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Eddard Stark XIV

Gulltown, Vale, Year 282 AC

Ned was pacing from one side to the other in the docking area of Gulltown. He was filled with anticipation as he was desperate to see Ashara again. In fact, he was so desperate that he arrived in the town much early that what he should and thus he, Robert and Elbert had to take residence in the local inn. Ned didn't ask for them to come but they were very adamant about teasing him and meeting her properly, to see the woman who made Ned be a less brooding bastard…

Robert who loved inns quickly got tired of them and asked if they couldn't ask Lord Grafton for better rooms something both Ned and Elbert dismissed. For one, Ned didn't wish to overbear the man with last-minute expenditures and for two it was known that House Arryn and House Grafton were not especially in good terms with each other. From what Ned knew, Lord Grafton asked Jon to help him in a dispute with Lord Royce but Jon helped the Royce instead because he felt Lord Grafton was the one wrong. Since then things are as they are now.

Speaking of Jon…Ned was now remembering the conversation he had with him just before he left the Gates of the Moon regarding Harrenhal…


"What is that you wish to talk about Ned?" Jon inquired as they took seats in Jon's private study.

"About Harrenhal and the alliance you, my father and Lord Tully have." he said, going straight to the point he wished to clarify.

"How did you…"

"Know?" Ned finished his foster father's sentence. "Lyanna heard you talking with the Crown Prince and Lord Tully in Harrenhal's Godswood, about the Crown Prince wishing to depose his father while you and Lord Tully wished to make Robert, King..."

"Your sister should be more careful Ned," Jon warned him. "Eavesdropping could lead to serious problems."

"She definitely should, Jon." Ned agreed. "But that wasn't my question."

Jon gazed him for a while, before sighing in defeat. "The plan or at least the one me and your father conjured was to support Prince Rhaegar if he indeed showed interest in deposing his father. Yet Lord Tully grew greedier and bolder and wanted more than what the Prince was offering so he thought that Robert could give him more favorable rewards."

"But Robert is not fit to occupy such a position. It's not something he wants either." Ned said amazed at Lord Tully's plan.

"I know Ned, but Lord Tully does not." Jon clarified. "Lord Tully thinks that Rhaegar has madness within him as well which by all means is a possibility but I'm sure it's mostly for the rewards that he wanted Robert as King."

"So in the Great Council Rhaegar wished to convene…" Ned began. "Who would you have cast your vote on?"

"Rhaegar."

"So my sister wasn't right, but wasn't totally wrong either…" Ned murmured. "Gods be damned."

"What did your sister do with that information, Ned?" Questioned Jon worriedly. "Did she told anyone else?"

"She…she thought you, Lord Tully, Robert, and Bran would cast a vote on Robert so she told the Prince…"

"She did what?" Jon asked aghast.

"She doesn't want to be a Queen." Ned justified her action, just as she had told him. "She did what she thought would save her from such an outcome."

"By the Seven…so that's why he stopped the Great Council." Jon led his hand to his forehead. "But why did he crown her? Because she told him?"

"Ashara said he lost the notion of what to do and couldn't think properly so he crowned her as he could not crown his wife."

"Seven Hells…" Jon sighed defeated as he rubbed his face with his hands. "So much planning for nothing…Did you happen to tell this to your father?"

"No, I have not."

"This has literally become a communication nightmare," Jon proclaimed. "We have to make this work somehow and for that, we need better communication."

"I couldn't agree more Jon." Said Ned in approval.

"Neither I nor your father wish to have Robert as King," Jon confessed. "We don't criticize his inheritance, but being King is too much for him."

"Aye, I agree."

"We wanted Rhaegar but if he proves himself to be stricken by madness as well, then we will have to do with his newborn son Aegon…"

"You wish to place a newborn child as King?" Ned inquired surprised.

"We need to consider all options Ned," Jon explained to him. "When I arrived here I immediately sent a letter to your father, sponsoring your marriage to Lady Dayne as she is connected to Princess Elia…"

"Wait, what?" Ned asked completely caught off guard. He had no idea Jon had a hand in his marriage…

"It's what you heard, she can be used to better coordinate our actions with the Prince or his son…" Jon elaborated. "Besides, both you and her are interested in each other so I said it fits everyone."

