Interlude: The Riverlands

It had begun with raids. Ser Amory Lorch had ravaged the Riverlands for a month leading up to the actual breakout of hostilities. He had largely led the Mountain's merry band of Cutthtoats and Brigands, while picking up a few of the less reputable sellswords and smaller outlaw bands, promising gold, pardons, and holdfasts to those who followed him into the Riverlands. In doing so, he'd amassed a sizable force of five thousand, who even now were being called the Blaggard's Army.

Of course, while Ser Amory Lorch had led the Mountain's Men, he was no Mountain himself. While the Mountain would have plunged on into the Riverlands heedless of other concerns and used his formidable prowess and fearsome reputation to scatter the Riverlords ahead of him so that he would be halfway to Harrenhal by now, Ser Amory Lorch was different. He was not a formidable combatant personally, and while he had the same sort of Low Cunning the Mountain Boasted and was more able to apply it tactically than the Mountain would have been, that also meant he lacked the Mountain's intimidation factor.

Accordingly, while the Mountain would have ridden straight for the head of any army set to stop him, Ser Amory Lorch would instead attempt to use ambush, trickery, and surprise attacks. It was a slower method than cutting the head off the snake would have been, but the Mountain had gotten a reputation for being invincible and that alone would have been enough to spread panic amongst the enemy ranks and allow him to butcher the commander of any enemy force. Ser Amory Lorch couldn't count on that, hence his War of Skirmish and Maneuver.

Fundamental differences in command styles were why the Blaggard's Army had been stuck in the Western Third of the Riverlands around Atranta, Wayfarer's Rest, and Pinkmaiden until recently. That and the fact that Lord Beric Dondarrion and his ramshackle group of broken men, Stark Guards, and local boys had used their forces' familiarity with the local terrain to spring a counter-ambush or two here and there on the Blaggard's Army.

Now, however, Wayfarer's Rest was burning behind them, sacked as a message to other Riverlords. Fall in line or suffer the same fate. Already Acorn Hall, Pinkmaiden, and Atranta had signaled their submission and the Blaggard's Army was riding ahead hard for Riverrun as a presage of things to come.

What changed, you ask? The answer is simple, the Westerlands had come, properly this time and not just sending their outlaws and cutthroats to burn and pillage. Lord Tywin Lannister himself had ridden out at the head of a host of fifty-thousand Westermen, equipped and trained in the modern fashion with Pike, Halberd, and Matchlock, trailing with them a siege train mighty enough to shatter the walls of King's Landing itself if need be.

It had taken all of twenty-four hours for Lord Tywin's Siege Guns to reduce the walls of Wayfarer's Rest to broken piles of stone lying on the sodden turf, with holes wide and numerous enough that Lord Tristifer Vance couldn't keep out the Army if he wanted to. Of course, that had all been after the battle. Battles, really. Two Separate engagements, the larger one fought at Sherrer by Lord Tywin himself, while the Smaller One had been the handiwork of Ser Amory Lorch and fought at the Whispering Wood.

Ser Amory only knew his part, and it had primarily been to Lure Away reinforcements from Houses Blackwood and Bracken from coming to aid the armies of the Western Riverlands at Sherrer. He'd done that by hitting targets that neither Lord Jonos Bracken nor Lord Tytos Blackwood could allow to be hit. The villages of Buckle, Blackbuckle, and Pennytree had been hit with flying raids to draw the pair of stubborn Lords out of their preparations to aid the Armies being put together by the Vances.

See, those were disputed villages, one of which, Pennytree, was even a minor market town with its own Knight and everything. While House Blackwood and House Bracken couldn't agree on which of them owned the villages, both of them were in agreement that they couldn't let a third party like Ser Amory Lorch ravage them. Just like fish spotting a worm, Tyrtos Blackwood and Jonos Bracken mustered what forces they'd had already ready to send to aid the Vances and marched for the Blaggard's Army. The Blaggard's Army feigned cowardice, running into the Whispering Wood, where the Blackwood and Bracken Forces had chased them only to be hit by prepared ambushes, snares, and other traps, and a whole host of nasty surprises.

Even then, it had almost all come undone for the Blaggard's Army when thrice-damned Beric Dondarrion and his Brotherhood Without Banners arrived on the scene to attempt to change the fates of the Blackwood and Bracken Forces. Ser Amory Lorch had to admit that it had almost worked out for them, so fair dues on that. Unfortunately, their rescue unraveled when he pulled a matchlock pistol and simply shot their Glorious Leader dead through the heart with it. What worked against Ser Gregor had also worked on Beric Dondarrion, it turned out.

