LION'S LEGACY
61. Hope
At Harrenhall, Annalys was standing in one of the rooms in the highest points of Harrenhal. She took a deep breath, placing a hand on her stomach as she began to feel the baby kick.
She had been forced to see the maester and he concluded by the way she was carrying, it was a girl. She thought so, too. The only times she carried girls were when they were twins, but she had carried three boys that weren't twins. However, her pregnancy now was nothing like those times. It was different in a way she could not explain.
As much as she was happy that because it wasn't a boy, which meant the baby would survive, she was terrified of the fact that another one of her children would be taken from her. Her baby girl. A baby she wouldn't get to see for a very long time, if not ever. A baby that would be treated as nothing more than a pawn for the Whore of Highgarden to keep the throne.
It broke her heart.
Tears began to fill Annalys' eyes at the thought. She started to cry, beginning to wonder if it would have been easier to just kill herself, not to save herself but to save her baby from a horrific life.
She locked eyes on the knife that laid on her now empty plate of food. She began to walk toward it, a determined look on her face. However, she suddenly froze when she heard what sounded like footsteps on the roof of the tower.
She frowned, turning toward the door to the balcony. She opened the doors before walking out onto the balcony.
She glanced around, finding there to be nothing in sight. They were no lit candles anywhere in the distance, seeing as though it was the dead of night. Everyone was sleeping. Everyone but her.
Hearing a low growl, Annalys' eyes widened. She whipped herself around, practically crying in relief as she looked up to see Rhaegal had landed on top of the roof.
She thought he was dead.
It was as though a weight had lifted from her shoulders at the sight of the green dragon. She felt as relieved as she did when she learned that her children were still alive. In a way, Rhaegal was her child. An outcasted child just like Torra had been before she took them in.
Rhaegal wasn't treated like a pet as the direwolves were. She let him do as he pleased. He was allowed to go off to wherever he wanted and no matter how long he had been gone, he always came back.
"Rhaegal," Annalys managed to get out, crying tears of joy at the sight of him.
Rhaegal flapped his wings a single time before leaning his head down until it was close to Annalys'.
For the first time in months, Annalys smiled in genuine happiness. She lifted her right hand, beginning to reach her hand to pet him. "I've missed you, Rhaegal. More than you'll ever know. When they said they killed you, it broke my heart as much as when they said they killed my children. In a way, you are one of my children. You've been there in times where I wanted to die but somehow, you were always there to give me hope. Like right now. You've given me hope."
As their face became mere inches apart, Annalys was on the verge of finally touching his face. Her fingertips brushed against his scaly skin, only to be cut off as the door to her chambers opened.
She retracted her hand, her eyes widening in fear as she quickly walked back into her room. She turned slightly, a saddened look on her face when she heard Rhaegal leap back into the air and fly away.
He would come back, she just knew it. He made her realize something, the life story of the infamous Annalys Lannister and her family was far from over.
FLASHBACK
FIVE YEARS PRIOR
Robb stood patiently in the dragonpits, awaiting Annalys' arrival. Hearing a loud screech, he looked up, spotting Rhaegal flying at a distance, Annalys on his back.
Soon enough, he landed in the dragonpits and Robb anxiously turned to face him. With Annalys still on his back, Rhaegal began to move toward Robb, snarling and screeching.
Once reaching him, Rhaegal roared in Robb's face and the Stark man tried his best not to look afraid, but in truth, he did. He didn't like Rhaegal. He was terrified of the dragon, as most were. He didn't understand why Annalys kept the dragon around, but he accepted it. He knew in a way, Annalys loved the dragon. It must have the dragon rider bond he always heard so much about.
Rhaegal lowered his head down and inched it closer to Robb's face, sniffing him as if to see if he was trying to figure out if he was an enemy or not.
Annalys stared down at Robb and Rhaegal, watching closely as her husband lifted his hand and moved it toward Rhaegal's face.
