-Chapter 93-
-POV Ronnet Connington-
"This is truly magnificent, don't you think?" I said, watching the gates of Red Lake close in the distance through my spyglass.
"And to think he believes he has a chance of beating us," Arion replied.
"Tywin?" I asked Arion.
He nodded, a disdainful smile on his lips.
"It will all soon be over for him and the Lannisters," I said, laughing as I nudged my reins slightly to get my horse moving.
---
-POV Tywin Lannister-
SOUND OF A HORN
"How is this possible?" I said, watching from the walls of Red Lake as Ronnet Connington's army descended the hill several kilometers away.
"This doesn't bode well for us," said Loras Tyrell at my right.
'No kidding,' I thought, ignoring the obvious remark from the third son of Mace Tyrell, the last heir of the golden flower.
"Get your men up on the wall," I ordered, looking at him.
He suddenly turned toward me and asked, his eyes wide with surprise at my order:
"Is this a joke? For what purpose?"
"Your soldiers are fresher than mine," I replied, pointing out the obvious before adding while gesturing to my troops: "My men are exhausted; look for yourself."
Loras Tyrell didn't even bother to glance at my men, some of whom were on their knees, retching from the superhuman effort required during the forced marches.
"We agreed to be equals if we allied ourselves, not to serve as shields," he retorted categorically, refusing to send his men up to defend the walls.
'This fool is going to get us all killed with his lack of judgment,' I thought, growing increasingly irritated by this unleashed pup who kept questioning my authority.
'If only I didn't need him…'
"If you want them to breach the gates before the day's end, fine, keep going like this. But remember, if that demon breaks through these gates, I will have warned you," I said, signaling one of my captains to come forward for orders.
Loras Tyrell grimaced but raised his hand and said, "Wait…"
I raised an eyebrow without saying a word, waiting to hear what he would say.
He hesitated for a few moments before finally gesturing to a young man.
"Go tell Olymer to get our men on the wall," Loras Tyrell said reluctantly, clearly annoyed at having to concede to my reasoning.
'Young, reckless pup. Just because you have more men than I do doesn't mean you'll have the final say in command,' I thought, watching the fool bend to my will.
"That's better," I said with a satisfied nod, relieved that the young Tyrell still possessed some common sense.
He turned toward me, frowning, and said:
"We'll handle the defense today, BUT tomorrow your men will have to fight, rested or not. Am I clear?"
I stared at him coldly before nodding.
'Now is not the time to put him in his place,' I thought, before adding as I watched the enemy army rapidly approach: 'Once we've dealt with this arrogant upstart, I'll take care of him.'
"Very well," I said, nodding without further comment.
Loras Tyrell stared at me in silence for a moment before finally walking away to oversee the wall's defense.
---
-POV Ronnet Connington-
I tugged lightly on my horse's reins to make it stop and said without delay:
"Bring me the prisoners."
"You want to do this now?" Rodrik asked, frowning.
'He probably thinks I'm being too impatient, but honestly, I'm tired of waiting. The sooner this is settled, the better,' I thought as I turned to him.
"It's time to finish this," I said to Rodrik before turning my attention to the carts carrying our prisoners as they moved toward us.
"Bring out the Lannisters, as well as the knights and lords sworn to their House," I ordered my soldiers, who promptly opened the cart doors to let the Lannisters out.
"RONNET!" Kevan Lannister shouted as he descended from the cart, his hands bound behind his back with iron chains.
One of my men struck him in the stomach with the butt of his lance, causing him to fall to his knees, gasping for air.
"Get him on his feet," I ordered with a wave of my hand to ensure he was quickly pulled upright.
I averted my gaze from Kevan Lannister and fixed it on another Lannister.
'A far more important Lannister,' I thought silently.
'No, "important" isn't the right word. He's far more… precious,' I mused as I observed this man glaring at me silently.
'He's learned to keep quiet after dealing with the Ironborn,' I thought, noticing his right hand, which was missing two fingers.
A line of about ten men passed before me under the watchful eyes of my soldiers.
I nudged my reins slightly, making my horse trot a few steps behind them.
"Relax, Victor," I said, noticing him constantly glancing toward the top of the walls, trying to spot enemy archers.
"We're within arrow range, Ronnet, so forgive me if I don't share your blind faith in this plan," Victor replied, shifting uneasily in his saddle.
I glanced at Rodrik on my right, and we both stifled a laugh at Victor's visible discomfort.
Once we regained our composure, we stopped within shouting distance of the enemy walls.
I took a deep breath and bellowed at the top of my lungs:
"TYWIN!"
---
-POV Tywin Lannister-
'What is he doing?' I thought, watching Ronnet Connington and his men enter our line of fire.
They were forcing a dozen people, dressed like beggars, to kneel.
Squinting, I recognized my brother Kevan, as well as my son Jaime.
'He thinks I won't dare give the order to fire for fear of hitting them,' I thought.
'And he's right. Jaime must not die,' I added inwardly.
Sacrificing my son for a futile attempt would lead to nothing.
"Prepare to fire!" Loras Tyrell suddenly shouted.
"Are you insane? You'll kill my family!" I snapped.
I turned to him, furious, and ordered in an icy tone:
"Tell them to lower their bows immediately."
Loras Tyrell stared at me for a moment, then looked away.
Reluctantly, he lowered his hand, signaling the archers not to fire.
