The smoke was burning thick, dark and acrid, to the point where it was becoming difficult to breathe. Robb and his men had begun in the rear of the castle and started no less then ten small fires. They had done the their best to smother the flames in controlled burns, so that only smoke escaped and there was little risk of the fire spreading. The last thing he wanted to do was burn down the entire castle, especially with them still inside.

Sure enough, as the smoke began to spread, Lannister soldiers came to investigate the source. Hidden behind empty barrels, he had laid in wait with his men, arrows nocked and bows drawn. Once close enough, Robb had given the signal and unleashed several volleys of arrows on the enemy. With the element of surprise, they had dropped no less than a dozen Lannister guards. They moved methodically along the back of the castle, stopping to set more fires and thin the Lannister ranks until they reached the eastern wall.

Given that the main thrust of their attack was coming from Lannisport, the majority of the defenders in the castle had matriculated toward the front of the castle, leaving the rear walls and towers sparsely defended. Under cover of their smoke screen, Robb advanced to a set of of stairs and up onto the battlements. At the top, he turned left and entered the rear most tower. Stashing his bow over his shoulder, he drew his sword and began climbing the spiral stairs that led to the tower's summit.

His movements were slow and controlled, doing his best to be silent. He stopped just short of walking out onto the tower's main platform, sneaking his head up to take a peak. There were two archers, and four other men, whom Robb guessed were in charge of operating the small catapult that wasn't currently in use. The attention of all six of the defenders was at the front of the castle, not paying attention to what was approaching behind. Robb looked back at his five men and held up six fingers.

He gripped his sword, readied himself, and moved as swift as Grey Wind on the hunt. His sword pierced his target in the center back, exiting through the belly. A sharp gasp came from his victim, followed by a gurgle as blood and bile filled the man's mouth. The soldiers next to the dead man turned their attention at the sound, but they were instantly set upon by Robb's Kingsguard, who lethally dispatched the rest with little fanfare. The leaking bodies were swept into a pile to the side.

Robb moved to the front of the tower and looked down, finally able to get a sense of his surroundings and what was going on outside of the castle. Robb looked on with a brief sense of satisfaction as he saw that remnants of the Lannister fleet had been decimated by their own. Their army had broken through the gates of Lannisport and were fighting up the hill towards Casterly Rock. A substantial force of Tyrell men had formed into lines behind a walls of shields, methodically pushing back the desperate Lannister defenders onto their heels. His new Tyrell brothers were certainly proving their worth.

Turning his attention back inside the castle, Robb could see the Lannisters preparing everything they could to beat back the approaching assault. Archers were stacking themselves in several rows along the battlements, while boulders and boiling oil was being prepared to be propelled at the attackers. The main gate to Casterly Rock, the imposing Lion's Mouth, was built into a natural cavern, and the remaining defenders were amassing inside of it, as it would be the only way in. From what he could see, Robb would guess three hundred Lannister soldiers remained in the castle.

"There are still too many," Lucas Blackwood stated, from where he stood next to Robb. "We cannot wait here and hope to pick them off one by one."

"Robb, how many shots do you think we can get off with this thing before they reach us?" Robb turned and looked back at Theon who was closely inspecting the catapult behind them.

"Three or four, if we move quickly," Robb answered, immediately understanding Theon's thinking. "We would need to prop up the rear of the base. We would never achieve an accurate shot otherwise in this position."

"Well then let's prop the bitch up," Theon grinned.

"We need a plan," Robb slowed him. "They may be disoriented after the first shot, but they'll know where it's coming from by the second." Robb turned and looked back at the bodies of the slain of the slain Lannisters. "Strip them of their surcoats. We'll get lost in the scramble and make our way to the gates. They are already red, so hopefully the blood won't be as noticeable."

Unfortunately, the only thing they had to prop the catapult was the bodies of the dead Lannisters, so after stripping them, the corpses were stacked and used to provide the necessary leverage. They were taking a tremendous gamble that their attacks would be accurate, especially given their raised position. If they shot too high and hit too high on the cavern, they risked possibly caving it in and blocking the only entrance and exit to the castle. The reward of an accurate shot would be tremendous, though. They tinkered with the height and the position for a few moments before they were satisfied.

Theon and Gendry moved quickly to crank the winch and lock the catapult's arm into place. It took four of them to lift the first giant boulder into place. Robb held his breath, said a quick prayer to the gods, then gripped the trigger arm and yanked it harshly. The tension released, the arm sprung forward with amazing force and the boulder flew. His eyes never strayed away as the piece of stone flew straight before bending down in an arc. The boulder just barely clipped the top of a building before it ricocheted directly into the rear of the Lannister lines. Bodies flew as the projectile inflected its carnage on the unsuspecting soldiers.

