The celebration following the grand melee was raucous and went long into the night. Despite not clinching the final victory, the show of martial skill put on by the Stormlanders had become the talk of the tourney, and his men were eager to boast of their many victories. He had, of course, invited the Starks but Brandon had declined stating that they would be attending their team's victory celebration being hosted by House Tully. Regardless, Robert would not let the absence of his future good family keep him from having a good time. Food and drink flowed as Robert enjoyed reveling with his bannermen. It was the most he had drank since returning and was still riding the high of his victory.
The next day as Robert slowly recovered from the celebration and began sorting through his hazy memory of the night before, he was relieved to find his bed empty. Old habits are hard to break when deep in one's cups, but fortunately It seemed as if someone had been keeping watch over him. Robert suspected it was Lady Rogers since she was the only woman he actually interacted with that night, and he vaguely remembered her shooing away some of the younger ladies and serving girls. He imagined it would be a little awkward for him to directly thank him from bedding a woman in his state, perhaps a simple thanks for watching over him would suffice.
With his body still sore from the melee and his head pounding from the celebration, Robert was grateful that he had a full day before he would take to the tilts himself. He would have been much more excited for the day if he knew he could spend it with Lyanna, but if he remembered correctly, she would take ill and would not be in attendance for the next two days. Though, a particularly unpleasant thought occurred to him as he recalled his past life. It was wholly possible that last time she just didn't want to spend time with him and feigned sickness to get out of it. Perhaps then with how things were going this time around she wouldn't feel the need to make up excuses in order to avoid him.
This time she might actually see the Knight of the Laughing Tree in person. He remembered one of the few times she was actually interested in conversing with him back then was when he was regaling her with the exploits of the mystery knight. She actually gave him a bright smile when he declared that it would be him who unmasked the knight. As he spent time reminiscing about those events, he got the feeling that he was missing something big. It was like he had all the evidence needed to solve a great mystery but couldn't quite figure out how it all fit together. He gave up on the thought since he was in no mood to sit and pontificate on the matter. Either Lyanna would join him today and they would enjoy the exciting events together or he would be able to enjoy sharing the tale with her once again. Either outcome was fine with him.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if the King had other plans. As soon as he entered the main room of his tent, he found a page wearing the colors of House Targaryen.
"Excuse me, my lord, but the king says he requires your presence in the royal box today."
Robert did his best not to let his very negative emotions show on his face, nor to take them out on the boy. He was just the messenger after all.
"Very well," Robert sighed. "Inform his Grace that I will join him as commanded."
Robert watched the boy nod and run off. Once again the King felt it necessary to pull him into whatever mad scheme was rattling around in his head. As strange as the thought was, Robert actually hoped Lyanna was ill. It would be all the more frustrating to endure the king's presence if he knew that it was keeping him from spending time with Lyanna. Robert wanted to be with her as much as possible during the tourney since he didn't know when they would once again see each other.
After breaking his fast and taking some time to pray and prepare for the trial to come he finally started making his way to the tourney grounds. He had steeled his heart for a long day of dealing with the fickle madness of King Aerys, but as he approached the Royal box, he couldn't help but grimace as he heard the voice of a dead man call to him.
"Hail Lord Robert." Robert did not appreciate how congenial the prince's tone was.
Forcing a polite smile on his face Robert turned to greet the prince who was accompanied, as always, by Ser Arthur. It took a considerable amount of will power and resolve to maintain a polite façade. He had to remind himself that the Rhaegar standing before him was not yet the prince that had stolen his bride away. This was not yet the man who betrayed his wife and children. There was a possibility still that he could be a good king. Robert truly hoped that would be the case, but every time those thoughts entered his mind, they were accompanied by the terrible sound of his warhammer piercing the prince's armor scattering rubies that disappeared into water running red with blood.
"Well met my prince. How can I be of service?"
"Come now cousin, we are kin, no need for such formality." The prince replied with a small chuckle.
"Of course not, but we haven't exactly been raised as kin. Have we, your grace?" Robert replied, maintaining as polite a tone as he could. The prince's smile faltered.
"It's a shame really, our fathers were the closest of friends. Perhaps we could have been as well if you hadn't been sent off to the Vale."
Robert fought hard not to show his frustration at the statement. If he hadn't been sent to the Vale he would never have met Ned, and Robert would take the Quiet Wolf over the Ponce Prince any day. He began to wonder why the prince was pushing their familial ties so suddenly.