"I don't know what to say…" So this was why his father accepted so fast…because Jon intervened…

"Just go along with it, I doubt you oppose my solution…" Jon said chuckling.

"I certainly don't…" Ned agreed shyly. "But my siblings and I…we want to be informed of everything, we deserve as much, we are adults after all."

"We felt that if we told you the secret could spread…Not that someone with knowledge in politics can't see that something is wrong here…" Jon rolled his eyes. "But alas you are right, it was wrong of us to say nothing to you all."

"We can keep secrets and will keep this one too." Ned assured.

"I believe that we should all have a large meeting at Riverrun once your brother is married, where we provide you with all the details and we will discuss with your future wife what course of action we should take to depose King Aerys," Jon suggested. "What do you think of it?"

"I think it's a good solution."

"Then I will send a raven to your father with haste before he can leave Winterfell. He will understand everything."

"Thank you, Jon."

"Not a problem Ned." Jon smiled. "Lack of communication has gone too far and now we have no more time to waste to save the realm from chaos.


"Hey, Ned?" The voice was Robert's and he was shaking Ned up from his thoughts. They had been watching the ships arrive by the docks hoping to see a ship deliver the Star of Dorne. "Isn't that your lady love in the ship that just arrived? She is wearing a purple tunic…House Dayne surely loves purple right?"

A woman with black hair and wearing purple was, in fact, exiting the large ship that just arrived. Like on that day they spent together and confessed their feelings towards each other, she had her hair tied in a ponytail which made it a bit harder to see if it was her or not but by spending a little bit watching her he knew it was her. "It's her indeed." he murmured to his two companions. "Thank the Gods."

"Oh, his lady love has finally arrived…" Elbert commented with a big smirk that made Robert laugh. "Don't get all emotional on us Ned."

"I will not, but I'm not going to stay here listening to your foolishness either." he assured them as made his way to the pier where Ashara would disembark upon.

As soon as she took notice of him, she smiled and waved at him, besides also trying to leave the ship faster but due to the large crowd that was exiting, she did not succeed. When she stepped onto pier, she managed to find an opening in the mass of passengers and rushed towards him, jumping on top of him, but unlike last time she tried the trick, he was expecting her and did not fall.

"Oh my sweet Quiet Wolf I have missed you so much," she said as she kissed him multiple times in the lips, in the cheeks, everywhere she could. She didn't seem to care that they were in public with many people looking at them surprised. "You have no idea how much."

"I believe I do have an idea," he assured her with a shy smile. "I think I missed you just as much if not more." And he finished by planting a big kiss on her lips.

"Oh my sweet Quiet Wolf…" she cooed while rubbing her soft cheek on his.

"Now shall we get going, so we don't miss my brother's marriage?" he questioned, despite enjoying that very moment…

"We should." she agreed with a smile. "Gods I missed you so much."

He noticed Robert and Elbert with big smirks in their lips, commenting the sight they were certainly enjoying…He carefully placed her back on the floor and led her towards them. "Ashara, you already met Robert at Harrenhal." Ned said as he pointed towards his best friend.

"Indeed I have," she replied. "A pleasure to see you once more, My Lord."

"Bah, My Lord is too formal for my best friend's future wife." Robert scoffed. "Please call me Robert or Rob or Bobby." Robert said with a big smile as he kissed her hand.

"Robert then…"

"Fair choice Lady Ashara." Robert agreed.

"And this one is Elbert, Lord Jon Arryn's nephew, and heir." Ned introduced.

"My Lady Ashara Dayne." Elbert said as he planted a kiss in her hand too.

"Lord Elbert, a pleasure to get acquainted with you," Ashara replied in a nod. "I'm delighted to have such a warm welcome, thank you so much."

"And I'm delighted, glad and proud that our brooding Ned has finally found a fair lady for himself." Robert proclaimed as he clapped Ned's back starting his booming laugh right after.

"I'm more than a pretty face, Robert," she countered. "Our Ned saw that and as such, he deserved a reward, as all good people should."

"Sharp tongue…" Elbert murmured before whistling and Robert merely laughed more.

"Ashara," he called before his friends were placed in their place by Ashara's sharp tongue. "We have horses ready for our ascent, but only three, so…you will have to come with me in Brooding…"

"Oh, I like your way of thinking…" Robert and Elbert whistled at her comment and he blushed hard at his…weird plan...I shouldn't have thought of this…I'm a bloody fool… "Come on boys, does a woman have to pull you all over those mountains by herself?"

