(Volume III: The Dead Do Not Die)
Lancel Lannister rode along the Greenblood River, heading eastward. At last, a city appeared on the edge of the desert—
Sunspear.
He tightened his legs around his horse and urged it to quicken its pace, reaching the first fortified checkpoint soon after.
A five-foot earthen wall blocked the road, and above it fluttered a banner displaying the golden lion of House Lannister against a red field.
Lancel rode up to the checkpoint, raising his voice.
"Who is in charge here?"
A guard captain quickly appeared, recognized him as the nephew of the Warden of the West, and promptly had a group escort him to the main camp.
Lancel continued silently, his brows furrowed, wondering how he would report the events at Skyreach to Lord Tywin.
The air was thick with the smell of blood, and carrion crows circled along the roadside—a sign that a battle had recently taken place.
He passed through a row of sharpened wooden stakes and saw the sprawling camp stretching for miles ahead.
Thin streams of smoke rose like a forest of black tendrils. Nearby stood a gallows, from which corpses dangled, crows swarming over them.
A little further, he could see Sunspear's high walls, now splattered with blood. It seemed that the army had already begun its assault.
The speed of the Iron Throne's second army was remarkable; they had nearly reached the heart of House Martell's territory.
But as Lancel thought of the disasters with the first army at Skyreach, he felt his spirits sink.
Reaching the center of the camp, he found Lord Tywin drinking with his younger brother, Kevan, who was also Lancel's father.
"Lord Tywin, Father," Lancel stepped forward and bowed.
"Lancel?" Kevan looked at him in surprise. "What brings you here?"
"I've come with a message."
Lord Tywin's expression darkened.
"What message requires you to come in person?"
Lancel retrieved a scroll of parchment from his coat and handed it to Lord Tywin.
"My lord, it's a letter from my cousin, Queen Cersei."
He offered no further explanation, perhaps because he didn't know how to describe the absurdity of the events at Skyreach—it all felt too surreal.
Lord Tywin read quickly. When he finished, his golden eyes fixed on Lancel.
"Joffrey is dead?"
"Yes…"
"Joffrey is dead?" Kevan exclaimed.
Lord Tywin passed the letter to his brother, then looked at his nephew.
"Cersei's words are too emotional and cluttered. I want you to recount what happened in detail, from start to finish. I need only the facts—clear, unbiased facts."
"Yes, my lord…" Lancel proceeded to recount everything that had occurred in Skyreach.
He did not omit any of Joffrey's disastrous decisions.
Lord Tywin listened in silence, expressionless, even when Lancel described how Lord Eddard Stark proclaimed that Cersei's three children were not of royal blood. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face when Lancel recounted Joffrey's murder by Samwell Caesar.
But when Lancel spoke of Samwell hatching a dragon, the Warden of the West finally reacted.
"Are you certain Caesar hatched a dragon?"
"Over a thousand soldiers saw it happen," Lancel replied, his throat tightening. "It's said that blazing fire engulfed Samwell Caesar and a dragon egg, and when the flames faded, a dragon perched on his shoulder."
"Impossible!" Kevan slammed the letter onto the table. "House Targaryen tried for a century to hatch a dragon. The fire at the Hall of Summer burned down an entire palace and over a hundred nobles, yet nothing was hatched. How could a Tarly bring dragons back to this world?"
"He isn't a Tarly. He's a Caesar," Lord Tywin corrected his brother.
Kevan looked at him in surprise. He knew his brother didn't correct people over trivial matters.
"Brother, do you mean that Samwell is not a true Tarly but a Targaryen?" Kevan mused. "Could he be… the Mad King's son? But the Mad King never visited Horn Hill…"
"Blackfyre," Tywin said, pronouncing the word deliberately.
Among the Valyrian steel swords of House Targaryen, Blackfyre was the most famous. It once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror.
Later, Aegon IV, known as "Aegon the Unworthy," bestowed it upon his bastard son, Daemon Waters.
Daemon, a legitimized bastard of King's Landing, took the sword and renamed himself Daemon Blackfyre, establishing House Blackfyre.
In one of his final acts, "Aegon the Unworthy" legitimized all his bastards, giving Daemon a legitimate claim to the Iron Throne.
Daemon harbored no ambition initially, but when King Daeron II married Princess Mariah Martell to bring Dorne into the realm, the rest of the nobility was incensed.
They didn't want House Martell gaining power in King's Landing, nor did House Targaryen's supporters want a prince of Martell blood sitting on the Iron Throne. So, they rallied around Daemon, and the Blackfyre Rebellion began.
