A/N: Hello Everyone! Long time no see! Thank you for sticking by me during this rather long hiatus. I have looked over this chapter over and over again for at least fifty times, deciding whether or not it was ready to be published. Finally, I have bitten the bullet and decided to just go for it. Worst comes to worst, I may just repost it specifically later on. Anyways, as always, I don't own GOT or any of the characters except Helaena. And also, please R&R to let me know what you think!
Best,
M
Tycho Nestoris crumpled the letter that was in his hand, having arrived by raven just a few days ago. It was yet another entreaty by the representatives of Queen Helaena, and the Seven Kingdoms, to pay the debts the Iron Bank owed for the gold and soldiers the Queen had provided when she was just a Princess.
It was an uncomfortable situation, that the Iron Bank owed the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms' money; meanwhile, House Lannister owed the Iron Bank a great deal as well. But at the agreement that every lender signed, the representatives were not to speak of the information of their clients to other people.
For the Iron Bank to owe something to anyone, well it was not a common occurrence, had only happened a handful of times within the Bank's history—and always because of foreign invaders who had tried to take over Braavos. Despite being on of the largest of the Free Cities—Braavos was also frequently a target for foreigners to try and claim. Sometimes, the city required outside help, and while they usually kept their resources toward armies and mercenaries in Essos, the deal that the Princess had offered was just too hard to resist. Now though, it seemed like the Princess turned Queen was calling in her debt.
But with Tywin Lannister also refusing to answer his letters, Tycho Nestoris wasn't sure where he was supposed to find the extra gold dragons to pay for the continued military detail that Helaena had provided, or the gold that she had lent all those years ago…
...
3 Years Ago…
The Princess Helaena of House Targaryen, only just having turned twelve name days, walked through the streets of Braavos—stopping at vendors every now and then in order to inspect the wares that they were selling. The last time she had been in the Free City, was during a visit that King Aerys had conducted, years ago—the Princess had yet to explore the place on her own authority. A small detail of Aerys' own Kingsguard followed the Princess, the Master of Coin Qarlton of House Chelsted her formal escort as he had his own business with the Iron Bank to speak of.
"Why can't I attend the meeting as well Qarlton?" Helaena frowned, picking up an apple—tossing it up in the air before catching it and taking a bite out of the fruit. They had this argument, the whole entire time that they were sailing to Essos and even after they docked. It wasn't something the Princess seemed to want to let go.
Lord Chelsted immediately rolled his eyes at the action of the Princess before handing a few coins to the vendor that the Princess had grabbed the apple from before choosing to answer her, "It really isn't something the Princess should concern herself with. If anything, the Prince Rhaegar is the one who should be learning from this trip,"
For some reason, unbeknownst to Helaena, Lord Chelsted had never really take toward the Princess. Some would say it was because he had always been a traditionalist, and seeing that the King allowed the Princess to participate in the political affairs of the State rankled against his conservative proprietaries. Others would simply say it was because the Princess had rejected his son's suit—even though she was only 10 name days at the time when his son had attempted to court her.
Helaena hummed, not accepting this answer—nor any of the other answers that Lord Chelsted had tried to provide in order to stop her from coming, "But the Prince Rhaegar isn't here, is he? He's off playing his lyre, jaunting around King's Landing, and I am here. I'm sure my father wouldn't mind if I were to attend the meeting as well,"
The Master of Coin looked conflicted, knowing that the Princess was right but not knowing what to say. The last thing that Qarlton wanted was for the Princess to be there, interfering with the proceedings—or worst yet, trying to give her own opinion. He took a deep breath before continuing with the conversation, "Yes, but the King gave no orders as to your attendance,"
"Which means that I get to make the orders," Helaena smiled dazzlingly, "I am the Princess after all, there is no other. And I have been learning the matters of State from my father and my grandfather since I was a little girl. I believe I can handle one little meeting with the representatives of the Iron Bank,"
The two continued to walk toward the Iron Bank, despite Qarlton's protests that the Princess continue to explore and see the city while he attended to State matters. They were mainly there in order to return the money that Jahaerys had borrowed from the Iron Bank—nothing complicated. Although, the man that had been sending letters did say that the Iron Bank had an inquiry for the Seven Kingdoms', which made everyone in the Small Council and the King intensely curious. The Iron Bank rarely communicated with other parties outside of their strict guidelines involving the financial transactions that would take place. For them to send an inquiry surely meant something was happening.
Helaena bounded up the flight of stairs leading up to the Iron Bank, nearly running into several people on her way there. Immediately, she was greeted by a man dressed in all black and obviously a member of the Bank. He bowed quickly, everyone instantly knowing who Helaena was. Besides the tiara on her head, the girl had long silver hair and purple eyes—the tell tale signs of a Targaryen. And even an ocean away from the Seven Kingdoms, the weight of the power of Westeros and of the Targaryen family still held in Essos and the Free Cities.
"Princess Helaena of House Targaryen, the Iron Bank welcomes you and your Master of Coin," the man greeted smoothly and bowed to the Princess.
"Nice to meet you…?" Helaena nodded her own head in acknowledgement, but waited for the man to introduce himself.
"My apologies, my name is Tycho Nestoris and I am one of the leading representatives for the branch of the Iron Bank that oversees the Seven Kingdoms' relations with us," the man bowed once again as Qarlton—after being left behind by Helaena, finally caught up.
Qarlton bowed himself, "Lord Qarlton of House Chelsted—Master of Coin to King Aerys II of House Targaryen,"
"If you would follow me," Tycho gestured for the pair to follow him, before walking off.
Qarlton cast Helaena a glare, to try and get her to stay back but the Princess ignored the look and proceeded forward, the members of her Father's Kingsguard trailing behind her and snickering at Qarlton's indignant look. The Princess never really paid mind to anyone really—the King's Jahaerys and Aerys having given her nearly free reign since the moment she was born. Helaena was the sole princess of Westeros and some would say even more treasured at times than either of her brothers.
"We have the payment in full for the Iron Bank," Qarlton walked up to Tycho—hoping to circumvent any interaction between the man and the Princess. The Master of Coin did not think the Princess was capable enough in order to deal with relations such as these and had told the King just as much, but Aerys had insisted that his daughter go to Braavos with the rest of the party.
There was unrest in the Seven Kingdoms, all the Lords in the land clamoring against the actions Aerys had taken recently. His madness and cruelty was beginning to show more and more to the public and in order to try and rally them under his control, and sway public opinion from favoring his children, he had sent his once beloved daughter away to the other side of the world.
