As usual, I do not own anything except for Ophelia and House Pyralis. So I was really feeling incredibly self-conscious about my writing, when the incredible darkwolf76 helped me along with some tidbits I've been struggling! It was incredibly nice, and I recommend everyone go check out her story 'Defying Demons', which is pretty badass. Also thanks to Guest, cew1088, Arianna Le Fay, HPuni101, and lightwalnut64 (lol I love username, it makes me chuckle every time I see it) for reviewing! It makes me so happy to see reviews. 3
Also to answer a couple questions:
Yes, the steadfast of Highgarden originally belonged to the Pyralis family.
Yes, they are from Valyria. In an upcoming chapter there will an extensive look into the history of House Pyralis and why exactly their sigil is a Phoenix, and how they are related to the Targaryens.
Will Ophelia have dragon powers? No, she's a Pyralis not a Targaryen. Though she's just as special in my eyes.
Also, there has been some concern as to Ned's role in Seraphine's death. Let me be clear, he didn't want this to happen. He was trying to save Seraphine by telling Robert to spare Ophelia, also he did not ourightly agree to having Seraphine executed. Seraphine knew that she would not be safe from Robert's wrath even if she was allowed to live, it would follow her everywhere. Nowhere would be safe. There is so much more to her house and her story that has yet to be explained, especially regarding the events with Lyanna and Rhaegar, which will explain Ned's slight apprehension to Seraphine. Which is a pretty big part, as she did have a role to play with R+L. Another thing, I got a p.m. regarding how a Pyralis could lay claim to the Iron throne. Let me put it as simply as possible: Lannister is to Baratheon as Pyralis is to Targaryen. They, by extent, are royalty. How was Cersei able to lay claim to the Iron Throne in season six? There were no Baratheons or Tyrells left, and had there been, they would have gotten the throne. So the next in line by right would be a Lannister. Same goes for Seraphine, she is related to the Targaryens, and not distantly either. She would have a good claim to the throne if she really wanted it, especially since her house has been basically annihilated, but by this point in time she's kind of like, "Fuck that! I'm out." So, I hope that clears up a couple things.
Now, onto the story! P.S., this one might be a little sad.
3rd P.O.V. Winterfell
It had been two weeks since Seraphine had arrived at Winterfell. During this time she had been confined to her room, only leaving to go see Maester Luwin for an appointment, so she could see how healthy her baby was, and the occasional guarded walk around the courtyard. She had her meals delivered to her and often read to pass the time.
Truth be told, she was lonely. There was no one to talk to. The guards glared at her, the members of the house took no notice of her, and the servants that bathed her and helped with her meals ignored her, from fear of disobeying Ned Stark.
But the Lord of Winterfell hadn't forbade the servants, the guards, and the members of the house to not speak to Seraphine. After hearing who Ned did prohibit from speaking to the Phoenix though, everyone else took it as a sign to back off.
Ned had forbid Catelyn from talking to Seraphine, so she wasn't allowed to see her old friend. Cat fought tooth and nail about this restriction, but when he told her she would be suspect of treason, should Seraphine ever escape, Catelyn reluctantly agreed to abide by his rules. This added another stone to the heaping mountain of a mess that was their marriage. The Tully girl and her husband were on the fritz, Cat often yelling at Ned whilst he took this in a stony silent disregard.
Cat wanted his bastard out of their home, but Ned wouldn't allow it. She pleaded with him, yelled at him, and even tried to guilt him into getting rid of Jon. Nothing worked. They took to sleeping in separate rooms and when Little Robb had arrived with his Septa, Catelyn took him into her quarters, scarcely allowing Ned to see his own son.
"You already have a son, she would yell, go tend to him!"
However, these tiny squabbles only went on for a bit. Most days they just avoided each other, making sure not to see the other. This was something that Cat specifically requested. "I need some space." She told her husband, who agreed that being apart for a bit could help things settle down. Yet, the day Seraphine finally got a visitor was the day that all rings of the Seven Hells broke loose in the marriage of the Fish and the Direwolf.
