Chapter 42 Chapter Forty-One Caitlyn

Sunrise in the Vale of Arryn, dyed the eastern sky rose and gold.Catelyn Stark rested her hands on the ornately carved railing outside the window, staring at the gradually spreading light.Dawn crawled across fields and forests, and the world turned from black to indigo to green beneath her feet.The ghostly waters rushed off the ridge, and began their long journey down the Giant's Lance, Alyssa's Tears churning white mist.Kaitlyn could vaguely feel the water splashing on her face. Alyssa Ayling saw her husband, brother and children brutally murdered before her eyes, but she never shed a tear.Then the gods decreed that after death she would weep unceasingly, till her tears flowed to the black fertile fields of the valley and plain, for there were buried her loved ones.Alyssa has been dead for six thousand years, yet not a single drop of water has flowed to the bottom of the valley.Catelyn wondered what a cascade her tears would become when she died. "Any more news?" she said.

"The Kingslayer is gathering an army at Casterly Rock," Ser Rodrik replied in the room behind him. "Your brother wrote that he sent someone to Casterly Rock to ask Lord Tywin to express his intentions, but so far there has been no response. Edmure Lord Vance and Lord Piper have commanded the pass below the Golden Tooth, and I swear to you that he will not give up a single inch of the Tully lands, and that if the Lannisters dare to invade, they will pour their blood on them." Catelyn looked away from watching the sunrise.No matter how beautiful the morning sun is, it is difficult to cheer her up.Thinking that the beginning of the day is so beautiful, but it is destined to end in tragedy, she feels more and more the cruelty of the creator. "Edmure sent and swore," she said, "but he is not the Lord of Riverrun. Any word from my lord father?"

"Lord Horst was not mentioned in the letter, madam." Ser Rodrik twirled his beard.While he was recovering from his injuries, his beard was as white as snow again, and the forest stood like bushes.Now he looks almost the same as before. "If my father hadn't been seriously ill, he would never have given Edmure the defense of Torrent." She said worriedly, "When the bird brings a message, you should have woken me up immediately." "Maester Komon told me that your sister wants you to rest well." "Should wake me up," she insisted. "The bachelor also said that your sister is going to talk to you after the competition."

"So, she really intends to continue this farce?" Caitlin frowned. "The dwarf is playing her on her flute, and she herself is not in the dark. Whatever happens this morning, Ser Rodrik, we must start. My duty is to be with my sons at Winterfell. If you are strong enough Come on, I'll ask Lysa to send someone to escort us to Seagull Town, and we'll take a boat back from there." "Going to the boat again?" Rodrik's face turned blue, but he still held back and didn't tremble. "Ma'am, I will follow your orders." Catelyn called for the servant Lysa had sent her, and the old knight waited outside.As she changed her clothes, she thought that if she talked to her sister before the duel, she might change her mind.Lysa acts according to her mood, but her personality is unpredictable.The shy maiden at Riverrun she had known had grown into a woman who was sometimes arrogant, sometimes fearful, cruel, even unrealistic, careless, timid, triumphant, and worst of all, she was still alive. Fickle.

When her vicious jailer came running and crawling to tell them that Tyrion Lannister intended to plead guilty, Caitlin urged Lysa to interrogate the dwarves in private, but her sister had to show off in front of the nobles of the canyon. The result turned out to be this... "Lannister is my prisoner," she had told Ser Rodrik as they walked up the tower stairs toward the cold, pale halls of the Eyrie.Catelyn wore a plain gray wool tunic with a silver-plated belt. "My sister can't forget that." They meet Uncle storming out of Lysa's house in a rage. "What are you going to do with these fools?" Sir Brynden scolded, "I wanted you to slap your sister twice to wake her up, but it's no use, you'll only hurt yourself hands."

