113

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298 AC

The North - Winterfell

Lyanna Stark

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"So what are they like in person?" My niece Arya asks as we sit together with her older sister Sansa.

I wanted to spend some time with them and get to know them more personally, I don't intend to stay long after Robert visits. I will stay to see Ned's decision and then I will leave for Sunspear.

"Who?" I ask with a tilt of my head and she snorts at me as if it's obvious, and it is.

"The Targaryens, they are all crazy in some way or the other whether it's crazy in the head or crazy strong or even crazy good-looking. What are the Targaryens you have met like, are they actually all crazy?" I smile and close my eyes in deep thought.

I wouldn't say they are all crazy, but I wouldn't say they are far off either.

"Some can see things in their dreams that will happen in the future, all of them are beautiful and pleasing to look at. I would say only a few are 'crazy strong' but one I have gotten to know quite well is maybe even more than just 'crazy' and goes straight to freakishly strong. He is the same age as your brother Robb but if you compared the sizes of them it would surprise you. I enjoy their company and enjoy talking with them when I get the chance." I am also enjoying a few other things.

"You think one of them can beat Robb?" Arya asks in disbelief and scrunches her nose, I hold back from laughing seeing her throw away any possibility of her brother being defeated.

"He trained with Ser Barristan Selmy and a skilled water dancer named Cynthia as early as he could. Recently he has been taking lessons from Ser Arthur Dayne the sword of the morning himself. If you add on that he has a body blessed for a warrior and a decent head on his shoulders you have a good chance he would beat your brother." They both look confused and I wonder for a moment what they got hung up on and Sansa clears up my confusion.

"He learned to dance to get stronger?" I smile and shake my head.

"Water dancing is one of the most popular fighting styles in Essos, it is swift and light usually as Eragons sister and niece learned to do it traditionally. Eragon himself fights like a Westerosi knight who maneuvers a lot more than other knights and is deceptively fast." Arya's eyes widen in interest and she sits forward gripping her hands into fists.

"The girls learned to fight?" Oh boy, I might have just caused my brother a headache.

"Yes, lots of women learn to water dance according to Cynthia but I have seen many female warriors in my time in Dorne. I would say more than half of the women in Dorne can at least use a spear to defend themselves." Arya jumps to her feet and practically bounces in place with excitement.

"I always tell my mom that but she says it's unladylike and won't let me train, father listens to her as well and I am so frustrated." Sansa rolls her eyes and sighs seeing her sister and I get the feeling this is a common occurrence.

"Sorry." I whisper lightly to the redheaded stark girl and she waves me off.

"It's no problem, she gets like this at least four times a week." She nervously shifts before seeing to gather courage and looks at me. "Do you think we will get pulled into the war that is coming? They say the war will be a bloody one with not only the Targaryens hanging overhead but also the Blackfyres. I also heard that the Targaryens have dragons and will burn down those that don't bend the knee." I wish I could tell her her worries were unfounded but it will be a bloody war and dragons will burn people as well.

"The dragons are not that scary, they can actually be quite cute when they are being sweet." Arya stills and her head spins in my direction as Sansa's jaw drops.

"They have real dragons and you have seen them?!" Arya fly's back into her seat next to me as I nod at her.

The entire realm has heard of the rumors, it is purposefully being spread by someone to cause chaos. I even asked Eragon if he was fine with me confirming it when I felt like it and he didn't have a problem with it because the word is already out. People are nervous all over the realm and whether or not 'Lyanna Stark' goes around confirming it to everyone it won't change anything.

"Yea, they are pretty cute and their scales are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen while also being dangerously sharp at the wrong angle. They eat enough to make you concerned for their belly and they sleep most of the time. Seeing them you wouldn't think they could melt castles and burn armies to ash." They both pale a little and look more nervous but I can also see a bit of wonder in their eyes as well.

Everyone marvels at dragons, no matter if you are their friend or their enemy a dragon is something 'Nobel' to behold. They forged the kingdoms under Aegon and kept them in line as long as they were alive.

"We will be joining the Targaryens are we not? You came here to convince our father to join them didn't you?" Sansa asks with great concern.

"I don't know, I came to try and convince him but he is the Lord and makes the decisions in the North. Don't worry too much, I happen to be good friends with the father of dragons and will do all I can to make sure the dragons don't burn you." I might have to put in quite the amount of work on my back if Ned does become the enemy of House Targaryen but I am sure I can figure something out.

