LION'S LEGACY
76. Victory

    In Old Town, Annalys remained silent as the Reachmen led her onto the large, raised platform that she was to be executed on. She glanced around, watching as the people of the Reach cheered about her execution, unlike what the people of King's Landing had done when they saw their beloved and rightful queen chained up.

Her expression remained emotionless as she fell into a kneel on the ground. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, preparing for her beheading. She had died once by poison and once by being stabbed a half dozen times. She thought those were bad, but what would be beheaded feel like, she wondered.

She inhaled sharply, taking a deep breath in order to remain calm. That was it. Once she was beheaded, she would never return from the dead again. She'd be dead once and for all.

  The executioner raised his axe above Annalys' head, preparing to chop the former queen's head off.

  She continued to take deep breaths, not fearing for what was yet to come. She didn't fear death. She never did.

  Just then, she felt herself consumed with a sensation she hadn't felt in years and she'd be lying if she said it didn't feel exhilarating. A few short moments passed before a loud roar was heard in the distance, which caused Annalys' chapped lips to curl upwards.

Everyone turned, the entire place falling silent. Only seconds later, Rhaegal flew by. Flames escaping his mouth, many looked fearful and screamed in terror at the sight of the green dragon, knowing what it meant.

   Rhaegal set fire to the commoners who were there to witness the execution of his rider.

Annalys slowly looked up, beginning to smile as she felt relieved to see Rhaegal. He flew around briefly before landing in front of Annalys, causing the ground to shake. He growled and roared menacingly at the remaining people around him, causing many of them to run for their lives.

They spent years abusing the mighty Annalys Lannister since she was too weak and powerless to fight back. However, now, she had her dragon back. She would be unstoppable.

One of the men began to run toward Annalys to execute her once and for all. Before he could, Rhaegal grab ahold of him with his teeth, ripping him apart before tossing him to the side as if he were a rag doll.

A large, sadistic smile appeared on Annalys' face at the sight. Rhaegal set fire to many other men as Annalys began to walk toward him, showing no fear, unlike everyone else. Rhaegal burned commoners and nobles alike but Annalys didn't care. They were all guilty in her eyes. In truth, they were. They all abused her in some way, whether people wanted to believe it or not.

One of the remaining men threw a spear at Rhaegal, causing it to stab into his neck. Annalys quickly walked over, ripping the spear out of his neck before tossing it with her right hand. The spear glided through the air before stabbing into the man's chest.

She felt consumed with relief, the feeling of finally being to able to fight back feeling amazing to her.

She turned to face the men, smirking as Rhaegal stood next to her. He lowered his wing, allowing her to climb on. She wasted no time doing so, climbing onto his back. She gripped onto him with her right hand as tightly as she could, knowing it was going to be difficult to remain on with only one hand.

Rhaegal let out a large roar before leaping into the sky. She smiled brightly, beyond happy about riding the dragon.

  They rode through the sky and Annalys had Rhaegal set fire each castle of the Reach she set her eyes upon, no matter whose they were. If it had been any other region, she wouldn't have cared, but she couldn't recall a single house of the Reach that stood by her and didn't betray her for the Tyrells.

     Finally, after what felt like hours of riding, Annalys set her eyes upon the Hightower, the place she wanted to burn most of all.

"Dracarys!" She roared loudly and Rhaegal wasted no time setting the large tower aflame.

   They began to ride around the Hightower, setting fire to every part of it. There had been commoners standing outside the Hightower, only to have the fallen parts of it fall upon them.

They screamed, attempting to run away, but most didn't survive. Soon enough, the entirety of the Hightower was burned away and Annalys felt a wash of relief. Now, all that was left was Highgarden, the source of all her problems.

____

That same day, the Tyrell army was returning from Highgarden, led by Lord Florent and the new Lord Redwyne.

  Suddenly, Lord Redwyne paused and strained to hear a noise far in the distance, which caused Lord Florent to turn to him in concern. "What?" Florent asked him, frowning slightly, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Listen," He immediately told him in a stern tone, much to Florent's concern.

