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Chapter 70: Lords Declarant.
🕑 Added 2024-10-26 12:05:27 +0000 UTCRunestone, the Vale.
Bronze Yohn Royce.
"Are we supposed to believe what Robb Stark is saying?" Asked Lady Anya Waynwood while sipping her watered wine in the middle of the solar.
"I think that the honor of the Starks is unquestionable, Lady Anya." I replied firmly, "I met the King of the North briefly during my travel to the Wall when I was escorting Waymar to join the night watch; he was a respectful lad, just like his father. I admit that it was before the accident that changed the lad, but if Ned Stark supports him, I believe he is worthy to follow."
Things have been tense in the Vale since the beginning of the war of the Six kings as the people started calling it. Lysa's decision to stay neutral did not sit well with the rest of the Vale, and even if she did not want to admit it, her position was shaky at best.
She had always been weird, but after her husband's death and her return to the Erye, she was even worse than before; paranoia was barely the tip of the iceberg in her changes. Her attitude toward her son was something that scared a lot of the lords and almost everyone in the Vale. How she believed that the kid still needed to be fed that way was beyond me. She was entirely sure that someone was going to kill her son and acted like everyone was an enemy.
At the beginning of the war, she was somewhat contained in her antics, but after the arrival of Petyr Baelish, her attitude transformed for the worse. That was the main reason we were plotting even before receiving the raven from Harrenhal; we were of the same opinion that things could not continue the way they were.
The amount of power Lyssa had given Petyr Baelish was staggering, and it fueled my dislike for the men even before obtaining this information. Anya Waynwood, Gilwood Hunter, Horton Redford, Benedar Belmore, and Symond Templeton were joining me for multiple reasons, but ultimately, our goal was the same. Petyr Baelish had to go, and the next Lord of the Vale needed to learn from someone trustworthy. His control over Lyssa made it so that the Vale was practically under his thumb, and we could not allow little Robbin to be tainted by his teachings or, even worse, to die and leave the Vale under the control of the weasel.
"I can't deny that their honor is unquestionable, Yohn, but the stories about him give me the creeps." Admitted Lord Horton softly, a frown on his regular unflappable face.
"Aye, me too," said Lord Benedar. But he has been helping the kingdoms; we cannot deny that. The North has been prospering even in the middle of a war, and according to my contacts, the Riverlands will receive many boons for following him."
Lady Anya nodded firmly, "The first crops yielded some weeks ago, and that should not have been possible without magic or divine intervention. No matter what miraculous methods the North has, there is no way that the soil would give food in some weeks in the middle of winter."
"There is probably some truth about the green men." I murmured softly, "As you may remember, my house is descended from the first men, and we have much knowledge lost to the ages and the interference of men."
I tried not to scowl at the thought of the maesters. It was the reason why we refused to have one assigned to Runestone. They always try to learn about our hidden knowledge, and some of them even try to destroy it in the past.
Looking at the rest of the Lord's present dead in the eyes, I continued, "We remember. That is our house motto, and we have some scrolls in the library about the past. The magic described in those scrolls would give the maesters in the citadel an aneurism if they were to read about it. Or ask for our heads."
Snorting at that, Lord Symond grunted, "If he offers food and support, I'm all right bending the knee to him. The last summer was the longest in recorded history, and we know that winters are particularly dreadful after this kind of summer. Also, he is of the same blood as the next Lord of the Vale, and I'm sure he will make it so that he grows up under someone worth it."
"Are we all in agreement, then?" I asked out loud. "What can we expect if we send the message to the other houses?"
"From what I have heard, Robb Stark sent the same message to all the important houses of the Vale. But the majority of them ignored it for different reasons." said Lady Anya softly, "The majority of them are afraid of joining the war, and the rest are afraid of the repercussions of an open revolt."
Scowling at that, I nodded, "I don't like it, but it is understandable… They are afraid, but if we manage to take Little Finger hostage and control Lyssa, they will run to our side. We just need to be proactive about it. And I'm afraid we are short on time. My spies in the Erye have sent a raven that said that Lyssa is thinking of naming the bastard the Lord Protector of the Vale."
