Unworthy and Worthy

Riverlands

A Knight of the Vale fled with a horse as far as he could, while dodging the arrows of horsemen chasing him. Fellow warriors of the Vale that show no honor, only treachery.

"Keep running Lord Lucas! We will catch you!"

He grimaced and pushed his horse to go faster, he needs to get to his lord and tell him of the treachery that has happened in his domain, hopefully, the Vale will be saved.

His mind went back to the moment when everything shifted against them, it was during the aftermath of a skirmish against the hill tribes and the loyal force under Harrold Hardying.

[Two Weeks Prior, The Vale of Arryn]

2,000 Mountain Clansmen charged across the plain between the Snakewood and the Mountains in the northwest and they charge to fight the encamped Vale forces of 8,000 men. Leading them was a member of the Black Ears and holding the line against them was Harrold Hardying and his cousin Donnel Waynwood. "Shield wall!" He commanded and rode down the way, sword unsheathed "Knock, draw and loose!" He added and the longbows of House Hunter that Lord Hunter didn't take with him.

The barbarians were pinned like needles to a straw dummy, the one clashing the shield wall was struck by long spears and swords. He personally charged the cavalry at the enemies rear whilst Lucas, Lord of Heart's Home after Lyn and Lyonel had died. He led the light foot at the enemies other end and soon enveloped the raiders. "Cut them down!" He rallied and stuck a barbarian in the eye.

The fighting is ruthless, cutting through swaths of men and women baring good armor and steel and though he knows who gave it to them it doesn't matter. He and the Vale forces had the hill tribes running back to their mountains after sustaining severe losses but he had suffered his own with the fall of a few lowborn nobles sons and fathers, to increase the anger against Rodrik and ensure a swift change to the Vale of Arryn.

He was inside his pavilion when he heard some men talking around a fire. What one was saying is in a like-minded manner with himself and the other is defending his Lord.

"We stand here, taking the brunt of invaders and where is our Lord? Kissing the Young Wolf's ass!" Uther Shett stated and his known kin agreed, another knight named Damon Shett. Some of the men also agreed.

"Don't disrespect Rodrik, you know where he is. He is fighting for our King, for peace and prosperity." Lucas defended and half who are loyal shouted 'aye' in response which ignited the fire, Harrold smiled and opened the flapped of his tent and approached the group arguing.

"Enough!" He started and stepped onto a large boulder to get everyone's attention. "Yes our liege lord is fighting for us, for our true king!" it calmed everyone, "Aye, a king Stannis who burns friends and loved ones!, Andar Royce was my friend, a brother in a company made by Rodrik himself." A shift is forming between the confused and rowdy.

"What are you doing?"

He ignored Lucas's words and whistled for everyone to listen in, its time for things to change.

"Stannis is an unworthy King, his lords told him so but Rodrik still serves him. Now apparently he thinks following Robb and fighting his war is more appealing instead of protecting his people from savages!" He shouted and a majority screamed 'aye' in response besides Lucas and his followers. "Robert called the banners while Rodrik lost battles, Robert planned defenses whilst our Lord, liege, and Warden is going to enjoy a wedding!" He raged to get the boys excited and angry which was slowly succeeding.

"Stop this! Listen! Rodrik is our Lord and we swore an oath to serve him!" Lucas defended, Jon Lynderly and his son who heard the commotion joined in Rodrik's defense.

"I say we choose a new Lord of the Vale, I choose Robert Arryn and I challenge the right of Rodrik!"

[Present Time, Riverlands]

After that, the camp fell into chaos as the lords and their levies went from arguing to fighting and killing each other. Soon the Snakewood was enveloped in chaos and blood of those following Harrold and the ones following him which were small at best, his men were slaughtered and nobles were captured and he was forced to flee with whatever's left.

It was not too soon he found out from a hill tribesmen that House Lannister colluded with Baelish in an attempt to take the Vale from Rodrik. Gulltown has been left in the Hands of House Shett so going there wasn't an option nor was going to the Eyrie, this treachery was planned in advanced and he has to reach Lord Arryn since ravens didn't do the trick.

He had a hundred companions at the beginning, then twenty and now himself and his horse. The rest of the loyalists have fled back to Heart's Home and other loyal holds still aligned with Rodrik. He pushed on down the road and the traitorous Valemen were close enough to kill him before several arrows hit them and felled the bastards on their horses.

He stopped and analyzed the group, they bore the flayed man on their banners, House Bolton of the Dreadfort. "I'm an ally! I need to see Lord Rodrik Arryn!"

The Seven help him.

[The Eyrie]

"What!?"

He couldn't believe it, that Lucas and several other nobles had betrayed Harrold and loyalists in the Snakewood to carve a new Vale out of the old kingdom. Harrold smiled sadly and nodded as he was told the news. "Where is my brother? I sent several ravens and messengers and none had reported back." He asked or more stated to himself.

"Did I not tell you, a raven did return. Roddy said that you must deal with the problem whilst he is away. He is useless- "

"Don't say that! He is the Lord of the Vale and my brother, he will be treated with respect!" He snapped at his mother and it was a first as he never shouted with such an emotional way, his mother took a deep breath and turned from him. Harrold cleared his throat and got his attention back to him, he doesn't like this man with an immortal grin on his face.

"Your brother is the Lord of the Eyrie, no one can doubt this. Alas, he has done nothing but embarrasses this house, he is my greatest friend but he is no leader."

