GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Aegor knew full well that calling Robert's campaign a show of force was a subjective take, influenced by his own cynicism. After all, Robert Baratheon was no longer the warrior he had once been, he was a fattened king now, his prime long behind him. But more importantly, he had been raised as the heir to a great house, receiving an upbringing entirely different from that of Eddard Stark. If Eddard was the steady foundation, Robert was the commanding presence. And if both men had been alike in temperament, they likely would never have become such close friends.

The King of the Seven Kingdoms had not marched to the Vale solely for spectacle. Politically speaking, this was about more than reclaiming order. Robert intended to make his vassals remember their obligations, reminding them that feudal loyalty was not merely ceremonial.

He had let them grow comfortable for too long. Now, it was time to remind them what was owed.

---

The feudal order was built upon a simple contract between lords and vassals, a system of mutual obligation.

A ruler was expected to protect and maintain his vassals. Protection was straightforward, Robert's campaign to subdue the Vale's rebellion was a fulfillment of this duty. He would not only lift the siege on Lysa Arryn but also ensure justice was served, whatever that might entail.

To maintain his vassals meant granting them lands, titles, and people to rule over, ensuring they could sustain themselves through taxes and harvests.

In return, the vassals had two fundamental duties:

1. They could not act against their liege's interests, whether in life, honor, or wealth. Even speaking against the king in private was considered treasonous unless it was done as counsel to his face.

2. When their liege issued a summons, whether for war or governance, they were bound to answer.

Eddard Stark had honored this by traveling to King's Landing to serve as Hand of the King. The lords of Westeros had answered by gathering their banners and marching to the Vale.

It was a simple agreement in principle but in practice, feudal obligations were rarely so clear-cut.

One rule, however, was of paramount importance. It was also the reason Robert dared to wage war despite an empty treasury: when a lord summoned his banners, his vassals were responsible for supplying their own men.

That meant Robert only needed to fund his personal retinue from King's Landing.

The other thirty thousand men and any additional forces yet to arrive would be financed by their own lords. The king did not need gold so long as his vassals could pay their own way.

This was not trickery. It was the foundation of feudal society.

Robert had been raised to understand this from birth. He knew his rights as a liege lord and exercised them without hesitation. Even if there had been another way to resolve the conflict, he had chosen war. And once war was chosen, his vassals had no say in the matter.

Any who refused to answer his call would be guilty of treason.

Once the rebels in the Vale were dealt with, Robert would turn his attention to those who had hesitated.

---

The irony was that the Alliance of the Righteous as the rebels called themselves, had also justified their actions under the banner of feudal duty.

They claimed to serve House Arryn's rightful heir, young Robert Arryn, who was being held captive by his mother, the very woman suspected of murdering his father. The mutiny, they argued, was not rebellion but rescue.

In their view, Lysa Tully was not a true feudal lord, but an unworthy regent, a vassal who had seized power unlawfully.

Robert Baratheon, however, saw things differently. As far as he was concerned, Lysa was the acting Lady of the Vale, guardian of her son's birthright. That made her his vassal and therefore, under his protection.

At the heart of it, the conflict boiled down to a question of legitimacy.

And in Westeros, legitimacy was determined by steel.

Whoever won this war would be right.

---

The royal army made camp at the mouth of the valley, establishing defensive lines just beyond the rebels' reach. Both sides cleared forests to prevent ambushes and spread their forces wide enough to avoid accidental fires or congestion.

If the rebels attempted a raid, they would find both wings of Robert's forces prepared to respond.

Robert also took steps to secure his supply lines. A secondary force was stationed at a crossroads miles behind the main camp, tasked with guarding provisions. Should the battle turn, these reserves could be deployed as reinforcements.

For all of Robert's personal failings, his grasp of strategy was sound. He was no tactician like Stannis, nor a battlefield genius like Tywin Lannister, but he was no fool. His instincts as a warrior and war-leader had not dulled completely.

Aegor had to admit, he could find little fault in the way the campaign was being conducted.

Of course, he had never been a military man before his arrival in this world.

Once the army had established its foothold, scouts were sent into the valley to assess the terrain and deliver Robert's demand for surrender. Messengers were also dispatched to the noble houses of the Vale who had not joined the rebellion, calling upon them to honor their feudal oaths.

