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He’s listening! Tyrion thought "They relieved old is still ht take a man prisoner, but she’d never stoop to rob hiold is yours" Mord’s strap licked out, but it was a halfhearted, desultory swing, slow and conteht the leather in his hand and held it prisoned "There will be no risk to you All you need do is deliver a aoler yanked his leather strap free of Tyrion’s grasp "Message," he said, as if he had never heard the word before His frown made deep creases in his brow

"You heard me, my lord Only carry my word to your lady Tell her" What? What would possibly make Lysa Anyn relent? The inspiration came to Tyrion Lannister suddenly "tell her that I wish to confess my crimes"

Mord raised his arm and Tyrion braced himself for another blow, but the turnkey hesitated Suspicion and greed warred in his eyes He wanted that gold, yet he feared a trick; he had the look of a man who had often been tricked "Is lie," he muttered darkly "Dwarf ," Tyrion vowed

So in disdain; others seemed to have a superstitious reverence for the written word, as if it were soic Fortunately, Mord was one of the latter The turnkey lowered the strap "Writing down gold Much gold"

"Oh, old," Tyrion assured him "The purse is just a taste, old plate" In truth, Jaiilded steel, but this oaf would never know the difference

Mord fingered his strap thoughtfully, but in the end, he relented and went to fetch paper and ink When the letter ritten, the gaoler frowned at it suspiciously "Now deliverin his sleep when they caht Mord opened the door but kept his silence Ser Vardis Egen woke Tyrion with the point of his boot "On your feet, Imp My lady wants to see you"

Tyrion rubbed the sleep frorimace he scarcely felt "No doubt she does, but what makes you think I wish to see her?"

Ser Vardis frowned Tyrion re’s Landing as the captain of the Hand’s household guard A square, plain face, silver hair, a heavy build, and no humor whatsoever "Your wishes are not my concern On your feet, or I’ll have you carried"

Tyrion claht," he said casually, "and the High Hall is so drafty I don’t wish to catch a chill Mord, if you would be so good, fetch aoler squinted at him, face dull with suspicion

"My cloak," Tyrion repeated "The shadowskin you took fro You recall"

"Get him the damnable cloak," Ser Vardis said

Mord did not dare grulare that promised future retribution, yet he went for the cloak When he draped it around his prisoner’s neck, Tyrion smiled "My thanks I shall think of you whenever I wear it" He flung the trailing end of the long fur over his right shoulder, and felt warm for the first tih Hall of the Arryns was agloith the light of fifty torches, burning in the sconces along the walls The Lady Lysa wore black silk, with the moon-and-falcon sewn on her breast in pearls Since she did not look the sort to join the Night’s Watch, Tyrion could only i clothes were appropriate garb for a confession Her long auburn hair, woven into an elaborate braid, fell across her left shoulder The taller throne beside her was e in his sleep Tyrion was thankful for that much, at least

He bowed deeply and took a lance around the hall Lady Arryn had suhts and retainers to hear his confession, as he had hoped He saw Ser Brynden Tully’s craggy face and Lord Nestor Royce’s bluff one Beside Nestor stood a younger man with fierce black side-whiskers who could only be his heir, Ser Albar Most of the principal houses of the Vale were represented Tyrion noted Ser Lyn Corbray, slender as a sword, Lord Hunter with his gouty legs, the ed Lady Waynwood surrounded by her sons Others sported sigils he did not know; broken lance, green viper, burning toinged chalice

A the lords of the Vale were several of his coh road; Ser Rodrik Cassel, pale from half-healed wounds, stood with Ser Willis Wode beside hier had found a neoodharp Tyrion sht, he did not wish it to happen in secret, and there was no one like a singer for spreading a story near and far

In the rear of the hall, Bronn lounged beneath a pillar The freerider’s black eyes were fixed on Tyrion, and his hand lay lightly on the po

Catelyn Stark spoke first "You wish to confess your crimes, we are told"

"I do, my lady," Tyrion answered

Lysa Arryn sods can see them there, and there is no darkness to hide in"

"He does not look broken to me," Lady Catelyn said

Lady Lysa paid her no mind "Say what you will," she comht with another quick glance back at Bronn "Where to begin? I am a vile little , my lords and ladies I have lain hores, not once but hundreds of times I have wished racious queen, as well" Behind him, someone chuckled "I have not always treated ambled I have even cheated, I blush to ads about the noble lords and ladies of the court" That drew outright laughter "Once I--"

"Silence!" Lysa Arryn’s pale round face had turned a burning pink "What do you i, dwarf?"

