Title: The Asset

Chapter Two: The Princess

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain America, nor do I own Game of Thrones, so don't sue me

-I am a free writer, and I write when I feel like it, I am not on a schedule, so therefore updates will be infrequent.

-If I lose interest in this story I might just stop writing all together, though in the future I may find interest in it again and then take up updating it then.

-There will be lemons, profane language, character/death, prostitution, possibly torture or abuse, lying, and probably other sins. If this bothers you then don't read. You have been warned.

-The main character may participate in polygamy/bigamy, extramarital relations, and other acts of sexuality, though no homosexuality, so if this bothers you then don't read.

XXX

Elia rode in the royal carriage protected by her countrymen. Her brother thought that men from Dorne would be more willing to lay down their lives to protect their princess than men from the Crownlands. She didn't know if that were true or not but they did provide better conversation than the King's men. There was also that cultural background they had to fall back on should the conversation become bland.

It didn't take long to get to Harrenhal from King's landing. There was even a road that led up alongside the God's Eye River that connected King's Landing and Harrenhal. Sometimes she wished that they had taken a ship as it would have been more comfortable. The trip might have been shorter as well.

The bumps in the road did nothing for the Princess' daughter Rhaenys Targaryen. Her baby girl barely a year old kept being woken up by pot holes in the road. More than once during the journey her daughter had to cry herself to sleep. Although none said it she knew that her guards were struggling with putting up with a crying child for hours on end.

She could only sigh in relief as they saw the Tower Dread peak up over the horizon indicating they were getting close. Her daughter who had woken up recently was still suckling at her tit. Her little girl who looked so much like her was an angel when she was feeding.

She loved her daughter with all of her heart. While her marriage to the Crown Prince was a political one it was still a happy enough one. She doubted she would ever come to love Rhaegar but she could respect him. They were friends and this was their duty. This was also why paramour were considered ok in Dorne as political marriages were for the country but paramours were for the heart.

She could do without ever being in the King's presence however. That maddened gleam in his purple eyes always sent chills down her spine. The dark rumors that surrounded the Red Keep about the king's newest hobby of burning everyone who he perceived as a traitor alive did not help either. It did not matter if they were nobles or small folk, rich or poor, if he thought you were an enemy then you wouldn't be for long.

She was also angry with him on a personal note. Not only had he insulted her, her homeland, but also her daughter all in one breath. He refused to hold his own granddaughter because she 'smelled dornish.' Her daughter did not stink! Well when she needed to be changed she did but that is beside the point. And on top of that her family had been one of the strongest supporters of the Targaryens since they entered the fold. They deserved a little respect.

Her mental ramblings were cut short however as a pain filled cry came from beside her. Soon the whistling sound of arrows cutting through air filled her ears before the thudding sounds of them hitting something came next. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when small metal points pierced the side of her carriage about eye level.

"Bandits"

"Protect the carriage!"

"It is the Brotherhood, Ser. We have to-Ahggh!"

Elia moved towards the window and gasped in horror at the sight before her. Twenty of so brigands were attacking her escort while archers from the tree lines picked off whoever they could. They killed everyone they could get to. Her guards had been caught off guard so quickly that half of them fell in the first few moments of the attack.

Off to the side one of the men the Daynes had sent crossed swords with one of the bandits. He was doing well and was about to end the fight with a quick slash across his enemy's chest before a arrow pierced him in his leg. He shouted out in pain. His blade's trajectory was sent off course resulting in him slashing the reins to the horses that pulled her carriage.

The horses were frightened and their handler had already been killed. When one of the reins holding them to the carriage were cut it startled them. They rushed forward pulling the cart behind them though due to the cut rein the cart leaned heavily to one side. Elia was sent back into her seat with a protective hand over her infant daughter's body while the horses rushed forward uncontrollably.

XXX

Bucky ducked under a blade that had been aimed at his neck before thrusting forwards with his own blade. His opponent, Ser Brandon Stark, parried the attack before pressing in aggressively. Their blades flashed out again with the speed of lighting and met in between their bodies. The clanging sound filled the training yard as they readied for the next strike. Their blades locked in between them for a moment before they broke away and continued to try and hack the other into pieces.