Tycho nodded, seemingly listening to what Qarlton was saying—instead he was observing the Princess, who seemed to be lost in thought and scanning around the Iron Bank, "Something of interest to you, Princess Helaena?"
Swiftly turning to face Tycho, Helaena smiled brilliantly, "Just looking around. It has been sometime since I've been in Braavos—let alone the Iron Bank," the Princess hummed to herself before turning to fully look at Tycho, "Strange, but I remember there being more sculptures and glassware in these halls,"
The Iron Bank's representative stiffened momentarily, but he pasted an easy smile on his face, "The Iron Bank has decided to streamline their design Princess, what with the vast amount of wealth we hold, we wouldn't want to tempt poachers anymore than we already do,"
Helaena looked contemplative, though her expression did not show in the least whether she believed Tycho's story or not. "Is that so? In regards to security then, you would say that the Iron Bank is entirely secure?"
"Princess, perhaps you should save your questions for after I have conducted my business here," Qarlton interjected himself into the conversation, still attempting to divert all attentions away from the Princess who the Master of Coin believed to be solely incompetent, "Then maybe we'll entertain answering them,"
Shooting a glare at her father's Master of Coin, Helaena turned to smile sweetly at Tycho, "I'm not interfering too much, am I?"
"It's not trouble Princess," Tycho Nestoris responded in a placating tone—watching the young girl and man interact and clearly seeing the hostility that stood between them. "And to answer your question: yes, the Iron Bank has the upmost, advanced security measures in all of Essos,"
"Oh good, because I was just about to ask about the robbery that took place here," blinking innocently up at the men before her, Helaena looked doleful, "Only a few weeks ago, wasn't it? A team that made off with a few hundred thousand gold dragons?"
Tycho bristled, but his face remained stoic, "I'm not sure where you heard such nasty rumors Princess, but nothing of the sort has taken place within the walls of the Iron Bank,"
"Princess Helaena, perhaps its time you returned to the compound—you need to rest," the Master of Coin was frowning, placing a firm hand on Helaena's shoulder and willing her to listen to him.
The Princess shrugged the hand off, "Oh no, I think I'm fine right where I am. Now Tycho, perhaps you'd like to speak about your security problems and the issues that Braavos has been having overall with keeping invaders away? I'm sure between the two of us, we can come up with a fitting solution…"
The Master of Coin shared an exasperated look with the rest of the Kingsguard, all of them watching as Helaena continued to badger a rather flustered Iron Bank Representative. Obviously, the man had no expected the Princess to be so up to date with Bravoosi affairs or what was going on with the Iron Bank. Truthfully, Lord Qarlton was actually quite surprised himself but he would never admit it.
…
Tyrion watched from the walls of King's Landing as the armies of the Southern Kingdoms marched their way toward the Capital, awed by the sheer number of men but also by the large, flying beasts that were circling over them. At first, when they were far away, they seemed to be just specks in the sky and so Tyrion had thought them to be birds. But upon closer inspection, the two flying objects were in fact not birds at all.
The younger Lannister Lord had stumbled back in shock and as the armies and the two dragons approached nearer and nearer, the dwarf Lord began bouncing on his heels. Dragons. Tyrion had only ever read about them; after all they were long thought dead. Extinguished, with the rest of the Targaryens from the Golden Age. The Dance of Dragons had done a lot of damage to the dragon populations and ever successive generation after had proved unfruitful in breeding the same dragons that came from previous generations.
These dragons seemed to not have the same problem. They were huge, about as large as horses and given the fact that they couldn't have been hatched all that long ago—the two were more than likely going to become bigger and bigger. An odd, child-like excitement filled Tyrion that he hadn't experienced since he was younger, his eyes transfixed on the flying beasts before him.
"It's about time we left Imp," the gruff voice of Bronn behind him made Tyrion turn around to face the "Lord."
"How could we possibly leave King's Landing now?" Tyrion objected, turning back around, his eyes fastened onto the dragons flying in the sky before him.
"They'll be here when you come back little Lord, no need to worry—they aren't a figment of your imagination," seeing that Tyrion wasn't going to turn around, Bronn rolled his eyes and stepped forward, placing a hand on Tyrion's shoulder.
Tyrion looked up and over, meeting Bronn's eyes and seeing an impatient glint in them. "You can either wait here and face the Queen's wrath when she realizes that the two of us along with Cersei aren't already on our way to Storm's End, or we can go now and you can meet the dragons when you return. Remember you're the one who insisted on coming anyway,"
"Dragons, Bronn. Real, live, fire-breathings. Like the tales of old," there was a wonder in Tyrion's voice, that made Bronn sympathetic to his plight. Yes, they were magnificent beasts, but they had a duty that they needed to fulfill first and the Queen was not going to pay him in full if Cersei Lannister was still here in King's Landing by the time she arrived back.
"Lannister, move it," Bronn placed a hand on Tyrion's shoulder and move him physically so that the Imp would begin walking, not wanting to wait around any longer.
"Did you know about them?" Tyrion asked, his tone casual but with a heavier implication behind them, "You spent quite a bit of time with the Queen. Private time,"
"Now's not the time for this discussion Tyrion," Bronn sighed, pushing Tyrion and making their way out to the horses, "It's time we leave, no use dwelling here,"
"That's not an answer," Tyrion dragged his feet on the ground, trying to slow their movements.
Bronn rubbed his temples with his free hand, "No, Tyrion, I didn't know. Despite my apparent closeness to the Queen, she keeps quiet a few things closely to her chest. The existence of her dragon children being one of them,"
"All my life, I've read about the dragons that the Targaryens brought from Valyria. And here they are, centuries later, as if nothing has happened," Tyrion commented, his voice filled with a soft of wistfulness that confused Bronn and even himself.
"Yeah well, the Queen's full of surprises isn't she? Always got an ace up her sleeve and what not," Bronn muttered under his breath, fully making his way out.
In truth, Bronn was a little irritated. All that time spent with the Queen and she had never thought to privy him to this little tidbit of information. This was a game changer. It was extraordinary. And he had been privy to a lot of the plans that the Queen had—but it seemed she still had other works going on, plans that no one else knew about.
Save for maybe her Lord Commander and a few of her Queensguard. But maybe not even them…? Which shouldn't have been surprising to Bronn, but he was still irritated by the development. But he knew better than to say anything, to question the Queen was to ask to be burnt now by her dragons. Bronn was smart enough to know that.
