LION'S LEGACY
31. A Lannister Never Forgets
Annalys and Robb were making their way through the halls of the Red Keep, on the verge of meeting with their children when Loras suddenly approached them, looking urgent as he stood alongside Brienne and Ser Steffon. "Your Grace," Brienne spoke up, causing the duo to turn to face the three knights with a concerned look on both of their faces.
"What is it?" Robb questioned, deeply concerned.
"Princess Joanna has fallen ill," Loras informed the duo, causing Annalys to quietly gasp, tears filling her eyes at the revelation.
"What?" She asked in disbelief, turning to look at Robb, "I thought you said the fever was over, that no one else has fallen ill in days."
"They haven't," Robb responded quietly, an uneasy look on his face, "I don't know how this has happened."
Annalys sighed in frustration, beginning to walk toward the three knights. "Where is she? Where's my daughter?" She desperately asked the trio, a deeply worried look on her face, "I want to see her."
"You can't, Annalys," Robb argued in a stern tone, wasting no time grabbing his wife by the waist to stop her from rushing off.
Annalys instantly whipped herself around to face him. She frowned in concern, tugging herself out of his grip. "What do you mean, I can't?" She asked him, staring at him in disbelief, "Our daughter has the fever. I need to be with her."
"You can't," Robb argued once more, much to Annalys' confusion.
Deciding to ignore him, Annalys let out a large scoff as she gave him a frustrated look. She turned to face Ser Steffon, gesturing for him to start walking. "Bring me to my daughter," She demanded in a stern tone and just as he was about to obey his queen's orders, Robb was quick to speak up.
"Surround the Queen!" He ordered in a stern tone and Annalys watched in disbelief as Ser Steffon, Loras, and Brienne obeyed Robb's orders over their queen's.
Ser Steffon gave Annalys an apologetic look, but still obeyed Robb's orders over her. He, Brienne, and Loras surrounded their queen, their hands placed on the hilts of their swords as a way to warn her not to go any further. Annalys glanced around, feeling uneasy when she found Ser Rickard nowhere in sight. He was the only knight apart of her Queensguard that she could truly trust while Edmyn, Jaime, and Edric were not there.
Annalys turned to Robb, a betrayed look on her face. "What do you think you're doing?" She questioned, trying her best to contain her anger as she glared at him.
"I cannot let you risk being around Joanna," Robb informed Annalys softly, trying his best to maintain composure as his wife gave him a look that could kill.
"She is my daughter!" Annalys shouted at Robb angrily, staring at him in utter disbelief.
"Our daughter!" Robb argued with Annalys, sending her back a furious look, "And she's not the only child we have. Our youngest is still a babe and is fed by you. I cannot risk you being around Joanna and then passing the infection to our son."
"I will not infect him and I will not be locked away," Annalys argued back in a low, stern tone as she continued to glare at Robb.
"You will," Robb responded in a calm tone, seeming to be not affected by Annalys' orders.
"I will not—" Annalys started to argue once more, only to get cut off by Robb.
Robb ignored Annalys, turning toward the three members of the Queensguard that were loyal to him. In truth, only Brienne and Loras were really loyal to him. Ser Steffon was only obeying Robb because he truly believed it was needed to protect his queen. How many times could she be around the infected and not become sick herself? He knew sooner or later, the fever would get to her and if it did, they were utterly fucked.
"Take the Queen to her chambers," Robb ordered in a stern tone and the knights immediately began to step forward, "Make sure she remains there."
"Robb!" Annalys shouted at him, her expression consumed with betrayal and disbelief.
She couldn't believe he was actually doing this. She was queen. She was the sovereign. How was her own Queensguard going to choose Robb over her, their queen?
"I'm sorry, Annalys," Robb genuinely apologized, sighing in defeat, "But this must be done. I cannot let you risk this."
Hearing Robb's words, Annalys' glare was no longer filled with anger, it was consumed with hate. He recalled the last time she glared at him like that. It was the day he imprisoned her at Riverrun after she freed her family. During that time, she ended up freeing herself and ran away with their children. She started a war against him. He knew that his decision risked that happening again and as much as he didn't want that to happen, he refused to risk Annalys' life or their son's by allowing Annalys to be around Joanna while she was infected.
As Ser Loras and Brienne moved toward her, Annalys was about to unsheathe her sword, only to find it to no longer be there. She frowned in concern, only to look ahead to find Robb holding Lady's Wrath in his right hand. She immediately realized that when he had grabbed her by the waist moments before, it wasn't to stop her from leaving as she assumed it to be, it was to unarm her without noticing. It was like this was all planned, like Robb had the feeling something like this would happen sooner or later.
