A/N: If you want to donate or read up to 35 chapters ahead, you can visit my p-a-t-r-e-on/kurowashi
If you see grammar errors, please let me know so I can fix them. I'm always open to constructive criticism.
I would like it if you guys left some reviews.
Thank you for your good words and support.
------
CHAPTER 256
296 AC
POV THIRD PERSON
Aermir said angrily.
"Does Vale conduct peace talks in this manner? Did you just attack a person you offered bread and salt in your own home?" Aermir gripped Lord Hersy's throat harder and he was having a hard time breathing. Lord Grafton could hardly contain himself, but Jon Arryn raised his hand as if to say stand down.
Aermir looked into Jon's eyes, his old, experienced eyes shining with anger, and said,
"Please excuse Lord Hersy's outburst. Don't you think calling a punch break on the vow of bread and salt a bit too much? Please try to understand it. You have provided weapons to the enemies of our land; it is clearly an aggressive action, and you did it before the Sistermen attacked your land, is it not?"
Aermir released Lord Hersy by pushing him towards his chair and smiled towards Jon,
"Yes, I did."
Lord Grafton asked with clenched hands and an angry tone,
"Could we learn why you would do something like that?"
Aermir looked disgusted,
"The audacity of the Vale never ceases to amaze me. You two-faced hypocrites."
Jon Arryn cut him off, and now even he had anger in his eyes.
"Aermir, there is no reason to throw insults; please keep your manners."
This was the second time Jon mentioned Aermir's name without using honorifics; if he was going to act like that, Aermir would not hold anything back, either. It looked like most people didn't say anything to him when he talked like they were his children, but Aermir already didn't want peace, so he just wanted to express his demands.
"You are not my father, old man; if you want respect, you should first show it yourself. That is why I always tell Lord Stark you and your kind are nothing but hypocrites. It is Lord Drasil or Lord Commander to you. When I call You hypocrites, it is not an insult. It is the truth, as you show with every bit of your actions."
As Aermir's gaze traveled over each of them, one by one. He showed clear contempt in his eyes, "When you insult me by not using honorifics, it is just a mistake, or you are trying to be fatherly right, or when Lord Grafton here sells weapons to Ironborn it is not insult or hypocrisy..."
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
He slammed his hand to the table and continued, "...For decades Ironborn raided our shorelines with brand new weapons and it is just business right. But when we do it; it is disrespectful, mannerless, and aggressive."
Jon didn't know what to say for a second since like Aermir said because he was Jon Arryn, other than the select few, everyone else allowed him to talk to them without honorifics. He never thought this upstart would call him on this, and he was right about them selling weapons to Ironborn, too, but he couldn't just accept this without protest,
"How can you put noble houses of Iron Island to the same scale as mountain savages."
Aermir cut him off,
"To you, they are savages; to us in the North, Mountain clans are equal to a noble House. We have many mountain clans, and every last one of them is full of respectful people. Do you know why? We didn't invade their land and call it our own, and we never look down on them for being crass. We act respectfully, and they return it with respect. What Vale is reaping now is what you sow for thousands of years."
Aermir glared at all three Vale lords and continued,
"And do not be mistaken. We are not here because you are doing a favor to me. You are here today because you are thoroughly beaten, and you have no other choice but to surrender. Let me make it perfectly clear: I am here to take your surrender. If it is hurting your pride, let's call it suing for peace, but in between us, we need to be clear about it."
Jon Arryn couldn't stand it any longer and banging his old fists on the table, he stood up,
"Lord Drasil, you are becoming too much now; please do not overstep your bounds, and remember where you are!"
Now Aermir stood up furiously and, with an angry voice, said,
"No, you are the one being too much and overstepping your bounds. If all you are going to do is grandstanding, I have nothing else to say. Let's meet on the battlefield."
When Aermir said this, Lord Grafton reached for the knife on his belt for a moment. He thought, could he finish this battle if he sacrificed his honor and attacked a guest, but when he saw the cold eyes looking back at him, all power left his body; those weren't the eyes of a man; they belonged to a beast. Aermir, with a freezing voice, said,
"Go on, pull it. I will kill all of you before you can even utter a word to the knights outside this room. The second fighting sound came out from this room, Ser Greenwood will slaughter all the men outside this room."
Aermir's eyes turned to Jon, and he continued,
"I have told you this before. Don't underestimate my Juggernauts; they are more than enough for me to kill all the lords in this keep before you can summon your 5 thousand men. Yes, with your greater number mayhaps you can melt us down but by the time all of my men are dead none of you lords would be alive to see it."
Jon held Lord Grafton's arm, signaling him to stop it. He didn't want to accept it, but it was true; from what he read about Lord Drasil's elite knights, they fought like demons, and they were one of the main reasons he was able to break his enemies so quickly. Lord Drasil wasn't even the most dangerous person among Jon's enemies.
If they killed him in an ambush inside this keep, they would lose all honor. If he could kill the Druid with this attack, he wouldn't mind it, but it wasn't worth it for this lordling.
Acting recklessly now could spell doom for the Vale. He might turn all of the North into enemies, but as long as he can keep his calm, he might be able to keep Ned and the North out of this war.
For a second, a smile flashed through Jon's face. He thought, look at this little guy; he is brimming with youthful recklessness.
Lord Drasil was a powerful warrior and a lord, but to play this game, he was not yet his equal; with his small army of 5 thousand, he was acting too arrogantly. Yes, for a self-made lord, he was powerful, and he was one of the most powerful nobles in the North, but in the game between kingdoms, he was lacking. To Jon, it looked like Lord Drasil was being controlled by the allure of power, like most young lords, rather than controlling power he was being controlled by it.
But this doesn't mean he could underestimate or ignore him even though he was reckless; he was a beast nonetheless. To Jon, he didn't lose to this youngling; he lost to his master, the Druid, and while dealing with the mountain clans, Jon didn't want to deal with him and his army. He swallowed his pride and said,
"Lord Drasil, I am sorry for offending you; as you can see, I am an old man, and as you said, most lords allow me to talk down to them, showing respect to my age and our long-standing; I didn't mean to offend, mine was a force of habit, and please accept my apologies."
With his hands gestured towards the table welcomingly and continued,
"Let us all calm down and have a peaceful conversation; all of us here are noble and reasonable men. I am sure we can reach a peaceful resolution."