Chapter 32

Harry Potter + A song of Ice and Fire Crossover

Chapter 32

Lily was very glad that she had not been standing when Elbert's revelation had left his lips. As it was, she rocked back in her seat as if he had struck her, eyes wide and staring into his face. Her lips parted slightly for words to slide through, but not a sound emerged other than something of a gasping breath. Absently she pressed a hand to her chest, wondering if the tightness she felt there was a symptom of shock.

Somewhere in the distance, she could feel that Elbert had taken one of her hands, his thumb rubbing her bare wrist slowly, perhaps to calm her down. It seemed to be working, causing her breath to come in steadier and sounding less like gasps.

The knowledge however was no less breathtaking.

"How?" she whispered, green eyes staring wildly into her betrothed's blue. "When?"

If anything, Elbert's posture seemed to sag even more, his handsome face looked tired and Lily wondered how much of his friends' worries he had been taking on. She knew he and Ned and Robert were extremely close having spent the last few years here together, learning and training. It was only natural that when one felt pain or fear, the rest of them would.

"Where was Lyanna when all this happened?" she whispered, barely moving her lips, though she was unsure if the question was meant for herself or Elbert.

Elbert brushed a stray piece of blonde hair off his forehead. "It was my understanding that she was supposed to be spending some time in Storm's End for the last few months, getting familiarized with the keep and becoming acquainted with Robert's brothers. All seemed to be going well if the letters to Ned were any indication and then, as of a few weeks ago….the ravens just stopped."

Lily frowned. "And you haven't received any more since?"

"Nay," Elbert said. "And then, as of a few days ago, we received a raven from Maester Jurne of Storm's End, a man whom Robert trusts implicitly detailing that Lyanna has gone missing. He says he wrote as soon as a thorough search turned up nothing but seeing as how it took a few weeks to get here, Lyanna has been missing for a long time."

Lily swallowed hard, feeling a rush of sympathy for both Ned and Robert. With everything that had happened in the last few weeks with Lysa, she had all but forgotten about the other pressing matters taking place outside the capital.

"Did the maester say if there were any clues about where she might have gone or what happened to her?" she asked, running through the possible actions. "Is it possible that she might have gone back north?"

"That's what Ned fears," Elbert said quietly. "He's already written to his father about it and we are waiting for a response. I know that Ned is only waiting for Lord Stark's leave before he goes out to look for her."

There was something in his tone that made Lily frown. When he had mentioned Lyanna's possible secret departure for the north, his face became withdrawn and shadowed.

There was something he wasn't saying.

"You don't believe that do you?" Lily heard herself asking.

Elbert flinched slightly, no doubt wishing he had kept himself better guarded. He regarded her carefully for a moment before he appeared to sag even further. "Lily….my suspicions are….dangerous."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "Somehow I think this whole conversation has proven to be the opposite of safe."

The blonde sighed. "Always getting to the heart of things aren't you? Very well. No, I don't think that Lyanna has gone back north. She's many things but even I don't think she would think she would be able to make the trek alone. She had to have been with someone, someone must have helped her."

Lily felt herself still at the words. "Someone? Perhaps someone in Storm's End? Did she have anyone she knew with her?"

"No," Elbert shook his head. "But some….things have happened in the last few months to make me…..wonder."

It was like pulling teeth trying to get any information out of him. I certainly hope he isn't this verbally reticent when we get married, Lily thought to herself. It'll drive me crazy.

"Wonder about what?" she asked and hoped that her tone wasn't too snappish.

If it were possible, Elbert looked even more uncomfortable. "Well, first off, there was the incident at Harrenhal."

Lily was hard pressed to keep from flinching. Though she had heard the gossip at court about that explosive situation, she hadn't actually checked on the social opinions of those outside the capital. Now she was beginning to wonder if that was a mistake.

"And….what was your opinion of the event?" she asked slowly.

Elbert once more plowed a hand through his hair, but his eyes slowly began to narrow and a muscle in his cheek jumped. Lily knew him well enough at this point to know these physical indicators as signs of coming moral outrage.

"It was disgraceful," he said finally, but his tone had dropped to a whisper no greater than fallen snow to convey it. "The prince is supposed to set an example for the rest of the realm and yet in a place when it mattered the most, he disgraced the person he was supposed to honor and gave an intimate privilege to a woman who had her own obligations. A woman who….forgive me for say this….seemed all too pleased with the situation."

Lily felt herself grow very still. So others had seen Lyanna's clear excitement as well….this was not good.

