The Rogue Stag
A/n- Thank you all so much for deciding to read my story, it makes me sooo happy to know that some people appreciate the story that I slave over.
Chapter 5- Brandon Stark...
I'm climbing, I feel like I can do anything. I feel young and lively. As I look down my eyes widen at how high I have climbed up and who I currently am. As I continue my climbing, I suddenly hear a moan which is followed by a groan and my young head is filled with innocent thoughts and wonders of what the sound was.
I start to climb towards the sound, wanting to find out what the sound was but as I come closer my direwolf starts barking louder and louder with each step I take. When I get there, I see a woman and a man- Cercei and Jaime Lannister; my innocent mind rang with their names. I get a good grip on the window, trying not to be in sight as I peak on them both but suddenly the Queen sees me and I panic.
"Stop. STOP" Cercei shouts in panic to Jaime and I try to climb back down as quick as I can but soon enough Jaime Lannister grabs me by my shirt, holding me up as my feet slip from the safeness of the cracks.
"Are you completely mad?" Jaime looks at me with furrowed brows but his tone is light and not showing a hint of panic like Cercei is in the background.
"He saw us!" I snap my head back to Cercei then to Jaime who ignores Cercei, a piece of rock suddenly breaks lightly and I grab onto Jaime's arm to try to steady myself better than I already was. My feet try to find any other cracks that I could place my feet in.
"It's all right. It's all right." He says to reassure both me and Cercei, I nod and try to get a grip of the window once again.
"He saw us!" once again Cercei repeats and I don't break my eye connection with Jaime's, silently praying to the old gods for my health, I hear my direwolf barking in the background but my heart beat is so strong its just a dull sound to my young ears.
" I heard you the first time." Jaime says to Cercei and she stares at him, covering herself with her robe
"Quite the little climber, aren't you? How old are you, boy?" Jaime says to me and I feel blood in my mouth from biting at my cheek.
"Ten" I answer shortly and I see him nod and look back at the Queen who gazes back imploringly.
"Ten..." Jaime trails off, still holding me by my shirt- looking to be thinking intently.
"The things I do for love" I hear him say before I am thrown off the tower with a scream.
Aliviah awoke with a blood curling scream and a tear stricken face as she tried to raise but her body was paralyzed to her bed and she groaned in frustration. "My lady!?" Rosa exclaimed as she barged through the door of Aliviah's chamber, concerned about her wellbeing.
"Rosa, what is happening to me?" Aliviah groaned out as her body was overcome with shivers of coldness and small twitches of her legs got her a big flash of the sensation of ice in her legs- it was unpleasant, anyone could have seen that.
"Aliviah?" Rosa whispered Aliviah's name as her body started to calm softly and she tiredly threw her head to the side to get a look at Rosa.
Rosa stumbled back away from Aliviah as she started to feel the opposite of before- fire in her veins. Aliviah rolled up in a ball of self loathing and pain, wishing the world would end rather than this sea of endless currents some strong some weak but the waves always crashed over her like a scorching fire and so she whimpered until it suddenly stopped. Just like that. It was over.
Aliviah's eyes shut and she spoke, barely having the energy to do so but she did, with a whisper one had to put their ear next to her lips to hear. "I wish not of you to tell anyone of the scene you just saw." Aliviah's tone was tense and not to be questioned as Rosa stared at her like a fish out of the sea.
Rosa stared at Aliviah as she contemplated in her mind what to do in this situation. She wanted desperately to tell a maester what happened to her lady but she knew that if she was to say something, she would get a scolding. Rosa didn't want to disappoint her mistress, she was a nice lady and wanted the best for Rosa as a servant. "M'lady, please. I must tell someone about this, maybe they'll know what was wrong. Maester Luwin would surely try to help." Rosa tried to help but instead got a sour look back as a reply.
"Rosa, I shall not repeat myself. Don't forget your place." Aliviah's words were harsh as she spat them out with venom never known to Rosa before. Aliviah suddenly realized what she said and her eyes widen with regret swimming in her .
"Yes, my lady." Rosa said curtly and curtisied, leaving Aliviah to her own shadows.
"I shall go, even if you don't want me to. Remember who got that bloody pig faster than you?" Aliviah's tone was teasing as she took her old friend's arm and looped hers through his. Aliviah was walking towards the Great Hall to break her fast as she stumbled upon Ned Stark, bringing them to where they were.
"Yes, it was you. Al, Robert wants me to be hand..." Ned began with his face crestfallen, Aliviah nodded and raised a hand to silence any further talk from him, she knew... She was also one of the people who said no to Robert and payed a hard price for 'not knowing her place'.
"Yes, I admit I was one to disagree with his decision however you know Robert and when his mind is made, you cannot change it. Tell me about Arya, she looked like a mischievous one." Aliviah's face was serious until she started to speak about Arya and what she thought of her, she quickly flashed Ned a small toothy smile and chuckled at his expression.
"Yes, you're right. Arya reminds me most of you and Lyanna when you were younger. Both of you were the most wild ladies in this court and I clearly as day remember that you was the worse of both." Ned remembered fondly with a smile and Aliviah laughed loudly, not hiding her pleasure of remembering those days.
"She will learn, gods know I did" Aliviah kept it short as she kept a simple smile on her face and nodded her head to what she said.
"You learnt because you nearly killed Brandon!" Ned exclaimed and Aliviah breathed in a fast gulp of air as she pulled on an appalled face and swatted his arm with her the back of her hand.
