The Princesses War

I own nothing but my OC's

Chapter Eleven

What Man am I?

The relaxing music danced around the courtyard, gliding amongst those who were drinking and eating while those who occupied the centre of the space, embraced in their dances, moved slowly with the music. Jon was amongst them, in his arms was Radwen, dressed in the same wonderful gown she had worn on the night of their first kiss. It was their third dance that night, a last celebration before they would march out to battle the next day. Those who were not dancing stood at the side, drinking and joking, nearby he heard a group of officers laughing at a joke which sounded like "Which princess is this war named after. Her Highness Radwen or Renly?"

'I think I need a rest,' Radwen said as the music came to an end. 'My feet are killing me.'

'Me too,' he told her. 'I can't stand these formal boots.'

Radwen looked down at Jon's polished boots for formal events and then back at him.

'Are they pinching?'

'A lot.'

'Then let's sit down.'

The two of them walked away, through the crowded courtyard, filled with Farosi officers in their dress uniform, most of them accompanied by highborn Westerosi women. One stood by himself though, the Hound, Sandor Clegane, having recovered mostly from the wounds he took defending King Joffrey he had decided to join the Constables, being made one of its officers. The man, with his horrible scars, just stayed in the shadows of the courtyard, glaring at anyone who came too close unless they were carrying a drinks tray. Jon then looked across the courtyard where he could see Colonel Donnah speaking with Brigadier Curn, both of them there to keep up appearances but Jon knew that they were planning on what they would do for the coming battle against the Lannister's. Considering how heavily outnumbered they were, the whole thing would need a lot of planning if it was going to succeed.

Soon Jon and Radwen found a bench at the edge of the courtyard and, after getting a glass of Dornish Red each from a passing waiter, Jon watched Radwen as she closed her eyes for a few moments, relaxing after what had been a busy day.

'You look beautiful,' he told her, not sure of what else to say.

'I should hope so. It me hours to get ready.'

'Why?'

'I have to make myself presentable,' she answered with a good tone of humour and pointed at her light brown hair which was arranged in numerous braids before falling down her back in one large braid the width of Jon's arm. 'This took most of the time.'

'How long is your hair anyway?'

'You don't know?'

'I've never seen your hair without it being tied up.'

'I suppose you haven't. Well, let's say I can comfortably sit on my hair without any problems.'

'Really?'

'You men just need to worry about keeping your beard line straight. It's a lot harder for us ladies.'

'It might be, but it makes you look good.'

'Thank you. I do admit, your beard line is also very straight.'

'I try my best with it.'

'You know, I think I would have finished getting ready sooner if I hadn't paid a visit to the Embassy earlier.'

'The Embassy? Why did you go there?'

'I thought I should give Her Grace a brief hello.'

'Radwen, you know you shouldn't even talk to that bitter woman.'

'Actually it was quite fun. I went in there and she was being her usual self, acting like she was on a throne on top of a mountain, pretending not to care I was there. That's when I told her that her father's marching on this city.'

'And that got her interested?'

'Of course it did. She then went on and bragged about how soon I will be locked up in the Black Cells while you'd be forced to join the Nights Watch.'

'She enjoys bragging doesn't she?'

'Oh she does. After we had a brief debate on the importance of numbers in war she went on a spiel about how we're going to destroy Westeros.'

'She's an idiot.'

'To be honest, if she had kept her son on the throne I wouldn't be surprised if they would go down the path of Gwaithol and face a revolution.'

'I feel sorry for Gwaithol's last king,' Jon shared with her. 'He was a bad king from what I've read but a good man.'

'I agree. Still, with us in charge, Westeros will have schools, farms, factories within ten years. I can't wait to get started.'

'You don't want to go home when this is all over?'

'After we get married we'll have to head back to Farsos to do a royal tour, you know, show off the married couple to the people.'

'It makes sense. I miss it a bit as well.'

'Ne too, but we'll still be in charge of modernising Westeros, there'll be railways to build town to build, factories to build, a Senate to build.'

'We'll have a lot of building to do.'

'And I can't wait. We'll oversee the rebuilding an entire society on a scale that's never been done before.'

'It's going to be a lot of work.'

'Not when it's shared between two of us,' was her response, so heartfelt, spoken so gently, and Jon adored her at that moment.

He didn't see a princess, he saw a young woman who truly looked forward to what would be her legacy, who was excited to a future which was brighter than the sun. There were many times when she had talked about her plans for the future of Westeros so passionately and her eyes almost looked like they would shed tears.