"There's a bird coming from Riverrun," Catelyn began, "and Edmure is writing..." "Son, I know," said the black fish on Brynden's cloak, the only decoration on his body. "I heard the news from Master Cormont. I asked your sister to send me a thousand elite soldiers and rush to Riverrun, and you know what she said?" She said, "Uncle, there must be one defender of the Eyrie, Not to mention a thousand, besides, you are a knight of the Blood Gate, so you should stay here. There was a burst of childish laughter from the open door behind him, and the uncle looked back with a sullen face. "Well, anyway, I told her to find a new blood knight.Regardless of whether I am a black fish or not, I am a member of the Tully family.I'll be returning to Riverrun this evening. "

Caitlin couldn't hide her surprise. "Just you? You and I both know that walking the mountain road alone is looking for death. Ser Rodrik and I are also planning to go back to Winterfell. Uncle, go with us, and I will pay for the thousand elite soldiers. Riverrun will never fight alone." Brynden paused for a moment, then nodded abruptly. "That's it. Although it's a long way around, I have a better chance of arriving. I'll wait for you below." After speaking, he strode away with his cloak fluttering behind his back. Catelyn and Ser Rodrik exchanged glances, then walked through the gate towards the high-pitched, yet anxious laughter of children.

Ryza's residence is located on top of a small garden, which is in the shape of a circle, surrounded by tall white towers.Blue flowers were planted on the soil and grass of the garden. The original intention of the craftsmen was to cultivate the godswood, but the Eagle's Nest City was built on the hard rock of the mountain. Here the beams take root and grow.So successive dukes replanted lawns and placed statues among flowering bushes.The lives of the two duelists and Tyrion Lannister will be handed over to the gods in the sky to make the final decision here. Lysa, freshly washed and dressed in a cream-colored velvet coat with a string of sapphires and moonstones around her creamy neck, was presiding over the assembly on the open balcony.The field of view from this place was just enough to have a panoramic view of the duel process, and Lysa was surrounded by followers, knights, and lords of all sizes.Most of them still held out hope that they would marry her, sleep with her, and rule the Vale with her.But judging by what Catelyn had seen in the Eyrie these days, they had little hope.

Robert was sitting on a high chair with a wooden platform under his seat. In front of him was a hunchbacked puppeteer in blue and white, who was manipulating two wooden knights to kill each other, making the Duke of the Eyrie giggle. , applauded non-stop.On the balcony were jars of rich cheese and baskets of blackberries, and guests were drinking from carved silver cups a sweet wine infused with orange.Fool's holiday, no wonder Brynden said so. On the balcony, Lord Hunter made a joke that made Lysa laugh, and she bit a blackberry off of Ser Lyn Corbray's dagger.Of all the suitors, Lysa liked them the most...at least, that was the case today.If you ask Caitlin which of them is more unsuitable, she really has no way of answering.Ian Hunter was older than Jon Arryn, with a gouty limp and three quarreling sons, each more greedy than the other.Sir Lynn is another absurd figure. He is slender and handsome, heir to the ancient and decaying Corbray family, but he is vain, has a bad temper, and acts without thinking... Some people even rumored that he had a crush on men. Wen's intimacy was notoriously uninteresting.

Lysa saw Caitlin from a distance, immediately stood up and hugged her passionately, and pressed a wet kiss on her cheek. "The weather is so nice in the morning, don't you think? All the gods in the sky are smiling at us. Dear sister, please taste this wine. Lord Hunter specially sent it from his own wine cellar." "Thanks, no. Lysa, I want to talk to you." "We'll talk about it later." My sister turned around and prepared to leave as soon as she promised. "We're going to talk now." Kaitlyn raised her voice unconsciously, causing others to turn their heads to watch. "Lysa, you can't go on messing around like this. The little devil is only worth living, and he can only feed the crows when he dies. If his proxy knight wins—"

