TITLE: Wolves Aflame

AUTHOR: 372259

SUMMARY: Rickon Targaryen, third in line for the Iron Throne, wants three things: Shireen Baratheon's hand in marriage, Jon Targaryen's eyes facing the East, and Aegon Targaryen's head on a spike. And, of course, to save his sister. {A story that takes place in a world where Robert's Rebellion doesn't end the dragon dynasty and Lyanna Stark doesn't die in a Dornish tower}

PAIRINGS: RickonxShireen CerseixStannis RhaenysxRobb JonxDaenerys (based on what you guys think, I might add some SansaxWillas, Sansa(or Arya)xOC-Arryn, GendryxArya, or AryaxJaime. Always happy to consider requests). If you're confused regarding the Shireen/Rickon pairing and Jaime/Arya pairing options, read anything on AO3 by FrozenSnares or Jillypups for Rickeen, or anything by GilraenDernhelm or Kallypso for Jaime/Arya, and you will find yourself inadvertently shipping these crack pairings as well.

Key Characters: Rickon Targaryen (born to Lyanna and Rhaegar), Rhaenys T., Aegon VI T., Rhaegar T., Lewyn Martell, Jonathor Darry, other Kingsguard members, Oberyn, Tywin, Cersei, Stannis, Tyrion, Renly, Tyrion, Jaime, Arya, Bran, and other Starks (feel free to request others, these are just the ones I have planned so far!)

DISCLAIMER: Recognizable characters, plots, and settings are property of GRRM. I, unfortunately for my crescive student load debts, make no profit off of writing this. All I get in return is sleep deprivation and anxiety over whether readers will like it enough to review/ hate it enough to flame ;)

A/N: Okay folks, get ready for some major canon bending. This first chapter will set the scene of a new Westeros, whose political landscape may be a more volatile powder keg than even canon Game of Thrones. This chapter is written in more of a 'scene skip/flashback style' to expedite my delivery of the changed history of this altered Westeros, but I will revert to normal writing in following chapters (see preview at end of this chapter for a taste). Despite trying my best to make it clear, I know altered timelines can be muddy and hard to follow along with, so I have added a 'summary timeline' at the bottom for you to help navigate this altered-verse. I'll try to add one to the end of every chapter (based on new information revealed during each chapter). Also, for those of you who start reading this and find yourselves thinking: 'Rhaegar would never do something so dumb!' Make sure to check out my rant at the end. I maybe went too extra with his post-war decisions, but I reason his behaviours are affected by his war-time decisions (which again, are changed and will be slowly revealed). Also Lyanna will get redeemed a bit later. Something to know about me as a writer is I am a HUGE fan of unreliable narrators, gossip, and rumours - i.e. I like misleading readers using character POV. Please remember this when you read things that make you squirm a bit. Enough of my yammering, on with the show!

"Rubies flew like drops of blood from the chest of a dying prince,

and he sank to his knees in the water

and with his last breath

murmured a woman's name."

~ Dany's Vision, A Class of Kings, Chapter Daenerys IV.

.x.

Wolves Aflame

Chapter 1: a river without rubies

(Wars & Whispers)

.x.

Robert's Rebellion does not end the Targaryen dynasty, nor does Lyanna Stark die in a Dornish Tower

290 AC

"The Battle of the Trident took place at a crossing in the Riverlands that is now known as Backbreaker Ford," the Maester begins, before his lesson is (expectedly) interrupted by the younger of his Liege Lord's two sons.

"Maester, Maester!" The guileless boy waves his hand about in the air, in rapid arcs, yet doesn't wait to be called upon before voicing his question. "Why is it called Backbreaker Ford?" He enquires, with a high-pitched voice and widened bright northern eyes.

"Don't be so stupid," snorts the elder brother, from his seat next to the younger. "Everyone knows it's called that because that's where Prince Lewyn stabbed Robert the Wronged in his back."

"Robert the Rebeller," the Maester corrects firmly. Despite the reprimand, the older boy merely responds with an insouciant roll of his eyes. Then the dark-haired boy turns his attention to fingering the white sun on his dark cloak. He (like his father) remains uninterested in adapting the Crown's moniker for the deceased Robert Baratheon anytime soon.

On his side, the younger brother blusters, rounded cheeks flushing red and puffing up in outrage. "B-but, that cannot be true! Prince Lewyn was a knight! There is no honour in stabbing a man in the back!"

The elder boy snorts again, and the Maester makes a mental note to reprimand the heir for this behaviour later. Lords of powerful Vassal Houses do not snort. "I overheard father's men saying that Prince Lewyn gave up his honour to save King Rhaegar's life. I heard some of the men even saying that they wished Lewyn had let King Rhaegar die."