"Well, your grace, there's no sense in dwelling on the what if's if you can't do anything about them." Robert said, laughing internally at the irony of that statement.
"Of course, though hopefully we can make up for lost time then. Before we take our seats, I want to apologize on behalf of my father. His words regarding your betrothed and your squire were uncalled for." The prince spoke with a truly apologetic tone.
"You need not apologize, your grace, the King will speak as he wishes." Robert said with a dismissive wave.
"You know, he wasn't always like this." The prince continued with a resigned sigh. Robert thought he could also hear some bitterness in the words. "Before the defiance, Tywin and your father were always able to reign in the worst of my father's excesses. I am sure that with father stealing away Tywin's heir there will be no one left to manage his moods. I fear for the realm."
The prince took a deep breath before continuing, his features suddenly serious.
"I know that you currently have his favor, he speaks of making you his hand." The prince paused once again, seeming to take a moment to choose his words carefully. "I hope you will do all you can to protect the realm."
The way the prince let the sentence die away made it clear that he was leaving from what, or more accurately who, he hoped Robert would protect the realm from. Robert, for some reason, couldn't help but find the whole situation ridiculous. Prior to this point, he had yet to have a conversation longer than a few sentences with the prince. And yet the prince was now pursuing a closer relationship through their father's history and kinship. The prince was asking him to protect the realm when it was none other than said prince who would plunge it into blood and fire should nothing change. The prince was playing a dangerous game, one that Robert seriously had no interest in joining. It was the height of bad comedy in Robert's mind, and he couldn't keep himself from shaking his head and letting out a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. He watched as the prince's face turned from confusion to anger.
"Is this a joke to you? Is concern for the lives of our people some sort of bad jest?" The prince, while not quite yelling, was practically shaking with fury. The prince's reaction helped Robert reign in his amusement, and he held up a placating hand.
"Apologies, your grace, I am not built for intrigue or the subtleties of politics. I am a warrior first and foremost." Robert said with a smile but took on a much more serious tone as he continued.
"I swear to the gods both old and new that any man stupid enough, arrogant enough, or mad enough to threaten the peace of the kingdom, the lives of its people, and those who I love will soon find themselves on the receiving end of my hammer. Now, I believe the jousts should be starting soon, and the king is expecting us. I would hate to run afoul of his temper this early in the day."
A few more moments of tension passed between the two men before the prince sighed and seemingly relented to Robert's suggestion. The two turned and entered the Royal box in silence before presenting themselves to the king.
"About damned time you got here." The king muttered bitterly, but to Robert it did not seem as if the king was in a particularly bad mood. He hoped that would mean he would have to put up with less of his mad ramblings.
Robert took a moment to look over to where the Starks and other Northern Houses were sitting and noticed that once again Lyanna was not present. He was concerned for her health and would make sure to check in on her as soon as possible, but he also was happy to think that he hadn't been lied to last time around. Plus, he could look forward to seeing her beautiful smile as he recounted the day's events to her. Now he just had to weather the mad ramblings of a paranoid king.
The jousts finally began, and things progressed as just as Robert had remembered. Except this time he was sitting with the king and prince rather than the Starks. And so Robert settled in for a particularly unpleasant day. He got to witness first hand the dizzying mood swings of the mad king. In one moment the king would be cackling madly at the misfortune of a fallen knight before becoming nearly distraught at the thought that the quality of knights had fallen so greatly. All the while the king was sending both veiled and open barbs at the prince. It was enough for Robert to actually feel bad for the prince. Through the course of the day, Robert discovered that Princess Elia was already pregnant with Aegon, and the pregnancy was already difficult for her. Almost to his own surprise, Robert found himself reassuring the prince by telling him that he was sure she would bear him a healthy son.
As the hours dragged on he found himself growing more interested as it was nearly time for the mystery knight to make their appearance, he saw the first victim of the mystery knight, a knight of house Hague, secure his place in the champion's round. Robert grinned as he thought about how easily the knight would be felled. He observed the man prepare for his next match knowing that the mystery knight would soon make a fool of him. Something jumped out at Robert though when he recognized the squire attending the knight. It was one of the boys who had assaulted Howland and that had been defeated by Walder. Pieces started falling into place and a pit began growing in his stomach. Perhaps Lyanna was absent so she could help Howland obtain justice. But if that was the case then why would the crannogman enter as a mystery knight? Could Howland even joust? A thought entered his mind that he refused to believe, there was no way Lyanna would be so foolish.
