Scions of the Cruel King

Lord Tybolt Lannister

Summer was waning in Westeros, winter was soon to be upon the land, and they were waging war. Not just any war though, this was a war to seat the rightful king of Westeros on the Iron Throne, Aegon Targaryen son of Maegor and Jeyne Targaryen, was in Tybolt Lannister's eyes the only true king in Westeros, given that he was not born through the abominable practice of incest. More to that, the man had the backing of the Faith Militant, who were led by a man whom had once been Tybolt's brother, they had the backing of the Seven for this war, and they would be victorious Tybolt was certain of it.

The banners had been called, envoys had been dispatched to Storm's End and to Brightwater Keep to bring more men to Aegon's side, for Vaegyl that abomination and his sisters had more dragons then they did, six to their paltry two. Aegon and his brothers were of the opinion that they only way that this was would be one was if one or both of the original dragons from the conquest were captured, they believed that in this dance of dragons, only fire and blood would decide the matter. Tybolt was not so sure himself. He had been but a babe at the breast when the conqueror had landed, but he had heard the tales of how the dragons had proved ineffectual in conquering Dorne, he had fought in the war with Dorne that had erupted after Rhaenys and Meraxes had been slain by the Dornishmen, he knew dragons could die, only blood and steel would decide the final outcome of this war.

They had marched from Casterly Rock when word had come from Prince Daemon that he had been successful in bringing House Florent to their cause, and along with them, House Ambrose, House Costayne, House Osgrey, House Strickland and the Houses and the fleet from the Shield Islands, as well as all their sworn swords and knights and retainers. Coming in at some 30,000 men, 30,000 men whom Prince Daemon had written were marching up the Mander past the Ocean Road and would be joining them on their campaign. King Aegon had decreed that they would march then, and march through the Riverlands, a sound move Tybolt thought, the Riverlords would not be at full strength, having had to face the brunt of their earlier attacks, and would more than likely be divided amongst themselves as to what to do. Yes, Tybolt had thought this would be the perfect time to strike.

No news had come from Gawen Westerling as to how things were going at Storm's End, nothing had been heard from the man since the raven had come notifying them of his arrival at the old castle. But that did not matter for now, as Tybolt sat astride his horse and surveyed the Riverlands, they would be doing battle for the first time properly in this conflict today. Their scouts had reported that Lord Daryn Vance of Wayfarer's Rest had called his men and was expecting a battle. A council had been held before they had left the Golden Tooth the day before, and it had been decided that Aegon and his dragon Urrax would not take part in the conflict, better to keep the King protected, Tybolt and the king's brother Laecareys would instead lead the troops, all 20,000 of them and hope to take Wayfarer's Rest, and then perhaps Riverrun.

"Prince Laecareys wishes to speak with you my lord." Tybolt heard his squire Ronald Crakehall say.

Tybolt turned to face the boy- a skinny lad of fifteen slightly younger than the Prince- "Very well, keep a watch out for the enemy Roland and notify Gerion should anything suspicious come up." He replied- and he dearly hoped nothing did come up, his son was not exactly the brightest spark in the world- he turned his horse round and rode to where Prince Laecareys was seat on his horse on the crest of the hill, a solemn look on his face. "You wished to speak with me Your Grace?" Tybolt said.

Prince Laecareys turned his head to the left to look at Tybolt, and once more Tybolt was reminded of what a young Maegor had looked like, he had the big muscular build of his father as did his brother Vaegyl and he had the little bit of moustache that his father had favoured as well as the grim expression that had always been on Maegor's face. The Prince spoke in the same iron tone as his father and brother had as well when he replied. "I did Lord Tybolt. I want you to take half the troops and march down this passageway here- Laecareys pointed at the passageway down from the hill- having spoke with Lord Lefford, I understand that by marching down the passageway shall lead you straight to the gates of Wayfarer's Rest. Lord Daryn Vance, will most likely not be expecting such a daring move, more than likely he will be expecting us to converge on him from the sides and surround his castle."

Tybolt nodded there was sense in what the Prince was saying, though he was surprised that the Prince was going to be leading the charge himself- something that Maegor would undoubtedly have done- "And what will you do Your Grace?" Tybolt asked, and saw the flash of anger pass across the Prince's face at being questioned, just like it would often pass over Maegor's face.

