Chapter 14

A year has gone by so quickly, yet peace hasn't been equally settled in all parts of the Seven Kingdoms. The Vale reeks of civil war, and it is up to the Crown to deal with the succession crisis that has been brewing ever since the so-called Dance of the Dragons ended. To do that, King's Landing sent the Regent Ser Corwyn Corbray, the Crown's representative from the Vale.

The Regent brought a small retinue of knights with him to accompany him through the steep paths that lie ahead in the Vale. Winter has not yet ended, and activities of mountain clansmen are reported to be at an all-time high. Along the way, he gathered many more knights to join him as well, and he already sent ravens to those who want to serve the Crown in its time of need. He went to Hayford, Duskendale, Sow's Horn, Antlers, and Maidenpool, gathering a small host of around thirty men. He continued to plan his routes to gather more swords to enforce the king's justice in the Vale. Of course, he doesn't want his host to be too large, as he is not going to war, merely parlaying with the lords of the Vale; the men are just there for 'security.'

The next stop for Ser Corwyn was Harrenhal, the seat of the newly empowered House Tybur. Many smallfolk didn't even call the shoddy castle Harrenhal anymore; they called it Titan's Hall. When Ser Corbray's host arrived there, he didn't need to question the reason for the sudden pivot in the name.

Simply put, it was a different castle entirely. The charred, melted stone had changed to bone white. The towers were all but fixed in rough ways. The walls were new, and the rubble was no more. Although it didn't look like these shapes had been built by the hands of men, it seemed as if the castle had naturally 'grown' by mother nature. In Ser Corbray's eyes, it was much more of a titan's den than a noble's castle.

The host arrived just in front of the main gate, and some were already planting their tents to rest for the night. It was then that the gate opened, the banner of House Tybur fluttering on the walls as it did so. For many, it was their first time seeing the banner: a man carrying the weight of a black sun on a white field.

From the gate came the lord of the castle, Lord Willam, decorated in simple leather armor on his black horse. He rushed down from the slope and came to face Ser Corwyn.

"Welcome to my humble dwelling, Ser Corwyn," said Willam as he stopped his horse just in front of Ser Corwyn's. Willam looked behind the regent, raising his brow. "It seems you've brought many swords with you to a diplomatic mission for the Crown."

"The Vale is dangerous this time of year, my lord," answered Ser Corwyn. "Clansmen have descended from the mountains to gather supplies for the rest of the winter. The chances of us being attacked by them are high. And besides, many Vale lords didn't answer the Crown's call to stand their swords down; we're most likely walking into their trap."

"Trap?" questioned Willam. "I thought the Crown stood neutral for now. Saying that it is a trap implies that the Crown has taken a side."

"We haven't yet." Corwyn shook his head. "In terms of inheritance rules, Ser Eldric is indeed the next in line as Defender of the Vale, but his father was a traitor to Lady Jeyne. Some argue that he should have been disinherited from the position. As for Ser Isembard, well… while he might be from a recent branch from Gulltown, he has many supporters from small lords, from outside and inside the Vale."

"Of course," Willam scoffed. "He bought them with gold."

Ser Corwyn smiled wryly and looked toward the distance. "There is also a smaller claimant: Ser Joffrey Arryn, the Knight of the Bloody Gate. A fourth cousin to Lady Jeyne, he served her well, and many houses that were close to the late lady support him. But alas, it is only in whispers; they haven't declared it, and many lords argue for the closest kin, not the most competent."

Ser Corwyn took off his helmet and placed his hand on Lady Forlorn. "The Crown cannot stand neutral for long, my lord. We need to pick a side, the one who benefits the realm the most. Which is why I need you to come along with me, to convince my fellow Vale men to put an end to this debacle."

Willam chuckled. "Why me? I am the one who killed Lady Jeyne. I am the one who destroyed the Eyrie. Will they not hate me?"

"They will," Ser Corwyn said. "But they can do nothing about it. Just as Sharra Arryn could do nothing when Visenya and Vhagar landed in her castle. With you, they will think twice before pulling their swords towards us."

Willam sighed. "I will go. But the Crown must pay its debts to me first."

Ser Corwyn nodded. "Done. I will send a raven to the Hand to send the rest of what the Crown owes you." Ser Corwyn then looked to the castle, raising his brow. "Although, you do not look like you need much gold at the moment. And I've heard whispers of your… services."

"I've made do with it," Willam hummed. "But it is not as much as Lannister gold."

Ser Corwyn simply laughed. "Good luck with that, my lord."

***

The sounds of shouts and screams echoed throughout the passage a couple of miles before the Bloody gate. Ser Corwyn Corbray struggled to control his horse, swinging Lady Forlorn left and right as he fought off the mountain clansmen that tried to unhorse him using their hands. Although they have brought around sixty men in total, the road through the mountains is small and tight, and when the mountain clansmen descend from the cliffs that surround the road to the Bloody gate, all hell breaks loose. Swords were drawn, but horses clashed against one another, making some fall to the ground and helpless. Slingers surrounded the envoy, and many clansmen from the cliff were throwing javelins to pick off these knights one by one. 