Tyrion stood there for a moment longer, watching quietly as the dragons entered the city's vicinity, flying over the various parts of King's Landing, easily making their way over with every flap of their wings. The younger Lannister Lord couldn't help it, he was transfixed. And he stayed there for a little longer…until Cersei dragged him away and toward the horses as she got impatient sitting in the carriage.
…
The sound of the pitter patter of feet filled the halls of the Red Keep. The squealing and giggling of the Prince and the Princess could be heard as they tumbled through the halls, chasing after each other. The twins, having skipped their lessons for the day, were playing at Knights.
The Prince Rhaegar held a wooden sword in his hand, clashing it lightly against the wooden swords in his sister's. Princess Helaena countered easily, side-swiping Rhaegar before running ahead down the hall. Rhaegar gave a small shout but proceeded to chase after his sister.
"Helaena!" Rhaegar called, his legs trying to keep up with the spring that Helaena had burst into, "Slow down!"
Turning her head back slightly, the Princess laughed, "Catch up Rhaegar! You're so slow!" huffing slightly, Princess Helaena continued down her path, looking left and right and trying to find an escape route.
As she rounded the corner, the Princess ran into a mess of robes, stumbling backward and falling onto the ground.
"I'll catch you yet Helaena!" Rhaegar called, as he rounded the corner as well, "You won't beat me!" the Prince stuttered to a halt as he noticed that his sister was on the ground.
The twins looked up only to see the stern expression of their father, although the King did have a slightly amused look in his eyes. The two children, only eight name days at the time, both scrambled to bow and curtsy to their father.
"And here I thought my children were supposed to be at their lessons." Aerys observed the two, the twins looking guiltily between each other, "And does your mother know that you both have decided not to attend them today?"
There's a look of panic that spreads across both their faces that causes Aerys to chuckle. The King, having only gained the throne recently due to the death of his father Jahaerys, was used to seeing his children more frequently than he did. But that didn't change the fact that he could still read every expression on their faces and know exactly where their minds were leaping.
"Don't you worry, I won't tell her," Aerys assured, much to the relief of his children.
"Thank you father," the twins answered dutifully, their heads bowed, though their eyes had a mischievous twinkle to them.
Aerys turned toward his son and heir, "Rhaegar, the minstrel is here—to continue your lyre lessons. I don't believe you want to miss those, do you?"
The young Prince shook his head vehemently, "No father, I'll be on my way now," hastily giving his sword to one of the King's Kingsguard members, Rhaegar went off to see the minstrel who would be giving him lessons.
It had taken a battle and a half in order to convince the King to allow his son to learn the lyre, to take time out of the day in which he was supposed to be in the tiltyard. The young Prince wasn't going to waste his father's good mood and not attend the lessons he had fought so hard for.
Helaena, noticing the people's attention were on the Prince, began to step back up slowly, as if trying to creep out of the way without anyone noticing her. Her attempt did not go as well as she wanted it to.
"And where do you think you're going?" Aerys had seen his daughter's movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Nowhere!" Helaena straightened, planting her feet into the ground and trying to pose as innocent expression as possible, causing the knights standing behind his father to laugh.
"Come along Helaena, I have another lesson for you as well," Aerys motioned for his daughter to follow him, which she did obediently. "What do you remember of the history of the Dragon's pit?"
"It's where all the dragons of the House Targaryen were housed," Helaena answered dutifully, having remember the place from her lessons,"
The King slowed his pace so that Helaena could match his steps, taking her hand in his and guiding her down the hall, "Yes, it was. During the Golden Age of the House Targaryen, the Dragon pit was the place in which all the dragons of the family resided. The pit was built after Maegor the Cruel mounted on Balerion and destroyed the Great Sept of Remembrance,"
"And destroyed during the Dance of Dragons!" Helaena recited from rote memory—knowing the history of her family well. She had received lessons like this from both her grandfather and father before, always making sure to pay attention to her family's history, and the history of the Seven Kingdoms in general.
"Yes," chuckling at his daughter's enthusiasm, Aerys continued with his lesson, "And do you know what the Dragon pit is now?
"It's in ruins now, isn't it father?" she asked, having already knowing the answer but wanting to see what her father would say.
"Yes, yes it is. However, I have great hopes that you will be the one to restore it to its former glory, my little flame,"
…
Upon arrival to King's Landing, Helaena had every construction project sped up—using the men that had come from the various armies, that had yet to go home, to help. She needed everything to be done in order to accommodate for the new members of the family that everyone now knew about.
The questions and eyebrows that were raised when she had first ordered Summerhall and the Dragon pit to be reconstructed were not settled, everyone now seeing for themselves and having gained a clear understanding of the situation, speedily and readily obeyed the orders.
Both the Dragon pit and Summerhall had been destroyed and in disuse for decades if not centuries. At the height of Targaryen rule, they were the corner stones that represented the might and power of House Targaryen. Helaena was determined to bring them both back, to have a place where he dragons could rest comfortably and to have a place where she could escape to if necessary.
The Dragon pit was completely restored first and within a matter of weeks and very well guarded, Summerhall was still in the process, the pit being of the upmost priority because the dragons needed somewhere to be housed.
The Dragon pit, essentially a massive coliseum on top of Rhaeny's Hill, had probably not seen such attention since before the Dance of the Dragons. And though it used to house tens of dragons, now it would house three. Though the Queen was determined to expand this number as well.
Having taken every precaution, Helaena would not chance any person coming in and trying to slay her babies. Guards were constantly posted at all entrance points outside and inside the Dragon pit. The food that was brought to Helaena's children were a select, controlled population of livestock that had been proven to be disease and poison free.
Taking one of the two surviving members of House Tully, Edmure (though Catelyn would have done too, but she was in Winterfell and Helaena didn't want to deprive Ned of his wife), Helaena managed to hatch her third and last egg. Thus, the newest dragon would be the most vulnerable and needed the most guarding. The Dragon pit was absolutely essential.
Caraxes was a beautiful boy, his scales an iridescent white and his eyes the same purple that Helaena inherited. Helaena found herself particularly attached to Caraxes, always carrying him in her arms or letting him rest on her shoulders when he wasn't in the pit with his siblings. Together, all three dragons would rest in the Dragon pit during the night. And in the day, Meleys and Sunfyre would soar up in the sky and fly over the Dragon pit and sometimes King's Landing—sending all the people into awe.
