The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Sir Donnel Waynwood and the soldiers around him were all astonished.

Suddenly, a female general on the opposite side rode out, drew her bow, and shot an arrow at Sir Donnel Waynwood.

Sir Donnel was a skilled warrior and quickly raised his shield. With a thud, the arrow struck the center of the shield.

Following this, the soldiers behind the woman and the archers on the mountainside shouted together, their voices echoing through the valley, but they did not launch an attack.

The flag officers behind the female general gave orders, and the flag bearers raised the flags: the stag and lion of the King, the crimson smoke beast and ice sword of the Clegane army, the red salmon of House Mooton of Maidenpool, the fiery banner of the Burned Men, the black ear of the Black Ears, the heavy axe of the Stone Crows, the stone hammer of the Moon Brothers…

Sir Donnel and his generals were all terrified!

They quickly retreated, keeping a safe distance.

The female general did not pursue, but stood with her sword drawn at the front of the formation.

The enemy's momentum was astonishing, and the number of soldiers was unknown. They had also allied with the notorious mountain tribes. The mountain tribes were fearless and had never been conquered by the knights of the Vale in thousands of years. There were more than a dozen major mountain tribes and dozens of smaller tribes, scattered throughout the vast mountains. They had never formed a united force; infighting between tribes was constant, which was the Vale nobles' greatest comfort.

As long as the mountain tribes were disorganized, the Vale knights could rest easy and never have to worry. For thousands of years, the mountain tribes had indeed done just that: they killed each other, were mutually uncooperative, a disorganized mess, and no one had ever been able to unite these barbarians.

But today's situation was very threatening. Sir Donnel saw the flags of the mountain tribes raised together for the first time… This was rare; in the Vale, this situation had never occurred before…

The number of people in each mountain tribe was small, but when all gathered together, there were no fewer than ten thousand. This was a huge force, and once united, it would be an absolute nightmare for the Vale nobles entering and leaving the valley.

"Ser, there's a letter on the arrow," a guard reminded him, his voice trembling slightly.

Donnel took the letter from the arrow and broke the wax seal of the crimson smoke beast and ice sword. He was from a noble family and could naturally read. After a glance, he was speechless.

The letter said that the Mountain had united all the mountain tribes, gaining an army of ten thousand, and would move the mountain tribes' people west to settle in the Westerlands. From now on, the mountain tribes who robbed travelers would no longer exist, but the Vale nobles had to provide the migration costs for the various tribes' people: one hundred thousand gold dragons and one thousand carts of grain.

The letter said that if the Vale nobles did not provide money and grain, the Mountain would order the mountain tribes and Clegane craftsmen to build military fortresses outside the Bloody Gate and build a high wall connecting the two fortresses in the mountain road, blocking the entire exit of the Vale. Before the Mountain received one hundred thousand gold dragons and one thousand carts of grain, the construction of the military fortresses would not stop… The legion would not withdraw…

The young and vigorous Sir Donnel's eyes widened!

The Bloody Gate was a natural chokepoint that had only been breached twice in thousands of years, by giant eagles and dragons. Giant eagles and dragons flew over the Bloody Gate from the sky, dropping boulders or spewing dragonfire, and the Bloody Gate soldiers were unstoppable and could only surrender. But building military fortresses outside the Bloody Gate's dangerous terrain and then connecting them with a wall to garrison the road and block the Vale's access was a first in thousands of years.

The Mountain's letter also listed the names of the tribes that had agreed to move west: the Burned Men, the Black Ears, the Stone Crows, the Moon Brothers, the Milk Snakes, the Painted Dogs, the Trees Men, the Howlers, the Redsmiths, the Black Bears, the Wild Wolves…

After reading the letter, Sir Donnel was shocked and speechless. He shouted to return, and the hundred-man team turned their horses around and galloped back. The soldiers shared the same feeling and were anxious to return to the Bloody Gate to feel safe. Behind them, the shouts and taunts of the mountain tribe warriors and the Clegane and Mooton family coalition chased them all the way.

He quickly sent the letter to the Eyrie via raven, to the Lord of the Vale.

*

The current Lord of the Vale is Duke Robert Arryn.

Robert Arryn was born in 2, making him seven years old this year.

His mother is Lysa Tully from House Tully of the Riverlands, and his father is Duke Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie.

Duke Jon Arryn was the foster father of the late King Robert Baratheon and also Robert's Hand. To show respect for King Robert, Hand Jon named his son Robert.

*

Jon Arryn was born in 225; In 2, Jon Arryn's wife, Lysa Tully, was instigated by her underground lover, Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, to secretly poison her husband. Hand Jon died at the age of 72.

After poisoning her husband, Lysa Tully, following Littlefinger's instructions, sent a raven to her sister Catelyn Tully in the North, blaming the poisoning of Jon on the Lannisters, inciting war between Stark of the North and Lannister of the West.

