LION'S LEGACY
77. Father/Son reunion

    Weeks before the battle that ended with Annalys reuniting with two of her daughters, in King's Landing, Robb had rushed to the room Alerie and Prince Tommen had been kept in during the wedding ceremony. The guards were lying dead outside the room and Robb became horrified by the blood that covered the walls.

He tried to remain calm, slowly entering the room to find Prince Tommen beaten beyond recognition on the ground.

He took a deep breath, trying not to break down as he walked over to Alerie's crib.

Handprints of blood stained the sheets, but Alerie was not in her crib.

"Looking for something?" A familiar Dornish voice spoke up, causing Robb to slowly turn around to see Oberyn Martell standing before him, holding a sleeping Alerie in his arms.

"Did you--" Robb began to ask, gesturing toward the dead body of the small boy as he rushed to take his daughter from Oberyn's arms.

"Of course not. I could have only hoped to save that boy as I did with your daughter," Oberyn explained in a calm tone, earning a questioning look from Robb, "From where I come, we do not believe it's fair to punish a child for their family's mistakes."

Robb gave Oberyn a sympathetic look. He knew what the Dornish man meant. After all, Oberyn's sister's children had been killed in the same fashion when Tywin Lannister sacked King's Landing.

"I have your two youngest sons, Your Grace," Oberyn suddenly revealed, causing Robb to stare at him in disbelief, "I have them hidden at a brothel just a few miles from here. I can take you to them."

"You have Rickard?" was all Robb asked, disregarding the fact that Oberyn had little Edric as well.

It wasn't that he didn't care about Edric, it was just obvious that Oberyn would have to small boy with him. After all, Oberyn had raised Robb's youngest son for several years now.

All he cared about was figuring out how the hell Oberyn got ahold of Rickard when no one else could.

"Take me to them," Robb demanded in a stern tone and Oberyn wasted no time nodding his head.

With that, Oberyn and Robb fled the castle with Alerie, rushing to the brothel. However, when they got there, they were horrifed when they found the entire place turned upside down, bodies of knights and whores scattered all over the establishment.

Robb had become even more horrified when he heard dozens of men shouting Lyanna's name all throughout King's Landing, as if it had been her idea to turn the capital into a bloodbath in the first place.

Robb had turned to Oberyn, a horrified look on his face. Where were his sons? Were they safe?

Just a few streets away, Rickard was cursing loudly as the Hound dragged both him and his younger brother to safety. Edric had heard more swears come out of his brother's mouth than he even thought existed.

Cunt? What was a cunt, innocent little Edric found himself wondering.

"You bloody fuck, I could've handled that perfectly well on my own!" Rickard growled at the Hound as he tugged himself out of the Clegane man's tight grip.

"Oh, really?" He questioned, letting out a loud laugh, "When I got there, you were being cornered by four knights at once."

"It had been seven before you arrived. I killed three on my own before you even got there. I could have easily killed the remaining four," Rickard snapped at the Hound coldly, glaring at him hatefully.

"You can do math. Good for you. Let's go," The Hound retorted, beginning to drag Rickard forward while Edric obeyed without question.

"The fuck I am," Rickard roared, spitting in the Hound's face in attempt to free himself from the man's grip.

Edric glanced between the Hound and Rickard, wondering what was going on. He started to think the Hound must have been a bad guy, but believe it or not, the argument between Rickard and the Hound at that moment was an every day thing for them. It had been for years now.

The duo couldn't seem to have a normal conversation without any yelling, swearing, or name-calling occurring.

It obvious that no other person could have handled Rickard for as long as the Hound did.

"What do you think you're doing with my sons?" A voice suddenly spoke up, causing the three males to turn their head to see Robb standing before them.

He held Alerie, who was now awake, in his arms with Oberyn standing beside him.

"I thought you were dead," Rickard nonchalantly commented while Edric rushed over to Oberyn and hugged him instead of hugging Robb.

