The Red Fork and the Fishfeed
Lord Walys Mooton managed to retake Rook’s Rest but died in an attempt to kill the wounded dragon Sunfyre. When some of his men returned, Sunfyre had disappeared without a trace, suggesting he had taken flight again despite his injuries. The dragon remained unseen for another six months.
In the north, Prince Aemond believed that Daemon and his host at Harrenhal posed the real threat. Aemond and Ser Criston Cole rode from King’s Landing with a host of four thousand and the dragon Vhagar into the riverlands. However, Daemon knew of their plans in advance and hurried south on Caraxes, avoiding Criston’s march. Aemond and Criston arrived at Harrenhal, finding it abandoned after a nineteen-day march, thinking they had won.
In the riverlands, an army of greens from the westerlands defeated the western river lords in the Battle at the Red Fork early in 130 AC. Lord Jason Lannister, their leader, was gravely wounded during the battle. Ser Adrian Tarbeck was slain three days later at Acorn Hall. Old Lord Humfrey Lefford took command of the Lannister host, marching east with the intention of joining Criston and Aemond.
On the western shores of the Gods Eye, the westermen encountered Lord Roderick Dustin with his Winter Wolves, who had combined forces with Lord Forrest Frey and Red Robb Rivers. Pate the Lionslayer and Lords Bigglestone, Chambers, and Perryn surrounded them from the south.
Lords Garibald Grey, Jon Charlton, and Benjicot Blackwood joined the northmen and other rivermen the following day, isolating Lord Lefford. The next day, they engaged in the Battle by the Lakeshore, also known as the Fishfeed, which became the bloodiest land battle of the Dance, resulting in hundreds of casualties and the destruction of the Lannister host.
Battle at the Red Fork
In the riverlands, the green forces, led by Lord Jason Lannister, attacked the outnumbered rivermen, many of whom supported Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. The battle took place at a crossing of the Red Fork. The rivermen successfully repelled three attempts by the greens to cross the river. During the third attack, Lord Jason Lannister was killed by a squire named Pate of Longleaf. Command of the Lannister forces passed to Ser Adrian Tarbeck.
Adrian and a hundred knights swam upstream, surprised Lord Tristan Vance’s men from behind, and defeated them. After Adrian killed Tristan, the rivermen’s resistance crumbled, allowing the remaining westermen to cross the Red Fork. Lord Petyr Piper knighted Pate of Longleaf, earning him the title Longleaf the Lionslayer.
Under the leadership of first Ser Adrian Tarbeck and later Lord Humfrey Lefford, the westermen continued east into the riverlands. However, they were eventually defeated in the Battle by the Lakeshore. With Jason dead and Casterly Rock in chaos, Lord Dalton Greyjoy, known as the Red Kraken, seized the opportunity and attacked the westerlands. Jason’s widow, Lady Johanna Lannister, tried to defend Casterly Rock but couldn’t stop the ironborn from sacking Lannisport and raiding the coast.
Battle at Acorn Hall
During the Battle at the Red Fork, Lord Jason Lannister was killed. Ser Adrian Tarbeck assumed command of the victorious green forces, while Lord Petyr Piper led the surviving black troops in retreat. The Westermen, under Adrian’s leadership, marched toward Harrenhal.
Along the way, they clashed with blacks led by Lord Joseth Smallwood and Lord Piper at Acorn Hall. Petyr died in the battle, and Joseth retreated into Acorn Hall. According to Mushroom, Lord Piper suffered a fatal heart attack upon seeing his grandson’s head on a spear.
In the following days, renewed fighting broke out, resulting in the deaths of Adrian Tarbeck and Ser Harry Penny, who killed each other. Lord Humfrey Lefford assumed command of the remaining green forces.
Instead of besieging the survivors in Acorn Hall, the Lannister forces bypassed the castle and continued their march. This decision allowed Stanton Piper and Joseth Smallwood to survive. Later in the war, they managed to gather new recruits, consisting of old men and inexperienced boys, to fight in the Second Battle of Tumbleton.
Battle by the Lakeshore
The Battle by the Lakeshore, known as the Fishfeed, took place along the Gods Eye lake in the riverlands during the Dance of the Dragons. It was the deadliest land battle of the entire war.
The next morning after the initial clash, the army of Westermen was attacked at dawn. The Winter Wolves led the charge, their cavalry attempting five charges against the Lannister spearmen but suffering heavy losses each time. The Lannister soldiers, attacked from three sides, were gradually pushed back into the Gods Eye lake. Many soldiers died fighting amidst the lake’s reeds, and hundreds more drowned while trying to escape.
The battle turned into a massacre, becoming the bloodiest land battle of the entire conflict. The high number of casualties earned it the name “Fishfeed” among those who fought. The blacks lost important figures like Lords Frey, Bigglestone, and Charlton, and two-thirds of their northern soldiers were either killed or wounded. The greens lost their commander, Lord Lefford, along with Lords Swyft and Reyne, as well as knights Clarent Crakehall and Emory Hill. Young Lord Blackwood wept at the sight of the immense loss of life.