Grandview

[Deleted]

Aranya's eyes narrowed. "Your duty, ser? To which king?"

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"There is duty to my King and duty to my post. To betray the trust in which I have been given would be equal to a betrayal of guest right. I still hold some things sacred. I am sworn to defend Storm's End, and will do so. In all else I am loyal to King Callen."

"It is not an easy position to be in, and I may arouse King Callen's wrath. But it is what I must do. I am too old now to risk my soul through betrayal."

[Deleted]

"If you hold your oaths sacred, remember your oath to the true Lord of the Stormlands," Aranya said. "Storm's End is Callen's by the laws of gods and men. If you accept Callen as your king, you must accept him as the Lord of Storm's End. Storm's End is the seat of House Baratheon, long before ever a Royce of the Vale came here. The only betrayal in question is betrayal to your king."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

Valwert Grandison's face starts turning purple with rage. "I have made you my guests here at the risk to mine own head. I have offered you meat and wine and the safety of my hall. And you accusal me of betrayal? I have made oaths and I intend to keep them. Callen can have my knights, he can have my hall, he can have my own sword. Those are mine to give. But Storm's End is not. Callen can have my life if he wants it. But I have sworn to defend those walls in the Redroyce's name, and I'll go to the Seven Hells before I abandon my words."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"And the Baratheons lost the Stormlords because they forgot that their seat was Storm's End. Callen was Prince of Dragonstone, if you have not forgotten. The Baratheons were fools to forget they were Stags and not Dragons, and now they pay that price. I warned Rodrick Baratheon a dozen times every year that the Stormlords chafed, and he only laughed. When Lord Connington rebelled, he only laughed. Who led the rebellion that killed the Stags? It was Stormlords, Dondarrion, Caron, Connington, and Selmy that drove them from the land."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"No lady, what you need to do is not take Storm's End. Your enemy is not the Redroyce, not truly; your enemy is the sharpest, most dangerous man in Westeros: Lord Baldwin Lannister. You must drive a wedge between him and the King, for if he remains Hand, King Callen does not stand a chance."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Have you heard of the Baratheon Pretender? Word has come that a man called Callen Baratheon has burned a village in the Reach, killing hundreds of small folk. Who do you think was behind that move? And now the Hand sends word of a bounty on Callen's head."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Here, take a look at these. First is a report on the raid by "Callen Baratheon". The second is Baldwin's Bounty. Both stink of him, or his operatives -- a plot moving in unison. If you can somehow, use your wiles, and create a rift between the Bald Lion and the Iron Throne, he will turn his claws on the Targrayens. You do not have the men to defeat them both. Make them fight each other, and then ride to King's Landing as the savior and bringer of peace. That is what you need to do."

Lord Grandison pauses to catch his breath.

[Percy Rivers]

Callen sat, staring into the flames, for the shadow of a moment he thought he saw a man staring back at him through the fire. He shook his head dispelling the vision and spoke, "Aranya, Grandison's right, we cannot take Storm's End, not at this time at least. If we do manage to somehow overtake the garrison the dragon of the Targaryens will destroy us. Now this pretender, he is the most urgent problem, as long as he goes around doing what he's doing we'll face problems," he thought for a moment, "I need to make contact with the Blackshields, especially Captain Snow. They know I would never do such a thing, and have a good reputation, perhaps will send Anslem to find them. From what I've heard word of the decree is spreading throughout the land, and from experience I know that the smallfolk are smart enough to realize that this fake me is just a ruse by the Targaryens to smear my name." He smiled, "it will just make them look worse if they keep it up. Their own ploy will turn against them."

[Deleted]

Aranya's eyes darkened with anger as she read the reports. If Baldwin is behind this, I'll kill him, she thought. "I'll go to Captain Snow," she told Callen. "And we'll find this pretender and reveal him for what he is - and hopefully, perhaps we'll make him sing a loud song about who is behind all this."

[Percy Rivers]

Callen continued staring out the window. The moon was high above the tall woods of the Stormlands. Slowly the heat he had felt in Grandison's hall left him. The visions he had seen in the fire had not though. "What do they all mean?" he thought to himself. He was about to turn and go to his chambers when he saw Vinci Reed, his maester, coming up the stairs. He had his apprentice boy in tow, who appeared to be struggling with a pair of wicker boards strapped to his back and arms. "Okay Lancel try to remember to try to flap your wings and catch the air currents, but if you fail try to aim for the moat." Callen would have laughed had he not been so troubled by the incident in the hall. "Maester Reed? May I talk to you for a moment?" Reed started at the sound and almost tumbled down the stairs before Callen caught his long, grey cloak. "My boy, don't startle me like that, you'll give an old man a fright." He pushed the spectacles (another of his inventions) up a bit and then sighed, "I was hoping to test my flying apparatus today, but I suppose it can wait. Boy! Go take the wings down to our room." Lancel breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made his escape before Reed could change his mind. "Now what is it you wanted to talk about, I'm asuming it has something to do with what happened tonight?"

[Percy Rivers]

Callen walked down the steps of the Ravenry and paused to think about his conversation with maester Reed. The man had shown him a link made of Valyrian Steel around his throat, and explained to him somethings of the higher mysteries. Callen still didn't have a clue what his vision, if it was a vision. Vinci Reed had not definatively answered his question, but had tried to point him in the right direction. Finally the old man had fallen asleep on a chair in the Ravenry and Callen had decided he had more pressing matters to attend to. He found Valwert Grandison's solar and knocked on the door.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"What, eh? Someone there? Well, come on in. An old man with a broke leg can't stop you," Valwert Grandison says to the door. When Callen opens it, he continues, "Oh, sorry your grace. I thought that was the page. I'd rise for you, but I'll be damned but this leg hurts. What can I do for you?"

[Percy Rivers]

"I'm leaving on the morrow. I need to visit the lords of the Reach. I have an important mission for you though, I need you to ensure the loyalty of those lords, great or petty, here in the Stormlands."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"I'll do what I can, your grace, but a great many are entrenched against you, or against your father at the least. And all are cowed by the damned Dragon. Have you any thought to how to defeat that foul beast?"

"I must also return soon to Storm's End before any suspect the length of my absence. I would go there before traveling forth again."