Chapter 8

"I'm not sure about this."

Lily looked up at her best friend from her place atop the step stool in the library. "What do you mean?"

Petyr was standing below her with a very serious look on his face as if he had been thinking long and hard about something. At fourteen he was far less skinny than he had been at ten but was still slender. The only thing that annoyed Lily about his development was that he was an inch taller than she was.

Ah well, there would still be more growing for the two of them before they became adults. Hopefully they would at least be the same height when they reached eighteen. Lily wasn't counting on it however, she had been an inch shorter than James when they were both twenty one.

That little detail caused her to grimace and she blinked, forcing her mind back to what Petyr had said.

He ran a hand though his dark hair as if frustrated. "This harebrained plan to run off to the Vale with Ser Brynden. Are you sure it's a good idea?"

Lily laughed tossing her red curls over her shoulder carelessly. "What makes you think this is a harebrained plan? If anything this is freedom. You knew that I didn't want to go to the capital for this gods awful wedding. If anything this is just another sorry display so the king can show off his power and remind everyone else who rules the realms. It's pathetic if you ask me. And I have no desire to be there for as long as anyone else. So when Uncle Brynden informed father that he was going to the Vale on some business for Lord Arryn I jumped at the chance."

"And what about that plan of yours?"

"Which one?"

Petyr made a sound of frustration in his throat. "Gods woman can you keep at least a few of your plans straight? The one where you hinted at a possible match between you and the future Lord of the Vale?"

Lily laughed. "Petyr you don't honestly think I was serious do you? I have no intention of getting to know Elbert Arryn. For all I know Jon Arryn might have someone for him already. I just want to see the Vale and finally get out of the Riverlands. You boys get to have all the fun by going all over. But I've never seen mountains before and I want to go."

Petyr looked at her suspiciously. "So you don't intend to suggest you marry Elbert Arryn to your father?"

"Of course not!" Lily burst out. "How long have you known me? I'm only fourteen years old. I'll leave the scheming when talking about marriage to Cersei Lannister."

"Well that didn't exactly work out in her favour did it?" Petyr snorted.

"And that," Lily said having finally selected the book she was looking for and hopping down from the step stool. "Is why I will leave the political games to people like you and father."

Petyr frowned as they left the library. "What do you mean people like me?"

Lily shrugged. "You've always liked planning and scheming far more than me. I'm honest, I'm bold and I expect people to respect that. There are times when I can scheme a little but I don't do it nearly as often as you do."

"I'm not certain whether that's a compliment or an insult," The dark haired boy said.

"I'll leave that to your big brain to figure out," Lily chuckled.

Petyr just shook his head at her and then stole a peek at the book tucked under her arm as they walked down the halls. "What book were you so keen to get anyway?"

"It's a chequered history of the First Men of the south," the red head explained.

Her friend pulled a face. "Why on earth would you want to read about something like that?"

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "Why not? History is interesting and it is from history where we derive our way of life, our advancements, our political processes and all the stories that are passed down from father to son. Why wouldn't I want to know about something like that?"

Petyr shrugged. "It just doesn't seem to be the sort of thing someone like you should be interested in."

Lily halted, put her hands in her hips and looked at him through narrowed eyes. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Petyr seemed to have realized his verbal blunder and fumbled for words for a moment. "Nothing, I just mean that you're the sort of person that seems more interested in horses and fighting and healing. You don't talk about history a lot."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I see. You barely saved that you know?"

"The operative word is saved," Petyr said with a smirk. "Which I did."

Lily huffed and the two continued to carry on down the hall in silence. It was a sunny afternoon and the bright light from beyond the clouds peeked in through the windows of the keep casting square beams of brightness upon the floor.

"Do you think Axel will remain here?" Petyr asked and a frown coloured Lily's beautiful face. "I'm not sure. He's only three which is a little young to be traveling but at the same time if everyone else is going I'm not sure my father would be content to have him remain here with a nurse and the servants. He's become remarkably protective in the last three years."

"I'm sure it has something to do with Lady Minisa," Petyr observed quietly and Lily nodded. "He has five children to look after and he's a Lord Paramount. No wonder he wants to keep you all close."

"You're probably right," the red head sighed. "Very well then, Axel will go to the capital. You'll keep an eye on him for me though won't you? He's only three and I worry about him sometimes. Especially now that he'll be in the same keep as the king."

Petyr sobered instantly.

Horrifying rumours had run rampant in the last decade or so about the mental instability of the king and some of the horrid and gruesome things he had done making all the realm wary and the nobles nervous.

This wedding was going to be a large and public event where all manner of people were going to be present. This would be the perfect opportunity for the king to show off and perhaps do some questionable things that would throw into sharp relief his utter failure and inability as a king to be a king.

Lily had heard all of the rumours and if even half of them were true than Aerys was as mad as Voldemort without the magic and she wanted Axel nowhere near him.

