"Robert! Robert Stop!" Lyanna's voice was barely cutting through the haze of anger that clouded Robert's judgment.
He didn't know where he was going, he was simply moving on instinct. His mind was focused elsewhere in the Riverlands. He was on the banks of the Trident with his Warhammer in hand driving towards his fateful confrontation with the Dragon Prince. The screams of men and the crash of metal ringing in his mind.
"Robert, you're hurting me!" She cried out, her voice finally piercing the emotions that drove Robert onward headless of all else.
He hadn't realized just how hard he was gripping her wrist. He turned to face Lyanna and the fear he saw in her eyes cut him to the core. He immediately let her go before turning away from her. He walked a few paces away from her and caught himself on a tree as all of the physical and emotional stress he had been ignoring reasserted itself with vengeance. In that moment he fully expected Lyanna to immediately run from him and seek out Rhaegar for protection. Despite all his efforts she would leave him just like before.
"Robert! What in all the hells is going on with you?" Lyanna's voice surprised Robert, and he turned to her with a puzzled look on your face.
"You're still here." He said weekly without thinking.
"Of course, I'm still here. Where else would I be? And you still haven't answered my question." Her tone was harsh, but Robert could hear the concern in her voice. He took a moment to study her. Her body language spoke of a variety of emotions, fear, anger, and plenty of confusion.
"I uh… I don't really know where to start." Robert said, while rubbing his temples to sooth the headache that had begun to form due to the stress of the situation. Lyanna's stern visage remained, but she softened her posture just the tiniest bit.
"How about you start with what your problem with Rhaegar is." She replied angrily.
"I don't want him taking you from me." The words spilled from Robert's mouth before he could think them through properly. Lyanna was obviously not expecting that answer.
"Why would he take me from you? I am not his to take. He's married for goodness' sake." She was obviously having a difficult time understanding that particular leap in logic.
"He would offer you an escape from me, and you would go with him." Robert was far too emotionally spent and mentally tired to truly think through his words at this time.
"Robert, you aren't making sense. In what world would I abandon you for a married man?" She asked, still struggling with the direction this conversation was taking. The realization that she wasn't even considering leaving him washed over Robert as if a balm for his weary heart. With a sigh, Robert put his back to the tree and lowered himself to the ground.
"One that I would never wish to see again." He answers her quietly.
Lyanna silently took a seat next to him, and the only sound that could be heard was gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. Robert closed his eyes and began breathing deeply in order to finally calm his wild emotions. Eventually, Lyanna broke the silence.
"You once told me…" She started, but paused, sounding unsure if she should continue. "You once told me that you dreamed of things that came true. Does this have to do with them and what happened in Winterfell?"
Robert turned his head to look at Lyanna while he formulated an answer. He didn't want to come out and admit things like he had with Ned, but at the same time he knew Lyanna would not accept a blatant lie.
"In my dreams I saw a world where you disappeared with the prince. It led to death, conflict, and tragedy. In the end I gained a crown but lost everything I ever actually wanted." He looked away while trying to banish the memories of the rebellion and the anguish that followed its end.
"You mean to say that you have been acting like this because of dreams? How can you even be sure they are even close to being true." It was obvious that Lyanna was struggling to accept what Robert was saying. It was another voice that answered.
"It is because gods' blood flows through his veins. Since the time of Durran Godsgiref, the blood of the sea god and the goddess of wind has run true in the line of Durrandon and now Baratheon. He dreams because the gods have anointed him as the Storm King reborn, chosen of the gods old and new." Howland said in a reverent voice as he led Lyanna's horse back to them.
"Fuck off Howland." Robert growled halfheartedly at the diminutive lord. His previously roaring anger had diminished to embers.
"Robert!" Lyanna chastised.
"I take no offense Lyanna," Howland said placatingly. "His house words are more than just a motto."
"I don't want to be king. I've never wanted to be king." Robert said the words almost like a prayer. But even now as he said those words, something inside him knew they were hollow wishes. Howland walked over to them and knelt before Robert and Lyanna.
