The Westerlands. Casterly Rock. 289 A.C.
The king, at the head of a seven-thousand-strong army, was approaching Casterly Rock, the ancestral seat of the Lannisters. When I first laid eyes on it I understood imdiately that storming this castle would be a hopeless undertaking. Mighty and magnificent, it rose above the boundless sea. Built upon an enormous coastal cliff and climbing a good six hundred ters into the sky, it inspired awe in everyone who had ever seen it. Though the Eyrie still stands higher.
This was, and remains, Casterly Rock, the legendary stronghold of the Lannisters. A powerful and influential house of golden-haired and prideful lions, their won no less fierce than their n. A golden lion on a crimson field, a sigil recognizable seemingly everywhere. Many legends circulated about the fabulous wealth of this house. The most popular saying about the Lannisters involved them shitting gold. They might yield ground politically, their armies might falter, the trust of lords and common folk might erode. But they had never been poor. The famous line, "a Lannister always pays his debts," had beco better known than the house's own words: "Hear roar."
Our delegation was expected. The sheer abundance of fair-haired people made my eye swim. Wherever I looked, golden-haired and green-eyed people of every age and both sexes. Now I understood Robert's complaints about the surfeit of lions. There were probably more of them than Freys. And people say of Walder Frey that he fathered an army from his loins. To put it more decorously, he had produced so many descendants that his entire brood rivals an army in numbers.
When the king rode in, the entire courtyard dropped to its knees as one. Robert dismounted and walked at a brisk pace toward Tywin Lannister, for it could be no one else. Despite his age the Lord of Casterly Rock had kept well. A tall, strong, healthy man with broad shoulders and a flat stomach. I liked his thick, severe side-whiskers. They gave him a certain character.
I am fond of the Martells, and I can call Oberyn and the Sand Snakes friends, but they had been quietly working to make feel a deep hostility toward the lions. I noticed it, of course, but I never stopped them. It was easier to ignore the manipulation. When I left Dorne, however, I had to go back and verify every fact and assumption the Martells had fed . The amusing part was that they had never actually lied to . They had simply presented the truth from the right angle. Even with Tywin they had been accurate, framing everything so that I would co to dislike him on my own, driven by what they rightly assud would be Arryn honor.
When I arrived in King's Landing my father had begun teaching governance in earnest. Prince Doran had given a solid general foundation, the kind useful to any lord, but my father set about instructing in the spoken and unspoken rules of the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, and of the Vale in particular. I had near-complete access to the records of past Hands, Tywin Lannister's among them, as well as firsthand accounts from my father and Varys. And I can say that Tywin commands a certain respect.
When the king was five paces away, Tywin began to speak:
"Your Grace, Casterly Rock is at your disposal. We shall provide you with the finest chambers and..." But Robert cut him off by seizing him by the arm and hauling him up and inside the castle.
"Enough of that groveling. I ca here to crack so skulls. To hell with feasts. Convene the council. We are going to plan how to rip these bastards apart." He finished with a hearty clap on Tywin's back. The Old Lion was visibly startled by the audacity, but composed himself quickly and set about carrying out the king's order.
As the nominal commander of the Vale's forces I was invited to the war council. Only a select few were present:
King Robert Baratheon and myself, Yohn Royce and his son Andar Royce from the Vale, Tywin, Kevan Lannister, and Damon Marbrand from the Westerlands, Eldon Estermont from the Stormlands, Ser Brynden Tully and Jason Mallister from the Riverlands, Mace Tyrell from the Reach, and Eddard Stark from the North.
Unsurprisingly, Dorne was conspicuously absent. Also present were Ser Jai Lannister and Ser Barristan Selmy, representing the Kingsguard.
Ned and I had exchanged greetings before the assembly began. Robert had nearly throttled him with the embrace. We agreed to et after the session.
King Robert opened proceedings:
"My lords, please, give us the state of your lands."
"Your Grace, the savages reached Oldtown but were driven back. They attempted to reach Highgarden by way of the Mander, but I stopped them and forced a retreat. We did lose the Shield Islands, however. Beyond that, the other lords are holding well against the Krakens. The Redwyne fleet is pressing them." Tyrell was lying through his teeth. Before we had departed I had obtained information through Varys. In brief: the Ironborn had ravaged the Reach badly, the lords had barricaded themselves in their castles, the Westerlands had been protected after the initial assault because of their powerful armies, and the North had nothing worth plundering.
"We were struck at Seagard almost imdiately after they burned Lannisport. Since Seagard lies closest to the Iron Islands, we bore the brunt of their first surprise assault. Many of my n were killed. They took hundreds of slaves and won. They besieged Seagard under the command of Maron Greyjoy. But then, thanks to the tily arrival of Ser Brynden Tully and his n, we broke them." At the close of his report Jason Mallister gave a small nod of acknowledgnt toward the Blackfish.
"Ned, what of you?" Robert turned his gaze across the table.
"The Ironborn attacked the Deepwood Motte, Bear Island, and Moat Cailin. We lifted the sieges at Deepwood and Moat Cailin, but Bear Island was sacked." Compared to everyone else, one could say the North had barely suffered. The Mormonts, though lords in their own right, were poor, desperately poor. There was nothing of value to take from them.
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