So just the one PoV today. I want to try and get my chapters out every week for you guys on a Monday and unfortunately I haven't had as much time as I wanted to write more than one but it's fairly long so I hope you're not all disappointed! Things are hotting up! I hope you all enjoy and as ever thank you so much for reading this fanfic and please let me know how you're feeling about it. Your feedback is so important to me, it's why I continue writing otherwise I'd just let this story gather dust. So much love 3 Duchess
Lyanna
Lyanna ate and drank, laughed with Benjen and spoke to Brandon but every time she could she was sneaking glances to the throne dais where Rheagar sat next to his wife. Her brother had called Elia a beauty but Lyanna thought that was a kind phrase used as she was the wife of the Crown Prince. Elia was not beautiful, if Lyanna was being truthful she was in fact quite plain, but she had a quality about her that made her appear regal. Her face was rounded and kindness shone out of her dark eyes. Her darker skin gave her an air of mystery. She was not a beauty but she would be a great Queen. You could tell from her polished movements that she was every inch a lady and everything that Lyanna was most certainly not. For a moment Lyanna regretted missing out on the classes that would have moulded her into a lady but that moment quickly passed. She was confused, her head was a whirling mess. If Rheagar had a lady like this on his arm why had he been interested in a wild girl from the North? He should not have even glanced her way yet he'd kissed her and as a consequence he was all she could think about. She didn't understand her own feelings, she was furious and upset all at once and she didn't even know why or if she had any right to be. Benjen pulled her back from her thoughts with a tug at her dress.
'Look at those men, their having a drinking competition!'
'And making fools of themselves I don't doubt.'
Lyanna looked to where her younger brother pointed at three squires. One had drunk so much he had fallen backwards into a pile of squires who were shouting and throwing things at the drunk. His two friends laughed and pulled him back to his feet where he stood until someone pushed a new goblet into his hand.
'A pitchfork, a porcupine and two towers.'
A voice by her shoulder turned her head. Howland was stood behind her, his sharp eyes set on the three squires and that confirmed what she had been thinking.
'These are the men.'
Benjen and Brandon on either side of her took in the men with new interest.
'They are boys still, none older that fifteen.'
'That does not excuse them.'
Lyanna snapped at Brandon and he relented. They had all agreed that Lyanna would joust for Howland's honour and he would not stop her now.
'The two towers are the Freys but I don't know the other two.'
Benjen was observing the drunken antics with his head bent to one side like a wolf observing it's prey.
'The pitchfork is House Haigh and the porcupine is House Blount I think.'
Lyanna filled in the gaps in her younger brother's knowledge and Brandon nodded his agreement.
'That's right, so now you know who it is you have to face in the jousts.'
'I'm not worried about some lower lords.'
Brandon laughed.
'I'm more afraid for them at this point.'
The night continued but Lyanna was too wrapped up in how she was going to exact her revenge on the houses of the squires to be deeply involved in any of the conversations or jokes that went on around her. She laughed and drank and smiled when she had to but she was too glad to have finally stopped thinking about Rheagar to let her new purpose go. Almost as this thought fluttered through her mind the prince stood at the head of the feast and spoke to the hall. In moments silence had fallen and he had an enraptured audience.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a song for this occasion, I hope you will all let me play for you!'
A cheer went up around the hall. The people were excited that their prince wanted to sing for them, many had heard tales of his prowess with a lyre though few had actually heard him play. Rheagar settled himself in full view of the assembly and began to play. The melody was beautiful and caught Lyanna's attention instantly. As he began to sing his sweet voice was as intoxicating to her as the first time she had heard it. The song was about the Queen of Love and Beauty, a woman who had stolen the heart of many men but one man in particular could not rest until he had won her hand. He fought through many battles just to give her a crown of roses and tell her he loved her. The words pierced Lyanna's heart. Was there love like that in the world? Was there a man out there who would fight fire and a hundred knights just to tell a woman that he loved her? Lyanna found her eyes wandering to her betrothed. He sat next to her brother with an expression of bored indifference on his face. As she looked at him Robert's eyes flicked up to meet hers and Lyanna turned her face instantly. Benjen poked her in the side.
'You're crying, do you want to be a Queen of Love and Beauty that badly?'
Lyanna hadn't even realised that she had been crying until Benjen pointed it out. Furious that he had poked fun at her and embarrassed that Robert had seen her crying Lyanna lost her temper. She picked up her newly filled wine goblet and upturned it over her youngest brother's head before standing and running from the room.
