Sorry for taking a long time. I know this is a rather small update, but originally these last two chapters were going to be only 1. But I had to re-write it all over since I deleted it by accident. Sorry!
The next update will be of the usual length!
I will start my next uploading schedule soon! See you guys soon!
By the way, check out my Overlord x Game of Thrones fanfic last update. and help me choose a new history!
(Trigger warning! Be aware of what it's coming!)
Chapter 6 (Part 2/2)
Riverrun castle stood proudly in the middle of the intersection of two rivers. The Tumblestone, crossing all of Willow Wood, reaching as far as Ashemark and Nunn's Deep. The entrance of the Westerlands and the domain of the lion. On the other side, there was the Red Fork river. A key water course deep in the Riverlands. From Pinkmaiden all the way to the Ruby Ford, near the Inn at the Crossroads. The house of Tully has been one of the Lord Paramount of the Trident since the beginning of the Targaryen rule. However, among all the interesting history and details of the House Tully and the ancestral home of the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. There was a girl who couldn't care less about such a thing.
There, looking at the river flowing and carrying ducks and many other things. Near a window, a young woman of barely fifteen sat looking rather gloomily at the view before her. They said Lyanna Stark to be a beautiful girl. Some others would say that she was a wild beauty, with long dark brown hair reaching her hips. Two sets of grey eyes, showing her Stark blood, and around and lovely face with curve lips and big eyelashes. Her body has recently developed into one of a woman, as curves could be visible, exposing the few things she inherited from her mother. The late lady Stark, Lyarra Stark, who was said to be voluptuous woman.
Yet, Lyanna was not thinking about herself, or her sudden allure to them. The things she was currently thinking about were about her future and what they expected from her. Soon, Brandon, her older brother, would marry a poor woman and would have to endure how wild wolf that was her brother.
Poor Catelyn, her naïve love for Brando blinds her. She cannot see how wild he is, and the among of infidelity she will have to endure in the years to come. Brando already has a bastard growing somewhere in the Riverlands. He has taken the maidenhood of few servant girls, and he seems to not care about anything else.
Lyanna thought as she recalled the shouting and screams from her beloved father at Brandon when he discovered the servant girl carrying his son's bastard. Thankfully, gold was easy to silence the rumors for now. But Brandon did not want to marry, Catelyn, or, well, anyone. He wanted to be free, not being shackled by anyone or anything, but he was going to be Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. He had a responsibility to the people of the North, and their families, no matter how much he wanted to run.
"Run, I would like to run. To leave somewhere and live freely."
Lyanna sighed as she looked at the swans. However, not all was serious and gloomy. A light in the dark was Ned and Ashara's wedding. Well, it was a minor event with nothing but family. One made below a Weirdwood tree with the sky above them. There was no party, no bending ceremony, a short and beautiful union between people who loved each other, and nothing more. Lyanna smiled at the face Ned made when he came back from his trip from Starfall. Two months of riding just to ask Ashara's father for her hand. Only to return to find Ashara waiting for him, with a swelling belly where his child was growing.
"That was a surprise… Sweet Ned would treat Ashara like a queen. She does not know how lucky she is, truly."
Lyanna knew Ned was an honorable man, perhaps one of the few she has ever met in her life. Yet she couldn't find herself but to feel jealous of him. Ned has the freedom both Brandon and Lyanna could not have. He could marry for love to a woman who loved him equally. Both would live their lives in peace and fill with joy. Lyanna would have to marry Robert Baratheon for the sake of their people. Winter is coming. They had to prepare for it, and having alliances with the south could make things easier for them up there, when the snow arrives and there was nothing else to farm or eat.
Still, she hated Robert. At first, she thought he would change. He promised her that no more drinking and whoring would take place in his life, but then she found him drunk with two women on his bed. Not even a day later of promising just that. Lyanna was not even angry, just disappointed. She should have known better. Men like Robert would never change.
"Stupid girl, believing stupid things."