"Stay back," Annalys ordered in a stern tone, glaring at the three knights, "I command you to stay back."
"King's orders, Your Grace," Brienne spoke up in a calm tone as she and Loras grabbed her by the arms while Ser Steffon stayed in place next to Robb.
Annalys attempted to tug out of their grip, hatefully glaring at the two knights holding onto her. "I am the Queen and you will let me see my daughter!" She commanded, but got no response, leading to her turning to look at Ser Steffon, "I trusted you, Ser Steffon! I expected this out of these two, but not you. I allowed you into my home, I invited you to the Queensguard after you asked it of me and this is how you repay me?!"
Steffon tensed up, beginning to realize she had a point. He started to step forward, only to stop as Robb grabbed him by the arm. "Don't even think about it," He warned him in a low tone and the two men watched as Annalys was dragged toward her chambers, kicking and screaming. She made no motion to kill them, however, knowing it was forbidden.
"Remember my words, Robb!" She screamed through the halls, knowing her husband could hear her, "The Lannisters never forget!"
As they finally reached Annalys' room, they tossed her in before closing the door. She roared in anger as she pounded on the door with her fists. It did nothing, though, seeing as though they locked it from the outside. She turned on her heel, heaving for breath as she tried to remain calm.
She balled her hands into tight fists, trying to calm herself down as she found herself becoming consumed with anger. Not being able to control herself, Annalys knocked everything off a nearby table, which caused each object to either shatter or clink upon impact with the ground.
She picked up a nearby vase, screaming in rage as she threw it at the wall. She continued to trash the room, fuming with anger. She found herself moving toward the door, beginning to kick and punch at it to get their attention.
"I am Annalys Lannister, Queen of Westeros, Lady of Casterly Rock, daughter of Cersei Lannister and the Kingslayer, Granddaughter of the mighty Tywin Lannister!" She screamed in rage, continuing to punch the door so hard, her knuckles began to split and bleed, "No man, not even a Stark king will take me away from my daughter," She paused, groaning loudly in frustration when she got no answer, "I'll kill you for this, Robb. I'll kill all of you the moment I get out of here. You should no better than to betray me, especially when you know what I'm capable of."
Annalys was about to speak up once more, only to get cut off when she heard her son cry. Her eyes softened, realizing she had woken him up with her fit of rage. She solemnly walked into his nursery, finding him crying, clearly woken up by the commotion and her mother's temper tantrum.
"Shh," She told her son in a hushed tone as she lifted him out of his crib, beginning to cradle him, "It's alright. It's alright. I apologize, my love. I didn't mean to wake you from your sleep. I was enraged and couldn't contain my anger. It seems to get the better of us, trust me on that. Especially when you're a Lannister."
The baby cooed in response, innocently looking up at his mother since he had no idea what was truly going on at that moment. Annalys only wished she could be young again, so oblivious to how cruel the world they lived in really was.
She smiled softly, stroking her son's chubby cheek with the back of her finger, "I must be with my daughter. I have to. Not even your father will take that away from me," She admitted quietly, letting out a small sigh in defeat, "It's as though he planned it. He knew the men of the Queensguard. loyal to me would be gone. All but Ser Rickard. That's another thing I don't understand. Where could he be? I need him. I believe he is my only hope right now."
____
In Torra's chambers, Lyanna, Torra, and Aden stood together, looking down at Ser Rickard, who laid unconscious on the ground. Lyanna clapped her hands together, beginning to approach the knight. "So how do you expect to heal him of the infection, huh?" She questioned, smiling slightly as she prepared herself for whatever Torra and Aden were planning to do.
Aden and Lyanna exchanged a look before turning toward Torra, waiting for an explanation. Torra sighed in defeat, beginning to pace the room as she started to explain what she had learned in the past months about the fever.
"I spoke to a maester. I believe Aden and I figured out a cure to the fever. After Aden submerged me into the water that was as cold as ice months ago, I was soon healed. The maester said that when a person is placed in cold temperatures like cold water, it causes the flow of blood in the body to slow down. It's also the most effective way to bring down the body temperature as quickly as possible, even if it may be dangerous at times," She explained in a calm tone, turning to Aden and Lyanna, "I believe what makes this fever spread so quickly is because when someone catches it, it somehow gets into the blood and after it gets into the blood, it spreads at a fast pace. The fever tries to fight it, but it almost always fails. But after I was placed in the cold water, my blood flow began to slow down and it allowed my body to have time to fight off the sickness."
