A/N: Apologies for the short chapter.
Please read this note, would you kindly?
Writer's block is a helluva thing. Thanks for being patient with this old man.
Sorry for the delay. Covid knocked me flat for awhile and devastated my update schedule, to say nothing of the side effects from long covid. I'm still dealing with that more than a month later, though apparently its not life threatening so I have to just "ride it out" according to the docs.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
If by some miracle this chapter gets a ton of feedback-unlikely, but possible, given its well past 1,000 already-I'll do my best to update early, possibly even weekly as I am with other stories. Until then, I'll be updating other things.
No questions this time. We've got a lot of ground to cover!
Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough, methinks. Enough of this old man's rambling; you're here for a story. Hope you're prepared for the chaos to come. Once more, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one. Nope. They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I.
Lastly, a reminder to one and all. Naruto's Westerosi name remains Nathaniel.
Joanna prefers to call him Naruto, yet she's the only one who truly does.
Timeline is still a little skewed here, but hey, that makes things...fun.
References and verbatim from Game of Thrones below:
"Rejoice and declare! Wail and despair!
For the day of the Mad Dragon is nearly done.
Soon it shall be the Noble Lion who basks in the sun.
~A madman.
Letters from a Lion
"What's got you so spooked?"
"Shhh!" Naruto shushed Sandor with a frantic wave of the hand. "Don't stand out there in the hall gawking all day, get in here!"
The Hound complied with an annoyed grunt, healed face twisting in irritation, but otherwise didn't protest. He ducked under the doorway to avoid banging his head, entered the room, and braced himself against said door for good measure. Only then did his eyes rove about the room, seeking the shadowy corners of their shared quarters.
"Where's that little minder of yours? Did you lose her when I wasn't looking?"
One of said shadows stirred beside him. "A girl is here, noisy one."
"Seven hells!"
Amusing as it was to see Sandor jump like a scalded cat, they had more pressing concerns this afternoon. He waved Clegane closer. "Neither of you are to breathe a word to this to anyone, do you hear me? This doesn't leave the room. If I hear either of you discussing this to anyone...I'll have to kill you."
Nymeria already knew of course, she'd witnessed that blood Red Woman giving him the egg, but the Hound hadn't.
Now, his brow furrowed. "What're you on about?"
Naruto stalked to his bed and yanked off the pillow, revealing the item in question.
The Hound squinted. Blinked. Visibly frowned now, as he beheld the red, stone-like object. "Is that a bloody dragon egg?"
...it is."
He removed his glove and dared to touch it with a bare hand. "Its warm."
Nymeria rolled her eyes. "A man states the obvious once again."
Sandor drew back like he'd been scalded. "Bugger."
Naruto snatched up the egg and haphazardly stowed it in his pack, scowling when it didn't quite fit. "That's one word for it."
...little bastard's going to hatch on us, isn't he?"
Nymeria drove a pointed elbow into his side, drawing a grunt from him.
"Aye," Sandor's face tightened in a grimace. "I can see why the mad bastard would want that "
Moment of truth. "You don't have a problem with this?"
That actually got a baffled look from his sworn-sword. "Why would I? The Mad King never gave a fuck about me and mine, so why should I care about him?
...good." he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "That's good."
After all, this egg just might contain Kurama. Or it might not. He didn't want to trust in the Red Woman's words and as such had no real way of knowing, only that it felt warm and alive. How long did it take dragon eggs to gestate, let alone hatch? Weeks? Months? Years? Either way, he wasn't about to reveal that tidbit to these two, much less in the letters he'd sent Ellia and Rhaella. Maybe he could tell his family, but he doubted Mother and Father would believe him. Cersei might, but she always did, and Tyrion was just a boy.
He didn't dare send a raven to Jaime in King's Landing. It was risk, too risky...unless...?
Someone knocked on the door, shattering that jagged though like brittle steel.
All three of them froze where they stood.
The Hound recovered first, rolled his eyes and lumbered toward the archway, one hand grasping the hilt of his sword. With the other he knocked right back, hard enough to make the door jump on its frame. A startled cry came from the other side, sharp and poignant. "Who goes?"
"Lady Stark!" came the reply. "Open this door at once!"
Naruto violently shook his head to and fro.
Clegane shrugged. "...its for you."
"Aha! So he's in there after all!"
Blast.
Rising to his feet, he strode to the door, opened it enough to thrust his head out and glare at her. "What is it?"
Lyanna awaited him outside in a lovely blue dress, face rosy. "I saw you run off earlier. May I come in?"
A memory struck him.
Her lips on his, a quick and fleeting kiss just before she fled. "Remember me, Nathaniel Lannister."
Shite. He wasn't entirely sure letting her in now was a good idea, but she looked so very sad-
Lyanna took full advantage, ducked under his, arm and darted inside.
Her eyes strayed to his pack, still left open. "What's that?"
"Nothing."
He regretted words as soon as he said them; it was an act of instinct, an instinctual denial he couldn't quite suppress.
