These past few days, after Robert changed his clothes, he would stay in the Hand of the King's office to drink some water and sober up before heading back to his quarters. This was their time for casual chatting about everything under the sun.
Wright: "I saw some locked documents in the office of former Hand of the King the other day, and there was one matter I went to investigate today."
Robert took a large gulp of water: "What matter?"
Wright held up two fingers in front of his face, blocking his vision, and left Robert's head visible between his fingers.
Robert: "What magic are you messing with now?"
Wright smiled: "Exactly! If you shaved your beard off, you'd look 20 years younger, even more like him!"
Robert blinked: "Like who?"
Wright: "Old Jon Arryn really worked hard, didn't he? Not only did he help you manage the kingdom, but he also had to raise so many illegitimate children. Today, I visited Tobho Mott, the master blacksmith in King's Landing, and there's a 15-year-old apprentice named Gendry, your illegitimate son!"
"Does he really look that much like me? Hahaha," Robert genuinely couldn't recall this bastard.
Wright continued: "He's strong and tall, with thick black hair and blue eyes, just like the Baratheons. He made himself a bull-headed helmet and is also skilled with a war hammer."
Robert laughed joyously: "Hahaha, bring him over someday so I can meet him! Renly helped me raise a son, and now you have to help me raise one too, Wright!"
"Sure, no problem, I've got people to spare," Wright replied, as he was planning to help Robert remove this potential problem.
Robert was king now, in the prime of his life, but he couldn't escape growing old. Gendry looked so much like him that anyone who knew Robert well would recognize him at a glance! It was bound to be exploited in the future, so it was better to have him help out in the blacksmithing business at Tyrosh.
As the conversation turned to illegitimate children, Wright thought of the matter with the heir to House Arryn. He had mentioned it to Robert a few days ago, and Robert had agreed right away. But Robert had been drinking heavily every day, and Wright hadn't noticed any action on his part.
Wright had to remind him again: "Robert, was Jon Arryn always white-haired?"
Robert thought for a moment, leaning his head back against the couch: "I saw him when I was in my teens, and he already had white hair."
Wright: "If it was natural white hair, then he must have been sick. Even the Targaryens only have silver or platinum hair."
Robert, resting with his eyes closed: "Why are you asking about his hair?"
Wright stood up and sat on the sofa opposite Robert: "The Arryns are all blonde, and Lysa Tully has red hair, but your foster father, Jon Arryn's son, has brown hair."
Robert's eyes widened as he sat up, the alcohol instantly starting to clear from his mind.
"Another damn bastard?"
Wright stared at him, realizing that Robert had really forgotten, and still had the nerve to ask? "I can't say for sure. You'll need to ask some older nobles about Jon Arryn's hair color when he was young."
Robert thought about his own past and now found himself concerned about the Vale, clearly confused: "Wright, why do you always care about other people's children?"
Wright: "This matter isn't that simple. A few days ago, I was out with the Gold Cloaks to catch some criminals, and I ran into Denyss Arryn and others who were fleeing King's Landing. He told me about it, and afterward, I sent Ashara to escort them back to the Eyrie."
Robert stood up and started pacing, carefully thinking over the details. After a while, he angrily shouted, "I'm going to kill Lysa Tully and her bastard!"
"Robert, calm down. You need to handle this properly. Don't kill anyone without evidence!" Wright also stood up and began to explain slowly.
"Lysa Tully is now officially recognized as the mother of the Lord of the Vale, and her father is the Lord of the Riverlands. Her brother, Edmure Tully, is also in King's Landing. Her sister is the wife of the Lord of the North, Eddard Stark! She alone has ties to three regions in the North. Do you want to see the madness of the Mad King happening again?"
Robert, now almost forty, wasn't as impulsive as he had been in his youth. He quickly calmed down: "Damn bastard, which man would want to lay claim to my foster father's lands?"
Wright shook his head: "Denys Arryn investigated this for a long time but found no results. However, I asked Varys, and he told me about Petyr Baelish, a minor noble from the Fingers in the Vale. Apparently, when he was young, he had a fling with Lysa Tully, and Varys can confirm the details."
Robert fumed: "Wright! Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
Wright was angrier: "I told you this days ago, and you agreed to it! But then you've been drinking every day and forgetting all about it!"