Rhaegar's army is victorious at the Battle of the Trident, but the Prince does not escape the field unscathed

283 AC

Rhaeger barely dodges an enraged swing of Robert's war hammer, a near-lethal attack aimed at his chest. Yet, by turning to avoid a strike to his heart, the blow hits the Targaryen's sword arm instead. Howling in pain, Rhaegar collapses to his knees, roughly greeting the thick mud of the river banks. The fallen prince looks up to meet a storming blue gaze owned by the purveyor of his impending death. Suddenly, the fiercely triumphant gleam of Robert's eyes morphs into shocked horror. Both Rhaegar and Robert look down disbelievingly to see the bloody end of a broadsword emerging from the Stormlander's chest.

And then the mighty Robert Baratheon is no longer storming; the rebeller is coughing, falling, dying.

"L-Lyanna," The man wheezes, voice as cracked as his body. Robert's revered last word leaves his lips no louder than a whisper, bordered by bright red blood dribbling out of his mouth and seeping into the fleshy mud. With a resounding dull thump, it is Robert - the true victor of their duel - who goes to greet the Stranger.

A soiled knight's boot steps heavily onto the rebellion leader's back. With a great heave, Robert's corpse gets pushed further into the wet muck while his killer dislodges the weapon of demise from the Stormlander's back. As the knight forces the sword out, it splatters Baratheon blood across Rhaegar's chest; the carmine droplets leave a speckled pattern as they land beside the rubies still set in black armour.

'Lewyn.' Rhaegar dazedly allows the Dornish Prince and Kingsguard to grip his uninjured arm to pull the Targaryen up. 'Lewyn stabbed Robert through the back. I am spared.'

Rhaegar isn't sure how, but Lewyn eventually gets him into a loyalist medical tent to be assessed. Unfortunately, Robert's final swing had pulverized Rhaegar's right arm. The army's healers say there is no choice but to saw the limb off before the rot can spread. They try to be conservative. But, with each segment they cleave off, they notice more and more corruption.

And so, at the rebellion's end, Rhaegar becomes known as the King with one arm and two wives.

.x.

"The Gods took his sword arm as punishment for his sins." The smallfolk whisper to their children at night. "For dishonouring his loyal lady wife, and for making the Realm bleed."

.x.

A golden crown occupies the space on Lyanna Stark's head that was once rimmed with blue roses. Her older brother does not attend the Second Queen's coronation.

"Ned! Ned, please wait! You don't understand! I could not spend an entire lifetime trapped and unhappy with that drunken, unfaithful–"

"A letter, Lya." Ned's stern voice interrupts. "Just a few words could have saved our father, our brother, the man who raised me, and my best friend who only raised arms because of his love for you. I do not know when your willfulness warped into such unparalleled self-fixation. Your selfishness nearly destroyed our house, has destroyed House Arryn; it has shattered families, and has cost thousands of people their lives." He lets out a deep sigh. "You are my sister, so know that I will always love you. And one day I will bring myself to forgive you. But, right now… right now, I cannot stand the sight of you."

.x.

King Rhaegar inters his father's ashes deep underneath the Red Keep.

"Killed with his pyromancer," whisper the servants. "Did ya hear? Prince Rhaegar entered the throne room just as Jaime Lannister was tryin' to save King Aerys, but neither could stop the Mad King from following his pyromancer into the arms of the flames. That's not all. I even hear that Ser Jaime saved Rhaegar from being taken with his father."

Arryn. Baratheon. Lannister. Tully. Tyrell. Greyjoy.

House Stark may be granted clemency for its actions, but the other houses are not.

Varys is aporetic of Rhaegar's actions following the war, shocked by how the new King's perspective and personality have soured.

"Your Grace, I agree fully with you that the Houses following Robert the Rebeller, and those that did not immediately rush to our aid, must be punished accordingly… But, your Grace, with all due respect, these reparations that you have ordered… they are simply too severe. You are amputating families that are pillars for stability in their respective Kingdoms. Such actions will only further cripple the stability of our war-torn Realm."

"Lord Varys, do not patronize me like some green boy. I am your King." Rhaegar turns his rigid gaze towards the space where his right arm should be. "When a limb rots, you cut it off to save the body. That is all I am doing, severing the rot in Westeros."

Varys does not agree, so Varys whispers.

.x.

House Arryn's future lays dead, with Elbert Arryn felled at the beginning from the flaming grip of the Mad King, and Denys Arryn slain at the end along the murky waters of the Trident. King Rhaegar puts Jon Arryn to the sword in the aftermath, in front of King's Landing. The steel swings despite the loud protests of many nobles over how the respected man is the last of the Great House of the Vale, "the oldest and purest line of Andal nobility!"

Lyanna Stark bristles when her husband enters their chambers, mere hours after ending the line of Arryn. "How could you?" She hisses. "How could you execute a man whose only crime was not sending my brother to his death?"

