WILOW-Ch.370: We'll Sue for Peace
Lannister Army Camp
POV of Leo Lefford
The tent was silent after Lord Tywin finished reading the letter from Golden Tooth about the defeat of the army under the command of Ser Devan, which was besieging Riverrun.
"Are the giants, wargs, and direwolves that people talked about really there?" Ser Jon Bettley asked, "I had not believed those rumors before."
"They're not rumors." Lord Tytos Brax said, "My cousin is a merchant who once went to Lundenhold to purchase glass. The giants, direwolves, and wargs that we've all heard about. They're real. As you and me."
"We should talk about the army that we've lost instead of mythical creatures." He said, "At the end of the day, it's men that win wars, not direwolves or giants."
"People thought the same about dragons. Until the dragons burnt them to the ground." Ser Damon Lannister said, "I do not mean to cause insult, but do remember that giants are 5 meters large. That's 2.5 meters larger than the Mountain. If Ser Gregor Clegane can do so much damage to an enemy's morale, then guess how much damage someone much larger than him will do. I, for one, don't wish to fight a giant on the battlefield. And the Boltons undoubtedly have more than a dozen of them."
"Ser Edmure Tully has been taken as well." Lord Roland Crakehall said, "With him and Blackfish in Riverrun, the rest of the Lords in Riverrun will flock to him."
"Are you saying that after the Northern host, the Knights of the Vale, and this Bolton army, we have to worry about an army of the Riverlands as well?" Ser Bettley asked.
"No." He replied, "We've beaten the Riverlands too much. With all the chaos and the damage we have caused, the Riverland lords won't be able to create a large army. But still, it is the Hungry Beast that I'm worried about. He has an army of 8,000 and is in the perfect place to ambush us from behind."
"Should we sue for peace?" Ser Bettley asked. "With the defeat of the army led by Ser Devan, the North and Vale army outnumber us two to one. And the Baratheon brothers are there as well."
"Yes. Those traitors." Lord Tytos Brax said. "Showing their true colors before their brother's corpse even had the chance to cool."
"Why have we not sued for peace already?" Lord Roland Crakehall asked and then added. "The only reason the Northerners are fighting us in the first place is because of Sansa Stark. Just give her to them and end the enmity with them."
"In case you're not heard." Ser Damon said. "The King hates his betrothed. I'm not sure if he'll even agree to returning her to the North."
"Why is that?" he asked. He was curious.
"Everyone knows this." Lord Tytos Brax said, "Sansa Stark was betrothed to the Bolton boy before King Robert abruptly broke the betrothal with him and betrothed her to his own son, Prince Joffrey. But even after the betrothal was broken, Sansa Stark continued to love the Bolton boy. With how aggressively Bolton boy is battling in this war, I suspect that he might have some feelings for the girl as well."
"Lord Bolton isn't just fighting," Ser Damon said, and then added, "He's also relentlessly slandering us in his newspaper. He's now publishing it every three days, and each new issue talks about how savage the Westerland armies are, how Mountain is killing innocent small folks in the Riverlands. And he's portraying himself as a savior. If this continues, our reputation will be tarnished throughout Westeros."
"Yes. I've read them too. Bolton claims we committed war crimes, even saying we should be punished for them after the war, as if there could be crimes in a war. But I have to admit that what he writes in his newspaper influences others," Lord Roland Crakehall said.
"He'll probably start writing about his victory at Riverrun in his newspaper soon," said Lord Tytos Brax. "I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned it until now. He probably didn't want us to get the news beforehand. This Lord Bolton is a cunning fellow. But now he'll write everything about the Battle of Riverrun. Most likely exaggerating. And we don't have a means like a newspaper to respond to his claims quickly."
"Wouldn't that make the situation even worse for us? All of Westeros will learn that we are outnumbered against the North, Riverlands, and Vale alliance. This will demoralize our men and make it harder for us to gain new allies," he said.
"We should sue for peace." Ser Bettley said, "Our enemies outnumber us as it is. We cannot hope to fight on so many fronts. And while we wait, Lord Bolton's newspaper will continue to vilify us and further tarnish our reputation."
"THUMP!!!" Lord Tywin slammed his desk with his hand, and everyone at the table went silent.
Lord Tywin then turned in his chair and looked at all of them for a long moment before he put the letter down on the table.
"We'll sue for peace." Lord Tywin said in a slow voice, but no one dared to disrupt him, "Ser Damon."
"Yes, my lord."
"You'll go to King's Landing with 300 men and bring Sansa Stark to us to be ransomed back to the Northerners for peace. This will get the Northerners and Bolton's army off our backs." Lord Tywin said, "Also. Deliver my letter to Jamie. He's to be the temporary Hand until I get to King's Landing. It is time for him to stop chasing after meaningless glory and grow up."
"Yes, my lord." Ser Damon said before Lord Tywin looked at all of them once again.
"You are all dismissed."
Like everyone else, he rose from the table and left the tent with the others, thinking that Lord Tywin's decision was the most logical one.
Engaging in a relentless fight against the opposing alliance while outnumbered would only harm the Westerlands.
Moreover, their real enemies weren't even those in this alliance. Those rebelling against King Joffrey Lannister, Lord Tywin's grandson, were Renly and Stannis Baratheon.
Their main reason for opposing the Northerners, the Riverlanders, and the Vale army was to prevent them from offering their support to Renly and Stannis Baratheon.
Now, it was difficult for the Riverlands to assemble a strong army again, and perhaps Lord Tywin could prevent Lord Stark from supporting the Baratheons during the peace negotiations.
Then it would be almost impossible for the Vale to come to the Baratheons' aid on its own.
The real question now was whether Lord Tywin would go to King's Landing or return to Casterly Rock if the peace talks yielded positive results.
He would most likely go to King's Landing to defend the throne against the Baratheons, but would he take him along, or would he order him to return to Tooth?
Given the possibility of the North, Riverlands, and Vale attacking the Westerlands, it would be more logical for him to return to Golden Tooth and guard one of the gates of the Westerlands.
Still, the decision rested entirely with Lord Tywin.
For now, he had no choice but to wait.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.371: Not at First
Ch.372: Lord Tywin's Envoy
Ch.373: An Easy Victory