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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warnings:
Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceMajor Character Death
Categories:
F/FF/MM/MMulti
Fandoms:
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. MartinA Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Relationships:
Rhaenyra Targaryen/Laenor VelaryonJoffrey Lonmouth/Laenor VelaryonCorlys Velaryon/Rhaenys TargaryenDaemon Targaryen/Laena VelaryonRhaenyra Targaryen/Laena Velaryon
Characters:
Rhaenyra TargaryenLaenor VelaryonLaena VelaryonHelaena TargaryenAlicent HightowerAegon II TargaryenAemond TargaryenRhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Aemon)Corlys VelaryonJoffrey Lonmouth
Additional Tags:
Self-Insertdance of dragonsAlternate UniverseTechnologySelf-Indulgent
Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of The Blacks, the Greens and the Reds Next Work →
Stats:
Published:2019-09-19Updated:2026-06-17Words:1,084,451Chapters:467/?Comments:4,066Kudos:6,016Bookmarks:1,174Hits:557,693
The Blacks, The Greens and The Reds
Loke_Lyon
Chapter 13: Rebellion - Chapter 11
Chapter Text
Things moved quickly after the siege was broken. At the sight of the dragon the besiegers had turned tail and fled, disorganised as they were it was unlikely they'd threaten the Eyrie again. The loyal Arryn men had been all to happy to chase in any case, just to make sure. Laenor personally bore Ser Arnold to the Eyrie where Jeyne had him locked in the Sky cells. His men were quick to start throwing blame around with most blaming the Graftons for the attempted coup.
As I stood beside Jeyne as she handed out judgement, I began to get an idea of what had occurred and how truly devious Ser Arnold had been. In his position of Keeper of the Gates of the Moon he'd begun subverting Jeyne's guards and had been doing since the old Lord Royce had appointed him to the position a decade earlier.
He'd quietly sought aid from other houses in the Vale and had received it from a Grafton knight in return for the promise of a marriage to Ser Arnold's children. This Grafton knight, Ser Roland, had apparently been responsible for providing most of the muscle Ser Arnold had been relying on.
Using Roland's supposed mastery of Gulltown he'd brought in mercenaries under Lord Grafton's nose and had hidden them within the Gates. Roland's Grafton men had positioned themselves nearby and awaited the signal. He'd expected to announce his claim, march up the mountain and be admitted to the Eyrie through a show of force. To improve his odds he'd placed men inside the Eyrie with orders to demoralise the defenders and try their best to sabotage the defence. When the jaws of his trap closed, more men than expected stayed loyal to Jeyne and his march had floundered halfway up the mountain leaving him with no choice but to battle the rest of the way.
Even though his plan was, quite frankly, completely delusional it seemed he'd had some sense. His first victim had been Jeyne's Maester, cutting her off from calling for aid. Other victims of his hidden men were older sergeants and men at arms who were in positions of command. Even though she couldn't call for aid, he'd still been pushed for time. He'd claimed the Eyrie was suffering from sickness to cover his crime but the nobility of the Vale would investigate eventually. According to those of his men we'd captured, he'd been getting desperate. For good reason, as it turned out.
Three days after we had relieved the siege on the Eyrie, a small army of about two thousand under the command of Lord Denys Waynwood and Lord Gerold Redfort arrived and demanded that Ser Arnold Arryn turn over command of the Gates of the Moon to them or face siege.
"That honourless-!" Lord Redfort shouted as Jeyne summarised Arnold's uprising and defeat. Next to him, his daughter looked ready to march to the Sky Cells herself and engage in some egregious violations of prisoner rights. 'Dearest companion' indeed.
Both Redforts had dark hair and dark eyes, although Lord Gerold's was streaked with silver. He had short hair for a noble but made up for it with a long beard he evidently took a lot of pride in if the amount of grooming and braiding that went into it was any indication. Jessamyn Redfort was pretty enough although no real beauty by the standards of the realm, even if I felt a bit harsh in that judgement. I'd quickly learned she was quick-witted though and fun to speak with.