Rhaegal growled, but soon enough, as Robb's hand touched his snout, the green dragon calmed down. Robb slowly ran his hand over the Dragon's face and Rhaegal practically purred, no longer having any hostility toward the Stark man.
As he continued to pet Rhaegal, Robb looked up at his wife, who stared at him closely. "
"Beautiful, isn't he?" Annalys asked Robb, who gave her a weird look at the question, "What?"
"Beautiful wasn't the word I was going to use..." He trailed off uneasily, earning an eye roll from Annalys, "What? I'm being honest."
Annalys quietly chuckled, causing Robb to smile as well. She looked down at him, gesturing for him to climb on, which Robb was quick to notice.
"I don't know how to ride a dragon," Robb admitted, despite knowing he would be with her the entire time and she'd be able to help him.
"I don't think anyone does, my love," Annalys remarked, earning an annoyed look from Robb.
"What if he doesn't want me to?" Robb complained, causing Annalys to smile in amusement.
"Then it's been a good seventeen years as your wife, Robb Stark," Annalys commented and began to laugh as Robb's defeated expression.
Sighing in defeat, Robb began to climb onto Rhaegal. Once doing so, he sat behind Annalys. "What do I hold onto?" He found himself asking, much to Annalys' amusement.
She grabbed onto his hands before leading them to her waist. She and Robb exchanged a smile, Robb wasting no time securing his arms around her waist.
The moment Annalys learned forward, it cued Rhaegal to leap into the air.
He continued to fly higher and soon enough, he began to turn side-to-side, causing Robb to yell out while Annalys smiles in amusement.
They ended up flying over the Red Keep, causing Joanna and Rickard, who were in the courtyard, to look up and smile.
They continued calmly through King's Landing until they flew past Blackwater Bay and reached the Kingswood. There was a clearing in the trees, Rhaegal dove straight down, before flying along the floor.
Once out of the clearing, Rhaegal soon landed in a field. Without hesitation, Robb and Annalys dismounted from her dragon. She petted Rhaegal briefly affectionately before she and Robb began to walk together away from Rhaegal.
"You've completely ruined horses for me, my love," Robb commented, earning a small laugh from Annalys.
Looking forward, Annalys suddenly froze when she locked eyes on a large waterfall and lake. "We could stay in these woods for a thousand years," She began to say, turning to look at Robb with a smile on her face, "No one would ever find us."
"Sounds like a wonderful idea. Perhaps we should," Robb played along, despite both of them knowing that could never happen.
"Don't you just wish sometimes we had a normal life, Robb?" Annalys found herself asking her husband, "One where we were neither royalty nor nobility?"
"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" He responded, earning a smile from Annalys as he walked closer to her.
Annalys began to shiver as the wind picked up. Robb smiled softly, wasting no time removing his cloak to place on her. She turned to him, giving him a soft smile and a thankful look.
Robb wrapped his arms around Annalys, pulling her in for a kiss. Rhaegal began to growl softly, causing Robb to pull away.
He turned his head, beginning to feel uneasy as he saw Rhaegal eying him closely.
"There's no need to be afraid, Robb," Annalys assured Robb, who smiled as they continued to kiss in each other's embrace.
Robb slowly opened his eyes while kissing her to see Rhaegal still staring him down, clearly protective of his rider.
PRESENT TIME
VAES DOTHRAK
Joanna's arms were red to the elbow, blood covered the bottom half of her face and her neck as she consumed the stallion's heart. Men and women of the Dothraki surrounded her, watching her closely.
Najo sat directly in front of her, watching her intently as she ate the stallion's heart.
She was told that every pregnant Dothraki woman did it. If she kept it down, the child would be a boy and he'd be strong. If she threw it all back up, it would be weak, stillborn or worse, a girl.
The Dothraki khals weren't like her father. They wanted boys, unlike her own father, who only ever worried about the baby being healthy.
However, out of the seven children her mother had given birth to, five of them were boys. One of them, of course, died after being born, but it was still a boy and not a girl.
