AN- This is the prequel to "This Dream Isn't Done." The story of how Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen fell in love and all the events that lead to the war and their untimely death.
Ned Stark watched his children playing in the courtyard trying to teach young Bran how to shoot an arrow. He laughed as little Arya hid behind him and shot an arrow with far more accuracy then her brother. His two eldest sons laughed as well as the little boy took off after his sister mad that she was trying to show him up, but his smile faded as he saw the look his wife showed his eldest son. Her eyes were usually filled with warmth and love whenever she looked at the other children, but not when she looked at Jon. She hated the boy he wished he could tell her the truth, but knew he never could he had promised.
Promise me Ned.
The words haunted him every day and knew he would never go a time when he wouldn't hear them. He looked down at Jon seeing every ounce of him looking Stark he thanked the gods for that. Jon could be in danger if he took the looks of his other parent. He blended in here fine; he looked like a true northerner. Yet looking upon his eyes he could see the part of him that weren't Stark. At quick glance you would say his eyes were grey that boarded on black, but Ned knew if his son wore another color other then black for a chance his eyes would appear almost a purple.
He heard his daughter squeal as her brother almost caught her. His attention went back to the little girl. Other then Jon she was the only other one that seemed to resemble the Stark family. She looked so much like his dear little sister it almost hurt. In both looks and personality he saw Lyanna Stark in Arya.
Watching his little girl run and play with her brothers he knew he wouldn't do to her what his father tried to do to Lyanna. Yes he wanted Arya to grow into a beautiful lady and marry a high power lord but he couldn't force her to. He wouldn't break her spirit the way his father tried to break Lyanna. He couldn't bear to watch the child go through that. He remembered his sister before his father sent her to Kings Landing to learn what it meant to truly be a lady. Perhaps if he hadn't if he had just let the she-wolf be herself life wouldn't have turned out the way it had. Rhaegar Targaryen would have never fallen in love with her.
The girl that came back from Kings Landed looked like his sister, but talked like someone else her eyes were cold her attitude was different. She rode her horse, as a lady should, slow and with two feet on one side. She didn't sneak out at night and go for midnight gallops on the young colts, but instead went for easy rides on the old mares that never went past a walk. At times he could see someone say or do something that would spark a part of his sister he could see the fire of her past fly to her eyes, only to have her quickly look away and push the fire back. His father had broken his sister and in Ned's eyes it had lead to her death.
If she had been happy with the idea that she would marry Robert and be his wife then she would have never run off. He knew she tried to do her duty to be the daughter that their father wanted, but when it came down to marrying a man who saw nothing other then her pretty face she couldn't do it. She couldn't fight her spirit any longer.
Many thought she had been stolen, he had thought it in the beginning as well. The story went Rhaegar Targaryen stole her away, but he had learned the truth he had learned that she left with him on her own free will because the young prince saw who she really was and loved every part of her. The prince loved the fire and loved the way she argued with him, how she could defend herself and how she loved to gallop her horse. Lyanna couldn't marry Robert when she knew there was someone out there that loved her for who she really was instead of just a pretty face.
When they were younger Lyanna had always talked about love while her brother teased her. He thought back to the love she had found. They had tried to fight it, but they couldn't leave each other no matter how much they tried they couldn't stay away. Their love for each other were stronger then their mind and instinct to stay away. He knew they fought it, but in the end their love won out even if it got both of them killed.
His eyes fell upon Jon Snow again the boy he told everyone was his bastard son, but in truth Jon was so much more then that. He was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark he was the last living heir to the old royal family. If Robert knew the truth he would have the boy killed. No one could ever know he made a promise to his dying sister that he would protect the boy, made a promise to raise him well. He watched Robb and Jon jump in front of Arya Jon reached forward and grabbed his sister and spun her around laughing. He smiled as he remembered a time before Lyanna had been forced to change he remembered whom she had once been, so wild and free a true she-wolf of the north.
"Come on Ned, afraid I'll beat you?" Lyanna asked grinning as she pointed her sword at her older brother.
"No." Ned glared at her, "Just afraid of what dad will do to you if he see's you down here with us instead of doing your needle point."
"What dad doesn't know won't hurt him." Lyanna snapped, "Now fight me."
"Fine, but I'm not going to take it easy on you!" Ned told her.
"Don't worry brother I won't take it easy on you either." She smiled as their swords clashed, but no sooner then the swords clashed they heard their father's voice boom.
"Lyanna Stark!" he yelled.
Lyanna froze, as did Ned she closed her eyes and sighed as she heard her father's steps approaching from behind.
"What do you think you're doing?" he bellowed as he came to the front of his daughter.
"Sparing father." She told him trying to pretend she didn't know she was doing anything wrong.
"You will do nothing of the sort you are a young lady!" he was angry she could tell her brother winced every time her father spoke, but she never shook she never backed down she didn't fear her father or anyone.
"But father how will I protect myself if something bad were to happen?" she asked shrugging her shoulders.
"For now your brothers and I will protect you, then when you marry your husband." He told her, "You should be up with nan doing your needle point."
"But father it's so boring sitting by the window watching the day pass while I do nothing." She complained, "I hate it."
"Running around, sparing, galloping a horse." He shook his head, "Is that how you'd rather spend your days?"
"Yes." She crossed her arms as her wild black hair blew into her eyes that showed the fire that burned within her the fire that her father wanted to flush out.
"No." he growled at her, "Now march yourself inside young lady."
"But father!" she started but he interrupted.
"No buts Lyanna Stark its about time you realized how you act and what you do is wrong and must stop." He was yelling now. Ned pleaded with his sister through his eyes begging her to stop pushing their father. He was a kind man, but if pushed to far his temper got the best of him. Perhaps that was why Lyanna didn't always get along well with him her temper matched his if not worse. Yet she knew she as treading on dangerous water.
"Yes father." She said through her teeth as she spun on her heel and stomped back off into the walls of the castle.
"Ned don't let me catch you again allowing your sister to engage in unlady like activates I fear if she doesn't change soon she will have to travel south and learn what it truly means to be a lady."
"But father you can't send her away!" Ned cried out.
"I will if it is the best for her future." He told her, "I don't want to send her away, but what lord would want to marry a woman that is wild like her?"
"Someone will." Ned tried arguing.
"Enough son." His father told him, "You must help me push her in the right direction or she will have to leave and I will not argue this point anymore."
"Yes father." Ned agreed.
"Think about it Ned would you marry a woman as wild as her? A lady must listen a lady must obey."
Ned nodded in agreement but he wasn't so sure he believed his fathers words. He could never see Lyanna changing and truth be told he hated to think of his beloved little sister any other way.
AN- So what do you guys think?
