WILOW-Ch.369: Baratheon Brothers
Renly's Camp Near Bitterbridge, Reach
POV of Catelyn Stark
"My lady." King Renly said as he sat in front of Catelyn.
She had expected him to leave her behind in Highgarden, but he had unexpectedly brought her with him, despite her being a pregnant woman.
"I brought good news for you."
She gave a polite smile, "Your grace."
The king didn't look pleased by her formality, but he continued to smile.
Whatever news he got must have been good.
"Got a letter from one of my spies in Pinkmaiden Castle." King Renly said, "Apparently, they captured a few Lannister soldiers near their castle. At first, they thought that they were deserters, but after some interrogation, they found that they were the remnants of the Lannister army that had put Riverrun under siege."
Her heart leapt at that. "Remnants?" she asked. "What happened to the army?"
King Renly smiled and said, "Apparently, it was destroyed by an army led by Lord Bolton."
She had a feeling that there was more he wanted to say in this matter, but he didn't.
"That is good news." She nodded, "What of my brother? He was held captive by the Lannisters. Did Lord Bolton manage to save him?"
King Renly frowned at that and then gave her an apologetic look. "I'm afraid that the soldiers that the men in Pinkmaiden caught didn't know a lot of information. Just that they were attacked at early dawn and all three camps surrounding Riverrun were defeated very quickly."
She sighed at that.
She had no idea if her brother had not died in the battle. Battles can be chaotic, and innocent men tend to die like flies in a war.
She could only hope that her brother had survived.
"Thank you for the news, your grace." She said, and King Renly smiled and got up from his chair.
"Don't mention it." He said, "The Lannisters are enemies of us all. When I sit on the Iron Throne, I'll definitely give a boon to Lord Bolton for this."
With that, he left her tent, and she decided to pray to the Seven for her brother's safety.
Lord Bolton's arrival at Riverrun and his victory over the Lannister army meant he had crossed the Twins and Green Fork River.
And Lord Bolton's crossing of this river meant the Northern army had also crossed it.
This meant Ned would soon be engaged in battle with Tywin Lannister's army. The outcome of that battle and the decisions made afterward would clarify many things.
With Lord Bolton's victory over the Lannister army besieging Riverrun, the Northern army now held the majority against the Lannisters, and if nothing went wrong, it meant Ned would be victorious against them.
Then Ned would have to make a choice: support Stannis or support Renly.
And that choice would determine her fate.
Perhaps Ned could delay his decision a little longer and choose his side based on the outcome of the clash between Renly and Stannis.
And if he could do that, it would be the safest choice for Catelyn herself and the Northern army.
But whatever happened, the time when her fate would be decided was approaching, and it most likely meant she could return home and to Ned.
As Catelyn thought this, she put her hand to her stomach.
Normally, the idea of returning home should have made her happy, but for some reason, she wasn't pleased about it right now.
The possibility of Ned learning the truth—that the baby in her womb belonged to Petyr and not him—chilled her to the bone.
And worst of all, there was nothing she could do.
All she could do was wait and pray to Seven.
So, she did the only thing she could do and started praying to Seven.
For her brother, Edmure, to be alive…
For her daughter, Sansa's safety in the King's Landing…
For her son, Brann's health…
For her husband, Ned's victory against the Lannisters…
For her and Ned's happiness…
And for herself, for forgiveness for the betrayal she had committed against Ned…
Today, she had many things to pray to Seven, and she hoped that Seven would hear her prayers and grant them.
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Storm's End Castle, Stormlands
POV of Stannis Baratheon
Stannis picked up the letter and looked at Melisandre.
"Why was I not informed of this?" he asked. "Did your god fail to see this?"
"The lord of light only shows me what he wants to show me." Melisandre said, "And so far, he had not shown me any visions of this Lord Bolton. I suspect that he, too, has a grand part to play in the Long Night."
"You and your lord… If your lord doesn't give me the information I need, how can he expect me to prepare for the Long Night?" Stannis said.
"R'hllor tells us what we need to know. If there's something he doesn't tell us, it's because we don't need to know it." She said.
He sighed at that and looked at the slight bump in her belly.
The one he had put there himself.
He knew that, with how small his forces were, there was no way he was going to win against his brother, and thus, other methods needed to be used.
"My brother and his forces are close to Bitterbridge. They'll be here in a month or two." He said, "I hope you'll be ready by then?"
"I will, my lord." She said.
He nodded and looked at the letter once again.
Bolton Boy's victory might have seemed to many a victory achieved through a surprise attack, but Stannis didn't think so.
Bolton Boy had managed to cross the Green Fork River without the Freys noticing. This in itself was a victory against the Freys.
Many would have boasted about it, trying to increase the reward they would receive from Lord Stark by helping the Northern army cross the river without paying the price to the Freys.
But Bolton Boy didn't do that.
On the contrary, he managed to reach the Lannister army at Riverrun unnoticed with his own army, and then, with a surprise attack, routed and defeated the 15,000-strong Lannister army.
This wasn't just a simple victory won by Bolton Boy through a surprise attack.
This victory showed Stannis that Bolton Boy was not just a young lord, but also a good strategist, a good general, someone who could think differently and make courageous moves when necessary.
And frankly, someone like that could be quite useful to Stannis.
Especially in the Crownlands, where he had no allies.
But first, he needed to observe him for a while longer. To see if these successes would continue.
"Keep looking in the fire." He said, "I want to know if you can find anything for me about this Bolton boy."
She nodded, and with that, he went back to looking at the board, wondering if Lord Stark would give him his allegiance if he succeeded in killing Renly.
And if Lord Stark did not pledge his allegiance, he would see if he could secure the support of the North by placing House Bolton at the head of the North.
He was the rightful owner of the crown, and he had no intention of giving it up to anyone.
No matter the cost.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.370: We'll Sue for Peace
Ch.371: Not at First
Ch.372: Lord Tywin's Envoy