New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
"We do not yet know when the Tyrells and Lannisters will begin their attack. According to our intelligence, however, they will mobilize an army of nearly one hundred thousand.
"This will be a very difficult war. But we have already won wars more difficult than this.
"We are far stronger now than we were then, and not by a small margin.
"So we will win this war, because I have you, and you have me."
Applause filled the council hall after Robb finished steadying them. The nobles present clearly agreed with him.
Of course, they did not believe because of a few empty words.
Robb had led the northern army step by step from traps and desperate straits. Along the way, he had convinced them with victory after victory and with battlefield power that seemed almost divine.
"Good. Before the enemy moves, we must handle both the occupation of the Westerlands and its defense.
"I will now announce the broad arrangements. If anyone is dissatisfied, speak."
When the applause still did not fade, Robb pressed one hand downward for quiet and began.
"First, the aftermath of occupying the Westerlands. I will handle this personally.
"I will pacify the Westerlands smallfolk as quickly as possible, so our rear remains stable while we fight outside.
"The Lannister gold mines have all fallen into our hands. I will increase mining and raise the output of gold.
"At the same time, I will set aside a portion of that output as rewards for this war. Trust me. So long as you fight bravely, the rewards afterward will satisfy you."
"Next is the defense of the Westerlands.
"I have already sent a raven to Riverrun. In the next two days, Edd will bring Riverlands soldiers to the Golden Tooth to join Lord Rickard.
"From the intelligence we have, Tywin and the others do not seem to plan an attack on the Golden Tooth.
"But to guard against accidents, Edd will remain at the Golden Tooth with part of the Riverlands force in Lord Rickard's place.
"Lord Rickard will take most of the combined force to Deep Den and assist Lord Kevan Lydden with the defense there."
"Your Grace, rest assured," the new Warden of the West, young Kevan Lydden, said, standing at once. "I understand that my battlefield experience is insufficient. When the time comes, I will follow Lord Rickard's command."
The words raised him in the eyes of every noble in the hall.
This young man, who had become Warden of the West at such an age, had not only understood Robb's meaning but had also spoken of his own weakness openly and without shame.
"Good. I believe you will hold Deep Den well."
Robb nodded encouragingly to him, looking satisfied with Kevan's attitude.
House Lydden was the example Robb had raised to show that loyalty would be rewarded with gold and honors alike, but he did not want that example to be a fool.
For now, Kevan Lydden seemed to know his own limits.
"Next is the defense of Lannisport. Theon, Asha.
"Once the inner harbor obstacles in Lannisport are cleared, the two of you will take the Iron Fleet and the northern fleet to build up Lannisport's defenses.
"My requirement is that in the early stage, you stop the Redwyne fleet and prevent them from landing in Lannisport. Then, when it is time for our counterattack, I will need your speed at sea."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"As you command."
Theon, dressed in a splendid noble robe, and Asha, in ironborn leather armor, stood and saluted when Robb gave the order.
"Last is the defense of Crakehall. Since Crey is still at the Crag and Smalljon is badly wounded, Ramsay, you and Gendry will be temporarily responsible for it. Can you do that?"
Ramsay stood almost by instinct. "Your Grace, I am in charge of clearing the inner harbor obstacles at Lannisport.
"And I have already grown used to fighting at sea. I may be somewhat rusty commanding on land."
Robb's warm smile did not change. He waved his right hand. "Hand your current work to someone else.
"I know your ability to command on land. If you are rusty, become familiar again. Besides, however rusty you are, you cannot be worse than Gendry, who knows nothing.
"Do not worry. You are only responsible for the temporary defense of Crakehall. When my hands are free, or when Crey returns, someone else will take over."
Ramsay's expression grew even uglier. He strongly suspected Robb meant to make him and Gendry another piece of bait, just as he had done on Pyke.
But Robb's tone was firm, and Ramsay knew he had no power to refuse.
"As... as you command, Your Grace."
Having received Asha's secret reports and learned that Ramsay's power in the Iron Islands was growing stronger, Robb intended to pull him back under his own hand.