She had come up with the idea to place protection charms around her little brother and all of her siblings for that matter while they were in the capital and near the king.

But protection charms were better served when they were physical objects so Lily was working on several art projects to give to her sisters and her brothers before they left. Come to think of it Petyr might need one as well.

"Have you written to your father recently?" She asked.

Petyr nodded. "I did. He's going to be there for the wedding. He told me he has some business for one of the minor Lords in the capital."

Lily's face lit up at the words. "That's wonderful Petyr! Did he say how long he's going to stay?"

"No, but because there will be a wedding and a tourney as well as gods know how many feasts and parties and dances, I can expect him to be there for a few weeks at the very least."

"Well good," Lily said with some satisfaction. "Perhaps I'll finally get to meet him."

Petyr shot her a sideways glance. "What are you talking about? You've met my father."

"Not really," Lily said. "We were children when he brought you here. I remember what he looks like but I don't remember talking to him."

"Well then should the time come I will introduce you to him."

Another long silence passed before they spoke again.

"What do you think a royal wedding is like?" Lily asked absently.

Petyr raised an eyebrow at her as they paused by one of the windows to look down into the courtyard. "Going starry eyed on me Lily? I thought you didn't want anything to do with the wedding."

"I don't!" The red head exclaimed. "But you have to admit it's an interesting social experiment."

Petyr's other eyebrow rose. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Well think about it," Lily explained. "In the next few weeks the whole of the capital is going to be crammed to the rafters with major and minor lords and all of their sons and daughters each frothing at the mouth to get a glimpse of power or a taste of power and the royal family will no doubt use this opportunity to show off their wealth and power especially the king. If he is as stark raving mad and narcissistic as everyone is whispering about than he will want everyone to know how much he has and what he has. And he may do it in such a way that is dangerous. But because everyone is going not everyone cares about that. This wedding is a carefully laid façade for a power play. And everyone knows it but no one is going to say it."

Petyr's eyebrows and all but disappeared into his hairline as he processed what she had said before shaking his head. "You're strange Lily. Who thinks about something like that?"

"I am being perfectly serious," the red head said indignantly. "No one cares about this wedding, but everyone is going to see how much power and influence they can get and wield. Let me give you an example. No doubt Lord Stark will be sending his sons to this wedding and Father will catch up with Brandon Stark at some point so that Cat may peddle her own influence with him. And speaking of influence, the Hand of the King will also be present along with his son and daughter and father will be hunting down Jaime Lannister as a bear hunts a fish so that some form of agreement might be put in place between him and Lysa. And you can bet that everyone else is going to do the same thing as well. It's all rather petty and depressing don't you think?"

"I suppose," Petyr said his expression turning thoughtful. "But that's the sort of world we live in Lily. It's not as if you can change it."

"Well someone should," Lily grumbled.

Petyr laughed. "You're talking about wanting to change history since the beginning of time Lily. It doesn't work that way."

"Change can only be brought about if you want it to happen and you work hard for it," Lily snapped back. "Just because it's always been that way doesn't mean that it needs to continue. Power isn't everything you know."

Petyr fairly nearly scoffed at that. "Lily, power is everything in this world that we live in. Whether that is power over people, power over land, power over money or power in politics or whatever, power counts. And for you to think that it doesn't is naïve. Everyone wants power but not everyone will get it. Power is not bad, but it's what you do with it that matters."

Lily's righteous indignation had died to a still warm ember. She could feel it glowing deep within her but she decided to say no more.

She remembered a similar phrase that she had heard in her first life but she couldn't remember who had said it to her.

There is no such thing as right and wrong….there is only power and those too weak to seize it.

It sounded just like something Voldemort would say and Lily cringed to herself remembering the snake like man, the last face she had seen before she had died.

"Do you really believe that?" She asked her best friend.

Petyr looked curiously at her but nodded. "I do."

"So if you were king of this whole realm," the red head said deciding to put him to the test. "How would you rule it? Would you be like Aerys Targaryen?"

"Gods no!" Petyr said looking appalled. "No one should emulate him. If I were king, I think I would be quiet."

"Quiet?"

"Yes quiet. How else would I be able to learn about what I need to do if I didn't first observe how to do it and all the mistakes of everyone else?" Petyr asked.

Lily paused for a moment. "That's a very good point."

"I know," he said with a hint of smugness.

"Would you serve yourself or would you serve the realm?" She asked suddenly.

Petyr blinked as they stood there by the window. "What's the difference? What benefits me would benefit the realm and what benefits the realm would benefit me."

"That's not strictly true," Lily cautioned. "What benefits the realm would benefit you because it would make the people love you but to assume whatever benefits you would benefits the realm would be the height of hubris. And we have had far too many kings with an inordinate amount of pride."

Just then she glanced down into the courtyard where Edmure was having yet another training session with the Blackfish and she smiled to herself. "Come on. I'm going to put this book in my room and then we can go downstairs and watch Uncle Brynden whip Ed into shape again. Maybe he'll teach you a thing or two as well."