The memory of princess Rhaegar came to her mind. The way he looked at her with that gorgeous smile, a gentle voice whispering her good day and singing to her. A good memory and nothing more. Lyanna couldn't believe it has been such a long time since Harrenhal. Since the Red Emerald Dragon appearance, and while she couldn't shake the images of such mighty beast from her head. There was just another thing she kept thinking about, and it was about what would have happened if she took Rhaegar's crown of Queen of Love and Beauty. She thought about it often. Now that she has time to ponder about it, to grow her consciousness. Lyanna couldn't stop feeling guilty and dirty, to feel such a thing for a married man. A married man with children and who was the King of Westeros.
"I thought I was in love… Perhaps I was? Or it could just be an infatuation of the moment. The words, and promises of being free. I don't think they were completely true. Perhaps they were. But at what cost?"
Lyanna just didn't know what else to think. The whole thing depressed her. Having to endure being in the castle with no opportunity to ride or hunt. Or just walk down the river to explore or do something, rather than sitting here with no prospect of living, drove her insane.
She has left a few times before, just walking around the small town near the castle. Or ride along the river. But her father, lord Stark, has forbidden her from doing it again.
Think how the south would think of you! They want a lady! You must act like one, Lyanna.
Lyanna hated all of it. She hated being a woman. The walls were becoming smaller around her. The feeling of anxiousness brought her to a terrible state of mind.
"I had to get out of here, before I lose my mind."
Lyanna stood up, and after taking a more comfortable set of clothes, wearing a gown or lady dress brought discomfort to her. Lyanna sighed, enjoying the freedom of the clothes on her skin, easy and less lady-like. She walked out of the gloomy room, hopefully leaving all that depressing thinking behind. The castle seemed tranquil and peaceful during the day, but it felt empty and foreign to her. Not a place for Northener, for a wolf. Lyanna walked down the strange corridors of the castle. The smell of wetness and muddied walls made her gag. She does not know how the Tully's could find comfort within the walls.
Perhaps it was because she was homesick. Lyanna missed Winterfell. The Wolfwood, the hot springs where she used to bathe, enjoying the warm water over her body. All now, so far from where she was.
Lyanna kept on walking, trying to find a place where she could take a horse and just flee for a while. She paid no attention to what was around her, not really. Looking around made her feel disoriented. Lost within the walls of the castle. Lyanna listened to a small laugh, a giggle of sorts. She stopped and looking down; she noticed her brother Ned and Ashara taking a stroll in the gardens of Riverrun.
Both of them looked perfect for each other. A frightful and envious sight for a person about to wed a womanizer. Ashara smiled as she hugged Ned's arm, while slowly stroking her belly. Not big enough to make people look, but enough to show that she was indeed waiting for a child. Lyanna sighed. She shouldn't think of that. The envy of them being happy with each other shouldn't be on her mind.
Lyanna sneaked past them, and soon enough she reached the stable. There she saw a beautiful horse. A white steed. Slowly, she gently stroked the horse, smiling at the sight of it.
"Hello there. Aren't you the most beautiful horse ever?"
The horse replied with a small nod, making Lyanna smiled at the reaction of such beauty.
"Gorgeous and smart. I like you! What don't we take a small stroll away from here?"
Guiding the horse away from the stable, she thought about the possibility of being caught. Yet she couldn't bother to brood over it. Besides, no one could say no to her. Not the guards, not her father or brothers. The guards who looked at her said nothing, as she only glares at them. They seemed to know very well the wildness in her blood. But as she was leaving the bridge, connecting Riverrun to the mainland. A boy approached her. A small boy, maybe around her age. His short hair and stoic and friendly smile confused Lyanna. Who was this boy? She wondered.
"My lady, are you going out?"
"Yes, I am doing just that. Who are you?" Lyanna asked, rather unfriendly.
"Oh, apologies, my lady. I should have known better than to ask such a question without presenting myself. My names is Petyr Baelish."
Lyanna suddenly recalled the incident about a boy, her brother Brando almost killed during a duel. The boy before her fought for the hand of Catelyn Tully and lost. A large wound from the collarbone to the hip, if Lyanna remembered correctly. What is he doing here, and how does he know I'm going out?
"Please to meet you, Petyr. How do you know I'm going out?" Lyanna asked.
