LION'S LEGACY
59. South

FLASHBACK
TWENTY YEARS PRIOR
WAR OF THE QUEEN
AND FIVE KINGS

       Hand in hand, Robb and Annalys enjoyed the weather outside where their army had set camp at, "Are you breathing easier now?" Robb asked Annalys, recalling her saying she wanted to take a walk after she began to realize that everyone knew about them sleeping together even though they weren't married.

"I still don't want to go back anytime soon. They'll question us on what happened the night before," Annalys replied uneasily, "They'll wait for an answer on whether or not we'll marry."

"Do you want this?" Robb asked, turning his head to look Annalys directly in the eyes.

"I want you, more than I've ever wanted anything else, but I'm afraid," Annalys confessed and Robb immediately could notice the fear in her eyes, "I don't want to start a war, more than I already have by staying at your side and opposing against my family."

"I know you're scared, Annalys, but this is our chance, right now, to be together, without anyone, or anything, standing in our way." He explained to her, causing Annalys to raise a brow at him.

"What are you saying?" Annalys asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Marry me today," Robb suddenly said, causing Annalys' eyes to widen in shock, "And we'll figure out what we should do with Lord Frey and our other enemies later."

"You must be joking," She stated, only to notice the serious look on Robb's face, "You're entirely serious?"

"Yes. More than I've ever been about anything else," Robb paused, letting out a sigh as he lifted up Annalys' hand, placing a kiss to it, "You and I, we can win this war together. And as your husband, I promise to listen to your counsel, let you argue with me when you believe I'm wrong, and I will love you until the day I die. Together, we can decide what is right, as husband and wife. As King and Queen in the North." He proposed, dropping down to one knee as he continued to hold her hand, "Marry me, Annalys. Tonight. In the woods where no one can stop us. Say yes."

Annalys immediately smiled, nodding her head, "Yes, yes, of course, I will," She responded without hesitation and Robb stood back up.

They kissed one another and Robb picked her up, twirling her around in his arms. They ran back to the tents of their army, laughing and holding hands.

PRESENT DAY
HARRENHALL

At Harrhenhal, after her hand had been tended to, Annalys had been brought to the bathing chambers by a squire.

Robb was sitting in one of the large bath pools, the only place he could go where people wouldn't taunt him. They let him roam free as long as he didn't try to run. He wondered why they didn't try to kill him, though. It wasn't like he'd actually marry Margaery or even bed her.

The squire helped Annalys undress until she was finally bare. The only thing she wore was the wrap that was placed around her stubbed wrist. "Now get out," She told the squire sternly and her voice immediately echoed through the bathing chambers.

Robb's eyes widened at the sound of his wife's voice. He turned his head, only to have his eyes lock on Annalys. She stood naked, her hair matted and bruises scattered across her face, along with cuts. She had her left arm behind her back, which confused him. What was she hiding?

"Annalys!" Robb exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide, "What are you doing here?"

"I need a bath. What does it look like?" Annalys retorted with an attitude and wasted no time climbing into the large bathing pool that Robb already sat in.

He sighed in defeat, realizing at that moment that Annalys was still angry. He believed she would have gotten over it, but he clearly wouldn't have thought the same once he saw her missing hand, which he didn't.

When he wasn't paying attention, Annalys slipped her left arm under the water, making sure he didn't catch a glimpse of her missing hand.

"I did what I thought would protect us both, Annalys," Robb reminded Annalys, who scoffed loudly, "We were at a higher risk of being caught when we were together. You saw how quickly that woman recognized us. Others would surely do the same. I thought being separated would keep you safe."

"But it didn't, did it?" Annalys asked him, tears beginning to form in her eyes at his words.

Robb's eyes softened, his eyes scanning her features. "What did they do to you?" He finally asked her, realizing he was missing something.

"It doesn't matter," Annalys whispered softly and as much as she wanted to tell him, she couldn't.

"It does, Annalys--" Robb began to argue, only to have his wife cut him off.

"Please," Annalys pleaded, beginning to cry as she shook her head, "I don't want to talk about it."

