It had been two weeks since her arrival, and Jasper found himself feeling hesitantly pleased and optimistic about Lady Lysa. She had taken over the managing of the Eyrie and he had heard good things from knights and servants throughout the castle. While she was notably shy, she was always polite and had yet to make comments on anyone's status of birth or the gods that they worshiped. As far as he could tell, the worst thing she had done was repeatedly get caught staring at the Martell sisters. He couldn't tell if it was attraction or curiosity or some combination of the two, but it had led to Obara making some lewd comments on more than one occasion, typically leaving Lysa a blushing mess while she tried to stutter out some form of denial. He imagined it was likely because of that, that she tended to keep her distance from both himself and his sister. Often choosing to isolate herself in either the library or the hotsprings when she wasn't busy with organizing things around the Eyrie. Yet despite her position and her success with managing the estate, she had made practically no attempts to influence anything that effected Vale as a whole. Her only request so far had been for a reasonable posting for her uncle, Ser Brynden Tully, who had faithfully followed her since she first set out from the Riverlands.

He knew she must be desperate to stay here, away from whatever hellish life she had in King's Landing. But this was going better than he had ever anticipated. Mya had even managed to have a rather frank discussion with Lysa regarding their relationship. Neither girl felt like Lysa could ever step into the role of her mother, nor did she want to. Instead, they would view each other as siblings and hopefully their feelings would come to match the sentiment. It was a view Jasper had held for some time now, and he had no issues supporting them with that. A fact he made sure they were both aware of when Mya told him about their talk. Ultimately, he decided he should start making arrangements to extend her stay past the pregnancy, and he began to heavily compulse Jon to feel it was safer for her here. News was already reaching Vale that Jon was becoming increasingly paranoid, and he had surrounded himself with food testers and guards. Jasper couldn't help but feel oddly detached and unbothered by the obvious side-effects his compulsions were having. On some level, it was this indifference that bothered him most of all.

o-O-o

Jasper could feel his arm begin to strain as his shield took several strikes that had been meant for his shoulder and chest. It was a heavy piece of equipment to begin with, but after holding it aloft for nearly twenty minutes and absorbing more hits than a beater's bat, he was struggling to raise it at all.

"You are relying too much on your shield, lad! You should be dodging more than blocking; your arms will tire less quickly, and you won't be as prone to exhaustion. Now stop acting like a damn turtle and be more aggressive, you have that sword for a reason boy!" Ser Lynderly yelled the instructions, pitching his voice to be heard over the near constant clang of metal on metal.

Jasper lunged forward, sweeping his sword in a low arc by his opponent's feet. It caught her on the greaves, bouncing slightly, and nicking her hand while it was shifting to block her legs. He heard her swear and was moving before she could adjust her guard. Pulling on the last dregs of his adrenaline, he rushed forward and bashed her with his shield. She fell like a sack of bricks and he flicked his sword to rest just below her chin.

"I yield! Damnit, and I almost bloody had you too!" Mya said with an angry growl.

"Exactly, you got cocky and let your guard slip. Now go see the maester to tend to your wounds and then practice your forms for an hour. Next time, I expect to see you beat your brother in a match. I know you have it in you lass." Ser Lynderly had said it in his usual gruff manner, but Jasper saw the fond look in his eyes.

He smiled and adopted a bit of whine to his tone. "You just like watching her beat me up!"

The knight let out a laugh and gave him a cheeky grin, "I'm merely doing my duty as your knight-commander, my Lord."

Jasper just rolled his eyes, "Of course."

There was a cough from the sidelines, and Jasper looked over to see Lady Lysa standing there, her head tilted in a silent question. He nodded and walked over to her. "How can I help you, my lady?"

"I was wondering if I could add a sept to the Eyrie. I know the Faith has a smaller presence here but-"

Jasper raised his hand, cutting off her explanation. "I'm sorry but I can't grant that request. Tensions have only just begun to settle down, and I don't want to risk raising them again. I know that may seem cruel, but things were on the verge of becoming violent here… How about a compromise? I can have the smith make a set of small statues depicting each of the faces and have them brought to your rooms. That way you may have a place to pray if you like, but I won't need to worry about any fights breaking out over it."

She bit her lip, thinking it over for a moment before nodding. "As you say my Lord, that is a fitting compromise."

