The mountains of the Westerlands run north to south; to the south, they resemble a crouching lion, while to the north, they look like a stampeding herd of horses.
Relying on such steep natural boundaries, the defensibility of the Westerlands could be said to be second only to The Vale.
When Loras led the Tyrell army south, there were many scouts sent out for reconnaissance on the western mountains.
Fortunately, these mountains were not that long. After four or five days, they moved beyond the range of the mountain extension, and in about a week, Loras arrived at Riverrun.
Nearly half a month of long-distance marching left the "Knight of Flowers" smelling foul; his proud brown curls were no longer smooth, and dark oily stains even appeared near his collar.
A ring of brown fuzz had even grown around his mouth; his elegant youthful demeanor had long been exhausted during the long march.
Seeing the white towers of Riverrun and the abundant moisture brought by the two rivers, Loras felt only an unbearable itch and wanted nothing more than to jump into a tub for a nice bath.
However, shortly after arriving, he received another order from Jon to take the remaining Tyrell army and retrace the previous route.
Although there was already a wager between them, this still made him extremely displeased.
Loras, who had just arrived at Riverrun, didn't even have time to catch his breath before setting off again. This made him want to burn a hole in the face of Robb Frey, who had come to deliver the order, with his brown eyes.
"I don't believe this stupid plan will work. If Daven really moves his troops away from Casterly Rock, I'll let my horse ride me!" In the hall of Riverrun, Loras, having hastily changed his clothes, swore a "poisonous oath" in front of Edmure.
"Ser Loras, perhaps Jon has some other ideas." Not only was Loras mocking from the start, but others weren't optimistic about Jon's plan either—like Edmure, who liked to claim he had defeated Tywin.
"What ideas could he have? He's never fought a single battle fair and square. And 'White Wolf Knight'? If you ask me, this guy doesn't deserve such a title at all, let alone my sister!"
"Well, luck is a hard thing to predict," Edmure said with a half-smile. After all, he was the man who defeated Tywin!
Edmure tried to comfort Loras, or rather, tried to close the distance between them.
Now in his early twenties and having taken over Riverrun, although he was still nominally the Warden of the Riverlands, his Family's power had significantly weakened compared to before.
First, the Frey Family had also become Dukes and were no longer subordinate to Riverrun, immediately reducing the territory the Tully Family could govern by a third.
And Stannis didn't stop there. Although formal rewards hadn't been granted yet, news from King's Landing suggested that if Jon could achieve certain results in the Westerlands and conquer enough territory, Harrenhal would belong to Vargo Hoat, the leader of the Brave Companions.
This made the Tully Family's external situation even worse and their strength decline further.
Regarding this, Brynden's suggestion was to befriend The Reach and seek an Alliance to the south. He specifically pointed out that Edmure should get closer to Loras.
"No, this guy isn't Eddard Stark's bastard at all!" Loras seemed to think of something and suddenly spoke with a earth-shattering revelation.
"What?!" Edmure leaned in and asked with wide eyes.
Loras turned his head, looked at Edmure, and said, "This guy isn't Eddard Stark's bastard; I think he's the bastard of some god. Otherwise, there's no way he could be this lucky!"
Edmure: "—"
Edmure sighed and said, "We'll find out soon enough if he's lucky. I've sent people to give him suggestions on attacking Casterly Rock more than once, but he hasn't replied even once. Perhaps he really is very confident in his 'plan'."
"His plan will absolutely not work!" Loras said again.
"I heard you have a wager with Jon. I think if you were the commander of the army, there would definitely be gains very soon," Edmure praised, somewhat against his will.
However, Loras seemed to accept it. He looked at Edmure and said, "Edmure, although you're not tall, your martial skills are mediocre, and your archery is terrible, I feel you're much better than Jon."
Edmure's mouth twitched, unsure if the other was praising him, and thus didn't know how to respond.
"It's a pity Margaery is already betrothed to Jon, but our Family still has many beautiful girls. If you don't mind them being from a branch Family, I can talk to my Family for you," Loras said with a serious face.
"Well, then thank you, Ser Loras." Edmure put Loras's peculiar way of praising him out of his mind.
Even if he ended up marrying a Tyrell from a branch Family, the Tyrells' wealth was well-known, and their strength shown in this war was especially obvious to all.
That would provide him with significant assistance.
Speaking of which, the situation in the Seven Kingdoms was now clear. Edmure had become the Duke of Riverrun, but he was not yet married.
