It was hard for Lyanna to accept the mild summer evenings of King's Landing, even during high summer one did not have a feast outside in Winterfell, the weather would simply not allow it. Yet even as summer's end was upon King's Landing there was not as much as a chill in the air as she sat down for the evening feast in the royal garden next to her betrothed. With no more than three days of warning the King had declared his intention to have a feast in honor of the betrothal, or rather in Lyanna's as the king seemed to have little interest in Jaime himself. So surrounded by flowers she had never seen but in books, and courtiers with false smiles and politeness Lyanna experienced her first royal feast held in he honor. She could not claim she felt either honored or pleased by the King's actions. She might have been a bastard in Winterfell, but never had she felt so looked down upon as she did seated just below the King with Ser Jaime by her side.

"Ignore them." When she heard Jaime's softly spoken words by her ear she nearly jumped in surprise. Nearly. Instead she turned to look at him, her confusion evident. "Ignore them. It is what I do. These courtiers are nothing but sniveling fools with delusions of grandeur because the King allows them to watching him drink himself into an early grave. With such short notice there is almost no one here worth mentioning, there are a very few exceptions."

Lyanna said nothing only looked at him curiously. She could not understand him, since he had came to save her from his sister a week before he had come to see her every day yet she was no closer to understand him then she had in Winterfell, perhaps even less. For he was not the easygoing man she had first thought. But she could not say what or who he was either. Mentally chastising herself for allowing her thoughts to run away with her she offered a small smile in gratitude as she noticed him waiting for a response before returning to the meal in front of her.

As the plates were removed and the music changed more and more people began to dance. At first Lyanna watched curiously, wondering how the dances would differ from those she had been forced to learn in Winterfell, but was surprised to find few differences and was rather confident when her intended asked her to join him. By the time the evening ended she had danced with Jaime, her lord father, and even her sister's intended prince.

Her opinion if Joffery had been low since the moment she had first seen his arrogant face, looking at her home with distaste. Though she had not given him much thought again until Tyrion had told her of the prince's pending marriage to her sister, but even then he had been overshadowed by the news of her own engagement. She had however truly wondered what her sister saw in him after she watched him during the episode with Arya on the King's road. Now for the first time she could see some of the appeal. His looks were promising, he was already tall and lean like his uncle, with the Lannister hair and eyes. A golden lion, Sansa had called him, and it appeared, when he wanted to, he had potential to be quite charming. But in truth it was not the young prince she saw when she looked at him as they had danced, instead she was trying to imagine what Jaime had looked like at that age, only two years younger than herself. While both blond, green-eyes, and arrogant she found she could not.

Never the less, the prince's attention had not proven worth it when they returned to the hand's tower and Sansa's barely held temper let loose, accusing Lyanna of trying to steal her prince from her. Arya's active defense of her and her pikes regarding the prince's age and qualities compared to Jaime had not made matters easier, instead they heightened the tension in their home further. And no matter how many assurances Lyanna gave the eldest Stark girl she did not seem able to appease her. Though Lyanna suspected it had more to do with the prince's lack of attention in Sansa than his brief attention to Lyanna. Lyanna was simply an easy outlet for her pre-teen sister.

Taking a leaf from her sister's book the next day Lyanna found herself wandering the halls of the Red Keep with only her dagger and Night for company. She was half a mind to look for the prince and plead with him to go see her sister, if only to ease the tension from the day before. She could have cut it with a butter knife. Instead she simply enjoyed the silence as she unconsciously walked into the private quarters of the royal family. A fact she did not know until she heard the unmistakable voices of the Queen and her twin brother. She was half turned to disappear the way she had come when she heard her sister's name mentioned in the conversation.

"…marry her half-sister instead." The Queen said, clearly aggravated.

"A bastard queen, now that would be something for the bards." Jaime quipped behind the closed doors, seeming to find his sister's aggravation more amusing than worrisome.

"Don't even jest about it. My son will not wed Eddard Stark's bastard, it is bad enough that Robert would have him to marry his trueborn child. At least she takes after her mother's side, you can barely see the north in her and I won't have to worry about my husband taking her to bed. I swear the girl is as dangerous as her aunt, it's only Robert's friendship with her father that is stopping him from having me killed and wed her himself. And now Joffery has decided he wants her as well."

"I have no intention of exchanging wives with my nephew. Nor share my wife with the king. I already have to share you with your drunken fool of a husband." He said. "And I highly doubt either girl has any desire to bed or wed the King. Lyanna seems to have no aspiration on power at all; I doubt she has a devious bone in her body. Too much like her father, all about honor. I don't know how I am to keep her alive once I wed her."

"I hear she is quite skilled with that dagger she always carries it with her." The tone was dismissive, but Lyanna could have sworn she heard some pleasure in it as well.

"She is. She has almost killed both Tyrion and myself with it."