Helaena would go visit them intermittently throughout the day. It would always bring her so much joy. But she also knew, that a group of petrified eggs were waiting for her in Aerys' personal vaults. During the night, Helaena had been pouring over all the ancient tomes that her family had left behind, trying to find a way in order to increase the dragon population. It was important to her, and all her plans, that those petrified eggs be hatched so that a new generation of dragons could be bred.
That's where she sat now, on the outer ring of the Dragon pit, watching from below as her dragons flew above her, circling each other and embracing the freedoms that could only come when one was airborne. Below, Caraxes called to his siblings, flapping his wings and attempting to carry his little body up as well. However, the dragon was still much too young for his wings to support him and thus was stuck on the ground.
"They're a magnificent sight," Ned observed, approaching the Queen from the side before sitting down next to her.
"Eddard Stark, finally found time to tear yourself away from Robert and grace me with your presence?" Helaena teased, turning her head to meet Ned face to face.
Ned shrugged, laughing lowly under his breath, "You know Robert, he can be persuasive,"
"He can also be a bit of a man-whore," Helaena quipped, giving Ned a meaningful look.
After learning of Jon Snow, Helaena was vigilantly watching Ned's action more when she would have otherwise been monitoring Robert. She didn't ever think that she would have to worry about Ned producing bastard that could complicate the order of ascension for the North—but here they were, one true born heir and one bastard in. Hopefully, baby Rob Stark didn't do the unfortunate thing of dying in the cold of Winterfell, or else Jon Snow would be the only contender for heir, should Ned not have another child by his true wife.
Eyes widening at the implication, Ned was quick to dissuade Helaena. "I didn't go with Robert to any of the brothels—the Lady Catelyn is already furious with me, I can't risk angering her more,"
Helaena laughed tinkled through the air, "Course not. You've already got one bastard on your hands. Can't afford another one," Ned flinched at the assessment but did not correct his foster sister.
"I could still legitimize him, if you want?" the offer had been on the table before, when Ned had first informed Helaena of the existence of Jon Snow. But the Lord of the North had declined then and declined yet again now.
"Like I said Helaena, no need to have my Lady wife any more furious with me than she already is," Ned confided, rubbing the back of his neck in both embarrassment and stress.
Impulsively, Helaena place a light kiss on Ned's cheek, "And there's also the fact that you gathered your men and marched on her Father's home for me, gauged her sister's eyes out to send as a little present to Lord Hoster Tully. Did I ever thank you for that?"
Taking Helaena by the hand, Ned kissed the back of it before intertwining their fingers and placing it in his lap, "You don't have to thank me at all. I would move the heavens for you Helaena, but please never put me in that situation again. I'm the one that has to live with Catelyn after all," the Northern Lord's face was stoic, betraying no emotion but Helaena could see in his eyes the warmth that made them shine.
"You have always been such a good friend to me, Ned. How does she treat you, your Lady wife?" she asked, genuinely curious about the dynamics of an arranged marriage, especially the one of someone she considered a brother, family.
Ned hesitated for a moment, thinking of his answer before speaking, "She is not what I would have chosen for myself, and I am not what she would have chosen. Catelyn held great admiration and adoration for Brandon,"
"Does she love you?"
"I don't know. After recent events, I would say not. But I never really held care for her and we were married so quickly that we were not able to grow to know each other before hand," Ned confessed, staring deeply at Helaena, willing her to understand where his heart truly lay. "Although, I have to say, there was really no reason to end a whole house. I may not love my wife but I did not wish her or her family ill will,"
"Hoster Tully and his family got what they deserved. An orphanage in Flea Bottom burned because of him," Helaena defended, knowing that what she did was right but still not wanting any one to know all the details.
"Did you manage to save any?" Ned knew how much Helaena valued the lives of children, especially the orphans.
She used to spend her time there, between lessons, whenever in King's Landing and not traveling the Seven Kingdoms. It was something that Ned had admired about the Princess at the time, that she would take time out of her day to attend to the matters of the small folk, seeing them just as worthy of time and effort as the Great Lords who demanded attention.
Helaena shrugged, "Maester Pycelle and his team managed to heal a handful fully, there are a few that will forever be scarred now but they will live. The orphanage is being rebuilt as we speak,"
"Hoster Tully will not be the last Lord who will try to defy you—perhaps using your dragons should be a last resort and not the first?" Ned advised sagely, tightening his grip of Helaena's hand for just a moment, trying to convey the fear that he felt at having more people come after Helaena should they think her a tyrant Queen.
"I gave him several chances to surrender. The man was stubborn and he wouldn't do it. He spat in my face and tried to rally all the Lords against me. I had no other choice," Helaena reasoned, squeezing Ned's hand back.
"Where is Robert right now anyway?" changing the subject abruptly, Ned followed Helaena's gaze up to Sunfyre and Meleys who were currently roasting several sheep that they had throw in the air before devouring the animals completely.
"Where are they even getting the sheep?" Ned laughed. "Robert is out hunting…again,"
"Of course he is, does that man do anything else but hunt and fuck?" Helaena shook her head and chuckled. "There's a flock in a nearby field just outside the King's gate, I paid the farmers off—told them to keep breeding sheep so that my dragons could eat," the Queen clarified.
"Prudent of you," Ned complimented.
Helaena hummed in agreement, "Speaking of your family…Will your lady wife and son be joining us? I'm under the impression that you will be here until after the Tourney at Pyke. Moreover, I have yet to meet either Robb nor Catelyn"
Wincing, Ned grimaced at the thought of Catelyn coming to King's Landing, "I don't think either of them will be coming this far South anytime soon. However, I am having Jon sent,"
"Jon? Your bastard? Interesting, and how does Catelyn Stark feel about this?" Helaena raised an eyebrow, an amused look painted on her face.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Ned wasn't sure how to broach the topic of Jon and who his real parents were. Would it be smarter to wait? Until Jon was here and Helaena could see him for herself, even though he bore no resemblance to Rhaegar? Would she take Ned for his word? Would she be happy?
"Helaena there's a matter I have to discuss with you…"
"Your Majesty, the Small Council, they have convened a meeting and request your presence," Ser Gwayne Gaunt rushed up and bowed to his Queen and Ned.
"Have we received word from the Iron Bank?" Helaena inquired, releasing her hand from Ned's grasp and standing up fully to address the Knight.
"No my Queen—no raven has flown from Braavos with their seal," Ser Gwayne informed, moving his eyes back and forth between Ned and Helaena, his gaze curious.
