LION'S LEGACY
12. Negotiations of Peace

   Days later, after the arrival of Daenerys' forces and Robb was announced, Annalys stood the royal chamber with Qyburn and Jaime as they told her everything she needed to know. She immediately became confused when there was no word of Daenerys herself arriving at the capital.

"Why isn't she with them?" Annalys immediately asked, a concerned look on her face as she turned to face the two men.

   "I'm afraid I don't know, Your Grace. No one has seen her," Qyburn responded in a calm tone, much to Annalys' dismay.

"And the rest of them?" She questioned, raising a brow at the man.

"They're on their way to the dragonpit now as we speak," Qyburn explained, earning a small nod from Annalys.

"Including my uncle," Annalys stated and Qyburn nodded, causing her to smile slightly, "Good."

Without another word, Annalys walked with Jaime into the room connected to the one she had been standing in before while talking to Qyburn. Ser Edmyn, Ser Rickard, Ser Loras, Ser Podrick, and Ser Steffon stood before her, waiting for her command.

   "Ser Podrick, Ser Loras, I'd like you to stay here at the Keep, with the princes and princesses. If anything goes wrong, take them to the underground tunnels beneath the castle until I've returned," She instructed and as soon as they nodded, she turned to the rest, "The rest of you will be at the dragonpits with me. If anything goes wrong there, kill the Targaryen bitch first, the others are up to you. Lord Tyrion must remain unharmed, however. I want him brought to me alive."

"Yes, My Queen," They replied without hesitation, clearly agreeing with her plan.

With that, Annalys left the room, followed by the Qyburn, Jaime, and the rest of her Queensguard.

_____

At the dragonpits, the people loyal to Daenerys entered, being escorted by Lannister men. Tyrion uneasily glanced around, immediately noticing the banners with the Lannister and Stark sigils combined decorating the walls, and the stage has been furnished with open tents for the summit. There were others in the dragonpits as well, ones that included lords of Houses from all over Westeros.

At the tents, however, Lannisters and Starks were seated to the right while the Targaryen loyalists were seated to the left. Next to them were the seats for the Lords and ladies were numerous houses of Westeros who were summoned there by Annalys to discuss the threat beyond the Wall.

With them were Lord Edmure Tully, Lord Oberyn Martell alongside Lord Trystane and Myrcella, who were now married, Euron Greyjoy, Bran, Samwell Tarly, Tommen, Margaery, Robin Arryn, Yohn Royce, Brienne of Tarth, Brynden Tully, Greatjon Umber, Lyanna Mormont, and numerous others.

Jorah and Tyrion looked around while Edric, Robb, and Torra exchanged an uneasy look.

Just then, Annalys entered with Jaime, Qyburn,and the rest of her Queensguard. Tyrion and Jaime immediately exchanged glances, as did Annalys and Tyrion. All at once, each members of the two warring sides took their seats.

Ser Davos, Robb and Torra took their seats next to Annalys while Annalys glanced around, confused when she didn't see Daenerys anywhere in sight.

"Where is she?" Annalys questioned, raising a brow at Tyrion.

"She'll be here soon," Tyrion responded in a calm tone, earning a small scoff from Annalys.

"Didn't she travel with you, Uncle?" Annalys questioned Tyrion in a mocking tone.

"No," Tyrion simply replied, shaking his head.

"Interesting," Annalys commented in a sarcastic tone.

There was a long moment of silence amongst the group as they impatiently waited for Daenerys to arrive. Soon enough, she did, Annalys knew it just by the oud screech heard from up above. Euron and many others stood to watch the dragons arrive and Drogon immediately landed next to the stage and roars.

Tyrion turned to look at Annalys, who oddly enough, seemed absolutely content. Robb and Torra looked on as well as Drogon roared again, lowering his head to reveal Daenerys on his back.

  Drogon climbed down to the dragonpit, and Daenerys dismounted, the Targaryen woman immediately moving toward them as Drogon flew away. Annalys immediately looked upwards, finding there to be only two dragons, which meant Bran had been right.

