Andar II Arryn

Jon Arryn

Mathos Stone

All hail King Andar II Arryn, Falcon King of Mountain and Vale. Servant of the Seven-Who-Are-One. Heir to the Kingdom of the Trident. Bane of the Mountain Clansmen. His reign has been long and prosperous, lasting thirty-three years. He was born in 247 AA, with his veins filled with the most Royal blood in all of Westeros. On his mother’s side, his blood comes from the Fletcher Kings of the Trident, and on his father’s they trace to the Arryn Kings of Mountain and Vale. Since the day of his birth, Andar II Arryn has been destined for greatness and leadership, and he has delivered on such destiny and then some. Hear now of his tale so far.

## Early Life

Andar’s early education was one geared towards a leader of a kingdom at peace. Lyonel IV, his father, had learned from his own father that the Vale’s prosperity came from avoiding wars, not seeking them out. It was a policy that had served both kings well, and so it was one that was taught to Andar. The young heir would often neglect dueling practice. He preferred to learn matters such as court behavior, justness, tradecraft, and piety.

This does not mean Andar was ill suited for war though. A good king would, as his father put it, “never start a fight, but always finish one”. Though only average with a sword and shield, Andar did show adeptness at learning tactics for the field. When to attack, when to retreat, and where to put soldiers were all readily mastered. As he learned more about tactics, he also realized the need to be a good fighter. He started practicing more on horseback, and became quite good at mounted combat.

At the age of seven-and-ten, Andar Arryn heard news of a tourney happening at Riverrun. Wanting to test out his skill on the horse, Andar left to see if he was able to compete with knights in a real tourney. At the Tournament of the Golden Trout, Andar won the joust and met with Alliser Tully. The two gained great respect for each other. Alliser was viewed as a mentor, while Andar had proved himself to live up to all the reputation that the Knights of the Vale had.

## Ascension to King

In 265 AA, Lyonel IV began hearing rumors from scouts and common folk about clansmen becoming more common. Wanting to keep peace in his realm, Lyonel IV set out searching for a cause, and soon found one. The clansmen were rallying together. For many moons, Andar’s father searched for clues as to where they could be. He pursued them relentlessly, but it was all for nought. The clues led him into a trap, and Lyonel IV was killed in battle. The Arryn personal guard returned his body to the Eyrie, and Andar upon seeing it he became fierce with rage.

Without even waiting to be crowned King or even talking to his mother, Andar rallied up the Knights of the Vale and led a long campaign against them. At every battle he proved himself to be a merciless \*\*commander\*\*. He shattered their coalition and a year after his father’s death, he proclaimed the campaign over. Andar II returned to the Eyrie, and was coronated King of Mountain and Vale. The whole Kingdom, from the the Fingers to the Bloody Gate would toast King Andar's name for his victories, singing songs of their new, fierce King. At his coronation, the only foreigners attending were Fletchers, due to being relatives and nearby royals, and Alliser Tully after the friendship Andar formed with him two years prior.

## Building a Family

The final battle of the campaign against the clansmen cost Andar a serious injury. Though it did heal completely, the process was long. One of the principal people helping to heal Andar was a young maiden by the name of Mya. She was a smallfolk, and Andar was trained to be honorable and celibate until marriage, but the two became very close. For a while it was merely friendship between the two. Many nobles questioned Andar’s closeness with a smallfolk such as her, but he didn’t care. Overtime the friendship turned into infatuation. In 269 AA, three years after meeting each other, Mya bore Andar a child, Mathos Stone. His lover realized that such a child would only bring shame to him, and so she left for Gulltown again with their child.

Several years later, in 274 AA, Andar’s brother realized that the Eyrie was not where he belonged. Andar could enjoy a good book, but he was nowhere near as scholarly as his brother Osgood. Since he had such a passion for knowledge of all sorts, and it was unlikely that he would even inherit, Osgood Arryn left for the Citadel to become a maester. Only a couple years into his training though, Osgood made a mistake while practicing some alchemy. The vapors of his creation were harsh and burning, and before Osgood could escape him his vision was lost. Disgraced, Osgood returned to the Eyrie, but Andar loved his brother as family and friend. Ever since, he has been one of King Andar II’s closest advisors and companions.

