Chapter 11

<On the sea aboard a ship>

It had been one hour since he put his cousin to sleep and yet Andar was growing worried by the minute. Ser Tyrek told him to protect his cousin from assassins and yet none has come to kill Konrad, or at least not yet. It was a strange thought, for Andar, killing a person was not a foreign occurrence, especially since the Mountain clans did love to attack his father and his men, and more than once he was forced to end a barbarian.

But that didn't mean that he was going to enjoy killing a woman from behind, and more than once Andar prayed to both the old and new gods to not send anyone to kill his cousin. Alas, not everyone gets what they pray for.

Exactly one hour and fifteen minutes after he hid behind the door with his sword in hand, the door to the room slowly opened and after a few seconds, a red-haired woman made her way inside holding a small dagger. Watching her close the door and slowly move forward, Andar felt no pity or remorse for her. Mayhaps if she turned around and left, he would have let her live, but now… now it was personal.

He gripped his sword tightly in his hand, waiting for the right moment to strike. Praying to all gods that she would not notice him behind the door, Andar continued to watch as the woman was making her way towards his cousin.

With that in mind, Andar waited until the woman was within a few feet of his cousin's bed, then he sprang into action. Fearing that every wasted second might give the woman an edge, Andar leaped out of his hiding spot and lunged at her, thrusting his sword into her chest from behind. By sheer luck alone, the woman was too slow to react and by the time she realized that something happened, Andar's sword was already through her chest.

Blood poured out of the wound as the red-haired woman stared blankly at the two and ten-name days-old boy who just killed her. Not even in a hundred moons would have she imagined that this would be how she died.

With a final gasp, the woman tried to speak, but only blood came out of her mouth making her cough before she spat, then managed to utter a few words. "You… you fool… Littlefinger… will send more… more assassins… sellswords… you can't… can't stop him…" She glared at Andar with hatred as her eyes closed and her body hit the floor.

Staring blankly at the dead body, Andar didn't know what to do now. Should he drag her out of the room? Or mayhaps he should leave here there until Tyrek came back? But one thing was for sure, Konrad didn't need to see a dead body, not now at least. His cousin was too young to understand those things, despite him being pretty smart for a three-name's day-old lad. And so, fearing that his cousin might see the dead body, Andar grabbed one of the bed's covers that was given to them as a spare and covered the body with it before sitting on the bed and watching the door while tightly holding his sword.

At the same time, Tyrek Lannister, the ex- kingsguard, just threw a body overboard. None of the sailors said anything or did anything since the bald man was the one who attacked the blonde knight, however, the fact that the deck got blood on it was not something either one of the crew members was going to let unpaid. Not wanting to get on the bad side of the captain or the crew, Tyrek just paid them one golden dragon before making his way down towards Konrad's room.

Truth be told, as much as he didn't want to have a two and ten name's day old bloody his hands with a woman's blood, Yohn's oldest son must learn that not every fight will be with a lance or that it would end honorably.

When he reached their room, Tyrek found Andar hugging his cousin while he stared blankly at a covered body. He could tell that the boy had killed the woman, and for the first time in years, he cursed this world for forcing children to lose their innocence before their time.

The first thing he did thought was to grab the body and under Andar's gaze, Tyrek carried the body outside. A few minutes later, he returned and sat beside the two boys. Thankfully Konrad was too young to understand what happened, but Andar, the poor boy tried his best to act thought in his cousin's presence, fearing that he would scare him.

"Andar, listen to me," Tyrek said softly. "You did well today. You saved your cousin's life, and you proved yourself brave and loyal. I'm proud of you, and so will be your father, I'm sure. But I also know that you're hurting inside and that you wish things were different. I wish that too, lad. I wish we lived in a peaceful world, where no one had to kill or be killed, where everyone was happy and safe. But we don't. We live in a cruel and bloody world, where people are greedy and ruthless, where wars and plots never end, where death is always lurking in the shadows. You have to understand that, Andar. You have to accept it and learn to deal with it. Because if you don't, you'll be broken by it. I'm telling you this because I've learned this the hard way."

He paused for a moment, giving Andar a few seconds to digest his words, before he continued.

"I'm not saying you have to become cold and heartless, Andar. No, never that. You have to keep your honor and your compassion, your kindness and your courage. Those are the things that make you human, that make you a good man. But you also have to be realistic and pragmatic, Andar. You have to know when to fight and when to flee, when to trust and when to doubt when to show mercy and when to show justice. You have to be smart and careful, lad. Because there are many enemies out there, who want to harm you and your family, who want to take what is yours, who want to destroy what you love. And you have to be ready for them. And above all, you have to be strong for your cousin, because you are a Royce of Runestone, Andar. And Royces don't give up, don't give in, don't give out."

"You remember my father?"

"Lad, I was your age when Broze bloody Yohn smashed more than a hundred savages in the vale alone. Your father is a living legend, at least in my eyes he is. Now, try to get some sleep, it might help with your state. I'll stay guard for tonight, so please just rest, your cousin will need you on the morrow."

<King's Landing, after a stag and lioness married>

Ned left as soon as Robert and Tywin's daughter married, and that … made Jon Arryn realize that mayhaps this was not for the good of the realm. The old lion was ambitious, far too ambitious for his liking, and yet the crown was in dire need of the old lion's gold.

