Fourth Month of 247 A.C. Gates of the Moon

Lady Jocelyn Royce

The vale was quite different to the north, whilst the north was cold and harsh, its people were unfailingly honest and loyal to a fault, the Valemen, and Jocelyn had discovered whilst being nice, were two faced and would often play games to reap greater benefit for themselves. It had been her grandmother Lorra who had arranged the match between herself and her current husband Benedict. Lady Lorra was cunning and smart and knew how to get things done, an alliance between Runestone and Winterfell would come good she had told Jocelyn's brother Edwyle, and their uncle Artos, in the troubles that would come. Her husband came from the cadet branch of House Royce, and was a good man, strong and honest, and her daughters Lorra, Melantha and Serena were the jewels of her eyes but still there was something off about the Valemen that she could not quite place. It showed during her and her family's captivity here in the Gates of the Moon, not allowed out and allowed nothing more than what the Eyrie said they could have.

But it would not do to dwell on the injustice that they were faced with after all her own brother had declared war on the Vale and was currently running afoul of the Arryns. Jocelyn looked at her daughters, all of whom were playing and nattering away and turned to her husband and said. "We shall need to get knew clothes for the girls soon. Lorra and Melantha are quickly out growing the clothes we had bought them before the war began. Can we not at least send away for more orders?"

Benedict looked stressed as he had done since the beginning of the war. He was silent for a long moment before he said. "I know not Jocelyn. Lord Arryn has sent no word on what we can do about clothes. He has only said we cannot leave the Gates of the Moon. I can ask around and see if any of the guardsmen have spare clothes from their daughters."

Jocelyn nods. "That would be brilliant Ben. There is more that I mean to talk to you about. I have a feeling some of our servants are not what they appear to be. I do believe that they might be working for someone else. Perhaps Lord Arryn or Maegor Targaryen."

Her husband looks at her a moment and then asks. "What do you mean? These are all people I have known since I was young. I appointed them myself on my cousin Yorwyck's recommendation. They would not betray us Jocelyn."

"But that is where you are wrong Ben," Jocelyn countered. "They know that you trust them and as such they feel free to do things that they might otherwise not do. For they know you will be lapse in checking whether they are continuing on in their duties. I overheard two of the maids the other day speaking about the money they were making off of reporting our goings on to some woman."

At this her husband's eyes narrowed and he asked. "Did you per chance over hear the name of the woman they were reporting to?"

Jocelyn nods. "Some woman called simply the black swan. I have never heard that name before. But judging by the look on your face you have. Who is she Ben?"

Her husband looks as if he has seen a ghost. He stands up walks to the doors and closes the doors firmly and then says in a hushed whisper. "The Black Swan is an evil, evil woman. A lady who used to walk around the Vale asking for payment and tribute so that the children of the smallfolk would be left alone. Those who could not or did not pay tribute had to watch as their children and their homes were destroyed. It got so bad that eventually the lords of the Vale bandied together and fought a battle with the black swan, and killed her and drove her followers to the sea."

"Well they did not do a good job then as she is clearly still alive." Jocelyn jokes, her face becomes serious though when she looks at her husband.

"This happened some 1,000 years ago when the Arryns were kings. There are records that say that the woman was a Royce and some say she was an Arryn who had gone mad. Still if this woman truly is calling herself the Black Swann then we must be very careful now. Very, very careful." Ben said.

"What? Why?" Jocelyn asks. "Surely she wouldn't dare do something now?"

Benedict sighs and says. "No one knows who the Black Swan truly was, but my family has always believed that she was a Royce, there are certain things about our family that are lost to pages of time. And the secret of how we became the Bronze Kings is one of them, but occasionally there are signs that the old family are coming back. The Black Swan matched that feeling. We must be very careful now."

"But you have not explained why we need to be so very careful of this woman. What is so bad about her?" Jocelyn asks.

Her husband is very silent for a long time and then he says. "The Black Swan if she was a Royce, was very methodical, and very, very good at what she did. It took the Lords of the Vale ten years to find her and her lair, and when they finally found her lair, it was covered in bronze, so much bronze that one lord joked she should be named the bronze swan. But in that lair they found something that scared them all, a letter, written to them all about the darkness that comes from dragons and tears. Tears of Lys, there is something dark and wrong about all of this Jocelyn. And we must protect our daughters from the black swan otherwise we shall never see them again."

