So, this is my first fic for A Song of Ice and Fire. I know, some of you are really mad at me right now for starting this, but I'm staying one step ahead with keeping on top of this one! Many OCs in this one, since it mostly centers around one of my OCs. I tried to stay as canon as possible despite the obvious changes. The boring part: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire, merely the Morrigans (do not steal! I am proud of them!). Enjoy! Oh, and no Cat trashing in the comments.
A Winter Rose
Prologue
"How dare you come back here?" Lord Luther growled, scowling at the woman bowed before him. "How dare you come back to the Reach after you dishonored our family, married that middle-class northerner, and stole from us the grandchildren who should have been born Highgarden roses? How dare you ask for our hospitality when you singlehandedly set us back from the graces of the Lannisters?"
The young woman lowered her head even more than it already was, causing her golden tresses to fall over her pale face. The whiteness of her skin made Luther shutter. It was the reminder that she had spent years in the cold north, where even in the long summer snow clouds deny the body a kiss from the sun.
"What do you want from us, Millah?"
In a hushed voice, she replied, "Only what a daughter would ask from her father in such times, my lord."
He scoffed, but then, after a few moments of heavy silence, sighed, taking in his daughter's hazel eyes. They pleaded him to hear her silent screams of agony, begged him to listen.
"I'm close to dying, Millah. Your brother Mace will be lord of the Reach soon. He is already married to Alerie, the Hightower girl, with three sons and is pregnant again. Last time I saw the two of you speak, it was not on the kindest terms, so I suggest you speak quickly."
She nodded gratefully.
"I do not ask to be welcomed home with open arms. I do not even ask to be welcomed home at all, but my lord, I do beg you to let me stay once more. But not for me." She stopped to wring her blistered hands.
"Go on," he prompted.
"My lord… Father… it's because of my daughter."
Lord Luther felt his jaw go slack. A child? His daughter had a child?
"A daughter?" Luther sputtered, taken completely by surprise. "She is here? How old is she? Let me see her!"
My first granddaughter! he thought, surprise now replaced by excitement. At long last!
A servant from the other room led in a small girl who could not have been older than four. She seemed to be the image of her mother, almond shaped hazel eyes, and dark blonde hair, the fair lips and figure of a Tyrell lady, but she had a lean northern face, and a small nose that had to have come from her father. The girl kept her head down and her tiny hands in her folds of her dress, but to Luther, she was absolutely beautiful. My first granddaughter…
He rose from his seat on the dais and made his way down the hall, completely ignoring Millah and the servant. Upon reaching the child, he knelt down so that he could see her face better.
"Hello," he whispered joyfully, gingerly lifting her chin with his finger to meet her gaze. "What's your name?"
"Sienna," she replied quietly while keeping her eyes averted.
"Sienna; what a beautiful name. Do you know who I am, Sienna?"
She nodded before hesitantly saying in an almost rehearsed manner, "Lord Luther, the patriarch of House Tyrell and ruler of Highgarden and the Reach."
He stared lovingly into her innocent face. Just a minute in her presence and he was completely in love with her. His granddaughter.
"Do you know who else I am?"
She shook her head 'no.'
He put on the largest, proudest, brightest smile his aged face could muster and extended his arms.
"Little lady Sienna, I am your granddad!"
As he embraced her tiny body, she waited a moment, probably stunned, before carefully wrapping her thin arms around his neck. Hoisting her up to his hip, he finally turned back to Millah, too overwhelmed with the joy Sienna struck him with to look at her with anything but love.
"It seems we have a lot of talking to do, Millah," he said, walking back over to the grand table. He took his usual seat on the far end of the table, where the patriarch of House Tyrell has sat for generations, but kept Sienna on his lap, as she compliantly sat still, not quite sure what to do with herself. Her mother took the seat to his left.
"Now tell me, why are you here instead of in Winterfell with your lowly husband?"
Millah clenched her jaw, but responded in a controlled voice, "Kyster is dead. He fell ill a years ago."
Luther was once again shocked. If he had only known that his daughter and granddaughter had been left alone and without provision in the harsh north, he would have sent his own men to lead them safely back!
"Why did you not send me a raven?" he asked.
"I saw no need to bother you with the daughter whom disgraced you," she muttered. "Besides, we had aid. Do you remember Catelyn Tully?"
Luther thought for a moment. "Hm, oh, you mean Hoster and Minisa's daughter? The one who was betrothed betrothed to Brandon Stark before he died? Fine girl."
Millah nodded. "Yes. She is in fact now married to his younger brother, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. We visited every so often during Kyster's life, so when she learned of his passing she welcomed us into her home, for she in fact had a daughter but a few years younger than Sienna, and sons not much older, for her to play with. Clothed us, fed us, did everything a friend would do."
"Very Tully of her," Luther mused, twirling a lock of Sienna's hair around his finger.
