The Calm Before the Storm

[Great Hall]

"Kill him!"

Rodrik got back to his feet and turned to Arya who stared daggers at the kneeled Petyr Baelish.

"Not quite yet, he will pay for his crimes; I swear it." He promised and the girl didn't seem so convinced but quieted. He then turned his eyes to the girl he recognized to be Sansa Stark, "I hope he didn't touch you, the sniveling coward will pay dearly if that is so?" He asked the girl and she shook her head, not making eye contact with Baelish.

"Your grace, how is he the key to getting into the Eyrie? He is a simple minor lord at best." Waymar asked and he would clarify to them.

"Lysa loves him, Catelyn said as much before I turned home. Maester, send a letter to the Eyrie, she will let me in or I will kill Petyr Baelish."

He dismissed everyone and had his generals prepare the camp for movement once the raven flies off. Once the commotion was quelled he went down to the cells to see his new prisoner of war, Damon Lannister remains in the camps pens with soldiers who didn't surrender. He walked the last step and stared at the disheveled man, his garments were removed and only shirt, pants and boots remain to him.

"Lord Arryn, I am loyal to you- I have even come to get Lysa to open the gates... " He shook his head at the man's excuses, none would save the man as his fate was sealed the moment he and Lysa killed his father.

"Why?" He asked and the man looked at him like he didn't know what he was talking about, "Why kill the man who gave you everything? I want an explanation as that's all you can give me besides your life, which will be taken soon." He added and the lord's face fell and left with only a still form, staring at him coldly.

"Your father didn't give me anything, I took it by clawing my way to the top. Jon was weak and you? You are of the same brood as him, Eddard and Robert; weak and dependent on honor and valor to carry the day." The words made him tense with each insult held towards him and the lost, he gripped the bars of the cell and glared the man. "You won't win, you don't have the men or siege weapons, you have some few thousand horse and foot? Harrold, Lysa and Robin have the men that will defeat you." He heard him add on.

"You are wrong, I won't lose and I will see you and everyone that fought me and the Starks and killed Robert will meet a gruesome end." He left after that, to maybe feather a dummy in a hundred arrows to get what the arse said out of his head.

[Elsewhere]

"You did what?!"

Sansa was shocked at the stories Arya was telling her, that she and someone named Gendry and Hot Pie met the Brotherhood and a Red Woman took him, about killing men who had a hand their brother and mothers deaths, being protected by the Hound or by protected she meant held prisoner. All after she talked about how she was wed to Tyrion, the beatings and abuse by Joffrey and the taunts from the Queen.

Though through heart pains and tragedies, she has her sister back to her, the only family she has with the exception of Jon though she doesn't know he is alive either. Right now in this moment it's just her and Arya that are the last of their line, the last wolves of the north and Winterfell. Tears sprung up and she suddenly hugged her sister for what is the fourth time today, soon Arya did the same as well.

"I missed you, little sister. I'm sorry for all the fighting! For everything!" She bawled and slowly her own sister shed a few tears.

Knock Knock

Their heads turned to the door and to who it was behind it, "Yes?" She called out.

"Its Rodrik, may I come in?" She waited for several moments, letting silence be the only answer for him until Arya gave her a look that pled for her to let him.

"We don't know him, we should- " She tried to argue but her sister took her hand and squeezed it.

"I had the same assumption, but he has done nothing but care for my every need. That and he fights the Lannisters, our enemies." Her sister seems to admire him, probably because she was allowed to be the one thing she always wanted to be, a woman warrior with the boy's clothes and sword at her hip. She sighed and nodded, Arya opened the door herself. The King in the Vale walked in with the steel crown on his head, he bowed in greeting so she did the same, remembering her lessons from long ago.

He looked kingly, more than Robert and better than Joffrey in appearance. Still, the gold hair had her remembering the torture of being a hostage, but his blue eyes show plenty of intimidation that must have been gotten from his time on campaign against House Lannister. She didn't know him, met him on one or two occasions and definitely weren't long occasions either, on the journey here Lord Baelish did nothing but say how he secretly served the Queen and said she had Rodrik's daughter, she doesn't know what to believe after Arya told her that Baelish is the one who betrayed their father and yet she doesn't trust Rodrik, only her family.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting, I came to speak to you, to see how you were doing." He asked her in a genuine tone, Joffrey once had a genuine tone along with the queen, before they showed just what type of people they are. She lowered her brows and pursed her lips.

