Chapter 63

Despite what one might think after their little Rebellion and all the Resistance they provided, the Reach wasn't a Land of Wolves, so all those Men that fought so very hard to defend Santor Castle were very much so still expecting to survive this Mess. They were most likely actually waiting for Troops from their Neighbours like the Stadleys or even the Lorhills, not that their Lord held onto any such Delusions. It didn't mean that he didn't care, you could clearly feel and see that he did, but Lords like him usually don't get their Duties mixed up with their Feelings which was respectable, for it meant that he wasn't a Hypocrite.

That being said, you were quite surprised how little effort it took to break the Man as his Castle slowly burned around him, it was like he genuinely thought that the Achievements of your Father in absolutely destroying his Enemies were just simple Propaganda. It was honestly quite bemusing how he thought the Lord of the Rock would need to make Stuff up to keep the Westerlands in Line, like the Tyrells apparently did. No, your House was very much so an Advocate for the use of the Carrot and the Stick, you fall in Line and follow your Orders and you receive Rewards that no minor House could dream of.

But once you fall out of Line you will feel the Stick no matter where you hide, and House Lannister always makes sure that the Stick is proportionate to the Carrot even if it means that a few Castles need to be erased from time to time, your Father is a just Man after all. Yet there were other uses for the Stick than simple Violence, like for Example the change in Perception the simple threat of the Stick can provide you with.

Your Father's Demands were simple, all he wanted from the good Lord Dunos of Santor was an Oath of Loyalty to your House and a Number of Hostages he could keep with him in Rose Hold, so really nothing too outlandish, yet the Gates of Santor Castle remained barred. In comparison to his now slowly burning Castle and the Prospect of feeling one of those Nooses around his Neck, you supposed that you could get Jaime and House Lannister a few more Men to make up for lost time by giving the good Lord a second Chance to take the Carrot instead.

You of course left him standing there at the Wall for a few more Hours after he swiftly agreed to bend the Knee so as to not rob your little Brother of his still much-needed Sleep, and to make sure that your Father still agreed, which he did. The Concept of Loyalty through Oaths and Hostages in this World was to you just a massive and truly muddled Mess if you're completely honest. Especially confusing was that your Father had told you only a few Years ago that there was no Need to make Alliances with People that you trust, which was even now far beyond you with how it looked to you like he does exactly that Day in and Day out in Rose Hold.

A surprising Number of Lords were happy to be rid of the Tyrells and so joined your Father at his Camp, which he permitted, yet he still goes out of his Way to arrange Pacts and Alliances with them and his older Vassals. Well, you should probably refocus, it feels like Lord Santor has sweated enough for Tonight, and while that wasn't the smoothest Way to distract yourself from those Thoughts about your Father you guessed that Jaime would get angry with you if you didn't wake him up soon. Yes, you supposed that they should really get this whole Mess over with before Jaime's Knights will die of Boredom, he still had another Castle to take after all, and it wouldn't do to waste their good Morale, now would it?

You decided to wake Jaime up at first Light to inform him about the new Orders of your Father so that he had enough time to prepare to take Lord Santors Oath when the Sun came up. The Wishes the Lord of the Rock had given you were once more quite simple, Santor Castle was to be abandoned and Lord Santor was ordered to prove his newfound Loyalty by marching his Troops on Stadley Castle with your Brother once the Hostages had safely arrived at Rose Hold.

Should he succeed in proving his Loyalty to House Lannister in this Endeavour then Lord Santor would receive an extensive Pardon for his Actions and would further receive the Reward of holding Stadley Castle and its Lands in addition to his current Holdings. Yet despite the extensive Pardon House Lannister was willing to grant, a Punishment for taking up the Sword against his new Lord was still required. Thus, the former Home of House Santor would be dismantled down to the last Stone to reinforce the Defences of Rose Hold, never to be rebuilt again.

It was a Shame that few Houses had to endure throughout written History with how the Existence of their Name in said History would now depend entirely on their continued Existence, but both you and your Father knew that Lord Santor could not afford to object, so this would be his Punishment. To a normal Person this would be nothing in exchange for one's Life, but to a Noble this Punishment cuts deep, and the taking of Stadley Castle will make sure that there won't be any Way to break from the Rock again. No one but House Lannister would ever support their claim to their future Home, and yeah, one could tell that your Father came up with that Plan.

Only around half of his Men would be marching with your Brother, but if it's thirty or sixty Men that joined the coming Siege didn't matter, the Santors would be bound to the Rock just the same once they received their Reward after publicly fighting against the Rebellion. You wondered what the Crown would do once the King heard about the betrayal of his own Rebels, and the potential leak of his Involvement, but you supposed that your Father had things in Hand as he always does, so you simply focused on making sure none of the Santors got any funny Ideas.