Eventually Brandon tried to run him through with his blade but Bucky was prepared for this. Dodging only enough for the blade to graze his chain mail Bucky locked his arm onto the blade to prevent Brandon from pulling it free. Before Brandon could really put any force into freeing his blade Bucky's fist collided with his unguarded face. The punch was strong enough to lift Brandon up off his face before he fell back to the ground with a thud.

There was clapping all around them which broke them out of the trance they had been in. Their battle had been so intense that they had focused solely on the other. This left them incapable of seeing that they had drawn a crowd. Their duel had been quite intense and those who watched it nodded their heads in respect.

Brandon got up off the ground and stood back up. He was rubbing his jaw where the dark markings of a bruise were starting to form already. He spit on the ground though it was more blood than spit.

"You hit like a angry whore" spoke Brandon as he messaged his jaw. "Never seen a move like that." He looked over at Bucky and grinned. "Only the craziest of bastards would let someone strike that close to them just for the chance to counter them."

"I had no other choice" commented Bucky as he slid his borrowed sword back into it's sheath. "No matter how many times I battered your blade aside you never gave me a chance to really attack you. I had to do something you weren't expecting to win."

Brandon threw an arm around Bucky's shoulders. "I can't believe this!" His gruff voice echoed so everyone could hear him. "Three days of training and you have already bested me when crossing blades. Had I not seen how awkward you looked holding a sword for the first time I would say you lied about your lack of training. That being said, I can confidently say I am placing some serious gold on you to win in the melee!"

It was true. When Bucky had held a sword for the first time he looked like he was stepping up to bat. His posture had been all wrong, the way he gripped the blade, and his defense has been virtually none existent. In the first five minutes Bucky had been left black and blue while Brandon stood over him laughing. It was ironic though because Brandon was black and blue as well due to the fists he had received to the face some nights previously.

"Well then you might want to put some gold on me winning the archery contest as well." He decided to explain when Brandon gave him that strange look. "Your sister has been insistent she teach me something. The horseback ridding was fun and all but she about had my head when I said archery just isn't my thing. She has been teaching me to shoot an arrow about as long as you have been teaching me to swing this lump of steel around." He indicated towards the training sword resting loosely in his hand.

"Oh really? Well I have to admit your quite the lucky one then. While our father never let her learn to use a sword a bow was another story. She is without a doubt one of the best with a bow I have ever seen." Brandon looked around before looking up at the sun. "That reminds me we are supposed to be meeting with Lord Whent for the sign up. The high lords were invited to wine and dine with the Whents but it seems my sister is nowhere to be seen. You know where she ran off to?"

Bucky nodded his head. "Yea, she said something about renting a boat and going to the God's Eyes. It is supposed to be like a holy place for those who follow the Old Gods of the Forest correct? I guess she wanted to pay her respects." Looking out towards the massive lake that Harrenhal sat upon he could make out the island in the distance where the Heart Trees were supposed to be. "She wanted me to come but I do not follow the same god as you of the North or these people of the South. I figured it was a adventure she should take on her own."

"I see." Brandon gazed out towards the God's Eye. "Well she is going to be late for out meeting. After the incident with her bringing a naked man from the forest to our camp our father is not very pleased with her. If she misses this meeting he will no doubt shout her ears off." He looked over at Bucky. "You think you can find her and bring her back before sun down?"

"Yea, I will go get her. Just let me get out of this armor first and into some leather britches and I will be on my way." They clasped hands and gave the other a man hug before parting ways.

Bucky took a horse the Starks had lent him down to the docks where Lyanna would have paid for a ride across the God's Eye Lake. When he got there though the man overseeing everything said that the ship they had been using was taking on water so there was no pilgrimages to the God's Eye. When he asked the man claimed that a girl matching Lyanna's description had rode her horse out towards the nearby forest.