"I see, best be off then," Helaena bent down and kissed Ned on the cheek once again. "We'll speak more later—be sure to let me know when Jon Snow arrives,"
Helaena took Ser Gwayne's outstretched hand and stepped down from the stands to the sandy pit, making her way out with an arm around the Knight's. Ned watched the pair leave, sighing to himself, wondering when he would get the courage again to tell Helaena the truth.
…
Jaime knocked tentatively on the door of his Father's chambers. The Hand of the Queen was curt on a good day, utterly beastly if disturbed during what he considered his important work hours. The Kingslayer had learned his lesson early on in life to never disturb his father when the man was working. However, in this case, with the news Jaime had, even Tywin Lannister would have to set aside his work to hear it.
"Come in," came the call behind the door.
Pushing open the door, Jaime quickly walked in only to spy Tywin sitting behind his desk and working fervently on a letter that seemed to absorb all his attentions.
Jaime cleared his throat, trying to catch Tywin's attentions, "Father, I need to speak with you,"
"Be quick about it Jaime, I have a great many important matters to attend to," Tywin replied, still scribbling away furiously at the piece of parchment beneath his hand.
"Father," Jaime shifted nervously on his feet. The Kingslayer didn't know how to continue from then, his throat tightening and his voice disappearing, an awkward silence descended upon the room.
"Do stop wasting my time Jaime, if you don't have anything important to say there are greater matters that require my attention," Tywin commented, vexation heavy in his voice.
"Father," Jaime began again, trying to gain confidence and taking a deep breath, thinking of Helaena and the upcoming Tourney at Pyke. "I am leaving the Queensguard, Father, and I want you to reinstate me as your heir,"
Tywin Lannister stilled, not sure if he had just heard what he believed he just heard. Looking up, Tywin saw the look of utter anxiety that filled Jaime's usual apathetic expression. Setting his quill down, Tywin folded his hands across his lap and leaned back in his chair.
"I'm sorry Jaime, in my old age I have become hard of hearing. Please, say that again,"
Jaime rolled his eyes and quickly reiterated his previous statement: "I am leaving the Queensguard and I want you to reinstate me as heir,"
"While I am indisputably surprised and dare I say happy about this turn of events, what has brought this on?" Tywin asked, curious as to what reason Jaime would give. Though, the Hand suspected it had to do with a certain Targaryen.
"Why does there need to be a reason other than the fact that I no longer want to be in the Queensguard?" though Jaime believed he had uttered this statement convincingly, Tywin could see right through his son and was almost offended that Jaime thought he could lie to him successfully.
"Don't play your games Jaime. Tell me the reason or I will make sure you are never named my heir—leaving the Queensguard or not," it was a lie, and Jaime knew that, but the Kingslayer also knew that his father was not someone to trifle with.
"I want to enter the Tourney that will take place at Pyke…and only eligible bachelors can participate," Jaime admitted quietly, looking anywhere but directly into Tywin's eyes.
"So it's the Queen you're after," Tywin sat back, a contemplative look on his face. "There's more ambition in you than I originally thought then, if your goal is to become Prince Consort,"
"I want to marry her," Jaime corrected, unhappy with the conclusion that Tywin had come up with because what if that's what Helaena thought? That he wanted to become Prince Consort?
Jaime shook himself, Helaena was the one who asked him to participate in the Tourney…but he's the one who accepted…the thoughts were whirring in Jaime's head and managing to give him a headache so he cast it aside for the moment.
"Who is Queen," Tywin pointed out. "What makes you so sure you will win? Why not stay in the Queensguard, instead of risking your position for a Tourney that you may not be the champion of?"
Jaime scowled, "Here I thought you would be ecstatic that I want to leave and now you're trying to convince me to stay?"
"In your current position you have the Queen's ear, should you lose the Tourney, you lose your place amongst the Queensguard and she will have a husband that will consume all her time. What will you do then Jaime? What will our family do then? She barely listens to me as it is, Cersei's off to Storm's End having not secured the friendship of the Queen- I need someone on the inside who has Queen Helaena's ear to relay my advice and you are currently the best option," the reasoning was sound and incredibly on character for Tywin Lannister.
Having the ear of the Queen and making sure she was making the decisions he believed were more sensible was more important to the Hand than getting his eldest son back as heir. At the end of the day, Helaena of House Targaryen had more power in her little finger than most Houses did. If, gods forbid, that Jaime lose the Tourney at Pyke—the Lannister influence that was slowly making its way back into the Crown would disappear. Tywin was self aware enough to know that alone, he could not control Helaena.
"Have more faith in your eldest son, Father," Jaime smirked, trying to keep his sense of bravado up and at least fool his father and himself into thinking that he was confident in his win.
"You're going to be competing against all the best in the land. There are sons who are heirs to our vassal houses that are also competing," Tywin gave a meaningful look to Jaime.
"What does that matter? I can beat them all," confidence filled Jaime's voice, his chest puffing out in pride at his abilities.
Tywin sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Even Addam Marbrand?" the news is a shock to Jaime.
Lord Addam Marbrand was the eldest son of Lord Damon Marbrand, one of Jaime's closest friends growing up as a child in Casterly Rock (as he visited Ashemark quite frequently) and one of the only knights not in the Queensguard to have beaten Jaime ever. Addam was exceptionally skilled, charming, and from a House with a good reputation and decent holdings. It would be an advantageous marriage, certainly not the most advantageous, but not a prospect that the Queen could dismiss outright.
"And he is only one of the many heirs that are skilled enough to put up competition for the Queen's Hand. Not to mention Willas Tyrell, who the Queen is allowing to bypass the Tourney on account of his leg," Tywin continued, each bit of information causing Jaime's face to turn more and more sour.
"Willas Tyrell," Jaime spat the name in loathing, remembering the time when he had to escort Helaena to have tea with the eldest Tyrell son. "The Queen can barely stand speaking to him—Willas is utterly boring!" Jaime didn't understand why Helaena was allowing Willas to be an exception. He had seen them interact and saw unfavorable Helaena's reaction to Willas was.
Tywin rolled his eyes, "He's also Mace Tyrell's heir and the future Warden of the South. The Reach is the second richest Kingdom after the Westerlands and when our gold mines run dry, the gods forbid that be anytime soon, they will be the richest. It's practical of the Queen to keep Willas in the running to be her suitor,"
"Willas Tyrell won't be a problem," Jaime asserted confidently. Though the Kingslayer felt doubt creep in the back of his mind. But he resolved that all he needed to do was talk to Helaena and she would surely tell him the truth and what her intentions are.
