The Future of Londons Museums

The Future of Londons Museums The following research paper investigates the present condition of London’s museums, focusing upon three aspects: their historical development, their present issues and debates, and their strategies for ensuring future survival and prosperity. To ascertain these facts five senior management figures from five leading London museums were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires discussing the themes mentioned above. The research focuses at much length upon the decision of the present Labour government to introduce free admission to London’s museums and to finance this policy with funds from the National Lottery. Another key aspect of the research was to determine the level of competition posed to London’s museums by European, American and other international museums; further, to discover how London’s museums might raise their performance to match this competition. In addition, another type of competition faced by London’s museums is that of domestic attractions perceived by tourists and the public to be more sensational and exciting than ‘old-fashioned’ museums. Famous examples include the London Eye, Madam Taussards, and the Tower of London amongst others; these attractions fit well with the zeitgeist of modern British youth and it is a major problem for London’s museums as to how they will re-assert their prominence. A third central aspect of the research, viewed both from the sides of museum management and from the government, is the question of the strategies that London’s museums will pursue in the twenty-first century. The survival and success of London’s museums will very much depend upon the decisions made regarding such strategy and its efficacy once put into place. The present research assesses the likely efficacy of such strategies, and the consequences that their implementation will have upon the public’s ‘museum experience’. The results of the research paint double-sided picture: on the side, of optimism regarding the increased admissions figures witnessed since free admissions began, and, on the other side, a gloomy scene dominated by the London museums’ lack of financial support and by the negative consequences of the government insistence of putting attendance figures before a qualitative artistic and cultural experience. Section 1: Introduction Since the foundation of the British Museum almost two hundred and fifty years ago, London has had an international reputation as the museum capital of the world, as the city with the finest collections, the best specialists and the most to offer the fascination of the public. In addition to the British Museum, London can boast the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the London Transport Museum, the Victoria Albert Museum and the Theatre Museum amongst numerous other world-class museum-experiences. In their early decades London’s museums flourished through the generosity of private donations and gifts, and through royal and government funding; these ample resources gave museums such as the British Museum unrivalled funds for the construction of magnificent architecture and the gathering of the most splendid specimens and pieces from across the globe. But by the early 1990’s, and reflecting Britain’s changed economic circumstances, London’s museums found themselves in need of considerable new funds to pay for refurbishments and developments so as to keep pace with other museums in the capital cities of Europe and in America. The advent of the National Lottery in 1994, and the terms of its constitution whereby a majority of its funds would go to museums and galleries, apparently offered the very chance to bring about a revival in the fortunes and prosperity of London’s museums. Thus between 1994-2003 more than  £13 billion was given to good causes by the National Lottery and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.3);  £1 billion was given to six hundred museums across the country (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.3). These funds were intended for the construction of new buildings and exhibition halls, and to compensate museums and galleries for the loss of revenue that they would incur once free admission was introduced. A few smaller museums were also enabled to open in London because of grants from the HLF. The next radical step in the recent history of London’s museums came when the Labour Party in their 1997 manifesto, promised that when elected they would introduce free admission into London’s museums a move that it was anticipated would greatly increase attendance from members of the general public. In the event, this prediction turned out to be just right, particularly in the two years immediately succeeding the introduction of free admission. The government minister then in charge of museums in 2001, Estelle Morris, spoke of 2000 as ‘an unprecedented season of openings and flourishing’ (DOC, 2000) for London museums. The year 2000 witnessed nine major construction or refurbishment projects in London’s great museums and a total of  £379 million spent on this ( £193 million of which came from lottery sources) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.4). The most spectacular of these projects was the construction by Norman Foster of the Great Court at the British Museum costing  £110 million (of which  £47 million was derived from lottery sources) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.5). All in all, it seemed that the lottery was proving a vital fertilizing force in the rejuvenation and restoration of London’s great museums. This optimism was very clearly reflected in the visitor figures following free admission. In 2001/2002 London museums that had previously received capital funding from lottery sources noticed a staggering rise in visitor numbers of 5.3 million when compared with the 1999/2000 season; in 2002/2003 this figure jumped again to 6.3 million extra visits compared with 1999/2000 (this representing an increase of 89%). In stark contrast London museums that did not receive lottery funding say they annual attendance figure drop by 7% in 2001/02 and 13% in 2002/03 when compared to the 1999/00 season. To take an individual instance, the Victoria Albert Museum witnessed an increase in attendance from 75,773 in November 2000 to 132,882 in November 2001 (this figure even jumped 270% by March 2002). Likewise, attendance figures at the Science Museum rose by 120% and the National History Museum by 74% in the same period (All figures: Selwood Davies, 2005: pp. 6-10). Nonetheless, this stream of incessantly impressive and rising admissions figures masked a major concern unsettling many of the managers and director’s of London’s leading museums. These figures of course welcomed lottery funding as a vital means of rejuvenating London’s museums and making them competitive with museums found in New York, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere. Nonetheless, the advent of free admission introduced at the same time a far greater degree of vulnerability and uncertainty in the financial arrangements and security of London’s museums. It was obvious to museum strategists and directors that a great deal of lottery money would be needed to compensate for the loss of revenue endured once free admission was introduced. Crucially, it would be paramount that lottery contributions of the levels of 2001 would be sustained for the long-term; nothing would be worse that one spectacular year for two of prosperity and massive investment followed by ten or twenty years of under investment and decline. It is recent charge imputed by many museum directors against the government and the HLF directors that they were naà ¯ve in profoundly underestimating the levels of investment that would e required to sustain not only the rejuvenation of London’s museums but merely also their survival. The British Museum alone, for instance, according to its director Neil MacGregor stands to lose  £80 million over ten years from lost revenues and reclaimed VAT. Increased attendance figures are welcomed naturally by all museum directors on the absolute condition that sufficient funds are made available to pay the costs of this increased attendance. Selwood and Davies calculated that since the advent of free admission and 7.3 million extra visitors each of these visitors cost London’s museums on average  £3.56 per visitor  £3.56 extra that has to be found by the museums from non-lottery funding (Selwood Davies, 2003: p.8). Thus free admission has had a bitter sting in its tale, and it may be said that presently a great many of London’s famous museums find themselves in financial difficulties, unable to pay for restorations and improvements; unable to compete with American and European museums for the finest pieces and exhibitions, unable to attract the brightest researchers and curators and ultimately in danger of losing the great reputations that some have nurtured for as long as two centuries. It is clear to all, museum directors and government officials alike, that the present funding arrangements of London’s museums are precarious and that a serious strategy needs to be devised to offer such museums long-term financial security and thus a platform to compete with the other leading museums of the world. This present dissertation conducted interviews, by way of questionnaires with five senior figures from five of London’s leading museums the British Museum, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, the London Transport Museum and the V A museum to ascertain their thoughts and attitudes regarding the present state and the likely future state of London’s museums. These senior figures were questioned on their beliefs regarding the lottery funding of museums, on the advent of free admission, on the extent of government funding, on international competition, and on future strategy. The picture that emerges from these interviews is one of profound uncertainty over the future survival and prosperity of London’s museums; buffeted on the one side by the loss of revenue from free admission, and on other sides by the short-fall in promised lottery investment and the present government’s obsession with the quantitative aspect of museum attendance at the expense of the quality of the visitor’s experience. Section 2: Literature Review It perhaps appropriate to preface this literature review with a few remarks about its undertaking. Often when undertaking research that refers to relatively recent events, the researcher finds that the academic world has not yet had time to catch-up in print and publish scholarly books and articles covering these events. With the present research however the proposition was entirely opposite; even though the subjects of lottery funding, free admission and so on are relatively recent, there is nonetheless an abundance of literature dealing with the specific question of the future of London’s museums. The task of the researcher was thus to sift this material so as to isolate its most pertinent and relevant parts. Another unusual aspect of this present literature review is its wide use of government documents and announcements. An overriding theme throughout the present paper is the intimacy of the relationship between the government and museum managers and directors. Naturally, the government perspective upon events is not published through academic books and journals, but by speeches, white-papers, press releases and so on. This research of course made much use of the outstanding museum journals, pre-eminently Curator: The Museum Journal. Of the several articles from this journal used in this dissertation, one was of seminal importance in providing statistical and analytical evidence of the impact of lottery funding and free admission upon London’s museums, this being: S. Selwood and M. Davies (2005) ‘Capital Costs: Lottery Funding in Britain and Consequences for Museums. The article excellently articulates the dilemma that has crept upon London’s museums now that the inadequacy of lottery funding to meet extra visitors numbers has become apparent. There are hints in the above article to possible solutions to the funding crisis facing London’s museums, and these solutions are discussed in greater depth in R. Baron’s ‘Reinventing a State Program for Museum Funding’ (2003). Question marks as to the thoroughness and efficacy in practice of the government’s free admissions policy is raised in several places: Freudenheim’s ‘That Politics Problem’ (2005), Babbidge’s ‘UK Museums; Safe and Sound? (2000) and Sharp’s ‘Controversy and Challenge: British Funding Increases Nationally, But Not to National Museums’ all echo the apprehensiveness and fear felt by many museum directors and staff towards the financial liabilities that would arise in the wake of free admissions (2006). Freudenheim, in particular, highlights a certain naivety in government’s attitude towards the workings of national museums; citing in particular the government’s inveterate insistence upon the increasing of admissions figures no matter what the effects of this upon either museum costs or the aesthetic museum-experience of visitors. The government’s position, and its obvious delight and sense of fulfilment at increased attendance figures since free admission, is given in a number of documents. Principally, the paper London Cultural Capital – Realising the Potential of a World Class City published by the London’s Museums Agency (2004) establishes the governments intentions and strategy towards the future of London’s museums. The paper gives fifteen government policies, under the headers value, access, creativity, and excellence by which the government’s museum strategies will be delivered in future. The government, in association with the National Lottery, has written in several places of its satisfaction at the results of the introduction of the policy of free admissions. In particular, the paper One Year On Visitor Numbers Soaring At National Museums Following Abolition Of Entry Charges published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1 January 2003 gives a sense of the euphoria and achievement perceived by the government. Also, the paper Two Years On Free Admission to National Museums Draws Even Bigger Crowds again published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 9 March 2003 gives much the same impression. In each of these documents the government stresses its loyalty and commitment to the principle of free admission and to the extension of this principle as far as possible. At the same time, there is little reference in