The Twins
Ser Gerion Lannister, The Twins, the sixth day of the fifth month of 284 AC
He watched from the ramparts of the western tower as a rolling fog crept towards them from the North. An uneasy feeling entered his gut as it covered more of the Green Fork. It didn't help that it was the middle of the day either.
“The Northerners are going to play dirty, I can feel it.” His brother murmured from his left. “And we have no way of being able to get past them.”
“The Royal fleet can hold them on the Eastern Coast Tyg, and our fleet will hold the West with the Redwyne's,” Gerion countered. “We just need to go forward.”
“In that?” Tygett asked dryly, jabbing a finger at the fog. “Unless you have a means to see through that, we won't be going anywhere. It would be nothing but suicide.”
“If Tywin wants us to go-”
“Do not mention him to me,” Tygett snapped. “I don't want to hear another word about our brother or that prick Hoster Tully. Neither of them are thinking straight if a little girl can scare them both like this.”
“Its what she represents,”Gerion said softly but he understood where his brother was coming from. Neither Tywin or Hoster Tully had been the greatest of people to be in the same company with these days. Tywin's angry glares or Hoster Tully's indignant croaks were not something to look forward too when a meeting needed to take place. “Have you any word from Genna?”
“Our brother killed a lot of her husbands kin, some of which she was fond of, I doubt she wants to talk to the two us after we just stood there and watched.”
Gerion flinched, remembering the screams of men, women, and children alike almost three weeks ago. Only a handful of Frey's were left, Including Ser Stevron Frey, who couldn't even be called a lord because the King had disinherited every Frey save for a few. Gerion had heard that the king needed to be persuaded to not disinherit Tyta Frey and Rei Rivers even though it was the smart thing to do.
Jon Arryn hoped to persuade Harlon Frost or Locke Wynter to either send word to Lord Rickard or, in Harlon's case, let them through to the North with having the claims of their wives still remain intact. Gerion thought it was a fools errand. And Hoster Tully only agreed to all of this because he wanted his daughter safe and because he wanted his grandsons rights to be formally recognized when they won. If they won at all.
“Riders approaching from the North!” One of the archers shouted. Gerion looked towards the figures heading their way. They bore a white banner for peace on one end and a White Wolf on red and purple at the other.
“Its lord Harlon,” Tyg muttered, “We should go and treat with him.”
“Tywin wanted us-”
“Tywin can go fuck himself,” Tyg growled. “We might have a chance to finish this now. By either taking him as a hostage or getting him to agree to contact Lord Rickard. We're going Gerion.” His brother turned to one of the soldiers, “Bring Stevron Frey outside and give him a horse. He is coming with us.”
Lord Harlon Frost, the West Bank of the Green Fork
Harlon sat atop his horse patiently, waiting as his good brother rode alongside people he didn't know. Going by the armor and blonde hair of two of them, he assumed that they were actual Lannisters and not just their foot soldiers. He just didn't know if they were from the main branch of Lannisters or from the other ones since there were so many of them.
“Stevron,” Harlon called out to his good brother. “How are they treating you?” He ignored the two obvious leaders of this party.
“I am alive so I suppose that's something.” Stevron said quietly, dryly. The two Lannisters shot him looks which he ignored.
“And your father?”
Stevron's face became pinched and he said nothing in response.
“Who else?” Harlon's voice was cold. He expected that Old Walder would be dead, and he wouldn't miss him, but killing a lord in his own home just wasn't done. Neither was killing his family without cause.
“Most of the family, including Olyvar,” Stevron replied flatly but with tears in his eyes. Harlon tried not to jerk at that. Olyvar was one of the few Frey's he could tolerate and he was one of his wife’s favorite brothers. He was also his sons namesake. Tyta is going to be devastated, he thought, turning to glare at the others.
“I see Lannister treachery has reached a new low, Tell me, who am I addressing?” He spat at the two Lannisters in front of him.
“I am Ser Gerion Lannister, this is my brother Tygett.” One of them said calmly and gestured to the man next to him. “We are brothers of Lord Tywin.” Harlon figured that out after he mentioned the names but he said nothing.
“So mind your tongue heathen,” Another man snapped at Harlon, who for his part, looked the man up and down.
“And you are?” Harlon asked.
“Ser Lymond Vikary,” The knight said with a huge amount of pomposity. “And -”
“So you're a nobody,” Harlon interrupted flatly. “Hardly any lands to your name, you've hardly done anything of importance and the one powerful family you descended from is extinct and their holdings were not given to you after they were gone. That must have really irritated you.”
House Vikary were a fairly new house in comparison to some of the older houses of the Westerlands. But no one forgot where they came from, especially since they made it plain on their house sigil.
Harlon remembered hearing about what happened to the houses of Reyne and Tarbeck and, as a boy, wondered why the bastard house of the former was not rewarded for helping destroy the rebellious houses and their vassals. And then he heard more about Tywin Lannister and understood that he was not as generous as his father, Lord Tytos, had been.
Harlon scoffed at the knight and looked back at the two Lannisters, “I thought you Lannisters were too proud to let a nobody speak up in you defense? Or is that just your brother I am thinking of?”
“Ser Lymond will not be speaking out of turn again,” Gerion assured him and his brother nodded in agreement. “Isn't that right Ser?” He glared at the other knight who nodded his head but said nothing.
“So what are the terms for your surrender?”
“Our surrender,” Gerion repeated, completely bewildered.
“Yes, your surrender, what do I need to give to gain it? Besides slaughtering your forces on both sides of the Green Fork of course.”
It was clear that neither of the Lannisters considered this an option as they just stared at him.
“Why would we surrender?” Tygett Lannister spoke up. “We have the numbers here and now, and while your three towers at the Moat could hold back our army on land -”
“Twenty-two.” Harlon interrupted him.
“I'm sorry?”
“I have twenty-two towers at the Moat,” Harlon explained to the bewildered man. “I aimed for twenty-five but my wife thought that we had enough. And we have enough men to be our garrison so I can't really complain.” He shrugged at their incredulous looks. They were probably thinking that he was foolish to reveal such information. “I have no fear of you even reaching my home, the Crannogmen will not even let you near it unless our overlord tells them too. What harm could there be in telling you about it?”
“Be that as it may, you will find yourself surrounded by our fleets,” Tygett seemed less sure than before he spoke and Harlon shrugged again.
“We have enough food to last for a long time and winter is not yet upon us,” Harlon replied, grateful that the long seasons had ceased so long ago after the defeat of the White Walkers and their leader. It was hard to imagine living in a world where summer and winter lasted for decades. “To be honest with you however, I doubt that your forces will be needed past today.”
“And why is that?” Gerion asked, curious despite himself.
Harlon felt, more than saw, the fog behind him lessen to reveal the several northern shield walls behind him. The eyes of the men in front of him widened almost comically. For the Westerlanders, it was in surprise and even fear. For Stevron it was joy and a bit of hope.
“If we fail to save you brother, I swear that all of you will be avenged.” Harlon told Stevron solemnly. The older man nodded his head with a few tears on his face. He turned to the other knights. “Whatever misconceptions you have about my people, it will be your undoing. Enjoy what freedom you have left.”
With that he guided his horse and rode back into their lines, the shield walls moving seamlessly out of the way to allow him and his riders back into the fold. When they were far enough, he turned to his friend, Ser Devyn Reed.
“Gather the men and push the fog past the Twins. Then alert our southern allies that within the hour, we unleash hell.”
Devyn nodded with a determined scowl on is face and did as he was commanded.