LION'S LEGACY
80. Viserion

FLASHBACK
FIVE YEARS PRIOR

In the catacombs of the Red Keep, Annalys walked closer to Rickard. She was giving him one of her life lessons, just as she constantly did with all of her children. They were usually annoyed by them, but little did they know, it would help them greatly in the near future, especially for Rickard and Lyanna.

"People think you are not a threat, Rickard. After all, you are fifth in line for the throne. They think you're a nobody, but I know differently," She began to explain in a calm tone, but it was clear that Rickard wasn't actually believing a word she said, "Out of all my sons, you are the one who will achieve something far greater than the rest. You are the one who is most important to the future of our people. I just know it."

"Yeah, sure," Rickard muttered under his breath, rolling her eyes.

Annalys roughly grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look her in the eyes. He frowned up at his mother, wondering what the hell she was up to. "You have many gifts, Rickard. Your anger, for one, is a gift. The greatest gift of them all, believe it or not," She explained in a low stern tone before pointing toward his head, "What is in here is a gift. You do not think like other men, my son. Your sisters, your brothers, your father, everyone in the castle...They view you to be odd or even mad. Use that to your advantage. You are unpredictable. And that will serve you well. Just as it has for me. Use your anger intelligently, my son, and I promise you, it will work in your favor as you become a man.

"I wish I wasn't so angry all the time," Rickard confessed, a disappointed look on his face as he looked down at the ground in shame, "But I can't help it."

"I know, I know," Annalys told her son in comfort, cupping his face in her hands as she smiled softly, "But if you didn't have your anger, you'd just be an average person and being average is the last thing you want to be."

"I could have been happy," Rickard pointed out and Annalys scoffed, clearly not believing that.

"Happiness will not keep you alive, my love," Annalys admitted softly and Rickard knew she had a point, despite it sounding cruel, "For the rest of your life, many people will underestimate you. You must prove them wrong."

"I will," Rickard assured his mother in a calm tone and Annalys smiled proudly.

PRESENT DAY
HIGHGARDEN

   It was dawn and Robb was still asleep in bed while Annalys was nowhere to be seen, despite falling asleep in Robb's arms the previous night. Suddenly, Robb jolted awake, immediately frowning when he found Annalys no longer laying next to him in bed. "Annalys?" He called out as he sat up from the bed, "Annalys?"

When he got no answer, Robb immediately jumped out of bed, beginning to feel concerned. He was worried that something might have happened to her. He ran toward the door, only to open it to find Annalys now standing before him. She was clearly returning from somewhere, hoping to arrive before Robb woke up. Clearly, she had failed in doing so.

Robb sighed in utter relief at the sight of his beautiful wife. He smiled happily, wasting no time cupping her face in his hands. "I was afraid you'd left," He confessed softly, causing Annalys to tilt her head as she gave him a puzzled look.

"Just for a walk," Annalys admitted, smiling up at Robb, "I took Alerie with me. She was awake, too."

Annalys remained silent, noticing Robb had actually been genuinely worried about her leaving. "Robb," She called out in a calm tone, giving him a concerned look, "Did you really think I had truly left you?"

Robb sighed, not responding as he nodded his head. Annalys knew that meant that she had been right.

"I'd never leave you," Annalys assured her husband, placing a hand on the side of his face, "Ever. You needn't worry about that, Robb. We are always and forever, remember?"

Robb continued to remain silent. He simply nodded and Annalys found herself leaning forward, pressing a quick kiss to his pink lips. He frowned slightly, raising a brow at Annalys. "What was that for?" He questioned her, smiling in amusement at the randomness of the sudden kiss.

"Can't I kiss my husband?" Annalys playfully asked as she leaned forward, pressing yet another kiss to his lips.

She kissed him again and then a fourth time. As she did so, she continued to lightly shove Robb toward the bed. He played along with it, wondering what she was up to.

