Of White Trees and Blue Roses

I own nothing. This all belongs to GRRM, and I'm just playing with the story he gave us.

~X~

Chapter Thirty Six – Calming the Waters

Lyanna stretched languidly, eventually opening her eyes to find the room was already bright with sunlight. She gave a satisfied smile. It was going to be another beautiful day, perhaps even the most beautiful day yet.

But where was Rhaegar? she thought as she looked at the empty bed next to her. Clutching the blankets to her chest, Lyanna sat up and looked around, relaxing as she saw him sat on a chair only a few feet away.

Her relief didn't last long as she took in the serious look he was giving her, and the tenseness in his posture. She gave an apprehensive grin but he didn't return the gesture.

Deflated, Lyanna hugged the blankets closer. "You regret it."

The prince shook his head. "No. Yes...a little. Not as much as I should. But you might."

Lyanna scowled. "I don't regret a thing. I love you. I've been in love with you since Harrenhal."

The prince twisted his palms together. "I love you, too—intensely so—but things have changed. There are things you should know."

"What things? That you're married? That you're the prince? I don't care. I don't want to be a princess. You know that."

The prince gave a sigh and looked distressed. With a nervous swallow, he began to speak slowly and sombrely.

"After you left the Riverlands with me, your brother rode to King's Landing. He followed my men and the obvious trail they left at my command to prevent them from pursuing us. I thought that someone would stop him before he got to the Red Keep, or at least that he would petition the king, not to react in the way he did."

Lyanna felt her stomach twist. "What did Brandon do?"

"He challenged me to a fight to the death, and I wasn't there to answer it. My father slaughtered his men, and put the survivors in the dungeons to await trail."

"Brandon's in jail?"

Rhaegar shook his head. "My father demanded that all the Northern Lords attended their son's trials, and then he executed both."

Trying to breathe past the lump forming in her throat, Lyanna tried to comprehend that Brandon was dead...and her father...

"How did they die? Was it a clean death?" When Rhaegar didn't answer, Lyanna shouted the question again.

Rhaegar struggled to speak. "My father burned Lord Stark in his armour. Your brother strangled himself trying to rescue him. I'm so sorry. I never envisioned this. If I had..."

Wrapping the blanket around herself, Lyanna climbed out of the bed, yanking the door open and hurrying down the steps to her room. She ignored the prince shouting her name, and slammed her own door behind her.

Dropping the blanket to the floor, she scrambled around the room for clean breeches, a shirt, and then remembered her boots were in Rhaegar's room. No matter. She fastened her armour as best as she could on her own, with her sword belt around her waist. The dull, ancient mirror in the corner showed her the ugly expression on her face and the dishevelment of her hair.

Lyanna slumped to the floor.

This was her fault. If she hadn't been so headstrong, putting her own needs ahead of her duty, Brandon and her father would be alive. She hadn't even said goodbye to either of them, just took off in her own way.

And Eddard, he was Lord Stark now. He had always known how to be honourable and dutiful—did he hate her for her actions? Benjen, did he hate her, too?

Using the bed to help her climb to her feet, Lyanna hastily tugged a comb through the tangles on her head, before grabbing her helm and striding purposefully out of the tower.

Oswell and Arthur were waiting downstairs, but Lyanna didn't pause to look at them as she padded towards the stables.

Oswell was the first to catch up. "Lyanna, where are you going? You have nothing on your feet."

"I will buy some boots in the first village I come across." She pointed at one of the gems in her elaborate armour. "I daresay I'll get a fine pair in return for one of these."

"You can't ride all the way to King's Landing."

Lyanna stopped for just a second. "Who said I was heading to King's Landing? I'm going to Winterfell. My brothers need me."

"The new Lord Stark isn't in Winterfell." Rhaegar came out of the stables, leading Lyanna's horse, already saddled up. "He's in the Vale with Lord Arryn and Lord Robert.

"I'm not going to stop you if you want to go, in fact I'll send Oswell with you to see you arrive safely, but I would ask you to stay. Yes, your brothers would be comforted by seeing you. At least Brandon Stark will have succeeded in returning you to your family with his actions, but you'd still be returning in disgrace—"

"I don't care what people think of me!" Lyanna snarled. "I should be with Eddard and Benjen."

"Your brothers might care about what people think of you. His bannermen might. My family has wronged yours, and the best thing you can do for your brothers is to calm the situation before this escalates into a civil war."

Lyanna stared at Rhaegar. "And how do I that?"

"It won't bring your father and your brother back, but it might placate both sides. We marry and join our houses."

Lyanna snorted. "You're already married."

"Yes, I am, but Targaryens have taken more than one wife in the past. I will convince the king to recognise the union, and then at least we can avoid any further bloodshed. My father has called for your brother's head, Lord Arryn's, and Lord Robert's. I will persuade him to let them be."

Lyanna shook her head. "No."

The prince struggled to hide his disappointment. "No?"

"If I'm going to be expected to wait here, then you'll wait here too. Send one of these two to King's Landing."

"But it would be better if I—"

"No," Lyanna yelled. "If I'm to do nothing then you will too. And while Oswell or Arthur are gone you will train me even harder than before, so at least if I don't return to them a princess, I can at least be the great knight I wanted to be in the first place. I didn't come here to exchange one betrothed for another."

Lyanna seethed with anger, and it wasn't hard to see why the direwolf was her house sigil in that moment.

"I know." Rhaegar held out the reins and looked between the two kings guard. It was Oswell stepped forward, putting his foot into the stirrup and giving a quick nod to the prince. Before he rode away he gave Lyanna a lingering look.

As he galloped through the gates, kicking up a cloud of dust, the three remaining stood awkwardly, none of them speaking. After a while, Lyanna looked at Rhaegar, possibly her future husband, and felt twisted with confusion.

Part of her blamed him for the king's actions, but not as much as she blamed herself. Would marrying him really solve anything? Certainly Robert Baratheon would not be appeased by it.

The idea of coming out of hiding as a princess mortified Lyanna even more than being a fallen woman, seemingly soiled in most people's eyes. Princess Elia was how a princess should be. Lyanna wasn't the regal type, and if it wasn't for the fact that it was Rhaegar that she was marrying the idea would have been wholly abhorrent.

Rhaegar was looking back at her. What was he thinking? He said he loved her, but was he as unsure about marriage as she was? Part of her wanted to go to him, to feel his arms around her again, his lips on hers, but between them were the ghosts of her father and her brother.

Eventually she walked to the courtyard, her visor covering the tears that she finally allowed to fall from her eyes. The others joined her, and for the rest of the day she vented her emotions with mock battle.

Exhausted, when it was time for bed, Lyanna hesitated but found herself knocking at Rhaegar's door. Finally letting it out, she wailed and allowed wet, snotty sobs to escape as she fell asleep in her prince's arms.