these documents to the nervousness and trepidation felt by museum directors and managers about the future prosperity of the institutions they preside over. It is in this absence of self-criticism, that the reader perceives the origins of the discrepancy between that government’s perception of the financial condition of London’s museums and the reality of their condition. The possible consequences of such as disparity increasing, and of a competition gap widening between London’s museums and those in America and Europe, are well delineated in Cain’s article ‘Museums and the Future of Collecting’ (2005). In short, the extant literature paints the present picture of London’s museums as a time of grave uncertainty with respect to their financial predicament and thus their world-class legacies and reputations. These sources also acknowledge the considerable benefits already brought by lottery funding and free admission, and point also to the great future potential of these schemes; they instil in the reader at the same time a warning that idealism must be checked by pragmatic considerations before London’s museums can attain the future they deserve. Section 3: Methodology The principal method of primary data collection for this research was the interviewing, by way of questionnaires, of several senior figures at five of London’s leading museums. The decision to interview senior management and directing figures, rather than members of the public, had the obvious advantage that the answers obtained would be the specialist opinions of people with an intimate knowledge of the subject matter of the research. Members of the general public, especially those living in London, often show much interest and curiosity towards the subject of the prosperity and fate of London’s museums, but at the same time are not professionals with direct experience of the key debates and consultations. To arrange these five meetings, the researcher wrote fifteen letters to major London museums. Of these fifteen requests for an interview, seven positive responses were returned to the interviewer, of which five eventually furnished the opportunity of an interview. In requesting these interviews letters were sent to the director of each museum, irregardless of the sex, race, or religion of the person. Of the five eventual interviewees, three were men and two women; their ages ranged between forty-one and sixty-three. At the behest of interviewees, all of whom preferred to speak off the record due to the sensitivity of many of the issues of discussion, neither their names nor their titles are given in the final publication of this research. Thus, in the transcripts presented in the appendix of this research, each of the five interviewees are referred to as ‘a senior figure’ and ascribed a coded number following the simple scheme 001-002-003-004-005. This sensitivity, arising from the various present tensions over funding between London museums, the HLF and the government, clearly raises certain ethical questions about the present research. Above all, is it permissible to expose senior figures to possible embarrassment or worse, for the sake of the findings of this research. In answer to this question, the present researcher would say two things: firstly, that explicit consent for every interview was obtained by the researcher before the commencement of each interview, thus all interviewees participated at their own volition; secondly, following Utilitarian principles of seeking ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’, the researcher decided that the possible positive benefits and improved public understanding of the topic that might arise from this research could justify the slight ethical risks associated with the carrying-out of this research. It is a belief of the researcher that by informing the academic community and the public of the chief issues and controversies now affecting London’s museums, that the debate generated from this knowledge will lead to greater consideration on all sides being shown towards the preservation and improvement of London’s world-famous reputation as a museum centre. A number of criticisms may be levelled at the methodology discussed in this section. Firstly, it might be asked, with some justification, whether or not the interviewing of only five museum figures can produce results characteristic of attitudes and opinions of London’s museums as a whole. Naturally, critics might ask how the researcher can infer from the collection of five opinions general trends governing the many hundreds and thousands of senior figures working for the management of London’s museums. Likewise, why does the report interview exclusively figures from museum management and not from the government or from the National Lottery? In response to the first question the reply must be that with limited resources and limited time, it seemed most prudent to the researcher to restrict the field of investigation to a narrow focus, where the results obtained could be subjected to a significant scrutiny and analysis something which resource constraints would have rendered impossible had the field been extended much wider. Moreover, whilst only five persons were interviewed, these figures preside over London’s five largest museums which between them see greater attendance figures and government investment than all of London’s other museums combined. Thus the opinions of the figures interviewed actually are far more representative of London as a whole than would first appear likely. In response to the second question, a similar answer might be given: only museum directors were interviewed because they are the persons with the most intimate knowledge of the matters under discussion. If the present researcher were in future to extend the present research, then the opinions of others outside of museum management would certainly have to be included. As it was, the present report incorporates sufficient expert opinion, to make its findings relevant to the better academic and public understanding of the issues affecting the future of London’s museums. Section 4: Results Analysis The aim of the present research was to investigate the likely future of London’s museums; this research was undertaken by way of interviews with five senior figures from five leading London museums. From the information gained from the literature review undertaken by the researcher it seemed most appropriate to question these museum directors on five main subjects: lottery funding, the advent of free admission, international competition, future strategy and the employment of new researchers and curators. The expectation of the researcher was that the general opinion of these senior figures would have initially been one of welcome to the proposed lottery funding, but that this initial welcome would have turned to mild scepticism in the wake of free admission and the provocation of severe uncertainty following the extra costs incurred by increased visitor numbers and lesser-than-expected lottery investment. What opinions then did these results produce in actuality? (1) Lottery Funding. The five interviewed senior figures unanimously (5 of 5) welcomed the original government proposals to aid London’s and Britain’s museums through funds made available by the national lottery. Museums such as the British Museum, with its newly built Great Court, was given considerable lottery funding amounting to  £47 million (Selwood Davies, 2003: p.3). Museum directors were quick to concede that such developments would have been impossible without these lottery funds or an extremely large, but unlikely, private donation. In short, museum directors were united in their praise for proposed lottery investment. (2) Free Admission. The chief feature of the respondents’ answers to questions posed about free admission were twofold: on the one hand, respondents welcomed the opportunity to open their doors to ever greater numbers of people, thus disseminating cultural and scientific experience as far as possible; on the other hand, words such as ‘apprehension’ and ‘scepticism’ were used liberally by nearly all of those interviewed. What most strongly prompted this apprehension was the ‘twining’ of free admission introduction with the compensation for lost revenue by lottery funding. Directors confided that when allowed to charge admission fees their museums did at least have a degree of self-sufficiency and so could determine their own future strategies and successes. But lottery funding conditioned by the introduction of free admission policies has subjected London’s museums to a profound financial vulnerability and loss of independence. These museums, now depend upon the HLF for often as much a half of their income; if controversies or difficulties arise with the lottery directors or with the ministers directing them, then the museums are forced to abide by outside instruction and policy. Moreover, the great fear that lottery investment would not be sustained appears to have come true for all of the five museums whose for whom senior figures were interviewed for this research. So too, insufficient lottery funding has been made available to compensate for the extra costs incurred by the vastly increased visitor numbers experienced after the introduction of free admission. Interviewees hinted at a certain naivety and lack of preparation on the part of ministers and lottery managers with respect to the projected visitor increases following free admission and the costs that would be incurred by this. (3) International Competition. On the question of international competition there was further unanimity of opinion amongst the senior figures interviewed. Each respondent vigorously asserted that the collections of the museums he or she presided over as a manager were the equal of any equivalent museum anywhere in the world. Managers from the British Museum and the Natural History Museum, not to mention others, could rightly boast that their reputations were pre-eminent amongst international museums. At the same time, three of the figures interviewed (the exceptions presided over specialist museums with little international competition) confided that many American and European museums simply had far better funding and so purchasing-power than their own London museums. For the immediate future, this gap will mean that these international museums will continue to purchase new pieces of exceptional public interest whilst London’s museums will have to remain content with their exi sting impressive but static collections. In the medium- and long-term future, if this purchasing disparity continues then a qualitative difference will emerge ever more clearly between the museums of London and those of America and Europe. (4) Recruitment. When embarking upon the present research the researcher did not anticipate that ‘the difficulty of recruiting new researchers and curators’ would be a major concern to London’s museums regarding their futures. Nonetheless, as the searching through the literature review proceeded and as the topic came into better perspective this problem seemed to be a central concern for several of the major London museums. Specialist museums like the V A and the Theatre Museum do not, according to results, face such problems; but senior figures from the Natural History Museum, the British Museum and the Science museum may all face crises over recruitment in the near future. According to these figures the recruitment of new staff has been a subject neglected by the government in their ceaseless quest for higher admission figures and in ‘measuring the value’ of a museum-goers’ experience. The science museum can no longer attract top scientists and researchers because they are paid so little:  £20,000 as a starting salary, peaking at  £50,000 ( ). Commercial companies and American museums offer far better salaries and improved facilities. If this ‘brain-drain’ continues for much longer, then it may prove to be the greatest of all dangers to the future prosperity of London’s museums. These institutions are sustained not only by their pieces and specimens, but by the care and expertise of their curators and other staff; it is this expertise and the respect that arises from it that gives these institutions their world-class reputations. If this expertise evaporates, then no amount of increased admission or funding or improved strategy will protect the legacies and future prosperity of London’s museums. But towards the re-capture and enticement of these experts the government and the lottery fund seem somewhat blinded; given the extent to which London’s museums now rely upon government funding, it is precisely with the government that the responsibility lies for providing sufficient funding for home-grown and international experts to crave as they used to the opportunity to work in the prestigious museums of London. (5) Future Strategy. The senior figures interviewed for this research are nearly as one when they declare that future strategy has to be built around the attainment of financial stability; this is to be sought through an improved, more efficient and more effective relationship with the government and the HLF. A better balance has to be struck between the government’s ardent desire for ever increased admissions and the practical and pragmatic methods by which these extra admissions, dragging with them their extra costs, will be paid for. If a resolution and balancing is not achieved here then the obvious and inevitable path down which London’s museums must slide is that of ever greater debt and so lesser purchasing-power for new pieces and so a general decline in the standing and reputation of London’s museums. The reality of this predicament is brought home, even as this dissertation is written-up, by the announcement today of the London Theatre Museum (BBC, 2006) that they face imminent closure unless a major cash injection from the lottery fund is received. The alternative strategies are these: firstly, an abrupt about-face by the museums whereby they begin to charge for admission. This path is unattractive as there are numerous legislative, ethical and civil obstacles to this policy’s reinstatement. Another alternative is increased public funding from a source other than the lottery; this however looks most unlikely in the short-term. Thus, setting aside the remote chance that a massive private donation will save them, museums must, in their strategising come to agreement with the government about how extra funding from the lottery may be obtained. In short, the results obtained from this present