"Ned…" Called Elbert when Ashara moved a little bit in front of them, contemplating the town. "Are you sure you going to handle her properly? Cause that's…a woman…"

"If I handle you, Robert and my siblings, I think I will do just fine." he assured them.

"Point taken." Elbert nodded.

Robert burst into a laugh yet again. "I seriously like this woman a lot already." When Ned glanced at him with a killing stare, Robert did not falter and kept laughing. "Relax Ned, I mean the way she makes you loosen up, I won't steal her from you."

"I…" Ned felt bad for his jealousy as soon as Robert said that he did not wish to steal her. I have grown way too territorial ever since Harrenhal…

"No problem Ned," Robert assured as he clapped Ned's shoulder again. "A wolf needs to show the stags who is the boss, heh?"

"Better place everyone in their respective places right from the start." Elbert added with a smirk.

"Aye." Robert agreed while clapping Ned in the shoulder yet again.

When they returned to the inn, they went straight to the stables and mounted on their respective horses. Both he and Ashara jumped on to Brooding's back and he blushed when she wrapped her arms around his wrist, tightly…I don't understand myself sometimes…I have seen her naked twice and had sex with her once and I still blush like a maid…

"I missed this feeling so much…" she confessed while resting her head against his shoulder. "Touching you…feeling you…"

"Me too..." he assured her.

"Love is in the air…" Elbert sang while Robert was laughing amused. "It's as lovely as the maiden fair…"

"Oh jealously why thou?" Ashara sang in a sweet melodic voice, interrupting Elbert's singing as if she had this plan for so long... "I can't seem to get rid of you, no matter what I seem to do."

"What the…" Elbert spat out amazed just like the rest of them.

"Damn Elbie you got owned there!" Robert laughed as he was having the time of his life.

"Damn indeed…" Elbert muttered.

Ashara just laughed at their reaction. "Do you like my new song Ned?" asked her, when he glanced her. "I called it…A Hawk's Jealous Ballad…"

"I like it very much." Ned replied with a smile, as from the corner of his eyes he could see his friends grumbling and laughing. I love my Shining Star.

Lyanna Stark VIII

Near the Inn of the Crossroads, Riverlands, Year 282 AC

Lyanna rode Winterstorm as freely as she could, taking advantage of the opportunity that Brandon gave her. Enjoying what could only be her last time as free as this, that is if Ned wasn't right…will Robert give me the freedom to ride my horse as I please?

"Milady!" Barked the old sergeant of the mix retinue of both Stark and Tully guards that Lord Tully and Brandon arranged to take her to the Vale. "Milady should not move with such haste, there are robbers in these roads!"

"You all ride too slow." she plainly said. "I wish to ride fast otherwise I won't enjoy the trip."

"Seven save me, I never seen a lady riding so fast on a horse." One of the soldiers confessed. "Milady is something else entirely."

"I'm no lady," she told him. "But I accept your compliment."

"Ya look like a lady to me." Replied another soldier, a red-haired guy with many freckles in his face.

"I'm indeed a woman but not a lady." she insisted. Perhaps it was much for these soldiers to comprehend, they were smallfolk and they were instructed to address and treat every highborn woman like a lady.

"That all sounds too confusing for me." Said yet another soldier proving her point. "With all due respect but ya highborn are too confusing."

"Do tell me about it." she agreed. "I never understood them either."

The Tully soldiers began laughing at her reply, but the sergeant didn't seem too happy…if she was to guess he would tie her and prevent her from riding more.

"So if we can't call ya milady, milady, what are we to call ya?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Lyanna is enough." she replied.

"Mila…Seven take me…Lyanna…" The sergeant was now both confused and angry. "When we enter the Vale, you must, by all means, remain close to us. The Mountains Clans are too dangerous even for a fully armored man."

"Do not worry, I shall behave as expected of me once we enter the High Road," she assured the older man. "But as of now, I wish to take advantage of the little freedom I was given."

"If the other one was like you, we would be in trouble…" One soldier said, referring to Petyr Baelish the man her brother almost killed. Apparently, he had to return to his lands in the Vale because there was a problem there for him to resolve…at least that was the official version of why he was accompanying her but she suspected it had to do with that stupid duel more than anything.

