A story an ageing man told his heir when he reached manhood.

Now listen here lad you're a man now so it's about time you and I had a talk. Our House is new you know it and all those fancy lords that hate us for breathing know it. I didn't get any land or titles when my dad died, although to be fair the cunt would have had to know about me to pass it. Either way he likely wouldn't have cared to pass on what little too he had to a bastard some whore he fucked shot out.

Yeah that's right your grandma was a whore and you best wipe that look of your face before I do it for you, that woman were a far better person then any of us are. Our Noble house with lands and titles descended from a whore and the blacksmith that liked to hit her when they fucked.

Now you're my heir so I think it right that I tell you the truth and to be honest I've hidden it so long that a won't mind a chance to show off for me son. Now I swore to never tell no one what I'd done and I want you to do the same, I'll be telling you a lot of shit that would stain quite a few people's stories bad. People whom we owe everything we are to and if there aint one thing that a good sellsword learns in life its to be loyal to those that treat you right. Be best to remember that one, a house as young as ours can disappear just a quick as we popped upkeep your head low and don't get greedy ya hear me. So swear you're fancy oaths like all them spetons and maesters I paid for taught ya and settle in for a while.

Good now where was I ahh yeah me the best place to be talking bout. So as I said I started out with nothing was raised in the brothel like all the other whores bastards. Ya gran kept me fed with her legs was the only work she'd ever known, and she did well at it at least that's what the other lads liked to tell me. I never liked when they said that about my ma so I always made sure they knew I didn't. I did like smashing teeth in though alright and was pretty good at it as well.

So when ma got the pox and died as whores do I packed up and got on the road as a sellsword. It was tough work but I was good at it and made a pretty penny spent a pretty penny as well. I liked my gold near as much as I liked my whores, but only near the whores always won out in the end.

Now things only really started looking up when I met the king, well he was still only a lord back then and a bit of a new one at that barely old enough to have any hair on his cock, but a lord all the same and a smart one.

Now ya see I had been minding my own business at some inn in the riverlands, a rather fancy place fulla knights. I'd just wrapped up a job so decided to splurge and have myself a fancy night.

Then all of a sudden shit goes tits up and some highborn lady is shouting murder at this fucking dwarf. Turn out she must have been important as she starts naming all the lords the knights there were sworn to and demanded they put the imp in irons and ya know what they all fucking did it. Now I know a potential opportunity when I see it and honestly the whole thing looked right interesting, so I joined in and off we went to the lords fancy castle which get this was on top of a fucking mountain.

What you're not impressed? Little twat aint ya. It was the most impressive thing I'd ever seen till then.

So, the lot of us climb our way up this literal mountain to see the lord who it turns out was this Lady's nephew. I swear to this day that every fucking house is related to each other somehow.

He certainly looked like a big shot lord sitting there in his throne talking about honour and guest rights and all that shit. But let me tell you lad that man is as dirty as you get. He came to me that night wrapped in a servants cloak, gave me an offer.

Now, I liked the Imp well enough I'll tell you straight, we had gotten on well enough on the journey up and he seemed like the sort that didn't give a shit that my dad wasn't some lord or my mum a maiden when they fucked. Guess its hard to look down on anyone when you're half again smaller then em.

Sure, I liked the man but in my line of work you can't let business get personal, so when the lord offered me money and a knighthood if only I could deal with a few problems of his well I could hardly say no.

So, I killed some Knight the lord thought had been eyeing up his mum to much and made it look like the imp did it. Broke some shit in his rooms and then dragged him off into the night and slit his little throat. I hid the body ,was easy really only needed a small hole outa the way was a little body after all. Some people still say they've seen im to this day, cunts the lot of em.

I felt a little bad I won't lie, but the lord rewarded me well for it. Took me into his service and off to war with him and promised to knight me the first time an opportunity came up.

Well it didn't take long at all for that to happen. The lord marched off to war quick after, apparently the imp's dad was a big shot and was kicking up a right storm that his lad had been stolen. I understand I do, you may be a little prick but your mine and that matters just as much to me as it must have to him.

I won't bother you with all the boring politics you learned that well enough in your lessons. But at the first big battle outside Harrenhal the lord lad had some big plan to trick the twat and fuck em up the arse and it worked.

But gods was the little shit cocky, I take my eyes of him for a second and next thing I know some golden twat had im on his back like a Lys whore. If he died there went my reward so I snuck up on the guy and smashed him round the back of the head went down like the whore I had last night quickly and with much satisfaction on my part.

The little lord got to his feet thanked me and asked me to Kneel before knighting me on the a few moons I had gone from being a poor sellsword to being an anointed Knight.

Ser Bronn Battleforged in service to Lord Jasper Arryn of the Vale. Life was looking good for me then.

Extract from The Steel Falcon written by Maester Toman 1922 AC

The battle of Harrenhal is hotly debated to this day as to its military value, while it is true the Arryn faction won, and Ser Jamie was captured the defeated army was in no true way neutralised by the conflict. It is estimated that ten thousand Lannister men fled the battlefield that day. Ser Keven Lannister escaped the battle and was able to reform a host of approximately seven thousand with near a thousand of that horse which he moved into the crownlands retreating to the safety of Kings Landing. The remaining three thousand would desert and as was normal for armed smallfolk of the time would turn brigand and become a problem for both sides for many moons.

To achieve this victory Lord Arryn was forced to sacrifice near seven thousand of his own foot in what was widely seen and acknowledged at the time to be an intentional sacrifice for the sake of victory. Of the twenty-five thousand men he had brought with him to Harrenhal he would be leaving with at most seventeen thousand a not unsubstantial loss. Given that the vast majority of these men had been riverlanders whom Jasper had placed at the head of his forces, it was easy to see how the Rivers revolt may have found its beginning here.

