-Chapter 99-
-6th day of the 3rd moon of the year 301 AC-
-POV Ronald Connington-
As I entered the capital, I wasn't sure what had happened, but instead of finding people looking at us with hatred, contempt, and fear, we were greeted by joyful cries.
Cries of relief and liberation.
I had been apprehensive about the reception we would receive from the people of the capital, but I was greatly relieved to see such joy and enthusiasm at our entry, officially signifying that we had won the war.
'We are the great victors, yes, but at what cost?' I thought, remembering everything that had been destroyed to get here.
'Everything we had been forced to sacrifice because of the greed and avarice of a few.'
'Without the Lannisters' betrayal, we would still be living together in peace,' I thought before glancing at the cart carrying Tommen's body.
« You'll get over it, » my aunt said on a white horse to my right.
I didn't respond, as I could feel her satisfaction at Tommen's death as well as her joy at the destruction of House Lannister.
'She is now Princess of the Seven Kingdoms while having defeated Cersei; of course, she is happy,' I thought, understanding why she felt no sorrow for them, unlike me.
'Father will not be happy about Tommen's death,' I told myself, as I knew my father well enough to understand that he had once truly considered Tommen as his son.
Little by little, we moved forward, cheered by the crowd, until we reached the Red Keep, which, in contrast to the rest of the city, was completely silent.
Once we passed through the castle gates, my heart clenched at the sight of Tommen's mother.
'My former mother-in-law,' I thought, feeling a lump form in my throat but still stopping my horse and dismounting to deliver the news to her.
Even though the news of Tommen's death had clearly spread everywhere, she did not seem to be aware of it, or at least, she refused to believe it, as she was searching among the crowd as if we had taken him prisoner.
As I wondered how to address her—she was no longer my mother since Father had annulled his marriage to her, nor was she the queen since we had won the war—Cersei Lannister asked me:
« Where is Tommen? »
I swallowed hard before saying:
« Tommen fought valiantly… »
« No. »
« I gave him the choice to live… »
« No, you filthy liar! Where is my son? Where have you imprisoned my son?! » she shouted, trying to slap me.
Before I could brace for impact, she was thrown to the ground by Alynne, who looked down at her from her mount and said:
« Your son is dead, Cersei. »
« No, you're lying! » she said, unable to contain her tears, sobbing and cursing us with all her might.
« You are monsters! You killed my little boy! » she screamed.
Alynne looked at her coldly and then said:
« You are in no position to say that, considering you nearly had Ronald killed when he was only nine years old. Ronald spared his life, but unfortunately, an arrow took it from him. If you want to mourn over his body, you may do so, but you have lost, so do not test my patience. »
Cersei said nothing and continued crying, which annoyed my aunt, who rolled her eyes before turning to me and asking:
« Are you alright? »
I nodded coldly without saying a word before walking away, cursing Tywin Lannister once again in my mind.
'May your entire being burn in the flames of the Seven Hells for eternity,' I prayed as I walked quickly to get away from this morbid atmosphere as fast as possible.
---
-POV Ronnet Connington-
« So everything north of Highgarden will belong to you and be incorporated into the Stormlands, » said Mace Tyrell, frowning.
I said: « Since I am the Storm King, I have decided to make the Stormlands the Crownlands. So all lands south will now be annexed into the Crownlands. »
« This is absurd! » Olenna Tyrell said furiously, as I was taking half of the Reach's lands and more than half of the direct vassal lords of the Tyrells, further weakening their grip on the region.
« Absurd? » I repeated in an inquisitive tone.
Margaery said: « My grandmother is old; she did not mean to offend you. But it is true that we must acknowledge that you are cutting off almost all of the Reach from us. »
I nodded and then said:
« It is everything I conquered myself. No one handed it to me on a silver platter. My soldiers fought for this. I will not simply return it to you just because you switched sides at the last second. »
« I do not deny that, but… »
« Why not simply split it in two? You keep everything you conquered, and we keep the rest, » Willas Tyrell suggested.
I nodded, then said:
« But since I conquered Red Lake… »
« Red Lake was not conquered by your army. If I recall correctly, it was my brother who secured that victory for Your Grace, » said Willas Tyrell, leaning on his cane while using another stick to remove the pieces representing my troops from the board.
I smiled, appreciating the sharp wit of the two siblings, and then said:
« Very well, you keep Red Lake as well as the western coast. »
'They will make good advisors for Ronald if he manages to win them over,' I thought, willing to accept a small loss since, in the end, I already had what I wanted.
'A massive population from which to recruit soldiers for my personal army, as well as vast arable lands,' I thought.
Everyone nodded, fairly satisfied to have retained some of their lands, as they had expected to lose everything.
'Everyone except one person,' I thought, glancing at the individual in question.
Olenna shook her head to the side without saying a word, but her expression spoke volumes about what was going through her mind.
« You don't seem satisfied, Olenna. »
She wanted to say something—probably a scathing remark about how she was older than my grandmother or how she had already been an adult before I was even born—but she eventually chose to remain silent, sniffling instead, which made me chuckle lightly.
« Very well, since we are all in agreement, we shall meet again when dinner is served, » I said, inviting them to leave the solar of the local lord, who had remained mute, intimidated from start to finish by my imposing presence.
Once everyone had left, Rodrik, who had been standing outside the door, entered and said as he closed it behind him:
« I received a letter delivered by raven from Ronald. »
« Perfect. That means he, too, has completed the task assigned to him, » I said, extending my hand to receive the letter.
---
Father,
I am both happy and saddened to inform you that I succeeded in taking Bronzegate before the end of the first day.
I wish I could tell you that we did not suffer heavy losses, but that was not the case, as the battle did not end once we captured Tommen.
An arrow pierced Tommen before he could agree to surrender and lay down his arms, which led the armies arriving from other fronts, confused, to continue fighting, not believing in their king's death.
We quickly routed them, sowing fear in their ranks with a cavalry assault led by myself and the Black Knights, but we suffered many grievous casualties who did not survive the night after the battle.
I am heading to the capital, somewhat anxious about the reception we will receive.
I wanted you to hear from me that the war is over. Peace can finally return to the Seven Kingdoms.
Your son and heir,
Ronald Connington.
---
I shook my head as I folded the letter, then said:
« Tommen is dead. »
Rodrik furrowed his brows, then said:
« She will not take it well. »
I wanted to shrug to show that I did not care, but now that I had won, now that I had taken my revenge, now that the hatred that had darkened my heart and consumed me from within was satiated, the love I had buried was trying to resurface.
'Now, it is she who must hate me,' I thought, remaining silent for a few moments before finally letting out a long sigh.
« Prepare our men to depart. In three days, we ride to King's Landing, » I finally said, listening to the small voice inside me.