53

Chapter 53: The Battle of Winterfell

Summary:

The Knights of the Vale ride alongside the Blackfish to reclaim the seat of House Stark

Chapter Text

After witnessing the last petty moments of Baelish's life, Catelyn and her brother Edmure and her uncle Brynden were accompanied by a dozen or so members of the Brotherhood as they set out to the Eyrie.

When her brother Edmure discovered that the Kingslayer was her prisoner, he howled with laughter, clearly amused by the fortunes of Tywin's son, and so either out of dullness or resentment, Edmure was content to mock the lamed lion as he called him at every opportunity.

Jamie Lannister was her enemy of that there was no doubt, that man had thrown her son Bran from the broken tower to hide his affair with Cersei and even wounded her dear Ned though the man had some honour as he had sworn to bring her daughters back alas he had failed for no fault of his own.

Arya has been missing since Ned's failed attempt to remove Cersei from the throne, and no one has heard from Sansa since the death of King Joffrey. Yet Jaime Lannister tried to fulfil his oath by arming Brienne as best he could. When they captured her, Brienne possessed two bags full of coin, a mail hauberk, a shield, and a letter signed by King Tommen saying that she is on a royal mission... And finally, the Valyrian steel sword known as Oathkeeper.

Catelyn's eyes strayed to the sword that Brienne carried with her.

It has grey-black and red ripples through the steel, with the red almost as dark as the grey. Its scabbard glitters gold and is decorated with a row of Lion's heads and smouldering red rubies. The pommel has a golden lion's head with ruby eyes that shine like two red stars... When Catelyn saw it, she wept; that sword had belonged to her Ned and before him to the ancient Kings of Winter and the Lord of Winterfell long after them reduced to a pretty bauble of those wretched Lions.

Jaime Lannister noted that it is appropriate to protect the daughters of Eddard Stark with his own steel, and Catelyn did not refute that ... Brienne insisted that this man had changed, and although she would never acknowledge it, Catelyn was beginning to accept that this was true. Jaime Lannister was no longer the rash, headstrong Knight that he once was.

"None are as innocent as they once were; it seems war makes monsters of us all in some way or another", Catelyn thought with regret before eyeing her brother, mocking Jaime again.

Edmure's enmity was rather vexing, of course, but he had good reason as the lamed Lion had threatened to deliver his heir with a catapult a rather cruel threat as House Tully had lost much in war already, a war that begun in part because of her foolish trust in Baelish, though the Lion could boast that no servant of House Tully lost their lives at the end of the siege.

She would speak to Edmure once they reached the Eyrie.

After several days of travelling at night on the river road, they saw the great mountains of the Vale rise before them snow-capped and aged.

"When last I trod this road, I brought one of Tywin Lannister's sons as my captive, and now I'm bringing the other ... Catelyn thought dryly.

"You have to rest."

Her uncle's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Uncle?" Catelyn asked.

"We have come very far, Cat... We are almost there, but we are wearied, and we are about to enter the realms of the Mountain Clans if they attack us now... We shall not reach the Gates of the moon; we need to rest," Said her uncle Brynden looking up at the sky with a thoughtful expression.

She did not answer and nodded as she did not wish more bloodshed than necessary.

"I do not want to cause more deaths by my recklessness," Catelyn thought with some sadness.

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Thank the gods there was no incident on the "High Road", and they were able to walk the steep path without difficulty until they could see the battlements and the long parapets built in the rock of those mountains.

When they reached the gate, a group of knights in grey armour came out in front of them, the Knight of the Gate came to meet them.

A stocky youth of twenty namedays, he had a wide nose and a shock of thick brown hair. He was clad in grey heavy plate armour and helm.

Ser Donnel Waynwood, the new Knight of the Gate.

"Who would pass the Bloody Gate?" Proclaimed Ser Donnel.

At that moment, her uncle Brynden came forward, taking off his hood.

"I, Ser Brynden Tully with his nephew Lord Edmure Tully Lord of Riverrun and his companions who seek refuge in the Eyrie," said Brynden in a solemn voice.

Upon seeing the former Knight of the Gate, the group of knights received their former leader eagerly.

"It is an honour Lord Edmure, Ser Brynden ... We never thought we would see the Lord of Riverrun again, especially after the Red Wedding," Said Ser Donnel Waynwood, approaching them.

Catelyn only hid her face more as she restrained a groan of pain when she remembered that terrible day that was where her son Robb died betrayed and weeping.

"Need beyond hope draws me back to the Vale so my family may find shelter from the Lannisters ... I congratulate you, Donnel and don't despair, I have no wish to reclaim my title ... I bring a prize to my niece, and with luck, we can lock him in the Sky Cells "Said Brynden who gestured to the men to remove Jaimes hood.

Realising the identity of their captive, the knights held their breath.

"The Kingslayer…" Said the Knight of the Door in surprise.

"Yes, apparently Ser Brynden enjoys my company so much that he kindly asked me to accompany him to see his niece Lysa; after all, there was a time when we both were ... Well, close even if it was only for some weeks ..." The Young Lion said arrogantly, but the fear in his eyes was apparent to all.

"Lady Lysa has not allowed the war to enter the Vale; we cannot go against her wishes ... But neither can we ignore his years of service and leave him without help just like that ... Let them pass," Ser Donnel ordered his companions.

"You have my gratitude Ser," Brynden said with a bow.

"Although word of warning Lady Lysa's new husband isn't overly fond of visitors even if they are relations," Said the young Knight and Cat immediately remembered Petyr's agonising death with satisfaction.

"I can deal with the ire of my niece Ser ... Although I would welcome it if you could lend us some men to escort Ser Jaime to Eyrie", Her uncle replied with a malicious smile, surely remembering Petyr's death.

"Very good .." Ser Donnel said and summoned three Knights to accompany them on their journey.

"As for the road, I already know it ... Does Mya Stone still have her mules?" Brynden.

"That's right, Ser ... She must be about to start her journey, so I suggest you hurry to get there before dark", Ser Donnel said, stepping aside to allow the passage.

"Is Lord Nestor at the Gates of the Moon?" Brynden asked.

"No, my Lord... Since Lady Lysa's husband left for Riverrun, I am afraid Lord Nestor went up to Eyrie to aid Lord Robert and his mother with the affairs of the Vale ... Myranda Royce keeps the Gates of the Moon for her father. I am sure she will provide aid and supplies should you lack it," Ser Donnel said.

Brynden nodded and gestured for them to follow.

"This is going to be a long march ..." Edmure complained ... and no one could oppose him as the stony terrain of the Vale of Arryn was treacherous for any but the stoutest knights.

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In fact, they all travelled the difficult stony path to the Gates of the Moon, and unfortunately, they could not arrive in time before nightfall, so they had to spend the night there. The Gates of the Moon was the first seat of House Arryn in the Vale. After the Battle of the Seven Stars, Artys Arryn, the first King of Mountain and Vale, began construction of the large castle where his host had encamped below the Giant's Lance the night before his victory. The two eldest sons of Artys who followed him on the throne expanded the castle.

It was now in possession of the High Steward of the Vale Nestor Royce if the rumours they heard were true; presumably, Petyr had persuaded Lysa to give it to Royce for his long years of service, and while Nestor was a worthy man, no scheme of Baelish was without ulterior motive... Although now it does not matter, that night, the torches flickered on the castle walls and the moon reflected on its Moat, writhing the castle in a silvery light.

 Beyond the upper bailey's postern gate in a dense forest of pine and spruce, as well as the steep, carved steps along the Giant's Lance., they were greeted by Lord Nestor Royce's daughter, Myranda and a dozen men-at-arms who quickly subdued the Kingslayer.

Lord Nestor's daughter Myranda is short and fleshy and buxom. She has a small mouth, brown eyes, and brown curly hair. Edmure couldn't take his eyes off her, and as soon as he introduced himself, he began to make bawdy jokes, no doubt hoping to seduce her. This flustered Catelyn greatly as they were there to seek shelter and aid and couldn't risk the ire of House Royce, and so Cat eagerly reminded her boorish brother that he was Wed ... Although he didn't seem to listen to her.

