When Earl Royce, the current Warden of the Vale, received Danyla's secret report on the whereabouts of the Mountain Clans, he was overjoyed. Once those Wildlings of the Mountain Clans reached the plains, they were little more than a rabble. His Vale cavalry could wipe them out with ease.
The Mountain Clans had been the Vale's greatest scourge for centuries. Every harvest season, especially as autumn and winter approached, they would descend in force to plunder the villages along the Vale's river valleys, leaving not even a chicken or dog alive.
Throughout history, several noble castles near the outskirts of the Mountains of the Moon had been overrun and destroyed by the Mountain Clans. To this day, no family had managed to secure those lands.
The Mountain Clans rode their own distinctive small, short-legged horses, which could travel freely through the Mountains of the Moon, while the Vale's large warhorses struggled to navigate the terrain.
Thus, apart from a few coastal domains belonging to the Great Lords, almost every family faced the threat of the Mountain Clans.
Despite its favorable geography and deeply rooted knightly traditions, the Vale's population had always ranked near the middle of the Seven Kingdoms, largely because of the Mountain Clans' relentless raids.
Upon receiving the news, Earl Royce hurriedly requisitioned a thousand cavalrymen from the Bloody Gate and several nearby families, then led the formidable host toward High Heart in pursuit.
When the other families received word, they too began gathering along the Trident. They intended to guard it closely and deny the Mountain Clans any chance of returning to the Mountains of the Moon.
The Mountain Clans had left a clear trail, burning, killing, and pillaging without pause since leaving Lord Harroway's Town. The next morning, while they were still looting a small village,