Defender 3

The Lannister army's fierce assault on Riverrun had entered its fourth day. The blazing sun hung like a burning fireball, its light so harsh it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Beneath Riverrun, corpses lay piled like mountains, some mutilated, others frozen in grotesque expressions. Crows circled overhead, crying mournfully as the stench of death filled the air.

Lannister Soldiers silently carried the bodies away one by one. Sweat rolled down their foreheads and dripped onto the blood-soaked ground, while their faces showed nothing but numbness and exhaustion.

On Riverrun's walls, the Tully army honored tradition by refraining from attacking the Lannister Soldiers carrying away the dead. They merely watched in silence.

The Tully Soldiers' eyes held tangled emotions—anger, but also pain. Once the Lannisters were done, it would be their turn to carry away their own dead.

The Lannister camp.

Daven Lannister's face was blackened by smoke and streaked with dried blood. Glug, glug... He drained a large cup of ale in one gulp.

He casually wiped the liquor from his beard and said, "Lord Emmon is willing to send two thousand soldiers."

Jaime Lannister's handsome face was covered in rough stubble. He sat down wearily. "Does that count as good news?"

"You saw through it too? But he has conditions." Ser Daven laughed heartily, his laughter full of mockery.

After the attendant filled their cups, Ser Daven waved everyone else out of the tent.

He raised his cup and took a deep swallow, letting out a satisfied breath before speaking. "Lord Emmon has his eye on Riverrun. He wants to leave the Twins to one of his sons and move here himself, becoming the Duke of Riverrun."

Ser Jaime sat utterly still, as if he had not heard Ser Daven's "pleasant surprise."

Ser Daven continued on his