"We should attack hard and fast. Send them back north."
"No, send the Riverlords in first. The Tully's will think twice when it's their own men attacking."
"Preposterous! We should send in our archers. Wear their numbers down before charging."
"Of course not we-"
"Enough!" Rhaegar bellows. "This bickering is pointless. We shall reconvene later when cooler heads can come up with a suitable strategy."
At Rhaegar's command the Lords and landed Knights of the Crownlands, Dorne, Reach and loyalist Riverlords file out of Rhaegar's command tent. Only the three Knights of the Kingsguard remain. Once the Lords have left he slumps down in his seat. How had everything spiralled out of control so quickly? He wonders. He planned to the finest of details yet it had all been for nought.
Harrenhal had been the perfect disguise. A tournament so large and grand that nearly every Lord and Knight of the realm would attend. There Rhaegar could discreetly meet with some. Mainly Lords Stark, Arryn, Tully and Lannister. He would've called for a Great Council to declare his father unfit to rule and push for himself to be named regent of The Seven Kingdoms. That had been where it had started to go wrong. First Tywin Lannister and Hoster Tully hadn't travelled to the tourney, despite the latter being liege Lord of the hosts of the tourney. And losing Tywin Lannister's vast wealth and resources before he could even begin to gather support was a huge blow to his plans. To make matters worse Rhaegar's father had decided to attend the tournament making sure any meeting Rhaegar had with anyone would be heavily scrutinised. And impossible to discuss such treasonous actions when he was being watched so closely.
Rhaegar hadn't helped himself either. Frankly, he had made the situation even worse. He had met beautiful women before, he had met cunning ones, he met clever ones, he me willful ones. But never had he met a woman like Lyanna Stark.
He wasn't a fool that fell head over heels for any woman with a pretty face and attractive body. But Lyanna was different. There was no denying she was beautiful but it was her actions that attracted Rhaegar to her. The way she defended one of her father's bannerman without a second thought, the way she defended his honour and shamed those responsible. Rhaegar had never known of a Lady of a great house taking such actions. Lyanna had utterly captivated him.
Perhaps that had been where he has gone wrong most. Perhaps he should've put his feelings for aside and done his duty. But then he would remember that he loved her. He would remember that Lyanna despised her betrothed and that in their short time together Rhaegar had utterly fallen for her. He would remember how his father figured out that Lyanna was the Knight Of The Laughing Tree and wanted her tried for treason and the consequences of treason under Aerys Targaryen. Most importantly he would remember that the dragon needs three heads and currently only had two.
They had planned out what they would do. Lyanna would leave Riverrun before her brothers' wedding and meet Rhaegar and he would bring Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Oswell Whent as they were the two Kingsguard he's closest to and trusting of. She would leave a note in her room to her brother. They would marry and keep their marriage a secret until he was able to depose his father with minimal bloodshed.
But in trying to stop a war between The Iron Throne and the Starks and their allies, Rhaegar had only caused one. The burning of Brandon and Rickard Stark, the execution of Jon Arryn's heir, war was the only way forward. Rhaegar hadn't wanted war. He had wanted thousands of lives to be ruined. They needed every man possible for the great war prophesied still to come.
He wants to watch Rhaenys and Aegon grow up. He wants to see his child with Lyanna. A battle would be unpredictable all or takes is one stray arrow, one fall from his horse, or one Lord or Knight to strike Rhaegar down and all his hopes disappear in the blink of an eye. The best way for Rhaegar to see the future that he wishes for, would for there not to be a battle at all. And he had promised Lyanna he would do all he could not to fight her brother.
Tears had not stopped flooding down Lyanna's face. Since Ser Gerold Hightower had arrived with news from the capital Lyanna had not stopped crying and sobbing. And Rhaegar couldn't blame her. His father had burned Rickard Stark in front of his son. Brandon Stark strangled as he desperately reached for a sword mere inches away. It sounded like a truly horrifying sight.
