The story I'm about to tell you is not the one you've been told so far. In this, the real story, the Tyrells were not killed in the High Sept's destruction. Sir Jaime Lannister killed his sister when he realised she had gone mad and tried to blow up King's Landing. In this story, Lady Sansa Stark became the Queen of the seven Kingdoms with the help of her brother, Jon Snow, King in the North. Jon united Westeros and successfully defeated the White Walkers and the Night's King. Sansa married a nobleman from Dorne, in hopes of uniting the South with the rest of Westeros. They have two daughters, Dannae and Evelyne, who grew up travelling from Winterfell to King's Landing to Dorne. In this story, Brandon Stark is ruler of Riverrun, married to Meera Reed and has two twin sons, Robb and Rickon. Sir Jaime Lannister is married to Lady Brienne of Tarth and serves as the Queen's hand. They have a son and a daughter, Alaric and Catelyn Lannister. Arya returned to Essos and became an ambassador of Westeros. Daenerys Targaryen was allowed to remain at Meereen and keep everything she had conquered until she sailed to Westeros, where she was defeated by the seven Kingdoms' armies. Tyrion Lannister lives in Casterly Rock, with no wife nor children. Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish was banished from Westeros and is thought to be living in Essos. The story I'm about to tell you is the truth and the truth alone. So pay attention. And trust no one else than me. Because I was there. I lived it. And I survived to tell the story.
I shifted uneasy on my horse. Uncle Jon noticed. He always notices. He adjusted his horse's pace with mine's to talk to me.
"Are you worried, Evelyne?" he asked. I looked at him. I could detect the hint of a smile at the edge of his lips.
"Even if I am, what does it matter? I'm here to do my duty as the princess of Winterfell. Whether I'm worried or not is of no importance" I answered. My uncle giggled lowly.
"You're so like your mother. Don't worry though. I hear the Tyrells are beautiful boys. Sure you'll find someone you like. You can choose amongst 6 of them after all" he reassured me. I tightened the grip on my horse's gear as the Highgarden appeared in the distance.
"Evelyne, dear!" said lady Margaery loudly as she spread her arms. I hugged my mother's friend in relief.
"It's good to see you again, lady Margaery" I said over her shoulder. She grabbed my shoulders and pushed me in front of her to get a good look at me. She was smiling widely.
"You never visit, my dear. Nor does your sister. You leave me alone in a city full of men!" she complained. I smiled even wider, placing my hands on hers.
"But, my lady, you rule those men!" I answered. She laughed and I considered it safe to giggle along. Lady Margaery was an old friend of my mother's, back when she was captive in King's Landing by the Lannisters. Even so, I deeply loved and respected the Tyrell first Lady. I had seen her angry before and I sure did not want to be the center of that anger.
"Your raven informed me. Are you certain you don't want to wait? See the world, meet exotic boys?" she asked me. I raised my shoulders.
"My lady, I have been travelling Westeros since I was 5 years old, I have been across the sea more than one times. And, believe me, we have enough exotic people right in our home. No, I want my marriage to be of use to my family. And I am certain we both wish an alliance between our houses. And I have heard your sons have taken after their mother's beauty" I replied, sitting down on the low seat she offered me. Margaery Tyrell smiled widely, deepening the lines around her eyes and mouth. A servant put a glass of apple cider in my hand. My hostess sat down on a bigger, more comfortable chair than mine. She crossed her legs.
"You have grown into a fine woman, my dear Evelyne. How is your mother? And your sister?" she asked, taking a sip from her own cold glass.
"Dannae is at King's Landing, helping out Mother and Jaime. I will join them after we make the arrangements here. My father and uncle Jon are escorting me this time. Mother sends her best wishes along with her gifts" I answered.
"Would you like to meet Deryk? He's my second born. I believe he is the most suitable amongst my sons for you. He's a couple of years older than you are now, around 20. He's at the back garden. Lila will show you the way. After you change clothes" said lady Margaery and signaled at a servant. I raised from my seat, realising I was being dismissed. I was still wearing my northern dresses, coming directly from Winterfell. I was already feeling hot in my woolen dress and cape and I couldn't wait to trade them with my favourite light blue dress with golden flower patterns on it. I had it made just for my visits at Highgarden. It was solely aiming at flattering my hosts.
