LION'S LEGACY
52. Foreign Princess
Across the Narrow Sea, in Volantis, at a small palace, Tyrion and Varys stood on a balcony, looking down at Joanna. She was sitting near the shore, Dreamer sitting next to her.
"It's been more than three days since I've arrived And I haven't seen her speak once," Varys explained, keeping his eyes locked on the solemn Joanna.
"She spoke to me," Tyrion informed Varys, who slowly turned to him with a questioning look, "News of what happened to her family has reached her. She's heartbroken and distraught?"
"What happened in King's Landing was worse than what your father did to the Targaryens, what did you expect?" Varys responded in a calm tone, "Margaery Tyrell might be sitting on the Iron Throne now, but she will not keep it for long. Do you understand that? The North, and the Westerlands will rebel any day now, Dorne and the Wildlings along with them. The Wildlings became apart of the Realms of the men because of Annalys. No one but Annalys herself or a child of hers would ever be able to keep them in line. Dorne has become fully loyal to the Crown since Annalys came to power, something no ruler was able to achieve since Elia Martell was murdered. The Martells are bonded by marriage and blood now after Princess Myrcella Martell was born. The Seven Kingdoms need someone stronger than Tommen Baratheon had been and gentler than Stannis. Someone like Annalys who can intimidate the high lords, control the wildlings, keep the loyalty of Dorne, and inspire the people. A ruler that would be loved by millions when they take the Iron Throne, one that could easily obtain a powerful army and has the right family name."
"No," Tyrion argued, realizing Varys meant Joanna as he shook his head, "Not her."
"Her siblings are dead. She is the last living child of Annalys Lannister and Robb Stark. She is the heir to Casterly Rock, Winterfell, and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne." Varys continued to explain, much to Tyrion's dismay.
"She is a child!" Tyrion shouted at Varys, giving him a look of disbelief.
"As was her mother and father when they became rulers of the North yet the Northerners still followed them into war and hailed them King and Queen in the North," Varys explained, ignoring Tyrion's shouts of protest.
"Annalys and Robb were sixteen," He reminded Varys in a stern tone, "Joanna has just turned fourteen."
"There have been younger monarchs," Varys pointed out, causing Tyrion to give him a frustrated look.
"Joanna isn't her sister. She's not like the rest of them. She is innocent and pure. She enjoys peace, not war. She'd rather be playing in the gardens than sparring in a courtyard with her brothers and her sisters. If you're asking her to start a war, she won't do it." Tyrion continued to argue while Varys continued arguing back.
"She will." Varys nodded.
"How would you know? You don't even know her," Tyrion snapped at Varys, clearly protective over the girl and refused to have her die in some pointless war.
"I know her family. Her mother is the Great Lioness and her father is the Young Wolf. Her mother was a war hero and a great ruler, loved by millions. Joanna might enjoy dresses and sewing needles over armor and swords, but she is still her mother's daughter. She doesn't have to go into battle with the men she leads. Only her mother and father had done such a thing. She is smart and clever. She could take the Iron Throne with her intelligence, not with brute strength," He explained, not even noticing that the young princess was now standing before them.
"What if I don't want the seven kingdoms?" She suddenly asked and the duo turned, their eyes widening in shock when they found Joanna standing before them with Dreamer at her side.
"My Princess---" Varys began to say, only to get cut off.
"I don't think I am that anymore," She argued, shaking her head as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, "Can someone still be a Princess after their entire family is brutally murdered and ripped from their thrones before it is usurped by a rival family?" She asked and the two men remained silent as her tone became softer, "I didn't think so."
"Joanna, we are talking about the future of our country, your home," Varys tried to convince the girl, who was quick to argue.
"It's shit, just like it's always been," Joanna scoffed, shaking her head, "My mother made it better but now it will go to shit again. No one can stop it. Especially not me."
Varys and Tyrion looked down, noticing the glass of wine in her hand. They had realized she was drunk the moment they heard her utter the word, 'shit'. Unlike her elder sisters and her mother, she didn't swear. She didn't think it was necessary to swear.
"There are faster ways to kill yourself," Varys pointed out, noticing how it seemed as though each time he saw the girl, she was drinking, despite being only fourteen.
"Not for a coward," Joanna argued and just as the men were about to respond, she cut them off, "I don't care what you say. I am a coward. I fled King's Landing and left my family. Now, they're all dead."
"You couldn't have stopped it--" Tyrion began to complain, only to get cut off once more.
"Why did you help us, Lord Varys?" Joanna asked the man in a calm tone, "Why did you help us flee? Why did you return to us?"
