Chapter 48: Blooded Boars

(Year 294 AC)

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(General POV)

"Hello Jamie." Will said softly to the man who was staring at him with wide horrified eyes.

"Castian..." Jamie said nervously, then paused as he didn't know what else to say. He knew there was no point in trying to resist, but at the same time he didn't want to give up. The lives of his children were at stake, never mind his own.

Clearly seeing the questions in the man's eyes, Will made his sword disappear into thin air before he took a step back and put his hands up in a placating manner.

"Don't worry, Jamie. I'm not here to kill you or turn you over to Robert. Quite the opposite in fact." Will said smoothly, much to Jamie's relief but obvious confusion.

"I don't understand. Why?" Jamie asked, not understanding why someone like William Castian would bother helping him.

He had never done anything to warrant Will's favor, hell, in his mind Will would want him dead after what happened in Asteria. Thinking about it, Will gained nothing by helping him, other than maybe getting into his father's good graces, but Tywin was already so terrified of him, Jamie doubted that was the reason.

He wanted to believe that there were no strings attached to this rescue, but he doubted it. Jamie had come to learn that the world was a harsh and cruel mistress, and to expect anything kind in return from her was asking for a kick to the nuts.

Making a stone chair appear beside him, Will sat down and stared at Jamie, leaving the arm holding the ball of fire extended so they could see. When he was finally comfortable, Will pointed a finger towards the two sleeping children, then said softly, "Them."

Taken aback, Jamie looked between Myrcella and Tommen, then back to Will.

"Is it so hard to believe I could care about two innocent children? I'm not a complete monster." Will said in mock annoyance after seeing the disbelieving look on Jamie's face.

"N-No! That's not-!" Jamie tried to explain, but through his fumbling of words he managed to wake the two children with how loud he was talking.

"Uncle?" Myrcella asked tiredly as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Shhh.... It's okay. Everything is alright." Jamie whispered softly to the young girl as he held her close.

"OOH!" The little boy cooed in awe at seeing the ball of fire resting in Will's palm.

Smirking at the little boy, Will made the flame turn into a bird before he maneuvered it about the room before bringing it back to his hand.

Rather than sit there in the dimly lit room with a man he hardly knew and two toddlers, Will decided it was about time for them to depart. He didn't like leaving Rhaenys alone, especially here in the capital, so the sooner he got back to her the better.

"Now that the children are awake, we need to go." Will told Jamie, who understood that this was probably his best shot at getting out of the capital alive.

There was a chance that this was a bad idea, but he very much doubted it. First of all, Jamie knew full well that Will did not like Robert and that Robert did not like Will. Second of all, Will had no reason to lie to Jamie.

Had he wanted to, Will could have killed Jamie without Jamie ever being able to stop him. There was no point in leading him into a trap, as he could have set the trap around the building while Jamie slept and that would have been the end of it.

'No, if Castian was going to kill me, he would have already done it.' Jamie reasoned as he got to his feet.

Grabbing the two children, Jamie told them to be quiet, then followed behind Will as he led them out of the building. The ball of fire was extinguished from his hand, but Will made sure that Jamie could still see him well enough to follow as they walked at an even pace through the city.

They took seemingly random turns here and there throughout the walk, at least they seemed random to Jamie, but to Will it was a different story altogether. Using magic Sense, Will was able to see where every guard patrolling the city was, the layout, and how best to get to where he was going without being seen.

It took almost half of an hour of zigzagging throughout the city before they made it to the city wall, which only seemed to confuse Jamie, as there was no gate anywhere near where they were.

Just when he was going to ask, a doorway seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the wall, revealing a perfect path to the outside. Jamie of course knew all about Will having magic, but it was such a hard thing to comprehend that he had forgotten that Will could just open up a path throughout the wall.

As they walked through the wall it began to close up behind them, which only seemed to spur Jamie on even faster, the thought of being enclosed in the wall frightening him more than he thought.

When they got to the other side, they walked away from the wall in a straight path until they got to the tree line, at which point they came to a spot where Drox was waiting for them with Shade in the tree above him. Jamie of course didn't know Shade was there, but Will saw the large cat clear enough.

"Did you find them?" Will asked, earning a smirk from Drox, who simply nodded, leaving Jamie to wonder what the hell was going on.

"You put them where I said?" Will asked, wanting to make sure Drox did it right.

"It would have been impossible to put them anywhere else. And before you ask, yes, I sealed the opening. They'll stay there until you go get them." Drox said, knowing Will was going to question him relentlessly until he knew that he had in fact done what he was told.