research point to two things: firstly, that senior figures from the five museums interviewed welcomed in general lottery funding as a means to achieve rejuvenation and restoration; secondly, that this optimism changed to apprehension and tentativeness once it became clear the extent to which lottery funding would be dependant upon free admissions policies. Thirdly, it is obvious from all the interviews, that London’s museums are at a cross-roads and a defining moment in their illustrious history. To the left, is the danger of an ever greater financial disparity caused by increasing visitor figures and inadequate lottery funding; to the right is offered a sound financial structure that will ensure the continuation and prosperity of London’s museums’ world-class reputation. Section 5: Conclusion In the final analysis, it seems most appropriate to say that London’s museums are now at a seminal moment in their historical development a moment of both opportunity and precariousness. The opportunities promised by massive lottery funding at first seemed likely to engender a great rejuvenation of London’s museums; indeed, this new source of funding promised to keep London’s museums competitive with the other great museums of the world for the foreseeable future. The advent of free admission was met with both tentativeness and warmth by the senior figures interviewed by this researcher; apprehension because free admission, and thus loss of revenue from admission charges, meant a far greater degree of dependence upon the government and the LHF and thus greater financial uncertainty. If the new relationship between lottery funding and free admission worked in practice as some had suggested in theory that it would, then London’s museums would have a bright and perhaps glorious future. If, on the other hand, the organization and administration of lottery funding was inadequate or improperly practised then a disparity would open between increasing admissions numbers and the ability of museums to pay the extra costs of these visitors. In the event, both expectations and fears were realised by the introduction of free admission in London’s museums. As the figures cited throughout this dissertation attest, visitor figures rose spectacularly in the wake of free admission. Greater numbers of the British general public and international visitors than ever before were able to receive the cultural and scientific treasures of London’s great museums. Nonetheless, once the honeymoon period had waned, it became clear to many museum managers and directors that insufficient lottery funds were being supplied to compensate for loss of revenue incurred after the dropping of admissions charges and after the increase of visitors also from this policy. In the years since free admission was introduced, London’s museums have acquired ever greater deficits on t

Empowerment Children And Young People

Empowerment Children And Young People Introduction The subject of globalisation has always aroused a significant level of interest across all disciplines and it was highly interesting to explore the impact that globalisation has had on marketing strategies. As a group, we began the research process after identifying how globalisation has been manifested in the world and various factors in marketing strategies that have changed since the onset of globalisation. It was important to assess the popularity of the topic and whether it had been extensively researched in the past in order to determine whether it was a good project choice. The group identified that the study of the impact of globalisation on marketing strategies still required to be further explored because other researchers had not examined the issue exhaustively. Having collected different findings that other researchers had discovered about the project, we were able to set a background for the study through analysing studies with the most relevant information regarding the topic under study. We needed to do a significant level of reading and therefore consulted a number of publications including journals, books and web resources. Scanning was highly effective in coming up with the most reliable written information for the literature review. This reflection essay represents the groups recollection of experiences, lessons, feelings, fears and other group dynamics experienced during the completion of the project. The reflection is highly useful for people who intend to perform future projects as it gives an insight of how the procedure is likely to be. Furthermore, the reflection offers an insight into the research process and effectively describes the structure of the report and how various decisions regarding the choice of material and ideas were made. The report further establishes challenges that the group faced along the way; a factor that would help groups in defining ways of dealing with such challenges so as to ensure positive outcome. Reflection on experiences The completion of this project was a great learning experience in terms of the process of conducting research and in learning various group dynamics that are highly important in enhancing effective outcomes. The most involving experience for the group was in the selection of the most ideal topic to be used for the study and eventually obtaining the relevant material to complete the research. It was interesting to note that there existed numerous lucrative subjects under which we could conduct the intended research. The need for a unique research however finally led use to the selected topic on the impact of globalisation on marketing strategies which was followed by the selection of the various resources to be used in the completion of the study. While there were an abundant number of resources for use, it was imperative for the group to collect the most recent researches because the subject of globalisation is developing at a tremendous rate hence the need to be well informed on rec ent trends during the conduction of such a research. The research was conducted in a highly systematic manner because the group intended to ensure that the most viable results were obtained in explaining the impact of globalisation on marketing strategies. To begin with, the group had to effectively familiarise itself with the topic of study so as to effectively identify the key aspects that needed to be explored. As noted by McDaniel (1991, p, 28), definition of the problem marks a significant stage in research because it forms the basis for successful completion of the research and eventual ability to respond effectively to the research question. It was therefore imperative for the group to recognize and define the problem effectively. The research question that this study intended to answer was How has globalisation impacted on marketing strategies? As a group, we had to familiarise ourselves with the subject of globalisation and how this has impacted on marketing strategies. We had to analyse the various trends in marketing strateg ies that had developed following the onset of globalisation in order to determine the most recent trends which would fit perfectly into the study. In order to achieve this, there was need to consult various books, journals and web articles. It was only when we were clear on the subject of globalisation that we embarked on our research which required the identification of how globalisation had impacted on marketing strategies The second step after identification of the research question was the determination of the research design to be applied in conducting the research. This denoted the need for the identification of the methodology that the group would use in obtaining the relevant information for the research so as to ensure that the outcome of the research was as intended. Accordingly, the group decided to make use of secondary data which not only provided adequate information regarding the topic but which also provided a fast and cheap method of data collection. The information would be obtained from books, journals and web articles identified from various libraries. The third stage in the research process was the actual collection of information about globalisation and its impact on marketing strategies. The undertaking that the group took during this stage was to list down various globalisation trends that had been recorded in the recent past and thereby form the basis for the study. This was followed by selection of the best topics to pursue in explaining the different changes witnessed in marketing strategies. It was during this stage that we finalised the main topics to be covered in the study and the sources of data were conclusively identified. We then proceeded to collect and record the researched information in order to establish how globalisation had impacted on marketing strategies among companies around the world. It was notable that globalisation had indeed transformed the business world and that firms were not only expected to focus on their regions of operation but also seek to compete globally. This is because competitors could be from anywhere in the world, given the increased freedom of trade which allowed companies to export their products from one country to the other. The need for aggressive marketing was therefore apparent with the rise of globalisation; hence the reason why marketing strategies were evolving at a significantly high rate. Through the available books, journals and web articles, the group was in a position to identify the various trends in globalisation and hence interconnect them to the rapidly developing marketing strategies aimed at achieving the best results for the research. The next step was to embark on the analysis of data in order to determine the best and most relevant information to be included in the final research paper. This involved the consolidation of information that consisted of identical or close view in order to ensure that the most relevant information was incorporated into the final paper. The groups intention was to ensure desired response towards the research question was achieved and that the paper eventually established the changing trend in marketing strategies following continued advancement in globalisation. There was therefore a significant need to exercise a high level of caution in the analysis of data because this to a large extent determined the final outcome of the study. Furthermore, it dictated the direction that the study would take and the eventual accomplishment of the desired outcome. The final stage in the research process was the presentation of our findings in the form of a research paper. This was the paper that readers could use to obtain comprehensive information on the subject of study that our group had selected. Accordingly, the stage involved ensuring logical presentation of ideas in the paper so as to ensure that they were coherent enough for potential users to understand. According to Southwick (2004, p. 18), it is imperative to ensure that the results of the study are presented highly specific manner in order to ensure that the readers are able to understand the findings effortlessly. This marked the climax of the group work and it was encouraging to not how far we had come and the fact that we had finally achieved what we had been longing for. Having finalized this, we now had a full report on the identified topic and were ready to present the research paper for this course module.   The achievement of the above objectives consisted of many experiences and lessons for the group; with new aspects in the research process emerging every day. Decision making was not as easy as individual decision making because there was need to consult and consequently establish the best option depending on the views of the group. In this regard, sometimes it would seem as though simple procedures were taking too long to complete, yet there was need to consult and brainstorm in order to come up with the best solutions to enhance the success of the research process. A significant level of concern was on the space to be dedicated to various subtopics and which of them carried more weight as far as the issue of globalisation was concerned. We eventually agreed that giving equal number word count for each subtopic would only lead to irrelevant information regarding certain topics which did not carry so much weight in the research. It was therefore decided that the number of words in eac h section would depend on the amount of information that was available and the unique features that needed to be brought to attention in the study. Besides the identification of the main topics to be covered in the study, the literature review formed an interesting part of the paper and essentially consumed a significant amount of time during the research process. This is because various aspects within the literature review led to the discovery of many other globalisation aspects and it was almost impossible to determine which details to include in the report and which ones to leave out. Accordingly, literature review took a significant amount of time to eventually finalise as the group members sought to determine the most important aspects to be introduced into the paper. It can be established that the expansive literature review played a significant role in coming up with the most relevant topics as far as the impact of globalisation and market strategies are concerned. Personal sentiments and learning experiences Personally, there was a great deal of learning facilitated by the requirements of the research paper and group participation in the completion of this research. It is my belief that the research will be of great importance to future studies. This is because a significant number of issues are identified and these portray the rapidly changing business environment where globalisation has impacted on business processes to a significant level. At a certain point during the research however, I doubted whether all the aspects of marketing strategies identified could be presented in the paper without making it sound too general. I was however convinced that each of the factors had to be discussed because it played an imperative role in the changes being witnessed in the business world. The manner in which various sections in the paper were handled gave the impression that some received greater attention than others. Furthermore, there was relevant information on each of the identified factors. It was however notable that recent trends deserved more attention in the paper because they were likely to catch more attention from readers. This is because they were already familiar with