Lyanna loathed the feeling of being watched: Robert Baratheon's gaze made her uncomfortable. But she hadn't done anything wrong, and avoiding him wasn't her style! The She-Wolf straightened her back, enjoying the music as if no one else was there, when the dance music began. Robert, dressed in a dark green velvet tunic embroidered with a golden stag, with a matching half-cape draped over one shoulder, and having meticulously groomed himself, was actually walking towards her!
...I'd rather dance with White Walkers! Lyanna's hands were hidden under her wide skirt, fiercely clutching the embroidered pattern, nearly twisting the pearls off – but why should she run and avoid this man? She didn't like him! She would sit in her place and reject him directly! If he dared to stare below her neck again, she would splash wine in his face!
But in Robert's eyes, this was his Northern Rose, sitting elegantly, with a glimpse of satin dance shoes peeking out from under her skirt, shimmering with silver thread, as if waiting for an invitation.
However, before Robert could cross the hall, a small commotion arose among the surrounding crowd, who respectfully made way, and someone got there first. Lyanna looked up, only to see the position of the purple brocade robe with a silver belt, and from this close, she could see the belt buckle was also a shimmering three-headed dragon.
She stood up abruptly.
The Crown Prince inclined his head slowly towards her and asked politely, "Do you have a moment, Miss Lyanna? I have a few questions about my brother's situation in Winterfell, and I'd like to understand it."
...You've already sent people to ask many times. Lyanna thought to herself, but she knew this couldn't be blamed on the Crown Prince because the young prince was still missing, and it was normal for his brother to be anxious! How worried he was about his brother.
"Alright." Lyanna breathed a sigh of relief, glancing behind the Crown Prince, and said frankly, "Would you like to talk here?"
Rhaegar smiled slightly, making a polite inviting gesture. Lyanna placed her hand lightly on his arm—a normal courtesy for nobles.
Lyanna, envied by all, walked with Rhaegar towards the staircase leading to the terrace on the upper right side of the corridor. She saw her father's eyes shining... God! She also saw a beautiful girl with golden hair and emeralds glaring at her. This is so boring, they all think I'm flirting with the Crown Prince, she thought resentfully.
Besides the jealous Cersei, Robert was even more annoyed than the girls at the scene. His plan to invite his beloved to dance had failed! He felt that his cousin Rhaegar was his destined curse! It was bad enough that their personalities were completely incompatible, but now the Crown Prince was also getting involved with the woman he fancied?! Be fair! He wouldn't give her up easily!! He had an advantage! The Crown Prince didn't even understand women!! He probably wouldn't even kiss them!! Robert muttered inwardly, then turned and angrily picked up a glass of wine, drinking heavily with others.
Lyanna had already reached the terrace. The moon was bright, and stars were sparse, the breeze blowing through her hair—the Crown Prince politely kept a distance from her to avoid making her uncomfortable. Under the moonlight, Rhaegar's brows were melancholy and elegant; his Valyrian bloodline truly made him a beauty unlike mortals.
Lyanna missed the way his brother grinned, raising his eyebrows, so lively and full of expression. She was very frank with Rhaegar, telling him everything she knew, especially describing how Viserys had lent her a horse to ride in Winterfell and encouraged her to learn swordsmanship, and how they had even practiced sparring together, those wonderful days. Rhaegar listened with a gentle expression, he judged that this girl was a straightforward and forthright person, and Viserys undoubtedly liked being with this girl much more than with the noble girls of King's Landing… His brother rarely got so close to anyone, did he have private correspondence with Lyanna? Did he write to her as he wrote to him? This question was the key point Rhaegar wanted to figure out.
"I implore you, Miss, only as a brother who is desperately searching for his brother's whereabouts, not to offend your reputation, if Viserys has had any private letters in these years, even a few words to you, please do not hide it," the Dragon Prince sighed and pleaded.
Lyanna shook her head, "Sorry, Your Highness, after Viserys asked my brother to escort him to the Westerlands in Winterfell that year, I haven't had any news of him since."
Rhaegar was slightly relieved, but also melancholy because he couldn't find any clues about his brother's whereabouts from her. Lyanna's grey eyes looked at him, remembering the song he sang, Morning of the Mist, and felt sympathy---"The little prince loves you so much, he will definitely come back to you! I think he is just temporarily occupied by something..."
Rhaegar gave a wry smile, "Thank you, Miss Lyanna."
Viserys said he'd be back soon. But soon had already been half a year.
They parted ways amicably. Throughout the entire conversation, Lyanna felt respected. The Crown Prince's gaze had not once swept over her with any hint of the scorching intensity she had come to expect from Robert Baratheon. No wonder the young prince praised his brother for his purity and noble character. Lyanna was certain that a true knight should be just like Prince Rhaegar.
She lifted her grey velvet skirt and hurried downstairs—only to find her father and elder brother waiting. "How was it? Did the Crown Prince invite you to dance?" Lord Rickard asked.
"...No, the Crown Prince asked about Viserys."
