A/N: It was brought to my attention that because Lyanna is first born, she would be the more likely candidate to marry Joffery and not Sansa. I'll address Cersei's view of this in this chapter, however Robert doesn't strike me as the man who would want his son to have what he couldn't. The man spent most of his time as King whoring from one end of Westeros to the other, creating as many bastards as possible, instead of teaching his son how to be king. Until his deathbed, he really didn't care what his son got, he only wanted to combine his and Eddard's Houses. He was a selfish warrior, he wanted everything for himself and was rarely inclined to share it. This is my opinion based on the observations I have made while watching the show. I'd love to hear from people who think I'm wrong though. As always, enjoy.
The following morning, everyone quietly packed up so they could finish the last leg of the journey and be home. Eddard had tried to speak some words of comfort to his daughter, but she had ignored his advice and simply stated that his squire was ready to do her duty. He couldn't fault her for her closed off attitude, but over time, she would come to accept what had happened.
When they finally set out on their journey, the storm was mostly over but for a small drizzle of rain that wouldn't seem to end. Lyanna was commanded to ride alongside her father for the remainder of the journey. She didn't speak much during the journey, preferring to trudge through her grief silently. It was just as well for her father, while they were still away from the capital, he wanted to talk to her of a great many things.
"You know, the King first purposed that you marry the Prince, Queen Cersei you could imagine supported the idea immensely. After all, you are my eldest daughter. But then the king saw you with Little Warrior and said something I completely agree with. He said 'She deserves a man who would go to war for her. She deserves a man who would fight for her. That girl there would wither and die in King's Landing and I'll not see another Lyanna Stark die while I still draw breath. Sansa will make a fine Queen.' and then he turned and walked away." Eddard told her quietly. She looked over at him briefly before turning back and looking at the road.
"The Queen may try to persuade you to change your sister's mind and take her place. You've never been like other Ladies of nobility. You've always strived to be more than you are, and as much as it pains me that you won't follow tradition. I'm proud of you daughter, named after my sister who I rode to the end of the world to save. If you choose to marry the Prince, I will support your decision. And if you choose to continue fighting for your future, I'll remain proud of my daughter." He nudged his horse a little farther to give her time to think.
The Queen did in fact make her intentions known the next day when the rains stopped. Cersei requested her presence for lunch while her children were with their uncle Jaime. She had had her husband's chefs prepare some of King's Landings most popular dishes. Walking into the tent, Lyanna could almost taste the smugness in the air as the Queen was smirking into a glass of wine.
"Ah my little wolf, please come and sit with me. I've had lunch prepared for us, a taste of things to come when we arrive in King's Landing. You'll find that things in the capital are not as primitive as they are in the north." She waved her hand to the seat across from her. Lyanna could already see a full glass of wine next to her plate. Sitting down, she steeled her nerves, this was going to be a long lunch. The Queen dismissed both guards and handmaidens, until she called for them.
"You know when I first came to King's Landing, I didn't like it. I was far from home and sent to marry off Robert. I gave birth to my first son, not even a year later, and then buried him soon after that from sickness. King's Landing can be a place of great misery. But with that misery, comes power to make sure that misery can never again touch you." She spoke as she always did, with that same smugness and even a hint of truthfulness in her voice.
Lyanna grabbed her knife and fork and cut a small piece of meat before tasting it. If she was honest, it was very delicious, roasted duck if she wasn't wrong. A sip of the wine proved that it was indeed sweeter than any other she had tasted before. She couldn't help but feel that that all these fine thing were a trap, meant to pull in the unexpected and keep them in a cell. It would be a lavish and extravagant cell, but a cell none the less.
"You are Eddard Stark eldest girl, you come from a house that is loved by many and especially by my husband. So why is it that, my eldest boy should marry your younger sister, little wolf?" Cersei's question was as fair a question to begin this subtle battle. Chewing slowly, Lyanna wiped her mouth and looked over at the Queen.
"I'm sorry, my Queen, I had never meant any type of disrespect to you or your House. It's just that for as long as I can remember, being a Lady and bringing little lords and ladies into the world has never been my desire. But, Sansa on the other hand, I remember when she was barely 4 years old, pretending to be a great Queen mother, doting over her little dolls like they were her sons and daughters. She is much more suited to the Prince than I ever could be, she could make him happier than I could, your Grace." Lyanna did her best to convey how she truly felt regarding her station in life. She would always be happy for Sansa and the path of life that she wanted. She took another drink of her wine, it barely helped her.
Cersei narrowed her eyes at this and didn't speak for a long while, taking another few sips of her wine before reaching to refill her cup. So the little wolf doesn't want to be Queen. Cersei thought to herself, most every noble lady had the inspiration of one day being Queen. To find someone who would willingly give up that opportunity was a rare opportunity indeed. This young northern could possibly be the best thing for her eldest, however, she could also be the worst thing for him. She had no ambition, but she could use her sympathies to turn Joffery away from Lannister interests. Better to use the girl who had no backbone that would be happy not making any fuss.
