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123 AC, King's Landing
Jeyne Arryn, the Maiden of Vale, stared down from the quarters afforded to her in the Red Keep and stared down the city, deep in thought. For most of her life, she had to fight for her birthright afforded to her. Even her own regent, Yorbert Royce, had tried to usurp her, so that he would remain the Lord Protector of the Vale, as he had during his time as regent.
It had taken the combined efforts of herself and her dear Jessamyn, to put a stop to his ambitions, and they had done so by finding letters claiming that he was angry with Daemon Targaryen of his treatment of Rhea Royce, as he had hoped that marriage to the King's brother would have solidified the fact that Jeyne would need a regent even past her majority.
Apparently, it was one of the reasons why he had chosen to ally the veil with Viserys Targaryen in the first place during the Great Council. Thankfully, the man accepted his banishment to Runestone during her majority, with his honour intact, and that had only been the first of many attempts at usurping her because of her gender, especially her cousin Arnold twice.
Alas, things seemed to be changing for the better, for the heir to the Iron Throne, her cousin, was also a woman, and Rhaenys Velaryon became the Hand of the King. Jeyne had hoped to come to King's Landing and show the world that she thrived as the Lady of the Vale, a form of solidarity that would help women everywhere in the world in the future.
She had hoped so much, only to see it ripped away because of Rhaenyra's foolishness. To think that she would live to see the very sun turn dark, as monsters roamed the Capital of the Seven Kingdoms, only for the Crown Princess to be connected to in some way. She was not sure, of course. She had heard the rumours of a letter from Otto Hightower, the man that she had murdered, that she was put under a spell, but even with this dubious fact, she had been seen trying to kill Helaena Targaryen, her own half-sister. Kinslaying was not a sin that was easily forgotten, and the fact that it was only an act from the gods, or Cregan Stark, that had saved the young princess, did not help her case.
Rhaenyra Targaryen would never be accepted as the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but she could have, one day, become her son's Hand, only for the fact that her eldest children were obvious bastards and displayed to the rest of the realm.
It was strange how much Jeyne could hate a woman that she had barely spoken to, for she had destroyed any credibility she had built for decades ruling the Vale. All her work was undone in a single visit to King's Landing, and without Jeyne being involved in any way.
She couldn't help but scoff at this thought, "Oh, how I wish that whore had never come to King's Landing."
A voice next to her released a melodious chuckle, "A sentiment that half of the women in the Capital share, my dear. However, it is a sad sight to see your frowning visage, though perhaps our guest would help aid your cause and regain what was lost to us."
Jeyne smiled at Jessamyn's optimism. It was a strange turn of events, for it was often the opposite. She was the optimistic one whom Jessamyn complained about having too much mercy, while Jessamyn was her eyes and ears across the Vale, who often pushed for harsher punishments, especially for all who tried to undermine her authority. She was likely the only reason that the Eyrie was so loyal to her.
And once more, she was right with her words, for Helaena Targaryen, the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, had specifically asked for them to meet at her convenience. Of course, no one had said it yet, but it was obvious that Aegon Targaryen would be the next king, as the Great Council was nothing more than a formality. If she had to guess, it had been King Viserys's last attempt at protecting his daughter and her reputation, with the knowledge that he could not pass over her children without naming them bastards.
It was a far kinder fate than she deserved, in Jeyne's opinion, and there was also the issue with having possible bastards riding dragons, which the King likely also wished to avoid. They were all good reasons which Jeyne sympathised with, but it was quite an insult for the entire realm to be summoned to King's Landing for a mummery of a Great Council, because of Rhaenyra Targaryen's actions.
"Why do you think she wishes to meet?" Jeyne asked her dearest friend and lover.
Jessamyn simply shrugged, "Perhaps she wishes to take a measure of you and the Vale's future. If she were to be queen, she would need to know whether to expect any loyalty from you, and you are Princess Rhaenyra's cousin."
She answered with a scoff, "As opposed to what, supporting a foolish woman who is all but hated by the realm, has lost her dragon, and has caused knight, good loyal knights, Vale knights, to give their lives for my sake."
It grated on her how little people moved on from the attack, from the creatures of shadows that tried to kill them all, of the loyal knights who perished protecting her from them, who had bravely slain the hounds from the Seven Hells that had attempted to slaughter her and Jessamyn. She could not forgive that, and if Rhaenyra had any part of it, then she wanted very little to do with her.
Jessamyn flinched; she had chosen most of her guards personally, and she had chosen well. Still, it pained both of them to remember the losses she suffered because of the foolishness of a single woman. Still, her lover brightened up, "No matter the reason, Helaena Targaryen is to come soon, and it would do very little harm to be cordial with her, perhaps even befriend her. The servants often said that she had very few friends and no ladies in waiting."
Before she could answer, a knock on her door opened, and Ser Joffrey Arryn spoke up, "My lady, Princess Helaena wishes to speak with you."
