Merciless and Merciful

[The Eyrie's Crypt]

Rodrik, dressed in warmer clothing and clean shaven again had his eyes staring at the coffin of his father. Every Lord Arryn was buried here and had their coffins forged in stone and in their likeness. Running a single hand he landed on his father's face, stone cold expression as his blue eyes stared with confined anger.

Not towards his father but the third wife who killed him and the bastard the wench had sired to pass off as his own blood.

Documents and Lysa's journals said as much, the woman was obsessed and had carried Robert since he was conceived with Baelish. All this time his father and he were tricked by traitors and bastards, it sickened him to the very core of his being. He then thought to come to his father's tomb would serve to calm him and he has yet to be such.

"All this time we thought him family, a falcon, and I called him brother." He whispered to himself as he laments on what he learned and what must be done. Robert doesn't even know and believes he will be killed by his blood though that is far from the truth, yet that doesn't erase the memories of brotherhood with Lysa's son nor does it change anything.

The battle was hard won and many of the casualties belonged to his force, they don't call the Vale impenetrable for nothing and Harrold fought hard. The battle was Harrold's until the rebels from the Snakewood and Three Sisters arrived with what's left of their men and joined the fight coming from the path of e Eyrie.

Before winning he was battling Harrold and his 'brother', Robert isn't a good man of the sword and it was a surprise to see him on the field at all, but he was guarded by some of the best men he could see but at the end he disarmed Robert and defeated his guards, Harrold though had escaped and made it back to the Gates of the Moon, barring its doors to him.

Coming by way of the Bloody Gate which was taken by Lothor and Wallace and soon Lysa fought his army on two fronts, caught in a losing situation Harrold surrendered in a bet to save his own skin while Lysa raved and raged about his death. He had him, his brother and Lysa thrown in the Sky Cells and Baelish called from Gulltown, escorted by Sansa.

Standing force with those that surrendered brings his army to 13,000 men, a good amount to defend the Vale but his people are exhausted from fighting and needs a moment to breathe, so after the mess with the enemy leaders he is dispersing his force to rest for a number of months- Maybe six to rest, then after that rest he will strategize a plan to retake the North for Sansa and then to liberate the Riverlands and after that he will sail to Dorne and pay a visit to Prince Doran and talk with him.

"Your grace, the last prisoner is here. We are all waiting in the great hall." Wallace said to him and he turned to the man that for a time was his enemies, as a friend he pardoned him but Harrold won't get the same for murdering Ben, one of his brothers in arms and a good friend. He went and put a hand on the knight's shoulders, getting him to look at him.

"Thank you, for choosing justice over ambition. The Eyrie would never have been taken without you and the others, without you I would be the one being sentenced to whatever fate is in store for the four of them, let's go, my friend."

Walking to the entrance of the great hall he saw the red-haired Queen of the North herself and took a deep breath, stopping near her. "Queen Sansa" He started and greeted, she turned with pursed lips and a stern eye.

"King Rodrik" her voice was not welcoming and he quickly assumed she was still upset over what's to happen to Lysa and Robert, he sighed and gestured for her to enter and she went in and followed by the handmaiden he assigned to the young monarch. He took another deep breath and entered with Wallace, to get this over and done with.

The overall proceedings were calls for Harrold's and Lysa's heads, some for Robert which came from the men that were imprisoned after the failed coup de tat, but the rest had actually pled for the sparing of Robert. One call was clear, Petyr Baelish had to die and that was something he agreed with wholeheartedly along with the deaths of Lysa and Harrold. He kept his voice and opinions still until the room calmed down, gripping the weirwood chair a little.

"What will be done, King Rodrik?" Yohn asked and he sighed and nodded, he knew it.

Hours later a retinue of five hundred rode out of the Gates of the Moon and towards a woodland area where he found a hilly area that had a tall tree. Next, he had four nooses set up, this form of execution is used for criminals and beheadings would suit them best but these four are criminals and would pay a criminals debt. Lannisters Pay Their Debts he remembered hearing the unofficial motto from Cersei, lions don't forget their debts and neither does a falcon and knew this move would solidify his hold on the eastern region, he would suffer no sedition or treachery, never again.

"Please brother, don't do this!"

He fought back the amounts of hesitation and swung his blade and allowed the four to fall and strangle, staring at his brother for the last several years; memories flashing of him swinging Robert around the gardens in the Red Keep, teaching him to ride and wield a sword that he would one day use to try and kill him, and to one of the most memorable moment during all of this, the day his brother was brought into this world and heavy storm had come to King's Landing which wouldn't be seen until Myrcella's birth.

The storming was worse than usual and Lysa and his father were asleep. He woke up from the echoes of Roberts cries and hurried to his chambers, creeping in he made the short walk to his brother's side and looked into his crib. The moment his eyes met Roberts the crying ceased and he smiled before picking him up and holding him, telling him that it's alright and his big brother will always protect him, will teach him and be a brother worthy of the young babe, all dust in the winds of chaos as Robert breathed his last.

He only was broken from his trembling by the hard eyes of Sansa, she stared at him and his deceased 'brother' and his mother with untamed anger and sorrow.

[Sansa]

She looked on with tears falling from her face, anger towards Baelish and Rodrik which led to the deaths of her cousin and aunt, Kinslayer! She screamed out as she turned away from the sight of the four bodies dangling like chimes in the Great Sept of Baelor. Looking brought the memory of her father being beheaded by Ser Ilyn Payne.

"Cut Robert down and bury him. Lysa, Harrold and Baelish can remain where they hang." She would not stand there and hear such a decree and eyed the Falcon King in the eye.

"No!" He turned to her sharply and a long time ago, she would shy away from but that isn't who she is anymore, she is a leader and has a duty to her family and people. "You will bury my aunt as well, she might not have been in the right of minds but she is blood, as Robert is yours I demand you bury her as well." She told and would not take as a request, but a command.

