KINGDOM FALL
— 92. Baelor

At Casterly Rock, Robb was standing in the war room with the Blackfish, Greatjon Umber, Tormund, Karsi, Jaime, Edric, Kevan, Randyll Tarly, and many other generals from all across Westeros. Each of them seem to hatefully glare at each other, especially the Northmen and the Wildlings.

"Listen, I understand many of us here don't get along with each other, but we must put differences aside long enough to take the Iron Throne and save Annalys." He spoke up loudly, causing them to turn to him.

"What if she's already dead?" Randyll Tarly asked, only to have Robb quickly retort.

"She's not," Robb quickly responded and before Randyll could speak up again, Edric beat him to it.

"How do you expect to take King's Landing?" He found himself asking the question everyone there was wondering.

"With Stannis sitting on the Iron Throne, King's Landing is running low on food, seeing as though no kingdom in Westeros is giving Stannis crops. Soon enough, they'll most likely try to find food elsewhere, from places like Essos," He explained in a calm, yet stern tone as he glanced around at each of the men there, "We're not going to let that happen, though. We're going to surround the walls of King's Landing with armed soldiers. We will have Euron Greyoy sail the Iron Fleet into Blackwater Bay, to burn any ship that attempts to sail in. If we surround King's Landing from both the sea and the land, no one will be able to arrive to supply the capital with food." He explained, trying to hide his annoyance about the fact that he had to involve Euron.

"You mean the starve them?" Kevan Lannister asked, shocked by the revelation.

"If Annalys were here, she'd choose the same root. I recall her telling me a story about capital once that when the small folk began to starve, they began to rebel against King Joffrey. The same will happen again. The lowborns will begin to rebel without any food and the capital will fall into chaos. Outside the city's walls, we will have crops waiting for them. They will be given the choice, open the gates or continue starving. Soon enough, they'll choose to open those gates, even if Stannis argues against it. When they open the gates, we will supply them all with food, no cost to it whatsoever," He explained, beginning to move the pieces on the war map laid out in front of them, "Once the gates are open, I will head straight for the Red Keep and find Annalys myself. We will imprison King Stannis and Queen Selyse and let Annalys be the judge of how they will be punished."

"What of this...Red Woman?" The Blackfish questioned Robb out of curiosity, "What will you do with her?"

"Whoever finds her will bring her to me. She will be brought to Annalys as well," He informed them, pausing briefly to let out a small sigh, "Whoever finds Torra will be eternally in my debt."

"Who will sit on the Iron Throne once we take King's Landing?" Jaime uneasily asked, feeling it to be odd that Robb was the one taking King's Landing and Annalys would be the one sitting on the Iron Throne.

Even if they were both winning the throne together, one had to be the consort and one had to be the king/queen regnant.

"Annalys," Robb replied without hesitation, "That has always been the plan, hasn't it?"

Jaime remained silent, nodding his head in response. The rest of the people in the room remained silent as well, exchanging uneasy looks with each other.

_____

In the dungeons underneath the Red Keep, Annalys was left with no clothes during her imprisonment, seeing as though she had been arrested just after being resurrected by Melisandre, naked.

She shivered due to the cold floor she sat and the chilly air that came in through the small cracks of the dungeon walls. The infamous golden hair she once had that was so long it reached her bottom was now was matted and only went down to just above her shoulders. It was greasy, covered in both dried blood and dirt.

She scratched her arms, which were covered in bug bites and bumps, just as the rest of her body seemed to be.

Her throat was scratchy and dry, due to having only a piece of stale bread and a half cup of water given to her each day.

She didn't know how she was still alive. It had been more than two months in captivity, at least. She lost count after about six weeks.

Hearing footsteps, Annalys weakly turned her head, watching as Shireen Baratheon, of all people, walked up to her cell.

"Annalys?" Shireen called out quietly, a saddened look appearing on her face at the sight of the woman she once considered a friend.

"You shouldn't be here," Annalys weakly spoke up, her throat feeling like sandpaper as she talked. Her voice didn't even sound the same due to barely having any water. It was raspy and difficult to understand.

