Eddard: 3 weeks later
This war was approaching its climax.
He remembered how he felt on the eve of the battle on the Trident during Robert's Rebellion. How the fate of all seven kingdoms hung in the balance.
Now near two decades later, Westeros stood on the precipice of revolution that would shake the continent. Taking Kings Landing would be no simple task, it would not fall quickly like it did to Tywin Lannister during the Mad King's Rein. Even so, after fighting for so long in the Riverlands, the march forward towards the capital felt like the beginning of a new chapter in this war. A final chapter. Whether it would end in victory or defeat was far from certain. The man that had sacked Kings Landing now resided in the capital that he had pillaged. Defeating Tywin's son had come about with great difficulty and an amount of good fortune. Defeating Tywin himself was a daunting task, but the realm was closing around the 'Old Lion'.
Doran Martell surely fumed over the murder of his sister Elia. If he sensed the end of the Lannisters was possible, Eddard expected Dorne to take action.
The Tyrell family and the power of the Reach still supported the Lannisters due to the marriage of Mace Tyrell's daughter to Lucien's son. But their forces had been locked in a critical stalemate that the Lannisters could ill afford. Stannis Baratheon was an exceptional battle commander and he proved more than a match for the larger Tyrell force. Lord Randall Tarly's death had been a hard blow for Mace Tyrell to overcome and there had been dissention in the Tyrell family as well. Loras Tyrell had disappeared from the Tyrell camp and had been seen with Renly Baratheon before the later man's death. Rumors had run rampant that the two men were lovers. Other said Ser Loras had assassinated Lord Renly. In either case, no one could locate Ser Loras in the aftermath.
Eddard felt far older than his thirty-six years as he leaned on his cane. He would be forced command from the reserve and it was a small miracle that he was able to be present at all. He prayed to the Old Gods every night with thanks for allowing him to live after his encounter with Lucien Lannister.
Lannister's blade had been honed to be razor sharp, and when it pierced his leg the pain had been incredible. It could have only been the Old Gods that gave him the strength in that moment to avoid the strike that was meant to sever his head from his shoulders. The Gods must have intervened, because now he found it difficult to stand. The healers had assured him that his leg would mend properly in the future. But the future may never come, he was needed here. Stannis Baratheon had compelled him to aid in securing his rightful throne, and as strong as Robb Stark was, Eddard had no intention on laying that burden in his son's hands.
That was a poor choice of words.
Despite being crippled, his son stood beside him with a presence that impressed Eddard beyond words. The boy…no the man…was a natural leader.
Robb gave directions to the men assembled by pointing about a map of the soon to be battlefield with his one remaining hand. His own cousin Gerrion had severed it in personal combat, and he had also slew Theon Greyjoy, who Robb had grown to be as close as brothers with. Despite all of this, Robb had not damned the Lannister heir.
"My cousin wants no part in this war. There was palpable regret. He can be reasoned with, we do not need to decimate all those who defend the false King." Robb had told him afterwards. "When he goes to one knee, we must be there to raise him back to his feet."
There was maturity present that went beyond his nearly sixteen years.
It was all the more apparent when contrasted with another near his age. He was a year older than Robb, yet still a boy.
Eddard had absolutely opposed Lord Arryn when he took a sizeable amount of the Vale's forces to attack the Westerlands. Yes, it caused the Lannisters to abandon Harrenhall and divide a portion of their forces west to protect their land. But they would have had to abandon Harrenhall anyway in the face of unfavorable odds, and a successful siege of Casterly Rock was improbable. It would be the lands of the Lannisters bannermen that would be under attack, and the Vale army would not be able to quickly aid the main force near Kings Landing if it was needed.
All that had happened was that some of the fighting would be moved elsewhere, and since the Vale force outnumbered the Lannister force in the west, the net result negatively affected Eddard's attack in the East.
The Greyjoy fleet was attacking the Lannister fleet near Lannisport, and now Lord Arryn sought to attack the Westerlands by land as well. The area was in danger for being crippled by war as badly as the Riverlands had been. Such loss before a long winter would be devastating for the region.
It was difficult to see this war as the honorable course of action when it caused such hardship all around you.