We were seated in Jeyne's solar, sipping wine. Laenor had decided to take the opportunity to show everyone he could fight and had joined the loyal Arryn men to hunt for any lingering Grafton forces and hopefully head off the banditry that usually accompanied several thousand men finding themselves jobless and in possession of arms and armour. I'd tried to persuade him not to, to take Seasmoke, but he'd pointed out that the Lords of Westeros already muttered about his prowess with the sword. If we meant to put a stop to any rumours, he would need to prove his martial ability without his dragon backing him up.
He was right but I couldn't get past visions of his pointless death in taking a needless risk. I'd gotten revenge by making a show of it as they'd departed. I'd presented him with my favour before ordering him, loudly, to come back to me unharmed before pulling him in for a kiss. According to Jeyne, her people found it sweet that we were so in love.
"Please, Lord Gerold. I am unharmed and he is in the Sky Cells. The men he hired fled in the face of my cousin's arrival and will likely not stop fleeing until they reach the Narrow Sea," said Jeyne soothingly. Lord Gerold didn't reply but took a long drink of his wine. Jessamyn Redfort leant forward and placed a hand on Jeyne's arm. Jeyne covered it with a hand of her own and gave her a small smile. Lord Denys cleared his throat and the attention of the room moved to him.
He was monstrously tall and half as wide across with long blond hair he wore in a braid and a clean-shaven jaw that looked as if he could kill a man with it. For all that he looked like a bruiser, he'd been among the first to figure out Ser Arnold's scheme and had been the the one who'd recruited Lord Redfort into his rescue. He was a lot more intelligent than he looked and someone to be weary of.
"We, of course, thank Her Grace for her assistance but the fact remains that there are still Grafton men out there who struck against you. That includes Ser Roland and I know Gulltown well enough that he could not have done it without the support of Lord Humfrey," he said.
"You wish for me to strike at the Graftons. You believe Ser Roland a patsy and Lord Humfrey the true mastermind," Jeyne stated.
"It makes sense," I said. "Ser Arnold's plan was equal parts brilliant and delusional. It speaks of two minds."
"And I've met Ser Roland. He hasn't the brains or the wits for this," said Lord Denys pointed out. Jeyne placed her wine down and folded her hands beneath her chin.
"I can not punish Lord Humfrey with no proof as to whether he was involved. I do not have the support. The lords may tolerate me but they will not tolerate striking at one of their number without undeniable proof of wrongdoing," she said, quietly.
"Nonsense! Those were Grafton men with Ser Arnold and mercenaries brought in via Gulltown. If Lord Humfrey did not know he is incompetent and if he did he is complicit. No lord would question you in this!" At Lord Gerold's outburst, Jeyne leant back and massaged her temples before grimacing.
"Cousin, you have two dragons at your immediate disposal. You have two more that can be summoned within a week or two. You have the support of Lord Redfort and Lord Waynwood. If you don't move now they will continue to ferment rebellion in the Vale," I urged, seeing that she was wavering.
"Even if I did strike at Lord Grafton, what would you have me do? Cut his head off? His sons would be at the head of the next rebellion with half the Vale likely at their backs," She snapped before sighing and closing her eyes. Lord Denys huffed in annoyance.
"Seize Gulltown," I replied. Jayne's eyes blinked open and she stared at me incredulously.
"Are you mad!? Even if your dragons swing the fight we could not take it without burning the town first! And if we do take it, burned or not, I could not hold it!" She cried. Every eye in the room was staring at me in surprise. I sighed. From what I could remember the Graftons remained a problem for the Arryns well into the canon timeline. Getting rid of them now could only strengthen Jeyne's hold over the Vale. Selfishly, of course, it would also make trading with her easier when the time came to begin developing Dragonstone in earnest.
"That… could work," said Jessamyn Redfort slowly. Jeyne just shook her head as if she'd just noticed everyone around her had gone mad and she was still sane.
"Explain?" said her father.
"The Arryns of Gulltown. The Lannisters have the Lannisters of Lannisport, why not enoble the Arryns of Gulltown. Their legitimacy would come from Jeyne and they'd have an easier time of holding the city because they have history there and an existing rapport with the citizens."