Catelyn was familiarizing herself with the books of Winterfell (she was still the Lady of Winterfell after all), when she was took a moment from her duties to hold her son. She hadn't held him since the night before, as she rose early to do her duties, and the maternal instinct in her yearned for her child. So she went to her room, where he should've been taking his nap, only to find that he wasn't there.
After frantically running around all of Winterfell, along with half the guard, she finally found him.
While she was searching for him, Cat thought of the most horrible things that could be happening to her baby. He could've been kidnapped by a disgruntled servant. He could've been killed by an unnamed assailant with his body parts hanging all over the Godswood. He could've been taken for ransom.
It was none of these things.
When she found Little Robb, to her surprise, she heard happy gurgling and a baby's laugh. Catelyn Tully opened the door to Ned Stark's solar and found him on the rug, playing with his two sons. What was even more shocking was the babies, even in their early youth, were fascinated by one another. Both were touching each other, whining when the other accidently rolled away or fell back from the cushions that held them upright, closely facing each other.
Ned turned and saw Cat fuming at the door, and after a moment's hesitation, she closed the door before he could let out a word.
She slumped against the wall out in the corridor, hot tears making paths down from her blue eyes to her chin, dripping at a rapid pace.
In all honesty, Cat would've preferred it if she had found her baby kidnapped.
Because this hurt so much more.
Her husband disrespected her by sleeping with another woman.
Her husband disrespected her by bringing that woman's baby home with him, before her own son even arrived.
Then, he disrespected her a third time by associating that filth with her child, clearly not caring about her wish for space from him.
Well, if he was so wanton about what she desired then why should she care about his rules?
Angrily wiping her tears away, she held her head up high and went to go see her longtime friend, Seraphine Pyralis.
Eddard Stark be damned.
She marched up to the tower that held Seraphine in her bedroom, smoothed herself out, and rapidly knocked on the door three times.
Seraphine was jolted from her book by the quick knocks on her door. Her crimson eyes glanced out her barred windows and analyzed the sun's position.
It wasn't time for her midday meals.
Slowly she got up, stretched out her arms above her, and waddled to the door. Seraphine opened it to reveal Catelyn Tully.
A red-eyed, puffy cheeked Catelyn Tully.
Seraphine assessed her friend and in a low voice said, "I'm not allowed to have visitors."
Cat pushed herself in the room anyway, ignoring what Seraphine just said.
She looked around, then turned back to the pregnant phoenix.
"Would you like to go for a walk?" She asked
Seraphine rose her arched eyebrow and, albeit confusedly, nodded in agreement.
Both of the young women laid on the soft green grass of the Godswood, near the Weirwood Tree. Their hair splayed above them in a mix, decorated in freshly-picked flowers, making a beautiful blending of Ruby and Mahogany. Both were barefoot and both giggled at the thought of old memories.
"Do you remember the time Petyr stole Lysa's doll and planted it among Edmure's things?" Seraphine asked, twiddling a small daisy between her fingertips looking at the streams of light breaking through the patches of red leaves above her.
Cat chuckled, a grin etching across her face as she closed her eyes remembering Edmure's small face of shock when he discovered Lysa's doll in his room.
"I still can't believe that Lysa actually believed that Edmure took her doll."
"Or that Petyr went through with the dare." Seraphine added, flutters of giggles escaping her.
"Or that Edmure admitted not using that particular doll of Lysa's to play with. That he favored her golden haired doll instead."
"No wonder Lysa could never find that one!"
Catelyn and Seraphine were shaking with laughter now.
Wiping her hands down her face, Catelyn spoke in a breathless manner. "Gods…How I wish we could just go back to the way things were."
Their laughter died down as the frivolities from their childhood fled from them and the weight of the present once again sat on their shoulders. The mood turned somber as Cat sat up, some of the white flowers falling from her hair.
"Sera?" asked the Tully girl.
"Yes, Cat?"
"What's going to happen to you?"
