The Rebels had taken King's Landing days ago, but the city still looked like a warzone. Buildings were burning and the smell of shit and filth filled the air. It hadn't taken Jasper long to get there, a discreet legilimency scan of a few knights and he was able to apparate straight to the Red Keep. He had never been very good at occlumency, but legilimency was fairly easy by comparison.
Liberal use of the point-me charm helped him find the sadistic pair of knights. Gregor was a tall beast of a man that truly lived up to his reputation as "The Mountain." Amory was much shorter and somewhat fat, reminding Jasper of a pig more than anything. They were in a brothel together, and he could hear a madame complaining about how they didn't pay. With both their backs to him, he cast a cutting curse before either of them even knew he was there. The poor girl was screaming as blood fountained all over her face, and he was forced to stun her before she could see him.
Spots started to cloud his vision, and he knew he was on the verge of magical exhaustion. Using a blade, he cut off both their heads and put them in a bag. The bodies would be too heavy to carry and there needed to be proof of their deaths anyway. He managed to make it to the docks without blacking out and arranged for a trade-ship to bring his "gift" to the Martells. Runes covering the bag kept the heads preserved and the smells inside, but it was the scroll attached that ensured no one opened it. Emblazoned with the wax seal of House Arryn, anyone caught tampering with royal dispatches was sure to be executed. Lord Arryn had been named Hand of the King, and supposedly this was official correspondence to the leaders of Dorne. Inside was a simple message, "While lords change with time, tokens last forever. The Rebels may have lost their honor, but the Eyrie stands vigilant. I hope Elia and Dorne can find peace with this gift." It was signed, "An honorable falcon."
He passed out in the slums and didn't apparate back until the morning.
o-O-o
The letters from King's Landing were stiff and uncomfortable. Jon would be heading for Dorne soon, with the hope the Martells would bend the knee and finally bring the war to an end. Jasper and Mya were to stay in Vale, they would be fostered with Nestor Royce until they came of age. Jon was both impressed with Jasper's achievements and skeptical about his decision to educate the smallfolk. The amount of coin his businesses were generating stopped Jon from acting on it, but his letters were filled with fear of rebellion and discontent. Jasper had to reassure him several times that this would make the smallfolk utterly loyal to them. "They will say its House Arryn that takes care of its people and gives them tools that no other kingdom provides. It will be House Arryn that pays for the maester healing their children and giving them an education." It still took a few compulsion charms weaved into the letters, but he did end up coming around on the subject.
Jon had reluctantly commissioned another three sets of hospitals and schools to bring the total up to seven, he hoped it would ease the tensions with the Faith. Longbow Hall, Ironoaks, and Longsister were chosen as the locations, and they were now spaced fairly evenly throughout Vale. The Faith was only slightly mollified by the symbolism, but they couldn't do much more than complain. They had lost most of their followers and had become something of a minority in the region. While all religions were accepted in Westeros, the local septons had been getting more intense with their rhetoric and it was pushing people away. Jasper was afraid that they might get desperate and start attacking people, maybe even form an underground movement. So, he ended up compulsing the more influential ones to preach about banding together and leaving Vale for a place free from the "demon worshippers." It was gaining traction quicker than he expected, and with any luck, the crazier ones would soon be going South.
While it was too soon to see a noticeable rise in literacy, bookstores and print-shops had already started popping up around Vale. Access to knowledge had never been so readily available before, and many people were taking advantage of the situation. Lords started buying books in bulk for their castles and smallfolk started doing the same, albeit in smaller quantities. The Citadel disliked the stores in general, but they were appeased by controlling what books were reproduced and even sold. Books that were considered too "dangerous" for the public were soon banned from production, and copies were only kept in the Citadel for "reference." Of course, while Jasper was willing to give them control of what the public had access to, he still retained copies of what he wished. Ultimately, he hoped that eventually Vale would be able to form its own order and that he could replace the Maesters altogether. He hated relying on an organization that tied itself to the crown, whether they admitted it or not. Unfortunately, no other group was educated enough to fill their role yet, which is why he sought them out in the first place. Perhaps he would start looking in Braavos when the war was over, although he would have to be careful to avoid drawing the attention of the red priests, he didn't need more religious infighting.
In an anticipation of the sudden spike in literacy, Jasper decided to establish a newspaper, The Vale Herald. It was mostly a public relations piece that kept people up to date on news around Vale, with smatterings of info about the other kingdoms. He wanted to use it to start unifying Vale and instill a sense of nationalism and inclusion in the smallfolk. For the moment only the lords were buying it, but he expected it would get more popular as time went on and more smallfolk were able to read it.
o-O-o
While it hadn't snowed in months, the official end of Winter wasn't declared until the fall of King's Landing. Jasper was eager to return to the Eyrie and it wasn't long before they made the trip up the mountain. When the wind cut out and the chill lessened dramatically, it was clear something was different. Jasper made sure to seem surprised and hinted that maybe it was a sign from the Gods. Together, the entire party went to the godswood and found the well and the hot springs. Everyone started yelling about how the Gods had blessed the Eyrie and how their young Lord must have earned their favor.
Jasper didn't really notice though. A raven with three eyes was sitting on the weirwood tree, and it was staring at him. Something tingled in the back of his mind and he realized it was legilimency. Images from both his lives started zipping by and he struggled to form a shield. You are different. The song is changing. An image formed in his mind of a great weirwood, taller and stronger than any he had seen before. Find me beyond the wall, we have much to discuss traveler.
i {o,o}
i /) ')
i -"-"-
AN: I like the idea of the three-eyed raven being able to interact in the physical world as well as dreams, so I incorporated the GOT version of him.
Notes. For those that know one 'verse, but not the other:
[1] A Falcon is the symbol for House Arryn, and their sigil is a Falcon soaring in front of a moon. When the letter sent to Dorne references a Falcon, it's saying someone associated with House Arryn is responsible. However, it doesn't say whether it's Jon, Jasper, or even just a loyal retainer.
Edited 10-31-21