"And nobody is going to follow them if they did rebel because their line is bunch of coin counters," added Lord Gerold, a large and nasty grin growing over his face. Then he stood and pulled his daughter into a crushing hug. I found myself blinking in surprise. That had gone down better than expected even if Jeyne was still looking at father and daughter as if she were waiting for someone to shout 'fooled you!'.
"You are aware, of course, that if we intend to take the city without two dragons reducing it to cinders we will need the aid of Lady Royce," Lord Denys pointed out. It was hard to tell who took this worse, myself or Jeyne.
I felt the blood drain from my face as I realised just who he meant by 'Lady Royce'. Lady Rhea Royce, the current wife of Prince Daemon Targaryen. Opposite me, Jeyne's face had gone an angry red and her jaw clenched. Did Jeyne not defend Rhea to Daemon? What had happened that would get this reaction from her?
"No! No. I will not ask that… I will not!" She stood, hands clenched.
"Pardon but what is the problem with enlisting my lady aunt?" I asked, hoping the lords had been too interested in Jeyne's outburst to note my reaction. Jeyne flung herself into the chair. Jessamyn sat next to her and leant close, murmuring words of reassurance that did little to soften the angry glare etched into Jeyne's face.
"Lady Royce's father was Jeyne's regent during her minority," explained Lord Gerold with a sigh. "He-"
"He seized power! He made me a prisoner in my own castle! He sent away my ladies! He tried to marry me to his son! He used my name to marry his daughter to a prince!" I blinked at Jeyne's outburst. She was standing again and looking ready to attack someone, Jessamyn was pulling at her dress, trying to calm her. Lord Denys merely sighed.
"It is true that Lord Royce greatly overstepped the boundaries of what is considered appropriate as a regent. There were talks to have him replaced when he was killed alongside his sons," said Lord Gerold as Jeyne was guided back into her seat.
"Lady Royce has proved to be a loyal vassal devoid of her father's ambition. In fact, I would hazard a guess that she resents it as it was the cause of her rather unfortunate marriage. She is quite happy to stay at Runestone and rule," supplied Lord Denys. He would know, I suppose. His lands bordered Lady Rhea's so he likely saw her more than any other noble in the Vale, barring her vassals.
"Did she ride to my aid?" snapped Jeyne, irritably.
"Don't be bone-headed, Jeyne. Lady Royce could have ridden to your defence on the back of a griffon and you would have found fault!" came Jessamyn's equally waspish reply.
Oh Gods, these two are less subtle than Laenor. How are they getting away with it?
"Jeyne, if you allow the Graftons to get away with this others in the Vale will wonder what they can get away with. If they see you, Royce, Redfort and Waynwood united with royal backing, they'll think twice about any future rebellion," I pointed out.
Jeyne's face twisted in fury.
"Fine," she spat. "We will ride to Runestone and pick up more Redfort and Waynwood troops on the way. I will sanction the seizure of Gulltown if Lady Rhea will add her strength to ours. Only if she agrees to add her strength to ours."
Apparently sensing that was the best they were going to get, we moved onto other topics. Lord Denys and Lord Gerold were obviously angling for a reward of some kind but apparently my arrival rendered their own rescue pointless so Jeyne was able to duck it a little. She agreed to take Jessamyn Redfort as a lady-in-waiting and I'd had to force myself not to cackle as she acted like it was some great honour and not a forgone conclusion. Also were Vale lords blind? Because Jeyne was giving the Redfort girl major heart eyes and Lord Denys and Lord Gerold seem to have just… not noticed.
Doing my part for my cousin, I agreed to take Falena Waynwood with me back to the capital to join my growing pool of ladies-in-waiting. Lord Denys assured me she wasn't the type to easily frighten and could be trusted amongst the various factions at court but I resolved to ensure that for myself before I let her in on any secrets. Although, to be fair, all of my new ladies-in-waiting were untested. Their fathers may be Blacks but history was littered with children that did not wish to follow their parents plans for them.
More work for Joffrey, I suppose.
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