Jocelyn is about to reply when there is a knock on the door, and when her husband calls for whoever it is to enter, she breathes a sigh of relief to see Maester Dermond walk in. "There have been three new letters my lord, my lady. I thought it best to bring them here, and away from the servants."

Her husband nods and in light of the recent information, Jocelyn can't help but agree with the maester. "What news is there from outside then maester?"

Maester Dermond is silent a moment and then he says. "Word from the Eyrie, it would appear that Lord Arryn finally marched out and met Lord Davos Sunderland and his men in battle. Sunderland and his host were slaughtered against the trees of the Elder Forest. Arryn is now planning an attack on Old Anchor where the northmen are trapped under siege. He writes wanting to know how you think your brother will think in this situation my lady."

Jocelyn feels stunned by this and feels her anger begin to rise. "Is that why he has allowed me to live for so long? IN case such a scenario arose and he needed to use me against my brother? A brother who does not care a whit for me that he continues to wage war. How am I to know what he will do? He is not the brother I once knew."

Benedict then ever the wise soul says. "Enough about that. We know now that Edwyle Stark will do whatever he thinks best. Tell Jon Arryn that and let him make of it what he will. Now what are the other two letters about?"

Maester Dermond nods and then says. "Well this second letter has come from the man calling himself king. Daemon Blackfyre. He writes that if you wish for the ending of your confinement, there is only one thing that you need to do. And that is allow his army to pass through the Bloody Gate and the Gates of the Moon. And once he has dealt with the Arryns and any other lords who insist on fighting for Maegor Targaryen, he shall name you Lord of the Vale and Warden of the East."

Silence and then Jocelyn asks. "Daemon Blackfyre, is clearly aloof and distant from reality. How does he expect you to convince Jasper Waynwood a man so sworn to duty to allow his army to pass through? That is something of a fool's errand and surely a mission meant to weaken you in the eyes of the Vale."

Her husband is silent for a long, long time after that and then he eventually replies saying. "I will not respond to that letter for now. Things are still too heated in the Vale for me to allow such a thing to come to pass. I must see how the wind blows once this war is done. Now what is the third letter about?"

Maester Dermond smiles at that and says. "It is from Lord Andar Royce. Your cousin writes to say that it seems there have been some very interesting developments as of late in the siege of Old Anchor. Things that might be of interest to you and your lady wife."

"And what are these developments? Does Lord Andar have to say about this?" Benedict asks.

Maester Dermond smiles and says. "You should read the letter for yourself my lord." And so he hands the letter over and her husband reads it and then hands it over to Jocelyn to read.

Jocelyn gasps when she sees the words on the page:

My dearest Jocelyn,

You might be surprised to be reading this letter that is if Andar Royce is as honourable a man as I think he is.

We have been warring in the Vale for two years now, and not once in that time have I tried to come and rescue you, and for that I feel most guilty. My sister, the girl I swore to always protect when we were younger. Well I can promise you this, soon I shall be able to free you and your daughters, and your husband as well if you wish. Soon enough Old Anchor will be no more and the north shall come to your aid.

Until then, know that I love you and I will see you very shortly.

Yours

Edwyle.

Her husband embraces her and only then does she realise that she is crying. "We must wait it out my lady." Benedict whispers into her hair. "We cannot act now, for help is on its way."

Jocelyn nods and then whispers. "But what happens if Andar does not follow with his end of the bargain, and how do we know that that is what is truly planned? Something else might have been agreed."

Benedict nods and says. "We wait. If Andar is the man I think he is, he will do as we think he will. And soon enough we shall be free, but until then we must wait and ensure that our girls are safe." At that her husband lifts his head from her hair and says. "Maester Dermond what do you know about the Black Swan of the Vale?"

Maester Dermond looks at them for a moment and then says. "I only know what records exist in the citadel. And even then, the accounts are vague and there are not any solutions provided for why she did what she did. Why do you ask my lord?"

Her husband is silent for a long time before he says. "Because we believe there might be another one lurking around the Vale now."

Maester Dermond stops in his tracks then and looks at them both and asks. "Are you sure about this my lord? My lady? After all the Black Swan if she did exist, lived over 1,000 years ago. And all other things relating to her were kept in the Eyrie. SO why would she come back now?"