The Rebirth of the Dragons - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lyanna Stark. 283AC

It was in a clear night illuminated by the stars and the moon that Lyanna stood on a balcony overlooking the Torrentine in Starfall the ancestral seat of house Dayne, her brother had just married the Lady Ashara Dayne now Ashara Stark Lady of Winterfell and she was thinking what she would do now.

She would rather jump out of the balcony right now than marry Robert Baratheon so going north back to Winterfell was not an option; she could go to Essos either to Pentos or Volantis. There were Starks that had settled there before and her father always said that even though their connection to Winterfell was long gone they were still part of the pack and would help a Stark in need.

She suppressed a sigh lying to herself was not a good path, she knew were her place was she was a Targaryen widow her place was with Queen Rhaella, her place was with her little girl Visenya. at least her little girl was safe she thought.

Those were some difficult days, just a day after Ser Gerold learned the news of the sack of king's landing her brother appeared at the tower, she thanked the gods she was able to tell the Kingsguard to let Ned pass them and stop the fight that was certain to break if she wasn't there. Ned was shocked to hear her story of how she married Rhaegar, how she sent letters home to explain to father and Brandon what happened and apparently not a single one of those letters reached Winterfell. Ned bereted her for being naïve and she understood, she should have gone home with Rhaegar and asked father for a formal betrothal even though she did what she did because of Ned and father's insistence that she marry Robert Baratheon, She remembered with a smile the first time she and Ned hadn't fight when they talked about the whoremonger, Ned had finally realized his friend or former friend as it was now wasn't a good man after his reaction to the deaths of Elia and her children. And how she wanted to kill those Lannisters after she heard it, she would admit that she was a naïve girl that accepted to marry Rhaegar as a second wife because of his beautiful voice and poems and because she didn't want to marry the whoremonger. But she still grew to love him and hearing what happened to his children set her on a rage that only her brother was able to calm when he arrived, she even mourned for Elia even though she hardly knew her.

She remembered how things were even worse the day after that one, the day her little Visenya was born, it was a difficult birth and there was a moment she thought she would die at childbirth but having her brother there with her seeing him holding his niece in his arms with a smile on his face rose her sprits and she survived. Her babe was beautiful with a small tuft of silvery hair on her head and Stark grey eyes, pale skin and high cheekbones like her father but the rest was all Stark.

She remembered how three days later she ordered the three Kingsguard and a maid who was serving as a wet nurse to leave to dragonstone, Ser Gerold tried to argue that they had orders from Rhaegar to guard her not leave her alone in Dorne but Rhaegar was dead and now she was ordering them to protect their princess, and so later that day they split into two groups one headed to dragonstone and the other which contained herself, her brother and his companions including her friend Howland went south to Dorne so Ned could marry his now wife Ashara, and now here she was trying to find a way to leave Dorne unnoticed. She looked up towards the moon; its silvery glow always reminded her of Rhaegar these days and with it brought the pain she felt with his death. Maybe it would be better to sleep; a new day may bring a different perspective. She thought.

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She had just put on her clothes and now sat looking at a letter in front of her, one of the maids who prepared her bath had quietly passed Lyanna this letter and said that The Red Viper sends his greetings and now she was wondering what Oberyn Martel could want with her. Realizing that there was only one way to find out she opened the letter.

Lady Lyanna Stark

I write this letter to honor the memory of my sister Elia who told me that there was no competition between her and you.

You would be glad to know that your daughter the princess Visenya and her protectors are safely on their way to Braavos were they will later be joined by the queen and the rest of the Targaryen court-in-exile .

A Ship will be in Starfall in three days to bring you to Braavos if you so desire, leave a red piece of cloth on top of your bed if you agree and the same maid who delivered this letter will know your answer and arrange your safety out of the castle.

But if you do decide to leave you should use a better disguise, while Robert Baratheon holds no power in Dorne, Tywin Lannister has spies everywhere and he would love nothing more than to kill you to guarantee his daughter place as the queen.

With regards

Oberyn Nymeros Martell

Prince of Dorne

She felt relieved, her daughter was safe and would be protected, she would grow up with children her age, her family. She also felt panic that someone knew she was alive, would Ned's plan to fake her death even work, how many people knew she still lived and how many of those would pass the information to her enemies, that Tywin Lannister wanted her dead should be expected but was also terrifying, her father always said Tywin Lannister was the most dangerous man in Westeros; in the end there wasn't much a decision to be made she would join her daughter and hope they could live a safe life in exile, hope that she could see her daughter grow into a beautiful woman. With a small smile on her face as she imagined holding her daughter again Lyanna put a red piece of cloth on her bed and left to break her fast with Ned and his new wife.