  Florent remained silent for a long moment, only to hear the sounds of horses and high pitched war cries coming from beyond the hill in the distance.

His eyes widened, immediately realizing it was the Dothraki.

Lord Redwyne wasted no time taking off at a gallop, yelling orders to the soldiers on the road. "Spears and shields! Spears and shields!" He shouted, Florent yelling alongside him as they both gave orders.

The Reachmen wasted no time jumping into action as they started to arm themselves, "Spears and shields!"

"Get in line now!" Florent shouted out loudly.

A son of Leyton Hightower was riding across the battlefield, yelling orders to men alongside Florent and Lord Redwyne. "Come on, lads! Fall in line. Fall in line!"

The Reach army wasted no time getting in formation to repel the invading horde. Tyrell archers lined up behind the pikemen as the Dothraki horde drew closer, led by Najo. The Free Folk were behind the Reachmen on foot, not that the Reachmen knew that. They were far too distracted preparing to fight off the Dothraki.

The Dothraki came riding over the hill with their arakhs held overhead, screaming as they did so. There were at least a ten thousand of them or more but the men tried their hardest not to look terrified, despite feeling just that.

  Florent wasted no time drawing his sword, Redwyne and Hightower doing the same soon after.

"Spears out!" Redwyne shouted out and the Reach pikemen immediately dropped their spears into a fighting position and readied their shields.

    Florent glanced around at each of them, noticing how terrified they looked. "These fuckers are about to swamp us."

"We can hold them off," Lord Hightower argued, only to be cut off when they suddenly hear a loud roar from the distance.

The men whipped their heads around, their eyes widening in fear at the sight of Rhaegal riding toward them in the distance. Annalys, of all people, was riding him, which terrified them most of all. She was supposed to be dead. The Dothraki didn't even know she was going to be there, in all honesty.

    Florent turned, his eyes widening in utter terror as he looked up to see the large, green dragon flying overhead. "Seven hells." He muttered under his breath, squinting to see Annalys Lannister riding the dragon. They were fucked.

"Dracarys!" She roared out and within seconds, the men watched helplessly as many of the Reachmen on the first line of defense were set aflame with dragonfire.

The men screamed in agony as they were set on fire and Florent, Hightower, and Redwyne were forced to watch helplessly as her men were burned.

The Dothraki rode through the flames, attacking the remaining Reachmen, the Reach foot soldiers running for their lives.

"Hold the line!" Hightower shouted out, trying to issue orders to the terrified men, "Hold the line!"

  The main force of Dothraki crashed into the shielded pikemen, men on both sides being killed in the process, but most of them Reachmen. A second wave of Dothraki rode in, much to the men's horror. They watched as the Dothraki, including Najo, switched from a seated position to standing atop their saddles while shooting bow and arrows.

The Reach archers fired back and many men were killed. Florent looked up fearfully, watching Annalys circle around them on Rhaegal, the large dragon setting many men aflame, along with carriages filled with crops. Carts exploded into millions of pieces and barrels flew through the air around him.

He watched the scene in both horror and shock, clearly regretting every decision he made regarding Annalys.

Torturing her.

Cutting off her hand.

Taking her youngest daughter.

Most of all...

What he did to her in the black cells.

"Archers! Archers, with me!" He forced himself to shout out, a group of archers breaking from the main battle to join him in pointing their bows at Rhaegal. "Nock! Draw!"

The men nocked their arrows, pointing them up toward Rhaegal, who flew up ahead and straight toward them. "Loose!"

The archers fired their arrows in unison and Rhaegal turned, making the arrows bounce harmlessly off of him. Hadn't they realized arrows didn't work years ago with Drogon?

  Annalys and Rhaegal then began to set fire to another line of carriages, causing many men to scream as they were caught on fire.

    Joanna, who was far away, at the edge of the battlefield standing alongside some Dothraki guards, watched the battle occur contently, "Your people can't fight," Mago told his Khaleesi in Dothraki.

"This is the people of the Reach. These people are not my people," Joanna replied in Dothraki, "They never will be."

  Joanna continued to watch the chaos and bloodshed occur, men screaming in agony as they were engulfed in flames.

