[b]"Raise the gates!"[/b] The cries of the guards went up followed by a low sound of gears shifting as fifty raised lances came into view just above the horizon. Most of them bore flags of falcons upon a field of blue but others flew the banners of lesser houses of the Vale. As the view of them increased, the guards spotted fifty heavily armoured knights and even more lightly armoured men. Whoever it was, the Knights of the Vale had turned out in force. When they neared the gates, the lightly armoured riders fell off to the side, splitting away from the main body of shining steel - the streets of King's Landing were much too narrow for them to be of any affect so they split into two parties at the front and back of the main party. As the column of knights passed under the large gates, the guards raised a quick salute before converging and watching as the massive party made its way into King's Landing. They knew there were rumours of the Arryns being in danger but the detachment seemed like a tad overkill.

As the knights made their way through the streets, most stopped their daily activities to stare at the advancing column. Although the sight of who they were actually protecting was limited, some caught a few glimpses of splays of ginger hair partially hidden by a sky blue cloak. The lone rider in the centre stood out from the thick walls of steel and horse around her but her head was lowered, stopping the crowds from garnering a peek at the young heiress of the Vale.

Finally, they reached the gates of the Red Keep. The guards there didn't have to ask who they were - the show of sheer, unbreaking strength along with the falcon banners gave them all the information they needed. The gates were opened in no time but the column split in two down along the middle, revealing the lone rider in the centre who tapped her horse into a trot towards the gate. [i]"Good luck, my lady."[/i] One murmured to her - Ser Roy Hunter; a friend of her fathers who had trained her as a child. She extended a simple nod to him as she moved from her overly flashy guard and entered the Red Keep. The whole procession had been too flashy in her eyes but she had already been told that they needed to strike an image of unrivaled superiority to their enemies undoubtedly hidden in the snake pit that was King's Landing.

As her mare trotted forward, she stopped it as she took notice of a servant standing waiting for her. Unaided, she climbed down from the white horse; she had donned riding leathers for the entire trip. That was one thing that Alyssa insisted on - she would go to King's Landing but they would have to summon the might of the Seven themselves if they wished to put her anywhere near a dress. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"I am Alyssa Arryn, Warden of the East and Protector of Mountain and Vale. I bid you good day."[/color] Despite her rather stoic introduction, the girl didn't stand an inch above five foot three and when she pulled her hood down, she exposed a flurry of gentle, copper curls. If it wasn't for her clawed gauntlets and the sword at her side, she would look, daresay, innocent. In fact, her contrasting appearance drew the attention of most other servants awaiting their charges. Raising her sky blue eyes to meet their stares, all of them buckled under her unrelenting gaze, looking away with awkward coughs. [color=DeepSkyBlue]"Lead the way."[/color] She murmured softly, her voice sounding a tad too girlish for her own liking.

Alyssa was led up to some sort of common room. It was lavishly decorated and all manner of fruits from the Southern Kingdoms were placed in bowls all around the room. Some of her so-called companions were already there and their presence didn't seem to bother her outwardly but inwardly was another story. As she watched her servant disappear back down the stairs, she sighed gently. In the Eyrie, she had some power and she could actually order the other children to leave her alone but here, most were her equals and like it or not, she simply couldn't order them to clear off.

It was in that moment that Alyssa realised just why that fool of a king Daerys had amassed them all there. It was a test. They were all the future leaders of their respective kingdoms so gathering them together would expose their shortcomings and their relationships with the other future leaders. And of course, the ultimate reason was an easy equation for the calculating, small girl - they were young and not so secretive, they would expose their weaknesses. Daerys would win any future rebellions simply by gathering every last potential rebel and seeing what made them tick. It was a genius ploy, if Alyssa did have to admit it herself.

Casting her eyes around those already present, she picked out a few faces. Starks and Baratheons were already present. She didn't know the other girl but she didn't particularly care. [color=deepskyblue]"Wolves, stags and whoever the hell you are. Fun."[/color] She yawned, crossing her arms, kicking a foot back against a wall and leaning back into it.