As Daenerys finished speaking, the three little dragons flapped their wings and hissed, seemingly expressing their excitement. 💝✋ ♜🎯
A large bowl of roasted lamb was brought over by a maid, its aroma filling the air. Samwell and the others couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
The fragrant roasted meat was placed in front of him. The white dragon " Viserion " who was closest was about to devour it when he was bumped aside by the black dragon " Rhaego ", who was the largest.
" Viserion " hissed angrily, and " Rhaego," who had a large piece of roast meat in his mouth, turned his head to look at him, and " Viserion " immediately stopped yelling.
After " Rhaego " turned back to continue eating, " Viserion " first let out a few low growls, then seemed to want to go around " Rhaego ", but was bumped by the blue dragon " Jons ".
It's furious!
Viserion opened its mouth wide and hissed loudly at Jons, Jons responded with the same roar. A great battle between the two dragons seemed imminent.
With Daenerys's cheerful laughter, she tossed roasted meat into the open mouths of both little dragons.
The two little dragons, who had just been "taunting" each other, paused noticeably, seemingly stunned, as they were biting into a large piece of roasted meat that had suddenly appeared in their mouths.
" Viserion " and " Jons " quickly made up, and the two little dragons avoided " Rhaego " and stuck their heads into the barbecue pan.
The first " Rhaego " to have its fill spread its wings, its wingspan almost three times its body length. Its body is basically composed of its neck, tail, and wings.
Daenerys' violet eyes held a smile as she gently stroked " Rhaego ".
She glanced at the nearly empty bowl of roasted meat... The roasted meat the three little dragons were eating was specially made after they arrived at Crackclaw Point; it had a strong flavor, which they really enjoyed.
Daenerys's lips curved into a slight smile... Gryn had told her that this spiced, well-seasoned roast meat tasted like "mom's cooking."
Daenerys knew... her three little dragons would grow up, they would learn to hunt for themselves, they would learn to fly far away, but wherever she was... would always be their home, because that was where their most familiar "taste" resided.
Hiss~~! Hiss~~!
After they had eaten their fill, Viserion and Jons clashed again. Daenerys reluctantly pulled them apart. She suddenly realized that without Gryn's "fatherly love," they were becoming a little disobedient.
Having already established its dominance, " Rhaego " raised its head high and glanced at the two little dragons. Samwell, who had been carefully observing the three little dragons, read something in its eyes... a hint of disdain?!
Samwell murmured, " The Gods..."
Daenerys stood up and instructed Borona to put the three little dragons into the wooden cage.
"Let's go back."
When Jaime Lannister's 15,000 soldiers from the Westerlands arrived near Riverrun, Edmure Tully, the heir to Riverrun, was still rallying the scattered Riverlands army.
Seeing that the Lannister army would soon be at the city gates, Edmure Tully immediately led his hastily assembled 16,000 Riverlands soldiers out of the city to launch an attack.
Edmure Tully: Riverlands army 16,000 vs. Westerlands army 15,000, the advantage is in my hands!
In a direct confrontation, the Riverlands army was quickly routed by the Lannister army, which was riding high on its momentum. Edmure himself and many of the Riverlands vassals were taken prisoner by Jaime.
Earl Tytos Blackwood of the Raventree Hall led the remnants of the Riverlands to retreat to Riverrun.
After the war, Riverrun was directly surrounded by the Lannister army and was on the verge of collapse.
Riverrun sits at the tip of the delta where the River Tumblestone River flows into the Trident. The rivers form two sides of a triangle, and in case of danger, the Tully can open the upstream gates to create a wide moat on the third side, turning Riverrun into an island in the river.
The city walls rose high from the water, and the defenders could see everything for miles on the opposite bank from their towers.
To cut off support from all sides, the attacking side must place an army on each of the following banks: the Tumblestone River, the south bank of the Hongyou River, and the west bank of the moat—between the two rivers.
As the besieging force, Jaime Lannister had to divide his Lannister army into three camps: the Northern Camp, the Western Camp, and the Southern Camp.
While the Lannister army besieged Riverrun, Ser Marko Piper of Pinkmaiden in the Riverlands led several dozen cavalrymen in frequent raids on Jaime's supply convoy.