"Your sister asked me to," Varys informed Joanna, referring to Torra.
"You could've said no," Joanna reminded the man, who was quick to argue.
"Refuse the infamous Wild Wolf?" Varys questioned, letting out a scoff, "That would be the last thing I would want to do if I wanted to keep my head intact," He paused, noticing that Joanna didn't seem to believe him, "I did it for the Seven Kingdoms. You're the rightful heir--"
"Rightful heir?!" Joanna shouted at Varys angrily in such a way that it terrified even Tyrion since the girl always spoke so softly and was never angry, "I shouldn't be the heir! I had an older sister and two older legitimate brothers. A month ago, I was fourth in line for the throne. How is it that I am heir to the Iron Throne now!" She cried out, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks, "I don't want it. I don't want any of it. Why would I? My entire family's dead. My mother was loved by most in Westeros. She was their chosen queen but she was murdered all the same. What do you think they'll do to me, the princess they barely know? They only liked my sister because she was just like my mother. I am nothing like my mother. I don't even know how to use a sword properly. I can't rule and I never will."
With that, Joanna turned on her heel, on the verge of leaving when Tyrion spoke up. "Where are you going?" He asked and Joanna stopped walking to face him once more.
"For a walk. I'd like to see someone's face that isn't either of yours," She snapped at them coldly, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "I'll be fine. You don't have to follow me. I'll have Dreamer with me."
The two men sighed, hesitantly nodding their heads. If only they knew.
_____
In the Riverlands, Lyanna found herself on foot when her horse became tired. She felt guilty for just ditching it in the woods, but she felt as though she had no other choice.
When she had killed the men, she had became soaked in blood, which led to her bathing in a nearby stream. Now that she was finally dry, she began the walk through the Riverlands again. She had sent Dawn off to search for food and the obedient direwolf had obeyed her owner's words.
Surprisingly, Lyanna was fine on her own, as long as she had her sword. Everyone believed her to be dead, which meant there wasn't anyone searching her, which made being on the run much easier.
During her walk, she stopped, hearing a nearby person singing. She immediately recognized the song the man was singing to be the song minstrels had made up soon after her mother sat on the Iron Throne. 'A Lannister Never Forgets', they called it. It was her and her mother's generation's version of 'Rains of Castamere'.
Her father never enjoyed either of the songs, neither did Eddard, but Lyanna and her mother enjoyed them. That was expected, though.
Before the group of men could see her, Lyanna hid behind a large tree, watching through a small hole in the tree as the men walked her way. They weren't Reachmen, she knew that much. They weren't wearing armor or anything of the sort.
Before Lyanna could react, an arrow glided through the air at a speed faster than even her mother's shots. She gasped, quickly backing out of the way before the arrow could hit her. The arrow glided through the air before stabbing into a tree several feet away from her. It was a warning shot, she realized.
Lyanna quickly used her cloak to keep Lady's Wrath hidden in its sheath before she lifted up the sword she had stolen from one of the men she killed days before.
"What's lurking behind that wall? A lion? A wolf?" One of the men asked and if it hadn't been a life or death situation, Lyanna would have most likely been laughing at the fact that words truer he never been spoken.
She was, indeed, both. A lion and a wolf. She may have been called the Young Lioness, but it wasn't a secret that she had some wolf blood in her, too.
"Loose a few more shafts," Another man commanded the other, but before he could do so, Lyanna stepped out from hiding, holding out her sword.
"Don't," Lyanna commanded and she couldn't help but feel as though the men looked familiar, especially the one with the bow.
The men stared at her for a moment and Lyanna began to fear that they recognized her. Instead, the man smiled and looked down at her from where he stood several feet away. "Put the sword down, girl," He insisted in a calm tone.
"I will do no such thing," Lyanna argued as she glanced around, wondering where Dawn was, "Just go on, keep singing that song of yours and leave me be. Do so and I'll spare you."
"Spare me?" The archer laughed at her threat, "You really think you'd be able to take us?"
"I know so," Lyanna responded in a calm tone, showing no fear toward the men.
One of the other men laughed, pointing his finger at the girl. "You're a dangerous person. I like dangerous people. They remind me of someone I used to know," He explained and Lyanna was completely oblivious to the fact that the person he spoke of was Annalys.
"Where did you get that sword from?" The archer questioned, gesturing down to the sword she carried in her right hand, "That's castle-forged."
"I don't believe it matters," Lyanna replied in a calm tone, turning on the heel, on the verge of leaving.
