A Dragon In Wolf's Clothing ~A Game of Thrones fan fiction~

Chapter Forty Six: Revelations

Almost four hours since Lyanna got back to her tent, she woke up to the noise of someone retching. Stumbling out of bed, she wrapped a robe around her, before running to the source of the noise, almost tripping over her own feet.

As she stepped outside the tent, the darkness of dusk surrounded her and she had to squint to see the shape of a person stood by the side of the tent, keeled over, heaving.

"Who's there?" she asked uncertainly, frowning, though the person wouldn't be able to see her face properly.

"Lyanna? Oh, shit, you normally sleep later than this!" The person hissed, sighing exasperatedly. Lyanna knew that voice.

"Alize? What are you doing? Are you alright?" Lyanna reached out, taking her arm, trying to lead her back into the tent.

"I'm fine," She was lying, Lyanna knew, feeling her shaking.

"Liar," Lyanna joked, smiling, leading her back into the warm tent, sitting her down on the bed, going to light a few more candles, pouring Alize a glass of water, before going back to her, sitting next to her. "What's wrong?"

In the candlelight, Lyanna saw the look on her handmaid's face. The nerves, the fear, the sadness, and even the anger, all rolled into one glance, as she swallowed nervously, sipping the water carefully, trying to avoid talking to her. Alize used this time to think everything through, thinking about her brothers and sisters, and her new sister Lyanna. Though not joined by blood, they were joined by circumstance.

She needed to tell her. To talk to her. Lyanna had always been open with her, and Alize had always tried to match that, though her memories never left her feeling the happiest. It had been a while, and Alize hated keeping this a secret. She should tell Lyanna, as Lyanna had told her secrets in the past, especially one so similar to this one.

"Lyanna..." Alize began, taking a shaky breath. "Lya, I'm pregnant,"

Lyanna felt her breath catch in her throat, jumping off the bed as a reflex of shock. Alize was pregnant? How? Who? Gods, she never thought she'd be in the position Alize was a year ago when she was pregnant with Brandon. Part of Lyanna was excited, but also scared for Alize. She remembered being terrified at that point, except she had to be told, Alize found out herself. How long had she kept this to herself? How long had she been worrying on her own?

"Really?" Lyanna exclaimed, sitting back down, taking her hands. "How far along? How do you know? How?"

"I haven't bled for a while, and I just know!" Alize muttered sharply, before bursting into tears.

"Don't cry, please, I know how terrifying this is but you don't need to be scared because I'll help you," Lyanna reassured, pulling her into a tight hug. "Who's is it?"

At that point, Alize began to sob onto her shoulder, gasping for breath through the heavy cries. That made Lyanna think the worst, that somehow Alize had been forced into something without her knowing. How could she not know if something like that happened? However, instead, Alize began to talk again.

"It's... it's... Oh, Lya, for fuck sake, it's Eryk's baby," Alize gasped out.

"Eryk's?" Lyanna exclaimed, having to stop herself from jumping up again. Her two best friends, together, and she didn't know? How oblivious was she? "How long?"

"A few weeks," Alize admitted, sniffing, her cries stopping. "The first day in Astapor, when he came back from seeing the Unsullied, he came back early because the thing upset him. We started talking, and then I got him some wine, when my mother was upset wine always helped her, and then we both started drinking and then...

"It started out as just an affair, just lust. He used to tell me that as soon as he saw me in Quarth he knew he wanted me, but that didn't sound like him, it was the wine. Not that I can blame him though. The night of your name day, when I took him back to his tent, I... I told him I loved him, and at first I thought it was because I was drunk but then slowly as I sobered up I realised that it was the truth. I do love him, Lya!"

"How long have you known?" Lyanna asked, trying to smile.

"A few days, I thought it was a stomach bug, or I was sick from all the wine, but it carried on for a few more days, and then I realised I'd not bled, and then I thought about you with Brandon, my mother too, and you were both just the same," she explained.

"Does Eryk know?"

"Yes, I told him yesterday, before you met the Second Sons, when you came in and I was crying," Alize nodded, sniffing again. "He was so happy, he said 'well we better get married now then!'"

The thought of Eryk reacting to that news made Lyanna want to cry with happiness. He'd suffered so much in his life. Taken from his home as a child, sold off, beaten, abused, forced to do things just because he wasn't a person, but an object. He'd been given a second chance when they freed him in Quarth, and he'd tried to make himself a new person, even changing his appearance, growing his beard and his hair, anything to separate himself from his past. Now, though, now he was going to be a father to the baby of someone he genuinely loved, and Lyanna couldn't imagine him being happier.

"Listen, I don't know what's going to happen in the future, for any of us, especially for you and Eryk and the baby, but you once told me that my baby was a gift from the gods," Lyanna began, looking at Alize's stomach. Now she knew, she could see it, the slight swell in her belly, the new life. "I didn't believe in the gods, still don't really, but I do believe in you. If anyone can be a good mother, it's you. If anyone can make the best out of this situation, it's you. Eryk's a good guy, he's going to be a great father, but you don't have to marry him, only do what you want, what you feel comfortable with. I'm here too, you'll always have me, for anything,"

Eryk wasn't the knight Alize had once dreamt of. He was just like her, a little bit broken, a little bit screwed up, but still sweet on the inside and out.
If anything, Eryk was better than a knight.

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Word count: 1107
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