Chapter X
A/N: A rather large time jump happens in this chapter from baby Durran's birth. It is about three years later. Ned and Ashara have long since married and had Robb, who is a little less than a year younger than Durran. Brandon and Catelyn still are not married, but things have finally been ironed out between Hoster and Rickard. Scottish Gaelic is the stand in for the Old Tongue of the North. Rhaegar has been quite busy… SSD
Soon his plans could finally unfold. Almost everything was in place. Rhaegar had finally gotten the Westerling family on board. It had been pathetically easy to get the Freys and the Darrys on board for the Riverlands. The Graftons of the Vale had required a little more backing. In the North, there were the Boltons. While the desire to rebel was there, Roose did not just take Rhaegar at his word. It had taken a great deal of time and promises to get the Northerner on board. Dorne and the Reach were on his side without much need for persuasion. There was no need to change the Lords Paramount of those areas. Provided of course that Elia and the children were kept in King's Landing. Then he would have to chat with Lord Anders Yronwood.
His dear friend Jon had managed to convince the heads of Houses Fell, Grandison, and Caffern to join him against the Baratheons and aid in the retrieval of Lady Runa Baratheon for him.
She would give him his Visenya whether she wanted to or not.
Runa was in Riverrun. That much she could tell. There seemed to have been a celebration but gone horribly awry. She saw men in Frey and Darry livery slaughtering everyone in sight.
Ros and Jon's father Heward was fighting off four men at once with a stolen sword, using a fifth as a shield covering the escape of Brynden Tully, who along with a young guard, had Edmure Tully and Daena Rivers in their arms.
Suddenly Runa realized this was Brandon and Catelyn's long delayed wedding. Catelyn was already dead, blood covering her beautiful dress. Brandon was fighting, but he was wounded. It was Oswell Whent, who was also wounded, but less so than her cousin.
Parrying her cousin's sword thrust lazily, the Kingsguard knight said "King Rhaegar sends his regards" and stabbed her cousin in the chest.
NO! Runa screamed as someone grabbed her from behind.
Robert had been coming back to his and Runa's part of the castle when he heard his wife let out a blood curdling scream and he set off at a dead run.
When he got to her rooms, her door was already open, and he saw Ros shaking her awake saying, "Runa you're not there!" Upon seeing him she shouted, "Stand back my lord, she's not entirely here!"
Still moving into the room, he saw something he had not seen before. His wife's eyes were entirely white.
"What in the name of the gods is going on!" Robert growled "Why are her eyes white!?"
"This sometimes happens when she gets nightmares, my lord," the red head replied. Even he could tell that she was not telling him the entire truth. His wife seemed to be coming back to herself. Once she was awake, she got to her feet and hurried to the nursery. Once there, she picked up their three-year-old son who had woken up in the interim, went to the rocking chair, and held him tightly.
"Mama, are you okay?" he asked, blue eyes huge with worry.
"I'll be fine damh beag (little stag). I just have to talk to your athair," Runa replied kissing his head before placing him back in his cot. She always slipped into the old tongue when she was stressed.
Once she saw him, she said, "I suppose you saw that?"
"Yes, and what was it?" Robert was worried it was an illness of some sort.
"It is probably easier to explain if I show you what I can do," Runa answered as she sat back down on her bed and motioned for him to join her.
To Ros she instructed, "Don't let anyone interrupt us."
The redhead nodded her assent, left the room and barred the door.
"Well, let's get this over with," Runa said as she grabbed his hand. He felt as if he were falling asleep.
Blinking, Robert opened his eyes, he was still in his clothes, Runa next to him was in her nightgown still.
"So what was it you wanted to show me?"
"I am greenseer and a warg. I can see future possibilities and temporarily possess the minds of animals. Also, I can see when people are planning things that would likely not be in the best interests of those that matter most to me, like right now."
"Like those old stories from the North?"
"Yes. It has not shown up in the Stark family for some time. I am the first in many centuries."
Since the truth was being shown in evidence Robert decided to ask, "Where are we?"
"Outside of Griffin's Roost. Lord Connington is hosting Lords Fell, Grandison, and Caffern. It cannot be anything good as all four lords have one thing in common," Runa trailed off.
"They're Targaryen lickspittles," Robert sneered.
"Precisely. Now let us go see what they are up to," his wife said as she walked up the way.
"Will they be able to see us?" he asked.
"No they will not. Let us go an see what they are up to," his wife suggested.
Soon enough they were in the room where the four lords were sitting and drinking wine. Connington spoke first with, "King Rhaegar thanks you all for your loyalty to the crown. But before the rewards can be given out, he needs us to do something for him."