  Robb gave Rickard a look of disbelief, but his attention instantly went over to little Edric. His eyes filled with sadness at the sight of Edric running into Oberyn's arms for comfort instead of his own father's.

"Ouch," Rickard let out a loud scoff, causing Robb to turn to him once more, "You know, it seems like you have a lot of speaking to do with little Edric. If it's alright with you, I think I'll take my leave now."

Rickard went to walk away, only to stop when Robb spoke up. "Take your leave? Is that your attempt in being funny?" He questioned with an attitude, causing Rickard to roll his eyes as he turned to face his father a second time.

"Don't you want to come home, Rickard?" Robb asked softly, the look of Rickard's face telling him he wanted quite the opposite.

"What home?" Rickard bluntly asked without a care in the world, "I don't have a home."

"You do have a--" Robb began to ask, a saddened look on his face.

"What, the Red Keep?" Rickard questioned, beginning to laugh coldly, "That place was never my home. I never belonged there like the others did. They didn't like me. Torrhen might have acted like he did, but he only did that when he wanted to cause trouble. I was always the one they all wanted to go to when they wanted to cause trouble. After all, I was always the troublemaker. The freak. The defective one. The outcast. Not matter how much she was outcast, Lyanna always had Torra. Eddard had Olyvar. And Torrhen had Joanna. Edric was only a baby at the time. He didn't anyone. Where did that leave me? With no one. I was always alone, but not anymore."

Robb frowned, watching as Rickard gestured toward the Hound. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked his son, trying to contain his anger and sadness.

"I don't feel alone with Sandor. He's my friend. The only one who's ever actually paid attention to me. The one who lets me be free. The father I never had," Rickard explained and Robb felt his heart break at the boy's last words.

All the children yearned to be with their parents again, all but Rickard.

Rickard was barely even affected by his parents' "deaths", which was the most horrifying part. Aye, he might have cared a bit about his mother dying, but he never shed a tear for his father.

All of the children adored their father, even more than they adored their mother. Lyanna might have been closer to her mother, but she still loved her father and viewed him as one of her heroes.

Everyone was always worried about Lyanna not having a bond with her father, but no one seemed to notice the child who Robb couldn't even remember a single time he was alone with since he was a baby.

Robb didn't have a bond with Rickard in the slightest and he felt horrible about it.

People might not have noticed it, but over the years, Annalys had spent quite a lot of time with Rickard after what happened with Ambrose.

Robb, however, barely spoke to him.

And now it was coming to bite him in the ass.

Rickard was choosing to leave with the Hound, his "father", instead of with his own father.

"Your mother is alive," Robb forced himself to say as Rickard was preparing to leave with the Hound, who refused to say a word.

Robb was angry, to say the least, and the Hound even feared what would happen when the Young Wolf unleashed that anger. More specifically, on who.

"What?" Rickard suddenly asked, the revelation clearly shocking to him.

Robb felt guilty. He wasn't telling the boy to give him good news. He was doing it because he knew his son would choose to stay with his father, solely to see his mother again.

Robb knew Rickard idolized his mother, despite everything. After all, Annalys was always the only one in the family who could handle Rickard and all his difficulties.

Even when she thought Rickard killed Joanna's cat, Annalys still stuck by him in a way. She hid all the proof that made it look as though he did it and had bathed him of the blood herself. And when she found out someone in the castle was harming her son, she killed the man in the worst way possible.

While all of children in the family seemed to view their father as their hero even more than their mother, Rickard only ever viewed his mother as his hero.

Rickard didn't care about many in this world, that was obvious. However, he always loved his mother. She was the only one he ever looked to for approval or guidance. As a child, he wanted to be just like her. In a way, he did, but he just became the bad parts of his mother, which was something Robb and Annalys never wanted for any of their children.

However, while Robb couldn't even look at his son the same at that moment after learning about what he did in the Riverlands, Rickard knew his mother would always look at him the same. She'd love him no matter what. She'd never judge him. And she'd always be there when he needed her, no matter what he did.