"You can't change who you are, your grace." He said in a gentle and kind tone. "Everyone who is attuned to the will of the old gods can sense it. Even the pious Septons and Septas you've met during your time in the Riverlands could tell there was something different about you, even if they are blind to the truth of your anointing."
Lyanna was now looking on dumbstruck at the, frankly, ridiculous turn the conversation had taken.
"You are both mad." Was all that eventually came out of her mouth. Robert let out a low chuckle
"Without a doubt, my lady." Robert said before taking a deep breath and standing up. He offered his hand to Lyanna, and she reflexively took it and was pulled to her feet. "Even having experienced all that I have, I still find it hard to believe it is true. To be honest, I try my best not to think about it and just get on with my life as if the fate of the seven kingdoms doesn't rest on my shoulders."
Robert sighed; this day was definitely not going how he imagined when he had woken up. As he looked at Lyanna, who was still wearing half of the mismatched armored pieces, a terrible thought came to mind. One that he wished he could dismiss, but that was persistently gnawing at his heart.
"Lyanna, if you don't want to be a part of all this madness, I understand. There is still time for the betrothal to be put aside." He wasn't sure exactly why he said those words. But truthfully, he cared too much about her to drag her into this madness against her will. He didn't know how she would respond, but he was not expecting Lyanna to punch him in the arm.
"Is this some bad Jest?" She said hotly. "Did you just conveniently forget the whole conversation we had after the feast?"
"I rather imagine that things have changed since then." Robert replied, surprised at her sudden fire.
"I knew things weren't going to be simple since that whole ordeal at Winterfell. I decided that I would stand by your side, and I'm not changing my mind now." She said in a tone that brooked no dissension before giving him a comforting smile and continuing.
"All of this talk of dreams and destiny and being chosen by the gods is a lot to take in, but at least it means the life with you won't be boring." She said with a small laugh before lifting her chin and speaking in an all too familiar and playful aloof tone. "To be honest, I would hate to have to endure another suitor, it was bad enough dealing with you. I have at least found spending time with you to be bearable."
Robert laughed and laughed feeling as if his heart had been renewed.
"Thank you, Lyanna, I…" He managed to stop himself from saying something that, while true, he guessed she was not ready to hear. "I needed to hear that."
Though he wished he could leave things there, there was another issue that had to be addressed before returning to the Stark's tent. Hopefully Lyanna would be receptive.
"Lyanna, why did you feel the need to deal with those knights on your own?" He asked in a manner he hoped would encourage honesty. Lyanna's smile was replaced with a scowl.
"Because nobody else would." She replied bitterly.
Robert turned to Howland.
"You did say that we should leave it be, right?" Robert asked the crannogman
"Yes, your grace, but she was quite persistent." Howland replied, smirking at Robert's discomfort with the royal honorific. Lyanna was quick to respond.
"I saw injustice and it was in my power to do something about it. Brandon just scoffed at the idea of being the mystery knight and Ned told me to drop it. I couldn't just let it go." She explained with fierce determination.
Robert saw the passion in her eyes and couldn't help but admire it but knew that her naïveté would not serve her well going forward. As much as he wished she would never have to be exposed to the true cruelty this world contained, he understood that it was bound to happen someday. He just wanted to make sure that she was not destroyed when it did.
"I wish you would have told me of this plan of yours." He said trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice.
"If I had you would have stopped me." Lyanna replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yes, I would have, but not for the reasons you thought. I dreamt of the mystery knight and saw how the king would react, but in my dreams, I had no idea it was you. Hopefully you can understand my reaction when I recognized you." Robert replied, doing his best to not sound too harsh.
"How was I supposed to know you had a prophetic dream about this? Can you honestly tell me that, without those dreams, you would have agreed to my plan if I told you?" She asked, her frustration growing.
Robert was about to say yes but stopped himself and thought for a moment. He probably would have tried to stop her, there was just far too much to lose if she had been revealed.
"Honestly, I still would have tried to talk you out of it." Robert said slowly
"See!" Lyanna exclaimed victoriously.