"We must," Robb demanded, knowing that even if Annalys didn't want to talk about it now, the moment she did, they'd be able to work together to escape.

   Annalys was keeping something from him and as long as she did so, they would be unable to truly work together to free themselves from Lord Florent and Leyton Hightower.

"No," was all Annalys said, much to Robb's frustration.

    Having had enough, Robb rose from the water, on the verge of leaving. "Robb," Annalys suddenly spoke up, her voice soft and heartbroken.

   Robb slowly turned to Annalys, watching as she slowly lifted her arm to reveal the fact that she was missing her left hand. "Seven hells," He muttered softly, her eyes widening in horror.

   She began to cry and Robb rushed over to her. He didn't question her just yet, knowing she wouldn't unable to form any words in her state. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly as she sobbed.

"They chopped off my hand," She cried out and Robb began to have flashbacks of their time in the Riverlands fifteen years prior.

The men loyal to Stannis smashed Annalys' hand with a hammer. She nearly lost it and back then, she had been so broken that Robb wondered if she would ever be the same. She had gotten better, but now, she completely lost her hand. Robb feared that she would never be the same again.

"I tried to convince them to free that girl and they did, but they chopped off my hand to prove to me that I no longer had any power over them, that I was nothing," She explained and Robb frowned at the mention of a girl.

"What girl?" Robb asked in concern and Annalys slowly lifted her hand from leaning against his chest to look him in the eye.

"Eddard is alive, Robb. Our baby boy is alive," She whispered to him softly, making sure it was quiet enough where no one would be able to hear them if they were eavesdropping, "The girl's name is Allyria. She's traveling through the Riverlands with him. She's watching over him. Our son is alive."

"Our daughters are as well," Robb informed Annalys quietly, much to the woman's shock, "I heard rumors that Lyanna is making her way through the Riverlands with the Brotherhood Without Banners. Joanna..." He trailed off, wondering it was wise to tell Annalys the truth, "She is across the Narrow Sea. She's married a Dothraki Khal."

"What?" Annalys cried out, horrified by the response, "I burned the Dothraki alive with Rhaegal years ago. That can't be."

"Not all of them went with Daenerys when she traveled here. Some stayed," Robb informed Annalys in a stern tone, "Some men, some women, most of them children. But it's been years. Those children are now adults."

Annalys remained silent, both of them knowing they needed to escape in order to help their children.

Annalys looked up at Robb, noticing the way he stared at her left arm intently. More specifically, the stub where her left hand used to be.

"How can you love me like this?" Annalys found herself asking, beginning to cry.

    Robb gave Annalys a look of disbelief. "I'll have you any way I can, my love. Always. No matter what," He wasted no time confessing, cupping Annalys' face in his hands, "Nothing else matters. Only us and our children. We'll get out of here. We'll escape, we'll find our children, and we'll show them what happens to those who stand against the Young Wolf and the Great Lioness."

Annalys' expression remained blank, however, much to Robb's confusion. "What is it?" He asked Annalys, knowing he was missing something.

"The reason they haven't killed me yet is because they want the baby I'm carrying inside me," Annalys informed Robb, whose eyes widened in shock, "Margaery had a son. One she's claiming to be Tommen's. If I have a girl, they're going to take our daughter and send her to King's Landing. They're going to raise her as their own and marry her off to the boy when they both come of age. They know it'll strengthen their claim, especially when it comes to keeping the North and the Westerlands. And they also know that we'd never attack King's Landing if we were to escape, knowing they'd have our child in their clutches."

"What if it's a boy, Annalys?" Robb asked in horror and Annalys slowly turned to look him in the eye.

   Robb immediately felt heartbroken, knowing exactly what would happen if it was a boy. The Reachmen would have him killed.

"They would dare kill an innocent baby boy because he's not a girl?" Robb growled, fury filling his eyes at the thought, "I'm going to kill them, I'm going to kill of all them, Annalys, I swear it. I'm going to make them pay for what they've done to us..." He trailed off, giving her a saddened look as he stared down at her missing hand, "For what they've done to you."

