Long Live // Rhaegar Targaryen // Elia Martell

9. Through the Madness

It was three days in when Jolene realized she was late. How late, she figured somewhere between the tourney and that glorious night of her engagement party when she was fucking Rhaegar instead of her would be betrothed. 

"Marry me." Rhaegar declared.

"What?" Jolene questioned.

"Dont let this baby be a bastard, marry me Jolene Stark." Rhaegar begged dropping to both his knees. Jolene looked to Elia.

"We can be like Aegon's sister wives, sharing a bed and a husband." Elia remarked. "Say yes Jolene, I know you want to." Jolene nodded.

"yes, yes I will marry you... both."

And they danced like they knew their lives would never be the same. 

"Where is she Ned?" Brandon questioned. 

"YEAH! WHERE IS SHE?" Robert demanded slamming his hands down on the table. 

"She's... she needed time to think." Ned offered. 

"The prince Rhaegar is missing too, he took her." Robert decided. Brandon scowled. 

"Nonsense, Jolene and Rhaegar are friends-" Ned countered. 

"He was real friendly with her at the tourney, probably pissed his wife off, killed her and took Jolene!" Robert demanded. 

"You are acting crazy, Jolene is a capable fighter." Ned corrected. "If she is with Rhaegar she went willingly, they are friends, she had known them for years-"

"He threatened me at our engagement party too. I warned him to stay away from Jolene." Robert informed Rickard and Brandon. 

"Ned, did you know about this?" Rickard questioned. "It's been days, surely Jolene would have-"

"She told me she needed time." Ned rasped "Please, lets not jump to conclusions." 

"I told him to stay away from her and he basically took it as a challenge!" Robert declared. "I know it Lord Stark. Rhaegar Targaryen stole Jolene. He stole my love, he stole your daughter, your sister," He looked to Ned, Brandon and then little Benjen. "We have to get her back." 

Rhaegar's and JOlene's actions, although to them it was just trying to be free turned into a war of the houses very quickly, Jolene never wanted her family to get hurt, never thought Robert would go this far. But their escape had very severe consequences to their houses, as well as the entire realm. 

Robert convinced Brandon to formally accuse Rhaegar of kidnapping Jolene, and then Brandon traveled to King's Landing to demand Rhaegar's father, Aerys, to surrender Rhaegar for judgement and return Jolene at once. 

'How dare you talk to me this way!" Aerys shouted. 'I am the King!"

'And Jolene is my sister. I want her back.' Brandon shouted, hand on the hilt of his sword. ''I want Prince Rhaegar brought forward, I want him to explain his actions and I want my sister home at Winterfell safe and sound.' Brandon told him.

"YOU! HA! You don't make the demands, the orders here.' Aerys yelled.

Brandon and all his companions were charged and Brandon was imprisoned for treason. Aerys demanded all their fathers, including Lord Rickard Stark, come to King's Landing and promised they would receive a fair trial. 

"Father we need to find Jolene, she will put an end to this!" Ned begged. 

"No." Rickard looked over the summons. "I have to get Brandon out of the capital, bring the mad king down if I have to." 

"Father-" Ned reached out for him.

"You are lord of winterfell while we are gone." Rickard remarked. "I will see you soon my son." So Rickard went to King's Landing himself to demand his son's release, as well as Jolene's.

Ned's head spun, no one would believe that Jolene went willingly, no one would believe it because they were already set in their lies. They had painted Rhaegar the villain and the mad king was going to further their hatred for him by killing anyone that got in his way.

By the time the news of her family's imprisonment found Jolene she was in a fit. She had to go home, she had to stop this but pain shot through her. 

"Jolene!" Rhaegar declared as she collapsed. "Elia- get the maester-"

How did they go from dancing like the world was theirs to crying on the floor in excruciating pain?

"Rhaegar, somethings wrong..." Jolene rasped out. Aegon came sitting beside her and she reached out for him. "Somethings... wrong Rhaegar." 

"We will get through this." Rhaegar assured kissing her temple helping her sit up, she leaned heavily into him. 

"I need my family to be safe, I need them to know-" Jolene whimpered. "We were so stupid, we were so stupid to think our lives wouldn't spiral out of control, and everyone would steal our happiness. We were stupid, we were foolish to think we could find love, keep it... through the madness."

+

"We urge you your grace,' varys told King Aerys 'to pardon Brandon Stark.'

' He threatened the Prince Rhaegar!' Aerys reminded his council.

'Rhaegar has stolen the boy's sister, and the boy he is the eldest son of our Warden of the North." Varys tried. But Aerys saw knives in every shadow. When Varys told him to treat the Starks with caution, he made him afraid. And what Aerys feared, he killed.

"Bring forward the traitors." Aerys declared. 

Rickard stood confidently as he was forced to kneel before Aerys. 

Aerys truly earned his title of 'Mad King' that day when he set loose wildfire in the throne room. He sat perched on his throne as he burned Rickard Stark to a crisp. 

The wildfire blazed and Rickard and his men screamed and screamed, the smell of his sizzled flesh was stuck in Vary's nose. The whole of the castle smelt like it, burning flesh and bones, his screams echoed.

Brandon wouldn't stand down. He was more confident than after his watching his father burn that Rhaegar was hurting his sister. Brandon struggled as he was forced to watch his father burn alive. Brandon was a fighter though, he was going to keep fighting for his family. 

 Brandon was strangled trying to save his father. Aerys then demanded that Ned and Robert to be handed to him as well. Anyone that followed him, needed to die. Anyone that forgot who the king was needed to die. Aerys didnt care to find the truth, he wanted- needed the world to see who held the power.