Most of all, if Annalys had been there at that moment, she would have been more than willing to let her child free into the world.

She would allow him to because she believed it was necessary to allow her children to live their own lives and be free to make mistakes.

She would allow him to go because she knew since Rickard was a baby that'd he'd fly the coop far earlier than any of the other children.

She would allow him to go most of all because she knew sooner or later, he would be back.

"If you stay with me, you can see her again. After that, you may leave again if you please. Just come with me. Please," Robb pleaded, which was his greatest mistake.

If he had known Rickard as Annalys did, he would have known Rickard would have actually said yes if Robb stopped at his first sentence.

"You're begging," Rickard realized, letting out a loud scoff while Robb gave him a puzzled look, "You're just using Mother as an excuse to make me stay. I won't fall for it. I dare say Mother isn't even alive. You're just trying to trick me."

Rickard glared at his father before turning on his heel, beginning to walk away while the Hound stayed in place.

"Are you coming with me or not?" He asked him in annoyance, yet still, the Hound did not move, "Suit yourself."

Before Rickard could get far, Robb rushed forward and roughly grabbed ahold of his son's arm.

Out of instinct, Rickard had whipped himself around and punched Robb, forgetting who it was that had laid a hand on him.

Robb took a step back, clutching his now bleeding nose as he stared at Rickard in horror. "You're not my son," He muttered under his breath and of course, Rickard ended up taking it the wrong way.

Rickard scoffed, trying his best to contain his sadness. "Good. I'm glad I'm not your son. You are the reason all of this happened in the first place. It feels good to know I'm not the son of the man who is the reason my mother is now broken beyond repair. Perhaps if you didn't want to fuck her all the time, she..." He trailed off, gesturing toward Alerie, "Wouldn't have been born at such a horrible time."

"Rickard---" Robb began to say, only to be cut off by Rickard running away.

He turned to the Hound, trying to contain his anger. "Go after him. Keep him safe." He demanded, knowing that despite not enjoying the idea of Rickard spending all his time with the Clegane man, the Hound was the only one who could protect him fully.

The Hound didn't respond. He walked off, following after Rickard with an annoyed look on his face.

Robb slowly turned to Oberyn, a saddened look on his face. "I-I didn't mean what I said," He confessed and Oberyn simply nodded.

In truth, Robb didn't mean what he said in the way Rickard took it as Robb.

Robb had claimed Rickard wasn't his son in the way that he meant that Rickard was nothing like he used to be. He was no longer the Rickard Stark Robb once knew, his son.

Rickard had taken it as Robb claiming that he wasn't his blood or a Stark. But that wasn't what he meant.

Robb looked down at Edric, a deeply saddened look on his face. "Do you hate me, too?" He asked softly and Edric's eyes began to fill with tears.

Edric shook his head. He walked over to his father and wasted no time hugging his father. Robb smiled softly, hugging his son back while also still holding Alerie in his arms.

Robb pulled away from Edric, looking down at the young boy. "My boy," He said softly, feeling relieved to be with his youngest son once more.

_____

Weeks later, Robb had arrived at Highgarden with Oberyn, Alerie, little Edric, and many of the men who had worked on Lyanna's behalf to destroy Robb's wedding to Margaery. All but Theon, who had returned back to Lyanna for some odd reason.

When they arrived at Highgarden, they found Eddard's men attempting to perform a siege, which was quite amusing to Robb.

They weren't doing it right, that was for sure. They rode through and Robb couldn't blame his son for not knowing how to perform a siege the correct way. Robb didn't how to perform one at his son's age, either.

He searched the war camp, but seemed to find either of his sons anywhere in sight.

He didn't ask anyone of their whereabouts, either. He refused to tell anyone who he was just yet.

He suddenly stopped when he came across a large tent with the sigils of a lion and a direwolf on the front of it. It was clearly Eddard's.

