The Falcon Flies

Gulltown

The Lord of the Vale looked at his homeland. He didn't want to leave Ned when he needed him most but things are getting out of hand with Lysa and from what Lord Grafton had said, a trial is taking place soon and he needs to move in haste to stop a war from engulfing his people and house against House Lannister as chaos is already loosing itself on the Tully's lands and holds.

Its been a week since he departed from King's Landing, a week since he ran from the night with Cersei, away from his investigations on whoever killed his father and on Ned who was close to the thing he needs. He didn't tell the Hand of the King as he feared Eddard's honor would force him to tell Robert and then he would be one head short, but so would the Queen if she decides to tell anyone.

He advised Eddard to trust no one and to finish his investigations and return home before whoever killed his father decides to steal the life of another Hand. Eddard asked him to remain but he refused and left the very same day he received word from Colemon. Before leaving he allowed Eddard to take charge of half of his guardsmen for protection. Her grace had also called on him but he rushed his pace to leave then and by the end of the day he was on a ship called The Roaring Storm and made way home.

Damned that woman, Lysa has gone too far and his brother being home without word is stressing, how come Robb hadn't written to his father, he will have Lysa sent back home for this and Eddard swore to reign in his wife for capturing Tyrion Lannister. He never spoke to the man beside one game of Cyvasse on the Kingsroad to Winterfell, he is a drunkard but a smart drunkard.

What he spent wondering was why Lady Catelyn did what she did, accusations are all that stands, she said that he was the one to put the attempt on her sons life and that he might be behind his fathers assassination, he refuted this and stated that Tyrion and his father have no animosity towards each other and from the known relationship between the imp and his father, he doesn't believe he would do such a thing and killing a small child of ten is atrocious and folly.

"Hurry!"

He shouted and pushed his horse to go faster, he refused to stop and rest and give time for that blasted woman to do something to the little man.

It was morning when he and his men entered the Bloody Gate and Brynden said that they had gotten no word and that his coming was a blessing as he said that a trial was taking place and he hurried to the Eyrie, with a company of guardsmen and Brynden Tully in tow to reign in this almost disaster. He threw the doors of the great hall open as his brother was about to lay down his perverted judgments by the whispering of his Mad Fish mother and equally foolish aunt.

"What is the meaning of this!" He shouted to the top of his lungs. Lysa and his brothers surprised faces turned to him, terrified. His eyes stared in horror as he saw a sword being thrust down Ser Vardis's shoulder, his mentor and friend are dead, he seemed to be too late now but not too late to stop this madness. Lord Nester stepped forward.

"Lord Arryn. Welcome home, we didn't expect you for another few weeks." He sighed and watched his master falling through the Moon Door.

"I decided to come home earlier than expected. And I will not be leaving anytime soon, Waymar, take my brother away and Brynden, clear the room." He commanded and it was done, soon all that was left was him, the Tully women, Brynden, and Lord Tyrion. "I said you have no authority, I strip you from running the household and left it with Lucas, and yet you have my brother returned home and behind my back had Lord Lannister put on trial." He started and turned and nodded his head, "Forgive me, Lord Tyrion, I wrote your father to hold any action and that I would personally see you returned safely." Tyrion smiled and his mismatched eyes gleamed gratefully and bowed his head.

"No need, Lord Arryn. I am sure my father will not be so, active." He didn't like the sound of that and he groaned before turning to Lady Stark and the Mad Fish.

"I cannot possibly contain my anger right now, you are supposed to be home my Lady, and you. I have been lenient because you were my father's wife, no more." He said with finality and the tension in the room became more darker now, "You will be sent back to Riverrun, back to your home so you don't destroy the work I put in with Robert."

"No! You won't do that to me!, I am Lady Arryn!, and Robert is Jon's strongest son!" The woman shouted from the top of her lungs, "He needs his mother! You cannot do this to me! To your brother!" She tried to plea now, he wouldn't hear it and won't hear it, Curse me if you wish, but I am Lord Arryn, He thought without looking the woman in the eyes and turned to Catelyn.

"Lady Stark, you and my brother will be put on a ship once Tyrion is safely away, and I will do what my father would do and make sure children don't turn this country to the chaos of war."

After that bit of theatre, he went and was told of everything that went on whilst he was away. One mountain clan raid in the past week, some new frontier village has been made in one of the passes from his minor pushes, the leader of the village is called Falcon's Nest after his family, other than a few squire requests and marriages nothing bad has happened since then. After all of this, he called on Lord Tyrion who was guided by his sellsword, the man who slew his teacher and in one way saved Tyrion's life. The three and Colemon spoke in his solar.

"So. You don't believe that I killed your father?" The Imp asked and he shook his head.

