On ye olde road once more (Lena)

[Torin Lannister]

Ser Torin Lannister, Lady Lena Lannister, thirty Knights and five thousand soldiers were on the road to King's Landing. It was much like their journey to the Vale. Riding on horseback at the front of an army by day and retiring to the carriage by night. Ser Torin had already put a baby in his wife but it didn't cool his needs of her. They were travelling straight down the King's Road, none would challenge them with five thousand men.

Ser Torin was atop his horse, t'was as large a horse as he was a man but it would want to be to support his weight, especially in his armour. There was a heavy wind blowing at his hair and while in the first days it had been refreshing to be riding with the wind in his hair after being stuck in that stupid castle it was now a pain. Still, King's Landing was but half a day away. Soon fine wine and greater authority would be his.

[Lena Arryn]

It had been nearly fourteen days since they'd left the Vale, Lena had been counting angrily and she was bitter that the trip was nearly over. Sh didn't want to come to Kingslanding, she hadn't wanted to leave the Vale, and to top off her anger she was pregnant- with Torin Lannisters seed.
She had been counting back and realized the child must have been sired in the garden of Casterly Rock, and that made Lena even more ill.
She couldn't go through with this, she was no mother, especially not to Torin's little cub.

Maneuvering her horse up towards Torin Lena looked over at the gleaming fool in his armor, he'd probably be gloating to his father and brothers soon enough.
"How long until we reach Kingslanding?" She wondered how angry he'd be if she went back to the Vale after only a few days.
She needed to to be there more so than she needed to be by his side.

[Torin Lannister]

Lena rode up besides him, it was a shame she was annoyed all the time. It wasted her beauty. "Half a day if we keep this pace." which was not an altogether quick pace. They had moved often and rested little and while Ser Torin excepted greatness from his men he was no fool. They could give him his greatness when Stannis was at the walls, for now he was just exhausting them.

"Is the ride treating you well?" he had taken something of a greater interest in her well being since he discovered that her often illness of the vomiting was not due to the weakness of her gender. Lena was a powerful woman but a woman none the less and that was a weakness. But now he knew her vomiting was because of the Lion growing in her womb. He could tell it was a mighty one.

[Lena Arryn]

Looking at her husband when asked how the ride was treating her Lena lifted her shoulders it what might be a shrug.
"As well as can be expected." Lena said cooly, she had since finding out she was pregnant voiced her opinion more so that she wanted nothing to do with her husband bodily, yet he'd not taken heed to that notion. Instead he still claimed her almost nightly which had made the trip almost more unbearable.

"The sooner we get to Kingslanding the better." Lena finished mentally adding and the sooner you prove to be a boarish leader and your father comes to take over. Oh yes, that would be wonderful. Once Tywin showed up in Kingslanding Lena would be able to return to the Vale with out fight from her husband, he'd have no reason not to let her go then.
He really had no reason to make her come with him now.
It would make it so much easier on me if I just had an accident and lost this child... then he'd not want me... I'd be able to return home. Lena continued her thought.

[Torin Lannister]

"It will all be worth it when you hold your own babe in your hands and it suckles at your breast." Although he had fathered numerous children he hadn't actually kept in contact with any of the mothers or the children so such knowledge was not the wisdom of a father, it was just Ser Torin's understanding of women and their babes. Cersei loved her children more then anything in the world, it was obviously a weakness to love something that much but children wouldn't be a special as they were if they weren't worth it.

"Aye, I look forward to seeing my brother and sister." Jaime and Cersei, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard & Queen Regent. Now Ser Torin would be hand of the King, that would keep father off his back. But Torin had been doing the Lannister family proud recently, bringing The Vale into the fold, that was an achievement.

[Lena Arryn]

When Torin mentioned she would be happy to see her babe when it was born she nearly laughed at him, she couldn't imagine being happy to have a golden haired little Lannister brat, not in the least.

Before she could make any comment to the state of her affection towards their progeny he mentioned wanting to see his brother and sister.
Lena nodded, she couldn't remember ever being excited to see Robin, from the moment he was first born to the moment he left for the Wall Lena had been ambivalent towards the boy at best.
"I am sure they will be happy to see you as well." She said quietly.
At least they were on civil terms most days now.

[Torin Lannister]

It had been weeks since he had seen his siblings, his wedding in fact. Now they rode for King's Landing where, as Hand of the King, he would name Lady Lena the ruler of the Vale. Her Loyal Bannermen might not need confirmation of the King (or his Hand) but if Lena wished to be considered a Ruler and peer to Tywin, Mace, Doran and all the others it would require the King to acknowledge a woman as a ruler. There was nobody that could contest it anyway. The Vale, King's Landing & Casterly Rock, a most powerful union.

"I imagine so." They rode on for a few minutes more, his gaze was looking to something far away and his thoughts were even further away. Eventually his head tilted towards her and he asked her a question. "Stannis will come upon us from the ocean, sail in with twenty thousand men, maybe more. The youngest Baratheon will surely send her husband and army to assist. Likely twenty thousand more. How would you face the Baratheon's of Storm's End?"

[Lena Arryn]

The rode on in silence. Lena wondering how long she'd have to bear life in Kingslanding before she could go home, before she could bear out this pregnancy at home with out having to be reminded daily who the father was.