She turned her head, instantly locking eyes with Daenerys, who glared at her. Annalys didn't glare back, however. Instead, she smiled slightly in an almost threatening manner, which Daenerys didn't take lightly.

Daenerys walked over to where Tyrion sat, wasting no time sitting next to him. Varys watched the two queens, noticing how differently they reacted to each other.

Annalys was absolutely calm, not feeling threatened in the slightest, oddly enough. Daenerys, however, looked tensed and filled with rage at the sight of Annalys. That was the difference between Annalys and Daenerys. Annalys enjoyed bottling her anger up and waiting for the right moment to unleash it. It made her wrath lethal. Daenerys, however, was far more impulsive and never did the same.

"You're late," Annalys spoke up with an attitude, causing Daenerys to turn to look at her with an annoyed look.

"I didn't know I was being timed," Daenerys remarked, earning an eye roll from Annalys.

Slowly, Daenerys turned to look at Tyrion, gesturing for him to speak up. He inhaled sharply, just before standing up and walking toward the center of the dragonpit to address the crowd.

"We are a group of people who do not like one another, if it isn't obvious. We have suffered at each other's hands. We have lost people we love at each other's hands. If all we wanted was more of the same, there would be no need for this gathering. We are entirely capable of waging war against each other without meeting face-to-face." Tyrion explained, looking toward Annalys as if to say she was the one he was talking about.

"So what do you suggest, then?" Annalys asked her uncle, sarcastically smiling at him, "That we settle our differences? That we live together in peace and harmony for the rest of our days?"

"We all know that will never happen," Tyrion replied in a calm tone, looking directly at his niece.

"Then, why are we here?" Trystane Martell suddenly spoke up and as if one cue, Jon rose to his feet.

Of course, he was supposed to be at Castle Black, but due to the business about the threat beyond the Wall, Annalys was able to give the permission to journey south solely for that reason.

He walked forward until he was standing near Tyrion, ready to make his case. "This isn't about living in harmony. It's just about living. The same thing is coming for all of us. A general you cannot negotiate with. An army that doesn't leave corpses behind on the battlefield. I'm told by my brother that there's nearly a million people living in this city, which means there's about to be a million more soldiers in the Army of the Dead if we don't work together." He explained and despite it being serious, some people didn't take it that way.

"I imagine for most of them it would be an improvement," A random lord remarked, causing many others to chuckle.

Daenerys turned to the man, glaring at him. "This is serious," She snapped him coldly, "I wouldn't be here if it weren't."

"I don't think it's serious at all," Another man argued, clearly not believing the whole ordeal, "I think it's another bad joke. If the raven sent from Queen Annalys has informed us correctly, you're asking for a truce."

Without hesitation, Annalys stood up, causing many lords to tense up. Instead, she turned to the Hound, whom she knew was the one who had the captured wight. "Have you brought it?" She questioned and the man immediately nodded.

After a few long moments, the Hound returned bearing the crate holding the wight on his back. He placed it down, removing the chains and bars that locked it. He wasted no time removing the lid and after doing so, he stood back in caution, grasping the hilt of his sword. Many people frowned, noticing that nothing was happening. Growing impatient, the Hound kicked over the crate to reveal the Wight, who charged towards Annalys, screeching horridly.

Annalys stood in place, however, showing no fear toward the wight as she tightly grasped the hilt of her sword in her left hand.

Daenerys watched on, as did Tyrion and the rest of the Targaryen forces. Annalys wasn't afraid of the wight charging toward her, but how? They were, as was Robb. Annalys wasn't, though. Perhaps it was because she had fought them more than almost anyone there besides Torra.

As the Wight reached for the content-looking Annalys once more, Sandor pulled the chain that bonded him, yanking it off of its feet. Jaime and Ser Edric stood to protect Annalys, who rolled her eyes at their actions. She was perfectly capable of defending herself against a single dead man.