Petyr rolled his eyes. "You and your optimism. I'm never going to master that bloody sword and you know it."

"Never say never Petyr," the red head called as the two of them walked down the hall. "The day you do is the day you cease to take risks and live life."

"No one ever said that living life had to be all daring adventure Lily," Petyr muttered as he followed her.

"Than those people have never truly lived."

Ω

The night before Lily and her Uncle were to leave for the Vale and the rest of the Tully's were to leave for the capital, Lily stayed up late working on some of the protection charms she was going to give to her siblings in the morning. They weren't strong protection charms but she didn't want the king to notice them at all really. She doubted he would as they were going to be sons and daughters in a sea of faces but she didn't want to take the risk that any of them would draw his attention for whatever reason.

So she had purchased a small jade necklace on a silver chain for Cat and a small silver bracelet with pale grey river pearls on it for Lysa. Some of the stones on the bracelet and necklace were moonstones which were known for their healing properties in case something happened.

And speaking of things happening over the last few years the weight of keeping her magical secret had continued to weigh on her most heavily.

It was something she had never told Minisa but Lily had always had a feeling that her mother knew there was something different about her.

But she was gone now and no one knew about her gifts. Cat didn't know, Lysa didn't know, Edmure didn't know, Axel didn't know although she doubted he would understand as he was only three, Petyr didn't know, her father didn't know and her Uncle didn't know.

This secret had been kept for her entire childhood in Westeros and Lily knew she would need to either tell them all soon or not at all.

The most worrying thing however was that she wasn't sure how they would all take it. The South was heavily embedded in the worship of the Seven and even though her father wasn't a particularly devout man, he had certain religious obligations to keep up.

Should it be known that the third daughter of Lord Hoster Tully was a sorceress for lack of a better word of extreme power…well Merlin forbid the riverlands might be thrown into disorder and chaos and suspicion….and at worst the news may reach King Aerys.

This thought caused Lily to shudder. There had been rumours that the man had an odd fascination with fire and magic and dragons and the last thing she wanted to do was be put in the centre of his attention.

Then again if it put a crown on her head as opposed to Elia Martell Lily had no doubt that Hoster would be thrilled with it.

But she had no wish to marry at fourteen especially with a father in law like Aerys Targaryen. That would be like living in the same house with Voldemort!

No, she would need to be very careful about a full magical disclosure in the near future especially if it would affect her new family and her new home.

As she was pondering the merits of when and where such a notion could be fulfilled, there was a knock on the door.

Lily blinked and then frowned as she turned towards it, wondering who on earth would be awake at this time of night.

Thinking it was something important she put the trinkets she was charming down on the bed and threw a piece of cloth haphazardly over it before striding for the door. "Come in."

But whoever it was had either left or didn't hear her for when Lily opened the door there was no one in the hall.

She frowned and looked down the left passage finding it empty only to turn to the right and be confronted with a small retreating back.

Her frown widened as she realized with a start who it was.

"Lysa?"

At the sound of her name being called out the older girl came to a screeching halt as if startled by the break in silence.

She paused for a moment with her back to her younger sister before turning around like she were a puppet on a thread.

"Lily," she said with a smile on her face but the younger red head detected some measure of force behind it as if she were holding something back. "I wasn't sure if you were still awake and I didn't want to bother you."

"It's no bother at all," the other girl said with a frown of speculation on her pretty features. "I was just putting some things together before we all leave tomorrow. Is something wrong? Do you want to come in?"

Lysa hesitated for a moment before surprising Lily by twisting her hands together as if what she wanted to talk about was of a great deal of importance but was also personal enough that she didn't want to be vulnerable.

And that was when Lily knew she would have to twist it out of her sister if she wanted to know the truth.

So she walked forward, took hold of the other girls arm and drew her towards the door of her own chambers. Lysa didn't resist which Lily took to be a good sign and continued to bring the older girl to the door of the room, pulled her inside and shut it behind her. "Now, what seems to be the matter?"

The whole time she was talking the fourteen year old had walked back to the bed but Lysa remained standing by the door looking at her feet and still twisting her hands together as if in deep mental turmoil.

"Lysa?"Lily asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure if I should say," the older girl muttered which was very unlike her. "You might be a little too close to the problem."

"What on earth do you mean?"

Finally Lysa blew out a breath and seemed to deflate as she did so as if she were taking down the mental wall she had erected around herself. "I don't want to marry Jaime Lannister."

Well that had been unexpected.

"Who said you were going to?" Lily asked cautiously.

Lysa laughed but it was a distinctly bitter sound which caused Lily to flinch. "Don't act as if you're the one who suddenly has their head stuck in the sand Lily. Father's been talking about this marriage ever since Cat's was secured. He'll have one daughter in the north and one in the west and it will afford him ever so much more power. But he never asked me what I wanted."