The boy tilted his head as he stared at the horse. A simple question for him to answer. Lyanna sighed, feeling mortified at her stupidity. Surely, some people knew who she was and were well aware of her disappearance.
"I'm going to take a stroll, and only that. Normally, Stone Mill and the nearby of Pennytree are my limits. But I always come back before it goes dark. So please, excuse me."
Lyanna only said as she left, but before she could do it. Petyr spoke with a rather worried tone of voice.
"Would it be wise, my lady? It's dangerous outside, especially for a young maiden like yourself. Shouldn't it be wise to notify your father, lord Stark, about this? If… Something took place?"
"No. I can take care of myself."
"But my lady, you must know how dangerous the Riverlands can be. This is not the North where honest and loyal men are born. This is the south, and the land of rivers and mud, a breed of different type of men is born."
Lyanna glared at him, just as she does to all men who dared to look down on her. She knew the dangers of the world. The North has the same type of people. The boy looked concerned, or perhaps something else, yet it didn't change the fact of what he said to her. Lyanna, with one swift action, climbed onto the horse. She felt strong and free now, as the stallion allowed his dame to feel tall. Lyanna peered down at the boy with a smirk of her own, forgetting the past few words of warning.
"I thank you for the warnings, but I can take care of myself."
Lyanna said as she rode away, leaving behind Petyr with an expression hard to explain.
"Well, I warned her not to go. Let's see what unfolds now."
Petyr said as he slowly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Lyanna rode faster than she has ever done before. Running away from all she considered rotten and unfair. The maiden of the North loved the feeling of air caressing her cheeks, her hair, and all of it. The sound of water hitting the rock as she passed by. For an hour, Lyanna rode, caring for nothing else. That was until she reaches a dead end. A point she has not approached before. Lyanna wondered where she was right now. Maybe she has long left behind Pennytree. Whatever it was, she sat down on the grass, allowing her legs to sink in the water. The tranquility and the sound of birds made her feel content.
Lyanna looked at the sky, thinking of nothing and anything.
"Marriage… If I marry, I will need to have heirs. And Robert will make heirs with me when we… I will have to endure it. The act, everything."
Lyanna whispered at the gloomy sky, wondering how long would she last as the wife of Robert Baratheon. Not much from what she thought.
"And here I thought he would change for the better… silly girl."
Lyanna closed her eyes as she thought about Harrenhal one last time. No matter how much she hated to admit it, but she couldn't take King Rhaegar from her mind. She knows that no matter what, those moments with him. Those small hours of her listening to her songs would be all she would ever have. A dream worth more than any gold and jewelry.
"If only…"
Lyanna rested, forgetting how the sun was setting down. However, whatever feeling of quiet and joy faded away as soon, Lyanna listened to noises behind her. Deep in the forest. Her instinct kicked in. Without wasting time, she stood up. But it was too later, surrounding her a group of men only stared at her with smirks and lust in their eyes.
"Well, well, lads, look what we have here," one of them said.
"A pretty lady, aren't you?"
"Really, beautiful… We are lucky."
Lyanna's body went rigid as she saw the five men slowly approaching her. But, as she looked at them closely, Lyanna noticed their armor and house sigil. House Frey of the Crossing. Lyanna glared at them, with no fear in her eyes, no matter how much her body seemed to think otherwise.
"What do you want, Frey? Aren't you far from the Twins?" Lyanna said.
One of the Frey sneered at her, showing his yellow teeth. "Ah, don't you remember me, you Stark bitch?"
Lyanna frowned at him, not remembering at all. "I apologize, but all Frey's looked the same to me."
"You should. We were having fun with one of the Crannogman, before you arrived."
Lyanna remembered now those squires she fought when saving Howland Reed. Honestly, she did not know they were Frey, but not it all made sense. Frey hated the people of the Neck. The Reed among all of them.
"That's explain a lot. Only the Frey would act so cowardly. Nothing out of ordinary."
"You should be careful with your words, pretty lady. You're alone here."