  She soon spotted Florent standing with an unknown object that happened to be a scorpion. She frowned in concern, only to have his eyes widen when he saw the weapon pointed up at Rhaegal. She suddenly froze, however, realizing that her mother was on top of Rhaegal.

"No, no, no. She was dead!" She exclaimed, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

  She turned to look at Florent again, noticing how he was on the first of releasing a scorpion bolt.

"No!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, about to run forward.

   Before she could, however, the Dothraki men grabbed ahold of her. Najo, however, ended up hearing his wife's loud scream and turned his head. He noticed her eyes were on something and turned to see what it was.

  Her eyes were on Florent, who was on the verge of shooting the dragon with the scorpion. He sighed in annoyance as he rolled his eyes, clearly unamused by the man.

The arrow instantly glided through air and found its way into Florent's shoulder. He quietly snorted, smirking in satisfaction as the man fell to the ground, grunting in pain.

  As if on cue, Rhaegal had set fire to the only scorpion there, presumably burning Florent as well.

For a split second, Najo looked up, exchanging a look with his wife's mother, who seemed to instantly know who he was. She sent him a small, weak smile, just before riding off to another part of the battlefield with Rhaegal.

Najo turned, exchanging a look with Joanna.

Just then, a scorpion bolt glided right past Annalys, causing her to frown in confusion. She glanced around, wondering where the hell it had come from.

Finally, she locked eyes on where it was coming from, causing her to hatefully glare at the man who was shooting scorpion bolts at her. She screamed out, riding straight toward the man, on the verge of burning him alive.

Just then, the bolt glided through the air within the blink of an eye and before Annalys could react, Rhaegal was shot in the wing it.

Rhaegal let out a large, pain-filled sreech and began to fall through the sky. Annalys cried out, trying her hardest to hold on as tight as she could before falling off. After all, it was quite difficult to ride a dragon with one hand.

Rhaegal was just about to land on the ground, but before he could even attempt to do so, another scorpion bolt was shot his way. He was able to avoid it, however, but that didn't mean Annalys was able to balance herself in time.

Annalys screamed out, not being able to stop herself before she fell through the sky. Rhaegal began to fly in her direction, hoping to stop his rider before she could hit the ground.

Instead of hitting the ground, however, she ended up falling into the lake. She fell in with such force that many wondered if she'd survive such a thing.

Letting out a large roar, Rhaegal landed on the shore of the lake, unable to save Annalys.

  With the army of wildlings and Dothraki had come Ser Edric Dayne, who instantly rode over to them. He immediately climbed off his horse, removing his armor. He wasted no time jumping in the water, with nothing to weigh him down.

He swam all the way to the bottom of the lake, where he spotted Annalys' unconscious body. He wasted no time lifting her up once reaching her before he swam to the surface.

He swam to the shore while holding Annalys before placing her down on the sand. Rhaegal sat next to them, whining at the sight of Annalys. He nudged at her, but she seemed unresponsive.

"Annalys?" He called out in concern, but got no answer, "Annalys! Annalys, wake up!"

Edric moved closer to Annalys, placing his hands over her heart. He began to press down on it, which he learned during his travels across Westeros while searching for her children. It was said to start the heartbeat back up when someone stopped breathing.

"Come on, Annalys. Come on. You're too strong to die like this," He spoke softly, tears beginning to form in his eyes as he continued to press down on her heart.

"Ser Edric," A voice called out, causing Edric to turn his head to see Joanna standing with Najo, tears welled in her eyes, "She's gone. You can't do anything. She's gone."

"No," Edric argued, continuing on as he shook his head, "I will not lose her like this. Not again. I refuse."

"Come on, Annalys. Come on!" He pleaded, closing her nose with his fingers before placing his mouth on hers.

He began to blow into her mouth, wondering if she needed air after practically drowning. He wondered if the reason she wasn't waking up was because her lungs were filled with water.

He stopped briefly, placing his ear near her mouth to see if she was breathing. Still, there was no response.

He blew a few more breaths of air into her mouth before he began to press his hands against her heart once more, pushing on it numerous times.