"Ma'am, I don't think that's possible," Sir Hunter assured her by patting her shoulder with his age-spotted hand. "Sir Vardis is very skilled in martial arts, and he can take down that mercenary in two or three hits." "My lord, are you so sure?" Caitlin said coldly, "I dare not say." She had seen Bronn's skill with her own eyes on the mountain road, and it was no accident that he was able to live until now.He moved like a cheetah, and the ugly sword seemed to be integrated with his arm. Lysa's suitors swarmed like bees around a flower. "What do women know about such things?" said Sir Morton Waywood. "My dear lady, Ser Vardis is a knight. As for that fellow, well, he is a coward at heart. In war If thousands of people get together, it is still useful, but ask him to fight one-on-one with others, forgive him for not being able to do this." "Even so," Caitlin pretended to be polite, even she couldn't bear it. "What good is it to us if the dwarf is dead? Do you think Jaime cares if we hold a trial first, as long as we throw him off the cliff?" "Just chop off his head," suggested Ser Lynn Corbray, "and give the head to the Kingslayer as a warning to him." Lysa shook her waist-length red-brown hair impatiently. "Lord Robert wants to see him fly," she said, as if closing the argument. "If you want to blame, you can only blame the little devil himself. He was also the one who asked for a trial by combat." "Even if Madam Lysa wanted to refuse, she couldn't do so while taking etiquette into account." Earl Hunter spoke with a heavy tone. Caitlin ignored them and turned all her strength on her sister. "Let me remind you, Tyrion Lannister is my prisoner." "Let me also remind you that it was my husband that the dwarf murdered!" she raised her voice. "He poisoned the king's prime minister and made my baby fatherless at a young age, and now I want him to pay the price!" Lysa turned around, her skirt flying, and she walked to the side of the balcony with her head held high.Sir Lynn, Sir Morton, and the other suitors nodded coldly and followed her. "Do you think he really did it?" Ser Rodrik asked her in a whisper when they were alone. "Is the murder of Lord Jon true? The little devil always denies it, firmly denies it..." "I believe it was a member of the Lannister family who murdered Lord Arryn," Catelyn replied, "but whether it was Tyrion, Ser Jaime, or the queen, or even all three, I dare not say." "In the letter Lysa sent to Winterfell, she accused Cersei of being the murderer, but now she seems to believe that Tyrion is the real murderer... Is it because the dwarf is close at hand, but the queen is hundreds of leagues away? beyond the south, safe behind the walls of the Red Keep?Caitlin could not help wishing that she had burned the letter before opening it. Ser Rodrik twirled his beard. "If poison is used, then... it could indeed be the hand of a dwarf, or Cersei. No offense, madam, but don't people say poison is a woman's weapon? As for kingslayers, well... I don't mind that." People don't like it, but he doesn't seem like the type to do such a thing. He likes to see his golden sword stained with blood. Madame, is it really poison?" Caitlin frowned uncomfortably: "Otherwise, what else can cause the illusion of natural death?" Behind him, Duke Robert saw a puppet knight cut another in half and sprinkled redwood chips on the ground, screaming excitedly .She glanced at her nephew and couldn't help sighing. "The boy is not brought up at all. Unless he is taken away from his mother for a while, he will never be able to rule." "His late father felt the same way." There was a voice interface beside him.She turned her head and saw Maester Komon holding a wine glass. "Actually, he was going to send the boy to Dragonstone for adoption, you know...well, I said the wrong thing." His Adam's apple heaved anxiously beneath the sagging maester's chains. "I'm afraid I've had too much of Lord Hunter's good wine. Bloodshed always makes me nervous..." "Bachelor, you must have made a mistake," Caitlin said. "It's Casterly Rock, not Dragonstone, and it was arranged after the death of the Prime Minister without my sister's consent." The maester's head jerked, and with his unusually long neck, he looked like a puppet. "No, I beg your pardon, ma'am, this is Lord Jon himself—" The bell below them rang loudly.Both the nobleman and the maid put down what they were doing at the same time and walked to the railing.Under the stage, two guards in sky blue cloaks led Tyrion Lannister out.The bloated monk from the Eyrie accompanied him to the stone statue in the middle of the garden.It was a weeping woman carved from veined white marble, and it was undoubtedly Alyssa. "Here comes the little rascal," chuckled Lord Robert. "May I let him fly, Mummy? I want to see him fly." "Wait a little longer, sweetie," Lysa assured him. "Trial first," said Sir