The Emancipation of Rhaegar

Chapter 5

"Not scary at all," Lyanna whispered staring along with Arianne. There were many of them, lined up wall to wall, balcony to balcony. Neither girls knew who was who but Lyanna was able to point out the white and gold cloaks of the Kingsguard. The royal family must have arrived already.

"I hope you've enough servants to carry the gifts we came with," Brandon mumbled to Lord Whent. It would be foolish of any family, other than the royal family, to even dream of attending the Tourney empty-handed.

Lord Whent touched his stout nose and patted Brandon on the back. "I will assume it's the last carriage in and have them unload it, my lord."

Harrenhal was truly the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms, without the upbeat Tourney in place one could see it being a dull, ruinous place. With its five towers that had the ability to hurt one's head if gazed upon for too long, and grounds that could crush Winterfell and cover it three times.

The stables housed thousands of horses, with space still available and the kitchens were as large as Winterfell's hall. Though here and there decaying nature of the building could be seen. It seemed that only the lower three towers out of the five were in use, the rest crumbling away to ruin. The gatehouse appeared to be larger than Winterfell's Great Keep, and from outside the gates, only the tallest two towers could be seen. Of the great towers, the shortest one was as high as Winterfell's highest tower, yet none of the towers was exactly straight. All of them were lumpy, cracked or bent from the burning of Harrenhal by the Targaryen dragons.

The original names of the towers melted away with Harren the Black. The Tower of Dread, Widow's Tower which connects to the Kingspyre Tower. The Wailing Tower which contained storerooms on the ground floor and vaults beneath. The Tower of Ghosts near the gate and ruined Sept. And the Kingspyre Tower containing the castellan chambers. The main entrance, from which the Stark's entered had walls thick and layered. The Hall of the Hundred Hearths was the castle's great hall. It had thirty-five hearths, and its floors were smooth slate and steps led to the two galleries above.

The kitchens, located in a round stone building with a domed roofed contained nothing but kitchens, so one could only imagine the preparation that would go into the feasts and meals and snacks that would be presented the next ten days. The Flowstone Yard, where the men-at-arms exercised and drill and where the squires would clean the armour.

It was situated near the Wailing Tower. The bear put, ten yards across and five yards down, walled in stone, floored with sand and encircled by six tiers and marble benches, located in the middle ward. The bathhouse, had a low ceiling, was full of great stone tubs large enough to hold six or seven. It would be another social gathering for the more, exploring, lords and ladies.

Lord Whent turned to the girls who had just come out of the carriage and were gazing up at the balcony. "They have all been awaiting your arrival, my ladies," he smiled.

Brandon cleared his throat. "My younger sisters, Lyanna Stark and Arianne Sand. My Bannerman's wife, Bethany Bolton, my Bannerman's daughters; Lady Maege Mormont, Lady Meria Karstark and Lady Haley Umber," he said pointing to each one.

Lord Whent smiled as the girls curtsied respectfully. "Your home is one of grandeur my lord," Lyanna complimented.

Lord Whent turned a dark shade of red, beaming at Lyanna. "Thank you, my lady. We have arranged for handmaidens to be assigned to you each for your optimal comfort here at Harrenhal, so bid farewell to your handmaidens and say hello to your new ones."

"Oh, we did not travel with Handmaiden's," Bethany piped.

Arianne and Lyanna turned to her. It was known that private matters of the family were not to be discussed with others. Lyanna knew it was wrong to get close to the girl, but she had no other acquiesces apart from Arianne who was far too busy sewing or writing one thing or another to pay any mind to her. Bethany looked nervously at Lyanna and bowed her head.