Finally, Robb found himself sitting at the foot of the bed with Annalys standing in front of him. "Do you know what I learned?" She found herself asking Robb, who shook his head as he watched her glance around the room they had decided to stay in during their time at Highgarden, "This is Margaery Tyrell's old room."

Robb was about to stand up from the bed in disgust, but before he could, Annalys pushed him back down. Robb found himself smiling in amusement, watching as she sat down on his lap without a care in the world, straddling him. He placed his hands at her waist while Annalys wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I also learned that our firstborn has a female lover," She informed Robb, whose eyes widened in shock, "Can you guess whose family this girl comes from?"

"Let me guess..." He trailed off in a sarcastic tone, having the feeling he already knew, "Tyrell?"

"Close," Annalys responded, causing Robb to tense up.

"Hightower," He realized and Annalys nodded in confirmation, causing his eyes to widen, "What the fuck is she thinking?"

"It's a trick. It must be," Annalys replied, much to Robb's confusion, "She knew we'd be so busy thinking about that, we wouldn't expect her to be taking the Iron Throne."

"What!" Robb exclaimed in disbelief, shocked by the fact that their eldest daughter was planning to take the Iron Throne, "I must go at once. I must stop her."

Annalys scoffed, watching as Robb placed her on the bed before standing up. "You must mean we, right?" She asked him in concern, only to stare at him in disbelief as he shook his head.

"No. I'm going alone," Robb argued in a stern tone, "It's not safe for you yet. We don't know if some of the rebels are still alive."

"Stop treating me like I can't handle myself, Robb!" Annalys complained in a frustrated tone, taking a step toward Robb, "I am the greatest swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms, even without my left hand."

"What about without a sword?" Robb found himself asking Annalys, raising a skeptical brow at her, "Can you still defend yourself with one hand when you're unarmed?"

"Of course I can," Annalys replied confidently, despite not knowing whether or not it was the truth.

"You can't. Stop lying to yourself," Robb argued in a stern tone.

"Then, help me," Annalys encouraged him, a desperate look on his face, "Help me learn."

Robb's refusal to answer the suggestion ended up angering Annalys. She began to glare at Robb, frustrated with him taking it all as a joke. She turned away from him, on the verge of walking away.

Just then, Robb grabbed her by her right hand. "What?" She snapped as she turned to face him once more.

Robb gave Annalys a large tug on her arm, pulling her closer to him. He placed a brief kiss to her hand before guiding her into balling her right hand into a fist. "You don't have two hands anymore. You can't just punch anywhere that's available. You must go for the single punch that will end with her enemy on the ground."

Annalys nodded and took a step away from Robb. She continued to keep her right hand balled into a fist. She swung at Robb's face, but he was able to grab ahold of her wrist and stop her. He pulled Annalys toward him, whipping her body around until her back collided with his chest.

She was let out a small grunt as their bodies collided, but ended up frowning as Robb used one of his hands to grip onto her throat. "Don't go for the face. It won't subdue them for long, not if you don't put enough force into it. You must go for places like the throat." He whispered into her ear and Annalys found herself nodding in understanding.

She felt stupid. She had learned to fight at such a young age and now, she was forced to be retaught.

"Where else?" Annalys asked softly, turning her head so that she could look Robb in the eyes.

Their faces became inches apart and while her eyes trailed down to his lips, Robb was intent on staying on task.

Robb slid his hand down her body and Annalys shuttered, clearly feeling aroused by his touch, even if it was barely anything. Robb surprisingly, though, did not mean it in a sexual way.

He stopped when his hand was just above her abdomen. He pressed down lightly, beginning to speak softly to her once more. "Right here as well. Punch or kick somewhere there. They'll most likely drop to the ground within seconds, coughing and gasping for breath. It will give you enough time to either kill them or run."

"I'm a Lannister, Robb. Lannisters do not run," Annalys reminded Robb in a soft tone as he loosened his grip on her.

