Ser Loren Reyne

Lannisport was big, it was big and intimidating. The seat of the rebels was very impressive, the city below it glimmered and hummed with activity. Or atleast it normally did, the people of Lannisport where all either in their homes with their doors boarded up and their possessions hidden out of sight, or they were with the rebel army. Godfrey Lannister, the head of Lannisters of Lannisport had gotten ambitious, spurred on by the weakness of Tytos Lannister, his cousin, he had decided that he wanted to become Lord of the Rock, and as such had allied with the Baneforts, the Westerlings and the Farmans. The Baneforts had been put to the sword as had the Westerlings, well apart from Lord Westerling's young daughter; the Farmans had surrendered and were now part of the army that Tywin Lannister had assembled.

The war had been going for some four moons, with the Westerlands becoming a smoking ruin, the like of which had not been seen since the first Blackfyre rebellion. The Blackfyres were gone now, but they had given second sons and angered cousins the idea that rebellion could be done and was acceptable. Loren had slain many good men and many friends on the fields of the Pendric Hills and elsewhere fighting this damned rebellion. He took no pleasure in it, but it needed to be done, he knew that rebels needed to be shown their place. Lord Godfrey Lannister deserved to be flayed for what he had done to Tarbeck Hall.

The news of his aunt and his cousins' fate had reached him as he had been camped at Oxcross. Godfrey Lannister had put the castle to sword, and had raped his aunt and made his cousins watch. He'd then hung them one by one, before burning the castle. Loren had been deeply angered by that, so much so that it had taken both Tygett and Lancel to stop him from riding on his horse and charging for Tarbeck Hall straight away. Instead he had sat and brooded through the war councils, listening as the lords debated what their next move should be, all the while thinking that their next move should be to burn Lannisport to the ground.

Of course Tywin Lannister, the man leading the Lannister forces had decided to ignore everyone else's advice and had decreed that they would march on Lannisport and draw Godfrey Lannister to his home where they would fight him and end this war. The other lords had begun clamouring like a group of old hens, saying how such a move was rash and dangerous and would cost them more men than it would gain them. Loren had felt his anger grow, and had been about to voice his own thoughts on the matter when Tywin Lannister had simply said that they would gain nothing by waiting at Oxcross and that Lannisport belonged to the Rock not some upstart cousin.

And so they had marched. The city itself had opened its gates to their army, the Lord Commander of the City Watch was Tywin's cousin and was loyal to the man not his liege lord, and so the city was taken peacefully. The castle of Lannisport however was another matter. A fierce resistance was offered by the captain of the guards, who it seemed had more honour than sense. Loren had bloodied his sword many a time during the battle for the castle, and had ended up killing the captain of guards himself, a sword thrust through the stomach doing the job.

After that, Loren saw for the first time just how ruthless Tywin Lannister was, and how different he was from his father. Instead of keeping Godfrey's remaining family members as hostages to use against him, Tywin Lannister ordered their execution, all of them, women, children and old men all were put to the sword, and their heads not decorated the walls of Lannisport castle. All the while Loren felt something akin to bile rising in his stomach, whilst Tywin Lannister merely stood there watching it all unfold with a blank expression on his face.

A raven was then sent across the Westerlands, declaring the end of House Lannister of Lannisport the Green lions as they were known. That drew Godfrey Lannister from his burning of the Westerlands, and now his army was camped outside the walls of the city, waiting for a moment to strike and enter. The anticipation of the battle was beginning to get to Loren, he wanted to fight and he wanted to kill, and he wanted it over and done with now. None of this waiting malarkey, the enemy was outside their walls not inside, and a siege was always likely, the green lion had some 20,000 men with him, whilst they had only 15,000 men.

