Wife of the Wolf, Husband of the Sun
Chapter Fifty-Four.
When her Father had read the words that had come to Riverrun by the black wings of a raven, Lysa didn't think that she had ever seen him so angry as she had done in that moment. His face had turned as pale as one of her bedsheets and the blue of his eyes had widened while the black dots in the centre had shrunken and his hands had clutched at the paper so tightly that he was fairly sure that he was going to rip it in half.
Lysa had not been able to see what had been written on the paper herself as her Father had stormed out of the room after he had finished reading the letter, slamming the door after he had left so hard that it almost splintered the wood. Uncle Brynden had told her not to be concerned about it with the warm smile that had always comforted her when she was a little girl and had scrapped her knee or when Cat had chosen to play with someone else over her.
But she had seen something in his eyes that had made her incapable of not worrying, he was scared as well. She had always known her uncle wasn't telling her something and she wanted to know. She needed to know, but according to master Vyman, her Father, her uncle, the steward and the master-at-arms had still not left her father's solar.
It was unbearable waiting for any news.
It wouldn't be as bad if she could speak to Cat about it, but she had heard no word from her. She had wondered if the letter was from Cat but she couldn't imagine what Cat could have written that would have made their Father so angry. Cat had only ever made their father smile, Lysa wasn't a fool she had always known that her Father had a favourite child and it was not her and it was not Edmure.
The worst thing was, Lysa couldn't hate Cat for that. She had loved Cat more than anyone, she had been there her entire life. Even with how hard it was for her for Cat to be the more beautiful one, the smarter one, the one with more poise who all of the boys gave their flowers too and all of the knights wanted her favour over Lysa's, some younger sons and nephews might pay her a compliment but it was always Cat who shined that much brighter than her, every single time.
It would have been so much easier to bare if Cat had always been mean to her, had been the older sister who would laugh at her, would push her down into the mud and pulled at her hair but Cat had always been a perfect older sister who had played with her when she was lonely even though she was older than her by almost four whole years and would read to her when she was sick.
They had even invented a secret language when they were girls, as a way to speak about the people around them without anyone knowing who they were speaking off, a perfect way to share secrets. If Lysa tried then she was fairly sure that she could write a letter to Cat in that same tongue, she wished that she could send a raven to Cat now as it would mean that she would be able to know what she did and no one else would have too.
But they weren't little girls playing their secret games anymore, they were both of them women grown and Cat was beyond her now. It was part of the reason that Lysa was certain that the letter had been from her, Father had forbidden her from sending any letters and now only he, the maester, the steward and the master-at-arms were allowed to go into the rookery.
Her entire world at times had seemed to shrink to her chambers as of late, she couldn't speak to her Father or her Uncle as they always seemed to be rushing after something more important than her, poor Petyr was still in a foul mood about Catelyn being gone and refused to talk to her as well. Lysa had a few ladies and maids about her but she didn't truly consider any of them friends and Edmure was just a stupid little boy, they had never been close to one another and it had always been Cat who had bridged the divide between them.
It would be better once she was married to Ser Jaime and off at Casterly Rock, being prepared to be it's future lady. It had all that she had been looking forward too, it had been the fuel for all her dreams. She would be wearing a dress of green and gold brocade with a cloak of her father's colours and all would smile at her as she walked down the length of the sept of Casterly Rock, to her future husband.
In her dreams, Jaime Lannister would look even more handsome than he did when she had seen him at Riverrun. His curls would look like spun gold that would shine in the candle light and his beautiful green eyes would shine like emeralds and when he looked at her, he would smile like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Lysa would turn her back to him so that he could remove her bridal cloak and she would run her fingers over his cloak once he had put it on her shoulders, taking her into his protection. All the ladies and lords and noble knights would clap and cheer for them then, for their future lady. Lord Hoster would be smiling so proudly, in that moment Lysa was sure that none of his children would ever make him so proud as she would when she took the young lion of Casterly Rock as her husband.
