Enemy at the gates. Time for another council meeting.
Jaime leaned against the wall of the small council chamber and spoke first.
"We save it. Obviously we save it."
"Duskendale sits northeast of us. It anchors our flank. If it falls, Stannis lands his men in comfort, links up with the traitors, and marches on us from the land side."
He stepped over to Eddard, eyes bright with battle hunger.
"Hand, just give me the troops. One day. I'll bring Stannis's head back in a sack."
He shot Joffrey a golden grin.
"Unless you'd rather keep him alive. I can take him prisoner instead."
Lord Gyles coughed twice from the observers' gallery.
"Ser Jaime is right. If Stannis digs in at Duskendale he'll build siege engines at leisure and swing north to surround us. Then we're the ones stuck on the defensive."
Lord Rykker nodded so hard he looked like a woodpecker. "Yes, yes, exactly!"
Two voices cut in at the same time.
"We do not save it."
Cersei and Tyrion locked eyes across the table, expressions oddly identical.
"You first," Cersei said, lifting her chin.
Tyrion didn't argue. He tapped the map with a stubby finger.
"King's Landing has ten thousand men under arms, but only three thousand are worth anything. The rest are ten-day recruits—greener than spring grass. Then we've got the sellswords we paid for. They signed up because our propaganda promised them ale and whores. The second things look bad…"
He clenched his fist, then opened it.
"Poof. They scatter."
"Defending the walls is one thing—the stone gives them courage. Taking them into the field for an open fight? That's herding sheep straight into the wolf's mouth."
Cersei nodded, unusually not mocking him. "Exactly what I was thinking."
Jaime looked disgusted. "What do a dwarf and a woman know about war?" he muttered, then shut up when both glared at him.
Still, he pressed on. "Hand, I don't need the grass recruits. I don't need infantry. Give me the cavalry. While Stannis is busy hammering Duskendale and hasn't found his feet yet—"
He chopped the air with the edge of his hand, stopping just short of Varys's neck.
"—I swing around behind him, cut down the red witch, and plant my sword through that flaming heart banner of his!"
The Spider flinched, hunching his shoulders and giving Jaime a wounded look.
Tyrion snorted. "Idiot brother, have you considered one small problem? Why is Stannis attacking Duskendale right now, of all times?"
Jaime scratched his cheek.
"Because he's fishing," Tyrion said, stabbing the map again. "He's trying to lure us out. He has the ships. He can move men faster than we can. And we still have no solid numbers on how many vessels he brought or whether this is a feint or the real thing."
Varys raised a soft hand. "If I may, my lords—one hundred ships, led by the Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan. His Valyrian is a three-hundred-oar monster that can carry at least five hundred men."
Lord Rykker's face went from red to corpse-white. "One ship carries five hundred? One hundred ships—that's tens of thousands!"
"My lords, Stannis is throwing everything at us! Duskendale cannot hold alone!"
Tyrion rolled his mismatched eyes. "If every single ship were that big we might as well go back to bed and wait to die."
"Lord Varys," he added, "next time you have news like that, share it before we ask."
"As you command, Lord Tyrion." The Spider hid his smile behind his sleeve.
Jaime still looked bored. "A bunch of pirates and sellswords. Even with the turncloaks he's got at most ten thousand. Give me the good lads and I'll take ten for one. Easy work."
Cersei finally snapped. She shot to her feet, stormed around the table, and shoved Jaime hard in the chest.
"Go on then! Take the men and leave King's Landing wide open! What happens when the rest of Stannis's army sails straight here while you're off playing hero? Use your head for once!"
Jaime let her push him back against the wall. "I'll just ride back if they do."
"'He who holds a strong castle can defy ten times his number.' Father's words. You've still got nine thousand men and these walls and trebuchets. It would take ninety thousand to storm us."
Cersei pinched his mouth shut. "Father also said guards don't count as soldiers. Stop quoting him and think, you idiot."
Lord Gyles coughed again. "Lips and teeth, my lords. We cannot simply watch Stannis take Duskendale without pressure."
"Yes, yes," Rykker said, clutching Gyles's hand. "Lord Rosby, I never realized how wise you were!"
Tyrion gave an evil little smile. "Because Rosby sits right in the middle. If Duskendale falls, his lands are next."
Rykker dropped the hand like it was on fire.
While Cersei sat back down, Jaime leaned out again.
"Hand, listen to them. They're already terrified and we haven't even fought yet. If we abandon Duskendale these fence-sitters will switch sides tomorrow."
"Hmph. Keep poking him," Cersei said, voice dripping acid. "Honor above all, right? Tell him to ride out and save Duskendale—he'll actually do it. Then when the rest of us are dead in King's Landing he can trot back north and be Lord of Winterfell again. Maybe Stannis will even reward him for 'righteous kinslaying.'"
"Your Grace!" Eddard finally spoke.
Cersei stared him down. "What? Am I wrong? Your daughter Sansa and her sister are inside these walls too. If you want them buried with the city, by all means send the army out."
Tyrion took a slow sip of wine. "Dear sister, your threats are only slightly better than Jaime's tactics."
"Shut up!" Cersei snapped.
"At least taller than you," Jaime muttered.
"Fine, I'm done." Tyrion set his cup down and looked at Eddard. "One last thing, Hand. This is a trap. Stannis is betting on your sense of honor. Send the cavalry and he sails straight for King's Landing, forcing us to chase back and forth. Send infantry and he lands anyway and fights us in the open. Do nothing and he takes Duskendale, then spreads word that the Iron Throne is too weak to protect its own lords. That's it. The choice is yours."
Eddard drummed his fingers on the table, thinking. After a moment he turned left.
Joffrey waved both hands. "Don't look at me. You're the regent. You decide."
Eddard stood. His gray eyes were steady and bright.
"We save it."
"And we make sure the whole realm knows. I, Eddard Stark, will lead the relief in person. We meet the enemy outside the walls and show them the strength of the crown!"