Lyanna's eyes widened in shock, as did Aden's. "My love, I believe you just found a cure," Aden told the girl softly, his eyes wide in astonishment.
Torra began to smirk in satisfaction, happy with the praise she was getting, "Well then, I believe it's time we give it a try," She replied, gesturing down toward Ser Rickard, "Help me get him out of his armor."
Aden nodded, he and Lyanna stepping closer to the knight alongside Torra. They removed his armor, leaving him in a loose shirt and trousers. Next, they removed his shirt, but kept his trousers on, for Lyanna's sake.
Lyanna and Torra grabbed onto Ser Rickard's legs while Aden grabbed him by the arms. They carried him to Lyanna's bathing chambers, where they placed him in the cold bathwater. Ser Rickard flinched, but remained unconscious. They kept his head above water, but the rest of his body remained underwater. Lyanna and Torra picked up nearby wash cloths, beginning to run it over Ser Rickard's face and body to cool down.
"Let us hope this works," Lyanna whispered softly, an uneasy look on her face.
"Why's that?" Aden questioned, raising a brow at the young princess, "He's the last person who's infected."
Lyanna remained silent, avoiding eye contact with Aden and Torra, which the duo was quick to notice. "What are we missing, Lyanna?" Torra asked her younger sister, sounding stern, yet still concerned.
"Ser Rickard caught it from Joanna," She admitted softly, feeling uneasy about the whole ordeal, "I heard about it when I snuck through the secret passages to get here."
"You and those secret passages," Torra sighed, shaking her head at the revelation.
"Joanna snuck to the black cells to see our Uncle Tyrion. An infected man in one of the black cells grabbed onto her leg when she was leaving. Ser Rickard cut his hand off but when he was escorting Joanna out of the black cells, he must have caught the disease from her. She's still infected and Father has locked Mother in her room," Lyanna explained, much to Torra's shock.
"She's back?!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yes, with another child, too. She's named him Edric," She continued on, leaving Torra absolutely shocked, "Father has locked her in their chambers with little Edric. He doesn't want her to spread the fever to the baby."
"Where was the Queensguard when this was all happening?" Aden found himself asking, looking just as concerned as Torra.
After all, if the Queen herself was betrayed by her own Queensguard, what else could possibly go wrong? A lot, that was what.
"Ser Edric, Jaime, and Ser Edmyn have all gone to Casterly Rock to deliver the crops. Ser Loras, Ser Steffon, and Ser Brienne have sided with Father. And lastly, Ser Rickard..." She trailed off, gesturing down to the knight laying in the bath in front of them, "is a bit indisposed at the moment, sadly."
Torra sighed in frustration, an uneasy look on his face. "He can't just do that to her." She argued, shaking her head in disapproval, "She is sovereign, not him."
"That isn't what I'm worried about," Lyanna admitted, feeling nervous about the whole ordeal, "I didn't just randomly come across those secret passages. Mother showed them to me. She will escape her room within no time. I just fear what will happen to Father when she reaches him."
"Nothing good, I assume," Aden replied, noticing how worried Torra and Lyanna looked at how much of an understatement his words were.
"Far from good, Aden," Torra answered, shaking her head in response, "The last time one of them tried to keep one of their children from the other, a war started. That was twelve years ago," She paused, gesturing toward Lyanna since it was she and her brother who Robb and Annalys fought over last time.
______
In Annalys' chambers, after feeding her son, Annalys placed him down on her own bed before moving toward the walls, beginning to feel around for the entrance to the passages. After all, the last time she used the passages was more than ten years before and she wasn't living in the royal chambers.
Finally, with a small push, the secret door opened and Annalys sighed in relief. She moved toward her bed. First, she lifted her matress up slightly, finding her secret dagger. She sheathed it at her belt before lifting her son's body off the bed. She held him with one arm while using the other to hold a lit candle that had been in her chambers.
Once entering the secret passages, she closed the opening back up, walking in the direction of her eldest son's chambers. Little Edric remained silent, fast asleep in her mother's arms after being fed. Soon enough, she reached Eddard's chambers and entered, finding the boy playing on the floor with Olyvar, Torrhen, and Rickard. Seeing as though everyone else's back faced the woman as she snuck in, Rickard gasped, rising from his feet.
"Mother!" He gasped in shock, rushing over to his mother as he tightly hugged her.
"Hello, my love," She smiled as she hugged him back, placing the lit candle down on a nearby table.