"It does when it belongs to one of the men you killed on the border of the Riverlands and the Crownlands," The first man spoke up, causing Lyanna to freeze in motion, "How is it that you took on half a dozen men on your own and left one of them torn to pieces?"
"I don't know what you mean," Lyanna responded in a calm tone and if they hadn't known already that she was lying, they would have believed her, "Who are you?"
"Harrold Westerling," The man informed Lyanna, whose eyes widened since she knew that technically, with her mother dead, he was one of her subjects, "And this man with the bow is Anguy."
"Who do you fight for?" Lyanna suddenly asked and Harrold was immediately impressed by the question.
That was the question everyone seemed to be asking each other lately. "House Lannister," He replied in a calm tone, "But technically, we are still called the Brotherhood Without Banners."
Anguy narrowed his eyes at Lyanna, watching as the girl practically sighed in relief when she thought they weren't looking.
"Now, come along. I think we'd all like to hear how you managed to kill six men on your own," Harrold paused, noticing how hesitant Lyanna looked to come with them, "You needn't worry. You have nothing to fear. We'll talk over some brown bread and stew."
Lyanna was hesitant, but remembered how her mother talked of the Brotherhood Without Banners. Despite being considered by most as rebels to the crown, they were friends of their family, people they could trust.
Thoros of Myr once resurrected her mother and saved her from dying. Perhaps she could trust them.
Lyanna sighed in defeat, reluctantly nodding her head as a way to say she'd join them. "Fine," She decided and the man smiled.
"Good. Let's go. The men are saying there's a bloodthirsty direwolf running around these woods. Wouldn't want to run into that beast," He explained and Lyanna nearly snapped back to defend Dawn, but instead shut her mouth, not wanting to risk it.
____
Up North, at the Gift, Torra stood with Tormund outside, amongst the groups of Free Folk hanging around.
Tormund swung at Torra, but the girl was quick to parry. He swung again and Torra arched her back to avoid the form of attack.
She kicked him in the thigh as hard as she could, causing Tormund to fall into a kneel. Torra lifted her arm to place in attack, only to yell out in pain as she felt the stitches-up wound on her shoulder rip open a bit.
Tormund stood back up, placing his sword at her neck. Torra rolled her eyes in annoyance, roughly pushing him back. "Fuck off," She snapped at him before pulling open her cloak to reveal the stab wound on her chest, which still wasn't fully healed.
"You shouldn't be fighting yet, Torra," Tormund reminded her in a calm tone, "You're not healed. You need more time."
"I don't have more time, Tormund," Torra roared at him, a furious look on her face, "I managed to get all my brothers and sisters to safety. All but Eddard and Lyanna. Eddard is dead, but Lyanna is out there and she needs me."
"She can manage while you heal," Tormund argued, placing a hand on her shoulder, "She's her mother's daughter, she can survive anything," He paused, noticing the deeply saddened look on Torra's face, "But that isn't all of it, is it?"
"I lost one family, I won't lose another," Torra confessed, shaking her head in disapproval, "Torrhen and Aden haven't made it to Winterfell yet. What if they're dead, too?"
"They're not," Tormund argued, disagreeing with the girl, "They'll arrive at Winterfell soon. You don't have to worry."
"Of course I have to worry, Tormund," Torra complained in a cold tone, "I am Torrhen's older sister and I am Aden's wife now. I have to protect them. I have to protect all of them."
___
Down south, at Sunspeare, Edric finally arrived at the home of House Martell with little Edric. Trystane welcomed them with open arms, relieved that at least one of the children were alive.
Trystane and Prince Oberyn were more than willing to keep Prince Edric safe after what happened to his family. They could have only wished the same could have occurred with Princess Elia's children after she and Rhaegar were killed.
"I am sorry for your loss, Ser Edric," Trystane told the Dayne man sympathetically as he glanced between him and the prince who shared the same name, "I know you cared for her deeply."
Little Edric stood next to the knight, looking shaky as he tightly grasped the Dayne man's hand. "We all did," Edric admitted softly, a saddened look on his face at the thought of what he heard about what happened to Annalys after the Queensguard left with Prince Edric.
"We wept when he heard of Queen Annalys' death and her family's. The Tyrells will pay for what they've done, I just know it," He continued on and Edric began to tense up, clearly not wanting to speak of such things.
"He knows you're his mother's friend. He still calls out for her. I don't think he understands that she's never coming back," Ser Edric explained, purposely changing at the subject as they both began to look saddened, "The Queen's last wishes were for her son to be brought here, as your daughter's betrothed. She has asked you to protect her son, to make sure he is kept safe from dangers that lie North of here," He paused, letting out a small shaky sigh, "I'm afraid the child is quite hungry."
