-Chapter 30-

Congratulations already on tuesday and you have reached 171 power stones see here the first extra chapter of the week.

if you reach 500 stones quickly i will think about putting a special bonus chapter at 1.000 power stones.

Good reading to all

Ghostrider0002

***

-Chapter 30-

-POV MC-

-2nd day of the 8th moon of the year 299 AC-

I wrapped my arms around the waist of the beautiful lioness with the blonde mane who was staring at the rising sun in the distance. She leaned against me and then said, "You can never know how much it hurts to lose a child until you experience it."

I said nothing but made circles with my thumb to calm her. Our relationship was really strange—it was a cocktail of remnants of anger, hatred, love, and a huge dose of desire. We both knew that the other wanted to influence or even manipulate us, but since we knew it, neither of us could take offense or even complain.

"I often think back to the tower," said Cersei in a guilty tone.

"That was a long time ago," I said, not wanting to reopen the debate.

"No, I need to tell you this, otherwise I won't have the strength. I didn't want what happened. I was afraid to tell you what was happening between Jaime and me, not because I didn't trust you, but mostly because I didn't want to see the disgust in your eyes. I told Jaime that we would tell you, but he didn't comply. Seeing Ronnet fall, I must admit, I was both relieved and horrified," she said, turning and looking me straight in the eyes.

"I didn't want it, I swear to you," she repeated in the face of my silence.

"You are the only trustworthy friend I have, and I don't want any more secrets between us. I agreed to marry Myrcella to you because I know you will treat her well. She will have the right to speak and have a life. That is the greatest gesture of trust I can offer, but you must promise me to protect Tommen. I can't lose two sons."

I took a deep breath and nodded, "I forgive you because Ronald told me that you tried to 'save' him, but this is the only other chance I give you. If you ever betray my trust a second time, you can erase me from your life."

She nodded and rested her head against my chest as my arms tightened around her waist.

I smiled and then said, "To seal our agreement, I think we should return to bed."

She nodded, and I lifted her to her bed to continue where we left off last night.

After my victory over Stannis at Storm's End, I chose to restructure the ranks of my army. First, I dissolved the Order of the Red Griffin. I had brought the Red Griffins with me and trained them for years. Some were still there after a decade of fighting.

The Order of the Red Griffin was a mounted combat unit, but above all, they were knights whom I had trained to become versatile fighters with any weapon, as well as commanders capable of leading soldiers. Now that I had taken possession of the Stormlands, it was time to incorporate them into my army.

Of the 30,000 captives, 15,000 of them were natives of the Stormlands, so I was more lenient with them. In exchange, I incorporated all these people into my army as soldiers after a process of brainwashing, nothing too sophisticated but terribly effective.

I began training them in obedience. Most were quite receptive because I mixed punishment and reward, but for the more recalcitrant, I used harsher techniques: punishments, deprivations, and fighting between prisoners of the same army, all while using Reachmen to train my soldiers.

Once their training was complete, they were welcomed into a new family that paid them well, cared for them, and took care of their families by moving them to towns under my control so they could live a better life protected by their brothers in arms.

'It was so much more than what other nobles did for them that I didn't have to insist much.'

The infantry lost 2,200 men, while the cavalry lost 800, including 200 knights, and my archer unit remained intact.

15,000 soldiers, 7,800 infantrymen, 1,800 heavy cavalry (knights), 400 light cavalry, 5,000 archers.

That was the full number of my units the day after Stannis's defeat.

I added 8,200 soldiers to my infantry unit, 5,000 fully armored heavy cavalry, 1,800 light cavalry, bringing my army to a total of 30,000 soldiers composed of 16,000 infantrymen, 5,000 armored cavalry, 2,200 light cavalry, and 1,800 knights.

I then decided to change the structure of my army by incorporating 600 knights as officers in my army, 320 knights in the light infantry, 100 knights in the heavy cavalry, 44 knights in the light cavalry, and 100 knights in the archer unit.

Each knight was in charge of a brigade of 50 soldiers they had to lead and train and whom they were responsible for. I had only 1,200 knights left—500 at Storm's End, 500 at Griffin's Roost, and 200 to accompany me as a personal guard.

With this firepower, I had become one of the most powerful lords of Westeros to this day. I released all the nobles of the Reach in exchange for more than substantial ransoms, and in total, I managed to negotiate 1,000,000 bushels of various grains, 1,000,000 golden dragons, and 15,000 good-quality weapons and armor.

I chained the rest of my prisoners and used them as general laborers—another name for war slaves. I sent them all to the fields, construction sites, and mines, and after a year of working, I would release them...or not.