The she-wolf and the lion

Chapter 75 - Soliders on the gold road

Bronn is woken in his rooms in the castle by his second in command.
"Captain! Soldiers, captain, soldiers on the way to the Lion's Mouth, captain!" The man says, banging on Bronn's door.
"Wake lord Jaime and lady Lyra, and wake the children's servants...now!" Bronn says, opening the door while strapping on his sword belt and grabbing his other weapons and helmet.
"Yes, captain", the man says.
"Ready our horses", Bronn says, rushing out of the room. "Wind sweeper, Lady of the Rock and Wolf's Praise."
"Yes, captain", the man says, rushing to find Will to ready the horses for Jaime, Lyra and Bronn.

He finds Will outside the stables.
"The captain needs his horse saddled, as does lord Jaime and lady Lyra", the man says. "Soldiers on the way to the Lion's Mouth."
"Right away, sir", Will says, getting to work on saddling the three horses.

When the horses are saddled and bridled, Will, dressed in his armor, leads them out of the stables and wait with them outside of the stables until he sees the lord and lady dressed in their armors with their Lannister cloaks over.

Jaime and Bronn carry their helmets under their arms and walk out as Lyra's shields. Behind them, Patrick, one of the soldiers in the Lannister army, walk with Lyra's dire wolf's headed battle helmet.

The three heads of Jaime's side of the Lannister army, mount their warhorses. Patrick reaches his arms up and hand Lyra her helmet, he then walks back to his horse and mounts it.
"Get in line!" Bronn says, getting up on the left side of Lyra as her flank cover.

Jaime covers Lyra's right flank and the three riders with their army behind them, ride to the gates of the Lion's Mouth to wait. As they are waiting, Jaime, from the corner of his eye, sees someone come running from the castle.
"Father!" Daemon, Jaime's and Lyra's firstborn son, yells, catching his breath.
"Daemon! Go back to your rooms!" Jaime says in his commanding lord voice.
"What's happening?" Daemon asks insistently.
"We might be under attack, and your mother and I can't fight them off if we're worried about you getting in the way of the fighting, or getting captured", Jaime says.
"But I'm the heir!" Daemon says.
"Exactly! Now go! Go back to the castle, Gerion and you must guard and protect Jariella, your wives and all the children until we come back", Jaime says.
"Yes, father", Daemon says, lowering his eyes and walking back to the castle to do his duty as heir and guard and protect its inhabitants until the lord and lady return.

Jaime glances back and sees the doors shut and lock behind his firstborn. Daemon quickly walks back to the great hall where everyone is gathered waiting.
"I must be as brave as father, I must be as brave as father, I'm the son of the dire wolf and the lion, I must protect Gerion, Jariella, the children and the castle, I'm the eldest, I'm the heir, I must be as brave as father, father isn't scared of anything, and neither will I be, I'm the heir of Casterly Rock and Winterfell, I must be as brave as father and I must guard Casterly Rock against intruders", Daemon tells himself.

By the gates of the Lion's Mouth, Jaime and Bronn ride around their army, making sure the lines are tight and ride back to cover Lyra's flanks.
"They're coming, sir", Bronn says calmly.
"Let them come", Lyra says viciously.
"Can you see what colors they fly?" Jaime asks.
"A red three-headed dragon on a black background", Bronn says.
"The king?" Jaime asks.
"No, sir, the king would announce his arrival by raven, it's his grace king Rhaegar's uncle, prince Daeron the older, the king of the narrow sea", Bronn says.
"What could the king of the narrow sea possibly want at the Rock?" Jaime asks.
"Your lady wife, I gather, but he will not have her, I swear that to you, m'lord", Bronn says. "If I gotta butcher him myself."
"Bows at the ready, all of you, aim...knock, draw....hold, hold, hold", Jaime says but is interrupted by Lyra.
"If you want to keep me, we can't hold much longer", Lyra says calmly, bow drawn and ready.
"Loose!" Jaime says and the entire Lannister army let loose their arrows.

The lord's and lady's arrows find their marks straight and true, making prince Daeron's horse collapse under him. A Targaryen soldier gives up his own horse to the prince and he charges straight towards the Lannister army, catching himself in a storm of Lannister arrows and steel.
"Let's see if a lion and a wolf can kill a dragon", Lyra says to Jaime. "Aim, knock, draw, loose!"
"Give me the wolf woman, Lannister!" Prince Daeron bellows.
"If you even think of touching me, I'll send your pretty head as a name day gift to my sister, the queen", Lyra says with all the steel and ice of the north in her voice, calmly and without the slightest hint of emotion, watching as the new horse collapse under prince Daeron. "Jaime, Bronn...ready? Hold on tight."
"With pleasure, lady Lyra, come on, boy", Bronn says, making Wolf's Praise rear up on his hind legs and watch as Lady of the Rock and Wind-sweeper do the same.

As one, the three at the head of the Lannister army, give their horses the command to stamp down towards the man now laying broken and bloody on the ground.
"Take care of your trash, and leave our lands", Jaime says.
"Back to the castle", Lyra says and the Lannister army, with the lord and lady of Casterly Rock at the head along with the captain of their household guard, turn and ride back through the Lion's Mouth and into the courtyard of Casterly Rock.
"Take care of our horses, Will", Bronn says.
"Yes, Captain", Will, the stable boy, says.
"Bring us ale and food, to the dining hall, and bring the children to us, and the maester, the captain and I were both pierced by arrows by the Targaryen swine who thought he could come here and steal my wife, and tell the maester to bring paper, ink and a quill, we have news for his grace the king and her grace the queen", Jaime says as they walk in to the castle.
"Yes, milord", one of the servant girls says.

Maester Craylen shows up after a couple minutes, with ink, quill, parchment, tools, ointments and clean linen. Behind him, Daemon, Gerion and Jariella with their partners and children, follow.
"Father! Are you hurt?" Daemon asks.
"Only small cuts and bruises, my boy", Jaime says.
"M'lord, you might want to bite down on this", maester Craylen says, handing Jaime a piece of wood covered in cloth to bite down on as the arrows are being removed from his body.
"Targaryen swine! If he wasn't dead, I'd kill the son of a poxy whore all over again", Jaime growls through gritted teeth.
"Milk of the poppy, m'lord?" maester Craylen asks.
"No!" Jaime snaps. "Just pull the blasted arrows out of me and bandage me up."
"Yes, m'lord", maester Craylen says, pulling the last arrow out and put ointment on the small wounds caused by them.