LION'S LEGACY
25. Orphan

      Annalys stood in the small council chambers with Edric and Robb, listening to her husband speak of what he had done while she was sitting at her daughter's bedside as she laid dying. She couldn't believe Robb had done such a thing without her consent. She knew for a fact there would be consequences, she just didn't know what it would be exactly just yet. In truth, she feared what would happen in the future. What would Robb's actions cost them in the coming months?

Robb sighed, noticing the uneasy look on his wife's face. "Lord Redwyne murdered an entire household, Annalys," He tried to reason with her in an almost pleading tone, "Men, women, and children. I did what I had to."

  Annalys sighed in frustration, slowly turning to face her husband. "Does anyone else know about what you've done expect the people in this room and Brienne and Loras?"

Hearing Annalys' question, Robb immediately shook his head. "Not that I know of, no," He admitted, earning an incredulous look from Annalys.

Annalys turned to look at Robb, disbelieved. "Not that you know of?!" She exclaimed loudly, growing frustrated.

Realizing that Annalys was truly angry with him, Robb sighed in defeat. "Annalys, I--" He began to say, only to get cut off.

"You did this behind my back, while I was sitting at our daughter's bedside, when she was dying of Winter Fever," She explained threatening, beginning to move closer to Robb, "Now that you've killed Lord Glendon, we don't enough food to get us through the next month!"

"I couldn't just let him get away, Annalys!" He shouted at Annalys angrily, "He killed an entire household, women and children included!"

"Perhaps that wouldn't have happened if you just let me killed Lord Florent in the first place! He was a rapist, he deserved to die," She argued with Robb, causing him to give him a look of disbelief.

"Was it ever proven that he was a rapist? No!" He complained, earning an annoyed look from Annalys, "Lord Glendon most likely made that up, knowing it would cause you to agree."

Annalys scoffed, shaking her head at Robb's statement, "I would have agreed anyway, Robb," She suddenly confessed, much to Robb's dismay, "Do you understand what position we are in right now? The people in this keep and the rest of the city will starve because of your recklessness. The commoners will be the first to rebel and our heads will be mounted on spikes on the walls of the Red Keep by them, our children's heads!" She explained, taking a step toward her husband with an furious look on her face.

  "What you've done will cost us dearly, Robb. I should have never named us equals in the first place. You may be skilled with being a king during a war, but you clearly don't have the mind for politics as I do," She explained, letting out a large sigh in defeat, "But it's not your fault. You were raised your entire life to be lord of Winterfell, not King of Westeros. And the time that you were King in the North, you weren't ruling a kingdom, you were leading an army. You know nothing of politics and the sacrifices needed to be made in order to stay on the Iron Throne."

After turning on her heel, Annalys began to walk away alongside Edric, causing Robb to sigh in frustration. "Where are you going?" He questioned her, knowing by the look on her face that she was up to something.

"To find us some crops," She informed him, on the verge of leaving.

However, before she could do so, Jaime and Ser Davos entered the room, both of them looking saddened, especially Jaime. "What is it?" She asked, a concerned look on her face since she knew it took a lot to make her father sad, "What's happened?"

"Tommen..." Jaime trailed off, trying his hardest to remain strong as he stood before his eldest daughter, "The fever took him in the night."

Annalys quietly gasped, tears beginning to fill her eyes as she heard the news of her brother's death. "What?" She asked, her voice a mere whisper.

"He's gone, Annalys," Jaime informed Annalys quietly, noticing how heartbroken she looked, "Tommen is dead."

Annalys was on the verge of crying, only to notice that Ser Davos is about to say something. "What?" She snapped at him, trying her best to hold back her tears, "What could possibly be worse than the death of my brother?"

"The Winter Fever has reached the Iron Islands as well, Your Grace. Your mother has been infected," He informed Annalys, causing the girl to finally break down as she let out a loud, heartbroken cry.

She stared at Jaime, looking beyond distraught. He, too, looked to be on the verge of crying, knowing that within a few days, Cersei would be dead. With Tommen dead, Jaime in the Royal Queensguard, and Tyrion locked up in a cell, the male line of House Lannister was now gone.

Despite being heartbroken by all the death, Annalys felt even worse by the fact that she had failed her grandfather as well. Her children were Starks in name, not Lannisters. The Lannister name would now end with Myrcella and Annalys.

"I-I must go,"Annalys began to stammer, staggering toward the door, "I-I must...I must go see my mother."

"Annalys, no!" Robb shouted, rushing after his wife before grabbing her by the arm, "You can't leave the castle."

Roughly tugging her arm out of Robb's grip, Annalys whipped herself to face her husband. "My brother is dead, Robb! My mother will soon follow. I must get to her before it's too late." She shouted at him, tears streaming down her face, "No matter what she has done, she is still my mother. I cannot let her die alone in a place she despises more than anything."

