Perhaps the gods decided Tywin had been having it too easy—for just when everyone believed he held the advantage, disaster struck another Westerlands army under his command. Kevan Lannister, commander of that force, was killed in action.
Kevan, who was stationed at Duskendale and leading nearly twenty thousand men to relieve King's Landing, was ambushed while passing through the ruins of a town called Stone Tooth. The ambush was led by Ser Guyard Morrigen of the Stormlands, from Crow's Nest.
Ser Guyard had first engaged Kevan outside the town, then feigned retreat into the abandoned ruins. Once Kevan's forces gave chase, they fell into his trap. The ruins had been rigged in advance, and wildfire buried throughout the town was ignited.
The troops inside had no chance of escape. Kevan Lannister perished in the flames, along with the majority of his men. Only around three thousand stationed outside the town initially survived—but even they were soon surrounded and eliminated by the Stormlands coalition.
In the end, nearly twenty thousand soldiers were annihilated.
Following this, Ser Guyard led the Stormlands forces to strike Duskendale. Daven Lannister, who was stationed there, remained on the defensive. Meanwhile, Stannis's army, previously pinned down at Crackclaw Point, seized the moment to move south and join with the Stormlands forces at Duskendale.
But it wasn't the scale of the loss that rocked the Seven Kingdoms—it was Kevan Lannister's death. Kevan was Tywin's closest brother and most trusted lieutenant. As the long-time steward of Casterly Rock, he had been one of the key pillars of stability in the Westerlands. His death dealt a devastating blow not only to Tywin, but to the entire region.
It's said that when Tywin received the news, he was overwhelmed with grief. At that moment, the Earl of Sevenstreams, Medger Seaworth, and the Manderly brothers—Wylis and Wendel of White Harbor—had led their own troops in a surprise attack against the rear of Tywin's army. Enraged, Tywin personally led a cavalry force from the Westerlands and annihilated over nine thousand Northern soldiers. Lord Medger, Ser Wylis, and Ser Wendel were all slain in the fighting. The victory did little to ease his sorrow but helped stabilize the situation, deterring the North and Reach forces in Riverrun from attempting another reckless advance.
Amid all these fierce engagements, Ser Guyard Morrigen stood out as the most brilliant figure. He had already distinguished himself earlier by holding the line during a surprise attack on Stannis's main camp—led by Addam Marbrand and a force of Gold Cloaks—and now he had orchestrated a devastating ambush at Stone Tooth, wiping out an entire Westerlands army and killing over a dozen of its commanders, including Kevan Lannister.
People across the realm began to wonder: who was this Ser Guyard Morrigen, and how had Stannis found such a formidable commander seemingly out of nowhere?
It didn't take long for the various factions to investigate and uncover his background.
Ser Guyard was the younger brother of Lester Morrigen, Lord of Crow's Nest in the Stormlands. In his youth, he had left his home and joined Summerhall, becoming an officer in the Children of the Chosen, an elite military unit devoted to the gods.
He had fought in campaigns to purge wildling tribes from the Red Mountains, garrisoned the Stepstones, and served for a time as a ranger captain in the Disputed Lands. His battlefield experience was both broad and hard-earned.
Later, when Lester Morrigen's health began to fail—and with no children to inherit—he sent word summoning his younger brother home, intending for Guyard to succeed him as Lord of Crow's Nest.
When the Stormlands began forming their coalition forces, Lester originally had no plans to let Guyard join the fighting. He intended to send his captain of the guard instead. But Guyard personally volunteered. He saw the war as an opportunity to prove his worth—not just to his brother, but to all of Westeros—that he was fully capable of inheriting the title of Lord.
And without question, he had succeeded. Now, everyone knew the strength of Ser Guyard Morrigen. No one would dare question his right to inherit.
...
But barely two days later, a far greater event overshadowed even Ser Guyard's rising fame: Stannis was defeated. The Dragonstone coalition had been completely wiped out. Stannis himself had fled back to Dragonstone. King's Landing was finally free from the threat of falling.
Though the war had already seen its share of dramatic turns—enough to desensitize even the most dedicated observers—this news sent shockwaves through every corner of the realm. Many refused to believe it at first.
After all, just two days earlier, the outlook for Stannis had been triumphant. King's Landing and the Westerlands looked ready to collapse. Yet now, the man poised to conquer the capital had lost everything and fled.