She took a deep breath as if that was something she had wanted to say for a very long time but lacked the nerve.

Lily frowned. "Alright then. I will ask it. Why don't you want to marry Jaime Lannister?"

The older red head paused for a long moment as if getting her thoughts together. "I would have to go and live in the Westerlands away from all of you. And his father…I've heard he's scary. What if he doesn't like me?"

"Jaime or his father?" Lily asked.

"Both of them!" Lysa burst out. "Tywin Lannister has been the Hand of the King for twenty years and everyone says it's because of him that realm has done so well. He's supposed to be an incredibly intelligent man and he'll probably want a bride for his son who's just as intelligent. And that's not me!"

"What makes you say that?" Lily asked through narrowed eyes.

"I don't read as much as you and Petyr because I don't like it, I'm not as good with horses as Ed, and I don't practically run the keep like Cat. There's nothing I'm particularly good at and in order to help my husband run a keep I have to be good at something. And I'm not good at anything!"

Her outburst echoed loudly in the quiet room causing her to look fearfully at the door as if someone would pound on it demanding to know what they were talking about.

"Lysa?" Lily asked after a long moment of silent contemplation. "You told you that you weren't good at anything?"

Lysa pursed her lips and drew them into her mouth until they all but disappeared. "No one."

Lily knew in an instant that she wasn't telling the truth for that was the exact same face James had worn when he was trying to keep a secret from her.

So she asked again. "Lysa….who told you that you weren't good at anything?"

And then the older red head muttered something that Lily didn't quiet catch which caused her to lean forward. "Say that again?"

"Father," Lysa whispered so quietly that she barely moved her lips.

This time Lily heard it loud and clear.

She literally felt the blood draining from her face as she went absolutely pale with rage. Her hand grasped the bedspread in a vice like grip of fury and she steered herself for calm. "He said that to you Lysa?"

"Not to my face," the other girl said quietly. "But I heard him talking to Maester Vyman the other day about sending ravens to the north and the west. Vyman commented that father was being very proactive about my and Cat's marriages. Father said that we will do our duty and that he had high hopes for Cat. And then Vyman asked about me and Father sighed and said he hoped Tywin Lannister would accept this proposal and that I would do my duty and provide Jaime Lannister with sons because there wasn't much else that I was good at."

Her voice broke slightly as she finished her statement and Lily let out a sigh that seemed to come from the pit of her stomach. "Oh Lysa, you know that's not true don't you?"

"Do I?" The older red head demanded. "I'm not smart, not like you and Petyr. Ed's being groomed to be Lord of Riverrun one day and Axel is still a baby. Cat is basically mother come again in which the whole keep is run like a well oiled machine. But there's nothing for me to do other than sit there and look pretty. No wonder father doesn't think I'm good at anything because there's nothing for me to do!"

Lily wanted to put her head in her hands in that moment. Her father had become a far different man when Minisa died. He had been quietly introspective before and somewhat amused and interested with the activities of his children but now…now he was ambitious greedy and downright cruel when necessary.

And it seemed Lysa had been the most recent recipient of his unnecessary cruelty.

"I'm sorry Lysa," She said feeling both anger and sorrow. "He shouldn't have said that."

Her older sister passed a hand before her eyes as if as if she were wiping away tears and trying to hide them. "But it's true though. He just said what I was always thinking. I'm not good at anything."

"That's not true!" Lily hissed fiercely. "You have a lovely voice! You're one of the most prolific writers I've ever met. Your stories never cease to amaze me and I can think of many times when you've lulled Axel to sleep with one of them."

"What good are stories when you're running a keep?" Lysa asked. "It's a worthless hobby and I should have quit it long ago!"

"Listen to me," Lily said reaching out and grabbing her hand so her sister would cease her pacing. "It's not worthless. Do you know what stories truly are? They're record keepers. They talk about the past and the present and the future in a way that history books can't. Keeping records is incredibly important because it reminds us of what we have done, what we are doing and what we have yet to do. They remind us not to be prideful, they remind us to have courage and they remind us to be ready for whatever the future brings. Stories and records are important Lysa and the person who keeps them even more so. How else would the Tully's have such a proud history without them? How else would be know anything in Westeros without stories? They are vital to the the life of a country and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool."

The older girl stared at her with eyes filled with an almost desperate hope. "Do you really think so?"

"Yes!" Lily exclaimed. "Pay no attention to what father says. He can barely see past his own nose at times."

This brought a small chuckle out of Lysa and Lily smiled with relief. Her second sister had been a bit more aloof than the rest of her siblings but Lily had had a feeling that beneath that aloofness lurked an insecure and sensitive heart.

Lysa seemed calmer now but Lily sensed there was still a matter that had yet to be settled. "So if you don't want to marry Jaime Lannister….What do you want to do?"

Lysa was quiet for a while longer before releasing another large breath and slowly making her way over to the bed so she might sit down next to her sister. "I want to stay here, with you and father and Ed and Axel and…..and Petyr."