"Annalys, please. Please, Annalys, I need you. We all need you. You can't die. Not like this. I lost Jeyne. I won't lose you, too." He continued on, trying his hardest not to cry.

Joanna, tears in her eyes, walked over to Edric. She took a deep, shaky breath, just before placing her hand on his shoulder. "Ser Edric, she's gone."

"No, she's not!" Edric forced himself to argue as he turned to glare at Joanna, beginning to cry, "She can't."

"Wake up, Annalys! Wake up!" Edric demanded in a loud tone, balling his hands into fists before he began to pound his fists against her chest, "You're too strong to die like this. You have children. You have family. People who love you, people who would be heartbroken if we lost you for a second time. You must wake up. Wake up and fight!"

Just then, Annalys woke up with a gasp, causing Joanna's eyes to widen. Edric quietly gasped before he began to smile.

"Edric?" Annalys called out softly, her eyes beginning to fill with tears at the sight of the person she trusted most in the world. One of the people she loved most. "Edric!"

Edric smiled, both of them beginning to cry as they hugged each other tightly. Annalys cried happily as she wrapped her arms around Edric's neck. Edric wrapped his arms around Annalys, snuggling the woman to his chest.

After a moment, Annalys pulled away, smiling happily at the sight of Edric. She cupped his face in his hands, looking into his eyes for a long moment before placing a tender kiss to his cheek.

"Is that your father?" Najo suddenly asked Joanna, who stared at Edric closely, practically glaring.

"No," Joanna admitted softly, shaking her head in disapproval, "Mother?" She found herself speaking up, purposely ruining her mother's moment with Edric since she believed it to be inappropriate as most did.

No one seemed to understand, though. Edric had been the one at Annalys' side through everything. When even Robb wasn't there for Annalys, Edric was. They had a bond stronger than blood, stronger than the bond Annalys had with Robb.

It wasn't romantic, though. It was something different, something no one could explain.

Most just saw it as being inappropriate, which was what led to Joanna, Torrhen, and little Edric being considered bastards in the first place.

Little Edric.

That was what made everything far worse. Annalys had named her youngest son after Edric and gave him the name Lannister instead of Stark.

Annalys' bond with Edric was what caused the war, in a way. It was what Margaery had used as an excuse to take the throne in the first place. That all of Annalys' children were fathered by Edric. It wasn't hard to "prove", either, despite it not even actually being true.

No one seemed to notice that. No one but Joanna.

Annalys immediately pulled away from Edric, turning to her daughter in shock. She cried out, her eyes filling with tears. "Joanna?" She asked softly, absolutely stunned at the sight of her daughter.

She couldn't even recall how many years it had been since she last seen a child of hers that wasn't Alerie.

Annalys weakly sat up, causing Joanna to gasp in horror at the sight of her mother's missing hand. "Mother, what h--" She began to ask, only to get cut off by Annalys hugging her as tightly as she could.

Joanna began to cry, wasting no time hugging her mother back. She missed it. She missed her mother's love, her mother's touch. No matter how much she matured after becoming a khaleesi and a mother, she was still a child, especially once she was in engulfed her mother's arms once more.

Annalys pulled away, cupping Joanna's face in her hands. Joanna looked into her mother's eyes, seeing how it seemed as though her mother had aged quite a lot since she last seen her.

"I remember the day you and Torrhen came into this world. It was right after my coronation. I was only expecting your brother, but then you were born soon after, red-faced and squalling. I hadn't expected to have another child along with Torrhen, but I had never been so happy in my life," She explained, causing Joanna to smile sadly as well, "Now, I find you, a wife to a khal. A queen in your own right while carrying a child of your own."

Joanna's eyes widened, looking down to see her mother placing a hand on her daughter's stomach.

She was about to ask her mother, only to have Annalys answer before she had to ask. "I am your mother. I know things like this."

In truth, Annalys had only known since the moment she laid her eyes on Joanna just a few minutes before, she saw the way her daughter instantly placed her hands on her stomach.

It was something she herself did while pregnant and on the verge of hugging her own mother.

