LION'S LEGACY
40. Now It Begins
FLASHFORWARD
THREE YEARS LATER
North of King's Landing, at an abandoned tower, Ser Edric Dayne, Ser Edmyn Hightower, and Ser Steffon Oakheart sat outside together in utter silence, preparing for the fight that was yet to come.
From afar, the three members of Annalys' Queensguard noticed riders approaching, ones that were clearly not Lannister loyalists, but members of the rebels.
Ser Steffon had been sharpening his sword when he spotted the riders. He exchanged a brief look with Edmyn and Edric, who nodded in response. They knew what had to be done.
A content look on his face, Edric walked over to where his Queensguard helmet rested on a nearby rock. He picked it up, holding it in his arms as he walked back over to Edmyn and Steffon, who were now standing.
They each prepared to place their helmets on. Usually, it was never required of them, but now, they had to because the upcoming fight would a fight to the death. Either they won and killed the rebels, or what resided inside the tower would die.
The riders soon came to a stop and climbed off their horses, wasting no time moving toward the three members of Annalys' Queensguard. Despite there being nine rebels and only three Queensguard knights, it was obvious the knights had the upper hand.
Annalys wasn't dumb. She always made sure the best in Westeros was sworn to her. They had no match and could take on three of those men by themselves at ease. Especially Edric, who not only fought better than anyone in Westeros other than his queen, but also fought harder than any other man would because the royal family was practically his family. He had been there since the beginning, unlike most of the people Annalys usually had surrounding her. He'd fight for her and her family until his last breath, even Annalys herself was dead.
And Annalys wasn't a fool. She made sure the two of the best knights on her Queensguard made it out of King's Landing alive before it was too late. Those men were Ser Edric and Ser Edmyn. The only one who had the chance of beating Ser Stefan, however, was Ser Rickard Royce, but he wasn't there.
The three knights stopped when they were standing in front of the nine rebels. Edric stood in front of the two other knights, holding his Queensguard helmet in one hand while sticking Dawn in the ground in front of him as he prepared himself for the upcoming fight.
It was if the history behind the battle at the Tower of Joy was repeating itself, with a Sword of the Morning of House Dayne leading the royalists against the rebels. Leading the members of a deadly Queensguard, at that.
Edric glanced around each of the rebels, recognizing each of them to be members of either the Redwyne, Hightower, or Tyrell family. And despite Edmyn being a Hightower himself, he had been in the same position as Edric and Jeyne Crakehall when they met Annalys. They were outcasts to their families and were cast out early on in their lives, which caused them to soon find their way to Annalys in the first place.
"Ser Tyrell," Edric greeted the man standing before him in a content tone. Even if he wasn't Mace Tyrell or Loras Tyrell, Edric could still tell he was a member of that family.
"We looked for you in the capital," The Tyrell man admitted, looking directly at Edric.
"We weren't there," Edric answered in a calm tone, shaking his head slightly.
"The usurpers would have been dead within the seconds of walking through the castle walls if we had been," Edmyn added in, every single man there knowing it was the absolute truth.
If Edric had been at Annalys' side like he was always, no one would have stood a chance. Together at their prime, Annalys and Edric were an unstoppable duo, everyone knew that.
It made everyone in Westeros wonder, why wasn't Edric there?
"Queen Annalys and King Robb are dead," He informed the three knights in a calm tone and while Edmyn and Steffon felt saddened by the revelation, Edric was content, knowing there was no way they'd kill Annalys in such a quick fashion after what she did to wrong each of them. Not to mention, she was a valuable hostage, one they would regret killing without getting anything out of her, "Prince Eddard and Princess Lyanna are, too. Why weren't you there to protect the royal family?"
"Our Queen wanted us here," Steffon spoke up in a calm tone, referring to the fact that last of the Lannister-Stark children were located inside the tower.
"Where is he?" One of the other rebels suddenly asked, but the three knights remained silent, "Hand him over, surrender to the new royal family, and perhaps she will pardon you."
"We know no Queen but the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms whose name is Annalys Lannister," Ser Steffon responded in a stern tone.
