The Bloody Gate.
The council hall was filled with noise.
The powerful lords of the Vale chatted loudly among themselves, showing not the slightest concern about the war.
It was as if, in their eyes, whether it was the North or the Lannisters, both would eventually bow beneath the iron hooves of the knights of the Vale.
Clap!
Seeing that everyone had gathered, Lord Royce stepped before the high seat and struck his hands together sharply, silencing the hall.
"My lords, I believe you all know why you have been summoned here today.
As Protector of the Vale, I hereby declare that the alliance between the Vale and the North is now officially established.
We shall join the northern coalition, crush the Lannisters and the Tyrells together, and restore the kingdom to its rightful order."
The hall fell silent for a brief moment.
Then, almost immediately, another wave of commotion erupted.
The lords seated on the left side began whispering among themselves.
Before long, Baron Corbray of Coldwater Burn rose to his feet.
"Lord Royce, I have a question for you."
"A question?" Lord Royce frowned. "Lord Corbray, what question? Surely you aren't refusing to send your troops?"
Corbray shook his head.
"Of course not."
His gaze swept across Lord Royce, then over the assembled lords of the Vale, before finally settling on Galon, seated in the second chair on the right.
"My lords, I have no objection to an alliance with the direwolf and the trout.
I've long despised the lions' tyranny. But..."
He stared directly at Galon.
"If the Vale, the North, and the Riverlands are to fight together, then someone must command the united army.
Lord Royce, may I ask—who will command the armies of the Vale?
Surely not this Glover who drove Lady Lysa to her death?"
At once, every eye in the chamber turned toward Galon.
'So it's finally beginning...'
Galon thought calmly.
'I'm not afraid of their accusations. I was only worried they wouldn't even give me a chance to explain.'
'As long as I can speak, I'm confident I can convince them.'
He remained seated, expression composed.
He deliberately said nothing.
He was waiting for more voices to join in, allowing the emotions in the room to build before making his move.
But his silence gave Catelyn, seated beside him, the wrong impression.
'He is still too young. How can he stay silent at a moment like this?'
'Fortunately, I came.'
Though still gravely ill and supposed to be resting, Catelyn had forced herself to attend.
She knew today's council would determine the North's future.
Supporting herself with great effort, she slowly stood.
"Lord Corbray, why do you say Glover drove Lysa to her death? What happened that night was nothing like what you imagine."
Her pale face remained steady as she recounted everything that had happened in the Eyrie that night.
When she finished, she added, "If you don't believe me, Lord Royce, Lord Hunter, and the others were all present. You may ask them yourselves."
Lord Royce and the others immediately nodded.
"She's telling the truth. Lady Lysa threw herself through the Moon Door. It had nothing to do with Lord Glover."
But Corbray remained unconvinced.
"Even so, Lord Royce, the armies of the Vale should not be placed under his command."
"I agree."
Lord Lindley of Snakewood rose.
"We are allies of the North, not its subjects.
The armies of the Vale should naturally be commanded by our own Protector, Lord Royce."
He paused before looking toward Galon with undisguised displeasure.
"Besides, King Robb is dead. The only legitimate claimant to the Iron Throne is Stannis Baratheon.
I propose that we support Stannis as king."
The hall exploded.
"Lord Lindley, have you lost your mind?"
Morton Waynwood leapt to his feet.
"Stannis murdered his own brother and King Robb through dark sorcery, yet you still propose supporting him?"
"I know exactly what he did," Lindley retorted. "But do you have a better candidate?"
Morton fell silent.
He truly could think of none.
"Hmph."
Lord Hunter of Longbow Hall snorted.
"If we support Stannis, the honor of the Vale will sink into the darkest depths of the sea."
He slowly surveyed the room before making a proposal that caused even Galon's expression to change slightly.
"Now that King Robb is dead... why shouldn't we choose a new king of our own? Just as Lord Arryn did all those years ago."
Boom!