"I need to punish the families who rebelled, Lya, no matter how unwarranted you may think my actions. Jon Arryn was the first to call his banners, he was the leader behind Robert's name. If I hand out a blanket of mercy now, then their future heirs will use the same cloth to strangle my own children with another rebellion when I pass. I refuse to explain this to you once more. The rebels will be punished as traitors, they will face my justice, and then all the Seven Kingdoms will remember forevermore what happens when they try to usurp the Crown… and what happens when they fail to support it."

.x.

Stannis Baratheon's piercing screams reverberate against the stone walls of the throne room. Each pained wail punctuates the sizzling of a hot blade, as the searing sword is pressed repeatedly against the blistering skin of his right arm. While Stannis is held down and mutilated, Renly Baratheon watches on in horror, barely six years old.

"I hear the King branded the Baratheon brothers with traitor's marks. The older brother on his whole right arm and the littler one on his left hand," whispers the appalled barkeep of the Cony.

"So cruel." Tsks the blonde tavern wench, shaking her head as she gathers up another tray of drink orders to distribute amongst the bar's patrons.

"Suppose so." The barkeep shrugs, then seems to contemplate. "But, no one never did find that ship that Lord Stannis chased out to sea in that gods-fearing storm - the one that they say had the King's mother and brother. I even hear Queen Rhaella was pregnant when it happened." The barkeep punctuates his sentence with a pointed look to the young girl's own protruding stomach.

.x.

Ned Stark fervently protests Rhaegar's brutal branding of the remaining two Baratheon boys. And perhaps the only person who protests as vehemently as the Quiet Wolf of Winterfell is, surprisingly, Queen Elia Martell.

"Robert Baratheon's only crime was fighting for justice, after you foolishly let the Realm believe that you kidnapped and raped his betrothed. Even I am in awe of the carelessness of your actions. It is one thing, to brand a man with a traitor's burn, it is another to harm a child. Renly Baratheon is barely older than Rhaenys." Elia hisses at the King, voice cutting and eyes narrowed. "You make me sick."

"If it was Robert who won, do you think the Baratheons would have spared our children?" Rhaegar doesn't wait for a response. "No, they wouldn't have. So why should I spare theirs?"

Elia's ashy eyes set ablaze; she sneers. (She never used to. Before Harrenhal she had never known hate so strongly that it seeped through and marred her expressions, but she is becoming more and more familiar with the uncomfortable twists that take over her face when speaking with the new King). "Do not tell me you care for my children, when you left them to the homicidal whims of Aerys." The Queen shakes her head, turning away with a bitter smile. "You showed your true colours to the Seven Kingdoms, your Grace. I don't imagine anyone will soon forget." Her sneer curdles. "In fact, I don't imagine history will remember this as anything but a wasteful war that ripped apart families and kingdoms, all so that a Prince already with trueborn heirs might bed a girl half his age, a girl that was promised to his cousin." She lets outa joyless laugh. "When people remember you and your beautiful Lyanna, it will not be with love."

.x.

For not aiding Robert's forces, Tywin gets back his coveted heir.

For not aiding the Targaryen forces, the King demands the Lannisters pay vast reparations to both the Reach and the Crownlands.

"My father's slights are no excuse to not immediately raise banners for the Crown when called upon. Be thankful for your son's heroic actions, Lord Tywin. They are why I let you keep your head."

.x.

Jaime doesn't tell anyone – ever – what really happened in the throne room on the eve of Prince Rhaegar's return from the Trident. It is a memory he buries deep in his mind, in the same barricaded dark space occupied by the memories of Aerys's penchant for burning his subjects alive ("Burn them all! Burn them in their homes! Burn them in their beds!") and the haunting sobs of Queen Rhaella ("Help! I beg, help me, please!"). Perhaps, eventually, he would have told Cersei the truth of that horrible night… if King Rhaegar hadn't betrothed her to Stannis Baratheon.

Sixteen-year-old Jaime Lannister gazes out the window of his father's second solar, in the direction of the sprawling mountains of Casterly Rock. 'A Kingslayer is now the heir to the richest Kingdom in Westeros, while a Kinslayer King wears a crown.' The heir to the Westerlands snorts, completely disillusioned with the world. He fingers the space where his white cloak used to be, and tries not to flinch when a servant says his bride-to-be has arrived at the castle. 'What a fucked up world we live in.'

.x.

Hoster Tully loses his head. The Blackfish returns to Riverrun to serve as Lord-Regent until young Edmure comes of age. Lady Lysa Arryn – after being confined in the Maiden Vault for enough moons to see if Jon Arryn's seed had taken – leaves King's Landing with a flat stomach, and a shiny new engagement to a lauded war hero. Specifically, to the scion of Casterly Rock, Jaime Lannister... the Kingsaver.

.x.

The Tyrells, in addition to receiving a lofty sum from Casterly Rock, get... nothing.

"Your Grace, House Tyrell has loyally supported House Targaryen during these trying times, and we wish only to continue serving your reign and the Realm. I humbly offer my newborn daughter Margaery's hand to your young heir."