Not even Cat would make him that proud, she would be there as well of course. With Brandon Stark standing next to her, his arm around her waist. Cat would kiss her cheeks and she would smile at her and tell her how beautiful she looked, how she had outshined even her own her own wedding day. Cersei Lannister would be there with Prince Rhaegar and she would kiss her on her cheeks as well, telling her how happy she was to have another sister and Prince Rhaegar would say that he had never seen anyone even half as beautiful as her.
Then they would go to the feast, there would be suckling pig and river pike served with mashed yellow beats and green leaves and pies filled with venison and mushrooms. And smaller pies as well, filled with pork and beef and mutton and pies and eggs and cheese. Ducks and swans wore be stuffed with plums and nuts and there would be cheese and beard as well, served with every single course.
And the sweets, that was what she would look forward to the most through out it all. There would be tarts, blackberry ones and strawberry ones and blueberry ones and pastries filled with sweet cream and almonds and jams and cakes made with honey and lemon cakes as with, large ones with spun sugar decorations, of lions and trout's and castles and some lavender biscuits and apples baked in cinnamon.
Jaime would serve her of course, the Lord's portion and the choicest of morsels he would feed to her himself. Inbetween each bite of food, he would sneak a kiss and by the time the sweets had come, his kisses would be even more delicious than them and Lysa would want nothing more than to spend the rest of her life kissing him, more than even Petyr.
Petyr would be there as well of course, and he would cast a single perfect tear at the sight of her being wed to someone else but he would be understanding and happy for her and Lysa would make sure that he was given something to do, she had never been to the Fingers but the way that Petyr had described had always made it seem such a dismal little place that someone as bright and as brilliant as Petyr should not be condemned to spend the rest of his life.
He was always so good with numbers, perhaps she could find him some high position in Lannisport? If he served well, then in time he could rise to be as high a lord as Lysa always knew that he was destined to be. And he would kiss her cheek and thank her with all of his heart, because he would realise that it was all due to her. That it was always her who was on his side.
Soon enough, the bedding would come and Lysa would blush so prettily and giggle until she couldn't breath as the men picked her up and carried her off to the bedchamber where she would get under the covers and would wait for her husband to arrive. His chest would be bare when he came to her, a smirk on his handsome face when he saw her and climbed into the bed with her.
When he slipped inside of her, Lysa would cry just a little at how good it felt. She would scratch at his back and cling to him and would moan once she reached her peak and felt him spill inside of her. The thought of the result of that night made her smile, a little babe with golden curls like his father and her deep blue eyes on their face.
She let out a sigh as she felt sun gently bathing on her face, pulling her out of her thoughts. It had been raining for the past several days, an almost constant downpour which seemed to be reflecting her own mood and the mood of Riverrun as well. She hoped that the sight of the sun meant that things were finally about to change and that all would be well.
The door to her chamber opened then and when she turned, her mood soured slightly and a frown came on to her face when she saw that it was her uncle, the sight of him was always a welcome one but the sight of him in armour was unusual when he was inside the walls of Riverrun. "Lysa love, your Father wants to see you right away. Come with me."
Lysa frowned as she gathered up her skirts and stood up from the window seat and followed her uncle out of her chamber, the castle seemed more silent than usual and it was unnerving. They eventually arrived outside her father's solar where two guardsmen were standing guard, the one on the left nodded and went inside to announce her before coming back out to show her inside.
Hoster Tully was standing out on the balcony, like his younger brother he was dressed in armour as well with a swordbelt wrapped around his waist. Was there to be a war? Her mind was thrown back to the conversation she had overheard with her Father and her uncle in the old servant's passage, that was how she knew she was going to marry Ser Jaime before he had come to Riverrun after all.
But they had spoken about things that hadn't made sense to her as well, something about how many men that the Westerlands and the Reach could field together when compared to the rest of the kingdoms, and not wanting to risk the King's wrath and something about a boy and what they had planned for him. It was so hard to remember any of it now, to be honest. She had been so giddy when they spoke of her marrying Jaime that all the rest of it had faded away like mist in the daylight.
