Chapter 42: Tower of the Hand 3
Lord Jon Arryn's cloudy gaze sharpened, becoming exceptionally keen.
Facing Lord Jon Arryn's intimidating gaze, Glyn's apprehension deepened.
In Lord Jon Arryn's eyes, the seemingly delicate Glyn wore an innocent expression, his questioning look appearing especially curious.
"Did I misjudge?"
But in just a moment, Lord Jon Arryn dismissed this ridiculous thought.
There isn't a single noble from Crackclaw Point who isn't bellicose; to be warlike is to be bloodthirsty.
According to information provided by Varys, the young man before him has not only reclaimed his House's old lands, but has also been campaigning against the mountain wildling tribes in the eastern part of Crackclaw Point.
How could these half-wildling nobles possibly easily forgive the Gulltown merchants who had shamed and slaughtered their own kin?
Lord Jon Arryn's gaze softened slightly. "Regarding the Lannister family's affairs, everyone clearly knows you were involved."
Glyn had already roughly guessed Lord Jon Arryn's objective. He wanted Glyn to personally admit to being the perpetrator.
"What is the objective?" Glyn speculated that Lord Jon Arryn wanted to drive him away from King's Landing.
"Why drive out Glyn?" Glyn thought of the Lannisters.
There are things Glyn didn't understand before, but now it's clear.
...
Glyn had no interest in answering Lord Jon's pressing questions. Instead, he asked, "Your Grace, I have always been very curious: the war fifteen years ago has already concluded, so why do you still deliberately create hatred between the Vale and the peninsula?"
As soon as Glyn's words fell, the atmosphere in the study instantly became heavy.
Lord Jon Arryn's gaze became even sharper, staring at Glyn without speaking.
Glyn continued, "Fortunately, Crackclaw Point has no ships, and is separated from the Vale by the Narrow Sea."
The small half-wildling lord was provoking his majesty. Lord Jon Arryn was uncharacteristically angry.
As Lord Jon Arryn grew angry, he also became perplexed. The young man before him was by no means a simple-minded fool. Why did he dare?
Lord Jon Arryn sighed, lamenting his waning vigor. He was truly old.
Lord Jon Arryn did not forget the purpose of his special meeting with Glyn today. "Young man, are you trying to avoid your crimes by asking other questions? This is cowardly."
Glyn's eyebrow twitched.
Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were both Lord Jon Arryn's adopted sons; Lord Jon Arryn personally raised them.
Seeing Lord Jon Arryn at this moment, Glyn found the main reason why Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were political ignoramuses.
No wonder Petyr, not content with cuckolding him, still dared to covet his power.
Lord Jon Arryn's various brilliant titles only forged his outward strength.
Moreover, in face-to-face contact, the inherently astute Glyn could feel Lord Jon Arryn's decline even more.
...
Glyn sighed softly and said respectfully, "Your esteemed Grace, you always speak of crimes, which leaves me very perplexed. Forgive my dullness, but could you please tell me specifically? Such as the course of events, and any evidence of my crime?"
...
Lord Jon Arryn stared at Glyn silently for a while, and a clear hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. "Do you still remember the honor of being a noble?"
Glyn remained unmoved. "Because I am a lesser noble, must I admit to crimes?"
Lord Jon Arryn suddenly recalled Eddard Stark in his youth, and the small, thorn-covered animals from the North that he had once described to himself. What was its name again...?
Lord Jon Arryn almost fell into recollection.
Lord Jon Arryn forced himself to suppress the weariness in his body. "I can exempt House Clegane from their debts."
Glyn's ears twitched. That was 7,500 gold dragons.
Glyn's brown eyes twitched. "Then I... thank Your Grace for your generosity?"
Glyn's strange expression actually made Lord Jon Arryn smile. "Young man, you should leave King's Landing."
So these are the conditions for exempting House Clegane from their debts?