The next question she asked was even more dangerous. "And what conclusions have you drawn about all this?"

Elbert looked away to the center of the godswood where a white marble fountain had been erected which was quietly pouring water into the basin below. It was the only sound to be heard in the area and Lily was very glad for the extra noise.

"I…am beginning to wonder if we have all been blind," Elbert said softly. "Because I had the right seat to look at Prince Rhaegar that day…and I saw something in his face too."

Lily blinked, wondering why on earth she hadn't thought to ask that question. She had been so busy looking back and forth between Lyanna and Elia that she had neglected to look at the expressions of the one who had perpetuated the shameful act to begin with.

"What….What did he look like?" she asked, suddenly feeling sick.

Elbert's response was so quiet that she nearly missed it. "He looked…..intent. No, more than intent. He looked….triumphant, like he had been searching for something for a long time and he had finally found it."

Lily felt her stomach roil and pressed a hand against her mouth, a terrible suspicion causing her to feel nauseous. "And now….it's time for me to voice a dangerous thought."

She felt rather than saw Elbert stiffen at the utterance. "And what is that?" But he sounded as if he already knew.

Lily turned her whole body to face him, needing something of a physical anchor for her next words. "The prince has been gone from the capital for a few weeks now Elbert. The claim was that he was handling some business for his father but no one knew where he was going, not even Elia and I know she pressed him."

"How long did you say he's been gone for?" Elbert asked faintly and Lily knew he was trying to put a timeline together.

"At least a fortnight," she whispered back. "And when he left, he only took Ser Arthur with him, no one else."

Beside her, Elbert's fists clenched and unclenched. "You don't think that he – "

"I don't know what to think," Lily said quickly and was very glad she had placed some silencing charms around the godswood to prevent anyone from hearing them. "I don't want to think that there is anything untoward happening. And you I had best stop talking about this because we are wandering too far down the path of sedition. These are suspicions, nothing more."

"Lyanna's disappearance isn't a suspicion Lily," Elbert said gravely. "It's a fact. And sooner or later, people are going to find out about it. The only daughter of the Warden of the North disappearing is not something that can be kept under wraps for long."

Lily grimaced. "Then let us pray that she is found and that this is nothing more than a sinisterly timed coincidence. Because may any of the gods help us all if there is even a grain of truth to our fears."

Ω

Lily did not sleep at all that night.

Once she had bid Elbert farewell and returned to the capital, she had spent half the night pacing her chambers and the other half sitting in front of the fire she had stoked, staring into it and stewing.

Lyanna wouldn't…would she?

She didn't know the girl very well but had sensed the fire burning in her, the desire to have control in her life, be her own person and break free of society's obligations.

She paused at that thought and swallowed hard. Societal obligations had been broken the minute Rhaegar had placed a crown of flowers on the girl's head. As far as she was concerned, every action that the pair had taken over the last few months would need to be gone over with a fine tooth comb.

But how to do that without arousing suspicion?

There was a part of her that wanted to go to Storm's End, in disguise as a servant perhaps; at the very least it would be a way to get answers without anyone suspecting anything. She didn't even need to be there for very long, just enough time to ask around if Lyanna had met with anyone, if she had been acting strange or out of character.

The more she thought about it, the more the idea began to take shape in her mind. She had never been to the home of the Storm Lords, but that was of little consequence. All she would need to do would be to find a detailed enough picture of the place, perhaps in the Red Keep's library and make appropriate plans to go.

She wouldn't even need to be dressed as a servant, but perhaps she could follow one about while hiding under the cloak of a disillusionment charm.

Servants were cesspools of gossip and if Lily wanted to find out the truth of what had happened to Lyanna, all she would need to do was keep close to one, listen and wait.

It would be almost too easy.

But then Lily wondered how long she would need to be away in order to gain the information that she needed. She didn't want to leave Elia alone for any long stretch of time, especially with how strange Aerys had become and the idea of notifying her of the specifics of her objective was not an appealing one.

She wanted to save her friend from as much heartbreak as possible.

How long could it possibly take? She mused to herself as she once more got up to pace. Could I accomplish everything I need to overnight so that I wouldn't need to technically leave the capital at all?

She certainly would not accomplish anything sitting here however, so Lily determined that she would sleep and then come to some conclusion in the morning.

Her ambition did not diminish with the morning light however and when the sun rose, Lily found herself scouring the library of the Red Keep, looking for any information she could find on a visual of Storm's End.

