[Riverrun]

On the horizon, the golden lions of House Lannister fluttered proudly in the breeze, heralding the approach of the mighty force. At the vanguard, Lord Jaime Lannister and his trusted companion, Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, reined in their steeds atop a hill that overlooked the serene waters of the Red Fork. Sprawled before them lay the encampment of the Freys, their banners a stark reminder of their treacherous loyalty. The castle of Riverrun, the ancient stronghold of House Tully, stood sentinel, a silent witness to the unfolding drama of the realm.

"Pick the pace up. Keep going." One Frey man said.

"Keep it moving!" Another ordered.

"Now, that is a sorry attempt at a siege. Someone needs to teach those sad twats how to dig trenches." Bronn commented.

"Someone certainly does." Jaime looked at Bronn. Despite stating he would not return to the Riverlands, Cersei had convinced him to.

"Oh, no. Not me. I'm just an upjumped sellsword."

"You're an anointed knight. There's quite a difference."

"Aye, knights don't get paid."

"You have better instincts than any officer in the Lannister army."

"That's like saying I have a bigger cock than anyone in the Unsullied army."

"I expect to command all the Lannister forces before long. You can be the right hand I lost."

"You promised me a lordship and a castle and a highborn beauty for a wife."

"And you'll get all three. A Lannister always-"

"Don't say it. Don't fucking say it." Bronn interrupted, ushering his horse onwards.

Jaime and Bronn guided a contingent of Lannister soldiers through the sprawling encampment that surrounded Riverrun. A contingent of Frey men observed them, their eyes narrowed with suspicion and curiosity. The air was thick with the scent of burnt food and damp earth, a stark contrast to the opulence of the Red Keep they had left behind.

At the river's edge, Lothar Frey's voice pierced the stillness, echoing off the ancient stones of the castle above. He stood at the foot of the fortress, his armor glinting under the early morning sun. Behind him, a makeshift gallows had been constructed. Upon this stage, Black Walder Rivers loomed, his hands tight around the rope of a hangman's noose that was secured around the neck of Edmure Tully, the rightful lord of Riverrun.

The two newcomers watched the unfolding scene. Lothar's voice carried through the air, a taunt to the unseen defenders within the castle walls. "Ser Brynden Tully, the Blackfish, show yourself! The time for parlay is over. Yield the castle to us, or watch your nephew swing from the very battlements you protect!"

In response, the legendary knight appeared, his silhouette stark against the battlements of Riverrun. The Blackfish walked to the edge of the castle wall, an arrowslit framing his stoic visage as he gazed down upon the Frey brothers and their men. His very presence seemed to challenge the very fabric of the siege that had been laid before him.

Unsure of what to do, Lothar turned to his brother, who removed the noose from Edmure's neck, replacing it with a knife.

Black Walder's grin was feral as he stepped forward, pressing the cold steel of a knife against Edmure's neck. "You think I won't do it, old man?" he spat. "I killed your sweet little niece, and where were you? Running and hiding in the shadows. Coward."

Brynden Tully's face remained impassive, his gaze unwavering. He took a step back and turned away from the horror that was about to unfold. "Go on, then. Cut his throat," he called down to them, his voice carrying the weight of a man who knew his nephew's fate was in the hands of monsters.

Monsters they might be, but they were also fools.

The knife hovered at Edmure's throat for a heartbeat longer before it was abruptly withdrawn. The captive lord was dragged away, leaving the Frey brothers to face the advancing Lannister forces.

Jaime and Bronn approached with a steely resolve, their soldiers parting the sea of Frey men like a sword through water.

"Lothar, is it?" Jaime asked.

"Ser Jaime. We didn't know you were coming."

"'Cause you didn't set up a proper perimeter. You just allowed 8,000 men to approach unchallenged."

"Good thing we're friends or we'd be fucking you in the ass right now." Bronn said, crudely.

"Have Lord Edmure bathed and fed." Jaime said.

