272 AC

Chapter VI

Littlefinger

Petyr

The midday summer sun beamed down the training yard. Petyr swore that before long it would melt all those under it, especially since they still wore padded wool for their training garb. Despite being one of Lord Hoster's youngest wards, Petyr had begun training in the basic teaching of warfare, toiling with seasoned squires, pages, and even lowborn retainers. During this session Petyr sparred with Ser Brynden's youngest squire, Jonos Arryn. Petyr thought it must be because the two were valeman. As per usual in the one month Petyr had spent in Riverrun, the start of the early afternoon training session, usually involved pairing younger wards with full fledged squires. According to Ser Robin, their master of arms, "Learning from those far more experienced is crucial to advancing one's knowledge in combat." Petyr would prefer to not train at all in blistering heat. He was also sparring with someone he knew he had no chance of defeating. Jonos Arryn, despite being the youngest squire under Ser Brynden's tutelage, was a full six years his senior.

Petyr once traded hits in the training yard with the heir of his father's overlord in the Vale. Others sparred around them, but for the most part, they were no distractions. While sparring, Petyr noticed Jonos wasn't particularly imposing, fast, or unyielding. However, Jonos easily got past the much younger and smaller valeman's guard. Petyr knew his technique with the sword was where his strengths lay. Each motion with his sword arm was precise and hard to read. There was no wasted motion or energy. Even though Petyr could take the impact of his blows, they were increasingly hard to block when he went on his offensive flurries. Eventually, after another extended exchange, Jonos parried away Petyr's training sword and disarmed him.

"Good work, you fared much better than the last time. I can see you at least worked on the basics," Jonos stated, handing him back his sword.

"Though not because of any extra effort. I fail to see the point in play fighting in this heat,"

"Think of it this way, when your sharp tongue and boldness cause conflict with another noble, it will help you keep your head," Jonos explained. He began removing the cloak he wore over his training garb, "But Gods, it is unusually hot even for summer."

Petyr and Jonos exchanged some banter, and even went another round. Petyr sent Jonos off the defensive for a bit. He tried to use his small frame to make him smaller and more elusive. A small fast target was hard to hit. However, Jonos managed to use the aggression of the younger man to his advantage, disarming him with a defensive parry when he began to tire.

"Aggression is good, but when you lose control or end up wearing yourself out, you'll end up disarmed as per usual. You have to notice the subtle moves of your opponent," Jonos instructed. Petyr smiled as he was once again handed his sword. There was one thing that had not escaped his notice in between rounds. In the balcony overlooking the training yards, Petyr spotted the ladies in waiting for Lord Hoster's wife seated working on stitches with the septas. They were also keenly watching the action between the other boys in the yard. While none of the ladies were not pleasing to look at, Petyr had always known one to stand out in his eyes since he arrived in Riverrun.

She had auburn hair that matched the blue gown she had been wearing, complementary to her blue eyes. She was exactly how Petyr imagined how a lady ought to look like. She usually sat next to her sister. They both looked similar. However, Petyr much preferred Catelyn over Lysa, although he could not put a finger on why. Maybe the colour of hair was much more pleasing to look at or her features were much more attractive to him. Of course, Petyr had to find a way to speak to her more often, but due to his lowly status, he never really had the opportunity to. The watchful gaze of her mother or any of the septas simply made it hard for him to interact with her. For some reason, they didn't seem to mind Jonos getting close to them.

"Like what you see? You know I never knew one can develop an appetite for the fair maiden before their eleventh name day, but you've sure proven me wrong. You got it before your eighth," Jonos jested startling Petyr out of one of the most beautiful sights in Riverrun, "I could have sworn most boys your age would be repulsed by girls. But apparently you're the exact opposite."

"What's not to like about them?"

"When I was seven, the only girls I would talk to were my sister and my mother. I never saw girls in the other light till much later," Jonos explained, grounding his training sword in the dirt.