"I heard you were here and Torra said she was worried about you," She suddenly informed Annalys, whose eyes widened at the mention of the girl she had been asking to see for weeks.

Each time she asked one of the men and demanded to see her, she'd end up either struck in the face and or she had sort of slop thrown at her. They came down to her cell frequently when they were bored.

Of course, they never harmed her more than striking her here and there. They knew better than to dare try and take advantage of her. Stannis would have them burned alongside Annalys. There was no doubt about that.

"You've seen Torra?" Annalys asked worriedly, a sudden rush of hope consuming her, despite claiming to have given up on life a fortnight before, "Where is she? Is she alright? May I see her?"

Shireen remained silent, not answering Annalys' question. She simply nodded, which was her way of saying that Torra was alright. She didn't say anymore than that, knowing she would already be getting in enough trouble for being in the dungeons in the first place.

If they found out they told her about Torra, she'd be punished. After all, the fact that Annalys knew nothing about what was going on in the outside world had been done on purpose.

Annalys always was the type that had to know everything and to always know what was going on around her. Being stuck in a dungeon, not knowing what was happening with her family or anyone else she cared about was her torture and punishment until she was due to be executed.

"I brought you some food," Shireen spoke up, holding up a bowl of soup and a spoon, "Would you like to have some?"

Annalys solemnly shook her head, not stupid enough to accept it. "Do you really think I'd poison you?" She asked, a hint of concern in her eyes at the fact that Annalys thought she'd poison her.

"No, I'm not accepting your offer because I do not wish for your parents punish you for your kindness," Annalys quietly confessed, much to Shireen's shock, "I will die soon. I don't want you joining me on my trip to the depths of the seven hells."

"My father wouldn't kill me," Shireen argued in a soft tone, shaking her head.

Annalys scoffed, giving Shireen a look of pity at how innocent she was. "You poor, foolish girl. Your innocence is going to be the death of you," She whispered softly, causing Shireen's eyes to fill with tears. "Being locked away your whole life has protected you from seeing the world for what it truly is. I used to be innocent, just like you. A little lion cub who had no clue what being a member of the most powerful house in Westeros meant. It took me a while, but I learned. I played the game that is the Game of Throne and I was winning for quite a while, but now I've lost. I've lost because I allowed my heart to get in the way. I traveled North of the Wall because I didn't want to see innocent people die. And guess what? I was killed for it. I decided to take the Iron Throne to save the people suffering under your father's rule and where has that gotten me?"

"Here," Shireen spoke softly, a saddened look on her face.

"Yes, here. For the past two months, I've been left bare for your father's soldiers to see. To been beaten for asking if the girl I promised to protect was safe. I've been groped and touched in places I don't want to be touched. I've had literal shit thrown at me. I've been laughed at. And I've spent each night unable to sleep due to shivering from the cold. And when it rains, this dungeon fills with water past my ankles and I'm left freezing from the cold once more," She explained, a cold emotionless look on her face, "But I'm fine. I haven't allowed myself to shed a single tear. I'm surviving, aren't I? I won't wait for someone to save me, but I will not let myself die in these dungeons, either. I will die when I'm burned at the stake by your father. I will let the entire capital watch it happen and I will find pleasure in knowing that even if those lowborn pricks cheer and smile when I die, they will do the same exact thing when my father and my husband come to do the same to him."

"Your husband?" Shireen questioned, a puzzled look on his face.

"Robb Stark," Annalys responded plainly, much to Shireen's shock, "We married again."

Shireen remained silent, looking down at the ground in shame.

"You must learn to play the Game of the Thrones, Shireen, before you die along with the rest of the innocent sheep in Westeros," She warned Shireen in a calm tone, "Either you're a sheep, or you're a lion or a wolf."

"But I'm a stag," Shireen complained quietly, earning a loud scoff from Annalys.

"The last true stag who ruled Westeros was killed by a mere boar. Stags are just as weak as sheep. A wolf and a lion are what will survive when Winter's over. Lions may not be as strong in the Winter, but we manage. We'll survive. We'll always survive," Annalys ranted, slurring as she did so since she was so weak.

