Eighth Month of 240 A.C. River Road, the Vale

Prince Vaegon Blackfyre

Vaegon had memories, vague though they were of life in his father's keep before the Blackfyre rebellion had taken place. He had been the youngest son of Daemon Blackfyre, the King Who Bore the Sword born two years before the rebellion had happened. He remembered frolicking around the grounds and playing with his brothers and sisters, and occasionally with cousins, and even one time Daeron Targaryen had come for a visit. And then the war had happened and they had lost and fled to Tyrosh where they had lived the rest of their lives, Vaegon's mother had died in her home, broken hearted and Vaegon had watched as the obsession for the throne consumed his brothers and then his nephews. At least the desire for the throne had been sated, now they needed to simply subdue those lords who refused to kneel. His nephew King Daemon, had managed to do it in the Reach getting the Florent and their allies to bend the knee and getting Lord Luthor Tyrell back into Highgarden and walking away with Daeron Targaryen as a hostage. Vaegon hoped he could achieve the same in the Vale, after all his key skill was diplomacy.

"The Bloody Gate has never fallen, and now that winter is upon us, we have an even more difficult task in making the Vale Lords see sense. We do not have the numbers to bring them down by force, and so we must think of bringing them down with reason." Vaegon began. "Lord Butterwell has there been any response from the Gates of the Moon as to the envoys you sent up?"

Lord Jason Butterwell was a stout man of a nervous disposition who stuttered as he spoke. "There has been Your Grace. Lord Jon Arryn did not even bother treating with my son, and instead sent him back to me in pieces. The message was clear, they will not bother speaking with us about achieving their surrender through peaceful means."

Vaegon sighed. "So there will be no peaceful resolution. What do we know of this Jon Arryn?"

Lord Bracken spoke then. "He is a standard Arryn, my prince. Good with swords and words, but also places a high value on honour. His cousin's son Maegor also resides in the Gates of the Moon and it is likely that he is refusing all efforts to speak about peace because of this."

Vaegon nods taking note of this and asks. "So, the man might seek to make peace if we can get to Daenora and Maegor Targaryen. Hold them and we will make Arryn bend. The question is how?"

Lord Oscar Tully spoke then. "I do believe that the only way we shall be able to achieve that is through subterfuge and other such means. Means that might not look well on the King should they ever come back to him."

Intrigued Vaegon asks. "And what sort of methods would those be my lord?"

Lord Oscar clearly feels uncomfortable and yet he still proceeds on. "Well we could try sending another peace envoy out and when they come to meet us we could attack whoever is sent out and use them to force our way in. Alternatively, I am sure you could sneak one of your spies into the Gates of the Moon and have the pretender and his mother captured."

Such methods did make sense and yet. "We do not have enough time to fully prepare for such a thing. The king has asked that we end this as soon as possible, after all winter will be damaging enough. We must break the Bloody Gate and we must do it soon."

Lord Whent spoke then his voice quavering. "That is nigh on impossible my prince. Even when there were seven kingdoms, none managed to break the Bloody Gate. The histories are filled with hosts smashing themselves to pieces trying to do so. Surely there must be a way to make Lord Arryn see reason that does not involve subterfuge?"

Vaegon ponders this for a moment and then an idea reaches him. "Lord Jon Arryn is young is he not? No older than fifeteen or sixteen. A green boy all things told, perhaps we might appeal to the foolhardiness of youth and issue a challenge. If he can beat a champion of our choosing in single combat we shall leave him and the vale alone, if he loses then the Vale bends the knee."

There is some murmuring at that and Lord Bracken asks. "And whom might I ask might be chosen as our champion Your Grace? After all the future fealty of the Vale is banking on this."

Vaegon considers for a moment and then says. "Well to make things even more interesting why do we not choose a member of the Kingsguard. Two members are here right now, Ser Torrhen Manderly and Ser Osgood Peake. I shall speak with one of them and whichever one proves more willing to fight will go forward. Jon Arryn is a green boy who will be eager for glory. He will not refuse."

"And what if Arryn refuses and instead brings his forces down from the Gates of the Moon? What then?" Asks Lord Oscar Tully.

Vaegon is silent for a long moment and then says. "Then we shall mount up and prepare for war. And this time the Vale shall bend or they shall be destroyed."

With that the war council comes to an end and Vaegon calls the two members of the Kingsguard into his tent and says. "We have a pressing situation. Jon Arryn has refused a peace envoy, and now we must settle this matter once and for all. Which one of you two knights wishes to face him in single combat and win unending glory?"