The dock worker informed him of some old trails that the small folk used to navigate through the woods to get to Harrentown to peddle their wares. If she left there was a good chance she took one of these trails. Thanking the man and giving him a few silvers for his trouble Bucky steered his horse towards the wood and followed the hove impressions that Lyanna's horse had left behind.

XXX

The young She Wolf had always enjoyed nature. It was the freedom away from social expectations that appealed to her so much. Nobody was hear telling her what to do, what she wore didn't matter to no one, and her manners were not a necessity. The only thing that mattered was basic survival skills and a good horse to tote you around. She luckily possessed both.

When the man at the dock told her that he could not take her to the God's Eyes she contemplated swimming. She shot that idea down however as her father may just disown her for doing something so stupid around so many other important lords and ladies. The Northmen already didn't have a great reputation and were sometimes regarded as savages. She didn't need to encourage this stereotype.

So in the end she had decided to take her horse for a little stroll through the forest that laid on the eastern edge of Harrentown. She had nothing to do so why not? It was all so relaxing until she started to hear hysterical screaming. When that happened she ducked low why still on her horse and led it off the beaten path.

She could not see what it was that was making that sound so she urged her horse onwards. What she saw scared her greatly. There was a carriage with a broken wheel laying on its side at the edge of the main road. The two horses that had been pulling the carriage were dead. Arrows littered the backs and sides of the horses. The carriage must have come to hard stop as splinters of wood were everywhere while the wheel that had not been broken was lazily spinning on its axel.

'What happened here' she wondered as she dismounted her horse and ran to the carriage. She climbed up the side and opened the door to look in. She saw a dark skinned woman clutching a baby laying on her side passed out. "Miss! Miss! Are you all right my lady?" Her words seemed to rouse the possibly injured woman from her sleep.

Elia slowly awoke from what she assumed had been a horrible dream. It had to be a result of lack of sleep, bumpy travel, and her unusually difficult time giving birth. When she noticed that the carriage was on its side a problem she knew she was in. Slowly she lifted her sluggish body up and looked around. The sharp metal tips from arrows were still in the sides of the carriage. She could also see through a hole in the front of the carriage that the horses were dead.

Her eyes widened marginally and she looked down at the bundle in her arms. Frantically she started to open them up only to sigh in relief. Her baby was sleeping peacefully even after that hellish event.

"Lady are you okay?"

Elia looked up startled to see a lovely young woman looking down on her with concern. "Yes, I am fine. Are you with the soldiers at Harrenhal?"

"No my Lady. I saw your carriage flipped and came to see if anyone was inside." Lyanna looked around. "What happened here?"

Elia froze up. If this girl was here all on her own and the soldiers were not with her then that meant that the bandits who attacked them were probably still near by. She quickly tried to stand but her legs were too weak to support her for long. She fell back down on her bottom but quickly looked up.

"You have to take my child and flee from here. Go to Harrenhal and report this to the guards. Tell them to send as many soldiers as possible as quickly as can be!" Elia was already lifting up her daughter Rhaenys before she was even done speaking.

Lyanna quickly grasped the small child in her arms, but did not run off to report this incident immediately. "Lady what are you talking about? What is going on?"

"We don't have time" shouted Elia as she sat on her side. "Bandits are nearby and they will no doubt be back after they finish looting my guard's bodies. We don't have time for this chatter. Report this so they don't get away!"

"Ahh, now why would you go and do that? Haven't you been enjoying our company Princess?"

The almost childish voice sent a cold chill up both Lyanna and Elia's spines. When Lyanna looked back she gulped loudly. Standing behind her were twenty men armed to the teeth with swords, axes, longbows, crossbows, spears, and just about every other weapon you could think of. The man in the middle though was by far the scariest.

He wore all black armor and had a old sword in one hand and a shield in the other. There was no symbols on his armor to designate his affiliation but that crazed smile stretched out across his face was enough to identify him. The Smiling Knight, the leader of the Brotherhood. They were a bandit group that had been terrorizing the Crownlands, Riverlands, and the Stormlands for quite some time.

They were known for attacking in one of the lands and then fleeing into another to prevent soldiers from pursuing them. Since lords could not send their soldiers into the lands of other lords it was the perfect shield to prevent capture. Only the king's men had that kind of authority but he was content to ignore them it seemed.