Annalys instantly wiped Joanna's tears with her right hand before turning to look at Najo, who awkwardly stood there as well.

"I trust you've treated her well," Annalys spoke up in Dothraki, which honestly didn't surprise Najo after Eddard did just weeks before.

"I have," Najo responded in the common tongue, causing Annalys to look impressed, "I am Khal Najo. Husband of Joanna Stark and father of her children."

"Children?" Annalys asked in disbelief, turning to look at her daughter with a shocked look, "How many do you have already?"

"One," Joanna responded, looking nervous as to how her mother would react, "I named him Torro. After Torra."

Annalys began to smile, nodding her head in understanding. "Sixteen and on the verge of having your second child," She explained softly, beginning to laugh nervously, "Is it your sexual appetite that has caused such a thing or his?"

"Hers," Najo responded at the same time that Joanna shouted, "Mother!" and gave Annalys a look of disbelief.

Joanna scoffed, turning to Najo with an annoyed look. He shrugged his shoulders without a care in the world while Annalys smiled in amusement.

"You can blame myself and her father for that. I've given birth to eight children in eighteen years since we couldn't keep our hands to ourselves," She explained and while Najo began to laugh, Joanna looked concerned.

Eight?

How did she give birth to Eight?

Lyanna. Eddard. Torrhen. Joanna. Rickard. The child who died at birth. And little Edric. That was seven.

"Eight?" Joanna questioned in concern, giving her mother a weird look, "You've only given birth to seven children, Mother."

"Eight," Annalys corrected her daughter in a calm tone, "I gave birth to a baby girl during my imprisonment. She's still in King's Landing. Her name is Alerie."

"Alerie?" Joanna asked in disgust, "Isn't that the name of Margaery Tyrell's mother?"

"She was taken away from me when she was born and given to Margaery to raise. If I have my way, I'll change her name the moment I reunite with her," She explained, only to notice the weird look on Joanna's face, "What? What is it?"

"Mother, Lyanna had every person in the Red Keep slaughtered at Margaery's wedding to Father. Margaery's son was slaughtered, as was every other child in the castle," Joanna explained, causing Annalys to begin to cry.

"No," Annalys argued in disbelief, shaking her head, "No, no, no. That can't be. No!"

Annalys began to sob as she fell to her knees, clutching her stomach in emotional pain.

Joanna began to tear up at her mother's reaction. She was on the verge of moving toward her mother, only to have Najo pull her back.

She went to give him an angry look, only to turn her head to see what was standing behind Annalys.

It wasn't Alerie or Robb, of course. However, it was something that could be considered better, in a way.

"Mother?" A voice called out, causing Annalys to slowly turn her head to see Torra standing before her with Aden.

Annalys looked up at the duo, but refused to stand up. She began to sob even louder but was unable to find the strength to stand back up.

Aden and Torra both rushed over to Annalys, kneeling next to her. The married couple both hugged her and Annalys hugged them back. Annalys began to cry as she hugged them both. Her daughter and the boy who became like a son to her over the years.

No matter what people said, Aden was apart of the Stark-Lannister family. Not just by marriage, either. Annalys brought him into her home. She took him in, despite him being a Baratheon bastard. He was thirteen when she brought him to the castle. Instead of living on the streets, starving, he got to live in a castle as a stable boy. She made sure he was given a proper education and given all that he needed to survive. She was always good to him. She practically saved his life and in return, he had saved Torrhen's.

Annalys continued to cry, hugging both Aden and Torra tightly. She had reunited with two of her daughters and a boy who was like a son to her.

And miles away, Robb was reuniting with his sons. Through all of it, though, there was still one child that was unaccounted for. The most important one. They wanted to see her, but in truth, it felt like she didn't feel the same.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Annalys reunited with Torra, Joanna and Ser Edric ❤️

No matter how much I wanted Annalys to reunite with her children tho, Edric was the only I've always yearned for her to reunite with again.

Also Florent is STILL not dead. 👀 he got shot with an arrow but no one saw his body.

And believe it or not, he's enemy #1, ESPECIALLY TO ROBB