There is a moment's silence, and Vaegon can see that Ser Torrhen who had served for Aegon the fortunate feels uncomfortable, Ser Osgood however looks more than eager. He raises his voice and says. "I would request that honour Your Grace." With that Vaegon nods and dismisses the two men, he writes out the request and sends it on with his squire to the Gates of the Moon.

Sometime later, his squire's hands come back with the note. "We shall not fight like cravens. Prepare for battle usurper."

Vaegon sighs, so it will be war and more bloodshed. He calls the war council together. "Jon Arryn has rejected the offer, we shall be fighting the Vale forces once more. Now Lord Butterwell, how strong were they when last you chanced to look?"

Lord Jason Butterwell is silent for a moment as he looks over his notes and then he says. "Some 6,000 men my prince. Lord Jasper's mad dash in the Kingswood cost them dearly. And as such the Vale Lords will be trying to muster more men."

Vaegon nods upon hearing this and says. "Very well then, it is like that they shall march down from the Gates of the Moon and head towards the Bloody Gate. We shall need to have men climb over the rocks and try and kill the gate keepers on the two gates, and have the main body of the host marching through in single file along the pathway towards the gate itself."

There are murmurs of agreement and then Lord Bracken asks. "And who do you wish to lead the parties of men climbing over the rocks?"

Vaegon pauses for a moment and then says. "Ser Torrhen Manderly shall lead one party of fifty men, whilst Lord Jason shall lead another party of fifty men. This must be done as the light is fading and we shall march as the men are going over."

The lords all agree and then the war council itself is dismissed. Vaegon begins preparing for the battle by dressing in his armour, red armour with his house crest on it, armour his mother gave to him before she died. He straps on his sword Justice that his brother Haegon gave to him, and then he says a quick prayer to the warrior. Once that is done and as the sun begins to set, he waits and watches as Lord Butterwell and Ser Torrhen and their parties disappear into the fading light soon to be climbing over the rocks of the Bloody Gate.

Once the sun was set completely, Vaegon mounts his horse and commands his men to move forward. Once they come to the ridge, he nods his head and Lord Bracken leads the vanguard out, followed by Lord Whent and the right, and then Lord Charlton and the left. Soon enough Vaegon can hear the distant sounds of battle and something within him hungers at that, he draws his sword and roars a command and then the centre is entering the fray of battle. Vaegon swings his sword, left, right and centre, cutting down men with some ease, bringing them down in the heat of battle, swinging his sword, left, right and centre, more and more men begin to fall before him and his sword begins to glint red in the moonlight.

The battle rage and the sounds of steel on steel and the sight of sparks flying through the air, sends chills down Vaegon's spine, he was never the most warrior like of his family but he knows a good fight when he sees one. He swings his sword this way and that, hacking away at the enemy and taking his fair share of blows, his blood joining the growing pile of dust and dirt and river of blood that is steadily accumulating on the ground before him. He hears screams and looks up briefly to see the men scaling the walls being shot down, someone told, they knew they were coming now. That thought is pushed from his mind when he feels a sharp pain in his arm and sees an axe buried in it. He roars in pain and kills the man who buried the axe there.

Protected by Ser Osgood Peake he rides to the back of the army and gets tended to, cut and bleeding from several places he begins to wonder if this whole thing was a mistake. A view that is further enforced when he asks. "Ser Arthur how goes the battle?"

Ser Arthur Butterwell heir to his father and the Butterwell lands is silent a moment and then says. "Badly My prince, my father and his men were killed on the walls brought down by arrow fire. Ser Torrhen Manderly was killed as well. The Valemen knew we were coming now, there is a rat amongst us."

Vaegon sighs he had feared as much. "How holds the left?"

Butterwell sighs. "Broken, Lord Bracken and his heir are dead. Ser Henry Rivers tried to rally them but he was slain. We are losing Your Grace."

Vaegon stands then and says. "Then we had best rectify that had we not?" He gets back on his horse, his chest still hurting and rides back to take command of the centre, bodies lie piled around him, and the walls are covered in blood. Still he roars a command and his men follow him and the battle recommences for him. Swinging his sword left, right and centre, hacking and slashing, cutting, ducking and dodging. On he goes, breaking through the Valemen and cutting them down to size, he feels the adrenaline kicking in, laughing he goes on.

And then he feels one arrow after another pierce his armour, the world begins to turn black as blood begins to pour out of him. He begins swaying on his horse, he is distantly aware of his sword clattering to the ground followed by the world going black. Another arrow followed by another and then another hits him, bringing him down off of his horse. The arrows keep coming and then Vaegon feels no more pain, he prays to the seven that the world will be spared any pain from Maelys, his son, his only son.