"Good job." Will told the warg, who couldn't help but smile at the compliment. Not bothering to explain anything to Jamie about what was going on, Will and Drox continued on through the trees with Jamie only a step behind them.

After another 15-minute walk, they arrived at a camp with a carriage fit for royalty and 2 tents, one on either side of it. A few feet away from the carriage, but equal distance from the tents, a fire was lit with a warm pot of stew hanging over it. Sitting by the fire, 2 boys were talking to each other as they ate.

"Where are the girls?" Will asked the two boys, who weren't surprised by his arrival, both having known of his approach due to their wolves.

Will didn't actually need to ask Jon or Aegon where the girls were, as he could see them in the carriage due to his magic, but he was curious as to why they weren't eating out by the fire.

"The smoke was making Rhaenys sick, so she went inside the carriage. Missandei offered to read to her from one of those books, and Daenerys decided to go as well." Aegon explained, not worrying about concealing their identities regardless of having Jamie there.

Jamie was already sentenced to death, and not even exposing them to Robert would save his life. Not to mention that they could just kill him if it actually became a problem.

"Did she eat?" Will asked, not bothering to stop in his step as he made his way towards the carriage.

"Not a lot, but she ate some." Jon answered just as Will reached the door. After knocking twice, Will opened the door to the carriage before poking his head inside.

"Are you done eating?" He asked, looking pointedly at Rhaenys.

"That depends. Do you have any fireplums?" She asked sweetly, knowing full well that Will had purchased a few hundred bushels of the fruit in Highgarden when they were there. They were only ever grown in the Reach and were so sweet in flavor they made honey taste bitter in comparison.

"Ha, give me a minute. In the meantime, there are two children who could use some help getting cleaned up." Will told them, then turned and walked back towards the fire after closing the door.

Will stopped about 10 feet from the fire and created two earth shacks with a tub in each of them, then filled each tub full of water before he warmed them up, even going so far as to put torches around them for lighting.

As an afterthought, Will brought out a fresh set of clothes that should fit Jamie well enough, and some kid's clothes that he figured would work for the children in a pinch, and finally some lye soap and sweet-smelling oils.

He didn't say anything to Jamie when he was in the city or when they got outside the walls, but neither Jamie nor the two children smelled very good. Hell, Jamie smelled damn near rancid, and it was only because the city smelled like a cesspool that no one had been able to track him down due to smell alone.

Being covered with blood and body parts and fighting for your life for a few days would do that to a guy. The children also didn't smell too great, but that was probably because their bathroom situation probably was worse than the commoners. At least they could freely piss and shit in the street without being killed, whereas Tommen and Myrcella could not.

Will didn't want to think about that, so he opted to think about something more positive as he moved back towards the fire.

Jamie was still standing with the two children in his arms, but his gaze was practically locked onto the pot of food hanging over the fire.

"There's a basin full of warm water and some clean clothes over there. I suggest you clean up before you eat." Will told Jamie who looked between the food and the baths. Jamie still hadn't moved when the three women got out of the carriage and walked over to him.

"We can take care of the children while you get cleaned up." Rhaenys said, choosing to be the one to speak.

Missandei would have spoken, it having been her job when she was a slave, but any proper decorum or curtesy went right out the door with this group. They were not normal, and surprisingly, she was really enjoying it.

As for Daenerys speaking, she didn't have any interest whatsoever in speaking to Jamie Lannister of all people, the man who stabbed her father in the back. His King. Of course she knew it was justified, but she wasn't going to thank the man, so she opted to keep her mouth shut.

When Jamie saw the woman holding her arms out to take the children, he hesitated, unsure if he dared to let them go, but in the end he decided that it would be okay. Very hesitantly, he passed Myrcella to Rhaenys, then Tommen to Missandei. Just when he was going to threaten them to 'be careful or else' a hand landed on his shoulder.

"My wife will take good care of your children, so go clean up." Will told him, clearly having seen the reluctance in his eyes. It was understandable, them being his children and all, and with the feeling of so recently losing his lover and his eldest son, Will could understand his hesitance. Still, he wasn't going to let the man make this harder than it needed to be.

Will wasn't sure if Jamie was actually going to threaten Rhaenys or Missandei, but he figured it would be prudent to warn the man lest he did something stupid. Again. The fact that Jamie had a look of horror on his face at his words, Will was almost sure the man was gearing up for some threat. It was a good thing he didn't, otherwise he might have just lost his head.