"He is a weasel," grunted Lord Gilwood. "We need to do something about it before he is protected thanks to that title."
"Then let us start planning, my Lords." I nodded seriously.
Maidenpool.
Robb Stark.
"How has Maidenpool treated you, your grace?." The cowardly Lord asked just as we returned from the famous pool. He was known for this throughout all the Riverlands since he stayed inside his keep while sending the men from the surroundings to support their liege Lords. For that reason, he had no respect for the rest of the Lords, and they viewed him negatively; the cowardly Lord at least knew that he needed to act appropriately with me since I would not give him any boons for him personally, thanks to his actions, but his son was another thing.
He even tried to discreetly show off his daughter to me, but while I could not deny that she was a cute girl, she was way too low-born for me, even if I did not plan to marry Daenerys. This had been a problem for a while, and even if it did not bother me much, I had to suffer through all of it since my plans for Daenerys were a secret. All the Lords wanted me to marry their families to gain the most from the war.
I had become one of the best bachelors from Westeros in the blink of an eye, even more so than Aegon since people were sure of my birthright, unlike him. According to all the information we could gather, people were still on the fence with him; some doubted his claim since they had all heard about the sacking of Kingslanding and what happened in it. Many respectable Lords were present when the mountain presented his body alongside his sister and mother.
Thanks to that, I had enough time to deal with this side of Westeros before going to the capital. I was, in fact, planning to get rid of the iron throne altogether since that would show that it was the beginning of a new era for the country. I planned to leave the rest of the fighting to all the other contenders while I consolidated my hold in the riverlands and the Vale. While I needed men to fight against the others, I knew that even with proof, the amount I could get would not be that high, and those victorious of the battles between Renly and Stannis would follow me just to decrease my punishment when I sit on the throne.
Even in my previous life, things were like that. After all, they were my enemies as now, but when I defeated the rest of the contenders, they would flock to my side, wishing to do whatever I wanted to gain my favor, so to speak. Every world worked like that, and the winners were the ones who wrote the history. There were many things I planned to do that would break the status quo of Planetos, and I needed to do it carefully.
First of all, the monopoly on knowledge will disappear from this world. The citadel served before, but it will disappear after I start reigning the country. I planned for everyone to be able to read and write and know the minimum basic math so as not to be tricked by the merchants. This world was way too weird, being in the "Middle Ages" for more than ten thousand years. It was stupid, in my opinion, but I was entirely sure that the reason for the citadel was to keep all knowledge for itself. The majority of smallfolk did not know how to read, and for that reason, most of the advances that SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED did not. They had barely learned about rotating crops, which should have happened before.
Things needed to change, and it was my plan to do so. That was why I did not advance to King's landing right now, even if I could, but my men would be in trouble if I did that. If I were to take all my men to King's Landing, the Riverlands would be on open season one more time; the difference would be that the ones attacking would be the Reach or Aegon. I could not do so; my duty was to protect them as they served me. If I were to risk their lives for something I did not care about, it would mean that I was a dumb ruler, something I wished to avoid at all costs.
"Thank you, my Lord. This will be a short stay, like I said before." I replied with a tight smile, I did not like him that much, but I did not need to show my displeasure, "The pool was truly marvelous, my Lord. And I could not deny that we were in good company,"
"Ah, yes. My darling Eleanor. She is the sweetest, is she not?" he asked, wondering if it was a big deal. Eleanor had been our guide in the keep, marketplace, and the harbor of Maidenpool. If it were not for this place's strategic location of this place, I would not have stopped here before going to the Vale, but it was something that needed to be done.
Maidenpool had access to both land routes and sea trade, something that I needed to have under control so that they could be used for the continued battles. While the crops in the Riverlands were growing nicely and fast, the amount we obtained was not enough to feed the smallfolk, and I wished for them to see me as a savior, so I ordered Lord Manderly to send the surplus food we had on the North. Since we had been working with my fertilizer for more than four years and had the advantage of the weather, our food was staggering. Even while feeding all of our residents, we had food to spare.
