Rhaegar and Lyanna

Chapter 3

They rode deeper into the Godswood, racing against those who wished to find and present her before the king as a traitor to the crown. Rhaegar instructed that they should place the shield before the great heart tree that lied within the centre of the wood to match the Knight of the Laughing Tree's image. The heart tree was always described as having a terrible face and yet, Lyanna did not feel fear. Instead, it brought her a sense of comfort and peace. After examining it from her horse, Rhaegar offered his hand to Lyanna when dismounting and she accepted, despite her superior capabilities on horseback. The two of them walked towards the base of the tree, with Lyanna placing her small hand next to its face. This was the symbol of the north, of her home which she and Brandon were about to be torn away from to marry for political gain. Whilst she loved her father, she understood the game. Daughters were pawns for political alliances, to be sold and wed in order to secure the allegiance of some other lord. This coupled with her inability to train openly with her brothers anymore and the gossip surrounding her made Lyanna wish she had been born a man. If she were a man, she could go about enjoying the activities she wished to participate in without anyone batting an eyelid or conversing about her behind her back.

"Chilling, is it not?" Rhaegar asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"No…" she replied softly, barely making her response audible.

Rhaegar picked up the shield she had placed on the floor and made his way into her peripheral line of sight, "My lady of the laughing tree, would you care to do the honour?" His mouth formed a small smile and she reciprocated in turn, taking the shield from his large hands and placing it at the base of the large trunk. "Now all will know of your victory." This warmed Lyanna's heart, whilst it may not be her directly she was being given credit for her triumph. She looked at Rhaegar and smiled, still not quite believing that this was happening. The Crown Prince had not killed her, had not dragged her before his father, but actually acknowledged her skills and helped her.

"So, what now?" She asked breathing out a final huff.

"Now, we wait. Let the commotion calm down and then we'll make our escape. Then I will lead the others here to claim the shield." He laid out his plan as he sat down on the grass beside a large pine tree and Lyanna nodded in agreement. She walked towards the tree opposite where he was sitting and sat down. There was an awkward silence between the two companions until Lyanna finally spoke.

"I heard you playing last night at the feast." She stated, hoping that bringing up a topic he enjoyed, things may seem less uncomfortable between them.

"Oh, yes… that" he said almost bashfully. "Whilst I must be a warrior and a prince, music still remains my passion." Lyanna smiled for a moment, she was beginning to see the man behind the crown. "I've spent many a night at the ruins of Summerhall as it fills me with inspiration."

"Cheerful" Lyanna responded sarcastically and Rhaegar scoffed as well.

"Well, you heard me play and I saw you pour wine on your brother's head." Lyanna could feel her cheeks getting hotter with embarrassment, cursing Benjen for teasing her last night.

"He deserved it."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Nothing of consequence."

"Well, it must be to feel the wrath of the She-Wolf of Winterfell" Rhaegar chuckled.

"Well, he insulted me."

"Pretty standard for siblings."

"Yes, but again, he was being an arsehole." Rhaegar's chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. He enjoyed that for this brief period of time, he did not have to worry about being Crown Prince of Dragonstone and the Heir to the Seven Kingdoms, but simply a young man enjoying the company of someone he viewed as an equal. For the next hour, they talked about everything from their homes to Lyanna's secret sword training with her brothers to Rhaegar busking in the streets of Flea Bottom.

"Well aren't we a pair?" Lyanna chuckled. "Both forced to hide our true gifts to fulfil a role." Rhaegar simply smirked, raising the right side of his mouth whilst his lips stayed pressed together. "It's your fault you know."

"My fault?" Rhaegar asked.

"Between you and me, I thought your song last night was beautiful, so I may have shed a tear or two. Benjen insulted and voilà, wine atop his head." Rhaegar let out a chuckle and then noticed a specific part of her sentence.

"You thought my music was beautiful?" He asked with a hopeful smile on his face.

