LION'S LEGACY
43. Lion's Den
FLASHFORWARD
THREE YEARS LATER
In Lannisport, Lord Florent was exiting an establishment with five of his men when he suddenly came face to face with someone he never thought he'd see again. Princess Lyanna.
She rode in on a large white stallion, Lady's Wrath sheathed on her belt while she wore a cloak with the sigils of both Houses Lannister and Stark sewed onto the front of it.
Lyanna being alive was only supposed to be a rumor. How was it possible? How was she there?
"Such a small slulk of foxes," Lyanna found herself speaking up sarcastically, her horse coming to a stop as about two dozen red cloaks arrived next to her on foot, wearing armor with spears in hand, "You should know, there's strength in numbers, but I have to admit, I can't say it really matters when you're foolish enough to walk into the Lion's Den."
"That's impossible!" Lord Florent exclaimed in disbelief as he watched Lyanna casually climb off her horse and turn to face him while wearing a content expression, "You're supposed to be dead."
"I get that a lot, to be quite honest with you," Lyanna confessed in a sarcastic tone, "It's getting tiring what with everyone believing me to be dead, but I didn't come hear to speak of that. I'm here because I heard the Usurpers have my brother. I'd like him back," she paused, taking a small yet threatening step toward him, "You remember him, don't you? The youngest of my mother's children. Blonde hair, blue eyes...a small lad, as I recall. A bit fat in the face, but small nonetheless. Forgive me if my description is a bit off, it has been a few years, but you must get the gist of who I'm explaining."
"I remember him, My Lady," Lord Florent responded in a calm tone and despite hoping it would affect her, Lyanna seemed unbothered by his refusal to address her as a princess, "And I believe you have your facts wrong. Your brother is dead, all of your siblings are. I would know, I remember that day if it were yesterday. As I recall, Ser Luthor Tyrell was supposed to have killed you while my job was to execute your twin brother. Unlike Luthor, I actually did my duty."
"Duty," Lyanna repeated after Lord Florent, letting out a loud scoff.
Without hesitation, Lyanna unsheathed Lady's Wrath and within seconds, each of the Red Cloaks raised their spears.
"You want to talk about duty?" Lyanna questioned Lord Florent threateningly, pointing the tip of her sword directly at the man as she stood just a few feet in front of him, "You and your men killed my entire family. You killed my sisters, one of them being Joanna who was only eleven at the time. You killed my brothers, one of them being my twin brother. I was forced to watch as they stabbed him four times in the gut. I was forced to hear my mother's loud screams as she was dragged away by her Queensguard, each of them believing it to be more important to keep their queen safe than to allow her to save her children. I escaped King's Landing with my life, but months after that, I learned about what you did to my mother and father."
Lyanna slowly walked toward Lord Florent, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Was it your duty, my lord, to assist the Usurpers in ripping my family off our thrones? Was it your duty to kill children, innocent children, for their parent's mistakes? Was it your duty to have you and your men rape my mother while my father was tied up just a few feet away and forced to watch the entire thing? Was it your duty to erase two Great Houses of Westeros from existence because of rumors that weren't even true?"
Lyanna let out a small humorless laugh, giving Lord Florent a threatening look. "But it is fine, Lord Florent. I believe it is time you know what my duty is," She paused, gesturing her sword at him, "It is my duty at this moment to put my sword through your eye and out the back of your skull after you murdered my twin brother. Then, I will kill the rest of your men," She explained before turning toward her own men, "Leave one survivor. I'd like him to send a message to the Usurpers. I want them to tell that bitch who calls herself 'queen' that the Young Lioness is alive and coming with the armies of the North, the Westerlands, and the Riverlands to remind her that the Lannisters never forget and plan to pay their debts by killing the lot of them for thinking they could take my family's throne and get away with it. You fools, you should know, that if leave one wolf alive, the sheep will never be safe."
PRESENT TIME
KING'S LANDING
It didn't take long before Annalys learned of Lyanna's decision. When she found out, she was enraged. However, she wasn't allowed to refuse it. Lyanna had been clever enough to announce it in the entire throne room, where the majority of the people that lived in the castle had been located.