Robert was doing his best to hide his worry as the time drew near for the Knight of the Laughing Tree to make their appearance. When he saw the Knight in their gloriously mismatched armor carrying the shield that would provide them with their name, all he could focus on was the familiar steed they were riding. He leaned forward hoping it would look like he was particularly invested rather than filled with worry. He had almost forgotten that he was sitting next to the king.
"Bah, mystery knights. What do they have to hide? That one looks particularly wretched. Probably just some peasant with an overgrown opinion of themselves. I look forward to him being humbled by his betters." The king's voice was raspy and full of malice.
Robert simply nodded not wanting to say anything he might regret. As he watched the knight prepare, he was silently hoping and wishing that it was Howland under that helm. Just as before, the knight of the laughing tree's lance struck true and sent the knight of House Hague flying from the saddle. In that moment Robert was left with no doubt that it was Lyanna beneath that helm.
He didn't know what to do with the shocking revelation. Part of him was impressed by Lyanna's skill and daring. Another part of him was tickled that these grown and experienced knights were humiliated by a maiden of four and ten. He was disappointed that she didn't trust him enough to include him in this crazy plan. He was worried for her knowing how Aerys would react to the knight's victory. He was frustrated with himself for not checking in on her or catching on sooner.
So many thoughts and emotions fought for his attention that it blended into one familiar feeling: Anger. Robert couldn't tell exactly who he was angry at. Himself? Lyanna? The king? Those lousy excuses for knights and their squires? Even if his fury had no real target, he felt it gripping his chest all the same.
"Hmph," The king snorted dismissively. "I guess some knights aren't all they're cracked up to be."
"Perhaps," Prince Rhaegar responded in a challenging tone. "We should not be so quick to judge based on appearance and birth alone."
"Weak." The mad king sneered. Looking to the sky he continued his tirade. "Why have the gods cursed me with such a weak son? Robert, what say you? You don't look particularly happy about this mystery knight."
Without even looking at the king Robert replied in a cold tone trying his best to reign in his roiling emotions.
"I think some people should think before they act."
Aerys let out a high-pitched cackle in response.
"Yes, yes, that mystery knight should know better than to present themselves like that before their king!" The king's joyous smile shifted instantly into a depressed frown as the next match was announced and the Knight of the Laughing Tree made ready to face off against the knight of House Blount.
Robert was desperately trying to think of how to handle the situation as he watched his betrothed expertly unseat yet another seasoned knight. He was barely paying attention when he heard the king speaking in a sad tone. His mood swung just as swiftly as the rumors spoke.
"Listen to the people cheer for that wretched knight. They have no love for me, they don't understand what it is like to sit here and be shamed so."
Robert had no response for the king's insane ramblings. So, he just continued to watch as Lyanna unhorsed the second knight. Robert had to figure out how to handle this quickly as time was running out. A thought occurred to him however, did he have to do anything at all? In the past, the mystery knight escaped with only the shield being found and Lyanna seemed just fine. That glimmer of hope however was snuffed out when he remembered who had found the shield. It was the prince who had presented the shield to the king. Was it possible that Rhaegar had found and saved Lyanna from the king's wrath. Was this where the Rhaegar truly stole Lyanna away? He didn't know the answer and couldn't know, but he could not and would not let that possibility come to pass. He had to find Lyanna and make sure she never crossed paths with the prince.
Robert watched his betrothed defeat the final knight and call out in a booming voice for them to chastise and train their squires just as before. The voice caused Robert quite a bit of confusion as it in no way resembled Lyanna's feminine tones. For a moment he hoped that he was wrong about everything, but there was no denying that the rider resembled his she-wolf far too much to be anyone else.
"That tree is mocking me!" The king roared in unbridled fury.
"I want that knight here now! He will be unmasked." The king was practically frothing at the mouth.
The Master of Games quickly moved to summon the knight, but just as before the mystery knight sped off with all haste ignoring the king.
"It must be Tywin's golden welp. He must have come back just to mock me." The king turned to Robert and Rhaegar.