Littlefinger Petyr believed that only a chaotic kingdom was his stepping stone to advancement.

*

The seven-year-old Duke Robert Arryn, Lord of the Vale, an only child, automatically inherited the title of Duke of the Eyrie and the title of Protector of the Vale after his father was secretly poisoned by his mother two years ago.

Duke Robert suffers from a disease that causes him to have frequent seizures and suffer greatly. His maester often bleeds him and gives him painkillers. Long-term use of painkillers will undoubtedly cause toxins to accumulate in the body. Duke Robert's intelligence and body are underdeveloped, and although he is seven years old, he has not been weaned.

He is shorter than children of the same age, with pale skin, brown hair, and large eyes. Due to his youth, weakness, and illness, the Duke's mother, Lady Lysa, is regent and rules the Vale in the name of Duke Robert.

*

Lady Lysa is regent in the Eyrie, ruling the Vale of Arryn.

The Eyrie is built on the summit of the highest peak of the Mountains of the Moon, the 'Giant's Lance'. The mountain road that is as steep as a wall cannot be climbed by manpower at the last section, and can only be entered through the stone steps inside the mountain—or by sitting in a huge hanging basket and lifting it up with a winch. Therefore, the Eyrie is recognized by the Seven Kingdoms as an absolutely impregnable castle. —Of course, dragons, giant eagles, and griffins are excluded.

The Eyrie consists of a cluster of seven slender white towers that are closely connected and can only accommodate a maximum of five hundred people. The castle is built of magnificent white stone. The seven towers surround a garden that should have been a godswood, but because the soil is too thin, the weirwood could not take root here and withered.

The soldiers' barracks and stables of the Eyrie, built on the top of the mountain, are built directly inside the mountain. Although this is a very small castle, its granary is as large as other large castles. To prevent war, the Eyrie specifically stores more than ten years of food. Even if the enemy besieges at the foot of the mountain for ten years, the Eyrie does not have to worry about running out of food. The only thing to worry about is the cold.

Because the castle is so high, the white clouds are below the Eyrie. Even in summer, the Eyrie is covered in snow all year round, only with varying thicknesses.

*

The Vale of Arryn. The Eyrie. The Great Hall.

The regent Lady Lysa Tully sat upright on the weirwood carved throne, holding Duke Robert Arryn in her arms. Robert's big eyes were timid, his mouth was sucking on his mother's milk, and his left hand was grabbing his mother's full milk production device inside his clothes.

This was a long and simple hall with walls made of blue-veined white marble. The hall had narrow arched windows, charcoal was burning in the fireplace, and fire pillars were inserted into the iron candlesticks between the windows.

The left and right sides of the hall were filled with Vale nobles.

After Robert Arryn died in 2, King Robert wanted to send Robert Arryn to Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone as a foster son. This decision frightened Lysa Tully, and she left King's Landing with her son overnight and returned to the Eyrie in the Vale.

As soon as she returned, the great nobles of the Vale flocked to her—every great noble wanted to marry the widow Lysa Tully as his wife, and some great nobles did not hesitate to divorce in advance in order to marry her—because Lysa Tully's dowry was too generous: the entire Vale of Arryn.

Also for this reason, the patriarchs of the major nobles of the Vale have lived in the Eyrie for the past two years. Earl Horton Redfort outside the Bloody Gate was also a crazy pursuer of Lysa Tully. After living in the Eyrie for a year and a half, seeing that he could not compete with the other great nobles, he finally could not marry Lysa Tully. Only then did he give up the idea and returned to his castle, Redfort. Soon, he received the Mountain's 'friendly letter' asking for money and food.

Speaking of letters, in the hall on the high platform, in the hands of the maester beside Lysa Tully, there were three letters: one from Earl Horton Redfort of Redfort, one from Earl Jerrald Grafton, Lord of Gulltown, and one from Ser Donnel Waynwood, the knight of the Bloody Gate.

The maester cleared his throat and said, "The Mountain wants us in the Vale to lend him one hundred thousand gold dragons and one thousand carts of grain; he wants Gulltown to lend him one hundred thousand gold dragons and five hundred carts of grain; and he wants Earl Horton to lend him ten thousand gold dragons and one hundred carts of grain. Currently, Earl Horton has decided to give the Mountain ten thousand gold dragons and one hundred carts of grain to avoid angering the Mountain to slaughter the people on his territory. This is Earl Redwyne's letter, but the Earl is still worried that the Mountain will not stop after getting the money and food, so the Earl hopes that we in the Vale will send heavy troops to be stationed at the Bloody Gate first to prevent accidents."

The nobles in the hall listened and did not take it seriously!

Others were afraid of the Mountain, but they were not afraid.

Although the Vale is a plain in the mountains, and although it has not participated in any wars in the past two years, the Vale has never lacked true warriors.

