Lyanna looked down at the five little sticks littering her bathroom sink. All of them showing a pink plus sign indicating that she was going to have a difficult road ahead of her. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to go to that college party, but Rhaegar Targaryen was going to be there and her brother Brandon wasn't giving her the opportunity she had been looking for. In hindsight it probably wasn't the greatest idea to flirt with her brother's friend the entire night and subsequently fall into bed with him. For that, she was staring at the proof right in front of her.

Perhaps five tests were a bit of an over kill but being sure was something Lyanna absolutely needed in this situation. After all there was no point in stirring up everyones emotions and causing trouble if there was none to be found. It had been almost two months since that party and she didn't even notice the first missed period. After the second she finally noticed and began to worry which led her here to this moment.

In the back of her mind she knew this was something she could handle. After all her brother Ned was also expecting a baby with his girlfriend so she wouldn't be completely alone in the parenting department. The worrisome things came from the circumstances. Her age for one was going to be an issue for her family because even though she was 18, she was still in the final year of high school and already had plans to attend university next fall.

The biggest issue was the identity of the father. He had a fiancée and a nearly two year old daughter and just so happened to be one of her brother Brandon's best friends. It was a scandal waiting to happen and one she did not really want to be on the opposite end of. She was sure she could keep the father a secret if she wanted to. No one knew she had slept with Rhaegar Targaryen except her close friend Howland and he would go to his grave keeping this secret. She was almost positive Rhaegar would never tell Brandon, or anyone for that matter, of their time together.

The only problem was that Rhaegar and Brandon were friends and it was very likely she would see him again, probably on and off for the rest of her life. He would be suspicious about the child's parentage as soon as he found out about the pregnancy. Lyanna was no saint and had slept with her fair share of guys but timing wise it could only be Rhaegars child. People would believe her if she told them she wasn't sure of the father. No one would question her too hard if she told them she'd rather not say. Her stubbornness was a skill and she had honed it well over the years. Plus, it was no one's business but her own. If she wanted to raise her child on her own, she would do just that.

However, that was a problem for another time. First, she needed to tell people she was pregnant and that in and of itself was going to be a challenge. Not that Lyanna was ashamed or afraid her family would kick her out. She was mostly nervous that she wouldn't be a good mother and was a little afraid of somehow messing everything up for her and her child. If she told people she was pregnant then it suddenly became real and everyone would start offering up their unwanted opinions on what to do. For now it was just her secret and somehow that made things easier, less messy. She knew telling her family was something that needed to be done and soon.

For starters she thinks Benjen was starting to suspect something was off with her. It's true for the past few weeks Lyanna was getting antsy and the morning sickness wasn't helping her hide things either. Luckily she had her own bathroom and most of her family wasn't home when she was. Usually it was just her and Benjen, which led to the two of them being close and each other's confidants. Unfortunately, this wasn't something she was sure Benjen could help her with, after all he was only 14.

She'd been locked in her bathroom for the past hour going over everything in her head. It was high time she went on with her day and attempt to act as if everything was normal. Maybe she would go speak to Howland since he knew she had slept with Rhaegar and he was always good with advice when Lyanna found herself in trouble. Perhaps he would have some advice on telling her family, or at the very least would support her and help her practice what she was going to say to her father and brothers. She could maybe talk to Catelyn as well considering she just went through this herself. But where Catelyn was in a stable relationship Lyanna was on her own and intended to keep it that way.

No matter what she chose to do she knew her family would support her but that didn't make the act of telling them any less scary. She knew her father wouldn't toss her out and would be her greatest support, but he would still be disappointed, and Brandon would attempt to find out the identity of the father so he could threaten him for knocking up his baby sister. Ned would only be supportive and in all likelihood would enlist Catelyn to baby prep with her. Benjen would be happy for her if that's what she wanted of him.

It was early enough on Saturday morning that everyone at home was still asleep so Lyanna was practically on her own. She decided to go downstairs for breakfast and then walk to the park while she waited for a more appropriate time to visit Howland. She had already snuck out and then back in this morning to buy pregnancy tests from a convenience store and was able to do so without waking anyone up. One thing Lyanna wasn't in the mood for was to talk to any of her family members until she'd recovered a bit from her shock.

Walking to the park didn't take that long and it was a route Lyanna had taken many times in her life. This time it had a certain weight to it because she knew everything was going to change for her very soon. High school graduation was a month away and about six months after that she would be holding her baby in her arms, which was oddly a comforting thought.

