Enjoying the rest of his breakfast, Marvyn greeted the family as they slowly trickled into the hall, filling the table around him. Lady Madeline had been very kind to him, and seemed to make his dear friend very happy, which is what mattered most. Of all the children Marvyn had guarded and raised over the years, Stelsa was the one person Marvyn could not read like a book. Her brother Radford was an open book to Marvyn, he could easily tell his disdain for his father's new wife. Cor, Renault's Ward, was just another one of the kids to Marvyn, and they had grown quite fond of each other over the years. Stelsa however, remained an enigma to the old man, mostly because of his lack of experience raising daughters, though they still got along just fine. The peace and quiet of the ealry morning hours came to an abrupt end however, when a peasant bolted into the room, ragged and injured, followed by guards who had failed to keep him from getting through the door.

Lord Renault and Marvyn had spent many weeks and months holding out against the lords of the Riverlands during Robert's rebellion. Of the Houses they faced, none had been as big a thorn in their side than house Ryger. They faced off many times on the battlefield, and Ryger and Lashton forces were constantly intercepted by one another, though they had the assistance of the Blackfish at the time, a luxury the Rygers do not have now. Marvyn knew Renault what Renault was going to say before the words left his mouth, motioning for his guards nearby to get moving to signal the forces. Moving quickly from his chair, Marvyn rushed down the halls to the barracks, where many of his men sit and lay, recovering or preparing for a long shift. One glance from their commander and all of them began to rush to get their armor on. Marvyn himself switched out his light curiass for his more maneuverable thick leather tunic and bracers, as well as adding a sheathed dagger to his belt line, opposite his morning-star. Grabbing a quiver full off arrows and the accompany bow and throwing them over his shoulder, Marvyn moved back down the halls, lines of guards following behind at a steady jog. 

Making their way down the halls to the main entrance of the castle behind the walls, Marvyn and his men could hear the synchronized ringing of bells from all of the guard outposts, signalling everyone to defensive positions. Around the town families rushed into their homes while the guards and enlisted men rushed to their set location. At each entry way into the town, small troops of armed men gathered and stood ready for intruders. In the multiple drill runs Marvyn had overseen, the longest it had ever taken the town to fully mobilize the troops was only a few minutes. Marvyn stood at the front of his men, now forming their lines in the courtyard, more and more armored soldiers filing in from surrounding posts and taverns. Marvyn mounted his black steed and stood at attention at the head of the small battalion behind him, awaiting Lord Renault's presence before moving.