"Surrender and perhaps we'll give you lot a quick death," Edmyn added in, smirking slightly, "Because it isn't a secret you signed your death sentences by coming here, making demands of us as if you're entitled to. We do not serve you. We never will."
"I wish you good fortune in the wars to come," Edric found himself speaking up, being far more honorable and polite with his words, unlike his two sworn brothers.
Steffon and Edmyn, were angry, to say the least. And while Edric felt the same, he had an easier time containing it.
The three knights remained silent as they placed on their Queensguard helmets, preparing to fight the rebels to the death.
"And now it begins," The Tyrell man found himself commenting, taking a step toward Edric.
"No, my lord," Edric replied, not looking to fearful of the fact that the majority of the men were coming toward him instead of Ser Steffon and Ser Edmyn, "Now, it ends."
As if on cue, Edric, Edmyn, and Steffon unsheathed their swords and only seconds later, the rebels did the same.
PRESENT TIME
KING'S LANDING
Days later, Olyvar grunted as he was thrown from the ledge of his mother's balcony, into her room. He was holding a shield and a sword while Annalys only held a sword.
The Lannister woman yelled out as she landed on her feet next to him. She swung at his shield and Olyvar quickly rolled out of the way before forcing himself to stand back up. Annalys swung a few more times and Olyvar was quick to block them with his sword.
Annalys swung, leading to Olyvar immediately ducking. As he stood back up, she kicked him in the stomach, lighter than she would with an adult, but still pretty hard. He grunted as he landed on the ground, dropping his shield.
Annalys approached him and before she could swing at him, Olyvar kicked her back. She stumbled backward and Olyvar stood back up.
He picked up his sword at the same time that Annalys recovered from his kick. He swung at Annalys and she ducked almost immediately after. He swung again and Annalys instantly sidestepped. He continued to swing at her and soon enough, their blades touched.
Olyvar tried to use both hands and all his strength to break the deadlock of their blades while Annalys used only one hand as she smiled at him daringly.
Finally, he pulled his sword away and lifted it up to swing at her. Before he could, he looked down to see a dagger pointed at his throat.
"Learn to expect the blade you cannot see. Any great warrior should always carry a dagger. It can be used with your nondominant hand when your sword is deadlocked with your enemy's," Annalys explained, who took in each piece of advice she gave him.
"What if I only have one hand?" Olyvar questioned jokingly, earning a small laugh from Annalys.
"Then you'd be fucked," Annalys replied in a calm tone, "Every good swordsman learns to fight with both hands."
"Have you?" Olyvar asked Annalys, who nodded in response.
"That I do," Annalys answered in a calm tone, "Ever since the time in the Riverlands where I nearly lost my hands, I've made sure to be able to use a sword in my right hand as well as I can use it in my left hand. Now, even if I were to lose my left hand, I'd still be better than everyone else," She paused, noticing the odd look on Olyvar's face, "If using a sword ends
up being your best talent as it is mine, many of your enemies will make sure taking your hand is the first thing they do. They'll think that if they take your hand, you'll be nothing. That's what they tried to do to my father and nearly did to me."
"You needn't worry, Mother. No one would be unlucky enough to have it happen to them twice," Olyvar commented, beginning to smile.
"It seems you don't know me at all, my son," She admitted, referring to the fact she seemed to be the most unlucky person ever lately, "You're making progress. More than your brothers, that is for sure. At the pace you're going, you'll be better than Lyanna, too."
Olyvar smiled proudly, enjoying the compliment given to him. There was a moment of silence before Annalys turned to him with a concerned look. "I must ask something. I heard from someone in the castle that you were thinking about joining the Night's Watch," She told the boy, who began to feel uneasy.
"I do," Olyvar admitted confidently, despite feeling nervous while talking about it with her, "More than anything."
"But why?" Annalys found herself asking him, "Don't you want a wife? Don't you want children?"
"I may be a legitimized bastard, but I will always be a bastard, no matter what," Olyvar admitted truthfully, looking almost ashamed.