Not for the first time Eddard longed for the days before Robert had come to Winterfell. When Bran could still move his legs and still had a joyful personality, Sansa had not grown sullen after being removed from Kings Landing, and Robb fought with practice swords instead of the steel that had removed his sword hand. It had not been perfect, and his lie about Jon had hung over everything like a raging thundercloud. But those had been simpler times.
"The reinforcements from Lord Stannis will approach soon. The men he could spare when added to our strength will outnumber the Lannister garrison outside the walls." Robb was saying.
"The Kingslayer will not meet us in an open field when outmanned to this degree. He is brave, yet sensible. He will join his father beyond the walls of the capital. It is the only way the Kingslayer's garrison would not be slaughtered." Eddard added, his eyes fixated on the map depicting the capital.
"Lord Tywin will keep his best men from the slaughter and the Kingslayer will not stay for it." Lord Yohn Royce stated. He was the main commander left in charge of the Vale army that marched towards the capital while Lord Arryn marched west. "Sellswords will be sent after us in waves to keep us occupied and it is far easier to send them to die than bannermen."
"No doubt about that." Lord Glover shouted out with a thunderous voice. "Lord Tywin will not have to spend as much time on the privy shitting out their full golden reward if many of those hired bastards die."
That generated laughter from those assembled. Hearty laughter that was extinguished as quickly as it came when the next man spoke. The difference in volume could not have greater between the Lord of the Dreadfort and the loud Lord Glover, yet the quiet man had far more impact.
"Time is not on Lord Tywin's side, while our forces have all the time we desire to take. Lannister's own lands will soon be under siege. Will he trust his grandson to protect his lands after his own son has fallen and while Greyjoy's fleet is barring down unto Lannisport as well? The man is stubborn and patient, but there are limits. Push the Kingslayer hard so that he runs for his life behind the capital's walls and punish the sellswords that take his place. Show no quarter to these hired thugs. Let it be known far and wide that any military contract with Tywin Lannister is a death sentence. Then wait the patient man out, and while he cowers behind his walls, we will be able to spare reinforcements to Stannis Baratheon and end Mace Tyrell's campaign."
Lord Roose Bolton commented in a voice near a whisper, yet every commander in the room heard him clearly. When the Lord of the Dreadfort spoke, everyone listened. Eddard had grown accustomed to Lord Bolton's presence over the years, yet the man's words still carried a chill that was bitterly cold. Bolton history was infamous, and while the old way of flaying victims had been outlawed, Lord Bolton was the perfect living representation for the House's fearsome legacy.
Lord Bolton was seeking a new wife after the death of his son and heir, only a bastard son remained for the Leach Lord. Eddard pitied the next Lady of the Dreadfort. If grown men of the North were unnerved by Lord Bolton, what chance did a young maiden have?
Eddard wished to feel confident, but he knew it could not possibly be this simple. He lifted his cane and hit it into the ground. Not aggressively, yet with authority, so that every man gave him their full attention.
"The realm is crumbling around Tywin Lannister. It may very well bury the man in the end. But we should ensure that this war for Stannis Baratheon's crown does not cost his realm more than it can bear. Winter is coming. With harvests destroyed, our own men exhausted, and the people of Kings Landing starved, the coming cold may bury more men, women, and children than the Lannisters ever have."
Lucien
The journey had been long, and Lucien had little more to do than think. Even that proved difficult when travelling at fast speeds while bound up. The fact that the terrain they traveled was rough did not help matters.
He had been interrupted in his daily routine of imprisonment by being blindfolded, gagged, and then dropped onto the back of a horse. He preferred the dirty prison cell to be honest. However, perhaps it was for the best. He was far from able to free himself at an enemy camp, perhaps a change of scenery was what he needed.
Lucien had never been to the Vale, but he knew about the terrain and political climate of every area in the seven kingdoms. It was essential in order to propose kingdom wide policies, and it would come in handy if he ever had to personally enter that region.
The road to the Eyrie was dangerous due to the Mountain clans present along the way. The savages and the shadowcats would take down unprepared travelers. However, the men that comprised his escort were, by the looks of them, hardened warriors including about ten knights. Which would make sense except there were far too many of them for this task. If the journey was so treacherous, surely it would have been better to keep him hostage in the Riverlands. This move took valuable men away from the war. Likely, Lord Arryn wanted Lucien far away from the Starks and any other supposed allies.
