By late 261 AC, the power struggle in the Westerlands had reached a fever pitch.
The grandiose reconciliation and vows of friendship did not last forever; indeed, they shattered in less than a year.
Ser Tywin had not attended the reconciliation feast; his heart held only hatred, coldness, and a resolve like steel.
The good days of the Red Lion, House Reyne, and their kin by marriage, House Tarbeck, were over.
Rhaegar sat in the small council chamber, accompanying King Jaehaerys II.
Present in the room were the King, Lord Munford, Prince Aerys, Rhaegar, and a knight of the Kingsguard.
A raven had brought word from the White Bull: Tywin Lannister had exterminated House Tarbeck and was currently pursuing the survivors, laying siege to Castamere.
Rhaegar read the White Bull's letter slowly. The handwriting was clear and fluid. His natural talents were far beyond ordinary men, and coupled with the attribute points he had gained, everyone had long grown accustomed to his precocity.
The Reyne-Tarbeck alliance had collapsed faster than any coalition in history. Jaehaerys II and Lord Munford listened in silence.
"Your Grace, Lord Hand. Since arriving at Casterly Rock with two hundred cavalry, I have communicated fully with Ser Tywin; matters in the West may proceed. First, Ser Tywin summoned the two lords to the Rock at year's end to answer for their crimes. In Your Majesty's name, I also called Lord Roger and his brother-by-law to the Rock for arbitration. Lord Roger's response was violence alone; he has forsaken his oath to House Lannister. House Tarbeck and House Reyne are unforgivable traitors; I have publicly read the Decree of Treason."
Rhaegar judged this had been the last chance for the anti-Lannister alliance, but the two great houses had spurned it. Since the Crown had failed three times before to mediate, and the Red Lion had ignored royal decrees and even murdered Tywin's grandfather, the outcome was sealed. Anyone with eyes could see the Crown was colluding with the Golden Lion, clearly choosing a side.
The White Bull had supported Tywin from the start, declaring that the lords must come to Casterly Rock to show loyalty to the realm, or else be in defiance of the King. When the rebels deployed armies to resist, the White Bull read the treason decree at Casterly Rock, and the Lannister bannermen threw themselves into the fight with renewed zeal.
Rhaegar continued reading: "Traitors cannot be forgiven. emboldened by the Decree of Treason, Ser Tywin's forces swelled. He led five hundred knights and three thousand foot and crossbowmen, later joined by bannermen to raise a host of nine thousand. I marched to join Ser Tywin, and we have already annihilated House Tarbeck. The Red Lion, arriving to reinforce them, was heavily wounded and fled back to Castamere in panic. Now, our army marches on Castamere, bolstered by another nine thousand men. Castamere is thoroughly besieged. House Reyne has fled underground, and the Red Lion's fate is sealed."
As Rhaegar read the words, the scent of blood, tears, and slaughter seemed to rise from the parchment. Even thousands of miles away, the scene played out before their eyes.
Hearing that House Tarbeck was extinct and the Red Lion was running for his life, a few smiles appeared in the room.
Jaehaerys II and Lord Munford knew Ser Tywin had talent and courage, but they had never imagined he would be so vicious and resolute.
This boy was truly capable.
Only Prince Aerys maintained his carefree demeanor. The contrast was stark.
What shocked Rhaegar most was the size of the Lannister garrison. Despite his father's opposition, Tywin had managed to gather three thousand five hundred men on his own initiative. The City Watch of King's Landing and the garrison of Oldtown were famous and well-trained, yet the Gold Cloaks numbered fewer than four thousand and were mostly rabble. The military strength of the Dragon Lords was indeed perilously thin.
"One point must be emphasized: Ser Tywin is utterly ruthless. He is cold as ice, a demeanor ill-fitting his years. In him, I see the shadow of his grandfather, Lord Gerold the Golden."
Currently, nearly every member of House Tarbeck had been sent to meet the Stranger. Lord Walder Tarbeck and his sons, cousins, nephews, sons-in-law, anyone with the blue and silver seven-pointed star on their shield or surcoat, had been beheaded. The Lannister army marched past Tarbeck Hall with heads on pikes. Lady Tarbeck, whom Tywin loathed most of all, and her son Tion the Red, were buried beneath the ruins. Tarbeck Hall had been put to the torch by Ser Tywin.