the older factors and they would be more interested in gaining knowledge that was fresh and intriguing. Accordingly, giving such topics more attention increased the value of the paper and its significance to the business and academic worlds. There are other challenges that emerged during the research process and it was apparent that my views differed significantly from those of my colleagues. In order to cope with this, I learned how to listen and to always consult because this was the only way of ensuring effective communication and enhancing a desirable outcome. Learning experiences from group dynamics Group dynamics are highly essential in enhancing the success of the group. This is because group members can utilise the various strengths that they possess in improving the group while complimenting the weaknesses within the group. Group members can contribute their skills and knowledge in enhancing the achievement of the groups objectives. During the research, it was interesting to cooperate with group members, share responsibilities and assist each other in areas that we found difficult. This was especially useful during the initial stages of the research whereby the contribution of members towards the selection of relevant topics to pursue was highly relevant. Most importantly, the collection of data was very easy because we effectively divided responsibilities among ourselves and then came back together to compile the report. Group work could however jeopardise the achievement of the research objectives if the members are not willing to cooperate and own up to others from time to time. It is important to note that ones view cannot be considered every time and that there are instances when other members views are considered more lucrative. The ability to accept such realities through owning up during brainstorming is therefore very important in enhancing group work. Further, each group member should be able to cooperate with other group members so as to ensure that the common goal in the group is achieved. This to a significant level determines the eventual outcome of the research because the input of group members matter significantly. Group work helped use to realise our strengths and weaknesses and thus played an imperative role in the eventual outcome of the study. Lessons and future implications The subject of globalisation is highly dynamic and the secret towards obtaining the most relevant information lies in the ability to obtain the most recent literature on globalisation. This necessitates wide reading and research in order to determine the most relevant trends to include in a globalisation study. In this research for example, it was important to note the significant growth in new world powers, changing customer preferences and the popularity of internet marketing among other factors in the contemporary business world. Ability to keep up with the trends plays a significant role in enhancing the development of a comprehensive study. The second lesson was in the essence of group work in the achievement of common objectives. Notably, there is need to exercise a high level of interdependence and to ensure fair participation of all group members. I learned that through consulting with others, it is so much easier to determine the most relevant information to use because it provides an opportunity to weigh the various views presented by group members. It is important to anticipate challenges as opposed to having a limited view on the research process. This is because as people start working on the project, the process may initially seem easy because it is just a matter of answering the research question. However, challenges tend to emerge along the way and the group members must be in a position to deal with such challenges in order to eventually achieve the set objectives. Examples of challenges that groups will encounter include conflicting time schedules that limit meetings and limited cooperation from members at certain points during the research process that could highly impact on the outcome. Inability to agree on common objectives and self-justification could also ruin the groups ability to achieve the set objectives. We identified a self-damaging aspect known as procrastination which needs to be avoided as much as possible in order to promote efficiency. Procrastination refers to constant postponing of issues due to the impression that there is still time to complete the work in time. This however works to ones disadvantage because it leads to rushing at the last minute when the paper should have been completed as early as possible. It should thus be avoided in order to ensure that the assignment is completed in time and thus offer more time for revision and correction of the final research paper. Conclusion A high level of satisfaction was derived from the completion of this research and the experience gained was very valuable to the group. It was interesting to acquire various skills and knowledge in conducting research and to explore the impact of globalisation on marketing strategies. Like any other research process, there are a significant number of lessons to be learned from group dynamics and the need to effectively focus on the study. The completion of the research culminates in a comprehensive report covering the growing trends in globalisation in relation to marketing strategies. It is established that a significant number of changes have been recorded and that marketing strategies are significantly different from the way they used to be before the onset of globalisation. Developing trends are identified and it can be established that globalisation has played the role of creating a borderless world which makes marketing strategies more effective in delivering the intended messages globally. The overall experience in writing the paper therefore helped the group in obtaining valuable information on the identified topic. Completing the research paper successfully however was not without its challenges. There was a lot to learn especially in the need to work together as a team and to use the skills possessed by each group member for the benefit of the group. The need for objective reasoning was clearly demonstrated as various decisions had to be made at various stages of writing the paper. Examples include the identification of the best approach to take for the paper, the need to avoid ambiguous observations and generalisations and the need to remain focused in order to come up with a conclusive research. The process seemed complicated and completion of the paper was faced by various challenges that the group had to endure as a means of enhancing successful completion of the paper. How the group eventually managed to complete the entire project however seems to be the greatest achievement because it symbolises great strength and ability to work through challenges to come up with a highly useful piece of research.

Analysis Of The Final Scenes Of Alfred Hitchcocks Notorious :: essays research papers

Analysis of the Final Scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After viewing Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious for the first time, the film did not strike me as particularly complex. Nothing specific about the film lodged itself in my brain screaming for an answer—or, at least, an attempted answer. Yet, upon subsequent viewings, subtle things became more noticeable. (Perhaps Hitchcock's subtlety is what makes him so enormously popular!) Hitchcock uses motifs and objects, shot styles and shifting points of view, and light and dark to help explain the relationships between Alicia, Devlin, Sebastian and Mrs. Sebastian, and an overall theme of being trapped. An analysis of the film from the first poisoning scene to the final scene in the film shows how the above tools lead to a better understanding of the character's motivations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most obvious recurring object in the final scenes is the poisoned coffee cup. In the first scene of the portion being analyzed, Sebastian suggests to Alicia that she drink her coffee, and Hitchcock zooms onto the object as she slowly takes a sip. In a later scene, Mrs. Sebastian pours the coffee into the cup for Alicia, and sets it on a small table in front of her. Here, Hitchcock not only zooms in on the small teacup, but heightens the sound it makes connecting to the table, includes it in every shot possible, and shows us not only the full coffee cup, but the empty cup as well after Alicia has drank it. Again, the cup is zoomed in on after Alicia realizes she's being poisoned. Because the coffee is poisoned, the coffee itself becomes a metaphor for life and death, supported by the fact that the poisoner herself ours it, and the shots of the full and empty teacup. In this way, it also suggests Alicia's inability to escape her situation—whenever she drinks the coffee, she becomes trapped due to the poison in her cup—and the poison in her sham of a marriage..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A repeated object not so noticeable is Mrs. Sebastian's needlework. Mrs. Sebastian is constantly working on her needlepoint while Alicia is being poisoned. Hitchcock, in fact, goes out of his way to make sure that a shot of her `toiling at her work' is included several times. One cannot help but be reminded of Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities—with Madame Defarge knitting everyone's fate into her work. At the beginning of the film, Devlin hands Alicia a handkerchief, and a scarf, which she keeps, but returns to him in this segment. These pieces of cloth throughout the film help tie Alicia to the

Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition :: Research Science Papers

Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition As our society becomes more and more modernized so does our need for more sophisticated ways to identify people for who they really are. Biometrics is the science of human recognition. With this rapid movement to develop this new technology, many companies have come out with different ways to distinguish people. Some of these new forms of recognition include; retinal scanning, iris recognition, finger imaging, hand geometry, face recognition, voice recognition and signature recognition. These forms of distinguish people may be broken down into two basic categories: physical characteristics and personal traits. Physical characteristics are specific to each person. A physical characteristic is as unique as a person’s DNA code. A personal trait is a ‘style’ that is often unique to each person. The only problem with the recognition of this ‘style’ is that it may often change as a person grows and matures. Retinal scanning falls into the category of scanning for physical characteristics. It is performed by bouncing a laser beam off the cornea, which then absorbs specific frequencies of light according to that person’s specific cornea. The light that is not absorbed bounces back into the machine and is then read. The machine is able to recognize the unabsorbed frequencies of light as, Frank Turco. Another new physical biometrics system is iris recognition. Iris recognition is similar to retinal scanning. The colored area of the eye that surrounds the pupil has many lines randomly placed. These lines are specific to each individual; like a barcode is to a product. Again, a laser scans the eye and recognizes the bars of the iris as a person. Amazing isn’t it? Iris canning tends to be more ‘user friendly’ because you don’t need to be as close to the machine when it is scanning your iris. You may be up to nine inches away, where as with retinal scanning you may only be one to two inches away. The reason iris scanning is more "user friendly" is because when utilized by the public many communicable diseases may be passes along by the machine because of it close contact with the person. Face recognition is similar to the way we recognize people. A computer would be utilized to take a photo of each person and then analyze it. The computer's analysis of the photo would use facial geometry to recognize each person. Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition :: Research Science Papers Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition As our society becomes more and more modernized so does our need for more sophisticated ways to identify people for who they really are. Biometrics is the science of human recognition. With this rapid movement to develop this new technology, many companies have come out with different ways to distinguish people. Some of these new forms of recognition include; retinal scanning, iris recognition, finger imaging, hand geometry, face recognition, voice recognition and signature recognition. These forms of distinguish people may be broken down into two basic categories: physical characteristics and personal traits. Physical characteristics are specific to each person. A physical characteristic is as unique as a person’s DNA code. A personal trait is a ‘style’ that is often unique to each person. The only problem with the recognition of this ‘style’ is that it may often change as a person grows and matures. Retinal scanning falls into the category of scanning for physical characteristics. It is performed by bouncing a laser beam off the cornea, which then absorbs specific frequencies of light according to that person’s specific cornea. The light that is not absorbed bounces back into the machine and is then read. The machine is able to recognize the unabsorbed frequencies of light as, Frank Turco. Another new physical biometrics system is iris recognition. Iris recognition is similar to retinal scanning. The colored area of the eye that surrounds the pupil has many lines randomly placed. These lines are specific to each individual; like a barcode is to a product. Again, a laser scans the eye and recognizes the bars of the iris as a person. Amazing isn’t it? Iris canning tends to be more ‘user friendly’ because you don’t need to be as close to the machine when it is scanning your iris. You may be up to nine inches away, where as with retinal scanning you may only be one to two inches away. The reason iris scanning is more "user friendly" is because when utilized by the public many communicable diseases may be passes along by the machine because of it close contact with the person. Face recognition is similar to the way we recognize people. A computer would be utilized to take a photo of each person and then analyze it. The computer's analysis of the photo would use facial geometry to recognize each person.