I don't want anyone else from my family to burn alive, not when I can stop it.

I try to cheer Sansa up and pinch at her sides and she wiggles out and a small smile tugs at her lips. Arya also joins in and we soon get Sansa laughing and swatting us away.

"Ok ok, I am fine!" She takes deep breaths while holding her chest and we leave her alone.

Arya turns to me with scrunched brows and crosses her arms.

"I don't know what a father of dragons is but he should control them, can you ask him to let me ride a dragon? I want to fly and touch the clouds and see what they taste like." I snort and wiggle myself back into my seat.

"I can ask him, but the best way to find out is if you see him in person. Eragon is a very easy to talk to man, I don't think there are many people he can't get along with." I see him getting along with my family of wolfs.

"I will ask him myself, I want to go with you to Dorne. I can learn to fight and fly a dragon, it might as well be the best place to live." I shake my head but she frowns and I realize she is serious.

Ned was right about her being like me quite a bit, this little girl reminds me a bit too much of myself.

"Your mom would never approve of it, she would worry herself sick and you would count as a 'hostage' if you were at Sunspear. Ned has not decided on what course of action or if he will try to stay neutral and if his daughter got swopped off to Dorne he would be forced to act." Arya shakes her head and practically growls.

"I already have a sister in Dorne and he won't even let me send her a letter, I want to see her for myself. You have met Morgana, what is she like?" I am glad for the change in topic but I doubt this is the end of her wanting to travel with me.

Sansa also looks eager to know more about her half-sister so I sigh and begin talking about her.

"She has Stark hair but Dayne eyes and features, she is beautiful and willful. She enjoys reading about the North and hearing stories about it and craves visiting Winterfell and meeting you guys. She is also nervous you will treat her harshly for being a bastard but that doesn't diminish her feelings of wanting to come. Your uncle Benjen spends a lot of time with her and Visenya and has quite a lot of stories with the two." I can see on their faces what their next question is. "Visenya is obviously mine and she is a little shithead and causes problems constantly." Their eyes widen and I burst out laughing.

After drinking some of my water I sigh and continue.

"Visenya is not bad, she is also pretty willful though, and likes to do things her way. She likes to ride as much as I do and I am certain she will always be on dragon back once she can. She is also very curious about the North and I hope to bring both of them up here soon."

"Visenya has a dragon of her own?" Sansa asks and I nod remembering the cute little pink and white dragon with blue eyes.

"Vhagar is the dragon's name and it is pink with a white belly and sky-blue eyes that shine against the contrast of the scales." I can't wait until the dragon gets bigger, someone is taking me riding.

"That's the name of the dragon the first Visenya rode! Does she also fight like the original Visenya?" I nod at Arya's question and her face goes flush as she jumps back up.

"I have to go to Dorne, I want to do all this exciting stuff and met all these cool people and dragons." She clenches her hands so hard her knuckles go white.

"Arya, calm down we will never be able to go down there if father sides with King Robert." I eye her when I hear the 'we' as it seems the redheaded stark is also interested.

"You might one day, you never know you might end up engaged to Aegon if your father decides to join with the Targaryens. Aegon is unmarried and unspoken for, the boy is practically my own son with how I helped raise him. He is a good and honest man but he doesn't fight much, he took after his mom a lot and it affected his health with the same stuff Elia has. He is more than fine to be an able husband though, Elia sure isn't slowed down when it comes to 'wifely' duties." I would be quite happy with a match between Aegon and Sansa if the tyrell's fall through.

There are not many options left if we don't count Asha Greyjoy as she is the only available great house female left at this point who isn't an enemy already. But we can't trust the Greyjoy's not after the rebellion and it would be a horrible marriage for my sweet little boy, I won't let that marriage idea even see the light of day.

"Aegon? The son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell?" I nod and she purses her lips. "I haven't even thought about marrying a Targaryen, mother has it in her head that I will marry Joffrey Baratheon. I don't want to marry a Baratheon if the Targaryens have dragons and will come to get revenge and take back the iron throne." Smart girl, I hope her father puts that nonsense out of Catelyn Starks head.

Would be hard to convince the Targaryens to avoid hurting my family if my family offers themselves up as shields for the Baratheons.

Maybe I should talk to Lady Stark.