"Even so, you could see how this would make for a rather embarrassing situation. Tell me, how shall we rectify this slight? To let you walk away from this without any type of recompense would look badly on both the crown and my House." She got up and slowly made her way around the table. Lyanna could see now why they called her The Lioness of King's Landing, she was almost stalking her. She was ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness from the young wolf. Cersei reached again for the wine bottle, slowly filling Lyanna cup and watching as she picked it up with a smile for the Queen.
"I'm afraid, my Queen, that I only have whatever time the gods give me and my favor." Lyanna threw back her cup of wine in almost one gulp. Getting up from her chair made her a little lightheaded. Cersei could see the effect the wine had on her and reached for her cup to fill it a second time. She was close enough that she could feel Lyanna's breath against her face.
But Lyanna Stark would not be manipulated into anything while she could help it. She turned her cup upside down and set it on the table. Looking the Queen she stood up tall and looked directly into her eyes.
"I spent two years of my life, raising, feeding, training, and nurturing my stag. He was my most trusted companion. Had anyone else slain him, I would have cut him down faster that you could blink. Alas, your son, the crown prince killed him and I am left with no outlet for my anger. Tell me my Queen, if someone had snuffed out the life of your first born and it not taken by sickness, what would you have done to that person who took that from you?" Lyanna almost couldn't believe her own audacity to speak to the queen in such a manner. The slap across her face didn't surprise her, it was the strength behind the slap that did.
Cersei was fueled perhaps by rage of a tragedy of a pass loss, or by the simple fact that nobody was allowed to speak to her like that. Grabbing Lyanna by her tunic she brought her face to face and did not bother to the hide the look of absolute rage.
"You know, my Queen, when two people are generally this close together. They are either trying to kiss each other, or kill each other. So tell me, which are you trying to do?" Lyanna asked in a quiet voice. Gently peeling off the Queen's fingers "For the words spoken today, I apologize. For the slight I gave you in not wanting to marry your son, I give you a future favor. To call upon me in whatever capacity you seek so long as it doesn't endanger my House." She backed up from the Queen and gently bowed her head to her. She headed for the tent flap and paused before leaving, turning her head to look back at the Queen.
"My Queen, the lion wins this round. Next time, the wolf will not submit without a fight. I hope it is a very long time before we find ourselves at opposing sides again, your grace." She left the Queen there without waiting for a reply. Cersei stared at the empty tent in quiet contemplation. The little wolf had bared her teeth to her, to her. No one other than her father had done that in the history of her life. The lioness would again hunt this wolf down, and next time she would get far more than a slap in the face.
When Eddard found his daughter sometime later, she was brushing her horse down without any passion. She was doing it because it needed to be done. She was more reserve now, quiet, which was the opposite of her childhood. Clearing his throat to make sure she would not misinterpret his arrival with a passing fancy.
"I take it your lunch with the Queen went off without a hitch. She seems unusually quiet, especially since I can only guess she didn't receive what she wanted." He didn't receive a reply from her as she continued to brush her horse. "Well I guess I'll leave you to it then."
"Father," Lyanna spoke quietly "the Queen was very kind in offering me lunch. She made it known that she is not upset that Sansa will be the one to unite our two Houses. I'm sure Sansa can learn quite a bit from the current Queen." She took a moment to stop and look at her father. "Everything will work out in the end father, you'll see. We'll survive this trip."
Eddard looked at his daughter with knowing eyes. They had not even completed the journey and she had already been changed. She had a harder edge to her. The incident with Little Warrior was an experience that acted like a whetstone. It had sharpened her with loss, she would not want that happening again. She would continue on with her life, training and living.
"Right then, we'll be leaving soon. Tomorrow we should be arriving in King's Landing and then, well we will truly have to be prepared for whatever they throw at us." With that said, he left to attend to his own horse to get it prepared. He would have to make sure he was prepared the capital just as much as his daughter was.
Lyanna finished brushing down her horse and got him saddled for the ride. She thought back to the closeness of Queen Cersei and truly did not know which one the Queen was likely to do next time they were that close to each other. Her first battle of King's Landing, and she was sure there was to be many, many more, had been a defeat at the Queen's hands. Next time, would be most interesting indeed.
A/N: So I know I said I would do a chapter per episode. Frankly I was supposed to already be in King's Landing by the beginning of this. I just wanted to get this first confrontation between Cersei and Lyanna out of the way. Side note, I do not plan to make this a Cersei/OC pairing. But Cersei is not used to people not giving her what she wants, and she tends to use every advantage she has. Even sex is used when she needs her brothers backing. She relishes power, and I would not put using sexual power over other woman past her. Since I didn't get to King's Landing today. I'm writing another chapter tomorrow after my errands. Please remember to review, so I know how I'm doing. Ja Ne