The suggestion ignited the entire hall.
"A new king?"
"Lord Hunter is right!"
"If Stannis isn't suitable, then let's choose one ourselves!"
"I say young Lord Robert would be perfect!"
"House Arryn carries Targaryen blood. King Robert was fostered by Lord Arryn. Young Lord Robert has every right to inherit the Iron Throne!"
The lords of the Vale grew increasingly excited.
Before long, the discussion had shifted completely.
The question was no longer who would command the united army. Now everyone was talking about crowning Robert Arryn king.
Even Lord Royce found himself tempted.
Catelyn also remained silent.
To her, Robb was dead.
Edmure lacked the ability to become king.
Sansa was still only a young woman. Even with Galon's support, she would never command enough respect.
Rather than continue fighting over the Iron Throne, she would rather see vengeance taken for Robb and Ned, then let Galon and Sansa live peacefully together in Winterfell.
She glanced at Galon, silently hoping he would not object.
But she found him frowning deeply.
His thoughts were racing.
"The moment Hunter suggested choosing a new king..."
Galon felt his heart sink.
"Robert Arryn? What an excellent choice..."
He absolutely could not allow Robert Arryn to become king.
The Arryns' foundation was simply too strong.
Robert Arryn's mother had been born a Tully of Riverrun.
Even though Lysa had poisoned Jon Arryn, Edmure and Catelyn would never oppose Robert for the sake of preserving their family's honor and maintaining peace with the Vale.
If Robert became king, everything Galon had painstakingly built would collapse overnight.
Even if Robert died young, House Arryn possessed countless cadet branches ready to succeed him.
'No.'
'I can't let this discussion continue. If the Vale reaches a consensus, everything will be lost.'
A sharp light flashed in Galon's eyes.
He rose to his feet.
"My lords, if I may have a word!"
Instantly, every eye focused upon him.
Catelyn looked at him anxiously.
"Galon... don't be rash."
He smiled reassuringly, gently helped her back into her seat, then stepped into the center of the hall.
His piercing gaze swept across the assembly. Every lord who met his eyes instinctively looked away.
Within moments, the entire rhythm of the meeting had shifted into his hands.
"Fifteen years ago, the Mad King ruled through madness.
At Lord Arryn's call, the Vale, the North, the Stormlands, and the Riverlands rose together against the tyrant.
After enduring countless hardships, they placed the stag upon the Iron Throne."
No one interrupted him.
They all waited to hear where he was leading.
"But fifteen years later, the stag's throne has been usurped by children born of incest.
Lord Stark was executed in King's Landing under false charges.
From Winterfell itself to the humblest farmer of the North, every soul burned with righteous fury.
So we marched to King's Landing to seek justice."
His voice shifted.
"When King Robb accepted his burden, he and I had already discussed placing one of King Robert's legitimized bastards upon the throne.
But the situation was too complicated.
To unite the North and the Riverlands, he had no choice but to wear the crown himself."
His expression darkened, as though mourning Robb.
In truth, he had already abandoned the idea of placing Sansa upon the throne.
If he insisted on that now, the alliance with the Vale would collapse immediately.
'I have no choice... I'll have to support one of Robert's bastards first.'
'A legitimized bastard with little foundation is still preferable to Robert Arryn becoming king.'
'As for the future... I'll deal with it then.'
He pushed those thoughts aside.
"Now, the rightful royal blood still lies with House Baratheon.
Why shouldn't we follow Lord Arryn's example once again and raise another Baratheon to the throne?"
Lord Lindley gave a mocking laugh.
"Isn't that simply another way of saying we should crown Stannis Baratheon?
Lord Glover, can the North truly overlook his murder of King Robb?"
Catelyn's expression changed instantly.
But Galon calmly shook his head.
"Of course not. I have sworn before the gods that I will kill both Stannis and Joffrey to avenge the North and King Robb."
He paused.
"My lords... have you forgotten King Robert's reputation? He fathered bastards across the realm.
