A/N: Hey guys! Hope you are all safe and healthy still!
Tis a sad moment when we lost Dame Diana Rigg just recently, who we all enjoyed as the Queen of Thorns. Olenna Tyrell added a very interesting and also refreshing element to ASOIAF/GoT, in that she was a noble lady who knew when to cut through the bullshit and was more than able to hold her own in the snakepit of King's Landing. And Diana Rigg's performance really brought her character to life, especially when she had the last laugh in the show (one of that season's few highlights). Lady Diana, you will be missed :(
SHARRA ARRYN
Sharra Arryn was escorted to her own solar in the Eyrie by the Yi-Tish men clad in black. They were led by an old man named Konno Haru, a newly-created lord sworn to the dragons, and his son Lord Kenzou. They brought twenty men with them to attack her adopted home and they overwhelmed the Eyrie garrison by disguising themselves as merchants from Norvos. She knew instantly that they were lying, but she decided to see how far their lies would go. However, she didn't expect them to suddenly attack and her home already breached.
After the garrison surrendered, a few thousand northmen along with the bannermen of the recent defector Symond Royce came to secure the Eyrie and disarmed all men sworn to House Arryn. She cursed the Royce name as well as the houses of Belmore, Hunter, Redfort, Corbray, and others who had failed her house by declaring neutrality, being beaten, or defecting in hopes of getting a higher station. However, she dared not say ill of them, for the reputations of Rhaenys and Visenya had preceded the both of them. Queen Rhaenys is the amiable one, while Princess Visenya is the unforgiving type. Best take my chances with Rhaenys if possible.
Her first concern was for her sons Ronnel and Jonos, as well as for their cousin Prince Hubert. As they shared the same Arryn grandfather, they were the only male heirs who could wear the falcon crown, if the dragons would allow them to continue to wear it. And she knew that the dragons declaring themselves the new rulers of Westeros, that was an unlikely possibility. Most importantly, Ronnel and Jonos were boys and she had tried very hard to insulate them from the intricacies and politics of the Vale court, determining to teach them how to rule when they were old enough. I waited too long then.
Sharra Arryn had hailed from the Uplands, her father being a second son of Lord Mullendore and sworn to Oldtown. The King of the Vale and the Mountain had gone to Oldtown to pay his respects to the Starry Sept and she accompanied her father there to meet with the Hightowers, their overlords below the Gardener kings. The Vale king took notice of her and she felt her skin crawl at getting the attention of an old man, to which her father scolded. Fortunately, the old Vale ruler reassured her by saying that he already had a queen and was on the lookout for a woman for his son. Before she left Oldtown, she got a letter with the seals from Lord Hightower and the High Septon, which stated that she was to be married to the next King of the Vale and the Mountain and that their marriage was blessed by the Seven. Her father could not ignore a command from the highest religious authority in the land and from his direct superior, so he acquiesced. She was allowed to say her goodbyes before departing for the Eyrie.
Her new husband was a plain-looking man who nonetheless showed understanding for her situation and didn't force her to anything that she didn't want to do. The whole of the Vale rejoiced when she gave birth to an heir and a spare, but joy didn't last as their king was killed in a jousting accident.
For the past decade, Sharra struggled to rule as queen regent and applied whatever she was taught about power and the ways of the Vale court as best as she could. However, her status as an outsider came back to haunt her and without her goodfather and husband, the only protection that she had were her sons and their cousin Hubert, who was sympathetic and offered to defend her.
Sharra realized too late that outside of the Eyrie, her regency was not met with universal approval and her Reach ways caused many to be alienated from her. It should've been no surprise that resistance against the dragons both in the riverlands and in the Vale itself had crumbled quickly and now the Valemen would blame her for showing to all of Westeros that the mountains that they called home would not protect them. Their homes could be burned by the dragons, meaning that the Valyrians now have power over us, she thought with fear.
Seated across her were Rhaenys and Visenya. Although both were heavily pregnant, Sharra guessing that their birth was only mere weeks away, she had to admit that their youth and their beauties had outmatched her own. Rhaenys was the more graceful of the two, while Visenya carried a harshness about her that was only matched by her attractiveness. Standing around them were two northern ladies and a northern man, the last one with a large red wolf creature seated next to him. That must the direwolf, and so he must be Brandon Snow, Sharra recognized.
