Hi there. Hope everyone likes this story. I will do my best to post regularly. I don't own the characters or ASOIAF, obviously. Enjoy.
She woke to the sunrise seeping through the flaps of her grey tent. Lyanna groaned as she rose from the cot, cracking a few joints as she rose. She might be the best rider in the North, but even she was soar after the final push to arrive at Harrenhal the night before. She and her brothers pushed hard to arrive just as dinner was ending in the grand castle.
As Lyanna peaked out of her tent, she caught the beginning of the sunrise seeping over the horizon. Squires and maids and stablehands were the only people up at this hour. Knowing she would get no more sleep today, she turned back into her tent to dress. Lyanna chose a one of the newer gowns her father had ordered for her in preparation for her trip South. She rolled her eyes at the unnecessary expense, but had thanked her father graciously nonetheless. She may be willful but she would not disrespect him by dismissing his gift, however frivolous. Lyanna chose a blue dress, the color of winter roses, with three-quarter lace sleeves and buttons up the front of the bust. It was the most practical choice since she did not wish to call in a maid to help her. She braided her hair down her back and tied it with a grey velvet ribbon. She slipped a fitted pair of breeches that she had a seamstress make for her before leaving Winterfell. Lyanna knew her brothers would not allow her to run around in Benjen's old breeches and tunic, so the fitted breeches were a compromise that allowed her to continue riding without appearing to be a young boy. As she looked in the mirror, she was satisfied with her appearance. She looked the part of a noble lady, but still very much satisfied that she represented the North and herself in her countenance. She slipping on her supple leather boots, checked to make sure the small dagger Brandon had given her was still inside the left one, then left her tent for the stable. She knew her horse, Frost, would be to weary to ride today, but she planned to brush him down and give him an apple as a reward for the long trek to Harrenhal.
As Lyanna entered the stables, she heard voices and slowed a moment. "Make sure to thoroughly rub down my horse. Do not forget to give him some of the apples from the sack I gave you. Do not take any for yourself, I will know." A deep, masculine voice instructed. The voice was warm and rich but with a haughty undertone that Lyanna felt detracted a great deal from the potentially pleasant tone. Lyanna continued on entering the stables fully to see two figures talking. The first she noticed was a young boy with dark brown hair and a smudge of dirt across one cheek. An tall man stood imposingly over the young boy. The man had golden hair and a gleaming sword on his hip. He carried himself with a casual arrogance that matched his tone and left Lyanna unimpressed. Lyanna let out a sigh as she continued moving towards the stall that housed her horse.
The blonde man's head snapped up to meet Lyanna's gaze. She noticed his eyes were green, Lannister green. She knew instantly that this must be Jamie Lannister. Jamie quirked an eyebrow at Lyanna before turning back to the stable boy, clearly finding Lyanna too plain to deserve being acknowledged. Jamie moved to leave the stable just brushing Lyanna's shoulder with his own. As he passes, she noticed he smelled lemon and cedar and horses. A combination she found surprisingly pleasant. Shaking her head she continued on to Frost, reaching out to pet his nose as she drew near. He was a beautiful, young light grey stallion that she had received for her fourteenth nameday two years prior. He snuffled into her hand looking for a treat. She laughed before reaching into the bad hanging on the wall nearby to feed him an apple. She spent the next hour murmuring softly to her horse as she brushed him down.
"Lya, do you not want to break your fast this morning?" her brother Ned called from the entrance to the stall. Lyanna jumped slightly, so lost in her task that she failed to hear her brother's approach. Ned shot her an apologetic look as she made her way out of the stall.
"Of course I wish to break my fast, Ned. I was simply waiting for you sleepyheads to get up. You know I am an early riser. I could not stay in my tent wasting the daylight waiting for you and our brothers." Lyanna replied as she patted Frost's nose and left the stables with Ned by her side.
"I cannot understand how you rise so early after arriving so late last night. I am still quite tired." Ned shook his head at Lyanna.