Thanks to that, I was obligated to come here and show my face and power to the people of Maidenpool, and I was right to do so. Thanks to my insects, I could hear that apart from cowardice, Lord Motoon planned to charge A LOT of gold just for using his harbor, which wasn't even needed since I had control of Duskendale. Thanks to that, I was able to open the negotiation by reciting verbatim everything he said in the secrecy of his council. He was scared shitless, and as a punishment, he was going to be the only keep that had to pay to receive the food from the North.
Making him go forth to the feast and tell his people how the negotiations ended was something that I would cherish forever. He was awkward and apologetic, but at least manned up and told everyone the truth. Honestly, I did not plan to punish him, but Jon and the Blackfish convinced me to do so. If I were to let him be with only a warning, people, Lords specifically, would talk, and they would start to test me more and more.
Focusing on the conversation, I smiled genially at him, "She is. Whoever marries her will be a happy man in the future, my Lord. " Giving him a severe look, I continued, "As I said before, this is the last day we will stay here. The Vale must be brought to the fold once and for all."
"Understandable, your grace," he nodded. Are you sure you don't wish to take some of my men with you? Even with your abilities, I think doing what you wish will be hard. The Vale is filled with mountain clans, and even if you are of house stark, they may not hear you out before attacking. And the Erye is one of the most difficult castles to enter without dragons."
Sighing out of my nostrils, I shook my head, "If we wish to do so without bloodshed, a small group is all I need. Did you manage to obtain everything I asked you for?" I asked; for the travel, we would need enough food to last us at least two weeks, which was, according to Brynden, the fastest we could reach the Redford if we were to sneak in. We would not do so since Lord Motoon appeared to have a working relationship with Lord Waxley, just next to the harbor.
The trip would take, at most, one day, during which we would travel with my group as if we were merchants along the ones programmed to leave tomorrow. We would go our separate ways as soon as possible and start traveling to the Redford, where the Lord's Declarant would wait for us to explain the circumstances of my aunt's sins in depth. That alone made the trip worth it since if we needed to sneak in, it would take a lot of time, which we did not have.
Already, we had received multiple messages from the Vale that Littlefinger was taking a piece of power from the rest of the Lords, with my aunt not doing a single thing to avoid it. Her love (obsession) for Petyr Baelish creeped me out; he was the enemy I did not wish to have in my country. If Renly or Stannis were to kneel to me, I would think twice before killing them since both had multiple things that could be useful while ruling the seven kingdoms.
Stannis the Mannis was a hardass of epic proportions, but his sense of justice was something everyone knew. If it wasn't for the influence and lies of Mellissandre, he would be the perfect candidate for the master of justice. It was a shame that he was also one of the most prideful people in Westeros, so gaining his allegiance was something I doubt would happen. As for Renly, he was perfect for working as the head of public relations. He was known for his charm and popularity with the masses, and his social skills were ideal for the job. He was naturally able to win people over and build alliances with almost anyone.
It was said that he was like Robert during his youth, charismatic, and it was easy to believe. While I suspected that the main reason why High Garden decided to support him was that he was unwed and already had a friendship with them thanks to his relationship with Loras, I knew that even if that wasn't the case, he would have won their support with enough time.
I did not care about the rest of the contenders at all. Aegon was a thorne on my side, and Baelon days were counted. After I was done with the Vale, he would die.
"Once again, I thank you, my Lord. Thanks to you, we will arrive at the Vale faster," I said with a light smile. It is a better way to start our friendship, don't you think so?"
He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "A thousand apologies, your grace. I swear in my life that I will not think about something like that in the future. I do not wish to see my family disappear like the freys."
I nodded at him, "Of you go, then. I wish to relax before we part our ways."
