Originally, this was supposed to be a three shot but I ended up writing a lot more than I anticipated so now it's going to be four chapters.

This scene took forever to write because I have no idea what either of them was thinking. I mean, if Rhaegar is the good guy that most people remember, he wouldn't just drop his family for a girl. The only plausible explanations (to me) for such a blatant act are either he's selfish and irresponsible (this still applies even if it was love), or he was prophecy obsessed. I tend to lean towards the latter. What about Lyanna? Who knows. Maybe it was the promise of freedom, or the idea of true love. Maybe she was kidnapped. Maybe Rhaegar convinced her that they needed to fulfill the prophecy. Maybe Rhaegar tried to convince her but couldn't and he had to have his prophecy to save the world so he kidnapped her and she hated him at first but fell in love with him somewhere along the way. I don't know, but this version fit in this story and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting forever until I figured out how it could have really happened since ultimately my story isn't about them but about her and Robert. So without further ado, voila!

Months passed with no word from Rhaegar, as Lyanna expected. News reached the North of Princess Elia's pregnancy and though part of Lyanna was disappointed, she accepted that it was for the best even if her heart did not agree. It agreed even less with her approaching marriage. She had not seen Robert since the tourney, but they had received word that he was to leave for Storm's End soon to finish the wedding preparations Stannis had begun and Eddard was to return to Winterfell to travel south with Lyanna in time for her wedding. It was more practical to have a wedding in the south, her father explained, but she still resented that she would not get to marry in the north under the heart tree. Lyanna had given up hope, if she ever had any to begin with. Then, one day, at Benjen's insistence, she went to the godswood. She would have ignored him were it not for the urgency in his tone. As she was wandering past the weirwood, she heard her name whispered in the wind.

"You came," Rhaegar said, stepping out from behind a tree.

"Rhaegar."

"You are as breathtaking as ever, Lyanna."

She took a hesitant step towards him. He looked ethereal. "Are you really here?"

"I told you I would come for you."

"I didn't think you would. I am to leave for Storm's End-"

"Don't marry Robert. You don't love him, you love me."

"You speak as if we are free to follow our hearts. Do you forget that you have a lady wife, children, and a realm?"

"No, but I want none of it. I never loved Elia and I have never wanted to be king."

"And what of your children? Rhaenys and your newborn babe, Aegon?"

Rhaegar hesitated. "I love them and as heirs to the throne, they will be well taken care of, but Lyanna, we are destined to be together. Can you not feel that? We will run off, just the two of us. We will leave the world behind and for once in our lives do as we please and not as we are bid."

The possibility of freedom was alluring. "Do you truly mean it? You would give up your throne for me?"

"I would give up the world for you."

Lyanna left in high spirits. They had agreed to meet the following night, and nothing that next day could dampen her mood; not Old Nan pestering her about her needlework or her father chiding her about behaving in a more ladylike fashion. All she could think about was how in less than a day she would be free from the shackles of marriage that loomed over her and instead in her love's arms running wild and free.

It was not until that afternoon that she began to have doubts. It began when Benjen finally confronted her about the meeting he inadvertently set up.

"Are you ever going to tell me why Prince Rhaegar traveled all the way up north to meet with you in secret?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He didn't travel up here for me. He had business with . . ." Lyanna's voice trailed off as she took in Benjen's impatient, incredulous stare. "Why bother asking me if you are already convinced of your own conclusion?"

"Why are you lying to me? Have we not always kept each other's confidence?"

She stared at her brother, acknowledging the truth of his words. Because they were so close in age, they were the perfect companions, spending much of their time together. He was her closest friend, the one person she could go to with anything. "We're running away together."

"You aren't serious," he said, though the look in her eyes convinced him she was.

"I am."

"You're mad, both of you. He's the prince. He can't just run away. There's nowhere to run to. And what of Father, Ned, and Bran? And Robert? Have you thought of them?"

"Of course I have. I wouldn't have to run away if Father would stop telling me what to do. I don't want to marry Robert."

"You're stupid. You complain about marrying Robert because he won't remain faithful so instead you want to run off with the prince who is married?"

"At least this is my decision!"

"He could be lying to you. Don't do it, Lya. No good can come of it."

"I'm to go riding with Bran. Remember you promised not to tell."

Benjen opened his mouth to protest but Lyanna was already gone. It was with a heavy heart that she met Brandon at the front gate but her unease melted away as she rode on the Rills, enjoying this favorite pastime with her brother perhaps for the last time since she was to run away and he was to leave to Riverrun to marry his betrothed. During one of their races, they ran into Lady Barbrey Ryswell. They stopped to greet her and while their exchange was polite, Lyanna saw the looks shared between her brother and the lady; they were the same looks that passed between her and Rhaegar. Once Lady Barbrey was gone, Lyanna confronted Brandon.

"You don't love Lady Catelyn, do you?"

