Lyanna 2

Lyanna could feel her wrists start to bleed again from her continued attempts to loosen her bindings. Her arms were bound around her horse's neck, and her horse was tied to Sir Arthur Dayne's. He was leading the party while the Prince and Oswell Whent rode on either side of her. She had yet to suss out who the fourth man riding behind her was but she liked him the least. "You will let a lady suffer?" she finally demanded angrily when she felt she could bare things no longer. Prince Rhaegar winced when he saw the state of her wrists but he made no attempt to unbind her. "You are strong enough for this," he answered, without looking in her eyes.

"I wish Brandon would come for you already," commented Arthur - as if her pain was her brother's fault for not walking into their trap. She wondered again why he wanted Brandon. They had been traveling parallel to the main road west from Riverrun for awhile and were not as covert as someone kidnapping someone ought to be. Especially not when there were many travellers on the main road heading to Riverrun for Brandon's wedding. She would have been worried except she knew he had been well behind her party when they took her. Much too far north on the Green Fork sowing whatever wild oats he needed too, to hear about his sister's kidnapping. And no doubt he was somewhere that no raven could be sent to him without questions being asked. But she was not going to tell her kidnappers those particular facts. He may be the big brother, but she would never forgive herself if she were to put him in danger. If she truly feared for her own safety perhaps, but besides a few saddle sores and her wrists she was not faring too badly. And besides, it was probably the romantic dream of half the women in Westeros to be kidnapped by the Silver Prince and the Sword of the Morning and she tried to imagine the look on Maege's face when she wrote to her of this misadventure. If only she could manage to escape on her own her friend would be really impressed.

As usual they travelled far into the night before stopping at a small private dwelling. She was lifted off of her horse by Arthur and carried inside to a private room that was promptly locked. She waited several minutes until, like clockwork, a female servant entered to help tend to her needs. The women assigned to her never talked to her, never undid her binds and she always knew that a guard sat outside the door to her windowless room. As usual she fell into a dreamless sleep from sheer exhaustion.

Instead of waking to the gruff voice of one of the King's Guard demanding she get up and ready, this morning she awoke to the sight of the silver prince sitting on the small chair beside her bed. She had no idea how long he had been there and she instinctively pulled the blankets tighter over herself when she noticed him. He had never entered her room before and she shivered at what this meant. Through the candle light she could barely see that he was holding something in his hand, and when he raised the object she had the horrible premonition that he was going to stab her in the heart with it.

"The juice of the leaf will help your wrists," he finally spoke as he cut open the plant in his hand. The tone of his voice was unusual - as if he was as unsure of why he was in her room as she was. Then he gently squeezed the soothing salve from the leaves and started rubbing it unto her wrists. She tried to pull her hands away but he held them firmly in his own. "I do not wish you harm Lady Lyanna. But my father does not trust anyone. He is concerned that your father is building so many marriage alliances."

Lyanna cringed. If King Aerys suspected her father of treason then she had more to worry about than a few cuts on her wrists. She had seen the King at Harrenhall – he was a madman. If anyone other than her son had caught her at her games she wondered what might have happened. "What do you plan to do with Brandon?" she asked, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. She would show them how strong the north could be, make them think twice.

"My father ordered Arthur to stop further alliances from forming between your father and Lord Tully's and Baratheon. He did not tell them to kill anyone or take you into custody. Arthur wants Brandon because he has his own agenda, but he does not mean your brother harm."

Lyanna was silent as she pondered Prince Rhaegar's words. She had wondered herself about her father marrying his children South and watering down the bloodlines of the First Men as she had heard his bannermen whisper. She did not feel that way, she just didn't want to leave the North. She didn't want to have to pray in a sept, and spend her evenings in sewing circles instead of riding her horse. But when she protested her father told her that contacts and trade agreements to the South meant not starving in winter. Then she realized that Rhaegar had said they were to break the Baratheon alliance as well.

"Kidnapping me will end my betrothal to Robert."

She did not know if it was a question or a statement. She had not thought about it, what people would say about her kidnapping. But she felt like a weight lifted off of her. Rhaegar looked at her in suprise, there was something else in his eyes too that she just couldn't place. "You are not happy with your betrothal?" he asked. She flushed for a moment. Robert was his cousin after-all. "I have nothing against Lord Baratheon but I, I am not made to be a Southron lady."

Rhaegar smiled at her, "No Lyanna, you are a warrior Queen."

They sat in silence. Lyanna did not quite know what to say to that, her cheeks flushing. Rhaegar seemed as if he was debating something internally. Then he slowly began to untie her bounds. "Lady Lyanna, your brother dishonoured Ashara Dayne at Harrenhall. She is with child. That is why Arthur wants him. He is going to demand that your brother marry her."

"Brandon did?"

"I know that is hard to believe of your brother. But it is true. We plan to lure him to Starfall using yourself as bait. But perhaps you could be a more willing travel companion? Your brother would never have to know, and I would personally ensure that there is no chance of your betrothal proceeding."