Glyn spread his hands. "Your Grace, the land of Crackclaw Point is barren. For survival, everyone is a hunter. The Vale nobles have blockaded us for over ten consecutive years, and the hunters shed blood every day fighting for limited resources."
"The old and weak have no room for survival on Crackclaw Point. Your Grace, I don't want you to misunderstand. The hatred within Crackclaw Point also makes me very fearful."
"A hundred thousand hunters are born warriors. As long as there are ambitious people to incite them, I too will be forced by them."
"As long as I am not on Crackclaw Point, no one else has the ability to gather the power of Crackclaw Point. This is why I came to King's Landing."
Glyn's explanation was very calm and sincere.
Except for the number 'a hundred thousand', which needed consideration, Lord Jon Arryn received the goodwill of the young lord.
Including the war potential hidden by the young lord beneath his goodwill.
Lord Jon Arryn couldn't help but feel perplexed. Was the young lord truly from Crackclaw Point? He certainly seemed very much like a noble from the South.
Lord Jon Arryn's next words confirmed to Glyn that Lord Jon Arryn was indeed worthy of being the adoptive father of Lord Eddard and His Majesty Robert.
"Young man, House Lannister's influence in King's Landing has already become too strong. You should not lean towards House Lannister."
...
"Isn't that too direct?" Glyn was speechless for a moment.
Lord Jon Arryn was also "prescribing the right medicine" for the "special" Glyn.
Lord Jon Arryn's lips curled slightly. "But what you said is not without reason; for you to return to Crackclaw Point now would be a waste of your earnest efforts."
Leaning back in his chair, Lord Jon Arryn leaned forward slightly. "I can appoint you as the Protector of Crackclaw Point, overseeing the entire peninsula."
Indeed, position shapes people. Having been in high positions for a long time, Jon Arryn's political ability might be naive, but his political vision would not be poor.
Jon Arryn immediately grasped the key point, something that could definitely move Glyn.
Glyn shrugged. "This certainly isn't easy."
Lord Jon Arryn's face was full of "benevolence," and his tone returned to its initial gentleness. "You people were too loyal to House Targaryen. Although House Targaryen has disappeared, there is no opportunity. It is very difficult for the current Red Keep to establish mutual trust with you."
Glyn secretly scorned this old man.
Glyn's arrival at Lord Jon Arryn's study today confirmed the fundamental reason why the Baratheon Dynasty had always insisted on suppressing Crackclaw Point.
The fundamental reason was that Crackclaw Point had a tradition of loyalty to the Queen, and the Queen of the Baratheon Dynasty had the surname Lannister.
When Cersei became Queen, House Lannister had already grown too strong to be suppressed, and could only be contained.
Therefore, suppressing Crackclaw Point was to curb the growth of House Lannister's power.
Fortunately, Lord Jon Arryn's over ten years of continuous suppression had yielded significant results; Crackclaw Point had been weakened to the point where everyone could rest assured.
Weakened to the point that even if Glyn became Queen Cersei's steward, it wouldn't make Lord Jon Arryn feel uneasy.
There was no rush; it could be slowly resolved. Lord Jon Arryn had plenty of time.
Glyn's words were also effective; Lord Jon Arryn also realized that the hatred of Crackclaw Point needed to be somewhat diffused, otherwise, it would easily be exploited by ambitious people to cause war.
The Vale nobles were the vanguard in suppressing Crackclaw Point. If war broke out, the Vale would inevitably be the first to face the hatred of the people within Crackclaw Point.
Lord Jon Arryn still had an impression of the combat power of the people of Crackclaw Point during the War of the Usurper. What impressed him most was the idea of the people of Crackclaw Point having no concept of surrender, fighting to the last man, to the last moment.
To be precise, it was the idea of never surrendering to anyone outside Crackclaw Point.
Lord Jon Arryn added, "Of course, loyalty is a virtue, and it is worth praising."
Thank you for the recommendation today. Lords, please vote for support!
(end of chapter)