Wickenden
Robb Stark
"Good," I said as soon as we arrived at the harbor. Since the distance was so close, we barely felt seasick, at least most of us. Seeing SmallJon holding a bucket for dear life, I laughed out loud. It appeared that the giant of the North was shit at sea. The rest of the group consisted of the blackfish, Jon and Dacey. Harrion stayed in Harrenhal with his brother, and Theon asked me for some time off to think if he would accompany me against his family. The thought of him brought a frown to my face. I was like eighty percent sure that he would follow through with the plan, but the possibility of him leaving for the Iron Islands existed.
I wished to say that I was assured that I would have him with me in the future since I had taken him under my wing even more than my canon counterpart, but his desire for his father to see him as someone worthy of the salt throne still existed.
In the end, even if it hurt me, it did not matter much. With or against him, the Iron Islands and the Iron Price would cease to exist. They were a plague in the world and something that needed to be fixed as soon as possible. Even if their attacks in the North and the Riverlands had been thwarted, the losses from our side had not been insignificant enough to ignore them. In the ten attacks they had tried, two were in the Riverlands, one against seaward, and the other one against the old stones, and the rest were in the North in that part of the sea. It was pissing off a lot of the Lords, myself included since we needed to do other things instead of spending some of our time with them.
According to Father, the skagosis decided to ignore our message, and an invasion was inevitable if we wanted the Dragonglass on the island. But we did not have enough men to deploy on the island without leaving our shores undefended, something that everyone was sure that the Iron born would capitalize on. Even after all of their defeats, they were unrelenting and did not lose faith in their abilities, and scout ships were common sight these days.
My men, my people, were already feeling the stress of the situation, and with each attack, we suffered more than the last. There were rumors of the return of the crow eye, and he was unhinged enough to waste the men just to harm us.
"Remember the plan," I ordered my group and the merchants who followed us. A group of men was hidden in the ship so that the guards would not feel amiss that fewer people were leaving than what arrived, so at least we were in the clear.
"Let's go", grunted the blackfish, and he started disembarking the ship with a calm pace. That was what I liked about him. He was dependable and serious enough, but he knew when to relax, something that Jon needed to learn as soon as possible. Jon was my right hand, but I feared that he would die when he was less than thirty because he worried too much.
Even if in this life he knew of his birth, he still feared leaving bastards left and right, but we were already at the age that we started seeing women differently.
Blushing a bit, I remembered the pool in Maidenpool and how Dacey noticed me ogling her body. Thankfully, she understood that I was a growing man. She giggled at that and shook her hips harder when she was in front of me. The pains of my body disappeared the same day we left Harrenhall, but I noticed that I was in the middle of an unnatural growth spurt. I was already six feet tall, and I did not think I would stop there; the pains of growing up were there; my muscles hurt, but it was worth it, even if it was not natural. The rest of my group obviously noticed the physical changes, but they only nodded when I dumped the reason to the old gods and became their chosen one.
I was not overly bulky—I had a swimmer's build, after all—but my strength was difficult to expect just by seeing me. I was even able to use ice as a normal sword instead of a great sword, able to use it with a single hand if needed, even for a little bit.
Following the blackfish, we sneaked through the town, waiting for the perfect moment to disappear and go to the red fort.
Five days later.
Redfort.
Yohn Royce.
"Welcome to the Redfort, your grace." said Lord Horton grandly, "We have been waiting for your arrival, and there is much we need to talk about."
Taking my time, I observed the young King and had trouble believing what I was seeing. I expected him to look like the Tullys since I had seen him almost five years ago, but it appeared that time had changed the lad for the better.
He was taller than his father and was carrying some boxes by himself like they weighed nothing. The lad threw the box to the floor, and I never expected the dull thud sound it made when it touched the floor. The chest was filled with books and weapons, something someone his age should not even think to lift himself.
"Thank you for the welcome," the lad smiled, and his face reminded me a little of his uncle Brandon Stark. His face was sharper than his father's, just like the late Brandon's, and if the stories were real, he fought like a wolf on the battlefield, nothing like the methodical style his father used.
