Bab 43: Chapter 43: Son Of The Father
12th Month of 298 A.C. Ashemark
Ser Jaime Lannister
It was strange, this feeling, this knowledge that he had. For most of his life, Jaime had never really felt that the Westerlands was his home, oh sure he had grown up here, but he had not truly grown up. No, his growing up had been done in King's Landing, with guilt and disgust gnawing away at him, as he slowly died inside. To come back to the Westerlands, as the man he was now, serving the rightful King, well it was both a relief and an oddity. Jaime was not really sure what to make of it all. There had been a lot of things said about him throughout the course of his life, Kingslayer, oathbreaker, so many other things, but now, now he was fighting for something he truly believed in, but there was chaos and carnage all around them. He did not know truly whether to be happy or not. He was fighting people he had grown up with, people who had seen him grow from a babe to a boy, and now he was fighting them. It was a strange thought, made no stranger by the fact that he had attacked his grandmother's castle. Ashemark was where some of his family had lived once, they still did. The King had sent an order for them to be accepted into the peace if they bent the knee. Adam was out fighting for Jaime's father, but there were others there, others who bent the knee, to avoid death. Jaime could feel their eyes on him whenever he moved around the castle, he could hear their thoughts, and it gnawed at him.
Still there were more important things that he needed to focus on right now. The King had sent out an order, they were to ride for the Rock, but Jaime knew things would not be as simple as that. Lord Tywin would have men out there waiting for them, no doubt his father was cursing his name to every which way, strangely such a thought did not really bother him. For so long he had tried to impress his father, and now, well now he didn't care. He looks at the men gathered before him, lords great and small, all looking to him for guidance, it is a strange thought that, all these men who would rather gut him for being a Lannister and the Kingslayer, now looked to him for advice, for he was Tywin Lannister's son, and he knew more about his father than his father thought he did. Taking a deep breath and moving his shoulders slightly to clear out the tension in them he speaks. "We have our orders. Casterly Rock is where we must go. As we are marching from the north, we shall reach its northern slope. There are ways in which we could avoid whatever army that Lord Tywin puts in front of us, but they will delay our arrival at the Rock. And from what the King has said, there should not be any delay."
Lord Hornwood speaks then his voice soft. "And what ways would there be for us to avoid Lord Tywin's host?"
It is a genuine question, and Jaime finds himself wondering quite honestly how Hornwood had survived having Boltons and Karstarks as neighbours, then he remembers how the man fights in battle, and that gives him his answer. "We can head south and toward Castamere, and from there we follow the sea, we shall come across passageways that would lead us right to the heart of the Rock. But it would take a lot of time to move the army to this place."
"What other way is there?" Lord Glenmore asks, his voice sounding somewhat shallow and harsh. It grates on Jaime's ears.
"We can march toward whatever men that Lord Tywin will have waiting for us, but then we can move to the east of them. They might attempt to shadow us, but they will not succeed." Jaime replies.
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Glenmore asks.
Jaime takes a moment to get his thoughts together, and then he says. "The fact that Lord Tywin will not want to engage directly with us. If you remembered correctly my lord, you would remember that the King has spread rumours out that there are dragons with our host. Lord Tywin is many things, but he is not foolish enough to come charging out when he does not know how to beat a dragon."
"So then, why do we not go with that?" Lord Vypren asks. "If you think that that will prevent Lord Tywin from advancing to far, then why do we not simply head out and heat east?"
Jaime sighs and gestures at the map. "Because it would take time to wheel into the Rock, and the King has been quite clear that he wants us there by a particular point."
"Surely the King would be able to appreciate some delay?" Glenmore asks. "Or better yet, if we do engage with Tywin's host, then surely that would be better, for we can then remove a serious threat from the King's path?"
"And that is where you are making your mistake my lord." Jaime says evenly. "By assuming that my father will even engage if we come in front of him. Lord Tywin is a cautious man by nature, and the past few battles would have seriously damaged his reputation, he will be waiting to see what we do."
"Surely then if we do not engage he will come forth and attack us?" Glenmore asks.
"I do not think so." Lord Westerling says. "Ser Jaime is right; Lord Tywin will be reeling from the defeats His Grace has inflicted on him. He will wait and see what we do."
Jaime looks at the man, his mind working quickly, Westerling was one of the few lords to come over without them needing to intimidate him, and as such Jaime does not trust him. His whole family has too much of a strange history. Still, he needs to end this meeting at once. "So, if we are all agreement, we shall march forward and then split into two divisions and meet before the Rock."
