Today, the tourney started for real. Apart from the jousts, there were other competitions, some seemed rather interesting in Lyanna's eyes. Unfortunately, she didn't have time for them.

"Ben," she went straight to Benjen after breakfast. He ignored her as he should be, so Lyanna stood right in front of him and gave him a full smile, "Benny Benjen."

"Stop this! It's creepy." Benjen attempted to push her away with no effect. "Go away, Lya!"

Lyanna kept smiling, the corners of her mouth pulled up to their maximum. The stalemate had lasted ten more seconds before he finally surrendered. "Fine. Just... stop that creepy smile. What do you want?"

"Lend me your equipment," Lyanna said, and Benjen narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"You've been stealing it from me every day already. What prompted you to start asking so nicely?"

"I'm participating in the joust."

He almost choked. "You... what? Why? Wait, don't tell me it's about those squires."

Lyanna grinned, "You know me well, Ben."

"This isn't joking." Benjen frowned deeply, "Father won't always forgive you. Besides, people often suffer serious injuries in a joust..."

"You've seen me on a horse. I can win," she proudly declared, "As for Father... what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

He sighed. "...Lya, I don't even have the equipment for you to join a real joust."

"We'll find a way. Let's check out if what you have can fit me first."

"Seriously, Lya, one day..."

—

"Helmet, check. Plate, check. Shield..."

"Lya, my armor clearly won't suit you," Benjen said, but still helped Lyanna to put it on.

Putting on the heavy metal, Lyanna felt that It's insanely tight. They struggled to keep it around her body, and once she put on the helmet she felt that she was suffocating in a coffin. "How does it look?"

"Looks like it's going to drop any minute," Benjen said worriedly, "Try to move."

Lyanna waved her arms around, the sharp sound of metal colliding filling her ears. She felt that it was a bit hard to move smoothly, but she still tentatively took a step. In an instant, pieces of armor popped off from her body, almost hitting Lyanna's foot and creating a loud noise as they hit the ground.

"What did I tell you? It's too small for you," Benjen said tiredly as he picked the pieces of armor up.

"How come these are so small?" Lyanna pouted and complained, "Ben, you're a boy, you need to grow some muscle."

"Please, Lya," He rolled his eyes, "You can't just keep trying to pin the blame on me."

"Ben," Eddard called as he entered the tent, "What's that noise... is that Lya?"

Lyanna stared at Eddard, dumbstruck. She was still wearing the helmet.

Howland followed behind him, a guilty smile on his face. "I'm sorry for intruding, Lord Benjen, Lady Lyanna. I wished to thank you two for your kindness..." He eyed the armor and chuckled nervously, "There's no need for you to go so far for me, Lady Lyanna."

Lyanna was amazed that Howland seemingly saw through her plan in that one glance. Little did she know. "It's not for anybody. I just want to teach them a lesson."

"Looks like I'm out of the loop. Will any of you kindly explain," Eddard asked wryly, "What are you planning?"

"Well, actually..."

—

"...That should be it," Lyanna said, wearing Benjen's helmet, Eddard's armor, and holding Howland's shield. She had no idea how foolish she looked.

"It's a bit large, but at least it won't drop off," Benjen said as he walked around Lyanna and checked the armor, "Hopefully you won't be wearing this for more than one day."

"What about the horse?" Howland asked.

"That isn't a problem, we have plenty of good horses," Eddard said, "But we still need to find a lance for you."

"Wait, you don't have one?" Surprised, Lyanna turned to ask Eddard. The armor creaked as she moved.

"I didn't plan to compete in the tourney," he said defensively, "Perhaps you could borrow one from..."

"Bran? He definitely has a lance," Benjen said.

"Isn't he also on the list?" Lyanna asked.

"I suppose he won't be in a tilt every day," Eddard said thoughtfully, "Though if Lya doesn't want to involve Bran, she can ask..."

"...Robert, you want to say." Lyanna glared at him.

"Or I can enter the joust myself. It'll be a better solution," he continued, not meeting Lyanna's eyes.

"No, we have gone over this. You don't like to joust so I'll go. I want to try it."

"I don't like it, but it doesn't mean I can't do it. It'll be much easier than dressing you up." Eddard might be acting in Lyanna's interest, but Lyanna was stupidly stubborn. She just wanted to enjoy doing a good act, without much thinking behind it. She wouldn't allow Eddard to take that away from her.

"I'm participating," Lyanna said, grinding her teeth. "This is the first and only joust I'll ever be able to join. You can have one whenever you want!" Something acidic rose through her throat and she almost shouted out the last few words.

Hearing the edge in her voice, Eddard finally raised his hands in surrender, his voice softened, "Fine, you can go. But you still need a lance, and Robert... he'll do whatever you ask, Lya."

"Hmph." Lyanna felt tricked. "Fine, I'll give it a go."

—

When Lyanna found Robert, she was unwilling to approach him. Seeing him betting on the tournament's winner with his friends, laughing happily, made her felt a wave of irrational anger.

"Ned." she pushed Eddard's back, "You're his friend, you ask him."

"No." Eddard stood firm, "You're the one who wants to do it. Try talking to him, he's not that bad."

"But—"

"Ned? Lya? Come over here!" Robert noticed her. Defeated, Lyanna walked towards him, dragging her steps along the way.

"Robert, I need something from you," she said flatly.

He smiled, not bothered by her tone. "Whatever you want, Lya."

"Are you not joining the joust?"

"I prefer to show my strength in the melee."