Then Jon remembered the one great barrier between them, the secrets he had been keeping from her. Earlier that day he had been speaking with Ser Barristan, he had made it a habit to talk to the old knight whenever he could. Ser Barristan again told him that the fewer the people who know the truth of his ancestry the safer he would be. If he couldn't trust the woman he had been spending so much time with, the woman who was engaged to, then who could he trust?

'What's wrong?' she asked, noticing that his smile had vanished as his mind drifted elsewhere.

'The battle,' he answered, in truth he was concerned about it.

'You're actually worried?'

'Slightly. I know we have better weapons but Tywin Lannister is one of the realms most feared commanders.'

'I have faith in Brigadier Curn.'

'I have faith in this,' said Jon and patted the hilt of his sword.

'Boys and their toys,' she chuckled before her expression became slightly more serious. 'Still, are you sure there isn't anything else that's bothering you?'

'Well, there is something,' he answered, after a moment of consideration. It was wrong to keep this secret from her. 'I think we need some privacy.'

'Alright then,' she responded and stood up. 'I just need to make a speech first.'

'Go ahead.'

So Radwen held her empty glass and picked up a spoon from one of the servants which she clanged against the glass a few times to grab everyone's attention. In seconds the courtyard was silenced, and all eyes turned to Radwen.

'Ladies and gentlemen, tonight it has been an honour to drink with you. Soon, you will march to battle, and you will crush Tywin Lannister and his mob. When your victory comes, you will celebrate your victory and forever after, you will all be remembered as heroes of Farsos and Westeros. We do not come as conquerors, but as liberators. We are here to save these people for the tyranny which has ruled them for centuries. We bring wealth and strength for them. For the Crown, the Senate and the People of Farsos!'

'Crown, Senate and People!' everyone declared and raised up their glasses, Jon included.

After her brief speech Jon and Radwen discretely left the courtyard and made their way through the castle back to Radwen's chambers which, thankfully, were empty of the servants which kept it tidy when Radwen left.

'They must have finished early,' she said to herself as they entered and sat down together on one of the couches, for a few moments silence hung between them, as Jon built up the nerve to tell her the truth.

'Radwen, since we first kissed, these weeks have been the happiest of my life.'

'When did you become a poet?' she jokingly asked.

'I never did, I'm just being honest. When you said that we should get married I honestly didn't know what to think, I mean, I never imagined marrying someone like you, a princess, a future queen. With everything that's happened I think, I think that now you need to know the truth.'

He tried to guess her feelings, her expression had changed from the one she usually had while alone with him had changed to that which she wore while on the Iron Throne.

'What truth?' she asked, no emotion in her voice.

'When, you sent me to try to convince Lord Stark to join us, he told me then that he wouldn't.'

'What?' she asked, her tone quickly turning to anger. 'You knew that he would support Renly? That he wouldn't fight for Farsos?'

'I'm sorry Radwen but I had no choice. He had sworn an oath to Renly, my father never breaks his word, ever.'

'He did once before,' Radwen spat at him. 'When he slept with someone who wasn't his wife!' After she said it Radwen seemed to realise the venom in her words and forced herself to calm down. 'Jon, you didn't just commit treason, you lied to me. To me.'

'A lot happened and I couldn't let anyone whose blood I shared come to harm.'

'Alright. I understand why you did it but you are a Farosi officer! You have a duty to the crown. If Colonel Donnah finds out I won't be able to protect you.'

'There's more.'

'Oh joy. What else have you been keeping from me?'

'There's a secret, Radwen, that only a few people in all of Westeros, in all the world, know. Roberts Rebellion, it was all built on a lie.'

'What lie? Jon, what have you been hiding from me?'

'Lyanna Stark, she wasn't abducted by Prince Rhaegar, she went with him willingly.'

'She did?' the look on her face was full of surprise. 'So in other words your father, King Robert and all the others fought a bloody war because two people didn't let anyone know their plans?'

'I suppose that's right. When,' he shook his head before going on, 'when Lord Stark found his sister at the Tower of Joy, she was dying and with her was a baby.'

Jon realised that he hadn't been looking at Radwen as he told her of this. When he turned his gaze on her, she was just looking at him as if she was looking at a stranger she had never known before today. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were wide.

'You. It was you?'

'Yes. Lord Stark said that I was his bastard to protect me from King Robert.'