While her brother made an ass of himself, Catelyn took stock of Lord Nestor's daughter; she appeared clever, playful, and given to gossip.

"Like Sansa when she was a child," Catelyn thought, holding back tears as she remembered her eldest daughter, who seems to have drowned in the sea; it may not be wise to believe Petyr's parting words ... But Catelyn had little hope her husband was dead as well as her three sons, and no doubt her daughters had perished in some horrid way.

For the first time in her life, Catelyn was alone, and it filled her with a fierce melancholy that threatened to consume her just as the waters of the Red Fork would one day.

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As the sun rose and everyone set off to ascend Eyrie except the Brotherhood, who were bound by no oath to go farther than they deemed they should, and so Catelyn said a grateful goodbye to them and asked them to thank Thoros of Myr for all that he had done for her and her family.

As soon as those men left Mya Stone and her mules arrived, the appearance of King Robert's first-born Bastard hadn't changed a great deal.

She was a tall, strapping young woman with coal-black hair cut short and deep blue eyes. She was dressed in a masculine manner clad head to toe in fine leathers she no doubt fashioned herself, and she carried a bow and small dirk.

Seeing her after two years, Catelyn couldn't help but think of her husband's bastard son, Jon Snow.

She hadn't thought of the Bastard in many years the stain upon her husband's honour.

Jon Snow was the only point of friction between them during their entire marriage, the only thing that she could not forgive her husband since although many men had bastards, something that Catelyn had known all her life. So she was not surprised to discover that, in the first year of their marriage, Ned had had a child with a girl he met while in battle. Ned fought in the South while she remained safe in Riverrun. She thought more of Robb, her first-born son, the baby who suckled at her breast, than of that husband she barely knew.

The Starks were unlike the other men she had known. Ned took the Bastard home with him, declaring him his son before the Northern Lords. So when the war finally ended, and Catelyn moved to Winterfell with Robb, Jon and his nurse were already settled.

This hurt Catelyn greatly; despite their short time together, she had come to love him as she did Brandon, and still, he returned with a bastard, but Ned did not speak of the child's mother; he did not say a word about her, But there were no secrets in the castle, and Catelyn heard the maids tell the stories told to them by her husband's soldiers. They spoke in whispers of Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of Morning, the deadliest of the seven knights of the Mad King's Royal Guard, and how the young Lord of Winterfell had killed him in single combat. And they recounted how Ned then brought Ser Arthur's sword to his beautiful young sister, who awaited him in Starfall. Lady Ashara Dayne, tall, divinely endowed, tanned skin with black hair like ebony and with haunting violet eyes. It had taken Catelyn fifteen days to gather sufficient courage, but finally, one night in bed, she asked her husband the truth of the rumours.

It was the only time in all their years of marriage that Ned had frightened her.

.. Don't ever ask me about Jon again; he's the blood of my blood, and you shall not ask more. And now, I want you to tell me where you heard that name, my Lady ... Ned said in a voice as bitter as the frigid lands he ruled.

She had sworn obedience to him. And from that day on, the rumours had ceased, and Ashara Dayne's name was not spoken again within the walls of Winterfell, but Catelyn could not feel rejection towards the boy.

However, that always caused confusion and doubts to Catelyn; if Ashara Dayne was not the mother of the Bastard... Who was? The boy does not have the grey eyes of the Starks, but rather ... A deep blue, one so deep that in the light of the torches, they almost seemed Violet.

In Westeros, violet eyes were uncommon save for those of Valyrian blood; by then, she already knew Ned well enough to know that he would never sleep with a prostitute, so a woman from Lys was discarded like the Targaryens.

So if it wasn't Ashara Dayne… who was it?

.

Whoever Jon Snow's mother was, Ned must have loved her madly because nothing Catelyn said could convince him to throw the boy out. Cat had come to love Ned with all her heart so much that it ached. For Ned, she would have endured a dozen bastards, as long as she didn't have to see them. But Jon was a constant presence, and as he grew older, he became more akin to Ned than any of his trueborn children.

That made the situation even worse, which only worsened over the years since as their son Robb and the Bastard grew up to Catelyn's annoyance, they both became brothers, friends and rivals, coming to compete amicably with each other, and the Bastard soon demonstrated an unusual talent for battle and sums, it appeared that ... He had a gift for everything, including song. Catelyn soon discovered that Jon was a skilled singer, and when Ned found out, she thought he would name him as Bard of Winterfell, but instead, Ned grew nervous and forbade Jon Snow to sing in front; of servants or guests ... That seemed strange to Catelyn, but she cared little if the bastard was content.

If Catelyn herself was honest with her feelings, she knew that her contempt for the child was misplaced; he did not ask to be born in this world, a world in which he would have no right to anything, a part of Catelyn would never cease being terrified, terrified that someday Jon would be displeased with his place in the world and like many other bastards decide to take by force what does not belong to him.

The Blackfyre rebellions were a perfect example of what happens when a bastard reached above his station and dreamt of more, but no matter how much Catelyn wished it, Robb didn't share her sentiments and treated Jon as his brother, so she decided to punish Jon for any trifling matter in the hope of taking him away from Robb either because he beat him in the tiltyard or in the Maesters lessons ... But it fulfilled nothing, the Bastard cried, and Robb consoled him; Catelyn felt a great deal of guilt, but it never lasted.

When it came to the Bastard, Catelyn felt her heart turn to stone ... Or maybe it burned like fire and changed like the sea; Catelyn despised Jon Snow, out of jealousy, fear or frustration she could not say, but she had loathed him for a crime not his own.

Then, one day Ned decided to send him with the Tyrells in the South; this was a great shock; the Tyrells were one of the oldest and most knightly houses in the realm; in her wildest dreams, Catelyn had never thought the Olenna Tyrell would suffer a bastard in Highgarden, but she was mistaken; Mace Tyrell was apparently overjoyed at the prospect.

That was not the solution that Catelyn hoped for; however, it was a solution; although she would have preferred him to join the Night's Watch, Ned's younger brother, Benjen Stark, was First Ranger, an honourable position among the brothers. Had he joined that brotherhood, Jon Snow would have been like a son to him, the son he would never have.

And the boy would have taken the oath when his turn came. That way, he wouldn't have descendants that Winterfell could dispute with Catelyn's grandchildren ... But Ned thought of something else.

He was crying a great deal the day he left his little face swollen and red, just like Robb, Sansa and Arya ... Catelyn never knew when it happened. Still, she began to smile at the Seeing him walk away, and the boy met her gaze; seeing his little face full of pain from being separated from his sisters and brothers made her feel like a monster; she nearly stopped Ned and allowed the bastard to stay, but she hadn't the courage to do it.

She tried to keep her children from sending him letters though Sansa was the only one who heeded her words; Robb and Arya challenged her since they were unwilling to forget Jon.

After many years, Catelyn saw the bastard again as a Renly Baratheon Rainbow; at that moment, Catelyn froze.

It was like seeing her beloved Ned in his youth; the boy had the long face of the Starks, with dark black hair. He was thoroughly Northern save for his deep violet eyes that glittered like the breaking dawn.

Jon was far more akin to Ned than Robb, who clearly had Tully blood with a chubby complexion, blue eyes and thick reddish-brown hair.

Seeing Jon Snow after several years, she could feel all that mistrust and resentment return, being reunited with Jon so soon after Ned's death had been horrid, and when Cat found out Jon had saved Lady, she was more wroth, she wanted to take away everything that could mark him as a Stark even knowing that it was fruitless. And although they had briefly spoken, nothing had changed. Jon Snow was someone she could never love or trust even if he was undeserving of her scorn and ire.

After the death of Renly Baratheon, she fled with Brienne of Tarth, and after returning to Riverrun, her son Robb questioned her about Jon and why she had not brought him with her.

But she dismissed it, telling her son that it had not occurred to her and that he had to flee for his life.

However, that proved to be a foolish mistake or a punishment from the gods for her indifference and cruelty towards the boy ... Surprisingly, Loras Tyrell and Robar Royce had joined Jon Snow on his journey showing an exceptional brotherhood in the case of young Tyrell, who defied his families alliance with the Lions.