"How dare you, Eddard? Brandon should have realized that I was not one of his lady friends." Aliviah laughed and looked at Ned who seemed to be in his own world of sadness in that moment.
"What is it, Ned? Those were the days of fun and wildness and then it all shattered... Just like an illusion." Aliviah squeezed Ned's arm in shared comfort and smiled at him softly.
"Come, we should eat." Ned said and together, arm in arm, they walked into the Great Hall with small sad smiles lingering on their faces.
As Ned and Aliviah arrive at the Great Hall, Aliviah nudged Ned towards Catelyn who she sees smiling at her husband lovingly as she nibbled on her food. Aliviah kissed Ned's cheek in affection as he bowed and walked towards his wife who he kissed when he sat down, Aliviah smiled softly and came upon Arya and Sansa where she sat.
"Good morrow, Sansa, Arya." Aliviah greeted before she took a piece of hot bread and spread honey on it, sipping her deliciously warm mint tea in a chalice.
"Good morrow, Aunt Al." Arya and Sansa answered with big smiles on their faces as Aliviah grinned at them both, taking a bite out of her honeyed bread.
"What are you both planning?" Aliviah asked, narrowing her eyes as they both tried to hide their smirks, never has Aliviah seen them act so... Together.
"We need you." Arya said with a serious tone as her eyes looked onto Aliviah with a hard vigilance, Aliviah laughed and narrowed her eyes, looking around the Great Hall for any indication of what they might want.
"What do you two require of me?" Aliviah asked with narrowed eyes as she bit her lip with excitement and the sisters both smiled wide smiles and clasped Aliviah's hands.
"Well, Sansa needs help with sewing and I need help with sword-fighting" Arya said and Sansa nodded along with her sister, Aliviah sighed but raised an amused eyebrow.
"Was that all?" Aliviah said, her voice portraying her disappointment as the girls laughed and Aliviah pushed their hands away with a 'huff'.
"All right, after the hunt." Aliviah agreed to their request and rolled he eyes as they both laughed again and got back to arguing as they did before she arrived, Aliviah shook her head and took another bite out of her honeyed bread, laughing mentally to herself.
Ater Aliviah broke her fast she met with Robert and Ned who seemed to be speaking. "Are you as good with a spear as you used to be?" Robert asked Ned and Aliviah couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at Ned's appalled face.
"No, but I'm still better than you." Ned answered Robert and Aliviah couldn't help but let a laugh escape her as she pattered Robert's back in comfort while he glared at her stormily.
"I know what I'm putting you through. Thank you for saying yes. I only ask you because I need you. You're a loyal friend. You hear me? A loyal friend. The last one I've got" Robert gave Ned a speech to make what he's done seem a little bit more understandable on his side as Aliviah shook her head and looked on into the distance.
"We have no one in King's Landing, Ned. Not anymore ever since Jon died... Ned, there are only ass lickers at Court, they'll betray us at any chance they'll get." Aliviah's brows pulled into a frown as she looked into Ned's eyes with such sadness Ned felt it in his heart, his little sister truly needed him.
"I hope I'll serve you well." Ned nodded towards Robert and he clasped his shoulder with a massive grin on his face, showing Ned his happiness with one clasp.
"Course you will, Ned!" Aliviah exclaimed with a grand grin of her own as she breathed in the fresh, icy air of Winterfell.
"You will. And I'll make sure you don't look so fucking grim all the time. Come on, boys, let's go kill some boar!" Robert exclaimed as he walked towards his horse and a squier tried to help him atop it.
Aliviah looked around before she spotted Nelia and walked towards her mare, she softly patted her neck but a sudden voice made her turn; it was Bran. "I think you better say fare well to your father, sweet wolf." Aliviah spoke softly to the boy as she leaned down to his side and took his hand with a smile.
"Yes, I think I should. Fare well, m'lady, safe journey." Bran spoke in a soft voice as he nodded and walked towards his father who smiled at him, kindly and asked what he was doing.
"Farewell, sweet wolf..." Aliviah spoke in a whisper as her eyes became soft and worried, she had a bad feeling about that, her dream was one of the reasons. As she stood there, her hand on Nelia's reigns, her blood ran cold and her eyes became unfocused as she remembered the dream. Aliviah sighed, mounted and pulled on her mare's reigns for her to start to trot and then with the thought of the dream in her mind they set off to hunt boar.
One question that she always had was; "Why must it always be boar?"
"My Queen." A hissing broke Aliviah's concentration as she aimed for a boar her brother found, waiting for him to give her his signal.
"Yes?" Aliviah answered as her fingers itched to let the arrow she was holding fly. Aliviah wasn't an archer and Robert knew it but he still gave her the order of keeping the arrow trained on the boar, it was close... Too close.
"Brandon Stark, my Queen..." Aliviah's heart pumped and the arrow she was holding dropped, her face went blank and she breathed out a rugged breath.
"Bran?" Aliviah's hesitation to reply to her dear ones was evident as her eyes widened and her heart beat rose with each quick breath she took.
"He was pushed off the tower by Jaime Lannister, my Queen." In that moment, Robert signalled for Aliviah to let the arrow fly as her eyes turned blood red, her heartbeat speed up and within a second she was on the ground and unconscious with hollow screams echoing through her head and a pair of brilliant green eyes searching for her with intent to kill.