Eagle of the Valley of Ice and Fire

In the vast blue sky, three black ravens circled in the sky, overlooking the long bridge and city walls across the Green Fork River.

The three ravens were sent to Hearth, King's Landing and Harrenhal respectively, conveying the same incident but different messages.

On the walls of the east and west castles of the Twins, in addition to the blue and white flags of the Crescent Falcon and the blue twin towers of the Frey family, there were also more white flying raven flags symbolizing the Corbray family. Since the thousands of Hearth troops led by Earl Corbray entered the Twins, there has been no movement to the south.

Jon Grafson looked through the window at the three ravens circling and chirping in the distance, and doubts crept onto his face.

Since meeting Lord Lyonor Corbray at the banquet to welcome the army, the Lord of Heartland has been staying in the East Castle guarded by Lynn Corbray. The nearly 6,000-strong army of Heartland has not moved at all, but has been relying on scout cavalry to harass the northern lords of the riverlands, without much movement.

He realized the effect of this later. The reason why the army of Heartland did this was probably to contain the army of the northern lords of the riverlands, so that they dare not go south to the Tengshi River to support Blackwood or even Riverrun.

Until the end of the Battle of the Red Fork, Duke Artis Arryn completely defeated the northern army of the Young Wolf Lord, and the nobles in the northern riverlands knelt down and surrendered to the Iron Throne, in fact, to the Eyrie.

In just a few months, the power of the Vale expanded to an unprecedented level, holding the entire Trident River Basin in its hands, both nominally and militarily.

The prestige of Duke Artis, at least in Jon Grafson's heart, has surpassed any lord in the history of the Vale. No matter what period of title, King of the Vale or Guardian of the East, can't compare with him.

Perhaps his lord is really the reincarnation of the Winged Knight Artis Arryn when the Andals landed, destined to lead the Vale to the highest point of glory.

He stood in front of the window, watching the ravens. Maester Bennett, who used to serve him in the West Castle, now often went to the East Castle, and handed the important task of managing the ravens and books in the West Castle to one of his apprentices. This apprentice was ridiculously inefficient, which gave Jon Grafson a headache.

It seems that Earl Corbray often uses ravens to contact the outside world and never discusses with himself. This is not a good thing for future work in the Twins. Jon Grafson scratched his scalp and thought with some distress that when Lynn Corbray was there, he could be on an equal footing with him. Both of them were heirs.

But the situation changed a lot after Earl Lyonor came to the Twins. Although he was the person in charge of the West Castle appointed by Duke Artis, he was just a knight after all. At most, he could raise his status as the heir of the Grafson family. But Lyonor Corbray was the Earl of Heart Castle after all, a great nobleman in the valley. The original situation of co-governance between the two castles instantly changed to a situation centered on Earl Lyonor.

He rubbed his eyebrows and looked at the account book in his hand. There were many northerners who had to cross the long bridge these days, but the benefits they should get would not be less. In his opinion, the northerners had no bargaining power.

The ink was close to the bottom of the bottle. Jon Grafson shook the tip of the pen and shouted to the servant outside the room: "Bring a bottle of ink!"

The footsteps of the servants went away, and Jon lay on the back of the chair with his head raised and closed his eyes to rest.

After a while, the footsteps of the servants approached, and Jon Grafson opened his eyes, "Have you brought the ink bottle?" he asked.

"My lord," the servant pushed open the door, "News from East Fort, Lord Corbray invites you to East Fort, there is something important to discuss."

Jon Grafson frowned, "Important? I remember Roose Bolton's army hasn't arrived yet." He nodded hesitantly, "Prepare my horse."

Lyonor Corbray stroked the ruby, which was inlaid at the end of the hilt of the Valyrian steel sword of "Lady of the Lonely", and it felt like stroking fruit pulp.

He panted deeply, holding "Lady of the Lonely" in his arms, his eyes closed. If the servants serving beside him were careful, they would definitely see that the earl's eyes were wet.

"The ancestral sword I deserve," Lyonor muttered, "This is my right." He opened his eyes and wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes with his hands. The silver and shiny blade of the Valyrian steel sword of "Lady of the Lonely" appeared clearly in front of him.

"Some of the bandits who climbed over the city wall have confessed that it was indeed Linn's deployment," the guard under the high seat said to Earl Leonor, "Duke Arryn's instructions are indeed reasonable."

"If there is no support, how can this group of bandits who have not undergone any formal training imitate the tactics of our Vale Knights and enter the Twins?" Leonor sneered, his tone full of disdain. His own elite troops have to rely on internal support to enter the Long Bridge quietly. How could this group of bandits do it without internal support? It's a joke.