Lynn Corbray slowly, "and then execution." A moment later, two duelists also entered from both sides of the garden.The knight was accompanied by two young attendants, and the mercenary was served by two soldiers from the Eagle's Nest City. Ser Vardis Egan wore mail and a padded tunic covered from head to toe in heavy steel.A number of metal discs protected where the armor met between the arms and the chest, and they were all painted blue and white in the crescent-and-falcon crest of House Arryn.A metal skirt in the shape of a lobster's carapace covers the waist to the thighs, and around the neck is a sturdy choker.The sides of his helmet displayed eagle wings, and his visor was in the shape of a sharp beak, leaving only a thin slit for him to look at. Bronn, in light armor, looked almost naked beside the knight.He wore only a coat of hard leather, over which he had well-oiled black ringmail, a metal hood, and a half-helm with a nose guard.He picked out a pair of high leather boots with steel leggings at the front, and black iron rings sewn on the toes of the gloves.Caitlin noticed that the mercenary was a full head taller than his opponent, and his hands were longer... not to mention the age difference between the two. According to her visual estimation, Bronn was at least fifteen years younger. They knelt face to face on the lawn at the foot of the Weeping Woman, with Lannister standing between them.The monk took out a multi-faceted crystal from the soft cloth bag at his waist, held it high above his head, and the light immediately scattered.Colorful lights lightly leaped over the little devil's face.With a high, solemn, almost singing tone, the monk asked the gods in the sky to testify and find out the truth in the soul of this person. If he is innocent, he will be given freedom, and if he is guilty, he will be given death.His voice echoed from the surrounding towers. When the last lingering sound dissipated, the monk put down the crystal and left quickly.Before the guards took him away, Tyrion whispered something in Bronn's ear. The mercenary laughed and stood up to pat the grass on his knees. Robert Arryn, Duke of the Eyrie and Warden of the Vale, was wriggling impatiently on the high seat. "When are they going to fight?" he asked plaintively. One of Ser Vardis's squires helped him to his feet, while another brought him a triangular shield nearly four feet long, made of heavy oak and topped with iron spikes.The two attendants worked together to fasten the shield to the front of his left arm.Lysa's soldier offered Bronn a similar shield, but the mercenary spat and waved him down.A three-day-old thick black beard covered his chin and cheeks, but he was by no means without a razor.The edge of his blade gleamed with a deadly luster, and he could be seen spending hours each day on it, until it was too sharp for flesh and blood. Ser Vardis held out an iron gauntleted hand, and his squire held out a beautiful, double-edged sword.The body of the sword is carved with silver thread to show the texture of the sky in the mountains, the hilt is like the head of a falcon, and the gauntlet is like two wings. "I had this sword made for Jon when I was in King's Landing," Lysa told her guests proudly, as they all watched Ser Vardis try to swing it. "Whenever he sits on the Iron Throne in King Robert's place, he always wears this sword. Wouldn't it be pretty? I think it's only fitting that our knight avenge him with Jon's sword in his hand. .” The carved silver sword was beautiful, but it seemed to Catelyn that Ser Vardis would do better with his own weapon.But she knew it was futile to argue with her sister, so she said nothing. "Tell them to fight!" Lord Robert yelled. Ser Vardis turned to the Lord of the Eyrie, raising his sword in salute. "Fight for the Eyrie and the Vale!" Tyrion Lannister was seated on a balcony facing the garden, surrounded by guards.Bronn turned and saluted him casually. "They will wait for your order," Lady Lysa told her duke son. "Fight!" the boy screamed, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair, trembling. Ser Vardis turned in an instant, raising his heavy shield.Bronn turned to face him too.The long swords of the two clashed once and twice, testing each other.The mercenary took a step back, and the knight raised his shield to catch up.He swung his sword, but Bronn jumped back, out of range, and the silver blade sliced ​​through the air.Bronn turned to the right, and Ser Vardis followed, shield still held high.The knight approached forward, step by step, stepping carefully on the uneven ground.The mercenary kept backing away with a faint smile on his lips.Ser Vardis attacked, slashing, but Bronn leaped away from him, hopping lightly over a low, moss-covered stone.Then the mercenary circled to the left, away from the shield, towards the side where the knight was not protected.Ser