KINGDOM FALL
— 30. Trial by Combat

A fortnight later, it was finally time for the trial by combat. Lady Jeyne stood off to the side, watching uneasily as Annalys gulped down an entire glass of wine. She wasn't supposed to drink as much as she did while withchild, they learned that in one of the books they read. However, Jeyne also knew that Annalys deserved it. She wasn't at her full potential while pregnant. Jeyne still couldn't understand why the hell Annalys was fighting in the first place. It was most likely the dumbest thing she had ever seen Annalys do and she had seen a lot.

"You are by far the dumbest Lannister of them all and I've met Jaime," Bronn complained as he walked over to Annalys, looking annoyed, "Jaime wants my head on a spike right now. I'm supposed to stop you from doing shit like this."

"Jaime must not know me at all if he thinks you'll be able to talk me out of my stupid decisions. That's something no one alive can do," She commented, causing Jeyne to quietly laugh at how true the statement was.

On her own, Annalys began to secure her armor. Before she could continue to do so, Podrick rushed over from where he stood, trying to help her, "What are you doing?" She asked him in annoyance, causing Podrick to give her a puzzled look.

"Helping you with your armor. I'm your squire," Podrick responded, only to notice the glare Annalys gave him.

He slowly backed up, not knowing what she was going to do, "I'm been putting my own armor on for almost four years, Podge. I don't think I need help," She snapped at him, only to have her eyes soften when she noticed he looked a bit hurt.

She was constantly rude to him, every time he tried to help her. Annalys was just realizing it and she couldn't help but feel bad. She might have had the need to always be independent, but that didn't mean she needed to be rude to him, "Sorry," She apologized to him softly, "I'm just frustrated right now," She paused, letting out a small sigh, "Help me with these straps, Podrick."

Podrick's eyes practically lit up at the command. He smiled, moving closer to Annalys as he helped her with the straps of the armor. Bronn rolled his eyes at how fancy the armor was. It was something he expected Jaime to wear. She was her father's daughter, there was no doubt about that.

"Starting tomorrow, I'm going help you train, Podge," Annalys decided, much to every one's shock, "An hour each day, we'll train with swords. It's time you learn how to truly fight. I've been stalling for far too long."

"Yes, My Princess," Podrick politely replied, nodding his head.

"You sound so confident about winning," A familiar voice spoke up, causing the entire group to turn their heads to find Cersei standing before them. She looked directly at Annalys, narrowing her eyes at Annalys, "End this madness, quit the trial. You shouldn't be doing this."

"Why not, Mother?" Annalys asked Cersei in annoyance, "It's not like anyone else will fight for Tyrion."

"Why do you have to?" Cersei retorted coldly, but her eyes told Annalys that she was terrified of losing her daughter once again, "You could die, Annalys. Don't you understand that?"

"Today is not the day I die, Mother," Annalys assured her mother, a large smile on her face.

Annalys gulped down the rest of her cup of wine, handing it to Podrick, "Wish me luck," She jokingly commented, just before walking toward the fighting pits.

Before she could reach the fighting pits, her path was blocked by Jaime, causing her to sigh in annoyance, "What, you come to stop me like Mother has?" She snapped at Jaime, who shook his head.

"The exact opposite, actually," Jaime argued, much to Annalys' shock, "Be prepared for anything, Annalys. You're quicker than Meryn Trant. You can beat him. I know that for a fact. Just don't let your arrogance get the best of you. It's how I lost my hand," He explained to Annalys, causing her to nod in understanding, "Good luck."

Annalys found herself smiling at Jaime. He patted her on her armored back, watching as she walked into the pits to stand with Ser Meryn, who glared at her.

Annalys' attention went elsewhere as she heard the horns blare, causing her to turn to look at Maester Pycelle, "In the sight of gods and men, we gather to ascertain the guilt or innocence of this..." Pycelle trailed off, gesturing toward Tyrion, "Man Tyrion Lannister. May the Mother grant them mercy. May the Father give them such justice as they deserve. And may the Warrior guide the hand of our champion..."

Before Pycelle could finish the announcement, Tywin made a gesture to speed up the process, seeing as though he was bored. Annalys heard the horns sound once more, meaning it was time for the fight.

The crowds cheered as Annalys walked around the pits. She stopped in front of Ser Meryn, unsheathing her sword. The crowds became even louder with their cheers at the sight of Lady's Wrath, which happened to be a Valyrian Steel sword.

She spun it in her hand, getting in her readied stance, "No helmet?" Meryn asked her menacingly, realizing that was only thing that wasn't armored.

"I could ask you the same thing," She retorted, smirking back at him.

Meryn yelled out, lunging forward as he swung his sword at her. Annalys was quick to block with her own, rolling her eyes at how predictable he was being.

Annalys parried defensively, pivoting before she swung at him. She nearly hit him, but Meryn quickly ducked. She swung again and their swords deadlocked. With their faces just inches apart, Annalys glared at him.

Meryn began to push his weight against the deadlocked swords, clearly hoping he'd make her fall. Before he could, Annalys lifted up her foot, using her boot the kick him. Despite being armored, Meryn was pushed back by the force, causing Annalys to smirk in satisfaction.