It was latter that day the Lyanna found herself in a solar talking with Ned and Ashara, trying to embarrass Ned in front of his wife by telling stories of when they were kids.

"After that happened, Ned spent a whole month without talking to Brandon and saying he would never go into the crypts again." She finished her story to the laughter of Ashara and Ned red in the face stuttering to find a response.

"Oh, and then there was that time Benjen and I dressed him in girl clothes while he slept, Father said he would change Ned's name to Eddara since he looked so beautiful as a girl." she said with a smile and the melodious laugh of her good-sister filled the room once again.

"Lyanna, you said you had something important to tell me, can we please talk about that instead of this?" Ned asked and while he was blushing he had a small smile on his face happy that his sister and his wife were getting along even if it was because of his embarrassment.

"No, please tell me more. How I'm I to blackmail my husband in the future if I don't know all his embarrassing stories." Ashara said with a blank expression and then she laughed again unable to keep a serious face.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all the stories i know Ashara, including a few i heard from his time at The Vale, like when he took a septon to give a sermon in a whorehouse." Lyanna said with a smirk looking at Ned while Ashara laughter grew even more.

"That one was actually fun." Ned said with a smile. "I did it to annoy Robert, but we ended up both laughing at the septon calling everyone a sinner while the whores tried to get him to pay for their company." He said with a laugh that sounded quite sad. As if remembering when he could laugh with his friend, before Robert's obsession with killing what he called 'dragonspawn' started.

"Well as much as I want to hear about a septon in a whorehouse." Lyanna said with a grin. "I do have something important to say as you remembered Ned; I have decided what I'll do."

This immediately ended the laughs in the room, Ned and Ashara turning serious in the blink of an eye.

"I'll use your plan Ned." she continued. "You will tell everyone that you found me dead."

"And where are you going Lya." Her brother asked, his voice betraying the pain and hurt of losing his sister that he tried to hide.

"I won't be going to neither Pentos nor Volantis, as we spoke before." Lyanna responded. "The blond maid that you assigned for me passed a letter to me this morning, Ashara." She continued. "The letter was from Prince Oberyn saying that my daughter, Ser Arthur and the rest of the Kingsguard are safely on their way to Braavos where they will meet Queen Rhaella once she gets there."

"You plan on joining them." Ned said. More of a statement than a question but still she responded.

"Yes. The same letter said there will be a ship in three days time that will sail towards Braavos, I will have to prepare to leave and that same maid will arrange my journey."

There was a moment of silence and them Ashara said.

"Well, is good to know we have spies in our household, I will inform my brother once we leave. But are you sure you want to live in exile Lya?" She asked. "You could come with us to Winterfell be amongst you brothers again." Ashara continued.

"Yes that is what I want sister." Lyanna responded. "My place is with my daughter, if i stay in Westeros Baratheon's (she spat the word), obsession with me will never be over. It is quite possible that he would declare war on The North once it was clear that I refuse to marry him. No it is better that the realm think me dead, it will be safer for the realm and more importantly for my family. Ned, Benjen and you Ashara." She finished.

Silence filled the room as each one of them digested the information in a different way, Ashara with a sad look on her face, Ned just looked contemplative as if trying to find anything wrong with her reasoning. When it appeared he couldn't he just sighed and said.

"If that is what you want Lya. I will miss you sister."

"And I you brother." Lyanna responded.

"Have you thought about a disguise? If you are to live in anonymity you will need a good one." He asked.

"I Have." She responded. "I will have to dye my hair before I leave Starfall but anything else will have to wait until I meet with Queen Rhaella. It would be better if our disguises complemented each other." She finished.

"Then i wish you luck sister. I will pray to the gods for your safety and may one day we see each other again." Ned Responded.

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She looked at Starfall in the distance as the ship sailed away, saying her goodbyes last night was difficult. She never thought she would see her ever stoic brother cry yet he did, they would be leaving for Winterfell tomorrow once they get there and Ned tells Ben about her hopefully only three people in all of Westeros would know she is still alive. Oberyn's spy was good, she was guided trough a secret passage from Starfall directly to the beach at the bottom of the hill were a rowing boat was already waiting for her. Once on the ship they immediately set sail, it would stop at Sunspear were they would be joined by an escort of war galleys and a few trade ships as to better disguise their movement. They would stop at Myr, Pentos and finally Braavos were she would get to see her little girl again.

Your mother will be with you soon little princess. She thought.