Lysa didn't know anything about wars or battles, but that certainly seemed like the talk that men would have when it came to war. Something about the king as well, had someone threatened him? Sure he would have called for all the swords in the Seven Kingdoms by now if that was true. "Father, you wanted to see me?" She called out from behind his desk, her hands delicately folded in front of her. If there was to be a war, than Father would tell her. Surely he would.
Hoster Tully did not turn his gaze away from the horizon, he simply kept staring forward. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Lysa, darling come here. I want you to see something." He beckoned her forward with a wave of his hand and Lysa went forward to stand next to him on the balcony. She looked down as the Tumblestone gently babbled passed, it's surface being unbroken for the first time in days.
Her father turned to her and reached out to move a lock of her back behind her ear, he looked older than he had done the last time she had properly seen him. "Lysa, listen to me. Your uncle and I need to go North for a time, your sister has been insulted and disgraced." He turned away from her then and walked over to the edge of the balcony, clutching his hands into firsts. "That ungrateful bastard of a husband made mockery of her, he dishonoured by having relations with a lady in service to Princess Elia and the both of them have fled from Winterfell and apparently, no one knows where they've gone. Lord Rickard claims to have been ignorant of all of this, ha! Does he think I am fool? This was all under his nose, in his seat, with his heir and he knew nothing? He insults me, and Catelyn is alone and has a child growing inside of her. I will not tolerate this."
Lysa didn't know where to begin with all that she had just learned, she knew that something bad must have happened and she had suspected that it might have had something to do with Catelyn but this had been the last thing that she thought had happened. Why would anyone abandon Cat? She was so beautiful and kind and if she was pregnant, then that was clearly proof enough that she was fertile. Lord Brandon would have no reason at all to be displeased with her, certainly not enough to run away with some Dornish whore.
Princess Elia only had one lady in service to her, the Lady Ashara of House Dayne of Starfall. She was a beautiful woman, with thick dark hair, light olive skin and violet eyes. Lysa knew she was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world but what an awful woman she must be, to steal away Cat's husband from her while she was pregnant with his child. Lysa hoped they both paid for it. "What is Cat to do? Is she going to come back home?"
Lysa hoped that would be the case, poor Cat would be so upset over all that had happened but she would be better once she came back to Riverrun. The babe would be little better than a bastard of course, but it would be loved and accepted. She would make sure enough of that and may haps once it was old enough, it could squire for Edmure and once Lysa was married to Ser Jaime, she would send for Catelyn to come with her, to serve her as one of her ladies. What fun they would have together.
But it seemed as though that was not to be, at least not for the moment as her Father shook his head at her question. He looked so furious, as though he had been hiding it up to now but now that he had hold her the truth he saw no reason too and she could not deny that the fury that she saw in her Father's eyes at that moment still terrified her like it did when she was little, the same sort that would send her running and hiding up in a tree in her mother's gardens or in some little nook in the castle, hoping he wouldn't find her and would forget about her and that would be the end of it.
"No Lysa, Cat will be staying where she is if I have anything to say about it. Brandon Stark might have abandoned her but the child she is carrying is still his and thus is Lord Rickard's grandson and heir. I will not stand by if Lord Rickard thinks he can somehow set your sister aside or cheat my grandchild of their rights then he will have quite a shock coming to him."
"Your Uncle and I are going to ride North with two hundred men, not enough to threaten Winterfell to be sure but more than enough to make sure that the message is clear to Lord Rickard." Her father put his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes as he continued to speak. "Lysa, listen to me. Your brother is still just a young boy and while he might be Lord of Riverrun, there is much and more that he still doesn't know about what it means to be a lord. You sat in with me and your sister while I held court so while your uncle and I are gone, it will fall to you to guide your brother and to rule the Riverlands in my stead."