If Jon Snow had been with them ... They could have used Loras Tyrell to pressure his family to ally with their cause and not the Lannisters, and in the case of Robar Royce, perhaps pressure his Father to send support.

In those moments, Catelyn berated herself, her resentment and distrust of the Bastard clouding her judgment ... Something that cost her son and her dearly.

The last known of those three was that they travelled to Dorne, and after kidnapping Princess Arianne Martell and escaping the wrath of Prince Doran, the three knights travelled to the Free City of Braavos, where they saved Daenerys Targaryen from wedding a Dothraki Khal, and after that, they disappeared, and no one had heard from them since.

Some assumed they sailed to Asshai, others to Valyria, even Ulthos ... But no one really expected to see them ever again.

Something that she does not regret in spite of everything... It is better than Jon Snow finds his luck and destiny elsewhere.

How much luck or glory can a bastard who fled and had fallen from grace like him aspire to?

Her musing was ended when the chill of the mountain whispered through her cloak, causing her to look to Mya, who seemed rather comfortable in the harsh climes.

When Mya saw her uncle Brynden and bowed in reverence.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Ser Brynden," The young Bastard said respectfully.

"Well met, Mya… Can you take us to my niece?" Her uncle Brynden asked, and Mya Stone nodded.

"Right away, we're lucky; it's a good day to go up; my mules are ready," Said the young woman.

"Shall we go on mules?" Edmure and Jamie Lannister asked concurrently, and they looked at each other with contempt, much to the amusement of onlookers.

"My mules are very lively" was the answer of the young woman with a shrug.

They all followed the Bastard around the castle. They had six mules waiting in the upper courtyard; they were already saddled.

Mya helped them mount the mules while a guard opened a narrow postern. On the other side was a thick forest of pines and firs, and beyond the mountain, like a black wall, but there were the ascending steps carved into the rock.

"There are people who prefer to close their eyes ... If they are scared or dizzy, they hold on to the mules too tightly, and they don't like it; they might throw them off," Mya said while leading the mules through the door and towards the green forest that was illuminated by the morning sun.

"I'm a Tully, and I married a Stark ... I'm not easily frightened, Mya Stone," Catelyn thought wistfully as she remembered her last visit to Eyrie.

"A Lion on a mule? ... My Father must be wallowing in one of the seven Hells," The Kingslayer said with a mixture of amused annoyance, although the idea of Tywin Lannister suffering in some hell brought a smile to Cats face.

The ascent to Eyrie was easier than Catelyn remembered, although that may be because it was daylight now. The trees grew close together, they closed over the road creating a canopy of foliage that sunk, so it was as if they were moving through an endless glowing tunnel. But the mules were fearless and steadfast, and Mya Stone seemed to have a miraculous knowledge of the whole terrain as nothing surprised her. They climbed the mountainside, following the nooks and crannies of the trail, so covered with fallen needles from the pines that the mules' hooves barely made a sound against the rock. The silence was reassuring save for the faint sound of nightingales, and the gentle swaying of the mount rocked Catelyn in the saddle, but this time she did not fall asleep.

In no time, they all found themselves in front of a vast stone gate.

"We are here, my Lords", Mya announced happily as she dismounted ... And Cat saw that everything was still the same in Eyrie, proof that the war had not reached there ... Yet.

The formidable stone walls were crowned by iron spikes, and the small fortress had two turrets at the top. Mya screamed for passage, and the gate swung open.

They were greeted by a small man with a stocky build and a square jaw. He has a squashed nose and a mat of woolly grey hair. He greeted Mya and offered the travellers skewers of meat and roasted onions, fresh from the embers. His voice was hoarse; apparently, he did not use it very often. He introduced himself as Ser Lothor Brunne, the Captain of the Guard of House Arryn, and offered to guide them the rest of the way.

Something that everyone accepted without question.

Since her resurrection, she barely ate or slept ... Although as the weeks went by, she began to feel less like a corpse and more akin to the woman she had once been and started to crave food and rest more and more. Catelyn hoped that meant that she would be the same as before, although she knew that was impossible.

"It's time to see my sister ... And this time, you will have to help us," Cat thought with some anger.

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The last leg of the journey was rather grim as the three Tully's contemplated what they would say Lysa would help them willingly, or they would have to force her; she must remember that she is first and foremost a Tully from Riverrun.

As soon as they arrived, the Kingslayer was chained up by the surprised guards, and they were immediately escorted from the crane room by a spiral staircase. The Eagles Nest was a small castle for what was customary in large houses: seven slender white towers, close together like arrows in a quiver that hung from the shoulder of the great mountain. There was no need for stables, smithies, or kennels, but according to Ned, the barns were as big as Winterfell's, and its towers could hold up to five hundred men. Unlike the last time she was there, Catelyn had the feeling that the castle had a great bustle and that the white stone halls echoed with a great whisper.

Lysa and her son were seated upon the weirwood throne, and the moon door was open apparently, an execution has just taken place; the young Robert Arryn was playing with a doll while on his left was Lord Nestor Royce, attentive as always while his mother Lysa was speaking to a Lord.

One that most instantly recognised as Lord Yohn Royce Yohn's face is lined, and he has grey hair, slate-grey eyes, and bushy eyebrows. He is as tall as Sandor Clegane and has large, gnarled hands.

Bronze Yohn was a proud and formidable man with a booming voice, but the noble Lord can also be solemn and quiet. ... Now he looked ever bit fifty-seven name days.

Next to Yohn was a lovely young Lady; she was tall, slender and graceful in appearance as well as being well endowed; she had snow-white skin with long black hair with light brown tints kept in the form of a braid while wearing a delicate dress of brown silk and sown with many runes of gold thread.

She remained quiet and seemingly indifferent to everything around her while Lord Royce spoke with Lysa, but everyone knew she was merely scrutinising the court with a cunning that none could expect from a Royce.

Finally, whatever Lord Royce had requested was granted by Lysa, and after bowing, Yohn and his daughter began to leave the room, and when they did, they were surprised to see the former Knight of the gate, followed by his nephew Lord Edmure, a hooded figure, a huge ugly woman and a small boy.

As if that were not enough behind them, Jamie Lannister himself, chained with a haughty expression, though one could see slight fear in his cat green eyes.

"Ser Brynden?" Lord Royce said in a powerful voice, and instantly the Court of Eyrie as well as Lysa stared at the newly arrived guest.

"Lord Royce," Said the Blackfish, bowing.

"It is a joy to see you again, Ser ... Although not in such company, Lord Edmure .." Said the man bowing before the Lord of Riverrun, who only nodded.

"Lord Royce… This lovely Lady is your daughter?" Edmure asked in a friendly and amorous tone before kissing the hand of the maid.

But although she was courteous, Catelyn noticed that her gaze was cold despite her smile and sweet words.

Clearly, she wouldn't be seduced like Myranda Royce.

"Yes, Ser, my daughter Ysilla," He said proudly of his youngest daughter.

"It's a pleasure to see everyone," Said the young Lady bowing.

"Uncle?"

The voice of a surprised Lysa was heard throughout the hall, leaving Vale's nobles in awe of the visitors.

"Niece…" Brynden said, bowing.

At that moment, the Lords of the Vale were aware of their visitors, and little Robin jumped up when he saw his "uncle" Brynden again.

"Uncle Brynden!" Robert screamed excitedly.

"Lord Robert…" Said the Blackfish, bowing.

Lysa's gaze hardened as she saw the Kingslayer quickly rose from her throne.

"What is the meaning of this Uncle?! ... What is the Kingslayer doing in my son's Court ?!" She asked furiously, looking at Jamie Lannister, who only observed her with his characteristic conceited smile and snorted with derision despite being chained; however, Brienne and her young squire did recoil before Lysa's anger.

"He's our prisoner, sister", Edmure said, taking a step forward.

"Edmure?" Lysa asked in surprise.

"Are you surprised to see me? ... I imagine so, you hid here while you let them take everything from us ... Our home, our titles ..."