She tried to have a conversation with him once or twice, hoping to…make him feel a little better but he said nothing in return and looked at her with nothing but disdain as if he hated her with everything he had inside him…she understood it was better to leave him brooding alone than do anything.

She commanded Winterstorm to increase his pace once more and there she went riding like the wind towards the Inn of Crossroads. I wish I could stay like this forever…at Winterfell too…with my brothers…

Later that day, they arrived at the Inn of the Crossroads. Although they could still advance further and perhaps enter the Vale before sundown, the sergeant insisted on staying in the inn for the night and she didn't complain about it, the man had had enough of her already. When she entered the inn, she noticed that it was quite crowded compared to the last time she had been there with her brothers…A further examination, led her to see that these people were Gold Cloaks from King's Landing…but…what were they doing so far away from the capital?

As she took a seat with her retinue, she couldn't help but notice some of the Gold Cloaks glancing towards her from afar…murmuring something to the others and soon she had them all gazing her which promptly sent a shiver down her spine…she had a bad feeling about it…

Despite being worried, Lyanna began enjoying a nice conversation with the soldiers, some were brutes but many were kind and funny towards her, accepting her as Lyanna and not as a lady just as she told them to. Petyr Baelish remained even broodier than Ned, seated on a corner alone…she felt pity for him and contemplated trying to have a conversation with him again…

Suddenly, two Gold Cloaks rose from their seats and made their way towards her. All the others stood behind, watching… "You have yourselves Stark banners." Said one of them. "Who is in charge around here?"

"Is there a problem Ser?" Asked the sergeant as he glanced his men.

"State your business with the Starks." Insisted the Gold Cloak.

"I serve Lord Tully and you are in his lands." Retorted the sergeant. "I have no obligation to tell you whatever orders he gave us."

"What's her name?" The Gold Cloak pointed towards her and she grew worried.

"She is Lady Lyanna of House Stark." Replied the sergeant. "She is the daughter of Lord Stark and she is in our protection."

"Not anymore." The Gold Cloak proclaimed. "She is coming with us."

"Why is that?" Questioned the sergeant and she had the same question. Why would she need to go with them?

"We have no obligation to tell you whatever orders we have." Came the reply which was also mocked the sergeant. "Now hand her over or face the consequences."

There was a moment of tension before the sergeant and his men unsheathed their swords and killed the two Gold Cloaks, this action made the other Gold Cloaks rise and do the same.

"Milady, you must leave." Demanded the sergeant. "They are far too many for us to take."

"I can't leave you all to die here." she hissed. "It's not fair!"

"You can and you will." Shouted the sergeant as he engaged a Gold Cloak. "Bart, Rodrik take her away now! Joseth, Myles take the other one."

"Yes, sergeant!" Shouted one of them. "Milady come with us."

"But the sergeant!" she screamed. "I can't let him die…"

"Your safety is the most important thing for us, milady." Said the other as he picked her arm and both of them led her outside to the stables where their horses were against her will. They ran to fetch the horses and she managed to jump onto to Winterstorm but the Gold Cloaks being in a larger number, had already killed the rest of her retinue inside and were outside too…

"DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!" Shouted one of those damned Gold Cloaks.

Bart and Rodrik engaged the many Gold Cloaks but were easily slaughtered, she commanded Winterstorm to ride away, she had to get away from them…A few of the Gold Cloaks pulled bows and quickly pointed them towards her.

"LOOSE!"

She heard Winterstorm screech in pain as multiple arrows had pierced his back, making him trip in a big rock and then fall with her being sent flying a yard or more…hitting the ground too hard and likely breaking something in her back…the pain she began feeling was unbearable and she began crying…she was going to die…

"One of you go ahead and contact the captain up the Kingsroad!" she heard them shout. "Tell him we got the wolf bitch the King wants." Why does he want me? Did he found out I was…

"Ser." Called another. "Who are those coming this way?"

"Shit…" Said the one in charge. "It's the Prince…he indeed came…"

"What do we do?"