Tyrion cocked his head to one side "Why, confessing my crimes, my lady--"

Catelyn Stark took a step forward "You are accused of sending a hired knife to slayto "

Tyrion gave a helpless shrug "Those cri of any murders"

Lady Lysa rose from her ood throne "I will not be made mock of You have had your little jape, Imp I trust you enjoyed it Ser Vardis, take hieonbut this time find him a smaller cell, with a floor more sharply sloped"

"Is this how justice is done in the Vale?" Tyrion roared, so loudly that Ser Vardis froze for an instant "Does honor stop at the Bloody Gate? You accuse me of crimes, I deny them, so you throw me into an open cell to freeze and starve" He lifted his head, to give theood look at the bruises Mord had left on his face "Where is the king’s justice? Is the Eyrie not part of the Seven Kingdoms? I stand accused, you say Very well I demand a trial! Let ed openly, in the sight of gods and h Hall He had her, Tyrion knew He was highborn, the son of the most powerful lord in the realm, the brother of the queen He could not be denied a trial Guardsmen in sky-blue cloaks had started toward Tyrion, but Ser Vardis bid them halt and looked to Lady Lysa

Her small mouth twitched in a petulant suilty of the cri’s os, you must pay with your life’s blood We keep no headsman in the Eyrie, my lord of Lannister Open the Moon Door"

The press of spectators parted A narroood door stood between two slender marble pillars, a crescent ed backward as a pair of guardsh One man removed the heavy bronze bars; the second pulled the door inward Their blue cloaks rose snapping froust of wind that cah the open door Beyond was the e stars

"Behold the king’s justice," Lysa Arryn said Torch fla the walls, and here and there the odd torch guttered out

"Lysa, I think this unwise," Catelyn Stark said as the black wind swirled around the hall

Her sister ignored her "You want a trial, my lord of Lannister Very well, a trial you shall have My son will listen to whatever you care to say, and you shall hear his judgment Then you may leaveby one door or the other"

She looked so pleased with herself, Tyrion thought, and s son was the lord judge? Tyrion glanced at her Moon Door Mother, I want to see him fly! the boy had said How h that door already?

"I thank you, ood lady, but I see no need to trouble Lord Robert," Tyrion said politely "The gods know the truth of ment of men I dehter filled the High Hall of the Arryns Lord Nestor Royce snorted, Ser Willis chuckled, Ser Lyn Corbray guffawed, and others threw back their heads and howled until tears ran down their faces Marillion cluers of his broken hand Even the wind seeh the Moon Door

Lysa Arryn’s watery blue eyes looked uncertain He had caught her off balance "You have that right, to be sure"

The young knight with the green viper embroidered on his surcoat stepped forward and went to one knee "My lady, I beg the boon of cha your cause"

"The honor should be mine," old Lord Hunter said "For the love I bore your lord husband, let e his death"

"My father served Lord Jon faithfully as High Steward of the Vale," Ser Albar Royce booods favor the man with the just cause," said Ser Lyn Corbray, "yet often that turns out to be the man with the surest sword We all knoho that is" He smiled modestly

A dozen otherto be heard Tyrion found it disheartening to realize so er to kill him Perhaps this had not been such a clever plan after all

Lady Lysa raised a hand for silence "I thank you,us No hts of the Vale Would that I could grant you all this honor Yet I can choose only one" She gestured "Ser Vardis Egen, you were ever ht hand You shall be our chaularly silent "My lady," he said gravely, sinking to one knee, "pray give this burden to another, I have no taste for it The man is no warrior Look at his It would be shahter such a man and call it justice"

Oh, excellent, Tyrion thought "I agree"

Lysa glared at him "You demanded a trial by combat"

"And now I demand a champion, such as you have chosen for yourself My brother Jailadly take slayer is hundreds of leagues from here," snapped Lysa Arryn

"Send a bird for hiladly await his arrival"

"You will face Ser Vardis on theto Marillion, "when you make a ballad of this, be certain you tell theht to a cha to face her finest knight"

"I deny you nothing!" Lysa Arryn said, her voice peeved and shrill with irritation "Name your champion, Impif you think you can find a man to die for you"

"If it is all the same to you, I’d sooner find one to kill forhall No onemoment he wondered if it had all been a colossal blunder

Then there was a stirring in the rear of the chamber "I’ll stand for the dwarf," Bronn called out