Chapter 368

DOMERIC BOLTON POV

He looked a the Northern lords dispersing and let out a sigh.

He put the wand back int his sleeves where it locked onto the Wand Holster.

This was harder than he thought it would be.

Using mind compulsion on so many people at once was tiring. But he really couldn't have allowed the meeting to derail no matter what.

The people of the North still hated the Targaryens and without the active use of his mind magic, this meeting could have been a lot worse.

But now that the Northern lords had given their words to Lord Stark to support Jon, they would not go back on their words and support him wholeheartedly.

Now he just needed to do the same for the Vale lords and then he could leave and go back to the River road where his men were still fighting against the skirmishers who were doing their best to stop him from leaving Westerlands.

To be frank, some of those men were doing a fantastic job but it was just unfortunate for them that he had over 20 wargs in his army. And he had found that wargs were the best scout anyone can afford.

He and his men had destroyed 13 war parties by now and he had no doubt that that number would only increase as they reach closer to Golden Tooth.

He renewed the attention diverting charm on him and snuggled into the camouflage cloak and closed his eyes.

He was tired from all the battles and a small nap would have to do for now.

—————

TYWIN LANNISTER POV

2 weeks later

"Our scouts have been hit once again." Ser Addam Marband said, trying to maintain his stern visage even when the man probably just wanted to go back to his tent and sleep. "We've lost about 160 scouts since morning. And about half that number of archers"

"This many?" Lord Terrence Kenning asked "How did we lose so many in just half a day."

Ser Addam Marband grimaced at that "It seems like Lord Bolton do not intend to sit in the Golden Tooth and had sent out his direwolves for a preemptive strike against us. They come out of the forests without any notice, pick up our scouts and drag them back to the forest. No one has return thus far. Even the Archers we had set up to ambush the Blackfish and his men were mauled to death by the Direwolves."

"Direwovles are just large wolves, aren't they?" Lord Roland Crakehall said "How come we have to failed to kill even a single one of them?"

"They are…" Ser Addam Marband hesitated but continued "…wearing armor."

He frowned "Lord Bolton had his direwolves decked in armor?" he asked.

"Yes my lord. And it is very good armor." Ser Addam Marband said "The direwolves were able to take the arrows head on and were not even phased. A strike from a sword doesn't even make them flinch. The horses get spooked by the presence of even a single direwolf and they simply bite a man and drag him into the forest if they don't maul him to death right then and there."

He remained quiet as his lords and knights continued to question Ser Addam Marband who he had charged as leading their scouts and defeating the Blackfish. Unfortunately, it seems like they have a bigger problem now.

"What of horse archers?" he asked and the tent went quiet.

"Horse archers my lord?" Ser Marband asked, looking confused.

"The Bolton boy has over a thousand horse archers in his army. Led by a dothraki. Have we been attacked by them yet?" he asked.

"No my lord." Ser Marband replied.

"Then prepare for them as well." He said "The Bolton boy would no doubt send them to slow us down soon enough. Be ready to receive me."

"M… my lord…" Ser Marband looked close to despair now "The men are already tired from the long marching. And the scouts are beyond tired."

He nodded "That is why you'll receive aid from Ser Gregor Clegane and his 1000 riders." He said and turned to Gregor Clegane "Gregor. You'll protect the right Flank and the front of our army. Do what you must but don't let the beasts and men sent by Lord Bolton slow us down at any cost. We have a good lead on the armies of Vale and the North. That would be crucial for us taking the Tooth from the Bolton boy."

The men fidgeted in their seats and he frowned.

He knew why they were nervous. By continuously defeating the Lannister forces with such a small army, Lord Bolton has become a sort of legend and now these people feared that boy more than they feared him.

He knew that strong reputations can have such an effect.

He also knew that the Tooth was a very defensible castle and it would be very difficult to defeat Lord Bolton and take the castle from him.

But he also knew that the Bolton boy now held all the gold that belonged to House Lannister. And if the boy managed to leave the Westerlands with all that gold then his house would be ruined.

Well… not ruined. He would technically still be the Lord Paramount of the Westerlands and gain taxes from the other houses. But House Lannister would no longer be the richest house in Westeros. They would not even be in the top ten.

That is not to mention the fact that the Bolton boy taken his sister and many other women and children as hostage who would either have to be ransomed back or would be kept in the North as a deterrent against the Westerlands in the future.

No. He cannot accept this.

He would not allow his legacy to fall apart because of the actions of a single boy.

No. He would either take the Golden Tooth. Or he would die trying.