"Great. You..." she lowered her voice, "...Have a lance right? Lend it to me tomorrow."

"My lance...?" Lyanna could see Robert wracking his brain, "You want to join—"

"Shh!" Lyanna quickly held a finger in front of his mouth, "Not a word!"

"Lya," Robert made a troubling face, "This is dangerous for a girl like you."

Lyanna glanced towards the place where Eddard stood seconds ago, but she found nothing but empty space. Eddard told her Robert would do whatever she asked... he was now a lying coward in Lyanna's eyes. But it was not the time for her to feel angry towards Eddard.

"One word. Yes, or no?" Lyanna hissed.

"...Yes, you can have it," Robert receded, "But do you really believe you can wield it? It's heavy, and you—"

Lyanna glared at him. "Is this an issue of challenge? I won't mind beating you in a duel."

"I don't want to hurt you, Lya. If you really want to fight, I can teach you later..." The more Robert explained, the more he irritated Lyanna. She believed that she could beat anyone.

"I. Can. Fight," she hissed through clenched teeth, "Stop looking down on me."

Eddard might know Robert well, but what he had told him about Lyanna was clearly outdated. Robert kept blinking after her declaration, while she rolled her eyes. "Look, just give it to Ned later. I don't want to argue with you." More precisely, Lyanna didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"Lya... how about we have a friendly spar later?" He called behind her back as she turned to leave. It was an offer of apology.

Yet, Lyanna refused him. "No. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Lya, you're asking to borrow my lance from me," Robert said, frowning at me for the first time since Lyanna met him. Then suddenly, a smile crept back upon his face. "Or are you afraid? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

"Hell no!" Lyanna fell for it immediately. "You're no threat to me! I'll kick your ass!"

"So that's a yes? We'll see who beat who then." He laughed heartily, "The result is known already, but it'll be fun to see you try."

"I'll show you and make you beg for mercy!" Lyanna shouted at him before she left, a fire burned up in her heart. She needed to teach him a lesson later.

—

The debut of the Knight of the Laughing Tree was a great success.

Lyanna knew that if she was born a boy, she would be a great knight. She won against three knights, and got those squires to apologize… not that it mattered in the end.

She had run away quickly before someone could discover her identity. Now, deep in the woods, she could finally take the helmet off.

"Ahh..." She sat down under a tree and sighed satisfyingly. Wiping away the sweat on her forehead, she let her mind wander. "Well, the mission is a success..."

"Lady Lyanna." A deep, soft voice called.

"You..." Lyanna saw a man slipped in and approaching her, his hair as white as the moonlight, dragons embroidered on his clothes.

"I know I'll find you here," he said calmly and certainly.

"Rhaegar..." she blurted out, more surprised by her increased heart rate than his appearance.

He picked up her shield, "The Knight of the Laughing Tree," A finger traced the shape of the tree, "Lyanna Stark. We finally met... for real."

Two pairs of eyes met, grey and purple. In Rhaegar's eyes, Lyanna read no surprise. There's only... resignation.

A leaf dropped from the tree, swinging in the wind, and fell in between them, signaling their meeting.

Oh, so that's it, she finally realized. We... everything we had done, they all lead to... this.

Such was their fate.

—

"So this is why you have participated in this tourney," Rhaegar said.

"Yes," Lyanna told him everything when he asked. She didn't know what else to say. She was a bit afraid of him... Rhaegar, and the mysterious situation surrounding him.

But mostly Rhaegar himself.

"I thought you're more talkative. You seem to be afraid of me," Rhaegar asked, "Is it something I did or said?"

"Did you... know that I'm the Knight of the Laughing Tree all along? You didn't seem surprised at all when you saw me."

"Not really. But I had a hunch. I know I'll find you here."

"Will you keep this a secret between us?"

He nodded. "The fewer people know of this the better. My father is already paranoid about your appearance. A fair warning: if you continue to compete in the joust tomorrow, you will be arrested."

However, what he said only made Lyanna want to continue to participate. Because she was a fool. "He had no reason to. All I did was joust!" she complained.

"You don't know my father as well as I do. He had been wary of everyone since a long while ago. In his mind, you could be a dangerous assassin planning to kill him," he explained.

"But I want to joust. And he won't have any excuse to arrest me if I keep my distance from him." She was being stubborn, she knew it, yet she couldn't stop herself when she believed that she was right.

"Lady Lyanna, please listen..." He continued to try to convince her, but she wouldn't budge no matter what he said.

In the end, Howland found them. Rhaegar excused himself then, but he still left a warning, "Please reconsider carefully. I wish for you to stay alive."

"What happened?" Howland asked after Rhaegar left.

"Nothing, just... he wanted to talk," Lyanna answered, worried growing in her heart. Was this really fine?

—

"Who are you?" Aerys shivered in his seat as he asked, his eyes locked on the tree on Lyanna's shield. "Show your face!"

All eyes were on her. Lyanna saw Rickard frantically looking around. She couldn't let Rickard know, no matter what. "I'm only a nameless knight, your Grace. A nobody."

"This is your King's order!" Aerys pointed a finger at her. "Only a traitor would defy their King! Kill him!"

Lyanna thought she saw Benjen shouting, but she couldn't hear him. He's too far away. She tried to run, but her escape route was blocked by a kingsguard.

"Sorry." The man whispered, his violet eyes emotionless, "Nothing personal."

Cold swept through her body as Dawn stabbed into her heart. Only then she knew how foolish she was.

She wouldn't remember it.