While the Northern host crossed the Green Fork to launch a surprise assault on Riverrun, far to the south at the other end of the Bloody Gate in the Vale, Kevan Lannister sat in his Westerlands war camp, feeling a pounding headache as he watched his nephew Tyrion Lannister devouring food with wild enthusiasm. Around him, the wildling chieftains were equally engrossed, tearing into roast lamb and pork like wolves at a feast.
"Halfman, the food you brought is good, but don't forget your promises," said Shagga, leader of the Stone Crows, speaking as he ripped a chunk of lamb from the bone. "Not a single word can change."
Tyrion washed his mouthful down with wine and, with all the confidence in the world, replied, "Of course. A Lannister always pays his debts. Since I promised gold and arms, I won't go back on my word. I'll arrange it all shortly—but first, I need a private word with my uncle."
The wildlings exchanged glances, then nodded. Shagga grunted, "I'm not going far. I'll be right outside the tent. Don't even think about running."
With that, he and the other wildling leaders stepped outside and settled on the ground nearby, continuing their meal in peace.
"Your father... he's missed you," Kevan said as he picked up a flagon and refilled Tyrion's cup.
"Ahem!" Tyrion coughed violently, as if choking, and interrupted him. He downed the wine in one gulp, let out a long breath, then looked at Kevan. "Uncle Kevan, don't scare me like that. Do you really believe my father misses me?"
Kevan gave a slightly awkward smile. "Well, in any case, I'm glad you made it back safely. I'll make sure your promises to the wildlings are kept. You'll leave for Harrenhal shortly to join your father."
"Wait—what about my gold dragons?" Bronn interjected from the side.
Tyrion turned and shot him a look. "You'll get your dragons. You swore to deliver me to my father, and we both know I haven't seen him yet." Then he turned back to Kevan. "I don't want to go to Harrenhal yet. I want to stay here—and help you take the Vale."
"Take the Vale?" Kevan frowned. "When did I ever say I planned to take the Vale? Your father's orders were for me to hold this position and keep the Vale out of the Riverlands conflict."
"I know," Tyrion said, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table. "But if you had a chance to seize the Bloody Gate and throw the Vale into chaos—force them to focus inward and keep them from sending troops—wouldn't you take it?"
Kevan stared at him. "You have a way to take the Bloody Gate?"
"Uncle, have you already forgotten how I made it back?" Tyrion gestured toward the tent flap. "Those wildlings out there know the Mountains of the Moon better than anyone. They've found a hidden path—big enough for an army to use—that bypasses the Bloody Gate and leads straight into the Vale."
Kevan's expression turned grave.
Tyrion pressed on, "All we need is for them to guide a detachment along that path. We get them behind the Bloody Gate. Then you lead a feint at the front to draw the garrison's attention. When the signal comes, the troops strike from behind. The Gate falls."
Kevan fell into a thoughtful silence.
Tyrion leaned forward. "If we take the Bloody Gate, the Vale is wide open. We wouldn't even need to occupy it ourselves—just arm the wildlings, turn them loose, let them raid and pillage. The Vale's lords will be scrambling to defend their own lands. Forget reinforcing the Riverlands—they'll be lucky if they can defend their own castles."
Kevan mulled the plan over. "As of now, the Vale has shown no intent to interfere in our war with the North."
"Not yet," Tyrion replied, fixing his uncle with a sharp look. "But what about later? Don't forget—Lysa Tully holds power there. She's the daughter of Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun. And she's already said that Jaime and Cersei poisoned her husband, Jon Arryn. You really think she'll sit on the sidelines forever?"
Kevan said nothing for a moment. Then he nodded. "Very well. I approve of the plan—but it must be led by someone I trust."
He looked directly at Tyrion.
Tyrion blinked in confusion, looked around, then pointed at himself. "Uncle Kevan, surely you don't mean me?"
Kevan nodded again. "You devised the plan. It's only fitting you carry it out."