Vardis tried to chop off his leg, but it was too far away.Bronn jumped to the left again, and Ser Vardis turned after him. "This guy is a coward," Earl Hunter said, "Coward, fight it openly if you have the guts!" The others also echoed. Catelyn looked at Ser Rodrik.Her master shook his head curtly. "He made Ser Vardis chase him on purpose. Armored and shielded, even the strongest man tires quickly." In fact, she almost grew up watching others practice swords, and has watched more than half a hundred martial arts competitions. However, the duel in front of her is different from it, and it is even more deadly: one wrong move, and disaster is inevitable.Looking at this scene, Catelyn Stark recalled another duel that happened at a different time and in a different place, and it was vivid in her mind, as if it was yesterday. It was in the lower courtyard of Riverrun.Seeing that Petyr was wearing only helm, breastplate, and mail, Brandon took off most of his own armor.At that time, Petyr begged her to give him a token, but she refused.Since she was betrothed to Brandon Stark by her father, her token naturally belonged to him.It was a light blue handkerchief she had made herself, with Riverrun's leaping trout embroidered on it.When she put the handkerchief into his hand, she begged him: "He's just a silly boy, but I love him like a brother. If he dies, I will be very sad." Her fiancé listened and used The calm gray eyes of a Stark looked at her and promised to spare the life of the boy who loved her madly. The duel had just begun and it was over.The grown-up Brandon forced Littlefinger back, from the castle courtyard to the water steps. The attack was fierce, and the sword rained down. The boy staggered and was wounded all over. "Surrender!" he yelled more than once, but Petyr always shook his head and fought on stubbornly.Finally, when the water was as deep as his ankles, Brandon finally made a break. He slashed violently with his backhand, piercing through Petyr's breastplate and leather, and scratching the soft flesh under the ribs. The wound was so deep, Caitlin thought it must be fatal.He stared at her as he lay in a pool of blood, muttering "Kate" as bright blood gushed from between his gauntlets.She thought she had forgotten all of this. That was the last time she saw his face... until the day they met again in King's Landing. Littlefinger had been recuperating for two weeks before she had the strength to leave Riverrun, but her lord father forbade her to visit her in the sickroom in the Tower.It had been Lysa who had helped the maester look after him; she had been much softer and shyer back then.Edmure also visited, but Petyr would not see him.The younger brother served as Brandon's assistant in the duel, and Littlefinger would never forgive him.When his physical strength regained a little bit, Duke Hoster Tully sent someone to put Petyr Baelish into a small airtight sedan chair, and carried him back to the jagged rocks on the Five Fingers peninsula where the strong wind was howling, and returned to his birthplace to continue. recuperate. The metal clash of the sword brought Caitlin back to reality.Ser Vardis fought fiercely with sword and shield.The mercenary kept retreating, blocking the attacks, jumping over stones and roots lightly, but never took his eyes off the opponent.Catelyn saw that he was moving so swiftly that the knight's silver sword never touched him, but his hideous gray sword slashed across Ser Vardis's shoulderplate. Suddenly Bronn slipped behind the statue of the Weeping Woman.Ser Vardis couldn't hold back, and swung his sword towards his position just now. Sparks burst from Alyssa's white marble legs. "Mommy, they don't play well," the Eagle's Nest City Lord complained, "I want to see them fight for real." "Be good, baby, they'll call you right away." His mother comforted him, "The mercenary won't be able to run all day." On Lysa's balcony, some nobles were sneering at Bronn while drinking and laughing, but across the garden, Tyrion Lannister's eyes of different sizes were watching the two duelists intently. Come and go, it seems that everything around me has disappeared. Bronn sprang out from behind the statue, still to the left, slashing at the knight's unshielded side with his sword in both hands.Ser Vardis blocked it, but barely.The mercenary's sword flicked upwards and rushed towards the opponent's head.There was a clang, and one of the falcon's wings snapped off.Ser Vardis stepped back, steadied himself, and raised his shield again.Bronn's sword struck the wooden wall, sending splinters flying.The mercenary turned to the left again, avoiding the shield, and struck Ser Vardis in the stomach with his sword, leaving a sharp gash in the knight's armor. Ser Vardis kicked his back foot, and swung the silver sword in a fierce arc in the air.Bronn pushed it aside and jumped out.The