Robb sighed in defeat, knowing there was no use in arguing against it. She'd simply do it anyway. "How do you expect to reach the Iron Islands in time?" He questioned her in a concerned tone, "You cannot travel alone on horseback across Westeros."

"I have Rhaegal," She informed him in a calm tone, much to Robb's shock, "I will ride him to the Iron Islands."

"He's in the dragonpits," Robb pointed out to Annalys, a deeply worried look on his face, "That is across the city. Many parts of King's Landing are filled with people suffering the fever. If you do this, you may catch the fever as well."

"I don't care," Annalys argued in a stern tone, her recklessness clearly getting the better of her, "My mother is dying, Robb. I have not seen her in five years. I will not leave her to die alone."

  As Annalys turned and began to run off, Robb followed after her until they reached the gates of the Red Keep. A horse was brought over to Annalys and before she climbed on, she turned to face Robb.

"Please don't fuck anything else up while I'm gone," Annalys pleaded in a soft tone, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she looked up at her husband.

"I won't. I promise," Robb assured her in a sincere tone, nodding his head in response.

A saddened look on his face, Robb took a step toward his wife. He grabbed her hands, holding them in his own as he looked down at her. "How long will you be gone?" He found himself asking her, looking deeply concerned.

"I don't know," Annalys admitted truthfully, much to Robb's dismay, "I must find this city crops to live on before returning. I still don't know how I will do that."

"Promise me you'll return," Robb pleaded, a torn look on his face since he knew the type of woman Annalys was.

She'd be the type to go missing for several months at a time and then return when things had hit rock bottom. She'd save everyone's asses, but it wouldn't change the fact that none of it would have happened if she had been there in the first place. Robb refused to let anything go wrong during their separation.

"I promise," Annalys promised Robb in a calm tone as her husband placed a tender kiss to her knuckles. 

"I love you," Robb whispered to Annalys softly, staring intently into her green eyes, which seemed to be filled with sadness and heartbreak.

"And I, you," She replied quietly, staring back up at him, "Take care of our children, would you? Keep them safe."

Robb simply nodded in response, seeing as though her request was obvious. He wasted no time cupping her neck with his hands before pressing his lips against hers, kissing his wife passionately. Annalys placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them affectionately as they continued to kiss.

Despite not wanting to, she forced herself to pull away from kissing him. Robb smiled softly, kissing her briefly on the cheek before taking a step away from her.

He immediately grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up and assisting her in climbing onto her horse.

After she had gotten onto her horse, Annalys glanced around, feeling a bit hesitant to leave her people behind, not knowing if all of them would be alive when she returned.

   Her eyes widened slightly when they locked on Lyanna, who she spotted from afar. Lyanna was silent as she stared at her mother, her expression unreadable.

Annalys sighed, giving her daughter a saddened look. Lyanna simply nodded, however, which was her way of telling her mother to do what she had to do.

"Open the gates," Annalys commanded in a stern tone as she turned away from looking at her daughter.

The men instantly obeyed, allowing the gates to be opened so that Annalys could leave the castle. Robb hesitantly watched on, trying not to feel worried as the gates closed behind Annalys.

______

   Days had passed until finally, Annalys arrived on the Iron Islands riding Rhaegal. She wasted no time rushing into Pyke and toward her mother's chambers after being directed toward. She entered Cersei's chambers, finding her mother lying in bed, dying of the fever.

  Annalys ran over to her mother's bedside, immediately grabbing her mother's hand and holding it her own. She looked down at Cersei, finding the elder woman deeply weakened. Her eyes were barely open and she was severely pale, her lips coated with dried blood. She was shivering a bit, despite the room not even being cold.

  Tears in her eyes, Annalys placed a soft kiss to her mother's hand, which gained Cersei's attention.

Cersei smiled weakly, looking up at her daughter. "Annalys...my daughter, I waited for you," She admitted softly and Annalys tried her hardest not to cry at how weak her mother sounded.

"I am here, Mother," Annalys immediately responded, nodding her head in assurance, "I am here. I'm not leaving you. Not again. Not ever."

Cersei smiled at Annalys, who began to softly cry at the sight of her dying mother. Her condition proved that she was in the last stage, which meant she'd die within moments. "What we have lived through together, my love," She admitted in a whisper, weakly lifting up her hand to place it on Annalys' cheek, "How are they? How are my grandchildren?"

Annalys began to cry at Cersei's question and nodded her head in response, "They are fine, Mother. Lyanna was sick, but she has recovered. She will be fine."

"Your brother? Your sister?" Cersei questioned and Annalys tried her hardest not to cry out, refusing to inform her mother in her last moments that her youngest child had died.

She forced a smile on her face, looking down at her mother. "Myrcella is happily married and due to give birth within a few months. Tommen is married as well and is living happily as Storm's End." She informed Cersei in a calm tone, despite it being wrong.