What concerned Annalys the most, however, was when Lord Alfrid Redwyne suggested that he'd fight on his queen's behalf.
At that moment, both Robb and Annalys knew something was wrong. No one in their right mind would have willingly asked to fight on the queen's behalf while knowing to win, they'd have to kill the heir to the Iron Throne. Alfrid Redwyne had ulterior motives, they knew that much.
Several moments after the incident in the throne room, Annalys stood in a large room with her eldest daughter. Lyanna stood in front of her, holding Lady's Wrath in her hand as she admired it.
Annalys felt uneasy, knowing the entire trial had gone to shit. When she heard Lyanna was fighting for Tyrion, she was going to allow Tyrion to be deemed innocent, all to save Tyrion, but that was ruined when Alfrid allowed himself to be Annalys' champion. Now, she had no clue if Lyanna would survive and apart of her began to think that was exactly what Lord Redwyne wanted.
Did he want Lyanna dead?
At that moment, Annalys knew she'd have to find a way to convince Lyanna to back out of the trial. She couldn't let her daughter die. Lyanna had never taken a life before. She knew how to fight, but she did not know how to fight to kill like her older sister Torra did.
"It's beautiful," Lyanna complimented her mother's sword, snapping Annalys out of her thoughts.
"Mm-hmm. That it is," Annalys replied, her mind still wandering back to the fact the conversation she was having with her firstborn at that moment had the chance of being their last.
"Looks a lot like yours," Lyanna continued on, finding the sword she held to be familiar.
"It is," Annalys replied, causing Lyanna's eyes to widen as she turned to her mother in shock.
Annalys had brought her there to gift Lyanna with a sword, but the girl didn't expect it to be Lady's Wrath. Lady's Wrath was Annalys' most prized possession, how could she just give it away.
"As heir to the Iron Throne, you cannot fight for a traitor in a trial by combat," Annalys found herself saying, believing it to be the only way to get it through Lyanna's thick skull that what she was doing was signing her own death sentence.
She believed it to just be one of Lyanna's rebellious streaks, but in truth, Lyanna's real reasoning would have made her mother proud, despite their situation. She was doing it to preserve her sister's innocence, she couldn't be more heroic than that.
"Where's that written?" Lyanna asked her mother, her tone becoming confident, "I can and I will."
"Let someone else fight for Tyrion," Annalys suggested, trying her hardest not to give away how concerned and worried she was for her daughter.
If she told Lyanna the truth about Lord Redwyne, Lyanna would fight in the trial without question just to be a hero. Just like Robb would. Despite not having many similarities with her father, Lyanna had gained the Stark's need to be heroes, just like her twin brother. But that need usually got the lot of them killed.
"Someone else can fight for Tyrion. In the meantime, you will go home," Annalys managed to get out, despite her words practically breaking her own heart.
She couldn't believe what she was doing, but she knew it was the only way the protect her daughter, her heir.
"Home?" Lyanna frowned, not understanding what her mother meant.
"You'll return to Casterly Rock and rule in my stead," Annalys hesitantly decided and Lyanna's eyes widened, realizing her mother was trying to send her off.
She assumed it was because her mother was angry with her, but in truth, Annalys was doing it to protect her.
Lyanna and Eddard weren't just the biggest threats out of all Annalys and Robb's children because they were the heirs. They were the most lethal threats because they were just like their parents. Even if their parents died, if Lyanna and Eddard worked together to fight against their enemies, they'd be unstoppable. They'd be just like Annalys and Robb had been during the first war they fought in.
Annalys and Robb were called the Great Lioness and the Young Wolf.
Lyanna and Eddard were called the Young Lioness and the Great Wolf.
And with an older sister who was practically the future wildling queen, the twins would have the Free Folk fighting on their side as well. They'd be unstoppable, but some idiots still thought they could defeat the royal family.
"You are the Lady of Casterly Rock, not me. I haven't even come of age yet," Lyanna pointed out, but apart of her began to think her mother didn't care about that.
"I am the Queen of Westeros. My place is here. I don't expect to see the Rock again before I die. But you can. You can rule there until it's time to return to King's Landing after I die so that you may become queen," Annalys explained in a calm, yet stern tone.