"You cannot love someone you do not know," he answered honestly, as she knew he would. "You of all people should understand that, unless you love Robert Baratheon?"

"You know I don't," she said sullenly. "But if you had the chance to run away with Lady Barbrey and not marry Lady Catelyn, would you? Would you give up Winterfell to follow your heart?"

"It wouldn't be my heart I would be following," he muttered under his breath before scrutinizing his sister. "When did you turn into a hopeless romantic, Lyanna? I thought you put no stock in stories of handsome knights and princes."

Not until I met a handsome prince of my own, she thought, but dispelled it quickly. "Would you?" she said importunately.

"No," he sighed. "Of course not. I would not dishonor our house in such a manner. Besides, where would we go? We would not be free anywhere in Westeros, and even if we managed to escape to the Free Cities and evade being found, what then? How would we make a living? We know neither the language nor the customs. Running away is a child's dream, Lya."

"But you'll never be happy being forced to marry a woman you don't love and leaving a woman you do."

Brandon shrugged. "It's not so terrible. Catelyn is a good match. She's beautiful and good-natured. Besides, Barbrey will always be around."

Lyanna reached for a pinecone and threw it at him. "You disgust me."

Brandon laughed. "I have always been open with you and you were the one who asked."

"Robert is just like you, Bran," she said sadly. "He will wed me and bed me but he will not remain faithful."

"It's different."

"No it's n-"

"Yes it is. Listen, Lyanna. Robert adores you, gods know why," he said, spurring his horse to dodge another flying pinecone.

"Robert is in love with a false image he has of me. He does not truly know me. He sees nothing beyond my beauty."

"Lya, the man has been fostered with Ned since they were eight; I'm sure he knows more about you than you imagine. Besides, he saw you in breeches swinging your sword with Ben when he was last here and was not the least bit concerned over it. No other lord would allow his wife to behave in such a manner."

"I still do not wish to marry him."

"No more than I wish to marry Catelyn, but we will bite our tongues and keep our heads held high as we do our duty for our house, just as Father taught us."

"What if there is another way?"

"Like what? Running away? 'Tis a child's dream, Lya."

"But-"

"I know you dread this union but he has loved you since his first visit to Winterfell. Yes, he may whore around now, but that will change when you are married."

"Why should it? Why would that change anything at all?"

"Primarily because he will have you, the woman of his dreams, but more importantly, because he will have me to answer to. I once told you that any man who hurts you will not live to do it twice. It is no different with Robert. If he so much as makes you cry, Lyanna, I will cut his damned head from his body."

That was when Lyanna realized two things. The first was that running away was a child's dream. The second and more important was that Brandon was impulsive. He was the type of man who acted before thinking, and in his rashness he would fight anyone necessary until she was found, and that would get him killed.

So after assuring Benjen that she was no longer planning to run away, he distracted the guards so she could go to Rhaegar that night. They met in the same place they had agreed upon, hidden by the trees. When Rhaegar saw her empty hands and red eyes, he knew something had changed. She was in tears as she explained to him that they could not run away together. That though in her heart she wanted nothing more than to be with him, her head spoke reason to her. Running away was a child's dream, and it would only end in bloodshed. Brandon's fury at her crowning at the tourney would pale in comparison to his ire at discovering that she ran with the prince. He would likely march to the Red Keep in a rage and demand that Rhaegar face him. The king, in his madness, would likely take his head and everything would culminate in a war, leaving the realm in ruins.

Rhaegar attempted to persuade her otherwise. He insisted that she was worrying unnecessarily, that her imagined events would never come to pass. He almost managed to convince her to leave with him, but she thought of Brandon, the man she looked up to most in the world, and she could not. It would be the end of her if his death were a result of her foolishness. Like he said, running away was a child's dream, and at fifteen, it was high time she grew up. So with tears in her eyes, she kissed Rhaegar one last time and walked away.

"Lyanna," he called out.

She stopped in her tracks but did not turn to face him. If she did, she feared she might not be able to make herself walk away. "I will never forget you," she told him.

"I will always love you," she heard him say as she hurried back to the castle where Benjen was waiting for her.

ooooo

She was inconsolable the next day and refused to leave her room, but it didn't stop Benjen from trying.

"Lya, I'm sorry you couldn't run away with Prince Rhaegar, but I've been thinking a lot and . . . are you sure you loved him? Because you didn't know him very well and that makes me think that you loved the idea of not marrying Robert more."

She stared at her brother, wondering how he could be so childish at times and at others so mature. "I want to be alone, Ben. Please."

He looked as if he wanted to argue, but instead he sighed and walked away. She heard him speaking to Brandon outside her door. "She's asleep, don't wake her."

"It's almost noon, she should have awoken hours ago," Brandon said.

"She is ill."

"I'll send for Maester-"

"It's her moon's blood, Bran, nothing serious. I can't believe you made me say it."