In between all the chaos, ser Corwyn could only focus on himself, parting heads of the clansmen that tried to kill him. He used his shield to deflect the stones and javelins, while controlling his distance from the people around him to not slam against one another. He looked tired already, as the air was thin and cold from the winter.

As he lopped off another head of the clansman, he looked around the area, searching for someone.

"Where in the seven hells is Lord Willam?!" he shouted to the men.

But then, just as he said those words, he heard something coming from behind him. It was a big boulder, rolling down from the top of the cliff directly towards him and the men around. Ser Corwyn's eyes widened, and he raised his sword, signaling everyone. 

"Move! Move!" He yelled. 

It was at that time that a bright flash of light came from the direction of the boulder. Ser Corwyn turned to it and saw that a twenty-three-foot-long, long-legged, and long-armed titan was halting the boulder. It was a sudden move, and the lost momentum quickly cracked the boulder from the titan's shoulder before it finally fell to the ground, split in half.

The shoulder of the titan that was hit by the boulder was pouring with steam, to the point that it covered the titan's face. Willam's face.

Willam, in his titan form, then turned to the rest of the mountain clansmen, who was wide-eyed at the sight of a giant such as him. The titan took a deep breath, before letting out a high pitch roar that made everyone's ears that heard it bleed, and they became stunned due to it.

Taking the time he himself created, Willam reached the top of the cliff using his long arms, and pulled himself up before sweeping up the javelinmen and slingers from it, throwing them down towards the battlefield below and either killing them, or crippling them. From there, he carefully climbed down again like a monkey, and he started his slaughter on the back area of the envoy, where more clansmen gathered due to them trying to cut off the fleeing point.

Seeing the blood that was spilled, the mountain clansmen quickly routed, and what was left from the envoy was a broken mess, with the ground littered with dead bodies. Ser Corwyn could only take some breaths to restore his stamina, and got off his horse.

It was then that the titan approached the front of the envoy again, his arms and legs now completely covered in blood, not from its own, but from the blood of the attacker. The titan turned its eyes to Ser Corwyn, its haunting emerald eyes shook the man to the core.

[Eyes on the cliffs, ser.] the titan spoke, surprising all the knights that heard it. [I had thought you'd be more experienced in this.]

Ser Corwyn looked up at the cliff and sighed. "These clansmen are always unpredictable, Lord Willam."

The titan's body suddenly went limp, leaning against the cliff as if it were sleeping. From the back of its neck emerged Willam, almost uninjured except for the marks on his face. He slid down from the nape to the ground before rejoining Ser Corwyn.

"We should hurry. The Bloody Gate should be but a short march away from here," Willam said, looking towards the distant path. "My horse is slain. I will walk on foot for the rest of the journey."

"And so will many others," Ser Corwyn murmured, turning to the knights who were currently recovering. Most were helping the injured, and some were dragging their comrades' dead bodies to the side to bury them. "We need some time to respect the fallen and gather ourselves. We'll march again in a few moments."

Willam hummed. "Very well."

***

Ser Corwyn now stood in front of the only gate that guards the entrance to the Vale. The envoy was now being watched closely from every corner: atop the cliffs, from the gate itself, and even from some holes in between the rocks. One man then made himself visible from the gate, wearing the heraldry of House Arryn. He examined each member of the convoy before uttering the traditional words.

"Who would pass the Bloody Gate?" the man questioned loudly.

"Ser Corwyn Corbray," the regent answered, "with his envoy that represents the king."

"Welcome back to the Vale, Ser Corwyn," stated the man on top of the gate as it opened for the envoy to enter. "However, for a diplomatic envoy, the number of swords you brought is a bit too much, no?" The knight of the gate then noticed Willam's presence and instantly frowned. "You brought a murderer, no less."

"Tis for my own safety, Ser Joffrey," Ser Corwyn said as the knights behind him continued to march through the Bloody Gate. "We were attacked by the mountain clansmen on the way here. I'd say that it is justified. Besides, it seems your men are lax these days on patrolling the mountains."

"Then forgive me for that," the knight sighed. "Men are thin, Ser Eldric is gathering a host at the Gates of the Moon, preparing to fight for his birthright."

It was now Corwyn's turn to frown. "A host? The crown has heard nothing of this."

"Merely a precaution, he says," replied the knight of the gate. "But it's a good thing you're here so we can have certainty in this whole debacle."

Ser Corwyn frowned even more before he turned to look at Willam. "It appears it was a good call to bring you here, my lord."

"Don't speak too soon, Ser," Willam said, joining the knights entering the gate. "My presence might make it worse."