"No," Lyanna suddenly spoke up, much to Annalys' confession.
"No?"
"No," Lyanna repeated, her tone stern and confident.
"I don't believe I asked you a question," Annalys complained, giving her daughter a puzzled look.
"There's my answer," Lyanna continued on, much to Annalys' dismay.
Why couldn't Lyanna realize her mother was doing this to keep her safe?
Growing frustrated with her daughter's stubbornness being just as bad as hers, which meant there was no way of doing it the nice, Annalys' expression became consumed with hostility and fury. "If you think I'm going to let you fight in this trial by combat, you're wrong."
"If you think I'll let you stop me from fighting for my uncle Tyrion, you're wrong, Mother," Lyanna argued in a stern tone, causing Annalys to look taken aback, "I don't want to go to Casterly Rock and I won't. I will be staying right here, in King's Landing, where I belong. You just want to ship me off to Casterly Rock because you don't like the fact that I went against you for once. I was once your golden child and now, I've gone behind your back."
Oh, how wrong she was.
"You betrayed me," Annalys found herself saying, clearly just saying anything in hopes of it snapping some sense into Lyanna.
But did she realize who she was talking to?
"I did what was right," Lyanna argued calmly.
"You betrayed your own mother."
"I did what was right for my family."
"You betrayed your family."
"You just don't like what I've done because you know at my age, if you had been in my position, you'd most likely have done the same thing," Lyanna complained and believe it or not, she was right.
"That isn't true," Annalys argued, despite knowing Lyanna was right.
"Really? Because as I recall, you fought for Uncle Tyrion during a trial by combat when you were six months pregnant with Eddard and I. He was being convicted of a crime he did not commit. Just like what is happening now. Quit treating me like a child when you did things far worse at my age," Lyanna explained with an attitude and Annalys finally had enough.
She refused to be nice anymore. Lyanna wouldn't refuse. All hope was lost.
"You want me to treat you like an adult? I'll treat you like an adult, Lyanna," Annalys snapped at her eldest daughter angrily, "I fought for my uncle Tyrion all those years ago because it was I who killed King Joffrey, my own brother. I worked with Olenna Tyrell to poison his drink. I smiled as I watched him die but when I saw my Uncle Tyrion being taken away, I found myself feeling a bit bad. I didn't fight for him in that trial by combat because of that, though. I fought for him because I wanted to kill Ser Meryn Trant and the easiest way to do that was to kill him in a trial by combat. If it wasn't for that, I most likely would have let my Uncle Tyrion die for my mistakes."
Lyanna's eyes widened slightly and they began to fill with tears at her mother's confession.
"Now if you want to act like some Stark fool and let your honor get the best of you by fighting for your innocent uncle, so be it," She explained coldly and Lyanna's eyes widened at the fact that for once, her mother called her a Stark instead of a Lannister.
"Stark?" She frowned in confusion, "I'm a—"
"Lannisters don't act like fools and that's exactly what you're being. You're a Stark, I can see it now more than ever," Annalys explained, saying it purposely in hopes of it forcing Lyanna to believe that if she fought in the trial, she'd lose her mother forever.
With that, Annalys walked off and Lyanna found herself feeling saddened, fearing that she broke the strong bond she once had with her mother, all to fight for Tyrion, a man she barely knew.
She didn't realize that Annalys was only being cold to her in hopes of it convincing Lyanna to fight, for Annalys was afraid of losing her daughter because of a man who had a vendetta against her family for something Robb did.
___
Just hours before the trial, in her chambers, Annalys sat eating with little Edric with Eddard standing in front of her.
"You'd condemn your own daughter, your heir, to death?" Eddard asked his mother, giving her a look of disbelief
"I've condemned no one. Your sister chose to fight for Tyrion in this trial on her own," Annalys answered in a calm tone.
"This isn't even a trial, Mother. It's a farce. You have manipulated everything and you know it," Eddard complained and for a split second, Annalys noticed the fear in Eddard's eyes.