"And is that why you want to join the Night's Watch?" Annalys questioned, raising a brow at Olyvar.
"Everyone in the family has plans for what they will down when they grow older. Lyanna will be Queen. Eddard with be Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Torrhen will be a knight of Lyanna's Queensguard. Joanna will be married to some highborn lord and help him rule his castle. Edric will be married to Princess Myrcella Martell. And Rickard..." He trailed off, beginning to quietly chuckle, "Well, Rickard will do what he does best. Cause as much chaos and mischief in the Seven Kingdoms as he can. But what is there for me? I don't want to be a knight. I don't have a castle to rule. Even if I did, I don't know the half of politics. But I do know about fighting for something I believe in and I believe in protecting the realms of men."
Annalys remained silent, beginning to smile. Ever since she learned off the upcoming war against the Tyrells, she was trying to ensure the safety of each of her children in the future. Despite knowing it was a big decision to make, she felt as though convincing Olyvar to join the Night's Watch was the only way to protect him.
He always had a need to help his siblings, even when they treated him like shit. He enjoyed being a hero and Annalys knew what happened to most heroes. They died. She refused to let that happen to her son. The fact that he wasn't even her real son would also make it so that he wasn't as protected against their family's enemies by Lannister loyalists as the other children were. Torra was in the same position as him, but she was Torra. She was capable of handling herself, just as she always had been. She couldn't say the same about Olyvar. He was only a boy.
Annalys knew if Olyvar joined the Night's Watch, it would not only ensure his safety, it would make it so that his vows of taking the Black would make sure he was unable to travel south to try and be a hero if it came down it.
"If you want to join the Night's Watch, I will let you. You're thirteen. I think we shall wait until your fifteenth birthday to let you take the Black," Annalys explained to the young boy, "Is that alright with you?"
"What about Father?" Olyvar found himself asking his mother, "He surely won't be able about my decision."
"But it isn't his decision to make now, is it? As I said to Torra on matters regarding her marriage to Aden, your father only says no because he fears losing you. What he needs to understand is that you won't be children forever. You will grow up and you will be let free into the world, free to make your own decision and free to learn from whatever mistakes you make. But we will always be here to guide you all, no matter how old you may be. Remember that," Annalys explained sincerely and Olyvar found himself smiling, nodding his head in agreement.
Annalys walked over to Olyvar, placing one hand on the side of his face and the other on his shoulder. "But as I've told you before, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Aye, you might be a bastard, but allow me to give you a word of advice. When you hear people whispering that you are a bastard behind your back, be sure to wear that given title like armor. If you do so, that name can never be used to hurt you," She explained to the boy in a calm tone, earning a curious look from him.
"Who told you that?" Olyvar found himself asking his mother curiously.
"My Uncle," She answered, beginning to smile sadly.
Hearing her answer, Olyvar began to tense up as he realized she meant Tyrion. Noticing the boy's expression change, Annalys gave him a concerned look. "Is something wrong?" She asked him and Olyvar was quick to shake his head.
"No, no. Of course not," Olyvar lied, forcing himself to smile, "What could be wrong?"
"Because if something's wrong, you can tell me. Whatever it may be," Annalys assured the boy, knowing right away something was wrong, despite his refusal to tell her about it.
Olyvar smiled, nodding his head in understanding. "I'll keep that in mind, Mother," He replied quickly before turning away from her, "I better go."
Annalys was on the verge of speaking up but Olyvar ended up leaving before she could. As he exited the room, Olyvar frowned as he watched Rickard walk past him and down the hall, looking to be limping.
"Are you alright?" Olyvar spoke up, giving his brother a concerned look.
Rickard forced himself to slowly turn to Olyvar, nodding his head in response. "I'm fine," He lied, forcing a smile on his face, "Why wouldn't I be?"
Olyvar was on the verge of speaking up but before he could, Rickard walked off, continuing to limp. Olyvar sighed in defeat, deciding to not question his brother before walking off.
___
Annalys was walking down the hallway, on the way to visit Torrhen. She suddenly stopped, however, noticing Rickard's door a crack open.
