-Chapter 87-
-Chapter 87-
-16th day of the 2nd moon, Year 301 AC-
-POV Margaery Tyrell-
To the Tyrells,
I imagine you are already aware or have suspected it, but I am holding many lords as prisoners, men I captured and whom I will execute without mercy.
Among these prisoners is one Garlan Tyrell, accompanied by a pregnant woman, or so I hear.
I hope he is not a member of your family, as that would sadden me for your sake.
If that is the case, I am willing to spare him and the woman on one very small condition: Paxter Redwyne must attack Euron Greyjoy's fleet and destroy it before the next moon. If this is not done, or if I hear that a Redwyne ship has attacked a ship under my colors, I will behead every one of my prisoners in retaliation.
You now know the price my enemies pay.
Are you really willing to gamble Garlan's life and that of his pregnant wife to test my resolve to win?
I cannot say for now, but I do know that by the 4th moon of the year 301 AC, I will be your sovereign.
Whether Garlan is alive or not to witness my coronation is entirely up to you.
Ronnet.
---
Despite the light tone of this letter, the threats it contained chilled me to the bone.
"This is a disaster," said Loras, dressed in armor and ready to lead his men toward Old Oak to meet Tywin Lannister, who had managed to assemble an army of 30,000 soldiers.
'With the 60,000 soldiers we have, that would bring our total to 90,000, but that didn't reassure me in the slightest, as I knew full well that Ronnet Connington had a similar number of troops, if not more.'
"This changes nothing; we knew this was a possibility," said Grandmother softly, though I could see countless regrets swirling in her otherwise cold and confident gaze.
"This changes everything," I said, outraged that she didn't seem to care at all about Garlan's life.
'She didn't even take a moment to consider it,' I noted, wondering if she would react the same way if it were me in Garlan's place or even his wife.
'Of course, she would,' I thought.
"This changes nothing at all," Grandmother replied firmly, before adding, in a quieter tone to elaborate her point, "If he sent us this, it's an admission of weakness. We must not give in now."
"He's not threatening to kill Garlan if we withdraw our troops, Grandmother. He's threatening to kill Garlan, his pregnant wife, and all the prisoners before the battle if our fleet in the Narrow Sea doesn't attack Euron Greyjoy's fleet," I pointed out, emphasizing that it wasn't just Garlan's life at stake.
Even if we won, we would lose Garlan and all the hostages.
'And I am sure he would gleefully spread word of it, even in defeat, further diminishing what little influence we still have over the southern Houses, which are already more loyal to the Hightowers, Florents, Tarlys, and Redwynes than to us.'
"And we will not bow to this blackmail," Grandmother said.
"He's not bluffing; he will do it," I insisted, feeling like she wasn't taking Ronnet Connington's threats seriously.
"I know he will. But if we give in to his blackmail, everyone will die," she replied.
"Not necessarily," I added.
"And how would you know that?" she asked.
I frowned, thinking about what I would do in such a situation.
A heavy silence hung in the air until Willas finally spoke, addressing our father directly:
"Father, recall the fleet."
"Excuse me?!" Grandmother retorted, surprised that Willas was taking a stance against her.
"There's no point in us bickering," Willas said sharply, silencing Grandmother.
'Something Father has never been able to do,' I thought, impressed, for even though he wasn't physically strong due to his crippled leg, Willas possessed incredible strength of character.
"We cannot be certain that if we act against the Ironborn fleet, Ronnet Connington will keep his word. However, if we retreat and keep Uncle Paxter's fleet intact, we'll have leverage. Even if the Connington fleet maintains sovereignty over the Stepstones or manages to destroy Euron Greyjoy's fleet, we can use our inaction as a bargaining chip to negotiate the lives of Garlan, Leonette, and their unborn child."
"So we will give in to this petty blackmail," Grandmother growled, furious.
No one responded, but the silence in the room betrayed the tacit agreement of everyone present.
I let out a small sigh of relief, as I hadn't needed to play my last card.
"Garlan would never—"
"Don't try to tell me what my own brother would have wanted!" Willas interrupted, exasperated, before continuing, "I know very well what he would have wanted. Even though he would have understood us not giving in to a blackmail threatening his life, he would never have risked that of his wife and unborn child."
Grandmother stared at Willas for a few seconds before turning her gaze away and clenching her jaw.
She knew he was right.
"Very well. Recall Paxter's fleet. But have him refrain from attacking Euron's fleet. The Lannisters did the same when their interests were threatened; they can't blame us for doing likewise," Father concluded.
I raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised at the cleverness of his remark.
---
-POV MC-
I watched as Rodrik, Arion, Victor, and Samuel arrived with their troops, a genuine smile spreading across my face as I saw my best friends and lieutenants return safely after completing their missions flawlessly.
I struck my armor once, then again, before all the soldiers gathered to welcome them did the same, banging their shields with their spears.
I stopped pounding my chest when I saw Rodrik dismount, but my men continued, and cheers erupted.
Rodrik approached me, and I did the same.
We shook hands, broad smiles on our faces, before I pulled him into a firm embrace, saying:
"You did it."
The idea of attacking the Tyrells by surprise had been mine, but doing so with an army other than my own had been his. He had volunteered to lead the first army himself.
'It was a risky plan, but it may have spared us a year of trouble,' I thought, particularly considering the coming winter.
'By capturing almost the entire northern Reach, we've not only gained vast fertile fields but also well-stocked granaries that will feed my people throughout the winter.'
'Supplies we desperately needed, given that I had pulled far too many young men from the fields to join my army,' I reflected.
Rodrik smiled as I released him, then I embraced Arion, Samuel, and Victor with the same vigor.
"Where's my gift?" I asked with a grin, recalling my disbelief when I had first heard that Arion had managed to capture Garlan Tyrell and his pregnant wife.
As soon as I learned of this, I had devised a plan to hasten the Lannisters' downfall.
'Though it would be amusing to see Yara destroy her uncle's fleet, the chances of that happening are slim. Better to leave the task to the Tyrells,' I thought.
"Here's your gift," Arion said, gesturing for his men to bring forth a cart with iron bars.
Inside, I saw a man and a woman clinging to each other. The young woman, visibly pregnant, looked terrified, while Garlan glared at me with fury in his eyes.
"Garlan… You know I like you. I truly hold no personal grudge against you, but your grandmother is playing a game I don't appreciate," I said sincerely, as part of me genuinely believed it.
Garlan had helped make me Lord of the Stormlands. He had fought alongside me, though not for me, and we had bled on the same side.
Perhaps he had bled more than I had, but we had been allies nonetheless.
He stared at me silently, so I sighed and continued:
"It's unfortunate that you're the one to suffer the consequences, but… such is life."
I stepped away from the cart, but just as I was about to leave, he spoke in a faint voice:
"We are nobles. We deserve better treatment."
"Deserve… Do you even know what that word truly means?" I asked him.
Garlan remained silent.
I shrugged and said:
"In any case, it's not as if you could escape from here. Your wife will receive better treatment given her condition and in memory of Storm's End. But as for you, you'll remain in a cage."
"Thank you," he said.
"Don't thank me," I replied before adding, "Your fate will be decided by your family. If they make the wrong choice, I assure you, you will hate me with every fiber of your being."
'If you live long enough for that,' I concluded silently.