"Shireen," The familiar voice of Ser Davos suddenly spoke up, causing Shireen to immediately move away from Annalys' cell, "You should head back upstairs, before you're father sees you down here."

Shireen solemnly nodded her head, giving Annalys one last look before leaving. Ser Davos moved closer to Annalys' cell, an almost saddened look on his face, "Come to gloat in the name of your king?" She weakly asked, her eyes only half open as she had trouble staying awake.

"Stannis plans to burn Shireen at the stake," Ser Davos informed Annalys, who didn't seem bothered in the slightest since she wasn't surprised, "He believes the Lord of Light will give the capital food in exchange for the sacrifice of an innocent." He explained, earning a small scoff from Annalys, "Robb Stark surrounded the city with one hundred thousand men, men from all over Westeros, including the Wildlings."

"I'm not surprised about any of that. Robb has always been the type that would go to war for me," She confessed, a weak smile on her face as she turned to look at Ser Davos, "If you expect me to care about Shireen, I don't. I used to, but not anymore. I tried to warn that girl so many times about how dangerous her father was. I've stuck up for her. I told my men I'd take her as my ward when I defeated Stannis, despite them advising against it. But this girl has been sheltered her entire life from seeing how cruel the world we live in truly is. There's no saving her. She's too innocent to survive in this world. For that, I pity her, but I don't care about her."

"Do you care about Torra?" Davos suddenly asked, causing Annalys to stare at him with wide eyes, "She's innocent, just like Shireen, even if she's doesn't seem like it. Stannis plans to burn her, too. She's has king's and queen's blood inside her. She's far more important to this all than you may think."

"If he touches her, I'll burn the entire Red Keep to the ground with him and everyone he loves inside," Annalys threatened, only to have Davos speak up.

"You can still save this city, Annalys. You can rise up against Stannis. You're the only one who can convince the people in the capital to rebel," He explained, much to Annalys' shock, "They love you. More than you may think. I've seen it first hand during my time here."

"Why would you want me to do this?" Annalys asked in a disgusted tone, "Stannis is your king."

"He was my king," Davos argued, shaking his head, "I didn't think he was the type to burn little girls at the stake."

"What would you have me do from a cell?" Annalys questioned with an attitude, gesturing to the dark cell she was sitting in with her knees pressed up to her chest.

"I will let you out," Davos suddenly informed Annalys, much to her shock, "But you have to do what is right."

"If I had a gold dragon for every time someone has said those words to me..." She trailed off, their conversation being interrupted as Stannis suddenly appeared with a half dozen men.

He didn't look in Davos' direction. Instead, he looked directly at Annalys. "It's time for your execution," He informed her, causing Annalys to smile.

"How will I be burned? At the stake?" She questioned as she weakly stood up, not even caring that she was completely naked after being bare for more than two months. The joints in her legs cracked, due to sitting down for such a long period of time. It had been days since she even attempted to stand.

"In the Great Sept of Baelor," Stannis informed Annalys calmly, causing a horrified look to appear on her face.

It was like Bran had said. The Great Sept of Baelor would blow up. If Stannis set fire to the Sept, the wildfire stored underneath it would erupt as well soon after.

"No, you can't do that," Annalys argued, shaking her head frantically as she gave them a pleading look, "You'll be harming the lives of thousands."

She didn't care that she would be burned by wildfire, she only cared about the thousands living near the Great Sept that would be burned as well. Innocents. People she promised to protect and save the last time she had been in King's Landing.

"The only life that will be harmed is yours," Stannis argued as his men opened up Annalys' cell before grabbing ahold of her.

"No, you can't! There's wildfire stored underneath the Sept! It'll blow up. Everything around it will blow up as well!" She screamed at him, hoping he'd believe her.

He didn't, though. He ended up ignoring her, ordering his men to take her away as Annalys continued to scream hysterically about the wildfire.

_____

That same day, just outside the Walls of King's Landing, Robb stood with his large army, awaiting the moment where the people of King's Landing opened the gates due to being starved.

After days of waiting, the doors opened. Robb exchanged a look with some of his generals before the majority of the army rushed.