Twenty minutes later, in a lighter dress and my hair flowing on my back, I was making my way to the back garden, following the servant named Lily. She was a beautiful girl a few years younger than me. When I asked her how she was being treated, she just smiled and answered well, very well. Typical. I shouldn't have asked, but the way to the garden was long and I was used to servants who love me, not fear me.
At last, we reached a beautiful, small back yard. I was taken aback by how much it resembled my Dornish home. It had pine trees and ivy everywhere. The prince was sitting on a wooden bench under a great vine. There were no grapes on it, something unusual. There should be green, immature fruits, given the fact that the spring was about to give its place to summer. The servant I had with me bowed her head and left. I approached the prince.
"Your grace" I spoke, once I reached close to him. Prince Deryk raised his eyes from his book and looked at me. My heart skipped a beat. He was very handsome, with wavy caramel locks that reached just under his earlobes and the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen. He rose slowly from his seat.
"Princess Evelyne. My mother spoke to me about your beauty, yet she wasn't even close to describing how truly mesmerising you are" he spoke casually, like this was his usual pickup line, raising my hand to his lips to kiss it. I smiled, trying to hide the urge to puke. I did not like formalities just for that reason: you have to fake everything.
"And I can see you have taken your mother's dreamy eyes and your father's strong expression. May I seat?" I asked as nicely as I could without turning my voice into a mocking tone. He held my hand as I sat down on the bench, right next to him. He offered me a glass of cider again. I thought it best to resume my drinking if this conversation was to turn out in my favor.
"I know why you're here" he said, looking far ahead of him. I drunk a bit before I smiled at him.
"Do you, my lord?" I asked. It was better if he thought he was in control.
"Yes. You desire a place in Highgarden. But there is nothing of this place I will take after my mother's death. All will be inherited to my older brother and his soon-to-be wife" he answered. I couldn't help but chuckle. He turned his eyes at me.
"On the contrary, my lord. I have come here to make an alliance with your family and offer you a castle to rule. I am going to be lady of the Eyrie once I get married. That means that I will have the Vale of Arryn and its families answering to me. My sister is going to rule in Winterfell, my mother is already located to King's Landing, my father has an influence over Dorne. I have no need of the Highgarden as much as I need the support of your family. And I offer a portion of the North as my gift to establish this bond of blood. You have no kingdom, my lige. I can give you one to rule" I answered. He narrowed his eyes for a moment and then broke into laughter.
"You… you will be a ruler? You are an heir? A woman will be allowed to so much power?" he asked. I reminded myself that I was here to marry the prince, not murder him, despite the latter being closer to my feelings.
"Where's the issue? Isn't your mother a ruler? Isn't your Queen a woman?" I asked him. He drunk from his glass before answering.
"My mother is merely the tool my grandfather uses to rule over Highgarden. And the reign of the Queen will not last long. Women aren't made to rule, they're made to bear children and sew clothes. I am surprised that such a carefree idea has infiltrated the strong North. If your grandfather was lord of Winterfell, such action wouldn't be allowed. The next thing you're going to tell me is that they allow women to the Night's Watch" he said, still laughing. I got up from my seat.
"Very well. If you're not interested, I will withdraw my offer and seek help elsewhere" I stated in a blunt voice. I turned around to leave.
"Wait, my lady!" I heard him say. I turned towards him again.
"At least dine with me tonight. It's the least I could offer to you after your surely tiring trip. And, please, stay for a few days. I'm sure my mother and my grandfather would love to pass some time with you and your father" he offered. I smiled as I bowed my head to him.
"Of course, my lord. Your wish is my command" I replied and left him alone in his exotic garden to head to my chambers.
"How was he?" asked uncle Jon. He was waiting outside my room. I pulled him with me in the room, closing the door behind me.