Edmure had once liked a certain noble lady, but unfortunately, she had been coaxed into bed by a minstrel, which made Edmure very angry.
He ordered the expulsion of all minstrels and singers from his lands.
But now he needed to find himself a wife. For someone in his twenties, Margaery was a quite good candidate.
Unfortunately, because of the Tully Family's previous wrong choices, neither Stannis nor the Tyrells would choose him.
Otherwise—Edmure ended his fantasy time and personally saw Loras off from Riverrun again.
The news of Jon leading the army and not even launching an attack under Casterly Rock for half a month naturally reached Highgarden, which was most concerned about the war's progress.
Although Mace hadn't won any battles, he still wasn't optimistic about Jon's plan. He even complained to others that the roses of Highgarden could be planted on mountain peaks like Casterly Rock, but absolutely not in an ominous place like Harrenhal.
He would even have to pay to build a castle for Jon; he was simply the biggest sucker in the Seven Kingdoms.
——————
Margaery didn't know much about military matters, but she was concerned about another thing—her fiancé's emotional history.
"When Jon first went to Riverrun, Old Walder planned to have Jon marry his daughter?" Margaery was clearly very surprised by this intelligence.
"Yes, Miss Margaery." The speaker was Garth's bastard, Garlot Flowers.
As a top Family of the Seven Kingdoms, an intelligence network was naturally indispensable. Even if it wasn't as timely and pervasive as Varys's, they could likely find out whatever they wanted to know.
"But not necessarily a daughter," said Willas, who was also responsible for checking on his sister and investigating Jon. He stroked the head of the hound beside him, which lay obediently at his side.
Since Willas's leg was crippled in a tournament, he had "abandoned the sword for the pen" and was quite knowledgeable in training hounds, ravens, and horses.
"At that time, Jon could be said to have no achievements at all. How could Old Walder marry his daughter to a bast—" Halfway through, Willas realized it was inappropriate to say that.
Old Walder didn't marry off his daughter, but the Tyrells did. Didn't that suggest the Tyrells had less class than the Frey Family?
But Margaery smiled indifferently and said, "It's fine, Willas. Isn't Jon a Duke now? Besides, I think with Old Walder's personality, he probably regrets his decision. If he had married his most beautiful daughter to Jon earlier, wouldn't we be out of the picture now?"
"Sigh," Willas looked at his little sister, whom he had pampered for over a decade, and sighed. "I'd rather we were out of the picture."
"Don't say that, brother," Margaery comforted him. "Jon, he's actually quite decent."
She thought of the first time she and Jon made eye contact in King's Landing, how he took her through the Red Keep to dodge patrolling Soldiers, and the things he said to her in the garden. All of it made her reminisce.
So much so that now, when she heard ballads about Knightly Princes, she thought of Jon.
Even if Joffrey or Renly were resurrected now, she would have no interest.
Willas looked at Margaery's expression, and his face suddenly changed. "Oh? I wasn't talking about Jon. I meant if Stannis hadn't won, we wouldn't need to do these things."
"Huh?" Margaery realized she was subconsciously defending Jon, and her elder brother Willas had seen through it, making her feel a bit shy.
After the joke, it was time for business. Willas's expression changed as he spoke: "Actually, the Tyrells don't want to see Jon obsessed with Casterly Rock. His army's logistics currently rely entirely on Highgarden's support. We can support him for a year or two, but definitely not indefinitely. Just like this hound, if you always keep it full, it will forget who its master is. I've heard that dogs were actually domesticated from wolves. Stannis wants to use Jon, this Direwolf, to intimidate us Tyrells; we Tyrells might as well domesticate him into a fierce watchdog."
Margaery looked at her brother's serious face and forced her mind to clear.
What's wrong with me? The marriage Alliance with Jon was forced by the situation. Unless dragons return, Casterly Rock simply cannot be taken. Why am I starting to speak for him?
Margaery thought to herself, realizing Willas's words were also a reminder to her, but—
"For people like you and me, the most important thing in marriage is mutual fulfillment." She thought again of what Jon had said to her in the garden that day.
He stood side by side with her on the city wall, overlooking the thousands of lights of King's Landing, watching the Blackwater Rush flowing east, as if the earth were prostrate at their feet—
Ultimately, Margaery calmed herself. Although she understood what situation was most beneficial for the Family, she still hoped Jon could take Casterly Rock and conquer Casterly Rock.
Because that was their promise of mutual fulfillment.
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