"Find that man! I want him brought before me! He will burn for his offenses!" The king's mad eyes practically bulged, and his normally pallid features were red with unhinged malice.
Robert didn't hesitate to quickly leave the king's presence. Ignoring all others, he had but one thought on his mind. Thinking through all of the possible places he could find Lyanna he decided to start looking where no other southerner would: the Godswood.
Robert walked as fast as he could while trying not to attract attention to himself. He knew he had to be quick, but also didn't want people to follow him out of curiosity. Few southern folk would never think to enter any godswood containing an actual weirwood tree within it, and Harrenhal was no exception. In fact, many actively avoided one in particular as it was said to be haunted due to the grotesque face carved upon the heart tree. As a result, it was far less tended to than other such woods that still graced southern keeps. He truly hoped that this was where he would find Lyanna. He had to make sure she was safe and protected. If this were any other tourney, if the damn dragons weren't here, he would have thought this hilarious. He would have shared in the joy of her victory, but the shadow of his past life darkened what could have been a joyous memory.
As he reached the gate leading into the godswood, he knew he would not have to search the entire twenty acres of land. He broke out into a run as he made his way towards the heart tree. As he drew close, he began to slow down as he made out a pair of voices, one of whom he immediately recognized. He let out a small sigh of relief and offered a short prayer of thanks to all the gods that he had found her before anyone else. When Lyanna and her companion were finally in view, Robert almost laughed at the ridiculous site before him. Lyanna was halfway out of her mismatched armor and was struggling to remove the various remaining pieces that seemed to have been fastened improperly to begin with. Robert's fears and worries began to die down as it seemed as if the worst of them would not come to pass. Regardless, there were plenty of reasons not to linger here.
"Careful!" She yelped as her companion pulled at a strap again trying to dislodge a stiff buckle. Robert wasn't sure who that person was, but he had this nagging feeling that he should know. After taking a few more moments to catch his breath, Robert decided that it was time to make himself known.
"It would be faster to just cut the straps you know."
Lyanna and her companion jumped at his voice.
"Robert! I…" Lyanna stammered.
"I told her, your grace, but she wouldn't listen." The person responded. Robert scowled as he still couldn't quite place the voice or face of the one speaking. And the fact that this stranger addressed him as royalty truly made his blood boil.
"And who the fuck are you?" Robert growled as he advanced towards them.
"Robert, wait!" Lyanna yelled, stepping in front of him.
"Apologies my Lord." The voice of the man said quickly as he threw back the hood of his cloak. Robert's anger turned to utter confusion.
"Howland? How?" Robert asked in shock. It was as if in one moment he saw a complete stranger and in the next there stood a friend with whom had traveled and dined with.
"Ah, it was something I picked up from the Green Men, it is a trick they use to pass unnoticed when they travel to tend to the remaining heart trees." Howland replied with a sheepish grin.
Robert continued to stare at him for a few moments before shaking his head. There was quite a bit in that statement to unpack and he had neither the time nor the patience to do so. Instead, he simply pulled out the hunting knife that Jon had given him and moved to start cutting the armor from Lyanna.
"What are you doing?" Lyanna protested while quickly retreating from him.
"We have to get that armor off you and dispose of it." He said in as even a tone as he could manage. He was doing his very best to keep a lid on his emotions and focus on getting her to safety. There would be time to let it all out when there was no chance of her being discovered.
"But it's my armor, do you know how hard it was to cobble all this together without being discovered?" She said in a possessive tone. Robert felt his grip on his emotions slipping.
"I don't give a damn about that pile of scrap you are wearing. We have to get you back to your tent before anyone finds us here." Robert just barely managed to keep himself from shouting. Lyanna's frown deepened into a scowl.
"It's fine, no one will look for us here, and Ben is covering for me back at the tent." She said, her tone matching Robert's.
"You don't know that!" Robert finally roared. His powerful voice startled both Lyanna and Howland. "Do you have any idea the shitshow you've just stirred up! The king is furious, and wants you thrown atop a pyre for treason! What were you thinking?"
"I was seeking justice for my father's bannerman!" Lyanna screamed back
"Howland specifically said to let it go!" Robert countered.
"We couldn't let this go; the honor of the North was at stake!" She responded
"It isn't your place to seek justice!" Robert continued to yell, but he felt his heart growing heavier as he screamed out his emotions.
