Basically Elia living is my Otp! So I changed the time line so she could. She just deserves so much more then what she got. This was the ship in my poll winning so I decided to go ahead and post this. I will probably take Elia and Brandon down but leave the poll up if you wanted to vote for my next pairing please do. If there is a pairing you would like to see from me not on my poll message me but note I do not take OC's. Thanks for reading and I would love to know what you think because I am a comment whore!
Chapter 1: Consequences
I tossed and turned in the large bed, it was far to soft after years of sleeping on the floor of a black cell. The nightmares of Kingslanding would not subside even after almost a year of being back in Winterfell. It seemed the scars were not just all across my body but in my mind as well.
I threw the blanket off annoyed and tired of trying to sleep. I could not remember the last time I slept well. I sat up and stared at the cane by my bedside. It had not been there when I went to sleep but it was there again every morning. Just like yesterday morning I threw it a crossed the room.
I turned quickly hearing the door. Every hair on my body stood up. In my cell when I heard the door it meant Aery's was bored and wanted to torture his favorite play thing and I could not shake the dread when the door crept open.
"My Lord are you up?" Myla asked nervously. She was a serving girl used to my fits of rage.
"Well it's either me or a very large rat." I told her annoyed.
"Would you like me to help you dress?" She asked softly.
"I am not a child or a woman, I can manage on my own."
"B-but the new maester says I'm to help you dress so you don't open your wounds." She said and I only growled in response the new maester was driving me mad, I fantasized about throwing him from the top of Winterfell, now I probably couldn't manage all the stairs with my leg and my back.
"W-would you like me to prepare a bath?" She asked making me look up at the girl she did not know when to stop. "Or mayhaps a shave? I could cut your hair." She added meekly.
"Why would you do that?" I snapped my hair was messy tangles down to my shoulders and my beard was unruly at best, but it had been since I returned the handsome clean shaved lordling was a distant memory to me now.
"B-because they say your lady will be here today or by morrow and I thought you would want to look your best." She squeaked as she poured a basin of water.
"Do you see the scars on my face and body Myla?"
"Yes, my lord." She said softly not looking at me.
"Do you see the burns a crossed my body that will never go away?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Then we can agree my best is at least three years past me, bring me that gods damn basin before I die of old age!" I barked she did with a whinny noise I splashed the cold water on my face deciding that was the best the princess would get from me. Myla jumped back as soon as possible she looked at me like a wild beast and acted as though I was just as dangerous, Myla may have been smarter than she was given credit for.
"OUT!" I shouted and she hurried away without another word.
I stumbled up to get dressed, pants go on easy enough only slightly aggravating my leg and back. Putting on the white shirt groaning at the pain in my back. The door opened again to my alarm.
"Damn can I get no peace in my own castle!" I shouted in pain and humiliated that the once great Brandon Stark was being beaten by a fucking shirt.
"Let me help you." Benjen said he was a handsome boy of 14 and though he was young he was the only person who I could not push away no matter how horrible I was.
Benjen just came over coolly he was already well dressed with combed hair he still smelled of shaving cream though we both new he could not grow a whisker if he tried, I think he just felt older putting it on. He pulled the shirt the rest of the way down before tying the collar and wrists every time I hit his hands away, he just waited a moment looking at me with those big blue eyes and started again. He went and grabbed my doublet he tried to pick something nice out for the princess, but I told him no until he picked a simple black doublet with silver wolves. He put one arm in moving the coat around to the other side so I could put my other arm in painlessly.
He moved over to the table where a silver chain with a silver wolves head in the middle of it laid. It had always belonged to the reigning Lord Stark. My father always wore it. "It only takes one weak link to break the chain, to ruin everything the starks ever stood for." He told me when I was a boy younger than Benjen. I remembered my eyes widening in horror as I clutched to his leg. "I don't was to be the weak link papa!" I had balled. He only laughed. "You are not the weak link my boy this is you here." he said pointing to the wolf's head. "You are the centerpiece." He promised. I hung my head as he put on the chain I didn't deserve it but it was my duty to wear it until I died.
"I will get your boots." He said simply.
"I don't need help!" I barked.
Benjen did not care about my angry tones he never even acknowledged my rage. "I was thinking I could be your squire since you sent Ethan away." He said.