"But after two years," Millah continued, "though she insisted that it was no trouble to her since we were like sisters, I felt as though we were wearing out our welcome."
"Living off of someone else has never been your nature," he remarked. "You were very much a lady in your youth, but definitely never enjoyed living off of someone else."
"Which is precisely why I chose not to marry Jaime Lannister like you proposed," she muttered with a hint of venom. "In a way, I wanted to earn my keep in my marriage, out of love. That's why I married Kyster Morrigan in the first place."
Luther was about to respond with to explain to her what prestige her union to Jaime would have brought to the Tyrells, but he was interrupted by the great oak doors of the hall flying open. A tall man with primly cut hair and an equally as well maintained beard, stormed toward them with his green cloak flowing angrily behind and thick boots stomping on the granite floor. Though his face was red with fury, he still managed to look handsome. But despite his charm, Millah scowled as he approached and shot her a spiteful glare.
"My lord father!" he shouted, making Sienna jump slightly. Luther hugged her slightly.
"What in the name of the gods is it, Mace? You're going to frighten your niece with all of your commotion."
"My niece? You mean the daughter of my whore sister?" he hissed.
"Mace Tyrell, you watch your tongue!" Luther chided firmly. "I raised you to have better manners than that! You are a knight and future lord of House Tyrell, so start acting like it!"
Millah dug her fingernails into the arms of her chair to keep from digging them into her brother's eyes. He eyed her in disgust, but bowed low to her.
"My apologies, dear sister. Please forgive my monstrous behavior," he said in mock politeness.
"You are forgiven," she said with a cold face and equally frozen tone.
"But she is the reason I wish to speak with you father," Mace continued, abandoning all feigned courtesies. "What do you expect me to do with her and her daughter? Take them in and pretend she did not betray her allegiance to our house?"
"That is my decision to make, Mace, but yes. Sienna will be treated as if she was your own daughter, with full respects, courtesies, titles, wealth, and privileges." he ordered. "I will not have my first granddaughter be treated any less than such because of a father she barely knew."
Millah shot her father, but kept silent.
"And what of her?" Mace sneered, pointing to Millah. "She should be sent back to the north where she ran to eight years ago!"
"Mace Tyrell, I will not tell you again!" Luther thundered, making Sienna cringe in fear. "She is your sister! You are not yet Lord of the Reach, so her fate is not yet in your hands. Do you understand me?"
Before Mace could utter another word, Millah finally rose from her chair and marched right over to her brother. Though he stood over her by a strong five inches, she glared up at him with blazing eyes and one hand on her hip while the other pointed to his face.
"I have lost my husband, my maiden name, the house we built together, and the first child born in that house. I have no wealth or prestige, but do you know who I am? I am Millah Morrigan! But I was born a Tyrell. Lock me in a tower and feed me nothing but vegetable stew for the rest of my days never to see sunlight again, but my daughter needs a mother, and so I fight my stay so I can fight for her!"
Mace was somewhat taken aback by her outburst. True, she had been rebellious as a maiden, but always well spoken, if not quiet. Taking advantage of his stunned silence, Luther laughed, cradling Sienna who now clung to his robes as she watched in pure fascination.
"She gives a good show and a fine argument," he said. "She touches on the soft spot in all our hearts: a mother's support. Where would we all be without Olenna?"
The brother and sister exchanged glances. The Queen of Thorns was shrewd, cunning, and aged, but indeed a good woman, wife, and mother. They recalled their separate memories of their childhoods in the Reach under Olenna's caring eye. Luther was sure when his wife returned from her journey to visit her family in the Arbor, she would have a great deal to say about the whole situation.
Glancing back and forth between his children, Mace struggled to find words. For a few moments, he just focused on Sienna, sitting contently in his lap. Mace fidgeted uncomfortably while Millah stood with a raw, icy, look of contempt carved into her face. He finally let out a held breath.
"Mace, you will be kind. Remember my orders concerning Sienna. Millah, your brother does have the slightest point. You have dishonored our family. You may stay here for the remainder of your days, but it will be solely for Sienna. You will sup with us, pray with us, but you will not be considered a lady of the court, hold any titles, or inherit lands after my death. However, even after I am gone, this cannot be changed, even by you, Mace, when you become Lord. It will be scribed as my eternal will. We can agree?"
The two siblings nodded. Luther looked down at the little girl looking up at him. He could not read her face or guess what was working through her young mind, but her lifted her up so to look her straight in the eyes.
"You, my beautiful girl, will be a noble lady. You shall want for nothing in your life, marry a strong lord, and have many sons. You are everything, Sienna Morrigan Tyrell. I am sure you are destined to be great."
Sienna smiled meekly at him in return. It was a handsome promise, but it was also a false promise. Lord Luther Tyrell had no idea what was yet to come in his granddaughter's life.