Tywin Lannister observed the castle with cool detachment from atop his horse while his troops set up camp under the late morning sun. To him, Pinkmaiden was nothing more than a nuisance, a small obstacle to be removed on his way to King's Landing. With the amount of troops he had brought and the superior quality of his men's equipment, this fight should, in theory, prove no challenge.
The reality, however, was more daunting than he wanted to admit. The Pipers had gotten reinforcements from the nearby Riverlander Houses, swelling their numbers from only 2 thousand to roughly 8 thousand. Even with his numerical advantage with 25 thousand men, taking the castle would incur heavier losses than he had originally expected.
Pinkmaiden wasn't a big castle for Westerosi standards, but the large numbers present there at the moment made the fortress very defendable, as its walls had more men than actual defensive space. That allowed for a good rotation amongst the defenders, who got more resting time and would, in turn, fight better.
The Red Fork river flowing in its West also made the attack more difficult, by mostly securing the western part of the castle, unless Tywin would like to use rafts, which would no doubt be very costly in manpower.
And, finally, there were rumors that the sorceress and the daughter of Eddard Stark had also joined the defense. That had dealt a blow to his troops morale. Many had heard of what had happened to Amory Lorch and none wanted to meet the same fate. This Arabella was growing into a legendary figure and Tywin was determined to root her out and kill her for good this time. Not only for his vengeance for what she had done to his children, but also because his men should fear him above all else, not a sorceress from a remote land.
The Old Lion also knew time was not his ally at the moment. The longer it took him to take the castle, the higher the chances that Eddard Stark would arrive with the forces from the Crownlands and Stormlands. Rob Stark was also arriving from the north and that would put pressure on his brother, who also needed to try to make short work of Riverrun before the Northerners arrived.
He hoped to make a blitz into the Crownlands and Riverlands to provoke chaos before retreating back into the Westerlands and whatever castles they conquered as forward bases. He planned on fortifying his position before Aegon arrived with the Golden Company and undoubtedly brought the Reach and Dorne to his side, providing him with much needed reinforcements.
When he had planned to put Joffrey on the throne, he was willing to commit everything into winning the war as quickly as possible. Now that Aegon was going to be king, Tywing was unwilling to sacrifice all his strength just so a Targaryen would sit the Iron Throne. He knew well that a weakened House Lannister would be sidelined in the future and that was the exact reason why Dorne and the Reach hadn't immediately joined the war, hoping he would expend all his forces in this conflict.
A bit more than an hour later, the camp had been established, a testament to the efficiency of the Westerlands Army. Tywin held a War Council with his advisors, including Ser Adam Marbrand, Lord Brax, Lord Swyft, Lord Lyden, Lord Serret, Lord Crakehall, and, of course, Tyrion. He had insisted on having the Dwarf accompany him, both for his shrewd mind, which Tywin had been forced to recognize, and because he wanted to ensure his line would proceed with legitimate heirs in case Aegon went back on his promise to legitimize the three bastards or failed to grab the throne. It was important that Tyrion started gaining some military merit.
"I want the first probing attack done tonight. Send word to Ser Gregor Clegane that he is to attack from the north with his raiders, while we take the southern and eastern walls. Pinkmaiden should be captured in the best state possible, but if we have to burn it down in order to pass, then we will burn it down. What is the state of the siege engines?"
"They will be ready to unload at the enemy by late afternoon, My Lord" answered Lord Crakehall.
Tywin nodded, making the necessary calculations in his mind. They had brought ten catapults with them. With time not being on their side, they didn't have time to mount trebuchets, which take weeks to build. Thus, he had traded range and firepower for mobility. However, given the size of the castle, a week of bombardment from the ten catapults would be enough to cause significant damage to the fortress and serious casualties on the enemy side.
"Start as soon as they are ready and keep it going through the evening. I want them tired and their morale low before we attack."
"It will be done, Lord Tywin"
"Lord Brax, do we have any intelligence of their supplies inside the castle? Did your scouts spot any recent supply caravans before our arrival?"
"No, My Lord" said Lord Brax " the scouts we sent have spotted no supplies coming in lately, which means the reinforcements brought their own supplies with them. Furthermore, while we don't know the exact number, we estimate their food reserve can handle a month or two of siege at maximum. A castle the size of Pinkmaiden could only hope to store food for a year maximum, but that is if we consider its original garrison and strict rationing policies being implemented. Even with their own supplies, the extra men will take a heavy toll on their food storages."