Ser Joffrey, her cousin, had thankfully remained unharmed by the attacks in the Capital, having protected her fiercely. She had been leery of his presence at first, fearing another Arnold Arryn, but he was an honourable man, a true knight, and she grew to like him enough that she was seriously considering naming him the Knight of the Gate upon her return.
Both she and Jessamyn stiffened in nervousness at his words, and she nodded to her cousin, "Send her in."
The Knight nodded and soon returned with the familiar visage of Helaena Targaryen. The young woman had the familiar Targaryen features, though her purple eyes seemed almost cloudy. Both she and Jessamyn stood up and curtsied, "Princess Helaena."
The princess returned their curtsies and gave them a blank look. Jessamyn suddenly righted herself and spoke up, "I apologise for my presence. I knew not that…"
Princess Helaena interrupted her and tilted her head, "You knew… But you can stay. In fact, I would prefer it."
"You would?" Jeyne found herself asking, wishing for the princess to elaborate.
"A dove and a tower, round and round they go. One cannot fly without another, lest the golden one start to sow," she said, almost nodding to herself as if what she said made any sort of sense.
"Of course," the Lady of the Vale commented, trying not to voice her confusion. She had heard that Targaryens were a strange lot, though the young girl before her seemed stranger than any she had spoken before, "Though I confess that I was surprised when I read your letter, princess."
"Why would you be?" the girl answered with confusion.
"I forgive any insults, princess, but you are not known to be… sociable," her lovely Jessamyn intercepted, trying her best to help her, though calling Helaena Targaryen not sociable was likely little more than an understatement if she had ever heard one. The girl had barely spoken more than a few words, and yet Jeyne had been unnerved.
As if to prove her point, the princess simply hummed, and she spoke up, "Your home is beautiful, Lady Jeyne."
"I am happy that you think so, your Grace," Jeyne answered, still confused by the girl's words. As far as she knew, Helaena Targaryen had never set foot in the Vale, let alone the Eyrie.
"Why do they call them the Mountains of the Moon?" she asked.
"It is said that the First Men believed that these mountains touched the sky, that the snow atop it, were traces of the moon's light itself. Of course, it is but a story, but it is one that my father often told me, before his death."
"That's nice. I quite like stories," Princess Helaena answered, "Though my father never really told me any. Then again, I never told him mine, or perhaps, he hadn't listened. I often found that people rarely truly listened to the words they heard, which is a shame. The world would have been a much nicer place had it not been the case."
Jeyne and Jessamyn shared a look, each one feeling a mixture of confusion and wariness at the princess's words. The princess didn't seem to notice, or care, for she looked out of the window as a flock of ravens flew around. There had been rumours that Princess Helaena was a simpleton. She had once thought that it was a cruel way for the Blacks to discredit them, likely from the Rogue Prince himself, but now, she understood them. The girl didn't seem unintelligent, but strange, as if her mind was distracted by something fascinating that only she could see. She tried her best not to show how much that unsettled her, though she was not sure she succeeded.
The maiden of the Vale spoke up once more, "Princess Helaena, might I ask why you have asked to meet with me today?"
"I have, haven't I? I forget sometimes…," she muttered while still looking out the window, "There is something in the air, something beautiful that I did not grow to enjoy all of my life. Hope. We stand at the cusp of something wonderful, and I can only hope that we have the strength to follow that path."
Jeyne's confusion remained, though at least, she felt like the conversation returned to what it should have been from the start, "You wish to see if I would support your husband in the Great Council…"
The maiden of the Vale prepared to barter, and she could see Jessamyn's piercing eyes thinking of concessions to ask from the crown. Sure, they had planned on choosing Aegon anyway, for Rhaenyra and her brood was no longer an option, but it wouldn't hurt to help her Kingdom in some way or perhaps have good relations with the next Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
To her surprise, the princess started to giggle, "That thing… No, we can speak of the Great Council next time. Things should be clearer then. For now, I wish to speak with you about your father."
"I'm afraid that I don't understand," Jeyne uttered.
Helaena Targaryen grasped Jeyne's hands gently and smiled, "I hear that he was a good man."
Jeyne's eyes grew distant as the flashes of hazy memories started to appear from the back of her mind, "He was wonderful, the bravest man I have ever known. He used to let me ride atop his shoulders. My brothers used to sneak me sweets from the kitchens even when I never asked them to. These were some of the happiest memories in my life before…"
"Before they died," the princess finished for her, "Do you know who was responsible?"
"The Stone Crows," Jeyne spat out, "A clan of savages that roam the Mountains of the Moon, claiming to be the remnants of the First Men. They ambushed my father and his men like the cowards they are."
Her precious Jessamyn grabbed her hand to comfort her and gave the princess a hostile look, "We apologise, Your Grace. The mountain clans are a sensitive topic in the Vale. They often raid our lands and hide from our righteous retribution in the many caves of the Mountains of the Moon. You would seldom find a noble House that has not suffered because of their savagery, for even the House of Arryn suffered at their hands."
Jeyne tried her best to convey how grateful she was to her lover in her defence, while also showing that she should not speak to a princess, let alone the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, like this. Jessamyn gave her an unrepentant look in return. She would need to speak with her later, for that was ill-done.
