บท 88: -Chapter 85-

-Chapter 85-

-6th day of the 11th moon of the year 114 AC-

-POV Aemon Targaryen-

Sitting in my solar, reviewing documents awaiting my signature, I felt for a second as if it had been an eternity since I last came here.

'Even though it's only been a little over a week,' I thought, glancing briefly at the sun, which was beginning to set.

Knock… Knock…

I lifted my head toward the door and said, "Come in."

I had a small idea of who my guards had allowed to disturb me.

'Naturally, since very few are actually permitted to do so,' I thought as I saw Rogar enter my solar.

Rogar entered, and I asked, slightly impatient: "Where is he?"

"He has arrived and is waiting for your summons, my Prince," Rogar said.

"Very well, bring him in," I replied.

"He is accompanied by his men, do you wish to see them all at once?"

'It's true that I wanted to question his men as well, but in the end, I won't have time to do so today. Anyway, I don't need to; Ser Harrold will tell me everything I need to know.'

"It's not necessary, just bring him in here," I said, eager to settle this matter so I could finally move on.

'Better to deal with this quickly,' I thought to myself, not wanting a hidden threat to ruin my plans.

'A hidden threat of my own making,' my conscience reminded me, knowing this danger could well destroy the lives of dozens, even hundreds, of loyal peasant families living on my lands.

Rogar left and returned a few minutes later, accompanied by the head of the Runestone Guard, the former captain of my grandfather Yorbert's personal guard.

"My Prince," said Ser Harrold, kneeling before me.

I nodded before gesturing for him to rise, then asked:

"How did the mission I entrusted you with go, Ser Harrold?"

"At first, everything went very well, but it deteriorated once the mountain clan leaders learned we would not strike."

I raised an eyebrow, unsurprised by their discontent, as I was about to break the promise I had made to them.

It wasn't very wise to promise them they could keep the lands they conquered, but it was to make sure they fought with all their strength, allowing me to crush any opposition swiftly through force.

What truly surprised me was that they were so quickly aware of my departure to the capital, but more so the underlying reason for that trip.

'Someone informed the clan leaders, and it was someone close to me, as only a handful of us knew about it,' I realized.

"I'll leave you," Rogar said, preparing to leave us alone, but I raised a hand to stop him.

"No, you can stay," I said before turning my attention back to Harrold Shett.

"How many men have they managed to gather?" I asked Ser Harrold.

"A little under 4,000 men," Ser Harrold replied.

I raised my eyebrows as it was a considerable army. Currently, in case of war, House Arryn could muster about 15,000 soldiers.

'Not to mention the biological advantage of the mountain clans,' I thought, knowing they did not mix with the Andals and only reproduced among those of First Men lineage.

'A people with a completely different morphology from the rest of the humans in this world.'

Those from the First Men lineages, in addition to having an uncertain magical potential, typically possess greater build, height, and strength compared to common men.

'The First Men remind me a bit of Neanderthals, while the Andals are more like Cro-Magnons.'

Most Westerosi are a mix of Andals and First Men, but some regions have managed and even actively preserve this lineage, avoiding reproduction with Andals.

"An army of 4,000 soldiers as robust as the mountain clans, properly armed, would be extremely formidable," I said more to myself than to anyone in particular.

Ser Harrold said nothing, but I could see he disagreed; to him, the mountain clans were nothing more than raiders.

'But for me, they are a precious asset that could greatly increase the size of my army.'

"Especially if such an army were led by a wise leader," Rogar added quickly.

I smiled slightly, ignoring Rogar's flattery, then said to Ser Harrold:

"Invite the clan leaders who have answered my call; I will host them here at Runestone, and we will share a meal tomorrow."

Ser Harrold nodded, and just as he was about to leave, I added:

"Take 500 knights with you; I want no accidents."

Ser Harrold frowned slightly but nodded without saying a word.

Once Ser Harrold had left, I turned to Rogar and said:

"I'm glad to know you're keeping a close watch, but in this particular case, very few people were aware of what I was preparing. That doesn't mean I don't trust you."

"I understand, your Highness," Rogar said, seemingly understanding without taking offense.

I nodded and responded, "I hope so."

"How is the maid of the Vale adjusting to her new environment? Has she even dismounted from Urrax?" I asked, remembering Jeyne Arryn, whom I had left on Urrax yesterday.

"I haven't had any contact with her, but your Lady mother has given strict instructions regarding her," Rogar said.

"What kind of instructions?" I asked.

"She has assigned Cassandra Stone as her personal servant and tasked Ser Willem and 10 other knights, handpicked by her, to guard Lady Jeyne Arryn," Rogar explained.

"Ser Willem?!" I asked, frowning, silently wondering why he specifically mentioned this name.

'Does he know?' I wondered as I watched him closely.

"It seems he has the full confidence of Lady Rhea Royce," Rogar added, which irritated me even more.

I studied the bastard briefly before gesturing for him to leave.

I remained thoughtful, constantly questioning my mother's motivations for giving this post to…

'It's time to eat anyway, I'll have answers from her soon enough,' I thought before getting back to work.