Meryn quickly recovered and swing his sword at Annalys, using full force. She stepped to the side, completely avoiding the hit.

Meryn wasted no time driving his sword at her once more, his sword alive in his hands.

   Annalys jumped back, parrying before his sword could actually touch her. He followed, pressing the attack.

She swung at him as well, but Meryn was quick to parry. Not long after he turned did Annalys place yet another attack on him. Many people watched the duel closely, amazed by how quick Annalys was.

The swords touched, pulling apart before colliding again. Annalys felt a wash of relief while dueling Meryn Trant. It had been so long since she had been truly fighting someone. That was what she was meant for. Not being cooped up in the Red Keep as a princess of the Seven Kingdoms.

   Annalys delivered high strokes, low strokes, and overhand, raining down steel upon Meryn Trant. She parried when he attempted to slash her. She swung left. Then right. Then delivered a single backslash.

Upswing, overhand, sideslash, Annalys continued delivering powerful swings with Lady's Wrath to Meryn's sword.

Meryn was about swing at her again, but Annalys grabbed ahold of his right elbow, giving him a push. Before she could react, however, he tripped her, causing her to fall into a kneel.

He swung at her in a downward motion, but Annalys was able to block him with her own sword. She went to stand, only to have Meryn punch her in the face, causing her to drop her sword.

The crowd gasped as Meryn kicked Lady's Wrath away from Annalys. However, before he could attempt to hit her, Annalys used all the strength she had the elbow him in an area he wasn't armored in. He fell into a kneel and Annalys stood, grabbing both sides of his face. She wasted no time kneeing him in the face, causing him stumble back, blood rushing down from his nostrils.

While he was distracted, Annalys rushed over to her sword, picking it up off the ground. She spun the sword in her hand, which she always did when she was readying herself for a duel.

Meryn quickly recovered, running toward her as he attempted to attack her. Annalys rolled her eyes, unamused, as she pivoted. Over and over, she blocked his hits, but just as Jaime said would happen, she became too arrogant and over-confident.

Just then, while she was distracted, Meryn used the hand he wasn't holding his sword in to punch her in the face. Annalys stumbled back, but caught herself before she could fall.

Cersei tensed up in her seat beside Tywin, wanting nothing more than to stop the trial by combat. It was the second time she was forced to watch Annalys fight and yet again, she feared she'd lose her firstborn.

Once Annalys steadied herself, Meryn attempted to punch her again, but she ducked before he could. Annalys rose back up, punching Meryn as hard as he could.

Meryn soon recovered, spitting out a bit of blood. Annalys attempted to swing her sword at him, but as she did so, Meryn purposely hit Annalys on her hand with his own sword.

She cried out in pain, the back of her left hand now sliced open from his sword. Before she could stop herself, Lady's Wrath fell from her grip and dropped to the ground with a clink.

Since Annalys had been distracted by her sword dropping, Meryn used it to his advantage to force Annalys into a kneel. Little did he know, that was exactly what Annalys wanted to happen.

Meryn smirked, pointing his own sword at Annalys' neck, the tip of the blade pressed against her throat, "Any last words?" He asked, glaring down at her with a look that told Annalys he actually thought he was winning.

"I could ask you the same thing, Ser Meryn," She sarcastically replied and Meryn's eyes widened in horror as Annalys roughly grabbed onto the blade of his sword.

The entire crowd gasped, shocked by Annalys' actions. Only the people of Joffrey's kingsguard had witnessed her do such a thing, back when she had done it to Joffrey.

Blood dripped from the cuts forming on the palm of Annalys' right hand. She continued to smirk up at him as if she didn't feel the pain of the blade deeply cutting into her palm. Just then, Annalys lifted her other hand, gripping onto the blade with her left hand as well.

Meryn's mouth gaped open as she gave Annalys a horrified look as she rose from kneeling before him, "I am Annalys, daughter of the two most hated people in Westeros and the granddaughter of the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms, it's going to take a lot more than a child-beating knight to kill me!" She shouted furiously, punching him in the face after she disarmed him.

Meryn groaned in pain, stumbling back as his sword dropped to the ground and ended up laying right beside Annalys'.

   As he knelt in front of Annalys, Meryn didn't know what else to do and roughly grabbed her by the hair, causing her to yell out. He stood back up, forcing her into a kneel as he stood behind her.

Out of instinct, Annalys punched him in the groin area twice, causing him to grunt as he fell flat on his back. Annalys whipped herself around to face Meryn, climbing on top of him.

As she straddled him, Annalys punched Meryn repeatedly until he was a bleeding mess. Just as she was about to unsheathe her dagger, Meryn grabbed her by the neck and switched the position so that he was on top.

He wasted no time wrapping his fingers around her throat, clearly trying to choke her. Annalys lifted her left hand, attempting to find a grip on his face, but found herself unable to. She slapped him as hard as she could before attempting to gouge his eyes out.

Of course, she was unable to do and as he sat in the crowds, even Jaime became worried for Annalys.

The grip on her neck became tighter and Annalys' usual survival instincts kicked in. She grabbed the sides of Meryn's face, pulling him closer to her before she bit him.