Despite feeling for the man's loss, Will wasn't against killing him if he stepped over the line, consequences be damned.

Anyway, almost 45 minutes later Jamie and the children were sitting around the fire in clean clothes, all of them eating their food as if it was their last meal. Which it actually might have been.

Will was munching on one of the fireplums from the basket he had brought out for Rhaenys. Based on how quickly the sweet fruit was disappearing, Will figured he would need to bring out another basket before the night was over.

"Thank you." Jamie's voice practically echoed throughout the night around them.

"You're welcome." Will said in response, not wanting to say more on the matter. Getting to his feet, Will pointed to the tent on the right-side of the carriage.

"Take that tent. There's a bed with blankets inside. Get some sleep while you can, because we're going to have to set out in just a few hours. I want to be in the Westerlands before Robert even knows you've left the city." He said, surprising Jamie.

He hadn't expected an escort to The Rock, but there was no way in the Seven Hells that he would refuse it.

"I'll be ready." Jamie said, then picked up a sleeping Myrcella from Rhaenys before he carried her to the tent, then came back for the sleeping Tommen who Missandei was holding.

Once Jamie went into his tent with Tommen, Will looked over to Jon and Aegon before saying, "Jon, you're on first watch. Aegon will go next. Be sure to stay alert."

After giving his orders, Will helped the girls go back to the carriage, while Drox and Aegon went into the other tent to get some sleep while they could. It would be a busy day tomorrow, and they needed all the sleep they could get.

In the carriage, Will pulled the divider down so Daenerys and Missandei were on one side, while he and Rhaenys were on the other. He would have just stayed in the tent with Aegon and Drox so the girls could have some privacy, but it was his carriage and his wife, and he would be damned if he was going to sleep outside away from her when she was only a few short feet away.

The night passed without incident, which Will was thankful for. As soon as the sun began to come over the horizon, the horses were already hitched to the carriage, and it was heading down the Gold Road towards the Westerlands.

Jon was driving the carriage, while Aegon and Jamie rode on horseback beside it. Will and Drox remained back at the city to prepare for something that Will was actually looking forward to.

It hadn't even occurred to him before they got to the capital, but after finding out the information that he had about the events that were going on, he came up with it to really solve some of his family's problems.

They had made the excuse about doing business before following after the carriage, which the others seemed to accept all too willingly.

Before the carriage had departed, Drox placed Shade inside of it with the girls and the two children just to be on the safe side, and Will had not so subtly threatened Jamie that he would wipe out every Lannister alive if anything happened to anyone in his group, something Jamie took as fact.

Anyway, when the carriage had been gone for about two hours, Will and Drox began spreading the word that Jamie Lannister had managed to escape the city. They started the rumors near the Red Keep, even going so far as to tell some guards the information.

"Hey! Did you hear? Jamie Lannister escaped the city!"

"I heard he climbed over the walls!"

"Jamie Lannister stole a horse just outside the city and is heading west!"

"I heard he killed the gate guards and fled into the woods!"

Those were just some of the many rumors circulating throughout the city, and the funny thing about them was, Will and Drox had only created the first one. It was funny how people could change a story to really exaggerate it. Still, it had the effect Will was hoping for.

Less than an hour after they had started the rumors, the news reached Robert, much to Will's enjoyment. The King, 2 members of his Kings Guard, and 300 knights mounted on horseback departed the Lion Gate of the city and headed down the Gold Road at a gallop.

"That worked out better than I thought it would." Drox said, smirking at the departing group of riders.

"It did, didn't it. Anyway, I'll head on ahead of them. I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but just hang back here and keep spreading the rumors." Will said, sounding a little too pleased with himself.

If he was being honest with himself, he rather enjoyed what they had done, and he was kind of looking forward to what was about to come.

"Not a problem. I know a little tavern down by the docks that would be the perfect place to start." Drox told him, then left to go and do what he was told.

With the preparation now over and done with, Will easily left the city before he shot off through the forest, passing the Baratheon group in mere minutes.

In less than 30 minutes he arrived at a section of the road that was easily identified due to a massive boulder that looked like a boot, which was the marker Will had been keeping an eye out for.

He knew it would take almost 2 hours before Robert's group got to this point, so he had time to really set things up. Using earth magic, Will made an enclosed area on the road ahead and in the surrounding trees, making the only way out would be to go back towards the Capital.

With time to kill, Will checked in on the critters to make sure they were good to go, and after a thorough inspection, they were. He didn't have to wait long before he saw the approaching riders, only they couldn't see him from his position in the trees.