Joanna hoped she'd have the same satisfaction of giving birth to mostly boys. The firstborn, she hoped was a boy most of all unlike her mother, whose firstborn was technically Lyanna.
She wondered if she'd have twins, too. Her mother had given birth to two sets of twins, after all.
The warm blood of the stallion filled her mouth and ran down her chin. The taste made her way to gag, but she forced herself not to. She needed to keep it down.
The heart of the stallion, she was told, would make her son strong and fearless. She hoped her son would, indeed, be strong. It was necessary to be strong when had the blood of both the lion and the wolf running through your veins.
Whenever she felt as though she was going to throw it all up, she found herself looking directly at her husband, who looked hopeful that she'd succeeded. Looking at him made her feel strong, that she could do anything she put her mind to.
She wondered if that was how her mother felt whenever she looked at Robb.
She began to think of Lyanna, Eddard, and Torra, who'd surely be proud of her at the moment. She always looked to them as a child for approval.
Eddard was her protector. Lyanna was her hero, the person she hoped to be. Torra was like a second mother, the one who was always there to teach her and counsel her when she needed it.
She began to think of Torrhen, her twin. The boy who always stuck up for her when people tried to pick on her for being so naive and soft-hearted.
She began to think of Rickard, who used to tease her but was always there when she needed him.
Her mind even began to think about Little Edric, her baby brother. The brother who loved to bite his siblings and pull Joanna's hair. The same brother who rarely spoke and was shyer than anyone she had ever met.
As she consumed the last of the Stallion's heart, she thought of her mother and father most of all.
Surely, they wouldn't be happy about her marrying a Dothraki Khal, of all people, but would they be happy about the strong young woman she was becoming? That she had consumed an entire stallion's heart as if it were the easiest thing in the world, which was surely something none of her other siblings would have accomplished.
She began to imagine her father smiling proudly at the fact that she had become a Khaleesi, a queen.
Just as she thought she was going to throw it all up, Joanna took a big gulp, completely swallowing the remainder of the heart.
Her cheeks and fingers were sticky as she forced down the last of it. She turned to look back at Najo, who tried to hide how proud and happy he was for his wife's victory in front of his men. Joanna didn't blame him. He couldn't let people know just how much of an effect the Stark girl had on him.
It would show everyone that Najo was, indeed, still a boy and not a Khal. That he was affected by the love he felt for a foreign girl, even if that girl was his Khaleesi.
"The thunder of his hooves!" The Dosh Khaleen spoke loudly in Dothraki, "As swift as he rides, and behind him, his khalasar covers the earth, men without number, with arakhs shining in their hands like blades of razor grass. Fierce as a storm this prince will be. His enemies will tremble before him, and their wives will weep tears of blood and rend their flesh in grief. The Stallion Who Mounts the World.l!"
In unison, the rest of the people in the tent began to chant, "The Stallion Who Mounts The World."
Joanna locked eyes with her husband, beginning to smile. The smallest of smiles appeared on Najo's as well, no matter how much he tried to hide it from the others.
"What shall he be called, the stallion who mounts the world!" The Dosh Khaleen turned to Joanna.
Joanna stepped forward, blood dripping down her neck as she turned to the woman. "He shall be called Torro!" She exclaimed, which was derived from the names of her twin brother and most of all, the sister who saved her life. Torra.
Joanna placed a hand over the swell of her belly as she began to grin widely while the Dothraki chanted her unborn son's name.
They continued to chant as Najo rose from his seat, making his way over to where Joanna stood. As he approached her, Joanna moved forward. He grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up off the platform she stood on.
They smiled at each other as he continued to hold her up, the two of them staring into each other's eyes as he brought her around the tent, the chants of her unborn son's name echoing all throughout.
At that moment Joanna was, indeed, a true queen, something she always dreamed of.
Melisandre was also right about something. Finally, at that given time, Joanna realized she loved Najo, despite refusing to do so for several months. She loved him and for months after that, Joanna seemed to forget why she even allowed herself to marry him in the first place. To convince him to sail west to Westeros to take back her family's throne.