All she would need to do when she got there was charm herself invisible, follow a servant in and then begin the work of investigating Lyanna's disappearance.

Disguising herself as a lady's maid would be a waste of time.

It wasn't long before she selected a book on the greater and lesser houses of Westeros and found an entire chapter on the Stormlands, accompanied by a picture the keep in question.

Like the palace itself, the keep of the Baratheons was situated on its own sort of peninsula. A large flat table of stone jutted up from the water atop which sat a castle laid out in triangular form. The tallest tower sat in the middle while all the other peaks and buildings rested on lower tiers so that the main turret itself could be seen. The color of the stones was of a warm sand and Lily could see that the artist had even worked some of the flora into the keep's grounds if the bits of green and red and blue were any indication.

It looked peaceful in the portrait and Lily absently ran a finger down the edge of the page, wondering what it would be like to be the lady of such a keep.

And then she grimaced, remembering that this was the place that Lyanna might have run away from. It was the place that would surely hold some answers.

After ensuring that Elia would be fine without her for a few hours, Lily cloaked herself and then apparated away from King's Landing, the picture of Storm's End centered in her mind's eye. She focused on the uppermost tower of the keep and kept her charms of invisibility close around her. This was a task of stealth first and foremost.

When she first landed on the short landing of the keep's tower, Lily was very glad she had muffled her own noises because there were no less than four guards stationed in four directions around the tower. There was a small enclosure at the center with a door that Lily had no doubt led into the heart of the keep.

She eyed the armored men and the helms and wondered why on earth the tower would need four guards when they could have been doing more good on the ground level keeping an eye out for attackers.

She shook her head silently beneath her hood and made for the door that would take her below.

Descending into the keep proved tricky and Lily found herself wandering up and down silent, carpet lined halls, brushing her fingers against railings and pillars as she tried to get her bearings.

Finally, when it seemed that she had made it to the main building of the keep, where the lord's chambers and a great hall were situated, Lily carefully climbed the stairs behind a cluster of servants, attempting to listen in to their conversation and glean any information.

She didn't have to wait very long.

"Any word on the young missus?" one of the older women asked and the girl walking next to her shushed her. "You know we're not to talk of that."

"It's going to get out at some point Alys," the servant walking behind the two said wryly. She was carrying an armful of folded bedding and was walking carefully in case she lost her step. "The maester cannot keep this a secret for long. Besides, its not like we don't know where she's gone."

Lily stiffened slightly at this admission and then hurried to keep up with them. Come on, say something else. I need more than that.

"We don't know anything," the younger of the three servants said quietly as they walked along the upper corridors, Lily still lurking behind them under the guise of her magic.

"Oh really? Then why was she so seldom here? She never spent much time in this keep if she could help it and one of the servants saw her talking to a tall man in an alley in town when she went there once. His face was cloaked so she couldn't see him but it didn't look right to her."

"The both of you chatter as much as the ravens," the older woman muttered, casting the pair of them a dark look. "You had better take care to mind your tongues lest the maester hear you. We shall all be strung up if this goes farther than us."

Neither of the pair looked repentant. "Ana, you worry too much. I guarantee that the news has already broken. The only daughter of the Warden of the North going missing under suspicious circumstances is not something that you'll be able to keep under wraps for long. The maester has a good heart, but he is no god. He cannot stop all words from being spoken."

"Aye even now whispers are racing," the other maid said but she at least had the decency to lower her voice. "She has been missing for a few weeks now. No doubt her lord father has been alerted and is making all haste to find her."

And then the maid called Alys asked a very dangerous question.

"Do….Do you think she ran off by herself….or do you think that she had….help?"

All members of the small party stiffened, Lily included. The eldest maid narrowed her eyes at the younger and slowed her pace down the hall even further. "If you are referring to the event at Harrenhal –"

"Oh for gods' sakes of course she is!" the other girl snapped. "The entire realm was present for that little spectacle. Surely you haven't thought about that in relation to her disappearance?"

"That is treasonous talk –"

"Not if everyone is already talking about it," Alys whispered. "I heard a rumor that the prince hasn't been seen in the capital for weeks. No one seems to know where he's gone and the king isn't breathing a word."

Lily swallowed hard.

"The both of you need to tighten your tongues," Ana snapped. "How do you know the girl wasn't kidnapped?"