He didn't want them to see him, as he didn't want what was about to happen to be able to be traced back to him. Once the riders got past a certain mark, Will dropped the walls to the smaller enclosure then shot small balls of fire inside them to spur the creatures onward. They did not disappoint.

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(Robert Baratheon POV)

The King and his entourage were riding to catch up to the traitorous cunt and his bastard spawns, when all of the sudden something shot out of the brush in front of the King's horse, causing the stallion to halt suddenly before rearing up on its hind legs.

A number of the horses in the group did the same, while some began to buck and kick like wild animals. Robert was trying to calm his horse down when more beasts shot from the trees, their squealing oinks echoing about the area.

Robert recognized them immediately as the boars that he loved to hunt so much but seeing them did not make him happy as it had in the past. No, he was downright pissed.

Before he could shout some orders, dozens of the little beasts began to appear from both sides of the road, causing the horses to go into even more of a frenzy. It didn't take long before Robert found himself on his back trying to blink the dust out of his eyes.

Slowly getting to his feet, Robert gasped for breath for all of 3 seconds before he pushed himself backwards, narrowly dodging one of the biggest pigs he had ever seen in all his born days.

"PROTECT THE KING!!" He heard someone shout. It sounded a lot like Ser Barristan Selmy, but he couldn't be sure with all the shouting going on around him.

Looking around on the ground, Robert saw his warhammer that he had dropped when he had fallen from his horse. Moving quicker than he had in years, Robert grabbed the massive hammer, then got into a ready stance.

He could see a pig running towards him, but he was ready for it this time. Getting ready, Robert timed his swing to be just right, then swung with all of his might.

Though it had been years since he properly used his hammer and not that damnedable sword he had used for show as king, Robert still remembered all the movements for the deadly weapon.

Just as the blow was about to land on the pig, the beast seemed to jump to the side, or at least the ground beneath it seemed to move to the side, Robert didn't know which it was, but what he did know was that he missed his strike.

'Am I drunk?' He wondered, unsure if he had seen right.

Whirling around, Robert tried to find the boar to strike again, but as soon as he turned around, he saw two smaller, but faster pigs running straight at him as though they were fired from a crossbow.

Swinging his hammer in a wide arc, Robert hoped to take them both out before they got to him, but as soon as he was about to make contact, the ground beneath the pigs pulled them apart so they passed on either side of him without a scratch on them.

Robert was about to ask what the hell was going on, when the bigger pig from before ran right into his side, almost taking his left leg completely off.

"THE KING IS INJURED!! PROTECT THE KING!!" Someone shouted again, though it sounded so far away to Robert.

Once again, he found himself on his back for the second time in as many minutes, only this time he couldn't force himself to get to his feet due to the pain assaulting him.

Turning his head to the side, Robert looked at the men with him, and it was only then that he saw that many of them had faired the same as he had with the damned beasts.

Just in his line of sight alone he could count more than a dozen men laying on the ground, their states unknown to him. There were a few people still trying to control their horses, but it looked like they weren't having any luck.

Finally, he saw Ser Barristan running towards his position with 6 knights behind him. They were in a spear formation, and they were closing in quick. They clearly had done better than he had, for he could see a few of their weapons dripping with blood, and behind them he could make out the forms of a few pigs.

Robert would have been happier if this was a battle where he was fighting soldiers, but as it was, it sounded more like a joke. 'The King's army, attacked by pigs. The people would love it.' Robert thought, already imagining the stories now.

Just when he thought his soldiers would make it to him, the same boar from before came into his field of view, and by the looks of things, it would make it to him before Ser Barristan.

'This is it, isn't it?' He thought. 'King Robert Baratheon, killed by a pig.'

Robert's last thoughts came true a second later when the massive boar ran right into his whine-belly, opening him up from chest down to his balls. The only good thing about it was that he died quickly, ending his suffering far quicker than he deserved.

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(General POV)

"HAHAHA! Fucking priceless!" Will laughed, having enjoyed his little game far more than he thought he would.

Yes, it had been him controlling the ground beneath the pigs and the people so that the pigs could come out on top. He even made the pigs turn around and forced them to run back into the fray, killing more and more people with each pass.

Mostly he focused on the large brute of a pig that he had dubbed, 'The Piggy General', and used it to attack Robert and man did he ever enjoy it.

When he had Drox, Aegon, and Jon go out and use their warging abilities the night before to capture a few herds of animals and take them to an encampment that he had built beforehand, Will had never guessed that it would go this smoothly.

