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Queen Sanira Stark - Caitlin Stasey

Book Three of the Winds of Freedom Saga. Follows The Lady of Winterfell and The War for the North.


Chapter Six: The Targaryen-Velaryon Alliance.

"Have you lost your mind?" Corwyn Velaryon hissed grabbing onto Laena's arm and pulling her to the side, his grip tight as she tried to shrug him off and walk away from him. Laena glared at her uncle, she couldn't believe that he was acting like this in public she thought that he would have understood why she had done this. Afterall, it wasn't a secret on what he planned to do and how he planned to unseat her brother from the lands and titles left to him upon the death of their father during the Battle of Blackwater.

"I am of sound mind uncle," Laena scolded him as she turned to face the man that would happily murder her brother if that meant that he could be the Master of Driftmark. Laena didn't trust Corwyn for a moment, her ambitious uncle had been lurking around since before her father had passed away and had been devastated when Laena's mother had birthed Monterys displacing him as heir to Driftmark.

"Then why would you offer yourself up as the wife of the Targaryen bastard without the blessing of myself," Corwyn accused shaking his head, he didn't care that Stannis or anyone else believed that Jon Snow was the legitimate son of Rhaegar, a bastard was a bastard to him. As the head of their house until Monterys came of age, it was on him to organise a marriage for Laena and he had planned to wed her to his own son to secure his own succession.

"I do not need your blessing to do anything, my fate is in my own hands just as my father decreed before his death," Laena spat at her uncle, her eyes taking in the room to see if anyone was watching them right now. This was a fairly public gathering, many celebrating the days events and talking about the tourney that was still taking place despite everything that had happened that day. Corwyn pulled Laena closer, he refused to believe that she would actually go through with this marriage that she would actually shame their family like this when she could marry Vaemond instead.

"How dare you! I am your caretaker, I will not consent to this match," Corwyn raged silently, he glanced around not wanting to attract any further attention than needed to this conversation. House Velaryon was held in high regard among the ranks of those who were loyal to Stannis, they had sworn themselves in the early days of the war and had never looked back.

"If I could borrow my betrothed for a moment," interrupted a voice, Laena and Corwyn looking to the side to see an awkward looking Jon Snow stood beside them. His eyes caught on the hold that Corwyn had on Laena's arm before offering his own to the woman that had pledged herself to him only a matter of hours ago.

"We have much to discuss before our wedding tomorrow," Jon noted with an awkward smile, he resisted the urge to turn around and punch Corwyn for laying his hands on Laena in such a way. The last thing he wanted was to cause trouble when things were still fresh and people were only now getting to know him as Daeron Targaryen rather than the bastard son of Ned Stark. Laena smiled at him linking her arm with Jon's and allowing him to lead her away, she didn't look back at Corwyn or his scowling face as he watched Laena walk away with Jon.

"Thank you," Laena whispered to him, she had no idea what he was like and she had only heard stories of the honourable Ned Stark; she guessed if he was anything like his cousin then it wasn't going to be so bad. Jon Snow was an unknown entity especially now as Lord of Dragonstone, the ancestral home of the Targaryens returning to the rightful heir after all this time. It had been Stannis' home during the reign of King Robert, a place that had seen much tragedy during that time and even Laena had heard the whispers of what happened there in regards to Queen Selyse.

"My uncle is a rather prickly man especially when he's got getting his own way," Laena explained softly, she doubted that many things would make him happy except getting what he desired. Looking down at her arm, Laena had no doubts that there would be a bruise there later on considering how hard he had been holding onto her arm; she was just relieved that soon she would not have to deal with him anymore.

"I can imagine," Jon said leading Laena to a private space were they could talk, he had been serious when he had said that they had much to talk about with them due to the fact that tomorrow they were expected to marry. Stannis was leaving no room for arguments, he wanted everything to fall into place and dealt with before the end of the tourney; he wanted nothing popping up further down the line. Corwyn's eyes didn't leave the couple as they crossed the room, his face displaying his displeasure at what had just happened and he couldn't believe that the Targaryen bastard had interrupted him in such a way.

"Why did you agree to marry me?" Jon asked looking to Laena, stepping away from the crowded gathering and the noise so that he could finally speak with his intended. It was surreal that he was to wed, he had never consider that he would have a family of his own; he had always been so set on joining the Night's Watch, he had known that any child he'd have would be stuck with his bastard name.

Now here he was, about to marry a noblewoman with a fine name of her own with a heritage behind his true name that he had to now live up to and give to his own children one day. Laena took a deep breath, she pulled away from Jon and turned to face him fully; her eyes searching his face as she decided what she wanted to say.

"You looked like you needed an ally," Laena stated with a shrug of her shoulders, her eyes casting away from Jon towards her younger brother for the briefest moments; a frown setting upon her face seeing their cousin, Vaemond with Monterys.

"And it seems that I am in need of an ally myself," Laena admitted quietly, she closed her eyes turning her full attention back to Jon knowing that there was little point in remaining quiet on this matter. Jon needed Laena as much as Laena needed Jon, without each other they were in serious trouble and Laena knew that she could not afford for such a thing to happen.

"My uncle seeks to displace my brother from his rightful inheritance since our father's passing," Laena murmured low enough for only Jon to hear, there would be no friendliness from Corwyn and he would only likely cause trouble more when the pair had married. Corwyn was not a man that would take the slight of losing control of Laena well, he wanted the power that came from being head of the house and had just lost his bid for control with her agreeing to marry Jon.

"I will help you smooth out any issues with the southern lords and in return I would like your support in securing my brother as Lord of Driftmark," Laena explained, she had no idea what the future might hold for them but she knew that she would do anything to keep her brother safe.

He was the last member of her family that she had, she didn't trust their uncle for a moment and knew that he'd happily murder the twelve year old to get what he desired most. Jon stared at Laena, a lump in his throat as he looked past his bride towards her uncle who was whispering rather furious with a man that Jon had been told was his son.

"In return, I shall be a loyal wife to you… I will mother your children and support any cause that you desire. I want my brother safe, I can't watch my uncle overthrow everything that my father worked for," Laena bargained with him, she had heard a lot about Ned Stark from her father. He had fought with the man during the rebellion and had nothing but praise for him, Monford had been disturbed to hear of the execution of Ned Stark.

The man having warned Stannis about the truth before Joffrey Baratheon had him executed to cover up the fact that he wasn't truly Robert's son but the bastard son of Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime. If Jon was anything like the man that had raised him then Laena knew that she would be in good hands, he was raised with King Robb afterall and she had seen how Robb treated his wife, Sanira. Just one look at Robb when Sanira was in the same room told anyone how much he adored his pregnant wife, the Queen already expecting her third child.

"I shall help you in any way that I can," Jon said not sure how much help he would be in this regard, he didn't have much pull in the south that he'd had in the North where he had been Robb's second in command since the war had ended. His brother had treated him well and he owed a lot of what he had to Robb, the man that had his back even now and he would always see the Starks as his real family. It didn't matter to him what name that he carried or what titles he had, he was still Jon Snow and that name mattered to him.


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