He put the "Lady of Emptiness" back into the scabbard, reluctantly placed it on the long table, picked it up, put it down again, and finally held it tightly in his palm, holding it in his hand, not wanting to let her leave for a moment.

"Phew!" Lionel heaved a long sigh. "When Roose Bolton's northern army returns to the Neck, our Heart City's army should also return to the Valley. The knights under Heart City have been given a lot of fiefdoms on the Green Fork River. Let's digest them and let them give it a try."

The guard couldn't help but smile. His younger brother was appreciated during the Three Rivers War and was allocated a good piece of land in the upper reaches of the Green Fork River, which was enough for his family to be proud of. He could also follow Count Leonor back home with peace of mind. Go to Heart City and serve the Corbrays diligently.

In the prison of the East Castle, the cell where old Walder Frey was once detained, Lynn Corbray curled up in a corner of the bed, digging his nails into the soft flesh of his arms, pinching out bruises, but Still didn't let go until the flesh was broken and blood flowed out of the skin.

There were bruises and scars like this all over his body, but they were not abused by anyone else, but by Lynn Corbray alone.

Lin En's eyes were ruthless and unwilling, and his muscles always seemed to be tense.

The hilt of the sword knocked on the prison door, and a hoarse voice sounded outside.

"Have a meal."

The jailer said a few words and handed over the plate with an expressionless expression.

Lin En looked at him and saw that he didn't express anything, and said, "You have to help me get out. Don't forget your identity."

The jailer seemed not to have heard, "There is still meat today, but it may not be available next time." He passed the dinner plate further back, "There are also," he looked at Linn, the bruises on his arms were shocking. , "Don't die in your own hands."

"You were hired by me with money. You are a mercenary robber. If I reveal your identity, you will not end well!" Lin En suddenly rushed towards the prison door, and suddenly grabbed the jailer's neck with both hands. He strangled him tightly, "I arranged for you to be a jailer and disguise yourself, otherwise you would have died in my hands."

The jailer's face turned red from suppressing his emotions, his hands were scratching at the air, and his feet were trembling.

"clear."

Linn stared at the words coming out of the jailer's mouth and let go.

The jailer collapsed to the ground, his face flushed, and he coughed violently.

"Ahem! Ahem!" The jailer turned to look at Linn, "We need a chance to get out."

"Then hurry up and find that opportunity for me." Lin En's tone was full of sullenness. He didn't want to lose his life because his plan was exposed, nor was he willing to give up and go to the Great Wall that could freeze people into slag. He just wanted to He wanted to escape, escape from Westeros, and go to the Eastern Continent to become a free mercenary. Damn it, with his martial arts, he could definitely become famous.

The jailer covered his neck, nodded quickly, and ran outside.

Linn slammed his hand on the prison door. The sound of "clang" echoed in the prison, and the vibration of the prison door made his palms numb.

"A night attack planned by Linn?"

Jon Grafson looked at Count Leonor Corbray in front of him in disbelief, "It doesn't make sense, why would he."

"Without internal support, it would be impossible to break into the Twins City with just this group of gangsters," Leonor said in a deep voice, stroking the "Lady Kongji" sword in his hand lovingly, "It's just that Piaf The relationship between people and him puzzles me, why do you keep defending this kid? "

Jon Grafson frowned tightly. No matter how slow his thinking was, he knew exactly what Leonor meant. Pia Frey was now the Countess of the Twins. Whoever could marry her would naturally be the one. The future owner of the Twins, and Lynn Corbray has a close relationship with Pia Frey.

Seeing that Jon did not answer, Leonor continued: "I have reported the situation to Harrenhal, and Duke Attis Arryn's intention is very clear. There is no chance of mercy if he is executed."

Jon Grafson was shocked, "Execution? Lynn Corbray?" He hesitated. After all, Lin had fought alongside him for a long time. Jon Grafson appreciated his ability, but... The fact that nearly all Lei died in the night attack is shocking. Neither the Iron Throne nor the Eagle's Nest City will allow this crime to be dealt with easily. He swallowed, "I understand."

Seeing that Jon had no other opinions, Leonor took a deep breath and patted his shoulder with his hand, "Lynn Corbray is my younger brother, but he is also a vassal of Duke Attis, and he has some selfish motives. "It's a common thing." He sighed, "Lynn Corbray has committed a major crime, and neither the Iron Throne nor the Eagle's Nest will let him go. I'm afraid even the Great Wall won't be able to tolerate this kind of crime!"

Jon Grafson's frown did not loosen at all, which meant that even Linn's way to the Great Wall to pay his crime was blocked by his brother, without giving him any chance of survival.