"Why because I am a Lady?" She snarled, her voice lowering.
"Yes!" Robert bellowed thoughtlessly, though he immediately regretted his answer when he saw tears beginning to form in Lyanna's eyes. His heart fell as he saw the look of betrayal and anger on his betrothed's face. When she spoke, her tone was as icy as the winters her house warned of.
"I thought you of all people would understand."
Silence passed as steely gray glared into deep blue. Robert knew he had let his fear and anger guide his words and feared that he had just done irreparable damage to their budding relationship.
"I..." His words faltered as he tried to find the right words. Suddenly he remembered something his father had taught him once when he was visiting from the Vale. When in doubt, compliment the woman. His father did warn that it didn't always work, but it was better than nothing.
"You rode brilliantly my lady." He finally managed.
Lyanna's face betrayed her confusion at the sudden praise, but her anger was not so easily dispelled.
"Don't change the subject Robert." She replied icily.
"It's true, you humbled those men as if they were not but squires new to the saddle. No doubt the bards sing of the Knight of the Laughing Tree for many years to come." He said in a much softer voice, wrestling his emotions back under control.
"Robert," Lyanna started in a stern tone but stopped when Robert held up his hand in a conciliatory gesture.
"The problem is with the king." He took a deep breath to finish calming himself. "Aerys is livid. He believes you were mocking him, and he demands that you be found and brought before him."
Worry began to creep into Lyanna's expression.
"It's fine, right? Nobody will find us here; the southrons don't come here; they think it's haunted." She replied defensively.
"Lyanna, I'll admit that most men wouldn't think to look here, but by the gods, you had a damn weirwood tree painted on your shield. It doesn't take a grandmaester to put two and two together. Someone is bound to overcome their fear of this place in order to please the king." Robert said in an exasperated tone, the heat of his anger slowly returning.
"My cousin is right of course." A new and altogether far too familiar voice called out. A chill ran down Robert's spine as he turned to see Prince Rhaegar and Ser Arthur entering the clearing. He stepped in front of Lyanna trying to shield her from view.
"Rhaegar, what are you doing here?" Robert practically growled while he unconsciously took a combat stance with the knife he still had in hand. He noticed Ser Arthur tightening his grip on his legendary sword.
"Peace cousin. I assure you I mean neither you nor your lady any harm." Rhaegar replied while putting his arms up in a pacifying gesture. Robert didn't move an inch. Rhaegar continued to speak as he walked towards them carefully.
"I would not wish my father's wrath upon any man or woman, and I was simply seeking out the mystery knight to ensure no one else found them and brought them to the king for some reward. I am beyond surprised to find that it was a Lady who felled those three knights." Rhaegar spoke with genuine awe in his voice.
"Turn around and leave Rhaegar. Forget what you saw here. I will protect my betrothed." Robert was barely keeping his anger at check at this moment and his voice was harsh and clipped. The prince frowned but kept moving forward.
"We don't have to be at odds cousin." Rhaegar pointed at the shield laying up against the heart tree. "I can take the shield to the king and tell him that it was all that could be found of the knight, you can escort Lady Stark back to her family, and we need not ever speak of this again."
Robert was about to refuse when he felt a small hand on his arm encouraging him to lower the knife. He glanced over and saw Lyanna looking up at him, silently pleading with him to calm down. Howland too moved close
"My Lord Baratheon, it is not time for the stag and the dragon to come to blows." Howland's green eyes held a certainty that both reassured and worried Robert. After a few more tense moments, Robert finally relented.
"Very well, your grace." Robert said wearily. The words tasted sour in his mouth.
Smiling, the prince moved to collect the shield, as he picked it up, he turned and addressed Lyanna. Robert did not like the curious glint in the prince's eye.
"You rode with a skill that few seasoned knights can claim, my lady. With your beauty and strength, it is as if you are Visenya reborn. It is a shame you cannot continue competing and crown yourself queen of love and beauty." Rhaegar's tone was smooth and charming and absolutely grated on Robert's last nerve.
"Enough! We are leaving." Robert snapped, grabbed Lyanna's arm, and practically dragged her away from the prince completely ignoring her protests.
A/N I'm not dead yet! Work on the story grinds on at glacial speed. Anyway I hope this moment lived up to people's expectations. Thanks to everyone who left encouraging comments, it did help kick my but into gear.