Eddard and the two other boys, the eldest Stark-Lannister boy immediately frowned when he noticed his mother's bloody knuckles. "What happened? Why did you arrive through the passages?" He asked in concern before locking eyes on the sleeping baby his mother held, "Who's that?"
"He's your brother, Eddard. His name is Edric," she informed him and he immediately walked over to greet the baby, seeing as though he and Rickard hadn't gotten the chance to meet him earlier that day like their two other brothers.
"He's quiet," Eddard admitted softly, smiling down at his baby brother before turning to give Rickard a pointed look, "Unlike this one had been."
"Shut up!" Rickard exclaimed, glaring at his eldest brother.
"Enough. Be nice," She demanded in a stern tone and the two boys were quick to obey, "Your sister has fallen sick. I must be with her. I don't trust anyone else. The four of you must protect your brother. Don't let him be placed in anyone's arms, not even your father's."
Eddard stared at his mother closely, noticing the uneasy look on his face. He sighed in frustration, realizing almost immediately that yet another 'war' was occurring between his parents. "Seven hells. Not again," He muttered under his breath and Annalys, who seemed to be the only one to understand his words, gave him a saddened look.
"It's not like that, Eddard. You needn't worry," Annalys assured him, using her free hand to place a hand on his cheek, "I need you to do this."
"I will, Mother," Eddard responded, nodding his head in understanding.
"Now, this is a lot to ask of you, but I need your sword," She informed Eddard as she placed little Edric down on his brother's bed, "Your father has stolen mine."
Despite Olyvar shaking his head at his brother as a way to tell him not to do it, Eddard ignored him. He rushed over to his bed, taking out the sword he received from his mother on his name day out from under it. He turned to his mother, holding it out to her.
Annalys smiled, taking the sword from his hands before unsheathing her blade. She grabbed Eddard's hands, placing the dagger in his left hand, seeing as though he had been gifted with being left-handed, just like his mother, as did Torra and Rickard.
"This is a lot to ask, my love, but if Ser Brienne, Ser Loras, or Ser Steffon come here, trying to take the child, you must use this," She whispered softly, causing Eddard's eyes to widen, "I know you might not want to, but you must. They cannot be trusted at the moment. They have taken your father's side and I have no idea if I can trust him right now after what he's done. He had them lock me in a room to keep me from your sister. He might have had good intentions, but if he can do that to the queen..." She trailed off and Eddard immediately nodded in understanding.
"How is he supposed to fend off three of the greatest knights in Westeros?" Olyvar found himself asking and he clearly had a point.
"They are loyal to your father and you are your father's heir," Annalys replied in a calm tone and Eddard knew she was right, "They will not hurt you, even if you hurt them. You don't have to kill them, I would never ask that of you. However, it does not mean you could hurt them enough to give you enough time to leave."
Each of Annalys' sons nodded, despite her basically telling them to choose their mother over their father. Of course, they would, without question. Annalys was right. Her sons were closer to her while her daughters were closer to their father. Well, all expect Lyanna, but she was different. She was obviously Annalys' favorite, no matter how much the woman tried to deny it.
"Can you do this, my love?" Annalys asked Eddard softly and the boy immediately nodded in response.
"I can and I will," Eddard responded, sounding both confident and determined, "I will protect Edric, I will protect all of my brothers."
"Good," Annalys smiled, cupping her son's face in his hands as she placed a kiss to her forehead, "Now, I must go. I will return soon."
Annalys turned to Torrhen, Rickard, and Olyvar, who immediately rushed toward their mother. She hugged each of them tightly, placing a kiss to their cheeks. "Be careful. Listen to your brother," She whispered to them softly and each boy nodded.
With that, Annalys stood up, grasping Eddard's sword in her hand as she exited the room. She suddenly stopped, noticing how Olyvar was on the verge of closing the door, "Don't close the door," She paused, beginning to smirk, "I still have another part of my plan."
Eddard froze, immediately realizing what was going to happen when he saw the look on her face. What better way to distract Robb than to release eight direwolves in the castle? Annalys locked eyes with Eddard, sending him a small smile before running off.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Don't worry this feud between Annalys and Robb will end by next chapter. You'll understand why Robb is so intent on keeping Annalys away from Joanna 😬 it's kinda sad.
Also, if you haven't noticed by now, Eddard and Lyanna are definitely Annalys' favorites, as is Rickard, even if it isn't obvious yet.
Robb's favorites are definitely Joanna, Torra and perhaps Eddard (clearly, he's his heir)