But her father's expression was one of inexplicable confidence. Looking at the other young ladies in the hall, she saw them staring at her. Some were critical, some envious, some were consumed with jealousy and wanted to tear her apart! Lyanna wanted to shout, "What the hell?!"
She stormed out of the banquet and grabbed Benjen, asking, "Where's Ned? Where's Howland?"
Benjen gestured with his chin, and she saw Ned, uncharacteristically, in the center of the dance floor, dancing with an extremely beautiful girl with purple eyes. "Brandon asked Ned to invite Miss Ashara. Ha, I can tell Ned likes her."
Lyanna nodded, then found Howland, who was sitting in a corner with a grim expression.
"What's wrong?" the She-Wolf asked, walking over.
Following Howland's gaze, Lyanna saw the three boys who had been bullying him earlier. They were still wearing their fine velvet jackets with page cloaks, looking smug and chatting merrily. And there was Robert Baratheon, not far from them, drinking heavily and competing with others, his face flushed.
Lyanna spat in disgust, her long eyebrows furrowing. She pointed at the three boys for Benjen to see, while Benjen encouraged Howland to participate in the jousting to redeem himself.
However, the Crannogmen had never been trained.
"The small Crannogman thanked him but didn't accept. His heart was broken. Crannogmen were shorter than others, but they had pride. The boy wasn't a knight, and none of his people were knights. They sailed boats instead of riding horses, they rowed oars instead of using spears. Although he wanted revenge, he knew that doing so would only make a fool of himself and disgrace his people. That night, the Second Wolf invited him to stay with him. Before falling asleep, he knelt by the lake shore, facing the water, looking towards the Gods Eye, praying to the Old Gods of the North and the Crannog."
— As in the original work, the people attending the opening banquet in the Great Hall of Harrenhal were all present: the She-Wolf, the Young Wolf, the Stark, the Second Wolf, the Dragon Prince, and the Lord of Storm's End. But their identities and actions had deviated: the She-Wolf and the Lord of Storm's End did not form a betrothal, the Dragon Prince took the initiative to speak to the She-Wolf at the banquet and left with her—the Stark encouraged the Second Wolf to invite the young lady to dance—the young lady was the sister of the Dragon Prince's friend, and the Stark family planned to throw their entire family under the command of the three-headed dragon's Crown Prince.
Many years later, Meera would still describe to Lady Sansa, Catelyn and Brandon's eldest daughter, the beginning of the famous marriage between the Stark and Targaryen families. Sansa loved to hear romantic love stories, and she listened to the first meeting of her aunt and uncle—"This is love at first sight! I also want to marry the Crown Prince in the future! The handsome Aegon Targaryen! The Crown Prince is my cousin, we are not closely related, we can marry!"
The red-haired little girl frowned again. "But Crown Prince Aegon seems to prefer playing with my little cousin, Arya. Arya isn't a lady. She lives with Uncle Ned in Essos and spends all day practicing with swords. What's so good about that? It's said that Crown Prince Aegon promised to take her to ride a dragon one day—the Black Winged Dragon, Viserys, which belongs to His Majesty the King!"
"But Arya has seen dragons before. Last time we met, she told me that the two dragons in Essos were named Rhaegar and Daenerys, which are the names of His Majesty and his sister."
"Hmm." Meera nodded. As a playmate, she continued to tell the story of the Crown Prince's love at first sight, a story Howland Reed told his children—the banquet was just the prelude, but at the jousting tournament the next day, another new legend was born, so famous that it overshadowed the glory of the story of Rhaegar and Lyanna.
The legendary Prince Viserys. He had no name in this new banquet story, although he did appear at Harrenhal—while his brother, Rhaegar, was talking with Lyanna on the terrace, he was eating with relish. As the host, the Lord of Riverrun certainly couldn't forget about the ordinary attendants and low-ranking knights who weren't qualified to enter the hall. He prepared a large number of foods that weren't exquisite but were indeed delicious for them to enjoy—greasy roasted lamb on the racks! Fresh garfish stewed in the river! Huge cheese wheels, roasted onions, beets, turnips, and so on, and of course, fruits: The Reach had a large number of berries this season, which Viserys thought were strawberries. He picked them up one by one and ate them with gusto.
The little prince was in a good mood. Looking in the direction of the faint sounds of music, looking at the bright moon shining over the plains and rivers, he thought, my beloved brother, I will be back by your side soon.
Thank you to the little angels who voted with a mine or watered the nutrient solution for me between 2020-07-25 11:23:572020-07-27 11:48:23
Thanks to the little angels who threw a mine: summers, Moshui Yushan 1;
Thanks to the little angels who nourished me with nutrient solution: bing, 7210 bottles; Preserved egg and lean meat porridge, 5 bottles; Ink-dyed cloud shirt, 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, everyone! I will continue to work hard!
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
"Game of Thrones: Dragon Prince"
"Game of Thrones: Political Life"
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"Gods' Apocalypse: What Should I Do When the Loli is a Bit Fierce?"
"My Sister And I are in The Apocalypse"
(End Chapter)