House of Arryn
5 AL – 6 AL
Home was a sight to see after even only a few years away from it. Passing through the Bloody Gate, Ronnel and his traveling companions were met by the wide expanse that was the Vale. Though it was only a half a day's ride long, it was some of the richest soil in all of Westeros, and even the Reach could not boast of the sweetness and size of the produce that was grown here. Even more beautiful was the fact that around this great open space was the mountain range that most knew this region for: including, of all the heights, Giant's Lance itself. The peak was so high and so astounding that it was said to be “a mountain that even mountains looked up to.” Up near the height was the Eyrie itself; it was so high that you could look down upon the clouds and see the entire Vale. What's more, it was home, and Ronnel had not been there since after his tenth name day.
When last I was here, I saw it with the eyes of a child, Ronnel thought to himself,
and now that I have seen it with the eyes of an adult, I love it even more.
The entourage moved towards the Gates of the Moon, a castle at the foot of Giant's Lance that was larger than the Eyrie itself was. As they neared it, the portcullis lifted and a small force rode out to meet them. No one suspected any treachery, especially from the Gates of the Moon, and so no one in Ronnel's entourage was worried by this. What's more, the small mounted force had two banners: one bore the white falcon, moon and peak over a blue sky, the standard of the Vale and House Arryn; the other was a gray field with green squiggly lines that looked like serpents. Ronnel squinted his eyes as he tried to recognize the second banner, and only as the forces drew near, and he recognized the lead rider, that he likewise recognized the banner. It was the standard of House Lynderly, and the rider was Lord Eon, who reigned over Northweald. He had also been Master at Arms when Ronnel had left the Vale...and it appeared that he was still Master at Arms.
“My lordship,” Lord Eon said, placing a gloved hand over his chest and tilted his head forward, “it is an honor to be the first among the council to greet you back home. Thank the gods for your safe travels.”
“Well met, Lord Eon,” Ronnel said, smiling softly. He kicked his horse and rode forward, coming beside Eon's steed and holding out his hand, “I am happy to see you well, and still looking as well as you did when I left.”
Eon raised his eyes, glancing at the hand and then at Ronnel. He was clearly taken aback by this sudden showing of humility, especially from the young Lord Paramount. However, Eon showed no negativity towards this, and, after only a second's hesitation, gripped Ronnel's hand tightly, shaking it a bit in friendship, “Well met indeed, m'lord.”
“Would you please ride beside me? And tell me how the Vale has been since I was gone.”
A great casualness came over the scene as the lord took a stride beside his lord paramount, and the entourage moved on. As they rode towards the Gates of the Moon, Eon filled Ronnel in on all that had happened. While he was gone, his mother Sharra had replaced his uncle as regent, having argued it was more fitting after Harlan Tyrell had sent her the offer of betrothal between his daughter Valiete and Sharra's son Ronnel. That did not surprise the young lord paramount: while at King's Landing, he had heard of his mother's attempt to seduce Aegon, and he could have only imagined that sitting in the sidelines during a regency would not have suited her. In addition to this news, Eon informed Ronnel that, shortly after he had left, Septon Lucas had passed away, and had been replaced by a new court septon named Dennard.
“A pity,” Ronnel said, “Lucas was a rare stock of septon: he believed in the gods he preached. Much of my faith in the gods, I got from him. How is this Dennard?”
“Not a bad septon, as septons go,” Eon replied, “but nowhere near the scholar Lucas was.”
Ronnel stayed at the Gates of the Moon that evening, since it took nearly half a day just to get up to the Vale. From the Gates of the Moon, they would have to ride mules to go up the steep steps carved into the side of the mountain, up through three castles: Stone, Snow, and Sky. At Sky, they would have to go by foot the rest of the way...unless...
“M'lord,” Eon said, blinking in astonishment at Ronnel, “you mean to go up with the turnips?”
Eon was referring to the six large wrenches that went down from the Eyrie towards the waycastle of Sky. They served to bring supplies up to the Eyrie, such as produce, wheat, alcohol, and the like. They were large and sturdy enough to bring up quite a few men...but rarely did a nobleman go up in such a way.
“Yes, I do,” Ronnel replied. “Let them know up on the Eyrie, and tell them to be ready to greet me by the wrench. It will take me up quicker, and besides...” Ronnel smirked. “It will give the operators something to be surprised by.”
