Tower of the Hand 3

Lord Jon's clouded gaze shifted, becoming incredibly sharp.

Facing Lord Jon's intimidating stare, the confusion on Gryn's face only deepened.

In Lord Jon's eyes, the delicate-featured Gryn looked completely harmless, his puzzled expression appearing genuinely curious.

Could I have misjudged him?

In an instant, Lord Jon cast that ridiculous thought aside.

There was not a single noble from Crackclaw Point who wasn't bellicose; to be bellicose was to be bloodthirsty.

According to intelligence provided by Varys, the young man before him had not only reclaimed his family's ancestral lands but had also been constantly campaigning against the Mountain Wildling tribes in the eastern part of Crackclaw Point.

How could these semi-wildling nobles let a Gulltown merchant who dared to insult their family name off the hook without shedding blood?

Lord Jon's gaze softened slightly: "Everyone knows in their hearts that you were the one who acted against Meryn's family."

Gryn had already guessed Lord Jon's objective; he wanted Gryn to personally confess to being the murderer.

What was the purpose? Gryn speculated that Lord Jon wanted to exile him from King's Landing.

Why exile Gryn? Gryn thought of the Lannisters.

What Gryn had failed to see before was now clear.

Gryn had no interest in answering Lord Jon's interrogation, instead asking in return: "My Lord, I have always been curious. The war ended fifteen years ago; why do you still insist on artificially manufacturing hatred between the Vale and the Peninsula?"

As soon as Gryn's voice fell, the atmosphere in the study became heavy.

Lord Jon's gaze grew sharper, staring at Gryn in silence.

Gryn continued: "Fortunately, Crackclaw Point has no ships and is separated from the Vale by the sea."

The little semi-wildling baron was offending his dignity, and for once, Lord Jon was truly angry.

While angry, Lord Jon was also suspicious; the young man before him was definitely no simple-minded brute. Why did he dare to do this?

Lord Jon sighed inwardly at his own lack of mental fortitude; he was truly old.

Lord Jon did not forget the purpose of specifically summoning Gryn today: "Young man, are you trying to avoid your crimes by asking other questions? That is the act of a coward."

One of Gryn's eyebrows arched.

Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were both Lord Jon's wards; it was Lord Jon who had personally raised them.

Seeing Lord Jon at this moment, Gryn found the main reason why both Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were political idiots.

No wonder Petyr wasn't satisfied with just cuckolding him, but even dared to covet his power.

Lord Jon's various glorious titles only forged his superficial strength.

Moreover, in this face-to-face contact, the already keen Gryn could feel Lord Jon's frailty even more clearly.

Gryn sighed softly and said respectfully: "Respected Duke, you keep speaking of crimes, which confuses me. Forgive my ignorance, but could you tell me specifically? For instance, the sequence of events, or perhaps evidence of my guilt?"

"..."

Lord Jon stared at Gryn in silence for a while, a clear look of contempt flashing in his eyes: "Do you still remember the honor of being a noble?"

Gryn remained unmoved: "Must I admit to a crime just because I am a minor noble?"

Lord Jon suddenly remembered the small, prickly animals from The North that a young Eddard Stark had once told him about—what were they called again...

Lord Jon almost fell into his memories.

Lord Jon suppressed the exhaustion in his body: "I can waive the debts of House Crabb."

Gryn's ears twitched; that was 7,500 Gold Dragons.

Gryn's brown eyes shifted: "Then... should I thank you for your generosity, my Lord?"

Gryn's strange expression actually made Lord Jon smile: "You should leave King's Landing."

Was this the condition for waiving House Crabb's debt?

Gryn spread his hands: "My Lord, the land of Crackclaw Point is barren. To survive, everyone is a hunter. Because of the Vale nobles' blockade that has lasted over a decade, hunters bleed every day fighting for limited resources."

"The old and weak have no room to survive in Crackclaw Point. My Lord, I do not want you to misunderstand; the hatred in Crackclaw Point makes me fearful as well."

"One hundred thousand hunters are born warriors. If someone with an agenda stirs them up, I, too, will be forced by them."

"As long as I am not in Crackclaw Point, no one else has the influence to gather the strength of the Peninsula. This is the reason I came to King's Landing."

Gryn's explanation was very calm and sincere.

Except for the number of one hundred thousand, which remained to be verified, Lord Jon received the young baron's goodwill.

Including the threat of war hidden beneath that goodwill.

Lord Jon could not help but feel suspicious; was the little baron really from Crackclaw Point? He seemed much more like a noble from the South.

Lord Jon's next sentence confirmed to Gryn that Lord Jon was indeed worthy of being the foster father to Lord Eddard and King Robert.

"Young man, the Lannister influence in King's Landing has grown far too powerful; you should not be throwing your lot in with them."

"..."

Is he being too direct? Gryn was momentarily speechless.

Lord Jon was simply prescribing the right medicine for a "special" individual like Gryn.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Lord Jon's lips: "However, what you said is not without merit. Sending you back to Crackclaw Point now would be a waste of your dedication."

Leaning forward from the back of his chair, Lord Jon continued: "I can name you the Warden of Crackclaw Point, with authority over the entire peninsula."

Truly, one's position shapes the man; having occupied a high office for so many years, while Lord Jon's political maneuvering might be naive, his political foresight was anything but poor.

Lord Jon had grasped the key at once, hitting the exact point that would make Gryn's heart race.

Gryn shrugged: "That certainly won't be easy."

Lord Jon wore a look of "benevolence," his tone returning to the kindness he had shown at the start: "In the past, your people were far too loyal to the Targaryen line. Although the Targaryens are gone, without a proper catalyst, it is difficult for the current Red Keep to establish mutual trust with you."

Gryn secretly held the old man in contempt.

Since arriving in Lord Jon's study today, Gryn had confirmed the fundamental reason why the Baratheon dynasty had persisted in suppressing Crackclaw Point.

The root cause was that Crackclaw Point held a tradition of loyalty to the Queen, and the Queen of the Baratheon dynasty bore the name Lannister.

By the time Cersei became Queen, the Lannisters had already grown too powerful to be suppressed; they could only be contained.

Thus, the suppression of Crackclaw Point was intended to check the growth of Lannister influence.

Fortunately, Lord Jon's decade of sustained suppression had yielded significant results; Crackclaw Point had been weakened enough to put everyone at ease.

Weakened to the point that even Gryn becoming an attendant to Queen Cersei did not cause Lord Jon any unease.

There was no need to rush; it could be resolved slowly, and Lord Jon felt entirely in control.

Gryn's words had also been effective, as Lord Jon realized that the resentment in Crackclaw Point needed to be slightly mollified, lest it be exploited by those with ulterior motives to incite a rebellion.

The lords of the Vale were the vanguard of the suppression against Crackclaw Point; should war break out, the Vale would inevitably be the first to face the wrath of the Wildlings from the peninsula.

Lord Jon still retained memories of the combat prowess of the men of Crackclaw Point during the War of the Usurper, most notably their lack of any concept of surrender—fighting to the last man, to the very last moment.

Or, more accurately, they had no concept of surrendering to anyone outside of Crackclaw Point.

Lord Jon added one more thing: "Of course, loyalty is a virtue, and it remains worthy of praise."

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