"Maybe you are getting old, brother. You can no longer keep up with your spry younger sister." Lyanna and Ned chuckled. They had reached the entrance into the castle proper. The smell of food wafting through the open doors caused them to quicken their pace. The pair quickly found the table where the rest of their sibling sat and ate. In a room that was full of lords and ladies in their finest colored robes, the Stark grey was easy to spot. A bit of sanity in the midst of the storm of red and gold and purple, Lyanna thought to herself.
"Where have you been sweet sister? Not off on adventure without your favorite brothers I would hope!" Brandon boomed in his usual mirth-filled tone as Lyanna and Ned took their seats. The volume at which he spoke drew a few glances from nearby lords and ladies, but Lyanna and her family were well used to Brandon's deep, loud voice.
"I would never go somewhere without a proper escort, dear brother. You should no me better than to gallivant across the countryside unprotected." Lyanna replied wryly.
They all chuckled knowing that if Frost didn't need to rest today Lyanna would be galloping through the hills, exploring the lands surrounding Harrenhal. They all tucked in to their food and little was said for the rest of the meal.
The melee was to be the event of the day. Ned left to rouse his friend Robert before he missed the chance to sign up. Lyanna rolled her eyes. She knew Robert was still asleep because he had spent the previous night drinking and whoring. Robert was too drunk to even notice their arrival the night before. The few moments they saw him was when they passed by his tent and saw him ducking inside with a young kitchenmaid giggling at his side.
Brandon grimaced as Ned left, clearly remembering Robert's behavior from the night before as well. Lyanna was aware that her father and Robert were in talks of a betrothal between herself and Robert. She had hopes that the negotiations would fall through or another match would interest her father more. She shoved away the old resentment that reared its head whenever she thought about how little control she had over the course her life would take. She shook her head at Brandon before looking to Benjen.
"Do you want to come with me to find a seat before the melee starts? I want a good view of the fight." Lyanna asked Benjen.
Benjen shoved one last piece of bread into his mouth as he nodded. The two waved Brandon goodbye and took off out of the dining hall. "Can we stop at the godswood first? I would like to see how the hearttree here compares to ours in Winterfell?" Benjen asked as they walked past the many colorful tents with the sigils of many house Lyanna didn't recognize flying in the soft breeze.
"Of course. We've plenty of time before the melee begins."
They continued walking towards the godswood until they heard a cry in the distance ahead of them. They looked at each other in surprise before Lyanna reached into her left boot for her dagger, while Benjen removed the slightly larger dagger from the belt on his hips. Both took off sprinting towards the cries for help. Just inside the treeline of the godswood, they saw three boys looming over a smaller boy who was bleeding from a cut above his eye. The three were dressed as squires and one had a shortsword in pointed at the defenseless boy on the ground. All three were laughing viciously as they took turns kicking their victim. Lyanna was enraged at what she was seeing. Before Benjen could move Lyanna ran full tilt at the boy with the sword. She cut the back of his hand causing him to cry out and drop the sword. He had not even noticed Lyanna, too busy was he kicking the boy on the ground. Lyanna quickly reached down for the dropped sword before standing over the prone form on the ground. She looked each of the boys in the eye and pointed the sword ahead of her at the boy still standing. One boy was on his knees clutching the cut she had given him. The third boy had been kicked in the back of the knee by Benjen, who now had his dagger pointing into the boy's back.
"You cowards would dare to gang up on a defenseless boy who is smaller than all of you!" Lyanna voice rang out full of rage. "All of you are undeserving of becoming knights. I would not trust you to take care of the pigs." Lyanna looked at each of the boys in turn before saying, "Leave now all of you. Let this be a lesson to never antagonize others needlessly. I will keep your sword and you may go with what is left of your dignity."
