Catelyn travels to the Eyrie

Catelyn Stark had not intended to travel to the Eyrie. After capturing Tyrion Lannister at the Crossroads Inn, she announced to the room that she was taking him back to Winterfell to await the king's justice. Yet she had no intention of doing so. As soon as they were safely away from the inn, she ordered the party onto the eastern high road, a far more perilous route than the kingsroad. "Often and loudly" she had spoken of Winterfell, she later admitted to Tyrion, so that any pursuit would ride north while she slipped east into the mountains. The deception worked, but it committed her to a journey through the Mountains of the Moon, a lawless region where shadowcats prowled and the mountain clans were brigands who bowed to no law but the sword.

The Journey and the Ambush

The party, which included Ser Rodrik Cassel, a handful of men-at-arms from houses sworn to Riverrun, and the sellswords Bronn and Chiggen, drove their horses relentlessly. The pace was brutal; they lost horses and men grew exhausted. Tyrion, whose hands were bound and who was hooded for the first part of the journey, noted bitterly that Catelyn Stark had outwitted him at every turn. The true danger came when they stopped to rest. Lharys, a scout, reported that twenty to twenty-five clansmen—Milk Snakes or Moon Brothers—were approaching. Catelyn, realizing she needed every sword, reluctantly ordered Tyrion and his men armed. Tyrion, given a double-bladed axe, fought alongside his captors. The battle was fierce and chaotic. Tyrion killed a charging horseman with his axe and later, seeing Catelyn trapped against a rock face with three men around her, he moved to her aid. He caught one man in the back of the knee with his axe, and as the second came for him, Catelyn stepped up behind him and opened his throat. The attack was beaten off, but at a cost: three of their party were dead, including Tyrion's man Jyck. The clansmen left nine bodies on the ground.

The Arrival at the Bloody Gate

After the battle, the survivors pressed on, ragged and wounded. Ser Rodrik Cassel was badly hurt, and Catelyn feared he would not survive. They were near despair when they heard the sound of approaching riders. Catelyn drew up for a last desperate fight, only to see the moon-and-falcon banner of House Arryn. Ser Donnel Waynwood, the knight who led them, told Catelyn that the clans had grown bolder since Lord Jon Arryn's death. He also revealed that her sister Lysa had forbidden her knights to fight in the Hand's tourney, wanting all swords kept close to home to defend the Vale against shadows. At the Bloody Gate, the formidable fortress that guarded the entrance to the Vale, Catelyn was met by her uncle, Ser Brynden Tully, the Knight of the Gate. He had not been expecting her, and his face was grave as he listened to her tale of Bran's fall, the assassin's dagger, and the capture of Tyrion Lannister.

The Ascent to the Eyrie

Catelyn and her prisoner were taken to the Gates of the Moon, the castle at the foot of the Giant's Lance. There, Lord Nestor Royce informed her that Lysa had sent word: she wished to see Catelyn at once, that very night. Despite the danger of a night ascent, Catelyn agreed, and was guided up the mountain by Mya Stone, a bastard girl who worked for Lord Nestor. The climb was terrifying, especially the crossing of a high saddle where the wind shrieked and the path was narrow. Catelyn froze, unable to move, but Mya talked her across, step by step. At the waycastle of Sky, Catelyn refused to climb further and demanded a basket. She rode up with the turnips, as she put it, and reached the Eyrie at dawn. There, she was met by Ser Vardis Egen and Maester Colemon, who led her to her sister.

The Confrontation with Lysa

Catelyn found Lysa waiting in her solar, clad in bed robes. The embrace was warm, but the moment the door closed, Lysa's face changed. She was furious that Catelyn had brought Tyrion Lannister to the Eyrie without permission, dragging her into a quarrel with the Lannisters. "Have you taken leave of your senses?" Lysa snapped. Catelyn reminded her that it was Lysa who had sent the letter warning that the Lannisters had murdered her husband. Lysa insisted she had only meant to warn Catelyn to stay away from them, not to fight them. The conversation was interrupted by Lysa's son, Robert Arryn, a sickly, trembling boy of six who still suckled at his mother's breast. When Catelyn spoke of war, Lysa silenced her, saying she was scaring the boy. Lysa declared the Eyrie impregnable and said she would not risk her son. When Catelyn asked what she meant to do with the Imp, Robert eagerly suggested, "Make him fly." Lysa stroked his hair and murmured, "Perhaps we will. Perhaps that is just what we will do."