"Loyalty to your King is its own reward, Lord Mace. Serving the Crown faithfully is not some great sacrifice to be rewarded, it is expected from our subjects. I will not set the precedent that sworn Houses should remain loyal only when they have a royal marriage to be gained. Your daughter - as the other noble girls - will remain in contention, but not promised."

.x.

For not supporting the Crown, Balon Greyjoy (expectedly, at this point) loses his head. This leaves Pyke in the clenched hands of his eldest son, Rodrick Greyjoy.

"Let this be a warning, Lord Rodrik. Should you ever fail to heed your King's demands again, I will see your entire House eradicated."

"Yes, Your Grace."

'The new liege lord of the Iron Islands hides his hatred well,' observes Rhaegar, as he looks into the younger man's blank eyes. Then he notes the fists at the Greyjoy's sides. 'But not perfectly.'

.x.

During the rebellion, Dorne claimed to support the Crown, but it had been slow to engage. This delay was powered by insult to their pride: a Targeryen prince spurning Princess Elia Martell, who had given him two heirs at great risk to her health. Despite Dorne's half-hearted support (which was essentially neutrality, until Ser Lewyn led a Dornish contingent to the Trident when Aerys threatened Elia), Dorne receives no rebuke like its fellow Great Houses. After all, any further slight to the now universally well-loved Queen Elia ("The True Queen", "The Merciful Queen", "The Queen that was Wronged", the populace calls her) after the rebellion would likely just plant the seeds for another war.

Little does Rhaeger know, they have already been sown.

'Two Queens, Too Many' becomes a favourite song of the bards

Queen Elia Martell: "The First Queen", "The True Queen", "The Merciful", "The Slighted", "The Wronged", "the forgiver of the rebels". The people chant, the people pray, and the people remember.

Queen Lyanna Stark: "The Second Queen," "The Home-Wrecker Queen", "The Mummer", "The Duty-Dodger", "the cause of the rebellion". The people think, the people dwell, and the people seethe.

Young Princess Rhaenys is heralded for her kindness and good nature ("so like her mother," the people praise), while baby Prince Aegon is heralded as the Iron Throne's heir ("be not like your father," the people pray).

The newborn Prince Jon Targaryen? He symbolizes what the Realm bled for, and they will never forgive him for it.

.x.

Queen Elia grows sicker and sicker, passing away not long after the end of Robert's Rebellion. She leaves behind a crying three-year-old son, a lonely five-year-old daughter, a mourning Dorne, and a seething Prince Oberyn.

"It was the stress of the war so close to the time after her birth," buzz the court ladies as they flock to the gardens winding around King's Landing. "She died from her broken heart, shamed at being cast aside for another woman, shamed at being replaced for a younger Queen."

The ladies aren't the only ones who use their words.

"Oh Merciful Queen, heart pure as pearl, meets those lost for a selfish girl," sing the bards, before Rhaegar bans the tune.

"A king who chose lust over duty," fume the Lords of the Realm, who continue to permit the tune, letting it play repeatedly in the walls of their castles and at the halls of their feasts. "Robert the Wronged," they they start teaching their young heirs. "He was a noble man who went to war for his betrothed, an unfaithful girl seduced by a lustful king - a so-called royal who spurned his own vows, who abandoned his own children to the mercy of a madman so he might warm his sheets. Robert Baratheon won his duel fairly, yet he was felled from behind. He was a true warrior. He would not have branded a child like cattle. He would not have beheaded the lords of the land. He would have been a better king."

.x.

Queen Lyanna announces an upcoming second child not even a year after Queen Elia's death.

"How callous," hiss the court ladies, "to conceive another Prince while the land still mourns their true Queen."

When Queen Lyanna dies in the birthing bed, it is rumoured that only four people in the Realm grieve: the King, her son, and her brothers. And the rest of the North? The North Remembers. Every Northern House remembers exactly why there are fathers, sons, brothers, and cousins missing from their tables. Their anger is palpable, a thick steam surrounding lords and darkening the eyes of their impressionable heirs. ("Don't ever forget how the One-Armed King and his Duty-Dodger Queen selfishly destroyed this land. She soiled her honour and sacrificed Northern lives for a Southern crown.")

.x.

There is still no word from or of Dowager Queen Rhaella, Prince Viserys, or Rhaegar's unnamed sibling. Despite the ships sent searching, the little birds sent whispering, and the eyes sent scouring the lands for white-blonde strands and violet eyes. Eventually, they are deemed lost at sea, bodies never to be recovered.

.x.

285 AC

Not even a day after his second wife's death, the King sends a summon to Storm's End, inviting (commanding) Stannis Baratheon and his daughter to come to court. When they arrive, the girl is ripped from the arms of her nursemaid. The Kingsguard hold down Shireen Baratheon while a traitor's mark is burned onto her cheek.

