being taken. Not by force, at least. I shouldn't doubt myself, yet a foreboding feeling stayed with me. If I lose, the Lannister's name will disappear into the annals of history. And only be remembered for our crimes.

I was too wearied already. I didn't know if I could handle a prolonged siege. But I had to protect my children and Tommen and Myrcella. Tommen was crucial for the restoration of the Lannister rule. He is the King now that Joffrey was executed. He is the only hope we have.

Yet Tommen was a King with no kingdom to rule. In the eyes of everyone, he was nothing but a boy, to some even a bastard boy born of incest. It was hard to rebuff that statement. Even the children thought it was true. I started to get lost and could not find a way to restore our family. Everything was crumbling before my eyes.

…

Edmure Tully has arrived with an army behind him. I did everything I could to prepare for the siege. Bows and arrows were made, and jars of oil were designed. Food and water were secured, yet looking at the army of the Riverland, I only had doubts about my victory. I could only hope to last long enough for Tywin to come back.

"Father," Lance, my firstborn, came to me. "Lord Edmure Tully has requested a parley."

"I will agree," I said.

I didn't know what I hoped for this parley. There was little hope that Lord Edmure would give me anything advantageous. It was just a formality, and I had to uphold it too. A lion stands proudly. My brother has said it many times. No matter what, a lion stands proudly.

"Lord Kevan Lannister," Edmure Tully greeted me. His red hair was menacing. His blue eyes were piercing.

"Lord Edmure Tully," I greeted him, trying to hide my discomfort.

"I will offer you mercy if you surrender," He told me, even if he knew my answer.

"I can't do that. Casterly Rock stood for thousands of years and will stand for thousands of years to come."

"It will," Edmure agreed. "But not in the hands of a Lannister. Surrender now, and I will allow you and your male Lannisters relatives to serve at the Wall. There is no hope for you to win."

I could not deny him. Even if we hold for a year or two, what then? No matter how big the host that Tywin brings will be, it would never be big enough to defeat the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. Still, I must stand my ground and do my duty as a brother, a father, and a lord.

"House Lannister will not surrender," I told him.

"So be it. But remember, it is you who forsaken the lives of the children."

As Edmure Tully rode back to his camp, I saw his red hair flutter in the wind. His hair reminded me of blood, and I could already see blood scattering in the halls of Casterly Rock. I knew that Edmure would not show any mercy to us, not after what happened to King's Landing.

"Father, what should we do?" Lancel asked when I returned.

"There is nothing for you to worry about. Casterly Rock won't fall."

I will do everything to protect it. Not just because Tywin wanted it, but because it is my home too. There are only two paths to take for Edmure to take this castle. The first was to climb the stone hill this castle was carved into. The other was to force themselves through the tunnels of the mountain.

Both paths were dangerous for him, but he probably will use both approaches simultaneously to pressure me. The tunnel is narrow, so not many men can enter it at once. Stone hill is steep and tall, so it will be hard to climb and hide from my archers. I can do this. I have to protect my home.

…

Seeing Edmure's men carve their path up the hill was not surprising. They didn't try to scale the stone hill all at once. Little by little, they hammered iron spikes to hold on rope ladders. It was hard to hit them with arrows or stones as the hill was too steep to aim at them accurately. Most stones would bounce off the mountain before they reach them and only hit those at the bottom.

In the past few weeks, my confidence has returned. I could confirm that Casterly Rock could still stand against any force. I will not let it fall into anyone's hands. For my and my children's future. For our family's future, I can't let it fall into Edmure's or anyone else's hands.

For tonight I returned to my bed chambers. Tomorrow I will have to keep watch on the enemy's actions. I could tell from the battering rams that they were planning to force their way through the tunnels. Just as I was prepared to sleep, someone started to pound the doors of my chambers.

"What is it?" I asked, tired of sleepless nights.

"My lord, there was a fire in the granary."

Hearing those words, I quickly put on some clothes and ran out of my chambers. Food was most important in these times. I already had a hard time trusting my men. I dismissed everyone that had not grown up in this castle or served for decades and had some affinity with us. But it would be hard to guarantee their loyalty if they start starving.

Arriving at the granary, I was relieved that the fire was put down quickly and not much damage was done to the food. Still, I was furious at the guards that let something like this happen, but when I ordered to find them, they were nowhere to be seen.