The boys all turned scarlet but ran as soon as Benjen shoved the boy he was holding at knife point away. Lyanna stayed in position until the boys had run out of sight. She then turned to kneel next to the boy she had been standing over. She immediately recognized the sigil on his clothes as that of house Reed. Anger flared anew in her chest at the realization that this was one of her father's sworn bannermen. The boy groaned as he attempted to sit up. Benjen placed a hand behind the boy's back to help him into a sitting position.
"What is your name, my lord? I see from the clothes you are of house Reed." Lyanna spoke reaching out to touch the cut above the boy's eye.
"My name if Howland of house Reed, my Lady. You must be Lyanna and Benjen Stark. You both carry the Stark looks. Thank you for the rescue." Howland said in a low, pained voice. He appeared to be close in age to Benjen, maybe four and ten years.
"You are quite welcome, my Lord. Please call me Lyanna. I must now insist on taking you back to our tents and call for a maester, I should think. You should make sure none of your ribs are cracked. Did you know those boys who attacked you?" Lyanna said softely as she noticed the way Howland clutched his left side. Benjen nodded and proceeded to help Howland to his feet.
"You are most kind, my- Lyanna. I do not wish to be a burden. I can find a maester later today if the pain continues." Howland said as the three began to make their way back towards the tents.
"Nonesense! You need to see a maester. I insist on it, truly. I also insist that you sit with my family and I at the melee today." Lyanna said, her tone left little room for argument.
"Yes and you can join us at the feast tonight as well." Benjen added. They had made it back into the great maze of colorful tents by now. Lyanna flagged down a passing maid to get a maester sent to the Stark tents. The maid noticed Howland's visible injuries before nodding and quickly going into the castle to get the maester.
They chatted lightly about the North and Lyanna asked about Howland's life on his family's lands. The chatter distracted from the pain a little and for that Howland was thankful. They reached the tent shortly before a maester arrived. Lyanna waited outside of Benjen's tent while the maester saw to Howland. After the maester was finished, Lyanna came inside the tent. Howland's ribs were bruise but not broken. A day of rest and a sticky salve the maester handed over were recommended to aid in the healing process. Benjen offered to let Howland stay in his tent for the day, while they went to the melee. Howland started to reject the offer before Lyanna shot him a look that silenced him. They all agreed to meet outside Lyanna's tent before the feast that night and attend together. The Stark siblings left Howland to his rest and made their way to the melee grounds.
Brandon and Ned were already seated when Lyanna and Benjen arrived. "Where have you two been? I thought you were going to get us good seats." Brandon said as the two drew near.
"We had to stop to help Howland of house Reed. He was being beaten by some honorless squires at swordpoint." Lyanna said, a scowl darkening her expression. Brandon and Ned's eyes widened at this statement before looking to Benjen for confirmation of these events.
"We beat them and sent them packing, though. Howland is resting in my tent. He will be a guest at our table at the feast tonight." Benjen explained gleefully. He was excited to have a new friend close in age to spend the tourney with.
Brandon chuckled at the thought of three squires being beaten by a young woman and a boy. The shame alone should help set them straight, he thought. Ned, on the other hand, scowled slightly at the thought of Lyanna running head first into danger with only their baby brother to aid her. Ned did not say anything though. He knew how enraged Lyanna could become if he even insinuated she was incapable because she was a girl.
The melee started shortly after Lyanna and Benjen took their seats. Lyanna was not as entertained as she anticipated. Robert fought viciously with his warhammer. Knocking opponents from the ring with his shear strength. There was little technique in his movements. He relied almost solely on his superior strength. This left Lyanna unimpressed even when Robert did manage to win the melee. Ned went to congratulate his friend. He looked to Lyanna to join him, but found she had turned to leave with Brandon and Benjen. Ned sighed, knowing that if the match between his sister and friend did occur that Lyanna would likely be unhappy during the marriage. Ned pushed aside the darker thoughts. He knew duty did not always lead to happiness, but it must be done regardless. He trusted his sister knew this as well.
Next up: the feast and the start of the jousting. Until next time.