Chapter 117 – Meeting

[300 AC – Kingsroad near the Crownlands]

[A few hours before the breaching of the gates in King's Landing]

Battles and wars were not decided by numbers, but by many different factors. Terrain, equipment, experience, morale, and strategy were just a few of the factors that could influence the outcome of a battle greatly.

Tywin Lannister had learned that in the long years of his life and the many battles he had led armies into. And like any great man, he was not above admitting that the young Robb Stark was a great commander and brilliant leader when it came to war.

The young man though lacked something that the old lion had cultivated since young – cunning and the willingness to do anything to win.

Tywin was the kind of man that could give up the Riverlands and the North after having lost thousands of soldiers battling for it, just to see his opponent fall dead and defeated, which was a rare quality amongst those in his position.

Such ruthless calculations were what made him such a dangerous man, as he was the type of man that would cut off an arm to save the body without even a change in his expression. He knew when to suppress his greed and thirst for vengeance in favour of victory.

Silently turning his armies towards King's Landing and crushing the Southern army led by Renly Baratheon in one decisive battle was the most important step in securing the Realm under the rule of his grandson at this moment in time, and the old lion was confident that he could succeed.

Renly was not Robb Stark after all. He had no noticeable talent as a commander and even less experience than the Northern boy. Not to mention that his army was made up of opportunists and beautifully equipped farmers, not true soldiers.

He may have had Randyll Tarly command his army, but that didn't change the fact that his position around the capital made it perfect to ambush them from behind and force them against the city walls to crush them decisively.

Tywin had also no doubt that his brother would coordinate perfectly with his assault, as they had decades of experience when it came to leading men into battle together.

And to make sure that Renly Baratheon did not have any chance to prepare for his assault, Tywin did not hesitate to march his troops through the night with minimal rest, as the surprise element was essential in his plan to catch them unaware and reduce the losses amongst his men to an absolute minimum.

Riding along the Kingsroad, the old lion was assured that he would soon lay himself to rest in the Red Keep as the Hand of the King, having great confidence in his own cunning and strategic ability.

This confidence though shattered the moment he saw hundreds of weapons ignite with fire and figures in dark-red plate armor and blood-red robes step out from the thicket.

No shouts or roars could be heard from the assaulting enemies just fiery silence, as these warriors and priests cut into the flank of the convoy and started their massacre, filling the night with the pained shouts and dying screams of his own men.

The attackers were led by two Dornish-looking spear wielders, a young woman with a blazing feather mark on her cheek and a man Tywin recognized as the Red Viper even in the dark of the night.

The Red Temple and Dorne had finally shown their hand in this War of the Four Kings, the old lion realized with a heavy heart, and for the first time in decades, Tywin was very pessimistic about the outcome of a battle.

…

[King's Landing – Red Temple – The Next Day]

"What do you want from me?"

Hearing the former Hand of the King's question, Thoros intoned evenly: "The Lord had sent me to you with news and an offer, Kevan Lannister."

"Your brother, Tywin Lannister, is dead. Killed during a clash between his army and an army led by Oberyn Martell. As his younger brother, this leaves you as the heir and Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West as he did not leave behind any legitimate male heirs of his own.", the High Priest announced.

Hearing these words, Kevan was shocked and saddened to the extreme, having seen his older brother as a role model and inspiration since young. He had always followed Tywin faithfully, even if that meant coming to a disagreement with his father.

The fact that he was suddenly not amongst the living anymore left a deep sadness in his heart, though Kevan's sharp mind did not miss the fact that it was Oberyn Martell that had supposedly killed him.

The Martells were closer entangled with the Red Temple than any other noble House of the Seven Kingdoms, so the former Hand of the King could not help but speculate that his brother's death came at a rather opportune time.

"What is it that you want to offer me?", Kevan asked while trying to suppress the resentment in his heart.

"That is something the Lord will personally tell you about in a short while.", Thoros replied, "But first, you will have to make yourself more presentable."

Having said so, the doors opened once again as temple servants carried a wooden tub into the room along with a few buckets of hot water, some soap, towels, and a fresh set of clothes.

…

It was a few minutes later that the former Hand of the King was led into a solar on the highest floor of the temple by Thoros, having washed off the dirt and blood from the battle the night before.

It was a simple room with dark-coloured wooden furniture and a colourful tapestry, the most eye-catching being a large wooden desk with an equally large armchair behind it.

It was in that armchair in which sat a man with blazing eyes and otherwordly charm.

And while the man looked as if he was made of flesh and bones, the feeling he gave off was one of pure unadulterated power. It was a power that penetrated deep into the former Hand of the King's soul, making him realize that he found himself in the presence of something that was definitely not a human.

The burning gaze alone made it hard for Kevan to breathe while the ambient pressure nearly forced him to his knees.

Suddenly though the being's fiery eyes turned into amethyst-coloured orbs, while the pressure on his body vanished as if it had never existed in the first place, a smooth voice addressing him.

"Step closer and have a seat, Kevan Lannister. There is a lot we have to talk about.", the Red God greeted, one of his hands gesturing to an empty chair that stood before the desk.

Hesitantly and with trembling limbs, the former Hand of the King took a seat as he waited silently for the divine being to speak once again.