Edmure's voice was full of resentment, a very justified resentment ... But they could little afford to anger Lysa before asking for aid.

"Edmure ..." His uncle Brynden said in a warning tone; however, he also looked at Lysa with bitterness and disappointment.

"OUT ALL OF YOU! .." Lysa said, losing her temper in front of her Court.

"My Lady ..." Nestor Royce said, frightened by Lysa's outburst.

"Lord Nestor, take my son to his room ... And lock the Lannister in a Sky Cell."

"It seems to me that that is rather discourteous, my Lady considering that I have not made any affront against you or the Vale," Jamie said in annoyance.

"Your brother escaped from justice using a cunning trap; I will not give you the same opportunity ... Take him away!" Lysa ordered Lord Nestor and his guards, who were nervous about their Lady's outburst.

"But my Lady, the Moon Door..." Lord Nestor tried to speak when he realised that the Gates were still open.

NOW LORD NESTOR!" Lysa yelled again.

"Mommy?" Little Robert asked, scared, this being the only one who could make his mother smile; Lysa is fiercely protective of her dear Robert, and even then, it was rather queer how close she kept him.

"As ordered my Lady ..." Lord Nestor said resigned, making a sign for the Young Lion to be taken away it was a rather queer gathering now as before them had stood the Lord of Riverrun, their former Knight of the gate and the Kingslayer it seemed like a tavern tale or some tale from the age of heroes.

At that moment, Lysa dropped into the Vales thrones, and all could see how far the daughter of the Bloody Trout had fallen. Her face was a mixture of fear, anger, nervousness, guilt and anguish as she stared at her brother and uncle.

"What do you want from me?" Lysa said, pretending to be calm, but one could see that she was gripping the throne with such force that her knuckles were nearly white.

"Help... Lysa... We need your aid, sister... Our home ... The home where we were raised has been taken by that legion of fucking inbred weasels; we need soldiers to recover Riverrun... Please, Lysa," Edmure said, his face one of utter grief.

For a few moments, an expression of surprise, pain and guilt crossed Lysa's face but instantly, her expression hardened.

"I'm sorry to hear that ... But the Vale cannot afford to lose a single sword... If they attack us .."

"Who will attack you, Lysa? .. The war has cost thousands of lives, the seven Kingdoms are wounded and divided as never since the arrival of Aegon" The Conqueror ", Riverlands are devastated, the North is in chaos due to the Ironborn raids, Stannis Baratheon lost most of his men in his attack on the Capital, the Lions although they boast of having triumphed and defeated their enemies lick their wounds, especially after the death of the" Old Lion ", the Roses in Highgarden wouldn't dare march north, soon their troops will want to return home, and the Dornish have not taken part in the conflict ... So tell me ... Who Will attack the Vale? " Brynden asked angrily.

"Silence, uncle My husband has told me about the situation in the rest of Westeros, and I will heed his counsel ... You probably don't know, but he is ..." Lysa said, eager to reveal her marriage to her beloved Petyr without noticing the look of disgust from her family.

"We know your husband is, sister ..." Edmure said in disgust.

"Then you will know how smart he is ... Petyr and I ... We have waited too long to be together ... We have ... We have done things ... But it is for the good of our relationship and my son ... Lysa said with a delirious expression as Catelyn, and the others looked at her with pity as they realised how much her mind had deteriorated and that Petyr Baelish had been deceiving her.

But Catelyn had had enough and stepped forward.

"Enough, Lysa!" Catelyn yelled, furious with her sister, who quickly rose from the eagle's throne.

"Who are you? .. How dare you speak to me peasant I will make you… "But before the Mistress of Eyrie continued speaking, Catelyn left her face uncovered, revealing her corpse appearance to Lysa, who was only shocked to see the sister she believed dead again in front of her.

"Lysa ..." Catelyn said, approaching her sister, but she recoiled in terror.

"Cat? ... But ... They told me you were dead, killed by the Freys ..." Lysa said with tears in her eyes.

"They did kill me, Lysa, along with my son and our men... But I have returned, I have returned through powers that I did not believe were real, sister .." Catelyn said with a determined step, willing to force Lysa to give in.

But her sister seemed to be falling more and more, starting to cry.

"This is a cruel jest ... You are a shadow!" Lysa said, crying as she brought her hands to her head.

"It's true, Lysa.. your sister has come back to us," said her uncle Brynden, taking a step forward.

"No, I'm not a shadow sister ..." Catelyn said, getting closer to her sister, but she was immediately rejected.

"No, if you are ... The gods sent you to punish me for all the things I did," Lysa said, breaking into tears.

"The things you did? .. What do you mean, Lysa?" Edmure asked suddenly.

"No, no, no! Catelyn is dead. The gods are punishing me by showing me this shadow ... It was for going against my Father giving my maidenhood to my Petyr and not going to see him when he died .." Lysa said, crying.

"Lysa, it's alright", Catelyn said, trying to calm her sister.

"I killed my husband ... I killed Jon," Lysa said, crying, looking at everyone in the room, shocked.

"What are you saying, Lysa?" Uncle Brynden said, standing up suddenly.

"Uncle .." Catelyn said, trying to calm him, but her uncle didn't hear her.

"What are you saying!?" The Blackfish shouted frantically, but Lysa hit him in the groin, causing him to gasp and let go of her at that moment; she ran towards the Moon Door and looked at them all with misery and loathing.

"It was Petyr… Jon wished to part me from my sweet Robin; he wanted to send him to Dragonstone to be fostered by Stannis Baratheon! I had waited so long to have a child, and my husband wanted to get away from him... So Petyr told me that I should not allow it, as Robert's mother I should do whatever it takes for Robert to stay by my side, and he gave me a bottle of tears of Lys he told me, that if I put them in Jon's wine he would fall ill and I would have Robert" Lysa sobbed.

"By the gods ..." Catelyn said, putting a hand to her mouth.

"And then following his instructions I wrote Catelyn a letter, I told her that the Lannisters had killed my lord husband, Petyr told me to do it so that the suspicions fell on Queen Cersei and her family so that no one would suspect us and no one will take me away from my son... Petyr loves us so much that I even think about that ... Then he told me not to send Robb aid even though I considered it. So that the knights of Vale would protect us from the Lions… "She said, starting to cry.

Catelyn could not believe what she was hearing; her sister, her own sister, had been the murderer of Jon Arryn, her own husband played like a lyre by that Snake, everything Catelyn and Ned did was because of that letter... Because of that lie Told by her own sister, she lost everything, her husband and children, the two homes she had had, turned the wolves and lions into enemies, started a war that devastated the country and left countless dead.

Everyone she had ever loved was dead from her sister's obsession with that vermin ... And the worst part was that Lysa stupidly believed that Petyr really loved her.

At that moment, Ned Stark's wife remembered something Tyrion Lannister had told her on their way to the Vale of Arryn.

"You are a stupid woman, Lady Stark. Littlefinger has never loved anyone other than Littlefinger ... Said the Imp back then, and she dismissed it as a lie to save himself.

"Yes, it is true I am foolish, I tend to get carried away by first impressions, and I tend to presume to know the people around me ... But that only shows my arrogance; I really do not know the people who are around my side, not the one I consider as my brother and even my own sister whom I can no longer love, Tyrion Lannister, spoke truly." Catelyn thought with tears in her eyes.

And at that moment, when she saw Lysa in front of her, knowing what she had lost because of her sister, Catelyn pounced on her grabbing her neck.

"How could you? Do you know what it cost me? .. YOU STUPID SPITEFUL BITCH!" Catelyn cried out, crying in anger and pain as her sister struggled to breathe.

Despite being furious with Lysa, her brother and Uncle parted them with some difficulty.

"Enough, Cat, enough ..." Brynden said in dismay.

"Let me kill her uncle! .. Because of her, I lost everything!" Catelyn screamed with tears in her eyes, being held back by Edmure.

"I know, I know ... But Catelyn, she is your sister, if you kill her, you will be a Kinslayer... You will not be better than the Freys," Brynden said, and that seemed to calm Catelyn though her eyes burned like the seven hells.