"Thank you for joining us, Queen Sharra," Rhaenys started. "I hope your new situation has not been to trying for you."
"Where are my sons?" Sharra had to know.
"They're still here in this castle, although you will not see them until we are satisfied with your conduct," Visenya answered.
"My conduct?" Sharra asked.
"As you are the regent for the Eyrie and of this kingdom, we in effect hold control over the Vale. Our position here has been strengthened with the defection of House Royce to our cause and the neutrality and surrender of many other key houses," Rhaenys explained. "There is no question that this kingdom has been beaten by us. But whether there will be an Arryn left in the Vale will depend on how you behave at this moment."
"How must I behave?" Sharra inquired, confused.
"First of all, there will no longer one who wears a falcon crown," Visenya told her. "The days of House Arryn ruling as kings are over and our family will tolerate no other wearing crowns. There are only two families who shall carry ruling privileges, both of which I belong to."
Sharra tightened her jaw, such things unacceptable in her mind. "The Vale has been ruled by House Arryn for thousands of years—"
"And that ends today," Rhaenys reminded her. "I am inclined to appoint a house that will be pliable to our interests and one who has proven themselves worthy of the rewards we will grant them. But… I am not blind as to completely wipe out House Arryn. Your adopted family, as you say, had ruled this kingdom for thousands of years and it might be for the best to keep them where they are, but tied to the dragons."
Sharra blinked. "You would do that?"
"Only if you meet certain conditions," Visenya said. "We've already discussed this with our husbands and they have agreed on a plan to be applied to enemy kingdoms." She gestured for Brandon, who nodded.
"Queen Sharra, the dragons and the northmen are more than prepared to return to the sword and to fire. We are many, we are everywhere in this kingdom at this point, and we are dangerous. With the allegiance of the mountain clansmen, your bannermen will not know peace for many years to come." Sharra gulped. "However, in exchange for their lives and for your families, there are exactly five terms that you have to agree to in order for peace to return to the Vale."
"And what would be those five terms?" Sharra crooked her neck at the bastard brother of Torrhen Stark.
"First, you must bend the knee to Houses Targaryen and Belaerys as the sole rulers of this continent. You must relinquish your crown and your royal titles and from this day forward, you shall be known as Lady Sharra Arryn and your sons Lord Ronnel and Lord Jonos."
Sharra hitched her breath. Oh, no.
"Second, you must agree that the rulership of the Vale be turned over to a council of three for a period of years until the dragons are satisfied with your conduct. You will be included on that council, but Symond Royce and someone already sworn to us will have equal powers and will serve at our discretion."
Sharra tried very hard not to react badly, but the idea of serving alongside a traitor and a Valyrian was proving much for her.
"Third, you will provide various grants of land for the Vale mountain clansmen as a token, since the Arryns pushed their ancestors out of the lowlands and thus this will be their return back to their ancestral homes."
"You want me to give lands to barbarians?" Sharra balked at that.
"The ancestor of the family you married into forced them into the mountains, but unless you want to debate who has the right to lands in the first place, which will not end well for you, allow Lord Snow to finish talking," Visenya commanded.
Sharra struggled to acquiesce, for even they were both women of power, she had been exercising it for many years before the rise of the dragons and she could claim a much richer lineage than the Valyrian houses combined. But she wisely kept her mouth shut.
"Fourth, all of the Valemen will be given a choice to fight alongside us against our enemies in the south. Lord Royce made the first move and more of his bannermen will join our armies, but you will not interfere and instead oversee the recruitment of houses and the delivery of supplies."
Sharra sighed before nodding.
"Lastly, to ensure that you will not try anything that will be detrimental to our interests, your sons Ronnel and Jonos will come to Dragonstone and then our fort on the Blackwater Rush to begin their fostering period."
Sharra stood up. "No! I will not part with my sons!"
Bethany Mormont was prepared to unsheathe her Valyrian steel bastard sword, which had a bear pommel on it, while Lyanara Mormont readied her mace, but both Rhaenys and Visenya put up their hands and gestured them to stand down.
