(Third-person perspective)
Aermir transformed into an eagle and flew towards the city; he landed atop a tall tower and used his Lion's Roar Technique to instill fear in the people.
"People of Stonehold! I can continue to carve you apart day after day; I can continue to rain down ice and fire upon you. I'll give you one more chance; if you surrender now, no one else will die, and the House Pryor won't perish today. But if I forcibly take this Citadel, I will wipe out every family on this island. The choice is yours. I'll give you time before the end of the day; I'll come back tonight. If I don't get a satisfactory answer, the House Pryor will not see the next sun."
He transformed into an eagle and flew back to his army.
The fervent voices of the Vale lords echoed in the war room of the Stonehold.
Ser Reynard, his face contorted with rage, stood at the forefront of the resistance against surrender. "To surrender to these North invaders is to abandon our honor! We will fight for the Seven and the Vale to our last breath!"
Opposing him was Cedric Pryor, a distant cousin of the late Pryor Player, who advocated a more pragmatic approach. " Ser Reynard, we cannot ignore the reality before us. Our families and homes are in grave danger. Blindly waging war will only lead our people to destruction."
The room was filled with a cacophony of voices, each lord and knight expressing their unwavering convictions, teetering on the brink of chaos. Ser Reynard, unwilling to tolerate dissent, rebuked Cedric.
"Traitor! Cedric, if your deceased cousin could see you now, he would despise you. He would never abandon the Light of the Seven to save himself!"
Then he grabbed Lord Jasper by the collar, who was advocating surrender.
"... And you... would you betray the Vale's honor for the safety of your family?!"
Lord Jasper, striving to remain calm, replied, "Our duty is to protect our people, not to sacrifice them needlessly. The power of the Druid is beyond our comprehension. We must choose survival, not pointless heroism."
The escalating tensions eventually led to Ser Reynard's fury. He punched Lord Jasper, declaring. "I would rather die defending the honor of the Seven than submit to a North heretic!"
However, dissenting opinions existed within the Vale army. Ser Gric Pryor House Pryor, stepped forward, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve. " Ser Reynard, your enthusiasm has blinded you to the reality we face. Our families expect our protection, not pointless deaths. I will not allow you to lead us to destruction."
Raynard said, his face filled with hatred.
"You spineless island nobles, did you see I was asking for your opinions? If you can defend the honor of the Vale and the Seven, I will give each and every one of you your last drop of life!"
No sooner had Sir Gric finished speaking than his brother, Alden Pryor, drew his sword and plunged it into Ser Reynard's chest. A stunned silence fell over the room, and the believer of the Seven fell to the ground.
"Then go find the Seven. We won't join. I'd rather my name live under the boots of the North than be destroyed before my eyes."
As Ser Reynard breathed his last, a bloody battle began: on one side, duty and loyalty to Arryn and the Seven Knights; on the other, duty and loyalty to one's family and clan.
Lord Jasper Redstone, who advocated surrender, withstood the fists of the enraged Arryk Lindley, one of Ser Reynard's knights. He then tried to reason with him.
"Our survival must be our priority! We cannot face the North army with a divided front."
Alden Pryor, who had defeated Ser Reynard, clashed with the loyal Petyr. He grabbed Petyr Petyr's blade with his gauntlets, headbutted him, and then pierced his throat.
In the chaos, Cedric Pryor attempted to intervene, shouting, "Stop! This infighting is weakening us. We must find common ground, or we will all perish!"
But his words were ignored, and the room instantly became a battlefield. The conflict escalated, with neither side willing to back down. A tense atmosphere filled the air, and the echoes of clashing steel reverberated in the operations room.
In the end, the Pebble Party triumphed; every lord and knight loyal to Arryn and willing to fight to the death got what they wanted; they died until the last man was gone.
As always, Aermir sent all the male nobles to the Wall and executed those who the Wall. He also married the female members to his men. After everything was over, he sent word to the Vale Army on the coast of Bite.
After yet another failed attempt to kill the orca, the Vale lords were discussing how to reach the Three Sisters and clash with Aermir's army. Just as they continued their discussion, a message from Aermir reached Jon Arryn. He immediately rose and shouted...
"Prepare seven thousand men and send them to Paps immediately! Now!"
Jon Arryn froze as soon as he gave the order, and Lord Redfort called out with concern.
" My lord?"
Jon shook his head in denial.
"He... he invaded Pebble while we were talking here!"
He slammed his wrinkled hands on the table and said.
"While we've been doing nothing here, he hasn't been resting on Longsister as we've been told. Why? Why haven't we received any news that he boarded the ship from the island?"
He tossed the goblet to his spymaster and tapped the poor fellow on the head. How could they know that Aermir controlled nearly two hundred Crow and wouldn't let a single Crow through without his men checking the information? So, his Crow army remained a mystery to the Vale lords.
Jon tapped the table lightly and repeatedly with his knuckles.
"We must cut off his retreat. Where and when was the last time we saw his beast?"
One of his advisors said.
"Just a few hours ago, they were still at the Little Three Sisters."
"Alright then, we need that many men on Paps, he won't even try to invade. I've changed my mind, send ten thousand men immediately. He'll likely board the ship in a few days; since he sent them yesterday, we still have time; we must get to Paps before his killer whales."
As they argued fiercely, a brown rat watched them from the corner of the tent. Aermir was overjoyed at the sight; Jon Arryn danced with delight in his palm, oblivious to the fact that they were heading for Paps, and Jon intended to send all those troops to defend it. Aermir wanted to sink those ten thousand men, but Jon wouldn't even attempt it if Aermir didn't make his orcas clearly approach them. Rep wasn't fast enough to get from Longsister to Paps in time. So he had other plans for them.