He couldn't believe what was being said to him, by Hardying and his mother. It isn't a difference for his mother but Ser Harrold is his brother friend and trusted bannermen, like Lucas and Waymar and, wait a moment? "Where is Lord Lucas? Where is the castellan?" He asked the room and the two looked at each other a moment before Harrold frowned.

"Lucas showed himself a traitor. He led a rebellion in the night and slaughtered many before fleeing west to Rodrik." He couldn't understand, why would he do that? What does his brother have to do with this! He thought. "This is hard to believe, but Rodrik has always been jealous of you." He stopped in his tracks at that last sentence, why would that be the case in anything.

"What do you mean? Jealous? What are you assuming Ser?" He asked the man as he gripped the Weirwood throne in a tense way, Harrold stepped forward.

"It is no secret your father adored you, but have you not noticed Rodrik's insistence on you staying away from portions of his power? There is a reason for that, there is a reason your father and Warden of the East preferred you." He flustered in frustration and jumped from his seat and stared at the knight hard.

"Quit talking in riddles! What are you saying?!" He screamed as he began getting emotional all over again, it was his worst flaw that his brother had tried to get him to forget.

"You can tell him."

He turned to his mother who shakenly snuck a letter from her dress and handed it to him. The seal was broken and the paper looked aged by several months, the sigil it bared was the soaring falcon of his House. She nodded for him to open it and he did so, albeit a tense way and read the final words from his father, and what they said was shocking.

"Rodrik, what I say is in my last moments. I am dying, and the future of our House depends on you and Robert. I have thought many months on this and have finally decided, your brother has proved to me that he can lead the Vale to greatness and that greatness can be aided by you. I name him the heir ahead of you, you are angry but know this is for the good of House Arryn and all of the Mountain and Moon, teach him to rule and when he reaches manhood, the Gates of the Moon will be yours."

He couldn't believe what was just said in this. His father wants him to be the Lord of the Vale, wants him to succeed over Rodrik. The late Lord of the Eyrie is all but said his eldest son isn't worthy of the East and sees him being the most worthy. A hundred questions swirled around in his head and most of all is the question of why he is the most worthy? He looked back to the two for answers to this foreboding message from his dead father. His mother put a hand on her shoulder, gripping it gently in this trying moment.

"Rodrik kept this from you to save his own power, a power that belongs to you as these words say." Harrold unsheathed his sword and knelt to one knee, "I won't be apart of his treason and swear House Hardying, and Waynwood to you my Lord!"

He didn't know what to say, or even what to think... But he stood.

[Riverlands/Allied Camp]

"That rain will cost us another day," Brynden stated aloud and Rodrik grimaced and shook the rain from his hair.

"We get wind, snow and a small bit of rain. How do you Riverlanders do it?" He asked and thought how these lands don't flood every time they fall. Edmure shook the rain off himself and scoffed.

"Because we can. Walder can wait as well, we will be there."

Catelyn wasn't so sure, she had been pushing for this since Robb agreed to Walder's terms of allegiance. The Vale's forces would be enough to take the Westerlands, maybe even a bit of the Crownlands that he had originally taken but the Freys loyalty is a shaky thing and he, Edmure, Brynden, and Catelyn know this all too well from the rebellion.

Walder and his brood need to be compliant, needs to be put in a place of loyalty before marching anywhere if things go from bad to worse. He has the Vale to turn to but the King in the North's domain is wrought with havoc by an Ironborn invasion that has taken the lives of Brandon and Rickon Stark, Robb had said they were burned to a crisp.

"Lord Walder is prickly by nature an- "

"Prickly? From the two times, I've seen him I can certainly say he is the least pleasant man I have ever met." He teased lightly but Ser Blackfish took it a bit more far with what he said.

"Least pleasant?, I have seen wet shits I like more than Walder Frey." Sudden courtesy came forth and the knight turned to the royals, "Apologies your grace, my King. I have spent too much time with lances and pike-men." He and the Blackfish both as he remembered going on ranging's with his men to keep the roads clear of Mountain Clansmen. Robb chuckled and the new Queen simply nodded and stayed quiet, he had noticed she was a quiet girl unless she needed to speak sternly.

"Either way. He will take this delay as a slight." Catelyn said in a worried tone of voice. Robb and the Queen tensed, the man was slighted once already and this will be a second, they can only hope the man's age has made him patient in the past several months.

"If it can hurry this meeting, I can ride ahead and assure the man that we- " He tried to say but patience seemed to have left Edmure who is still quite sour over this event.

"Bugger that! Walder can take it as he likes, he's getting the wedding he wanted!" Edmure barked out and he grimaced, hoping he won't bring this attitude to the most prickly man in Westeros, besides Tywin of course.

"He's getting a wedding... It's a King he wanted."

The room fell silent after that and he sighed. He went to leave the room before hearing a commotion coming from outside and went to investigate followed by the others. At the end of camp, he saw several people going by a dozen horsemen and he widened his eyes in the realization on who was with the Bolton men, Lucas Corbray. He went and caught the knight who was exhausted and fell from his horse, the one soldier said they found him on the road and he has an important need to see him.

"My, my lord!... Somethings happened!" Lucas uttered as the rain pelleted and he could hear him, he went in closer and asked what happened and why he was here, "Baelish, Harrold, and Lysa! They! They seized the Vale!" His friend went unconscious after that and he had him taken to a maester for medicinal assistance.

He stood there for a moment and sunk in all of the information. Robb put a hand on his shoulders and asked him a question.

"What's wrong? Why was your man this far from the Vale?" He turned to a man he had grown a budding friendship within the eye and knew what he had to do.

"I need to go."