The Vale.

???Pov.

"Riders!!!!"

A party of people was set upon by fierce looking warriors dressed in thick furs and armor. They all looked wild, savage even.

"The mountain clans." One of the men in the party being set upon explains with worry in his tone.

They were severely outnumbered, and the group knew that survival was highly unlikely.

However, to their surprise, the biggest and most fierce rider climbed off his horse and approached them.

"Where Lady Stark?" The man asked, staring into the group, searching for someone.

A lady stepped forward. She had fiery red hair and deep blue eyes. Age had made her face wither slightly, but she still retained some of the beauty she possessed in her youth.

"I am Lady Stark." She speaks up.

"My lady, no!" An old rotund man with a hint of white whiskers on his face hops in front of Lady Stark protectively.

"Chief Arryn says we escort you, follow." The man said before mounting his horse once again.

Suddenly, a few of the man's followers walk forward with enough horses for their entire party.

"Chief Arryn?" Lady Starks face scrunched up in confusion.

"What should we do, my lady? The old knight asks, worried, looking at the massive man waiting on them.

"Chief Arryn, maybe they are talking about Lysa." Lady Stark speculates. "We should follow them." She responds.

"My lady, it could be a trap." The old knight replies nervously.

"With their numbers, we'd be dead anyway." She explains and proceeds to walk over to a beautiful white mare.

"V...very well, my Lady." The old knight relents and helped Lady Stark onto her horse.

The rest of Lady Stark's party followed her example. Each picking and mounting a horse.

The mountain clan warriors did not speak much as they traveled through the steep rocky roads of the high road. The high road is a very treacherous path that will take you to the bloody gate. The bloody gate is an incredibly tough stronghold and the only way to gain access to the Eyrie. Countless throughout history have tried to break through the bloody gate in an attempt to conquer the Eyrie, but none have been able to succeed. That is, until the Targeryns and their dragons.

As Lady Stark neared the bloody gate, she noticed the battlements first, long parapet built into the very stone of the mountain on either side of them. As they got closer, the pass narrowed. It was small enough that two men upon horses could not ride side by side. Twin watchtowers clung to the rocky slopes of the mountain, joined by a covered gray stone bridge that arched above the roads. Lady Stark immediately noticed they were being watched from the battlements, bridge, and watchtowers.

'It's no wonder no one could break through the bloody gate.' Lady Stark thought. Lady Stark could see no weakness. The bloody gate was impenetrable and could easily be defended. Even Winterfell, with its high walls, did not feel as secure as the bloody gate.

When they neared the bloody gate, a knight rode out to meet them. The knights, horse, and armor were a dull gray, but his cloak was the rippling blue and red of Lady Stark's original house, House Tully. The cloak was held together by a shiny black fish wrought in gold and obsidian. "Who would pass the bloody gate?" He enquired.

"Torrhen son of Shelk with lady Stark." Torrhen, the man who spoke to them first answered.

"Ahh Torrhen, I appreciate you escorting my niece." The knight replied with a tip of his head before turning to face Lady Stark. The knight lifted his visor. "Little Cat, you are far from home."

"And you uncle." Catelyn answered with a sweet smile. She was happy seeing her uncle after all this time. His gruff voice took her back to the time of her childhood, a simpler, happier time.

"My home is at my back." He replied gruffly.

"Your home is in my heart." Catelyn told him. "Take off your helm. I would look on your face once again."

"The years have not improved it, I fear." Her uncle japed while complying with her demand.

Catelyn saw that there was no truth in his words. He scarcely changed from her childhood. True time had dyed his auburn locks gray, and his features were withered and filled with lines, but his smile was the same, and his eyebrows were still bushy and fat like a caterpillar, and his deep blue eyes were filled with laughter. "Did you inform Lysa that you were coming?"

"Unfortunately, there was no time to send word ahead." Catelyn explained. "I fear we ride before the storm, Uncle." Catelyn furrowed her brow in worry.

"Hurry, go in." Torrhen grunted, annoyed, tired of waiting for them to enter.

"In the name of Roland Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, and Warden of the East, I bid you enter freely and charge you to keep his peace." Ser Brynden said. "Come." He gestured with his armored hand, and so Catelyn and her party rode behind him past the bloody gate.

Catelyn's breath was taken away by the beauty of the Vale. The Vale was a tranquil land of rich fertile soil, wide rivers, and lakes with water as blue as the sky that shone like a beautiful gem, protected by its sheltering peaks.

Ser Brynden noticed that Catelyn had stopped to take in the wonder of the Eyrie. He moved his horse closer and pointed. It's there, beside Alyssa's tears. You can see from here a flash of white every now and then, If you look hard enough and the sun hits the walls just right.

Catelyn looked over to where he pointed. She first noticed Alyssa's tears. She could make out the shining silver stream, bright against the dark stone of the mountains. She couldn't really make out the Eyrie, but her husband Ned had told her about the Eyrie. "Seven towers." He told her. "Like white daggers thrust into the belly of the sky, so high you can stand on the parapets and look down on the clouds. "How long a ride?" She asked.