"I did everything for love ... But Petyr has always loved you ..." Lysa said.

"DO NOT SPEAK OF THAT LOATHSOME WRETCH LEAST I RIP YOUR TONGUE OUT!" Catelyn roared in anger.

"When my husband returns ..." Lysa started to say.

"Your husband is dead, sister ... We murdered him before we came here ..." Edmure said mercilessly, looking at his sister in disgust as she acquired a horrified expression.

"You lie… You lie… YOU LIE!" Lysa screamed like a wounded animal as she collapsed on the ground.

"No, We discovered the role that your beloved Petyr played in the War of the Five Kings and in the fall of our House, and we paid him in kind," Brynden said in the same inclement tone as Lysa wept on the floor.

"Enough, Lysa... Do not weep for that viper who used us to claim power," Catelyn said furiously at everything she had discovered.

At that moment, Lysa looked at her, but now her eyes were filled with hatred.

"You will never understand ... I, I loved him, he was always the only one who listened to me since childhood, you were our Father's favourite, and Edmure was his heir ... but me?... I did not stand out at all. Petyr was the only one who consoled me, the only one who cares. When we were young, I gave him my maidenhood. I would also have given him a son, but my Father killed him with moon tea, tansy, mint, wormwood, a spoon of honey, and a drop of pennyroyal. I didn't know it, I just drank what my Father gave me ... Then he expelled Petyr from our home, and he struck me whenever I uttered his name. "

"He dishonoured you, Lysa... He didn't deserve anything else... Father was very charitable in sparing his life," Edmure muttered furiously.

"Then our Father forced me to marry Jon Arryn, who was so old that he could be my grandfather ... But I disgusted him; Father told him about the son he lost and told Jon that I could give him an heir, that's why Just like me ... All Jon wanted was a son and our Father's swords to help his little rebellion. I should have rejected him, but he was so old, I thought how long could he live? Half his teeth were missing, and his breath smelled like rotten cheese. You know I can't stand men with bad breath. Petyr always had it fresh ... Our Father said that Petyr was a mere peasant, but I knew he would reach very high.

Jon entrusted him with the customs of Gulltown to please me, but when he multiplied the income by ten, my Lord husband realised how clever he was and charged him with other assignments; he even took him to Kingslanding so he could be Master of coin. It was horrid to see him every day being married to such an old and cold man. Jon was doing his duty in the bedroom, but he couldn't give me pleasure the way he couldn't give me children. His seed was old and limp. All my babies except Robert died, I lost three daughters and two sons. I lost all my babies, and that old man continued living, with his disgusting breath and failing body ... So now you see, I have suffered far more than most," Said a tearful Lysa full of resentment.

"Lysa, our Father has already died and died full of regret and remorse for what he did to you... He did nothing but name you in his last moments... He died regretting what he did to you; he died regretting not having your love, "Catelyn said resentfully.

For a moment, Lysa's gaze softened but soon became cold and hard again.

"Nothing matters to me anymore ... They took the love of my life from me, and they come here now for my son, I know what they want ... They want to use Vale's army to take back Riverlands ... But I will not grant their wish. They took everything from me! .. "Lysa shouted, nearly hysterical.

That made Catelyn furious that she managed to free herself from Edmure and hit Lysa with all her might.

"WHAT OF ME, YOU CRAVEN WHORE?... For you and your damn husband, my beloved Ned was beheaded, my son Robb pierced by arrows ... My daughters disappeared, one of them may have died at sea, and my sons were slain by the Ironborn along with the thousands of innocents who died due to the intrigues that you and your husband provoked; our family fell from grace, and thousands have lost their lives. How can you say that they took everything from you? " An angry Catelyn yelled at a helpless Lysa who was still crying.

"I ... I ... I did it for love ..." Lysa said, breaking into tears.

... If you go ... to the Vale ... say hello to my wife ... I'm sure what Lysa will tell you ... you'll love it ...

Baelish's final words came to mind, and she, furious and indignant, nearly smacked Lysa again, although dead the silver tongue of that damned viper continues to hurt her and her family, after this ... She will never see Lysa as her sister again.

"Damn you, Petyr, although dead, you continue to haunt me ... when will I be free from your intrigues and deceptions? ... You destroyed my two families, you took the honour and titles of my House ... all for fucking spite; how long must I pay for my rejection of you? Catelyn thought bitterly, believing that Petyr Baelish was the one who laughed last despite everything.

For a few minutes, no one said anything as they were shocked to discover the origin of the War of the Five Kings.

The madness of a deranged woman and the desire for power of a cunning monster.

Catelyn continued crying in anger and outrage on the ground until she felt a hand on her right shoulder, looked up to see Brienne of Tarth's compassionate expression.

"My Lady... Stand up... Do not lay on the ground like a worm; it is not worthy of you ..." The ugly woman said compassionately, and Catelyn nodded and stood up.

"Yes... Lady Tarth is right..." Catelyn said, looking at her deranged sister with disgust.

"Lysa .." Catelyn said harshly, and everyone in the room watched her expectantly.

Lysa was just cowering on the ground like a beaten dog awaiting its Master's whip.

"What you did was ... Abhorrent, you killed your husband... You helped cause a war and destroyed your family by spreading your legs for that snake; your madness cost us everything, your family and thousands more Now you will help us to recover it ... You will provide us soldiers to recover Winterfell," Catelyn said, remembering the words of Thoros of Myr.

But Lysa regained her maddened countenance.

"I will never, I will not do anything to risk the safety of my son! .. I will not help you now that I know what you did to my beloved Petyr, no... I will not ..." And she stepped back to the horror of all.

With the revelation of Lysa's betrayal, none had taken any concern in the fact that the Moon door had been left open, and Lysa, in her hysteria and grief, had been drawing ever closer to its edge.

With those last steps of Lysa ended her journey... She fell through the door before the astonished gaze of all.

"LYSA!" Catelyn yelled; Edmure and Brynden ran towards the Moon Door, where, astonished, they saw a terrified Lysa hanging from a rock holding on tight.

"HOLD ON, LYSA!" Brynden yelled, reaching out a hand, but Lysa was so terrified that she couldn't stretch hers.

"Brienne, look for a rope!" Catelyn ordered frantically and her "warrior woman" gave no sign of hearing her nod.

"Hold on ... take my hand!" The Blackfish shouted to his niece, but at that moment ... As if it were an ironic punishment or revenge from the late Jon Arryn, a flapping of wings was heard, and a large golden eagle appeared and tore at Lysa's face with his talons, provoking the terrified Lysa to lose her balance and fall before the horrified gaze of her family.

Screaming in terror, Lysa fell and fell lost in the clouds before the gaze of her stunned family, who could not believe what had just happened, and Brynden Tully raised his gaze in search of the bird that had ended the life of his niece, but he only saw the animal ascend to the sky again and lose itself in the clouds.

"What in the seven fucking hells was that? "… Asked the shocked Knight with tears in his eyes.

Despite discovering their sister's actions, Catelyn and Edmure fell to their knees and began to cry in horror at what they had just witnessed.

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After a few minutes of incessant tears, both of bitterness and anger at discovering the truth of Lysa's actions and at her death, they calmed themselves, for there was much to be done.

The three Tullys decided to correct Lysa's mistakes, although to do so, they would have to lie to the Vale Lords.

They decided to take over the raising of Lysa's child now that his mother and Littlefinger had died ... Fortunately for him, as horrible as that thought was.

While Brienne and Podrick took a vow of silence and vowed not to tell what had happened there.

Catelyn thanked them both for their loyalty and discretion. In addition to ordering Podrick to go after Lord Nestor Royce since Lysa's death should be made public.

When Lord Nestor returned, he was shocked to learn of Lysa's death, and they explained that when she gave them the news of her husband's death, she became mad with grief and threw herself through the Moon door though they omitting the part Lysa played in the death of her husband and in her involvement with Petyr Baelish since doubts of the legitimacy of little Robert would have been raised.