"I am fine." She said with bite and he saw she didn't feel like talking.

"Well I am sure you would like to get some rest, we can talk on the morrow then? Ah, the day I get a reply from the Mad Fish we march out." Rodrik said and mocked her aunt Lysa, she forgot she had three more relatives now if her uncles Brynden and Edmure are alive yet. Her eyes hardened then and glared at the man before her.

"That's my aunt, I don't know what she had done but she and Robert are family, not you." She bit and got a surprised expression from Rodrik and Arya. "After you at done I will plead for their lives, once the traitors are dead I want them to live." Rodrik's face became hard in this instance as well, she tensed from the stare.

"Your 'aunt' killed my father, as for sparing them I cannot promise anything, maybe once I sit on the Weirwood throne once again and no more revolts are in my Kingdom. Good night your Grace."

She stood shocked at the response or more so what he said last before leaving, she looked to her sister and asked "Your Grace?" Arya smiled a small smile.

"Robb is gone, you are our fathers eldest child and the new monarch of the north, though I wish Robb had lived." She heard her say and she suddenly frowned.

If only he had... Maybe the family could be whole.

[A Day Later, The Eyrie]

Maester Colemon rose from his chair with a bright smile on his face, his boy and king found the key. He didn't wait before leaving his room to bring this great boon to Lysa the Usurper as many of Rodrik's own followers and even the smallfolk had begun to call her. As a Maester, he is sworn to serve the lord of this castle, and he shall by helping Rodrik.

Opening the doors to the room he saw his other lad, Robert speaking to his mother and Harrold who took a permanent place within the castle, scum such as that belongs elsewhere near his keep along with his cousin Donnel, Wallace had since changed his mind on betraying Rodrik and is in a Sky Cell for attempting a small coup that was squashed.

Robert Arryn smiled down at him and waved.

"Maester? Has my uncle Petyr given word of his arrival?" The younger lad asked and he let his smile wither and gave a frown and shake of the head.

"I'm so sorry my Lord, it seems he's had trouble on his voyage." He would have handed it to Robert but Harrold swiped it from his hands and read its contents, laughing and causing Lysa to seem annoyed, if he wasn't being a spy for his king then he would share in this laughter.

"Rodrik has Baelish, and he wants into the Eyrie and for us to surrender or he dies."

Silence filled the room, eyes turning to the woman shaking from the news, unraveling right in front of them. Then a curdling scream of rage came from the woman, agonized over the fate and consequence for her intended. "I will not! We have prisoners of our own and will trade!" She hurriedly suggested to them and Harrold spoke next after her.

"We will not, we agree and destroy him at the valley edge. He is not getting near- " Lysa cut him off right then.

"Do you want to share a cell with your Waynwood cousin? We will not lose Petyr on a gamble!" She argued about it and then both she and Harrold eyed one another with utter malice. By the end it was Robert who chose the path to follow, whether to their destination doesn't matter, the Eyrie will return to Rodrik and he to it.

"I will not lose my uncle, nor will I surrender. We make a trade, the prisoners we have for Baelish at the mouth of the Giants Lance, gather all our forces to its defense, even the Mountain clansmen- "

"We can't, I haven't heard from the barbarians since their defeat at the Snakewood, it's like they disappeared. Though I can do that, I don't know how many men they have but 9,000 men will meet Rodrik here and end him in the result." Harrold pitched in and it was quite the mystery where the Mountain Clansmen have gone, not a single village had suffered going on three months. Robert smiled and turned to him this time instead of the other two.

"Send the response to my brother, tell him I will meet his terms and surrender and say 'Lets put the squabbling behind us'."

The raven flew that same day heading to the city of Gulltown. Words said to him were written differently as well, no tricks of lures but the truth. Enemy forces mass near the Giants Lance close to 9000 strong and under the pretense of prisoner trade. He hopes his true leader has the men because it will be a tough fight and he needs to be ready and do what must be done.