Chapter 135: Weighing the Balance of Power
As for the little tricks Sansa and her sister Arya had played, Yohn could only regard them as a form of self-preservation after their family had suffered such devastating upheaval.
"Take a look," he said, handing the letter from King's Landing directly to Sansa.
The contents did not surprise her.
As expected, Cersei Lannister already knew she was in the Eyrie.
After passing the letter to Arya, Sansa looked at Yohn and said calmly, "Back then, the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen demanded that Lord Arryn hand over his wards—my father and King Robert Baratheon—or face invasion."
"Lord Arryn chose to raise his banners in rebellion to protect them. Are you now going to hand us over because of Cersei's threats?"
Hearing this, Yohn couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The girl standing before him was no longer that fragile child who wept so easily—she spoke like a sharp, unyielding political player.
Then he glanced at Arya beside her, chin lifted, waiting for his answer, a hint of fierce determination in her young face.
Yohn could only think one thing—
Petyr Baelish hadn't died unjustly.
Even if he had survived that day, given enough time, these two sisters would have been the end of him anyway.
---
"If I refuse to hand you over," Yohn said slowly, "Cersei will send her armies into the Vale. Lord Robin is still a child—he cannot command authority. The Eyrie may be defensible, but that does not guarantee we can withstand the full might of King's Landing."
Though he had already made up his mind, he still wanted to hear Sansa's reasoning.
Sansa hesitated for a moment.
She wanted to reveal the truth—that the true mastermind behind Joffrey's murder was the Queen of Thorns of Highgarden. If that secret were exposed, the Tyrells and Lannisters would inevitably turn on each other.
But with Petyr—the orchestrator—already dead, her words alone might not convince anyone.
So she chose another path.
"The Seven Kingdoms are already in chaos," she said. "King's Landing and House Frey have committed tens of thousands of troops to the siege of Riverrun. And Stannis Baratheon still threatens the capital—he will return once he regains his strength."
"Cersei doesn't have enough forces left to march on the Vale."
"And even if she sends a smaller army, the Eyrie's natural defenses will hold."
---
Yohn nodded slightly, then replied, "From what I've heard, Stannis was crippled after the battle at King's Landing. He has already left Dragonstone and vanished. His threat to the capital is gone."
Caught off guard, Sansa paused before answering, "Stannis will never abandon his claim. If he's left, it's only temporary. He will return—sooner or later."
---
While Sansa and Yohn debated the state of the realm, Arya stood quietly to the side, completely lost in their discussion.
She could handle a needle—or even kill a few enemies—but analyzing politics and grand strategy?
That was far beyond her.
Still, watching Sansa speak so confidently, Arya couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.
She had never imagined that the sister who once only cared about sewing could now speak so insightfully about the affairs of kingdoms.
---
Yohn said nothing further.
For Sansa to reach such conclusions at her age was already remarkable. It seemed her time in King's Landing had taught her more than he had expected.
The Seven Kingdoms were indeed in turmoil, and while Stannis had been a threat, King's Landing still had no shortage of troops if it truly wished to attack the Vale.
But the current king, Tommen Baratheon, was still a child.
If he had truly been Robert's son—raised in the Vale—Yohn might have honored old loyalties and supported him.
But he was not.
He was the product of Cersei's incest with her brother Jaime.
With Cersei now holding power, Yohn had no faith she could rule the Seven Kingdoms well.
---
House Arryn, one of the oldest Andal noble lines, had ruled the Vale for thousands of years. The Eyrie itself was famed as an impregnable fortress—one that had only ever submitted during the time of Aegon I Targaryen and his dragon Balerion.
For Cersei to think she could take it with mere force…
Was nothing short of a fantasy.
Just as Lord Arryn had once refused to surrender his wards, Yohn would not bow to that madwoman's demands and hand over Sansa and Arya.
---
Looking at the sisters, who were watching him anxiously, Yohn finally smiled.
"You may stay in the Eyrie," he said. "Take care of young Lord Robin. I will not hand you over to Cersei."
There was another reason for his decision.
Robin depended deeply on Sansa—almost seeing her as a replacement for his late mother. Arya, too, had grown close to him, often playing at sword-fighting together.
If he tried to send them away, Robin would be the first to refuse.
---
Having made his choice, Yohn wasted no time.
After parting from the sisters, he went to meet with the Vale's other lords, preparing to unite them against any possible invasion from King's Landing.
As for Sansa and Arya, having secured the answer they wanted, they finally relaxed and returned to their chambers.
---
Meanwhile, in Meereen's council chamber, Daenerys was reading intelligence reports sent by Varys.
The wildlings had reached the Wall and even launched an assault—but the Night's Watch had successfully held them back.
Petyr Baelish was reported dead at the Eyrie.
According to the Vale's account, he had been imprisoned for murdering the former Lady of the Eyrie… and had accidentally rolled off a cliff in his sleep, falling to his death.
At this piece of news, those unfamiliar with Baelish—like Daenerys—remained calm.
But Tyrion Lannister, Barristan, and even Drogon—
Were all deeply shocked.
The greatest schemer in all the Seven Kingdoms—someone who had mastered the art of manipulating hearts and minds—had died just like that?
And in his sleep, no less?
If this hadn't come from Varys himself, even Drogon would have struggled to believe it.
Not just Drogon and Tyrion— even Varys, the one who reported it, found it hard to accept.
Petyr Baelish, the man who had crossed wits with him in King's Landing time and again without ever falling behind… was simply gone.
After receiving the news, Varys had his agents verify it once more before finally confirming the truth.
---
Once Drogon learned of Baelish's death, his attention shifted to another piece of information—
Cersei Lannister was demanding that the Eyrie hand over Sansa Stark and Arya Stark.
The moment he saw those names, a thought clicked into place.
Could it be… the Stark sisters had gotten rid of Baelish ahead of time?
Otherwise, how could a man as cunning and cautious as Petyr Baelish die from something as absurd as rolling off a hundred-foot cliff in his sleep?
---
Tyrion, too, found Baelish's death suspicious—but his thoughts never turned toward Sansa.
His "wife," in name only, was not someone he believed capable of killing Baelish.
Even if she wanted to… she simply didn't have the means.
Still, while Baelish's death exceeded all expectations, Tyrion's mind was now occupied by something else entirely.
Earlier, as Daenerys read the letter, Tyrion had noticed something—
Drogon had been staring at the parchment intently, as if reading it.
A few days ago, Tyrion had overheard someone mention that Daenerys was teaching Drogon how to write. At the time, he had dismissed it as nonsense—just the queen indulging in playful antics with her dragon.
But what he saw today made him hesitate.
Drogon hadn't just been looking.
He had been thinking.
Which meant…
Not only might he recognize written words—he might actually know how to write them.
---
That realization led Tyrion down a far more startling path of thought.
Drogon had some form of contact with a mysterious figure—someone who had been corresponding with Varys through letters.
If Drogon already knew how to read and write…
Could it be possible—
That Drogon himself was that mysterious correspondent?
---
The thought barely formed before Tyrion shook it off.
Impossible.
No matter how intelligent Drogon might be—no matter how many words he could recognize or whether he could write—
The kind of schemes and operations attributed to that mysterious figure were far beyond what a dragon could accomplish.
This had nothing to do with intelligence or literacy.
It was something else entirely.
And so, Tyrion found himself once again tangled in uncertainty.
---
"Lord Tyrion," someone asked, breaking his thoughts, "do you think the Eyrie will hand over Sansa and Arya?"