Not giving himself any additional time to celebrate, Robb turned back around. "Again!" he ordered, but Theon and Gendry were already resetting the arm. Within a matter of minutes a new stone was loaded, and Robb pulled the trigger once more. This time nothing impeded the flight of the stone and it hit full speed into another crowd of soldiers, kicking about a cloud of earth and dust as it decimated them. With the spreading smoke of their fires and the dust cloud, it was difficult to tell exactly what was happening below, but there was no doubt the front line of the Lannister defense was in a state of mangled chaos.

They repeated the process again, slightly adjusting their weapon to compensate for the dispersement of the soldiers away from the site of the last strike. This shot went straight in and out of another building, sending additional chunks of jagged stone flying onto the defenseless soldiers.

"Robb! Look ahead!" Theon shouted. Robb turned and looked to where he was pointing and saw that some of the Lannisters had managed to gather themselves. A small force of soldiers was making its way along the battlements toward their position.

"One more, and then we run," Robb stated. "Get down to the ground and then we get to the gate." Robb pulled the trigger for the last time and the stone crashed into another crowd of Lannisters. Robb waited until all of his men were off the platform before following them down the stairs. As he did so, he kicked over a lit brazier, which fell onto the wooden piece of siege equipment, setting it on fire.

His heart was racing as he moved as quickly as his feet would take him. He almost seized up completely when they reached the main level. A group of soldiers were coming towards them quickly, staring up at the tower, their target clearly evident. "Keep going," Robb urged the others. They made a quick left down a narrow road, away from the oncoming enemy. Robb looked back, and with a relieved sigh, he saw that the soldiers had paid them little attention and were making their way up to the battlements. Swords drawn, they navigated the streets, watching as more bloodied and staggered enemy defenders moved towards their abandoned tower. Their stolen disguises were serving their purposes well, allowing them to move freely.

Soon they were close enough that the gate was visible, as was the destruction that their attacks had left in their wake. Dozens of bodies were littered across the ground, most dead, with other soldiers still pinned, crushed beneath pieces of rubble. Many soldiers had abandoned the lines, trying to attend to the wounded. The once stacked Lannister lines had been reduced to a mere pittance of what it once was. Getting through the cluster of men still in the cavern defending the gate would still be a chore.

"Robb!" He turned, expecting an attack, but sighed in relief when he saw the Smalljon approaching. He frowned, however, when he realized that they were a man short. "Where is Hornwood?"

The Smalljon shook his head. "Took a sword to the gut. We hid him away out of sight, but he's not likely to live…told us to keep going. That was some fucking mess you caused."

"It won't mean anything if we don't get that gate open," Robb stated.

Looking left and right, searching for a new plan, Robb spotted a small set of stables with horses still inside. "This way," he said, the others following him the stable door. They hid away inside. There were at least a dozen horses, enough for their purposes. "Everyone ready a horse. We are going to charge them and fuck them from behind. We need to get to the gate and get it open, whatever means necessary."

It took some time to get the horses saddled, but soon enough, Robb trotted his mount out of the stable and onto the main road, the gate straight ahead. The others formed a line beside him. Without sparing another moment for second thoughts, he drew his sword and smashed his boots into his horse. It sped off forward, and Robb could see the others beside him keeping pace. Out of the corners of his vision he could see some scattered Lannister soldiers looking on with confusion, but it was too late for them to do anything.

Robb barreled through the back of the Lannister force, the charge sending men sprawling left and right, some crushed beneath the weight of his horse as they fell to the ground. His sword moves with unstoppable purpose, slicing down into any bit of flesh it could reach. Blood was copiously dripping from the blade as he fought forwards. The rest of the Lannisters in front had turned around at the commotion and Robb could see the terror on their faces as his men hacked their fellow defenders apart.

They made it to the front, forcing their way so that no more soldiers were between them and the gate. However, the surprise and force of their charge had expired, and more Lannister men were beginning to crowd the mouth of the cavern. Robb looked to the gate and realized if they attempted to dismount and remove the bar from the door, they would be swarmed before they could manage it.

Looking to his right, he watched as Gendry used the top of his war hammer to smash a Lannister man in the face, caving in the man's nose and sending teeth flying. "Gendry!" Robb called, getting the young man's attention. "We don't have time to remove the bar. Take your hammer and break it!" Robb did not even pause to see if Gendry had comprehended his command, but simply turned to the others. "Form a wall! Don't let these fucking Lannister pass! For the North!"

They spread their line as far as they could manage, trying to cover the width of the cavern. Robb ducked his head, just managing to miss a spear that had been meant for the center of his face. It grew increasingly harrowing as archers had made it to the mouth of the cavern and were firing at their position. The fact that they were mounted and elevated meant they were easy targets. A grunt from beside him drew his attention, and he watched as Lucas Blackwood gripped his shoulder where an arrow had embedded itself. Another shout, and the Smalljon was worrying at an arrow in his ribs.