Shireen Baratheon, Tywin Lannister's first grandchild, who is not even 8 moons old.

"A daughter and two brothers in exchange for a mother and two siblings. Three for three. House Baratheon's debt is paid," declares King Rhaegar to Lord Stannis, though the ruler's words are barely heard by the audience over the continued wails of the burnt baby girl.

The entire court remains quiet while inside the throne room during the branding. They are not so reticent when they leave the room with the looming dragon skulls.

"That poor girl will be scarred forever. On her face. How heartbreaking. With her lineage, she would have secured a fine match. But now? Just think of what will happen to her marriage prospects in the future! Who will entertain a wife with such an ugly burn!" A noble ladies laments, as she strolls through the Red Keep's gardens with two others.

"I've heard a Maester was sent for to try and minimize the scarring on the girl." Says her lady-in-waiting. "But, I still don't imagine that the Lannisters will ever forget this. Now the rains weep o'er his halls..." Both ladies shiver at the haunting words from the infamous tune.

"Branding babies," grumbles the lady's disgusted sworn-shield. The aged man spits at the ground, the sticky glob a misshapen bloom in the dirt. "Mark my words, this is the king's first step towards becoming his father."

.x.

"My daughter!" Cersei roars. "He hurt my child! My child! This is one insult too many, you cannot allow this to go unpunished!" Cersei's uncontrollable fury explodes as she screeches and paces inside Tywin's solar, tearing into stray books and sweeping away letters in her path of destruction. "I'll have his children slaughtered! His daughter stabbed with half a hundred thrusts! His heir beaten until his corpse is left unrecognizable! And I will see the Wrecker Queen's spawn burned alive!"

To Tywin, in this moment, his daughter is so utterly Baratheon. Fitting, given her new name. Of course, Tywin is just as angry, just as ferociously enraged as his daughter at the branding of his grandchild. However, the infamous lion channels his ire very differently. "We will bide our time in this." He orders firmly, his cold tone unyielding. "Rhaegar's reparations have made him no friends. He has started the dial on his own deposition." Tywin's face hardens. "The first thing I need from you is a male Baratheon heir."

To most of the war-exhausted realm's relief, King Rhaegar shows no progression into a heated madness. Instead, after Lyanna's death and finally completing the deliverance of all his ordered reparations, Rhaegar descends into a cold indifference.

.x.

Time passes, the ink dries.

Prince Rhaegar: heralded as intelligent (despite his bouts of melancholy). His harp playing brought tears to every eye. History could have remembered him as a well-loved ruler, as a progressive leader who cared for his people.

King Rhaegar: rumoured to be cold to all his sons (with an occasional smile for his daughter). Rhaegar's reparations rip tears in every kingdom. History will remember him as a ruler who chose a single girl over the lives of his people.

.x.

King Rhaegar Targaryen: the king who chose desire over duty, the one-armed king whose choices started a war that ravaged the Seven Kingdoms.

Queen Elia Martell: the First Queen, who was spurned, but who still advocated for mercy on behalf of the rebelling houses.

Queen Lyanna Stark: the Second Queen, whose selfishness incited the rebellion; thousands of lives lost for a lie.

Princess Rhaenys Targaryen: a kind princess who must grow up without a mother.

Prince Aegon Targaryen: the heir, the future King of the Seven Kingdoms.

Prince Jon Targaryen: the reminder of the rebellion

And then there came another.

.x.

Prince Rickon Targaryen enters the world by killing his mother.

For this, most of the realm celebrates him.

(His father, however, never forgives him.)

275 AC

Many years before Robert's Rebellion, three girls in Lannisport slowly approached a tent pitched with murky green drapes. Only two girls braved the crusty, old crone inside. The witch who was rumoured to tell the future.

In this life, Maggy the Frog gave only one prevision to a green-eyed girl...

And in that rasping prophecy,

there is no valonqar;

but there is

a crown.

End of Chapter

(see below for timeline, preview of next and upcoming chapters, and my Lyanna/Rhaegar rant)

Side note: Lyanna will get redeemed a bit in the next chapter. Rhaegar will not, though you will eventually get a POV from him to better explain his actions.

Review pretty please, it pushes me to put out more chapters! I'd love to know what you all think of this warped AU so far! Also, thoughts on the summary? Grammar? Plot? Etcetera?

Timeline summary

275 AC: Cersei hears Maggy's prophecy (in which there is no valonqar)

279 AC (Year -2): Rhaenys Targaryen is born. Elia tales a long time to recover from delivering Rhaenys.

281 AC (Year 0): Elia pregnant with Aegon. Maester Pycelle tells Rhaegar that if this second child doesn't die during labour and/or kill his wife, the next one will. Harrenhal tourney (and thus Elia being passed over for QOLAB for Lyanna) is thus even more shocking because it happens when Elia Martell is pregnant. Aegon Targaryen born. Lyanna 'abducted', Brandon Stark and Rickard Stark die per canon, Robert's Rebellion starts, including Ned's marriage to Cat. Willas Tyrell is 2 years old, Loras Tyrell is 1 year old, Renly Baratheon is 4 years old.