"I understand, Queen Sharra. Truly," Rhaenys exhaled. "I myself carry a child in my womb, and so does my sister. My heart will be torn apart if I was to see my children leave my presence for even a little bit, and I know what good motherhood is thanks to our own mother. And most importantly, they are not at the stage to really understand the intricacies of politics and even the hardships that make up life."
Sharra was struck. "If you claim to understand, then why are you doing this? Why are you taking my sons from me?"
"Because of you," Visenya made clear. "You chose to enter the war on the Faith's side and you lost. As you were the leader of the Vale, you have to face the consequences of your decisions. However, we also have to take into account that you acted beyond your authority as regent by declaring war on us."
"I'm sorry, Princess Visenya," Sharra was stumped. "How exactly did I act beyond my authority? I am the Queen Regent of the Vale."
"Yes, you are the regent, but even that position has its limits," Rhaenys pointed out. "A regent, from what I've learned, is mainly responsible for administering the lands under the control of rulers in their minority and their powers also include the declaration of war. But that last power is reliant on the survival of the realm they're responsible for and prior to your war against us, the Vale was secure and safe. So, you had no reason to declare war on us when we didn't threaten you."
"I must correct you on that point, Queen Rhaenys," Sharra answered. "Your dragons burned Harrenhal and wiped out House Hoare all to a man. You felled Argilac Durrandon. And you brought unholy practices to our lands. I only did what I thought was necessary in order to safeguard not just my house, but every land and house sworn to the Faith."
"I don't believe so," Visenya shook her head. "You might be a pious woman, but your only concern was to ensure your own power. And there is nothing better to safeguard your authority than through war."
"And what evidence do you have to support that?" Sharra was trying to deny.
"Good thing that our brother, Orys Baratheon, knew exactly what Loren Lannister was trying to extract from him when he was enduring torture," Visenya crossed her arms. "Besides trying to dissolve his marriage to Argella, you offered to legitimize him as a Targaryen and annex the Blackwater Bay into your realm. Although I am not quite sure how you would accomplish that, given that the Vale would have been burdened with ruling the bay and that your kingdom does not have the ships needed to defend it."
Sharra gulped, her role in Orys' sufferings revealed. Rhaenys and Visenya's eyes hardened, while Brandon Snow and the Mormont ladies watched in curiosity.
"In any other situation, I would say that I would have also considered your choices, since you are a woman alone in power and you were an outsider, so you did what you thought was necessary to guarantee protection and also bolster your support," Rhaenys stated. "But you made the mistake of trying to have our brother act against us, which wouldn't have worked to begin with, and the fact remains that you tried to gain something at our expense. If we were really heartless, we wouldn't have come into the Eyrie. This fortress would be engulfed in flames right now and none of you would have survived."
Sharra paled, as her imagination of Harrenhal on fire returned very vividly.
"As you can see, we came to conquer, but we will not engage in wanton violence," Rhaenys continued. "We gave houses in the Vale a choice and some were wise enough to take it while others had to experience fire in order to see reason. And that's what we're offering you. We can't ask your sons Ronnel and Jonos to act, as they're too young to understand, but you and Hubert Arryn will suffice."
"Where is Hubert?" Sharra asked with some worry.
"Confined to quarters," Visenya then tapped her fingers on the table. "Bend the knee to us right now and you shall live, along with your sons and your nephew Hubert. I don't have to tell you what the consequences will be if you refuse to do so."
Sharra breathed shakily, as she had never bowed to any other man or woman in decades. And bending the knee to women younger than herselves and who had no previous claim to crowns was an insult more than what she thought she could take. House Mullendore's roots were deep and they emphasized loyalty, loyalty that had transferred to House Arryn.
However, Sharra Arryn also considered that the Eyrie was now fully occupied. Most threateningly, there were two dragons flying about and the riders before her had no compunction in using them if they really had to. Moreover, thousands of northmen were in the immediate vicinity of the Eyrie, making any chance of reinforcement all but impossible. She eyed nervously at the red wolf next to Brandon Snow, who looked at her with expectation.
My duty is to House Arryn, and I must keep them alive. She fulfilled her obligations in giving House Arryn heirs, but they could no longer survive with crowns atop their heads. So now, she needed to ensure that they grew up into fine men and that the Eyrie remains in the hands of an Arryn. Swallowing her pride and taking a deep breath, she looked resolutely at the leaders of her enemies.