I let out an internal sigh of relief and turned my attention back to Ronnet Connington.
---
-POV Ronnet Connington-
"Kneel before the one true king of Westeros, and we'll spare your life and your family's. Otherwise, we'll be forced to kill you all. We have an army of over 100,000 men, while you have only 40,000, half of whom are cavalry. You don't stand a chance," Tywin Lannister shouted from the walls.
"What did he say?" Arion asked, straining his ears but failing to catch Tywin's words.
I smiled and replied, "He wants me to kneel and kiss the boots of his bastard grandson born of incest."
"He seems rather determined," Arion remarked in a neutral tone.
I shrugged, unbothered by Arion's comment.
I knew exactly what Tywin Lannister was capable of… and what he wasn't.
"If he were truly determined, he would have already ordered his archers to rain arrows down on us."
'He's lost too much. Too many men. Too many Lannisters. Without the ones I hold prisoner, the remaining Lannisters will only be Lannisters in name… at least in his eyes,' I thought.
"You said he wouldn't do it," Victor said, still visibly uneasy about advancing in the open.
"And he didn't," I replied calmly before shouting back at Tywin:
"YOUR SON AND YOUR BROTHER WILL DIE IF YOU DON'T SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY, TYWIN! ARE YOU REALLY WILLING TO RISK THEIR LIVES WHEN WE BOTH KNOW THAT AFTER THIS BATTLE, YOU'LL STILL HAVE TO FACE THE MOTHER OF DRAGONS?"
Seeing no response from him, I decided to give him one last chance. One final opportunity to save his legacy.
'His last chance to ensure the survival of House Lannister, his legacy… Cersei,' I thought.
"I'M GIVING YOU THE CHANCE TO KEEP THE WESTERLANDS, TO SAVE ALL THE REMAINING LANNISTERS, EVEN YOUR CHILDREN'S BASTARD. BUT YOU MUST KNEEL BEFORE MY THRONE AND SWEAR YOUR LOYALTY. THIS IS YOUR FINAL CHANCE. IF YOU REJECT IT, PREPARE TO JOIN THE SEVEN HELLS," I roared.
Deep down, I hoped he would realize he couldn't win. But perhaps I was expecting too much.
His response came, cold and resolute:
"YOU WILL JOIN THEM BEFORE ME."
---
-POV Loras Tyrell-
"YOU WILL JOIN THEM BEFORE ME," Tywin Lannister roared furiously at his former son-in-law.
He turned toward me, about to say something, but I didn't wait.
I drew my dagger and slit his throat with a swift, precise motion, cutting deep into his windpipe.
'I did it. Damn, I did it. I killed Tywin Lannister,' I thought, feeling the warm blood of the Warden of the West splatter across my face.
"Loras…" my cousin Olymer murmured, his eyes wide with shock at what he had just witnessed.
'The former most feared lord in Westeros,' I thought, watching Tywin's body convulse one last time before going still.
"Aaaaaaaah!" a Lannister knight shouted, drawing his sword to avenge his lord.
His cry ignited the battle.
Lannister soldiers and mine clashed in a bloody chaos.
War cries echoed all around as the pandemonium engulfed the ramparts.
The Lannisters, enraged by the death of their lord, charged at my men.
But my sworn knights were ready.
The Lannister knight who had tried to kill me was struck down before he even reached me.
Three of my sworn knights skewered him almost simultaneously, sending him crashing to the ground.
-Flashback Begins-
"Loras," Margaery said in an extremely low voice, gesturing for me to come closer.
"What do you want, Margaery?" I asked, in a hurry to leave and get to Old Oak before Tywin Lannister.
"You need to kill Tywin Lannister," she said, catching me completely off guard.
"What are you talking about?" I whispered angrily before glancing around and adding, "Do you want our ruin? If the wrong ears hear what you just said…"
Margaery interrupted me, her tone firm and resolute:
"You have to kill Tywin Lannister to save Garlan. Ronnet Connington will guarantee his and Leonette's safety if you kill Tywin."
"How do you know this?" I asked, frowning.
She pretended to think for a moment before handing me a letter, which I quickly read.
It didn't take me long to understand.
Ronnet Connington had placed spies among us, learned of everything we had discussed, and was offering us a "final chance" to save Garlan's life.
"If I do this, grandmother will never forgive me," I said, reluctant to fall out of favor with our dear grandmother.
'She can be quite vengeful when she wants to,' I thought.
"Grandmother's time has passed. If you do this, I'll be betrothed to Ronald Connington, making me the wife of the crown prince of the Seven Kingdoms and the future queen," she replied.
"And how am I supposed to do it?" I asked, having no idea how to go about following her plan.
"You're smart. You'll figure it out. Just make sure he doesn't suspect your intentions. He'll underestimate you and think you're a foolish young pup. Let him confirm his assumptions about you," she said, offering no concrete advice.
"How do you know all this?" I asked, frowning.
"I read grandmother's correspondence," she admitted before slipping away, not waiting for my agreement to carry out the plan.
-Flashback Ends-
'She didn't need my agreement because she knew I'd do anything to keep Garlan alive,' I thought as I surveyed the scene.
I raised my sword high to command my troops and shouted:
"KILL ANY WHO RESIST! DISARM AND CAPTURE THOSE WHO SURRENDER!"
'For our House.'