The Pay Off

"It was a risky manoeuvre last night, Robb," Garlan muttered from beside him, both stood overlooking the battle commencing on either flank. Unlike the previous day's battles, this one was on a much larger scale.

With his food stores burnt as a result of the ambush upon his camps, Tywin had done what Robb had prepared for from the very beginning.

A mass assault.

Both the left and right flanks had come under heavy pressure and for the first time, the Lannister elites began to move. Much like always, Ser Kevan Lannister had sent in the Sellswords and Smallfolk first. However, in the third wave that crashed against the defensive formations of Tytos Blackwoods forces, sprinkled amongst the weaker and less experienced forces, the elites were sprinkled in amongst it.

However, much like Robb had expected, while the sudden appearance of the elites had caught the left flank off-guard at first, pushing them back momentarily. Lord Blackwood had recovered and held them back and despite the bloody battle still taking place, the left flank was holding and stalemating the Lannister push.

Things were similar but entirely different on the right flank.

Ser Addam Marbrand had shown from the beginning that he was not as cautious as Ser Kevan. He had sent only a single wave of Sellswords at Gregor Forrester and then followed it up with a wave of Lannister elites and by the movement of his troops, Robb was expecting a third wave to come soon.

As for the centre?

Well considering the positions of the left and right flank, moving the centre at this moment in time would be suicide.

"But it worked." He answered.

Garlan sighed, expecting that to have been the answer. "You know I may accept that answer, but my sister on the other hand...she may be a little more difficult to convince." Robb despite the truth of this, chuckled.

"That's why we won't tell Margaery, will we?" Garlan chuckled along with him.

"No, we will not. Though she will find out eventually." Looking behind them, both saw a commotion, the large, muscular and scarred man trying to push his way through the guards.

"And by that point, we will have ended the war and the risks would have been worth it." Robb countered. "Let him through." Turning around, Robb watched as Ser Brienne and Smalljon kept close to him just in case. "Sandor Clegane, what can I do for you."

Sandor looked at the various people gathering around. Garlan, Dacey and even Grey Wind Nymeria had formed up beside Robb. In a circle around him was Patrek Mallister, Eddard Karstark, Lucas Blackwood, Emmon Coy, Robar Royce, Olyvar, Daryn Hornwood, Donnel Locke and Wendel Manderly. "Heard my brothers here," Sandor grunted out.

"Yeah, he's here," Robb replied. "Why?"

"Want him dead." Sandor spat out.

No one denied this answer, they have expected this considering the mark his brother left behind on his face. It was then that Daryn leaned over to whisper in his ear, there was silence, everyone looking to the two, Robb eventually raising a finger to Sandor. Turning around, Robb watched as the cavalry on both flanks began to move.

"Prepare the flags." He waited, watching as the Lannister cavalry closed in on the sides of both Gregor and Tytos' flanks. "Wait." Robb leaned forward slightly, watching as the cavalries smashed into his flanks, pressuring them from all sides. "Now!"

Flags were raised and for the time in the battle of the Antlers, Robb's cavalry made a move.

-X- Line Break -X-

Seeing the flag raised, Lord Marq Piper unsheathed his blade raising it into the air and copying his actions, thousands of men unsheathed their blades. Jabbing his heels into the side of his steed, Marq urged his horse on followed by thousands of more riders.

They arced round and came upon the Lannisters stuck in the middle of battle.

Now they were scrambling in an attempt to withdraw, but that was the thing, they were stuck. When the enemy cavalry had struck Gregor Forrester and his men, they had cut through them with ease. But that had been Gregor's plan from the beginning and had used this to his advantage to surround them, by having the flank cave in to pull the cavalry in further.

The Lannister cavalry was stuck in the centre of a battle with no room to manoeuvre except one, the exit that led directly to the Lord Piper's cavalry.

With a war cry, Marq and his cavalry smashed into the enemy cavalry once again turning the tide of the battle in their favour once more. Addam Marbrand watched this with grit teeth, he'd led his cavalry into a cleverly disguised trap and now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"My lord, what do we do?" Lord Swyft asked, cutting down a Riverlander.

Addam's gaze looked around. "We're going to have to cut our way through. Rally on me!" He ordered, urging his horse on forwards.

-X- Line Break -X-

"Garlan, take command," Robb ordered, watching the Lannister cavalry being swallowed up on both flanks. The reason he had kept Ser Brynden and Lord Piper back for so long was all, for this reason, to take out the Lannister cavalry in one fell swoop. Even if there were survivors after this battle they would be so drastically reduced in size that they wouldn't be a threat any longer.

Tywin's lack of food forced him to speed up his schedule and attack in full force much sooner than the Old Lion would have liked. Robb had already realised that Tywin planned to keep him busy with small skirmishes till reinforcements from Vale came, then Robb would be dealing with two forces possibly over forty thousand in strength. If they had cavalry on top of that then certain defeat would turn into complete evisceration.

Without the cavalry, one of the biggest threats in the Lannister army was dealt with. The act of removing his food forced Tywin to act in a way he didn't want to and now that had forced him to lose one of the greatest assets to his army.

'He's going to be stuck now.' Robb thought with a growing smile. 'Desperate for food to feed his army, but cautious of losing too many men before the Valemen arrive.' Turning back to Sandor, Robb took note of the frustration in his countenance. "You'll have to forgive me, Ser Sandor, things are constantly requiring my attention. But Tywin should be too busy trying to solve his current predicament to try anything else."

Robb nodded his head to Garlan, wordlessly giving him command of the army while he dealt with the current predicament.

"So, you want to kill your brother, the Mountain?" Robb hummed in thought. "I'm not one to deny a personal revenge and while I believe I can trust that you are telling me the truth about wanting your brother dead, there are other things I can't trust."

As soon as he said that Sandor grunted out angrily, gripping the pouch hanging from his side and chucking it at Robb. The action had caused more than a few of his guard to grip their weapons anxiously, but they didn't fully unsheathe their blades upon seeing it was a harmless action. Robb meanwhile held the pouch in his hand, taking note of it being lighter than when first given to him as a reward.

"Take it, I'll pay you back what I owe, just give me my brother." Robb chuckled, chucking the pouch back to Sandor.

"Keep it, that was your reward for the information you provided us." Sandor's face twisted into a snarl, believing this to be a rejection. "However, your oath would be more than enough. Can't promise you that in battle you will get the chance to kill your brother. But he's part of the centre force and hasn't made his appearance since the first day. Swear an oath of loyalty to me, become a member of my Kingsguard when this over and I'll put you in the centre force and if he's captured alive, I'll make sure that you get to kill him however you wish."

"An oath?" Sandor questioned and Robb nodded his head.

The Mountain was a serious threat that was being underused by the Tywin. If he were in command, Robb would have been deploying him at the right and left flanks, switching him between the two and just letting the Mountain do what he does best, killing. Robb was cautious that letting such a man go unchecked could result in devastating losses.

Sandor just so happened to possibly a tool Robb could use to mitigate the damage that the Mountain could do.

"Yes. An oath. Swear it and your brothers yours to kill."