Forty men had been assigned to escort him to the Eyrie. He could imagine that many of these men were as displeased as he was with the assignment. The men of the Vale were no cravens, else they would not have been able to defeat the Lannister army even with the element of surprise. Escorting a physically broken man to the Eyrie rather than remaining on the war campaign was sure to get beneath the skin of any proud man. It was rare to meet a knight who was not prideful, and it was hard not to hear them mumble their complaints.
"Keep my pet safe Ser. I shall be saddened if he should run away. You may find him unruly. He does not have much left to bite you with, but be on your guard all the same." Lucien had heard Lord Arryn tell the leader of the escort company. The boy had sent them off personally. "After one night I have grown quite fond of him. But he will not be safe here. Be sure he is set up properly for my victorious return."
This ridiculously overqualified escort was proof that the boy had no idea what he was doing, and that he dedicated more time to playing torture then developing sound strategy.
It was important to keep your eyes opened at all times, in order to gain any possible insight onto your enemies. Lucien's insights led him to be confident where the situation stood.
In no way possible did Lord Arryn orchestrate the Vale's military movement against the Lannister army. It was subtly done, and executed at the perfect time. Lord Arryn was as subtle as being hit in the bollocks with a rock.
Lord Arryn may prance about with false pride, but Lucien was certain that the boy was no more than a puppet. The puppet would have its strings cut in due time, by the puppeteer or another. The true power in the Vale lay elsewhere, and Lucien had a strong suspicion where it came from. There were a handful of candidates, many Lords would compete for the young Lord's ear. It could not be proven, but one candidate in particular made perfect sense. The question was, would Lucien fight this power when imprisoned? Not directly. Even imprisoned, Lucien had power and he intended to use it.
When the escort reached the base of the climb to the Eyrie, the majority of the force made camp, while five men prodded him up the path. They offered to take him up in a basket used to transport food for those unable to make the steep and dangerous climb to the Eyrie. It would raise him up to the castle and avoid the climb by horseback. It would have been a relief after an exhausting journey. Every joint in his body ached. The pain was starting to become intolerable. It was seeping into every thought, and he felt like needles were piercing his brain.
This is what madness feels like. Did the Mad King feel the same?
Pride was on the line. He had only one word in response to that option.
"No."
"You prefer to make things harder on yourself?" His escort leader inquired.
"I always have."
The view would have been lovely if he had dared look down. He was a brave man, but not stupid. The extent of the heights that they were reaching were best left unseen.
On the climb, his horse had slipped and the animal panicked. The frenzy had nearly sent him off over the side. All was settled when their guide, a young women around twenty years of age with short coal-black hair and deep blue eyes, got the animal under control.
The girl was masculine looking, and in a queer way reminded Lucien of Robert Baratheon. Very much so actually. Lucien had spent enough time with the late King to have the features stand out to him.
Robert Baratheon had fostered in the Eyrie actually, about twenty years ago. Lucien stared down the girl as she effortlessly calmed him horse.
That is the Baratheon look plain as day. The bastard boy in Kings Landing. The smith apprentice. He had that look too….What had Jon Arryn been raving about on his death bed? 'The seed is strong.' His bastards are clearly his, and not a hint of him in my niece and nephews. Seven hells…it really is true. Cersei you idiot! I should have honored Tyrion more, dwarf or not at least he has a brain for common sense that my twin siblings lack. Joffrey is not Baratheon, nor Tommen or Myrcella. Pure Lannister, oh Father would be so proud!
He looked at the young women closely.
Should I tell this girl that I killed her father? Will she help me up this path then? Oh, perhaps the gods are real, and they are jesting with me. Throwing my sins into my face. Stark's armored gauntlet was more than enough, I do not need any of this. No need to rub salt into my eyes now, I am already blind. I have been for years.
He then closed his eyes and imagined his father reacting to the news that his son he had spent decades grooming for command had died. Not in the glory of battle, but falling off a mountain. Lucien had broken out in laughter at the thought. He had hardly laughed in the past and he found it very liberating.