Some were murdered by Cersei, but surely not all of them."
He looked slowly around the chamber.
"Why shouldn't we choose one of those bastards as our king?"
The hall erupted once again.
"A bastard?"
"How can a bastard become king?"
"Why not? King Robert legitimized two bastards during his lifetime."
"That's true. With no legitimate heir remaining, a legitimized bastard could inherit."
"But would such a king truly be able to hold the Iron Throne?"
The arguments grew louder and louder.
Lord Royce finally raised his voice.
"Silence! Silence!"
Gradually, the room quieted.
Then he looked toward Galon.
"Lord Glover... have you already discovered the whereabouts of one of King Robert's bastards?"
Galon shook his head.
"The war with King's Landing has left me no time to search for them.
My original plan was to capture King's Landing first, then convene a temporary Small Council with the realm's great lords to determine who should become king.
I simply did not expect this matter to arise today."
The assembled lords exchanged uncertain glances.
None spoke immediately.
Instead, they all looked toward Lord Royce.
Meanwhile, Royce himself lowered his head in thought.
As Jon Arryn's closest confidant, he naturally knew there was one of Robert's bastards living in the Vale.
'Mya Stone...'
'She's nineteen now. Still unmarried...'
An unmarried woman.
That alone made her an ideal candidate.
If she became queen, a political marriage could rapidly stabilize her reign.
Galon caught the change in Royce's expression.
He could easily guess what the older lord was thinking.
Before the discussion drifted further, he smoothly returned it to the question of military command.
"My lords, the matter of the crown can wait until after the war.
But as Lord Corbray rightly pointed out, the armies must have a single commander.
Otherwise, Lord Tywin's lions will defeat us one force at a time."
Everyone's attention returned to him.
Lord Royce nodded.
"And what is your proposal, Lord Glover?"
Galon smiled confidently.
"My lords, by now you have surely heard of my victories.
I defeated Asha, slew Victarion, conquered Pyke, and captured Kevan Lannister alive..."
With every accomplishment he named, the aura surrounding the Protector grew sharper.
By the end, the pressure in the room was almost tangible.
"The position of supreme commander belongs to no one but me."
He slowly looked around the hall.
"If any lord here believes himself my equal in commanding armies... then step forward."
Silence.
Not a single man met his gaze.
Not even Baron Corbray.
The proud knight lowered his eyes instinctively.
But only for a few moments. Unable to bear his own hesitation, he lifted his head once more.
"Lord Glover, I acknowledge your glorious victories. But the knights of the Vale are no cowards.
If you expect us to obey your commands, then prove your worth!"
Immediately, voices rang out across the hall.
"That's right!"
"Let's settle it with a contest!"
"Let's see whether your soldiers are stronger, or the knights of the Vale!"
"Fine words alone don't make a hero!"
Lord Royce looked thoroughly embarrassed.
Privately, he had long accepted Galon's superiority.
Whether by recent achievements or past campaigns, Galon had earned his respect.
He doubted even his own decades of command could match the young lord's record.
He had already intended to place the Vale's armies under Galon's command.
But with so many lords objecting, he could no longer do so openly without appearing to disgrace House Royce.
Galon ignored Royce's predicament.
Instead, he threw back his head and laughed.
"Hahaha..."
"Very well."
His laughter faded.
His crimson eyes burned like living flame. "So you wish to see my true ability?"
"Then come. If neither side can persuade the other... Let the gods decide."
His presence filled the hall.
"In the name of the Supreme Commander of the Northern and Riverlands Alliance, and as the Protector, I challenge the Vale to a Trial of Seven!
If I lose, every soldier of the North and the Riverlands shall submit to the command of the Vale."
He looked directly at every knight present.
"My lords of the Vale... Do you dare accept?"
After a century, the bloodiest Trial of Seven in Westeros had once again been called.
The entire hall fell into absolute silence.
__________
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