AN: Nothing you recognise is mine. Mostly it belongs to GRRM. Apologies for any mistakes regarding form.
TRIGGERS: Mentions of War, post-pregnancy stages, husband and wife living separately, a bit of a husband ordering a wife around and having power over her freedom of movement and decision-making, mentions of baby's death, mentions of parents being kind of a dick to their (adult) children, mentions of wives and children missing their husbands/fathers, mentions of ejection, mentions of a kidnapping and superstition regarding marriages, mentions of an older man wanting to marry and bed a teenager. Not a terribly interesting chapter with few triggers.
Abuse of random capitalization of letters, but I'm too lazy to fix it.
I think that's all.
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The Greyjoy Rebellion and a Review on Vale Houses
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Two days after the messages arrived, Lysa and Sansa had seen Lord Arryn depart the Eyre with the escort team that had taken him and Sansa around the Vale during the last moons. He left Uncle Brynden in charge of organising the Vale forces to join the war, which was starting to be called the Greyjoy Rebellion. Uncle Brynden was to determine which port they should sail from and coordinate the Vale army with the Riverlands'. To that aim, he had written all the Houses in the Vale to leave half their forces in the Vale with the cavalry and take half the foot forces to meet him at the Bloody Gates.
Lord Arryn left Lysa as co-regent of the Vale together with the castellan. He had told her that he would have left her with absolute power had she not just birthed a baby. For as much as the nurses would help her, he had learnt that new mothers were in a gruesome position, having gone through a physical and mentally long and arduous process and he did not want her to feel burdened by new responsibilities as Lady of the Vale, She was welcome to govern or review the castellan's labour if she wished, but she was also given time to rest and bond and enjoy with her children. Lord Arryn has specifically left one of his best men, Quill, to serve her loyally until they were reunited.
When she asked him if he had an idea of the amount of time until that reunion took place, he had told her in a serious manner that she was not to move from the Eyre until the maester considered her body had recovered from the pregnancy. Besides, Lord Jon said, baby Robin was too young to travel to King's Landing yet, and would be probably up until he was at least six moons. Lord Jon would not forbid her from leaving the Eyre if she wished, but he strongly encouraged her to remain with Robin and Sansa until the three of them could move to the Capital. Lysa was a tad put off by having to follow instructions, but they were sensible, and as such she listened and obeyed. Besides, Lord Jon told her that it was the earliest she could leave, but if they wanted to remain in the Vale for longer, neither he nor Lysa saw any problem with it. He would miss Robin's first moons, but it was inevitable, and they could review their departing the Vale at a later date.
And so, Lysa's first moons after the birth were dedicated to take care of her two breathing living children, sitting with the castellan once a day, and her ever growing pile of correspondence. With the castellan, she sat most mornings to review the petitions, judgements, fines or punishments that were going to take place that day. As before Robin's birth, she was usually accompanied by the steward, the maester and the castellan, who in this case was the leader in the proceedings (whereas before Lysa has been the one mostly in charge). Some days she also sat in the Throne Room of the Eyre to watch these proceedings take place, but more often than not, she trusted the men sworn to the Eyre and enjoyed her time with Sansa and Robin.
Because the maester was needed in the mornings for these reunions, one of his acolytes had taken to teach Sansa her lessons. She has mostly gone back to the lessons fit for noble children. Then, she had an hour with her septa, and if Lysa was done for the day she usually joined Sansa in these lessons. Then the midday meal in the Great Hall, followed by playtime either in the gardens or in the nursery. So far, Robin was a bit of a loud baby. He liked to scream, but not all of it was a complaint. Compared to Jasper Arryn, the babe that died after three moons while Lysa and Sansa were still in King's Landing, he was loud and liked to move his legs and arms. Jasper had been quiet and still most of the time, a baby seen but not heard, it had almost been as if he had been prepared to die at any moment. So Lysa considered that Robin being a boisterous baby was a good omen of a long life. Either that or he had taken her wish to be like the King a bit too literally. Just in case, Lysa was now a bit more careful with what she thought and said out loud. The Gods liked to hear your plans and wishes and make them come true in the most dislikeable ways.
In the evenings, after another meal that usually took place in the Great Hall, Sansa was sent to her evenings prayers and to sleep while Lysa took to answering the day's correspondence from her friends, acquaintances and family so that the letters would leave with the morning ravens. Although furthest from the Iron Islands, the Vale was abuzz with news and opinions of the rebellion. Ladies all around the Vale were mostly unhappy with having their men so far away, but they understood it was a duty. Some of them, mothers of young noblemen, were apprehensive of having their children see war for the first time, but on the other hand they were not so worried for seven kingdoms against one where quite favourable odds. The general consensus of the Vale seemed to be that if their men were going to join war, better a war easily won with the support of the rest of the kingdoms. Lysa, having just delivered a baby, could not imagine what the other mothers were going through.