The estimation displeased Tywin greatly, which was made evident by his frown. They didn't have two months. In fact, they likely didn't even have one. By that time, Eddard Stark would likely be already upon them. They had three weeks, give or take. Five if they were very lucky and the troops from the Stormlands took a long time to gather.
"There's one more thing, My Lord" continued Lord Brax "the scouts also swear they saw strange lights coming from the castle yesterday towards the sky. They believe it was sorcery, though they admit they didn't stay around to find out. They were afraid of being caught."
So the sorceress has acted already? Tywin thought. He'd need to test if she had made any preparations for this battle before engaging his troops.
"Tyrion," Tywin said, turning to his son.
"Yes father?" Tyrion answered, deciding no to make any jokes given his father's serious tone.
"I'm placing you in command of the catapults. I know you prize yourself on the capability of your mind, well, you finally will prove it. I want you to identify the castle's main vulnerabilities and exploit them to the maximum effectiveness. Your main priority is to create breaches for our forces. That not being possible, then focus on increasing enemy casualties. Do I make myself clear?"
"Like Myrish glass, father." he answered, unable to hide his surprise. Deep down, he was feeling great pride in finally being trusted to do something meaningful. He had always lived under the scorn of the Old Lion, whose only previously given assignment of note was to take care of the sewers of Casterly Rock.
Secretly, he felt ashamed for being so glad he was receiving this attention. He knew it was only happening because Jamie and Cersei had died and his nephews' positions as bastards were unclear, making Tywin have to face the reality that his heir was the Imp of Casterly Rock. Of course he didn't really miss Cersei, but Jamie's loss had given him a hollow in his heart that no amount of whores or wine or titles could fulfill.
The rest of the war council proceeded with the assignment of posts and respective commands, with Ser Adam Marbrand leading the first wave of attack into the castle. When the matter was solved, the meeting was declared concluded and each noble left the main tent to go carry on their duties.
Later that day, during the afternoon, the siege engines got ready earlier than expected and Tyrion set off immediately to inspect the catapults. Once he was confident in their sturdiness and overall battle readiness, he ordered the officer appointed as his second in command.
"Load the boulders"
The order was shouted to the crews manning the catapults and in a few minutes the large stones were placed in the launchers. Tyrion looked at the castle and examined its defenses. Two places seemed attractive options.
He could target the southern walls directly, creating a clearer path for the troops to pour into the fortress or he could target the western and southern tower. The second target was harder to hit, but with a bit of luck, they could make it collapse into the walls and not only create a breach but also create a lot of debris around the southern portion of the defense, making it harder for the defenders to send reinforcements from the north.
For his first volley, he decided to target the walls, so his men could better adjust the first shots and hopefully hit a few targets, making morale higher. Later, he'd move on to the towers once the crew was warmed up. He relayed the orders to adjust the catapults according to the angles he expected.
"Ready, My Lord!"
"Fire!"
With his words, ten boulders were launched across the sky, flying above the Westerlander army towards the walls of Pinkmaiden. The Riverlanders defending the castle felt their heartbeats quicken as they saw the large stones coming their way. A death warrant if a medieval soldier ever saw one. As the defenders braced for impact, the Lannistermen watched intently, waiting for the sweet sound of stone crushing stone and the screams of the wounded, signifying good hits.
"BOOOOM"
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The previous night.
Arabella Arya were guided to the main courtyard of Pinkmaiden Castle under the gaze of several soldiers, who were keeping watch on the walls, as well as servants who rushed back and forth with their duties. A group of nobles also accompanied the two witches, including Ser Lewin Piper and his father, Lord Clement Piper. A middle-aged Maester also watched the proceedings with care. His chain bore no extravagant links apart from a couple of gold and silver ones, in addition to a single iron link.
"My Ladies, as you've requested, this courtyard represents the centermost point of our fortress" said Lord Piper "You've said you have a way to protect the whole castle?"
At his words the Maester's interest clearly perked up, though both Witches were too concentrated at the task ahead to notice him getting a few steps closer so he could hear them better.
"Yes, Lord Piper. Arya and I plan to envelop the castle in a magical shield. The shield should hold for a couple of days, perhaps more, but once it's down, I believe we can cast it again, though the temporary breach will give the enemy a few minutes to strike. Also, as I've explained to your son and the other Lords back in Riverrun, while the barrier is up, there's no going in, nor out. Are you sure we are not expecting any more supplies, refugees or reinforcements?"