There was a subtle pause between the names she had listed and Hoster's ward and all of a sudden Lily knew what this was all about.

"Why Lysa Tully!" She gasped, amusement and surprise tussling for control within her. "Do you have feelings for one Petyr Baelish?"

The older glanced down at her tightly clenched her hands together and stared intently at the floor as if all the secrets in the universe could be found in one of the tiles. "Would you be very angry if I did?"

Lily frowned. "Of course not. Why would you think I would be?"

Lysa's hands must have twisted themselves into a knot at this point. "Well the two of you are best friends and you've spent so much time together over the last six years I thought you might have feelings for him."

"Certainly not," Lily chuckled. "We are best friends yes but that is all. If I knew you had any sort of affection for him I would have not spent so much time with him so you could. Why on earth didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't really know what to say," Lysa explained with some nerves. "He always spent all of his time with you and Ed and now Axel that I thought it might be too late to say anything. But when father mentioned us going to this wedding and the possibility of meeting Jaime Lannister there….I realized I had to do something before it's too late. So I wanted your advice."

"On how to tell him?" Lily asked.

"Yes! I don't want him to go back to the Vale without knowing how I felt. His father might have someone he wants him to marry just like father has someone he wants me to marry. You're his best friend Lily, what should I do?"

The younger red head sighed and ran a hand through her mused curls. "There's no easy answer to this Lysa."

"I'll take any answer at this point," the other girl said throwing up her hands.

"Well," Lily said trying frantically to think of a way she could as sensitive and tactful as possible. "Then I would wait to talk to Petyr until after you meet Jaime Lannister."

Lysa's eyes narrowed. "Really? Why?"

"Because it's not a good idea to judge a gook by its cover," Lily said. "You don't know if he'll be the exact same way as his father and you wouldn't want to be judged by the way father is would you?"

Lysa cringed before shaking her head. "No I wouldn't."

"Exactly. So wait to meet Jaime before making a decision. If your feelings haven't changed after meeting him then maybe you should talk to Petyr and spend more time with him. If there's one thing that he values it's honesty. And if he doesn't feel the same way than at least you'll know before you really get hurt."

"Do you think he would feel the same way?" Lysa asked with something that looked suspiciously like desperation in her eyes.

"I honestly don't know," Lily replied. "Only he can tell you that. I think he's figuring out what he wants to do with his life so he might be confused on what he wants. But you won't know until you ask."

Lysa blew out a breath and closed her eyes as if he had come to the end of her emotional spiel. "Alright. Thank you Lily. I'm glad I came to talk to you."

"So am I," the other red head smiled. "You know you can whenever you want to don't you?"

"I know that now," Lysa said with a slight smile before she leaned over and gave her younger sister a brief hug. "I wish you were coming with us to the wedding."

"I am coming," Lily protested as she returned the hug. "It'll just be a bit later that's all. I want to have a bit of fun first before we get to the boring political bit."

"At least you'll be the only girl surrounded by three men in the Vale," Lysa said somewhat dreamily. "Elbert Arryn, Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon. I think I envy you a little sister."

"Don't be silly," Lily said playfully slapping her shoulder. "Ned Stark's brother is going to marry our sister, and as I understand it Robert Baratheon may be marrying Ned Stark's sister and as for Elbert, well I'm not sure about him. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"The purpose of this trip wasn't so that you could meet him at all was it?" Lysa asked shrewdly with a small smile and Lily smirked. "Not in the slightest."

To her surprise Lysa let out a bark of laughter. "I knew it. There was no way in the Seven Hells that you would go to the Vale to seek out a marriage proposal. The Stranger would come to take us all away first."

Lily barely restrained herself from grimacing at the ironically accurate metaphor. "Yes well. If it give me a little bit of freedom than I am more than open to the idea."

"Very well," Lysa said getting up from the bed and striding to the door. "But for the love of all the gods try not to get yourself into trouble when you go."

"How little you know me," Lily laughed.

It was only when her sister was gone that she lay back on her bed and thought most carefully about what Lysa had told her.

Lysa had been behaving strangely in the last few months whenever Petyr was around and Lily supposed she should have picked up on it earlier but she just hadn't been paying attention

Well no longer.

She resolved from then on to keep an eye on her sister and Petyr. The last thing that was needed was a broken heart after all.

Ω

One week later….

"You're awfully quiet," Brynden observed. "Is everything alright?"

Lily blinked in surprise at having been pulled from her whimsical thoughts. "Nothing is wrong Uncle. Why do you ask?"

"Because you've been staring off into space for the last ten minutes and you didn't hear any of the questions that I asked you."

The red head flushed slightly.

They had been on the road for about a week now with Lily and the Blackfish riding at the fore of their small party of men and Lily had been loving it. She had very rarely been away from Riverrun and had only gone to the nearby surrounding towns to see to the markets and the orphanages there.