It sounded too absurd to be true. How could anyone believe such a sudden, complete reversal?
However, after repeated confirmations, it became clear that Stannis had indeed suffered a crushing defeat—his core forces were almost entirely destroyed.
And in the battle that led to Stannis's downfall, another name quickly seized the attention of the realm, eclipsing even the newly famed Guyard Morrigen: Ser Garlan Tyrell, heir to Highgarden.
In truth, Stannis's defeat was more tragic than dishonorable. After receiving news of Guyard Morrigen's complete annihilation of Kevan Lannister's army, Stannis threw everything he had into the siege of King's Landing. For nearly two full days and nights, his forces assaulted the city. Then, just as Tyrion, Addam Marbrand, and the other commanders were distracted, one of Stannis's insiders—a Gold Cloak captain assigned to the Gate of the Gods—opened the gates and allowed his army to pour into the city.
Once the gates fell, the hastily conscripted defenders broke almost immediately. Some surrendered on the spot, others fled into the city to hide in their homes. Stannis's troops met almost no resistance as they swept into King's Landing.
Tyrion Lannister and Addam Marbrand retreated with the remaining Lannister soldiers and Gold Cloaks to the Red Keep, shut the gates, and prepared for a last stand.
At that moment, most believed the war was over—that Stannis had won. Even those within the Red Keep had lost hope. Queen Cersei, released from confinement, took Joffrey I and her younger son Tommen to the throne room. There, she laid out the last of their wildfire and prepared to die by flame if the Red Keep was breached.
But then, something no one expected happened. A cavalry unit bearing Renly Baratheon's banner appeared outside the city—and charged straight into the chaos. At its head rode a knight clad in Renly's armor, who led the assault directly into Stannis's central camp outside the Red Keep.
At the time, many of the soldiers stationed in Stannis's center were knights of the Stormlands. Stunned by Renly's sudden return—or so it appeared—they were caught entirely off guard. No defenses had been prepared. The cavalry crashed through the heart of the formation with ease.
Before Stannis could shake off his shock, the knight in Renly's armor reached him and cut him down from his horse. His banner was slashed to the ground. Word of Stannis's death spread like wildfire across the battlefield.
Seeing their commander slain and their banner fallen, the troops of the Dragonstone alliance panicked. Believing Stannis truly dead, the army dissolved into chaos. Leaderless, they broke ranks and fled in all directions, only to be cut down by the pursuing cavalry. Inside the Red Keep, Tyrion and the Gold Cloaks seized the moment, launching a counterattack and joining forces with the mysterious cavalry to chase down the broken remnants of the invading army.
In the end, apart from a small number who managed to flee by ship back to their home territories, the Dragonstone alliance was wiped out within the city.
But Stannis had not died. He was gravely wounded and unconscious. Witnesses later claimed that Ser Davos, the Onion Knight, led a group of bodyguards who rescued the fallen Stannis and fled by boat. They were likely already en route back to Dragonstone.
After the battle, the knight in Renly's armor removed his helmet and revealed himself to be none other than Ser Garlan Tyrell, heir to Lord Mace Tyrell of Highgarden.
As it turned out, after receiving Tywin Lannister's proclamation, Garlan had accurately predicted that Stannis would launch an all-out assault to take King's Landing before reinforcements from the Reach could arrive.
So, at Bitterbridge, he abandoned all the supply wagons, leaving the infantry under the command of Randyll Tarly to follow behind. Garlan took all available cavalry, formed a fast-moving strike force, and rode through the night. He reached King's Landing just in time—before Stannis could claim victory.
Once outside the city, he learned that many of the knights holding Stannis's center were from the Stormlands. Acting quickly, he raised Renly's banner, donned his late uncle's armor, and impersonated Renly. That ruse—combined with Renly's lingering influence over the Stormlands' knights—threw Stannis's center into confusion and allowed Garlan to smash through their ranks and win the day.
His arrival brought celebration throughout King's Landing—everyone rejoiced. Everyone, that is, except Cersei, who silently wished Garlan had died on the battlefield. Joffrey I, on the other hand, saw the value in having such a powerful relative by marriage. He even requested a personal meeting with Garlan, and the two reportedly got along well.
...