He gave her a half smile, "I will have him start them immediately."

o-O-o

Jasper watched as Mya happily chatted away with Nymeria and Obara in the feasting hall. Those three had been up to all sorts of mischief over the past few months and he was glad his sister was finally coming out of her shell. While she had always been more sociable than he was, this was the first time she had friends that she felt like she could relate to. He wanted to do something nice for them, to show that he cared. The question was, what should he do?

He knew they missed their father more than they let on, Dorne too for that matter. Thoughts of paintings, books, bards, and clothes all danced across his mind, before finally he settled on something that was a little different. A Portkey. Strictly speaking, he knew using legilimency over something as simple as a gift was highly inappropriate, but for this it was simply unavoidable. With a deftness Dumbledore would be proud of, he skimmed Obara's mind until he came across what he was looking for. He double checked against a few other memories, doing his best to ignore whatever was said and simply focusing on the faces and emotions. It was a small curtesy, but the only one he could give under the circumstances. Once he was satisfied, he pulled out completely and set about transfiguring some random objects into jewelry. It wasn't exactly hidden, but a few notice-me-not charms prevented anyone from looking in his direction.

It took a little time, but eventually he had turned some cutlery into a beautiful pair of necklaces. Each was a silver falcon clutching a gilded spear, a sun made out of rubies was resting just below the spear's tip. He added a few runes for permanence and protection before finally turning them both into portkeys. All the magic use made him winded, but his vision was still solid, so he knew he wasn't on the verge of exhaustion yet.

He stood and walked over to the trio, taking his time so his breathing didn't sound labored. "Ladies, I was hoping to speak with you all in my study."

Obara quirked an eyebrow, "Finally taking me up on my offer Jasper?"

He chuckled, "I'm afraid not. I was hoping to discuss some things with you all in private is all."

Soon they all found themselves in his study and he was busy racking his brain on how to actually go about this. He cleared his throat and hoped this didn't come off as stupid. "Lady Nymeria, Lady Obara, throughout your stay here you have been kind to me and my sister. I know politics will find their way into our lives no matter how hard I try to avoid it, but you two have proven to be our friends, and that means something to me." He slipped the two necklaces from his pocket and handed them over, enjoying the widening of everyone's eyes. "I know that both of you miss your family, so I had these made with you two in mind. They've been enchanted to transport the wearer to either Sunspear or the Eyrie. More specifically, I chose my office and your Uncle's, in hopes to keep others from noticing your travels. As you can understand, this comes with a certain level of trust. All I ask is that you allow Mya and me to go with you for your first time."

o-O-o

Jasper soon found himself standing inside a very warm room, the smell of ocean filled the air and he could make out a sizable harbor from one of the windows. He glanced around at the maps and banners covering the walls and the sizable desk taking up much of the room, barely remembering to catch Obara before she fell to the floor. Not unexpectedly, Nymeria and Mya both ended up in heaps and he chuckled at the pair. "I told you, bend your knees. Now just close your eyes for a moment and the spinning will stop soon."

Before he could say anything else, he heard the unmistakable sound of steel being drawn and he realized they were surrounded by guards. He coughed and raised his hands, "Eh lads, we come in peace. Let's all just breathe and not go poking anyone yet, please."

"That remains to be seen, seeing as you've just appeared out of thin air." Came a gruff voice from behind him. He turned and saw a man sitting in a wheelchair, he had streaks of grey in his hair and his eyes were as hard as ice.

"Uncle!" Nymeria's happy voice filled the room and the man's features softened only slightly.

"Niece," he said calmly. "How did you get here and how do I know you're really my niece?"

"We got here using these fancy magic necklaces that Lord Jasper got for us, so we could see you and father! When I was little, I ran through this office starkers, saying I wouldn't wear clothes until I was allowed to ride on a dragon. Now that I think about it, I don't seem to recall ever getting that dragon!"

He waved his hand and the guards sheathed their weapons, "Magical necklaces? I have never heard of magical items that were capable of transporting someone from one location to another."