"Gods! The bastard has lost his mind!" He had heard one of his escort say. They stared at him, clearly believing they were in the presence of a lunatic.
Lucien then pictured Robert Baratheon, in his typical drunken self, berating him for killing a King from the shadows like a coward only to fall to his own death like a damned fool. It made him laugh all the harder.
When he opened his eyes he still saw Robert Baratheon for a brief moment, until he realized it was the King's bastard daughter.
It can't be the King. He is dead, I killed him. No, not I, my lackeys did the dirty work. I committed treason and called myself clever.
If Robert Baratheon had found out about his supposed children's parentage he would have put all their heads on spikes. No one but Cersei would morn Joffrey, and she would not morn long as her head would join his. But sweet Tommen and Myrcella….perhaps he had done right by complete accident.
The remainder of the journey took an agonizing amount of time. At the end of it, Lucien was actually relieved to be in captivity rather than climbing the mountain, although he did stare long at Robert Baratheon's bastard until she went about her way.
The following morning his back was straight despite the pain that had been growing over the last week. His head was straight forward as he entered Lady Arryn's audience. He did not blink, he did not flinch. He walked with the authority of a high Lord, as if he commanded those prepared to meet him. As if the knights and those of the court would go to one knee when he arrived as his own men had done for him all his life. His physical physique was shattered. Broken as surely as the prisoners who were dashed upon the rocks far below when they fall through the infamous Moon Door. He would walk into the hall a disfigured man, but he would keep his head high and not enter a weak man.
He was not like his brother Jaime, he never liked to play to the crowd as the Kingslayer did during tournaments. He never had tried to give women a blush by baring a charming smile, even when he was handsome in his youth. A smile today from him would give any maiden a fright.
Lucien always liked to remain in the shadows, assert his authority when he had to, and it had worked since he was a young boy.
He was used to looks of reverence, at times hostility, and even fear. Especially after he had massacred House Harlaw during the Greyjoy Rebellion.
He was not used to what he received now as he entered the main hall in the Eyrie, the seat of House Arryn.
Everyone, from Lady Arryn herself, to knights, to couriers, to ladies of the court. They were all staring. Staring at him, and mostly in shock. A few of them even gasped. The stares were accompanied by looks of satisfaction, as if what had befallen the man before them was just. Unsurprising, no doubt he had been portrayed to them as a vile enemy.
Lucien knew what horrified them. He saw what he looked like. Every child in the seven kingdoms from future lords and ladies to peasants told stories of brave knights who fought awful, ugly, horrible monsters. Grotesque creatures and deformed humans. Lucien could easily pass as one of those monsters. A beggar in the streets might give him a look of pity.
Tyrion will be thrilled. Next to me he will look quite dashing.
The travel had done him no favors and he got a few looks at his appearance since his night at Lord Arryn's hands.
What remained of his hair was as brittle as dying grasses. When he returned to civilized society he would have it shaved completely. His entire face was horribly mangled, only his eyes showed any life, but they shined with cold-blooded determination. He felt more invigorated then he had ever felt in his life. In a weird way, he was more confident than he had ever been. He had a mission, a purpose, and it kept his heart beating and his feet moving forward one after another. Perhaps a weaker man would have stopped and succumbed to his fate, but not him. His identity had been stripped down after recent events, but there were things more important than his own self.
Lucien brushed off the stares of the court as if they were little more than a light breeze. He would endure whatever would be said of him and be done with it. Let them gloat, let them sneer. They were nothing. All of their lives, Lady Arryn, the Eyrie itself was irrelevant to him and simply and obstacle on his path to reclaiming what he had lost. He would be gone from this place soon enough. He had told himself this and he had begun to believe it. His life would not end at this castle high up in the Vale of Arryn. All these knights that were present could not stop him. A lion does not concern himself with the opinions of the sheep. There was only one man here that was of any importance. He had not seen him yet, the last he heard he was in Kings Landing, but he was certain that he was here.
The High Hall of the Arryns was a long room with walls of white-blue marble, with the back wall elevated to look down upon the rest of the room. From there a throne carved out of weirwood stood tall and imposing over all that attended.