"I almost got my last squire killed benny." I reminded as he returned with my riding boots.
"Sit down." Benjen instructed.
"No" I told him yanking them away lifting my foot to put on a boot was not a hard task a few years ago but now I found myself falling over I cursed every word I could think of. Benjen joined my on the floor he put on both my boots before I could argue with him.
"Are you alright?" He asked and my hand touched his face, he was a boy, but he was a better man then me.
"I am going to send you to Neds holdfast." I told him decidedly but it wasn't the first time.
"No!" He told me firmly.
"You can look after Cat and her baby while Ned is away."
"No! I want to stay here and take care of you!" He told me as we both sat on the floor of my bed chamber.
"I don't want you too."
"That's why you need it." Benjen said and I smiled.
"He's better looking then me and a philosopher to boot." I teased making him smile that ear to ear grin that showed how boyish he truly was.
"I love you Brandon, you'll always be my big brother." He promised.
"Help me the fuck up before I change my mind." I told him and he jumped up happy to do so. Benjen Pulled and I pushed off the bed and finally got up.
He brought me my sword and scabbard because he still thought I was a great man, I did not protest taking it from his and securing it.
"Will you eat breakfast with me?" Benjen asked happily as we walked out.
"Alright I will eat your breakfast."
"That isn't what I said!" He shouted but he could not hide his smile he loved it when I could play with him like we used to.
"That is what I heard." I told him as we turned the corner the new maester was there.
"Ah Lord Stark I need to look at your wounds." Luwin said simply I groaned in annoyance.
"H-he was in a good mood! We were going to have breakfast and you ruined it!" Benjen cried.
"Master Benjen I admire your efforts, but his mood matters much less then if his wound gets infected and I have to amputate his leg." Luwin reminded scaring Benjen.
"Do not talk to him that way!" I yelled.
"Yes, my lord." Luwin also was unaffected by my yelling but it was more of indifference. "My lord you aren't using your cane?"
"I did not use it yesterday or any day before then, but you thought today would be the day?" I growled.
"He's trying to help." Benjen said softly.
"Go on to breakfast Benny I will see you later." I said annoyed.
"But-"
"Benjen now!" I said he sighed going that way.
"Come Maester Walys is waiting." Luwin called as we went to the maester's chambers that were more cramp then ever with two maestoes in it. Walys had been the Maester since I was a boy, but he was ill an old and pale. He had told Benjen to send for a replacement while I was imprisoned, and Eddard was at war. Luwin had stopped at Riverrun to help Catelyn birth her baby and arrived with them to Winterfell. He apparently wanted to be able to say he delivered all Lord Eddard's children, me living had to have been a terrible surprise to him though he refused to admit it.
"Lord Rickard!" Walys said from his sick bed, Luwin's first major task as the maester of Winterfell would be caring to his predessor. Luwin was kind enough to let Walys still pretend to be in charge and I would have to remember to thank him for that. I loved that old man.
"It's Lord Brandon, Maestor Walys." Luwin said softly as he lifted my shirt to look at the burn a crossed my back, all the lashes had scarred over but the burn was trick it reopened three times now.
"Well of course it is! I know who he is! I bulled him from the great Lady Lyarra myself! I delivered all Lord Starks Children and Lord Rickard and his brother!" Walys screeched in his shrill old voice before throwing a book near Luwin missing terribly.
"You give him proper hell Walys." I laughed.
"Yes my lord!" He told me with a toothless grin.
"Are you putting ointment on?" Luwin asked not bothered by our antics.
"No." I told him I heard his disapproving hum. At least Luwin kept his disappointment in my survival private, Lord Hoster was vocal about his rage. My survival meant he married his first-born prized daughter to a second son. I was not the only one who had not been thought to survive. Elia Martell and her two children hid in a secret passage through the red keep while it was looted by Tywins men. Robert found himself in an uncomfortable place not wanting to be the monster that killed children but wanting to end the Targaryen empire permanently even if it meant two more little graves. As it was Elia Martell was very popular in Kingslanding and Dorne had already threatened to rise for her aid.