The public perception of Lord Arryn also took a minor hit after this time, the young lord had been seen publicly losing in combat to Ser Jamie and the records show that reports and writings of his great martial skill from amongst his bannermen began to drastically diminish after this point.

In addition, it was loudly noted that the honourable Knights of the vale protested against the trickery of the battle strategy a recurring theme that had troubled and would continue to trouble vale commanders for centuries to come. Getting the knights to fight tactically was an effort in diplomacy on every occasion.

The Knighting of Ser Bronn for taking Ser Jamie from behind was also looked upon negatively by those who held Knighthood in high value.

However a victory is still a victory and it was with high spirits, if not a new perspective on their liege that the Arryn host set out for Riverrun where they would meet with Robb Stark and his host of fifteen thousand men who at that point had just passed unimpeded over the twins being joined by Lord Frey's men as he travelled.

It was upon reaching Riverrun that the two Lords, cousins meeting for the first time were able to receive the news that they had missed during the campaign so far. Renly Baratheon had crowned himself and taken a Tyrell bride and Stannis Baratheon had announced King Roberts children as bastards born of incest. A theory that Lord Eddard Stark had clearly agreed with for he had attempted to place Lord Stannis upon the throne which had gotten him arrested and had cost him his head.

Lord Stark had been beheaded by King Joffrey.

The rebel lords were obviously outraged, the new Lord stark swore vengeance supported by his uncle and cousin. As a reminder that they too held a hostage Lord Arryn sent a warning to Kings landing Ser Jamie's sword hand which he took himself. The impact of this action was notable, a reminder to Lord Tywin that he had his son and at the same time crippling the man who had just weeks earlier defeated Lord Jasper in single combat.

The threat is generally assumed to have worked as Lady Sansa Stark, Lord Starks sister who was still held captive in the capital although at the time it was also assumed that Lady Arya Stark was also in the capital although that would later be show to be untrue.

The lords who had personally rode to war gathered in what would later be referred to as the great council of Riverrun.

By the time all had gathered, not counting the Lords still held under siege by Lord Tywin nearly a full moon had past since the battle of Harrenhal and near on three moons since the initial beginning of the conflict.

The Lords gathered to discuss their options going forward, it was clear that King Joffrey could not be allowed to sit the Iron Throne but if the word of Lord Stannis, who was now declaring his own claim was true then his siblings were Basterds who themselves couldn't inherit. The talk therefore next turned to the Baratheon brothers. Renly was the more popular choice due to his support from the Reach but Lords Jasper and Stark both spoke out against setting a precedent of a younger brother inheriting first. Lord Tully spoke for Stannis but many of his own and the vale lords were unappeased by the spreading knowledge of his new faith in the Red God R'hllor, even burning statues of the seven at Dragonstone. An action which turned the Northern Lords away from his cause them being a religious minority in the realm already. Lord Darry made quiet but noted mention of a Targaryen restoration which was dismissed by the vast majority there.

The lords had of course therefore reached a stalemate with all legitimate options for the Iron throne having been discussed and dismissed.

It was Lord Corbray who broke the stalemate, he stood and asked for the Lords attention before beginning a speech. He spoke of the Iron Throne and the realm during the previous three centuries, of the wars that had plagued the kingdoms. He spoke of the political intrigue that had decayed the very image of chivalry that his ancestors had exalted. He spoke of the mismanagement citing King Roberts debt and inability to see his own Queen's affair with her brother before concluding that the time of the Iron Throne was over.

He drew his blade and laid it at Lord Jaspers feet before bending the knee declaring him before all to see as King of Mountain and Vale.

In his later writings on the council, Lord Yohn Royce notes being shocked at the proclamation before almost without him thinking he joined his fellow Vale lord on one knee and before long all the lords of the Vale pledged them self before the first Arryn King since the conquest.

The Northmen saw this, and Lord Jon Umber shouted his approval before kneeling before his own liege joined by his fellow Northern Lords.

In the space of a few minutes where there had once been two lords there were now two Kings.

It was Ser Edmure Tully who seeing the looks of his fathers own Lords raised the topic of the Riverlands claiming that an independent Kingdom of the trident would be incredibly vulnerable from all sides especially once issues in the south settled and time weakened the bonds between the rebel alliance.

He was supported by Lord Bolton who argued that separate Kingdoms would fall in time against a unified south and that it would make logistics between them difficult. He suggested that one common leader be raised above them all. He suggested Lord Jasper pointing out the man's military victories and genuine chivalry and honour as sound reasons for his selection.

This was contested by many others who on a high of nationalist pride no longer wished to have a King of a different culture. This led to the other lords taking offence at the insult to their own culture and the words nearly came to blows before their Graces intervened.

The Two new kings and their uncle took a short leave of near on an hour to discuss with Lord Hoster as to their next actions. While it is not known what exactly was said an agreement was reached.

The new Kingdom would be far more decentralised then the old Iron Throne allowing each sub-realm greater autonomy in some regards. As a result, several old titles from times long gone by were reused.

His Grace Robb Stark King in the North took a knee,

His Grace Prince Edmure, regent for His Grace King Hoster of the Trident took a knee,

The two swore both themselves and their descendants to the final King.

His Majesty, High King Jasper Arryn Of the Three Kingdoms, King Of Mountain and Vale, Lord of the Eyrie and defender of the Realm.

Long may he reign.