"Lyanna, it is the man's job to protect the woman. If I let you go forward with this plan without protest, I might as well throw my spurs into the God's Eye since I would be a piss poor excuse for a knight." Robert explained in frustration.
"I can take care of myself. And I am fine, there was no way those three could have beaten me." Lyanna said dismissively before continuing. "If I remember correctly, you were the one telling me that I could out joust most southern knights."
"I did, but you can never know that for sure." Robert fired back. "Even the greatest knights in all the kingdoms make mistakes. Even if you weren't hurt, simply being revealed would have been more than dangerous. This isn't the North where your father's bannermen would simply accept it as your wolf blood."
There was silence as Lyanna took in his words. She looked as if she wanted to argue, the defiance still evident in her posture.
"But nothing happened, I won, and justice was served." Though she was trying to stand firm, the waiver in her voice made it clear that her resolve was failing.
"Yes, in hindsight we can be happy with how things turned out. I'm sure once everything settles down, we can have a laugh over just how badly you humiliated those knights. But that doesn't change the fact that you took a massive risk for something that was, in the long run, inconsequential." Robert was hoping that she would finally understand.
In all actuality, Robert was actually surprised by how cautious and level headed he was acting now that the storm of emotions he had been experiencing had finally passed. He couldn't help but feel like he was channeling the wisdom of his foster father at the moment. Perhaps he had taken more of his lessons to heart than he realized.
Robert watched as Lyanna finally accepted just how reckless she had been. Robert thought it best to break the silence in order to give her some sort of reassurance.
"Lyanna, this is not me proclaiming that you must give up riding or jousting at rings. Hell, I might just commission a proper suit of plate for you. I don't want to change who you are, but we have to actually think about the consequences of our actions." Robert said in as comforting a tone as he could.
He saw Lyanna's posture relax a little at his words, but the worry did not leave her.
"Do you think Rhaegar will tell anyone about this?" She asked quietly.
"I don't think so, but I also wouldn't trust him beyond that." Robert said as his old hatred seeped into his voice.
"My lord and Lady," Howland spoke once again. "I do not truly have the gift of greensight like my father, but during my time on the Isle of Faces, I saw and experienced many harrowing things. I saw that the realm is walking on a knife's edge and the future is far from certain, but I do know that Prince Rhaegar and Lord Robert are at the center of a maelstrom of possibilities, and most disturbing of all there seems to be an outside power seeking to influence the realm's destiny."
Robert finally noticed that this was not the same Howland he had met on his trip to Winterfell. The young lord had been enthusiastic and lively when he had first met him, eyes sparkling with life. Now, Howland seemed aged by his sojourn to the Isle of Faces, that spark was gone. Robert felt dread begin to well up in the pit of his stomach. Though Lyanna was the first to respond.
"So, what do we do?"
Robert could hear the worry in her voice, and knew what he had to do.
"We get you out of the rest of that armor, get back to your tent, stay as far away from Rhaegar as possible, and enjoy the rest of the tourney." He said in the same confident tone he had used to command armies.
"But what about Rhaegar and what Howland said?" Lyanna replied anxiously.
"If you worry too much about a possible future, it will just drive you mad. So instead, we focus on the here and now and things we can actually change." Robert gave Lyanna a reassuring smile, and after a moment of hesitation, she returned it with a smile of her own. Though he could still tell her anxiety had not been fully banished.
"So, let's get you out of that armor, I'll be cutting the straps. I'm sorry, but it is too risky to keep it around." Robert said, once again pulling his knife out.
"I understand, thank you." Lyanna replied with a regretful sigh.
It was the work of a few minutes to extract her from the rest of the armor leaving her in only a poorly fitted arming doublet and a pair of trousers. There was something about the look Robert found quite attractive and he wondered how she'd look if it was actually fitted for her. He would have to make sure to have a set properly tailored for her soon. Lyanna was fishing out her dress from the bag when an errant thought that Robert had previously dismissed sprang up once again.