Raising an eyebrow, Tywin took a long drink from his goblet, preparing himself mentally for all that was too come, "If you are sure Jaime, then I will gladly name you my heir once again,"
The Father and Son bid each other goodbye before Jaime exited Tywin's chambers. It was only after Jaime had left and shut the door tightly that Tywin placed his forehead against the cool wood of the desk below him. Jaime Lannister was good at quite a few things but dissecting the actions of the major players of the Game of Thrones, well, Tywin's eldest son still had a lot to learn.
Tywin sat up and rolled his shoulders back, having an inkling at just what the Queen was attempting to do. He would need to be as prepared as possible and that meant meeting with Olenna Tyrell, and soon.
…
Alia,
My mother sounds incredibly distressed, please give her a generous helping of milk of poppy—enough to last for a few days so that she may regain her constitution. I have been wanting to meet my dearest sister so if you could order a ship, unmarked so as to not gain unwanted attention, I would like you to bring my whole family to Dragonstone. They will stay there until I can make other arrangements.
With the current climate, it would be prudent to keep their arrival and stay just between family. The only outsiders who are permitted to know would be you and the group of people that are currently with you that I hired to attend to my family and Falyse Stokeworth who is currently watching over Dragonstone in my stead.
Safest Journeys and may the winds guide you.
Helaena of House Targaryen, Second of her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm
Lady Stokeworth,
There are a few packages that will arrive from Essos that I will need you to attend to. Because this is of a private nature and extremely personal to me, I expect your full discretion and the discretion of your staff. Should I hear news about the…packages…at all once they arrive to Dragonstone I will have the heads of all your staff and you may meet my dragons personally.
Do I make myself clear? I hope I have. I have done you a great honor by allowing you to look over my family's home, do me the same honor by keeping my privacy.
I look forward to hearing from you and keep me updated on the…state…of my packages.
Helaena of House Targaryen, Second of her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm
…
Bronn grumbled from his place on top of his steed, not particularly happy that he was escorting an uppity, spoiled high-born lady to Storm's End. Stannis Baratheon, after the burning of Riverrun, had traveled with the Queen's party up until a certain point and then returned back to the Stormlands while Robert and Renly had stayed with the Queen's party and went all the way back to King's Landing. That left Cersei at the Capital and waiting to travel to meet her soon to be husband.
When Helaena had informed him of his new job, Bronn had been decidedly unhappy. Who in the world wanted to be a glorified babysitter to someone as certifiably unpleasant as Cersei Lannister? However, Helaena had gifted him with a pouch full of Gold Dragons and a promise that when the 4 months were up, he would be officially betrothed to Lady Lollys Stokeworth. And Helaena was always one to fulfill her promises and thus Bronn left his Queen reluctantly.
"Tell me something Imp, what on Earth possessed you to come and escort your banshee of a sister to Storm's End?" Bronn inquired.
Over the past few days the two men had built up a friendly and familiar rapport. The party that accompanied Cersei to Storm's End was not large and with Jaime's declaration that he would be leaving the Queensguard and resuming his role as heir, Tyrion had found himself with decidedly more time on his hands and less need to attend the lessons that his father had required before. The news had still not been broken to Cersei, who had no idea of her twin's intentions and Tyrion had cackled internally at the idea of being the one to tell her.
"I've made my way through all the brothels in the Westerlands, made my way through most of the brothels in the Crownlands…thought I'd check the Stormlands off my list before heading North to piss off the wall," Tyrion answered jadedly, his pony riding a few steps behind Bronn.
"Not a bad way to go about life," Bronn admitted, while life as a smaller Lord would be nice, the freedom to travel and do what he wanted also beckoned Bronn.
But the ability to do anything that he wanted, meant that he needed enough Gold Dragons at his disposal and Bronn was aware of that. Which was way he had agreed to become a minor Lord—the prospect of being his own man and in charge of a profitable estate that could fund his lifestyle was appealing.
"How much longer will I have to sit in this carriage?" Cersei complained from the open window, her curtains drawn back and glaring down Bronn and Tyrion from where she sat comfortably.
"Another day's ride my Lady," came Bronn's cheeky response, turning away so that Tyrion could see him roll his eyes at Cersei's antics.
The woman had a been a nightmare for the better part of the journey. Always needing to stop every few hours. Always needing to be waited on hand and foot by her handmaidens. And not even a very good conversationalist, as Bronn had found out, at least not to supposed minor Lords whom she didn't care about or could find something to get out of. Cersei Lannister was a decidedly unpleasant person and Bronn couldn't wait to get back to King's Landing.
"Well, Stannis Baratheon is going to have a lot on his hands, being made to marry that shrew," Bronn commented, not entirely mean-spiritedly, after all, he felt sorry for the second Baratheon son.
"That I have no doubts on. The only person my dear sister would have submitted to would have been the Mad King and Rhaegar Targaryen, but they are both dead so I guess now we're all doomed," Tyrion joked.
"That's rather pessimistic of you—you never know maybe Stannis Baratheon and Cersei Lannister will end up being a true love match,"
Bronn and Tyrion met eyes and both burst into laughter at the absurd thought. Stannis Baratheon, boring yet calculating, Cersei Lannister, a shrew and thinking herself far smarter than she actually was…yes there were bound to be fireworks…and not the good kind.
…
Viserys looked around happily, skipping from one room to another, the stone walls of Dragonstone familiar and welcoming. The young Prince was happy to be back in Westeros, while he would have been far more contented with the Keep, Dragonstone was a good substitute. He had been ecstatic when the letter from Helaena had arrived, saying that they could come home and Viserys couldn't wait to see the rest of his family.
Rhaella was still in a deep sleep, Alia the handmaiden, had told Viserys that she was very sick and so the young Prince solemnly watched as everyday they fed his mother milk of poppy and kept her asleep while they were on the boat and even now, at Dragonstone.
The young Prince did not question the handmaidens as Viserys believed them to be much more knowledgeable about these sorts of things and so he did not find the situation even remotely suspicious at all.
Danaerys was no fun, at least in Viserys' opinion. She didn't do anything but cry and sleep, which wasn't very entertaining for the young Prince. And so Viserys had taken to exploring all around Dragonstone, reestablishing himself in his rooms, and ordering the servants to do as he bid—as he was used to before having to leave for Essos.