Robb did recognize Ramsay's ability. After Sam and Asha had hollowed him out, he, with no foundation, had managed to thrive again among the ironborn.
At first, he had borrowed some of Theon's authority. But the king had once hated Ramsay even more than Robb did. For Ramsay to gain his deep trust now was proof of his skill.
The council ended amid the nobles' different thoughts.
Afterward, Theon spoke with Robb again about Asha. Because of that trust, Theon said bluntly that since Asha returned to the Iron Islands, her prestige had risen quickly and was now faintly threatening him.
Looking at Theon in his ornate noble robe and knowing from intelligence that he had sunk into pleasure since becoming king of the Iron Islands, Robb felt helpless.
Compared with Asha, Theon truly fell short in every way.
Logically, Asha had already submitted to Robb and also carried Greyjoy blood. If he gave the word, she could replace Theon as ruler of the Iron Islands and fight his wars for him.
But that was exactly why she had both ability and ambition.
Theon, who had sunk into pleasure, lacked ability, and could only rely on Robb, was the best choice in his mind.
He would not tell Theon what he truly thought. He only comforted him, saying that as long as Robb lived, Theon would remain king of the Iron Islands.
After receiving such a promise, Theon immediately forgot his worries. Grinning, he told Robb about some local amusements on Pyke and warmly invited the king to join him when he had time.
After the council at Casterly Rock ended, the northern army began its work in the Westerlands in an orderly manner.
The Westerlands smallfolk, who had been fearful after the northern occupation, gradually began accepting the new life when they saw that the northern army did not persecute them.
After all, what mattered to them was whether their own interests were harmed, not who ruled them.
In King's Landing, in the meeting hall of the Tower of the Hand, Tywin leaned back in his high-backed chair and let out a long breath after finishing the day's government work.
Before he came to King's Landing, the Gold Cloaks had been seizing poor people from Flea Bottom as laborers to rebuild the River Gate, stirring anger throughout the city.
In addition, the commander of the Gold Cloaks, Lothor Brune, had been extorting wealth. Under his lead, officers up and down the Gold Cloaks had joined the plunder, worsening the conflict in King's Landing.
After Tywin took over Jaime's work as Hand of the King, he arrested Lothor Brune and the Gold Cloaks loyal to his faction.
With piles of firm evidence presented, Lothor Brune and his men were made scapegoats to calm the people's anger and were executed at once.
Tywin then used Lannister riders under his command to replace many of the problematic Gold Cloaks. Order in King's Landing improved noticeably, and the sharpened tensions slowly eased.
These methods immediately won recognition from the nobles and smallfolk of King's Landing. For a time, Tywin's prestige stood even higher than that of the new king, Tommen I.
"My lord Hand, Wisdom Hallyne of the Alchemists' Guild has brought another group of people with strange gifts. He says they all possess extraordinary power."
Tywin had only just begun to rest when a Lannister rider came to report.
"Heh. Bring them in. I may as well watch their tricks and relax."
Ever since Tywin entrusted Hallyne with searching for people with strange gifts, the alchemist had brought a batch to the Tower of the Hand every two days for him to verify personally.
The earlier batches were mostly city riffraff trying to pass themselves off as wonders. When Tywin asked them to display their unusual qualities, some performed difficult acrobatics, while others showed tricks that might fool children.
The most absurd was an old woman hung all over with foreign ornaments who called herself a prophet. After some theatrical muttering, she prophesied that Tywin would live to the age of one hundred and thirteen.
Tywin naturally did not believe such a prophecy. He had the old woman and the other "oddities" driven out together.
The reason he still insisted that Hallyne continue searching was simple. Outside Riverrun, Robb had descended like something divine and placed enormous pressure on him.
So long as there was even a sliver of a chance of finding someone unusual enough to oppose Robb, Tywin would not give up.
Hallyne entered the meeting hall with his hunched back bent even lower, bowing deeply to Tywin.