282 AC (Year 1): Robb Stark and Margaery Tyrell born. Viserys and a pregnant Rhaelle sent to Dragonstone for protection, but when Baratheons seize it, they run away via ship. Stannis chases them, but due to storm, cannot find them. They are considered lost at sea and dead.

283 AC (Year 2): Jon Targaryen born and Robert's Rebellion ends. Lyanna Stark crowned the "Second Queen". End of war reparations (infamously known as 'Rhaegar's Reparations') announced. This includes the beheadings of Jon Arryn, Hoster Tully, and Balon Greyjoy; Stannis and Renly getting traitor brands on their arm and hand, respectively; Lannisters paying reparations to the crown; and Tyrells being denied the betrothal of Margaery to Aegon at the time (though she is still one of the females to be considered in the future). Ned returns to the North sans fake-bastard.

284 AC (Year 3): Stannis marries Cersei Lannister. Elia dies leaving behind three-year-old Aegon and five-year-old Rhaenys. Rickon Targaryen conceived. Sansa Stark born to Catelyn Stark. After stint in Maidenvault to ensure she wasn't pregnant with an Aryrn heir, Lysa betrothed to Jaime Lannister.

285 AC (Year 4): Shireen Baratheon (born to Cersei Baratheon). Rickon Targaryen born (Lyanna dies while giving birth to him). Bran and Arya – twins – born to Catelyn Stark.

RANT TIME

(Rhaegar will stay a villain in this story, but Lyanna gets some redemption in later chapters)

So as you can see from this fic, I am NOT a fan of Lyanna nor Rhaegar (though I will admit, I have probably been overly harsh in this fic, but mostly because its ffn and I need conflict). I, personally, cannot see how anyone can ship them, even if they end up being canon. To be honest, I suspect fans have transferred their love of Ned, Jon, and (early) Arya to Lyanna based off Ned's memories of her.

Lyanna's moment defending Howland? Awesome.

Otherwise, I can't help but see Lyanna as selfish and hypocritical. She didn't want to marry an unfaithful husband, and so she elopes with a married man (with a family?!) Whether held to medieval or modern standards, I just don't get how a relationship like that can be lauded. It would have simply taken a letter (or even sending a messenger or literally any form of existing communication) to pass along the message to her family that she went of her own freewill. (There are some fans that suspect she did leave a letter, which her father ignored for his "Southern Ambitions" plot, but until I see proof of that in canon – the girl is thoughtless/ lacks common sense). Some people are like: "But she was young!" In the words of season 7 Arya Stark, please see Lyanna Mormont. And some people are like: "But they were in love!" Please see below.

Rhaegar? He publicly shamed Elia at Harrenhal. It was just so utterly stupid. If he had some extramarital feelings for Lyanna, okay fine, a person can't control their heart. But acting on it in such a public manner in front of her family, her betrothed, his wife's family, the entire freaking realm that was already holding its breath because of its fire-happy King? Perhaps it is a good thing he didn't ascend to the throne, if that event is a reflection of his political acumen (hence his lack of it in my fic).

Moreover, it wasn't just one of Lyanna's father's bannermen she was spurning, she was spurning the heir to another kingdom. Now, in medieval times, there is a give and take between freedom and status. High status? You get food, shelter, luxuries, etc. BUT in return you are not free to wed whoever catches your fancy, because your marriage is important to the well-being of your House, your lands, and your people. Low status? Not guaranteed your necessities, but free to marry for love. Lyanna wanted to pick the best from both piles, not giving anything in return.

Some people are like: "Rhaegar somehow knew about a prophecy to repel the white walkers and he needed a third child, and Elia couldn't have one!" Let's say he was convinced of this. That did not mean he had to publicly humiliate his wife. He could have discussed his need for a 'spare' with her (not even needing to discuss the need for a child to fulfill a prophecy if it was supposed to be a super secret, since back then it was totally understandable for important royals/lords to have an heir AND a spare), and then taken on a mistress/second wife. (Some people are like, "BUT she didn't arrange the betrothal of her own choice, why is she bound to it etc, etcetera." Please see above point re: give and take, and remember that this is a medieval world. Obviously if this was set in modern times, my opinions on the whole Lyanna and Rhaegar storyline would be different; I wouldn't condemn her for running away from Robert, but I'd still condemn her for eloping with a married man who had kids). Honestly, if she wasn't down for being his mistress and he wanted a second wife, fine, but announce it publicly (and face the consequences) instead of running away in secret. All their secret eloping does is show they clearly knew that the action was wrong, but they did it anyways, and to hell with the consequences the others were left with.