She slowly turned to face him and Robb gave her a pleading look. "Please," He begged her in a soft tone, "Just stay here. Until I've stopped Lyanna from causing anymore chaos than she already has. Stay with Eddard, Olyvar, and the rest of our children. Please."

"The thought of reuniting with my daughter before she ruins her life by becoming queen is the only thing keeping me going these days, Robb. If anything happens to her..." She trailed off, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Nothing will happen to her. I'll make sure of it," Robb assured Annalys, placing her hands in his own, "She will be back with us once more in due time. I promise."

____

    It was nighttime and Annalys sat in her given room at Highgarden, thinking about Robb. She had been hesitant not to follow after him, she supposed it was the right to thing. Until she learned how to defend herself properly without her left hand, she was practically useless.

She did envy the fact that Robb got to reunite with Lyanna before she did. She felt the need to reunite with Lyanna the most out of her children. Not because she was her favorite, either. It was because she felt as though everything Lyanna had become was her own fault. Just like she yearned to reunite Rickard more than anything as well.

Both of them became people that Annalys wouldn't have ever dreamed of her children becoming and in truth, it was her own fault.

She made Lyanna become just like her with her teachings and now, she was more Tywin Lannister than she had even been. Annalys had taught Lyanna everything that her grandfather had taught her. And while Annalys only listened to the pieces of advice given to her by Tywin that she truly liked, Lyanna followed everyone of the teachings.

And then there was Rickard. She felt most guilty about that. Everything he had become was her fault. She was the only who told him to choose anger over happiness.

Both Lyanna and Rickard had been told by their mother that it was better to be feared than loved and as much as that was true, it wasn't a great way to live.

In her life, Annalys had achieved both, which was the hardest thing to do.

But being loved and not feared would lead to you ending up dead. Being feared on the other hand, made it so that no one would ever dare defy you. However, it made it hard to ever find happiness. People would end up agreeing with you because they would fear your reaction if they didn't.

She was by the fireplace, trying her best to keep her mind off Robb. She was trying her best to brush her hair with one hand when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," She encouraged the person and soon after, Edric entered, looking uneasy.

"Lady Mother," He greeted her as he bowed, causing her to smile at his politeness.

None of the children ever called her lady mother. They didn't think it was needed to have formalities with their own mother.

"Come," Annalys encouraged her youngest son, who looked shy as he made his way over to her.

"Can't sleep?" Little Edric found himself asking his mother, knowing it was late at night.

"No," Annalys confessed softly, a saddened look on her face, "I can't stop thinking about your brother and sister."

Little Edric remained silent, slowly nodding her head. He knew of whom she spoke of. She meant Lyanna and Rickard, the only children still unaccounted for.

"Give me, Mother. I'll do it," Edric insisted, causing Annalys to frown as she turned to give him a puzzled look.

Her eyes widened, realizing he meant to give him the brush. She sighed, hesitantly giving him the brush. She knew he must have seen her struggling to brush her hair and wanted to help. It made her feel awful.

She was the mother. She was supposed to be helping her children, not the other way around. She spent twenty years doing her children's hair, not her youngest son was doing hers. It was odd.

Edric took the brush from her grasp before standing behind.

"You have quite the gentle touch," Annalys spoke up, smiling softly as her son brushed her hair, "Where'd you learn such a skill?"

"I used to brush Princess Myrcella's hair," He confessed, causing Annalys' smile to fade.

"What is she like?" Annalys found herself asking about her niece and her son's betrothed, knowing it had been awhile since she had seen her.

"She's so beautiful, mother," Edric confessed and Annalys could almost hear the affection he had for the girl in his voice, "She has long, curly black hair and green eyes like you do. She's so nice, nicer than the Sand Snakes, that's for sure. She and I used to play in the Water Gardens every afternoon."

"That sounds lovely," Annalys confessed, a smile forming on her lips, "You seem quite fond of her."

"We grew up together," Edric confessed, smiling as well, "And I always knew her to be my future wife."

