"Lord Royce!"
Amid cries of alarm, the Earl of Runestone, the current Warden of the Vale, took an arrow through the throat from an unknown direction and fell straight from his warhorse.
Earl Royce's Sworn Warriors hurriedly dismounted and rushed over to check on him.
"My lord! Lord Royce, are you all right?"
"Uh... n-no... Jey..."
With his throat pierced, Earl Royce had no time to leave any last words. His eyes wide open, he died unwillingly, burdened by guilt toward Jeyne Arryn and fear for the Vale's future.
"My lord!"
Earl Royce's Sworn Warriors let out furious roars.
"Warriors of the Vale, kill every last one of these bastards!"
"Kill!"
Seeing Earl Royce slain, Earl Redfort of Blood Castle flew into a red-eyed rage. He immediately took command of the Vale cavalry and led a ferocious charge at the Thirteen Acorns Alliance.
The Vale cavalry had spent this whole time hunting down the Mountain Clans, so they had remained constantly primed for battle. They were already the elite among the elite of the Seven Kingdoms' cavalry.
The so-called Thirteen Acorns Alliance, by contrast, was merely a hastily assembled patchwork force that had never undergone systematic training or learned to fight together. These noble lords had only intended to vent their grievances. Who could have imagined that someone would loose an arrow from hiding?
They were utterly stunned by what had happened and could not comprehend it for a moment. After all, House Royce had long ranked among the great noble houses of the Seven Kingdoms.
They had landed themselves in serious trouble this time!
Before these fools could shake off their stupor, the Vale cavalry had already reached them in perfect formation.
How could their patchwork force withstand the finest cavalry in the Seven Kingdoms? In their panic, they