"Come on in; we offer you bread and salt." Lord Horton continued, "After we are done with the ceremony, we will leave for my solar so that we can speak in private."
The group nodded and followed along us, doing some small talk while we walked.
"How did you enter the vale, my Lord?" the lass Anya asked, tilting her head.
"Oh, that was easy, thankfully, my lady." Robb smiled, "We sneaked through Wickenden as merchants, and the rest was a piece of cake to arrive.
"Did you not have trouble with the mountain clans, your grace?" she asked.
"Aye, they are making a lot of moves." Robb nodded, "I assure you that the groups we encountered will no longer be a problem for your people."
"I thank you," Lord Horton simply replied. We have been so busy planning how to get Lyssa and Littlefinger out of the Erye that I had no time to check the situation with the mountain clans."
"I'm afraid that the mountain clans will be a problem for longer than you expect," said the young man on the right side of the King.
"And you are?" asked Lord Horton. " I'm afraid that I won't recognize you apart from the northern face."
"I am Jon Snow." Jon stated, "We learned that Littlefinger has been paying the mountain clans to wreak havoc in the vale so that the Lords are busier than normal, and he can advance his plans here."
"Bastard." scowled Lord Benedar, "I knew the weasel was not to be trusted but harming so many people for his plans? His avarice knows no bounds."
"He is more dangerous than any of you realize, my Lords," Robb said, shaking his head. He is the reason why the Iron Throne is so in debt. "While Robert Baratheon was not a good king, he always embellished his reports so that he could steal a lot of money from the crown. Last I heard, they were six million stags in debt to the Iron Bank and the Lannisters.
Shaking my head in wonder, I wondered where he had hidden the gold. It was such a big amount of gold that we probably had not seen since we were alive, and House Royce was a rich house. Even our yearly income was less than sixty thousand gold stags, nothing compared to that debt.
"And you wish to take the throne even knowing that?" I could not resist to ask.
"It is something that needs to be done, I'm afraid." He replied firmly, "The others are going to attack the wall in some years, and the kingdoms need to be united to fight against them."
Stopping in my tracks, I could feel myself frozen in fear. "They are awake?" I asked sharply, looking at him dead in the eyes.
The lad just lifted an eyebrow, and I marveled how the fuck his skin was so white and without blemishes. Even my daughter did not have skin like that, and I knew how much she cared for it. If I had not heard about his exploits, I would not have believed that he had done everything I'd heard. He did not have a single scar on his body.
"I usually need to provide the proof we have for people to believe us, my Lord." he continued, "How and what do you know about them?"
"We remember," I smirked before going serious. "I do not need proof; your word is enough. I knew that they were not defeated, but I did not expect to see them in my lifetime. But you are right, your grace. The rest of the Lord will need proof of their existence. The citadel has done so much harm to Westeros that they believe magic doesn't exist anymore."
"Aye, the grey cloaks. " He scowled. Another thing I need to fix in the future." He shook his head. Uncle Benjen gifted us with a wight to serve as proof. The abomination is still in Harrenhal. I will order that they bring it to the vale when everything is under control."
"I know your uncle. He taught my son how to work in the night watch." I nodded at him, "I don't know if my bones will work when the battle arrives, but you have my sword, my king."
"A lot of men will die, ser," he warned, and I scoffed, "If my blood needs to shed so that we can make a difference, I will gladly give my life so that the children can live without that fear."
The lad smirked, "I knew I would like you, Lord Yohn. We will win; we just need to prepare."
"Good lad," I smirked back.
"We have arrived." said Lady Anya softly, looking at us strangely, "Will you tell us everything we need to know about this threat later?" she asked.
"Yes, I will, lass." If we were going to fight against the others, we all needed to know everything about them. It seems that I needed to go back to Runestone and dust off some of the books I had under lock. I was afraid to burden my children with that knowledge, but the gods appeared to have a macabre sense of humor.