That night, Najo was lying on his back with his arm wrapped around Joanna, whose head rested on his bare chest.
"What is meaning of name...Torro?" Najo questioned Joanna as they laid on the bed of furs on their tent.
He was speaking the common tongue for once, causing Joanna to smile since he was finally beginning to make progress. His accent was thick, but Joanna was still able to understand it. She tried to teach him as much as the common tongue as she could when they had some time to themselves.
"My sister Torra was a fierce warrior. She came from a family of people called Free Folk. Her real mother was a queen of people a lot like the Dothraki. She came from a long line of kings. She was the one who saved my life," Joanna explained in the common tongue and Najo surprisingly seemed to understand her, "The name Torrhen was also my brother's and very common in my family. The name of many strong and powerful kings."
"Is good name," Najo complimented the name, causing Joanna to smile happily at the fact that he actually liked it. She continued to smile as she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his.
______
Just a few miles south of the Twins, Eddard had his army's war camp set up. It was only the North with him at that moment, of course, but as they were to travel South, the Riverlords and Knights of the Vale already intended to join them as well.
On his horse, Olyvar arrived outside the war camp, gradually beginning to smile when he realized Eddard had done it all on his own, without him or Lyanna.
Olyvar honestly began to feel bad about all the times himself and Lyanna used to call him an idiot. No idiot would be able to convince the men of the North to ride South to go to war with the Tyrells, whose forces were five times what they had.
Inside the war camp, in his tent, Eddard stood with Smalljon Umber, Harald Karstark, Gawen Glover, Meera Reed, Clay Cerwyn, and his Aunt Sansa's husband, Daryn Hornwood. All of which happened to be the new lords and ladies of their castles and had been for years since their fathers died fighting in wars for Robb and Annalys or soon after.
Ser Edmyn was also with them. He promised to serve and protect Eddard no matter what.
"The Riverlands are falling back with Loras Tyrell at their heels. They have Lord Leyton Hightower stationed at Harrenhal, which they plan to use to hold any prisoners they capture from our armies," Eddard explained, not even noticing how Edmyn tensed up at the mention of the man who happened to be his father, "His son, Arthur Hightower, is rumored to have taken the Rock and has captured my sister."
"What?" Edmyn suddenly blurted out and Eddard frowned as he turned to the man, noticing the genuine fear in the knight's eyes, "Fuck ending Loras and his army. You need to save your sister."
"Who do you think you are, making demands of the King in the North?" Smalljon scoffed in disgust and Eddard simply lifted his hand as a way to tell him to shut up.
Eddard turned to face Edmyn, giving him a look that told him to elaborate. "What am I missing, Ser Edmyn?" He asked in concern, knowing it took a lot to make the man look that scared.
"I told you and Olyvar stories when you were younger of my nightmare of a childhood. Arthur Hightower is that brother I always spoke of," He explained and everyone there found themselves becoming suspicious of the fact that he was a Hightower.
Edmyn sighed in defeat, turning to address the rest of the men and woman. "If you all remember the atrocities Ramsay Snow committed against you and your families, trust me when I say Arthur Hightower is far worse than he ever was," He explained, causing them all to look concerned, "My father isn't completely loyal to the Tyrells. He only wants power. If he has Princess Lyanna in his clutches, he will have Arthur marry her. With Lyanna as the rightful queen, Arthur will become king. He will bed her until she has a son and once she does, he will kill in the most brutal way his horrific mind can think of."
Eddard remained silent, trying to think of a solution. "Perhaps the Riverlords can stay here. They can head South to attack the Harrenhal and the Tyrell forces from the North. The Knights of the Vale could attack them from the East." Clay Cerwyn suggested and Eddard found himself nodding in agreement.
"And we could head West. They'd be so distracted fighting them they'd never even notice our departure," Eddard realized, his eyes widening slightly.