The Wight turned its attention to Sandor, who drew his sword, and sliced the Wight in half as it attacked him. Both halves of the Wight continued to move, much to everyone's horror. The upper half of the wight began to crawl towards Sandor, who sliced away a forearm. Qyburn soon walked over to it, picking up the undead arm to examine it.

Jon immediately walked over to Qyburn, taking the severed arm from his grabs. After taking it, Davos walked over to him with a lit torch.

"We can destroy them by burning them," Jon informed the group, just before setting the hand aflame. The Wight immediately screeched helplessly as Jon dropped the arm, "And we can destroy them with dragonglass. If we don't win this fight, then that is the fate of every person in the world."

Jon unsheathed his dragonglass dagger, just before stabbing the Wight in the heart with it. After being stabbed, the Wight fell lifelessly to the ground after a final screech, "There is only one war that matters the Great War. And it is here."

Annalys slowly turned her head, exchanging a look with Robb, who sat next to her. He grabbed her hand, holding it in his own as they both turned to look at Daenerys.

"I didn't believe it until I saw them. I saw them all," Daenerys informed the group, an uneasy look on her face.

"How many?" Jaime found himself asking, turning to look toward Daenerys.

"A hundred thousand, at least," Daenerys responded, much to Annalys' horror.

"They've grown in size, then, since Hardhome," Annalys realized, beginning to feel a bit uneasy.

Euron wasted no time turning to look at Annalys, who nodded her head in encouragement, which was her way of telling him to enact their secret plan. He wasted no time rising to his feet before walking over to investigate the lifeless wight. "Can they swim?" He found himself asking and Annalys tried her best to maintain composure.

"No," Jon answered, shaking his head.

"Good," Euron suddenly replied, "I'm taking the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands."

He turned to look at Annalys, the two of them going along with their plan as Annalys tried her hardest to not give herself away.

"What are you talking about?" Annalys spoke up, acting as though she was shocked by his 'sudden' decision.

"I've been around the world. I've seen everything, things you couldn't imagine, and this...." He trailed off, uneasily pointing toward the wight, "This is the only thing I've ever seen that terrifies me."

Euron turned away from Annalys, beginning to walk over to Daenerys. "I'm going back to my island. You should go back to yours. When winter's over, we'll be the only ones left alive." He warned her before beginning to walk away.

As Euron exited the dragonpits, Annalys tried not to smirk in satisfaction. Robb noticed and frowned in confusion, knowing he was missing something. Of course, Annalys was planning to tell him the second they were alone, but it made him feel uneasy at that moment since he didn't know what it was or how it could affect everyone.

  "He's right to be afraid, you know. But he's also a coward to run," Annalys suddenly spoke up and Robb immediately realized Annalys must have sent Euron with his ships to do something unbeknownst to everyone else, "If the Army of the Dead will come for us, there will be no kingdoms left to rule. Everything we suffered will have been for nothing. Everything we lost will have been for nothing," she paused, turning toward Daenerys, "The crown accepts your truce. Until the dead are defeated, they are the true enemy."

Hearing her words, Jon and Tyrion sighed in relief while Robb knew for a fact she wasn't going to agree that easily. He knew there must have been a catch. That had been far too easily handled for Annalys' taste, Robb knew that much.

"In return, my Uncle will be handed over to me, to await a trial for his crimes against House Lannister," Annalys suddenly added in an unexpected term, just as Robb had expected.

Everyone else, however, turned to Annalys in disbelief. In truth, Robb never wanted to make peace with Daenerys, neither did Annalys. He knew, sooner or later, during that peace treaty, one of the women would do something to wrong the other that would immediately break it. The peace would have been broken the moment Robb told Annalys that Daenerys kissed him anyway.

"He will do no such thing," Daenerys immediately argued in a stern tone, much to Robb's relief, "He is my Hand, I will not let him be executed by you."