"We can be at the mountain by evenfall." Her uncle replied. "But the climb will tale another day." He continued with a grim look on his face.

A few of Catelyn's party stayed behind, only Ser Rodrick, Ser Willis Wode, Bron the sellsword, and the singer Marillion decided to continue accompanying her to the Eyrie.

While treading down the mountain path, Catelyn and her uncle had ridden slightly ahead of the others. "So, child. Tell me about this storm of yours." Her uncle asked.

"I have not been a child in many years, uncle." Catelyn huffed but told him nonetheless. She told him everything, of her sister's letter, Bran's mysterious fall, the assassin's dagger and Littlefinger, and how she kidnapped Tyrion by chance meeting him at the crossroads Inn.

Her uncle never said a world while she spoke. He listened closely, and the more he heard, the deeper the frown on his face became.

After she finished, her uncle remained silent for quite a time, seemingly processing all she told him. "Your father must be told." He said, speaking at last. "If the Lannisters should, march, they'd march right through Riverrun." He continued sounding grave.

"I fear the same uncle." Catelyn admitted, biting her lip with worry. "I shall ask Maester Colemon to send a bird when we reach the Eyrie." She had many messages she wished to deliver, especially the instructions her husband gave her for his bannermen.

"What is the mood in the Vale?" She asked, curious.

Her uncle stayed silent, contemplating his answer. "It is a mixture of sorrow, happiness, and suspicion." He admitted. "Many loved Jon Arryn, and they question if his death was purely due to sickness, or was it murder. Some still mourn his passing, while others are happy with the new Lord of the Vale, Lysa's son Roland." Catelyn could see the pride in her uncles eyes when he mentioned Lysa's son. It intrigued her.

"I've only seen Roland as babe. How is he uncle?" She asked.

Her uncle's voice was laced with pride as he spoke. "Lord Roland is a prodigious youth. At 12, he had become quite proficient with both the sword and the bow. At 13, he became a master with the sword able to give seasoned knights a good fight, even managing to win against most of them. At 14, he led a campaign against the mountain clans, eradicating a majority of them while getting the rest to swear loyalty to him." He paused for a second before adding with laughter in his voice. "He also tamed a shadowcat."

Catelyn was stunned. She could scarcely believe a boy of 14 was able to accomplish as much as her nephew had, yet her uncle was not one to boast unnecessarily. That meant that the boy had most likely accomplished all her uncle told her. "It seems my nephew is the next coming of Aegon the Dragonknight. I can not wait to meet him." Catelyn smiled politely outwardly, but inwardly, she felt a slight jealousy of Roland. 'No Cat, Robb is just as exceptional as Roland.' She assured herself. She saw Robb in the training yard. He was a good fighter for his age. She was sure he was as brilliant as Roland. He just hasn't gotten the chance to prove it as of yet.

"I'm sure he'll be eager to meet with you as well, Cat. The boy does love a storm." Her uncle joked.

"What of Lysa?" Catelyn enquired, curious as to how her sister has been doing after all these years.

Her uncles face soured, and the previous pride he had for Roland disappeared swiftly as though it hadn't been there in the first place. "Lysa has changed since last you met her Cat. Her husband's death has driven her mad with grief. Roland has seen it fit to keep her confined to her room most of the time."

Catelyn looked at her uncle with a raised eyebrow confused by her nephews actions. "Why would her son lock her up for grieving?" She asked.

"She's been spouting all sorts of madness, Cat. She wished to act as regent of the Vale until Roland's 18th nameday. She also demanded that the knights of the Vale remain in the Vale, even forbidding them from entering the Hands tournament. She's been acting rather paranoid, threatening to throw others out the moon door because they seem suspicious to her. Of course, Roland, with the backing of the Vale Lords, took over as Protector of the Vale, and he allowed the knights of the Vale to participate in the Hands tournament."

"How does Roland feel about the Lannisters? Will he serve justice to the dwarf?" She asked.

"Roland is not stupid, he knows his father was murdered. However, I have not seen or heard of any grudge he holds against the Lannisters." Her uncles words put a smile on the dwarf Tyrion Lannisters face. "However, if he is guilty of the crime he committed, then Roland will ensure he pays for those crimes."

"Then this was a wasted trip lady Stark, for I am an innocent man." Tyrion spoke up joyfully, as though he was already acquitted.

Catelyn turned and scowls at the Dwarf. "Do not celebrate too quickly dwarf. Proving your guilt will be a simple task for me." She boasted confidently. However, she was not truly certain he was guilty. Earlier, the dwarf had made compelling arguments for his innocents. It was enough that it gave her doubt on whether she had done the right thing. However, she managed to push her doubts down deep within her. She was certain it had to be the dwarf who attempted to assassinate her son. She doubted herself only because he was a wizard with words. He had placed her under his spell.

Anyway, it was too late to go back now. All she could do was hope and pray that her nephew was a just man who would punish the dwarf for his sins.