Ronnet Connington SI

-Chapter 69-

-POV Raymund Connington-

I smiled as I heard the horn of our army from the rear because it meant that the plan Ronnet and I had devised had gone perfectly.

'Now that the Tully troops are trapped, they will be swiftly destroyed by our combined forces,' I thought.

"Don't look so grim, Ser Kevan," I said, looking at the brother of the Hand of the King, who didn't seem as pleased with this victory as I was.

"I wasn't aware that you had called upon your brother's army."

"My brother and I came up with this idea to deceive the Tully bannermen and eliminate them all at once," I said, trying to lower my posture slightly because, even though I was the commander-in-chief, Kevan Lannister controlled the majority of our army, and I didn't want to get on his bad side.

He said nothing, pretending to focus on the battlefield, so I added:

"Please forgive me for not being entirely transparent, but the fewer people who knew, the fewer the risks of the enemy discovering our strategy."

"I completely understand. I would have just liked to be informed of this strategy."

"Perfect," I said before glancing at the soldiers tasked with sounding the war drums.

"Sound a full charge; we will permanently cut off all escape routes for the Tullys. Today marks the end of these traitors' reign," I said, signaling my men to reposition at the rear to protect Kevan and me as we observed the battlefield closely.

'Too much attention for someone who has just won,' I thought, finding this sudden concentration strange.

---

-POV Kevan Lannister-

Upon hearing the horn of House Connington, my heart leapt in my chest.

The first thought that crossed my mind was that if the Connington forces were so close, it was because they had discovered our attempt to outflank them and were coming to make us pay.

'Thankfully, Genna managed to send a message to that fool Walder Frey to have his army ready to attack once Lancel gives the signal,' I thought, watching my son from a distance as he sat on his horse, commanding our troops.

'He would have made an excellent knight if he hadn't always been dazzled by Jaime's brilliance and allowed himself to be tamed by Cersei and Tyrion.'

Although we had cornered them from the start of this battle, Raymund had repeatedly chosen to allow them to reform their troops.

'Even though we still have over 15,000 soldiers and he has no more than 11,000, we are dragging out a battle that we should have won long ago.'

This strange decision put me on guard, which is why I had sent Lancel far from us.

'If anything happens to me, at least he will be safe,' I told myself, gripping the reins of my horse, resisting the urge to spur it hard and flee the trap I found myself in.

'The longer this goes on, the stronger my apprehension grows. Even though Raymund seemed genuine, something was bothering me. Everything was falling into place too perfectly, as if someone were predicting our every move and countering them smoothly.'

'So smoothly that we wouldn't feel anything until the moment when...'

My thoughts were shattered as I felt the ground rumble and saw thousands of cavalrymen appear and approach us at great speed.

As I observed the banners, something frightened me—a small detail that many wouldn't notice but which chilled my blood.

'Why are these cavalrymen wearing surcoats from Houses Fell, Buckler, Morrigen, and Grandison?'

My heart raced as I saw them split to pass along our flanks, outpace us, and then reform into a perfect arrow formation to pierce and break through the enemy troops.

'No, Lancel...'

I immediately grabbed my sword, and before I could do anything, a blade was placed at my throat from behind.

A silent, black-armored knight, who usually accompanied Raymund Connington, had slipped behind me and said coldly in a tone that sent a shiver down my spine:

"I suggest you refrain from touching your sword if you wish to keep your head on your shoulders."

"What is the meaning of this?" I said angrily, addressing the young Connington without looking at him, as I couldn't turn my head, forced to watch as the vassal forces of House Connington attacked my troops from the rear.

"ANSWER ME, CONNINGTON!" I shouted, casting a glance out of the corner of my eye at the young man, who looked shocked as my unprepared troops were slaughtered by his House's vassal forces.

'He wasn't even aware. His brother used him to trap me—no, his brother used him to trap us all,' I thought.

---

-POV Raymund Connington-

-Flashback Start-

"This plan is perfect, but you will need to change a few things. Once you reach Harrenhal, you must leave our troops behind," Ronnet said after I finished explaining my plan to quickly conquer the Riverlands.

"Why?" I asked, confused by the need to deprive myself of such a large number of soldiers.

"We need to pretend that we are afraid of losing Harrenhal," Ronnet said.

"Once that's done, we'll have no more than about 30,000 soldiers at best," I said, frowning, not agreeing with my brother.

"An experienced army that can hold its ground and even win until reinforcements arrive," Ronnet said.

I was about to argue when I understood: "You want to use us as bait."

"I'm using the Lannisters as bait, actually," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"They're our allies," I said.

"We cannot trust the Lannisters. They care about one thing only: themselves. So we'll do the same," Ronnet said, speaking of the Lannisters almost as if they were our enemies.

I rolled my eyes, reluctant to serve as bait, but I quickly realized that he was right.

'We would lose fewer men and deliver victory to the King. We were winning on all fronts,' I thought.

"I accept," I said, determined.

'I've always wanted to make him proud and prove my worth, just like him. This is my chance,' I told myself, pushing down the anxiety threatening to overwhelm me.

Ronnet smiled softly before adopting a solemn expression—one he rarely wore.

"I trust you, my brother. Even though you are bait, you are still my brother. And when the time comes, you will prove yourself as a griffon of House Connington... I know you will make me proud when the moment arrives," he said, embracing me.

"I will, rest assured," I said, holding him tighter.

"I know you will," he repeated several times.

-Flashback End-

'You bastard, but damn, you're clever,' I thought, finally understanding everything.

I turned to Kevan Lannister, and although I still didn't know why my brother had decided to turn against the Lannisters, Gregor Clegane's army had probably already been destroyed, meaning the hostilities had begun, and I had to deliver a fatal blow to the Lannisters right now.

"SOLDIERS, LISTEN TO ME. HOUSE LANNISTER IS GUILTY OF HIGH TREASON. DO YOUR DUTY AND EXECUTE EVERY ONE OF THESE TRAITORS."

"YES, COMMANDER," shouted the soldiers as they advanced in orderly formation, not questioning whether I was telling the truth.

'I now understand why he asked me to take only 2,000 of the men most loyal to me and not those loyal to the crown,' I thought as I watched my soldiers march forward quickly.

"Tie him up and place him under heavy guard," I ordered one of my lieutenants.

He took ten men, disarmed, and bound Kevan Lannister while I trotted alongside my soldiers, occasionally giving additional instructions to prevent the shattered lines of the Lannister army from reforming after my brother's vassals' charge.