Robert Arryn had barely celebrated his twelfth name day when he watched the Silent Sisters slowly parade around his father's body.
Lysa could not remember the last time the boy had cried, for he held the long-standing resilience of a man. A lump formed in her throat as she watched her only son cry during the ritual. Minisa wrapped an arm around her younger brother, allowing him to bury his face into her shoulder. Elyse was preoccupied in holding onto her mother.
"Father will never come back, will he?" She sobbed.
"Oh, my dear," Lysa whispered. "He will always be in our hearts."
Elyse stared up at her mother. Her expression would have been cold if not for her reddened eyes. "Meaning that he will never come back."
Lysa almost snapped at her youngest daughter, until tears unexpectedly leaked from her eyes. Once she had started, she could not stop. Her strength had disappeared and she began to convulse in a hysterical sorrow.
"Mother..." Elyse tried. "I did not mean that. I am sorry."
Lysa could not give an answer, so she nodded her head instead. Elyse did not say anything more.
The proceedings became a blur after that moment. There was nothing that Lysa wished to remember of her lord husband's passing. She was only aware of the aftermath, when she and her three children walked out of the throne room, accompanied by dozens of other mourners. The king and his queen caught up to the family.
"Lysa," Robert Baratheon whispered. "I did not wish to disturb you during the funeral; but I would like to say that I am very sorry for your loss."
Her throat thickened, and she knew that if she dared to speak, she would become a tearful mess. So, she nodded again.
"If you would like to talk to my husband or I in the near future," Queen Janna Tyrell said, "our door will be open."
The widow bowed her head and murmured in a thanks that not even she could hear. The Arryn family headed up to the family's chambers. As they reached the steps, Lysa was barely aware that Sandor Clegane was walking alongside her son.
"Y'alright, Robert?" He muttered, before correcting himself. "Of course, you're not alright. Sorry for asking."
Lysa noticed that Robert was trying to smile underneath his reddened eyes. "You do not have to be sorry," he said. "I know you were just being nice. I appreciate it, Sandor."
The tall non-ser patted his hand on Robert's shoulder. "Whenever you are ready, you can join me on the shores. It is not a bad place for practising swordplay."
Robert murmured an "alright" and moved towards his siblings. Sandor walked away, leaving Lysa to lead the way up the stairs. She listened to the sound of her children's footsteps, each step being forced across the stone floor.
They reached her chambers and sat on the bed she had once shared with Jon Arryn. Silence pervaded the room. It was an unwelcome visitor, but its presence was inevitable. For an hour or two, they just sat in the middle of the furs, thinking about the man they would never see again.
The moon turned slowly and the Arryns did their best to move on. Elyse behaved during her embroidery lessons, taking feedback better than any other child. Her manners were never questionable, but the septa noticed less fidgeting in the young girl.
Lysa would walk the corridors and peer into Robert's chambers. Before Jon's passing, Robert wrote to his cousins on a yearly basis. Recently, he had been scribbling letter after letter within a few weeks. His mourning lessened his will to train in sword-fighting, and he seemed to look forward to stowing away to his desk.
"Who are you writing to?" Lysa asked one morning.
"Sansa," he replied. "Robb has been busy as of late."
"I see. How does she fare?"
"She is well. She wishes for us to visit Winterfell again. Uncle Ned does not want to send her here, so she hopes we can return some day."
Lysa should have thought on the matter sooner. The children would benefit from seeing their cousins again. One should never be too far from family, her father had once said.
Ironically, she had not spoken to Lord Tully since her marriage. Parenthood and long distance travelling had made her forget about him. Perhaps she had wanted to forget about him. She could not bear to look her father in the eye after he revealed his plan for an unborn Minisa. The thought of him succeeding turned Lysa's heart to stone.
"And what do you write to her?" Lysa inquired.
"That I wish that I were in Winterfell as well. She asked about my combat training and I told her that I have not been practising as often. Sandor wants me to, but I just do not feel the need. I have written about that as well."
"You will have to train again eventually. Not now, but soon. The men expect your return."