Jon Arryn had a solution he thought would eloquently fix both problems. He knew Elia could never return to Dorne she would be the hostage that would keep the Martell brothers from rising for Aegon, they loved their sister too much to risk her life apparently. She would need a new name besides Targaryen and a husband as a jailer for her and warden of her dragons. If rumors are to be believed Jon Arryn first proposed a marriage between himself and Elia until she told him she could not have anymore children and the Arryn line was dependent upon him having issue. This was about When Hoster Tully threatened to break the alliance of the Riverlands, Vale, North and Stormlands unless he got his daughter back though this was impossible as she already gave Eddard a son. Jon then decided that if I were to wed princess Elia her children would be kept far from everyone's minds in the north and we would never have issue so when I died Catelyn could be lady of Winterfell as she had been promised. Everyone besides me was happy and Robert made it a royal decree, so I had no choice in the matter.
"Let's look at that leg." Luwin said finally.
"Would you just let me die!" I spat annoyed.
"NO NO BRANDON IS NOT DEAD! HE CANNOT BE DEAD HE DIDN'T DIE IN KINGSLANDING NO NO NO!" Walys screeched.
"I am right here Walys. I told him tiredly. I was at least on the outside.
"You've upset him." Luwin said tiredly going over to him.
"Brandon's the best of us, we all know it." Walys whined in Luwin's arms. Luwin looked up at me with judgemental eyes.
"I cannot wait to see it." Luwin said simply before returning to me.
I lowered by pants so he could look at the deep cut on my thigh.
"It's healing well." He noted.
"Without a cane." I reminded.
"You wouldn't wobble if you used the cane." He said simply.
"I don't wobble I spat pulling my pants up.
"That collar needs untied at all times." Luwin said.
"I don't want to scare Ben." I told him but I undid it letting him examine the purple marks around my neck.
"That looks terrible." Luwin noted pressing on it.
"Thanks." I said rolling my eyes.
"Your lucky to be alive." He said he wasn't the first person to tell me that. I did not feel lucky.
By the time I ate breakfast Benjen was gone off to training no doubt.
"Come now you look horrible!" Nan told me bluntly the old lady looked a little older after the death of all her sons. She took me by the hand and sat me down to groom.
"I already said no to this." I protested.
"I don't take no for an answer. Besides you wouldn't hurt an old woman."
"I would send an old woman away from Winterfell." I reminded as she trimmed my beard, she paid me and my empty threats no mind.
"I was once almost sent away. I came here to be the wetnurse for your uncle Brandon, your grandmother Marna Locke died having him, she was still in her bed when I got there even dead, she was beautiful. I loved your uncle like he was my own and he loved me. Your father was older and had no attachment to me, right before you were born, he was going to send me away. Then you came in the middle of the night your mother was determined to feed you herself, but you weren't latching so I gave her tips on breastfeeding and she insisted I stayed." Nan giggled to herself. "One Brandon Stark brought me, and another kept me." She told me. "You will tell the princess if she needs help with feeding your baby I would help her, or any other help with babies I know bout babies better than anything, sure she has two of her own but she never had a stark baby yet and I know Stark babies-" She went on.
"Nan we won't be having any babies she can't have any more children." I told her annoyed getting swat for my tone, I liked nan she was the only person as prickly as me.
"Who told her this? A man? Men don't know nothin bout babies even maesters just pull on the dear things. No, only the gods know if she can have any more children and I have been praying to them to give her a little wolf."
"You can stay at Winterfell till you die Nan, and if you want to look after a baby I will send you to Catelyn." I told her.
"I know, but I still like the idea of her having your baby after the mess her husband caused, give him somethin to think about in his seven hells." Nan cackled.
"Gods bless you Nan." I laughed.
"They better bless me with a Stark Baby!" She screeched the sponge she held dripped on my head. I got up and away from her.
"Let me clean and cut it." She said.
"No!" I told her simply.
"You need to look nice for you Princess."
"I don't want her Nan! I will not get all dressed up and pretty for Rhaegar Targaryen's snotty wife. She is something forced on me!" I reminded her.
She grumbled as she left taking her sheers with her.
Rodrick walked in quickly with his young nephew Jory behind him as always. "A carriage is approaching Winterfell your lordship!" He said excitedly the servants ran about in preparation.
"Fine." I sighed.
"Come now my lord, you must come see your bride arrive.
