Blood and Winter

The Dragons

Chapter LXX - Lord of Horn Hill

Casterly Rock had fallen.

The once believed to be an unconquerable fortress of House Lannisters had finally been defeated and the man to do it was Lord Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill. Casterly Rock had been taken, the banner of House Stark proudly displayed above the city and with it, the Westerlands were well and truly conquered.

Tywin Lannisters defeat at the Battle of the Bloody Antlers had been the end of the Lannister's power and influence. But the fall of Casterly Rock was the last symbol of Lannister power, one that was now defeated,

Already those lords that had remained loyal to the Lannisters were talking terms of surrender, even Lord Marbrand. The war in the Westerlands was finished, and House Stark and its new dynasty had won. But even that victory was short-lived because the war didn't seem any closer to being finished, especially with the arrival of the Targaryens once more.

'At least they seem divided instead of allied.' Randyll thought to himself as he strode through the corridors of the Antlers. He was impressed with the boy King, man now he supposed considering this war had been waging for nearly three years now. Three years in which Robb Stark had proven himself time and time again as a capable commander, a great one even. Randyll had no doubts that the boy would go down in the history books.

Both as the Young Wolf and now, as the Wolf King. A new title that Robb Stark had been gifted by the men who served him and his enemies.

'A fitting title. Much better and more dignified than the Young Wolf.' Randyll had never really been all that interested in monikers such as those, it was beneath him to care. At the same time, he also recognised how useful such titles could be if used correctly. Olenna and the Tyrells had done excellently at spreading and amplifying the legend of the Young Wolf. 'No doubt they are also the ones who made sure to change it to the Wolf King as well.'

Pushing open the door to an office, Randyll entered to find Robb talking with Garlan, Marq Piper, Yohn Royce and Brynden Blackfish. Behind him, Brienne closed the door allowing the lords privacy.

"Your grace." Randyll greeted with a bow.

Robb smiled a rare sight. "Lord Tarly, please rise." He replied. "You do not need to bow to me with the news you bring me. Casterly Rock taken, the Westerlands conquered and now, twenty thousand men ready to be deployed elsewhere."

"I simply did as I was ordered," Randyll said simply, rising to his full height as he took note of a few additional figures in the room, those he didn't quite recognise. "Unfortunately though I cannot bring more good news. Petyr Baelish did not come west therefore still eludes us."

"Expected as much." Brynden gruffly stated. "He's more than likely heading back to the Vale or trying to escape east and go to Essos."

"Still, we had to make sure," Garlan responded. "Is my brother, Loras with you?"

Randyll nodded his head. "He is."

"Your grace?" Robb waved his hand, dismissing Garlan who smiled in thanks, heading to see his brother who he had not seen in so long. So much had changed and he hadn't seen his family in so long, the last time was before the Battle of the Bloody Antlers, but his father and brother, Loras had not been amongst them. And despite that only being a short time away, it felt like a long time ago.

Randyll meanwhile moved forwards, looking up the map with a slight frown. The blonde-haired boy, Harold beside Yohn Royce had already moved the pieces that would have denoted his army towards the Antlers, joining with a large number of pieces already there.

They had two forces in the south left to deal with, one at Dragonstone and another at Kings Landing. Neither would be easy to defeat, especially if it required them to besiege those cities. In fact, Randyll Tarly would like to avoid even attempting to besiege those cities simply because of how difficult and bloody they would become.

"May I ask, what is our next move considering the Targaryen forces," Randyll asked.

"Negotiation if possible," Robb replied with a slight frown. "But even if negotiations fail and war breaks out, I will count it as a success if I at least make it so neither Daenerys nor Aegon become allies."

"Considering that news has been spread of Aegon marrying Arianna Martell, that at least removes the option of marriage from the table." Lord Piper stated though all were aware that the Targaryens weren't unused to having multiple brides, Aegon could very well do the same.

"It won't be possible to appease everyone," Yohn noted. "Both Aegon and Daenerys came here intending to conquer all of Westeros. That makes you the biggest enemy to them both with you ruling nearly all of Westeros, especially its largest and most prosperous regions. An alliance forged between the two would only be natural so ensuring that doesn't happen will be a difficult task. But if we succeed in doing so, perhaps it would be best to focus on appeasing Daenerys Targaryen. With her Dragons, she poses the biggest threat."

"But we can't ignore the Golden Company." The Harold who had moved back to his position beside Yohn spoke up. "They have proven to be the most capable and dangerous fighting force in Westeros. Two hundred of their men held off nearly fifteen hundred men alone with no real commander to lead them. Not to mention they have those strange creatures of theirs."

Robb listened to them all, looking upon Randyll who was doing the same as him. "What is your suggestion, Lord Tarly?" He eventually asked, hoping to gain some incite upon the most mysterious man in the room. A man that Robb had heard many claims to be one of the few people in Westeros capable of actually rivalling him as a commander. Some even said that his experience in the wars he had been in made him better than Robb. It was something that Robb was interested in finding out for himself.

"What Yohn Royce says is true," Randyll murmured. "Allying ourselves with Daenerys Targaryen is the best choice to make. It simply depends on what she would be willing to take and how much you are willing to give in turn. As for Aegon Targaryen, while we do possess the largest army and Daenerys her Dragons, we cannot dismiss the Golden Company. They are the strongest force in all of Westeros and perhaps Essos. They possess more fighting experience than any army we could muster. But overall, Daenerys should be our main focus."

'The Dragons are the biggest threats.' Robb correctly summarised Randyll's intentions. As big a threat as the Golden Company was, the Dragons were an even greater source of concern. "So what do you believe our main course of action should be?"

Robb had his own ideas as did his advisors. He would negotiate with the Targaryen rulers, ensuring neither would ally against him and hopefully getting Daenerys to ally with him. In the meantime, his army would continue the march south towards Kings Landing stopping just south of Hayford. Thus putting pressure upon Aegon during the negotiations

"Delay the negotiations, stall for time while the army marches south," Randyll stated. "Make a show of it, let them be fully aware that while these negotiations are going on, you are still waging a war and they are your enemies. Make it clear that you will not bow and are prepared to crush them."

"A show of strength?" It was rhetorical, both men knew it and Robb felt a smirk come across his face as he looked upon the Lord of Horn Hill. "Lord Tarly," rising to his feet Robb felt a shift come across the room as all men stood straighter. "While I negotiate with the Targaryens rulers, I want you to lead the force of sixty thousand men and link up with Mace Tyrell and his force of forty thousand to a point south of Hayford. Take your time, make it a…leisurely stroll and make it public. I want everyone in Westeros to be watching the march of our army with bated breath."

It may not seem like much, but everyone here knew the importance of such a role. Of what burden and responsibilities would be placed upon the shoulders of the man in charge. They also knew of the glory and rewards which would be bestowed upon the commander of such a force.

Randyll knew it too and there was a slight upturn of his lips and as he bowed, all noticed that it was deeper than before, much deeper. "I will not fail you, your grace."

So, another chapter is done and I hope you all enjoyed it. Anyway, please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.