Seventh Month of 281 A.C. Harrenhal
Ser Robert Baratheon
It had been five months since he had been to Harrenhal last, the excitement of attending such a grand tourney had given way to the anger and frustration of being associated with the Targaryens. He and Lyanna had been writing to one another before Harrenhal and that had continued following the tourney, and they had both been looking forward to their wedding. But now Lyanna was missing, gone from Harrenhal without a trace, and after two months of searching for her without much luck, Robert was beginning to think the worst. He knew not where she could have gone, and why she could have gone, all he could think was that perhaps someone had taken her against her will, but if so who were they and why would they do such a thing?
Thankfully his father was a much more patient man than he, and after the last search had come up empty, Lord Steffon had decided that they should go to Harrenhal and question Lord Walter Whent. And so here they were. "So Lord Walter, what exactly where you allowing my daughter to do whilst she stayed here?" Lord Rickard asked his voice calm.
Walter Whent a tall man but a shrew nonetheless seems to shrink before Lord Rickard. "She did all the usual things a noble lady is expected to do. She sewed and she rode with my daughter and sons. She seemed to be enjoying herself."
"And so you do not know why the Lady Lyanna would leave Harrenhal? Nor do you know of anyone or anything that could compel her to leave?" Lord Steffon asks.
"No my lord. And as I told Lord Brandon, I do not think anyone would wish for the Lady Lyanna to leave after them. For she can be quite a force of nature." The lord of Harrenhal stated.
"And how hard did you search Harren Town and the surrounding area once you learnt that Lady Lyanna had gone from your castle?" Lord Hoster asks.
"Thoroughly. I sent my best men to look for her, and when they came back with nothing I was not sure to do, therefore I sent word to Riverrun." Lord Walter says.
"So if you had found my daughter, I would have been none the wiser, and you would have had me in your debt?" Lord Rickard states.
"Do not deny it Walter. I know what you are like. You were hoping against hope that Lady Lyanna would return and that you could then claim that you had seen to her safety and dangle the debt Lord Rickard owed you because of it. Now that she has gone and you have not found her, you are dreading the day she turns up in case she says something bad about you." Lord Hoster says sternly.
The lord of Harrenhal begins blustering. "How dare you! How dare you question my honour. I know my duty, and I know what to do. My daughter and the Lady Lyanna were good friends, I would never do anything to hurt her nor did I wish for her to leave. Though she could be insufferable at times."
"Watch what you say you old bat!" Brandon says. "You are speaking of a Lady of Winterfell."
"And you are a guest in my home Lord Brandon. I do not take well to you bedding half the women in the castle. Nor do I take happiness from you flirting with my daughter. I am your host, and I want some respect." Lord Walter said.
There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then father spoke up. "No need for us to get too personal my lords. We all want the same thing. Now Lord Walter where could one go from Harrenhal and Harren town?"
Lord Walter pauses for a moment and then he says. "Well Lady Lyanna did like to venture to the Isle of Faces. She said that she quite liked the peace and quiet of the island, and that the Green Men were people she found fascinating. I thought nothing of it due to her worship there. But one day there was something being brought to my attention."
"And what was that my lord?" father asks.
"A man was speaking with the Lady Lyanna. Now that is in itself quite odd, considering the green men never speak. I do believe I caught a glimpse of silver hair from the man, though that might just have been the sunlight." Whent says.
"Silver?" Robert says speaking for the first time. "As in Targaryen Silver?"
"Yes my lord. I do think so." Lord Whent says. "I do believe that was what I saw. Though I think that might have been mistaken."
"Targaryen?" Brandon muses. "What would Rhaegar Targaryen be doing here? I had thought he would be with his wife and children at Dragonstone?"
"Perhaps he came to continue the dishonour he showed Lyanna at Harrenhal?" Robert fumed.
"Or perhaps it was not Prince Rhaegar at all. There have often been strange rumours of the people of the green men. And the Targaryens have been associated with them since Prince Daemon died over the god's eye. God alone knows what you saw Lord Walter but I would hazard a guess that it was not Prince Rhaegar." Lord Hoster says.
"Then who was it that Lord Walter saw with Lady Lyanna? Why would they suddenly disappear from sight the minute we are to arrive for Brandon's wedding to Lady Catelyn? I do not understand what is happening, nor do I truly want to comprehend it. I merely want to see my betrothed again." Robert says desperately.
"And I wish to see my daughter again. But we must take everything into consideration before we consider action of any kind. To make a rash move now would be tantamount to suicide." Lord Rickard replied.