Brandon laughs. "How was I to know? Very well, I shall let her sleep a while longer but I want to say goodbye before I leave."

"Are you actually leaving today or will you postpone it as you did yesterday and the day before?"

"One would think you want me gone, little brother," Brandon laughed. "Yes I'm leaving today. I was hoping to be here when Ned arrived but that won't be for at least four days, according to the raven Father received this morning, and I cannot wait that long."

"You will cross paths before long, I am sure."

"I know, but it would have been nice for the four of us to be together one last time before Lya's wedding. We will all return but she is to remain in the south."

At this, Lyanna jumped out of bed, swung open her door, and threw herself at her older brother. "I don't want everything to change, Bran. I don't want to be away from any of you."

"Nor do I," he said, recovering from a brief moment of shock and embracing her tightly. "But know that no matter where any of us are, we will always be family. We may not always see one another, but we will write and visit."

"It isn't the same!"

"No, but it is the best we can do. You will always be my little sister and I will always take care of you."

"But the Stormlands are so far away! You will all remain close in the north and I will be all alone in the south!"

"You won't be alone-"

"Robert doesn't count! I don't even like him!"

"What is all of this commotion?" Lord Rickard asked, coming up behind his children.

"Father, don't do this, please," Lyanna begged, releasing Brandon and turning to the newcomer. "If you love me, please don't make me marry him."

Rickard looked at his only daughter with a mixture of sympathy and exasperation. "It is precisely because I love you that I have agreed to this. Please understand me, child. I am assured of Robert's good character. Had I any suspicion at all that you would be mistreated then I would never have agreed to this, but he is a good man."

"I don't want to go," she said, tears sliding down her face. "Please, this is my home! I don't want to go south when all of my family lives here! Please, Father, is there no one else? Wendel Manderly or-"

"You would rather wed Wendel Manderly? No, I shan't hear of it. We've had this discussion before. You do not have to like my decision, but you do have to accept it."

"But Father-"

"You break my heart with your tears, Lyanna."

"And you break mine with your decision."

"One day, when you have children, you will understand."

"I will never understand and I will never forgive you!" she said before turning on her heel and locking herself away in her chambers.

Lyanna forgave him two days later as she said a teary farewell. Her father would remain in the north for 'there must always be a Stark in Winterfell'. Eddard, Benjen, and a small group of guards escorted her on the long journey south. Brandon had said his farewells four days ago when he left to Riverrun.

The wedding took place at Storm's End as planned. Robert's bannermen were all in attendance, as was Jon Arryn. The Tullys were celebrating a marriage of their own, that of Brandon and Catelyn. Lyanna was upset that Brandon could not be present for her wedding, but there was naught she could do about it. None of the royal family was in attendance, which did not surprise Lyanna one bit. She preferred it that way; marrying Robert would be infinitely more difficult if she were doing it in Rhaegar's presence.

Robert looked handsome in his doublet. His eyes were a deep blue she could get lost in, his hair was thick and dark, his handsome face clean shaven with a strong jaw, his body muscular and defined. He was a maiden's fantasy, to be sure, but he was not the fantasy she desired. After Lyanna's first dance with her new husband, Ser Jon Connigton, one of Roberts' bannermen, asked to cut in. He was comely, she supposed, and his dancing skills were not lacking. She could not think of a word to say to this stranger, but he saved her the trouble by speaking first.

"Prince Rhaegar sends his regards. He regrets that he could not be here in person to congratulate you."

Lyanna's breath caught and she struggled for a second to retain her composure. "It is kind of the prince to send a messenger to deliver his words, though it seems unnecessary."

"The prince is a dear friend and he trusted me with the tale of what almost came to be between you," he said, hoping that by revealing the extent of his knowledge, she would stop pretending that she did not know the prince more intimately.

"I am now as married as he is. Forgive my bluntness, but what is the purpose of his message? He-"

"The prince did not mean to upset you, my lady. He only wanted you to know that regardless of what passed, he wishes you every happiness."

It was painful, this message, this reminder of his. Even if he did not deliberately intend to wound her, he had. He had ensured that her thoughts would drift to him on her wedding day, the day on which Robert should be the only man on her mind. The rest of the night passed in a flurry of faces and feasting. Before long, it was time for the bedding ceremony. Lyanna plastered a smile on her face and took the men's ribald jokes in stride all the while wondering who began such a barbaric tradition. Why was it acceptable for a gaggle of men to strip her of her clothes and make such crass remarks? Having grown up with Brandon, the jokes were not the least bit offensive and she was able to jest in return, but the stripping of her clothes was awkward and uncomfortable. Her discomfort grew tenfold when she found herself bare and alone in a bedroom with an equally bare Robert Baratheon, her lord husband. He stared at her with arrant admiration and lust. Her heart raced, unsure of what was expected of her.

Reviews are always appreciated :)