The Bow Of The Vale

Age of the characters that appeared so far and will appear in this chapter:

Tigrevurmud Arryn - 8 years old

Joffrey 'Baratheon' (more Waters really) - 9 years old

Thomen 'Baratheon' (more Waters really) - 5 years old

Myrcella 'Baratheon' (more Waters really) - 6 years old

Roland Baratheon - 13 years old

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3 Years Later

Prince Joffrey was not happy. He was not happy at all, and the reason was easy to understand.

He has not been getting any of the attention he d.e.s.i.r.ed and 'deserved' by his father. His father only had eyes for the whores around and that annoying brat of the Vale, Tigrevurmud Arryn. The king talked of him as if the kid was the warrior reborn.

Joffrey had tried this morning to go and challenge him, he was a lion and as such he is superior to all others, his mother has always told him how he was just like his uncle Jaime but more beautiful and perfect due to being a prince. Told him of how he was destined to be above all others and how everyone else would bow to him in the future.

But, Joffrey did not care to wait for the future, he wanted to dominate now. For that he needed to showcase his superiority, perhaps by plunging the sword through Tigre's head and mounting it on a spike, his father would praise him. However, things did not work that well as he was not allowed to use live steel, instead, he was to use a blunted sword against Tigre.

'It was because of that, if not for the weapon being blunted I would not have lost against that annoying peasant!' Joffrey raged in his room while his mother tended his bruised body. Not that it was hurt due to Tigre hitting him too hard, if anything he was light on his treatment but Joffrey was just a slightly puggy and weak little boy who has never worked hard in his nine years of life (he is one year older than Tigre).

"Don't you worry, my little lion. You will one day rule him and he will have to do whatever you say." Cersei soothed her son, not carrying about the ideas these talks might create in the head of the cruel child.

Joffrey was about to say something when someone barged into the room, it was a young child with blond hair and green eyes that looked with a radiant smile at her mother while having a crown of flowers in hand.

"Mom, mom, look at this! I asked Tigre to help me make one and we made this cute crown of flowers to me, does this means I am the queen of love and beauty now?!" Myrcella asked happily as she showed the crown of flowers to her mother, it has many different types of colorful flowers and her child has such a cute and resplendent smile on her face that her mother could only smile back at her.

Not long behind came Thomen, a kitten in hand as he walked in while also smiling.

"Mom, look at this. Tigre's cat has given birth last month and he gave me one of the kittens, isn't it cute? He said the name should be Rurick but isn't it still cute?" Thomen said excitedly.

Tigre, despite his capacity as a young warrior genius, was extremely gentle and good for the younger children of Cersei which actually made it all the harder for her to know if she should hate or appreciate the boy who, on one side made her precious lion suffer on the training grounds, and on the other made her other children so happy with presents, stories, and just talking and spending some time with them.

Joffrey, however, knew how to react to this well.

"Hound." Joffrey said making the scared and burned man walk forward. "I want the crown and the kitten." He said and the hound, under the gaze of the queen who did nothing, took the gifts while the two kids tried to not let them be taken, but the two were small and children while the hound was much bigger and stronger. It was not even a contest.

The Clegane then gave the two things to the prince who stood up.

The prince, wanting to show his dominance, turned his eyes at the children, his younger brother and sister.

"You see this?" He asked, pointing at a bruise on the cheek that was barely even red. "This is what that 'friend' of yours did. He wounded the prince and you accept bribery of him?! Not in front of me, you won't, this is what I think of the gifts!" Joffrey then proceeded to throw the kitten to the ground with force, almost killing it before actually starting to stomp on him to the terror of Thomen who started crying and pleading his brother to stop, which he did not do and instead proceeded to crush the crown of flowers in his hands to the sound of the cries of Myrcela.

Cersei, seeing this, actually smiled and thought.

'Yes, the kids must know that they shouldn't have been friendly or accept anything for our enemies, this will be a good lesson.'

After he was finished Joffrey turned to the stunned hound.

"Take the two little traitors to their quarters for them to have time to think. And warn the guards that the crown prince will hand whoever lets them go before my say so." Joffrey said and when the two children heard this they were terrified and turned to their mother in plea but the queen went to Joffrey and put her hands in his shoulders.

"Very good son, you must be firm and just in your rule. They accepted bribery so this punishment is fair." She said and Joffrey puffed out his c.h.e.s.t in pride.

No longer feeling the bruises he was to walk out when he tripped on the pool of blood created by the killed kitten and fell to the fall. His nose got a bit hurt and he started wailing as if in great pain and Cersei went to soothe her golden lion.

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On the Kingswood Robbert Baratheon was enjoying another of his hunts, with him there was Baristan Selmy and two other kingsguard as well as 20 men from the Vale. Well, the Vale men were not there to protect the king exactly, their main charge was to protect the boy that was walking beside the king.