'But, all of this. Oh True Queen, it changes everything. What does it make you? I know the Targeryon's sometimes married more than one woman but, did he marry Lyanna? Are you a true son or a bastard by a different man?'

'I don't know, Radwen. I don't know if they were married or not by my father was Prince Rhaegar.'

'And everything's been ruined.'

'The point of me marrying you was to symbolise the joining of Farsos and Westeros. Not just that though, but I was to marry a nobleman to make it clear that House Cassius would rule this country. But, you're the last living son of Rhaegar, you could, you could claim the Iron Throne for yourself.'

'But that doesn't matter.'

'Yes it does. With your claim how long will it be until you demand the right to control everything in Westeros and push me aside?'

'You can't be serious,' Jon couldn't believe she had brought that up. Of course he knew that Radwen was worried that she wouldn't be able to rule, she had turned down past proposals because she thought those men would try to make her just a wife and not a queen.

'Of course I'm serious. I don't want to hear anymore of this. Get out.'

'But Radwen.'

'Do you want me to call my guards?'

The two stood there, eyes locked, neither one willing to drop their argument. Jon knew better to keep it going though so he walked the few steps to the door but before leaving he looked to her one more time, her glare filled with so many emotions at war with each other.

'I told you because I don't know if I'll still be alive in a few days. If I die, I'll die knowing that I don't have any secrets left.'

He then left, after closing the door Jon stood there for a moment, hoping that she might come and tell him to stay but all he heard was a low sob from inside and he wanted to go to her, he so much wanted to go in there and comfort her but right now that would be the last thing she would want, she would never want to be seen vulnerable, she couldn't allow it. She was to be a queen and queens were not meant to be vulnerable.

For a while Jon wondered through the castle alone, its halls empty, everyone at the courtyard or in the feasting rooms, the servants, he was aware, were all helping with the party and most of the soldiers, except for the few on guard duty, were down in the city either getting drunk or going to the brothels. At one point he considered going to see Ser Barristan but he didn't want to disturb the old man, he was probably in bed by now. Eventually he found himself in the chamber given over to his Troopers for the barracks and, with nothing else to do, he went in to find the place mostly empty, except for Corporal Donley with Troopers Hensin, Moory and Tilson, sitting around a low table playing cards and it looked like Hensin was winning, a stack of Queen notes stacked right next to him.

'Sir,' Donley said and stood up at once, saluting Jon, as did the others.

'Gentlemen,' he responded, walking past the row of bunkbeds towards them. 'Why are you still here.'

'Erm,' Hensin responded awkwardly. 'Well, we were together in the city when we got into some trouble so we decided to come back here and play cards.'

'What type of trouble?'

'It's a bit embarrassing sir,' Donley explained.

'You got thrown out of a brothel, didn't you?' he asked.

The three of them looked at each other and nodded guiltily to which Jon rolled his eyes.

'Just don't do it again,' he answered and walked straight to his own room at the back of the barracks.

'Are you alright sir?' Donley asked him.

'Just don't disturb me unless it's a crisis,' he answered and closed his door behind him, leaving him alone in his room, except for Ghost who was still in his own bed, lightly sleeping.

Without waking the wolf, Jon hung up his sword and sat down on his bed, just thinking over his choice to tell her. He just couldn't bear the thought of going into battle without telling her the truth, of being killed after lying to her all this time. He didn't know how much time passed when there was a knock on the door.

'Who is it?' he asked.

'Captain Lowhill wants to see you sir,' answered Donley's voice. 'Here's here now.'

'Send him in then,' Jon answered and stood up, straightening his uniform as the door opened and his captain entered his room. 'Sir,' he said and saluted him.

Lowhill closed the door and looked at Jon for a moment before shaking his head.

'What happened?'

'Sir?'

'Radwen left the party with you and came back alone, her makeup changed and she looked as angry as a starving animal.'

'We had a,' he didn't know what to call it, 'we had a disagreement.'

'What goes on between ma and woman is private,' he said and nodded his head. 'But Princess Radwen is not any woman.'

'Sir, I didn't want to upset her.'

'I know you didn't but whatever ruined things between you, don't let it last. When will you ever get a chance at a woman like Radwen again?'

The way he said it did make Jon laugh and Lowhill allowed himself to chuckle as well.

'To be honest, I don't think it was just whatever you said.'

'How did you know I said it?'

'Look, when it comes to women it's always the mans fault somehow. Take it from a man with four children, I know how it all works. Like I was saying, it isn't just what you said to her, this morning we got news from Oldtown, a brigade of our troops was destroyed by King Renly, three thousand or more gone.'

