Jasper watched as his sister disappeared. Her screams were still ringing in his ears, but he allowed himself to breathe knowing that, no matter what happened, she was safe in Dorne now. Thankfully, Obara and Nymeria were visiting with their uncle today. He trusted them to keep Mya safe, she would be well looked after there.

Something heavy slammed into his shoulder and he stumbled backwards, grimacing at the sharp pain he felt there. Looking around he saw Lord Waxley desperately battling against Lord Melcolm and two of his traitorous men. Poor Nestor Royce was on the floor, blood pooling around his still form. Rage overtook his fear and he drew his wand from his sleeve, absently noticing the arrow now lodged in his arm.

With a flick of his wrist he conjured[1] up an array of spears and blades before banishing them into the bastards that dared attack him in his own home. Falling back into a stance he used during Voldemort's war, he started casting a familiar spell-chain. Piercing Curse, Cutting Curse, Piercing Curse, Bone-Breaker Curse, Ribbon Curse, Bludgeoning Curse, Blasting Curse. The room was alight with colors and magic and more than one person simply turned and ran.

With a snarl, he launched a massive fireball at the few who made it to the door. "Secure the castle! I'm sure there's fights breaking out all over the keep. Ser Lynderly, take as many people as you need and protect Lady Arryn! They've probably grabbed her already, so expect a fight."

The man simply nodded and rushed out the door, several knights in tow.

Breathing sharply through his nose, he did his best to center himself. He hadn't used that much magic since his first life, and he was more than a little winded. Nestor Royce was dead, Lords Redfort and Tollet were seriously wounded, and Lords Hunter and Templeton were missing. Only Lord Waxley was relatively uninjured, and all his sworn-swords had died in his defense.

He ordered those that remained to guard the door and went about treating the wounded. Several of the guards and serving staff were injured and he was splitting his time between each of them.

"My Lord! Dornish soldiers are in the halls!" One of the knights yelled from the door.

"Let them through!" He barked, not even looking up from Lord Tollet and the arm he was reattaching to him.

The doors opened to reveal Obara leading a number of dornish soldiers into the hall. She barely blinked at the blatant display of magic, merely straightening and moving to stand at his side. "We ran into Ser Darry on the way. It seems Lord Waynwood took umbrage with poor little Daenerys. He tried to attack her, and we were forced to slay him."

He grunted, willing the blood to start flowing through the limb. "I take it Mya is safe with your sister?"

"Both Nymeria and my uncle are watching over her now. My father is busy ferrying men into Vale, I was just leading the advance force. Mya wasn't sure if you'd make it, so I rushed ahead to get to you. Not that it seems you needed the help."

He smiled up at her, the first time since this whole mess started. "I'm grateful you came. Truthfully, I don't know how much more I can do right now. Using magic is like a working a muscle, and I haven't used this much in years."

He jabbed his wand, summoning a patronus into existence. While it wasn't ideal, he didn't want there to be any accidents between his surviving guards. "Ser Lynderly, Dorne has sent us aid. Oberyn Martell is leading their forces here in Vale. Once you've secured Lady Lysa, regroup with him in my office." The stag bowed before galloping through the wall.

Obara gaped at him for a moment before breaking out into a grin. "Impressive. It seems you wield many abilities that are beyond even my wildest predictions."

He sighed, "I'm not some god-wizard. Sure, I have many skills, but I suffer from the same follies as every other man. I was complacent and thought no one would be stupid enough to move against me, much less here!"

He pulled the arrow from his arm and conjured some bandages around the wound. He had done all he could for the survivors here, and while they would be sore, both Lords Tollet and Redfort would recover. "Let's find the rest of these traitorous bastards, I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about when this is all over."

o-O-o

Oberyn smiled as he once again "portkeyed" into Vale. With this one little trinket he was able to travel roughly fifteen hundred miles in less than three seconds. It took several trips, but he was already able to bring over thirty of Dorne's finest in less than ten minutes, directly into the heart of the castle. It was a true show of faith that the little lord had given Dorne no less than three of these things, even if they had one as well.

Oh, what I'd do to have one of these for Casterly Rock. Or King's Landing, for that matter... This alliance is already proving to be more fruitful then Doran or I had ever imagined. If only Jasper had been born just a few years earlier, that mess with the Mad King would never have happened... Poor Elia.

He shook his head. He could mull over the past later, now was the time for action. Obara had already ran off to save the little lord. He best move out and meet her.

The door burst open and a haggard looking knight limped in, leading a clearly rattled Lady and her babe. "My lord told me to meet you here. He must of run into some of your fellows elsewhere in the castle. I was waylaid by a few of Lord Moore's more vicious guards."

o-O-o

Jasper swallowed the bile rising in his throat. Lord Hunter and his family had been brutalized and murdered by Lord Moore and several of his guards. When he saw what had happened to their daughter, something in him snapped and he started flinging around dark curses. Three of the guards were hit by blood-boiling curses and he hit the fat lord with an entrail-expelling curse. Watching as the man was forced to throw up his own organs was a truly disgusting thing to witness, but he felt the death was well deserved.

"I'm sorry I lost control, it was just- When I saw what happened to Aemma..."

