Time passed steadily.
Over the next several days, everyone remained busy.
Aside from Ser Morton, who descended the mountain to inform Lady Waynwood at the Gates of the Moon of what had transpired, the leading lords of the Vale stayed at the Eyrie to deal with affairs of state.
Ravens took flight in every direction, carrying news of the coming war throughout the Vale.
Because of Catelyn's condition, Galon also remained at the Eyrie to look after her.
Under Maester Colemon's care, her health gradually improved.
Even so, as the maester had warned, Lysa's dagger had left lasting damage.
Whenever she was exposed to cold or suffered any emotional shock, she would break into violent coughing fits.
At their worst, she coughed up blood.
Once she had recovered enough to travel, Galon proposed moving her to the Gates of the Moon, where the lower elevation offered a better place to recuperate.
Lord Royce readily agreed.
Judging by the time that had passed, many of the Vale's bannermen should already be arriving there as well.
Just as everyone was preparing to descend the mountain, however, Robert Arryn erupted into a furious tantrum.
"I don't want to leave! I want my mother!"
"Get away from me!"
"Don't touch me!"
Fearing that Robert might suffer a complete breakdown if he learned the truth too suddenly, Maester Colemon had continued hiding Lysa's death from him.
As a result, the spoiled boy still lived in the illusion that nothing had changed.
He kicked and struck at Lord Royce as the older man tried to lift him into his arms.
"Enough!"
Lord Royce's patience finally snapped.
"Your mother is dead!"
"From this day forward, you will be my ward. You will learn to behave like a man... And like a true Arryn!"
Robert only cried louder.
"I don't want to!"
"I want milk! I want Mother!"
Lord Royce's temples throbbed.
Had the boy been his own son, he would already have administered a well-deserved spanking.
Maester Colemon stepped forward, hoping to calm him once again.
Robert shoved him away. "Go away! All of you! Or I'll make you all fly!"
"And who exactly are you going to make fly?"
The deep voice came from behind them.
Supporting the frail Catelyn, Galon approached. One sharp look from him made Robert flinch.
"I... I..."
Galon gently released Catelyn's arm before walking over to the frightened child.
He crouched down until they were eye to eye.
"Look at me."
There was something in his voice that immediately quieted the boy.
"Your mother was used.
Your father was murdered.
Little Robert... You can't keep behaving like this. You have to become strong.
Do you understand?"
As he spoke, Galon gently rested a hand on the boy's head.
Robert did not truly understand his words. But instinct warned him that disobeying this man would end badly.
Terrified, he nodded stiffly.
"Good."
Galon smiled as he stood.
Turning toward Lord Royce, he said, "Let's go."
Lord Royce watched the exchange with open amazement.
Seeing Robert finally subdued, he nodded and took the lead.
Maester Colemon picked the boy up, whispered a few reassuring words, and followed close behind.
Galon and the others carefully supported Catelyn down the mountain, taking turns helping her into the winch basket that descended from the Eyrie.
By the time they finally reached the Gates of the Moon, more than half the day had passed.
Dusk had already begun to fall.
Yet Galon immediately noticed how much livelier the castle had become.
Lord Royce left first with Robert Arryn to meet the Vale lords who had already arrived.
Galon instead escorted Catelyn toward her chambers. "My lady, please watch your step."
At that moment, a dark-haired girl hurried over from across the courtyard.
A bright smile lit her face.
"Lord Glover. Please allow me."
Galon blinked in surprise.
The young woman seemed strangely familiar.
"And you are?"
She stepped forward to support Catelyn's other side before looking up with a cheerful grin.
"My name is Mya Stone. I'm a servant here at the Gates of the Moon."
"Mya Stone..."
Recognition flashed through Galon's mind. 'Robert Baratheon's bastard daughter...'
He smiled warmly.
"Then I'd be grateful for your help, Lady Mya."
Turning back to Catelyn, he said, "My lady, rest for a while. I'll speak with Lord Royce."
Catelyn nodded faintly.
Her eyes lingered on Mya for a moment. It was clear she knew something of the girl's origins as well.
Galon remained where he was, watching Mya carefully guide Catelyn away.
A thought suddenly struck him.
'How could I have forgotten about her?'
'She's Robert's bastard.'
'If she became the figurehead for the crown... Wouldn't that make even more sense than placing Sansa in that position?'
He frowned thoughtfully. 'Still... This requires careful planning.'
Convincing others would be far from easy. Too many interests would be involved.
Especially because Mya was still unmarried.
If she were ever elevated to a throne, countless ambitious men would seek to marry her for power.
Of course...
Galon considered Mya only because he had no idea that Robert's legitimized bastard had already reached his camp at the Crossing.
'I'll keep watching her.'
'If she's easy enough to guide... It may be worth considering.'
With that thought set aside for the time being, Galon went to find Lord Royce.
After a brief conversation, Royce introduced him to the Vale lords who had already assembled at the Gates of the Moon.
What surprised Galon was how sharply divided their reactions proved to be.
One group welcomed him warmly, speaking openly of their admiration for his achievements.
The other remained distant.
Some even regarded him with open hostility.
No matter how much he pondered it, Galon could not understand the reason.
The answer finally came by accident.
While visiting Catelyn, he overheard Mya Stone sharing some castle gossip. Only then did everything become clear.
The trouble had begun on the night at the Eyrie.
After returning to the Gates of the Moon, Ser Andar had enthusiastically spread the story of how Galon had argued Littlefinger into coughing up blood.
Many lords had already heard tales of Galon's exploits and admired him even more afterward.
Others, however, had heard only fragments of the story.
They had concluded that Galon had driven Lady Lysa to her death, humiliating both House Arryn and the Vale before the realm.
Even though they knew Lysa had poisoned Jon Arryn, they still refused to forgive the disgrace they believed Galon had brought upon their house.
As the days passed and more banners arrived from every corner of the Vale, those voices only grew louder.
Galon quickly realized the situation was becoming dangerous.
He attempted to speak with the dissatisfied nobles and clear away the misunderstanding.
The proud lords of the Vale refused even to listen.
For the first time in many months, Galon found himself on the defensive.
Meanwhile, more and more bannermen answered Lord Royce's summons.
When the final contingent from Coldwater Burn arrived, the plains outside the Gates of the Moon held an army of twenty-five thousand seasoned soldiers.
And even that was not the full strength of the Vale.
One more day passed.
Then the great war council convened inside the hall of the Gates of the Moon.
Lords from every noble house of the Vale gathered beneath one roof.
Galon was among them.
Though he could hardly claim to be in good spirits.
During the previous several days, he had deliberately grown closer to Mya, asking her to continue caring for Catelyn while casually drawing out every piece of gossip she had overheard.
From those conversations, he had learned that quite a few Vale lords intended to make an example of him during the coming council.
'So be it.'
'I'll answer whatever they throw at me.'
Galon had already prepared himself.
Now he intended to see exactly how the assembled lords planned to make him lose face.
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