All of this had been brought up at the war council the day before and Loren had argued strongly for simply opening the gates and fighting the rebel army in the streets. There had been some agreement from the younger lords present, the older ones had urged caution once more, arguing that it would be better to frustrate the rebels and goad them into a wrong move rather than doing one themselves. Tywin, the man was a Lannister and there was enmity between their two houses that ran deeper than either of them truly knew, still he was a very shrewd man and a very capable warrior. He had remained silent for a long time before he had eventually said in that soft voice of his that they would fire catapults at the men and then only then would they open the gates.

That was what he had been waiting for all this time, as the horns were sounded, signalling the ending of the catapult rampage and the opening of the gates, Loren unsheathed Red Rain from its scabbard, and readied himself for the battle that would soon be coming. His lion's head helm was already atop his head, and through it he could see Ser Tywin Lannister, and Prince Aegyl mounted and armoured, with the Prince was Ser Lucas Goodbrook of the Kingsguard. They stood still for a long moment and then the Prince put a war horn to his lips and blew it, and Loren raised his sword high into the air and spurred his horse on to meet the oncoming horde of green lion soldiers.

The battle itself passes by in a rather large blur for Loren, as all future battles will. One minute he is riding so fast that everything zooms by, the next it seems as if the world has slowed down and he is hacking and slashing his way through men, sellswords and rebels a like as if they are nothing more than toys. Cutting them down and whetting Red Rain's appetite, he hacks a man's head off, slashes a man's throat, and then lops a man's arm off before pivoting and avoiding another man's swing, before killing the same man.

On and on it goes, hacking and slashing. Ducking and dodging, Red Rain, earns its name that day, cutting through men and horses alike, adding blood to the ground of Lannisport. The noise of men fighting, screaming and dying passes him by, he concentrates on fighting, hacking and slashing. Eventually he cuts down his last man, and the rest seemed to have thrown their swords down in surrender. Later he will learn it is because the man he killed was Godfrey Lannister, and the sellswords he had hired had given up hope at the sight of the Red Lion killing the Green.

The war of the lions ends with the death of Godfrey Lannister, and with him ends House Lannister of Lannisport, otherwise known as the Green Lions. Lannisport is in ruin, the city heavily damaged during the fighting, the Westerlands themselves are a smoking ruin, burnt fields and crops, and there are more dead houses now than there were during the most depressing of times during King Aerys rule. It is a strange feeling for Loren, the aftermath of war, he had fought in three wars before this, two as a squire and one as a knight of his own, and it is always the same feeling, he feels hollow and empty, and questions the purpose of fighting.

The others do not, a feast is held at Casterly Rock to celebrate the end of the war, though Loren notices that the man responsible for its successful conclusion is not present. He, himself leaves early the day after the feast whilst everyone else is still asleep or struggling with the effects of the night before. He rides with some ten men for Tarbeck Hall. When he sees his mother's home, he withholds a cry; the place is a veritable ruin and will take time to be rebuilt. He makes a note of how much needs done, and decides there and then to keep the gold aside for such things.

He returns home and is greeted by his wife Anna and their children, Edwyle, Myriah, Brynden and Gerold. Once he has been updated on all that has happened in Castamere since he was last there, he sits in his solar with his wife. Anna was radiant, just as she had been on the day of their wedding, she spoke in a similar manner to her father, direct and to the point, some found it threatening, he found it attractive and appealing. "The Septa was having a go at Myriah once again today, for praying in the Godswood and dirtying her dress. I told the woman that the dress was not the important matter, and that it was good that our daughter was staying true to her roots. The woman looked at me as if I had grown a second head."

Loren laughed then, and stroked his wife's hair. "I am sure she did my love. You know, perhaps you are coming on a bit too strong. Myriah will one day wed a lord who might keep to the seven as you did, and it is best that she knows both faiths not just one or the other."

His wife snorted. "As if you truly care about that Loren. You've not been in the Sept since the day my father knighted you. We both agreed that you could teach the boys about knighthood and all that, and I would teach our daughter the ways of the Old Gods. I still do not understand why you had to bring septa in."

Loren laughs once again. "Because it is necessary that our children know both of their parents faiths. We cannot have them be ignorant of one or the other, both are key to their heritage."