   There was a moment of silence as Robb grabbed Annalys' left arm, staring down at the bandage that was wrapped around the stub of it. "Can you still fight with your right?" He found himself asking Annalys, who slowly nodded with tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "Good. It'll be needed when we try to escape."

"I'm tired of fighting, Robb," Annalys cried out, a hopeless look on her face as she shook her head in disapproval, "I can't. Look at where it's gotten us. Held prisoner by men of the Reach, who are only waiting for me to give birth to a girl before they kill me."

"I won't let them kill you," Robb argued, shaking his head, "I won't let anything happen to you or our baby, I promise."

"Robb," Annalys warned Robb in a soft tone, all sense of hope leaving her, "It's over. We're going to die. Why can't you understand that?"

"What has happened to you, Annalys?" Robb complained, a look of disbelief on his face, "I was always the one who lost hope first and you always there to give me a sense of hope again. What happened to that girl? What happened to the girl who never gave up, even when it seemed as though all hope was lost."

"She died twice," Annalys answered in a calm tone, "She was poisoned the first time and she was stabbed six times the second time around. Both of those times she had been fighting for something she believed in, something she thought was the right thing to do. Since the moment I arrived at Winterfell as a girl, I've betrayed the ones closest to me, I've killed thousands if not millions with my own bare hands, I've fucked people to get what I want, and I've turned half-mad through all of it. I've fought my entire life, but I am tired of fighting."

"You think you're the only one who's gone through things, Annalys?" Robb retorted, giving her a look of disbelief, "I waged war on the Lannisters when I was sixteen in order to save my father after your brother had him arrested. I spent years fighting in that war and I broke a sacred oath in order to marry you, the woman I love. I was nearly murdered at a wedding, something that was orchestrated by your grandfather. Years passed and continuously, the woman I loved betrayed me, yet I still stuck by her side. I lost people I cared about, people I considered family, people who were my family. I fought in three more wars for you, one against you and two with you. I had to endure you dying twice and I started a war to find you. I took the Iron Throne for you and I spent fourteen years after that living in a city that I hated, a city that smells like literal shit and constantly reminds me of how my father was killed there. I lost my mother and my youngest brother. I nearly lost my daughters."

"Robb--" Annalys began to say, only to have Robb cut her off.

"And despite that, I was happy in King's Landing with you and our children. Then, Daenerys Targaryen arrived. She burned men I called friends alive because they were loyal to us and refused to bend the knee. Then, I had to meet that woman and I was forced to be a hostage. She nearly took everything from us, she practically killed our son. We defeated her, though, yet still, there were more wars to fight. In the twenty years I've been with you, the longest we've had for a time of peace was four years," He explained, trying his hardest to keep calm, "What pains me the most is that for days before Torra's wedding, you warned me about there being a chance of something happening, but I ignored you. If I hadn't, there's a chance what happened that day would have never occurred."

Annalys quietly gasped, shaking her head as she cupped Robb's face in her hands. "That was not your fault, Robb," She argued, yet it was clear Robb still believed it was, "You couldn't have known."

"One of the reasons the Reach rebelled was because they thought you killed those Florents and Glendon Redwyne, yet you had nothing to do with that. That had been my fault, not yours. I am at fault for this," He explained in a calm tone yet still, Annalys shook her head.

"You're not the one who knelt, Robb. I was," Annalys admitted softly and the duo exchanged a saddened look, understanding that they were both at fault.

"You may be tired of fighting for yourself, but we still have children to fight for," Robb reminded Annalys, who knew he had a point, "I know you're sick of fighting, but we must. We must fight. And I refuse to fight if my wife is not there by my side. Tell me, will you fight with me?" He asked and Annalys slowly turned to him, nodding her head in agreement.

"We fight together, always and forever," Annalys promised and Robb smiled slightly, grateful for her response.

_____

  It was nighttime in the North and at Winterfell, Torrhen was laying in bed, fast asleep with Lann lying the floor near the bed.

Eddard entered the room, wanting to say goodbye to his little brother before heading off into war with his army.

He had the Wildlings and Torra remain up North, wanting them to be there just in case the Tyrells decided to try and take Winterfell. After all, they were already trying to do that with Casterly Rock.