"What must I do?"
Visenya pointed to the floor. "Bend the knee, and we shall talk further."
Tightening her fists, she went on one knee and lowered her head. "As the queen regent of the Kingdom of the Vale and the Mountain and behalf of House Arryn, I, Sharra of House Arryn, born in the Uplands to Lord Mullendore, swear fealty to House Targaryen and House Belaerys, new rulers of Westeros." The words came out very slowly, and she felt the weight of each one.
Both Rhaenys and Visenya approached her, with the warrior dragoness bidding her to rise. "From this day forward, you shall be known as Lady Sharra Arryn and any other Arryn with royal titles shall forfeit them while assuming lordly ones. We will not make you Lord Paramount of the Vale like we did with House Stark, House Blackwood, and our brother, for you must demonstrate your loyalty to our families from now on. Henceforth, the Council of the Vale shall assume their seat in the Eyrie, with Symond Royce and one from a northern house ruling alongside yourself. We will determine whether your family will be retained as the Vale's overlords at another time."
Sharra nodded solemnly. "Very well… Your Grace," she hesitated.
"Now, let's take you to your sons. As you swore loyalty, consider this a small reward," Rhaenys smiled as she made Sharra follow them out of the solar.
Again, Sharra Arryn walked through the halls of the castle that was no longer her home. Through a window, she could see that the banners of House Arryn have been replaced with the red three-headed dragon of House Targaryen and the singular blue dragon of House Belaerys. Stark banners also flew all over the castle, signaling to all who were in charge now. Thousands of years of rule now gone… ancestors, please forgive me, she prayed.
Approaching a door with two guards with the Umber sigil, Sharra's heart stopped at the sound of two boys playing through the door. The guards dipped their heads at Rhaenys and Visenya before opening it, showing her two young sons playing with their toys. Upon seeing their mother, they ran up to her while she knelt down and hugged them tightly.
"Mother!" they squealed.
"My boys," she sighed in relief. "I am so happy that you're all right."
Kissing their cheeks, she saw Ronnel and Jonos staring at both Rhaenys and Visenya. "Are those the dragon ladies, mother?" they both asked innocently.
Sharra hesitated before she nodded. "Yes. She's Queen Rhaenys Targaryen," she pointed to her before moving to Visenya. "And that's Princess Visenya."
"Can the dragons fly like those who jump through the door?" Ronnel asked.
Sharra had to wince, since she didn't yet teach her eldest son and king what the Moon Door really was. "Their dragons don't need to jump down in order to fly, my son. They can fly on their own."
"Can we fly on them, mother?" Jonos spoke for his brother.
Sharra was unsure how to answer that, since that was something that she couldn't give them. They knew no wants and I did the best I could for them until now, but that… I don't know.
Fortunately, Rhaenys knelt down, carefully holding her belly, and smiled at the boy king. "It's good to meet you, Ronnel," she said softly. "My, my, you are a pretty boy, just like your mother." The boy king gave a wide smile at her praise. "How old are you both?"
"Seven name-days," Ronnel answered.
"Six name-days," Jonos said to her.
"You want to ride on dragons?" The boys nodded eagerly, as if their dreams were about to come true. "But first, what have you heard about them?"
"That they breath fire and can fly higher than any man who jumped from the Moon Door," Jonos stated. "I want to see the top of each hill."
"And I want to fly," Ronnel was gleeful.
Rhaenys and Visenya shared a look of amusement, as before them was not a king and a prince but merely two boys just trying to enjoy their childhoods.
"If your mother allows you to, I will glad you take you on a ride. My sister Visenya will take the other," Rhaenys told them.
"Mother, can we ride on them? Please?" Ronnel asked with wide eyes.
"Please, mother. I want to fly," Jonos gave her a pleading face.
Sharra was fearful of what would happen if they were to fly, especially since just moments before, they were still of the main line of Arryn kings. However, she wasn't going to deny her sons and given how Rhaenys and Visenya were acting towards them and the fact that they would become mothers soon made her assured that they wouldn't harm children.
"Of course," she kissed the cheeks of both of her sons again while they squealed in delight.