Black Walder waved at the Frey men escorting Edmure. "Whoa, whoa."

The Frey men stopped walking, watching as Black Walder approached Jaime.

"Walder." Lothar put his hand out to stop Black Walder, but his brother pushed him away.

Black Walder walked up to Jaime.

"Edmure is a prisoner of House Frey."

Jaime looked Black Walder up and down. "Only a fool makes threats he's not prepared to carry out. Now let's say I threatened to hit you unless you shut your mouth, but you kept talking. What do you think I'd do?"

"I don't give a rat's-"

Jaime hit Black Walder across the face with his gold hand. Black Walder staggered back beside Lothar.

"I'm here by the king's command to take back this castle. Have him bathed and fed. Unless you'd like to take his place."

"Apologies, Ser Jaime." Lothar waved at the Frey men escorting Edmure. "Do as he says."

"The siege is now under my command. The next time the Blackfish looks out from those ramparts, he'll see an army at his gates, not whatever this is."

"Have your lads start digging perimeter trenches. Set pickets every hundred yards. And work double-time on those siege towers and trebuchets." Bronn ordered.

"Those are our siege towers." Black Walder said.

"As I said, the siege is under my command. If that's not to your liking, go home." Jaime said.

Lothar and Black Walder walked away as Bronn walked up behind Jaime.

"Get word to the Blackfish. I want a parley." Jaime told him.

"A parley or a fight?"

"He's an old man."

"You've got one hand. My money's on the old boy."

Jaime Lannister rode through the encampment on his steed, flanked by a bannerman and a contingent of footmen. Upon reaching the bridge that spanned the waters leading to Riverrun's fortress, he dismounted. His gaze fell upon the river's murky depths.

From the fortifications above, a handful of Tully archers could be seen, their crossbows at the ready, arrows trained through the narrow embrasures. The drawbridge, a wooden behemoth suspended by thick chains, descended with a clanking resonance that echoed across the water.

Brynden Tully, the Blackfish himself, emerged from the castle's shadow, surrounded by his own loyal host of soldiers. He stepped forth onto the drawbridge, unaccompanied, and approached the solitary figure of Ser Jaime. The two men, separated by the chasm of their loyalties, closed the distance between them with measured steps, each a silent acknowledgment of the impending confrontation.

"Kingslayer." Brynden greeted.

"Blackfish."

"I assume you're here to fulfill the vow you gave my niece. I don't see Sansa and Arya."

"I don't have them."

"Pity. Do you wish to resume your captivity?"

Jaime shook his head.

"Then why are you here?"

"You know why I'm here. This castle belongs to House Frey. You're trespassing. In the name of King Tommen, I order you to surrender or-"

"Or you'll kill Edmure?" Brynden walked past Jaime. "My nephew's marked for death no matter what. Hang him and be done with it."

"It won't stop with Edmure. You'll force me to storm the castle. Hundreds will die."

"Hundreds of mine. Thousands of yours. If you can breach the walls."

Jaime positioned himself beside Brynden. "We'll breach them and kill every last one of you. But if you surrender, I'll spare the lives of your men. On my honor."

"Your honor? Bargaining with oathbreakers is like building on quicksand."

"The war is over, ser. Why sacrifice living men to a lost cause?"

Brynden turned to face Jaime and walked close to him. "As long as I'm standing, the war is not over. This is my home. I was born in this castle and I'm ready to die in it. So you can either attack or try to starve us out. We have enough provisions for two yeats. Do you have two yeaes, Kingslayer?" He walked past Jaime and continued back across the drawbridge.

"You clearly have no intention of saving your men's lives. Why did you come to treat with me?"

Brynden turned back to face Jaime. "Sieges are dull. And I wanted to see you in person, get the measure of you."

"Well, now you have."

"Aye, now I have. I'm disappointed." Brynden turned around and walked back inside the castle.

The drawbridge began to close. Jaime scrunched up his face, turned around, and walked back across the bridge.