When he finally approached from down the long hall, Lady Arryn found her voice and a smile as well. She was seated on a lesser throne next to the vacant seat meant for the Lord of the Eyrie. The elevation was an obvious attempt to assert superiority over the others in the room. For the benefit of the court she was powdered and wore a lovely blue gown. The contrast between the perfumed lady and the beaten disfigured Lord below her was striking.
"The first bounty of Lord Arryn's victorious campaign arrives. You shall remain here for the remainder of the war Lannister, and pay recompense for your crimes against the realm." Lady Arryn's voice reverberated across the hall for everyone in attendance to hear.
Lucien knew she was formally of House Corbray and not much else. It was an old, but poor house. The marriage with Jon Arryn had greatly elevated the House in terms of prestige.
She should thank me that I foiled Jon Arryn's attempt to wed Lysa. At most she would be under some low-level knight right now if not for me. You would not be able to even touch that lovely gown if not for my very existence. I believe you owe me a debt Lady Arryn. You should send your finest food and best wine to me along with a ship to Kings Landing.
When Lucien had attempted to betroth his daughter Philippa to Robert Arryn, his fruitless negotiations had been with Jon Arryn. Lady Arryn had been with her husband in Kings Landing from time to time, but she was of little note. She did not make an impact in Kings Landing as other ladies of the court did. Cersei had described her as 'boring' and having a 'scrambled, erratic mind'.
"The miscarriages have gone to her head, the women is simply off center. Who knows what is crawling around in that head of hers? Betroth your girl to her spawn if you want, but spending more than a fortnight near the dumb bitch will drive your girl mad and she will be begging to be returned to Casterly Rock." Cersei had told him in the past. He had not bothered to validate those assertions, there were more pressing matters on his mind at that time then investigating a crazed woman. Plotting the death of Cersei's husband had been the forefront of his attention.
I wonder what she would have done if I had told her about the plot. Help me most likely. Give me a kiss perhaps….Perhaps she would have offered more.
The thought caused him to think about Cersei and Jaime together and he quickly dispelled the thought from his mind.
He turned his eyes towards the throne, and for a moment he saw Lysa seated in the chair instead.
How close was she to becoming the Lady of the Vale before I rode into Riverrun with a false smile? Jon Arryn's seed may not have had the strength at his age. Would she have the same reputation as this woman now? Would she be scorned and mocked by everyone she met? Would she have failed to bear a living child, and be known as the women who had failed to further Jon Arryn's line?
It was a line of thought that was uncomfortable, and it reminded him of the uncertain welcome he would receive from Lysa if he lived to see her again. Would she stare him down much the same way after he had set her father's lands on fire, ordered the murder of peasants in those lands, and imprisoned her brother? Would she believe him that her father had died on his own?
One issue at a time. She may hate me, so be it. I shall fight for her all the same.
His mind must have been occupied for a period of time, because Lady Arryn began to speak with impatience. "Will you remain mute Lannister? Has my son stolen your tongue along with your pride? Has he whipped you into submission? Or is this a vein attempt at stubbornness? Afraid of your own voice? I expected a man to come before me today, not a craven."
He heard members of the court snicker behind him. Let them. Let the woman play to the biased crowd.
"You have had a long climb last night, and your legs must surely ache. You shall stand until you cooperate."
Let us get this farce over with then if she is so intent on it.
"What crimes have I committed Lady Arryn?" He asked, fully expecting to be accused of putting an incestuous bastard on the Iron Throne.
He wanted to say that it was the Vale and everyone in attendance who had committed treason by defying the Iron Throne, but he held his tongue. Joffrey's parentage made that argument disingenuous at best. Even if it was true, those words would not aid him in the slightest.
"How dare you play ignorant here Lannister! You and your family murdered the beloved Lord Jon Arryn. You shall find no friends here, murderer. The gods are good that they have cursed you with an appearance that is a true representation of who you really are."
What! Lucien blinked, completely taken aback by the sudden accusation. He had expected a verbal lashing and condescending remarks. He did not expect false accusations. He looked around behind him at the audience. All of them, many of whom served the late Jon Arryn, stared back with pure loathing. Previously, Lucien had considered highlighting his torture in order to sow uncertainty and division amongst the group. That was out of the question, he would get no sympathy here no matter how grievous his mistreatment. Even honorable men could find themselves tolerating the suffering of their enemies.