"Come on," Rhaenys gently grabbed Jonos' hand as she led him out. "Let's show you how wondrous the view is from the back of a dragon."
Visenya grinned softly at Ronnel. "Come on, Your Grace. Let's go." She stopped to give one more look at Sharra. "We'll be careful with them, my lady."
"Thank you," Sharra nodded gratefully. She followed her boys out into the yard of the Eyrie, where the orange dragon named Vhagar and the silver dragon named Meraxes, both named after Valyrian deities, awaited their riders. The dragons were hesitant in letting strangers, even children, on their backs, but Sharra witnessed the power of the dragonlords as they both scratched their snouts and calmed them down before helping her sons onto their dragons. They then climbed on and as the guards cleared a space, Sharra heard both Rhaenys and Visenya yell "Sōvegon!" before the two dragons jumped into the air.
Letting out a nervous exhale that she had but also trusting the dragon women to give her sons a good time, she walked back into the Eyrie and found Brandon Snow leading Albar, the Eyrie's septon and representative of the Starry Sept, into the Sky Cells. "Lord Snow!" she called out to him. But her approach towards the bastard brother of Torrhen Stark was halted at his large red wolf looking at her with apprehension.
"Yes, my lady?" Brandon asked.
"What are you doing with Septon Albar?" Albar had been the one who advised her to accept Mern Gardener's invitation to the Arbor and thus had been a key advisor in the war for the Faith.
"He was anointed by the Faith and therefore is a threat against our cause. He must therefore be confined until he is no longer judged to be such," Brandon answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
"What is threatening about a holy man? He's not armed nor can he fight," Sharra tried to protect him.
"No, he can't do both," Brandon admitted. "But we are at war with the Faith of the Seven and their appointed leaders, so we cannot take any chances." Feeling that she had more to say, he had his men lead Septon Albar always while the red wolf remained at his side.
"Surely, you don't think that suppressing the Faith would be a wise idea, considering that the Vale was the first land to be converted," Sharra tried to reason with him.
"It's going to be a long process to dismantle their power in this kingdom and there might be some fool believing that it will be wise to mount a rebellion to stop the change," Brandon accepted that possibility. "But the time of the Faith as the supreme authority in Westeros will end. The only question that remains is what the Andals and the rest of you lot will do."
"And how do you think we'll act when you take away something that is central to the fabric of our morals and society? People have prayed to the Seven for thousands of years and they celebrated every one of their holy days with zeal, so you risk disrupting their lives."
"In the beginning, yes," Brandon didn't deny that. "Then again, people prior to the coming of the Andals prayed to the old gods for thousands of years before and had a peace with the Children of the Forest before the Andals disrupted the natural balance that existed on this continent and then proceeded to cut weirwoods and kill the Children in droves."
Sharra sighed. "Please don't tell me that you believe in such superstitions."
"Of course, you would call them that," Brandon was not impressed. "The fact is that your ancestors killed what was here before in such high volumes that what remained of the old ways had become but a whisper. And we both know just how shaky whispers are."
Sharra stared hard into Brandon's eyes. "Remind me again please, Lord Snow. What exactly does House Stark gain from helping the Valyrians? You might have a strong antipathy towards those who follow the Seven, but the Valyrians are of a foreign nature and are an antithesis to everything that of Westeros. Not even the followers of the old gods tolerated incest."
"I won't deny that," Brandon nodded. "But there's one thing that we share in common, and it's an important similarity. It's respect towards true power, not power gained from how much lands you have, how many bannermen you can call on, whether your weapons are superior to your enemies', and whether your castles can withstand countless sieges. All of that is at the mercy of the power derived from the elements, in this case fire and ice, and that respect is something you and your people have lost over time."
Sharra narrowed her eyes at Brandon. "So… you think that your alliance with the dragons will ensure that the power you speak of returns?"
"Not return. The powers I speak of have always been in plain sight, but they've become weaker. The northmen backing the dragons is the chance for the power, or magic if you need to understand clearly, to reemerge in full force. Only then can the light shine upon the peoples of these lands again."
Sharra was not very sure. "I doubt that, Lord Snow."
