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"House Mallister and House Blackwood are both ancient noble houses of the Riverlands—"
"They are also of First Men blood—"
"Your Grace, perhaps House Mallister of Seaguard would be more reliable—"
"But we must guard against one thing: would this nurture the ambitions of the Count of Seaguard? After all, the Mallister bloodline is nobler than that of the Tullys—"
King Gryn raised a hand as he listened, first signaling the councilors to be quiet before slowly speaking. "Are there any suitable candidates among House Crabb's direct vassals?"
The maesters seated around the long table exchanged glances. The old maester seated closest to the king nodded. "Your Grace, aside from Ser Mason, Ser Pell, and Ser Amparo, none have enough prestige to stabilize Riverrun as it now stands. Yet the three of them bear heavy responsibilities and must hold the Vale and King's Landing for you."
Another old maester across from him paused, then added, "Your Grace, I too agree with Maester Carlisle. Riverrun is far less stable than the Vale and King's Landing, and is not even as valuable as Golden Tooth. Of course, the new army Lord Brynden left behind is something we urgently need."
Maester Archie beside him nodded slightly. "With the auxiliaries included, there are nearly ten thousand young, able-bodied men—Your Grace, they must march north as soon as possible."
After a moment of silence, a young maester seated at the end of the long table cautiously spoke up. "What about Ser Anguy? Your Grace, he has always been your most loyal guard. He also performed admirably during the operation on Dragonstone and has considerable experience commanding troops."
Maester Carlisle pondered. "Ser Anguy