As expected that causes all kinds of outcry. "Surely that would do more harm than good Ser?" Lord Glenmore calls out. "We would be making it easier for Lord Tywin to choose which one of the hosts he wanted to pick out. Furthermore, Lord Robb has not yet come back from his raiding. Would it not be better to wait for him?"
Jaime looks at the man. "The King has given Lord Robb specific instructions, as he has done for us. Our task is not to wait for the man, instead, we are to get to the Rock as quickly as possible."
"And by doing what you propose we would be making ourselves more vulnerable. We might have many men, but we do not have enough to outmatch Lord Tywin directly." Lord Westerling interjects.
Jaime's eyes narrow then. "So, what would you suggest instead my lord of Westerling?" He sees the man floundering, and is reminded of something his father once said to him many years ago. "The Westerlings like to think they are important because they once wed into the Targaryens, and were almost as wealthy as us. But they have not be relevant to anything for centuries." No doubt Westerling wants his importance stated here, that he has two daughters and two sons of marriageable age does not escape Jaime's notice, and the thought sickens him. Still he waits for Westerling to respond, and when he does not Jaime grins and says. "Exactly. There is no other course. One division shall go west, and the other shall go east."
"And how will the division that does not have you leading it find its way to the Rock?" Glenmore asks, Jaime is really starting to dislike the man.
Fighting to keep his voice calm, Jaime says. "Why there will be men from the west who know these lands well helping you of course. I am not so foolish as to leave you without guides my lord Glenmore."
Jaime's grin widens when he sees Glenmore blush, the man really is quite the nuisance, but at least it seems his heart is in the right place. Hornwood speaks then. "How long did the King say we had to get to him?"
Jaime looks at Hornwood and says. "We have around three weeks to get there. Lord Tywin will try to prevent us leaving here at all. The plan I have proposed will ensure we get there in two."
There is some murmuring then, and eventually Lord Glenmore says. "Very well then Ser, if that is what you think is best, I suppose we have no other choice than to go through with it."
Jaime nods. "Thank you my lord. Now if there is nothing else, I believe this meeting is done." With that he stands up, as do the others, he watches as they all walk out, except for one, Adam's father Lord Damon Marbrand. Lord Damon was a proud man, tall and dignified, he had been more of a father to Jaime than his own father had been, and as such, Jaime was somewhat relieved that the man had bent the knee. Jaime looks at the man and asks. "How might I be of assistance my lord?"
Lord Damon snorts in response. "Come now Jaime, enough of this formality. You might have to act with these others, but we have known each other for far too long for such a thing to be necessary."
Jaime smirks. "Alright then Damon, but tell me, what is it I can do for you?"
The man is silent for a moment and then he says. "You know just as well as I do that my son is fighting alongside your father. Indeed, knowing Tywin, the moment word came of my bending the knee, he likely had Adam brought to his side." Something akin to disgust creeps into the man's voice then, whether it is at himself, Jaime, or Lord Tywin, Jaime does not know, but he thinks he is about to find out. "I never liked your father, for all that he was my cousin. He was too proud and far too arrogant to ever have earned the love of his people, but they fought for him nonetheless. And look what that has gotten us. The west is burning Jaime, it has been for a long time, and your father is too proud to see it." Jaime suspects that this has been brewing for a long time, still he says nothing, preferring to remain silent to see what else the man has to say. Sure enough the man continues speaking. "I am not proud of some of the things I have done in your father's name. There are things that a man should never have to do, but your father has done them and asked his lords to do them countless number of times. If you truly want to know why your father is losing this war, it is because of that. Not because Aegon Targaryen has dragons or is a good fighter, which he undoubtedly is, it is because your father has done all he can to alienate his lords, and they love him not."
The man stops talking then, and Jaime is left feeling a mixture of uncomfortable and something akin to respect toward Lord Marbrand, it is not often that someone openly criticises Lord Tywin and lives. Jaime looks at the man and asks. "Why are you telling me this my lord?"
The man takes a deep breath and then speaks. "Because you and your brother are the last hope for your house, for the west. You might wear a white cloak, but these men, they follow you because they believe in you, and because you believe in their King. That is something your father has always lacked. Your uncles and cousins do not have that same ability, do not waste what opportunities you have now Jaime. Do not waste them like your father did."
Jaime feels as if there is a weight pressing down on him, his words are softly spoken when he replies. "I will not. I promise you I will not."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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