"Ride as fast as you can and warn the captain of what I told you to and that the Prince is here! GO ON!" From the corner of her eye, while she struggled to remain conscious, she saw the Gold Cloak picking a horse and riding away. Soon the pain was so great that she felt herself fainting…Ned…Bran…Ben…father…help me…

Arthur Dayne V

Inn of the Crossroads, Riverlands, Year 282 AC

Arthur, Rhaegar, Oswell and four loyal Gold Cloaks arrived at the Crossroads Inn where it was a bloody mess already, two dead Tully soldiers on the floor, a tumbled horse and Lyanna Stark a little bit ahead of said horse unconscious or even dead…When they set the course of their riding towards the damned inn they weren't expecting to find Lyanna Stark there, it was if she came right into the hornet's nest.

They were received by some arrows being shot but luckily none of them were shot. "Oswell, fetch Lyanna Stark, see her condition and take her to safety." Commanded Rhaegar.

"As you wish." Oswell nodded as they dismounted their horses, all of them but Arthur unsheathing their swords ready for a fight. The distances they made prevent the bows from being effective so the Gold Cloaks threw them down.

"My Prince we have orders from the King to take her to him." Said the sergeant of the Gold Cloaks.

"And I order her to be left alone." Rhaegar countered. "We all serve the realm so let us live another day to do just that."

"The King's order comes before the Prince's." Said another Gold Cloak.

"So you are all disregarding my command?" Questioned Rhaegar.

"His Grace gave us the order to bring him Lyanna Stark and we intend to carry it on." The sergeant of the Gold Cloaks insisted.

"Then we have no other choice but to fight…" Rhaegar concluded.

"Even if we die here, we are but a token rearguard force." The sergeant explained. "Our captain commands another thirty Gold Cloaks up ahead the road and he will come very soon so best defeat us quickly."

Arthur didn't know if it was bluff or not but honestly he didn't wish to know. "Arthur! Get ready to fight!" Rhaegar commanded and as there was no other choice to solve this. Arthur unsheathed Dawn from its scabbard and blade shone as bright as the sun causing trouble of sight in the Gold Cloaks from a bit until they adapted to the brightness.

"We have the numbers!" Shouted one of the Gold Cloaks. "Let's surround them!"

"AYE!" And with that, Arthur now had to face four Gold Cloaks by himself, but his companions weren't in much better condition, Rhaegar had three to face while the Gold Cloaks loyal to Rhaegar had to face one each. Oswell did not participate in the fight as he was inspecting and protecting the fallen Lyanna Stark.

Arthur had no trouble cutting a Gold Cloak who attacked him without thinking, a fatal mistake in a fight. Two others followed the first, they hoped to cut him off at the same time or weaken his ability to respond but Arthur knew that his opponents could take advantage of this universal weakness and therefore he had a plan already conceived long ago against such threats. First, he inclined his sword upwards, blocking both attacks, then took a step to the left, rotated his body in that direction and cut one of the two. Standing behind the one that was left, he stabbed him in the neck once the man turned.

The last opponent tried to cut him from behind, taking advantage of Arthur being distracted but the Stony Dornish, who had trained against such foul attacks, once again tilted Dawn up, blocked, took a step to the left and sliced his enemy. Having finished his opponents, Arthur looked towards his companions to see how they were faring…

It seemed only Rhaegar was left having killed one Gold Cloak but having to fend against another new one. Arthur noted that his friend was having difficulties…Two other Gold Cloaks were now walking towards Oswell and Lyanna so the other Kingsguard knight unsheathed his sword and braced himself for combat. "Don't worry about them Oswell, I will take care of them." Arthur proclaimed as he walked towards them too.

"Be careful then."

Arthur took control of the fight instead of waiting for them to attack. Once in a close distance to his opponents, he rotated his sword and went for a diagonal cut on the right side of his opponent. As his cut was blocked, he whirled Dawn around, kicked the Gold Cloak's leg and then tackled him, making his enemy fall backward allowing him to stab him.

The last one left proved a tough opponent for he seemed to know what he was doing and so he dodged almost all attacks and those he did not dodge only caused minor bruises. Dawn was a long and heavy sword and so its user had to conserve energy as efficiently as possible so unless Arthur wished to be tired out, he needed another strategy…

He found it by encircling his opponent, who obliviously followed his movements. It seemed that the Gold Cloak left a small opening near his left thigh so Arthur had to capitalize on this finding. He made a sudden move by raising Dawn as if he were going to cut from up to the ground and as the Gold Cloak pulled his sword up to block, Arthur moved in a semicircle to his opponent's left finding the best position to pierce his opponent and delivered the fatal blow, killing the stubborn Gold Cloak.

