Eight frost longswords, condensed out of thin air, radiated a coldness capable of freezing souls, like the fangs of death.
This chill pierced the nostrils of every man of the Vale, making them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave from head to toe.
But what made them feel most despair was not the nine ghostly black-robed figures.
It was that man.
The man who had been sitting in a chair earlier, as if watching a boring play.
Lynn.
When he stood up.
When the two greatswords, almost wider than door panels, materialized in his hands, everyone understood.
This was the true monster.
The nine behind him were merely his pawns.
And he was the true abyssal beast, looking down on all living things!
Dual-wielding greatswords?
And able to wield them?
Is this even human?!
Fighting such a person, one would probably be smashed to death by a greatsword in a single encounter!
What's the point of fighting?!
Ser Gladis Grafson's greatsword clanged to the ground.
His wrinkled old face was now devoid of any color, leaving only an ashen despair.
The clever man had already recalled the ancient legends.
He remembered the mysterious beings wielding frost weapons in the Battle of Dawn.
It turns out... the legends were true.
Today, they were opposing a living legend.
"Are... are we still fighting?"
Ser Marq Arryn's voice was shaking uncontrollably.
His gaze swept over the knights lying on the ground, their fates unknown, finally resting on Bronze Yohn.
Bronze Yohn did not answer.
The hand clutching his throat was like an unshakeable iceberg.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move it an inch.
He could feel his life force slowly draining away with the biting chill.
He watched Lynn slowly approach, looking at the two terrifying frost greatswords in his hands, and for the first time, fear showed in his sharp, eagle-like eyes.
He knew that if Lynn wished, with just a thought.
These hundred so-called strongest warriors of the Vale would become a hundred cold corpses.
"We... lost."
Bronze Yohn painfully squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.
Lynn walked up to him, still wearing that calm smile.
He waved his hand, and the black-robed man let go.
Bronze Yohn fell to his knees with a thud, gasping for breath.
A clear purplish-blue finger mark was left on his neck, covered with a thin layer of white frost.
"I told you, this duel was over before it even began."
Lynn bent down, picked up the candle that had burned down less than a small segment, and gently blew it out.
"Now, let's fulfill our wager."
The entire Moon Door Garden was deathly silent.
No one dared to object, no one dared to speak.
In the face of absolutely overwhelming power, any words seemed so pale and powerless.
Of course, no one dared to renege.
In the face of absolute strength, everyone just wanted to talk things over properly; Lynn knew this very well.
After all, in Westeros, admiring strength is the norm.
Ser Marq Arryn tremblingly stepped forward.
He bowed deeply to Lynn.
It was not submission, but awe.
Awe of a power they could neither understand nor contend with.
"Lord Lynn,"
"The Vale is willing to pledge its loyalty to you."
"We... only ask that you treat Robert well."
"He is the last bloodline of House Arryn."
"Treat well?" Lynn smiled.
He surveyed the dejected Vale nobles and slowly spoke.
"My lords, have you forgotten?"
"Ned Stark, my father-in-law, now the Warden of the North."
"He is also the foster son of Lord Jon Arryn."
"In a sense, he is more qualified to teach Robert Arryn than anyone present here."
These words exploded in the minds of all the Vale nobles!
That's right!
How could they have forgotten this connection!
Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon both grew up in The Eyrie.
Jon Arryn was both a foster father and a mentor to them.
Ned Stark was Duke Arryn's spiritual son!
And Robert Arryn was his biological son.
Now, the spiritual son is going to teach the biological son.
Isn't this... isn't this perfectly natural and reasonable?
What were they worried about before?
Worried that Ned Stark would mistreat Robert Arryn?
What a joke!
With Ned Stark's honor, famous throughout Westeros, he would only teach Robert Arryn as if he were his own son.
Even better than he treats his own sons!
"So, you can rest assured."
Lynn's voice carried a convincing power.
"Robert Arryn is going to Winterfell not as a hostage, but to study."
"To learn how to become a true Warden, a lord worthy of the motto 'High as Honor'."
"Instead of being raised by a mad mother into a giant baby who only drinks milk, as he is now."
These words made all the Vale nobles present blush and feel utterly ashamed.
All their previous resistance and worries now seemed like a complete joke.
Lynn not only conquered them with force, but also completely defeated them in terms of legality and morality.
Making them concede wholeheartedly, even feeling that... Lord Lynn was right!
"We... we understand."
Ser Marq Arryn bowed deeply again.
This time, his posture showed a hint of sincere conviction.
He knew that from today onwards, the sky of the Vale would change.
"Very good."
Lynn nodded in satisfaction.
This was the effect he wanted.
To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest excellence.
To take control of the entire Vale without bloodshed through a seemingly absurd duel.
It preserved the other party's dignity and achieved his strategic goals.
Lynn turned around and looked at the black-robed figures behind him, who had been as silent as statues throughout.
With a thought, the nine frost longswords, emanating terrifying cold, instantly transformed into specks of blue light and dissipated into the air.
The nine black-robed figures silently retreated into the shadows under everyone's complex gazes.
If not for the corpses strewn across the field reminding everyone of what had just happened, it would be as if they had never appeared.
Lynn walked to the edge of the castle, overlooking the magnificent mountains and rivers shrouded in a sea of clouds below.
"Transmit my command."
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Recall all external armies, lift all defenses, unite with Robb, and attack The Riverlands from both north and south."
"Additionally, open all passes of the Vale to welcome our allies from Beyond the Wall."
Lynn paused, then smiled meaningfully.
"Send someone to Riverrun, and tell Lady Lysa Arryn."
"Tell her that her son misses her very much."
"Tell her to immediately, right now, come back to The Eyrie to see me."
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