Jaime scattered a great deal of Gold Dragon, and within days someone betrayed Ser Mark Piper's whereabouts, so he personally led 300 cavalrymen to attack.
The intelligence was accurate; by evening, Jaime had located the enemy. Ser Mark Piper dared not engage and fled toward Whispering Wood.
Jaime led the Westerlands cavalry in pursuit, but they were ambushed by Robb Stark, King in the North, and Jaime and many of the Westerlands knights were taken prisoner by the Young Wolf.
On the night Jaime was captured, the North army, which had been blocking news of his capture along the way, suddenly launched a night attack on the unsuspecting Northern Camp.
Upon seeing that the Northern Camp had been attacked, Earl Andros Brax, the commander of the Western Camp, led his troops to its aid on rafts, but they were sunk by catapults of the Riverrun garrison en route. Earl Andros drowned, and the remaining landing troops were annihilated by the North army.
Meanwhile, Robb Stark, leading 2,000 the North cavalry, joined forces with Earl Tytos Blackwood's Riverrun garrison, breaching the Lannister ' Western Camp. 69ᔕᕼᑌ᙭.ᑕOᗰ
Forley Prester Priest was forced to lead the remaining 5,000-plus soldiers of the Westerlands Westerlands a nighttime retreat toward Golden Tooth.
Harrenhal Long Hall.
Tywin Lannister rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, his short, golden beard framing a perfectly still face, like a mask.
He said, "My son is in their hands."
The messenger's tattered sleeveless robe, with dried bloodstains obscuring the striped boar of House Crakehall, spoke wearily, "Yes, Tywin."
The lords and knights summoned by Lord Tywin fell silent as the messenger recounted Robb Stark's account of lifting the siege of Riverrun.
After the messenger finished speaking, Harys Swyft ( Kevan's father-in-law) exclaimed, " The Gods, how is this possible?"
His voice sounded like a wail, "What is Ser Jaime thinking... How could he divide the army into three locations? Shouldn't he know the risks involved?"
"I would have done the same!"
Kevan Lannister glanced coldly at his father-in-law and continued, " Harys, I suggest you take a look at the map of Riverrun. I believe that once you have seen it... you will understand that Jaime has no other choice."
The lords were abuzz with discussion.
"Young Stark is far too cunning! Who would have thought he would secretly divide his forces?! Therefore, this defeat cannot be entirely blamed on Ser Jaime!"
"Even though it was a night raid, didn't your sentries see anything? Didn't they give you any warning?"
"We need reinforcements. I think we should gather new troops from the Westerlands as soon as possible."
"Sir Forrester only took 5,000 soldiers? This... The Gods help me."
"My father, my father, he..."
"That damned Tyrosh mercenary, he actually betrayed us and joined the enemy!"
"Those who fight for money will only risk their lives for their own pockets."
The Lord Tywin usually remained silent in meetings, and he was accustomed to listening to the opinions of others before speaking.
The Lord Tywin's silence today was somewhat unusual; he listened attentively, his eyes moving but not even touching his wine.
Kevan's father-in-law wailed again, " Ser Jaime has been captured, and the besieging army has been routed! This is utter disaster!"
Sir Addam Marbrand's voice carried a hint of anger. "Sir Harys, we appreciate you pointing out the obvious facts, but the most pressing issue right now is... what's our next step?"
Addam Marbrand is a knight from the House Marbrand, the son and heir of Ashemark Damon Marbrand Earl the Westerlands.
Ser Adam was an excellent rider who had been a page in Casterly Rock since childhood and was a childhood friend of Jaime Lannister.
Harys Swyft spread his hands and said, "What else can we do? Jaime's army has been killed, captured, or scattered, while the House Stark and Tully armies have cut off our supply lines. We're completely cut off from the west! They can even march on Casterly Rock with impunity. Who can stop them?"
His gaze swept over the crowd, and he said in a mournful voice, "My lords, we have been defeated. We should sue for peace immediately."
Ser Adam clenched his fist and said, "One defeat cannot determine the outcome of the entire war; we are far from defeated!"
He looked at Lord Tywin and said loudly, "Lord Tywin, I would love to have this Stark brat fight me on the battlefield! In my opinion, we should advance immediately!"
