Ronnet Connington SI

-Chapter 36-

-POV MC-

The king's security was just a pretext to remove Raymund from his position as Commander to place a Lannister there, perhaps even that incapable Lancel Lannister.

Tywin surely wanted to use the argument that Raymund had no combat experience, except as the commander of the archery unit.

The end of the war was another pretext to try to take my hostages from me and discuss the Stormlands territories whose Houses I had destroyed.

It was either to strip me of the lands of the Houses I had annexed or to reclaim the lands I had given to my bannermen.

"The security of the king and the kingdom falls under the Lord Protector, not the Hand of the King. You have the right to give your opinion and some oversight on decisions regarding the king's and the kingdom's security, but the Queen Regent and I have already approved all these matters. All the Stormlands lords who remained loyal will receive the lands of the traitors, it's already decided," I said.

"You have annihilated lineages dating back to the Age of Heroes to give their lands and titles to commoners," said Tywin, raising his voice as if I were one of his children.

I frowned and then said calmly, without raising my voice, maintaining control over the conversation:

"Knights, not commoners. Knights who have shed their blood for me, some for a decade. And what happens in the Stormlands is none of your concern. You are not the king, and I am the supreme lord of the Stormlands. I have the final say in this matter."

"The king has entrusted full powers to the Hand to..." tried Tyrion to argue in favor of his father, but I cut him off sharply.

"NO!" I shouted, slamming my fist on the oak table, which shook under the force of my blow.

I glared at the dwarf who had opened his mouth:

"I have the final say in this matter, and that's that. If you try to continue interfering with my affairs, we are going to have a serious problem. I think the kingdom has suffered enough."

The subtext was clear: I have shed blood to achieve what I have today, and I will not be usurped. If they want to take what I have conquered through the blood of my enemies, they must be prepared to shed their own.

He said nothing more and simply raised his hands.

I turned to Tommen, who was shrinking in his seat, frightened by seeing me angry, having lost all the dignity and majesty his grandfather had undoubtedly instilled in him before this meeting.

'My concerns were well-founded. It only takes one day out of my sight for his grandfather to manipulate him in order to undermine my efforts to make House Connington the most powerful house in the kingdom.'

I added, "However, it is true that we should talk about the second point you mentioned, Lord Tywin. The King in the North, Robb Stark, has won against you, it's a fact. He has humiliated you, your son, and the entire House Lannister with less than a third of the forces you mobilized."

"Recently, the Citadel announced winter. We should start filling our granaries instead of emptying them to wage war with the North, and even if on a map the North may look like a behemoth, this land is mostly barren, sterile to crops," said Tyrion.

"They are the ones who need us, and since we are enemies, we can take control of the Three Sisters and sink all the ships seeking to trade with the Northmen to cut them off from the world. They will only be able to supply themselves by land or perish by famine."

"That's an excellent idea. The aftermath of the war will strike them all at once: famine, disease, and the cold of winter, not to mention the Ironborn who continue to raid their lands incessantly. While we consolidate our power, the King in the North and the King of the Iron Islands will fight each other mercilessly, and we will be able to reap the fruit as soon as it is ripe," said Cersei, whom I had briefed before the council.

"And how do you intend to do that? Shall I remind you that no army can assault Moat Cailin?" he said impassively.

I smiled because I knew he would try to undermine me with that ridiculous argument. First, I did not think I could lose by besieging Moat Cailin, but assuming that were true, I knew the greatest weakness of the Starks.

"What is Ned Stark's weakness?" I asked everyone in the room.

"His honor," Cersei answered almost immediately.

"His honor," I repeated, agreeing with her. "Like father, like son, Robb Stark will never abandon the Tullys. If after a year or two we attack the Tullys again..."

"Which implies that you want to forgive and leave the Tullys alone," Olenna said, frowning.

I shook my head and said, "No, I want to do better than that. I want us to recognize that all the lands in the Riverlands occupied by Robb Stark are an integral part of his kingdom and no longer part of the Seven Kingdoms."

"You have lost your mind," said Tywin, sneering contemptuously.

"This is unacceptable," said Mace, nodding in agreement with my dear father-in-law, but I didn't care.