“Our Day out” by Willie Russell Essay

Our Day out by Willie Russell is an energetic and humorous play, about a school trip to Conwy castle. The ‘progress class’, a class for illiterate children, are on a trip to Wales where the liberal Mrs Kay and the strict Mr Briggs have completely different ideas about the day should be organised. Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs have two distinct personalities that clash frequently throughout the play and Willie Russell presents both in an interesting and comical way in his drama. Mrs Kay is a benevolent and fun teacher who treats the children as if they were her own. ‘She always reminds me of a mother hen rather than a teacher’. Mr Briggs says this and it sums up exactly what Mrs Kay is like and her attitude to the children. Her aim on the school trip is for everyone to have fun with the only rule being ‘†¦think of yourselves but also think of others’. She genuinely cares for the children and wants them to have an enjoyable day out to assuage the social injustice that they find themselves up against. Mr Briggs’ ideology of the children is contrary to Mrs Kay’s. Mr Briggs is a strict, intolerant and old-fashioned teacher who is has firm standards and is harsh towards the students. ‘Stop! Slater, walk†¦walk! You, boy†¦come here. Now stop. All of you†¦stop!’ Mr Briggs is shouting as the children get off the coach but Mrs Kay casually walks past and pours out some coffee. At the zoo, Mr Briggs lightens up a little and we get to see more of the soft and loving side that he conceals in favour of the harsh and angry one. He is enjoying himself when he explains about all of the different animal types to the children, and in the cafà © with Mrs Kay, he even offers to do a small presentation at school with some slides. ‘I didn’t think the kids who came to you would be too interested in animals’. He is pleasantly surprised with the interest of the children in a topic that he holds close to this heart. However, all the reader’s hopes of Mr Briggs turning ‘nice’ are dashed when the children attempt to steal the animals and he returns with vengeance back to the old Mr Briggs, and, with a ‘face of thunder’, shouts at the children  again. Mrs Kay understands that a lot of the children come from a deprived background and sympathises with their predicament. She shows this when she chooses to go on the side of the Progress Class when they attempt to steal some animals from the zoo. ‘Well I’d suggest that if you want the chaos to stop then you should stop seeing it as chaos†¦It’s too late for them. Most of them were rejects the day they were born†¦can’t we try and give them a good day out†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ She realises that it was probably the closest that they would ever get to an animal and many were just over-excited at the prospect of having something that they would never have. Mr Briggs’ encounter with Carol Chandler is a defining moment of the play because when Carol is on the top of the cliff we can see that Mr Briggs does not know what it is like to be Carol and children like her in that situation. He is taken aback at the fact that Carol talks back at him which he is not use to. Carol doesn’t want to go back to school, she dreams of living in a ‘nice place’ and has really enjoyed the outing. Briggs thinks she is just being stubborn but what has Carol got to go back to in Liverpool? Briggs begins to see that she is a poor, innocent girl whom no one loves. After the incident with Carol, Mr Briggs changes, he sees the world from her perspective. He becomes more relaxed, insists on a visit to the fair and lets the children treat him like they do Mrs Kay. At the fair he starts to have fun with the children and most are astounded at his attitude change – ‘I didn’t know you was like that, sir. Y’ know, all right for a laugh an’ that’. However, as the coach nears Liverpool, reality returns, and Mr Briggs purposely destroys the photo film, which held evidence of his changed relationship with the Progress Class. It is plainly evident in the play, that Mr Briggs is the better teacher academically than Mrs Kay. The headmaster asked Mr Briggs to go along on the school trip ‘keep things in some sort of order’ and the headmaster describes Mrs Kay’s attitude to education as ‘one long game’. This epitomises Mrs Kay’s attitude to teaching as something that should be fun, entertaining and not too serious. Mrs Kay may be an incompetent teacher, but the question that needs to be asked is: Can the Progress Class be educated? Mrs Kay doesn’t seem to think so and is more interested in letting them have an enjoyable childhood than in expanding their knowledge. ‘Teach them? Teach them what? You’ll never teach them because nobody knows what to do with them†¦they haven’t got anything to aim for†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I think Willie Russell intends us to sympathise with Mr Briggs and with the children in the Progress Class, especially Carol Chandler. The children are from poor background and have no hope for the future. Carol Chandler’s school uniform ‘doubles as a street outfit and her Sunday best’. This shows just how poor the children are – their best clothes are their school uniform. Carol, who dreams of being in a ‘nice place’, is probably the child worst affected because she has no one to love and no one to love her. She comes from a rough neighbourhood because she says – ‘ That’s why we never have nothing nice round our way – ‘cos we’d just smash it up’. She took the guinea pig and was affectionate towards it because it was something that was her own and something that she could love. Also, the other children seem to ostracise her and the only person she seems to have a proper conversation with is Mrs Kay. Mr Briggs is an intelligent man trying to educate puerile students. All throughout the play he means well to the children and it is a real stab-in-the heart when Carol says ‘ I know you hate me. I’ve seen you goin’ home in your car, passin’ us on the street. And the way y’ look at us. You hate all the kids!’ When he tells off kids, they take it but after they just ignore him and carry on as normal. He is also the only teacher who doesn’t realise (until after the Carol Chandler incident) that the Progress Class are incapable of being educated. Our Day Out by Willie Russell is a funny and light-hearted play but with lots of hidden messages. Wille Russell presents the characteristics of Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay very interestingly and with good humour. We are left with a feeling of ambivalence at the end when Mr Briggs destroys the camera film.  Has he changed for good or was it just a one off?

A Game of Thrones Chapter Thirty-four

Catelyn My lady, you should have sent word of your coming,† Ser Donnel Waynwood told her as their horses climbed the pass. â€Å"We would have sent an escort. The high road is not as safe as it once was, for a party as small as yours.† â€Å"We learned that to our sorrow, Ser Donnel,† Catelyn said. Sometimes she felt as though her heart had turned to stone; six brave men had died to bring her this far, and she could not even find it in her to weep for them. Even their names were fading. â€Å"The clansmen harried us day and night. We lost three men in the first attack, and two more in the second, and Lannister's serving man died of a fever when his wounds festered. When we heard your men approaching, I thought us doomed for certain.† They had drawn up for a last desperate fight, blades in hand and backs to the rock. The dwarf had been whetting the edge of his axe and making some mordant jest when Bronn spotted the banner the riders carried before them, the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn, sky-blue and white. Catelyn had never seen a more welcome sight. â€Å"The clans have grown bolder since Lord Jon died,† Ser Donnel said. He was a stocky youth of twenty years, earnest and homely, with a wide nose and a shock of thick brown hair. â€Å"If it were up to me, I would take a hundred men into the mountains, root them out of their fastnesses, and teach them some sharp lessons, but your sister has forbidden it. She would not even permit her knights to fight in the Hand's tourney. She wants all our swords kept close to home, to defend the Vale . . . against what, no one is certain. Shadows, some say.† He looked at her anxiously, as if he had suddenly remembered who she was. â€Å"I hope I have not spoken out of turn, my lady. I meant no offense.† â€Å"Frank talk does not offend me, Ser Donnel.† Catelyn knew what her sister feared. Not shadows, Lannisters, she thought to herself, glancing back to where the dwarf rode beside Bronn. The two of them had grown thick as thieves since Chiggen had died. The little man was more cunning than she liked. When they had entered the mountains, he had been her captive, bound and helpless. What was he now? Her captive still, yet he rode along with a dirk through his belt and an axe strapped to his saddle, wearing the shadowskin cloak he'd won dicing with the singer and the chainmail hauberk he'd taken off Chiggen's corpse. Two score men flanked the dwarf and the rest of her ragged band, knights and men-at-arms in service to her sister Lysa and Jon Arryn's young son, and yet Tyrion betrayed no hint of fear. Could I be wrong? Catelyn wondered, not for the first time. Could he be innocent after all, of Bran and Jon Arryn and all the rest? And if he was, what did that make her? Six men ha d died to bring him here. Resolute, she pushed her doubts away. â€Å"When we reach your keep, I would take it kindly if you could send for Maester Colemon at once. Ser Rodrik is feverish from his wounds.† More than once she had feared the gallant old knight would not survive the journey. Toward the end he could scarcely sit his horse, and Bronn had urged her to leave him to his fate, but Catelyn would not hear of it. They had tied him in the saddle instead, and she had commanded Marillion the singer to watch over him. Ser Donnel hesitated before he answered. â€Å"The Lady Lysa has commanded the maester to remain at the Eyrie at all times, to care for Lord Robert,† he said. â€Å"We have a septon at the gate who tends to our wounded. He can see to your man's hurts.† Catelyn had more faith in a maester's learning than a septon's prayers. She was about to say as much when she saw the battlements ahead, long parapets built into the very stone of the mountains on either side of them. Where the pass shrank to a narrow defile scarce wide enough for four men to ride abreast, twin watchtowers clung to the rocky slopes, joined by a covered bridge of weathered grey stone that arched above the road. Silent faces watched from arrow slits in tower, battlements, and bridge. When they had climbed almost to the top, a knight rode out to meet them. His horse and his armor were grey, but his cloak was the rippling blue-and-red of Riverrun, and a shiny black fish, wrought in gold and obsidian, pinned its folds against his shoulder. â€Å"Who would pass the Bloody Gate?† he called. â€Å"Ser Donnel Waynwood, with the Lady Catelyn Stark and her companions,† the young knight answered. The Knight of the Gate lifted his visor. â€Å"I thought the lady looked familiar. You are far from home, little Cat.† â€Å"And you, Uncle,† she said, smiling despite all she had been through. Hearing that hoarse, smoky voice again took her back twenty years, to the days of her childhood. â€Å"My home is at my back,† he said gruffly. â€Å"Your home is in my heart,† Catelyn told him. â€Å"Take off your helm. I would look on your face again.