Clearly embarrassed, Lyanna attempted to again talk her way out, "Well, we don't hear such emotional music often. Mainly fast tempo dances and folk songs, such as The Bear and the Maiden Fair. Or frightening songs which scare the little children like The Rat Cook." Even though she was talking, Rhaegar knew she was a little self-conscious and that flattered him. He felt he could open up to her more easily than his own wife, who still sometimes treated him as a prince first and a husband second. With Lyanna, he could be himself.

"Have you ever heard Jenny's Song?" He asked.

"I have not. What is it about?"

"Truly a tale of woe. It is about a woman called Jenny of Oldstones, have you heard of her?" Lyanna shook her head. "She was a simple subject who eventually became the wife of Prince Duncan Targaryen, who married against his father's wishes, marrying for love." Rhaegar paused, looking up from his hands and back at Lyanna's face. There was a wild beauty about her short height, her slim frame, and her messy long brown hair; however, he found her most intriguing feature to be her cloudy grey eyes. "I hear you are betrothed to Robert Baratheon," he asked.

"I am indeed" she responded with an additional unenthusiastic nod.

"Do you love him?" Lyanna's eyes met Rhaegar's and were taken aback by his question.

"Excuse me?"

"I take it you do not love him?"

"My heart's affairs are none of your concern, Ser"

"Well your body language gives off an air of displeasure so I assumed-"

"Well, you assumed too much." She spat back.

"So, you don't love him."

"I never said that!"

"You deny that you don't love him?"

"This is not a proper conversation to be having."

"Since when do you care about being 'proper'?" Rhaegar said and smiled, "this entire time we've been together you have not cared about respectability."

"Jousting and marriage are two very separate issues, Your Grace" punctuating his title.

"I was not speaking of marriage. I was speaking of love."

"What if I should ask you about the intimate details of your marriage? What if I asked if you loved wife Ser?" Before Lyanna realised how inappropriate her question was, it had already been said and immediately regretted it. Instead of feeling rage, Rhaegar responded calmly with his true feelings.

"My marriage was to form a political alliance. I respect Elia and care for her, she is the mother of my daughter and kind woman, but no my lady, I do not love her." Lyanna's murky grey eyes widen slightly as for the first time, the prince acknowledged that he did not love his princess. She felt almost guilty for forcing him to admit, but she also realised that the two of them were not so different. Not only were their favourite activities – particularly hers – frowned upon, he had been forced to marry someone for someone else's benefit, much like her situation with Robert.

The two of them continued to talk, keeping the conversation away from politics and marriages, telling each other stories of their childhood. Lyanna spoke of times when Brandon taught her how to pull pranks on Benjen and long forest rides with Ned, whilst Rhaegar spoke of spending the majority of his time as a child in the library of the Red Keep, deciding one day to become a warrior, and becoming friends with Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Jon Connington, Ser Barristan Selmy, and Ser Oswell Whent. When she was with him, time passed differently. It was faster than usual and did not want to think of leaving that part of the Godswood and parting ways. Every time he spoke, she learnt something new about him and her satirical views on him faded away.

Rhaegar sighed, stood up and walked towards Lyanna offering his hand and simply said: "Time to go." Lyanna looked down at the grass for a moment, before returning her gaze to his purple eyes and accepted his hand, helping her to her feet. Both mounted her horse in silence and rode to the clearing Rhaegar originally found her in. He dismounted, surveyed the area from his position and returned to face Lyanna, "I will lead the others to the heart tree, therefore it'll seem as if the knight has disappeared."

Lyanna nodded, "Thank you, Your Grace. I can never repay you for your kindness."

"I'm sure we'll see each other again" she couldn't quite understand whether Rhaegar intended for that to be a query or a statement. Before he could say any more, Lyanna spurred towards the edge of the Godswood where she could return to her family and the rest of her life, leaving behind her ulterior identity. Rhaegar stared and watched her, letting go the most interesting woman he had ever met and the only one who stirred something within him.

"My lady of the laughing tree."

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