"Ladies don't make demands of Kings." A knight defended his lord and monarch but she only gave a remark.

"I am not a Lady, I am a Queen!" She snapped and turned back to Rodrik, "I owe you much, I know that; but I also owed Baelish much so please, give my aunt a burial." She said this softly to get his softer side to feel for her small plight. He stared at her with hard eyes, seeing into her own as the voices dulled with sounds of silence, breezing wind and the swaying of the four- now three bodies of her aunt and the other two, he sighed and his blue eyes closed and swung his blade cutting the binds to Lysa's limp form.

"Bury her yourself, I will not aid you."

He pushed past her and got on his horse and left with his Winged Knights consisting of Lucas, Waymar, and Wallace along with ten more men. She sighed afterward and had Arya and the Hound help her dig a hole for her aunt right next to Robert. By the end of it, she needed a bath from all the dirt on her dress, knees, hands and some had gotten on her cheeks. She never had to do such labor before and she was exhausted from it all physically and emotionally from having to see yet another of her family dead.

Father, Mother, Bran, Robb, Rickon, and now aunt Lysa and Robert. "Our family is growing smaller," She said after it all, and Arya turned to her with a frown, "Let's go back." She didn't want to hear what her sister had to say but Arya will say what she wants and merely got ready for it.

"Our aunt was insane! Our cousin tried to steal his brother's power and would kiss Lannister hide! To me they aren't family, they were more of the scum this world brought to life and deserved their fate!" Everything her sister was saying was hurtful and yet, yet she couldn't disagree but they are their blood and that is not going to change anything, none.

She contemplated what her sister said as it stuck in her head for the entire night. She tossed on one side of the bed and then tossed to the other after five minutes, she couldn't sleep and couldn't even bother to remain in that bed another minute and not even the room could console her right now. She dressed herself in a robe and walked out of the chamber room, heading to the gardens which quickly became the best spot in the Eyrie because it's much more quieter than any other, even in the day time as well.

[Rodrik]

He was riding through the woods, his father and Robert coming close behind on their own stallions. They are hunting in the Kingswood with the King and had broken off on their own as a family, he spotted a doe in the clearing and dismounted from the white horse. Taking a deep breath he knocked and drawn the shot before letting go of that arrow through the does head, chuckling he got up and turned to his brother and father who were in a line; facing him with eyeless sockets.

"You killed him." His father said to him. "You killed us all, worse was you never swung the blade, but forced the action with inaction."

Eddard and Robert appeared next to his father and brother, sharing the same cold stares and eyeless sockets. Together the four accused him of crimes committed.

"You knew what Cersei was and ran instead of taking action, traitor!"

"My wife and son are dead because you hadn't committed to the alliance, oathbreaker!"

"You killed me, brother- No, Kinslayer!"

"Lysa was untrustworthy and you knew this, Petyr was untrustworthy and you saw, you failed me... Son!" Many others long past appeared and began calling him what he knew deep down, a coward and traitor and coldhearted, but worst of all... He was weak, a wingless falcon and it caused him to shout from the top of his lungs.

"NO!"

He jolted from his bed with beads of sweat pouring down his body and face, his fists were clenched so hard that his nails were piercing the skin. This is the second time tonight that he was woken from nightmares of the dead, calling him coward and traitor and weak. He pulled the covers from his naked body and walked over to put on some trousers and a robe, dawn is coming in a few hours and he knew from the cool breeze in the air through his window, a sigh escaped his lips and he turned to the door after a sound echoed.

Now who is walking about this late in the night, He thought with curiosity and hesitated before deciding on following who it was. Shuffling of feet and shadows made it all unclear of who it was, though the individual was clearly female from the slender form. He would have called on whoever but was genuinely curious where the mystery woman is going.

The trail stopped near the gardens, his second favorite spot beside the great hall. His father had said his mother would bring him here to sing hymns of the Seven or read about past Lords of the Vale and of Artys Arryn, the Falcon Knight. Of course, this was when he was still in her womb but what was done had stuck around, he leaned against a wall and watched the woman approach an open space and the moonlight showed him who she was and he was surprised.

Sansa? He said in his thoughts. She didn't notice him, but he noticed her and instead of having an angry face as he would usually see, he saw calm and gentle. In that small moment, she looked, looked... Beautiful, He subconsciously thought as he stared at the Queen in the North. He took a deep breath and took a step towards her, clearing his throat to get her attention and her gentle feature went away and was replaced with scorn once again.

"King Rodrik." She gestured coldly and he allowed a frown to grace his own features.

"You are still angry?" He asked her and her silence was the answer. "I didn't want to do what I did to Robert- " She cut him off with her own voice and a harder stare than before.

"And yet you did, my aunt and cousin were blood. If not more so than you and my father were brothers." She brought her father into the talks and he looked away, "You could have sent her away, and my cousin and your younger brother could be at the Wall, yet you killed them without prejudice." He furrowed his brow at that, without prejudice?

"He led a rebellion, caused the deaths of many of my people, what I did might have been hard but it was justice. My father was murdered by Lysa, Baelish told me she slipped the poison in his wine to help it pass! Tell me, if your own mother did the same to Ned, what would you have done?!" He said with each word said the volume of his voice got louder. Sansa didn't seem to know what to say after that and looked away from him and avoided his question. Silence swelled and the only sound made was the gentle breeze.

"When will I go home?" She asked after several minutes of silence and the two avoiding each other. She began to tear up and he swelled didn't think before enveloping the young girl in an embrace, she must have let go of her hate towards him and wrapped her own arms around his waist, "I just want to go home!" She bawled out and he took a deep breath.

"I promised I will help you and Arya get home, and I will."