He had intended to use the pigs to really fuck over the Baratheon group, and hopefully make them retreat back to King's Landing like scared little bitches. He mostly figured that he could run Robert's name through the dirt so when it did finally come time to reveal themselves then most people would remember the time Robert lost to pigs.

The fact that the pigs actually were able to kill Robert was just a bonus and was honestly one of the funniest things Will had done since coming to this world.

Had Robert been a better man and not some fat buffoon who was responsible for the deaths of way too many people, Will might have felt some remorse for what he had done, but he truly felt like he had done the world a favor by killing him.

Looking over the battlefield where the Piggy General and his battalion had conquered the greater forces of the Baratheon knights, Will could only nod in approval.

Of the 300 or so mounted riders, a little over 40 of them were laying on the ground dead. A dozen horses were also laying on the ground, though none of them were dead yet, but they would be if the injuries were bad enough.

Will also counted maybe 50-60 knights that were injured but would most likely make a full recovery. As for the Piggy Battalion, there were 11 dead pigs scattered about, but the majority of them had retreated into the forest with their general, Will, having allowed them to escape by taking down the enclosure that was keeping them trapped.

They had earned their freedom after a battle well fought. The fight had been legendary, and Will bet there would be songs written about it in the years to come. Hell, he would probably help write them.

Anyway, with Robert now dead, Will watched the knights gather up the mounts that they could, then load up Robert's corpse onto a horse along with the corpses of the rest of the fallen, then they all began the slow march back towards the capital.

With his objective complete, Will shot off through the forest, hoping to catch up with the carriage as soon as possible.

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(Tywin POV)

Tywin landed at Duskendale a little over an hour ago, where his brother and a few hundred knights were waiting for him. Kevan filled him in on what was happening in the Capital, the news shocking Tywin.

It was obvious that someone was trying to go against House Lannister, but it was unclear as to who it was, and that infuriated Tywin. There was a debt to be paid, and he didn't know who he owed it to, but he would soon enough.

Kevan had also sent scouts to the Capital over the last few days while he waited for Tywin, as it was only a few hours away from Duskendale. Needless to say, Tywin had not taken the news well about Cersei's death, nor the death of his grandson.

Then there was Jamie, being hunted like a dog in the city. Kevan had already sent ravens back to the Rock, getting the lords ready for what would no doubt be war. The Baratheons would be the first to fall, then whoever it was that set them up would be next.

They were currently riding northwest on a pre-planned route towards Casterly Rock to make sure they didn't come across any Baratheon troops when the scouts in the rear signaled a rider approaching. Tywin ordered the group to halt, as it was about time to rest their horses anyway.

"My Lord!" The rider almost shouted once the scouts confirmed he was one of theirs. "Ser Jamie escaped King's Landing sometime in the night and is being chased by a group of mounted riders led by King Robert towards The Rock!" The man finished.

"How many men rode out with Robert?!" Tywin asked with an edge in his voice.

"300, My Lord. Along with 2 members of his King's Guard." The scout answered, having counted the group of riders as they left the Lion Gate of the city with King Robert in the lead.

Tywin asked a few more questions, then pulled out a map before tracing an unpopular road with his finger. The road wasn't far, and would take them right behind Robert, depending on how fast the man was riding.

Tywin was okay with that, however. He guessed Robert would keep Jamie alive, at least until he somehow managed to deal with him. Not even Robert would be stupid enough to put Tywin in a situation where he had nothing left to lose.

If Robert did take Jamie, Tywin figured they could set a trap for him, but on the chance, they caught up with Robert before he got Jamie, he could capture the oaf and end the war before it ever began. He owed Kevan immensely, as none of this would have been possible had the man not seen the threat beforehand.

"We ride south!" Tywin ordered, giving the signal to move out. They were only an hour's ride north of the Gold Road if they pushed themselves, and Tywin wanted to get there as soon as possible.

"I don't think Jamie would have taken the Gold Road." Kevan informed him, making Tywin glance at him.

"If he was being pursued and on foot, probably not. But Robert would have. He's the one we're going to surprise." Tywin said, making Kevan's eyes widen in understanding.

The host of Lannister knights rode hard for a little over an hour, at which point they arrived at the Gold Road. Once the road was in sight, Tywin called a halt to rest the horses. It wouldn't do for them to be dead when they came across the Baratheon forces.

For 15 minutes they rested, then began to move once more, keeping in the trees just out of sight. Tywin sent a few scouts ahead to see if they could spot any sign of the riders or Jamie if they were lucky. They had only been on the move for a short time before one of the scouts came to report.