"Maybe you haven't even done that, yet," Petyr joked. Jonos gave him a playful shove and smiled. Arryn still didn't understand them, friend. It really is unfortunate that the ones the Gods bless with all the tools needed to be a heartbreaker, don't realize it.

"I don't really fault you, Catelyn and Lysa are considered to be fair by most of the squires. Though none would be so bold as to attempt anything with them, lest they want the wrath of BOTH Ser Brynden and Lord Hoster," Arryn thinks I am looking at her sister as well. Not that it would matter if Petyr even pondered the affections of Catelyn's sister Lysa. The young girl clearly only had eyes for one. Unfortunately for her, that one wouldn't know her feelings for him if she appeared before him naked.

"Arryn, Baelish, quit talking like a bunch of maidens doing their stitches. Baelish, you're with Edmure now. Arryn goes with Piper," Ser Robin ordered. Petyr noticed some of the girls began giggling at the sight of them being scolded. He began barking at the others for pairings as well. Before long, everyone in the training yard was more competitive. The older boys were paired with other older boys, and the younger boys were paired with other younger boys.

Baelish and Edmure Tully were closer in age. However, Edmure was taller than Baelish and a little stockier despite being a year younger than him. Edmure always had a nickname that he called him. Littlefinger. It was because of his family's holdings in the Fingers, more specifically the derelict tower of Midlor Point. That and his small stature. Petyr wasn't really offended by it, but most of the Riverrun now called him that. Only Jonos still called him by "Petyr" or "Baelish".

The sparring went more competitively than Petyr had hoped. They split the first two rounds, as Petyr managed to disarm him in the first round. However, Petyr was knocked down and forced to yield in the second round. After each of the rounds, Petyr looked toward where the ladies were watching, hoping Catelyn caught a glimpse of him. She and her sister were watching him spar, but it was probably more for the opponent he was sparring against. Edmure was their brother after all. He wouldn't be embarrassed in front of her. The Seven Hells would freeze over before that.

Unfortunately for Baelish, he was demolished for the next six rounds, not even being able to keep his footing in the sixth round. Every time they would get in a neutral position, Edmure simply overpowered him. He couldn't defend well, because he got battered by the young man's flurries. After the last round, in which Ser Robin told them to take a breather, Petyr noticed Catelyn had caught at least one of the rounds he had sparred with her brother. Her sister was having a giggle next to her as she whispered something in her ear. There was a look of pity in her eyes. Petyr usually didn't feel horrible after routine defeats in the training yard, but this defeat cut his pride. How would he make Catelyn want him if he gets embarrassed by a younger opponent?

While taking a breather, Petyr noticed that the older squires were still locked in combat. Many of the younger wards and pages were focused on the sparring match between Marq Piper and Jonos Arryn. Marq Piper was certainly Lord Hoster's strongest squire in terms of martial skill. Jonos, despite being the youngest, was known as the strongest out of Ser Brynden's three known squires.

"Jonos has the advantage against Piper in the rounds they had today. Only been able to disarm Arryn twice," He could hear one of the others whisper from among themselves. He stood slightly off by himself, as Edmure and the others talked amongst each other.

"The gap between the two of them really has widened ever since they came back from the tournament, much to father's disappointment," Edmure added. As Edmure said this, Jonos perfomed a flashy maneuver, ducking one of Piper's strikes and disarming him afterwards. The struggle to stay level headed was seen on Piper's face. He clearly didn't like being given a sparring lesson, while young ladies were looking on.

"Piper has more talent than Arryn in my opinion. He is more natural with the sword in hand," One of the pages stated. The others nodded in agreement. Jonos ended one of the rounds with a brutal flurry. Each strike of the sword Jonos had been precise, and while not particularly fast or strong, were very much technical. When Petyr observed Jonos' strikes, but with all the rounds he's had with him, he felt he was more equipped to spar him than Marq Piper regardless of his talent. The two reset themselves after Jonos was disarmed, because of a stray parry he did not see coming. Jonos had the habit of missing small details when he was ahead in combat. That Petyr knew first hand.