"I shall lead the other half of the men down from the left hand side of the causeway and attack from the west. Two attacks and Lord Vance will not know what to do, nor will Riverrun have time to send aid before the castle falls to us." The prince said.

Tybolt nodded then, and was about to ask something more when the prince said "Has there been any word from the Rock? How do my family fair Lord Tybolt?"

"There has been no word from the Rock Your Grace, not since we received the raven informing us that her Grace Queen Myrielle had given birth to a baby boy." Tybolt replied.

The prince merely nodded and then gestured for Tybolt to leave, which he did and once he got back to his own position on the left of the hill he spoke to his squire and his son. "We have orders; we are to march down the passageway now to attack the Vances and their men."

His son as ever found something to complain about "But surely that would be suicidal father? Wayfarer's has never even fallen before, and it has dirks and pikes in the ditches built around it, I remember my history lessons well."

Tybolt sighed internally and merely replied "We have orders, we shall do as bid and take the castle." With that he raised his sword and in one long commanding tone shouted "Men of the West, charge!"

And with that there were no more words spoken, Tybolt galloped at the head of the column of 10,000 men- just as he had in the Boneway, and in the Battle of Long Axe- with his sword drawn high. His men were bellowing battle cries as the charged, and soon they came upon the unsuspecting Wayfarer's Rest with the rams at the ready. Tybolt pointed his sword to the left and his archers fire arrows at the guardsmen on the walls, he saw some of the arrows hit their mark, some went astray and others fell short. This continued for about twenty minutes before there were no more defenders on the walls, he could hear the ram being hit against the doors of the castle, and so he sent more men into help, and sent his son and others to find more ways into the castle.

Eventually the doors came crumbling down and Tybolt was the first through them, his horse jumping over the pikes and dirks in the ditches surrounding the inner castle, though they lost a few men to those traps. Mounted on his horse, he had the advantage against his foes who were on the ground and he cut them down one at a time, swinging his sword with the same ferocity that he had at Long Axe and the Boneway, he sliced a man in half, hacked a man to bloody pieces and lopped another man's head off all in the space of about five minutes of entering the castle.

He rode down three or four men at arms who were not quick enough to get away from his horse. The others, who came to try and knock him off his horse, were felled by sword blows to the head, chest and stomach. His sword was soon drenched in blood, the ground littered with the corpses of the fallen, and yet the men of Wayfarer's Rest would not surrender, they continued to fight, and Tybolt kept swinging his sword.

Eventually, there were very few men left of fighting age for House Vance, and the man who appeared to be in charge laid down his sword, thus prompting the others to do so as well. Tybolt stayed atop his horse and looked over the courtyard of the castle and the surrounding areas; they were all covered in blood, bodies laid strewn on the cobbled floors and the hard ground. The horrors of war, a demon, but a necessary won. "You have fought valiantly today, but in the name of his Grace Aegon Targaryen second of his name, rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, I thank you for your surrender. You shall be treated amiably and kindly for the duration of our stay here. Now where is Lord Daryn Vance and where are his wife and children?"

There was a long silence, before an old man who looked to be in his seventies stepped forward and said "Lord Vance is not here, he has gone to Riverrun with his two sons. I know not where his wife or daughters are."

"Traitor, Oswell you traitor, you would sell out your own kin, to this man, a Lannister, pahh." Another old man with faded brown hair and deep dark brown eyes spat.

"And who might you be?" Tybolt asked turning his attention to the man who had spoken out of turn.

The man stared at Tybolt defiantly when he replied "I am Leyton Smallwood, the master of arms for Wayfarer's Rest and that man there is Oswell Vance, my goodbrother."

"And would you like to live Ser Leyton?" Tybolt asked in a neutral voice.

"No, not if it means having to serve traitors and usurpers. Long Live King Vaegyl!" Smallwood shouted.

"Have him killed, and have his head mounted on a spike outside the gates." Tybolt told Lord Boros Brax, who was on his horse closest to Tybolt. As the man was dragged away by two men bearing the livery of House Brax, Tybolt continued to look around the courtyard, at the faces of the old men and green boys that had been left behind to defend the castle, victory had been easy, far too easy.

He dismounted from his horse, and gave the reins to Roland, and then said "Now can someone show me the way to the Lord's Solar or do I need to kill some more of you?"

After a brief moment of silence, a man whom Tybolt guessed was the castle maester by the chain dangling around his neck came forward and said "I will show you the way my lord. I am Maester Loras."