"I said a trial would occur, not an execution," Annalys argued, hatefully glaring at Daenerys.

She knew what she was doing. She was purposely trying to demand something from Daenerys she'd never give up. Annalys didn't want Daenerys' help in the Great War. She didn't think she needed it. She had every soldier in Westeros loyal to her, including the wildlings. Why would she need a bunch of foreign eunuchs and savages fighting on her side? That was her opinion of them, at least.

Tyrion opened his mouth, presumably to agree when Daenerys cut him off. "He refuses," She argued sternly, much to Annalys' satisfaction.

    Annalys took a step toward them, smirking slightly. "Then there is nothing left to discuss," She replied in a calm tone, beginning to glare at both Daenerys and Tyrion, "There will be no peace between our Houses. The War of the Two Queens, as they are beginning to call it, will continue and whoever is left alive at the end of it shall face the Army of the Dead when the Great War begins. I wish you good fortune in the wars to come. You'll surely need it."

With that, Annalys turned on her heel, leaving with Robb and the rest of her forces.

Daenerys' eyes widened at that last part of Annalys' statement. "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come. You'll surely need it."

It was the same thing Robb had told her before he left Dragonstone. It was a warning, Daenerys knew that almost immediately after hearing it.

____

After reuniting with his children at the Red Keep, Robb entered his chambers, finding Annalys waiting for him. "Annalys," He called out, causing his wife to turn to him with a smile on her face.

"Robb," She responded, wasting no time rushing up to him and hugging him tightly, "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

Robb pulled away from Annalys, placing a kiss to her lips before looking down to see her growing stomach. "How far along are you now?" He asked curiously and Annalys immediately smiled at the thought.

"Eight months," She answered happily as she stared up at her husband, "The Maesters say it's a boy."

Robb began to smile, only to gradually have it start to fade. "A lot happened in the several months that I was away from you. There's something you must know," He paused, about to confess to her about Daenerys when he noticed the concerned look on her face.

"You didn't--" Annalys began to ask in concern, but Robb immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no! Of course not," Robb immediately argued, knowing what she was about to ask, "But she kissed me."

Hearing Robb's confession, the concern written all of Annalys' expression immediately disappeared and it became consumed with hate, but not rage as Robb expected. "It's a good thing she won't survive the next fortnight, then," She announced, much to Robb's shock.

"Where did you send Euron Greyjoy?" Robb found himself asking Annalys, who began to smile.

"What if I said the gold I collected from Casterly Rock wasn't for Winter? What if I said it was to buy the Golden Company?" She asked Robb, whose eyes widened as he smiled slightly.

"You didn't," He replied, looking almost impressed.

"I did," Annalys responded, smiling largely, "They'll arrive within the next few hours. I've had them close since the moment Danerys agreed to a meeting with me."

"Will there be a battle within the next day?" Robb questioned and Annalys nodded, "Good. What do you have planned?"

Annalys smirked, leaning toward Robb. Robb remained silent, listening to Annalys' plan as she whispered it into his ear. His eyes widened as he listened, beginning to gradually smile at how well-thought of it was. "Remind me to thank you tonight in bed for that perfect idea of vengeance against Daenerys," He jokingly told Annalys, causing her to laugh, "My clothes will surely stay on but yours will most definitely not."

"You're barbaric," Annalys complained, laughing as she lightly slapped Robb on the shoulder.

"Says you," Robb retorted, referring to her plan, "Are you sure it will work?"

"I am," Annalys replied, smiling as she nodded her head, "This is it. I will win this battle and after I've done this, there's no going back. Daenerys will come after me."

"Which is exactly what we want," Robb responded, wrapping his arms around his wife as he pulled her closer.

"Indeed," Annalys commented, quietly laughing at Robb rushed to kiss her once more.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Come prepared for next chapter! There will be a scene between Annalys and Tyrion and then a battle scene!

Something will happen that's most definitely been hinted at a lot, even in the first book (Kingdom Fall.)