"You forget to mention Piper'sother occupations," Petyr chimed in from his place. He was referencing the other things Piper did, messing about with the other squires, chasing around the young ladies in Riverrun. There wasn't anything wrong with that. Petyr would prefer to do that train anyway. But if it was your goal to be the best swordsman, it would certainly take away from it. Petyr made no false pretense of wanting to become a great swordsman, while Piper did, "Arryn spends most of his time training. He's hitting training dummies, practicing sword forms, and drilling footwork longer than any other here."

Petyr wasn't exaggerating the amount of time Jonos spent drilling in the training yard. He would often be found there in his free time.

"He's also closer to my sisters than any other, Littlefinger," Edmure added dryly, "Lysa's favorite name to say when we have meals together seems to be Jonos. I don't think she's referring to Jonos Bracken." Though Jonos was outgoing and had no shortage of interactions with other squires, pages and the like, he spent the most time with Catelyn and Lysa Tully out of all of the boys in Riverrun.

When Edmure mentioned Jonos Bracken, Petyr might have been the only one to turn his attention to the sparring between Jonos Bracken and Tytos Blackwood. However, unlike the more honorable duel between Arryn and Piper, it had devolved into dirty fighting. Clawing of the face, throwing sand, and hits below the belt were all commonplace in the less watched match. Ser Robin had grown tired of stopping it. He just let them do whatever now. They would pay the consequences later, if they were bound to the bed due to injuries suffered in sparring.

Petyr turned his attention back to the sparring match between Jonos and Piper. Both were visibly tired from the rounds that they had gone through. However, out of the two of them, Petyr noticed Jonos stand a little taller. He also had no hint of weariness in his eyes. Piper tried surprising Jonos with a flurry to begin, but he was brushed aside with ease. With a bit of fancy footwork, he began to weave in and out with pokes and jabs of his own sword. Petyr turned toward the ladies and they were all impressed with Jonos' skill in the blade. Particularly, Lysa and a black haired girl he didn't care to know the name of.

Suddenly, the clang of a disarmed sword resounded across the training ground. The weary Marq Piper didn't even try to pick the sword back up.

From Baelish's count Jonos took about ten out of the fifteen rounds he went with Piper. He had been knocked down and yielded twice, and disarmed and forced to yield three times. Nothing really escaped his notice, so he felt Jonos was convincingly the better of the two.

"Alright the lot of you who just finished their rounds take a breather," Ser Robin turned his attention to them not, "You lot have some more work to do. Steel yourselves for more rounds under the sun." Petyr rolled his eyes and sighed. He would be spending more time burning under the sun.


"You know Cat might be milling about somewhere, wouldn't you rather be with her than shooting arrows?" Jonos asked after letting loose another arrow from his bow. The other squires were long gone by now, and it was just him and Petyr. It was growing close to dusk, but ever since Petyr's arrival, Jonos and Petyr would talk while shooting at the archery range quite often.

"I haven't gotten around to talking to her, although I have tried. Believe me I have," Petyr took his turn shooting. He didn't have an aptitude for archery either, but even with his small frame he was able to lose an arrow. Jonos laughed.

"You are bold, especially for someone six years my junior," Jonos observed. The arrow hit the target right at the center. Consistent with the rest of the arrows that littered the area round the bullseye.

"It might be easier to talk to if they aren't occupied with you," Jonos smiled with that comment. Jonos continued to send arrows flying at the target. More arrows littered the area round the bullseye.

"I did grow up with them. I've been here for close to five name days now. It would reflect badly if they stayed away from me," Petyr fired an arrow, while Jonos commented on what a nice shot it was. Petyr might have thought it was flattery coming from the same person that hit five bullseyes in a row. At that point, he continued conversing with Jonos as he made his way to the weapon racks to return his bow.

