The ground shook as the Knights of the Vale marched towards the capital. In front rode Lord Robin Arryn, just a teenage boy, out to save the father of the woman he loved. His wife, Desmera, who was expecting his child. He didn't know that yet though. But he knew he loved her, with every fiber of his being. The kind of love reserved for the very young who are yet to get burned by life. The kind of love that makes you commit foolish acts and hasty decisions. The kind of love that consumes you and eats you up.

The field outside the capital was still marked from the previous battle that went down there when the Dragon Queen defeated Cersei Lannister's forces. This was where Robin Arryn told his armies to stand. He had only brought half of his forces with him, leaving the rest behind at the Eyrie, because he wanted to make sure Desmera was as safe as she could be. Nothing could happen to Desmera, ever. Still, he had 20 000 men with him, a larger force than anyone else in the kingdom commanded.

Robin walked towards the gate of the capital all by himself. He was just a boy, but as he walked there he didn't look like one anymore. He still had no beard and his frame lacked the definition of muscles, but despite that, he had a determination and stride that made him look like a man.

Just a little bird who was never supposed to fly, suddenly flying so high. Robin was a lord, a husband, and soon a father. And he stood outside the capital of the kingdom with an army big enough to take down the king if he chose to.

The gate to the capital was rebuilt after being burned by dragon fire. The walls surrounding it had been patched up as well. Although there were still black burn marks visible in certain parts and some of the bricks appeared cracked. Life goes on even after a disaster, but the scars from it can never truly be erased.

"I need to talk to the king," Robin said, loud and clear, to the guards manning the gate. His voice had the depth of a man's these days.

Soon the king was wheeled out by his Kingsguard knight, Podrick Payne, who he then told to leave. And then they stood there, alone, face to face. Robin and Bran.

Two cousins. Two boys. One the king of Westeros. One manning the biggest military power in the kingdom.

Although one of them was not a boy at all. He was something else entirely.

Soon they weren't alone though as Bronn also walked out the gates. Holding a tied up and gagged Paxter Redwyne, who looked relieved when he saw his son-in-law standing there. Lord Redwyne's hair was red just like his daughter's, although it was starting to grey and thin out a bit, and his eyes were green as the vineyards of the lands he fought for dominion over. A father of three children and soon a grandfather.

"Robin," the King said. "I knew you would come here."

"Your Majesty. Please call me Lord Arryn, not Robin," Robin replied. "That might have been the name you called me when we played as children. But that was a long time ago. We're not children anymore, Bran."

"Lord Arryn, I guess you're not Robin anymore and I'm not Bran," the King said with a hint of a smile. "I assume you've come for Lord Redwyne."

"Yes, I've come to free him and defend his claim to Highgarden. I and my armies won't leave until you give me that. I can take the capital if I chose to, you know that. I only got half of my forces behind me and I still got twice as many men as you do."

"I know you can take the capital. But you won't. You will walk away."

"If you give me what I want I will. I have no wish to wear that crown. I only want to go home to my wife and tell her that her family is safe."

"You really love that Redwyne girl, don't you Robin?"

"It's still Lord Arryn... Bran" Robin said with a sigh, he was getting a bit tired of getting disrespected. "I do love her. And that's why I will take you down if I need to. I'll rule the kingdom if I have to. I do anything. For her."

"That's why you will walk away. For her," the king replied. "You will walk away. And you will give your armies to me. Because I know something about you. Something that if it came out could take everything from you. It could take that sweet wife of yours from you."

"What could you possibly know about me?"

The king looked over at Bronn for a moment and signaled to him to walk up to him with Lord Redwyne. Bronn left Lord Redwyne, who was still tied and gagged, next to the king and then walked away from them.

"I want your father-in-law to hear this too," the king said. "So he knows who he married off his only daughter to. That he married her to a bastard."

Robin looked at Bran in confusion. He had never heard anyone call him that before. Because his father was Jon Arryn, no one had ever questioned that. Robin was the Lord of the Vale, just like his father. The man he idolized and aspired to be like. Being Jon Arryn's son was everything he was.

"I'm not a bastard. My father is Jon Arryn."