Robert lowered his head. "I would love to see Sansa and Robb again. Arya would be bigger now."
Indeed, she would. The last the Arryns had seen of Arya, she was just a babe. Rumors had since spread of the girl's transformation into a hellion. Lysa chuckled at this rumor.
"And you will meet Bran and Rickon for the first time," Lysa said. "Would you like to go to Winterfell for a short amount of time?"
Robert gave his mother a queer glance, as if he had not heard her correctly. "Can I?" He asked. When Lysa nodded, he did something she had not seen in a long time. He smiled.
"I would love to go to Winterfell," he said.
Lysa smiled back. "Good. How about next week? I will write to your aunt and ask for permission. If she agrees to the visit, which I know she will, I will arrange for our transportation."
"That would be good, Mother. I have missed my cousins."
Lysa crouched next to his seat and wrapped her arms around him. Robert returned her embrace, and for a moment, Lysa thought that she could feel him smiling even harder.
"Right," she stated, releasing him. "I will go and check on your older sister now. I have not seen her since last night."
She expected to find Minisa in the gardens, only to find nobody there. Lysa frowned and searched her surroundings. The last she had heard, Minisa had left the castle to explore the grounds. Often, the young lady would be found sitting on a stone bench, reading or observing the roses.
But there was no sign of her.
Lysa marched across the grounds, attempting to appear as calm as possible. Her face must have given away her fear, for a few lords and ladies asked her if anything was troubling her.
"I am looking for my daughter," Lysa would say to them.
The usual responses were "I have not seen her," or "I am sure she is near". Both replies were useless to Lysa. If nobody had seen Minisa since the previous night, only the gods would know where she was hiding.
She crossed the perimeter of the Red Keep, looking left and right. She rushed to the shores of Blackwater Bay, but only found Sandor there.
"Sandor," Lysa immediately questioned him. "Have you seen Minisa anywhere since last night?"
The Hound could only give a shrug. "I cannot say I have, my lady." He said.
"Brilliant!" Lysa exclaimed with frustrated sarcasm. "I have been scouring the Red Keep for the last half of an hour and nobody knows where my daughter is!"
Sandor did not twitch as the lady ranted. "Have you tried the Godswood?" He gently suggested.
Lysa blanched. She had not checked the Godswood. However, she could not picture her daughter in that area. Minisa had not set foot in the Godswood for years.
"I will check the Godswood," Lysa sighed. "I hope to the gods that she is there."
"I hope so too, Lady Arryn," Sandor said. "If she is not there, I will alert the king."
"Thank you, Sandor." Lysa thanked, then rushed away.
She better be in the Godswood. Lysa's thoughts were in a rage as she bolted to the other side of the castle. If she is not there... The lady could not bear to think that her daughter was missing. If Minisa was not present, Lysa swore that she was going to scream the news to everyone she encountered.
After wasting her energy, Lysa slowed down and halted in front of the Godswood. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. As she slowly regained her breath, she peered at the distant outline of the heart tree. Cautiously, she proceeded through the twig-filled grounds.
As she neared the tree, Lysa fell further into disbelief as she saw no one. Not even the birds were present. The lady nearly fell to her knees to cry when she heard a man's voice.
"My father would approve," said the voice. "But I must ask your mother before I proceed."
"I am sure she would approve." Another voice was present, and it belonged to Lysa's daughter. "If not, I will beg her until she relents."
Lysa walked towards the voices. "Nisa?" She called.
Surely enough, Minisa's head popped out from behind the heart tree. "Mother!" She beamed.
"I have been looking everywhere for you, young lady!" Lysa scolded. "You have worried me to my core! I cannot begin to..."
Lysa's voice trailed off as she saw the mysterious male join Minisa's side. It was none other than Lucas Blackwood.
"You!" Lysa pointed at the young lord.
"Lady Arryn!" He interjected before she could yell any further. "I did not mean to cause you any alarm. I did not realize that Nisa and I had been talking long." The almost-man paused and quickly corrected himself. "Lady Minisa Tully and I, I meant."
"Mother," Minisa said. "I am sorry. I left my chambers on my own accord to speak with Luca- Lord Lucas Blackwood."