"That must mean you know a lot about them, wouldn't you say?" Petyr said, returning with a bucketload of knives. Blunted, of course. They were usually used for practicing close quarters combat, which Ser Robin often had them do. Jonos told him where they were kept. Petyr then put some tankards that were littered about and set them up on a table about five yards away from the,

"Probably. I mean I do know Lysa's a horrible cook, scratch that both of them are. The mudpie I was fed by them many moons ago is better than what they tried making for me. I've gotten in the habit of rejecting their attempts to cook for me now." As Jonos spoke, Petyr picked up a knife, flipped it in his hand, and hurled it towards the tankard. It clanged it off the table.

"That's not really what I meant, but I assume you would know what Catelyn likes or dislikes." Petyr hurled another knife at a tankard.

"You know, you could join me the next time I spend time with them. Lysa will take some time to get used to you, but I'm sure they'll like a new friend. The best way to find out what Cat likes is to actually interact with them." Jonos suggested, "That or stalk them in the shadows watching her every move. I wouldn't recommend that, Marq Piper tasted the gauntlet of Ser Brynden when he was caught doing that once." Jonos loosed more arrows as Peryr hit a flurry of knives at the remaining tankards still up. He missed once or twice, but he definitely hit the tankards better than the archery targets.

Petyr smiled, a glint in his eye. It would be an excellent time to get close to the lovely Catelyn. And with Jonos there, he could inevitably be used to distract the other sister, Lysa. Jonos would prove very beneficial to him, as the lingering eyes of a member of low gentry interacting with a daughter of a major house would be negated simply with Jonos' presence. Besides, Jonos wasn't as jarring to interact with as the other squires. He was the closest thing to a friend that he had made since arriving at Riverrun.

"I'll hold you to that, Jonos,"

"No problem, I'm good at keeping my word," Then Jonos suddenly frowned. He quickly put the bow back on the rack where he found it and took off the quiver slung on his back. "Gods be damned, I forgot it was my turn to perform the small repairs and maintenance on Ser Brynden's sword, armor and kit."

"Unfortunate,"

"Indeed, well you could come with me. Lysa has made a habit of 'surprising' me while I'm cleaning Ser Brynden's armor. Though, I usually know that she's there by now."

"Will Catelyn be there?" Jonos smiled and shook his head.

"She doesn't really like being around arms and armor, but Lysa seems to have an affinity for it. Strange, she only seems to show up there when I'm the one cleaning armor. Wonder why?" Can't think of any reason. Gods, this Arryn was truly as thick as steel when it came to girls. So much so a boy of seven old picks it up better than he does.

"I'm alright, I have grown tired from our session earlier. I must retire early,"

"Suit yourself. Also, you might have to get used to calling Catelyn, Cat. That's usually how a lot of people close to her call her," Jonos waved as he left, and Petyr began to put up his remaining knives. He made a mental note of this, and all the discussions they had about the Tully siblings, particularly the more important one to him.


Petyr had decided against going to the dining hall for food. Although Jonos has said his lack of a big appetite has caused him to be much smaller than the others. Not that Petyr cared. He went directly towards his shared quarters. Unlike the important squires like Jonos and Piper, the pages were forced to share their quarters with one another. He wanted to fall asleep while he was alone, so he didn't have to deal with any of the rustics. He may have been from a much smaller house than the rest of them, but he certainly carried himself with a much better sense of propriety.

However, just as he reached his quarters some footsteps made him retreat to a place where he could not be seen. He wondered whether it was instincts or just something that made him feel more comfortable, especially in the dimly lit corridor he was in.

"The Baelish boy. Is it truly necessary for you to keep him here? You already have enough wards as is," a voice declared. Clearly he was talking about him, but he didn't really recognize who it came from.