This was the first time in her fourteen year old life that she would be away from the Riverlands altogether and there was so much to see and look at that she had just kept her mouth closed and was focused on taking it all in.

The air was lush and clean, prompting Lily to breathe deeply as much as possible. The road they were riding on was lined with trees there was an infinite blue sky up ahead with soft white puffy clouds that reminded her of sheep wool scattered here and there. There was more of them now that they were getting towards the end of the day and the sun was beginning to go down.

The road ahead of them was quiet as was the road behind and Lily thought it a perfectly lovely evening.

Her own thoughts however had not been so lovely.

That wasn't to say that they had been bad, merely musing. She had given the charms to her brothers and sisters on the day they left and all had had mixed reactions. Both Lysa and Cat had reacted with joy to the charms and Ed had merely given her a smile.

But it was Petyr who had looked at the leather scabbard she had fashioned for him with a rune engraved into it with some trepidation.

"How did you know?" He had asked.

Lily had frowned at him. "How did I know what?"

Petyr reached into his pocket and very carefully pulled out a short sharp object that she recognized immediately as a dagger. "How did you know I needed a scabbard for the dagger father sent me?"

Lily had simply smiled. "You've been carrying on for so long about how you accidentally cut yourself on whatever sharp knife you pick up and so I was surprised no one thought to get you one so I did."

Petyr had cautiously trailed a finger down the thick leather and the rune of protection Lily had engraved into it with magic. "What does the rune mean?"

This was quite easy to explain without magic.

"It's a symbol that the First Men used hundreds of years ago," Lily explained with a smile. "It's means protection and safe journeys."

Petyr slowly looked up from the scabbard and his grey green eyes bored deep into hers. "I didn't get you anything."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You don't have to get sentimental on me Petyr. I'm the one who's going away for a few weeks. So I wanted to get you all something to remember me by. Just make sure that you use it. I don't want to come back and see you covered in scars."

"Don't worry, I will."

All of a sudden Lily became aware that someone was watching them and she looked up to see her sister about to climb into the wheelhouse. She had one hand on the doorframe and one foot on the step but she had paused and was watching them.

Lily smiled at her and Lysa returned it but it looked sort of wobbly as if she were unsure of herself. Then she had climbed inside and Lily hadn't seen her again.

It was only after that she realize what her goodbye to Petyr must have looked like to Lysa and she wanted to cringe and then curse herself.

You need to be far more careful knowing what you know, she had thought to herself. The last thing you want to do is give anyone any ideas.

"I'm sorry Uncle Brynden," she said, her thoughts still on Lysa and Petyr. "I guess I've just been a little distracted."

"I can see that," the Blackfish said sounding amused. "So what has you so distracted that you're staring into the clouds as if they contain all of the secrets of the universe?"

Lily released a sigh that seemed to come from the pit of her stomach. "Uncle why is it that you never married?"

Both of Brynden's thick eyebrows rose so high so fast that they threatened to jump off his face. "What brought that question on?"

Lily sighed. "Just my own speculation and experiences I guess. The older I get the more I wonder if you didn't have the right of it all those years ago by not marrying."

Her Uncle threw back his head and laughed uproariously. "The older you get? Child you are four and ten. You needn't sound as if you are as old as I am."

He continued to laugh and Lily smiled slightly though she hadn't been jesting. With her fourteen years here combined with the twenty one she had lived in England she was thirty five years old mentally and she had seen a number of things in both lives that had caused her to question some carefully held truths.

Finally Brynden stopped laughing and looked at his niece who had remained utterly serious. Seeing how calm she was, he too lapsed into sobriety.

"Lilian there is nothing inherently wrong with marriage and your father would have my head if I poisoned you against the ideal. The gods know you are his most wild child and he will be very relieved when you settle down.

He said the last phrase fondly and Lily knew he was only part jesting.

She smiled slightly. "So why didn't you marry then?"

"Because marriage isn't for everyone," Brynden shrugged. "It goes beyond merely wanting to or not wanting to do so to what sort of person you are. And I wasn't the sort of person who would be content marrying and settling down. But that doesn't mean that you are the same way."

Lily looked at him startled. "I didn't say anything about me."

"You didn't have to," the Blackfish said in his own quietly astute manner. "Both of your sisters are soon to be married. It's entirely logical that you'd want to think about it as well."

Lily grimaced. Maybe she wasn't as subtle as she thought.

"As I was saying," her Uncle said giving her a fond smile. "It's not something you need to worry about."

"It is if father picks someone out for me that I don't have a say in," Lily spat. "I have no intention of being a useless breeder for the rest of my life. If I ever do marry, I want to be respected and not sit in some ivory tower like mother did. I don't want to stop fighting or riding horses or shooting a bow. I want to still be me."

Brynden raised an eyebrow at her outburst and cast a glance back at his men. Lily grimaced and stole a look at them too only to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that they weren't paying attention.