Meanwhile, Rhaegar managed to get rid of the last Gold Cloaks, but with some struggle. "Seven Hells…" Muttered Rhaegar, worn out. "It has been far too long since I fought with such intensity…"

"You don't practice enough." Arthur scoffed. "No wonder you are rusty."

"Look who is talking…" Rhaegar puffed. "How many did you take down? Five?"

"Six…"

"Six…" Rhaegar lifted his hands. "Are you even human Arthur?"

"I do believe I am." Arthur replied chuckling.

"You two!" Called Oswell as he lifted Lyanna Stark from the floor in a weird manner. "By the looks of it, she fell from that fallen horse and hit her back onto the floor, it's all red…"

Both he and Rhaegar watched the uncovering back of Lyanna Stark and it was indeed red…muscular injuries…if she had her muscles like that…her bones wouldn't be much better. "Did she break anything?"

"She might have," Oswell admitted. "She fainted a while ago and by the looks of it, she will need rest and milk of the poppy."

"Put her onto my horse's back." Rhaegar commanded as he approached the horse that was in the ground and Arthur followed him. It had arrows struck on its back but the worse thing was that its leg was broken and he couldn't get up again…if it couldn't get up then it couldn't eat and if it couldn't eat than he couldn't survive long.

"Poor horse…" Murmured Arthur sadly of course. "It won't last long…"

"Better put him out of his misery…" Oswell suggested as he placed Lyanna Stark where Rhaegar told him to.

"Shall I do it?" Inquired Rhaegar glancing him. "Or do you want to do the deed?"

Arthur glanced the poor horse once again…and…he really couldn't do it… "Do what you must…"

"Alright…" And so Rhaegar ended the horse's suffering. "Rest in peace…" They all said in chorus.

"So what are we to do now?" Asked Oswell. "We are just three and with an unconscious woman to protect…we can't seriously face thirty Gold Cloaks when we struggled so much against a dozen of them."

"And she needs a place to rest and heal…" Rhaegar added.

"Should we take her to Riverrun?" Proposed Arthur as he watched a cloud of dust appear on the horizon…only horses could make such a cloud... "Brandon Stark is marrying there…is it them who are coming?" he asked pointing in the direction he was looking at.

"Shit…" Muttered Oswell worried.

"Gods be damned…let's retreat!" Rhaegar commanded.

"To where?"

"I say we go south towards the Kingswood to fool them." Suggested Rhaegar. "We can then stop by Summerhall or Griffin's Roost to contact Jon and make him inform Lord Tully and Lord Stark that the latter's daughter is safe but injured and it was all due to my father's action."

"Summerhall is bit…bad for this situation…it hardly has anything there…" Arthur pressed forward.

"I know the area around Summerhall as the back of my hand, I know offroad tracks that will allow us to lose them," Rhaegar assured. "Besides it's just a couple days of riding to Griffin's Roost."

"I say we go there, King Aerys will be thinking that we went to Riverrun or something of the sort and will not expect to find us south," Oswell explained. "Once we get rid of those cunts we are safe."

Somehow Arthur had a bad feeling about this plan but it did have some fundament. "Alright, let us get the Seven Hells away from here."

"We must ride as fast as we can," Rhaegar commanded as he jumped to his horse. "We need to lose them as quickly as possible to make sure we have no company at Summerhall."

"To the horses then!" Oswell proclaimed as he lifted his hand and pointed to the sky.

Brandon Stark VII

Near the Inn of the Crossroads, Riverlands, Year 282 AC

Brandon, Ethan, Kyle, and Jeffory were riding hard on their way to meet his father by the Kingsroad after a raven from Moat Caillin arrived a few days ago. Apparently, his father had no wish to pass by the Twins to meet old Walder Frey so he was going to avoid the shortest route to Riverrun. Brandon couldn't blame his father, the old fart's reputation said a lot…

His conversation with Lya the other day made him understand that he loved his family above everything else so he decided that rather than being angry with his father, the best course of action was to ask him about everything hence why he was on his way to meet him. Lord Tully and Cat didn't seem too fond of the idea but he cared not of what they thought, they couldn't stop him from meeting his father so tough luck for them.