Trystane nodded. He knelt in front of the shy blonde boy who was only three years old. "Maybe we can find something for you to eat, something delicious. I'll come find you soon, my prince," He explained to the little boy, smiling softly as he turned to address one of the servants, "Bring him to the kitchens. Give him whatever he'd like to eat. I'll be there soon."
The servant nodded, grabbing little Edric by the hand. He was hesitant, but Ser Edric patted him on the back as a way to reassure him that he was safe. "Go on. You'll be fine," Ser Edric assured him in a soft tone and the little prince slowly looked up at the man he was named after.
He knew what he was saying, but still, he didn't say a word. He knew if he walked away, it would be official. He'd be alone in a place he did not know. All of his family was gone and he was too little to understand why.
Little Edric looked hesitant before hesitantly walking off, a saddened look on his face as he looked to be on the verge of crying. Trystane watched him leave before turning to Ser Edric.
"Will he be safe here?" Edric immediately asked out of concern for the small boy he promised to protect.
"Of course. He'll always be safe here. He'll be raised alongside my daughter and will be treated like the royal prince he is, no matter who sits on that damned iron chair in the capital. He will be given a proper tutor to learn from and a person to teach him to use a sword as his mother and father had, not a spear as we Dornish people use. He should stay true to his culture."
"Good," was all Edric said, nodding his head in understanding.
He was about to walk off, only to have Trystane speak up again. "You're not staying?" He questioned, finding it odd that Edric didn't want to stay with the boy.
"I can't," Edric admitted, his voice a mere whisper as tears began to fill his sad blue eyes, "He looks like her. A boy version of her, at least, with his father's eyes," He paused, shaking his head, "When I look into those eyes of his, it reminds me of my failure to protect my queen and my king."
"It wasn't your fault," Trystane reminded Edric, who was quick to argue.
"Did you hear what they did to her, Prince Trystane?" Edric asked him in a cold tone, "Did you hear of the horrific things they did to Annalys as the king was forced to watch?"
Trystane remained silent, an uneasy look on his face as he solemnly nodded.
"I must leave and I trust that you'll keep him safe," Edric replied, letting out a small sigh.
"I give you my word, Ser Edric," Prince Trystane answered, "You're welcome here, anytime."
"I won't be coming back," Edric suddenly admitted, but Prince Trystane didn't know the true reason behind those words, "Not for a while, at least."
With that, Edric turned on his heel. He quickly wiped the tears that were on the verge of spilling from his eyes, just before walking off.
Now, he was off to search for Lyanna, the only child that seemed to be unaccounted for. Except for Eddard, but everyone, even Edric and Torra believed him to be dead.
___
After being called to his uncle's room, Olyvar stood in Jon's room. Jon sat at his desk, trying his hardest to maintain composure as he prepared himself to tell Olyvar the news. "Why have you called me here, Uncle?" The Stark boy found himself asking out of curiosity.
"There's something you must know. Pour yourself a mug of ale, you'll need it," He instructed and Olyvar frowned, but did what he was told. He turned, pouring himself a glass of ale. "King's Landing has been taken by House Tyrell."
Olyvar's eyes widened in horror, turning to Jon with a look of disbelief. "I don't know how to tell you this, but your mother, your father, your siblings..." He trailed off as tears began to form in his eyes, "They're dead."
Olyvar's eyes began to fill with tears as well, distraught after learning of his parent's deaths. "What? No, no, no," He began to cry, shaking his head in disbelief, "No, this can't be. This couldn't have happened. I was just there! Everything was fine."
"It has, Olyvar. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Jon replied softly and Olyvar said nothing in response. Instead, he turned away from Jon and moved toward the door. "I hope you're not thinking of doing anything stupid. Your duty lies here, now. With the Night's Watch. Listen to me, I've been where you are---"
Olyvar whipped himself around to face Jon, a furious look on his face. Despite Annalys not being his real mother, Jon knew that face to be one Annalys always used.
Annalys was right. Olyvar might not have been her blood, but he was her son.
"No, you haven't! Perhaps you were unable to help your father when he was beheaded, but do you know it feels like to learn your entire family is dead?" He shouted at his uncle angrily, "Do you know what it feels like to be called to speak to your uncle, only have him tell you that your mother, your father, your sisters, and all your brothers are all dead? My mother was the queen! And she was ripped from the throne. Do you know what that feels like? Not only have I lost my entire family, but there's also a chance they'll come after me, too, for being my father's last living son. Do you know what that feels like?"