Once their precious Lightning Lord had been slain, the Brotherhood tried desperately to fight their way out of the trap. Ser Amory had even found himself unhorsed by a man in a Piss-Yellow Cloak flinging a spear at his horse like some sort of ancient Javelineer. Unfortunately, he hadn't proved as able a swordsman as he had with a thrown spear, and after a brief exchange, Ser Amory cut him down. By the time the Singer of theirs and that Wine-Besotted Red Priest that King Robert had kept around for whatever reason managed to regain some semblance of control over their Brotherhood, both they as well as the forces of Bracken and Blackwood had been so well and truly fucked they might as well have been running a high-end Lyseni Brothel like the kind that dotted the Free Cities.

By the end of the fighting, all the enemy commanders but Thoros of Bloody Myr, Lord Jonos Bracken, and Lord Tytos Blackwood had been slain. Thoros managed to cut his way free of the trap with ten-dozen men and Beric Dondarrion's Body in tow, but the Brackens and Blackwoods had surrendered.

Five days later was when Ser Amory had gotten the news about Sherrer and Wayfarer's Rest. Ser Kevan Lannister was leading a Force of Fifteen Thousand Men to join the Blaggard's Army. They'd be heading straight for Riverrun to compel the Tullys to bend the knee while Lord Tywin took Forty-Thousand Men, including five-thousand Turncloak Riverlanders, with him east and South to cross the Blackwater Rush at Tumbler's Falls then turn further south before meeting the Goldroad and marching straight for the Capital. Lord Tywin wanted to reach it before Stannis or the Seawynd Brat could put an army in the Vicinity.

It was a day before the Blaggard's Army had reached Rivverun before Ser Amory had gotten the news that it was already too late for that. An Army flying the Banners of House Tarth, House Seawynd, and Stannis had taken Duskendale, closing the last major avenue to bring food to the Capital after the blockade of Blackwater Bay Stannis had erected to starve them out went up. News of Renly's utter debacle at Storm's End filtered in the day after, just as the Walls of Rivverun were in sight. It seemed that despite his haste and mastery of strategy, Lord Tywin's window was closing rapidly.

Hopefully, not permanently, or Ser Amory Lorch would be out of a job and short by a head sooner rather than later. . .

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Tywin Lannister ground his teeth at the news he was receiving. Stannis' Forces had won a triad of victories that made his own subjugation of the Western Third of the Riverlands seem like nothing in comparison. Well, perhaps not nothing, Tywin Lannister would never be nothing, but he hated being made a fool of with a burning passion. Being made a fool of was for lesser men, a lesson he had tried and failed to impart on both his sons.

Yes, even he had to admit the beast in human form that had stolen his beloved Johanna away from him was indeed his son. It was either that or there really were Demons and Seven Hells and one of them had been sent to punish him for the Gods alone knew what. Tywin Lannister refused to believe in such nonsense, not because he was of like mind with Stannis in that Gods were ultimately useless, the Faith did have its uses, after all, but because any world where the Gods punished him of all people for something akin to hubris was more a farce than any Essosi Playwright could dream up.

Still, Tywin Lannister was, admittedly impressed. It seems the Seawynd Whelp's boasts were not entirely idle if he had committed this much strength to Stannis' Cause. Unfortunately, that strength now was poised to snatch his deserved victory from him. With a frown, Tywin understood that he needed to do two things. First, shore up local support for his Grandson's Rule. Lord Mooton's Eldest Daughter was of marriageable age and the same age as Joffrey. The Mootons controlled the two largest and most profitable port towns in the Riverlands. Maidenpool, which had recently reached the hundred-thousand population Mark that so many of the larger cities in Westeros prided themselves on reaching, was their seat personally. Meanwhile, they held Saltpans through their vassals of House Cox.

Together, House Mooton and their vassals would bring some twelve thousand swords with them, all well-armed and drilled. Those would be sorely needed to bolster the forces already in King's Landing. Was it enough to prevent an assault on the City? Tywin couldn't say for sure. What he did know was that they would likely be enough to stall Stannis' Loyalists long enough for Tywin to arrive with his Army to relieve the Capital.

The second thing that Tywin had to do was to hedge his bets and secure the continuity of the bloodline in the event his predictions proved incorrect, slim a chance as that might seem. When it came to the Seawynd Whelp, though, Tywin was forced to admit that many of his predictions had turned out to be incorrect. He refused to take any chances where that one was concerned.