He knew that the king was not in love, not even close, he too was forced to marry a woman to strengthen the Vale and the alliance between House Stark, Arryn, and Tully. His new wife, Lysa Tully was far from being happy with their forced marriage, but as much as he wanted to end this marriage, Jon knew that this was for the best. Mayhaps in time, they would fall in love or at least they would be in a better state than Robert and Cersei would ever be.

Alas, there was no point thinking about these things now when the kingdom needed to be ruled.

As he was making his way towards his room, Jon heard one of the golden clocks shout out for him to stop. Jon stopped and turned to face the gold clock, who was wearing the sigil of House Lannister on his chest. He recognized him as one of the new ones that Tywin had brought with him to King's Landing, along with his daughter and his army making him wonder what the cloak wanted from him while hopping to all the gods it was not another attempt to influence his decisions as the Hand of the King.

"Yes, what is it?" Jon asked impatiently.

"Lord Hand, I have an urgent message for you," the cloak said in a calm voice. "The grandmaester has just received a raven from the Vale. He says it is of great importance, and that you should come to his tower at once."

That was not what he had expected to hear from the gold cloaks. What could be so important that the grandmaester would send for him in the middle of the royal wedding? Was it something to do with his new wife, his son, or his father-in-law?

"Very well, thank you for informing me. If you will be kind, can you lead me to the grandmaster's tower?"

The cloak nodded and turned around, walking briskly towards the direction of the tower. Jon followed him, hoping that whatever news awaited him there was not too bad. He had enough troubles already, with Robert's reckless spending, Tywin's ambition, and Ned's departure, and by all the gods he did not need any more problems from his own home.

Unsurprisingly enough, when he reached the grandmaester's tower, Lord Tywin alongside Varys and Pycelle was already waiting for him. Watching the three men seemly waiting for him at this late hour, made Jon wonder if this is how he would die, then again if the worst came true, the Blackfish and Bronze Yohn would be able to hold the Vale safe from their enemies.

"Lord Tywin, Lord Varys, Grandmaester Pycelle," Jon said. "What a surprise to see you here. I hope you are enjoying the wedding."

"Lord Hand, we are delighted to see you as well," Tywin said. "We were just having a friendly conversation with the grandmaester when he received your raven. We thought it would be courteous to wait for you and hear what it is about."

"Yes, indeed," Varys said in his soft voice, being all smiles. "We are all ears, Grandmaester. We are sure that whatever news you have from the Vale is of great interest to us all."

"Indeed, indeed," Pycelle said, nodding his head. "Please forgive me for summoning you so abruptly, Lord Hand. But I assure you, it is a matter of utmost urgency and importance. Something has happened at the Eyrie, Lord Hand. Something terrible."

Pycelle then took the message from the table, which was surprisingly enough still sealed. He broke the wax and unfolded the parchment, clearing his throat before reading it out loud.

"Lord Hand, I write to you with grave news from the Vale. A few moons ago, some of the guards at the Eyrie found the bodies of several assassins in the lower levels of the castle. They had been killed by a dagger. Upon further investigation, we discovered that they had been sent by someone to kill your son and heir, Lord Konrad Arryn, and your nephew, Lord Andar Royce, who were staying at the Eyrie. However, it seems that the assassins failed in their mission, for we could not find any trace of your son or your nephew in their chambers or anywhere else in the castle. They had disappeared seemingly out of thin air, without any of their personal belongings or any of the loyal guards. We have searched everywhere, but we have no clue where they have gone or who has taken them. We fear that they may have been kidnapped by another enemy, or worse, that they might have been killed by whoever sent the assassins. We are doing everything we can to find them and bring them back safely, but we need your help and guidance. Please reply as soon as possible, and tell us what to do. The Vale is in turmoil, and we do not know who to trust. Your faithful servant, Maester Colemon of the Eyrie."

For a second Jon didn't know how to react. While he did marry Lysa Tully and made her his third wife, he still loved his late wife, Jeyne Royce, the mother of his heir, Konrad Arryn. And now, after moons of being away from his boy, Jon found out that he had been kidnapped.

Jon felt himself growing weaker as he heard the dreadful news. He could not believe that his son and his nephew were gone, that someone had tried to kill them. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his vision blurred making him stagger and almost fall, but Varys rushed to help him stand.

"Lord Hand, are you alright?" Varys asked, holding him by the arm. "You look pale and faint. Do you need some water or wine?"

Jon shook his head, trying to regain his composure. He did not want to show any weakness in front of these men, especially Tywin Lannister, who was watching him with a cold and calculating gaze.

"No, no, I'm fine," Jon said, forcing a smile. "It's just… it's just a shock, that's all. My son… my nephew… they are missing…"

He looked at the message again, hoping that it was a mistake, a lie, a trick. But it was not. It was real. And he had to do something about it.

"Grandmaester Pycelle, send a raven back to the Eyrie at once," Jon said, handing him the message. "Tell Maester Colemon to keep searching for my son and my nephew, and to inform me of any news or clues and please do let them know that I will come to the Vale as soon as possible."

He turned to Tywin Lannister, who had not said a word since he heard the urgent news.

"Lord Tywin, I apologize for leaving you so abruptly, but I have an urgent matter to attend to. I hope you understand."

Tywin nodded slowly, but his eyes did not betray any emotion.

"Of course, Lord Hand. I understand perfectly. Your son and your nephew are your priority. I hope you find them soon."

Jon did not know if Tywin was sincere or not, but he did not care. He had no time for pleasantries or politics. He had to find his son and his nephew before it was too late.

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