† â€Å"The years have not improved it, I fear,† Brynden Tully said, but when he lifted off the helm, Catelyn saw that he lied. His features were lined and weathered, and time had stolen the auburn from his hair and left him only grey, but the smile was the same, and the bushy eyebrows fat as caterpillars, and the laughter in his deep blue eyes. â€Å"Did Lysa know you were coming?† â€Å"There was no time to send word ahead,† Catelyn told him. The others were coming up behind her. â€Å"I fear we ride before the storm, Uncle.† â€Å"May we enter the Vale?† Ser Donnel asked. The Waynwoods were ever ones for ceremony. â€Å"In the name of Robert Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, True Warden of the East, I bid you enter freely, and charge you to keep his peace,† Ser Brynden replied. â€Å"Come.† And so she rode behind him, beneath the shadow of the Bloody Gate where a dozen armies had dashed themselves to pieces in the Age of Heroes. On the far side of the stoneworks, the mountains opened up suddenly upon a vista of green fields, blue sky, and snowcapped mountains that took her breath away. The Vale of Arryn bathed in the morning light. It stretched before them to the misty cast, a tranquil land of rich black soil, wide slow-moving rivers, and hundreds of small lakes that shone like mirrors in the sun, protected on all sides by its sheltering peaks. Wheat and corn and barley grew high in its fields, and even in Highgarden the pumpkins were no larger nor the fruit any sweeter than here. They stood at the western end of the valley, where the high road crested the last pass and began its winding descent to the bottomlands two miles below. The Vale was narrow here, no more than a half day's ride across, and the northern mountains seemed so close that Catelyn could almost reach out and touch them. Looming over them all was the jagged peak called the Giant's Lance, a mountain that even mountains looked up to, its head lost in icy mists three and a half miles above the valley floor. Over its massive western shoulder flowed the ghost torrent of Alyssa's Tears. Even from this distance, Catelyn could make out the shining silv er thread, bright against the dark stone. When her uncle saw that she had stopped, he moved his horse closer and pointed. â€Å"It's there, beside Alyssa's Tears. All you can see from here is a flash of white every now and then, if you look hard and the sun hits the walls just right.† Seven towers, Ned had told her, like white daggers thrust into the belly of the sky, so high you can stand on the parapets and look down on the clouds. â€Å"How long a ride?† she asked. â€Å"We can be at the mountain by evenfall,† Uncle Brynden said, â€Å"but the climb will take another day.† Ser Rodrik Cassel spoke up from behind. â€Å"My lady,† he said, â€Å"I fear I can go no farther today.† His face sagged beneath his ragged, newgrown whiskers, and he looked so weary Catelyn feared he might fall off his horse. â€Å"Nor should you,† she said. â€Å"You have done all I could have asked of you, and a hundred times more. My uncle will see me the rest of the way to the Eyrie. Lannister must come with me, but there is no reason that you and the others should not rest here and recover your strength.† â€Å"We should be honored to have them to guest,† Ser Donnel said with the grave courtesy of the young. Beside Ser Rodrik, only Bronn, Ser Willis Wode, and Marillion the singer remained of the party that had ridden with her from the inn by the crossroads. â€Å"My lady,† Marillion said, riding forward. â€Å"I beg you allow me to accompany you to the Eyrie, to see the end of the tale as I saw its beginnings.† The boy sounded haggard, yet strangely determined; he had a fevered shine to his eyes. Catelyn had never asked the singer to ride with them; that choice he had made himself, and how he had come to survive the journey when so many braver men lay dead and unburied behind them, she could never say. Yet here he was, with a scruff of beard that made him look almost a man. Perhaps she owed him something for having come this far. â€Å"Very well,† she told him. â€Å"I'll come as well,† Bronn announced. She liked that less well. Without Bronn she would never have reached the Vale, she knew; the sellsword was as fierce a fighter as she had ever seen, and his sword had helped cut them through to safety. Yet for all that, Catelyn misliked the man. Courage he had, and strength, but there was no kindness in him, and little loyalty. And she had seen him riding beside Lannister far too often, talking in low voices and laughing at some private joke. She would have preferred to separate him from the dwarf here and now, but having agreed that Marillion might continue to the Eyrie, she could see no gracious way to deny that same right to Bronn. â€Å"As you wish,† she said, although she noted that he had not actually asked her permission. Ser Willis Wode remained with Ser Rodrik, a soft-spoken septon fussing over their wounds. Their horses were left behind as well, poor ragged things. Ser Donnel promised to send birds ahead to the Eyrie and the Gates of the Moon with the word of their coming. Fresh mounts were brought forth from the stables, surefooted mountain stock with shaggy coats, and within the hour they set forth once again. Catelyn rode beside her uncle as they began the descent to the valley floor. Behind came Bronn, Tyrion Lannister, Marillion, and six of Brynden's men. Not until they were a third of the way down the mountain path, well out of earshot of the others, did Brynden Tully turn to her and say, â€Å"So, child. Tell me about this storm of yours.† â€Å"I have not been a child in many years, Uncle,† Catelyn said, but she told him nonetheless. It took longer than she would have believed to tell it all, Lysa's letter and Bran's fall, the assassin's dagger and Littlefinger and her chance meeting with Tyrion Lannister in the crossroads inn. Her uncle listened silently, heavy brows shadowing his eyes as his frown grew deeper. Brynden Tully had always known how to listen . . . to anyone but her father. He was Lord Hoster's brother, younger by five years, but the two of them had been at war as far back as Catelyn could remember. During one of their louder quarrels, when Catelyn was eight, Lord Hoster had called Brynden â€Å"the black goat of the Tully flock.† Laughing, Brynden had pointed out that the sigil of their house was a leaping trout, so he ought to be a black fish rather than a black goat, and from that day forward he had taken it as his personal emblem. The war had not ended until the day she and Lysa had been wed. It was at their wedding feast that Brynden told his brother he was leaving Riverrun to serve Lysa and her new husband, the Lord of the Eyrie. Lord Hoster had not spoken his brother's name since, from what Edmure told her in his infrequent letters. Nonetheless, during all those years of Catelyn's girlhood, it had been Brynden the Blackfish to whom Lord Hoster's children had run with their tears and their tales, when Father was too busy and Mother too ill. Catelyn, Lysa, Edmure . . . and yes, even Petyr Baelish, their father's ward . . . he had listened to them all patiently, as he listened now, laughing at their triumphs and sympathizing with their childish misfortunes. When she was done, her uncle remained silent for a long time, as his horse negotiated the steep, rocky trail. â€Å"Your father must be told,† he said at last. â€Å"If the Lannisters should march, Winterfell is remote and the Vale walled up behind its mountains, but Riverrun lies right in their path.† â€Å"I'd had the same fear,† Catelyn admitted. â€Å"I shall ask Maester Colemon to send a bird when we reach the Eyrie.† She had other messages to send as well; the commands that Ned had given her for his bannermen, to ready the defenses of the north. â€Å"What is the mood in the Vale?† she asked. â€Å"Angry,† Brynden Tully admitted. â€Å"Lord Jon was much loved, and the insult was keenly felt when the king named Jaime Lannister to an office the Arryns had held for near three hundred years. Lysa has commanded us to call her son the True Warden of the East, but no one is fooled. Nor is your sister alone in wondering at the manner of the Hand's death. None dare say Jon was murdered, not openly, but suspicion casts a long shadow.† He gave Catelyn a look, his mouth tight. â€Å"And there is the boy.† â€Å"The boy? What of him?† She ducked her head as they passed under a low overhang of rock, and around a sharp turn. Her uncle's voice was troubled. â€Å"Lord Robert,† he sighed. â€Å"Six years old, sickly, and prone to weep if you take his dolls away. Jon Arryn's trueborn heir, by all the gods, yet there are some who say he is too weak to sit his father's seat, Nestor Royce has been high steward these past fourteen years, while Lord Jon served in King's Landing, and many whisper that he should rule until the boy comes of age. Others believe that Lysa must marry again, and soon. Already the suitors gather like crows on a battlefield. The Eyrie is full of them.† â€Å"I might have expected that,† Catelyn said. Small wonder there; Lysa was still young, and the kingdom of Mountain and Vale made a handsome wedding gift. â€Å"Will Lysa take another husband?† â€Å"She says yes, provided she finds a man who suits her,† Brynden Tully said, â€Å"but she has already rejected Lord Nestor and a dozen other suitable men. She swears that this time she will choose her lord husband.† â€Å"You of all people can scarce fault her for that.† Ser Brynden snorted. â€Å"Nor do I, but . . . it seems to me Lysa is only playing at courtship. She enjoys the sport, but I believe your sister intends to rule herself until her boy is old enough to be Lord of the Eyrie in truth as well as name.† â€Å"A woman can rule as wisely as a man,† Catelyn said. â€Å"The right woman can,† her uncle said with a sideways glance. â€Å"Make no mistake, Cat. Lysa is not you.† He hesitated a moment. â€Å"If truth be told, I fear you may not find your sister as helpful as you would like.† She was puzzled. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"The Lysa who came back from King's Landing is not the same girl who went south when her husband was named Hand. Those years were hard for her. You must know. Lord Arryn was a dutiful husband, but their marriage was made from politics, not passion.† â€Å"As was my own.† â€Å"They began the same, but your ending has been happier than your sister's. Two babes stillborn, twice as many miscarriages, Lord Arryn's death . . . Catelyn, the gods gave Lysa only the one child, and he is all your sister lives for now, poor boy. Small wonder she fled rather than see him handed over to the Lannisters. Your sister is afraid, child, and the Lannisters are what she fears most. She ran to the Vale, stealing away from the Red Keep like a thief in the night, and all to snatch her son out of the lion's mouth . . . and now you have brought the lion to her door.† â€Å"In chains,† Catelyn said. A crevasse yawned on her right, falling away into darkness. She reined up her horse and picked her way along step by careful step. â€Å"Oh?† Her uncle glanced back, to where Tyrion Lannister was making his slow descent behind them. â€Å"I see an axe on his saddle, a dirk at his belt, and a sellsword that trails after him like a hungry shadow. Where are the chains, sweet one?† Catelyn shifted uneasily in her seat. â€Å"The dwarf is here, and not by choice. Chains or no, he is my prisoner. Lysa will want him to answer for his crimes no less than I. It was her own lord husband the Lannisters murdered, and her own letter that first warned us against them.