Embarrassed beyond anything she had felt before Lyanna started down the corridor away from the feast when she felt a hand on her arm. The hand tightened on her and stopped her from moving. She turned to find herself looking at Robert Baratheon.
'Lyanna, I'm sorry if I offended you earlier, it has obviously bothered you much more than I thought …'
Lyanna wrenched her arm free from Robert's grip. His eyes widened with surprise at the show of strength but it didn't stop him. He reached out for her again but she stepped back.
'Don't touch me.'
Lyanna pulled her arms close to herself and hugged them across her chest trying to withdraw from Robert as much as possible.
'I can't talk to you about this now.'
She turned and ran up the corridor away from the man she was supposed to marry. It was much easier to run away from him than all the thoughts whirling in her head but right now she couldn't bear to face either. She hurried up the stairs to the corridor that lead to her room and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened and she took a step backwards as Rheagar Targaryen raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes.
'How did you manage..?'
Lyanna's words trailed off into nothing. Why was he here?
'This is my castle, I know all the hidden ways to move quickly through the bricks.'
He hesitated a moment.
'I saw you leave the hall.'
'Yes...I think everyone did.'
'That's true, you made a bit of a scene.'
'Benjen was teasing me for crying, he deserved it.'
'You were crying?'
Rheagar covered the gap between them in a few swift strides. Lyanna was too shocked to move, she thought that maybe she couldn't have moved even if she had tried, his eyes just locked her to the ground. He reached out a hand and caught Lyanna's chin in a firm grip forcing her to look him in the eyes. She couldn't stop herself and she raised her grey eyes to look into Rheagar's purple orbs. His gaze was a mixture of interest and something else...something she didn't know or at least couldn't place.
'Do my songs shake your heart so much that they move you to tears?'
Before she could stop herself Lyanna replied.
'Everything about you shakes my heart.'
His expression changed, shock then softened and the emotion that she didn't understand overtook his face. It was as if a gate had opened in Lyanna and the flood of feelings poured forth unchecked.
'Since that day in the gardens all I can think about is you, I don't know why you kissed me, I don't know anything about you other than that you play beautifully and have a wife and that last fact should be enough that I should run a mile but...I can't. I don't know why I feel this way, I don't understand anything!'
She stopped realising she had been shouting and that the tears had started again thick and fast down her cheeks. Rheagar had listened, he hadn't tried to stop her as she told him what she felt and as she finished he dropped his hand from her chin. His arms reached out and wrapped around her pulling her close to his body. He put one hand on the back of her head and pulled her face into his doublet so that her tears were hidden from him. He was so warm. Lyanna collapsed into the embrace and sobbed and he let her. No man had ever indulged her like this before. Lyanna was aware she was acting like a child but Rheagar did not berate or criticise her, instead he held her until her tears were dry then he spoke.
'I'm sorry, I have thrown your mind into turmoil, it has been selfish of me but I had to see how you would act if I kissed you. I am ashamed that my actions have troubled you so much, I did not think that you would be so upset. I am truly sorry Lyanna. I will not ask your forgiveness in this but I hope that one day you may find it in your heart not to hate me.'
She looked up at his words and found that he was still looking down at her as if he couldn't bear to look anywhere else.
'I do not hate you, in fact, it might be quite the opposite.'
Rheagar pushed her back from him a little so he could see her better and smiled.
'I'm glad you do not hate me.'
He leant forward, his silver hair falling across Lyanna's face, and kissed away the tears that remained on her cheeks, just below her eyes. His lips were warm and soft and this time Lyanna wasn't angry. Slowly he released her and stepped back.
'I must go, I am glad I followed you tonight, we will see each other again.'
Lyanna smiled and nodded. Rheagar reached out to touch her one more time, tucking a strand of dark hair back behind her ear, then he turned and walked away. Lyanna watched until the darkness of the corridor swallowed him. She was smiling, she couldn't stop smiling and suddenly everything made a lot more sense. She was in love with Rheagar Targaryen, the Crown Prince of the seven Kingdoms, this feeling that she hadn't understood was love. It was terrible and wonderful all at once. How could you fall in love with a person you had barely met and didn't know? She didn't know the answer to that question but she knew what she was feeling was love. Her heart beat raced when he was near, she wanted to look at him and needed him to look at her, she wanted to hear is voice, look into his eyes, be near him at all times. This was love and it was dreadful but she never wanted the feeling to end. Giddy with happiness Lyanna skipped through her door and into her chambers. She didn't know how she would deal with this tomorrow and right now she didn't care. She slipped off her gown, put on her night dress and fell into bed. Lyanna pulled the covers up to her chin and fell into a blissful sleep.