She dodged Nymeria, darted to his pack, flung it open, and gasped. "An egg! Oh my goodness! Its adorable!"
"Lyanna! Give that here!"
She danced back out his grasp with a grin, holding the egg to her chest. "Never!"
Naruto could've ripped it from her grasp in an instant but paused, afraid of breaking it.
Sometimes he really did wonder about that girl. A wild she-wolf, through and through, not at all like her brothers.
Was he meant to marry her? Was that the reason Tywin had sent him hereto Winterell? The thought was not...unpleasant.
And yet he hesitated.
Simply put, he didn't know where he stood on things just yet; the fairer sex had often been an enigma to him in, even in his first life. Naruto Uzumaki had always been a bit of a dunce when it came to women.
Ah, but Nathaniel Lannister was meant to know things, do things, pursue things.
That meant children. Heirs, as it were.
In that regard, the concept of bastards confounded him; a child was a child no matter the mother or father. Should not all children should be raised, protected, and cared for accordingly? The idea of having a child didn't frighten him; no, he was frightened of himself, afraid that he wasn't ready, wasn't yet capable of such responsibility.
Which was why he remained cautious, even now, when faced with the she-wolf of Winterfell.
And then she surprised him, as she always did, and handed the egg back to him. "I'll keep your secret."
He plucked it from her hands and stowed it back in his pack. "Thank you-
"On one condition!"
He heaved a sigh. Dare I ask?
Lyanna looked him dead in the eye. And then she smiled: "Kiss me."
Nymeria absolutely hissed and thrust herself between them. "A girl begs your pardon?!"
"Come along girl, Sandor sighed, swept the startled assassin over his shoulder. "This is a matter for lords and ladies, not us."
The little assassin went absolutely berserk. "Unhand a girl this instant! Release us!"
He did no such thing and stalked out the room.
Naruto almost wished they stayed; if only because he didn't know how to respond to this.
"Wanna run that by me again?"
"Gone deaf, have you? She planted a fist on her hip and cocked her body ever so slightly to the right. "I said kiss me. I already did the same for you earlier today. Now I want you to repay the favor."
He dithered.
"Come now, its just a kiss." she granted him an impish smile. "I've never been kissed by a boy before; I want to see how it feels. Nothing simpler."
Easy for her to say! His brow furrowed in mild amusement. Are you blackmailing me?"
"No, because I know you'll do it." her smile was sly, yet somehow innocent.
Blast. Cheeky little...Lyanna had him cornered here. She absolutely did.
Unfortunately, he'd never been one to back down from a challenge.
She wanted to keep poking the Lion? She'd see what happened.
He stepped into her. She didn't budge.
His hands settled on her hips.
Still no movement from her.
"Well, what're you waiting for?"
He leaned down and heard her breath hitch.
She tried to say something then, but he never caught it.
His lips graced hers and something sparked between the two of them.
Lyanna made a pleased noise and leaned into him, gently at first, then bodily pushing herself up against him. No, that wasn't the right word. She didn't so much push as she did lunge; practically flinging her arms around his neck in her haste to get at him. Her body collided with his as she shoved him up against a wall and when she tried to hold him there, he pivoted and pinned her instead, gripping her wrists. She bit his lip in retaliation and the pain drew a growl from him as her fingers threaded through his air.
They parted at long last, eyes wide, gasping for air, chests heaving.
Her eyes flitted up to his lips, just as his did down hers.
Lyanna pressed into him ever so slightly.
That spark became a raging inferno.
Naruto dove into the flames.
(.0.0.0.)
Another letter had come.
Queen Rhaella Targaryen unfurled it with trembling fingers and laid it upon her bed to read.
This one was a mighty missive, speaking long and loudly of many travels and a great many things.
It also came with a curious little vial, the contents of which the letter would soon be explained by the letter itself.
Honestly, how her Lion managed to keep sending such missives at all-let alone get them by Aerys- utterly baffled her sometimes. Surely someone must've noticed by now. She left no proof and burned every letter as soon as she read them, but still, she was certain some must have seen her improved mood as of late.
Unless they had been silenced.
But by whom?
Varys?
She couldn't see why the Spider would allow such a dalliance, even by correspondence such as this. Unless she hoped for the death of Aerys, the same as she. He had been...better once before the madness. Before the bad times. Before everything went wrong. Sharp as a tack and thrice as ambitious...until ambition became paranoia, then fear, followed by hatred...
By the time she realized what he was becoming, it was too late.
She was shackled to a madman.
There was no escape.
She'd become queen of the seven kingdoms, for all that mattered. She had no true power; she'd become a figurehead, little more. But now...here at last...she had hope.
Rhaella clutched the letter to her bosom and dared to hope.
Only then did she cast it into the fire and let it burn.
None must know.
(.0.0.0.)
That very day, King Aerys Targaryen flayed himself bloody scratching.
Some claimed it was the work of Essos, of a foreign dignitary, or a would-be assassin.
None knew the truth, but many delighted in the King's discomfort, for he had made many enemies.