Jon remained silent. He slowly shook his head, a saddened look on his face. "Then don't try to claim that you know what it feels like because you don't." He snapped at his uncle coldly, just before storming out of the room.
Just hours later, just South of the Wall, Torra was riding toward the Wall with a few other wildlings, only to stop when she heard someone yelling, yells that were familiar to her.
She climbed off her horse, beginning to walk in the direction of the woods. She found Olyvar, yelling and crying out as he slashed his sword at a tree. "Olyvar," She called out, but Olyvar continued to slash at the tree with his sword, "Olyvar! Brother!"
Hearing what he was called, Olyvar finally turned, shocked to see Torra standing before him. Olyvar turned to Torra, heaving for breath as he cried with tears streaming down his face.
"You're not alone," was all Torra said, knowing what Olyvar was thinking.
Of course, Olyvar believed she meant he wasn't alone because he had her, but in truth, she actually meant the majority of her siblings were still alive, just in hiding thanks to her.
Olyvar dropped his sword, beginning to cry. She rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him as they both cried. "I'll kill them," He cried out, "I'll kill them all."
"You won't," Torra argued calmly, shaking her head, "You'll take the Black. Join the Night's Watch, where you'll be safe. But you needn't worry, the Tyrells will get what they deserve soon enough. I promise."
____
Thousands of miles south, it was nighttime and the sounds of hounds howling and barking were heard all throughout the Kingswood.
One of the men standing with the hounds grinned, glancing around. "We know you're here! Come out and perhaps we'll give you a quick death."
Far away from them, Robb and Annalys ran as fast as their legs could take them as they tried to outrun the hounds hunting them.
Not being able to see clearly due to the darkness, Annalys ended up tripping over a large log. She cried out, tripping and falling to the ground. Robb quickly bent next to her, grabbing her by the arm to help her up.
Noticing that the men were close, Robb rushed to grab Annalys. He pressed his back against the tree, clutching Annalys to his chest as they tried their best to hide from the men. He placed a hand over her mouth, silencing her cries of pain as he placed his mouth near her ear.
"Don't make a sound," He insisted in a hushed tone and Annalys obeyed him without question.
"They're near," One of them told the others before turning to shout, "Annalys, Robb! We know you're near. You can't run forever. We'll find you sooner or later."
Suddenly, another knight ran over, purposely pointing in the opposite direction that Annalys and Robb were at.
"Over there, there's more blood on that tree. They're heading North," He lied to the group of men, much to Annalys and Robb's confusion.
After they ran off, Annalys cried out as Robb helped her stand up correctly. They were about to run in the opposite direction that the Reachmen had gone in, only to come face to face with one of the knights. Rickard Royce.
Instead of reaching for his sword as they expected him to since they heard about him being a turncoat, Ser Rickard placed a finger to his lips, telling them to stay quiet.
"Head east. We can't lead them astray for long," He whispered to his king and queen as Robb frowned at 'we' but didn't question him.
Annalys cried out, shaking her head. "I can't run anymore. I'm too weak. What's the point anyways? They're all dead. All of our children are dead, everyone we love is dead."
"That isn't true," Rickard informed the couple, who stared at him in both shock and confusion, "Edric and Torra didn't know I overheard them, but I did. Joanna is across the Narrow Sea with Tyrion and most likely Varys. Torrhen is on his way to Winterfell with Aden. Prince Rickard is in the Riverlands with the Hound. I saw Lyanna flee King's Landing on her own just after you were both captured. She's making her way through the Riverlands, killing dozens of Reachmen making their way through. Margaery believes it to be the Brotherhood Without Banners, but I knew it was Princess Lyanna the moment I heard one of the men had been ripped apart by a wolf."
Annalys' eyes widened, exchanging a look with Robb. They felt relieved by the news, but also saddened that all of their children were separated.
"Eddard may be alive as well," Rickard suddenly revealed, causing Annalys and Robb to stare at him in disbelief.
"What?" Robb questioned in concern, clearly believing his son to be dead as Annalys did.
"His body disappeared from the Sept. No one knows where it went. I believe he's alive. But I don't have enough time to explain anymore. You must go. There's a cottage close if you continue to head east. Now, go."
"Thank you," Annalys told Rickard softly, giving him a saddened look.
Robb grabbed Annalys by the hand, just before they both ran east together.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Annalys and Robb are alive, but Annalys is injured! 😬
Poor Ser Edric tho. He's literally so heartbroken by Annalys' death. First, he lost Jeyne and was unable to save her. Now he thinks he's lost Annalys and that he was unable to see her.
Also, Varys is clearly playing both sides and he won't be the only one 👀👀