Eon attempted a few more times to convince Ronnel not to go this route, but the lord paramount was adamant, and finally the Lord of Northweald relented. So it was the next day that the party, accompanied by Lord Eon, went up the side of the mountain, up the narrow steps, on the shaggy beasts that could go where horses would dare not. They passed by Stone, then Snow, and finally reached Sky. When Ronnel saw the extremely narrow steps leading up the rest of the way (a near six hundred feet), and felt the strong gusts of wind, and felt quite glad regarding his choice. Many of the footmen at the Sky were surprised that a lord paramount, of all people, was willing to go up the wrench among the produce, but did not protest. Ronnel sat himself in, relaxed, and then felt the pull of the large rope as he began to rise up towards the sky.
Even by wrench, it was slow going, even if it was faster and easier than going up the side of the mountain. As he went up higher above the ground, Ronnel felt as if he were a falcon taking wing and floating above the cliffs, and he could see the extent of the Vale with barely any barrier between him and the great open air. It suddenly dawned on him that, if anyone wanted to kill him, they could easily cut the rope above him, and he would fall to his doom. However, he remembered from his youth just how sturdy those ropes were, and it would take quite some time for someone to cut the wrench free – and no one could do that without being spotted.
When he finally neared the edge, he saw the look of shock in the eyes of the wrench operators. Even though he had not been here since he was a boy, the insignia on his chest revealed who he was. Hopping off the wrench platform and onto the soldi ground of the Eyrie, he handed two turnips to the two operators and said in a pleasant voice, “A gift, from the lord paramount, for the lift. Thank you both.”
Not too far from the wrench, Ronnel saw a group of people approaching to meet him. He recognized the woman at their lead, who was none other than his own mother, Sharra Arryn. She still looked as beautiful as she had when he left, even if slightly older. Flanking her were various courtiers and footmen, among them Ser Marwyn of Stone Keep, the castellan, and Lord Kyle Wydman of Wycliffe, the Master of Whisperers. As they drew close, Ronnel walked straight to his mother and hugged her close.
“Dear mother,” Ronnel said, “it is so good to see you!”
“And you as well, my son,” Sharra said, stepping back a moment and gripping him by the cheeks, “look at you – you are truly a man. I can see your father in you.”
Ronnel laughed, “I hope so, or I think you will have much to answer to the court about.” Many of the courtiers shared his laugh. Ronnel turned towards his castellan and said, “Ser Marwyn, how have you faired all these years?”
“Well enough, m'lord,” Ser Marwyn replied, “I have something which I believe you will be interested in seeing.”
The castellan, accompanied by the Master of Whisperers, Sharra, and many of the other courtiers, led Ronnel across the garden of the Eyrie towards the other side of the castle. It was a “garden” because it could not serve any other purpose. Originally, when the Eyrie had been built, it had intended to be a weirwood, but the First Men soon found that they could not find soil deep and good enough to build their god trees. When the Andals took the Eyrie, they obviously abandoned any such notion of building idolatrous trees, and the open area within the circle of seven towers became a place for flowers and statues from the Vale's history. As they passed through, Ronnel took a deep intake of the cool air, and looked up to see the famous waterfall known as Alyssa's Tears: so called because they fell down from the high mountain and towards the ground below; because of how deep the drop was, they never once reached the ground, but the wind dissipated the water bit by bit until there was nothing left. Alyssa had been an ancient member of House Arryn who had seen her family murdered before her, but never cried – hence this waterfall's “tears” never once made it to the bottom.
When they finally arrived to the opposite side, Marwyn motioned down below the edge of the wall. Ronnel walked over gingerly and looked over. Below him, he could see a series of flat crevices dug into the side of the mountain, with dark soil poured into them. To Ronnel's amazement, vegetation had already begun to sprout.
“What is this?” Ronnel asked.
“A little project of ours,” Merwyn explained, “an attempt to make the Eyrie a bit more self-sustaining, if you will. We have transported the rich soil from the Vale up to here, and have built small farms into the side of the mountain. We have yet to see if it bears any fruit – if you will pardon what sounds like a play on words, m'lord. However, your mother and I believe it will prove profitable in the long run.”
Ronnel nodded appropriately, “A noble endeavor! I congratulate you, Ser Merwyn.”
“We intend to do something similar at the Bloody Gate as well,” Merwyn said, “it would probably be easier there, as m'lord can imagine.”
Ronnel laughed, “Indeed...”
Suddenly, Kyle spoke up, “M'lord, if I may have a word with you...there is a pressing matter I must bring to your attention, at once.”
Ronnel glanced at the Lord of Wycliffe, then gave a curt nod. He could tell, my the Master of Whisperers' demeanor, that he had been waiting quite a while to share what he had to say, and that he had been waiting during a lull in Ronnel's visit to bring it up. For his patience, Ronnel would try to reward him with an audience. The courtiers were dismissed, and all but Ronnel, Kyle, and Sharra went into the Maiden's Tower, where they went to the famous balcony that permitted one to not only see the Giant's Lance, but the entire Vale of Arryn itself. Ronnel was the first to step out there, and as he waited for his mother and Master of Whisperers to follow, he took but a few seconds to take in the scene. For some odd reason, it was here, as he overlooked the scene, that it struck him that he
truly was Lord of the Vale. He was the king's vassal over this entire region. From the Fingers to the Bloody Gate, it was under his charge, and he was responsible. He was not a king, but from where he stood, he had many of the powers of one.