"You are right about one thing my Lady. I am a murderer. I have been since I was a boy. In my youth I had a boy who disrespected my dwarf brother thrown off the cliffs of Casterly Rock. I have put many to the sword, innocent or otherwise. Many have reason to be wroth with me. But I should be condemned by them, not you. I tell you this, Jon Arryn was not among my victims. He was a positive influence on the realm and a fair man. I never did him any ill."
"Your words are as empty as your future, murderer. Your imprisonment is too good for you, but my son is just and has decided to spare your life for the time being." She addressed the audience behind Lucien. "May this evil man languish in his sins, and be an ever present reminder of the end of the despicable reign of his family. He will see justice after the whore queen and her bastards are deposed and shammed. A quick execution is not sufficient for those of their ilk."
The crowd ate up her words hungrily, the room was deafening with their condemnations and threats. "Your evidence? How can you prove this guilt of mine?" Lucien asked. His response was disregarded and the room got even louder. Lady Arryn held a satisfied look as she stared down at him.
Sheep, mindless sycophants, and fools. He thought. Then he noticed that Lady Arryn kept looking in a particular direction. Lucien filtered the entire court out of his vision to find where she kept looking. When he did he finally saw the man he had been looking for.
Lord Baelish wore lavish clothing and did not look a captive in the slightest. The silver mockingbird that held the clasp of his cloak was pronounced. He wore a smile when Lucien met his eye. Lucien had seen more than enough of Littlefinger's smiles in his lifetime, but the look that Littlefinger gave him now was not pure mockery. It was meant to catch Lucien's attention. It was an invitation. Lucien turned his focus on Lady Arryn. The satisfied look on her face was still mockingly present. But she did not focus completely on Lucien, she kept looking at Baelish.
The look on her face showed clear as day that she was quite fond of Littlefinger.
Lucien's mind raced as he thought up a strategy for the coming days. Several revelations clicked into place.
And who are you the proud Lord said, that I must bow so low?
He smiled. The change from pride to revulsion on Lady Arryn's face was satisfying.
"I will not bother to plead my case, it is clear you have convinced yourself and closed your mind. Sense ceases to exist past the Bloody Gate. Not once did your son mention the fact that I supposedly killed his father as he tortured me. A prisoner of war. Perhaps it slipped his mind, he is quite dim."Absolutely disgraceful! Is this what the Vale of Arryn has become? All of you are a disgrace to Jon Arryn's memory!"
Lady Arryn started sputtering uncontrollably in rage. Lucien did not listen to any of it but she went on for quite a while, to the point that even the angriest member of the court became uncomfortable.
"Worm! Beast! You dare speak ill of the just! You are not fit to taste the bottom of my son's boots. You will suffer! You will rot! You will know…
He let her vent. As much as he would have liked to vent as well it would do him absolutely no good. Besides, he deserved some punishment for his past he supposed. But, he would rather face the consequences of his sins then be blamed for things he had not done. Maybe Cersei had killed Jon Arryn, it was possible, and he was guilty by association in the court's eyes.
Perhaps she eventually tired herself out, because he was roughly taken out of the hall. On his way out he saw Baelish again with the face that presented the open invitation.
He was not going to get anything out of anyone else in the Eyrie's court. They could all go to the seventh hell. That madwomen and all those who blindly followed her fictions. Fictions that were very convenient for her.
Hell, maybe she killed Jon Arryn. His death greatly helped the man you keep staring at.
Lucien would persevere to protect his family, and it was clear he had only one avenue to do so. Perhaps Gerrion could take the Arryn Lord hostage and exchange him for Lucien's freedom. That was not ideal at all. Lucien would not kill needlessly, his plan to unite the seven kingdoms after the war would be delicately carried out in order to prevent further unrest. But Robert Arryn needed to die, his survival would be unacceptable and it was clear the Vale was in dire need of new leadership. Besides, if he was exchanged the war would already be over and Lucien would have been of no use to anyone.