She ended up knocking on the door, just before entering. Rickard immediately turned to his mother, his eyes wide in alarm, "What are you doing?" She found herself asking Rickard, trying her hardest not to think about what happened with him and Lady, "Why so jumpy?"
"No reason. I'm just getting ready to meet Ambrose for our daily lesson," Rickard responded, turning away from his mother to continue getting ready.
"Ah," She nodded in response as she moved toward him, "Well, fix your shirt. It's bunched up in the back."
Rickard flinched as Annalys knelt behind him, beginning to tense up. She pulled the hem of his shirt out of his pants, only to get a brief glimpse of the bruises and cuts on his back, all of them recent since she didn't remember seeing them when she gave him a bath just days before.
"Seven hells!" She exclaimed in horror, gasping at the sight.
Rickard tried to move away, but before he could, Annalys lifted his entire shirt up to reveal bruises scattered across his back.
"What happened, Rickard?" Annalys asked her son in concern.
"Nothing, Mother. Torrhen and I got into a fight. It was nothing, really," Rickard lied to his mother and because he was so skilled with lying, he believed him. Like mother, like son.
"My love, you have bruises all across your back," Annalys argued, shaking her head, "This isn't nothing."
She ran her fingertips over the bruises, frowning when she saw that they seemed to be slashes and bruises made not from a fist or foot, but from an object.
"I'm telling you, Mother. It's nothing," Rickard repeated him and Annalys found herself sighing in defeat, noticing the look on Rickard's face that told her to give it up.
"Fine. Run along to your lessons. I'll find you later," Annalys encouraged her son, despite having a weird feeling in her gut regarding the whole ordeal.
Rickard nodded in understanding before running off. Annalys hesitantly rose to her feet. She exited the room and headed in the direction of Torrhen's room. She knocked on the door and Torrhen was quick to open it. "You must know, Torrhen, it's not nice to fight your brother," She wasted no time telling Torrhen, who looked as though he had no clue what she was talking about.
"What are you talking about, Mother?" He questioned, a deeply puzzled look on his face.
"The fight you got into with Rickard, of course. He has bruises all over his back," Annalys explained to Torrhen, yet the boy still looked at her as though he had no idea what she meant.
"Mother, Rickard hasn't spoken to me in a week. He hasn't spoken to any of us. He spends all his time with Ambrose or in his room. I dare say he's obsessed with the man," Torrhen explained to Annalys and within a split second, the Lannister woman finally realized she had everything wrong and she'd never forgive herself for no realizing it earlier.
Without a second thought, Annalys turned on her feet and began to run as fast as she could down the hallway.
Soon enough, she arrived just outside the room on the highest level of the Red Keep, where Rickard was tutored by Ambrose. She began to piece everything together and realized why Ambrose requested somewhere secluded for him to tutor Rickard. He claimed it to be because Rickard was distracted easily but she finally realized it was so that no one would hear Rickard's cries of pain.
As she arrived up the stairs, she immediately heard Rickard crying in pain. She wasted no time running in, only to find Ambrose having a tight grip on Rickard's arm as the young boy was bending forward, in deep pain after being struck by the belt Ambrose held in his free hand.
Ambrose's eyes widened when he looked forward to find Annalys standing before him, a furious expression on her face. He immediately let go of Rickard, cautiously taking a step away from him.
"Rickard, get out of here," Annalys demanded in a low, stern tone, "Now. Find a guard and stay with him."
Rickard simply cried in pain, clutching his arm. He was in so much pain he couldn't move just yet. Annalys kept her eyes locked on Ambrose, who was staring at her in both shock and fear.
"Your Grace, Rickard is a difficult child. You and I both know that. He is unable to learn in ways normal children should. There is a certain method that must be used to keep him under control. Let me explain--" He began to explain, starting to walk toward Annalys.
Before he could reach her, Rickard used all the strength he had to push Ambrose back and away from Annalys. The seven-year-old boy stepped forward, protectively standing in front of his mother, hatefully glaring up at Ambrose.
"Step away from her!" Rickard roared at Ambrose threateningly, "You shall not threaten my mother."