"No, he's not. Your name shouldn't be Robin Arryn. You shouldn't have any claim to his lands or his title. Your name should be Robin Stone... or perhaps Robin Baelish."

Robin sunk to his knees on the sandy ground as he heard that name. The name of the man who had killed his mother, Lyssa Arryn. Lyssa had not been a good mother, but she had still been Robin's mother. He had still mourned her death as much as any child could. He still missed her sometimes.

"Because that's who your father is," the king continued. "Jon Arryn could never father a child so your mother turned to someone else, and she figured no one would ever know. But I do. And if you don't walk away the whole kingdom will know too. Everything will be taken from you."

Robin looked down on the ground and clasped his sword tightly in his hand. The sword that had belonged to his father Jon Arryn. He looked like a child again sitting there on the ground. A child who had had his favorite toy taken away from him.

"You can't..." he said. "You can't tell anyone. Jon Arryn is my father and will always be. You can't take that away from me. Even if it's true you can't prove it."

He looked over at his father-in-law in desperation, to get some clue on how Lord Redwyne was reacting to this secret. Paxter Redwyne had married his only daughter to a bastard. Would he try to take Desmera from him now that he knew?

"I already have the proof," the King continued. "Maester Tarly went through the old records of the castle and it turns out your father was in the capital for several months around the time you were conceived. You were so small when you were born that your mother convinced Jon Arryn that you were born too early, to make him believe you were his. But you weren't, and you're not his."

"So what will you do?"

"I will send ravens to all castles in the kingdom telling them your secret. Telling them that you are a bastard. If you don't walk away and leave your armies behind. They will all know. Your wife will know. And you will lose her Robin, her and that child she is carrying."

Robin looked up in surprise.

"What child?" he asked.

"Your child, Robin. Your wife is carrying your child. And if Desmera finds out she might take that child from you. Desmera will leave you, Robin. Because that child won't be an Arryn. You won't be able to give it your title, your castle, your last name."

With tears in his eyes, Robin looked over at his father-in-law again. Ashamed to have impregnated Lord Redwyne's daughter with a child he might be able to give nothing to. Ashamed to have him know what kind of acts Robin and his daughter had engaged in. Of course, they were married so that was what was expected of them, but Robin didn't want his wife's parents to know the details of it.

Paxter Redwyne nodded at him but Robin couldn't interpret what that meant. Hopefully, he wasn't enraged with him.

"And if I walk away," he asked. "What happens to Lord Redwyne and Highgarden?"

"I will give Lord Redwyne back to you, and your wife's family will get to keep Highgarden. I don't care about them. I care about your armies. I can't let you have them. I can't let you march on the capital like this. I can't let you have that much power."

"And no one will know? My wife won't know..."

"No one will know. Just walk away, Robin. And you will get to keep your wife and child."

He couldn't lose them. He just couldn't. So Robin walked away. He got up, turned around, and walked away. He left the capital and his armies behind. Because he loved his wife too much to have her find out the truth about who he was.

But as Robin walked away he heard the king calling his name. He turned around to face the capital again. And he saw Bronn once again standing next to Lord Redwyne, this time with a sword in his hand.

"Your secret will be safe, Robin," the king said. "No one will know. No one but me."

And before Robin could grasp what was happening Bronn used his sword to behead Paxter Redwyne. His body fell down on the field and Bronn was left standing there holding Lord Redwyne's head. Then he threw it towards Robin.

"There's your father-in-law for you, Robin," the king said. "I told you that you would get him back."

Robin was left standing there in shock as Desmera's father's head rolled towards him. Unsure of what to do. He still commanded his armies. He could attack the capital. He could avenge Lord Redwyne's death.

But he didn't.

Because it was too late. His wife had lost her father. And Robin knew Desmera would blame him for it. He couldn't have her find out the truth of who he was as well. He would lose her if she did, he knew he would. She would leave him and take their child with her, embarrassed to be married to a bastard. Robin couldn't let that happen, he just couldn't. He couldn't lose Desmera. He couldn't lose their unborn child.

So Robin continued to walk away. He left his armies behind. He went home the Eyrie to tell Desmera that her father was dead.