"You didn't see her in the days before she vanished," Alys said softly. "She was far too happy, I caught her lingering over her porridge one morning, turning her spoon in the morning light and there was a dreamy little smile on her face. I thought that maybe she was settling in and was happy that young lord Robert would be returning in a few weeks. And then the next day she's gone. What else are we to think?"

"You are to think nothing!" Ana snapped at them, finally succeeding in quieting the chattering pair. "You are not given coin to think of anything other than bedding and washing and grooming. Now be off with you. And hold your tongues because if anyone were to hear your words and report them to the king, well you know what he does with idle gossipers."

Lily saw the blood drain from their faces, and they hurried off, arms still carrying a bundle of laundry.

She watched them go, suddenly unable to find the strength to follow them and turned down another hallway, desperately hoping that one of them would lead to Lyanna's room. She didn't even know what she was looking for at this point, but the words of the servants had made her feel sick.

Finally, after more searching than she would have liked, Lily chanced upon a room in the west wing of the keep that had a large window that looked out onto the ocean. There was a trunk sitting at the foot of a large four poster bed that had clothes sticking out of it as if they had been hastily thrown in and Lily had a feeling she had chanced upon her prize.

She drifted into the chamber, looking about carefully to make sure that no one was nearby.

Once she had determined that the room was empty, Lily quietly shut the door and locked it behind her so that she might search in peace.

A cursory glance of the trunk revealed nothing other than a sheath of parchment that had yet to be written on as well as a small pot of ink. The garments that were in the trunk were strewn haphazardly atop one another, making them of little importance to Lily.

She hurried to the desk sitting underneath the window and began rummaging through the drawers, desperate for some sort of clue as to where Lyanna had gone.

Lily wasn't certain of what exactly she was looking for, but the last thing she wanted was to go back to King's Landing with nothing and then have little but her own paranoid thoughts for company as the rumbles across the realm grew worse.

Come on, there must be something. She had to have left something behind, some sort of clue.

The problem was, however, that Lily did not know what she would do with this elusive "clue" if she found one. She could take it back to Elia certainly, but then what?

If Lyanna had disappeared of her own volition and someone had helped her escape Storm's End, this mess became infinitely more complicated and wildly more treasonous than speculation from a few ladies' maids.

I cannot even think their names in the same sentence without shuddering.

Lily continued pulling open drawers, absently pushing bottles around or else being confronted with an empty expanse of space.

She continued through the chest of drawers, her movements becoming jerky and erratic as irritation gained a foothold. Useless, this was all useless! What was the point in coming here if her search was going to turn up nothing?!

But then, as she slipped a hand inside the final drawer in the chest, the one at the very bottom left, her knuckles accidentally knocked against the wood and a hollow sound emitted, as if there was a space beneath her fingers.

Frowning, Lily ran her fingers over the wood and noted that it felt a bit thinner than the wood of the rest of the drawers.

Heart in her throat, she knocked against the wooden base of the drawer and was rewarded with another hollow sound.

A false bottom.

Her breath hitched as her fingers searched for purchase in which to lift the floor of the drawer.

Finally, she found a small nick at the very back of the drawer and wrenched upward with all of her might in excitement.

The bottom came free with a splintering sound and Lily winced, hoping that no one had heard that.

With some trepidation, Lily peered forward into the darkness of the space, dreading whatever it was that might be hiding there.

A flash of color caught her eye and after a few seconds, the singular object lying in the space materialized, causing her breath to hitch.

It was worse than she thought.

Here at least was the answer to some of her questions.

With trembling fingers, Lily reached out and took hold of the ring of purple and white flowers. The blooms had long since lost their lustre and their edges were faded and brown, curling in upon themselves as their life drained away. The purple color had deepened and bled to a dark plum and the white of the roses looked tarnished.

Despite all this though, the scent that assaulted Lily when she pulled them out was nearly as fresh as what they might have smelled like on the day they had been picked.

The sweetness of the blooms nearly made her feel sick.

Here was the clue.

She had demanded one and the gods….or whoever else had sent her here…..had answered.

The horrible suspicions she had been harboring ever since Elbert had told her of Lyanna's disappearance bubbled up and spilled over into near panic and roiling nausea.

As she held the crown of flowers, gripped tightly in her hands, fingers nearly tearing off the petals…Lily had a horrible suspicion that soon the realm was going to look like a very different place.

And that was terrifying.

Ω

The explosion returns in the next chapter. Still working on the whole beta situation. Thank you to everyone who PM'd me. I will be getting in touch with you all very soon! Don't forget to review!