Jasper coughed again and straightened. "I'm acquainted with some mages that operate out of Essos. Not that cult of red god worshippers either, I mean real mages. The term for this type of magic is called a portkey, and it can be applied to any kind of object, although it's typically something you wear. The way it was described to me is if you picture the world as a flat piece of parchment, the magic simply squeezes two parts of the sheet together and pokes a hole. In this instance, the necklaces they wear will transport them from anywhere in the world to either this office or my study, depending on where they want to go. They can take others with them as well, but they mustn't let go of their passenger, lest they end up somewhere between Dorne and Vale."

Doran grunted, "In the future, please give me some kind of warning before dropping in like that."

"We could set up a schedule, every seventh day or something. I just wanted them to have a chance to see their family and I knew I had the tools to do it."

"Indeed, unfortunately it reveals a glaring hole in our defenses. Anyone with enough coin can simply pop in and stab me. While I am always grateful to spend time with my nieces, I hope that you won't pop in unannounced."

"I swear on my honor as an Arryn, that I will always give you fair warning before appearing in the future. The people who can cast this kind of magic are isolationist by nature, and they're unlikely to make more for anyone else. I met them purely by chance and helped them in a time of need, this was simply them trying to dispel that debt." In a roundabout way, that isn't even much of a lie.

Doran eyed him for a moment, weighing his words before giving a small nod. "You have done many things to prove your honor to House Martell, particularly when others would not. I will trust your word. However, my guards will still be more cautious inside the castle."

"I never suspected you wouldn't, as you said, it's a security risk. Just remember that you could easily use those portkeys to send guards directly into my office and kill me. You have nothing to fear from me, just as I believe I have nothing to fear from you. I would never abuse the trust you have placed in Vale and myself."

"I know, or else I wouldn't have put my nieces in your care. Family is everything in Dorne, never forget that." He wheeled around Jasper and went to his desk, opening a drawer on the bottom. He pulled out a beautifully crafted helm with real feathers sticking out the crest and fanning along the back. "My brother wanted you to have this, for what you did for Elia. I was going to send it with a courier sometime over the next few days… What you did for her is something Dorne will never forget, the guards are for others, not you." He handed the helmet over and Jasper instantly felt a connection with his magic, like it was washing over him in waves.

"What's it made out of?"

"The metal is steel, but the feathers are griffin, some of the last left in Westeros. It is said the griffins used to roam Vale during the time of the First Men. It's why my brother thought it a fitting gift."

Jasper felt like his entire world was flipping on its axis. "This is something I've desired for a long time. I could not ask for a better gift, I am truly honored." What he didn't realize was that his hair had started whipping around as if trapped in wind and his eyes were practically glowing. All his thoughts were centered around this one thing. I can finally make a wand.

He barely noticed himself asking if he could borrow one of the necklaces to return to the Eyrie with Mya. People would start to wonder where they were if he didn't make an appearance. The girls happily obliged him and after securing a chance for Mya to return with them at another time, the two were off.

Doran was talking practically the moment they disappeared. "Tell me everything!"

o-O-o

"The cost would be astronomical, and I don't think Vale could afford such a venture my Lord. We're only just beginning to recoup the cost of the schools and hospitals you've instituted, nevermind what we've spent on reconstruction. I must urge you to wait before carrying out another project."

Jasper couldn't help but clench his jaw while he listened to Maester Colemon. He knew the man was simply doing his duty and advising him, but he didn't have the full picture here. Magic was a wondrous thing after all, and he could reduce the work to a fraction of what it would normally be. "I have personally gone over our ledgers; I know we can afford this, and I will not be swayed on this matter. I have already secured contracts with Lords Tully and Mallister, and if we succeed here, we can control one of the only waterways on this continent that connects the East and the West. Trade will rise dramatically, as will the number of visitors that will stop in our ports."

"My Lord, Jasper… This could easily turn into the most expensive undertaking Vale has attempted in nearly a century. I beg you, please rethink this."

This is still the man that practically raised you, he is merely concerned, he mentally chided himself. Jasper felt whatever annoyance he had fade away and his face softened slightly. He grabbed the maester's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry my friend, that was careless of me. Please do not think I was ignoring your concerns; I should have told you the truth about what I was planning, you have done nothing to earn my deception. I know you're leery of magic, but my contacts have proven reliable in the past. I've arranged for mages from Essos to do much of the work on the canal. It's cheaper than conventional means and can be done quicker."