"Watch it there, brother. You know better than to question my wisdom. I got you Jonos Arryn and look how he turned out," the voices got closer, but Petyr made sure to stick close to a space between the walls. His small frame tended to help with this. He quickly surmised that the voices belonged to Lord Hoster and Ser Brynden Tully.

"There's one difference. Jonos Arryn had potential and I saw that he could be molded to a proper knight of the seven kingdoms. This Baelish boy might be smaller than Lysa. Ser Ryger told me he hasn't made much progress in the yard either." Petyr was a little hurt. He was at least taller than Lysa. He knew that the men would continue walking, but his keen vision made it so that he could trail them from a distance. He wanted to hear more of the conversation before he settled down on his pillow for the night.

"Listen, we owe it to the boy's father to at least attempt to raise him. And what are our words?"

"Family. Duty. Honor. How can I forget my brother?"

"Exactly. Any other concerns you have. I eagerly await all that you have to say." Petyr could just feel the sarcasm in his voice. It seemed he didn't really care about what his brother had to say.

"What are your plans with Jonos?"

"To raise him well like I promised his father, Jon. What other plans do you think I have with him?"

"You either think I'm dull or blind brother. I know you must have intentions to get one of my nieces close to the Arryn heir." While the dimly lit corridor couldn't give Petyr the vision of which to see one of them. One of the men stopped. The other followed his suit.

"I will eventually have to find a match for both of them. I know Lysa has gotten close to Jonos, and Cat also seems fond of him. And I do admit that I wanted this to happen when I accepted Jon's offer to foster the boy. But they are much too young to be thinking of betrothals. Maybe in the next few years we can revisit that, though you are right, it is not outside the realm of possibility." the agony of losing Catelyn to Jonos gnawed at Petyr's stomach. Even though Petyr was seven years old, he knew it was a long shot for him to receive a marriage with Catelyn. But it wasn't the marriage he was looking for. It was her love. It would certainly be easier if Lysa was matched with Jonos.

"You know, Jonos is thirteen. There are many older girls he can be matched with and several others about Cat and Lysa's age. Jon Arryn is very adept in the political field, he will force a favorable match for his son if need be."

"And who pray tell, can Jon choose that offer as much as one of my daughters?"

"Lord Tywin has a daughter, Cersei. Janna Tyrell comes to mind as well. I also heard, Lord Rickard has a daughter, Lyanna, was it? That northman is all too eager to make alliances with southern lords" Ser Brynden began to list off, "I can't even begin to tell you about others possibilities, including from his own bannermen."

"You make it seem like this thirteen year old squire of yours is high in demand,"

"He should be, he's the heir to the Eyrie and all of the Vale,"

"The Vale is just full mountains, mountains and more mountains. What advantage would one have of marrying into the family that rules over that?"

"Brother, you forget we live in the Riverlands. Sure we have fertile farmland, but we don't have a major port like Gulltown. Not to mention the amount of men the Vale can call upon," Petyr thought Lord Hoster had underestimated the significance of the Vale. His father told him that the Vale was also near impenetrable if they closed the Bloody Gate. The only way though would be above the impassable Mountains of the Moon.

"Fairmarket brings in decent income, but you are right having an association with an ancient Andal House like House Arryn would be appealing," Lord Hoster begrudgingly agreed, "Let's stray from the subject. What do you think of this anniversary tournament that is apparently being held in celebration of the tenth year of our kings reign?"

"The hands doing? Gods, Tywin Lannister's heavy handed approach to administering the realm certainly doesn't make things easy for us in the Riverlands,"

"The amount of grain he asks from our fields is upsetting, but we must admit the Seven Kingdoms have prospered under his stewardship." Petyr could see both of the men nod in agreement.

"In your last visit to King's Landing, how was the king's health," Ser Brynden asked his brother. Petyr could hear an exasperated sigh.

"He seemed in fine health, though far more eccentric than he usually was. From my guess, it might be some jealousy from the success of his hand."