† Brynden Blackfish gave her a weary smile. â€Å"I hope you are right, child,† he sighed, in tones that said she was wrong. The sun was well to the west by the time the slope began to flatten beneath the hooves of their horses. The road widened and grew straight, and for the first time Catelyn noticed wildflowers and grasses growing. Once they reached the valley floor, the going was faster and they made good time, cantering through verdant greenwoods and sleepy little hamlets, past orchards and golden wheat fields, splashing across a dozen sunlit streams. Her uncle sent a standard-bearer ahead of them, a double banner flying from his staff; the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn on high, and below it his own black fish. Farm wagons and merchants' carts and riders from lesser houses moved aside to let them pass. Even so, it was full dark before they reached the stout castle that stood at the foot of the Giant's Lance. Torches flickered atop its ramparts, and the horned moon danced upon the dark waters of its moat. The drawbridge was up and the portcullis down, but Catelyn saw lights burning in the gatehouse and spilling from the windows of the square towers beyond. â€Å"The Gates of the Moon,† her uncle said as the party drew rein. His standard-bearer rode to the edge of the moat to hail the men in the gatehouse. â€Å"Lord Nestor's seat. He should be expecting us. Look up.† Catelyn raised her eyes, up and up and up. At first all she saw was stone and trees, the looming mass of the great mountain shrouded in night, as black as a starless sky. Then she noticed the glow of distant fires well above them; a tower keep, built upon the steep side of the mountain, its lights like orange eyes staring down from above. Above that was another, higher and more distant, and still higher a third, no more than a flickering spark in the sky. And finally, up where the falcons soared, a flash of white in the moonlight. Vertigo washed over her as she stared upward at the pale towers, so far above. â€Å"The Eyrie,† she heard Marillion murmur, awed. The sharp voice of Tyrion Lannister broke in. â€Å"The Arryns must not be overfond of company. If you're planning to make us climb that mountain in the dark, I'd rather you kill me here.† â€Å"We'll spend the night here and make the ascent on the morrow,† Brynden told him. â€Å"I can scarcely wait,† the dwarf replied. â€Å"How do we get up there? I've no experience at riding goats.† â€Å"Mules,† Brynden said, smiling. â€Å"There are steps carved into the mountain,† Catelyn said. Ned had told her about them when he talked of his youth here with Robert Baratheon and Jon Arryn. Her uncle nodded. â€Å"It is too dark to see them, but the steps are there. Too steep and narrow for horses, but mules can manage them most of the way. The path is guarded by three waycastles, Stone and Snow and Sky. The mules will take us as far up as Sky.† Tyrion Lannister glanced up doubtfully. â€Å"And beyond that?† Brynden smiled. â€Å"Beyond that, the path is too steep even for mules. We ascend on foot the rest of the way. Or perchance you'd prefer to ride a basket. The Eyrie clings to the mountain directly above Sky, and in its cellars are six great winches with long iron chains to draw supplies up from below. If you prefer, my lord of Lannister, I can arrange for you to ride up with the bread and beer and apples.† The dwarf gave a bark of laughter. â€Å"Would that I were a pumpkin,† he said. â€Å"Alas, my lord father would no doubt be most chagrined if his son of Lannister went to his fate like a load of turnips. If you ascend on foot, I fear I must do the same. We Lannisters do have a certain pride.† â€Å"Pride?† Catelyn snapped. His mocking tone and easy manner made her angry. â€Å"Arrogance, some might call it. Arrogance and avarice and lust for power.† â€Å"My brother is undoubtedly arrogant,† Tyrion Lannister replied. â€Å"My father is the soul of avarice, and my sweet sister Cersei lusts for power with every waking breath. I, however, am innocent as a little lamb. Shall I bleat for you?† He grinned. The drawbridge came creaking down before she could reply, and they heard the sound of oiled chains as the portcullis was drawn up. Men-at-arms carried burning brands out to light their way, and her uncle led them across the moat. Lord Nestor Royce, High Steward of the Vale and Keeper of the Gates of the Moon, was waiting in the yard to greet them, surrounded by his knights. â€Å"Lady Stark,† he said, bowing. He was a massive, barrel-chested man, and his bow was clumsy. Catelyn dismounted to stand before him. â€Å"Lord Nestor,† she said. She knew the man only by reputation; Bronze Yohn's cousin, from a lesser branch of House Royce, yet still a formidable lord in his own right. â€Å"We have had a long and tiring journey. I would beg the hospitality of your roof tonight, if I might.† â€Å"My roof is yours, my lady,† Lord Nestor returned gruffly, â€Å"but your sister the Lady Lysa has sent down word from the Eyrie. She wishes to see you at once. The rest of your party will be housed here and sent up at first light.† Her uncle swung off his horse. â€Å"What madness is this?† he said bluntly. Brynden Tully had never been a man to blunt the edge of his words. â€Å"A night ascent, with the moon not even full? Even Lysa should know that's an invitation to a broken neck.† â€Å"The mules know the way, Ser Brynden.† A wiry girl of seventeen or eighteen years stepped up beside Lord Nestor. Her dark hair was cropped short and straight around her head, and she wore riding leathers and a light shirt of silvered ringmail. She bowed to Catelyn, more gracefully than her lord. â€Å"I promise you, my lady, no harm will come to you. It would be my honor to take you up. I've made the dark climb a hundred times. Mychel says my father must have been a goat.† She sounded so cocky that Catelyn had to smile. â€Å"Do you have a name, child?† â€Å"Mya Stone, if it please you, my lady,† the girl said. It did not please her; it was an effort for Catelyn to keep the smile on her face. Stone was a bastard's name in the Vale, as Snow was in the north, and Flowers in Highgarden; in each of the Seven Kingdoms, custom had fashioned a surname for children born with no names of their own. Catelyn had nothing against this girl, but suddenly she could not help but think of Ned's bastard on the Wall, and the thought made her angry and guilty, both at once. She struggled to find words for a reply. Lord Nestor filled the silence. â€Å"Mya's a clever girl, and if she vows she will bring you safely to the Lady Lysa, I believe her. She has not failed me yet.† â€Å"Then I put myself in your hands, Mya Stone,† Catelyn said. â€Å"Lord Nestor, I charge you to keep a close guard on my prisoner.† â€Å"And I charge you to bring the prisoner a cup of wine and a nicely crisped capon, before he dies of hunger,† Lannister said. â€Å"A girl would be pleasant as well, but I suppose that's too much to ask of you.† The sellsword Bronn laughed aloud. Lord Nestor ignored the banter. â€Å"As you say, my lady, so it will be done.† Only then did he look at the dwarf. â€Å"See our lord of Lannister to a tower cell, and bring him meat and mead.† Catelyn took her leave of her uncle and the others as Tyrion Lannister was led off, then followed the bastard girl through the castle. Two mules were waiting in the upper bailey, saddled and ready. Mya helped her mount one while a guardsman in a sky-blue cloak opened the narrow postern gate. Beyond was dense forest of pine and spruce, and the mountain like a black wall, but the steps were there, chiseled deep into the rock, ascending into the sky. â€Å"Some people find it easier if they close their eyes,† Mya said as she led the mules through the gate into the dark wood. â€Å"When they get frightened or dizzy, sometimes they hold on to the mule too tight. They don't like that.† â€Å"I was born a Tully and wed to a Stark,† Catelyn said. â€Å"I do not frighten easily. Do you plan to light a torch?† The steps were black as pitch. The girl made a face. â€Å"Torches just blind you. On a clear night like this, the moon and the stars are enough. Mychel says I have the eyes of the owl.† She mounted and urged her mule up the first step. Catelyn's animal followed of its own accord. â€Å"You mentioned Mychel before,† Catelyn said. The mules set the pace, slow but steady. She was perfectly content with that. â€Å"Mychel's my love,† Mya explained. â€Å"Mychel Redfort. He's squire to Ser Lyn Corbray. We're to wed as soon as he becomes a knight, next year or the year after.† She sounded so like Sansa, so happy and innocent with her dreams. Catelyn smiled, but the smile was tinged with sadness. The Redforts were an old name in the Vale, she knew, with the blood of the First Men in their veins. His love she might be, but no Redfort would ever wed a bastard. His family would arrange a more suitable match for him, to a Corbray or a Waynwood or a Royce, or perhaps a daughter of some greater house outside the Vale. If Mychel Redfort laid with this girl at all, it would be on the wrong side of the sheet. The ascent was easier than Catelyn had dared hope. The trees pressed close, leaning over the path to make a rustling green roof that shut out even the moon, so it seemed as though they were moving up a long black tunnel. But the mules were surefooted and tireless, and Mya Stone did indeed seem blessed with night-eyes. They plodded upward, winding their way back and forth across the face of the mountain as the steps twisted and turned. A thick layer of fallen needles carpeted the path, so the shoes of their mules made only the softest sound on the rock. The quiet soothed her, and the gentle rocking motion set Catelyn to swaying in her saddle. Before long she was fighting sleep. Perhaps she did doze for a moment, for suddenly a massive ironbound gate was looming before them. â€Å"Stone,† Mya announced cheerily, dismounting. Iron spikes were set along the tops of formidable stone walls, and two fat round towers overtopped the keep. The gate swung open at Mya's shout. Inside, the portly knight who commanded the waycastle greeted Mya by name and offered them skewers of charred meat and onions still hot from the spit. Catelyn had not realized how hungry she was. She ate standing in the yard, as stablehands moved their saddles to fresh mules. The hot juices ran down her chin and dripped onto her cloak, but she was too famished to care. Then it was up onto a new mule and out again into the starlight. The second part of the ascent seemed more treacherous to Catelyn. The trail was steeper, the steps more worn, and here and there littered with pebbles and broken stone. Mya had to dismount a half-dozen times to move fallen rocks from their path. â€Å"You don't want your mule to break a leg up here,† she said. Catelyn was forced to agree. She could feel the altitude more now. The trees were sparser up here, and the wind blew more vigorously, sharp gusts that tugged at her clothing and pushed her hair into her eyes. From time to time the steps doubled back on themselves, and she could see Stone below them, and the Gates of the Moon farther down, its torches no brighter than candles. Snow was smaller than Stone, a single fortified tower and a timber keep and stable hidden behind a low wall of unmortared rock. Yet it nestled against the Giant's Lance in such a way as to command the entire stone stair above the lower waycastle. An enemy intent on the Eyrie would have to fight his way from Stone step by step, while rocks and arrows rained down from Snow above. The commander, an anxious young knight with a pockmarked face, offered bread and cheese and the chance to warm themselves before his fire, but Mya declined. â€Å"We ought to keep going, my lady,† she said. â€Å"If it please you.† Catelyn nodded. Again they were given fresh mules. Hers was white. Mya smiled when she saw him. â€Å"Whitey's a good one, my lady. Sure of foot, even on ice, but you need to be careful. He'll kick if he doesn't like you.