This rebellion shook the realm, lasting through five Targaryen kings before it was finally quelled.
The last Blackfyre claimant was slain by Ser Barristan Selmy, the current Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, during the War of the Ninepenny Kings.
"Isn't it impossible?" Kevan furrowed his brow. "Samwell is a Blackfyre? Weren't they all killed?"
Tywin said calmly, "There may be no male Blackfyres left, but through the female line, there could be descendants."
"So you think… Samwell Caesar is Lord Randyll Tarly's illegitimate son by a female Blackfyre?" Kevan murmured, and the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. "It fits! That would explain why Lord Randyll sent his son off to seek his own path. The boy wasn't his true heir! That Caesar is no Tarly—he's a Blackfyre!"
Seeing his father and uncle discussing Samwell's heritage, Lancel interjected,
"Lord Tywin, Father, shouldn't we be more concerned about Lord Eddard Stark's… claim?"
"You mean the lie?" Lord Tywin replied coolly. "Since when does an old maester's book invalidate a king's legitimacy?"
Lancel blinked.
Yet Lord Tywin's nonchalance somehow eased his earlier worries.
Still, Lancel added cautiously, "But, my lord, the people may choose to believe Lord Stark's… claim."
Kevan gave his son a reassuring look.
"Don't worry. The truth can be bent in the face of power. Eddard Stark won't stir up too much trouble. The real issue is the dragon… Another 'Conqueror' is the last thing we need. But fortunately, dragons take years to grow, so Caesar is not an immediate concern."
Kevan turned to Lord Tywin. "First, we need to address Lord Stark. We can dismiss his claim as a lie, but ambitious men will seize on it.
Especially Stannis and Renly Baratheon. If people believe Lord Stark's lie, those two brothers become the Iron Throne's rightful heirs."
Lord Tywin's golden eyes turned to Lancel.
"When did this happen?"
"Five days ago. I rode here day and night without stopping after it occurred. And we killed all the ravens in Skyreach."
Lord Tywin nodded. "Good timing. Northern messengers will have been delayed. With the ravens gone, news will take longer to spread. We hold the advantage."
The Warden of the West pondered for a moment before standing up. A plan was forming in his mind.
"The situation isn't beyond repair. Lord Stark may seem formidable, but he has limited support. King's Landing is in our hands, and it us who decide who sits the Iron Throne.
The key to winning this war lies in choosing the right allies and, more importantly, in choosing the right enemies."
Lord Tywin looked at his brother and instructed, "Kevan, take all the West's cavalry, move swiftly, and head to King's Landing. Have the High Septon crown Tommen Baratheon."
"The High Septon…" Kevan hesitated. "What if he won't cooperate?"
"Remind him that the crystal crown he recently received was a gift from House Lannister. If he's forgotten, let him know we can bestow it on someone else."
"Understood."
"Also," Lord Tywin added, "Eddard Stark's two daughters are still in King's Landing. Ensure they are controlled."
"Of course."
Lord Tywin turned to Lancel. "Lancel, return to Skyreach and find Lord Mace Tyrell. If he's withdrawn, follow him to Highgarden and tell him that Tommen will marry Margaery in his brother's stead."
Lancel hesitated, reminding him, "Lord Tywin, Lady Margaery has already eloped with Lord Caesar…"
Lord Tywin scoffed. "Then the Tyrells should be grateful the king is willing to marry a woman whose honor has already been compromised."
After a brief pause, he added, "And remind them that once Tommen is crowned, Mace Tyrell will be appointed as Master of Laws."
Lancel was taken aback. "But, my lord, Lord Renly currently holds that position."
"He won't for much longer," Tywin said with a cool finality, offering no further explanation. He simply waved them away, signaling that the conversation was over.
After dismissing them, Lord Tywin opened a fresh sheet of parchment and began writing letters.
He completed three, sealing each with melted gold and stamping them with the roaring lion of House Lannister. Summoning three knights, he distributed the letters.
The first knight received his instructions: "This letter is to go to the Twins, and is to be delivered to Lord Walder Frey."
Turning to the second knight, Tywin handed over another letter. "This one is for the Dreadfort. Give it to Lord Roose Bolton."
The third knight received the final letter: "This letter is to go to Ironrath, and is to be given to Lady Anya Waynwood."
After sending off the three couriers, Lord Tywin addressed a servant.
"Send for Lord Renly Baratheon."
(End of Chapter)