The man only stared at her with intense lust, as he could see the chest of Lyanna. She was only wearing normal attire, not much to go around. At least from what other girls wear. Comfortable without a doubt, yet revealing. And the Frey men saw it right away. They circled her slowly as Lyanna cursed her stupidity for not bringing her sword. She glanced down, trying to find any weapon. A stick, or rock, whatever.
"Good luck we found you here. Maybe it's time for you to, apologize to us."
"Indeed, perhaps if you go down to your knees and beg us to spare your life. Things could end up well for all of us."
"I can think of a better way for her to apologize to us. Why don't you go down to your knees and be a good whore and suck our cocks with that pretty mouth of yours? Eh? I like that idea."
They all laughed, smirking as Lyanna felt disgusted by their talks. She had to leave now. The horse was still drinking water, ignoring what was around him. Lyanna felt it was the only escape route she had left, so she must consider what she could do.
"That won't be a good idea. What do you think it would happen, if my father Lord Stark found out about it? Eh? Or Lord Tully? My brother it's about to wed his daughter. What would house Frey do to appease the ire of both paramount lords? If you touch me, your house it's doomed."
Lyanna said, sounding brave for a brief second. The Frey hesitated for a bit, but one of them smiled. "No one would ever know about this. Ladies fall from their horses and break their pretty necks all the time. Perhaps a bear or a wild animal kill you. No one would ever find out about this."
He said, licking his lips. Lyanna's body went stiff and thinking no more. She ran to the horse, and using all of her strength, she jumped on her horse. Sadly, it wasn't enough, as one of the Frey grabbed her by the hair. Pulling her down, forcefully. Lyanna's body fell flat on the floor. Her head hit a rock, and numbness clouded her view.
"I got you! Let's see how Stark girls are made of!"
Lyanna yelled. As she fought the man on top of her, he was ripping off her clothes and licking her neck.
"Show us her tits!"
"Take all of it!"
They all screamed as they took their clothes off. Lyanna's tears were visible, but she refused to yell more. Using all the willpower she has left, Lyanna could grab a heavy stone, and smashed right into the face of the Frey man. The face of the man got bloody as he screamed violently.
She did also brought her nails to his face, scratching him all the way from his eyes to his lips. Lyanna made him hurt.
"Fucking bitch! Stupid cunt!" He said, punching Lyanna's face rapidly. The sound of Lyanna's face being struck by the Frey's fist was unpleasant. Her body was jerking at every strike.
"You fucking, bitch!"
The Frey punched not only her face, but he went on and punch her ribs and whatever he could hit. For minutes he allowed his rage to pour out in the forms of punches and even bites. Lyanna's face was almost unrecognizable, her body was bruised, and she seemed out of it.
"This is what you deserve, you cunt!"
Lyanna could only stare numbly at the sky as she felt herself losing more consciousness. The man kept on punching her and spat on her face. Spilling his own blood. He snarled as he removed what was left of Lyanna's clothes.
"I will fuck you good! You fucking understand, you bitch! Before I fucking kill you, I will put a bastard inside you!" He yelled as he spread her legs.
Lyanna only looked at the sky, numb and lost. Blood was coming from her nose and mouth. At least she defended herself, that's all she could think of. Perhaps dead was not so bad after all. Lyanna thought of her family. Even if she was currently on bad terms with her father. She loved him dearly. Lyanna knew the reason why she had to marry Robert. The North needed to survive the winter. She regretted not being able to apologize to him for the things she said. I won't be able to see Ashara and Ned's baby. My niece or nephew. I won't be able to play with Bengen anymore or annoy Brandon. I'm so sorry.
Lyanna thought as darkness slowly took her, but what she could hear before losing her awareness was a roar. A powerful roar. A gigantic shadow flew over her, and she smirked. Or try too. Ah, a dragon… so pretty. She thought for one last time. Lyanna could not see how the dragon shifted into a woman with long red hair and horns. She could not see the rage in the dragon lady's eyes. And how in a blink of an eye. The red-haired woman decapitated and obliterated the body of the man, who was seconds from raping her with a lightning strike.
Perhaps it was for the best. Or maybe not. Yet, Lyanna Stark was saved by her. Perhaps something more would emerge from all of this.