Quickly, the Lord of the Gates of the Moon called a Council of the Houses of Eyrie to decide what to do next and who would have the guardianship of Lysa's son who, upon learning of his mother's death, began to cry inconsolably in front of the other nobles who, despite everything, viewed him with compassion.

"He's a boy, a little boy of six namedays, barely a year older than my Rickon ... We can't expect more from him ... And he just lost his mother ... He's my nephew ... And no, I cannot help you while I'm more corpse than a woman I must stay hidden," Catelyn thought sadly.

During the following days, the most powerful Lords of Vale, The houses Royce, Waynwood, Hunter, Redfort, Belmore, and Templeton were arriving to decide how to proceed although Yohn Royce was already present, alas neither her uncle nor her brother Edmure had any relations in the Vale so their counsel would not be heeded. Still, the Lords swore to not reveal their presence to the Freys or Lannisters, something they were grateful for.

Her uncle Brynden revealed Littlefingers treachery; he had caused the war to destroy House Tully and Stark; however, they were dismayed to discover that none of the Lords of Vale were shocked; it seemed they knew of Petyrs silver tongue all well, and they formed a group known as The Lords Declarant their intent was to remove Petyr as Lord Protector of the Vale by any means necessary, it seems that they suspected that Tywin Lannister had sent Baelish with hopes of claiming the Vale for the Iron Throne.

Despite this, they were reluctant to fight a war against the Iron Throne since the only allies they would have had, the North and Riverlands, were defeated, so there was no point in holding the Kingslayer hostage; they could not win a war alone.

"They are right, but we need them, we need the Army of the Vale to crush the Boltons, I am proof that the gods are real, and I believe in That the Red God has a purpose for me sWe need to reclaim Winterfell from those flayed fools of that I have no doubt," Catelyn thought desperately as she stood silently behind her uncle and brother with her face covered as if she were a servant.

Her injuries were still too terrible to behold, so for the moment, she will hide her identity while she continues to recover; when her appearance is more human, Cat will be able to speak with others besides her companions and her family.

Maybe in a few months ... but for now, it must wait.

That was a problem that she and her uncle had already anticipated, so they decided to play one of the tricks in Littlefinger's book and with honeyed words, they convinced the Vale Lords to support Stannis Baratheon he was Robert's rightful heir. He, alongside Jon Arryn, discovered the illegitimacy of Cersei's children; it was simple to convince them that their late Lord would have supported Stannis as would Ned, for Lord Stark was still held in high esteem by the Vale Lords.

Her uncle spoke honourably and swayed half the Lords to their cause, most of them knights who were most eager for glory, but the Royces, the greatest family of the Vales lords, were reluctant, although they recognised the words of her uncle Brynden as truthful.

There they understood that the final word would fall on Lord Nestor due to his position as High Steward of the Vale, unless little Robert stops crying and will take his Father's seat, even if only this time.

Catelyn looked in dismay at her nephew, who continued to cry throughout the meeting being cared for by Lady Ysilla and other maids; the little boy had been saddened by the death of his mother and when he heard about Petyr's actions, and although he did not understand what they meant, he found out that Uncle Petyr intended to befriend Ser Harrold Hardyng. So the boy threw a tantrum as Robert dislikes his cousin Harrold and is resentful of his status and believes Harrold is just waiting for him to die so that he can take the Eyrie. And knowing that Petyr was kind to Harrold was a betrayal of him, so at least now little Robert was convinced that his "Uncle Petyr" was a bad and lying man.

"The boy is smarter than he seems ... Catelyn thought with a smile full of satisfaction.

It was there when the most surprising happened, little Robert displaying a strength of character that no one ever expected from him, stopped crying and went in the direction of the eagle's throne and sat upon it; after blowing his nose, he asked who had brought the bad man to live with his mother.

When they answered that it was the Lannisters, the little boy ordered them to "fly" ... That was when Catelyn and her uncle Brynden saw their opportunity and subtly suggested the idea of supporting Stannis Baratheon, and the little boy nodded to the satisfaction of all those who wanted to bring the lions to heels.

And so for the first time since Roberts Rebellion, the Lords of the Vale girded themselves for war and set out North to help Stannis rally the North against the Boltons, although Catelyn had not forgotten Thoros's words that Stannis would lose the battle without their aid but what had introduced her the most was the wolves she would supposedly find.

A wolf would come from the North and two wolves from the West, and with the two a litter of wolves, a half-dragon and half-wolf creature leading them.

She was not a fortune teller, but she knew very well that the direwolf was the emblem of House Stark ... Was there a Stark in the North yet?

She was reminded of Benjen, who was The Wall, but he is a sworn brother of the Night's Watch; he could not inherit anything ... So what wolves did Thoros refer to?

She did not know ... But she wanted to find out ... She will do it after taking revenge against the murderer of her son, Roose Bolton; she will see his fucking hide mounted before the gates and his corpse fed to the wolves.

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For weeks the Vale prepared for War.

The Great Lords had decided that little Robert Arryn would be under the tutelage of Yohn Royce, so he would have to come down from Eyrie for the first time since he arrived ... which did not please the Lord of the Vale his crying and tantrums were proof of that.

When the army of the Vale was ready, they quickly set out in the direction of the North despite the reluctance of Edmure, who thought they should free Riverrun from the Boltons, and Cat agreed with her brother.

The Vales Army is the only army besides the Norths to fight in the deep winters, and Winter was ever near, and soon the northern climbs would be thick with snow and impassible for all save the hardiest of horses.

After leaving the Vale, set off along the King's road towards "Moat Cailin" to enter the North, which everyone knew that "Moat Cailin" was claimed by the Iron born... but Ramsay Bolton, the bloody bastard, had defeated them and hung their flayed corpses from the Moat's walls freeing the only passage into the North.

Hearing about the evil of Bolton's bastard son, Catelyn was disgusted and terrified.

The reputation of that Bastard, no ... That monster was frightening, his "activities" were known throughout the North, his fascination with the hunt for young women whom he raped first was something monstrous, especially his treatment of Lady Hornwood after the death of her husband and her son the Bastard Bolton forced her to marry him and sign a will that named him her heir so that he could inherit their lands. He raped her, locked her in a tower and gave her no food. When Ser Rodrik Cassel finally arrived to free her, it was too late: The poor woman starved to death after gnawing on all her fingers. Ser Rodrick had reported that as one of that monster's favourite torture tactics, he had ripped the skin off all of the old woman's fingers, letting her bite them as the only way to end her agony, after which, in hunger delirium, she ate some of them.

Catelyn wanted to vomit in outrage.

Now she is entirely sure that Roose Bolton and the Freys lied in their reports of what happened at Winterfell about what happened when Theon Greyjoy was defeated. Lothar Frey and Walder Rivers had informed her and Robb that they received a letter from Lord Frey's grandchildren: Winterfell has been destroyed, and Ser Rodrik was killed by the Iron born, but the survivors were brought to Dread Fort by Ramsay Snow. Lothar and Walder claimed to be unsure of Theon Greyjoy's fate even though they left him dead.

When Roose Bolton informed them of their Bastard's actions making it sound like that monster saved the day by driving the Ironborn out of Winterfell, she brusquely reminded the Lord of the Dreadfort that his son had committed many vile crimes and that Roose Bolton's leech replied that after the war is over, Ramsay would be tried for his crimes, and perhaps his deeds will make up for the crimes he committed, or not. And now Catelyn understands why he was not overly concerned about the possibility of his son being executed; Roose Bolton knew that Robb would not live long enough to judge that monster.

And now that ... Snow, no matter if the Child King granted him the Bolton surname, sits in Ned's seat, in Winterfell what had been the inheritance of her children was now ruled by a monster.

She wouldn't allow it, in the memory of Ned, Robb, Bran, Rickon, Sansa and Arya ... She would kick the bastard Bolton out of Winterfell and feed him and his Father to their own hunting dogs but not before torturing both Father and son for their betrayal.

---------------------------------------------

For weeks they travelled the entire Kings Road to Moat Cailin, and she was able to see first-hand how the Riverlands had been ravaged by war.

"A war that I help cause ... Catelyn thought remorsefully.