Obara squeezed his arm. "I don't think any less of you. That man deserved everything that happened to him."

They had found Lord Templeton slain in his quarters and someone had thrown Lady Redfort from her tower. Too many people had died due to Jasper's rashness. He summoned Prongs[2] one last time, falling to a knee as blackness tinged his vision. "Ser Lynderly, Oberyn, we need to capture one of these lords. I doubt they would have been this bold without someone else backing them. We must learn who was behind this mess. Do whatever you have to do."

i {o,o}
i /) ')
i -"-"-

AN: So, real quick I figured I'd respond to a few comments that stuck out to me. I would also like to reiterate that I enjoy all reviews and appreciate feedback as it helps me grow. I have heavily changed the story in the past based on things that have been pointed out to me, so keep that in mind. If you say something that sticks with me, I may incorporate it in the story.

The first was from Lia Angelique about a few choices that Jasper made and the general direction of the story. I sent her a PM, but I figured it was relevant enough that I should address it more publicly. Here's what I said,

I went with the excuse of "Mages from Essos" because there are Mages in Essos. Qarth has a history of Mages, they just largely keep to themselves. He was saying/implying that he was corresponding with them via raven. The contracts were written by him, they merely enchanted the parchment for him. Or the Portkeys later on.

You mentioned how Jasper wouldn't know how to make a portkey, but that is just false. They were used during the deathly hallows, along with apparition. His education was stopped early, but he wasn't useless. He fought Death Eaters and was hunting extremely dangerous dark artifacts for the better part of a year.

As for him giving the portkeys to Dorne, well that was 1 part Jasper's rushing ahead without thinking and 2 parts thinking he could make Dorne feel beholden to him. The more he helps them, the more they can help him. At the time he was thinking deposing his father, not repulsing a rebellion. It was a somewhat calculated risk that he felt like he could take.

You mentioned Jasper was brainwashing people? Hell yeah! Jasper is grey morally, and perfectly willing to compulse both his father and the faith to help protect not only his family, but the country. He has tens of thousands of smallfolk that are relying on him to keep them safe. He has to make what he thinks are the best decisions for the entire realm, and then follow through with it once he starts them.

The second review I'm addressing is from Mister LaGuardia about the excessive brutality during the coup.

Well, yes that is entirely true. However, keep in mind that personal vendettas and general scum-baggery can get in the way of rational thought and pre-made plans. Sure, hostages are preferred, and it should be noted that the families of those lords attacked were largely left alive. But, some people can't control themselves when faced with a chance to carry out their rage.

The third Review is from InfinityMask regarding why the coup took place at all. We discussed it a little through PM and here's what I said.

So, the nobles were in a tough situation, made worse by Jasper's use of contracts. If they waited, Jasper would ultimately take over for his father and they fear he could force them to sign loyalty contracts. While the smallfolk see Jasper as a gift, the nobles don't necessarily agree, and a smallfolk rebellion can be put down easily. Infinity noted the riots in King's Landing, but keep in mind that the army was hamstrung in the city and the majority if not all the Lannister forces were off fighting Tully and Stark.

With Robert's birth, this could be seen as the last and only chance to depose Jasper before his position is solidified. Between hostages and the Eyrie's strategic value as a fortress, once the castle is taken, Vale could be ruled through Robert's Regency. Granted Jon would have to be taken care of first, but even I haven't decided what's going on in King's Landing right now. It is said that the only way the castle can be taken, once it's occupied in force, is if you have a dragon. Another thing Infinity noted was Jasper's use of mages is gaining renown so they would be more wary of attacking him.

Here's how I see it. They know he employed a mage, but they also believe that the mage doesn't live in Vale. Jasper has always made it a point to say he gets his "materials" from Essos and no one looking like a mage has been seen in the Eyrie. This means that if they kill Jasper, they no longer have to deal with this foreign interloper and won't have to worry about those pesky contracts anymore. As for a smallfolk revolt, well they'd simply brutally massacre them with their knights and restore order. Do you think a bunch of farmers with pitchforks and cows can stop the full might of the Vale armies? Sure some knights might refuse to do it, but the vast majority would. Remember the Lannisters' rape of the Riverlands? It would crush their resolve and remind them who their true overlord is. - Yes, the nobles are wary, but they are also desperate. This seems like the best and last chance to stop Jasper from "securing" his throne.

Lastly, HadrianCaeser noted that the Andals and First Men intermarried to make the current populace of Vale. Wouldn't those that revert to the practices of their forefathers be considered First Men?

Well, simply put, no. The Old Gods are a religion and First Men are a race. They are not interchangeable, unfortunately. Furthermore, most people consider themselves Andals in this day and age. As such, while they may practice those unholy "northern traditions," they are still in fact Andals.

Notes. For those that know one 'verse, but not the other:

[1] Conjuration is the magical art of creating something from nothing. This is technically a branch of Transfiguration, and it unfortunately has several limits. Most notably is that food cannot be conjured (Water is an exception to this), although it can be enlarged or multiplied if you already have some on hand.

[2] Prongs is Jasper's name for his patronus. It takes the shape of a stag, which was his father's animagus form, and he named it after his father.