"My lord Hand, Hallyne has again found people with strange gifts for you. It is said they all possess extraordinary powers."
"Greetings, my lord Hand."
Behind Hallyne, ten people in wildly different dress and with truly unusual appearances bowed together.
"Rise. Hallyne, you have worked hard. As usual, have them display their powers one by one."
Leaning in his high-backed chair, Tywin shifted into a more comfortable position and spoke.
Hallyne immediately had the nearest one begin.
Yes. A performance.
The man's body swayed casually for a while. Then he closed his eyes and claimed that he had arrived somewhere else in Westeros.
After that, he seemed to hit a wall and could not move forward. His hands pressed against the air as if braced on an invisible barrier.
"Enough. Next."
Tywin tapped his forehead twice and spoke with clear impatience.
Hallyne hurriedly pushed the man trapped by the invisible wall out of the hall and had the next one begin.
"Ha. Next."
Tywin, nearly drowsy from the tedious displays, yawned and waved the next person forward.
"My lord Hand, may the light of the Lord of Light shine upon you always."
The next man did not perform immediately. He blessed Tywin first.
"Hm? You are a red priest?"
Hearing the blessing, Tywin looked up with interest.
The red priest wore no red robe. Instead, he was dressed in ragged clothes like a beggar.
He stood roughly seven feet tall. His white beard, about a handspan long, was tangled together. His exposed skin was black as pitch, and his round belly looked as if it held a boulder.
Most striking were the strange flame tattoos on his cheeks and forehead.
"Yes. I am Moqorro, a slave who serves the great Lord of Light."
Moqorro nodded.
"I do not wish to ask anything else for now. I only want to see your unusual power."
Tywin did not know why a priest of the red god had come to King's Landing, but at the moment he cared only whether the man truly possessed supernatural power.
"My lord Hand, this is not an unusual power. It is the power of my faith in my lord."
As Moqorro answered, he stepped forward and bowed his head in prayer.
"My lord, R'hllor, your faithful slave prays to you..."
As Moqorro prayed, an invisible wind seemed to gather in the meeting hall and move toward his hands and feet.
When the prayer ended, four masses of burning orange-red flame rose around his hands and feet.
Everyone in the hall except Tywin stared in shock.
Tywin, who had long trained himself not to show joy or anger, was also shocked. But compared to Robb's terrifying display, this scene was only a small one.
He rose from his high-backed chair and approached Moqorro. The moment he drew close to the man's burning limbs, heat rolled against his face, and his skin prickled with pain.
'Not a trick. Real flame.'
After feeling the heat himself, Tywin knew Moqorro was the man he had been seeking.
Moqorro, who had been staring at the flames in his own hands, suddenly raised both burning hands high and threw the flames toward another oddity standing to the side.
"Ah! Help! Help me!"
The two balls of flame left Moqorro's hands and struck the man like arrows loosed from a bow.
Orange-red fire swallowed him in an instant. He fell to the ground, struggling to put out the flames while screaming miserably.
Within minutes, he stopped moving and screaming. The orange-red fire silently burned him into charcoal.
"My lord Hand, in the revelation the Lord of Light gave me, I saw that he would sell today's events to others as intelligence."
As Lannister riders rushed into the meeting hall from outside, Moqorro stood with flame under his feet and spoke calmly to the equally composed Tywin.
"Yes. He was likely a spy from another power. All of you, leave. If Moqorro wished me harm, how could you stop him?"
Tywin nodded to Moqorro, then waved his household guards back.
"My lord Hand is no ordinary man. No wonder my lord sent me to assist you."
Hearing the Lannister riders withdraw behind him, Moqorro smiled.
"The red god... the Lord of Light sent you to assist me with what?"
Tywin tilted his head and asked in puzzlement.
"The minions of the Great Other are devouring Westeros without anyone realizing it. I will assist you in defeating them and saving Westeros."
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story so far, consider supporting me on Patreon ❤️
You'll get weekly early access to chapters, along with some exclusive content:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheDevotedReader