"There is a sacred bond that exists between a Lord and his subjects. It is a Lord's duty to protect and care for his subjects, and their subjects should in turn obey their Lord. For it is through their actions that their Lord can provide a harvest to feed their people, and guards to patrol their borders. It is with their taxes that he can maintain the schools, hospitals, and even the roads that many of their people rely on. This is the sacred bond that all must share with their leaders, and it is one made up of trust and loyalty." It was a gentle reminder, but one that Jasper hoped showed his support for the nobility. He put it on the front page of the Herald, along with a lengthy article on feudalism, and he had copies sent out to every school in Vale.
His plan was to run a charm campaign in the newspaper, to show that it was a united Vale that provided aid to its smallfolk, but it still needed those smallfolk to support it. He knew it wouldn't work for everyone, but it was his hope that this would reassure most of the nobles that he still supported them, and that he wasn't lessening their control over their holds or their people.
He had also decided to create new a knightly order, The Order of the Winged Knights. Partially, because he knew it would please the nobles, but it was also to help reinforce his control over the realm. While their chief role would be to act as the defenders of House Arryn and the people of Vale, they would also ensure the laws were being upheld and obeyed throughout the region. Forty men had already been selected from his household guard to become the first members of this new order, and he imagined that number would only grow as they gained more renown.
He had even managed to get Lady Lysa away from his father, although admittedly he was still apprehensive about her coming to the Eyrie. It had only taken a few choice words to his father, and he had convinced him to let her stay in Vale throughout her pregnancy. But the thought of her actually going there put him on edge. Without ever having met the woman, he was operating entirely on assumptions and rumors.
He had outlined his position very clearly in his letters to her. She was coming to the Eyrie by his grace alone, not his father's or his sister's. She would have to respect his guests and customs for as long as she stayed there, or he would have her removed from the castle. He wouldn't begrudge her being in charge of the household, as was her right. But it was he that ruled Vale, and he refused to look at her as anything other than a sibling. Her power only came from her titles, and if she tried to push the fact that she was his new mother or that Mya was a bastard, he would bar her from Vale entirely and damn the consequences.
o-O-o
After a month and a half of newspaper articles, Jasper felt like he was starting to make some real progress with Vale's nobility. He had been forced to compulse two of the more vocal houses, to help ease their transition with his policies. But most of the Lords had already started supporting him openly, and he was confident that the rest of Vale wasn't far behind them.
He bit back a sigh as he sifted through the ledgers that made up Vale's treasury. Maester Colemon had been happy to let him review things, and while the rents and taxes were dutifully listed, they varied wildly from year to year. He knew that it was because in the past, sickness and hard winters tended to wipe out huge numbers of smallfolk. With the hospitals now established throughout Vale, he hoped the losses would start to come down. He also realized that they needed to start keeping an actual census for each hold and their underlining counties, something he started penning immediately. While they had enough gold to make it through the year with a surplus, he wanted to have a more accurate idea of what to expect for taxes and material.
A knock on his door made him look up, and he felt himself relax because of who he saw there. He eyed his sister as she come into the room and couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed the state she was in. Her hair looked like a complete mess and she was covered in sweat and bruises.
"That's it, laugh at your poor little sister," Mya said with an amused tone. "I've been training in the tilt-yard with Obara and Nymeria all morning. I think Ser Lynderly couldn't decide whether to be impressed or dismayed, but he said he wouldn't stop me. Apparently, a certain big brother of mine had already given his permission." She slipped into the chair beside him and gave him a half smile. "When were you planning on telling me I was allowed to train in the yard?"
"I wanted you to make your own decisions on the matter, my feelings aside. I figured the girls would drag you in there one of these days and as long as you were happy, I wouldn't get in the way. Do I still worry about you getting hurt in there? Of course! But I worry about you regardless and I know you look up to them. At least this way I know you're relatively safe should something happen to you. Besides, I like the idea of you learning how to defend yourself. I keep hearing that Andar Royce has been following you around lately."
She burst into giggles, "My Gods Jasper, he's eight! We play knights and dragons together; he's just been around more because he's curious about the Martells. He's never seen a dornish girl before⦠It's sweet that your concerned but Jas, I'm not interested in boys like that. I know you were freaking out about Father, but I swear, nothing ever happened."
"I know Mi, I told you, I worry regardless. You're allowed to train all you like, just remember that you still have to behave yourself around the castle. How you act reflects on our entire House, so try to be respectful and mind your manners. Deal?"
She nodded, "Deal."
o-O-o
All Jasper could hear was the ominous clink-clink-clink of the chain as it raised the lift towards the courtyard. The cage could fit ten men at a time, or more often, several crates full of supplies. Unless you wanted to scale the cliff-face some six hundred feet, the only way into the Eyrie was through this medieval style elevator. He glanced around at the rows of knights standing at attention, their armor all gleaming in the sunlight. Soon he would find out if bringing the Tully girl here had been the right decision. Would the knights support me if I needed to remove her? Did I put my family in danger by doing this?
Something small slammed into his side and black hair suddenly filled his vision. He felt warm breath tickle his ear and Mya's voice started up in a fierce whisper. "Stop thinking yourself into a tizzy! It will be okay Jas, I promise."
"What happened to me being the older one?" It was mumbled, but he knew she heard it.
"We all have our moments Jas, now relax. The Martells have been staring at you for ten minutes and you never even noticed! Get your head back in the here and now."
The clinking suddenly stopped, and his eyes flew to the lift. A shivering girl barely a few years his senior was being escorted by two handmaidens and a couple of knights. He could see the rings under her eyes, and she looked more scared than anything. Gods, he felt like such an ass. As one, every member of his household guard fell to a knee and bowed to this frightened teenager.
He stepped forward, Mya keeping by his side, and did his best to put a smile on his face. All he could feel was guilt and shame over his harsh letters and pent up fears. "My lady, I am Jasper Arryn and this is Mya Stone, we're your family here in Vale. We bid you welcome to the Eyrie. It has been our home for many generations, and I hope it grants you peace and comfort for as long as you wish to stay here."
i {o,o}
i /) ')
i -"-"-
AN: Now, I know it's gonna come up so I will say it here. Mya is written a little oddly for a 9 year old but this is for a reason. She is supposed to be fairly intelligent to begin with (In my story at least), but I'm also going with people are expected to grow up fast in Westeros. I mean the age of majority is 16, remember? Also, very minor thing but I made Tyrion a year older to close the age gap between Jasper and him. Chapter 7 has been updated accordingly. As side note, I never understood the idea that the personal guard for the royal family was only seven people. You'll notice that is not that case for my version of Vale, as they have a sizable household guard.