Or maybe she could, for no long after those letters, came one talking about her brother Edmure joining the war effort. Of course, as the Heir of the Riverlands, he should be there, at the orders of their Uncle Brynden. But still, Lysa's heart felt caged by the fear for her brother, and she wondered if she would ever be able to send her own son to war in the future.
Her father had also written to her. He was not apprehensive about Edmure being in the war, or at least he did not write of it in the letters. After much arguing, he had been convinced that he was a tad too old to personally join the War, and instead he would do better to support the war through the organization of logistics. He was also sending his heir and brother to the war, so the other lords could not rumble too much. Lysa felt she really must have a woman's heart for worrying about her brother when her father did not seem to worry about his son.
Lord Hoster's letter congratulated her on the birthing of the new Heir to the Vale. He let her know that she had done her duty, and to continue to do so by easing alliances between the Vale and the Riverlands and the Court. Not a word of him being proud, but at least there were no plain criticisms. Between the lines, she read how he wanted her to be more like Catelyn and birth more children, and to work more for the Riverlands and especially House Tully's gain. Lysa did not feel terribly compelled to do more than she was already doing, and as she had her husband's permission to do as she saw fit and her first duty was to her husband, she left her father's letter to be answered at a later date and moved on to the next.
Speaking of her Lord Husband, he also wrote to her quite regularly. His letters were a bit more personal, inquiring after her and the children first, then inquiring after the state of things in the Vale from her point of view, and lastly imparting some news about himself and what was occupying his mind in that moment. On this last point, it could be anything from the goings-on at Court and the Queen or Royal children to the general affairs of the Realm, to the efforts and news from War. Because of the risks of ravens being intercepted, he never said anything terribly exciting, only things that had already happened or were about to in case the letter fell in wrong hands. Nevertheless, Lysa was always reassured to hear from her husband.
It was apparently a feeling she shared with Catelyn, for her husband was already in the Iron Islands fighting. He has left with the might of the North, and although Catelyn trusted the men that went with her husband, she still felt reassured each time a new raven arrived written by her husband's hand. Asking about the children and herself and about Winterfell and the North. A father and husband first and a Lord second Catelyn had written to Lysa to describe him. Similar to Lord Jon's, he had left her with a retinue of loyal men, but since she was more recovered from Bran's birth, she was in charge of the proceedings, with Robb and young Jon having to attend both the discussion and the applying of the decisions. In this, she was supported by Winterfel's steward, maester, and castellan, which in this case was Lord Cerwyn, from neighbouring lands. He had been injured shortly before the beginning of the rebellion, and as such had sent his fighting men to war with the Stark's. Because his family and himself had long been defenders and supporters of the Starks, he had been awarded this distinguished position until the return of Lord Stark. Lysa considered he should feel honoured, and according to Cat's letters, he did. Apart from that, Cat wrote that her children were well although they missed their father, and she asked about Sansa and her new nephew. Lysa was glad to read the description of the children and to answer with her own descriptions in return.
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For Sansa's seventh birthday, Lysa was considering a small celebration inviting some of the noble children of the Vale. Some of the Houses were now being ruled by women or castellans, with the men off at War, and with half the Vale military forced there, Lysa did not feel like she should invite many valemen, so she thought specifically about those whose Houses' keeps were less than four days of travel from the Eyre, and they would be invited to rest in the Eyre for a week before returning to their homes. Lysa wrote to Lady Anya Waynwood with the idea, asking for her opinion and whether the other Houses would feel insulted for not being invited. Lady Anya wrote her back and proposed to Lysa to invite the houses that had no access to sea-travel, and when she was ready to return to King's Landing, to visit one of these maritimal houses and do the trip by ship. In addition, these inland Houses were the ones whose borders directly met with Arryn's lands, so they could use the opportunity to bring up any problem with those lands or its people that required the collaboration between their liege lords. For the next celebration, perhaps they could make a naval procession, in order for Lord Arryn to check on the maritimal strength of the Vale. This seemed like a good compromise so the other houses of the Vale would not feel offended, so Lysa set course. Besides, most of the Lords and Heirs of the houses with sea access had sailed either to War or to keep patrol of the Narrow Sea now that the Master of Ships and the Royal Fleet were attacking the Iron Islands. After consulting with the maester, steward and castellan, they decided to invite Houses Belmore, Corbray, Waynwood, Royce of the Gates and Redfort.