"I know that I can count on you love." The words made her smile and made her face turn redder than her hair, he had never said anything like that to her. To Cat, certainly. It had always been Cat that Lord Hoster had asked questions too when he had held court, to make sure that she was listening. Lysa had always just sat quietly at his side, she hadn't paid much attention after it had become clear to her that holding the court was mainly just for Cat to learn.
But really, it didn't matter much at all. She already knew everything she needed to know, The Brakens and the Blackwoods hated one another, Lord Frey was very old and always wanting more than he actually deserved. That was really all she needed to know and she could handle the rest as it came, she was sure that she could. "Don't worry Father, I will take care of everything."
"I know you will sweetling, in truth you won't have to do that much. The steward and the maester will do most of the day to day work and ruling, managing the castle and what not but it will be up to you to hold court. Edmure is still a young boy, when I was his age and your grandfather held court all I wanted to do was run off and go sparring in the yard but my Father made sure that I stayed and because I stayed, I learned. He will need to learn as well, make sure that he stays and doesn't run off."
"I will." Lysa said with a nod, she could do this. She was certain that she could. Lord Hoster pressed another kiss to her forehead and dismissed her and asked her to send his brother into him. Lysa withdrew and left the room and then sent her uncle into the room after her and began to make her way through the stone corridors of Riverrun, a thousand thoughts rushing through her head like a river.
She didn't think she had ever lived a day without seeing either her father or her uncle, when Lord Hoster had ridden off to go and deal with some quarrelling bannermen then it would be Uncle Brynden she would go to for comfort and advice and when Uncle had ridden off into the night after he had yet another fight with Father, well, she was never one to run to Father for comfort anyway but she at least had the knowledge that he was there at the very least.
But now they would both be gone, off to save her sister from the heart of the savage north. It almost seemed like something out of a song. There had never been enough music at Riverrun for Lysa's taste, when they all came back she would have a feast held for them and there would be plenty of music. Singers and pipers and harpists as well. She might arrange for some fools as well, jugglers and jousters on top of them.
Poor Cat would need as much cheering up as she could get, she was still young, though not as young as her, and beautiful besides but she was damaged goods now. Her child might be heir to Winterfell and it might stay in the North, but Cat would surely have to come back to Riverrun and her Father would never be able to find her as good a match as he had done with Brandon Stark, what lord would have her now?
A sudden and terrible thought struck her, as if someone had just shot a crossbow bolt at her. He wouldn't try and give Catelyn to Jaime, he couldn't do that. It wasn't fair, the match had been made for her and not for Cat. But Father had always preferred Cat, always. He would fight for her and her rights in a way that he would never do for her, he would never ride hundreds of miles with hundreds of knights for her. She had always known that. Lysa was always given the second best of everything her in entire life and Jaime was going to be hers. Cat couldn't take that form her, she couldn't.
A wave of sadness struck her than, as overpowering as a wave during an autumn storm. A rough sob escaped from her throat as she imagined Cat taking her place in her dreams, wedding Jaime and being the lady of Casterly Rock while Lysa was left with nothing. Married to someone awful, an old man with no teeth like Walder Frey or Eldon Estermont or Jon Arryn.
It was all too much, it was all so unfair. Another sob escaped her throat and she pushed herself forward, bringing up her hand to cover her mouth. She was vaguely aware that she wasn't even running in the directions of her chamber anymore, she was just running in any direction. Perhaps if she ran fast enough, then she might be able to escape her pain.
She turned a corner so quickly that she didn't see anything that was in front of her until it was too late and so with a cry, she collided with someone and fell to the stone floor. She pushed herself up by her hands and was ready to pick herself up and run off before whoever she bumped into had a chance to yell at her but she was frozen in her tracks when she saw that it was Petyr, her beautiful Petyr.
Whenever she saw him, she always felt so guilty. He had looked so shocked when her Lord Father had announced publicly to all of Riverrun that he was arranging a match between herself and the young lion of Casterly Rock. She had wanted to go to him right there and then hold him to her, to tell him that he was still dear to her and that she would never forget him and that he could come with her to the Westerlands but once she had approached him, he had run off.
