"A great warrior, unfortunately not fit for reuse." Aenar's thoughts on Brynden Tully, the Blackfish.
-----------
"Brynden Tully, the Blackfish." Aenar greeted the man with an amused smile on his lips.
The characteristic red hair of House Tully was graying, and the wrinkles around his face showed that the man was as old as his brother. But unlike Hoster, Brynden was a veteran of fifty battles. His sword could still kill people as easily as someone could cut vegetables.
"Your Grace." Brynden responded to the greeting with a rough and gruff, yet respectful tone. His blue eyes regarded the long march behind the king with a complex gaze.
"Eddard." Brynden greeted his niece's husband with a kinder look. However, what confused him was that Eddard didn't even look at him or say a word to him.
"Brynden, I'd like to know your niece's mental state." Aenar, not wanting to delve into this drama at the moment, asked with a curious tone. Although he knew that the woman was gradually going mad - or rather, becoming obsessive - he still wanted to hear about her condition from Brynden.
If Brynden had heard about his niece's condition, then the entire Vale of Arryn would know about the Vale Regent's situation.
Brynden showed a complex look, but still answered truthfully:
"The various miscarriages have changed her a lot. With each miscarriage, with each child lost, Lysa's personality became more and more explosive, paranoid and insane. This condition didn't improve with the birth of Robert, it only got worse. The boy wasn't even weaned."
Brynden's words caused many Northern lords to exclaim in surprise. The condition of the Regent of the Valley seemed more serious than anyone had expected. What's more, when they heard that such an old boy was still suckling at his mother's breasts, many began to despise not only Lysa, but also the boy called Robert himself.
The boy had declared himself king, but in the eyes of everyone present, he was nothing more than a coward.
Observing the contemptuous expressions of the lords of the North, Brynden wanted to say something, but what could he say? It was true that Robert was still suckling at the age of eight.
"Your Grace." Brynden quickly changed the subject, as the looks on the faces of the Northern lords were making him more and more despondent. "When will Your Grace attack the Lannister army?"
Aenar looked at Brynden with a smile and replied:
"At this moment, my queen and sister are marching with seventy thousand men towards the Riverlands to face the Lannister and Baratheon armies."
Brynden gave a satisfied smile when he heard the young king's words. He was relieved to know that House Tully would not be destroyed by facing Houses Lannister and Baratheon together.
"House Tully will always be a loyal vassal of House Targaryen."
When Brynden said this, a strange atmosphere hung in the air. Everyone looked at the Blackfish with uncomfortable expressions. If it had been another Noble House loyal to House Targaryen, they wouldn't have shown such a reaction, but they were talking about House Tully.
Apart from Houses Greyjoy and Tully, practically all the other Great Houses had valid reasons to rebel. Aerys had killed Jon Arryn's heir, Aerys had killed the lord of Winterfell and the heir to House Stark, Rhaegar had stolen Robert's bride, and Aerys had deeply offended both House Martell and House Lannister.
"We have reason to rebel.You, on the other hand, just wanted to see your blood on the Iron Throne." That was the thought of everyone in the place, including Aenar and Eddard.
Only House Tully had rebelled for no reason, betraying the king without any hesitation and joining House Stark against House Targaryen. So to hear Brynden's words sounded like extreme hypocrisy, to say the least.
Brynden felt a deep sense of shame as he saw the increasingly strange looks falling on him. The man knew his words were hypocritical, but in the face of such a large army and a colossal dragon, he needed to show that House Tully was loyal. Deep down, he feared that House Tully would no longer be the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands.
Ignoring the shamelessness of a great warrior like Brynden, Aenar smiled, lightening the mood around him, and said: "I'm glad. I would be deeply saddened if House Tully, which House Targaryen helped rise to the rank of Lord Paramount of an entire kingdom, rebelled for no reason."
The words sounded like a joke to ease the tension, but Brynden sensed a touch of sarcasm in the young king's tone, which left him feeling helpless in the face of his brother's actions. He wasn't the lord of House Tully; his brother was.
Taking a deep breath, Brynden tried to ignore the looks of contempt and spoke in a calm tone:
"The Vale is yours, Your Grace."
He didn't care if the Vale bent the knee or not. Any sane person knew that they had to surrender before such a powerful force. Just as Visenya came to the Vale during the Conquest, Aenar was now coming to the Vale during the Reconquest.
As for the young king Robert Arryn, there was absolutely no one who would really bend the knee to Jon Arryn's son.
"I'll go to Ironoaks." Aenar spoke with an amused smile, looking at Brynden with interest, as if silently wondering how he would react to those words.
Just as Aenar had imagined, Brynden's face tensed as he listened. His jaw tightened and he clenched his fists. Obviously, the Blackfish understood Aenar's intentions.
Harrold Hardyng had always been a sensitive subject in the Valley. As heir presumptive after Robert Arryn, he was in a difficult position. He couldn't go out or make friends, any of which could make people think he was up to something.
How could Brynden not know about Harrold's importance? The only reason he had gone to the Vale and acted as a Knight of the Gate was to help his niece and great-nephew. Now, Aenar's words practically said that he didn't intend to leave Robert as lord of the Vale.
"Your Grace-" Before he could finish, Leda, who had always been behind Aenar, drew Dawn from its sheath and placed it against Brynden's neck. It all happened in the blink of an eye. No one thought that Leda would act so immediately.
"Lord Brynden." Aenar stepped closer and looked down. There were few men who could make him raise his head. "I especially hate it when someone refuses my orders."
Aenar's tone was friendly, but a terrible chill ran through Brynden's body, making him feel as if he were in the harsh northern winter. There was a deep bitterness bubbling in his chest. The consequences of Lysa Tully's actions had finally arrived, and he was powerless to stop what was about to happen.
"The Valley doesn't need kings, it needs a lord." Aenar continued, his tone friendly but firm and unquestioning. "Robert Arryn is not fit to be lord."
Brynden just sighed. However, he didn't seem surprised. No king could remain inert when a vassal proclaimed himself king. It was such an insult that it showed a total lack of respect for the sovereign.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Brynden didn't dare say anything, especially with a sword around his neck. He didn't even try to move. As a veteran who had experienced half a hundred battles, he knew when he was beaten.
He didn't even see how the tall woman in front of him moved so quickly, putting a sword against his neck. That speed was not something an ordinary human could achieve, let alone someone so big and tall. Letting out another sigh, Brynden looked at Aenar and spoke in a calm tone:
"I ask only that you forgive the lives of my niece and great-nephew, Your Grace." His gaze was almost pleading. Unlike his brother, Brynden truly valued family above all else, as the motto of House Tully dictated.
"I won't kill them." Aenar promised with a sincere expression. The reason he could promise something like that was simple: Robert and Lysa wouldn't survive for long. Others would kill them without him even having to order it.
So he might as well take the opportunity while they were alive to show his benevolence to the lords and ladies of the Vale of Arryn. After all, it was much easier for someone to kneel to a compassionate king than to a cruel tyrant.
"Uncle, we're leaving for Ironoaks. I want to be there in two days." Aenar said, ignoring Brynden and turning his gaze to Eddard, who was still staring at him with a slightly cold look, the look of a wolf watching its prey.
Eddard nodded and, without saying a word, ordered the army to advance with quick but disciplined steps.
-----------
Read more than advanced chapters in my Patre on!
Read chapters ahead on Patreon. Two chapters are updated every day except Sunday.
P-atreon.com/GOTSW
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)