Tyrion leapt up from his chair and spun in a circle in front of him. "Do I look like a knight fit to lead troops into battle?"
"You always say that brains are sharper than swords," Kevan said, unmoved. "This is your chance to prove it." Before Tyrion could argue further, Kevan cut him off and made the decision final. "It's settled. I'll assign you a thousand good men. You'll lead them with the wildlings around the Bloody Gate. I'll launch an attack from the front two nights from now. If you see a chance—strike. If not, pull back the way you came. Don't force it."
With that, he stood and left the tent to make arrangements.
Tyrion, meanwhile, stood rooted to the spot, stunned and speechless.
Bronn took a swig from his cup, tapped Tyrion on the arm with the sheath of his sword, and said, "You'd best pay me today. If you get yourself killed out there in two days, I won't see a single coin."
"No way! We had a deal—you get me to my father. You can't go changing the terms now," Tyrion argued quickly. "So you'd better keep me alive for those two days, or you won't get a copper star." As he spoke, he began waddling toward the tent flap, muttering, "No, I need to get the wildlings the best gear, just in case something goes wrong with the equipment."
Bronn casually grabbed a few expensive bottles of Arbor gold off the table and followed after him, stepping out of the tent.
...
With the Northern host now in the Riverlands, the conflict there grew increasingly complex.
After seizing the vast territory south of the Trident, the Westerlands army began looting the wealth and conscripting the population. Nobles from castles, peasants from farmsteads—none were spared. They were all dragged into the army as camp followers and laborers. Those who managed to escape fled south in desperation, swimming across the Blackwater Rush to seek refuge in the lands of Summerhall.
In less than ten days, the Riverlands had become a desolate wasteland. Only one force remained active—a band of outlaws known as the Brotherhood Without Banners. They roamed the region, ambushing Westerlands garrisons and supply lines, causing no small amount of trouble for Tywin's forces.
While many were shocked by the devastation in the Riverlands, attention soon turned to two key skirmishes.
One of them took place along the Green Fork, where Dacey Mormont, Lady of Bear Island, faced off against Stafford Lannister, Tywin's cousin and brother-in-law.
Before the battle, no one believed Stafford could lose. He commanded 30,000 elite soldiers from across the Westerlands, sent to bog down Robb Stark's Northern army on the Kingsroad.
Dacey Mormont, by contrast, had just 6,000 men. The disparity was massive. Even though she had once been a famed commander under Lynd Tarran and earned a reputation for battlefield brilliance, many attributed her past success to Lynd's influence. Now that she had left Summerhall, many assumed her effectiveness had dwindled.
But the final outcome left everyone stunned. Dacey Mormont, with only a few hundred casualties, annihilated Stafford's force of 30,000. Fewer than 4,000 managed to escape back across the Green Fork.
Had they not burned the Trident bridge in time to stop Dacey's pursuit, even those survivors might not have made it.
If Dacey had crossed the Trident then and there, she could have ridden the momentum of her overwhelming victory straight to Harrenhal, leading her remaining 5,000 cavalry south along the Kingsroad. With Tywin caught unprepared, even he might have been in serious danger.
As for how Dacey had achieved such a staggering victory, none of the survivors could explain. All they recalled were the screams of their comrades and the blind panic of flight. They didn't stop running until their legs gave out.
The Westerlands didn't just lose soldiers—they lost commanders and knights as well. Stafford Lannister himself fell early in the fight. A dozen other members of House Lannister were killed, along with several lords and knights from across the Westerlands.
Among the roughly 3,000 survivors, the most senior was Stafford's son, Daven Lannister. It was he who had ordered the bridge burned, rallied the shattered remnants of the army, and held the line at the riverbank opposite Dacey, preventing her from attempting a crossing.