"Lyanna, how did you make your voice sound so different when you were the mystery knight?" he queried. She paused from her task and looked over at Howland with a pensive smirk.
"Ah, your grace, that was my doing." Howland responded on Lyanna's behalf.
"Oh?" Robert said, trying to ignore Howland's insistent use of that damned title.
"Yes, it was something I learned from the Green Men. They have many means to appear as someone or something other than what they are." The young lord replied happily. Robert was glad to see some of the enthusiasm returning to the man but could not help but notice that his eyes were still not quite as bright as they once were.
"I thought you said you couldn't use magic outside the Neck." Robert stated suspiciously.
"It is true that the Neck is a place still inundated with magic ripe for free use, but it is also true that those of old houses carry magic with us at all times." Howland said with an enigmatic flourish. Robert was not particularly amused at this answer.
"It's blood." Lyanna clarified quickly, her voice conveying her awe and interest.
"Blood?" Robert asked while staring at Howland warily.
"Well, it's not just blood." Howland said quickly in a defensive tone. "The magic is in the blood, yes, but it must be offered to the gods in a manner pleasing to them, for it is their power and blessing we seek. The First Men learned from the Children, the Valyrians learned from their dragon gods, and the Red Priests from R'hllor. The Green Men told me that even the Andals had their own form of blood sacrifice to gain their god's favor." Howland said in a quick and excited tone. It seemed as if this truly was the crannogman's passion.
"And whose blood exactly did you use for this deception?" Robert said, unsure if he actually wanted to know the answer.
"Fear not, your grace, it was my blood given up to disguise Lady Stark's voice." Howland said, showing Robert a bandaged hand.
"He wouldn't show me how to do it myself." Lyanna complained.
"Good." Robert immediately said. He was not comfortable with talk of blood magic and sorcery, let alone that his Andal ancestors dabbled in it as well. Perhaps he could write to Cedric about it.
"Well, um, I need to change into my dress now, may I have some privacy?" Lyanna said in an uncharacteristically shy tone. Immediately, Both Robert and Howland turned around and gave her time to change. One she was changed; Robert and Howland quickly dug a shallow hole and buried the mismatched armor before they set off towards the Stark's tent once more. Robert offered his arm to her, and she gladly took it.
"Robert," she said with a wry smile.
"Yes?" He responded in kind.
"If you are a secret king; would that make me a secret queen when we wed?" She teased.
"I suppose so." Robert said with a sigh still not keen on embracing that title again. Lyanna let out a laugh at his expense, but the smile on her face was more than enough for Robert to forgive her.
As they walked to the exit of the godswood, they chatted about many things. They recounted Robert's performance during the melee and Robert was interested to hear that Eddard had met with Ashara Dayne last night. He would need to ask him how that went. It was nice to simply enjoy time with Lyanna, but as they neared the entrance to the main castle grounds, they knew they would have to be careful in order to protect Lyanna's cover story of being ill. They did their best to not attract attention to themselves as they navigated past rows and rows of tents, keeping to the shadows being cast by the late afternoon sun. Eventually Lyanna led them to the rear of her family's tent where her bed was and began opening a flap that would have normally been fastened more securely.
"Benjen should be keeping people out of my chamber. I'll enter here and you can go around to the front entrance and ask for me." She quickly whispered as she undid the final fastener. Just then the flap was flung wide open and before them stood a grinning Brandon Stark.
"Lyanna, care to explain what…" He stopped as he saw Robert standing behind a very surprised Lyanna, his smile turning into a sneer. "What is he doing here?"
"I can explain!" Lyanna exclaimed.
Robert groaned internally; he was not looking forward to this particular family meeting.
A/N My creating juices are currently flowing, but I don't know for how long. I have a good idea of what the next few chapters will contain, but haven't gotten a ton of inspiration on how to write them. Anywho, I am about 90% happy with how this chapter turned out. A lot of important things were covered here, but I'm not sure if I rushed it or did it justice. I am curious what you all think about how this conflict was handled. I hope the characters don't seem to out of character with regards to the rest of the story.