"I will not pretend this is something other then what it is I am there jailer; I will come with you to do my duty overseeing my prisoners but that's it." I told him making him from but nod.
When we arrived Benjen was already there waiting to stand at my side. Nan had come around telling all the serving girls to stand up straight. Luwin was practically carrying Walys over. I went to help but Luwin exasperatedly refused worried about my back.
The gates opened as the carriage came into sight with a group of guards around it led by a kingsguard, I thought how stupid it was to send someone you were telling everyone was not king with a kingsguard as escort.
It was Jamie Lannister in his golden Armor and white cloak looking prouder than a peacock.
"Is he a real hero?" Benjen asked confused his heroes were Eddard, men of the nights watch that came to Winterfell knowing they were always welcome here, and for some unseeingly reason me. Jamie was very different from Benjen's idea of a hero.
"He's a southern knight, which basically makes him a lady." I told Benjen making Rodrick laugh from behind us.
He barked orders to halt to his guards he was enjoying this far to much. He got down from his fine horse. "Lord Stark." He said with a gallant nod before going to the Carriage and began ripping the woman out of it. She was crying for her baby and he was yelling.
"Please he's only a baby you cannot keep him from me." She sobbed as he forced her out of the carriage one hand pulled hard on her wrist but once he pulled the little girl out with his other hand she got out trying to take back the screaming toddler but he kept them apart her on one side the child on the other. She wasn't what I expected. She was four or five years older than me but I imagined her more then that, this old woman whose husband was repulsed by her but that was not the case. In actuality she looked young, younger than me for sure. Though I felt as though prison aged me fifteen years.
"He is hurting her!" Benjen cried and I ran forward, I wasn't sure if it was for the princess I did not know or more likely because my little brother was scared, and he still saw me as the good guy.
"Let her go now!" I told him his guards charged forward but so did mine and we had the numbers, besides we were men of the north and that was the reason they were so cautious. My hand went to my sword but I wasn't worried, my fingers had healed but where they had broken always ached a little before a fight. In that moment my fingers did not ache at all.
"She's been whining for her offspring since Kingslanding." Jamie said as though his annoyance was understandable, as though she had no right to want the child she bore.
"I thought I was to take in the boy and the girl?" I said that's what I understood from Lord Arryn's many letters.
"Change of plans, the boy is to stay in the holdfast for his own safety." Jamie said smugly.
"No, no! They are going to kill my baby!" She cried big black eyes looked at me to see if I would help her.
"Are you accusing the king of murder? Babies die all the time princess." The Lannister hissed into her ear.
"Enough let her go now!" I told him fed up with his horseshit.
"Why don't you make me Stark?" Jamie said he had her in one hand and the girl in the other I stepped forward too. "Fine." I said pulling my sword handle forward fast enough that he could only widen his eyes, crashing it in his noes before letting it go so it would fall back into my scabbard as I caught both princess Elia and her daughter. Benjen cheered and all of Winterfell after him. I grit my teeth to keep from howling in pain I opened that fucking wound on my back for sure.
Jamie held his bloody nose. "The king sent me!" Jamie spat.
"The king won't care." I assured. Our men stayed ready until Jamie called his to unload the carriage, they dumbed out a few trunks and some empty bird cages and were off as quickly as they could. Which was fine, Winterfell was better off without them.
I looked the princess over closely now as she pulled away from me grabbing her daughter who instantly wrapped her arms around her mothers' neck. Elia shifted her daughter carefully as she looked her over. They looked alike with night black hair and brown skin. Elia herself was dainty with small delicate features She only made it to my shoulder in height and she was very thin and petite. Her graceful hand ran a crossed her daughters hair to comfort the sniffling child. "I want to go home mommy." The girl whimpered.
"I know my love." Elia said her big black eyes looked me over as though I were the enemy. As though I had not just saved her.
Maestor Luwin coughed reminding me I was trained to be a gracious lord. "Welcome to Winterfell princess." I told her.
"Thank you." She said but she could quiet smile and her voice was hoarse with grief. She extended her hand shifting to hold her daughter on her hip.
I took it instead of kissing it I examined her bruising wrist. "Are you alright?" I asked putting a little pressure on it to see how bad it was, she instantly pulled it away.