Meryn screamed out in agony as Annalys bit a chunk out of his ear. Annalys let go of Meryn, spitting the chunk of his ear on the ground.

Cersei gasped as she watched the sight, "She's a barbarian," She muttered under her breath, looking absolutely horrified.

Annalys grabbed the sides of Meryn's face once more, headbutting him in the face twice before kicking him in the groin. Annalys flipped the position, making it so that she was on top.

Without hesitation, Annalys unsheathed the dagger from her belt and stabbed Ser Meryn in the eye with the dagger. Meryn yelled out in agony as Annalys stabbed him in his other eye as well. He continued to scream, clutching both of his eyes as blood oozed from them.

He attempted to grab ahold of her, but Annalys ended up stabbing him three times in the shoulder. However, it did not kill him. Blood began to cover Annalys' face and neck as she stood up, glaring down at Meryn.

In the stands, Cersei turned to her father, pleading for him to stop the fight, but he ended up refusing, much to her horror.

"You were the first person I ever wanted to kill, you know," She spoke up as she circled around him, venom laced in her tone of voice, "I was nine years old and had just returned from Winterfell. You were my brother's little bitch and I couldn't stand you. You watched him as he beat me constantly for his own pleasure and you let him. I was hoping you would've died by now, but it seems I get the pleasure of killing you myself."

  Meryn forced himself into a kneel, crying in pain as he clutched his eyes. Annalys lifted up her sword off the ground, spinning it in her hand as she walked to stand beside him. She grabbed him by the back of his armor, pulling her closer to him, "Any last words?" She asked him, a sadistic smile on her face as he screamed in pain, "I can't hear you, Ser Meryn."

"Fuck you!" He yelled out, causing Annalys to laugh humorlessly.

"Oh, you wish you could." She remarked, moving closer so that she could whisper in his ear, "Arya Stark sends her regards, Ser Meryn."

With that, Annalys took a step back. She gripped the handle of Lady's Wrath tightly in both of her cut up hands. She glanced around, finding that the crowd was silent.

She found Oberyn and his paramour watching her closely, looking almost impressed. She found Tyrion looking relieved, realizing Annalys was going to win. She found Jaime, who looked shocked. She found Tywin, who looked stoic.

And then there was Cersei. She had a look on her face that led her to believe that her actions had even horrified Cersei Lannister and that took a lot.

Cersei eyed her daughter closely. Blood covered her face and had stained her golden blonde hair, yet Annalys seemed unbothered. It was as if killing came easy for her, like she enjoyed it.

Maybe that was true, but not in the way Cersei thought it to be. Annalys simply enjoyed bringing about justice and avenging people who had been wronged, that meant killing certain people who had committed horrific acts. Ser Meryn was one of them.  

Annalys found all eyes on her, but she ignored them and looked back at Ser Meryn. With a swing of her sword, Annalys cut Ser Meryn Trant's head off, causing numerous people to scream in horror.

Even Cersei had jumped in her seat, clearly horrified as she realized what her daughter was capable of. Not even Jaime was capable of such things. Annalys clearly knew how to make people fear her, though. That was for sure.

Tywin sighed in defeat, realizing that meant Tyrion was able go free.

As Annalys cut Meryn Trant's head off, blood splattered across her face, but she didn't even seem fazed in the slightest. Despite the blood covering her, Annalys smiled slightly as she turned toward Tyrion, happy that he was able to go free.

"You don't fight with honor!" A random man in the crowds shouted at her, causing Annalys to turn to face him.

"No, I don't. But I'm not a knight so it doesn't matter," Annalys spoke up, shrugging her shoulders without a care in the world, "But if we're getting technical, neither did he..." She trailed off, awkwardly gesturing between Meryn's body and head, which laid several inches away from each other.

She sighed in annoyance, slowly turning before looking upward at Tywin, "I won the Trial by Combat, Grandfather. You will let Tyrion go now." She ordered in a stern tone, causing Tywin to give her an offended look

"Who are you to order me around?" Tywin asked loudly, clearly angered that she thought she was capable of ordering him around.

"The only person alive who has won battles against your infamous army and lived to tell the tale," Annalys responded with a smirk on her face as she stared up at him, "Now, let Tyrion go, or I promise you I will make you regret it."

   For a moment, the crowds watched as Annalys and Tywin had a stare down. However, Annalys refused to look away and lose. Finally, Tywin ended up being the first to look away, causing Annalys to smirk in satisfaction, "The Gods have made their will known," He spoke up loudly, but was clearly upset with the outcome, "Tyrion Lannister, in the name of King Tommen of the House Baratheon, First of His Name, you are hereby pardoned for your crimes."

Annalys smiled at the announcement, immediately sighing in utter relief.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Annalys fulfilled her promise to Arya by killing Meryn Trant, but it seems like she's gone half mad in the process. 🤔

It's crazy, she even had Cersei horrified and that takes a lot.

Also, let's just say Meryn Trant was a bit more skilled as a warrior in this story then he was in the show cuz we know the knight he was in the show would have never stood even the slightest chance against Annalys 😂