Tybolt nodded and then turned to his men. "You have done well today, we shall feast tonight. Lords Brax, Crakehall, Banefort and Lefford come with me if you please, we have much to discuss." And with that he followed the maester to the Lord's Solar.

After entering the solar and thanking the maester for showing him the way, Tybolt sat down in the lord's chair and waited for the other lords to enter the solar. When they did, he waited for them to sit down before he spoke. "We have won an easy victory today. Lord Daryn Vance left his castle weakly garrisoned and I want to know why. Boros that will be your duty, figure out what you can about Vance and his sons, if we are to take Riverrun we must needs know how strong this castle is as well as what resources it can provide."

"Of course my lord." Boros Brax replied.

"A raven must be sent to the Rock informing them of our success here. Alester did the archers take down any and all ravens that were sent out during the battle?" Tybolt asked.

Alester Banefort- an old man, but a brave and bold one- nodded and said "Aye my lord, not one raven was allowed to leave the vicinity during the battle. Nothing of import was found though in the letters."

Tybolt nodded and then said "Prince Laecareys will be here by tomorrow morn. I intend to have the castle set to rights by then. Go and celebrate my lords. We shall reconvene when the prince is here."

Tybolt stayed in the solar once the lords had left, reading through the letters that had been on Lord Daryn's table. A letter calling him to Riverrun to prepare for defending the Riverlands from an attack from the Reach- so they had learnt of that already had they?- A letter from Lord Gormon Frey asking about betrothing his daughter to Daryn's eldest son, and then finally a letter from Vaegyl, that was blank- now that was strange.

The blank letter from Vaegyl continued to play on Tybolt's thoughts and mind throughout the rest of the day and throughout the whole of the feast that night. He did eventually ask the maester about the letter, that night before he went to bed, but the man took one look at the letter and got a fearful look on his face, and merely refused to speak of it again. That made Tybolt even more curious, and frustrated.

The next morning Prince Laecareys and the other half of the Westerlands army entered the castle. The prince truly did carry himself like Maegor and Vaegyl, the way his eyes merely scanned through the throngs of soldiers and people that stood in the castle's courtyard, made Tybolt think that he was looking for a threat amongst the men gathered here, as if he completely distrusted them. A wise boy, Tybolt thought, smarter than what Gerold Westerling gave him credit for and a great swordsman as well.

"You have done well Lord Tybolt, taking the castle with so few losses." The prince said later as they both sat in the Lord's Solar. "I have sent a raven to my brother at the Golden Tooth, informing him of your victory here."

Tybolt nodded and did not mention that he had already sent a raven to the Rock, there were certain things that Prince Laecareys did not need to know and this was one of them.

"As I marched from the hill, my army ran into Lord Edwyn Vance of Atranta," The Prince began. "The man had with him some 500 men, 100 of whom were knights. At first I thought that we would have to give battle, but such unnecessary bloodshed was avoided. Vance has bent the knee to Aegon and has given us his men."

Tybolt nodded, so it was as he thought the Riverlords were growing divided, after the battle of the Trident a year ago that was not surprising, they had hardly appeared joined together then. "That is good Your Grace. What is our next move?" Tybolt knew what he would do now, leave a garrison here to defend the Rest from Vaegyl and his men, and then strike out eastward, not to Riverrun but to Pink Maiden, take that and the Riverlands would know they meant business.

The Prince looked uncertain for a brief moment before his face was schooled into a blank mask. "Well Lord Tywin Moreland urges me to march on Riverrun now, we have the greater numbers than Edmund Tully and the Riverlands now, but still Riverrun can withstand a siege, and without Urrax or Firefree we would be risking being attacked in the rear by whatever forces come from the north or from Highgarden or the Vale." Tybolt nodded, the boy certainly was quite astute, and his lessons had paid off. The Prince continued. "On the other hand I have Damon Marbrand urging me to strike out for Pink Maiden and Acorn Hall, to take them and crush them."

"And what will you do Your Grace?" Tybolt asked.

"I shall wait here for now, wait for Daemon and the Reachmen coming with him, they should be here within a week or two. Then we march for Pink Maiden, and we shall take it and then when Edmund Tully comes out of Riverrun to fight us, we shall crush him and his, and take Riverrun." The Prince replied, a fire shone in his eyes, and Tybolt shivered internally, it was like looking at Vaegyl when the boy had been angry or determined.