Lena looked up when he asked her opinion, her thoughts suddenly brought back to the here and now.
"Will they be arriving by sea along side Stannis or will they arrive by land?"
That would really make the difference between her plans of attack.
By Land she would think it would be better to do as little damage as possible to the walls of Kingslanding, if the Baratheon army were aloud to breach the main gate then the people would fall into a mad panic and only get in the way, it would be better then to fight traditional battle meeting the armies upon their approach, perhaps even circling around behind them and driving them to a field of battle.

[Torin Lannister]

"By land I would expect. It would be how I would approach. Force the cities defenders to split their force." Generally he was not concerned by the Baratheon's of Storm's End, Adelaide was barely a leader and her husband was a less then intimidating Commander but when paired with Stannis it became a different situation.

It had been a while since he had been in King's Landing, he wondered now how many men were there, how many he could rely on and how many would turn and run when being loyal became dangerous. The fighting would be thick and the victor would be covered in glory. Stories would be told and songs sang. Glory.

[Lena Arryn]

"By Land I would want to do as little damage as possible to the walls of Kingslanding, if the Baratheon army were aloud to breach the main gate It would mean chaos and the people would fall into a mad panic and cause our troops to be ineffective. It would be better then to fight a traditional battle meeting the armies upon their approach, perhaps even circling around behind them and driving them to a field of battle." She said her voice steady with the calm of a practiced tactician.

It was then that Lena realized something, despite what her plan would be she would not be allowed on the field of battle, not carrying a Lannister child.
She cringed at the thought of being locked up with the women when siege came. Lena Arryn was no maiden to squirm under pressure, she was a warrior trained woman, and she was no use behind closed doors. She lived for the fight.

She had to do something, she had to be on the battle field, she wanted to lead a vanguard, to charge the calvary, she couldn't be a mother all couped up in a castle suckling her babe.

[Torin Lannister]

"Such a tactic would lead to a Pyrrhic victory at best. Most of the men in King's Landing as it stands are Goldcloaks, they protect peace. They are not true soldiers." Ser Torin replied, picturing how such a tactic might unfold in his mind. "The Walls can be rebuild more easily then an capable army. The walls of King's Landing are not easy to take, they can protect archers that can harass an enemy. If the enemy would take the walls with siege ladders or towers we can force a brutal melee defense and pull back at our leisure. Fight catapults with catapults." No, he didn't agree with her approach to the defense at all.

[Lena Arryn]

Lena bristled.
"So you would have only gold cloaks fighting? You would not divide your men evenly to protect both flanks?" She asked, her voice a bit taught.

At this rate Torin would have all of the common folk die as helpless martyrs in the war, Lena could not abide by that.
She couldn't get it out of her head that she wouldn't have a choice, not that she couldn't challenge him but that she would be locked away.

Lena stiffened suddenly it came to her an accident. Many pregnant women had accidents and lost their unborn children, she knew it was not a promise, but certainly she had a better chance of loosing the child if she fell, from a high positions... like from a horse.

[Torin Lannister]

"Do you think the five thousand men marching with us are an escort? They shall reinforce the City Guard and once I have assessed the situation I can write to Casterly Rock for more, if needed. If Stannis gives us the time..." Who knew when he would be upon them. He did not like waiting under the shadow of Stannis Baratheon for an attack. It almost be an idea to simply sail out and strike at Dragonstone before Stannis had the chance. As far as 'best defense is good offense' strategies went it had more chance of success then Lena's idea of riding out to meet the Baratheon's of Storm's End on the battlefield.

[Lena Arryn]

Time he said, Lena nearly scoffed at that.
He was a boar of a man, he didn't wait for any one much less did he think of any one else. He wanted glory from battle and that was it, even if all the common folk of Kingslanding lay dead in the streets as long as he stood gleaming in golden armor he'd be happy.

She looked at him long and hard before letting her horse fall back a few paces. It was no use even entertaining his conversation, he only wanted to belittle her any way.
Lena couldn't stand the idea of him leading an army, he was no leader he was a butcher, and a selfish one at that.

She didn't want him, she didn't want his child, she just wanted to go home.
She needed a reason to leave him be, she couldn't do that carrying his child, she had to do something.
Then Lena made a choice, she relaxed her body and took a deep breath and let his self slide off of her horse falling hard to the earth bellow her.
The wind was knocked from her chest and her stomach made full impact against the hilt of her sword.
She certainly had taken a painful blow to her lower stomach, she only hoped it worked.

[Torin Lannister]

Ser Torin paid no attention as Lena held back a few paces, likely embarressed at having suggested such an awful plan. Lena held the Vale to great importance but clearly held no interest in preserving the lives of the men from other lands. She'd gladly march them out to die on the fields of open battle then make use of a highly defensible position. Or perhaps she was just held in high regard when compared to the mediocre Commanders of the Vale itself. The Vale was known for the Bloody Gate and the Eyrie, not for the men that stationed them.

It was in the corner of his eye that he spotted the sudden movement of Lena falling, his head whipped around to get a proper look and he damn near took his horses head off he tugged it to turn so fast. "HOLD!" bellowed the Lannister before dropping from his horse and making quick movements to his wife. He fell to one knee at her side and offered a hand to help her up gain her bearings. "Are you alright!?" The Knights that escorted Torin & Lena moved in to offer aid, but it clear there was little they could do when a woman fell.