Some echoed Ser Adam's call for war, while others echoed Sir Harys's call for peace, and the hall was once again filled with clamor.
Suddenly, Lord Tywin Lannister stood up abruptly and repeated, "My son is in their hands!"
The hall fell silent.
Lord Tywin said coldly, "Step back! All of you, step back!"
The lords and knights of the Westerlands, accustomed to obeying Tywin Lannister's orders, rose and departed.
Lord Tywin added, " Kevan, you stay."
Lord Tywin sat back in his chair and said, " Kevan, if Direwolf were in our hands, we could use him as leverage to reach a truce with Winterfell and Riverrun. That would give us time to focus all our efforts on Stannis. But right now..."
His hands clenched into fists as he continued, " Cersei can't even control a disobedient child..."
After a moment's hesitation, Kevan said, " Lord Tywin, Tyrion is doing... quite well over there, so you can rest assured."
Lord Tywin snorted coldly, a subtle hint of disgust flashing across his thin lips.
After a moment of silence, he spoke, " Kevan, my daughter has ordered us to proceed immediately to King's Landing 'King's Landing to defend it against Stannis."
He pursed his lips and added, "Note that she is ordering us in the name of the King and the Small Council."
Kevan: "..."
After a moment of silence, Kevan spoke up, " Lord Tywin, Cersei is, after all, in... the Red Keep. She... may not be fully aware of the situation outside."
Lord Tywin scoffed again, saying, "Even if she understands, so what? She'll still treat little King's Landing like the entire Seven Kingdoms."
After a pause, Ser Kevan said, " Lord Tywin, Stannis is indeed in great danger right now."
Lord Tywin frowned. "From the beginning, I've believed Stannis is more dangerous than all the others combined, given the current situation... Kevan, bring the map."
Kevan immediately complied, Lord Tywin took the map and laid it flat on the table.
Lord Tywin, gazing at the map, said, " Jaime has been captured, and his army is gone. He's left us with a mess... Roose Bolton is stationed to the north with most of the North infantry, Robb Stark is stationed to the west with the North cavalry... Unless war breaks out, we cannot retreat to Lannisport and Casterly Rock."
He pointed to Storm's End on the map and continued, "I received intelligence that Stannis is there consolidating the troops Renly left behind."
Kevan's forehead furrowed deeply as he looked at the map and frowned. "Right now, Robb Stark has the support of the Riverlands, and their total strength exceeds our army. Add to that Roose Bolton's more than ten thousand the North troops... Lord Tywin, if you stay here, you'll likely be attacked from three sides."
Lord Tywin nodded slightly and said, "I don't intend to stay here. We need to deal with the Little Wolf before Stannis sends his troops. I'm not worried about Bolton; he's a cautious man, and his pursuit won't be quick. So..."
His gaze shifted from the map to his brother. "We'll head towards Riverrun first thing tomorrow morning. Kevan, order Ser Adam to lead light cavalry to cover our movements, four men per squad. Give him as many men as he needs."
He added, "Release Amory Lodge and let him lead the Mountain's old guard to plunder everywhere..."
Amory Lodge is a propertied knight who serves directly under House Lannister (owning his own castle and lands, and commanding peasants and soldiers). He is considered a cruel and narrow-minded man.
During the War of the Usurper, when Sack of King's Landing, he dragged the three-year-old Princess Rhaenys Targaryen from under her father Rhaegar Targaryen's bed and brutally stabbed her dozens of times.
Afterwards, Tywin Lannister, who ordered the killing, asked him why he did it, and Loki replied that it was because she kept screaming and wouldn't shut up.
Lord Tywin continued, "Send out Waghot's Brave Companions as well..."
The Brave Companions, also known as the Bloody Mummers, is a notorious mercenary group whose members are mainly criminals and exiles from various places.
Legend has it that because the leader of the Brave Companions, Waghot, liked to cut off the hands and feet of prisoners, they were also known as the " Foot-choppers."
Finally, Lord Tywin's voice swept through like a cold wind. " Kevan, tell them that from Gods Eye to Red Fork... I want the Riverlands reduced to scorched earth."