The Battlements of the Bloody Gate

[Adamat]

"I'm glad to have you on our side, then," Marq said. "Such unwavering belief in the strength of the Vale is all we need to ward off the King and his henchmen." On the horizon, banners were visible. The white and red of Corbray led the long snake of men as it trailed towards the Gate.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Aethelryd gave a hearty laugh as he spotted the banners, his long red beard wagging. "I believe a little Corbray boy has come to our aid."

[Adamat]

"Well there are your men," he said, laughing along with Ser Gulliver. "And right on time, I think the King won't delay his march for much longer."

[Adamat]

As the troops were preparing for battle against the Riverlanders down in the valley, Ser Marq was looking for Ser Aethelryd. A letter had come from the Eyrie.

Lord Garrett Arryn, Lord Paramount of the Vale, Lord Warden of the East, Lord of the Eyrie,

Ser Guy Lannister's forces are moving upon the Northern Vale into your lands, to face you at the back, while they believe that we're defending the Northern borders from the North.
In truth, however, the Riverland forces in front of the Bloody Gate are at your side, fighting in secret against the tyrant Baelor II.
The threatening and war declaration against House Tully from our old allies forced us to remain loyal until the right time. This time has come now, as I will have surprised the Westerlanders, when you're reading this. The letter also contains the troop numbers of the Lannister's host, though we are unaware if they have splitted up their host at some point.
If there is a better time to strike for the Vale, it is now. Those, who fight among the Bloody Gates against your troops, shall be surprised by our Lord Lothstone and his retainers. Tell them the ballad of "The Trout", as it is the secret sign to strike for both our causes. It was the wrong decision of Baelor to show his loyal retainers his disrespect, as we do not accept the compromises and the insult of trying to kill our true and only Lord Paramount Edric Tully, who shall rejoin his host soon in the future.

Ser Gyles Tully, a loyal bannerman of Lord Edric Tully and friend of the Vale in his fight for the freedom of the Realm

[Pontifex Maximus]

After hearing the letter read aloud, it took Aethelryd a few moment to process the information.

"So, the Riverlanders are allies now, and they want to enter the Vale after they just betrayed someone they had been in alliance with?" Gulliver gave a hearty laugh "Nobody will ever trust the fish people again!"

He drank some water from his horn and spit it out over the wall "Still, I'm not here to pass judgment, just to follow orders. Does Lord Arryn want us to open the gates? Shouldn't we wait for proof that they have in fact butchered our enemies? After all, if what they're saying is true, then they let a Western army wander through our one vulnerable border. If this is a ploy just to get us to open our gates, we will lose the Gate in the most shameful way possible."

[Adamat]

"Exactly," Ser Marq said. "I don't trust this for one second, and if we allow them through the gate and it turns out they are indeed liars, well, then we're royally ed. There are no orders attached to this letter, only a poem... What do we do, Ser Aethelryd? You're in command."

[Pontifex Maximus]

Gulliver picked up a crossbow and sent a bolt more than 50 meters, hitting a haystack set up for target practice. "Ser Marq, I will be damned if I open the gates for anyone for any reason. If I've made the wrong decision and your lordly father marches down here and puts his foot up my arse for not opening the gate, so be it, but I won't be the poor dead idiot that opens the gate to an army that until five minutes ago I considered enemies."

He laughed "Besides, I've gotten good with this thing."

[Adamat]

Marq grinned, grabbing a crossbow himself. "I'm relieved with that order, Ser," he said. "I'll tell the men to shoot any Trout that comes into range." With that, he walked off, yelling orders and obscenities at the men on the walls.

[Pontifex Maximus]

"Shoot to maim, men!" Gulliver shouted with a jovial laugh.

[Adamat]

Hours later, another raven came. The Tullies had attacked a Lannister host at the Twins...

[Pontifex Maximus]

Aethelryd ponders the news with growing doubt as to the true loyalties of House Tully. He wanted to believe they had joined the rebellion, but one piece of paper after another was not proof enough to open the gates for any host marching to the Vale under arms. With trouble brewing south if he betrayed the Gate now the doom of the entirety of the Vale would soon follow. He decided to wait until the Riverlords arrived with some proof.