"No, I do not. I have my own theories if I find out. Now, tomorrow I will have you given a compliment of guards and taken home." He said and pushed a letter forward, "And please ensure my apologies to your father, if Eddard and I knew this action before it happened then we would have stopped it." He added, Tyrion took the letter and stood to his feet and he did so as well.

"Do not worry my Lord, I am sure my father will understand."

No, he won't. Four days after he let Tyrion leave was when he received word that Jaime attacked Eddard and crippled him, several days after that was when he heard Tywin set Gregor on the Riverlands and sent a raven informing that although he had forgiven House Arryn, House Tully is the one who insulted him and captured his son, he tried to stop this by inquiring for Robert to stop this madness but the King had gone hunting and Eddard ordered for Gregor to be held accountable for the attacks on the Riverlands and commanded for Tywin to come and claim responsibility as well or be held a traitor, all of this in the span of three weeks and he cursed his foolishness for standing by, he should do something but he would be choosing one side or the other.

Lady Catelyn came to him after Lord Stark was maimed by the Kingslayer. She was wrought with grief and demanded that he go to war.

[Flashback]

He was reading the very letter in his solar when his door was thrust open. He looked up to see a grieved Catelyn Stark. He sighed as he already knew what was coming.

"What are you going to do?, Eddard has been attacked and you do nothing!" She vented and he looked at the letter he is going to send to Robert, he needs to be the one to stop this before it gets out of hand, he is the only one who can.

"My Lady. I worry for Ned, he is my friend and I hate Jaime for doing this, but you must see sense. Only the King can square away this matter and that's what I intend to do." He said and held up two letters, "I am going to send letters to both the King and Lord Lannister and ask for both to have cool heads and to settle this in a civil manner." Cat didn't look too convinced, she also wasn't pleased with him all but setting aside the Tully faction in the Eyrie by sending Lysa home which will be soon.

"When has a Lannister settled anything in a civil manner?, was it a civil manner when they butchered the Targaryen children to secure the crown!" It held truth but Robert is still King, and when he reads this letter, Tywin will surrender Jaime for his crime or suffer his lands and titles being taken away from him. He saw the carnage of war as a child and won't see such a thing again.

"My Lady. Just, just believe that Eddard and Robert will do what I cannot. I am a Lord Paramount and Warden, not a King or Hand."

[Flashback End]

"My Lord!" Colemon came into his solar with two letters in his hands. "One letter from one of Lord Starks men, and one from King's Landing." He grabbed them and thanked the loyal maester for bringing them.

"Lord Rodrik Arryn, Lord of the Vale and Warden of the East, it is with great sorrow that I... " As he continued the shock became even more apparent as he found out about his friend, and King was on his death bed, a wound he sustained in a boar hunt that he was too drunk and was gutted. He didn't bother reading the rest and went on to the next letter which was sent by Eddard and this one held terrible truths, about his father.

Eddard completed his investigations and found out his father was indeed killed by the Lannisters, and for the truth of the children of his grace?, they are not Roberts, but bastard children by the Queen and her own brother, Jaime Lannister. His anger built and the grief of all of this making him grip the letter so tight that his thumbs ripped the page apart and finally he lost it. Crying out and throwing things about the chamber and tossing his chair against the nearby window causing the glass to shatter and the chair to fall out of the window.

He laid with the woman and enjoyed the sensations, and to know she was behind his father's death it drove his built up rage to spill out like fiery water. His immediate thought was to call the banners and march to the capital, to knock its gates down and wring the head off the wench and her twin bastard until their heads pop off from their traitorous shoulders, but Colemon counseled caution before proof can be seen lest they themselves become traitors in the eyes of all the great lords of Westeros. Yet he got ravens to his lords and ladies, telling them to be ready.

Ravens then came and informed him of his friend's death and Eddard's arrest for treason, it wasn't true and never will be true. The Hands household was slaughtered and so were the men he left with Ned, friends he fought alongside with and bled together were corpses now and he was standing inside of his great hall, reading a message when Cat and Brynden marched inside.

"So what now?, Eddard rots in the Red Keep and my daughters are hostages, please, will you stand with us." Robb Stark has already called his men and marches south with 20,000 men, his men aligned with the north could outmatch the Lannister hosts easily enough unless the Reach or the Stormlands side with the Bastard King who sits the Iron Throne and even then, he and Robb could go on the defensive and remain in their lands, no army can pass the Bloody Gate and no force can pass the Neck, they would be beaten back every time they come marching.

"Yes. Perhaps it is time, Maester Colemon, the time has come. Call the banners."

Ten days pass by when word comes about Eddard's execution, its war.