Seraphine froze, realizing the implication of Catelyn's question.
Cat was unaware that Sera's life was going to end in the near future.
Trying to find the right words, Seraphine slowly asked her, "What do you mean?"
A smile played at the corner of Cat's lips as she leaned on her left arm, her head cocked to the side. "What I mean, is that you're not going to stay in Winterfell forever, right?"
Seraphine shifted her eyes to her friend and then looked back up at the leaves, putting on her best blank face.
"No."
Cat looked at her and then said, "Well, the Tyrells were given Highgarden by Robert, so you can't go back there."
Dismissing this new piece of information about Highgarden, Seraphine responded. "No, I don't suppose I will ever go back to Highgarden."
"Will you go back to Riverrun? I'm sure my father wouldn't mind having you back there. He always did prefer you over Lysa." She added with a chuckle, laying back down again.
"No, I won't be going back to Riverrun. I won't stay here either."
"Then where are you going to go?"
Seraphine took a deep breath and forced whatever tears, that threatened to spill out, back down.
She would not cry.
"I'm going to die." There, she had said it as bluntly and quickly as possible. Hopefully the news would register in painless manner.
Cat shot up and looked at her friend. "What? That's a horrible joke, Sera."
'Okay, maybe not as painless.' Seraphine thought.
"It's not a joke", She stated calmly
"What? No! Tell me you're lying, that this is some sort of sick joke."
The look on Seraphine's face confirmed the truth.
"Oh Gods…OH GODS! What about your baby?"
"If it's a girl, she'll stay up here, with you lot."
"But what if they're a boy?"
A moment's pause Seraphine said, "Just pray for a girl."
Catelyn look at her sharply. "Did Ned agree to this?"
Seraphine shook her head. "No, it wasn't his decision. It was mine. Robert would've killed me like he had everyone else. So we made a deal. I gave him Lyanna's whereabouts and as well of that of Viserys and Daenerys. In return, I can live for a while after my baby is born."
"This isn't right! You have to leave."
Seraphine looked at her teary-eyed friend.
"And go where? He'll always be hunting me down, not even Ned would be able to stop him."
"Why though? Why you? Why not someone else?"
"You know why. You know what I can do. Robert is afraid that I can use that as a way to avenge my family. But I won't."
There was a moment of silence.
"Who will do it?"
"I don't know. I don't even mind."
"Sera are you mad?! How do you not mind?"
"Because I don't fear death. It's over then, but living is so much harder. When I die I just hope, wherever I go, Rowtag will be there. I hope I can see Lyanna, and Rhaegar, and your mother. I miss them. All of them."
Seraphine wiggled a bit, then sat up and looked at her tearful friend.
"Can you do something for me, Cat?"
Catelyn couldn't talk as she was shaking with grief, but she did nod her head.
"If my baby is a girl, I can live with her for eight months. After that she'll be on her own, all alone in this cold, dark world." Seraphine inched closer to her friend and pushed strands of red hair away from her face. She held her palm to the fire-headed girl's cheek, and pressed her forehead against her crying friend's forehead.
"Watch over my baby for me. There's no one else in the world that I would trust more to watch over my child than you. Help her fly above everything that will be out to get her. Please, will you do this for me, Cat?"
At this point, Catelyn Tully laid her face on her friend's shoulder and began to sob. She shook and her tears wet Seraphine's orange dress, but she didn't care.
Out of the two, Seraphine was always the stronger one.
Now, she was asking Catelyn to be the same after she passes.
Was there ever a life without Seraphine Pyralis though?
"No, Cat thought, no there isn't."
Because Sera has always been in Cat's life, longer than Lysa has.
But soon she would be like a dandelion in a breeze: present one minute, gone the next.
"Promise me, Cat. Promise me you'll watch over her. Promise me."
Catelyn Tully's voice was hoarse as she tightly gripped her friend's arm, and looked her in the eyes.
"I promise."
So….that was heavy. Anyways, read, review, and rest easy! :D