"No, My Lady. All the common-folk from the nearby villages are already inside the castle and the only reinforcements or supplies we'll receive from now on will be when Lord Stark arrives to break the siege. We can't hold on any longer, our scouts report Tywin's forces will be here by tomorrow."
Arya held a mixture of expressions when she heard the mention of her father. She was glad that she'd be seeing him again soon and she couldn't wait to show him all the cool stuff she had learned during these two months of training. At the same time, she couldn't help but worry for his safety. After the ambush they had suffered and her own wound, she understood now all too well how these fights could end very poorly.
"Don't worry Arya" said Arabella, who had noticed her emotional conflict and chose to try and soothe her "Your father is a great warrior and a respected commander. Even with Tywin Lannister on the other side, Lord Eddard is more than capable of defeating him."
"Yes! And he has us to help him! With our power, we can surely win!"
"Hahaha, absolutely" she chuckled, before regaining a more serious tone "Now, are you ready to start? Remember what we practiced and what I taught you about the stronger versions of the Protego charm?"
The gathered nobles looked at them with expectant eyes. Some of them tried to work their minds over what language they were talking in when they spoke the spell's name. Most of them wondered if it could be some sort of Valyrian, but the more educated of them knew it had nothing to do with the language of Old Valyria.
"Yes!" replied Arya.
"Good, you take the northern and western parts while I take the southern and eastern ones."
The two Witches positioned themselves back to back and pointed their wands up, while chanting the spells several times.
"Protego Maxima"
"Fianto Duri"
"Repello Inimicum"
With each spell uttered, a cluster of blue magic flew towards the sky and condensed on top of the castle. It created a dome that spread towards the floor, enveloping the whole castle and its outer walls, completely sealing them inside. Once the spells were concluded, the barrier became translucent, almost imperceptible to the eye, unless someone looked very attentively.
Everyone who was still awake stared in shock at the barrier being formed. Soldiers forgot about their rounds and watch duties. Servants stopped running out and about. Windows were packed with faces looking towards the dome being formed. The Maester witnessed everything wide-eyed and, when it was over, he immediately retreated to his quarters in order to make records of what he had seen in order to send it to the Citadel.
The whole thing took five minutes to be done and once they had finished, both Arabella and Arya bore clear signs of fatigue. Although using magic didn't really come at a physical cost to the caster, complex spells such as these required quite a lot of concentration and focus, which didn't come cheap as far as the mental load was concerned.
Despite her tiredness, Arabella was very proud of what they both had achieved. Sure it was both their times casting spells of such proportion, but Arabella had had much more time and practice with magic, while Arya didn't. The fact that her side of the spell had almost no errors to be fixed by Arabella attested both to the power of the girl's wand and her own capabilities.
"You've done well" was the only thing she was able to say before the nobles nearby washed them with flattery.
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"BOOOOOOM"
Both sides felt the air get stuck in their lungs as the stones hit a transparent barrier and exploded into smithereens. There were no signs left of the boulders that just a second ago were flying menacingly towards the castle.
"What the fuck was that?" Tyrion said, more to himself than to the others.
"My Lord" asked his second in command, sweat coming down his brow "what was that? What should we do?"
Tyrion thought about it for a while. He knew the Sorcerer and her apprentice were inside of the castle, so that was obviously their doing. What shocked him, however, was the sheer size of their power. He prided himself on having a more resilient and sharper mind than the average man, even the average noble, but that raw display of magic brought to doubt his capabilities. Wits seemed to be nothing against magic.
"We need to know how resistant this sorcery is. Order another volley of boulders."
The rocks were loaded into the catapults and immediately launched. Just like the previous time, they flew towards the castle and exploded upon the barrier. Tyrion grunted in annoyance, he knew that this time the aim would have been perfect to hit the southern tower.
He ordered two more volleys that met the same fate upon the magical barrier before an army runner came to him.
"My Lord" he bowed with less intensity then he would the other Lords, something which was not unnoticed by Tyrion, but he was already used to it "Lord Tywin has ordered the catapults to cease their fire and has requested your presence at the main tent"
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Hey everyone, Agandor here!
The next few chapters will revolve around the Arabella's and the Lannisters' POV regarding the siege of Pinkmaiden and some other developments happening inside the castle. I plan for us to spend 4 or 5 chapters in this part in total. Then we will move on to other people and give Arabella some rest.
Wish you all a fantastic week.