Meanwhile, the remnants of the Dragonstone army that escaped fled to Duskendale under the guidance of surviving Stormlands knights, where they regrouped with Guyard Morrigen. Upon hearing of the defeat in King's Landing, Guyard immediately abandoned the siege of Daven Lannister. Before the city's defenders could arrive to pursue him, he led his forces into the rugged terrain of Crackclaw Point, planning to wait there for ships from Dragonstone to extract them.
On the other side, Roose Bolton, stationed at Harrenhal, withdrew decisively after receiving the news from King's Landing. He crossed the Trident and joined up with Dacey.
Before leaving Harrenhal, however, he secretly dispatched a carefully prepared gift to King's Landing.
After reuniting, Roose and Dacey originally planned to construct a simple pontoon bridge over the Green Fork and cross to Riverrun. But they soon received new orders from Riverrun, informing them that peace had been made with House Frey, and a marriage alliance had been formed between House Frey and House Tully.
According to the orders, Roose Bolton was to return to the North to eliminate Theon and the Ironborn forces, while Dacey would lead the army through the Twins and return to Riverrun to await the next confrontation with Tywin.
As Dacey and Roose's forces approached the Twins, they were suddenly overtaken by a cavalry force numbering in the thousands.
At first, they assumed the riders were from the Westerlands—but upon seeing their banners clearly, they recognized the sigil of Runestone from the Vale.
Once the cavalry drew near, their commander, Bronze Yohn Royce, rode forward and approached Dacey and Roose Bolton.
"I heard you're preparing for a final battle with Tywin," said Bronze Yohn. "I felt it was my duty to bring my men and support you."
Dacey had previously helped the Vale retake the Bloody Gate and had even sent some of her own cavalry to assist the lords of the Vale in suppressing a wildling rebellion. The people of the Vale were grateful—but because of Lady Lysa Tully's position at the Eyrie, they could not openly ally with Dacey. All they could do was quietly send a supporting force.
"Lord Royce," Dacey said, glancing at the Vale knights behind him, "you really don't need to disobey Lady Lysa's orders and come with us to Riverrun. You can still help by staying at the Bloody Gate."
Bronze Yohn laughed heartily. "Don't worry about Lysa Tully. That woman is too busy entertaining suitors to care about what we're doing. You helped the Vale, so you're our friend—and we in the Vale aren't so stingy as to turn our backs on friends." Then he turned to Roose Bolton and added, "Lord Bolton, you're ruthless indeed. You flooded half the Riverlands. If you were headed to Riverrun now, I fear…"
"Lord Bolton isn't going to Riverrun," Dacey said with a smile. "I believe His Grace Robb saw that it wouldn't be wise. He's sending Lord Bolton back to the North to root out the Ironborn and reclaim Winterfell."
Bronze Yohn laughed again. "Good! That's good! If you'd gone to Riverrun and something had gone wrong, I really wouldn't have known whose side to take."
Roose Bolton frowned but remained silent. His attention was soon drawn by another group approaching from ahead.
Dacey looked as well and gasped, "Lady Catelyn? Brienne? What are you doing here?"
As they came closer, Brienne gave Dacey an awkward glance and said, "His Grace Robb has accepted the terms offered by House Frey. Old Walder released us. Also, His Grace has asked that Lady Catelyn return north with Lord Roose Bolton. Once Winterfell is reclaimed, she is to remain there and take command."
Everyone turned to look at Catelyn Tully. She looked pale and weary. With a faint, bitter smile, she turned to Roose and said, "Lord Bolton, I'll be in your care for the road ahead."
Roose Bolton gave her a courteous smile and bowed. "It would be my honor."
Dacey turned to Brienne. "And what about you? What are your plans now?"
Brienne hesitated. "I promised Lady Catelyn I'd take her to His Grace. Now…"
Catelyn quickly interrupted, "No, Brienne. You've done more than enough. If it weren't for you, I'd have died many times along the way. You've kept your word. Now you should do what you want."
Brienne looked lost, like someone who had suddenly lost her purpose.
"Come with me to Riverrun," Dacey offered.
Brienne thought for a moment, then nodded.
And so, the company split. Dacey led her troops, along with Bronze Yohn and his Vale riders, across the Twins toward Riverrun. Meanwhile, Roose Bolton took Lady Catelyn and began the journey north, back to the North.