  Eddard had a sad look on his face as he looked down at his brother. He placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Torrhen to immediately wake up.

His eyes fluttered open and he turned to look at Eddard, a puzzled look on his face. "Ned?" He called out groggily, "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

"Shh," Eddard told him softly, telling him to quiet down and Torrhen immediately noticed that his elder brother was armed and wearing his cloak, "It's alright. I just wanted to tell you goodbye before I leave. I'm marching South, to fight the Tyrell forces in the Riverlands. Our Uncle Edmure will be leading the Tully forces and Yohn Royce is traveling to the Vale as we speak to gain their support as well."

"You're leaving now? It's middle of the night," Torrhen complained, earning a small smile from his brother.

"The Tyrells have spies everywhere. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"They have more men than we do, don't they?" Torrhen asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position, "Let me come with you. If Lyanna truly is dead, I am the Lord of Casterly Rock. I can call the banners there. We need those men and I'm the only one who can get them."

"I need to keep you safe more than I need those men," Eddard retorted in a calm tone, "Until I return, I appoint you acting Lord of Winterfell. You will not leave these castle walls while I'm gone, understand?"

"I'm not a child--" Torrhen began to complain, only to have Eddard cut him off.

"Understand?" Eddard asked sternly and Torrhen sighed in defeat, hesitantly nodding his head, "Listen to Aunt Sansa and Ser Steffon. They'll look after you while I am gone. I'll send letters when I can, but if you don't hear from me, don't be scared. I will survive this, I promise. We'll all be together soon. I promise."

Torrhen slowly nodded his head, trying to hide the sadness he felt at that moment.

Eddard took one last look at his brother before leaving the room, unable to find the right words to say goodbye.

____

In her tent across the Narrow Sea, Joanna did what she always did every night, lay in bed and wait for Khal Najo to come bed her. It had been a month since she married him and she felt utterly alone.

She spoke Dothraki but she knew she'd never truly be one of them. She was a foreigner, she'd always be a foreigner.

She wasn't against him sleeping with her, she expected it out of a husband, but it didn't mean she truly felt good while he was bedding her.

She always heard Olyvar, Lyanna, and Eddard speaking about sex and how good it felt, but the way it was happening with her and Najo, she knew experiencing wasn't the same.

She continued to lay down, waiting for Najo's arrival and soon enough, he arrived. She turned her head, watching as Najo entered, completely naked. She slowly sat up, the two of them locking eyes with each other.

He walked over to the bed of furs she laid on. He knelt behind her, flipping her onto her stomach. She sighed in annoyance as he began to pull the skirt of her dress up. Before he could, however, she whipped herself around to face him. She grabbed onto his arms, stopping him from doing so.

"No," Joanna argued, speaking in the common tongue for the first time in over a month.

He tried to shove her hands away, only to notice the furious look she gave him. "I said, no!" She shouted angrily in Dothraki, roughly shoving him on the chest.

"I would like to look upon your face this night, my khal," She suddenly spoke up, trying to sound as polite as possible when speaking to him.

Khal Najo frowned, as if he weren't expecting her to say such a thing. "If you wanted to fuck me the Dothraki way, you would've wed a Dothraki woman, not a foreign girl," She continued on, speaking in Dothraki, "I am a Khaleesi, not a slave. You should treat me like it."

After a long moment of silence, Khal Najo slowly nodded his head, agreeing with her demand. Joanna slowly lifted her hand, placing one of her hands on the side on his face.

He practically flinched, which caused Joanna to frown. Was he not used to physical affection?

She slowly trailed her hands down, staring intently into his eyes as he did with her. She stopped at her shoulders. He waited for her to lightly push him down on the bed, but instead, she did it in such a rough manner that he would have never expected it out of a girl like her.

The smallest of smiles appeared on his face before he forced himself to remove it. Joanna slowly lifted up the skirt of her dress before climbing on top of the Dothraki Khal.

They continued to stare at each other as Joanna lowered herself onto him, refusing to break eye contact. She gradually began to smile, watching as he slowly guided his hands up her body to untie the front of her dress.