"Who says you wouldn't be you if you marry?" He asked.

"Did you know mother before she married father?" Lily asked.

"No."

"Well there you go! What if she was an entirely different person than the woman who married father? What if she liked to do all the things that I liked to do and when she got married father didn't let her do them anymore?"

"First of all," her Uncle said raising a hand so he might gently cut her off. "You and your mother are not the same person. She was a lady and you're….well you're a warrior of the highest degree. It doesn't mean that she's right and you're wrong or vice versa, it just means that you're different and there's nothing wrong with that. I might not have known the woman that was Minisa Whent before she married your father but I think it's safe to say that you are very different from who she was."

Lily fell silent for a long moment.

"What are you afraid of?" Her Uncle asked and Lily started both annoyed and impressed that he had picked up on her inner turmoil so quickly.

"I don't want to lose who I am," she said somewhat thickly and those words held deeper meaning for her than her Uncle knew.

"Then don't," her Uncle said. "Marry or don't marry, swing a sword or wear a dress, it doesn't matter. But you're still the same person regardless of what you do. But whatever you do, do it because it's the right thing."

"Was not marrying when father asked you to the right thing to do?"

"Yes," Brynden said shortly. "And what brought all of this on anyway?"

Lily sighed and then told him all that Lysa had told her before swearing him to secrecy.

Brynden Tully was a scarily good listener and only when Lily had poured out the entirety of her conversation from a week before did he speak.

"How do you think Petyr will respond?"

"I don't know," Lily replied. "But I don't want Lysa to get hurt most of all. She seemed very….vulnerable when I spoke to her."

Brynden sighed as they rode along. "Your sister has always been a vulnerable soul. Perhaps it comes from being the second daughter. She's always been compared to Cat and then you come along and you're vastly different than Cat so she isn't certain of what she's supposed to be, dignified and demure like Cat or fiery and opinionated like you. Give her time."

They spoke no more on the subject for the night but as Lily laid her head to pillow in the inn of the small town they had stopped in, she had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time that she thought about this.

Ω

A few more days passed in their journey before Lily had her first odd encounter in this new world.

The sun was once more going down when they stopped at an inn in a small town just south of the Gods Eye.

Brynden gave some short commands for his men to see to the horses and then turned to deal with his own mount while Lily turned to hers.

After this had been handled they both went inside for a meal and while her Uncle was seeing to the arrangement of their rooms, Lily looked around for somewhere to sit.

She was rather surprised to see that there were a few seats sitting next to the fire that were unoccupied. Only one man in a long dark green cloak was sitting there with his hands folded into his lap staring into the blaze.

No one was sitting near him and for a moment Lily wondered why. There seemed to be at least a ten foot radius between himself and all the other guests of the inn as if he exuded some sort of aura that made others avoid him.

Lily watched him for a moment and then shrugged, deciding that she must be imagining things. There was probably a perfectly good reason as to why no one was sitting near him. He was probably traveling alone while everyone else was traveling in groups.

Lily eyed him a moment longer before she shrugged and decided to go over. The night air had a bit of a bite in it and she wanted to warm up. The green cloak she was wearing had done a decent job cutting the wind but there was just something nice about curling up in front of an actual fire.

The moment she drew near to the man however he looked up from beneath his hood to meet her eyes.

Lily blinked a moment but then nodded at him. "May I sit down?"

"Of course," he replied. His voice startled her. It was thick and gravelly, the sort of voice she might have imagined from a fairy tale that she had read when she was very small. There had been a myriad of them that Rose Evans had read to her and his voice mirrored the sort of tone that a man of wisdom or a great battle commander from one of those fairy tales might have had.

Of course she was now herself living in a sort of fairy-tale with knights and balls and ladies so it sort of made sense.

Lily carefully took a seat, keeping one eye on the fire, one eye on her mysterious companion and finally keeping the odd gaze on her uncle who was still speaking with the innkeeper.

"Are you just passing through?" she asked deciding to make polite conversation.

There was something about him that had drawn her attention like a magnet when she had walked into the room and it also seemed to be the same thing that was repelling everyone else in the inn.

"You might say that," the man replied almost sounding amused.

"Are you from the Riverlands?" Lily asked.

"I am," he replied.

"Whereabouts?"

"Around the Gods Eye," he replied and Lily's eyes widened.

"Are you near the Isle of Faces? I've always wanted to see that place. It's supposed to be the most mysterious location in all of Westeros and one of those with the most history as well."

The man turned towards her and from beneath his hood Lily thought she saw a flash of green eyes all of a sudden.

"Oh it's not that mysterious," he said almost cheerily. "In fact it's open to all who wish to come."

"Have you been there before?" Lily asked, her excitement mounting.

"I have," the man replied.

"What's it like?" the red head asked all of her caution giving way to interest and curiosity.

