THE NORTHERN CRUSADE

INTERLUDE- 3

300 AC

CROWNLANDS

KING'S LANDING

TYRION LANNISTER

"We must march against the Starks immediately," Mace Tyrell, Lord Of Highgarden, Lord Paramount Of The Reach and Warden Of The South declared and the Master Of Laws in the Small Council declared, as if daring anyone to contradict him.

"We must?" Tyrion asked. "What has the Young Wolf done now?" Flippant as his answer was, Tyrion felt a little anxious "Has he harmed Jaime or Myrcella?" He thought.

"We must indeed," Lord Randyll Tarly, Lord Of Horn Hill answered coldly. "The Stark boy has marched south. He crossed the Blackwater Rush at Stoney Sept near a tenday past with the vast part of his strength. Now he is burning and looting throughout the Reach."

"He has already burned Goldengrove, Bitterbridge, and Longtable," Lord Tyrell added. Where Tarly was cold in his anger, his suzerain waxed hot. "And now his riders are looting and pillaging all along the Mander."

"Even more refugees are flooding the city," Lord Baelish added.

"So while we have sat here, plotting a wedding, our enemy has been plotting a war. Is that about the size of it?" Tyrion asked.

"That is Enough" Tywin said coldly effectively silencing everyone in the small council "Don't jape, if didn't have any useful advise to give Tyrion". The Hand Of The King said to his youngest son.

"Forgive me, my lords. You are right, of course. This is a grave matter indeed" Tyrion apologised to the Reach Lords and he really meant it.

After the Battle Of Blackwater Bay the remainder of Stannis's men under the command of Alester Florent had retreated to the Island of Dragonstone. Which could have caused a serious problem in the future as Dragonstone is really close to King's Landing, so his father Tywin and Mace Tyrell, send the Redwyne Navy under the command of Lord Paxter Redwyne and Ser Loras Tyrell to attack the fortress Island, to destroy rest of Stannis's men and bring them to heel.

Unfortunately, for Lord Tyrell, removing the Redwyne fleet from Arbour was a big mistake as it left the Reach utterly defenceless, and the Greyjoy Navy, which was lurking in the waters of Sunset Sea pounced on the opportunity.

The Iron Fleet under under the command of Victorian Greyjoy first attacked and sacked the port city of Arbour, just like they did to Lannisport during the Greyjoy Rebellion, before commencing an invasion of the Shield Islands.

Lord Tyrell had wanted to take his host south to deal with Greyjoys, but his father had put a stop to that as it would have left King's Landing defenceless as most of the soldiers defending the Capital are Tyrells.

But now he was not so sure, if his father could stop the Reach Lord from marching back to his home to face Robb Stark. The attack by the Greyjoys was nothing but an over glorified raid, but the Northmen have commenced a full fledged invasion on their home.

"What is the strength of the Tyrell forces present in the Reach" Tywin asked Mace Tyrell.

"Highgarden can muster an army of 100,000 strong" Mace Said "I took at least 60,000 men with me when we marched to the Capital, so that leaves 40,000 men guarding the Reach".