This catastrophic defeat wiped out much of the strategic advantage Tywin had gained from his earlier campaign in the Riverlands. Still, no one dared underestimate him. The bulk of the fallen had been bannermen from other Westerlands houses—House Lannister's core forces had suffered relatively few losses. Tywin still had 100,000 troops at Harrenhal, over 50,000 laying siege to Riverrun, and nearly 5,000 sellswords from Essos already sailing from Lannisport to reinforce his control of the Riverlands.
And just when people were beginning to celebrate the Westerlands' crushing loss, word arrived from the Vale—news that stunned many and renewed their fear and respect for Lord Tywin.
Overnight, the Bloody Gate in the Vale changed hands. The new commander who had replaced Brandon Rivers, along with all his knights and troops, was completely wiped out.
No one yet knew how the Bloody Gate had been breached, nor why, after it fell, not a single one of the thousands stationed there had managed to escape. The only thing that was certain was this: with the Bloody Gate lost, the entire Vale now lay exposed to the armies of the Westerlands. Apart from a few fortresses built in naturally defensible positions—such as the Eyrie—most territories in the Vale were now left without protection.
However, Kevan Lannister, who had seized the Bloody Gate, did not advance further into the Vale. Perhaps due to Dacey Mormont's presence, he chose instead to leave a portion of his forces to garrison the Gate, while he led the rest of his army to the mouth of the Trident. There, he built fortifications and proceeded cautiously, giving Dacey's cavalry no opening for a surprise attack. At the same time, he coordinated with Daven Lannister on the opposite bank, flanking Dacey's forces from both sides and forcing her to retreat to safer ground.
When word reached the Vale that Kevan had moved most of his army away from the Bloody Gate, they attempted to reclaim it—but lacked the strength. The wildling tribes from the Mountains of the Moon had suddenly launched a massive invasion, pillaging the Vale and dragging its lords' forces into a defensive quagmire.
Observers quickly noted that the wildlings were unusually well-armed and armored, their gear unmistakably styled in the fashion of the Westerlands. It was obvious that the Lannisters were backing them.
With the defeat at the Green Fork and the loss of the Bloody Gate, and with the Vale besieged by wildlings and unable to send aid, the Westerlands coalition—previously appearing on the back foot—swiftly recovered its footing.
From Dacey Mormont's actions alone, Lord Tywin sensed that the Northern army could become a serious threat.
So he immediately took his reorganized troops and marched down the River Road toward Riverrun, intending to join Jaime Lannister and capture the castle. Their goal was to crush the Riverlands' defenders and deny the North any chance of gaining the upper hand.
But what no one had expected was that, just as Lord Tywin's army reached the Inn of the Kneeling Man, news came from the west: Robb Stark had led the Northern host in a surprise assault on the Westerlands army at Riverrun—and had achieved a stunning victory. Nearly half of the Westerlands troops were lost.
Jaime Lannister, the commander, went missing during the battle and was presumed dead or captured.
The surviving forces, now under the command of Ser Flement Prester, abandoned all territory they had taken and retreated to the Golden Tooth to regroup.
To make matters worse, as the army retreated, the entire company of freelance knights Tywin had hired from Tyrosh turned traitor and surrendered to Robb Stark, who was hot on their heels.
Robb then followed Daven Lannister's earlier example—he burned the bridge over the Red Fork, trapping the Westerlands army on the opposite bank.
The lords of the Riverlands, who had been under siege in Riverrun, began to reclaim their lands east of the Red Fork. They pushed steadily south along the river, and in just a few days, retook all the territory between the Red Fork and the Tumblestone.
Thus, the current phase of the war in the Riverlands came to a temporary halt. Neither side was in a position to launch a river-crossing assault, and both needed time to rebuild the bridges. The war settled into a tense stalemate.
Still, it was clear to all that Lord Tywin's position was far from good. Trapped in the Riverlands and unable to move—north or south—he had also lost an important bargaining chip: Edmure Tully, the heir to Riverrun, whom he'd captured, had been freed during Robb Stark's daring assault.