"So, do you think we can get a stag today? I feel like eating a stag today." Robbert asked the boy.

"I believe we can find something, your majesty. But, are you sure you should be trying to kill a stag considering it is the symbol of your house?" The boy asked.

The king, for his part, just shrugged his shoulder.

"Who cares, I am king and I feel like sinking my teeth into something big and juicy today." Robert said and the boy shrugged as well to this answer which made the king laugh and playfully hit him on the shoulder, which almost made the boy fall to the ground. "I knew you would not fuss over these small details, a young warrior prodigy in the making for sure, wouldn't you say Barristan?"

The older kingsguard only lightly smiled as he answered.

"I suppose this is true, your grace. Young Tigre does feel like a promising seedling for the future." Baristan Selmy said, in all honesty, the older knight could only sigh in praise at the young boy when it comes to martial prowess and he was also kind to those of lower status than him, he would make a good Lord Paramount for sure.

Robbert only smiled, some sadness in his eyes as he thought that it really s.u.c.k.e.d that he could not exchange the boy for his poor piss ant excuse for a son.

"Wine! Wine, gods dammit." Robbert yelled and quickly enough a young boy with golden hair came to deliver wine to him. The king was displeased seeing this. "See this, Baristan? Even on a f.u.c.k.i.n.g forest these golden bastards still are around. F.u.c.k, Tigre why did I let your lord father agree to let even my squire be a Lannister?

Tigre did not answer as he was searching for clues of animal trails and as the king was about to ask again the young boy spoke out.

"My majesty, there is a trail of what I believe to be a mountain lion going to the right as well as one of a stag in the same direction." Tigre said, it surprised the others as most mountain lions did not habit these areas but it was not exactly impossible for a few to be there, after all when Tywin was hand of King Aerys he has managed to put a few of those in the forest discreetly, a way to put more lions close to the center of power.

A show of power that house Lannister could reach even what others thought impossible as normally only the king was able to approve such changes but Tywin approved of this discreetly while hand.

"Good, let's go in that direction then." Robbert said boisterously and marched ahead of the others, making Baristan and the other knights hurry along to follow him, by the king's side was Tigre who kept pointing to the right direction.

The group moved quickly and around ten minutes after they finally arrived at where the mountain lion was feasting on a dead stag, the king turned to the others and spoke up.

"I will go first, protect me if necessary Baristan. Tigre, move back at least 40 meters for protection, I would not be able to face John if anything were to happen to you." He said and moved forward, the mountain lion noticing him then and his fur standing on end at his presence.

The two stared at each other until the lion dashed at Robbert, hammer in hand and the king moved his weapon to the path the lion was moving, the beast moved smartly and avoided the strike by jumping to the side on the last moment and trying to jump at the king again. The king continued his hammer's movement and managed to hit the lion on the side just as the beast was about to sink his fangs on him.

The crowd cheered the king who moved to give the finishing blow just as the leaves on the side moved and from there a second lion appeared.

It was completely unexpected for the king and the others and the lion was much too fast for the king to manage to defend himself so the king jumped and rolled to the side to avoid the strike. The king tried to position himself again but the lion was still too close and the beast was close to striking him when-

SHIU

An arrow pierced the lion's head or more precisely entered completely inside one of the beast's eyes.

The king could only stare as the lion died before he knew what was going on. The king turned to look and saw 120 meters away the form of young Tigre, bow in hand and another arrow notched as he fired again and killed the injured lion that was close to escaping.

"Well f.u.c.k." The king said before roaring in laughter.

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After the exciting events of earlier, the king moved back to the Red Keep, the prizes of the hunt including the two mountain lions he would make sure to taste tonight with his family (much to Cersei's ire).

The king was excited about telling his Hand about the whole situation to others in a banquet the next day, he wanted a party after almost dying today!

However, when he got to the castle he was met by a worried John Arryn.

Robbert was about to open his mouth when John spoke first.

"Robbert, the Greyjoys are revolting, they burned Lanisport and are raiding the Reach as well. We need to answer, call the banners." As John said that the king's happy mood vanished and he looked at his Hand seriously and nodded.

"I understand, let us go to the council room to decide what to do." Robbert said.

John nodded but said.

"At once, your Grace, I just need first to tell my son something." Robbert nodded and moved away as John turned his gaze to Tigre. "Son, you are to leave kingslanding in the morrow, you will be going somewhere safe."

Tigre nodded, he was still much too weak and young to be of any real use and if his father is to leave he would not feel safe at all in kingslanding.

"Where I will be going, father? Will it be for me to go to the Vale to know more of the lands I am to rule?"

"No," John said. "I want your first visit to the Vale to be when I or at least your mother can go with you. You would need to be properly introduced there, after all. So you will be going somewhere else, you will go through the kingsroad up north, you will pass by your mother's home before going to Winterfell, there is the safest place against Iron Born for you to be. Ned's family will take care of you I am sure of that."