'How?'

'Samwell Tarly was seen after the battle with Renly.'

The silence hung heavy in the air, Jon worried that his captain suspected the truth.

'If, if Sam's fighting for Renly, he can show him all of our strategies and tactics.'

'That's what I was thinking. Princess Radwen decided not to tell everyone to preserve morale.'

'She's right. If Renly could beat us, so could the Lannisters.'

'And whatever happened between you two just made things worse for Her Highness. I know you're not happy about this, I know Tarly was your friend, but he is now on the wrong side of this war. Get some sleep, at dawn we march to Rosby.'

…

As the sun rose across Westeros, as it did every morning, everyone saw it in different ways. Tywin Lannister looked out across his encampment as his soldiers awoke, ready to continue their march. Lord Stark looked upon Moat Cailin with tired eyes, knowing that he would soon face the Ironborn in battle. King Renly stood watching as his men trained with their newly captured rifles while others who could read looked over the instruction books for the artillery. Admiral Greenman, General Morsey and Private Hassan Corrin stood just outside of Oldtown, with all of the remaining Farosi soldiers and sailors in the city together in parade while a Priestess of the True Queen offered prayers to the dead. Jon Snow mounted his horse and looked at his men and then up towards Radwen who stood on a balcony, watching over all of them but her eyes never meeting his.

When it set, all of these people had moved, all of them were moving towards their destiny. All except one.

Sansa Stark, standing alone near the edge of the water of her rock in the sea. The sun was going down, its final, glorious golden rays bathing everything in golden light. It had been three days, her time was now, she would soon find out who it was, she would see who had helped her, who had sent her the food and saved her from starving to death in the middle of nowhere. Lady stood by her obediently, waiting with her, their benefactor was due very soon. That great golden orb was going down, setting behind the horizon. The sky turning purple and pink, growing steadily darker until, at last, the sun vanished, and everything began to turn dark.

Sansa

She looked in every direction. Could that have been nothing more than the wind or was it her helper? Then there came another sound. Water moving, like a hand being moved through a tub or a stream coming around a bend.

'Where are you?' Sansa loudly asked her friend, hoping for an answer but the only one that came was her own echo.

Suddenly there was a roar by the waters edge and Sansa quickly stepped back as a hole appeared in the water, as if a door had been opened leading to a cellar and steps made from water itself formed leading down beneath the waves.

Sansa couldn't move, she couldn't do anything other than stare at this thing which should have been impossible, which couldn't be real. She was snapped out of this when the sounds of footsteps emerged from the hole in the water and Sansa battled against her fear, walking right to the edge of the rock to look down the steps, just as a figure, at last, emerged.

She was beautiful, there was no other word for her. The woman who emerged from the water was taller than Sansa by just over a foot at least, with long platinum coloured hair which reached her knees but was immaculately clean, eyes a blue so deep they were almost amethyst, her skin almost glowing and her figure clad in a grand dress made of what could only be hundreds of layers of the finest fabric, hundreds more strands of the see through material hung off of her, blowing in the wind, and sitting on the woman's head was a crown, silver and decorated with pearls, sapphires and sea shells.

Sansa descended to her knees, for how else could she react in the presence of what could only be a goddess?

'Sansa Stark,' the woman said, her voice gentle, with a powerful tone mixed with motherly authority. 'Do you know who I am?'

'No,' she answered.

'I saved you. I sent you to this rock so you would not drown. I saved your faithful beast as well and then I sent you food.'

'Why did you help me. Thank you for it all, but why?'

'You will learn in time my child. Now, come with me.'

'Where?'

'To my realm, beneath the depths of the deepest oceans.'

'You haven't told me your name.'

'A thousand years ago I was called Rella. Now, I am the True Queen.'

AN: I have been really nervous about this chapter, for obvious reasons. I hope the ending of this chapter isn't too much of a shark jumping moment (yes, I am going to use as many water puns as I can) but this was my plan for Sansa all along, to encounter the True Queen, the great Goddess of Farsos.

As for Jon and Radwen, well, we'll see where this goes.

Review Responses:

The armed forces: I'm guessing you don't like Renly then. Thanks for the review.

Lord Villarreal of House Grand: Yeah, I've always loved the idea of a fantasy world fighting against a Victorian like one which inspired this story. Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

See you all next time folks, the war is heating up so prepare for mayhem.