Just then, he sat up, causing Joanna to tense up. However, instead of flipping the position, he pulled her closer to him, securing his arms around her as their lips brushed against each other. Yet, still, they refused to kiss.

Joanna began to smile, trying her hardest to contain her moans.

After years spent feeling clueless as to why her parents ended having so many kids or why Eddard chose to sleep around so damn much, she finally understood why they enjoyed sex.

It didn't have to be something that only occurred to make children, it could be used to help them feel connected to their partners in ways they wouldn't think possible.

___

At Castle Black, Olyvar was with a few of the boys he had became friends with since arriving there. He still hadn't taken his vows and he couldn't understand why his Uncle Jon wouldn't let him. After all, some of the boys who arrived after him already took their vows while he still didn't.

Most of his friends had walked out of the dining hall, leaving him alone with a boy he had become friends with.

Karl, his name was. He was seventeen and joined the Night's Watch since it was either that or get his hand cut off after being caught stealing.

The boy was always so talkative yet at that moment, Karl was completely silent. Olyvar sighed in defeat, giving the boy an annoyed look. "Spit it out," He insisted, knowing Karl was dying to say something.

"I can't," Karl complained, shaking his head in disapproval.

Olyvar smiled, giving Karl an amused look. "It can't be that bad."

Karl remained silent for a long moment. He slowly turned to look Olyvar in the eye, feeling uneasy. "I overheard Lord Commander Snow, your uncle, speaking with the maester. It's your brother Eddard..." He trailed off, causing Olyvar's eyes to widen in shock, "He's alive."

"What?" Olyvar asked in disbelief, seeing as though he had been told months ago that all of his siblings were dead.

"He headed South, to war with the Tyrells," Karl informed Olyvar, who was clearly contemplating heading South as well, "The Northmen, the men of the Riverlands, the Knights of the Vale, they've all rallied to his side, they'll keep him safe."

"I should be there," Olyvar argued, beginning to think over what he would do next, "I should be with him. We made a vow. I must be there."

With that, Olyvar rose from his seat, rushing out of the dining hall with Karl chasing after him.

Several moments later, Winter, Olyvar's direwolf, was at his side as Olyvar prepared to climb onto his horse.

"You can't do this, Olyvar," Karl complained, standing next to the boy as he pleaded for him to stay, "People will come after you. They'll hang you for a deserter."

"They won't," Olyvar argued, shaking his head in disagreement, "I haven't taken my vows yet, there's nothing keeping me here."

At that moment, Olyvar realized something. Jon had done it on purpose. He kept Olyvar from taking his vows because he had a feeling there would come a time in the following months where Olyvar would want to travel South to fight the Tyrells for what they did to his family. And Jon had been right.

What he did made sure Olyvar could travel South and fight for his family. Years before, Jon had wanted to do the same when Robb headed to war, but he couldn't because of his Night's Watch vows. Thankfully, Olyvar didn't suffer the same.

"What do you even plan to do after leaving here?" Karl asked in concern, not believing that Olyvar had already made a plan.

"I'm going to find my brother. I'm going to fight alongside him in this war as he and I always planned to do with Lyanna if it came down to it. And the moment we take King's Landing back, I'm going to put a sword through the Knight of the Flower's throat," He explained in a determined tone, climbing onto his horse.

Karl was on the verge of shouting protect once more, only to be cut off as Olyvar's horse sped past him and out of Castle Black with Winter following soon after.

Karl slowly turned his head, his eyes widening when he locked eyes with Jon. Jon watched Olyvar ride out of Castle Black with a content expression on his face, as if he had expected it. Gradually, he began to smile, clearly proud of Olyvar's decision.

It was something Jon always wanted to do but couldn't because of his vows. He knew how much Olyvar wanted to join the Night's Watch like his Uncle did, both of them bastards who felt like outcasts. The Wall was a perfect place for people like them.

However, unlike Jon, Olyvar truly had a home with his family. He was loved by his stepmother and was treated like one of the trueborn children.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here we go!!

Olyvar is headed south to join Eddard!!

I've also decided to add in flashbacks from Lion Among Wolves for those who hadn't read it already.