House Belmore was a powerful house whose lands were almost as vast as those directly under direct control from the Eyre. It was headed by Lord Benedar Belmore, a man about ten years younger than Lord Arryn, which still made him much older than Lysa. He had two sons, the eldest was older than Lysa, married and with a three year old daughter of his own, and both sons were at War. Lord Benedar's sister had been married to Lord Arryn's younger brother, and birthed him a son called Elbert who had been for a while the Heir of the Vale before dying by the order of King Aerys. A Belmore of a secondary line was a knight sworn to the guards at the Eyre, and Lysa knew for a fact he was likely to become the captain of said guards in the next five years.
House Corbray was poorer but still noble. It was headed by Lord Corwyn Corbray, of an age with Lord Belmore. He had three sons, the oldest married and expecting a baby in the next three moons. Lysa hoped his wife would come so she could take her measure. They had not been part of the Houses that had lived in Court after Robert's Rebellion, and Lysa wanted to learn about their family dynamics and this was as good a chance as any. Lord Corwyn's second son was about Lysa's age, and the third was about to become a page. The two older sons were also at War with the Vale forces.
House Waynwood was invited out of genuine desire from Lysa to meet Lady Anya again. After all the time spent at Court together, Lysa considered her a mentor and a friend. It is true that she was not mother-like, specially not in her older age, but she was an excellent head of her house, and one of Lysa's strongest supporters. There was a slow but constant growing respect, trust and appreciation between two noble ladies who were in charge. Although technically with her marriage Lysa had become Lady Anya's league, for the longest time she had been a student to Lady Anya's tutorship, and now they met more as colleagues. Hardy used to impose herself and her opinions, especially with high nobility, Lysa knew she could count with Lady Anya through most situations.
Lady Anya's uncle had married Jon Arryn's only sister, Lady Alys Arryn, and they had issued nine children, but a series of calamities had pruned that branch of the family and of those nine children only one grandchildren survived: Harry Hardying, which could presumably inherit the Eyre if something were to happen to Sansa and Robin (Gods have mercy). Lysa let out a gasp when learning that one of Lady Alys daughters had been kidnapped by the Mountainmen of the Vale on her way to be married to a Riverlander House, and she almost called off Sansa's nameday's celebration, but the castellan convinced her that things in the Vale were considerably pacific and had been since Robert's Rebellion, and that the Burned Men were not a menace, for they had progressively been weakened during the last decade. Nevertheless, one of her Vale-born maids told her, that kidnapping had strengthened the Vale belief that marrying outside the Vale houses was disliked by the Seven. Better not to attempt it again. Lysa's own marriage had been questioned by those more pious. But since no strong calamity had reached her, the Valepeople considered that it was mostly Valewomen that the Seven did not like to see depart the Vale. Either that or the fact that by the point Lysa as a foreigner had come to the Vale for the first time, she had already been married to a Valeman for some years, had birthed him a child and was pregnant with another, so perhaps the Seven did not disliked these marriages so much if the couple resided outside the Vale before returning? Who knew, Gods tended to be capricious. Lysa turned her attention back to the letter Lady Anya had sent her with the list of members from her house that would be attending Sansa's nameday celebration. Lady Anya brought a total of 15 people, seven of which were children from 4 to 14 years old. A prolific house, it was. Almost as much as House Frey, although Lysa was certain they would not appreciate the comparison.
The Royces of the Gates consisted on fewer members: Lord Nestor Royce, slightly younger than Lord Belmore and wife and their two children, Ser Albar, already a knight, and Lady Myranda, who rumor had it had been in the mind of an elder Vale Lord who was just biding his time for her to grow before asking Lord Nestor for her hand in marriage. Lysa shuddered at the thought, for the girl must not be even close to eight and ten yet. Rumour also had it that together with them would be a retainer called Mya Stone, good friend with Myranda and one of the natural children of King Robert. Since father and son were also in the Sunset sea, only Lady Royce and her daughter (and maybe the bastard) would come to the celebration.
Lastly, House Redfort consisted of Lord Horton, about fifteen years older than Lysa, his third wife and his four sons, the youngest of which was about two years older than Sansa. Lysa was excited to meet the lady, for being a third wife was a rare position and Lysa had hardly met many ladies with whom to compare notes. Lord Horton Redford and his two older sons were fighting, but Lady Redford had answered in the affirmative regarding her presence and that of her two younger charges.
Done with the revision of the guests and where to place their rooms, Lysa put the list away and went to see if Sansa wanted to accompany her to the kitchen to go over food supplies and menus for her nameday celebration.
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