"He's unbelievable!" I cried out. Uncle Jon giggled.
"I was afraid you wouldn't like him" he said, sitting on a stool at the feet of my bed. I threw myself at the nearest armchair.
"He said women aren't supposed to rule, that Mother's reign will not last long because of that reason and he implied the North has gotten soft after its binding with Dorne. I find him unsuitable to rule" I answered, grabbing the bottle with the cider from the table next to me, pouring some into a crystal glass.
"Gods, they have these everywhere" said my uncle, looking at my glass. I pointed at the bottle.
"No, I'd better stay sober for this one. I'll go see how Ghost's doing. Why don't you go see your father? He must be somewhere in the gardens. You know how he despises this place. Go keep him company until dinner" he advised me and left me with my glass, which I quickly emptied before renewing it.
I found my father roaming in the heart of the gardens, probably trying to stay away from the Tyrells. I approached him and wrapped my arm around his.
"You cannot hide forever, Father" I said in Rhoynar. He smiled.
"I can try. I hope you arrange your business here as fast as possible and then we can head to King's Landing. I haven't seen your mother in some time" he answered in his mother language.
"Aren't you worried you'll have a Tyrell spy ruling over Eyrie, sharing your daughter's bed and little Tyrell babies wandering around your feet?" I asked him. He smiled even wider as he looked at me.
"My dear, let's be honest with each other, you will never let a man rule over you, neither will your sister. You have taken after your mother, you are both women equal to men, if not superior. This foolish boy can believe he's the lord of the Vale, but we all know who will truly rule the North. Your sister and you make a great team, although she's better at the sword than you" he answered.
"Yes, and I am better at words. Don't worry, Father, I'll do anything to keep this kingdom united" I answered. I had managed to lead him out of the garden and to the balcony of his chambers. He laughed when he realised where we were.
"You see, my dear? You outsmart the person who made you. You're going far" he said. I just smiled and bowed my head.
"Father, have you too noticed the man who has been following us?" I asked, always in Rhoynar. He laughed as if I had just said a very good joke.
"Yes, and it appears he has a partener. The second one is still in the garden maze, he's waiting to see if we are going back in" he answered, still smiling.
"I'll take care of this one, you think you can handle the one in the maze?" I suggested. He nodded.
"It seems I have forgotten my book in the garden. Go on without me, Eve, I'll catch up for dinner" he said in the Common Tongue.
"Of course, Father" I replied, preparing myself for battle. I had to make it look like I didn't know the armed man was there. I pretended to smell the roses planted along the base of the balcony, when I heard a scream from the garden behind me. The man who was hiding in the bushes jumped out and ran towards me. I moved quickly. I grabbed the hand he was holding the knife in and twisted it behind his back. I raised my dress up, pulling out the knife I always kept tied on my thigh. The man twisted in my grip and managed to release himself. He retrieved his weapon from the ground, trying to attack me again. I managed to repel most of his attacks, but his fury managed a cut on my right arm. I hissed in pain. There was poison on the blade.
"Say your goodbyes, princess" he growled and stroke again. The poison was slowing me down, it was burning my flesh, infiltrating my blood, it made everything go blurry. Before I could raise my armed hand, his blade was already pressing itself on my throat. I screamed out, hoping someone would hear. I was starting to think that this was my final moment, when the assassin stopped putting pressure on my neck. He looked at me in surprise, then coughed blood all over my face. I pushed him to the side, putting my remaining strength in that last move. My uncle's face appeared behind the dead assassin.
"Evelyne! Are you alright?" he asked. My knees bent and I fell forward. I saw my father running towards us from the garden, covered in blood.
"Father… the cut… there is poison… in the blade…" I managed to gasp. My father understood. My uncle kept me still as my father kneeled next to me, sucking the poison out of my wound.
"Are you alright? What happened?" asked my uncle. My father carefully tied a clean piece of cloth around my wound and raised me in his arms.
"Tyrell scum, that's what happened" he answered and handed Jon a piece of cloth. I couldn't see what it was and, to be honest, I didn't care at the moment. I just needed to lie down. My father carried me to his bed.