Robb walked forward and without a care in the world, he entered the tent with his youngest son following after him while he also held Alerie in his arms.

However, when Robb entered, he became horrified when he found Eddard in bed with a Dornish girl, one that happened to be the boy's wife.

Robb gasped, but was quick to cover his youngest son's eyes and Alerie's. "So there is a poor excuse for a siege going on out there and you're in bed with a Dornish girl?" He suddenly asked, causing Eddard's eyes to widen as he instantly pulled away from Allyria.

He was quick to cover his wife up and then jumped out of bed, rushing to put some pants on. "Father!" He exclaimed in disbelief, shocked to see the man.

Eddard wanted nothing more than to rush to hug his father, but found it to be awkward after what his father caught him doing.

"How did you--" He began to ask, only to have Robb cut him off.

"Survive? It seems we have Lyanna to thank for that," Robb answered in a calm tone, "There's no time for a reunion right now. We must take Highgarden before your mother burns it down."

"Wait, what?!" Eddard exclaimed in disbelief and before Robb left, he turned to his eldest son once more.

"Your mother burned down five castles of the Reach, one of them being the Hightower. There was a battle, Wildlings and Dothraki against Reachmen. Our side won. I believe any survivors of the Reach will attempt to find sanctuary here or already have."

"They couldn't have," Eddard argued, shaking his head in disagreement, "We're camped out in front of the gates."

"Has the secret passages of the Red Keep taught you anything, my son?" Robb asked his son impatiently, "There's always more than one entrance and exit to a castle, even if we don't know about it."

With that, Robb walked out of the tent with little Edric and Alerie. Eddard awkwardly turned to Allyria, an ashamed look on his face.

What a great way to reunite with his father.

Meanwhile, Robb was making his way through the warcamp, barking orders on behalf of Eddard. He suddenly stopped, his eyes locking on Torrhen and Olyvar.

Olyvar was the first to stop them, his eyes widening in shock. "Father?" He called out in disbelief, causing Torrhen to turn as well.

The two boys wasted no time rushing forward and Robb found himself smiling. He wasted no time hugging them both, having a much better reunion with the duo than he did with Rickard and Eddard.

"My boys," Robb said quietly, relieved to be with them once more, "Where's your sister? Where's Joanna?" He asked, glancing around when he found Joanna nowhere in sight.

"With the Dothraki, Torra, and Aden," Torrhen answered in a calm tone, "I didn't get to see her but Olyvar and Ned did."

Robb turned to Olyvar, a questioning look on his face. "She's changed, Father," He admitted softly, shaking his head, "She's not the girl she once was. But in a good way. She's confident and strong. Eddard tried to give her orders and Joanna refused. She's chosen to stay with her husband rather than join us."

Robb sighed, feeling uneasy about the revelation. 

"Your Grace?" A voice called out, causing Robb to turn his head to see Edmyn.

Believe it or not, Robb felt grateful to see the man. Edmyn looked uneasy, however, knowing all the hardships the Lannister-Stark family had endured at the hands of his father and brother.

"I must tell you, Your Grace, I apologize for all that my family has done to wrong yours. I swear to you--"

Before Edmyn could finish his apology, however, Robb had surprisingly hugged the man, much to everyone's shock.

   Robb pulled away from the hug, smiling slightly at the Hightower knight. "Has serving this family taught you nothing, Ser Edmyn? We don't blame a person for their family's mistakes," He reminded Edmyn, patting him on the shoulder, "I must thank you for all that you've done for my family. I wish there was a way to repay you."

"Lyanna already has," Edmyn responded in a calm tone, causing Robb to give him a puzzled look, "She's killed my mad little brother and brought my dear sister under her protection."

"What?" Robb questioned, not understanding the last part of what Edmyn had said, "What sister?"

____

Weeks prior, near Harrenhal, Leyla ran through the woods, trying to outrun the man trying to kill her. Suddenly, the man tackled her to the ground, causing Leyla to let out a loud scream.