"Then again, great power has always baffled the minds of small people," Brandon stated condescendingly. "You really thought that Orys Baratheon would betray his family just to get legitimized and be lord of a small place while swearing loyalty to you and surrendering control of the Blackwater Bay? That's the problem with how people view us bastards. Given the right upbringing and the right amount of love, we won't see our trueborn families as ones who will forever remain distant. I grew up seeing Torrhen as my brother and nothing else, the same applying to Orys and his siblings. The other thing that we have in common with the dragons is that we value family above everything else, since friends don't last forever. Whereas for you, you never grew up with such value placed on family and only learned to rely on fair-weathered friends."
Those words hit a sore spot for Sharra, as "fair weather" accurately described the behavior of her sworn lords and bannermen in her time of need.
"Power and wealth can only get you so far before they both fail you," Brandon continued. "Take it from me. I was castellan of Winterfell and I learned to never put my faith in friendships since they never last."
Sharra was taken aback. "Then how were you able to manage such an important position?"
"You should know that it's never wise to reveal your true feelings in any situation. In addition, the northmen respect strength and that respect would only last as long as you can match their strength and operate by their rules," Brandon explained. "Fortunately for me, being the brother of Torrhen Stark and being an able man all by myself allowed to last for a long time in the cold of the North."
Sharra nodded, trying to understand. "How was this alliance between your people and the dragons consummated?"
"Simple. A betrothal and their guarantee that they would respect the sovereignty of the North in all but name. My brother Torrhen might no longer be a king, but he won't need a crown to continue ruling the Northern kingdom," Brandon revealed.
"A betrothal? Between whom?" This, Sharra had to know.
"King Aegon's and Queen Rhaenys' first child and Torrhen's child," Brandon answered.
Of course. "Let me guess. The child in Rhaenys' womb is a boy and the unborn Stark a girl?"
"Torrhen already has heirs, and this child, my niece, will secure the future."
"You seem so sure about the child's gender. Why are you so certain?"
"Because the future has been revealed to me in glimpses, but what I see only serves as an indication and not what will for sure come to pass," Brandon said.
"What kind of power is that?"
"It's an ability that has been passed into rumor in the south, one that allowed the future to be looked at in small doses. It's something that once defined the Children of the Forest and the First Men who made peace with each other."
Sharra searched through her mind before she realized what he was talking about. "Come now. Greensight is a myth," she stated in disbelief.
"As much as dragons are, and yet you see them flying about," Brandon refuted. "But I will not try to persuade you, for whether you believe is on you."
Just then, they heard the dragons come back. Sharra and Brandon returned to the yard, where they saw Vhagar and Meraxes land and their riders slide off while carefully handling Ronnel and Jonos. She hugged her sons tightly once more.
"How was it, my sons?" she asked them.
"Mother! It was spectacular!" Ronnel exclaimed. "We saw the top of mountains and the rivers and clouds!"
"I felt like I was flying like a falcon, seeing everything below me and being like the ones who jumped out the Moon Door."
Sharra had to remind herself on what the door really did one day, but she wasn't going to ruin their fun today. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, my sons. Now, go back into the castle. I'll play with you soon." The boys ran back, still excited from the rush of their dragon ride, as their mother turned to Rhaenys and Visenya. "What do you require from me, Your Graces?" For treating her sons well, she was going to give them a chance.
"First, we require you to help assemble as many willing Valemen to the Bloody Gate as possible. As you now serve us, you must prove your worth and the wisdom in our decision to let you live," Visenya was blunt.
"After that, you must ensure that the Vale continues to supply our armies with food and another necessary items," Rhaenys added. "Also, prepare lands for the mountain clansmen, for they shall return to live amongst the lowlands."
Sharra knew that she would face protests, but she simply bobbed her head. "It shall be done."
From a queen to a lady… how much lower can this be? she resigned herself as the Vale had now become part of the new realm under the dragons.
A/N:
This was a one-shot for Sharra Arryn's POV. I hope you all like her characterization.
And I had to include the dragon riding for Ronnel, this time with both dragon women and with his brother. Now Sharra Arryn cannot be bitter towards the Valyrians since they treated her sons so well.
Thus, the Vale has collapsed, and the threat in the south can now receive its overdue focus.
Next, we see what's been happening down there.