The elderly maester let out a sigh but nodded his understanding. "How would this work? What's the cost and time-scale? I need more details if I'm to be of any use to you."

Jasper did some quick mental calculations and tried to word this in a way that didn't give away more than he intended. "As you know, the closest channel the Blue Fork has is still 12 miles from Seagard and Ironman's Bay. The mages can put up walls of magic that prevent people from seeing anything behind them, illusions basically. They can extend the channel to within a half-mile of Seagard before these walls will start to fail and people begin noticing the changes. I intend to have them stop just before this point and have local workers finish the canal from there. No one will see the mages or really know what happened, so I'm hoping they'll chock it up to religious intervention. Especially with what's been happening all over Vale these past few years. I'm told the mages can carve out roughly a mile per week, two weeks if they encounter any issues. The mages are only charging ten thousand dragons, so I'm estimating it'll be around thirty thousand for the whole project."

The old man seemed to be choking on air, his mouth opening and closing while he made some noise in the back of his throat. "There is no way it's that low, this has to be a scam of some kind, my Lord. Anyone that could clear that much land in that short of time would be charging you something a lot closer to a million dragons, not ten thousand."

"They owed me a favor for something I arranged during the war, they won't go back on their word or try to cheat me, magic ensures this. That being said, even if things go poorly, it's a small enough investment that we could weather that loss. If things are successful, Lord Tully has agreed to post a tax on the canal in exchange for its construction. Vale would receive half of anything they manage to make in revenue for the next seventy-five years. They will also cede control of all the land along the Northern coast of the Bay of Crabs, extending our borders to the mouth of the Trident."

A knock on the door made them both turn, and Jasper was only mildly surprised to see his sister standing there, much less the glare she was spearing him with. He excused himself from the maester and went to speak with his sister.

"You pull me away from Dorne just so you can disappear for a few hours to talk with the maester?! I should tan your bloody hide Jasper." She spoke in a fierce whisper and she was practically vibrating with rage.

He pulled her into a hug and whispered in her. "I did have to see Ser Lynderly or he would have sent out search parties. I hadn't intended on bringing this up with the maester today but something sped up my plans… I made a wand."

Her glare lessened only slightly, and she pinched him hard. "I know you've been wanting a wand for months, but you still could've left me there! And let me see the bloody thing, you berk!"

He slid the wand out from his sleeve and let her see it. Falcons were engraved just above the handle and if you tilted it, you could make out a moon sitting behind them. "I would never have left you there by yourself, Mi."

He smiled when he heard her mumble something about "stupid overprotective brothers."

i {o,o}
i /) ')
i -"-"-

AN: I think Lysa would be fairly supportive of bastards because of how much Petyr was held back for being only the heir to a knightly house rather than Lordly one. She is in a very different position from her sister, who was terrified Jon would be legitimized and become Eddard's heir. Catelyn was also ashamed of her husband's infidelity and how it dishonored her and the rest of her family. With none of those being things Lysa has to worry about, I think she would be a lot more relaxed in her new role.

As a side-note, I'd like to point out that Lysa was not always crazy and this is her before she ever got to that point. In cannon, you only see Lysa after she suffered six miscarriages and two stillbirths before she eventually gave birth to a sickly Robert. As of this moment, she has suffered only one miscarriage, and that was forced on her by her father when she was pregnant with Petyr's child. This is ultimately the entire reason she was married to Jon, as she was sullied and had lost much of her political value, but Petyr was still too far below her station to marry. It should also be noted that Petyr wasn't even the customs official in Gulltown until after Lysa convinced Jon to give him the position, roughly six years after Robert's Rebellion. At most, he is the head of a Knightly House with almost no land and little to no money.

It was asked why I would put the canal in the Riverlands and not the North and the answer is rather simple- Distance and money. There are two possible locations for a canal that would connect Eastern and Western Westeros. You can extend the Blue Fork by roughly 12 miles into Seagard, one of the wealthiest and heavily fortified positions in all of the Riverlands. Or you could extend the Fever River some 40-50 miles into the Bite (Around four times the distance). As Moat Cailin is in literal ruins, you would have to rebuild the castle as well, assuming you wanted any sort of defensible position on what would become a major waterway. It should also be noted that the Fever River is fairly isolated, whereas the Blue Fork is in the exact center of Westeros.