Eagle of the Valley of Ice and Fire

The weather in the Three Rivers is so changeable. In the morning, the sun is still shining brightly, but when the sun sets, it is covered with a layer of haze. The falling rain lines set off the huge Harrenhal, the dark and cracked walls, and the gloomy drizzle, which together look like an oil painting.

Attis Arryn sat by the window, watching the rain through the glass.

On the other side of the castle, the soldiers of the Valley wore half helmets and slowly pushed the gate of the castle. A series of family flags with purple backgrounds were floating not far from the castle. Looking closely at their shapes, they found that the edges of the flags were painted with various runes, just like the Royce family in Runestone City, except for the middle part. The flag of Royce's family was a pile of black pebbles, but the flag of the team that came now was a white crescent shape behind the black portcullis.

"Family Royce?" A Valley soldier guarding the city asked others.

The soldier on the side narrowed his eyes slightly, "It should be the flag of the Grand Steward."

The soldier stopped talking. There is no need to say much about the title of the Grand Steward. When the former Duke Jon Arryn was not in the Vale, he handed over all internal and external affairs to Nestor Royce, the acting lord of the Gates of the Moon, to handle, and appointed him as the Grand Steward of the Vale of Arryn. The most arduous and complicated things in the Vale are not the grievances between the great nobles, but the territorial disputes between the territories of the wealthy knights. They are often so severe that the local nobles are unable to quell them and have to go to the Gates of the Moon to seek mediation.

Many wealthy knights are therefore very familiar with Nestor Royce, as are their attendants and followers.

Nestor Royce looked at the towering black tower in front of him and the slightly lower but still tall city walls in comparison, and sniffed uneasily. The legend of the curse of Harrenhal made him a little chilling.

But he still took a deep breath, patted the warhorse under his crotch, clamped his legs under the horse's belly, and the warhorse immediately walked into the city.

Inside the castle, the sounds of weapons fighting, knights fighting, and craftsmen building, mixed together and entered Nestor's ears. He couldn't help but frowned. These noises made him very uncomfortable.

The untimely voice appeared again, but it was just a human voice, "Lord Nestor, it's a pity that we only met once."

Nestor looked up and found that the person who spoke also came from the direction of the city gate, and seemed to have just entered the city not long ago.

He looked down at the brooch on the other person's chest pinned to the blue cloak behind him. Above the silver crescent moon, a golden eagle was spreading its wings and flying.

"Golden Eagle?" Nestor looked at him. The milky white sword, the golden eagle head hilt, and the blue cloak embroidered with golden patterns, "Are you from the Arryn family in Seagull Town?"

Evan Arryn nodded gently, "I am Quinn Arryn's eldest son, Evan Arryn of the Arryn family."

"Quinn?" Nestor's face suddenly lit up with joy, "If the construction of the Arryn Valley road did not have your father's support, it would be as absurd as climbing up the Eyrie with bare hands!" The annoyance caused by Evan Arryn's overly exaggerated and extravagant dress suddenly dissipated, and Nestor looked at Evan Arryn with more appreciation.

"You are too kind," Evan Arryn nodded slightly and greeted Nestor, "It is the duty of the Arryn family to make the valley more profitable. Even though we are far away in Seagull Town, we also want to contribute to the Eyrie."

Nest chuckled twice to express his approval, "Quinn Arryn is really blessed by the gods to have an heir like you." He thought of Albert Royce, who was thousands of miles away, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes. Although he and his son had been keeping in touch through letters, they were far apart after all, and his longing for him was beyond words.

"Come to participate in the tournament?" Nestor asked.

Evan Arryn nodded, "Such a grand event, and it is held in the name of the Duke, how can I not come to support it?"

Nest smiled happily, exchanged a few words, and followed the blue-robed guards who came to pick him up, heading towards the tower where Duke Attis was.

Night was approaching, and the drizzle was still falling. Attis stood up and looked at the craftsmen coming and going outside the tower, shuttling through the rain, packing up their clothes and returning to the house, the high platform for the tournament in the distance, the newly expanded stables, and the city walls with cracks that were smoothed. Although only a few of the cracks in Harrenhal were dealt with, they were the most conspicuous ones after all, at least on the surface, they were done the best.

Ange knocked softly at the door, "Master, Lord Nestor is here."

Attis glanced at the silk pajamas he had changed into, and responded helplessly: "Let him wait." He knew the purpose of Nestor's visit, and the meaning in the letter was very clear. First, it was the tradition of the knights of the Valley. Although Nestor was a little old, the enthusiasm of the knights who participated in the tournament had never dissipated. This was normal in the Valley with a strong knight culture. In history, even in the tournament far away in Starfall City, the largest proportion of participants still came from the Valley.

The only ones who can be compared with the Vale in this respect are the knights of spring, the knights from the Reach.

The second is to report the finances of the Vale, which Nestor has been in charge of, including the money looted from the Twins to the Red Comet Eagle Wolf and its inflows and outflows. Before that, the expenses of the Vale were huge, and the construction of the road in the Vale of Arryn had not stopped, and it could even be said that it had just started. Now, a lot of gold dragons had to be drawn out to organize the tournament. This was a good reason for Nestor to personally discuss with him.

Attis changed his clothes, walked out of the study, and came to a narrow hall on the side of the study. Two simple wooden chairs were placed here. The candlelight prepared by Ange in advance was emitting a faint light on the wooden table.

Nestor walked into the room. A thick stack of yellow books and papers were piled on the wooden table. The steward smiled gently, "Duke, let's start with the fine branches."

Dense numbers appeared in front of Attis. The Duke of the Valley sighed softly and signaled the energetic steward to start.

The voices in the room were very clear, and the specific numbers were heard clearly. Evan Arlin walked calmly to a soft chair with good sound insulation and sat down, thinking about how to organize his words when he saw the Duke later.

Ange looked at Evan Arlin sitting next to him with some surprise. He said, "If you need it, I can report to the Duke."

Evan Arlin shook his head politely. He knew his position. After all, the golden Arlin was different from these nobles rooted in the valley. He was the eyes of Duke Attis and only needed to stare at the enemy.

Ange stopped talking, stood there silently, and looked forward.

The monotonous and tedious report finally ended, and Nestor left the room with satisfaction.

Evan Aling did not let Nestor find him. He hid in the dark and watched Nestor leave.

"Come in."

The Duke's call made him calm down. Evan Aling breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the room.