"Promise me that you won't tell our Lord Father about this Benjen," Lyanna said as she looked into her little brother's eyes. "Promise me."
"I promise, Lya." Benjen nodded his head. "I won't tell our Lord Father that you are planning to join the list as a mystery knight. Even when -"
"A Mystery Knight? What does your brother mean by that Lady Lyanna?"
A familiar voice suddenly asked from behind them.
Almost at once, both Lyanna and Benjen whirled around to see the person who managed to sneak up on them without warning.
Lyanna's heart instantly gave a pleasant lurch at the sight of the familiar blonde knight.
Of course, it was none other than Ser Steve Rogers.
I should have known. She thought as she regarded her sworn shield.
Lyanna had relied on Howland to keep the blonde knight occupied, but perhaps she shouldn't have let her hopes up.
She knew that Ser Steve would find her one way or another.
"Ser Steve!"
She heard Benjen exclaim from beside her but Lyanna's eyes remained riveted towards her sworn shield, who was now staring at her with an expectant look.
"I know you are already dying to know what I am up to now. So I might as well save you the trouble of voicing out the many questions you must be harboring at this moment." She stated. "To answer your previous question...yes, Ser Steve. I am going to join the list as the mystery knight."
"But why?" The blonde knight asked. "What is your purpose for joining the list? Your endgame?"
"Endgame?" Lyanna furrowed her brows in confusion. "You have a strange way of asking what my intentions are, Ser Steve."
"Sorry," came the knight's quick apology while Lyanna observed how the man ran a hand through his blonde locks, which only messed his perfectly-combed hair.
It was an unconscious gesture that she hadn't seen him do before.
It was an odd sight, but it was also quite endearing.
Lyanna liked it. Immensely.
Ser Steve acted so composed when he was around her. He always treated her with the utmost respect, but kept his distance as well. To her increasing despair.
Hence, the sight of an infallible Ser Steve Rogers acting self-conscious for his strange choice of words was definitely a nice change for Lyanna.
"Are you really joining the joust tomorrow?" Her sworn shield asked her.
Lyanna could practically hear the note of disapproval in his voice.
"And if I am?" She raised a brow in challenge while she set her jaw into a stubborn line.
Ser Steve simply furrowed his brows at her.
"Your Father won't be happy about your plan to join the list as the Mystery Knight, Lady Lyanna," Ser Steve pointed out.
"And your point, Ser Steve?" She asked archly.
"Look. My point is that joining the list won't be such a good idea at all. You might get injured in the process and as your sworn shield I can't let that happen," Ser Steve told her in a serious tone.
"I have to do this, Ser Steve," Lyanna said, "I want to teach those three squires a lesson. I didn't like how they treated Howland at all."
"If that's what you want, then I will do it. I can beat those squires in the jousting. And when I win, I will give their armor and weapons to your friend Howland Reed after that. So you don't need to join the list as the mystery knight if this is all you plan to do," Ser Steve said while he fixed his bright, blue eyes at her.
Lyanna regarded him for a moment before finally relenting.
"You are right," she let out a sigh of defeat. "Judging from the melee you participated in, I know you have a higher chance of defeating those squires - and even all of them - in the jousting. So I will concede to your wishes, good Ser and - "
Lyanna stopped talking when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps climbing up the stairs to the Wailing Tower. The place they were currently in. The same place where Lyanna had been looking for armor she could use for the jousting. She had looked through the store rooms on the ground floor and the cavernous vaults beneath it, where she found some bits and pieces of armor that were far too big for her. Yet good enough to use for her plan to join the list as a Mystery Knight and challenge the three squires. Lyanna also frequented the place to practice her sword fighting, mainly because no one could hear her there, especially with the loud, wailing updraft blowing through the tower.
The sound of lumbering footsteps drew closer to where they were standing until a familiar giant of a man appeared at the top of the stairs.
It was Ser Gregor Clegane.
Lyanna exchanged a tensed glance with her little brother, whose face seemed to pale at the sight of the man.
The sound of wind blew loudly once more in the Wailing Tower. A deafening sound that prevented anyone from hearing what was going on, or what was about to happen in that tower.
It was also probably the reason Ser Gregor Clegane was there. He probably thought that he could try his chances on taking down the man who humiliated him in front of thousands of people. And judging from the dark, murderous look on the man's gaze as it settled on Ser Steve, Lyanna knew exactly what the Mountain's intentions were.
Ser Gregor must have followed Ser Steve up there with the plan to murder him in cold blood.
"You fucking bastard!" Ser Gregor Clegane growled, his words came out more of a slur while he half-walked and half-staggered towards them. "I'm not going to be bested by some green knight from nowhere!"
Lyanna realized that the Mountain must be incredibly drunk. He must be because who would dare try to instigate a fight with her sworn shield while there were two witnesses nearby? Two witnesses who happened to be the son and daughter of the Warden of the North?
Then, Lyanna's eyes only grew wide with fear when the Mountain's hand went for the sword strapped at his hip. This was soon followed by the sound of ringing steel as Ser Gregor drew out his weapon.
"Lady Lyanna, Lord Benjen, get behind me," Ser Steve ordered loudly and Lyanna moved to follow Ser Steve's order.
However, Lyanna could not say the same thing for her little brother, Benjen, who was closest to the stairs when Ser Gregor arrived.
She didn't know what made Benjen do as he did because Lyanna could never have predicted for what followed afterward.
Instead of following Ser Steve's instructions like Lyanna did, her little brother chose a different course.
Benjen decided to run whether he did it out of fear or to fetch for help.
Lyanna wouldn't know.
Because Lyanna could only watch in complete shock as her little brother dashed forward and would have run down the stairs if not for the fact that the Mountain was still blocking the path with his enormous figure.
Lyanna didn't even realize that she was shouting, "Benjen, NO!" when she saw her brother moved and she could only watch in mounting horror when the Mountain's hand flashed forward just as Benjen was about to run passed him.
The next thing she knew, Lyanna was screaming but it was instantly swallowed out by the sound of wind blowing through the Wailing Tower.
Author's Notes: I'm not dead. I'm just hyperfocus on a new fandom. But I've decided to post this chapter rather than leave it in my google drive to languish. If you want to see my latest photo manips or edits for this fic, please check out the fic in my AO3 account. I usually posts pics, gifs or photos alongside within my fics there. AO3 is a better platform overall.