Some people are like: "But Aerys is mad as a hatter and wouldn't have let Rhaegar do anything, including taking a mistress/second wife." My response to that is, if the current King is so unstable that you fear what he will do to the people he is around, why would you leave your children with him to abscond with another woman? (Yes, let's go get another baby for the prophecy, and leave the other supposed two-thirds of the prophecy to be potentially roasted. Aerys was already known to torture trusted advisors and rape is wife - and he was becoming increasingly volatile and crazy af. Is there a single parent out there among the viewers who would have left their child with their parent if they were acting like Aerys?

If you disagree with my above rant, please feel free to explain your perspective in a review/PM. I'm honestly confused by this widespread love for Lyanna and Rhaegar, but maybe I am missing something super obvious that everyone other than me is getting? Am I totally wrong in how I'm seeing Lyanna and Rhaegar?

PREVIEWS!

(note: these are subject to change when they actually pop up in later chapters, but are currently where the story is heading)

PREVIEW NUMBER ONE

Tansy, proud owner of the Peach, is thrilled that the Red Keep is hosting another tourney. Her business is always bolstered by the many Westerland and Riverland knights stopping by her establishment while on their way to the Goldroad. An influx of knights with deep pockets eagerly seeking a break from their horses and longing for feminine company.

The inn is currently bustling with drunken patrons and her dazzling peaches, but Tandy still easily overhears one of her girl's at the nearest table. Alyce, a buxom girl with a tenacity as fiery as her hair, is chatting with a pair of Riverland knights.

The redhead slowly trails her hand up the armoured arm of the taller of the two knights as she coyly inquires, "So, where're you fine Sers headin'?"

The taller one looks beguiled by her pretty smile, too enchanted to speak. His shorter friend clocks the back of his head, and laughs before answering Alyce. "Heading to King's Landing for Prince Jon's nameday celebrations. Same direction that I imagine these fellows-" (here the shorter knight makes a grand sweep of his arms, which wobble with the weight of liquor) "-are headed. There's to be a tourney."

Alyce tilts her head, playing at interested despite knowing the answers to all the questions she asks ('Drunk men tell all the same tales,' Tansy thinks with a snort.) "Prince Jon, is that the Targaryen son of the Wrecker Queen or the Stark son of hers?" she inquires, while signalling one of the Peach's serving girls to refill both mens' cups.

Both knights bark out loud, deep laughs. The taller finally finds his voice, which turns out to be more grizzly than his companion's. "Stark son is right. I hear the Second Queen's younger boy has not a single Targaryen feature. Not one at all."

The shorter one continues. "Aye, I saw them both at the last tourney. The elder of the Wrecker Queen at least had the King's eyes, even his fair skin. And I even heard he was prone to the same bouts of melancholy the King was at his age. The younger lad though, he is all northern: dark hair, grey eyes, blunt words, and burgeoning broad build." He takes a big gulp of his newly refilled ale tankard before continuing. "They even say he spars as northerners do – all brutal efficiency and the like. Heard from the other knights on our way over that the boy apparently is able to beat either of his older brothers in a spar. I won't believe that 'till I see it with my own eyes though. The youngest can't be what, more than twelve years? Why, he's still green as grass."

Alyce nods, as if the shorter knight has imparted her with some great words of wisdom. She curls a finger by her pouting lips, her brows slightly furrowing as she wonders aloud in an aimless voice, "Hmm... How does a King love trueborn sons that come from two different mothers?"

The shorter one snorts. "I hear the King paid none but his daughter any mind, and even that is probably out of guilt given the princess's resemblance to Queen Elia."

The taller knight grows a bit quieter, and Tansy has to strain a bit to hear his gruff voice over the cacophony of the other patrons. "I hear the King completely ignores his youngest, has ignored him since the lad was a babe. Blames him for the death of the Second Queen. Some say the King doubts the boy is even his, but doesn't name him bastard out of respect for the boy's mother."

"What about Queen Elia's son - what have you heard about the heir?" Alyce frowns. "I hear some… whispers…" she trails off.

"Aye," the taller knight replies, though both knights' expressions darken. "I bet we've all heard the same."

Alyce sneers. "Targaryen madness, the lot of them. I bet things would'a been better had Robert the Wronged won, and the Wrecker Queen did us all the favour o' dying in the birthing bed in her damned Dornish Tower."

The knights don't disagree, even the taller one, who respected the crown just enough to say 'Second' Queen even when drunk.

Tansy supposes she should be reprimanding the effusive girl, but honestly, she doubts anyone in the entire brothel disagrees. And if there is one thing that fills her coffers, it's regret.

PREVIEW NUMBER TWO

'Shireen Baratheon.'

He identifies her almost immediately, the scar easily putting a name to her face.

He notes her discomfort almost as quickly as he recognizes her. He feels his own cheeks warm as he realizes he is literally laying astride her (Rhae would have his head if she saw him like this, draped over a lady of a Great House).