Since then, the air between them had been icy indeed and Lysa had tried to give him some time, some space. He would come around, Petyr must have felt what was between them. The love that they both shared, she didn't understand why he made it all so difficult, why he insisted on fighting it, why he acted like he almost hated her sometimes when she knew that he didn't.
He did seemed annoyed at her at the moment, but she could understand that. She had just run into him, Petyr got to his feet as Lysa rubbed at her eyes to try and hide that she had been crying. It seemed to work as Petyr did not seem to have noticed. He rubbed his fingers, long and delicate and lovely, over the blue silk doublet that she knew was one of the finest things that Petyr owned. "What's wrong with you Lysa? Is there a reason you're charging through the halls like a rampaging Auroch?"
Lysa gathered up her skirts and got too her feet, embarrassment rushing through her entire body. "I am so sorry Petyr, I was just so upset for a moment and I lost control of myself. I didn't hurt you did I?" She asked as reached out, unable to hold back a shiver as her fingers came into contact with his soft skin and she stared into his grey-green eyes.
They were such beautiful eyes, they were not the brilliant emeralds of Jaime Lannister, to be sure, but they were just as beautiful in their own way. They always seemed to hold secrets in them, mysteries. Things that Lysa always wanted to find out, to better understand him but at times she thought that burrowing through the Wall with a spoon might have been an easier task.
Petyr pulled back and Lysa frowned at the lack of contact but she soon forgot that when she saw Petyr starting at her with those lovely eyes, burrowing into her skin and seeing straight into her. When he looked at her like that, all thoughts of Jaime and Casterly Rock and being the lady of a great house fled from her like the survivors of a defeated army after a devastating battle. "And what exactly could have been so distressing to my Lady, that has made her so upset? Tell me Lysa, I might be able to help."
He couldn't of course, Petyr had no men to command and she knew that her Father would be angry at her for telling what he meant to do before he was ready but Petyr would never hurt them and he was too clever to tell anyone and he would never betray her. Petyr would never be so wicked as to get her into trouble and so, Lysa told him everything.
Once she was finished speaking, Petyr had turned very quite which struck her as worrying as she had never known Petyr to lack for words. Of course it was understandable, he had always been so fond of Cat and now he heard how she had been shamed, dishonoured, ruined. It made her angry as well and so, so sad but what could they truly do about it now? Cat would have to bare the same.
She reached out for Petyr, to hold him and pull him close to her so that she could give him comfort, to offer shelter from the onslaught of what he must be feeling but before she could close even half the distance between them, he spun on his feet and stormed off. Muttering something under his breath that she couldn't hear.
She wanted him to come back, she wanted to command him to come back. He couldn't walk away from her, but the command froze in her throat and wouldn't come out no matter how hard she tried. Misery all she had left, she brushed her tears which had stared up once again and spun back to make her way back the way she had came, heading back in the direction of her chambers.
Let Cat come back, it didn't matter. In the end, she would have everything and Cat would have to live on her generosity one day, her kindness.
Oh yes.
End of Chapter Fifty-Four.
Yeah, Lysa has a very...complicated relationship when it comes to her sister, there is a lot of genuine love and affection between the two of them but there is also a lot of resentment on Lysa's side as well. Catelyn's the first born daughter, she's the more beautiful one, the more talented one, the favourite.
There's a lot of interesting similarities in fact between the Tully sisters and Sansa and Arya, and it's interesting that Arya is in fact more like Lysa in this situation.
I also really enjoy writing Lysa, she's such an interesting character. She wants her cake and to eat it as well, mainly she wants to marry Jaime but she also wants Petyr as well, maybe not to marry in this situation when she would marry Jaime but she does want him near her.
Anyway, next chapter will be an Eddard chapter and we are back North and Lord Hoster and Lord Rickard will be having a conversation.
I also hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review, a follow and a favourite if so. Constructive Criticism is always welcome.
With much love and many thanks,
DiscordantSymphony