They had been on the kings road for what felt like forever and they still had another few weeks of riding a head of them.
Lyra and Jon listened to all of Benjen's stories with enthusiasm. That was until two female voice caught their attentions. With a small snarl Lyra urged Frost faster until she was parallel with the carriage.
"Why do I have to ride in a carriage while Lyra gets to ride her own horse?" Arya's voice whined from inside the carriage.
"Because stupid Lyra's older than you" Sansa sighed.
"Well you're older than me and you're still stuck in here so I'm not stupid, you're the idiot one, all you do is whine about how you don't think the prince fancies you, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't" Arya snapped back.
"Are you saying I'm ugly?!" Sansa hissed.
"Not in so many words" Arya smirked.
Lyra pulled back the curtain causing both girls to jump. "You two will be walking to Kings Landing if you both do not shut up. The whole party can hear your pointless bickering, it ends now!" she snapped.
"Sorry Lyra" Both girls muttered.
She allowed the curtain to drop back into place as she'd noticed they came to split in the Kings road, the left side of the road went down to Kings Landing, the right side led up to the wall. She could hear the horses of her Uncles and Jon walking up behind her.
"Well brother, this is where I depart and leave you to deal with King on your own" Benjen grinned offering his older brother his hand which Eddard shook with a grin.
"I'm sure I'll be able to keep my temper. I'm used to dealing with a stubborn, hot headed Baratheon" Eddard said glancing at Lyra who narrowed her eyes towards him.
"Then how would you like to deal with two stubborn and hot headed Baratheons?" Lyra sneered towards her Uncle making both him and Benjen grin slightly. "Goodbye Uncle Benjen" she smiled.
"Goodbye Lyra. Remember, if that lot down in Kings Landing get too much for you, you can always ride up home. I'll say you came to visit the wall, the Kings orders are void up there" Benjen smiled.
"Thank you but I think I can handle it" she said showing him the dagger he gave to her which was securely attached to her belt causing him to laugh loudly.
"I don't doubt it" Benjen grinned. "You are your fathers daughter that's for sure, until next time"
Before he began to make his way to where Tyrion Lannister was waiting with Lannister guards. Lyra was unsure why but the thought of Tyrion Lannister standing on top of the wall made her chuckle softly. Something so little trying to climb something so large. She knew he would never become a member of the nights watch, she knew he was just going to say he'd seen it. Deep inside her, she was slightly jealous of him, she'd give anything to ride to the wall with her Uncle Benjen and Jon, but Benjen always said he'd rather throw himself from the mass of ice rather than have his niece staying at castle black.
Lyra felt tears spring to her eyes as she glanced towards Jon who only gave her a soft smile. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lyra questioned.
"Aye, I'm ready" Jon smiled before he leaned over and took her hand in his, leaning down to kiss her knuckle gently. "Goodbye Lyra"
"Goodbye Jon" She smiled tearfully before she turned her horse and began to follow after the Stark men that were accompanying them to Winterfell.
She did not know how long her Uncle and Cousin spoke for as she waited at the top of a small hill before her Uncle Eddard turned his horse in her direction and began to canter towards her.
"Be safe Jon!" Lyra called watching her cousin gallop towards her uncle Benjen before she turned and made her way after the carriage alongside her Uncle Eddard.
They stopped for a while to allow the horses to rest and those in the carriages to stretch their legs. The field they were on was surrounded by Lannister, Baratheon and Stark soldiers. And although she was out in the open air, Lyra had never felt more claustrophobic in her life.
She sat on the ground with her back propped up against a tree, a book in her lap though her eyes were glancing over the words her brain was barely taking any of them in. She'd read the tale of the Dance of Dragons over a thousand times. It was the book she'd always get her Aunt Catelyn to read to her before bedtime. But today she just had no interest in it.
Eirra lay at her feet, her head rested upon Lyra's shins as her ice cold blue eyes were half closed in exhaustion. She had run the full way down along with her sisters who were also laying underneath the carriage at the top of the hill asleep. Lyra ran her hand through the thick, coarse fur with a grin as the wolf rolled onto her back signalling her mistress that she wanted her belly tickled.
"I swear you're not a wolf at all. Just a great big dog" Lyra grinned scratching her stomach lightly before she glanced over at where her Uncles were having their lunch.
A few feet away from her, the King had just finished reliving himself to all the wine he had drank and was making his way back to speak with her uncle Eddard where they had a mountain of food sitting at their side, which neither of them were interested in. She could only hear bit of their conversation as she flipped to the next page of her book. She could hear them talking about women they'd known when they were younger making her shake her with a grin. She also heard her Uncle Ned laughing which was a rare, but welcome sound. He had been so worried and distraught after Brans fall that she'd hardly seen him smile since.
"You told me once, your bastard mother" the moment those words left the kings mouth, the grin dropped from Lyra's face instantly and she turned her head towards her uncles. So Jon was right, the King did know who his mother was.