The man tried to cover her mouth, glaring at her hatefully. "Your family took everything from me!" He growled at her threateningly, "It is only fair that you die."

While pinning her body down with one hand, the man used the other lift up his dagger.

However, before he could attack her, a dagger flew the air before it embedded itself into his forearm.

The man screamed in agony and Leyla wasted no time kicking her arm. She rose to her feet, staring down at the man in shock.

Just then, she turned her head, watching as Lyanna walked over with Jaime standing beside her.

She bent down, removing her dagger from being stabbed into the man's arm. The man yelled out in pain, watching as Lyanna flipped the dagger in her hand. She wiped the blood that coated the blade on the man's sleeve before sheathing it on her belt.

She looked down at the man, glaring at him threateningly. "Attack her and you attack me, ser. You would do well not to do it again," She warned him in a low, stern tone, causing Leyla to stare at her in shock.

The man heaved for breath as he stared up at Lyanna, not understanding her need to keep Leyla alive.

"Thank you," Leyla managed to get out, beginning to rub her aching neck.

Lyanna turned to briefly glance over at her, not saying a word.

"I will not execute you, ser, but if you do something like that again, I might just have to," Lyanna warned the man before looking toward Leyla, "Come. I'll take you back to Harrenhal."

   Later on that day, Lyanna had entered the room Leyla was standing in, finding the girl wearing a new dress she had made for her.

"Good. The dress fits you," Lyanna complimented Leyla, who gave her an angry look.

"What do you want from me, Lyanna?" Leyla found herself asking Lyanna, an annoyed look on her face, "I heard the news. My father is dead. All of my brothers are dead. All but Edmyn, but he is a member of the Kingsguard. My castle has been burnt down. The Hightower name is now gone. I am of no use to you. So why am I here?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Lyanna answered in a mocking tone as she shrugged her shoulders, "I never said you had to stay. You had the choice of leaving for weeks now, but you haven't. So why don't you tell me why you're here?"

"I don't know," Leyla confessed softly, watching as Lyanna began to walk toward her.

"Are you sure about that?" Lyanna stopped when she was standing in front of Leyla, their faces just inches apart.

  Leyla stood in place, not moving a muscle as Lyanna lifted her hand. With the back of her hand, she lightly stroked Leyla's cheek. Leyla stared up at Lyanna, into her dark green eyes that she found herself getting lost in.

Lyanna began to smirk in satisfaction, realizing at the moment what was the true reason for Leyla staying with her at Harrenhal.

Lyanna lifted both of her hands, placing them at Leyla's neck. She slowly began to trail them down before stopping at the valley between Leyla's breasts. She started to untie the dress, going slow on purpose just to annoy Leyla.

She smirked, noticing how impatient Leyla looked, so desperate to feel Lyanna's touch completely.

"You like to be in control, don't you?" Leyla found herself asking Lyanna, who continued to untie Leyla's dress at a slow pace, taking in the sight of every part of the girl's body she laid eyes on.

"I am the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. I'm supposed to be Queen. Of course I love to be in control," Lyanna admitted without a care in the world.

Lyanna finally opened Leyla's dress, leaving her in just her small clothes. She smirked in satisfaction, clearly enjoying the sight of Leyla's body.

"I dare say I've never seen someone look so intrigued to see my body," Leyla confessed, clearly speaking so much since she was nervous, "And I'm not even fully naked."

"A woman's body is a wonderful thing, nothing can compare to such a beauty," Lyanna jokingly responded, earning a playful eye roll from Leyla, "I've been with women. Many, actually, but they never truly meant anything to me. But after being with a man when I don't even like men, especially when that man is Arthur Hightower...You could say I'm far more grateful to fuck a beautiful woman like yourself."

"Fuck...or make love?" Leyla asked softly, looking somewhat concerned.

Lyanna had been undoing Leyla's small clothes when she heard her question. She froze, wasting no time giving Leyla a concerned look.

