[300 AC]
[Dragonstone – Chamber of the Painted Table]
"My brother is still laying siege to King's Landing and despite having only Randyl Tarly as a somewhat passable military commander amongst his supporters. It will only be a matter of time before he will take the city."
"Though I assume that victory will have more to do with a shortage of food, than the capabilities of Renly's men. Farmers are not soldiers after all, even if they are clad in armor and have a sword in their hands.", Stannis reported first after the meeting in the chamber had started, his tone not hiding the condescension he held for his brother's lack of military expertise.
Phenex knew that the Commander's assessment was right, as Renly did in fact have a lot of soldiers, but none of them were battle-hardened veterans nor had they ever experienced a war.
He may have had the support of House Tyrell after he had married Margaery Tyrell, the sister of his knightly lover Loras Tyrell, who was the heir to the Warden of the South, but that didn't mean that all the Southern Lords followed him, besides those fiercely loyal to House Tyrell and House Baratheon.
In fact, it was minor Houses, second and third sons, along with knights without much wealth that followed him, as they saw this as their chance for glory and wealth.
Even in the Stormlands, many older Lords did not truly support Renly, even though he was Lord Paramount of the Stormlands.
Renly simply did not have the prestige and bearings that would have given him the support and respect of the older and more powerful Houses of the Reach and the Stormlands.
Nevertheless, he still had around thirty thousand men and would eventually manage to whittle down the defenses of the capital. They would have already done so, had it not been for the two thousand men Kevan had brought with him upon his arrival in the capital.
Along with the City Watch and the militia, King's Landing's defense force was roughly ten thousand men strong, which was enough to hold on while in a defensive position. Though that was only as long as the supplies didn't run dry in the city.
"I imagine your brother will try to become more aggressive with their assaults soon, considering that the siege lives on borrowed time.", Kinvara remarked while seated beside Phenex at the opposite end of the table than the Commander, her hands holding onto Phenex' right one, gently caressing it with her lithe and soft fingers.
"He may not even know yet that Tywin Lannister is marching towards King's Landing at high speeds, but even they should have realized by now that letting the siege drag on any longer would be incredibly dangerous."
"After all, the moment the conflict between the Lannisters and the Starks is settled, the winner was always going to ride against King's Landing."
"Stuck between the capital and another army, Renly's troops will be crushed. And considering that Tywin Lannister is already on his way there, it seems that Renly's army will most likely be completely ravaged.", she ended succinctly.
"The deal between the Lannisters, the Freys, and the Boltons, will also see the war between the Three King's end. The Greyjoys will then also face some substantial resistance and even retaliation in the near future.
"Especially Winterfell, as Theon Greyjoy cannot hold it against the Boltons with his handful of men, even our few agents there could take back the seat of House Stark within half-an-hour.", the aged and thin Hidden Flame priest Qorik added calmly, his voice showing no indication of his outwardly fragile appearance.
"The Greyjoys are raiders, not soldiers. The prepared fleet of the temple and Dorne is more than enough to take the Iron Islands with their 700 ships and more than 35 000 men.", Arianne voiced out, "My father has also sent a message to inquire about the situation and preparation on the temple's side, noting that the Dornish armies are ready to do their part."
"They are, as am I.", Oberyn interjected, hinting at his willingness to rush into battle with fiercely burning eyes. The both of them had just arrived from Dorne at Dragonstone a few hours prior, bringing with them another twenty ships filled with Fiery Hand warriors, amounting to one thousand men.
"What about Arya and Sansa, are they still safe in King's Landing with Jaime Lannister dead?", Jaehaerys asked with a slight frown.
"The Hidden Flame has suppressed the news of Jaime Lannister's death, so it hasn't yet reached the capital, though it's only a matter of time before it does.", Levo, the other Hidden Flame priest, answered.
"It doesn't matter either as I have already ordered Thoros to take the girls in and protect them in the temple. No harm will come to them under his watch.", Phenex assured the worried dragonrider, "Though it is time we deal with the situation in King's Landing, along with the rest of Westeros."
"Melisandre and Thoros will take care of the capital, while all of you will have your own roles to play. As do I.", he added, before gazing at the people in the chamber.
Stannis and two of his subordinates, the Hidden Flame members Qorik and Levo, Kinvara, Jaehaerys, Arianne, Daenerys, and Oberyn along with most of his Feathers looked at Phenex and waited for his instructions.
It took several hours to finalize the plans they each had to carry out, but at the end of the meeting, anticipation was burning fiercely inside each and every one of them.
The Red Temple's conquest has begun.
…
[300 AC – King's Landing – Red Keep]
Arya knew that something strange was going on when two Lannister men had suddenly entered her bedchamber and put a coat around her form, before ordering her to follow them silently.
She didn't know what exactly was going on but knew that this may be her only chance to escape that hellhole of a room, where she would be regularly disciplined by that Septa for not acting like a 'proper Lady', even though she had learned to obey that hateful woman months ago just to prevent herself from getting beaten.
So Arya did as the two men asked and followed them through the winding corridors of the palace quietly, even though she noticed that they took her through many side passages and empty quarters of the Red Keep, before finally leading her to a side entrance of the castle.
Once there the youngest Stark girl immediately spotted four other Lannister soldiers who were surrounding another hooded figure. Drawing near Arya managed to get a look under the figure's hood and was overjoyed to recognize the face as her elder sister Sansa's.
Running forward on impulse to embrace her sister, the young Stark girl wasn't stopped by the Lannister guards and neither was her sister as they embraced each other while crying tears of joy and grief.
They had been kept separated by the Queen on purpose, knowing that it would make them more susceptible to her machinations and keep them more obedient.
Their short reunion though was interrupted when the side gate opened to reveal a masterfully crafted carriage that both girls immediately recognized from their travels with the King's party so many months ago which belonged to the Red Temple.
One of the guards dutifully opened the door to the carriage, as a calm and slightly rough voice drifted out from the inside.
"Enter, the both of you.", a male voice invited.
Having little to no choice with the armed men surrounding them, the Stark girls could only do as the voice commanded and enter the carriage, only to be stunned as they found themselves facing the Undying Priest, Thoros of Myr.
"There is no need to be surprised, the Lord has simply sent me to answer your nightly prayers, Arya Stark.", the Red Priest stated with a calm smile.
Suddenly facing her elder sister's shocked and somewhat condemning stare, the younger girl faced forward as she inquired quietly: "W-where are you taking us?"
"To the safest place in the world – the Red Temple.", Thoros answered easily.