"You, handmaiden, come," Viserys ordered from the perch of his bed.
The handmaiden, Sasha, who had been walking by in order to do her daily chores, stopped and approached the young Prince before going into a deep curtsey.
"How may I assist you, my Prince?" Sasha's voice, while sweet and beseeching, was also tinged with impatience.
The young Prince had been stopping and ordering her about all day, interrupting the work she needed to get done unless she wanted to be reprimanded by Lady Stokeworth.
"I need you to help me write a letter! To my sister!" Viserys commanded imperiously, crossing his arms and tilting his chin up in an impression of superiority.
Sasha shook her head—the request a familiar one as Prince Viserys had already requested this multiple times. "I'm sorry my Prince, but no letters are to come or leave from Dragonstone unless expressly allowed by Lady Stokeworth,"
"Why not?" the young Prince demanded. Though he had demanded this multiple time and been rejected multiple times, Viserys still felt the need for an explanation every single time.
"It's a matter of …. security?" the handmaiden attempted to explain, unsure of how to word that his dear sister, Queen Helaena, didn't want anyone to know that they were back in the Seven Kingdoms, not after declaring them to be exiled. She hoped alluding to the rebellion this time would stop the young Prince from asking more questions.
"Oh," Viserys deflated a little, more mature than his age showed him to be and knowing the dangers that were currently going on, or at least the dangers his mother had made him aware of. "Is the fighting still going on?"
The handmaiden nodded eagerly, ready to finish this conversation, "Yes my Prince and your sister is very worried for your safety as you are her most beloved little brother,"
"That's true," Viserys agreed. "You may leave then," the young Prince dismissed the girl and went about his brooding.
Viserys sighed before laying flat on his bed, staring blanking up at the ceiling. The young Prince wasn't sure why his Father couldn't just vanquish all the enemies, or make them bend the knee. They were Targaryens after all, Viserys thought, it was their birthright to rule.
For these people, to believe that they were worthy of the Iron Throne, it was preposterous for Viserys to even contemplate, so deeply ingrained was his House loyalty and sense of superiority.
And one day, Viserys thought happily, he might just be King.
…
"Is the problem contained?" Tywin walked the Black Cells, having ordered all those who were living to be transported there.
"We caught as many of them as we could, Tywin," Kevan walked next to his brother, surveying the Black Cells as he had never spent a considerable amount of time down in them, "There hasn't been anymore spotted since the Queen's arrival back to the Keep,"
"And all the living ones? How advanced are there illnesses?" Tywin Lannister had been trying his best to keep this as hushed as possible.
While the Queen dealt with the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, Tywin was left with the day to day tasks of running King's Landing. He was hoping not having to risk the Queen's ire by directing her attention away from hunting traitors to having to deal with a potentially deadly outbreak within her own home. Well, as long as he kept it contained that is.
"Advanced, many of them are almost completely stone,"
Tywin nodded, "We only need a couple of them. How many are there in total?"
"Ten," Kevan revealed, "Tywin, what do you need them for?"
Considering his answer for a moment, Tywin decided to reveal his plan to his brother, "There is no cure for the stone flesh. Not that any one knows of. It's a painful way to die and one may never know when you need something along the lines of this,"
"As what? A form of punishment? That's cruel Tywin, even for you," the younger Lannister couldn't fathom as to why his brother would want to keep stone men around just to punish others later. It was a bad way to go about things and on the off chance one of them escaped? There would be chaos and an outbreak.
Kevan Lannister had followed his elder brother through many of the man's wildest schemes. Tywin Lannister, after all, was renowned for his intellect and cunning, especially in terms of the great game. However, to use people, with a deadly illness that could send all the lands crashing down, as a means of punishment, it was just on the edge of what Kevan could handle.
"Enemies surround the capital now, we've seen it. Varys reports whispers from some of the lesser Houses, the Iron Bank breathes down both the necks of House Lannister and the Crown, despite the Queen's reassurances. Nothing is secure right now and we need every level and measure of protection," the confidence that radiated in Tywin's tone was hard to deny but Kevan was still pretty skeptical.
"And if one of them breaks out? Causes an epidemic?" it was a real worry and Kevan wasn't sure that Tywin was completely thinking this one through.
It was obvious that Tywin wanted a way to ensure answers and loyalty when the time came. However, the Queen would be furious should she ever find out that not only was her Hand keeping secrets, but he was keeping a potentially deadly illness within the walls of the Red Keep.
Tywin shrugged, "Than we lose a few more of the small folk—there are too many of them to begin with anyway,"
The two men approached the cell that the stone men were being held in. Opening the door, the Lannisters were severely disgusted at what they saw.
"Do we tell the Queen?" Kevan asks, eyes unable to tear away from the sight before him.
Tywin shakes his head, "The Queen has enough to think of right now. As long as this issue is contained, she need not know it even occurred."
…
With Caraxes curled around her neck, Helaena made her way through the halls of the Keep. Meleys and Sunfyre were hunting, flying above King's Landing again, leaving their little brother in the Dragon pit. Taking pity upon the small dragon, Helaena had taken him to all the meetings she had throughout the day, allowing him to rest on her shoulders and in her arms.
The look of amazement and fear in the eyes of all the Lords and Ladies of the Court made Helaena want to laugh. But the Queen resisted the urge. Instead, a feeling of exhaustion was starting to settle again in Helaena's bones. There was so much to attend to as Queen and she couldn't remember when was the last time she had a decent night's sleep.
Each day was filled with audiences with people throughout the Seven Kingdoms, meetings with her Small Council, the Night's Watch, her Master of War and Lord Commander as well as various other Lords who all felt they needed to voice their concerns to their Queen. Then it was a matter of her own personal research, as well as discussions with her Hand and the Master of Coin about finances, imports and exports. All of it was enough to give Helaena a severe migraine.
Rounding the corner, Helaena ran into the person she had been seeking, her Master of Laws.
"Jon Arryn, just the man I was looking for!" Helaena exclaimed, startling Caraxes for a moment before the dragon settled himself and buried his face deeper into Helaena's neck.
Jon bowed, attempting to keep himself from staring at the dragon wrapped around his Queen, "My Queen, how may I offer assistance,"
"Let us go to a more private room, there is an important matter that I would like to speak with you about," Helaena motioned for Jon to follow her.
Together the pair, and Ser Gerold who was her guard for the evening, made their way to Helaena's solar. Once they arrived, Helaena settled in one of the chairs and beckoned Jon to sit across from her.
