The King of Winters

Chapter-85

Rhaegar

The King stood over the brazier, warming his powerful hands. Varys had brought word from the South and Rhaegar had convened an urgent meeting at once.

"It would appear the Dornish made away with the prisoners in the very midst from the Baratheon camp. Almost all made it out alive including Lord Tarly, Lord Rowan, Ser Edmund Ambrose, Ser Bayard Norcross and all the other highborn captives from the Howling Hill."

"They failed to keep Lord Robert from crossing into the Riverlands though," Littlefinger blamed.

"Have you ever considered that the men under Uller numbered only half as strong as the Stormlanders who were under Robert Baratheon? My men inform me that they barely even managed to screen their movements. Informers are not always as highly placed as we might like, especially in a dark forest like the Misty wood. You should be glad that they at least managed to make out with the Reachmen who managed to get captured in the first place."

The king was not pleased at all. "When will they be able to get back to King's Landing?"

"As soon as you like for them to be."

"Ask them to get back straight to King's Landing as quick as possible. Let Robert go to the Riverlands if he wants. Aegon still blocks his way onwards to Riverrun."

Maester Pylos tittered nervously. "Your grace, you will leave Prince Aegon alone without enough support at all if you pull out the dornish contingent and the Reachmen from the Riverlands."

"I know, maester. The boy could survive without a few more men," said the king, not bothered about it. Aegon has a grown dragon with him by his side. A couple hundred more men would not make a huge difference.

"You can't do that," said Lyanna, shocked at his decision. "Are you not even concerned a little bit about your son?"

"Why wouldn't I? I should never dream of putting our son in danger."

"Mayhaps you should remember what happened to Jaehaerys in the North." Lyanna declared.

"I'd sooner think more about this war rather than worrying about the boy in the wall. He is safe there. If you would like for it, I could get him out of there when I am done with this war."

From the look in her eyes, Lyanna was prepared to argue some more. Rhaegar knew that look better than anyone. He ignored her, not wanting to have her disturbing his war council with her endless chattering. He knew she only feared for her children as any mother would be, but Rhaegar did not have the time to worry about it especially with the arrival of winter coming so close. His sons were destined for greatness. They were destined to fight the Great Other and their army of dead. If they could not even deal with this threat of the boy King who grew up in the gutters, how could they deal with the army of the dead. He had not forgotten what Andrew Stark did to Jaehaerys, but unlike Lyanna the King couldn't keep worrying about it when he had a war ripping the Seven Kingdoms apart. He would avenge his son when the Dragonslayer is dead.

"There's also been word of the Lannisters falling back to Casterly Rock," Varys said. "Word is that the Mountain is grievously wounded in his fight with Prince Aegon and Lord Tywin is amassing another great host in the Rock."

"If the Lannisters is on the run, I say we give chase," Baelish said.

That might be exactly what Tywin Lannister want us to do. The Lord of Casterly Rock was as much fox as he is a lion, always more calm and cunning, rather than being loud and boisterous. Should Aegon take up the supposed chase he would find himself in the open between two armies with Robert so close to Stoney Sept.