It became chaos within the walls of the city. Members of the Golden Company, Baratheon Soldiers, and the City Watch fought Wildlings, Riverlands men, Northmen, Lannister men, and all in between. There were greatly outnumbered and thousands of the men loyal to Stannis died within the first few minutes of battle.

Robb rushed through the streets of King's Landing, desperately searching for the woman he loved. He asked dozens of people if they, but none answered. Soon enough, from a distance, he could hear people screaming about the "Lion Queen" being trapped in the Sept of Baelor, which was supposedly on fire.

Robb didn't want to believe the Great Sept, of all things, was on fire, until he saw the smoke in the air.

He ran as fast he could to the Great Sept, unknowingly passing the Princess Shireen's corpse, which was completely burnt while tied to a stake.

He reached the Great Sept to find it engulfed in flames, but the flames weren't green, meaning it hadn't reached the wildfire to ignite it just yet.

Inside the Sept, Annalys was wrapped in a large crimson and gold cloak, one that was usually used during wedding. In fact, it was odd that Annalys was wrapped in the cloak. It was the bridal cloaked that her grandfather placed on her grandmother during their wedding. It was also the one Robert Baratheon had placed on her mother and the one Joffrey placed on Margaery. It was a Lannister cloak passed down through generations.

Annalys had no idea how Stannis had gotten his hands on it or why it was the only thing covering her body. She was on all fours, unable to stand and unable to breathe correctly due to the smoke filling her lungs. She cried out, her eyes burning from the smoke. She coughed severely, wincing as she did so.

She could feel parts of her body being burnt due to the heat, but knew there was no use in fighting it. There was no way out.

Outside, Robb rushed toward the Great Sept, on the verge of entering when Ser Davos, of all people, grabbed ahold of him to stop him. "You musn't go in there!" He warned Robb in a stern tone, "There is barrels of wildfire stored underneath the Sept. It will ignite the wildfire when the flames reach it. It will happen at any second."

"I'm not leaving her in there!" Robb shouted at Davos angrily, "Not after everything I've gone through to get to her. I won't let her die."

Robb ended up ordering all of his men that were nearby to evacuate all the small folk that lived nearby. They hesitantly obeyed and soon enough, after searching for several minutes, Robb finally found a way into the Sept.

Once entering, Robb could barely see due to the smoke. The flames were scorching to his skin, but he tried his best to endure it as he searched for Annalys.

"Annalys? Annalys!" He called out, but go not answer.

He suddenly stopped, hearing someone cough. He immediately turned his head, his eyes widening when he found Annalys laying on the ground, wrapped up in a crimson and gold cloak.

He wasted no time rushing over to her body and picked up her barely conscious body. She coughed, but seemed to have no reaction to him lifting her up off the ground, as if she hadn't even noticed.

After much struggle, Robb finally found his way out. With Annalys in his arms, he rushed out of the Sept. Despite being so weak from how much smoke he had inhaled, Robb ran as fast as he could away from the Sept of Baelor, which would blow at any moment.

Finally, after rushing down more streets than he could remember, Robb became so weak that he nearly collapsed. He laid himself down in the middle of the vacant street, panting for breath with Annalys' head resting against his stomach, her body wrapped in the same crimson cloak she had been found in.

Robb flinched as he heard the Great Sept exploded, holding Annalys close as he silently prayed to the Old Gods and the New that he had gotten them far enough away that they wouldn't be burnt.

He watched from a distance as the street nearby blew up from the wildfire, but it never ended up reaching the street they were on.

He sighed in utter relief at the sight, leaning his head back down on the ground at the fact that he had had gotten them out in time.

"I love you," Annalys weakly muttered, her voice raspy. Robb looked down, noticing the way her chest heaved as she used all the strength she had to smile up at him.

Robb sadly laughed, cupping her face in his hands. He placed a kiss to the top of her head as he held her cloth, the two of them far too weak from the smoke inhalation to get up just yet.

"You saved me," She managed to speak up, her eyes fluttering open.

"I'll always be there to save you, no matter what," Robb reminded Annalys, affectionately stroking her face.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

DAMN! What do you guys think is gonna happen next!