"Look here boys" announced the Smiling Knight. "A princess and future queen plus a lady from one of the great noble houses. Seems we will be eating well for a long time to come." The bandits all began to chuckle menacingly.

Before he could continue Lyanna cut across him. "You won't get away with this." The Smiling Knight looked at her curiously. "The king and my father will send armies to get us back. There is no way you will survive such a combined force even if you do run and hide!"

The Smiling Knight's maniacal grin spread even further showing black and yellow teeth that made the two lady's stomach flip in disgust.

"That may be true" he began. "But the first thing they will find is the mutilated bodies of their dearly beloved princess and lady." He started to take a few steps towards them. "You see girlies we don't fear death. This life has been hell for us so there's no way death could be any worse. The Stranger will come and takes up to that final resting place but in the mean time were going to enjoy ourselves."

Fast as a whip Lyanna pulled out her bow and notched an arrow which she pointed straight at the Laughing Knight. "Do not move or I'll pierce that black heart of yours!" The Laughing Knight did stop but not out of fear. No, instead he stopped in order to laugh. His laugh was just as spine chilling as his smile had been. "I am not playing! Leave now or I will kill you!"

The Laughing Knight's head tilted sideways almost as if he were curious. "Then do it girly." There was silence. "Have you ever killed someone before?" Again there was silence. "I didn't think so. You see when you kill a person it is much different than killing an animal." He took a few steps closer to Lyanna. "You can see that light leave their eyes. And only if you are lucky and kill them in an instant are you spared the horrifying sounds of their streams of agony as the Strange comes to pluck their souls from their bodies."

Lyanna's hands began to shake. The arrow which she had previously notched twitched back and for preventing her from lining up a clean shot. Her heart rate had increased to a point it sounded like drums beating in her ears. Her mouth was dry yet no matter how much she licked her lips the fluids would not come back. Even her mind had turned on her showing her gruesome images each worse than the last.

"I must admit you are quite skilled in psychological warfare."

Everyone turned around and for once Elia and Lyanna were happy for the new arrival. Standing there was none other than Bucky whose sword was already drawn. His face was calm but to her shock Lyanna could see blood splattered across his armor, his hands, and his sword. Whose blood it was she did not know but she prayed that it was not his own.

"But then again it is not quite that difficult the rattle the minds of young women who have never seen a true battle before." He took a step forward striding into the mitts of the Brotherhood. "Though I find any man who needs to outnumber two innocent women by such a degree a disgrace to begin with. Surely you did not need twenty one men just to take possession of two girls."

The Brotherhood did not take well to being insulted. Three of their members attack Bucky but were cut down in a flash. His movements were so quick that only the flashes of sunlight from the blade's reflective surface could be seen. One moment there had been four men standing there but now it was only Bucky who stood in the center of three newly dead bodies.

The sight of seeing a man killed was enough to send Lyanna in a hacking spell. She emptied the contents of her stomach right alongside Elia who had faired no better than she had. Even if their deaths had been quick she still been disturbed by the Laughing Knight's words.

"You have my apologies" spoke Bucky as he continued his way towards the Smiling Knight. "I am not so skilled with a sword that I can kill cleanly yet. Your men hiding in the tree line could protest to that."

Everyone looked towards the tree line to ascertain where the stranger had been telling the truth. It was basic strategy to hide archers in the woods nearby so that they would have cover in case attacked and somewhere to attack from in an ambush. When none came out they knew the stranger had been telling the truth.

"I would have been able to do a much cleaner job had I the benefit of a knife. Still, I was at least able to kill them silently." His face had remained hard and cold as he gazed at the Laughing Knight the whole time. "I find archers to be so difficult to deal with especially when you are their only target and there is more than one of them."

The Laughing Knight kept to his namesake. He laughed a maddened high pitched laugh as he threw his head back. Ragged rows of blackened teeth were visible to everyone. His gaunt face was pulled back and crinkled by his stretching skin giving him a truly monstrous look. The black armor he wore seemed to laugh along with him as the loose pieces of the old armor clanked together along with the mad man's laughing.