"You sound almost proud, brother. Are you actually falling for your intended bride?"

"Hardly." He scoffed. "But I rather have a wife who can defend herself then depend on others. I think I could have done much worse than Lyanna."

"Yes, our brother says the same. He seems quite besotted with her. I tried to convince Robert to have her marry him instead. He wouldn't hear of it." Jaime laughed.

"I should hope not, the poor girl is as innocent as they come. I doubt she has even been kissed and we all know our brother's apatite."

"Perhaps she is not a chaste as she appears. Not many women are. I hear she likes to watch the knights and guards train."

"Unlike you, dear sister, she is watching them for their skill with the sword, the metal kind." He added, hastily with a laugh as if he had seen something Lyanna had not. "Ser Barristan says she actually gives descent advice if only they would swallow their pride and listen."

"I was unaware you took such an interest in her." The Queen commented and Lyanna could practically see her eyes narrow in displeasure.

"I am not the only one." He dismissed her anger. "The spider and Ser Barristan are both keeping an extremely close eye on her. I am curious as to why. Why do you think I have gone to see her so often? Besides it seems to both please and displease your husband at the same time. It is quite entertaining to watch. I don't think I have held something like this over him for quite some time."

His reasons for seeing her gave an unexpected stab in her stomach before it gave way to anger, at herself. She had not even suspected an ulterior motive for his sudden visits. She had thought him curious, and that he perhaps had come to enjoy her company. He had seemed to as he would often prolonging the walks by telling entertaining stories about courtiers they passed, often with the same dry humor his brother told his stories, seeming to enjoy her laughter and retorts. She had taken it as a sure sign. It was not a mistake she would make again. She needed to learn the ways of this city. Perhaps it was time she took Lord Tyrion's advice and trust only those whose motivation she understood, and only to the extent in which helping her would also serve them.

She had called him cynic when he gave it, and he had bluntly informed her that it was the way of the world. Perhaps he was right. But then, what motivated her husband-to-be? The Queen was fairly easy, Lyanna held the King's interest and was therefore a threat, her motivation was power and fear of loosing it. Jaime seemed to have little interest in it. He was a member of the Kingsguard yet seemed to care little for the king. He had even broken the oath before and killed the mad king, but why? His family? A sense of justice? Why did he not kill King Robert? She knew he held no care or respect for the king… She simply did not know.

Her mind running away with her she departed the way she had come, Night silently trailing behind her. As she passed the training yard and her eyes caught Ser Barristan's she could not help but smile in remembrance of Jaime's words. She had not known the old knight thought so highly of her, it was a great honor indeed.

"My lady." He greeted. "I was on my way to refresh my archery skills. Perhaps you would honor me with a friendly competition? Jory Cassel tells me he has seen few possessing your skill with a bow."

"Jory told you that?" She asked surprised. While it was no great secret, she was still surprised the head of her father's guard would tell stories about her.

"I confess I made some inquiries when you seemed apt at finding faults among the members of the guard while training. You will forgive an old man his prying."

"I have not touched a sword for many years, I learned by watching my brothers." She felt it prudent to confess.

"And by dodging smaller blades no doubt." He smiled.

"Perhaps." She offered, smiling up at him. Perhaps she should have taken more care at hiding her dagger from the Queen's people. All of King's Landing seemed to know about it. "I shall be glad to accept your challenge."

"You honor me."

Watching Ser Barristan intentionally miss the center of the target for the second time Lyanna sighed loudly and theatrically. "I fear for the fate of the king if the captain of his guard would fain a bad aim for the sake of pleasing a bastard. But you make me no honor, ser. I would much prefer to loose against your best, than win without the honor of your seeing your true talent."

The almost embarrassed smile that swept over his aged face at her words made him look almost young again. "I apologize, my lady, perhaps we can start again?"

"I would prefer it." She assured him before pulling her own arrow from the quiver by her feet. "May I perhaps ask a question? If you rather not answer, I will understand."

"You may ask."

"Many a time I have heard the story of my late aunt's abduction. But I was hoping to hear it from someone who knew prince Rhaegar personally. I am curious as to why he took her."

"I can not explain the Prince's actions, all I can say is that Prince Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna. He spent much of the war with her in the Tower of Joy, and thousands lost their lives for it. He did as well."

"He loved her?" Lyanna asked surprised as she lowered her bow and stepped back. Her arrow had sailed dead center. A good shot, though not particularly difficult. "And what did she feel for him?"

"I do not know. But he was handsome, a prince, and she was young. But I dare say she went willing."

"King Robert says he stole her in the night and raped her."

"No." The old knight said with absolute certainty. "The prince was a good man. He was well loved. He excelled at anything he put his mind to. He would have made a good king."

"Yet he risked it all and lost."

"Winning and loosing is in the eye of the beholder. I doubt the prince would have done anything different, given a choice between never having his love, or having her only for a short time."

TBC…