"Yes, thank you for doing what little you could do." She said softly. I decided to let the insult go since she would probably never see her son again and spent a month with that horrible man child who probably told her so.
"Princess Elia this is my brother Benjen." I said gesturing to him, and he stepped forward bowing gallantly. "My lady." He said with an ear to ear grin and smiling eyes.
"Lord Benjen, a pleasure." She said not hiding her grief well as she curtseyed.
"Does the girl have a name?" I asked annoyed.
"Rhaenys." Elia said softly.
"Your suppose to say-" Benjen started to me quietly.
"I think this has been painful enough for everyone Benny." I told him before turning to Luwin. "Have princess Elia showed to her room and her things brought there. I am going to be anywhere but here." I informed them before walking away.
I tried to forget about the miserable princess and her weeping child as I rode my horse Blizard among the hills feeling Northern wind against my face was the only thing that made me feel alive anymore. I thought about Catelyn Tully. I had not wanted to marry her. I told Barbary as much. However, when I met Catelyn it went so much better than the travesty that happened Infront of Winterfell today. I had decided being married to Catelyn would not be so terrible. She was pretty and she adored me.
Elia was not pretty; she was beautiful more so then even Barbary Dustin. I had never seen a Dornish woman before but now I had the urge to visit Dorne. I found myself haunted by her smooth warm brown skin, she had Lustrous black curls and big black eyes. Yet I instantly loathed her, and I was unsure why, if it was her mistrust of me or seemingly hatred of me, did she know I did not ask for this, that I was the one doing her a favor?
I tried to remember her at Harenhall but I had no memories of her though I was aware she had been there. She was the crown princess's wife; I had focused on ladies who were more available at Harrenhall. If Rhaegar had given the same curtesy we would not be in this mess now.
I arrived back at Winterfell around Dark with everyone telling me I was not supposed to ride off on my own even though I was lord of Winterfell. I ignored them going to the great hall for dinner. Benjen alone sat at the great table.
"Where is the princess?" I snapped to Luwin.
"Oddly she decided not to come to dinner after that warm welcome. She ordered some food for her daughter, I assume they are still in her room my Lord." Luwin said with a knowing look as though this was all my fault.
"She's pretty, and sad." Benjen said thoughtfully.
I left with a growl storming to her rooms ripping the door open. She was in a white night dress she had grabbed a candle stick to defend herself she kept it up her arm shaking as she looked at me with suspicion.
"I want to talk to you!" I said Slamming the door. After a moment she set the candlestick down looking to her daughter who was sound asleep in the bed. After the long journey a thousand wild horses probably could have rode through the room and the girl would not have stirred.
"This is inappropriate." She said softly crossing her arms over her chest.
"If people are saying your not a virgin it might be because of that little girl over there." I said with a smirk making her pout.
"It's still unseemly behavior for a lord." She said not backing down, but I doubted she had been in may fights how fidgety she was.
"So is not coming to dinner," I informed her.
"I am not hungry," She said softly.
"You know I did not ask for this? You were forced upon me? You could at least act civil and show up to dinner," I told her.
"What about what I asked for? Did you ever consider that for a moment lord Stark? That mayphaps I did not want to be abandoned by my husband? That I did not want to be the mad kings Dornish hostage to make sure Doran complied? That I did not want to be held responsible for what horrors my husband did, and did not want to be given away to some northern savage and separated from my little baby son! Did you even consider me for a moment!?" She asked as tears poured out of her eyes.
I did not. Watching her try to hold onto her anger when really all she wanted was to curl up in a ball and never stop crying made me realize why I did not like her. I realized how scared she was when the door opened that matched my own dread. It seemed we had a lot in common when it came to trauma. She reminded me how broken I was. I looked over at the empty bird cages again.
"Why do you have empty bird cages?" I asked maybe because there was nothing real left to say between the two of us.
Her watery eyes glared at me. "The birds died on the way." She told me. "Nothing can live in this cold wasteland!" She told me.
"I'm sure it seems like that to you princess." I told her turning and leaving.
Thanks for reading! I wrote Elia a little differently then I usually do but I also put her through a different situation. As for Brandon I wanted to capture a more broken version of him. I was surprised by the result of these two characters. I do like it though, please let me know what you think!