Chapter 265 Gryn's Decree
Sha~~ The list in his hand was turned to the next chapter by Green. He lowered his eyes and read for a while, but he frowned slightly.🐝👤 🎉🐟
With his eyes closed, he tapped his knee lightly with his fingers. After a pause, Gryn said, "Go and fetch Baron Griven."
After giving an order to the waiter, Gryn left his chair and went down the stairs, with the tall Brienne following closely behind.
As they walked, Gryn said, " Brienne, Stannis has been defeated. Although he retreated to Dragonstone, he lost the vast majority of his troops."
Lord Gryn received a letter delivered by a raven from King's Landing's Landing. The contents... in short, were that the great Tywin Lannister had decisively defeated the evil Stannis, without mentioning at all Tyrion's contributions in the defense of King's Landing's Landing.
As Tyrion's reliable ally, Gryn naturally felt a pang of sorrow for him.
Why would the Lord Tywin do this? There could be various reasons, but the main reason is for his heir— Jaime Lannister.
When Jaime was captured by Robb Stark, like most of the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, Lord Tywin would never allow his second son's fame to spread and overshadow his heir, especially since Tyrion was his Dwarf son whom he loathed.
For Lord Tywin, the fact that the noble blood of the Lannister flowed in Dwarf was a disgrace in itself.
Standing before the marble wall displaying the map of the Seven Kingdoms, Gryn stared at the location of Dragonstone and said, "After the Battle of Blackwater Rush, Stannis's heavily damaged fleet is no longer able to defend Dragonstone, and the Lannister will not give him a chance to recover."
He pointed to King's Landing's Landing and said, " Stannis has no allies. You could say... he has lost his chance to contend for the Iron Throne."
Brienne looked at Gryn and said, "My lord, do you think Stannis will hold Dragonstone to the death?"
Gryn shook his head slightly and said, " Stannis is as hard as iron. He won't choose to sit and wait for his death. He will leave before the Lannister trap him on Dragonstone."
"My lord, where else could Stannis have gone?"
Where could he go? If it were him, he would immediately seek an alliance with Robb Stark, who had declared himself king, as they shared a common enemy.
But... in Stannis's eyes, Robb Stark was also an unforgivable traitor.
Given Stannis's character, he would rather die than join forces with traitors.
This is Stannis Baratheon.
Gryn slightly raised his eyes, his gaze shifting to the location of the Wall in the North.
After a moment of silence, he said, "Perhaps we will meet again in the ice and snow."
Gryn looked at the "beauty" and said, " Brienne, would you like to become my Knight of the Bloody Gate?"
His words had barely faded when Brienne immediately shook her head, seemingly flustered. "My lord, my duty is to protect you. I... I will not hesitate to sacrifice myself. Please believe me."
Gryn reached out and patted Brienne's strong arm, saying, "I will choose the new Knight of the Bloody Gate."
He paused for a moment, then added, "This is a promotion. I'm not dissatisfied with your performance, Brienne."
Upon hearing this, Brienne smiled innocently like a child, "I will work even harder, I promise."
Gryn smiled slightly, then paused and suddenly said, "I heard you only chose one set of horse armor?"
Brienne nodded and said, "My armor was specially made for me by my father (Chapter 91), and I like it, my lord."
Gryn smiled and said, "As my bodyguard, you can always get your equipment replenished from the guard's quartermaster. It's your duty to arm yourself, Brienne."
"Yes, sir."
Lord Gryn's warehouses were piled high with countless suits of armor, horse armor, and various weapons. The Crabb Soldiers of the Vale were changing into their new gear according to their needs, with his guards and clan soldiers being the first to do so.
Gryn strolled casually through the spacious hall, looking around as he asked, " Brienne, what's your impression of the Eyrie?"
Brienne's clear blue eyes swept around, and she said, "My lord, this place is very luxurious."
She looked away. "And... the wind is strong and cold. And it's very difficult to breach."
"That's a good summary." Gryn couldn't help but laugh.
He then asked, " Brienne, do you think this place is suitable for raising dragons?"
"A dragon?" Brienne blinked.
"Hmm, dragons, three dragons."
A servant came to report, "Lord Gryn, Baron Griven has arrived."
Inside the study, the roaring flames in the fireplace brought warmth and light to the room.