knight bumped into the weeping woman, shaking her on a pedestal.He staggered back, looking left and right to search for his opponent, the slits in his mask restricting his vision. "Sir, behind you!" Earl Hunter shouted, but it was too late.Bronn raised his sword with both hands, and slashed down hard, hitting Ser Vardis on the right elbow.The thin discs that protect the joints rattled loudly.The knight groaned and turned around, holding up his long sword.This time Bronn stayed where he was, and the two of them came and went, and the metal song of swords and swords echoed through the garden and from the seven white towers of the Eyrie. "Ser Vardis is wounded," Ser Rodrik said heavily. Needless to say, Caitlin could see the blood trickling down his forearm like countless fingers, and she could also see the wetness of his elbow joint.Every block he made was slower and lower.Ser Vardis sideways faced the foe, trying to block the attack with his shield, but Bronn moved sideways with him, moving like a cat.Now, the mercenary seemed to be getting stronger and stronger, and his slashing left traces one after another.The knight's armor, right leg, beak and breastplate, and even the neckplate were marked with deep, shiny indentations.The crescent-falcon disc on Ser Vardis's right arm was cut in two and hung from his belt.They could hear heavy breathing coming from his mask. No matter how arrogant and conceited the knights and nobles in the canyon were, they were very clear about the situation below. Only my sister still couldn't see the truth. "Ser Vardis, that's enough," Lady Lysa yelled down. "Catch him, my darling is getting impatient." Ser Vardis Egan was faithful, indeed, to the end of his death.He had staggered back, crouched behind his battered shield, and charged forward instead.The sudden onslaught caught Bronn by surprise.Ser Vardis collided with him and slammed his shield into the mercenary's face, almost, almost knocking Bronn to the ground... The mercenary staggered back, tripped over a stone, and hurried to help him. Hold the crying woman to maintain the center of gravity.Ser Vardis dropped his shield and lunged at him, sword raised in both hands.His right hand was bloody from elbow to fingertips, but his final killing blow would have been enough to split Bronn in two from head to toe...if the sellswords had come to him. Instead, Bronn leapt backwards with a stride.A third of Jon Arryn's beautiful carved silver sword snapped at the weeping woman's marble elbow.Then Bronn slammed his shoulder into the back of the statue, and the weather-beaten statue of Alyssa Arryn wobbled a few times before collapsing, pinning Ser Vardis Egan beneath it. In an instant Bronn was on top of him, kicking away the remaining shards of the metal disc, exposing the vulnerable area between the arms and the breastplate.Ser Vardis lay on his side, his body pinned down by the broken statue of the Weeping Woman.Catelyn heard the knight groan.The mercenary held the sword in both hands and raised it high. With all his strength, he stabbed fiercely, across his arm, and penetrated his ribs.Ser Vardis Egan shuddered, but stopped moving. A dead silence enveloped the Eagle's Nest City.Bronn pulled off his half-helmet and threw it on the lawn.The lips hit by the shield just now were bleeding, and the charcoal-black hair was completely soaked in sweat.He spat out a knocked out tooth. "Mum, is it over?" the Duke of Eagle's Nest asked. No, Caitlyn wanted to tell him, it was just the beginning. "Yes." Lysa said gloomily, her voice was as cold and dead as her captain of the guards. "Now can I make that little rascal fly?" Across the garden, Tyrion stood up. "Anyway, it won't be me, the little rascal, who is flying," he said. "This little rascal is planning to go down the mountain with the carrot in a basket. Thank you for your concern." "You thought—" Lysa began. "I thought the Ayrin family still remembered their clan language," the little devil said, "It's as honorable as it is." "You promised me you could make him fly," the Duke of the Eyrie screamed at his mother, and began to tremble. Lady Lysa flushed with anger. "My child, the gods in the sky think this man is innocent. We have no choice but to let him go." She raised her voice, "Come here, take the Lord Lannister and him... that monster away. Escort Let them go to the Blood Gate and let them go free. Prepare enough horses and food for them to reach the Trident River, and return all their luggage and weapons. They must need these equipments when they go on the mountain road." "Mountain road?" said Tyrion Lannister.A small but smug smile played on Lysa's lips.It dawned on Caitlin that this was another form of execution.Tyrion Lannister must have known that too.The dwarf, however, only bowed to Lysa Arryn politely. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "We know the way."