Had Naruto been there to see the fruits of his labor, he would've smiled.
It was but the beginning of the end.
(.0.0.0.)
"Such a charmer."
Ellia Martell tutted softly as she read the letter -more a thick sheaf of parchment- laid out before her.
Nathaniel was enjoying himself in the North. She knew he was. Oh, he did no say such outright in his letters to her, but she wasn't a Martell for nothing. She could tell. Read between the lines, as it were.
Because you see, she remembered.
She recalled that bright, sunny boy she'd met at Casterly Rock, and his cutting wit. She remembered the Strange Tree they'd found...and what it had shown her. Nathaniel had been holding her hand when he touched it. She'd not said anything at the time, never once even considered what it might mean.
Dark had been her dreams been of late, nearly enough to put her off her meals a first. If not for Oberyn, she might not have eaten at all.
She'd since seen her death a dozen times, and in each demise, there was but one constant.
Her family must never side with the Dragon. That way lay her death.
Her heart weeped for the children she would never have, but it also wept for their deaths.
So be it; if there was one she had learned in this life, it was patience. She'd been feeling better as of late. There was still time.
The Viper would lay in wait for the Lion, hiding in the grass, until it was time to strike.
He would be hers.
(.0.0.0.)
She wanted him.
Lyanna wasn't surprised by the realization; in truth it was something she'd been pondering for quite some time now.
That last kiss had merely confirmed her decision.
Father likely wouldn't want her to go to the Westerlands, but her mind was made up. She had to know; had to speak with him on this again soon, even if was just the once. What was the saying folks in the Westerlands favored? Third time's the charm? Aha! Yes, that was the one. She'd kissed him, he'd kissed her back, then they'd done quite a bit more of kissing and...well, now she knew what she wanted from him.
Perhaps had she a clearer head on things, she might've realized just how bad an idea this was.
But she was young and wild and restless and to the seven hells with what anyone thought.
Her choice would shake the seven kingdoms.
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto was brought before Lord Rickard Stark that very night.
The Warden of the North awaited him in the great hall, Ice in hand, fully drawn and hands resting firmly upon its the greatsword's hilt, its deadly edge thrust into the stone floor. Valyrian steel really did cut like nothing else. They were alone, the both of them, the light low, the hearth dim. Flickering firelight cast dancing shadows across the Lord of Winterfell's stern visage, lending his next words a weight all their own. He leaned upon his mighty blade, looked upon him, and spoke:
"I will ask you this once, and only once. What are your intentions toward my daughter?"
And so he spoke, oh so he spoke, that Lord of Winterfell.
Now he must soon answer, or there would be hell.
Naruto took a deep breath to steady himself.
Then he gave Lyanna's father his reply.
A/N: We'll call it a day there for now. Very tired.
Hopefully you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it.
Well, should this remain a story? Would you like weekly updates? I've got five slots left. Or should it fade back into oblivion? By all means, speak up.
As ever, the Embers rule remains: If people don't like this story? If they don't enjoy it? Well...I won't be able to continue it. That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days with two jobs; and basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
So...in the immortal words of Atlas...
...Review...Would Ya Kindly? And of course, Enjoy the previews. Potential ones...
Previews are -mostly!- the same this time. Didn't want to spoil the upcoming chapters.
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
SPOILERS LAY AHEAD!
YE BE WARNED~!
(Previews)
Lyanna tutted softly. "You foolish lion."
"This from the wolf who thumped three squires?" She thumped him over the head and he laughed. "Ow, ow! Hit me all you like, I regret nothing!"
Joanna sighed. "My dear, sweet boy. What did you do...?"
He laughed and fell into a chair. "What was necessary. You should've seen the look on his face, mum...
Rhaella perked up. "It really IS you...isn't it?"
Bloody tourneys. He hated them. Still, this was a sight better than jousting. He'd take what he could get in the melee.
Prince Rhaegar was...not as he expected. At least he seemed saner than his father. For now.
"May you fight well." the prince settled into a stance.
...same to you."
"Seven hells!" Robert guffawed. "How are you still standing after a blow like that! You must have a skull like iron!"
Naruto reeled on his feet. "Something like that...
"Gods, this calls for a feast!" He slung an arm around his shoulders. "To our new friendship! Don't sulk over there, Ned! You're coming too!"
He could feel HER staring holes in him as they japed.
Rober elbowed him, winking as he did. "The she-wolf's looking at you again, lad. Give 'er a kiss."
Naruto thumped him over the head. "You kiss her!"
"Me?! The Baratheon only laughed harder. "Not a chance! I'll not come between a wolf and her prey. Besides, I've got my eye on another...
"I am a Lannister! Not some broodmare!"
Joanna tutted. "You're my daughter. You've not even met the man-
...I won't do it."
...enter."
She was waiting by the bed, clad in nothing but a sheer silk gown.
EDIT: Hey, you made it! I do hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. By all means, feel free to let me know what you think!
Looking forward to reading your feedback/chatting with you when I get back from work!
Hope you have a great day!
R&R! =D