To that end, he would have Tommen removed to another Castle that wasn't near King's Landing. Likely Sow's Horn. Rosby and Stokeworth were too close to where the fighting would be in the event the Capital Fell to Stannis' Loyalists. He would have liked to have Tommen moved all the way to Pinklance on the Upper Blackwater Rush near where the Riverlands, Crownlands, and Reach Met, but that was too far away and the Gaunts of Pinklance were long-suspected to harbor Targaryen Sympathies to boot.

It would send the wrong message in multiple ways, as Tommen couldn't be seen to be involved with suspected Targaryen Loyalists nor could he be seen as fleeing from the field of battle further than propriety would allow, especially if he was to become King in the event that Stannis' Loyalists seized the capital.

Now, Sow's Horn would be far enough, and Lord Hogg was not known for being an active political participant. He preferred to simply rule his lands in peace, send his taxes to King's Landing, and only raise levies when directly called upon. He was as apolitical as you could be as a Lord of Westeros and that was all to the good. It would serve Tywin's plans and Tommen's interests well.

For now, though, he had letters to write and orders to cut before he could retire for the evening, not only to secure the Mooton Alliance, and to have Tommen withdrawn from the Capital, but also correspondence and orders of the innumerable sorts that one had to deal with when one was leading an army on campaign. For a brief moment, Tywin Lannister wondered whether all this was truly worth it. He wasn't getting any younger, after all, and by rights the position of Head of the Family should be taken up more by younger generations. He merely had a few Lannister cousins here with him, ever since Kevan had been sent to handle Riverrun, after all. Perhaps he might write to Gemma and have her take up some of the administrative burden, as was his right as the eldest brother?

Then, Tywin swiftly snapped himself out of such delusional musings. Entrust the family legacy to Gemma and her Chinless Weaselly Frey of Husband? Gemma would soon as use the trust he'd shown her to begin scheming and backbiting at cross-purposes with the rest of the Family like she normally did. No, with Tygett dead, Stafford wounded and useless anyway, and Gerion lost to who knows where almost a decade ago, only Kevan could truly be counted on to act as Tywin's aide in the proper manner. It was a sad fact of the matter that only the last two sons of Tytos Lannister could truly do anything to further the Family Legacy. Not with Jaime still bound by his oaths as a Member of the Kingsguard.

True, Damion and Stafford's Boys did their best for the family, but Daven was always more comfortable on the field of Battle than off it and Lucien was still barely a man-grown, having only just gained his Knighthood before this debacle broke out. The less said about Lancel the better, thankfully Kevan's useless fop of a son was in the Capital far from where he could influence the proceedings. As it ever did, it would fall on Tywin's shoulders to see the Family Legacy secured through these times of tumult.

And as always, he would prove more than up to the task, age slowing him down or not. . .

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AN: All right, so here we get a sneak peek at what's been going on in the Riverlands. Amory Lorch is not the mountain, he cannot take advantage of the Mountain's frankly ludicrous plot armor in terms of pitched battles. He has been running things more cautiously, using tactics not unlike the Chevauchee of the Hundred Years War to hit soft targets and lure responding forces into ambushes. It has meant that he was largely confined to the areas around Pinkmaiden, Wayfarer's Rest, and Atranta until Tywin marched into the Riverlands.

Of course, that also means that far less of the Riverlands has been ravaged than in canon, and with winter coming, that extra farmland compared to what Westeros had in canon will be pretty damned crucial to surviving. If they're lucky, they might even get two, maybe even three harvests out of it before winter dawns in earnest. Depending on how swiftly this Civil War can be wrapped up.

Meanwhile, though Tywin has secured the Western Third of the Riverlands for the Lannisters with his entry into the fighting, and has sent Kevan and Ser Amory Lorch ahead to force Riverrun to bend the knee, news of Stannis, Ricasso, and Brienne's victories in the east has him trying to find a strategy that will work to stall their advances while he makes his way into the Crownlands. He came up with one he believes should work, only time will tell if he's right.

A note on Tywin's mindset. He's a guy who's obsessed with the Lannister Family Legacy and doing everything he can to further it. This is largely because he honestly believes that he's the only one capable of doing so. In his mind, Stafford is worse than useless, Gemma is insubordinate and will seek to further her personal interests above those of the Family as a whole, Kevan is better off as his aide, and the younger generations, aside from Jaime who is bound by the Kingsguard Oath and thus off the table, just aren't up to the task. Is it arrogant? Sure, but only because history has proven him right on no small amount of occasions.

At any rate, the next chapter will be a dual interlude looking at the Wall and the Targs, since people have asked. Then we'll finally be back with Ricasso as he moves towards Dyre Den.

Stay tuned. . .