† The white mule seemed to like Catelyn; there was no kicking, thank the gods. There was no ice either, and she was grateful for that as well. â€Å"My mother says that hundreds of years ago, this was where the snow began,† Mya told her. â€Å"It was always white above here, and the ice never melted.† She shrugged. â€Å"I can't remember ever seeing snow this far down the mountain, but maybe it was that way once, in the olden times.† So young, Catelyn thought, trying to remember if she had ever been like that. The girl had lived half her life in summer, and that was all she knew. Winter is coming, child, she wanted to tell her. The words were on her lips; she almost said them. Perhaps she was becoming a Stark at last. Above Snow, the wind was a living thing, howling around them like a wolf in the waste, then falling off to nothing as if to lure them into complacency. The stars seemed brighter up here, so close that she could almost touch them, and the horned moon was huge in the clear black sky. As they climbed, Catelyn found it was better to look up than down. The steps were cracked and broken from centuries of freeze and thaw and the tread of countless mules, and even in the dark the heights put her heart in her throat. When they came to a high saddle between two spires of rock, Mya dismounted. â€Å"It's best to lead the mules over,† she said. â€Å"The wind can be a little scary here, my lady.† Catelyn climbed stiffly from the shadows and looked at the path ahead; twenty feet long and close to three feet wide, but with a precipitous drop to either side. She could hear the wind shrieking. Mya stepped lightly out, her mule following as calmly as if they were crossing a bailey. It was her turn. Yet no sooner had she taken her first step than fear caught Catelyn in its jaws. She could feel the emptiness, the vast black gulfs of air that yawned around her. She stopped, trembling, afraid to move. The wind screamed at her and wrenched at her cloak, trying to pull her over the edge. Catelyn edged her foot backward, the most timid of steps, but the mule was behind her, and she could not retreat. I am going to die here, she thought. She could feel cold sweat trickling down her back. â€Å"Lady Stark,† Mya called across the gulf. The girl sounded a thousand leagues away. â€Å"Are you well?† Catelyn Tully Stark swallowed what remained of her pride. â€Å"I . . . I cannot do this, child,† she called out. â€Å"Yes you can,† the bastard girl said. â€Å"I know you can. Look how wide the path is.† â€Å"I don't want to look.† The world seemed to be spinning around her, mountain and sky and mules, whirling like a child's top. Catelyn closed her eyes to steady her ragged breathing. â€Å"I'll come back for you,† Mya said. â€Å"Don't move, my lady.† Moving was about the last thing Catelyn was about to do. She listened to the skirling of the wind and the scuffling sound of leather on stone. Then Mya was there, taking her gently by the arm. â€Å"Keep your eyes closed if you like. Let go of the rope now, Whitey will take care of himself. Very good, my lady. I'll lead you over, it's easy, you'll see. Give me a step now. That's it, move your foot, just slide it forward. See. Now another. Easy. You could run across. Another one, go on. Yes.† And so, foot by foot, step by step, the bastard girl led Catelyn across, blind and trembling, while the white mule followed placidly behind them. The waycastle called Sky was no more than a high, crescent-shaped wall of unmortared stone raised against the side of the mountain, but even the topless towers of Valyria could not have looked more beautiful to Catelyn Stark. Here at last the snow crown began; Sky's weathered stones were rimed with frost, and long spears of ice hung from the slopes above. Dawn was breaking in the east as Mya Stone hallooed for the guards, and the gates opened before them. Inside the walls there was only a series of ramps and a great tumble of boulders and stones of all sizes. No doubt it would be the easiest thing in the world to begin an avalanche from here. A mouth yawned in the rock face in front of them. â€Å"The stables and barracks are in there,† Mya said. â€Å"The last part is inside the mountain. It can be a little dark, but at least you're out of the wind. This is as far as the mules can go. Past here, well, it's a sort of chimney, more like a stone ladder than proper steps, but it's not too bad. Another hour and we'll be there.† Catelyn looked up. Directly overhead, pale in the dawn light, she could see the foundations of the Eyrie. It could not be more than six hundred feet above them. From below it looked like a small white honeycomb. She remembered what her uncle had said of baskets and winches. â€Å"The Lannisters may have their pride,† she told Mya, â€Å"but the Tullys are born with better sense. I have ridden all day and the best part of a night. Tell them to lower a basket. I shall ride with the turnips.† The sun was well above the mountains by the time Catelyn Stark finally reached the Eyrie. A stocky, silver-haired man in a sky-blue cloak and hammered moon-and-falcon breastplate helped her from the basket; Ser Vardis Egen, captain of Jon Arryn's household guard. Beside him stood Maester Colemon, thin and nervous, with too little hair and too much neck. â€Å"Lady Stark,† Ser Vardis said, â€Å"the pleasure is as great as it is unanticipated.† Maester Colemon bobbed his head in agreement. â€Å"Indeed it is, my lady, indeed it is. I have sent word to your sister. She left orders to be awakened the instant you arrived.† â€Å"I hope she had a good night's rest,† Catelyn said with a certain bite in her tone that seemed to go unnoticed. The men escorted her from the winch room up a spiral stair. The Eyrie was a small castle by the standards of the great houses; seven slender white towers bunched as tightly as arrows in a quiver on a shoulder of the great mountain. It had no need of stables nor smithys nor kennels, but Ned said its granary was as large as Winterfell's, and its towers could house five hundred men. Yet it seemed strangely deserted to Catelyn as she passed through it, its pale stone halls echoing and empty. Lysa was waiting alone in her solar, still clad in her bed robes. Her long auburn hair tumbled unbound across bare white shoulders and down her back. A maid stood behind her, brushing out the night's tangles, but when Catelyn entered, her sister rose to her feet, smiling. â€Å"Cat,† she said. â€Å"Oh, Cat, how good it is to see you. My sweet sister.† She ran across the chamber and wrapped her sister in her arms. â€Å"How long it has been,† Lysa murmured against her. â€Å"Oh, how very very long.† It had been five years, in truth; five cruel years, for Lysa. They had taken their toll. Her sister was two years the younger, yet she looked older now. Shorter than Catelyn, Lysa had grown thick of body, pale and puffy of face. She had the blue eyes of the Tullys, but hers were pale and watery, never still. Her small mouth had turned petulant. As Catelyn held her, she remembered the slender, high-breasted girl who'd waited beside her that day in the sept at Riverrun. How lovely and full of hope she had been. All that remained of her sister's beauty was the great fall of thick auburn hair that cascaded to her waist. â€Å"You look well,† Catelyn lied, â€Å"but . . . tired.† Her sister broke the embrace. â€Å"Tired. Yes. Oh, yes.† She seemed to notice the others then; her maid, Maester Colemon, Ser Vardis. â€Å"Leave us,† she told them. â€Å"I wish to speak to my sister alone.† She held Catelyn's hand as they withdrew . . . . . . and dropped it the instant the door closed. Catelyn saw her face change. It was as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. â€Å"Have you taken leave of your senses?† Lysa snapped at her. â€Å"To bring him here, without a word of permission, without so much as a warning, to drag us into your quarrels with the Lannisters . . . â€Å" â€Å"My quarrels?† Catelyn could scarce believe what she was hearing. A great fire burned in the hearth, but there was no trace of warmth in Lysa's voice. â€Å"They were your quarrels first, sister. It was you who sent me that cursed letter, you who wrote that the Lannisters had murdered your husband.† â€Å"To warn you, so you could stay away from them! I never meant to fight them! Gods, Cat, do you know what you've done?† â€Å"Mother?† a small voice said. Lysa whirled, her heavy robe swirling around her. Robert Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, stood in the doorway, clutching a ragged cloth doll and looking at them with large eyes. He was a painfully thin child, small for his age and sickly all his days, and from time to time he trembled. The shaking sickness, the maesters called it. â€Å"I heard voices.† Small wonder, Catelyn thought; Lysa had almost been shouting. Still, her sister looked daggers at her. â€Å"This is your aunt Catelyn, baby. My sister, Lady Stark. Do you remember?† The boy glanced at her blankly. â€Å"I think so,† he said, blinking, though he had been less than a year old the last time Catelyn had seen him. Lysa seated herself near the fire and said, â€Å"Come to Mother, my sweet one.† She straightened his bedclothes and fussed with his fine brown hair. â€Å"Isn't he beautiful? And strong too, don't you believe the things you hear. Jon knew. The seed is strong, he told me. His last words. He kept saying Robert's name, and he grabbed my arm so hard he left marks. Tell them, the seed is strong. His seed. He wanted everyone to know what a good strong boy my baby was going to be.† â€Å"Lysa,† Catelyn said, â€Å"if you're right about the Lannisters, all the more reason we must act quickly. We—† â€Å"Not in front of the baby,† Lysa said. â€Å"He has a delicate temper, don't you, sweet one?† â€Å"The boy is Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale,† Catelyn reminded her, â€Å"and these are no times for delicacy. Ned thinks it may come to war.† â€Å"Quiet!† Lysa snapped at her. â€Å"You're scaring the boy.† Little Robert took a quick peek over his shoulder at Catelyn and began to tremble. His doll fell to the rushes, and he pressed himself against his mother. â€Å"Don't be afraid, my sweet baby,† Lysa whispered. â€Å"Mother's here, nothing will hurt you.† She opened her robe and drew out a pale, heavy breast, tipped with red. The boy grabbed for it eagerly, buried his face against her chest, and began to suck. Lysa stroked his hair. Catelyn was at a loss for words. Jon Arryn's son, she thought incredulously. She remembered her own baby, three-year-old Rickon, half the age of this boy and five times as fierce. Small wonder the lords of the Vale were restive. For the first time she understood why the king had tried to take the child away from his mother to foster with the Lannisters . . . â€Å"We're safe here,† Lysa was saying. Whether to her or to the boy, Catelyn was not sure. â€Å"Don't be a fool,† Catelyn said, the anger rising in her. â€Å"No one is safe. If you think hiding here will make the Lannisters forget you, you are sadly mistaken.† Lysa covered her boy's ear with her hand. â€Å"Even if they could bring an army through the mountains and past the Bloody Gate, the Eyrie is impregnable. You saw for yourself. No enemy could ever reach us up here.† Catelyn wanted to slap her. Uncle Brynden had tried to warn her, she realized. â€Å"No castle is impregnable.† â€Å"This one is,† Lysa insisted. â€Å"Everyone says so. The only thing is, what am I to do with this Imp you have brought me?† â€Å"Is he a bad man?† the Lord of the Eyrie asked, his mother's breast popping from his mouth, the nipple wet and red. â€Å"A very bad man,† Lysa told him as she covered herself, â€Å"but Mother won't let him harm my little baby.† â€Å"Make him fly,† Robert said eagerly. Lysa stroked her son's hair. â€Å"Perhaps we will,† she murmured. â€Å"Perhaps that is just what we will do.†