Lyanna knew what Leyla meant, believe it or not. No one else would have, but Lyanna did. You had to know Arthur Hightower personally to know the reasoning behind the question.

"I won't fuck you like he did," Lyanna responded in a soft tone, feeling a bit saddened when she realized that Arthur's own sister was one of his victims, "I'll make love to you. I'll go slow. I'll put your needs above mine. And if you don't like something I do, tell me. Tell me and I promise you, I will stop."

"I've never been with a woman," Leyla confessed, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "Father said it was a sin and he'd make me become a septa if he found out I was with a woman. Arthur said he'd kill me if he found out I had been. Edmyn got out before they could do anything to him when they learned he bedded men, but I never escaped."

"They're dead now, there's no need to be afraid anymore," Lyanna bluntly answered without a care in the world, "I'll protect you, I promise. From foes seen and unseen. I'll protect you until my dying breath. I swear it by the old gods and the new, Leyla Hightower."

"You won't," Leyla confessed in a calm tone, "I mean no offense, but in ways, you are like a man, just like your mother was."

Lyanna remained silent and nodded, knowing what Leyla was getting at.

Lyanna and her mother was born in places of power that made them treated equally to a man. They were able to be rulers, heads of castles, wardens of entire regions, and leaders in battle. They had a say in things that the majority of women did not.

"And like a man, you'll find other women to be with. Women that may please you in ways I may not be able to. They always do," Leyla continued on and Lyanna felt guilty, knowing that all that the girl was thinking was because of her own family life.

"I won't. You will be the only one for me. As queen, I do not plan to marry. That will leave me to be with you and you alone. I swear it," Lyanna explained, cupping Leyla's face in her hands.

She looked down at the Hightower girl, taking in the girl's beautiful features. "Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?" Lyanna questioned and even though she truly meant it, she was only saying it to get Leyla's mind off of her worrisome thoughts of Lyanna ditching her for someone else.

Leyla remained silent, shaking her head. As she watched Lyanna fully remove her small clothes, Leyla was quick to cover her breasts with her hands.

"If you wish to cover up, it is fine, but there is no need. You have a beautiful body. One any woman would die to have," Lyanna continued on with her compliments, which was clearly making Leyla feel better about herself.

Lyanna felt horrible, realizing Leyla had just as much issues and insecurities as she did after what Arthur did to her.

Leyla lowered her hands before lifting them once more to begin to remove Lyanna tunic that was actually made for a man.

Lyanna suddenly grabbed onto Leyla's wrists, causing the Hightower girl to stare up at her in concern. "I'd like my clothes to say on, if it pleases you, my lady," She confessed and Leyla hesitantly nodded her head, "This is about me pleasing you, not the other way around."

"O-okay," Leyla replied, nodding her head in understanding.

Lyanna took a large step toward Leyla, grabbing the girl by the waist before lifting her up. Leyla secured her thighs around Lyanna before placing her arms around the woman's neck.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips against Lyanna's as the Lannister girl brought her over to the bed.

Edmyn was right. Lyanna was, indeed, taking care of Leyla. In more ways than one.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Robb is clearly not having any luck in reuniting with his sons 😭😂

Rickard literally rejected going with him, but that was kind of expected after how many times he refused to go with his siblings throughout his act.

He clearly has been through more trauma than anyone likes to admit.

Robb was expecting the best of reunions with Eddard and he found him in bed with Allyria 😂😂

Olyvar and Torrhen were happy to see his father.

And omg Lyanna tho 😭

She finally has a love interest who happens to be Edmyn's youngest sister and also the daughter of Leyton Hightower and the younger sister of Arthur (Lyanna former husband/rapist)

If it isn't obvious tho, Lyanna's reasoning for keeping her clothes on wasn't just because she always wants to be the one in control but also a hinting at the fact that she's much more affected by Arthur's torture than she likes to let on. (She doesn't like to be naked in front of anyone and wants COMPLETE control in bed) which Leyla is fine with btw 😂