Finally, after travelling a good part of the way and regarding the swampy terrain of the Neck, the army of the Vale decided to set up their camp there and rest a little before entering the North.

Catelyn stayed at her brother and uncle's tent; frustrated at not being able to go out to camp until after dark, she heard her uncle and brother return and stood up waiting for news, but the queer thing is that they did not come alone but were accompanied by Lord Yohn Royce and a young man with dark, unkempt hair.

Catelyn raised one of her eyebrows when she saw that young man; he was not of noble birth; that was obvious he had dark hair and clean but worn leather garments; he had a gloomy air and was silent.

Everything in his expression indicated to Catelyn that he did not feel comfortable being there, but for some reason, he did not seem to have any intention of separating from Lord Royce.

"Thank you for receiving me, Ser Brynden, Lord Edmure," The Runestone Lord said with a nod in reverence.

"Think nothing of it, Lord Royce ... Well, what did you wish of us? Pay the woman no mind ... She is mute and has our confidence," Edmure said, looking at his sister with a smile while her uncle merely chuckles.

"you will pay Edmure," Catelyn thought with annoyance.

"Very well, first of all, I want to introduce you to Grenn, one of my best hunters," Lord Royce said, introducing his servant, who only nodded without saying a word.

Catelyn raised an eyebrow at the hunter's lack of decorum; Yohn Royce sighed and gave the young man a reproachful look.

"I am sorry for Grenn's lack of manners; he is not well versed in decorum, but he is good and loyal," Lord Royce said, somewhat annoyed, looking at a pained boy.

"Don't worry, Lord Royce… But what is this young man doing here?" Asked his uncle Brynden.

Lord Royce sighed, and his expression turned melancholic and gloomy, and his gaze conveyed an apologetic air.

"I ... I am very sorry for what I am going to ask you ..., And I know that you have every right to be offended but know that it is not my intention to cause you discomfort ... It is just that as a father I must do everything in my power to care for my family although that sometimes proves futile," Lord Royce said.

Instantly her brother and uncle glanced at each other in confusion.

"What is Lord Royce referring to?" Edmure asked.

"Well, I have always spoken frankly ... So that won't change now ... As close relatives of Catelyn Stark, I would like to ask you if she has told you anything about her husband's bastard son, Jon Snow," Said Lord Royce with an apologetic expression as silence gripped the tent.

For a few moments, Catelyn, her brother Edmure and their uncle Brynden remained shocked to hear such a question, what interest will one of Vale's most powerful Lords have in the Bastard Ned? .. Hearing Jon Snow's name again, Catelyn felt As anger, resentment, and guilt began to fill her, and at that moment, a question began to form in her mind.

"What happened to that boy?:

Then Catelyn remembered something important ... Lord Royce's second son was one of Jon Snow's companions ... And no one has heard from them in over a year.

"He doesn't care about the Bastard; he just wants to know where his son is ... Catelyn thought-feeling compassion and sympathy for the old Lord in front of her.

But his brother Edmure and Uncle Brynden each raised an eyebrow, and Edmure stepped forward.

"Why would we know about the stain on my sisters' honour?" Edmure growled.

At that moment, Catelyn noticed that the gaze of that hunter, Grenn, had hardened, and now he was looking at Edmure in annoyance.

But Lord Royce didn't yield.

"I apologise if I have offended you, Lord Edmure. It is not my intent... It is just that... I think maybe your sister has told you something about that boy," Lord Royce said with resignation.

Oh yes, she told them a lot about Jon Snow over the years, Catelyn had sent some letters to them and their Father Lord Hoster telling them that she was afraid the Bastard would one day try to take Winterfell from Robb. Although her father and uncle wrote in their letters that that would never happen, the Lords of the North were too loyal to Ned to support the boy even if he tried.

And Catelyn was sure they both had a natural dislike for the boy because of their affection for her. So sadly for Lord Royce, there was no news to be had.

"I ... I just wanted information about the Bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark to help me find my son Robar, who was seen accompanying him along with Loras Tyrell, and it is said that the three crossed the Narrow Sea and went to Braavos where they hoped for an alliance with Daenerys Targaryen... And then they sailed to an unknown destination… "Lord Royce said sadly, and Catelyn truly sympathised with the old man.

"We already knew that story Lord Royce, my niece's son, was sold information about his Bastard brother ... But it made little difference; all traces end at Daenerys Targaryen's wedding ..." Brynden said, feigning concern so as not to irritate Lord Royce.

"Perhaps they went to the ruins of Valyria?" Edmure proposed with a shrug.

"No... they didn't go there," Young Grenn said in a whisper and won the gaze of everyone in the room.

"How do you know, boy?" Asked Brynden, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I was a travelling companion of the three of them for a while, Ser.. we separated when Jon told me of his plans to cross the sea," Said that young Grenn.

"Did you meet them? ..." Edmure affirmed, and the young man nodded.

"I met Lord Royce's son, Robar and Loras after the death of Renly Baratheon, when they were looking for Jon who fled the Tyrells, I was hunting deer in Lord Hasty lands when Robar and Loras ended up capturing me, and we accompanied Jon, the three of us participated in defence of Castle Hasty… "Grenn said, remembering those moments with his former companions.

Upon discovering this feat, Catelyn knew that the "Blackfish" was rather impressed; her uncle had always enjoyed tales of battle.

"You 4 defended that castle?" Brynden asked in astonishment

It was there that Grenn told them how Jon Snow and his companions aided by Ser Bonifer Hasty and his Holy hundred defended Lord Hasty's ancestral home from those who had betrayed Renly.

It certainly wasn't a great victory like Robbs, but considering the number of enemies and his skill... It was a remarkable victory, as even Robb had the aid of seasoned soldiers like Great Jon Umber, Roose Bolton, Robert Glover and Lady Mormont.

"I can't believe I'm acknowledging the Bastard strengths," Catelyn thought in disgust.

In the end, the young hunter ended that account by explaining that after the battle, they were rewarded by Lord Hasty, and Grenn considered staying with them for a while until he discovered that they intended to cross the Narrow Sea.

"I don't really know what happened ... Jon told us that he planned to join his brother Robb Stark in their war; I decided to stay with them for a while and perhaps earn some gold ... But I decided to part with them for a bit, settling things with my family before marching off to war, but when I returned, Jon had changed his mind ... He said that while I was gone, he, Loras and Robar had visited a ruined castle, the one that burned; down years ago ... " Grenn said.

"Summerhall", Her uncle Brynden replied, and the young man nodded.

"What did they want with that ruined castle?" Edmure asked, confused, beginning to take an interest in the story.

"Jon said he had a dream in which a strange man named ... Manwë ... urged him to leave Westeros and seek a place called 'Middle Earth' to seek his destiny and Loras and Robar decided to go with him," Grenn said, struggling to remember the details of the last time he saw his companions.

However, the Tullys trio was confused by the story as none had ever heard the term "Middle Earth" or the name Manwë.

"What is" Middle Earth "? Edmure asked, confused.

"I don't know ... It's the first time I've heard that name", Brynden replied, intrigued.

"I have consulted with my Maester, and in many places, I have obtained hundreds of maps ... But no one knows that place ... It seems that it does not exist," Lord Royce said sadly.

"So that bastard Ned Stark went mad?" Edmure asked, bewildered.

"I doubt it; Jon didn't seem mad when I last saw him, just determined ... Although the things he did afterwards make me doubt it, I found out that before crossing the sea he went to Dorne and took the Princess with him Grenn said thoughtfully.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Brynden asked.

"Because Ser, I have never left Westeros ... I was willing to accompany them on their way to the North or anywhere that was here in Westeros ... But I'm sorry for them, but I had no desire to cross the narrow sea. So I decided to stay here before they went to Dorne," The young hunter said in a brusque tone.

"And how did you end up here?" Edmure asked.

"Before the three of them ventured to Dorne, they told me that we would part friends; at that moment, Robar gave me one of his pins with the emblem of his house and said to me that if the war got too unpleasant in the South to go to the Vale of Arryn and show his Father the brooch and I would receive aid, "Said the boy with a shrug.