"So will you go to King's Landing to speak to the King or not?" Robert's father asks.
Lord Rickard is silent for a long time and then when he speaks his voice is resigned. "I am not sure. We all know how mad the king is, his latest attempt to bring Tywin Lannister down is just another move in a long stream of them. But only the king can suitably bring whoever has taken Lyanna to justice. If it is indeed his son who has taken Lyanna, then only he can chastise Rhaegar and make him see reason."
"Reason?" Brandon snorts. "You expect a mad man to be able to make his son see reason. Father I do believe that is the biggest load of nonsense you have ever said.
There is tension in the room as all wait to see how Lord Rickard will respond, when the man merely smiles and responds. "It seems that we have reached some sort of agreement there son. We cannot trust King Aerys to truly take things seriously. Perhaps our best move would be to write to Lord Merryweather and see if the man has any answers." They are all taken aback.
"Merryweather?" Robert asks. "That buffoon? The man will merely say whatever he thinks Aerys will want to hear, and not what he actually thinks. Besides Varys the eunuch will more than likely be checking to see what and who we speak to."
"And that is where we shall get our answers from." He is surprised to hear his father say. "I have long thought that it was Varys and not Aerys or even Tywin who was controlling what image the King had. And now with Lady Lyanna gone we shall be able to figure out whether or not I was right."
"You mean to gamble to my sister's life on a theory?" Brandon snarls.
Robert goes to respond but his father places a hand on his arm and says calmly. "It is not just your sister's life that I am gambling Lord Brandon, but rather the lives of all of our families and of the kingdoms. Should this theory be proven right, we shall have a justification to bring about the end of my cousin's reign, and perhaps even the reign of the dragons. If it is wrong, then war and destruction shall be brought to the realm."
"And you are willing to gamble on it all?" Lord Rickard asks surprised.
Robert looks at his father and hears him sigh before he says. "It seems I have finally come to realise some hard truths about my cousin that for the longest time I did not want to believe. Perhaps it would be best if the dragons were gone."
"And who would replace the dragons?" Robert asks.
His father looks at him then and there is a sadness in his eyes, that Robert remembers seeing when his grandmother died. "Us Robert. There is only one other family with a direct claim to the throne."
Robert is massively taken aback by this. "Us? But father, I thought you never wanted to even think about the relation between yourself and the king other than him being your cousin? What has brought about this change in feelings?"
"Lady Lyanna Robert. She is to be your betrothed, and I am tired of having to truly feel torn between one side and the other. You are my son, and I shall not see you hurt by a Targaryen again." His father responds.
Robert is not sure how to respond to this so he remains silent, but Lord Hoster speaks then. "So we are in agreement then? We shall send word to King's Landing and ask to speak to Lord Merryweather and Lord Varys, and if they provide us with the information we want, we shall take steps to remove Aerys."
Lord Rickard nods and then goes onto say. "Aye we are. We should seal this alliance as soon as possible with the marriages that were intended. Lyanna must be found, but first we must ensure none of us can back out without consequences."
Lord Hoster speaks then. "Aye, a marriage now would help seal the alliance and ensure that all is well and good. And then when Lady Lyanna is back and safe, we can proceed with the final part of the plan."
Everything is going so fast that Robert begins to lose track, once the meeting comes to an end he and his father are walking back to their rooms when his father stops and says. "I want you to send a raven to Storm's End Robert. Tell Stannis to bring in all the grain and other food stuffs that he can."
"Why father?" Robert asks.
"Because once we begin making moves, Aerys will call his banners and I can guarantee you that the Tyrells shall begin moving to Storm's End. A siege is the one thing that will hinder our efforts. But it need not hinder all of them." Father says.
"So you were being serious." Robert surmises. "You are going to rebel and name yourself king if successful then?"
His father smiles sadly and says. "I am not sure yet what I will do Robert. All I do know is that perhaps it is time I did something more active in trying to defend the kingdoms and the people I love so much."
With that they go their separate ways, Robert sends the raven to Stannis and as the preparations for Brandon and Lady Catelyn's wedding begin, all seems to be going well. And then the day before the wedding is supposed to happen, two things happen that will shape and influence the next couple of months. A raven comes from Dragonstone, written in Princess Elia's hand, it seems that Lady Ashara has been imprisoned by the king for being with child, a traitor's child, Brandon's child. And Brandon leaves Riverrun with his father to answer the king's summons. They wait in Riverrun for a long time waiting to hear from either Brandon or Lord Rickard for news and what the fate of Lady Ashara will be, things seem to go from bad to worse when a raven does arrive, with one word. War.