When he finally finished he drew his sword and aimed it at Bucky. "I would have the name of the man whose heart I will soon tear out and feed to the hounds!"

Bucky mirrored his action by pointing his sword at the Laughing Knight. "James Barnes, but I hardly see how it matters anymore. In a few moments you will be dead."

Nothing else was said as the Brotherhood followed their commander in their attempt to kill the stranger. For all of their ferocity, for all of their numbers, for all of their fearlessness they were still no match for Bucky. It had been the first time he had truly let loose since being transformed by the SS-Formula. The results spoke for themselves as he hacked and slashed men to pieces.

From the sidelines Lyanna had thought to assist Bucky. She had notched her bow but she still could not loose it. The Laughing Knight's words still echoed in her head freezing her in place. She hated that she could not bring herself to do it as her friend may very well be killed but for all her will power her body just would not respond.

It became apparent however that Bucky did not need her help. While surrounded by a larger number of people none of them were trained warriors such as the Laughing Knight. They were small folk who had resorted to banditry for one reason or another. They had the numbers but not the skill or equipment. Bucky on the other hand seemed to by a one man killing machine.

She watched amazed in morbid fascination as he killed one man after another. He always seemed to move out of his enemy's way just in the nick of time to prevent being harmed yet his blade moved with such flawless precision that he had not missed a single target. Without the plate armor of a knight the bandits were all but defenseless against Bucky's sword. Soon the ground had been painted red with their blood with only Bucky and the Laughing Knight remaining.

Bucky stood his ground with his sword still in hand. His body covered did in the blood of over a dozen men yet all he did was continue to glare. A normal man would be in fear of such a display of skill and power. A mad man would simply grin in glee believing that by killing such a man he would become untouchable. The Laughing Knight simply enjoyed the show and laughed darkly as his turn came around.

No words were exchanged. There was no need for them. The clashing of their blades was all the conversation between two men trying to kill one another that was needed.

Bucky ducked and dodged every strike sent his way unless parrying it allowed him a better counter. The Laughing Knight continued to take strikes yet none of them were fatal. A combination of great skill and plate armor was enough to keep Bucky from hacking him to pieces in an instant.

They disengaged for a moment to eye the other. The Laughing Knight's breathing had gotten heavier yet Bucky's had remained the same even pace. When they went back this time however the fight was ended in a flash. Bucky taking hold of his sword swung with all his might. The Laughing Knight had brought his blade up to defend but he lacked the strength or fortitude to stop a Super Soldier. The blade was brushed aside like a leaf in the wind as Bucky's sword cleaved him in two.

The Laughing Knight died with a grin on his face.

"James!" Bucky turned around only to see the teary eyed vision of Lyanna crashing into his chest. He didn't fall. She wasn't that strong and his adrenalin was still pumping from the fight. He was just happy he had not worn plate or else she might of hurt herself.

She looked ragged and worn out all at once. The leather breeches she had chosen to wear were scuffed up in some areas. She had dirt on her face. Her hair was a right mess with the women who would have to brush it out having a heart attack if they could see it now. Her face held a look of great stress on it as well. All in all even though she wasn't actually harmed the stress had taken its toll on her.

"Shhhh" he whispered as he held her close to him. "Everything is going to be ok, I promise." He ran his fingers through her hair. "I will bring you back to your family, you will get to take a hot shower, eat a good meal, before going to sleep in a warm bed. Everything is going to be ok."

"James I was so scared!" Her voice was quivering as she clung to his leather clothing. "I thought I was going to die! I thought they would torture us before taking such liberties." She paused to take a quivering breath. "I saw his eyes. They were so evil. It was madness, pure madness!"

"It is ok." He tried to assure her. "He is dead. They cannot hurt you anymore." He pulled her closer to envelop her as if to protect her from the world. "The Old Gods have protected their own. They wouldn't let their Great She-Wolf's story end at the hands of such low lives."