Many houses answered.

But Robert, in another calculated move, did not integrate them into his main army. Instead, he ordered them to march against the holdings of the rebel lords, laying siege to their castles and strongholds.

It was a shrewd maneuver. The politics of the Vale were murky at best, who could say how many among these latecomers harbored sympathies for the League of Justice? By sending them elsewhere, Robert minimized the risk of betrayal within his ranks.

It was, Aegor had to admit, an intelligent decision.

A shame, then, that such a capable general made for such a terrible king.

---

While only two of the Six Kingdoms had arrived thus far, Aegor wasted no time in his personal endeavors.

He had resolved to meet as many nobles as possible, introducing himself, speaking of his work in King's Landing, and subtly promoting the Night's Watch Industry.

Most of the lords he approached regarded him with indifference. They granted him an audience out of politeness, given Robert's presence, but their patience was thin. After a few pleasantries, they would make it clear they had no further interest in entertaining him.

In a matter of days, he had been dismissed more times than he could count.

Yet he was not discouraged.

A first meeting rarely led to immediate trust. But if a man remembered his face, if he recalled their conversation upon a second encounter, then the foundation of a connection was already laid.

In that regard, Aegor had advantages.

For one, he was likely the first Night's Watchman most of these lords had ever met.

And lastly, he carried something few had ever seen: books made of fine plant-fiber paper, printed with ink.

In a land still bound to parchment and scribes, that alone was enough to intrigue the curious.

---

The next army to arrive came from the North. Nearly ten thousand strong, led by Robb Stark.

It was an impressive force, considering the North's vast and sparsely populated lands. To summon so many men so quickly for a mere rebellion spoke to the loyalty House Stark commanded.

Robert, in high spirits, rode out several miles to personally greet his friend's son.

Next came the host from the Westerlands, ten thousand men, led by Ser Kevan Lannister, Tywin's trusted second.

They were fewer in number than the Riverlords or the Northerners, but their presence overshadowed the rest.

Their ranks gleamed with polished steel, their banners crisp and unweathered. Unlike the other assembled forces made up of hastily levied soldiers over a third of these men were standing troops, regularly trained in Lannisport. Their discipline was obvious at a glance.

Next came the 10,000 troops of the king's own family, House Baratheon of the Stormlands. In theory, their commander was Renly Baratheon, but as the king's younger brother and one of his councilors, he remained by Robert's side at all times. The task of mobilizing the army fell to his vassals, who handled it voluntarily, so there was no need to elaborate on the details.

Five thousand men arrived from the Riverlands. As the only region in the Seven Kingdoms with a population exceeding ten million, sending such a small number was clearly a slight. However, these five thousand were all true cavalry. Randyll Tarly, who led them, explained that the long journey prevented him from sending more, but he personally pledged to supply provisions and fodder for the coalition forces. In the end, Robert accepted his reasoning.

As for Dorne, that ever-defiant land, they were surprisingly cooperative, sending Prince Oberyn Martell with several thousand spearmen. After all, even Aegon the Conqueror had failed to subdue them, despite riding a dragon.

The Iron Islands contributed over a hundred ships of varying sizes, carrying more than a thousand sailors in total. Aegor had only vaguely heard that their leader was a woman, after some thought, he deduced it could only be Balon Greyjoy's chosen heir, his daughter, Asha Greyjoy. Soldiers who had seen her claimed she was a striking woman... but for Aegor, such things were irrelevant. What was interesting, however, was that the Ironborn ships had picked up the Dornish spearmen on their way, allowing the Dornish contingent to arrive before the Riverlands cavalry, despite not being fully equipped with horses.

Meanwhile, the fleet from Dragonstone and the forces of the Narrow Sea lords, led by Stannis Baratheon, had already reached Crab Bay, seized Gulltown, and surrounded Runestone.

A month after Aegor parted from the king, the armies and nobles of the Seven Kingdoms had finally gathered. Now, the entire Vale was encircled by Robert's loyal navy and army. At the Bloody Gate, the entrance to the Vale of Arryn, soldiers were packed shoulder to shoulder. More than 80,000 lords and troops were camped outside, their banners forming a vast, colorful forest. This show of the king's dominance, and the first direct assault on the legendary stronghold that had never fallen, was finally about to begin.

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