His wife sighs then and says. "False gods the Seven are. With so many rules about what you can and can't do. I saw for myself the hypocrisy of the seven in King's Landing. I do not want our children to suffer such a thing, better that they learn the simplicity of the Old Gods."

Loren exhales in frustration, this argument of theirs is an old one, one that has been raging ever since the day they found out Anna was pregnant with Edwyle, and that had been some eleven years ago now. He knows his wife will never change her views on the matter, and he has no wish to argue with her about it, after having just returned home. Instead he says. "So has there been any word from your father in my absence? Has he said when he means to come and visit?"

As if any time that her father is brought up Anna smiles and looses whatever concern was eating at her. "Yes," she says her head nodding against his chest. "He says that he and the king are coming within the moon's turn to see us and the children, as well as to visit the Rock and the Westerlands. To show the people that King's Landing is sympathetic to their plight."

"How long will they be staying here my love? Did your father say?" Loren asks, if the King is coming then that will mean a large party will be travelling with him, and Loren is not sure whether they have enough food and other supplies for such a large party.

Anna is silent for a moment before she replies. "A week no longer I believe. Father understands that our supplies will be low because of the war. But he wishes to see us and the children."

Loren nods and then kisses his wife on the top of her head. Once their reunion is done, he goes about trying to settle back into a normal life, hearing the grievances of his people, planning for the royal visit, training in the yard with the men and his own sons, teaching them what it means to be a lord. He also spends sometime overseeing the rebuilding of Tarbeck Hall, Godfrey Lannister the bastard burnt the castle quite badly, and it will take time for it to be rebuilt to its former glory. Time and gold, both of which Loren thankfully has, not in abundance but enough to manage respectably.

The royal party arrives at the end of the month, the King, four knights of the Kingsguard, his son Prince Maekar and his daughter Prince Jaehara, as well as the hand of the king and Loren's goodfather Lord Edwyle Stark and some ninety other retainers, a modest party in comparison to what Loren thought would arrive. When he brings this up with his former mentor, Edwyle merely smiles slightly and says. "His Grace knows the effects that war can have on the people; he will not have you over exerted in seeing to his comfort or that of his friends and retainers."

There is some more idle conversation, about this and that lord or squire, some talk about the rebellion, and what has happened to the rebel houses. The Green Lions are all dead as are House Banefort, the Farmans have given up a hostage and half their gold to the Rock, and the Kennings of Kayce are all but gone. There is other conversation as well, about the summer and how long it will last, some say another three years, other say forever. Others say that winter will soon be upon them. At that, both the King and Lord Stark get a strange look on their faces that Loren cannot quite understand, but he is used to such things occurring to not bother thinking to long about it.

Eventually talk turns to King's Landing, and Loren finds himself asking about the man who replaced him as commander of the gold cloaks, Ser Malcolm Ryger. Edwyle talks quietly as has always been his way. "Ryger is a good man, an honourable one who is capable. But he is not you Loren. The men are beginning to grow lax in their training and despite numerous reminders from both myself and the king; they do nothing to change that. The King believes that Ryger will need to be replaced and someone with more strength of mind will need be brought in."

Loren nods and then says. "In that case I would suggest Ser Bronn Stokeworth. The man is strong, smart and will not tolerate any nonsense from any of his underlings."

Edwyle nods, and then the king speak. "Ser Loren, you fought alongside my grandson at Lannisport did you not?" Loren nods his head. "Well then, was he safe during the fight?"

"Yes Your Grace. Prince Aegyl was very safe, Ser Lucas did not let him out of his sight for a moment, and the prince fought very well if I may say so myself."

The feast goes on for a few more hours and then eventually it ends. Loren retires to his chambers, reading through some of the reports that have come from his own bannermen and other whisperings that Maester Gorrick had thought he should know about. The news that Tytos Lannister's mistress might be with child, is something that deeply interests Loren and he begins to wonder if he could use this to his advantage.