Aegon frowned when he heard the number.
Three thousand men.
He had flown all the way from Tumbleton to Highgarden, and everywhere along the way he had seen the scars left by the Starry Warriors-burned villages, desolate fields, corpses hanging beside the roads.
The lands directly under Highgarden had been devastated. Mustering three thousand men was already their limit.
But three thousand men were far too few.
They would not need to storm cities or take castles, but even maintaining order around Highgarden would stretch them thin.
And that was without considering Oldtown or the empty castles throughout the Reach.
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does Highgarden still have a maester and ravens? I need to send a letter to King's Landing."
"The maester is dead," Olenna replied. "A stray arrow pierced his throat during the siege." She paused. "But the ravens are still there, and the rookery is intact."
"Those ravens have all been trained. You don't necessarily need a maester to release them. Just find the one in the rookery specifically trained to fly to King's Landing and put the letter in the tube on its leg."
Aegon nodded. "I'll send word to King's Landing and call in troops from the Crownlands."
Olenna waited for him to continue.
"Once the army from the Crownlands reaches Highgarden, we'll combine it with these three thousand men and march on Oldtown." Aegon's voice was calm, but every word carried unquestionable weight. "I will lead that army and tear House Hightower out of Oldtown by the roots."
Olenna nodded.
She said nothing, but a flicker of satisfaction rose within her.
Her son Mace had died in Oldtown.
Although no member of House Hightower had killed him personally, Mace had died on their lands, and they had chosen to look away.