"I'm sorry, darling. But your dinner with prince Deryk is cancelled. I'll wait for you to wake up and we can ask for some explanations" was the last thing I remember him say. Then I sunk into a deep slumber, from which I woke up late the next morning.
"We try to make an alliance with you, and you try to assassinate me and my daughter?" asked Father in rage. Lady Margaery and her father, Lord Mace, were sitting on their formal chairs, at the head of the table, in the council room. I was seated, but my father didn't bother to get comfortable. He had a lot of anger inside of him. Something made him believe that the assassins who attacked us yesterday and were now both dead, were members of House Tyrell.
"Father, please, sit down" I tried to calm him down. I was still dizzy from the poison, it hadn't completely exited my system. My father, lord Cerimon Allyrion of Dorne, insisted that my sister and I become immune to most poisons, following his ancestors' footsteps of shielding their children from poison while they used it to eliminate their enemies. All kinds of poisons are very popular in Dorne. So my sister and I were invulnerable to a great number of toxic substances, by drinking small portions of them since we were little. However, whatever was the poison infused in the killer's blade, it wasn't in my arsenal. Hopefully, my father sucked it out before it could cause much damage, and certainly my strong system protected me but the poison had managed to weaken me a great deal.
"Lord Cerimon, trying to assassinate you would be a childish foolishness, given the circumstances. Your daughter offered to seal the friendship between our families with a strong wedding. The benefits of this to our House are great. What gain would we get if we had you and princess Evelyne killed?" asked lady Margaery. My father run his hand over his mouth and jaw, twisting the edge of his beard, just like he always did when he was cornered.
"Honestly, I don't know. But, would you care to explain this?" he said and threw a torn piece of cloth on the table between us and the Tyrells. It was a light blue square of a chemise and one could easily tell there was the Tyrell sigil sewed on it. I gasped. I had no knowledge of this evidence.
"I'm not saying you ordered our assassination. I'm merely believing what my eyes show me. And this, my lady and my lord, is the emblem of your House, is it not?" asked Father again.
"I'm sure this is just a grave misunderstanding, father. Whoever was that tried to kill us was acting alone, for his own selfish reasons. I bet my life that this has nothing to do with the people in front of us. There are always people who act alone, when they disagree with their lord's commands. Besides, I trust Lady Margaery and Lord Mace. My wedding will be held at the end of this summer, in King's Landing. If you'll excuse me now, I want to speak to my uncle" I excused myself and got up. I bowed my head and made my way to the door, holding onto the wall for support.
"What do you believe happened?" I asked my uncle a while later. We were sitting in my room. I was trying to gather my thoughts and save my energy, two things that seemed impossible to do at the same time. He petted Ghost's head, who he always kept near after the incident.
"I think that it's either what you suggested, that there are rogue Tyrells who don't agree with your wedding, or they were framed" he answered
"Framed? How?" I asked. This thought hadn't crossed my mind.
"Well, we have no proof that the men who attacked you were Tyrells"
"But they were wearing the Tyrell emblem" I protested
"If I wear the Lannister sigil, does that make me a Lannister too? Besides, if I wanted to murder someone, I wouldn't do it wearing something that could be identified should I fail and my victim survives" he suggested
"Yes but if they wanted us to identify them? A war between the Starks and the Tyrells could serve their causes" I said. My uncle nodded.
"Maybe. But allow me to have my doubts. This attack sure looks suspicious to me" he answered. I wanted to continue the conversation, but a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in" I called
"Excuse me, mi lady" said the servant who walked in. She was holding a rolled piece of paper, sealed. "This arrived for you moments ago. The bird bearing it was a hawk"
"A hawk? Do you remember how it looked like?" I asked, sitting up on my chair.
"It was a grey bird with white and black spots" answered the servant. I dismissed her and broke the Stark seal on the paper. I read it quickly.
"What is it?" asked uncle Jon. I rolled the paper shut again.
"This was brought by Dany's hawk. It's King's Landing. It's under attack" I answered.