The maester continued, "Lord Jerrald of Gulltown does not lack money. There are many wealthy merchants in the city, and every household is very rich. It is not difficult to raise one hundred thousand gold dragons, but Lord Jerrald does not plan to give the Mountain money and grain, but if Earl Jerrald really does not give it, the Mountain will inevitably lead his troops to attack Gulltown. Earl Jerrald needs us Vale knights to be prepared to reinforce him. Earl Jerrald's proposal is consistent with Earl Horton's. Both hope that the Vale will send troops to be stationed at the Bloody Gate first."

The Vale lords expressed their willingness to lead troops out of the valley to defeat the Mountain. Some knights shouted loudly that they would cut off the Mountain's head and let the bastard King Joffrey of King's Landing see the Vale people's bravery and invincibility.

The most active in advocating to go out of the valley and fight the Mountain was Ser Lyn Corbray's squire: Ser Mychel Redfort. He is one of the most powerful swordsmen among the young swordsmen recognized in the Vale.

The maester waited for the noise to subside before continuing, "Lords and knights, if the money and grain that the Mountain wants are rejected by Gulltown, perhaps we will no longer be able to lead troops out of the valley to save Gulltown."

"Why do you say that?" Ser Lyn Corbray shouted.

Ser Lyn became famous in the Usurper's War seventeen years ago. The name of the sword at his waist is 'Lady Forlorn', a Valyrian steel sword. In the Battle of the Red Fork seventeen years ago, Lyn became famous for killing a prince of the Targaryen family and was given the family's famous sword 'Lady Forlorn' by his father.

The maester said, "Ser Lyn, this letter was sent by Ser Donnel, the knight stationed at the Bloody Gate. The letter says that the Mountain has conquered more than forty large and small tribes in the Mountains of the Moon, claiming to have an army of ten thousand. The Mountain wants to move all the clans of the Mountains of the Moon to the Westerlands to settle down, but the cost of this migration requires one hundred thousand gold dragons and one thousand carts of grain, which the Vale of Arryn must lend him."

"If we don't lend it, can he break through the Bloody Gate to attack our Vale plains?" A lord laughed and said.

"If we don't lend money and grain, the Mountain will deploy soldiers on the mountain road one mile outside the Bloody Gate. He has already done so."

The Vale nobles stirred, discussed, and were excited. The hall was filled with noisy voices.

The maester asked the lords to keep quiet. He said, "Lords, there is something more serious. Now the craftsmen of the Clegane army and the mountain people are building military fortresses in the dangerous terrain outside the Bloody Gate. The buildings imitate the Bloody Gate. Two stone fortresses are built on both sides of the mountain road, and the two stone fortresses are connected by a thick wall with a gate opened on the wall. In the future, we must pass through this gate controlled by the Mountain and the mountain tribes to enter and leave the valley, otherwise, we will never be able to go out again."

As soon as this was said, there was a great uproar, and the entire hall was in an uproar, with all kinds of things being said. Of course, there were the most people cursing the Mountain for being damned.

*

Lysa Tully, holding the child, was fat, with a pale and bloated face.

She became pregnant after offering her virginity to Littlefinger in her girlhood, and her father Hoster tricked her into drinking moon tea to have an abortion. Since then, Lysa Tully has suffered from a disease of miscarriage, which is why she refused to return to Riverrun before her father died. After the fifth miscarriage, she gave birth to Robert Arryn. Her husband, Jon Arryn, was as old as her grandfather, which made Lysa Tully feel depressed and she loved to eat, resulting in rapid weight gain and a bloated figure.

She has irritable little lips, Tully's blue eyes, and long, thick auburn hair. Besides her child, Lysa Tully's only pursuit and sustenance in life is her lingering love for Littlefinger. This feeling comes from her girlhood, when Littlefinger lived in the Tully family's Riverrun and was Duke Hoster's adopted son.

Lysa Tully's love for Littlefinger is unforgettable and has never diminished for a day since her girlhood! After Jon Arryn was poisoned to death by her, she waited wholeheartedly to marry Littlefinger, who had promised to marry her.

Lysa Tully raised a pale hand, and the shouts of the lords in the hall stopped.

“Gentlemen, let the Mountain build his military fortress and walls outside the Bloody Gate. We have no need to go out and fight the Mountain, nor do we need to provide him with money and food. Since the Mountain wants to move the mountain clans to the Westerlands, he naturally won't stay long. As time goes on, the mountain people garrisoning the castle will have no food to eat and will naturally disperse. The knights of the Vale only need to guard the Bloody Gate. If Earl Jerrard of Gulltown doesn't plan to give the Mountain money and food, then he will have to defeat the Mountain on his own.”

*

ps: One update today... I've tried my best.

Thank you to [不疯魔就不成活] for the reward, thank you, handshake!