"That might not sit well with a proud man like Lord Tywin."

"Definitely not, in my time in King's Landing, he did not even recognize the success of the crown thanks to Lord Tywin," Petyr mused that those in power often benefited from skilled confidants. But when someone decides to voluntarily help a man from the shadows, he may not be given his due credit. Not that Petyr would mind taking that role.

"Only time will tell what will become of the realm if that partnership implodes," Ser Brynden stated solemnly.

"I trust you'll represent our family well in the lists."

"Of course, brother. I can't count on you or your squires to represent us well in this tournament. So as per usual, I have to take things into my own hands." Petyr could sense that was more than just a playful jab at his own brother. He could hear Lord Hoster whisper something under his breath as they began to walk out of Petyr's view. Petyr had run out of tiny spaces to hide, so it would not be wise to follow them.

Petyr finally got to his quarters, shared with a few of the other noble pages in Riverrun. He crashed down into his open bed, not even thinking of changing, as he was too tired. He took the solitude and silence before the other wards and pages would return from their evening meals and activities.

He took this time, lying in bed staring at the ceiling, to reflect on what he had heard in the corridor. Jonos was certainly a more important political piece than he would ever be. He had feared he could be a rival to Catelyn's affections, but given his lack of aptitude he was more fearful of dragons coming back and engulfing him in flames. Though even if they did share the same affections for Catelyn, Petyr wouldn't really tell him that they did. Besides, a friendly rivalry to gain the affections of someone would not be unwelcome. Jonos wasn't a bad guy, and he still made no indications about what he felt about any of the sisters. This despite one in Lysa clearly prepared to dedicate her life to being his lady. Gods could only wonder how the falcon could not hear her heart yearn for him. Still, Lysa could prove useful to him. If she can win his heart, it might make Catelyn easier to attain for him. However, he still felt that earning Catelyn's love over another suitor would only serve to strengthen their future together.

It was important that he stay close to the heir of House Arryn. An association with an ancient Andal House like House Arryn would be appealing to many houses. Lord Hoster's words echoed true in his mind. Through those words, he would indirectly take the advice. Petyr Baelish was not going to be known as a boy from a minor house. He would expand the reach of his house, and rise in the ranks. He knew he could develop the aptitude, seven hells even at seven he possessed more wit, tact, and cleverness than any of the young boys in Riverrun.

Jonos was the key to many things he planned for himself. He was the key to Catelyn, he was the key to more power for his house. It wasn't a drawback that Jonos wasn't hard to get along with. He began to drift off, thinking of Jonos, Catelyn, and all the other things he had learned today. Whatever else may happen, his association with the Arryn heir would be his path to become more than just a "Littlefinger."


A/N: Welcome back everyone. Hope you all had a good week. As promised here is Petyr Baelish's chapter. I have tried to retain much of his original character, but there were changes that I made based on his role in the story. He is far less 'nefarious' than original, but he is still Petyr Baelish, so he hasn't all of sudden become a paragon of goodness and virtue. He still has his Cat thing, he still only decides to associate himself with people that may be useful to him, but he is far less, uhhh villainous than what you might know him as. In this chapter he is seven, but he might not read like a seven year old, because I tried to portray his intellect and cleverness. Still sucks at combat too. On the note of character power, I am TRYING to not make Jonos OP in a sense that he is demolishing well known knights at such a tender age. That is why I am only having him fight squires, but he is relatively good at combat for a squire as it should be with his characterization and well being tall and relatively well built helps as well. Also I appreciate the review, and though I am not saying whether or not anyone is right in their predictions for the pairings of Jonos (OR SHARRA), I am glad some have noticed the Valyrian connection of House Velayron being incorporated in the story. Just try not to read too much into the Valyrian connection. Thank you all for your feedback and your continued reading, I hope to see you on Monday for the return to the Vale with Sharra's chapter.