Baron Griven's voice carried a hint of weariness. " Arryn... the decree granting a three-year tax exemption to the Eyrie's directly controlled territories (primarily referring to the southern Vale region occupied by Crabb )... will be conveyed to each of your new subjects within the next month."
Gryn stared at the flickering flames in the fireplace and nodded slightly.
Baron Griven glanced at his lord and continued, "At the same time, the news of the Gates of the Moon Tournament to be held a year later will also be issued."
Seeing that Griven hesitated, Gryn first gestured for the waiter to pour wine. After the wine was poured, he slowly said, " Griven, the Tournament isn't the key point."
He took a sip of Summer Wine and continued, "As far as I know, almost everyone in the Vale dreams of becoming a knight; becoming a knight can be said to be a tradition of the Vale."
However... if you want to become a knight, knightly combat skills and horsemanship alone are not enough; you also need a full set of knightly equipment, which actually thwarts the knightly dreams of most people.
He took another sip of wine and said, "I've heard that many squires in the Vale, although qualified to be knighted, have had to refuse to become knights because they lack the Gold Dragon dragon required for the investiture."
He looked at Baron Griven: "As the new ruler of the Vale, I am merely using the guise of holding Tournament to help those talented individuals who have been held back by the Gold Dragon, and they will be the Vale's future knights."
Gryn gestured for the stunned Baron Griven to drink, and said, "They can be the children of farmers and craftsmen, the children of merchants, or even wanderers. I only value their skills and whether they are willing to fight for me."
A slight smile played on his lips, "What I welcome most are descendants of Vale nobles like Rion ( Griven's eldest son)."
After a pause, Gryn continued, "Whether it's a village or a town, anyone who passes the assessment and qualifies to participate in the Tournament will receive armor, weapons, horses, and so on... I will provide them free of charge and grant them the title of apprentice knight."
Baron Griven opened his mouth and said, "Apprentice Knight?"
Gryn nodded slightly and explained, "You can think of them as high-ranking mercenaries hired solely by Crabb. They need to swear allegiance to me and will only fight for me. In the future, the new knights of ' Gryn Valley' will be born from among them."
Baron Griven, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, said as calmly as possible, "Lord Gryn, please allow me to praise you. You are a benevolent and generous lord, the Gods bless you."
His tone shifted, and he cautiously voiced his concerns. "However, I still suggest you postpone your kindness and generosity. The Vale people, who miss the House Arryn, could easily misunderstand your good intentions, and I even worry that they might refuse to participate in the Tournament's assessment."
Gryn spoke up, "Are you worried that someone with ulterior motives will ruin my plans?"
Baron Griven nodded gravely.
A moment of silence followed, Gryn's deep voice rang out. " Griven."
Upon hearing the lord call his name, Baron Griven looked over and met Gryn's sharp gaze, causing his heart to skip a beat.
Gryn's calm voice seemed to carry the chill of winter. "You'd better learn to be a good vassal of the Crabb family as soon as possible."
"Sir... sir..."
"Nostalgia for the House Arryn? Disrupting my decrees?"
After a moment's hesitation, Gryn regained his gentle expression, his brown eyes fixed on Baron Griven, and said, "If I were to open the gates of Bloody Gate and allow the Mountain Clans to enter the Vale... would the people of the Vale miss Crabb? Would they regret disobeying my decrees?"
The Mountain Clans Tribes are a group of Wildling people living at the foot of the Mountains of the Moon in the Vale. The formation of these clans originated during the Andal Invasion of the Vale. Those First Men who refused to submit to the Andals fled into the Mountains of the Moon, multiplied in the forests, and formed tribes. Therefore, they have retained many traditions of their First Men and have similar customs to the Wildling beyond the the Wall of the End —raiding and disobedience.
They mainly rely on hunting and raiding Vale villages for survival, and it is rumored that... they would attack even if the Duke of the Eyrie himself had no guards.
Upon hearing Gryn's hypothesis, Baron Griven's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. His recent string of successes... left him only able to tremble.
Gryn reached out and gently patted Baron Griven's arm, his voice sounding comforting. " Griven, I value the House Hersy highly. Don't let me down."
Baron Griven finally found his voice, and with a somewhat obsequious smile, he said, "My lord, the House Hersy will never disappoint you, I assure you."
Gryn smiled gently and said, "Yes, I believe you. Do a good job. I think the title Earl sounds better. I'll be waiting for you."
I'm so busy, my dears, let me catch my breath TT