They had been long familiar with each other, Lysa knew in that moment. Using each other's names, the close distance of which they stood side by side, and their glances at one another confirmed her suspicions.
"What have you been talking about?" Lysa asked, then looked at Lord Blackwood. "You said that you wanted to ask me something."
The young man stood forwards, fidgeting with his fingers in the process. Lysa could tell that whatever he had to say required a lot of nerve.
"Lady Arryn," the young Blackwood began. "I would like to ask you for your permission... to marry your daughter."
Lysa froze. She did not predict a marriage proposal to Minisa so soon. How did you not expect this? Lysa's inner voice was reprimanding her. Her eldest daughter was nearing fourteen, and Jon had warned her before his death.
The young lord waited for her answer. Lysa wanted to respond with many things, most of which ranged from bewilderment to anger at herself. She is not a child anymore! One half of her yelled. How could you not know this? Lysa's heart began to pound again. The other half of her revolted. She is still too young.
"No..." was what came out of her mouth.
"Mother?" Minisa inquired, apparently not having heard her.
"No."
Minisa's jaw dropped. Lucas Blackwood bowed his head in defeat. Then, Minisa stepped forward and faced her mother.
"No?" She repeated with an expression of shock. "But... why?"
"You cannot marry!" Lysa objected. "You are too young!"
Minisa looked as though she was about to explode into flames. "Too young?! Mother, you were thirteen when you married father!"
"That is not the point! I will not have this man take you away to some gods-forsaken place!"
Lucas Blackwood opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by the now angry Minisa Tully.
"Take me away?!" She exclaimed. "This is not a kidnapping, Mother! Have you forgotten that he lives in Raventree Hall, which is not far from Riverrun? And how long do I have to wait until I become of a suitable age to marry?!"
Before Lysa could yell back, the young Lord Blackwood finally had the chance to speak.
"Lady Arryn," he addressed. "I am not here to take your daughter away."
"Then, what are you here for?" Lysa argued. "If I allow you to marry my daughter, what are the chances that I will ever see her again!" The lady could not control herself. She lost Jon, and now she was losing her firstborn child, the child that gave her a reason to be strong when her father married her to an old man she barely knew.
"I will allow Minisa to see you as often as she wishes." Lucas stated, startling Lysa from her wrath. "I am terribly sorry for my poorly timed proposal; after all, you have just lost your husband. I do not wish to take your daughter away from you."
Lysa searched his eyes for any sign of mischief. He appeared to be sincere, but she could not conclude if was just for show.
"And we need not be married right away," he continued. "I will wait for years if I have to. Please, Lady Arryn, I implore you to rethink on the matter."
Indeed, she took a moment to think of his words. Minisa held a passionate temper when she deemed something to be unfair. More importantly, the Blackwood boy was known for his lack of temper. Lord Tytos Blackwood had once described his second-born son as the wise one. Wise was not a word often used for young, inexperienced men.
Perhaps, Lysa had let her own rage cloud her judgements.
"I will think on the matter," she said to the two nobles, before facing Blackwood. "You claim that you will wait for my daughter?"
"I will if I have to, Lady Arryn. I will do anything."
"Then in a year's hence, if you are still faithful, I will betroth you to my daughter."
The boy's face lit up. "Oh, thank you, my lady! Thank you for giving me a chance. I will treat your daughter well, even if we are not betrothed."
Lysa saw that the young lord breathed a sigh of gratitude. Only an honest man would react the way Lucas Blackwood was reacting. His behavior stunned her for a moment. Not knowing what else to say, she turned to Minisa.
"Nisa, come back with me to the castle," she said. "Lord Blackwood, I bid you farewell."
The redness of Minisa's face had now faded, and she joined her mother's side. As the two women walked away, Minisa turned back just once to wave her suitor farewell.
When Lysa turned back to look at Lucas one more time, she observed him staring longingly after her daughter. The image of him shrunk as Lysa marched further and further away from the heart tree. He held his gaze for the longest time before he disappeared into the surroundings of the Godswood.