Robert began to recall, sweating as he remembered the incident. He patted Wright's shoulder: "Ah, drinking really messes things up!"
He turned and shouted at the door: "Kingsguard!"
The captain of the Kingsguard, Barristan, opened the door and hurriedly entered. The king and Wright were both well-guarded, so even Robert's loud outbursts hadn't disturbed them.
Robert: "Inform all the nobles of the Vale, and the members of the Small Council, to gather in the Hand of the King's Tower for a meeting tomorrow morning!"
This matter would have to be dealt with by King Robert himself, with Wright, as Hand of the King, assisting from the side.
---
But the meeting the next day did not go as Robert had expected.
Most of the Vale houses supported Lysa Tully and her son. Only a few houses raised concerns, saying the issue of the Lord's heir needed to be handled carefully and that more concrete evidence was needed.
When the issue of hair color came up, the old nobles in attendance all hedged their responses, claiming either that Jon Arryn's white hair was due to his age or that they couldn't remember.
Lysa Tully needed to find a husband, and if that husband could become the future Lord's stepfather, the benefits for her family were clear. At just thirty-three years old, she could still bear children, and the sickly young Lord's own heirs might never be able to take the title, leaving her own offspring with the chance to inherit the vale!
Some even thought that if both Lysa and the young Lord were to die unexpectedly, they themselves would be the next Lord of the Vale!
Most of the nobles believed their families had a chance! Littlefinger had really managed to sell Lysa Tully for a good price. Only a few truly loyal nobles were waiting for evidence.
After the meeting, Robert was left feeling confused. At Wright's suggestion, he called for Eddard Stark, Edmure Tully, and Catelyn Tully to meet privately in the afternoon.
Catelyn Tully presented a letter from her sister: "I believe what my sister has written. Denys Arryn is indeed well-liked by the Vale nobility, but he cannot usurp the position of the heir simply because my nephew is sickly!"
Edmure Tully: "I also believe what my sister says."
Ned said nothing.
Wright: "Then why did the King summon Petyr Baelish, but he happened to leave King's Landing for the Fingers at that time?"
Catelyn Tully: "The word has already spread through the upper echelons. Petyr Baelish had already requested leave from King's Landing before the King's decree was given. His leave wasn't a resignation; it's just a coincidence."
Robert furiously shouted: "Then where is Lysa Tully? My foster father, Jon Arryn's body is still in King's Landing, and she's already gone!"
Catelyn Tully, defending her sister, also became heated: "Her letter was clear. She must take her son back to the Eyrie to inherit the title. The nobles are in King's Landing, but the soldiers are in the Vale!"
She turned to Wright: "If you hadn't let Denys Arryn go, this situation wouldn't have become what it is now!"
"Are you going to ignore reason just for your sister?" Wright's temples were bulging with veins. If it weren't for the fact that she was Robb's mother and a woman, he would have already blasted her with a dragon's roar.
"Everyone, calm down!" Eddard finally spoke up.
Edmure Tully, seeing his sister being so assertive and daring to argue with both the King and Wright, quickly grabbed Catelyn: "Calm down, let's analyze this."
Wright also calmed down:
"Alright, let me analyze it for you. No matter if the old Lord of the Vale had white or gold hair, you Tullys are known for your red hair. So tell me, how can you give birth to a son with brown hair?" Wright emphasized each word, banging his fist on the table with a loud thud.
Catelyn Tully retorted: "And how can you be so sure that Lord Jon Arryn didn't have brown hair when he was young? Do you even know who his mother was?"
Everyone was stunned.
This question really threw them off. Most historical records focused on wars, and books about family appearances were usually written by the families themselves and kept in their castles.
Robert looked at Eddard Stark: "I only know my foster father's father was Jaspen Arryn. Ned, do you have any memories of Jon mother?"
Eddard Stark also looked troubled: "Not really, when we went to the Eyrie, he was already in his fifties."
Robert: "The family tree! It seems the Arryn family's genealogy is the key piece of evidence!"
Wright turned to Robert: "My term as Hand of the King is almost over. I hope to resolve this matter before my term ends. Your Majesty, please give the order, I'll personally go to the Eyrie and retrieve the records!"
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