"Wylla" her uncle Ned replied making Lyra;s eyes widen in surprise. She had never in all her years even heard her Uncle mention Jons mother, never mind speak her name out loud. And Jon wasn't even here to hear him.
It was then that she noticed her Uncle had glanced over his shoulder towards her, possibly to check whether or not she'd heard the name. Lyra dropped her gaze instantly back into her book and pretended to be reading until Ned turned his gaze back to the King. Lyra frowned as the name circulated in her head as she was positive she had heard that name before, but where did she hear it?
"She must have been a rare wench to make Lord Eddard Stark forget his honour, you never even told me what she looked like" The King said breaking off a piece of bread and putting it in his mouth.
"Nor will I" She knew in her Uncles tone that he did not want to say any more on the subject.
A tone the King picked up on quickly. "We were at war, none of us knew if we were going to go back home again" The king sighed. "You're too hard on yourself, you always have been" for once Lyra agreed with the King, she loved her aunt Catelyn but she could be cold and cruel when she wanted to be, particularly where Jon was concerned. Lyra knew that her Uncle Ned had more than made up for bringing Jon home. "I swear that if I weren't your King you'd have hit me already"
"Worst thing about your coronation, I'll never get to hit you again" Her Uncle Ned chuckled. Lyra frown returned as she noticed the smile had gone from the Kings face as he reached into his cloak and pulled out a raven scroll.
"Trust me that's not the worst thing" he said as he handed the small piece of paper over to Ned.
Lyra now cursed her chosen position as her Uncle Neds back was to her, blocking her from seeing his reaction to what news the piece of paper may contain.
"Daenerys Targaryen had wed some Dothraki horse lord, what of it? Should we send her a wedding gift?" Lyra gasped in surprise this time. She had not known there was still a Targaryen in the world, she thought her Uncle had destroyed them all.
"A knife perhaps, a good sharp one and a bald man to wield it" the King hissed.
"She's little more than a child" Ned shrugged.
"Soon enough that child will spread her legs and start breeding" The King snarled.
'And there will be disastrous consequences if she produces a son' Lyra thought, a Targaryen, Dothraki heir would be the end of Westeros as they knew it.
"Tell me we're not speaking of this" Her uncle Ned sighed.
The Kings face flushed with anger as his glare turned nasty towards her uncle. "Oh it's unspeakable to you? What her father did to your family, and to my sister and to our nephews that was unspeakable, and if he'd have had his way, Lyra would not be sitting over there right now, she'd have burnt to dead with her brothers" Her uncle Ned glanced over, but this time she met her eyes with his as her name fell from the Kings lips. "What Rhaegar Targaryen did to your sister, the woman I loved" The King snarled. "I will kill every Targaryen I get my hands on"
"But you can't get your hands on this one can you?" Eddard snapped back in retaliation. Lyra frowned in confusion, why was her Uncle Ned defending this girl?
"This Khal Drogo, it's said he has a hundred thousand men in his hoard" Lyra's felt panic and worry rise within her, no house hold in all the seven Kingdoms had that many men.
"Even a million Dothraki are no threat to the realm, as long as they remain on the other side of the narrow sea" Eddard replied. "They have no ships Robert"
"There are still those in the seven kingdoms who call me usurper" Robert hissed. "If that Targaryen boy crosses with a Dothraki hoard at his back, the scum will join him" Robert snarled.
"Him? There two of them?" Lyra could not help herself as she spoke up causing both of her Uncles to turn their heads and face her.
"The mad kings son Viserys was sent away along with his sister" Robert replied.
"He will not cross, and if he does we'll throw him back into the sea" Ned snapped back as Lyra stood and made her way across to where her Uncles were sitting.
"I'll do more than that!" Lyra snarled. "I'll drown the cunt for what his father did to my parents, and my brothers"
"Mind your tongue!" Ned snapped but he could see the rage in Lyra's eyes, which was the reason he precisely did not want her knowing about the two Targaryens that were still alive.
"See Ned, Lyra understands. Targaryens are a threat to everyone, no matter how young they are" Robert said.
"Uncle Ned, if the Targaryen boy crosses, I do not doubt that he'll want vengeance for his father and brother. And who do you think he'll take that vengeance out upon, the two houses that led the rebellion that led to the over throw of his family. Stark and Baratheon" Lyra replied.
"There's a war coming Ned, I don't know when nor who we'll be fighting, but it's coming" Her uncle Robert said before he raised his mug to his lips and down the last of his wine.
Lyra glanced down at her Uncle Ned in worry. She'd known for a while that a war was brewing just from the way her Uncle Renly spoke in his letter, the common people in Kings Landing were growing hungrier and poorer by the day while her Uncle Robert did nothing but drink, eat and fuck whores. People were unhappy with their King. She just prayed to any god that would listen in hope that she and her Uncle could change the Kings ways before it was too late.