He heard the footsteps behind him stop, and he knew that they were finally there on the balcony with him. He turned and smiled at Kyle, “Lord Wydman, thank you for your patience. What is it you have to tell me.”
“It concerns our Master at Arms, Lord Eon Lynderly.”
A flutter came over Ronnel's stomach. Lord Eon was still coming up the steps towards The Eyrie, and would be here soon – was he to arrest him as soon as he arrived? Had there been some plot? Perhaps Lord Eon had plotted to kill Ronnel, and the lord paramount's choice to go up by wrench had thwarted his plans...no, that could not be it. It was not in Lord Eon's mettle. What was it, then?
“What about Lord Lynderly? Is he plotting something I should be aware of?”
Kyle shook his head, “No, Lord Eon himself is innocent. However, my spies have reported agents from the Reach moving through the land. Apparently, Lord Gyles Tyrell has a plot to kill our Master at Arms.”
A duality of emotions came over Ronnel: he was happy that Lord Eon himself was innocent of any guilt; yet why would the Lord Paramount of the Reach be seeking to kill his Master at Arms? As far as Ronnel knew, Eon had remained in the Vale for the duration of his tutoring...with one exception...
“It appears,” said Lord Kyle, after clearing his throat, “that Lord Gyles was defeated by Lord Eon in the tourney at Storm's End, and the Tyrell became bitter. Now, he seeks to kill him before your marriage with Valiete.”
Ronnel leaned against the stone railing of the balcony, rubbing the thin beard growing on his face. He thought back to his time in King's Landing, and the moments he'd shared with the former Reachman Harlan Tyrell, and his son Owen. He tried to imagine one of them plotting to kill a Valeman because of a spite at a tourney.
“If you ask me,” Kyle began, after Ronnel had been quite for a few seconds, “we must strike back. Blood for blood. If he wishes to kill one of our council members, we must plot to kill one of his.”
“Perhaps that may not even be necessary,” Sharra said, raising a finger, “we can easily capture some of his men, and use it against him, in order to publicly embarrass him. This will bring great shame to the Reach, and teach others that the Vale-”
“No,” Ronnel suddenly cut in. “I want no acts of vengeance, and I want no blood. We are the Vale, not the Faceless Men. I will not have the House of Arryn soaked with guilt, and I will not have the other realms think that we are no better than the Mountain Men.”
“If we do nothing,” Lord Kyle said, turning his eyes directly on his lord paramount's, “then all of Westeros will think the falcon has had his wings clipped. We should show the Reach that a falcon can tear a rose apart quite easily.”
“And a falcon can be torn apart even more easily by a dragon,” Ronnel retorted. Sharra and Kyle had nothing to say to that, since they all knew precisely what the lord paramount was driving at: Aegon had made it clear that there were not seven kingdoms, but one. If the individual realms could not understand that, then it would not be beneath him to make certain there were
no kingdoms.
“What do you intend to do then, my son?” Sharra asked, in a rather motherly tone that did not sit well with Ronnel, though he ignored it for now.
“I have known the Tyrells, mother,” Ronnel replied, “they may be proud, but they are not an insensible people. Here is what we are to do. I want you to send them a raven, and inform them that there is a nasty rumor in the Vale that Reachmen are here to kill my Master at Arms. Tell him that I am not laying any charges against him, but that we would like him to make certain such rumors are not true. I want to postpone the wedding until he has made certain, for I do not want Valiete coming to a place where a person's safety may be in question.”
Sharra sighed, “If you believe that will work.”
Ronnel grinned, “It will. He will realize that I know, but am giving him a quiet chance to recant of his error. It will also make it clear to him that the marriage between Reach and Vale that his family needs will not happen, so long as one of my council members are in danger.”
Sharra's blue eyes flickered a moment, and it seemed that, for once, she saw the brilliance in her son's thinking. She nodded and left with Lord Kyle to send the raven at once. Lord Gyle's response came a month later, assuring the Vale lord paramount that he had searched, and no such plot existed. That much was certainly true at that moment: Kyle's spies had reported that the Reachmen agents had suddenly left their places of hiding and gone back to Highgarden.
With that issue settled, Ronnel could now focus on his next important task as Lord Paramount of the Vale: getting married.