Despite always claiming to practically hate his sister, at that moment, Annalys realized that Eddard was truly afraid of losing her. Lyanna and Eddard may have fought like dogs most of the time, but in the end, they would have died for each other.
"I know nothing of the sort," Annalys replied, knowing she couldn't give herself away to Eddard either. She couldn't let him know that their family was practically trapped and in danger at that moment.
"You're only doing this because you don't like the idea that Tyrion was able to be missing for an entire fortnight without anyone noticing it and get away with it," Eddard explained and believe it or not, he had been right about that part.
"He betrayed his family."
"As did you, as I recall. Twice, in fact," He retorted, much to Annalys' shock, "Once when you married father during the war before Lyanna and I were born and again just before giving birth to us when you allowed grandmother and grandfather get arrested by father and his men."
Annalys remained silent. She shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing he had a point. It was at that moment she was realized Eddard was smarter than she once thought.
"Tyrion made a mistake. He followed Daenerys Targaryen. As I recall, you were once sworn to Stannis Baratheon, which meant you were betraying your family as well. The Lannisters still forgave you. You should do the same with Tyrion," Eddard explained, giving his mother a pleading look.
"I cannot stop this, Eddard. Your sister decided to fight for Tyrion. There's nothing I can do about it now," Annalys confessed, trying her best to refuse the tears to form in her eyes.
"You once said that family is what lives on. It's all that lives on. You told me and Lyanna about a dynasty that would last a thousand years. What happens to your dynasty when Lyanna and Tyrion die after she loses? I'll be the heir to the Iron Throne, Winterfell, and Casterly Rock and there will be a Stark in the throne, not a Lannister," Eddard explained, believing it to be the only way to convince his mother to decline Lyanna's proposal of fighting for Tyrion.
What he didn't realize was Annalys didn't want Lyanna to fight either, but she had no choice.
"Eddard—" She began to argue, only to get cut off.
"What happens to your name after you die? Who carries the lion banner into future battles? Little Edric? He'll be the last Lannister alive and even if he has the Lannister name, he knows nothing of war and hardships like the rest of us do," Eddard continued on, much to Annalys' dismay.
"What happens to my dynasty if I end this trial and I spare Tyrion?" Annalys found herself asking, despite knowing it was impossible for her to end to trial even if she wanted to.
"Lyanna will live," Eddard replied in a calm tone.
"I cannot stop this," Annalys sighed in defeat as she shook her head in disapproval.
Eddard remained silent for a long moment, attempting to think up a plan, "Then take me instead," He proposed with the first idea that came to mind.
"What?" Annalys frowned, giving Eddard a puzzled look.
"Take me instead," Eddard responded, his tone becoming more confident as the conversation went on, "Let me fight for Tyrion. Let me be his champion. Lyanna doesn't have to die."
"Lyanna made this choice on her own. She wants to do this. I've already tried to convince her otherwise. There's nothing we can do to stop her. She's far too stubborn. A trait she sadly inherited from me," She explained, a saddened look, appearing on her face.
Eddard began to tear up, giving his mother a pleading look. "Please, Mother. You can't let Lyanna do this. You can't let her die," He begged, on the verge of crying.
"You think I want to see her die? She'll be going up against a man twice her size!" She exclaimed, trying her best to contain her tears, "She's just as stubborn as I am and just like me, no one will be able to convince her to do otherwise. We can only hope she backs out on her own."
"It's Lyanna we're talking about. She'll never back out. She believes it's the right thing to do," Eddard complained, much to Annalys' dismay, "Nothing can make her think otherwise."
Annalys sighed in defeat, looking down at little Edric with a saddened look. "So we can only hope that she wins," She whispered softly, tears on the verge of spilling from her sad green eyes.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Lyanna is a total badass in that flashforward and definitely her mother's daughter!! She's seventeen in that flashforward, btw.
If you haven't noticed, it seems like everyone has a different story to tell about what happened.
Joanna believes her entire family is dead, but as it turns out, both Lyanna and Rickard are alive.
What you do know is the truth is that the people of the Reach were the people to take the Iron Throne, a new queen is ruling over the Seven Kingdoms, and that Eddard was stabbed four times and is presumed dead. (Who knows tho)