One of the first pieces of advice Osgood gave his brother, was to get married. And he wasn’t the only advisor to suggest it. He had already nearing thirty and still had no heir. He decided to arrange a marriage with Elinor Royce, a woman he had met a few times and taken a fancy too. They married in 276 AA, and the same year had their first child, Robar Arryn. Two years later they had a daughter, Jeyne, and four years later they had a second son named Jon. These three wouldn’t be the only additions to their family though. In 278, the same year as Jeyne was born, a boy was brought to the Eyrie. The man who brought him claimed that the boy was Mathos Stone. Mya, Andar’s lover, had apparently died. Although the boy could’ve been cast away, Elinor and Andar both decided to raise him as one of their own.

## The War of the Trident

Fourteen years had passed since Elinor and Andar started a family, and now one of the most important events in their lives occured. War had broken out in the Riverlands, and King Fletcher showed himself to be incompetent. Andar thought back to the wise words of his father. “A good king should never start a fight, but always finish one.” Starting a war could be seen as going against this, but if Andar was swift he could use his blood claim on the Trident and bring peace to the land.

With his top generals, Lords Corbray and Royce, Andar swept out from the Bloody Gate. Under the King’s natural \*\*leadership\*\*, Darry’s resistance was quickly squashed. Soon, all of the land east of the Green Fork was occupied. King Andar II took most of the Knights of Vale down to Harrenhal, and engaged in a siege that lasted moons. Meanwhile, the rest of the army went with Lord Royce and Lord Corbray. The two generals crossed the Ruby Ford and expanded the occupation all the way to the Blue Fork.

After moons of this dragged out siege, concerning news reached Andar. It appeared that Gwayne Gardener was getting closer and closer. He met in secret with Darklyn and Celtigar, and decided to support them in fighting back the Reach. Andar had been spared from using more men than he had to. At the same time, Royce and Corbray had several battles with Mallister. They all ended in victory, but Andar decided that too much was being lost and had all his forces brought back to Harrenhal. He needed a swift, decisive victory to bring this chaos to a halt. He needed to defeat either Lannister or Gardener.

The Falcon King marched down to the Stoney Sept, expecting to face either Gardener or Lannister, but was surprised to find both there in the middle of a battle. Though loathe to fight his old friend Alliser Tully, Andar ordered his army to fight the other two in equal measure. The fight went well for the Vale, but tragedy soon struck. The heir to the Vale, the young Robar Arryn, had been ordered to stay behind at the Eyrie during this war. He disguised himself as a normal soldier though, and soon found himself caught in a duel with Tyrion Lannister himself. His helmet flew off, and nearby Andar watched as his son was easily defeated. The young heir cried out pleas of mercy. Some say they were pleas to let him live, other say they were to end his suffering. Either way, Tyrion Lannister plunged his sword into the helpless boy and kill him while Andar II Arryn charged in to stop him. The two fought fiercely, but their duel was indecisive as the battle grew more chaotic and they were pulled away from each other. With this tragic loss and inconclusive battle, the Knights of the Vale left for home.

Robar’s body was able to be retrieved and sent back to the Vale. It is said the whole Kingdom wept for him. He had been a promising and very likable heir, that many looked forward to the reign of. Elinor, Andar, and all the other Arryns mourned for moons about his death. The Lannister name was spit on, and during this time nobody even dared mention the name Tyrion in the Eyrie. Eventually the grief subsided, but it left the family changed. Out of all of them though, Andar had been changed the most.

## Becoming a Zealot

King Andar II never really worshipped the Seven much before the war. After though, he consulted with the High Septon about his son’s loss. For weeks the King would visit the Lofty Sept and visit with the Septon. What was said has never been made clear. The result though, was obvious. Andar lost his devil-may-care attitude about the world. He became grave, stern, and serious. Most of all though, he became a true zealot.

It wasn’t long after this change that the High Septon asked to consult with Andar. The Tenacious One had asked the heretical Most Devouts to come to Gulltown to discuss the faith. Unfortunately, they feared for their safety. The Falcon Guard of the King himself therefore escorted them in Gulltown. Though the council ended up not achieving anything, Andar proved himself to be a defender of all within his realm. Even after they were announced heretics and expelled from the faith, King Andar and his guard protected them as they left for their ships or the Trident.

Now, King Andar has long finished mourning. His kingdom has recovered from the tolls of war. He has lost his edge with the sword, but he his mind has been sharpened. The King Andar II that had gone to tourneys, had a bastard, and invaded the Trident had been washed away by the purity of the Faith. Now, the Falcon King is Westeros’s most pious ruler. A man of the Seven-Who-Are-One. He’s a man that knows how to inspire courage among his soldiers, loyalty among his vassals, and fear among his enemies.