As for the princess, she hummed, completely ignoring Jessamyn's tone, "Hmm… I like you, Lady Jeyne. We shall achieve much together."
The maiden of the Vale stiffened in shock, and before she could say anything, the Targaryen continued, "We will meet again in seven days at this hour. We will speak about what shall happen to the rest of them, and perhaps even of the Great Council. We have much to do, Jeyne Arryn… So much indeed."
And with that said, the young woman simply turned and left with a dreamy smile on her face, leaving Jeyne and Jessamyn looking confused and slightly disturbed at it. The princess had barely spoken in anything but riddles, ones that made her feel like she had missed half of the conversation.
It was only four days later, when she received a raven from the Eyrie proclaiming that the two biggest mountain clans in the Eyrie, the Stone Crows and Moon Brothers, had warred against one another for some slight or another, that she remembered Princess Helaena's words.
The letter also said that a large contingent of her knights had been conveniently there, just as she had asked in a raven a fortnight prior, wiping out the two infamous clans in question, and finally avenging the death of her father, a letter that she did not remember sending. The Maester had sounded almost awed by the act, praising her strategy and insight.
Jeyne had read this letter a hundred times over, becoming paler every time. What had Princess Helaena said again? That they would speak with her about dealing with the rest. That… Had she done this? Had she avenged her family so casually and offered to end the threat of the Mountain Clans? That was a terrifying thought indeed. How far did the princess's reach spread? How long had she planned this, all of this?
Jeyne did not know, and she found herself feeling dreading her next talk with the princess even more than she had. Truly, whoever said that Helaena Targaryen was a simpleton was a fool indeed, for the young woman might just be the most terrifying creature in King's Landing, and perhaps even in the Seven Kingdoms.
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Reflections Upon the Maiden of the Vale and Her Legacy
By Archmaester Colemon of the Eyrie
Few girls, smallfolk or noble, in this realm do not know of Jeyne Arryn, for she was indeed a woman of great wisdom, influence, and power, having left her mark not long in the Vale but across the Seven Kingdoms.
Despite this, most were surprised to know that Lady Jeyne Arryn's rise as Warden of the East was met with great contention. She was the only remaining child of her father, the previous Lord Arryn, as both he and the rest of his children perished in an attack from the mountain clans of the Vale.
Though her rule was seen to be fruitful indeed, she had grown in a realm of peace under King Viserys, the first of his name; she was only challenged by two usurpation attempts from her cousin, Arnold Arryn, to which she had answered by imprisoning him in the sky cells.
It was understandable, in many ways, for the realm had never seen a female Warden or Lady Paramount before that time, and many had petitioned the Crown claiming that she was too soft to bear such a burden, something that we can attest as historians to be fundamentally false. Strangely, this only truly occurred when Lady Jeyne professed that she did not wish to marry.
Thankfully, these whispers ended in 123 AC, which was marked as the beginning of the purge of the mountain clans, groups of savage raiders that hid in the Mountains of the Moons, a constant threat to every resident of the Vale. Reports of the planning of the attack are sporadic, though it was theorised that it had been years in the making, where Lady Arryn had gathered intelligence, and only acted upon it when she was sure of her total victory.
It was no mere coincidence that the first clan to be destroyed was the Stone Crows, the clan responsible for the death of her father and brothers. What followed was a surprisingly short campaign that lasted less than a year, where Jeyne Arryn achieved what her ancestors could not in thousands of years, and today, the Mountains of the Moon are entirely devoid of the mountain clans.
Curiously, no one had called the Maiden of the Moon soft-hearted since that day, likely in fear of inviting the same retribution as the mountain clans.
However, this was nought but the start of the Maiden of the Vale's plans, where she spearheaded the building of new Citadels in each of the Great Houses' seats, after the appearance of copies of the Citadel of Oldtown's in each one, something that remains a mystery to this day.
The Maiden of the Vale was also the first Lady of a Great House to bring Helaena Targaryen's hospices into the Vale, houses of healing overseen by an Archmaester of Healing, and many trained caretakers, often female, something that impacted much of the improvements in healing in the centuries that followed.
Jeyne Arryn quickly grew to be one of the most influential ladies of the age, though many attribute it to her well-known friendship with Helaena Targaryen. However, none may deny that many lords sought her to foster their daughters should they have a desire that they would inherit after them, something that still echoes to this day in the form of the Academy of the Vale, which remains widely acclaimed as the best place to educate one's daughter.
To this day, many attribute the rise in the social status of women to her proposed reforms in the Vale, which eventually spread to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms in the decades that followed.
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AN: That was a pretty fun chapter to write. I sort of tried to make Helaena terrifying in an innocent and casual way. I thought it would be fun to have someone who was completely away from the madness that had slowly come to the conclusion of how dangerous she really was, and Jeyne felt like a good choice for that, especially showcasing a bit of Helaena's plans in the future in the historical section. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me, check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions on them, so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.