"I won't kill my relatives," Leonor let out a long breath, and he let go of his hand on Jon's shoulder. "Fortunately, we Andals don't have the tradition of the ancestors, like the Royce family, where we have to do it with our own hands. Behead the condemned criminal, but Lord Arryn was greatly influenced by Bronze Yohn in this regard."

"I will find a suitable executioner. Maybe Tully's retainers have a suitable candidate," Leonor seemed to have some kind of complaint in his tone, "I really should have brought the executioner from Heart City, but it's a pity." The earl looked at Jon Grafson and said, "Sir, please stay here for a long time and find someone for me."

Jon Grafson nodded silently.

The long bridge in Twin River City is brightly lit, and even though the night is deep, for every valley soldier stationed at the long bridge, it is as if they are standing in the middle of the day.

After learning the lessons from the Battle of the Twin Rivers and the bandit's night attack, the number of sentry posts on the Long Bridge obviously increased. The guards on the River Guard Tower also continued to watch the spacious Green Fork River with torches and lights, catching every slightest movement.

The jailer took advantage of the darkness and groped his way into the cell.

Lynn Corbray's eyes suddenly opened, and the jailer took out the key from his clothes, untied the iron chain of the cell and praised Lynn, "I didn't expect you to be so familiar with the Twins. The Godswood in East Castle really hides the secret passage of the prison."

Lynn snorted coldly, "Otherwise, how do you think Black Walder could have committed adultery with so many mistresses in the Twins?" He waved his hand, "Hurry up, don't talk nonsense."

The jailer nodded hurriedly, and the iron chain was quickly untied. Lynn tiptoed to push open the prison door and turned to ask the jailer, "Is there no one in the Godswood?"

"Only a few women are praying, it's easy to avoid them." The jailer replied.

Lynn breathed a sigh of relief, and he groped forward in the dark corridor of the cell, his hands pressed against the slippery wall of the corridor, listening to the sound of insects above.

"It's right here, you see." The jailer pointed to the open manhole cover above.

Lynn exerted force suddenly, grabbed the edge of the manhole cover with both hands, and pulled his body up with force.

The sound of insects in the sacred woods surrounded his ears. He sighed and looked at the other side of the sacred woods with some satisfaction. As long as he passed through the wall again, disguised himself, and pretended to be a vendor, there might be a glimmer of hope.

"Lin En!"

A shrill female voice exploded beside him, as if a steel needle pierced his meninges.

Pia held up her skirt with both hands and ran over in small steps, "Lin En, it's you, my knight, why are you here?" Her tone was full of joy and eagerness.

"I"

Lin En glanced at the other side of the bushes, and some women looked at the covered bushes curiously.

"Tell me, tell me quickly." Pia hadn't finished speaking when Lin En covered her mouth with her hands.

"Listen, Pia, I need to go, I need to leave here." Lin En had no intention of explaining, but just broke away from Pia, stood up and wanted to leave.

"No, no, you should be with me, you should be with me!" Pia stroked Lin En's face and smiled, "Don't worry, I am the mistress of the Twins City, I have the final say here, I will plead with Lord Leonor, he will listen to me."

If it were someone else, Lin En might have believed Pia's one-sided words.

Lin En forced a smile, and slowly stroked Pia's waist, chest, and smooth neck with both hands.

Pia closed her eyes, she enjoyed the caress of her lover.

The neck was suddenly pinched, Pia felt suffocated instantly, she opened her eyes and looked at Lin En who was pinching her neck in disbelief.

Lin En looked into her eyes, sadness and fear were condensed in them, only for a few short moments.

The woman's body collapsed in Lin En's arms, silent and motionless.

He put the body in the bushes, looked around and saw no one visiting, he sighed, got up and ran towards the city wall.

On the other side of the bush, Rosalin covered her mouth tightly and sat silently in the grass. She saw the whole process of Lin En strangling Pia to death.

Rosalin hurried to Pia's side and touched her breath with her right hand. There was no sign of life.

Her left hand supported her slightly bulging belly. Looking at Pia who had stopped breathing, her fearful expression was actually slightly more joyful.

She exhaled a breath of turbid air and adjusted her voice. "Mrs. Pia!" Rosalin shouted loudly.

Lin En also heard this shout from a distance. He knew that time was running out.

Just as he wanted to reach out and grab the corner of the wall, an arrow shot into his shoulder, bleeding.

Xiu Fu looked coldly at Lin En who fell to the ground, slowly approached, and shot another arrow.

The last thing Lin En saw was the towering walls of the Twins. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He really overestimated himself. How could he possibly reach such a height?

Darkness enveloped his vision, and the Stranger whispered in his ear.