Once Lyanna reached the park she sat on the same bench as always, the one by the small pond underneath the weirwood tree. For as long as she could remember this was her thinking spot. Ned showed her this very spot when they were small children and she regularly visited it when life got to be difficult or decisions needed to be made. It was safe to say this was the perfect time to be here. Being early in the morning she decided to sit here for a while before heading over to Howlands, in what she hoped would give him enough time to get ready for the day. Usually she would just go straight over to his house, but she was still struggling with how to tell Howland her news. Overall, she was terrified of the path put in front of her and was unsure if she was ready for such a big responsibility. Not only that but she really didn't want Rhaegar to find out he was the father, she didn't want to share her child with someone she only had a quick fling with especially when they were already in a committed relationship.

It would be best for everyone if she just kept her mouth shut on the father's identity. Brandon wouldn't try to kill his best friend, Elia Martell and her daughter could be spared the pain of her Fiancée's infidelity, and Lyanna herself could operate independently like she'd always done. Having a kid was never something she thought she wanted, especially under these circumstances. Underneath all the fear and anxiety there was excitement and the more she thought about it the harder it was to contain.

After stewing in her thoughts for a while Lyanna decided it was time to go and see Howland. Upon her arrival she found him waiting for her on his front porch. Howland had what Lyanna liked to say was a third eye because he always seemed to know when something was about to happen.

"Good morning Howland" Lyanna greeted "Do you think we could talk? I need your help with something"

Howland chuckled "You know I had a feeling you were going to show up with a request like that this morning." There was his third eye Lyanna thought

"Alright then I won't beat about the bush." She paused for a moment "I'm pregnant and I'm positive Rhaegar Targaryen is the father"

At her proclamation Howland look stunned for the briefest of moments only to bounce back fairly quickly.

"Are you sure?" Howland asked

"I'm fairly certain, I took five tests this morning and they all came back positive. Plus my period has skipped two months now" Lyanna took a deep breathe "And before you say anything I am certain Rhaegar is the father. I haven't been with anyone this year but him and no I don't want to tell him about the baby. I'd rather keep everyone guessing about the father than anyone finding out its him."

Howland just looked at her like he always did when she told him her secrets. He was one of the only people she told everything to and he knew her better than perhaps she even knew herself.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do? I could go with you to talk to him. He has a daughter already I'm sure he would know what to do with another child"

"That's just it Howland, I don't want to raise a child with him. He's got a fiancée and a life planned out already. I don't want to interfere with that any more than I already have. Not to mention this is something I would rather do by myself than with someone I had a one time fling with and hardly know outside of him being friends with my brother" Lyanna sat herself down on the seat next to Howland. "Besides I didn't come here to ask for your help telling Rhaegar. I came to get your help telling my family"

"Of course I'll help you." He responded almost instantly "What do you need me to do?"

"Well for starters I need you to help me figure out what I'm going to say to my father and brothers. You know how Brandon can be when I'm seemingly in trouble. He'll be livid at whoever got me pregnant so it's vital he never finds out its Rhaegar. I'm not worried in the slightest about Ned and Ben's reactions they'll be supportive and helpful for sure. My father is another story." Lyanna sighed. "He will probably be disappointed in me but after his shock wears off I'm sure he'll be as helpful as Ned and Benjen."

"If you're so sure in their reactions what help do you need from me?" Howland asked

"I don't know exactly. I guess I'm just afraid to say the words I'm pregnant to them. Unlike with you I don't tell my family every little thing I do and my sexual history might come as a shock to them. They all look at me as if I'm still little Lya and shattering that ideal so drastically is tough to comprehend"

"Well then it looks like we've got some brainstorming to do. Don't look so worried everything will be fine. I'll be here to help you and once your family knows they will too. You said it yourself, once the shock wears off they will be nothing but supportive."

"Thanks Howland, I really don't know what I would do without you. I've been driving myself crazy all morning keeping this all to myself."

Lyanna was relieved. She knew Howland would help her but she underestimated just how good it would feel to have someone else know about her pregnancy. Lyanna herself hadn't known all that long but this wasn't news she wanted to sit on. She wasn't entirely sure what she would do after telling her family but that was a problem for another day and by that point she would have even more people to help her figure things out. All in all, her day was looking up.