"Oh it's a quiet place," the man said. "Not many people are there and those who do come don't often leave because it's a haven for those who wish to step away from the world around them. The scenery isn't much different than what you might see along the bank of every forest really. In fact it looks just like every other island that is around this area. I think its reputation stems from the fact that there is more speculation about it than fact."

This was a very strange conversation.

Lily frowned slightly. "So other than peace, what is it that draws people to the place?"

The man in the long green cloak gave her a long look for a moment before she thought she saw a smile beneath the shadow of his hood. "It's rather hard to describe. Some who come don't wish for peace at all. Some of questions and some merely feel a tug to come to the island."

Lily nodded although she wasn't quite certain she understood what he was talking about. "So anyone is welcome on the island?"

"Anyone at all," he said. "Even the third daughter of Lord Hoster Tully."

For a moment Lily wasn't certain she had heard him correctly and this forced her to blink a few times before she processed all he had said and was able to formulate an answer.

"How….How do you know who I am?" she asked.

Just then the sound of footsteps met her ears and she flinched before turning around to meet the eyes of Brynden Tully.

"Are you alright?" he asked putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes," Lily said almost dazedly still trying to formulate how the complete stranger she had been having a strange conversation with suddenly knew her name, who her father was and where she came in the maze of children he had.

She turned back around and blinked once more to find that she was sitting by the fire alone. The man in the green cloak had completely vanished and there was no trace that he had ever been sitting by the fire beside her.

She looked around wildly for a moment hoping to catch a glimpse of him but there was no man who fit his description anywhere in the inn.

It was as if he had faded into thin air.

How did he do that? I know I didn't imagine it all.

It wasn't until her eyes fell on the table in front of both chairs that she saw something that must have been left deliberately.

It was a tree leaf….and not just any leaf. It was the crimson colored pointed leaf off of a hearts tree that she had often seen in the godswood at Riverrun.

It was placed in the middle of the table so it was not as if it had simply clung to someone's cloak or been swept in through the door by a wind.

No…it had been placed there for a reason.

"I'm fine Uncle," Lily replied in a suddenly calm voice. "Have you sorted out our rooms?"

"I have," Brynden Tully said still looking at her oddly. "I was going to see about something to eat. Are you coming?"

"I'll be right there Uncle," Lily said absently reaching for the leaf on the table.

"Alright," he said. "The guards and I will be in that corner with our meals. Don't be long."

"I won't."

The moment he was gone, Lily brought the red leaf close to her face and closed her eyes, breathing in its scent.

There was a strange spicy fragrance to it that was unlike anything she had ever smelt, a mixture of peppermint and ginger.

She knew without a doubt that it had been left for her.

And that was when the red head cast her eyes into the corner of the fire and noticed a strange shadow.

It was thin and oblong as if it were a cane but when she had gotten up to investigate she realized it was none of those things, but in fact a staff of sorts.

It was black like it was made of strange wood that she had never seen before but it wasn't until she got a closer look at it that Lily realized the wood covering it was merely a sheath of sorts.

Gradually becoming more and more curious the red head pulled at the sheath until it came off and uttered a clear note of freshly oiled metal.

Her eyes wide, she brought the weapon…for that was what it was…back to her seat and examined it more closely, noting that the staff was about as tall as she was and that it had two sides. There was a piece of leather wrapped metal in the middle for a grip but on one end and the other there was a strange pale silver metal that she had never seen before.

Lily had read about Valyrian steel but she knew for a fact that this wasn't it.

It almost appeared to be silver but somehow she had a feeling that that wasn't what it was either.

It was a double sided staff with long razor sharp metal blades on both ends that were curved slightly at the very top. There was a strange rune carved into the flat of each blade and when Lily tugged at the middle section of the staff she was surprised to see that it came apart.

At first she was afraid she had broken it but when she examined it more closely, she realized it was meant to come apart to be two blades.

This was becoming stranger and stranger.

The meeting of an odd man in a green cloak just south of the God's Eye and the Isle of Faces led to a peculiar conversation about that Isle and then a Houdini disappearing act leaving behind a weirwood leaf and a double bladed staff.

I have a feeling that I was supposed to come on this trip, Lily thought to herself as a strange chill crept up her skin. It seems I'm not the only one with magic in this country.

Ω

I'm so sorry, I know I said Lily would meet Robert in this chapter but this seems to be the most logical place for a break and something told me that I should stop here so I followed my gut and did. I promise she will meet him in the next chapter though. Also for those of you who didn't see the author's note in the last chapter, I have decided to remove the bit of plot I had inserted about Brynden's family. He no longer has one as I have a story line in mind for him that is much better served if he remain's single. The passage about Brynden's family is no longer in chapter 4. As a side note I have been wondering what all of the Tully children looked like as adults and in my opinion Petyr in this story looks a bit like Skander Keynes when he played Edmund Pevensie in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. If anyone has any ideas about what the rest of the Tully children look like I'd love to hear them. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review!