It would not be easy, but he could play the game of thrones one more time and dance to Littlefinger's tune.
Baelish was not stupid, and if it was in Baelish's interest, Lucien could pry what he needed from the man. Lucien could not completely understand Baelish, but it was clear he was a practical man. If Lucien remained imprisoned, Lord Tywin would blame Baelish for this failure. Baelish did not bet on losing causes and he stood to lose much at the moment if the Lannisters won this war. Lucien would see Baelish dead anyway, but there was nothing that could have tipped the man off to that plot.
Lucien was not stupid, he did not let on how much he hated and feared the Master of Coin. Lucien was placing his bet that Baelish would play both sides so that he would stand to gain no matter who won the war. Giving Lord Tywin back his golden son would be the perfect opportunity to get into the Lannister's good graces and manipulate both sides of the war. Like a child who crashed to of his toys together, and then walked away when both participants lay broken.
I will not be played. Do not pull the Lion's tail. I will not rest until I break you Baelish. You have made a grave mistake in this web you have spun. I never would have paid you this much mind initially if those rumors about you and my wife did not exist. Play your games, one snap of the jaws and you will be finished. I will not be gentle.
Of course, he could not allow Baelish to know what he was starting to piece together. If he suspected that Lucien would be a danger to him, then Baelish would never allow him to leave the Eyrie.
So Lucien would have to swallow his pride and play dumb. He would have to pretend to be manipulated.
He would have to pretend that he did not suspect that Baelish was the basis for leading the Vale to the rebels' side in the war, conceal that he had begun discovering the extent of Baelish's financial manipulation, and pretend he did not know that Baelish met with Catelyn and Ned Stark in Kings Landing. He would have to guard the observation that Lady Arryn was signaling Baelish out and that Robert Arryn resembled Petyr Baelish more so than Jon Arryn.
Getting out of the Eyrie would be difficult, killing Baelish afterwards would be even harder. It would be difficult to reach him, and Lucien believed Baelish had every intention to stay in the Vale and increase his influence here. But Lucien could feel in the very depth of his soul that he would succeed. He had a chance to get out of the Eyrie and fight for his family's future.
If he was wrong, he was dead.
Lucien prided himself on his patience, but he could not wait to talk with Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish and learn his own fate. One way or another.
He did not need to fret over the meeting, Lucien played his part perfectly. His tortured exterior posed the opportunity to portray himself as not mentally competent. He let Baelish spin a verbal web around him and pretended to be unaware.
It was difficult to be clever, but Lucien found it easy to act a fool. In doing so, he escaped one of the cleverest men in all the seven kingdoms. He had not destroyed Littlefinger like he wished to, but he had escaped him. That was more than enough.
Later that night, Littlefinger wrote the letter to Lord Tywin that insured that Lucien's desires would become a reality.
A/N
Next Chapter POVs are planned to be Lysa, Tyrion, and Catelyn
Unless the chapter runs too long, then it may be divided into two chapters.
It has been awhile since there has been a chapter on Catelyn, so I would like to get that released. This story has grown beyond what I had originally envisioned and with multiple points of view it is difficult to write them all in a timely manner.
Hopefully the Littlefinger aspect of the chapter came off well. I want to portray these characters as realistically as possible. I wanted it to be plausible that Lucien could get away without diminishing Littlefinger. So I framed the situation that releasing Lucien would appear in Littlefinger's best interest.
Because Sansa is in the North and Lysa is in the West for this story the butterfly effect caused alterations to Littlefinger's plotting. He is setting himself as the true power in the Vale while secretly showing military support to the Starks, while also portraying himself as taking over power in the Vale in the interest of the Crown for the Lannisters while returning Tywin's prize son. He would likely completely get away with this if Lucien hadn't narrowed his suspicions on him after hearing rumors regarding Lysa back in Kings Landing. Even so, Lucien cannot really do anything to him anyway for the time being.
I have been rereading the books (Hopefully when I finish reading the books, 'The Winds of Winter' will be released). Baelish is one of my favorite characters to read about in the books because he is so devilishly clever.
Because I am not even remotely in the same stratosphere of cleverness as George Martin, writing about Baelish myself was very difficult and hopefully it all came out acceptably.