Ronnet Connington SI

-Chapter 71-

-POV MC-

Once I left the throne room, the smile I had been wearing immediately faded away.

I closed my eyes, moving forward guided by my memory and the footsteps of the knights surrounding me, thanks to my supernatural senses.

The pain I was feeling at that moment, despite knowing Cersei and Tywin's plans, was proof of my deep love for that viper.

'At least I tried, I believed in it until the end,' I thought before reopening my eyes, sensing that I had arrived at my destination.

I let out a deep sigh, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the courtyard of the Red Keep.

In front of me, the gates of this cursed place were wide open, and carriages were waiting for us.

I glanced at Arlan and said, "You know what to do."

"Evacuate all the men loyal to us and their families safely. The Lannisters won't dare stop you, and if they do, threaten them. Now that I hold half of their family members, we are untouchable."

"Yes, my king," he replied.

I nodded and then headed towards the main carriage, where Alynne was rocking Rodrik while Joanna slept in the arms of her nurse.

"You were right," I said, knocking on the carriage to signal the driver to start.

"I would have preferred to be wrong, believe me," she replied, her eyes filled with pity for me.

'So would I,' I thought, staring into the void out of the window, not wanting to meet her gaze anymore.

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-POV Tywin Lannister-

Long after they had left, I was still standing there, stunned, shocked, and frustrated by how that young man, who wasn't even half my age, had outplayed me.

He had proven me wrong.

In the end, I hadn't been wrong about his ambition, but where I had failed was in underestimating him.

He had outsmarted us magnificently.

"What do we do now?" asked Tyrion.

I looked at him, my mind still elsewhere, and said, spreading my arms, "You're asking the wrong question, Tyrion. What can we still do?"

"We've likely lost the Riverlands. We've lost most of our forces, including our best units. We've lost Uncle Kevan, Uncle Stafford, Cousin Lancel, Cousin Daven, Gregor Clegane, and probably Casterly Rock too. But maybe he's lost the Stepstones, his fleet is new, the flot—"

"We can't think like that," I interrupted sharply, before adding, "We're blind at the moment, so we must assume he's won on all fronts. He controls the Stepstones, the Riverlands, the Stormlands, and maybe even has the support of Euron Greyjoy, but…"

I suddenly stopped, as if struck by lightning, and I understood…

"But what?" Tyrion asked.

"I've realized why he left us alive," I said, recalling the document he had made Tommen sign.

"Why?" Tyrion asked again.

"He doesn't want to go to war with the Starks," I replied.

"Why would they go to war with each other? Ronnet will control the Riverlands through Catelyn Stark's daughter and her brother, and Robb will have his sister in charge," Tyrion said.

"Exactly, but the Riverlands will slip out of Robb Stark's control, which he won't appreciate," I explained.

"And he doesn't have enough men to defeat Ronnet?"

"But Ronnet doesn't have enough men to fight on multiple fronts at the same time," I replied.

"And he also controls the Stepstones," added Cersei, her eyes widening.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised that she had grasped it faster than Tyrion, who seemed particularly slow-witted at that moment.

"What's the connection between those two territories?" Tyrion asked, still frustrated.

Cersei explained to her brother, "They are the gateways into Westeros for our enemies. Whether it's Dorne, the Targaryen girl, or Robb Stark, they all have to pass through his lands to reach us."

"So, you think he's still protecting us? Why would he protect us?" asked Tyrion.

'That's a very good question.'

"He's not protecting us at all. He's smothering us so he can absorb us more easily, just like he did with the Riverlands. He's pushing others to fight each other to reap the benefits in the end. It's his way—divide and conquer," said Cersei, sounding desperate.

"He's pushing us to fight Euron Greyjoy. So let's strike a deal with him and marry him to Myrcella."

"I'd rather die."

"It wouldn't work anyway, because he's the King of the Iron Islands by royal decree, signed by the Hand of Tommen Baratheon, First of His Name," I reminded them, pointing out that we had lost all authority over the Seven Kingdoms and that the Iron Throne was now nothing more than an ugly, useless chair.

I added, "Euron Greyjoy attacked Casterly Rock. We must recover our stronghold. I'll recall the fleet and troops I sent to the Reach."

"Leaving the Reach vulnerable to that madman? That's exactly what Ronnet and Euron want you to do," said Tyrion, frowning, as we were about to fall headfirst into the trap Ronnet had set for us.

'He knows I would never give up my stronghold or the Westerlands to protect the Tyrells,' I thought, growing more and more impressed with this young man who had proven to be a monstrous player.

"Then let's give them what they want. It will buy us time to reorganize and recruit young men to replenish our ranks. Ronnet won't attack us, and neither will Euron Greyjoy," concluded Cersei.

I nodded before leaving the throne room with a determined step.