A cold wind seemed to blow through the council chamber, chilling spines with invisible, icy fingers.
Ser Tywin's cruelty and merciless nature were something the King had not foreseen.
King Jaehaerys II and Lord Munford exchanged a glance regarding Aerys. Though Tywin was his friend, both agreed that Aerys's ability paled in comparison to the young lion.
The Prince was mediocre in martial arts and average in politics...
...
Outside Castamere, colorful banners snapped in the wind, the vast majority of them crimson red.
Lannister soldiers in red cloaks and fine armor, wearing lion-crested helms, had long since made camp, completely encircling Castamere. Only deep pockets could sustain such an army.
Miners could be seen moving here and there.
The bannermen of the West had all joined the siege. Having witnessed the fate of House Tarbeck, they flocked to the King's envoy, the White Knight, and the Lion. With the White Bull standing firm, the vassals' enthusiasm was high.
The fate of the siege was set. The surface castle of Castamere had been razed.
From the outside, it was a modest holdfast, but its essence lay in the deep mines carved beneath the earth.
The main entrance to the mines was narrow; ordinary assaults could hardly breach it, and the great gates of oak and iron were unbreakable. But for Tywin, none of this mattered.
He had many men, many miners, and he was well prepared.
House Reyne had adopted a defensive strategy, retreating entirely into the tunnels, but this only delayed the inevitable by a few days.
Since a frontal assault was impossible, he would use water, Tywin was determined to pull them out by the roots.
First, the mines were sealed. Tywin deliberately had miners use picks, axes, and torches to bring down tons of stone and earth, burying the mine shaft entrances. Once done, he spent days diverting a stream near Castamere, turning it toward the nearest mine entrance.
The sounds of horses, men, drums, and horns faded, leaving only the rushing sound of the stream pouring into the tunnels.
Lannister soldiers stood on the high ground, surrounding Tywin and Gerold Hightower like stars around the moon.
Many bannermen looked at Tywin with more fear than gratitude. But politics is like fire and water; fear is a form of power too.
The blue stream washed over grey stone, seeping into the mine shafts. The flow grew faster and faster, turning the underworld of Castamere into a swamp.
Red cloaks, black armor, pale blue water, grey rock, mud.
Tywin watched the flow of the water slowly; the sound was beautiful.
He recalled the days, the days of humiliation, of being slighted, now gone like smoke. What a man truly needed was victory, constant and unending.
Today, the lion finally had his fill.
"Ser Tywin, the water has flooded the tunnels. House Reyne has nowhere to run," said the White Bull, Gerold Hightower.
House Reyne, an ancient line, was now a dead lion.
The White Bull looked at Tywin, his thoughts drifting. The Westerlands had entered a phase of rapid centralization; under strict orders and prohibitions, the power of House Lannister would only grow stronger.
"Thank you, Ser Gerold. House Lannister will remember your friendship." Tywin clapped his hands, and gold and silver jewelry was brought forward: gem rings, pearl necklaces, and gold badges bearing the Tarbeck sigil, some still stained with blood.
Ser Gerold recalled that those rings and necklaces looked familiar, they had been stripped from the corpses of House Tarbeck. One gem ring, in particular, looked like it had been taken after a Lannister soldier hacked off the finger of Lord Tarbeck's son-in-law.
But Ser Gerold was a shrewd man; he said nothing.
The knights from King's Landing were ecstatic. They now considered Ser Tywin the most outstanding noble in the world. Even if the money carried a faint scent of blood, it mattered not; gentlemen never feared a curse.
"Ser Gerold, I have a younger brother who also participated in suppressing the rebellion. I hope you might knight him."
The White Bull naturally agreed with pleasure.
Castamere was now completely submerged.
A cold light flashed in Tywin's eyes. House Lannister had been humiliated by House Tarbeck and House Reyne; today, he had collected the debt in full.
The Westerlands had submitted; the mountains and rivers knew his name.
The Rains of Castamere began to play.
Because a Lannister always pays his debts.
~~----------------------
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