"Lyanna, slow down!" Rickard ordered his only daughter as the girl ran down the hall. "You won't see one present if you cannot behave," he warned when Lyanna giggled his command away. Alas there was nothing to be done. The girl was much too excited. He sighed and returned to his newspaper.
Meanwhile, Lyanna was already up on deck, taking in the salty air. Out of all the nameday presents she had received, this was the absolute best. Holding with both hands onto the railing, she hoisted herself off the ground and leaned slightly forward to look at the sparkling water.
"You shouldn't lean over so," an unknown voice startled her out of her reverie. Lyanna looked around, her eyes landing on a young man standing at a small distance away from her. "Unless you're a good swimmer, of course. In that case lean as further over the railing as you wish."
She laughed. It wasn't even that funny. "I'm passable," was all she said to his warning. She needn't have concerned herself anyway as there were quite a number of people on deck. If she did manage to somehow fall over and into the water, she was certain someone would devise a way to bring her back on board.
He tutted at her softly. "I'm afraid that won't do. Miss, I must ask that you come down right this instant."
Still, he was smiling at her and Lyanna could not take offence at his words or at his manner. He was clearly well intentioned, so she decided to humour him and step back down. Her decision, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that the water was probably freezing cold and falling in would only earn her a persistent cough along with a runny nose. Lyanna did not fancy falling ill. Both her feet touched the ground at the same time.
"May I know the name of my knight, so I can address proper thanks?" she asked, cheek-in-tongue. He was a handsome fellow, she decided upon further analysing his features. As knights went, she could have done a lot worse.
The man shook his head in what looked to be disbelief. "Rhaegar Targaryen at your service, Miss." The name sounded familiar. The Targaryens were a powerful family to Lyanna's knowledge. He sketched her a bow, a favour which she returned with a well practiced curtsy. He looked at her expectantly.
Lyanna thought to challenge him at first. But really, he had been kind enough to give her his name without a fuss. She could do the same. "I am Lyanna Stark." She held out her hand. But to her surprise, instead of shaking it, like most other people would do, he bent over it instead. Lyanna's heart skipped a beat at the gesture.
"We might as well play the roles until the end," he said after, standing straight. He was quite tall. "Well, Miss Stark, what brings you here?"
"The sea," Lyanna answered. "And you, Mr Targaryen?"
"Please, call me Rhaegar. Mr Targaryen, well, that's my father actually." He laughed quietly. There was something inviting about him. Lyanna was not sure what though, yet she allowed herself to relax in his presence. "I fear my reason is no other but business."
She hadn't expected that. He was certainly older than her, but a businessman she hadn't pictured him as. Lyanna nodded her head in understanding, all the while wondering if it would be rude to ask exactly what his business entailed. She would get to do no such thing however. And really, it seemed very unimportant as far as Lyanna was concerned. She pushed all thoughts of business away.
"If I can address you with such familiarity, it would be only fair to return the favour. I suppose you may call me Lyanna," she offered graciously.
"How kind of you," he said in a dry manner which Lyanna took as a sign of amusement. She released the smile she had been holding on to. He replied in kind. "Where are you headed?" he asked conversationally as he led them both to a couple of unoccupied chairs.
"To King's Landing, like most every else." She wondered if he was to depart before then. The ship would, indeed, stop at some other harbours along the way.
"That's fortunate. Perhaps we'll meet there as well." The words, uncertain as they were, made Lyanna impossibly happy. "That is if you would like to."
"I don't know. It is not exactly a small place, is it?" Lyanna twirled the ring on her finger absently. "Do you enjoy the opera? I heard that King's Landing had one of the best opera houses in all the Seven Kingdoms."
"Volantis boasts better singers though. Have you ever been to Essos?" Lyanna shook her head. Men usually did not present very much interest to Lyanna. They were not the enigma some of her friends made them out to be. Lyanna attributed that in part to growing up with three brothers, and then to her own nature. But this was different. She could not quite put her finger on it, but as Rhaegar told her about Volantis and some other Essosi cities she found herself charmed, fascinated even.
"Now you've made me curious. My father won't thank you, for I won't stop until I've visited Volantis," she laughed freely. Rickard Stark, her dear father, much preferred staying at home. Lyanna had a little bit of curiosity in her though. Her brothers had been allowed to tour the old continent, but Lyanna had not been old enough at that time, not did the family have the necessary funds to send her as well.
Rhaegar adopted a contrite expression. "I shall have to apologise to him in person in that case."
It was the perfect opportunity. And Lyanna seized it without a thought to anything else. At least the rest of her journey could be spent in companionable conversation with a cultured young man. Her father would likely discuss politics with him too. It was perfect. The gods were smiling down upon her.
Lyanna insisted that, indeed, he would have to speak to her father; there was no escaping that duty. And so it was that Rhaegar Targaryen made his first appearance in Lyanna Stark's life, when she had just turned sixteen a couple of months previously.