Annalys kept her eyes locked on Ambrose as she placed a hand on Rickard's shoulder. "Rickard, my love. You must leave this room. Close the door behind you. I'll deal with this." She whispered to her son softly, not being able to look him in the eye for two very different reasons, one of them being guilt for not realizing what was happening sooner.
Rickard looked up at his mother in concern after hearing her request. "Are you going to kill him?" He asked and Annalys remained silent, "I hope you do. And I hope you make it painful."
Annalys was so caught up in her fury, she thought nothing of what Rickard had said and how concerning it was for a six-year-old to be saying that.
"Don't worry it will," Annalys found herself telling the boy without realizing it, speaking in a low and threatening tone.
The smallest of smirks formed on Rickard's face before he used all the strength he had to rush out the door. He closed it and despite being told to leave entirely, he stood at the door and listened in.
"You dare lay a hand on my child? I allowed you in my home. I allowed you to tutor my child. I gave you hundreds of gold dragons in return. And this is how you repay me?" She questioned, letting out a humorless laugh, "You'll die for this. I promise you that."
Ambrose scoffed and shook his head. "You're not as strong of a fighter as you used to be, Queen Annalys. How long has it been since you had a proper duel with someone? Seven years? You may have fought a war against Daenerys Targaryen not too long ago, but that wasn't like the other wars. You were mostly slaying dragons."
"You're right. It's been a while since I've had a proper fight. But that only means I'm in deep need of quenching my lingering thirst for bloodshed," She explained, pausing as she began to speak in a whisper, "And I'm not going to give you an easy death. Each bruise you gave my son, you will be given the same one at my hands and more. Only then will I take your life."
Annalys began to step toward Ambrose, who found himself feeling uneasy. Outside the room, Rickard didn't even flinch as he heard Ambrose's loud screams, along with the sounds of him being whipped repeatedly with his own belt.
The smallest of smirks formed on Rickard's face at the sound, relieved that Ambrose was getting everything he deserved after what he did to him. And Annalys didn't even know the half of what happened.
Some may have believed Prince Rickard was mad, but the smirk on his face made him no different than his mother. He had a need for justice, but in the worst ways possible. He believed in vengeance on a higher level than anyone besides his mother.
Lyanna had the gift of inheriting her mother's bravery, stubbornness, and leadership skills. She had been sadly burdened with her father's impulsiveness and recklessness as well. Not to mention, the Stark's need to be a hero.
Eddard had inherited his mother's bravery, intelligence and his father's need for honor and justice.
Each of Robb and Annalys' children gained at least one positive quality and one negative from them, all except Rickard.
Rickard gained almost all negatives, most of them from his mother. Some could have been seen as positive, but in the way he used them, it wasn't used for anything but good.
He had his mother's cleverness, her thirst for blood and vengeance, her skill in lying and manipulating, and love for chaos. Nearly every bad quality Annalys had, Rickard now had it as well.
Lyanna had been gifted almost all the good parts of her mother while Rickard had been burdened with the bad.
And despite that seeming like a bad thing, it would ensure he'd survive what was yet to come.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Ambrose is finally getting what he deserved!!!
And despite it continuously claiming in the flashforwards that certain people are dead, we don't know.
I mean, how times in this book and the last book has Annalys (and sometimes Robb) been presumed dead but is actually alive.
And I'll tell you now, that fight scene between Edric, Edmyn, and Ser Steffon and the rebels are going to be epic when you see the entirety of it!
I mean, it's always being mentioned Annalys has one of the deadliest kingsguards in the history of the seven kingdoms, but we've never truly seen them in action. But we will.
That scene, though, is supposed to be like a parallel with the Tower of Joy flashback scene in the actual show.
After all, during that scene in the show, two of the Kingsguard members was a Hightower and a Dayne (just like here) and they're protecting one of royal family's children.
Who do you think it is in the tower, though?
They claim that Lyanna and Eddard are dead and they're searching for a prince so who do you think it is? Little Edric, Prince Torrhen, or Prince Rickard?