She popped her head out from his embrace to look at him. Her steel grey eyes that held just the slighted tint of a frosty blue gazed up at him. Her eyes were big, puffy, and read from the crying yet the tears seemed to have dried up. "Promise?"

"Of course" replied Bucky. "I will always be there to protect you." That seemed to cheer her up. "Look, your friend is probably still scared as well." She cast a quick glance towards the carriage. "We should probably go and check in on her. We should also get out of these wood incase others come. Best not to tempt fate." She nodded her head quickly before making her way towards the carriage. She had held onto his hand oddly enough.

XXX

Elia had clutched her baby close to her abdomen during the entire encounter. Her daughter had woken up crying at the top of her lungs yet she could do nothing for her. How could you comfort a baby to stop them from crying when you could not do the same for yourself? So in the end she had just ducked down in the carriage sending up a prayer to the Seven for protection. She ignored the cries of pain as the brigands were killed one by one.

Even when the sounds of battle died down she did not feel relieved. She knew that one man was not enough to hold off nearly two dozen men. When the fighting had stopped she was all but sure that their rescuer was dead and the bandits would then come for them. Worse, they would have their blood boiling from the battle thus their handlings would be multiple times worse.

"Miss, are you ok?"

She looked up unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Her savior, the lone knight who had stood before the bandits to save her and her own was looking down from the carriage door with concerned eyes. Her tears of fear soon turned to those of joy as she felt relief flood through her body. Words could not describe her elation.

She snapped out of her stopper quickly. "Yes, I am fine" she called back. She lifted her daughter who had calmed down a bit, though she was still whimpering lightly, and handed her off to Lyanna. "Please, we need to get out of here." Once her daughter was secure her rescuer reached down with a large muscular arm swooping her out of the wrecked carriage that had seemed more like a prison in the last hour.

It was a deft motion that lifted her out of the carriage and into the side of her rescuer. Up close she could see he was rather handsome with thick brown hair, lightly tanned skin, and in possession of the bluest eyes she had ever seen before. Her hands which she had instinctively used to steady herself against her rescuer could not help but caress the rock hard muscles that seemed to make up his entire body.

"Thank you." It came out a whisper as her own brown eyes looked up into his blue ones. They were so close together it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. If she wished she could just lean in and…

"Princess?" She snapped out of her daze to look towards Lyanna who was holding out her daughter to her. "I think she misses you." Elia nodded her head deftly as she reached out and pulled her little girl back to her chest. The little whimpers she was letting out died down as she fell back into a more comfortable sleep.

"I will escort the three of you to Harrenhal" announced Bucky as he walked back into the forest to retrieve his and Lyanna's horses. "After that I will come back with some help to look for survivors. We should move quickly as every moment could be someone's last."

To her own surprise the man actually lifted her up as if she weighed as much as a stick on the side of the road. Admittedly she barely weighed barely six and a half stones, but she was holding her daughter still. His strong grip however did not equal an uncomfortable grasp as his fingers were delicate when grasping her sides.

Lyanna looked over towards her. "Princess do you know how to ride a horse?"

She nodded her head slowly taking her eyes off of Bucky. "I know how to ride a Sand Steed, but it has been many years since I have done so." She gave the northern horse a weary glance. "Though I have never ridden a horse not of Dorne."

To her surprise Bucky mounted her horse sitting behind her. He grasped the reins in one hand while stabilizing her and her daughter with his other. "I hope you do not mind." He gave her a kind smile. "I shall steer the horse to Harrenhal for you. I know it may be uncomfortable but I ask that you bare with it. We need to move quickly." All she could do is nod her head softly while leaning back into his muscular chest.

They rode quickly to the castle. It was not a long way so they were able to push the horses harder than they normally could have. A crowd quickly gathered when they entered the castle grounds but Bucky did not stay. He told Lyanna to gather a search party while he went back to look for survivors. He took her horse as some may need immediate medical treatment. It surprised her how much he wished to return to save her countrymen over preening over the services he provided to such a influential woman.

It was a nice change. She could see he had the makings of a True Knight. Like Ser Arthur Dayne, she was sure his name would be known far and wide.