"Are you forgetting about the perfectly good army South of the Reach that could attack both them and King's Landing without them knowing it was coming?" A voice suddenly spoke up, causing Eddard's eyes to widen as he whipped himself around to see Olyvar standing before him.
Olyvar smiled slightly, grateful to see his brother. "Olyvar," Eddard greeted him calmly.
He wanted to hug his brother, but he couldn't let him do so in front of all his men. He was supposed to be treated as an adult and Eddard feared he'd cry if he hugged his brother, which was something he refused to do in front of his men.
Eddard slowly turned to address the men and woman in his tent."I would speak to my brother alone, My Lords..." he trailed off, looking toward Meera, "My ladies."
The men and Meera nodded, wasting no time bowing and leaving the tent after bowing to their new king. Once they were gone, Eddard began to smile brightly, he and Olyvar practically lunging into each other's arms as they hugged.
"I thought you were dead," Olyvar commented as he pulled away from hugging Eddard.
"So did I," Eddard dumbly responded, causing Olyvar to quietly laugh as he shook his head, "Those bastards stabbed me four times."
"At least you have something to show off to the ladies now," Olyvar jokingly commented, as if to insult Eddard and claim he had no muscles to show off.
"Aye, well, there's one lady in particular I'm trying to impress," Eddard commented, beginning to gradually smile.
He had been so sad for months but now that he was with Olyvar, he felt a sense of hope and happiness.
"Who is it this time?" Olyvar asked curiously, the two of them walking over to the table, where they poured themselves a drink, "Please tell me it's not a whore, Ned. You could do so much better than a bloody whore."
"Not a whore. She's a maid..." He trailed off, squinting his eyes slightly, "I think."
"Are you dumb?" Olyvar groaned in annoyance, "You bedded a maid? I thought you were against that."
"Who said I bedded her?" Eddard complained, giving his brother a look of disbelief.
"When have you ever mention a girl you liked that you haven't bedded?" Olyvar questioned and Eddard knew he had a point.
"She's..." Eddard trailed off, sighing in defeat as he took a seat at the table, "She's different, though. Different than the rest. There's just something about her that's..." He paused, not knowing how to explain how he felt, "I don't know. The way I feel about her isn't like the way I feel about the others. She saved my life and when I wanted to die, she gave me hope. She gave me hope that I could survive all this pain and heartbreak in order to keep fighting. I spent several months traveling through the Riverlands with her and each day that passed, I began to care more and more for her, in a way I thought I'd never feel for her. I haven't even kissed her."
Olyvar's eyes widened slightly at the last part of Eddard's confession. Eddard, the infamous player, hadn't even kissed the girl, yet it was like he was head over heels for her. He must have truly loved her if he refused to rush anything with her.
"You love her," Olyvar realized, turning to Eddard with wide eyes, "Eddard Stark, you're in love with this girl."
Eddard scoffed in disgust, immediately standing up and making it so that his back was facing Olyvar. "I do not love her," He argued, a look on his face that reminded Olyvar of a pouting three-year-old.
"You do," Olyvar smiled in amusement as he walked toward Eddard, "Eddard Stark, promiscuous prince of King's Landing, has fallen in love with a girl," He paused, his tone becoming mocking, "I thought I'd never see the day."
Eddard rolled his eyes, turning himself around to face Olyvar before roughly shoving him on the chest. Olyvar laughed, causing Eddard to smile.
"Enough about my love life. Why do you tell me how the bloody hells you got here from the Wall?" He asked Olyvar, who began to smile.
"It's a long story, actually," Olyvar began, wasting no time beginning to tell Eddard what had happened.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Ya'll wanted a happy chapter and you got it.
Olyvar and Eddard reunited❤️
Eddard admits he's in love with Allyria
Joanna is literally so happy with the Dothraki (who would have thought)
AND RHAEGAL'S ALIVE AND HAS GIVEN ANNALYS SOME HOPE WHEN SHE WANTED TO DIE