"My Lord! The King's host is returning, but it looks like they were attacked. I counted at least 35 dead, and more injured. I could not see the king among the mounted riders." The scout informed him, confusing Tywin.

There was no way Robert managed to get into the Westerlands already, and there wasn't a chance his forces would march without his say so. Still, Tywin wasn't about to throw away such a golden opportunity.

"Prepare to attack! Kevan, take half of our riders and strike from the other side of the road. We'll hit them from both sides." Tywin instructed quickly.

It took a matter of minutes to get everything ready, then they simply had to wait. About 10 minutes later, the beaten Baratheon host came into view, giving Tywin a chance to really see what happened.

Judging by what he was seeing, the Baratheons had been attacked by a small force that wrecked them. Tywin was thankful to whoever attacked.

Looking over the group, Tywin searched for Jamie, and after not finding him and sighing with relief, he searched for his next target, Robert.

With how big and rotund the king was, he thought it would be easier to find the man, but it was proving more of a challenge. Tywin had to wait until the group was almost directly in between where the pincer attack would take place before he was finally able to see a large figure draped over a saddle, and there was no mistaking that figure, for it could be none other than Robert Baratheon.

'He's dead!' Tywin thought, half excited, half angry. It was great that Robert was dead, but now he couldn't use him as leverage against Stannis and Renly, nor could he torture him for killing his daughter.

Still, with Robert dead, maybe a peace agreement could be made in the future between Stannis and Renly, provided Stannis bothered to listen to reason when he took over as king.

'The man does not forgive.' Tywin reminded himself. Stannis was many things, but kind was not one of them. Tywin had better luck convincing Robert's corpse to forgive him than he did Stannis Baratheon.

Though he would be hesitant to come to peace with any Baratheon, the fact that Robert was dead offered the chance for it to happen. It was Robert who had been wronged, and it was Robert who had attacked. With Robert dead, both sides could be appeased. Still, that was just a possibility. Tywin had no intention to sue for peace at the moment.

'Problems for another time.' He thought. It was time to attack.

When the signal was given, the Lannister forces descended upon the Baratheons from both sides, causing instant chaos amongst their ranks.

"ENEMY ATTACK!!"

"GROUP UP!"

"RETREAT!"

"RETREAT!"

"WE SURRENDER!"

"RETREAT!"

People were shouting all over the battle, but through all the chaos not many of the orders were able to be carried out. From the time it started to the time it ended, it took less than 15 minutes.

Looking to the east, Tywin was able to see about 50 riders escape towards the capital. Despite the fact that the horse carrying Robert's corpse got away, Tywin didn't care to give chase.

They had captured a few dozen men and killed over a hundred more while sustaining minimal losses of their own. After things settled down, Tywin had the prisoners interrogated as to what happened, and he couldn't believe what he learned.

'King Robert was killed... by a pig?' He questioned himself, not believing that he really understood the information.

He had to hear the same story 7 times before he believed what he was hearing. When he was finally satisfied, Tywin ordered the prisoners to be executed, then they were moving again.

Normally he would have kept them alive to be used as bargaining chips or something, but as it was, they were on a time limit, and Jamie's life was at stake. With that thought in mind, they rode towards Casterly Rock.

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(Varys POV)

Everything was going so well for the Spider. The Baratheons had turned on the Lannisters, and the realm would be so drenched in chaos that no one would ever be ready for what was to come.

As soon as the rumors started about Cersei and Jamie, Varys sent word to Illyrio Mopatis that now was the time to act. They weren't as prepared as Varys would have liked them to be, what with the remaining Targaryens nowhere to be found, but they would make do.

Illyrio had hired the Golden Company and the Northswords to support the Young Griff in his conquest, and with his plan of draining the Stormlands of their soldiers, Varys knew it would be enough to start a campaign.

Looking over the letter he had received, Varys couldn't help the smile that graced his lips.

'So, they've landed in the Stormlands... that was quick.' The smirk only grew when he thought about how easy he had made it for them. With no forces to defend the Stormlands, of course they would fall like stocks of wheat to the scythe.

Once the Stormlands were conquered, Varys knew it would take little to no effort to convince the Martells to side with the 'True King!'

'After all, he was the son of their dear, Elia Martell.' He mused to himself as he grabbed a paper and began to write.

As he wrote out the letter, he only had one real thought on his mind, but he had been planning it for years now, and had always known today would come.

'And so, the game begins!'