"And what might that be?" Lord Grandison asked with narrowed eyes.
"Last night I told you of the prophecy that our King believes in. He needs a third head of the dragon. A Visenya to be precise," Connington had a smile on his face that made Runa visibly shudder.
"Queen Elia cannot have more children; how does he expect to get a third child?" Lord Grandison wondered. He seemed to be only one actually thinking of the potential consequences.
"He believes that his Visenya should have a mother of special blood. That is why he requires us to bring Lady Runa Baratheon before him," Jon said.
"I don't like this," Runa whispered, "I have already told him no on numerous occasions."
"Judging by the look on that griffin's face, my cousin is not concerned with your consent any longer," Robert growled, his hands twitching with the desire to strangle the lords present.
Other than Connington, who seemed to be loving the sound of his own voice, the other three lords looked somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of kidnapping their liege lord's wife, mother of the future Lord of the Stormlands, and setting her up to get raped.
"There is plenty that could go wrong with such a plan, you only seem concerned with whether it will succeed. What happens if it goes wrong? What if the plan fails and the kidnappers get captured, and they start talking when they are inevitably tortured?" Lord Grandison exclaimed.
"His majesty will be hiring the kidnappers and will make it worth their while to keep their mouths shut."
At that, Runa grabbed his hand and pulled them out of the vision.
Getting used to the real world again took them a few moments, after that, Robert called for a servant and asked them to bring three cups of a Dornish Red wine that had been sent to Storm's End.
"Lady Rossalynd, will you join us, we have a lot to talk about concerning my wife's safety." Ros entered the room.
After making sure the door was barred and no one was listening in, Ros asked, "What did you see?"
"Do you want the bad news or the worse news first?" her friend asked.
"Just give it to me, what caused you to start screaming out into the night as if the Others themselves were chasing you?"
"I saw a wedding. Brandon and Catelyn's wedding to be precise. But it was a slaughterhouse. Frey and Darry men were killing everyone they could get their hands on. Catelyn was dead, Brandon was fighting Oswell Whent, he lost and as he died Whent said "King Rhaegar send his regards". Your father on the other hand was fighting four men at once and using a fifth as a shield. He was covering the escape of the Blackfish and a guard with Edmure and Daena. I saw no more after that," Runa finished taking a deep drink of the Dornish Red. Taking a look at her cup she asked, "Where did we get this vintage? It is particularly good,"
"It is a gift from Prince Oberyn to me, and don't change the subject, what did you and your husband see?" Ros knew Runa would do this if what she saw was particularly disturbing to her.
"It seems that King Rhaegar is no longer taking my "no thank you" for an answer. He has dispatched Lords Connington, Fell, Caffern, and Grandison to come up with a plan to kidnap me and bring me before Rhaegar. My consent no longer matters." Runa shuddered as she finished the rest of her wine.
"So not only does he plan to kidnap his cousin's wife and rape her, he potentially has given the Freys and Darrys carte blanche to break the guest rite?" Ros stated.
"Pretty much."
"I am going to be talking to Ser Courtnay about increasing the guards when you go out riding. I am not taking any chances with you, or our Dornish guest who will be arriving in a few days," Robert declare before continuing, "I do not think that any of us will be getting much sleep in the short-term future. We have to prepare for a war. Ravens will be sent to the allies both in the Stormlands and outside them. When is your cousin's wedding Runa?" Robert inquired.
"In two weeks. How fast are Maester Cressen's ravens?" Runa asked worriedly.
"He has often said that his are the fastest in the realm, and I will tell him to send his fastest two to Riverrun and Winterfell. If Rhaegar is planning murder in the Riverlands, he is likely plotting in other parts of Westeros as well."
"Could I send a raven to Last Hearth? I want to warn my brothers of what may happen," Ros asked.
"Of course. Just write the letter, good night to the both of you." Robert dashed out of the room.
"I wonder how he'll explain where he got the knowledge?" Runa wondered as she laid back on her bed.
"Spies most likely," Ros answered before saying, "He took it well."
"Better than I thought he would. I suspect he will have more questions to ask me over the coming days. I thought that war would be avoided, when I prevented my cousin from running off. It seemed I was wrong," Runa hugged her legs to her chest.
"I will be at your side, no matter where this leads us," Ros declared hugging her friends shoulders.
"May the gods have mercy on Westeros," both murmured.
A/N 2: This came out fairly fast. Much faster than I expected. So what do you all think of what Rhaegar is planning? More will be explained as the chapters wear on. SSD