And it was at that moment, as they approached the Inn of the Crossroads that they noticed a huge commotion outside of the building. "What is happening over there?" Questioned an intrigued Kyle.

"Likely there was a fight…" Jeffory suggested. "The Inn of the Crossroads is famous for its many fights, countless people die there every year."

"Well we have to stop there and wait for my father so I guess we can see what happened," Brandon said. "Maybe we can be of help somehow."

Jeffory and he left the horses in Ethan and Kyle's care and approached the big crowd of people. There was a huge pile of dead Gold Cloaks which Brandon found more than odd as they never left King's Landing. What in Seven Hells are they doing so far from the capital?

"What happened here?" Jeffory inquired the crowd.

"Stark…" Brandon looked to who talked as he felt he knew the voice and much to his surprise, he found Petyr fucking Baelish there…he was supposed to be with his sister on their way to the Vale so what was he doing there?

"What are you doing here Baelish?" Brandon asked as shivers went down his spine. If Baelish was here, then his sister had to be as well but he didn't see her… "Where is my sister?" Baelish pointed towards another pile of bodies and… "No…NO!" This pile was made of Tully and Stark soldiers those that had gone with Baelish and Lya…was she there amongst them?

"They ruined my inn!" Cried Masha Heddle, the innkeeper who tried to seduce him multiple times.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE?" Brandon asked shouting, scaring everyone in the process. "WHERE IS MY SISTER?" he asked once more now approaching Baelish angrily. "WHERE IS MY SISTER?"

"Rhaegar Targaryen took her…after…a fight with the Gold Cloaks…" Baelish replied scared of him.

Brandon clenched his fists in anger, he was boiling now, he could feel it. Rhaegar fucking Targaryen took my sister…MOTHERFUCKER! "AAAARRCH! IF THAT CUNT THINKS HE CAN TAKE MY SISTER AND GET AWAY WITH IT HE IS VERY WRONG!"

"Brandon you ought to calm down and watch your words…" Jeffory warned. "It's the Crown Prince we are talking about…"

"FUCK HIM! I CARE NOT IF HE IS THE CROWN PRINCE, HE CAN'T KIDNAP MY SISTER!" Brandon spat out.

"Perhaps it's a misunderstanding…" Jeffory insisted as he turned towards Baelish. "Baelish please tell me she wasn't kidnapped…and it's all a lie to make Brandon angry after that stupid duel of yours…"

Brandon's gaze fell onto Baelish once again, the Valemen hesitated and from some seconds…he thought Baelish's eyes were smiling…surely his anger was making him see things that were not true… "I'm afraid…it was what happened…" Baelish replied. "As I said…there was a battle here between the Prince and the Gold Cloaks and then he left with Lyanna, unconscious on the back of his horse…"

"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT INBRED SHIT!" Brandon roared.

"What about you goodwoman Masha," Jeffory asked the innkeeper this time but it was only making Brandon angrier because he refused to believe that inbred shit would kidnap his sister. They were wasting time here now. "Was Lyanna Stark kidnapped?"

"I don't know milords…I just saw a fight and then all these bodies…I can confirm the Prince and two Kingsguards were here and left…with her…"

Brandon ran towards Wildbeast and jumped onto its back. "GET ON THE HORSES!" he commanded. "WE ARE GETTING MY SISTER BACK!"

"Shouldn't we wait for your father?" Kyle asked shyly.

"No, we need to hurry, the more time we give that inbred shit the worse." Brandon dismissed. "To King's Landing, now!"


RedRat8: Well a sane person is always better than an insane one...

mlkoolc86: Glad you enjoyed it.

raw666: I admit I haven't read Robb Returns yet, I have read TV Tropes about it once but perhaps I will give it a try since it was Robb who brought me into fanfiction. The Lyanna/Rhaegar you describe seems quite similar to my version though Lyanna would never have freedom with Rhaegar not when he has so many responsibilities.

Anyway, our good friend Petyr Baelish plays a bigger role in the whole kidnapped affair as I intended originally. The chapter got too big but not big enough to split in two according to my criteria. Perhaps once I finish the improved version I come back to this chapter to split it. On another note, I have finish rewriting half the chapters of the original draft and I'm aiming to finish by June? So let's hope I make it.

Thank you for sparing time reading and I hope everyone has a good day.