"And now you work for Lord Royce ... It will have been a major life change," said his uncle Brynden.

"I never expected to work for someone other than myself ... But at least I'm fine, and Lord Royce has been kind to me ..." Grenn said softly.

"This young man is one of the best hunters and explorers I have ever seen. He swiftly adjusted to hunting in the valley grounds after spending his life in the Stormlands," Lord Royce said, praising Grenn's skills.

However, Catelyn, who remained silent, only listened to Jon's story, intrigued ... So the Bastard left Westeros to look for an unknown land ... If it exists, that was something that she had never expected since he had never struck her as the adventurous sort.

The irony is that ... Of all Ned's children, the only one she has heard from is the Bastard, the gods nevertheless enjoy making fun of her ... Reminding them of their faults.

Still, Catelyn, to her surprise, is intrigued by the story told about Jon Snow... He travelled to Dorne and kidnapped Princess Arianne, and then went to Braavos to interrupt Daenerys Targaryen's wedding ... Why? .. Maybe he plans to support a Targaryen restoration to be legitimised even though the daughter of the "Mad King" does not have an army supporting her claim, not to mention that she had made an enemy of Prince Doran, so what did Jon Snow hope to get out of all this?

The Bastard, his companions and the two Princesses disappeared ... Probably shipwrecked or lost at sea following the crazy dreams of the Bastard Ned, so whatever Jon Snow was planning went awry.

Even so, something Catelyn shook when she heard that strange name ... Manwë, she had never heard that name, and for some reason, something in her felt comforted by said name, she did not know how to explain what was happening to her, only that that unknown name was meaningful for some mysterious reason.

"I know that this is an embarrassing topic for you as you are relatives of Lady Catelyn, but I beg you to try to understand me ... I just wanted some information about the whereabouts of my son; the gods gave me three sons and a daughter, one of whom lost his life north of the Wall that was my third son Wymar, impatient, hungry for glory and renown, he lost his life shortly after arriving at the Wall and then my second son Robar joins Renly Baratheon in a conflict that was none of his concern only to become a bastard's travelling companion; however, he is my blood, and I love him... So I simply wish to bring my son back home," Lord Royce said in an apologetic tone that moved all three Tullys.

"We understand, Lord Royce ... Don't worry about it," Brynden said in an understanding tone.

"I thank you, Ser Brynden, well in that case, we will retire and let you rest... With your permission, Lord Edmure," Lord Royce said farewell, and both left the tent, leaving the Tullys alone, processing the new information.

"Are you well, Cat?" Edmure asked, worried about his sister, and although she didn't answer, he nodded.

"I imagine you would not have been happy to hear the name of your husbands bastard," said her uncle Brynden.

"No, but that doesn't matter that boy ... Jon Snow, I'm envious of his luck, whatever it may be ... It's none of our business, and I don't want to talk about him again ..." Catelyn said with pain in her voice as they merely nodded.

And that's right, it hurt her to know that of all Ned's children, only the Bastard remained alive while the rest, the legitimate children that she gave to her husband and all had died or disappeared, which was not fair. Of course, Jon Snow was not responsible, but that did not stop Catelyn from resentment and anger as she thought about it.

Catelyn's resentment for Jon Snow ... had only grown ... Even if he was not responsible for that, something that Catelyn knew perfectly well.

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Navigating the insect-infested swampy trails of the Neck was a nuisance to the Knights of the Vale, and the dense thickets of half-drowned trees covered in pale mushrooms did not help, plus the quicksand below the water would drown anyone attempting to walk on the rocks.

That situation was unpleasant, and it tempered the fighting spirit of many soldiers; however, thanks to the fact that the kingsroad passes through the Neck, Due to the rugged terrain, the road becomes the narrow causeway, which is the only safe route to travel through the swamps of the Neck during times of peace. At the northern end of the causeway stand the formidable ruins of Moat Cailin.

But there was also another problem ... The crannogmen of the Neck.

The Crannogmen are a warrior people led by the Reed House from their Gray Water Watchtower; their current Lord is Howland Reed, who was one of the closest friends of her husband, Ned. Crannogmen are often looked down upon by other Westerosi, including neighbouring rivermen. The ironborn refer to the crannogmen as bog devils.... and they are right.

The crannogmen poison their weapons and smear them with faeces and worse things and proved to be a difficult people to conquer ... And they might not take well the arrival from an army from the south ... It would be best to avoid them, but perhaps that is not possible.

If only Catelyn could prove her identity to Howland Reed ... But it wasn't time yet, at the rate her cadaverous body would heal perhaps in another two or three months.

Although apparently, the Crannogmen did wish to challenge them and allowed them to pass, which was quite unusual for them since they did not like the Southerners.

"They probably expect us to dispose of the Boltons for them; otherwise, we would have already met them on the road, and poisoned arrows would have rained down on us," Catelyn thought with relief as she trotted alongside the Vales Knights.

After leaving Moat Cailin and the swamps, the rest of the way was quiet, and without incident, a preamble to the enormous bloodshed that was about to occur, the army passed through Moat Cailin without issue as the Ironborn were expelled while the rest were hung or captured, the Boltons apparently do not regard Moat Cailin as worthy of soldiers.

Which was lucky for them since they broke through without incident.

In some villages they passed through, they witnessed the cruelty of the Boltons. The villagers clamoured for the return of the wolves because as they all lived in terror of the Bastard of Bolton, Ramsey, who now indiscriminately began his hunting games, many a maiden feared they would be captured by their cruel Lord and raped for his amusement.

However, not all the things they heard were horrible news about the Boltons ... The scouts of the Vale informed them that Stannis Baratheon supposedly saved the Night's Watch from a great Wilding army led by their "King Beyond the Wall Mance raider who was now a prisoner of Stannis.

It seemed that the Lord of Dragonstone had unified some of the mountain clans, after which he seized the Wolfswood from the Ironborn and, according to rumours, taken Asha Greyjoy herself captive, after which House Glover joined his cause. They weren't the only ones; House Mormont began to sympathize with Stannis, and now Alysane Mormont "The Bear" has lent her support to Stannis' cause in thanks for ridding the North of the Ironborn and crushing the Wilding invasion."

"It's a cunning move; the remnants of Robb's army begin to gather, albeit under Stannis's banner," Catelyn thought dryly, that would be the best to prevent them from joining the Boltons. As the Ryswell and Dustin Houses already did, although that did not surprise Catelyn in the least, Barbrey Dustin had always resented Ned for bringing back her husband horse but not his remains.

Fortunately, however, the most powerful House in the North has yet to declare its loyalty to the Boltons, the Manderlys of White Harbour.

Everyone knew that the most influential House of the North after the Starks were the Manderly since they were the ones who controlled the only sea route in the North, which made them their "Pantry" in addition to having silver mines in their domains, the side that manages to bring the Manderly to his side will undoubtedly win the coming conflict ... However, the loyalty of the Manderly is still unknown as Lord Wyman still does not publicly support either Stannis or the Boltons.

"Wendel Manderly, the youngest son of his Lord, was killed at the Red Wedding, Lord Wyman would never join the Boltons ... We must find a way to gain their support ... Catelyn thought.

However, all that was forgotten by a more pressing matter... Supposedly, her daughter Arya was forced to marry the Bastard son of Roose Bolton to legitimize her claim on Winterfell.

That filled Catelyn with happiness and horror, joy to know that one of her children was alive and horror to know that she was now the wife of that monstrous rapist ... Catelyn would not allow it; if necessary, she would go to the Dreadfort, She would scale its walls, and she would show Roose Bolton the traditions of his House firsthand, then Catelyn would recover her daughter Arya.

Not to mention, all their spies say that Stannis was about to face the Boltons at Winterfell.

"We don't have time to go to White Harbour ... We must join Stannis as soon as possible", Her Uncle had told her with a grimace as he would have been overjoyed at the thought of more men.

But it seems that the gods played a cruel joke on them and on the Vale's army.

A brutal snowstorm has slowed her march through the North; Catelyn knew the storms in the North very well and realized that this storm was deadly; if they continued marching, half the army would die from the frost before they reached Winterfell.