chapter 91 part 1
The Tower of the Hand.
Glyn had just exited the stairs, and before he could reach the Hand's Study, he was intercepted by a Hand's steward he had met that morning, who wore a grim expression.
"Lord Glyn, my apologies, the Hand of the King requests your presence in his bedchambers."
Glyn asked no questions, merely nodded and said, "Steward, please lead the way."
Hearing this, the Hand's steward looked at Glyn, then extended a hand and said, "My Lord, please follow me."
*Thump, thump, thump.* The only sounds in the quiet Tower of the Hand were the footsteps of the two men.
Climbing another flight of stairs, Glyn noticed two Gold Cloaks standing on either side, guarding a chamber door.
The Hand's steward stopped, bending slightly, and extended a hand towards the Gold Cloaks.
"Petyr requests your loyalty." Glyn stepped forward. As he passed the Hand's steward, he heard a low murmur that only he and the steward could hear.
Glyn nodded slightly and walked to the door alone, calmly straightening his armor.
Lancel, shadow, loyalty.
Glyn, head slightly lowered, imperceptibly curled the corner of his lips.
Not long after, having finished adjusting his attire, Glyn straightened his back, his seemingly fearful eyes glancing at the Gold Cloaks.
The Gold Cloaks, eyes straight ahead, opened the chamber door for Glyn, and Glyn stepped inside.
Entering the Hand's Bedchambers, Glyn first smelled the scent of medicine.
The strong medicinal scent had almost permeated the entire room.
Compared to the morning meeting, there were also several attendants silently busy in another part of the room.
Glyn showed no change in expression regarding the pungent medicinal scent. He bowed to Lord Jon Arryn, who was leaning against the head of the bed, and said, "Good day, Hand of the King."
Lord Jon Arryn's tone was very kind, saying, "Come, child, I'm glad to see you. Sit down and let's talk."
As his words fell, an attendant in the room brought a chair and gently placed it beside the bed.
"Another familiar trick…" Facing Lord Jon Arryn's and Petyr's words, Glyn's heart tensed, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Glyn's eyes moved slightly, and he only sat on the front third of the chair, his body leaning slightly towards Lord Jon Arryn, his hands resting on his lap.
Glyn was speaking this way to accommodate Lord Jon Arryn, who was weak and frail; he was not doing it because... Glyn was deliberately making the two appear close.
Lord Jon Arryn showed no surprise at Glyn's small gesture, his cloudy eyes fixed on Glyn, and said, "I heard your actions in Highgarden this time were quite significant?"
Glyn smiled awkwardly and replied, "Crackclaw Point lacks fine grain. My steward told me the grain prices in The Reach were fair, so I took the opportunity of the Kingswood hunt to visit Highgarden."
He paused, then continued, "But things didn't go smoothly. I didn't have many Gold Dragons in my pockets, and those merchants were unwilling to even acknowledge me, a poor lord who had traveled all the way from the Crownlands. So…"
Glyn stared at Lord Jon Arryn with sparkling eyes, saying nothing. This finally brought a slight change to Lord Jon Arryn's expression. "Ahem, and then?"
Glyn's voice held a hint of excitement: "Since my etiquette couldn't earn me the proper respect, I set up a fighting arena outside Highgarden and spoke with them using the sword I wield best. For several consecutive days, I defeated over a hundred challengers from The Reach!"
"Ahem, very interesting."
"Thank you for your praise. Subsequent developments went smoothly. The matter of trading furs from Crackclaw Point for fine grain from The Reach was settled. This allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. The root cause of Crackclaw Point's constant fighting is, in fact, mostly for vital grain. Without a stable environment in the territory, the situation will only get worse."
Glyn's words, however, unintentionally reminded Lord Jon Arryn of the issue of succession. For a Great House, the successor was too important.
Jon Arryn had been married three times or more.
His first wife was Jeyne Royce, but Jeyne died in childbirth, and the daughter she gave birth to was also stillborn.
His second wife was Rowena Arryn, who died of a cold illness, leaving no children.
Lord Jon Arryn had designated many successors, but one by one, they all died before him.
The first successor was his own younger brother Robar's son, Elbert Arryn, but he was executed by the Mad King before Robert's Rebellion.
The second successor was Denys Arryn, from a branch of House Arryn, but he was killed during Robert's Rebellion.
During Robert's Rebellion, Lord Jon Arryn married Lysa Tully, daughter of Lord Hoster Tully. After multiple miscarriages, Lysa Tully finally gave Jon Arryn a weak and sickly only heir, Robert Arryn.
"Lord Jon Arryn?"
Glyn's voice woke Lord Jon Arryn from his reverie.
Glyn wore a worried expression, but inwardly, he stirred.
Although Lord Jon Arryn's outward condition seemed similar to their previous meeting, Glyn could sense that there was no longer any possibility of his recovery.
If the doctors could maintain Lord Jon Arryn's current state... for another year or two?
Lord Jon Arryn, regaining his senses, gazed at Glyn with a complex look for a moment.
"The future of the Realm ultimately belongs to the young." Old Lord Jon Arryn sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling how cruel time was.
Lord Jon Arryn's emotions were fleeting; he would not forget the purpose of his personal meeting with Glyn.
Lord Jon Arryn praised, "I certainly didn't misjudge you, Baron Glyn. Although you are young, your abilities are extraordinary."
Lord Jon Arryn's praise, however, sounded very jarring to Glyn.
Glyn slightly shook his head and took the initiative to speak, "Lord Jon Arryn, I have also learned some of the situation through various channels during this time."
"For more than ten years, to hunt down the Targaryen young dragons who fled to the other continent, we have spent 100,000 to 200,000 Gold Dragons every year on intelligence and hired assassins, yet we have still achieved nothing…"
Speaking to this point, Glyn paused, looking at Lord Jon Arryn with a questioning gaze.
The muscles in Lord Jon Arryn's cheeks twitched slightly.
"Baron Glyn, you have exaggerated the difficulty. Before, we were merely sitting in the Red Keep... If someone could establish themselves in Essos, that would be an entirely different situation…"
Taking advantage of Lord Jon Arryn's pause, Glyn nodded, seemingly in pain, and said, "Lord Jon Arryn, then I can rest assured. I was worried about *not getting* the Red Keep's support."
"I have people at my disposal. I have over two thousand Household Guard (Glyn deliberately exaggerated the number). They have fought for House Clegane for generations. Every one of them is an excellent and highly reliable soldier, worthy of the Red Keep's trust."
"I will lead my Household Guard across the ocean. We will search every corner of the Essos Continent. As long as there is enough time, I will surely unearth the hidden Targaryen young dragons."
Of course, returning to the original point, what I need is the Red Keep's support…"