"Please, Annalys..." She trailed off, his voice shaky and weak, "Please forgive me for what I have done to wrong you. I am so sorry, my love."

"It's okay," Annalys smiled sadly, beginning to cry as she nodded her head, "I forgive you."

She tried her hardest to not cry, but it was far too hard to stop it. Her mother was dying. The woman who brought her into this world was dying and there was nothing she would do about it.

Annalys had cast her off to the Iron Islands six years before and hadn't seen her since. Now, she was going to die and that last moments Annalys recalled having with her mother was when she slapped her in the face. She'd forever regret that.

Noticing Annalys was on the verge of breaking down, Cersei began to cry as well. "I may not have shown it in the past, but I am proud of you. You have become all that I could never be. You are powerful and loved by thousands, your own husband included. You've defeated every threat that came to your reign and you rule better than anyone has ruled in years. I have not been fair to you in the past, I realize that now."

"It doesn't matter, Mother!" Annalys cried out, shaking her head, "You must stay with me. Please, you must," She pleaded, tears streaming down her face, "Please get through this and I will bring you back to King's Landing. I promise."

"It's too late, Annalys," Cersei admitted softly, shaking her head, "I will be dead by nightfall."

Cersei's hand shook as she grabbed her daughter's hand. She placed the lion necklace she usually wore that matched Annalys and Myrcella's into her daughter's hand, causing Annalys to frown.

  "Give this to your daughter. Lyanna. She may have the Stark name, but she is a Lannister at heart. Just like us. She is a lioness," She explained, beginning to smile weakly, "Oh, she reminds me so much of you, Annalys. Such a stubborn girl, yet so smart. Too smart for her own good. She will grow up to powerful and loved by thousands, just like her mother. You must give this to her."

Annalys shook her head, crying as she clutched the lion necklace in her hand. "No, you will give it to her yourself," She argued, trying her hardest to sound stern, "You will see her again, Mother."

"I-I love you, Annalys," Cersei managed to get out as she grasp her daughter's hand in her own, "You were all I had once. And even if I did not show it, I always loved you most. More than your sister. More than your brothers. More than Jaime. Remember that I love you."

"I love you, too," Annalys replied, her lip quivering as tears streamed down her face, "But please, you must stay with me, Mother. Please get through this. You can't die. I need you."

There was a moment of silence before Annalys looked forward to see Cersei no longer moving. Realizing what was going on, Annalys' eyes widened in alarm. "Mother? Mother!" She called out in concern, only to get no answer as she shook her mother's lifeless body.

"Mother, please. Please don't leave me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything," She screamed, tears rushing down her face, "Please, I cannot lose you. Not like this. Please."

Realizing there was nothing she could do, Annalys cried out, clutching her chest in pain. She placed her mother's hands in her own, beginning to sob into her mother's motionless chest.

  As Annalys buried her face into her mother's chest, she screamed and cried in emotionless pain, so loud that she wondered if the entire island could hear the pain and heartbreak in her voice.

She remained in place for hours, refusing to leave her mother's corpse, despite being at risk of catching the infection herself.

She couldn't help it. She lost her mother. Her mother was dead and Annalys didn't even get to say sorry for what she had done in the past. Despite what Cersei had done, Annalys didn't believe her mother deserved to live the last years of her life in misery, stuck in yet another unloved marriage.

  Soon enough, however, the door to her mother's chambers opened. Annalys didn't know who it was and she honestly didn't care. The person walked up behind Annalys and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She turned to face the person, knowing who it was. Edric. She stood up, beginning to cry into Edric's chest as he hugged her tightly. "She's gone," She cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"Shh. It's okay, it's okay," He told her in a hushed tone as Annalys slowly pulled away from Edric to look him in the eyes, "And before you ask, no, Robb did not send me here. I came here on my own. I left straight after you did. I knew you'd need someone."

"You shouldn't have," She admitted, much to Edric's confusion, "I didn't just leave King's Landing to see my mother before she died."

Hearing his queen's words, Edric immediately frowned in concern. "What are you talking about, Annalys?" He found himself asking her, worried about what she was on the verge of telling him.

"There's only one way we'll be able to obtain enough crops to save King's Landing," She admitted softly, "And there's only one person we can go to. Someone capable of performing magic and the impossible."

Edric's eyes widened at Annalys' revelation, sighing in defeat. "Melisandre." He realized and Annalys nodded, looking down at the ground in shame.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Omggg 😭

In the span of one chapter, both Cersei and Tommen have died 😭 and this is only the beginning.

Ik, Cersei has done some pretty fucked up things to Annalys, but it's STILL her mom. It's still really heartbreaking and the fact that this is only the beginning (as I said) makes it much worse.

Be prepared! Something BIG will be revealed next chapter!! What do you think will happen?