Robb glanced back and saw Gendry's feet firmly planted on the ground, war hammer held in a death grip. The blacksmith pulled the hammer back over his shoulder, and with a mighty roar brought it forward to his target. The pointed tip of the hammer was driven straight deep into the wooden bar securing the gate. Robb heard as the wood split, but it had not been enough to completely break it. He grimaced and turned back as he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. A spearman had just clipped him, but the slice in his flesh was bleeding freely now. Robb thrust his sword forward and impaled the attacker, then pulled his sword free and opened the man's face from cheek to cheek.

Suddenly, there was another great thump from behind, followed again by the unmistakable sound of breaking wood. Before he could even manage to turn around, a missile of grey fur streaked by to the right of his horse, and he watched in satisfaction as Grey Wind leaped at the face of the nearest Lannister, teeth ripping the front of his face clean off. The terror of Grey Wind's presence gave him enough time to turn and look back over his shoulder. He grinned as he saw the gate now wide open, Garlan Tyrell and Loras Tyrell leading their force through. He spared them a nod, turning back. He raised his sword high. "To the keep!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Robb stood in Tywin Lannister's solar, looking down at Damon Lannister and his son Damion, both of whom had been left in charge of the defense of Casterly Rock. They were seated in front of him, heads down in defeat. After breaking through the gate, the castle and keep had been secured within in an hour. Many of the Lannister men had surrendered immediately, but some, including the two in front of him, had holed themselves in the keep for a short time. At Robb's promise that none inside would be harmed, they had relinquished their command and the castle.

Robb seated himself at Lord Tywin's desk, helping himself the man's supply of Dornish wine.

"What do you mean to do with us?" Damon Lannister asked.

"I promised no harm would come to you, and that was the truth," Robb said. "You are my prisoners, though. Adequate quarters will be prepared for you. I will not promise they will be up to your normal standards for comfort, but your needs will be seen to."

"Will you ransom us?" Damion Lannister questioned.

"No," Robb stated. "I have no interest in bargaining with your Lord. Casterly Rock no longer belongs to the Lannister family. I consider their Lordship to be forfeit, for crimes against my family and the Seven Kingdoms."

"Lord Tywin will not stand for this," Damion simmered.

"I hope not," Robb smiled. "In fact, I was just about to write a letter to the man himself to invite him for a visit."

"You've no idea what wrath the man will bring upon you, boy," Damion growled. A yelp quickly escaped him as Theon smacked the man in the back of his head with the butt of his sword.

"Mind your tongue, Lannister. You're addressing a King."

"As I said," Robb continued, "there will be no ransom. You'll remain here until my matters with Lord Tywin are settled. Once that is taken care of, we can discuss the terms of your release. Have you given any thought to working as stable boys? How are you at shoveling shit?"

"See here-," Damon Lannister raged.

"Enough!" Robb ordered. "Theon, please see these two to their new accommodations. We had a glance at them on the way in, and they looked quite nice. That is, unless they would personally like to deliver the news to Tywin that they lost his home?"

The two men put up a minor fuss, but eventually they were removed from Robb's presence. Ser Garlan entered the solar shortly after they left, and Robb invited him to have a seat, pouring the man a cup of wine.

"Congratulations, your grace," Garlan said, raising his cup.

"We just opened the door. You and your men did the brunt of it," Robb stated. "What of our losses?"

"Still counting, your grace, but less than a thousand dead. There was damage to quite a few of our ships, but seeing as we now control the port, repairs will be undertaken quickly. We did find Daryn Hornwood, but he had already succumbed to his injuries."

"Damn," Robb sighed.

"You took ten men against an entire castle, Robb. The fact that all but one of you are still standing is an incredible feat. You've just led one of the greatest sieges in the history of the realm."

"I'll leave myself time to revel in my victories when I'm old and grey," Robb answered. "Right now, I want to see this thing through so I can return to Winterfell to my wife and see my child born."

"We'll see it done, Robb. If you'll excuse me, I am going to see to the defenses. Loras has already taken a force to relieve the Blackfish."

Garlan left, leaving Robb alone. So far away from his wife and family, loneliness was starting to affect him. He pulled parchment from Lord Tywin's supply and began to write letters to his family in Winterfell and one for Jon at the Wall. After that was done, he would write his promised invitation to Tywin Lannister. He doubted one would be necessary, but he would indulge himself in a minor bit of gloating. Maybe he would write to the false King Joffrey as well…taunting a crazy, young monarch would surely stir a response.