"How are you Lord Arryn? How does the Vale fare?" Leaning in, Helaena was genuinely interested in what her foster father had to say.
"They are fine. There were no casualties from the Burning of Riverrun and all my men are back at the Vale," Jon informed his Queen, the woman he stilled sometimes viewed as the little girl he would balance on his shoulders when they were both younger. It was hard to see her as an adult, let alone a Queen who had rode out to war with her men no more than a fortnight ago.
Helaena nodded, pleased with the news that there were not any lives lost, at least for their side, "That's good. And who is currently running the daily tasks now that you are here as my Master of Laws?"
"I have a few of the Lords of the Lesser Houses that have sworn fealty to me assemble a council and they are currently overseeing the daily affairs. I get letters frequently updating me," Jon replied nonplussed.
"I see. Jon, there's a matter I would like to address," Helaena began and at the curious look on her Master of Laws' face, continued.
"You are my Master of Laws. All the rules that govern Westeros are under your purview. Tell me, what is the law on the matter of sovereignty?" the Queen asks, "If a Queen wanted to rule, on her own,"
Jon's eyes widened, startled, "Helaena, are you suggesting…?"
"I only want to know the possibility—in case certain circumstances make it so that the person who wins the Tourney at Pyke is…unsuitable for the throne," remaining quite tight-lipped about her plans, Helaena wanted to see what Jon Arryn would say first.
"I will have to consult the books that were provided to me…however, my Queen, you must think of the Houses you will alienate should you not take a husband," Jon advised, the Master of Laws not really seeing why the Queen wouldn't want to get married.
Helaena shrugged, "I believe avenues would open further for me, actually. But, it is completely up to what you discover Lord Jon Arryn,"
Jon nodded, "I will see what I can find, my Queen," got up to leave, set to complete the task that Helaena had just charged him with.
"Another thing, Jon," Helaena stopped the man from leaving.
"Yes, my Queen," turning back around, Jon awaited the next words that Helaena would say.
"You have no wife and thus no heir to the Vale. I want to remedy that," the Queen pushed forward bluntly and without any thought of her foster father's feelings. This was something that needed to be done after all.
"My Queen, is this an appropriate time to speak of this? There are still greater matters that need to be dealt with," Jon reasoned, unsure of why the Queen was bringing up the fact that he wasn't married.
"You have no heir Jon, should anything happen to you, your seat would go to a vassal house that may not be as loyal to me as you are—you can see my worry?" Helaena urged, willing Jon to understand.
Jon looked contemplative before he assented to the issue, "Who did you have in mind, my Queen" it was almost no use arguing to Helaena once she had an idea in mind.
The Queen would fulfill it with or without permission. This was a curtesy, allowing Jon to find out before she announced it before the whole Court. To an extent, Jon Arryn knew that; however, that didn't stop him from wanting to object to this idea. But the Master of Laws kept his mouth shut, wanting to hear what Helaena had to say first.
"Margery Tyrell. She is young, of child bearing years, and can supply you with an impressive dowry given the wealth of the Reach," Helaena stated simply.
"And do you know anything of her person? This woman that you would have me marry," Jon said wryly.
"She's smart, smarter than most ladies her age. Cultured, well versed in multiple areas of expertise that any future Lady wife is supposed to be versed in. And she's also beautiful. You could do far worse Jon," Helaena smiled gently at her foster father, "Moreover, the Vale cannot be without a stable, ruling hand for so long. At the very least, if you have a lady wife, she can stay there to run the household when you are here,"
"Is there any point in arguing with you?" sighing, Jon rubbed his forehead.
"No, not really," Helaena stood and walked over to the still seated Jon, taking his hands in hers. "You'll thank me for this Jon, and when you have little sons and daughters running around and giving you headaches in the Vale, you may curse my name but you will also be thankful,"
Jon looked skeptical. "Will I?"
"Oh yes, and just wait until you meet her. I have heard she is particularly pleasant, much better than Cersei or Falyse,"
"And who did you hear this from?" Jon scoffed, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.
Helaena laughed pleasantly, her eyes warm. "Well Willas, of course,"
The two met eyes, foster father to foster daughter, understanding passing between the two. She had bartered Jon's marriage to Margery for something with House Tyrell. Obviously, besides Lord Arryn finally getting a Lady Arryn, the Queen was receiving something from the family for a good match for their daughter.
"It'll be a beautiful wedding, I'll make sure of it," Helaena added, without really having too, but feeling the need to do so, if to somehow assure Jon before he met Margery.
The Queen was sure he would be captivated. From what Willas had described, men in general had trouble containing the urge to love the eldest Tyrell daughter. Helaena rolled her eyes internally, she didn't care how entrancing Margery Tyrell could be, she just needed to be a good wife to Jon and bear him plenty of little children, or Helaena would have her head. Helaena needed her Master of Laws here, in the Capital, but she also needed the Vale.
And what better way to secure it but to have Lord Jon Arryn married off with a pretty little lady and having an heir on the way.
Well, also because the Tyrells, mostly Olenna, made an offer that the Queen would find herself stupid to refuse.
….
Robert Baratheon took a deep breath, breathing in the scents of the forest. Having taken down a boar with the rest of his hunting party, the Lord of the Stormlands was taking a second to just soak in the moment.
Looking up through the leaves and watching as the rays of sun shined through, Robert couldn't help but think of Lyanna. How much the Stark woman would have loved to have gone hunting on this perfect day. The Summer was long, persistent, and the beautiful weather out in the woods outside the Crownlands could make any Northern man weep.
A piercing pain stabbed at Robert's heart whenever he thought of Lyanna. They would have been married by now, she could have been carrying his child—maybe even the second one by now. Running a tired hand down his face, Robert thought of all the possible futures he had imagined with the woman he loved.
Despite being an utter rake, Robert Baratheon knew he would have cast aside any high-born lady, handmaiden, or whore for just one more moment with Lyanna—where he could see her face and hear her voice.
Eyes watering, Robert clenched his fist and took a painful swallow that made its way slowly through his throat. It seemed that Lyanna Stark and he were not meant to be together this life. Looking at the lake in front of him, Robert found the water entrancing.
Perhaps in another life they would meet again…
Stepping toward the lake, Robert got close enough to allow the water to touch his feet.
Cover his knees.
Reach his waist.
There were shouts in the back. But Robert Baratheon was deaf to the world. His thoughts firmly with the dark-haired beauty who had left the world far too early.