He abruptly rises off of her, and in some misguided attempt to help her shocked form stand as well, ends up pulling her into his chest, to which she responds by violently shoving herself away from him. It's reflex when he reaches out his left hand to grab her arm again, steadying her so that she doesn't once more meet the floor from the momentum of her push.

He feels the tension through his grip on her forearm. She's frozen, her eyes locked to the ground.

'She's… scared?' Rickon finally comprehends, though he is perplexed as to why. He is about to ask, when his gaze is drawn again to the infamous mark on her face. It's unconscious curiosity – truly – when Rickon raises his right arm. He abandons all semblance of propriety when he uses a finger from his free hand to trace the smooth grey scarring on the girl's left cheek. The silvery wound spans from the cheekbone under her eye to her chin in height. In width, it runs from beside her lips nearly all the way to beside her ear. Though, it appears to be far enough away from her mouth and eyes that it doesn't seem to restrict her expressions.

She flinches her face away from his touch, and his frown deepens when she leans back. "Does it hurt?" He asks calmly.

Shireen looks even more petrified when she meets his gaze, and almost immediately her blue eyes dart back down to the carpet. "…No," she lets out with a quiet voice, softer than a whisper.

Rickon uses his full hand then, palming her cheek. She does nothing, as his fingers border along the edge of the traitor's brand. He lowers his voice. "My father did this to you?" It's more a statement than a question. "When you were just a child, not even a year old."

Shireen finally steps away, eyes widening as she hurries to respond. "His Grace was merciful to my family. A traitor's brand was justice for my uncle's treachery."

Rickon notices that the words flow together too easily, and recognizes the well-practiced lines. 'She's not just scared of my name,' Rickon realizes, with a sinking feeling in his gut. 'She is scared of me. Scared that I will harm her, and face no repercussions just because of who are families are. Because of the crown on my head. We're alone, and she thinks I'm going to use the chance to hurt her.'

Rickon knows exactly what it is to be scared of someone with more power than you – someone who will face no justice, not even a word of reprimand, for harming you. He makes his decision then, as he leans down to the side and begins to pull up the right leg of his trousers. Shireen looks confused, before blushing bright red and turning her face to the side. "Your Grace!" She squeals, "you can't just - this isn't - this is hardly prop–"

Rickon snorts. "I'm sure the virtue of my leg is safe with you, my Lady. Now come on, take a look, there is a point to this."

.x.X.x.

Her curiosity truly is a powerful thing for it to outweigh her fear in that moment. When she finally looks down, she notes the stark mark on his left leg. Her eyes widen, and she is unable to hold back her gasp. "Oh! Oh my. W-what is that?"

It is an ugly thing, a mottled scar that runs almost a hand's length up the lateral side of his calf. It looks like a knife of some sort was used to burn it into his skin. It is as wider than three finger-breadths. And the way the thick cord of scar juts outward, with tight and tiny spider-like branches along its edges, suggests that the wound was quite deep.

Shireen shakes her head and tries compose herself like she knows her grandfather would tell her to do. "How did you get such a wound?" She finally asks, as her gaze slowly returns to his face. Shireen knows the jagged cut cannot be from training, no knight would ever dare harm a prince so gruesomely. And she's pretty sure there have been no assassination attempts or anything of the like towards the royal family. (If there had been, there is no doubt in her mind that her family would have toasted over it.)

The prince's expression twists, his slate eyes darken, and his mind seems to go to place outside the wooden doors barring the library. "A 'bastard's brand' according to my brother. I guess he learned that branding was a form of 'justice' from my father. I learned to not best my brothers in sparring quite quickly after this." He offers a bitter smile, eyes blank. "One held me down and the other carved the mark with a heated blade."

Shireen is curious, and her own courtesies have clearly left her, chased away by the prince's own easy familiarity. She bends down and stretches out her hand to follow the meandering of the scar. Her finger tips easily feel it's angry ridges. 'What hate.' She shivers. 'What kind of person is capable of doing something so violent to their family? To a younger sibling?'

(Like a blaze, her errant thoughts set alight a memory from her own past, and she realizes she is the last person to judge another for harming one's younger brother.)

The prince's words grab her attention, as she tilts her head back up to meet his soft gaze. "I know what it is to fear someone who will face not even a tongue-lashing for harming you because of their position. Trust me, my Lady. No harm to you will ever come from me."

With a start, she realizes that his words are sincere. Purely, wholly sincere. And with that honest vow, with their shared shy smiles, Shireen Baratheon begins to trust Rickon Targaryen.

(This meeting is the resurrection of revolution. They just don't know it yet.)

PREVIEW NUMBER 3

Jon looks to the violet-eyed woman who is more goddess than mortal. A woman who is more warrior princess than docile lady. A women who has changed his life. He cannot stop the warm gratitude in his thoughts. 'Thank you.' He breathes. 'Thank you for showing me that I can be better.'

Review pretty please :)