I sent men to search for them in all the castle, but they could not be found. They disappeared like they never existed. It was impossible. Someone was covering for them, they might have started the fire accidentally, and the guards were afraid of punishment, so someone helped them to hide. After all, if we could destroy the whole city with half a million innocent people in it, there was no doubt what would happen to the traitors.

As I thought, I should be worried the most about the men inside the castle than the ones outside. For now, I could only double the guards. It would be fine as long as the situation didn't repeat itself.

…

Three dead in the past few days since the fire in the granary. All of them were found in their beds. They were killed while they slept, and now my men couldn't sleep at night. Some started talking about the ghost of Lann the Clever. Saying the actions of Tywin angered his spirit, and he returned to punish the rest of them.

It was impossible to stop these talks. It started to become increasingly burdening for me to handle everything. I could fight against an army, but what do I do about ghosts? I could do nothing even if I knew it wasn't the truth and someone had betrayed me.

Suppose I was interrogating my guards one by one. It would only anger them more. I needed to find evidence before I accused anyone. If I am wrong and the killings continue, the men would blame me for killing the innocent and worry if it was their time next time. I wondered what Tywin would have done. Would putting them in fear of me work?

…

Another two fires, one in the kitchen and another at the armory. Neither did much damage, but they were just distractions. Ones the fires were put down, I sent men to search for culprits, but what they found was my son Lancel naked. He was just out of bed, yet his neck was cut open.

When I saw his body, I almost collapsed. Martyn and Willem, my last two sons, had to hold me. They helped me to cover Lancel's body. I stayed for the rest of the day by his side and prayed. Why my son? They have gone too far.

Before the day could end, a messenger came to me and informed me that the Riverland host wanted another parley. I barely had any strength to attend it, but I had to do my duty. At the bottom of the stone hill, I met not with Edmure Tully but with ser Patrek Mallister.

"Tell me your demands," I didn't have the strength to greet them.

"It is the same as before," Patrek Mallister replied, not interested in formalities. "Surrender, and the male Lannisters will be given the option to serve at the Wall."

"So, nothing has changed from before?" I asked.

"No, now we are almost at the top of the stone hill. Look up."

I did as he said and saw rope ladders hammered into the hill. Another week and they would reach the top. I was so preoccupied with the inside of my home that I didn't even realize what was happening outside.

Was it time to give up? At least my remaining sons could live on. But what kind of life do they have at the Wall? They won't be trusted to take high positions with a tarnished name. They would only struggle and freeze to death.

"Exile them from Westeros," I said. "Let them take a ship to Essos, and I will surrender."

"And let them return in five years with sellswords to seek vengeance, I don't think so."

"They will make an oath."

"How many did the Kingslayer make? How many did he break?" Patrek Mallister asked.

"Then there is nothing for us to speak about."

I returned to my son's side. I could not leave him, not for tonight, at least. Tywin, what do you want me to do? I can't even protect my son. How could I preserve your legacy? It was all over. We have failed. I stayed by my son's side into a deep night.

"You should have accepted the offer." I heard a voice in the dark.

"It was you, the one who did this?"

"Yes, I gave you more than one chance to surrender, to spare your children. Their blood is in your hands as it is on mine."

"I should have known you would find another path, Lord Edmure Tully. Kill me, but I beg you to spare my children. They are all I have left."

"It is a sad fate," He said. "But you have no one but yourselves to blame. I will marry your daughter Janei to my youngest, so he can claim Casterly Rock. It is up to your sons for them to survive."

"So, as Lann, the Clever took Casterly Rock, the history repeats, you will do it too. What now?"

"Kill yourself and leave a letter for your children," He said and threw me a dagger. "If your sons don't surrender, I will kill them. Then there won't be anyone who can lead the defenses."

"Tell me, how did you get into the castle."

"Let's just say I had to crawl through shit."

I did as he said. I wrote my will to my remaining sons to surrender and took the dagger. I did not doubt that Edmure could kill me and then kill my sons after. I have lost from the beginning. The least I could do was atone for Tywin's and my mistakes. I only hope my children live long enough for people to forget about our crimes.

A.N. As always, If you want more, up to five advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852