Rhaegar had seen his mother suffer immeasurable humiliation and pain at the hands of his father. Elia too had been the subject of his abuse and shaming. But Lyanna she hadn't been a victim of Aerys Targaryen. She had been his one love that wasn't tainted by his father. He was a failure. Plain and simple failure. He had failed to protect his mother, failed to protect Elia and now Lyanna too.
After a few hours, Rhaegar had prepared his horse to ride to Kings Landing. He would end the rebellion and his fathers' reign. He had dithered and delayed for too long and too many people had died because of his inaction. As he finishes saddling his horse Lyanna comes out of the tower to him. Her eyes red and puffy from her tears.
"Rhaegar... Promise me you'll try to avoid a fight. Ned will listen to reason. Give him this." She presses a sealed scroll into his hands. "Promise me Rhaegar. You, Ned and Benjen are all I have left."
Rhaegar presses a kiss to Lyanna's head.
"I promise I'll do everything I can Lya. I promise." He gently hugs her and cradles her slightly swollen belly.
His promise to Lyanna, the thought of his children makes Rhaegar consider his next actions. He pulls Lyanna's scroll that she wanted her brother to receive. The problem was Rhaegar could hardly cross The Trident and deliver it himself. The number of men that could be trusted to do such a task was incredibly limited. Ser Richard Lonmouth was one option but despite Rhaegar's friendship with his former squire, sending one of Robert Baratheon's bannerman who had remained loyal to Rhaegar would send a poor message and ruin any negotiations before they could begin. The Kingsguard are the next men that spring to mind. They are bound by oath to follow his command but Rhaegar doesn't trust their personal feelings. Ser Lewyn would no doubt despise the task. He had made it clear he felt that Rhaegar had shamed his niece. He didn't trust See Lewyn to sabotage his own task to spite Rhaegar and the Starks in the name of some kind of retribution. Ser Jonothor was far to dutiful. He took his oaths and orders seriously to the letter, making him far more likely to follow Aerys' orders than Rhaegar's. That left Ser Barristan Selmy. A dutiful too but also one of the most honourable men Rhaegar had ever met.
"Ser Jonothor, Ser Lewyn leave and wait outside. Ser Barristan, please sit." Rhaegar gestures to one of the free seats. The two other White Cloaks leave the tent.
"My Prince, what is it you require of me?" Ser Barristan asks.
"Ser Barristan, I like to think that you are an honourable man who will do what is necessary to help the people who need it most."
"I... Yes, my Prince. May I ask why you are asking me this?"
"Ser Barristan I have a task for you. I will not lie. The dangers are high. There is a strong possibility that you will be killed. But if successful you could save the lives of every man here. Rebel and loyalist alike. Do you accept this task?"
"Of course my Prince." Ser Barristan replies instantly.
"Good." He puts Lyanna's scroll on the table. "I need you to cross The Trident and head for the rebel camp." Rhaegar notices the Knights eyes widen but continues. "You will hand this scroll over to Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. Not a Knight, not Hoster Tully, not Jon Arryn and certainly not Robert Baratheon. This is for Eddard Stark to see only. Do you understand?"
"Yes my Prince." Ser Barristan nods.
"You shall also tell him that I wish to parley with him tomorrow morning. You will tell him that I will explain everything but only if he does not bring Lord's Baratheon and Tully."
"But my Prince the King's orders were-"
"The King's orders do not matter here." Rhaegar interrupts. "If you obey his orders now Ser Barristan then thousands of men shall die soon because you did not deliver this message." He's being cruel and he knows it. There is a strong possibility that Eddard Stark will tear Lyanna's scroll up for believing it to be falsified or Lyanna having written it under duress and execute Ser Barristan.
"Yes my Prince. I shall go." He sighs.
"Thank you Ser Barristan. You shall leave as soon as you have readied a horse."
Ser Barristan bows before picking up the scroll and leaving. Rhaegar takes a deep breath and runs his hand through his hair. Usually neatly braided or brushed to fall perfectly down his back. Now it's a scraggly, sweaty mess. The stress of the last few years having caught up. He needs Ser Barristan to succeed. He needs Eddard Stark to listen to him.