"You may return to her on your sixteenth birthday, my son, I promise you that," Annalys informed Edric, who seemed absolutely relieved by the revelation, "I see how happy you are when you speak of Myrcella. I wouldn't want to take that away from you."

"Thank you, Mother," Edric happily responded, smiling brightly at his mother's decision.

___

   The following morning, Annalys woke up and found herself in the kitchen, searching for some fresh fruit to eat. After all, it was the Reach, there should have been some type of fresh fruit since majority of the crops in Westeros came from the region.

Annalys walked into the kitchen, only to spot Allyria, a woman she hadn't seen in more than two years after she saved her life.

"Allyria..." Annalys called out, causing the girl to turn to her in shock, "That's your name, isn't it?"

"Yes, my lady," Allyria responded quickly, curtsying to the elder woman.

"When I told you to look after my son, I didn't expect you to marry him," Annalys continued on, taking a step toward the girl.

The girl looked uneasy, not knowing what Annalys was capable.

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

"I'm fucking with you, love," Annalys replied, causing Allyria to practically sigh in relief, "You're carrying his child, I see."

"Yes, I am," Allyria responded, nodding her head in confirmation.

"Are you prepared to give birth? Do you know what to expect?" Annalys questioned and Allyria shook her head, "It seems there's a lot to teach you. There will be a lot of pain."

With that, Annalys began to walk out of the kitchen with Allyria, who listened to every word that she said closely.

Eddard and Olyvar were walking into the kitchen together when they saw the scene occur, causing them both to exchange a puzzled look.

_____

Thousands of miles North, at Castle Black, Jon stood on the top of the Wall alongside Edd, looking out beyond it. He shivered slightly, the snowfall recently practically looking like a never-ending blizzard. The people down south wanted to complain about how cold it was where they lived, but they had no idea how the men of the Night's Watch suffered from the worst winter in the history of Westeros. It was horrific, to say the least.

The two men continued to look forward, hearing the distant screech they always seem to be hearing lately. Some of the men preferred to claim it was just the strong wind making such a noise, but Jon knew better. After all those years ago when he, Robb, and the rest of the group who had gone beyond the Wall and ended up being saved by Daenerys when the army of the dead was about to kill them, Jon knew damn well the sound was Daenerys' dragon. Viserion, to be specific.

The one who had been killed by the Night King himself.

How was he alive? Was he a wight himself? Why hadn't he traveled South?

Jon had no idea, but all of it made him worried. He yearned to tell Robb, Annalys, and the rest of his family the news, but he couldn't. He knew they were alive now, but that still didn't mean he was able to reach them. They were constantly on the move. And they needed to know soon, before it was too late.

"They must know soon, Jon," Edd spoke up, giving his lord commander an uneasy look, "Sooner or later, the Night King and his army are going to travel South with that damn dragon. When that happens, we'll all be fucked if we're not prepared."

"Annalys and Robb are a bit busy fighting the armies to the south to think about the one to the North," Jon complained, causing Edd to sigh in frustration.

"Are you bloody stupid? If Annalys knew what we were dealing with, she'd give up everything in the South to deal with this, even her crown. She knows that the wars in the south are nothing compared to the one against the dead. The one against the dead is the one that truly matters. You and I both have heard her speak of it. She never thought of herself destined to rule. She believed herself to be destined to end the Night King. She may have not been thinking it lately, but it is still in the back of her mind. If she's reminded of this threat, she'd be more than willing to drop everything to help us. We need her, don't you understand that?"

"You don't think I know that!" Jon shouted at Edd in frustration, giving him a warning look, "Even if I wanted to tell them, I couldn't. Every time I've been sent a raven mentioning them, they're at a completely different place."

"Well, you're going to have to figure it out soon, or we're all fucked," Edd commented, pointing his index finger North of the Wall, "They'll be coming sooner than we want them to and with that dragon, I have a feeling they'll be able to get past the Wall. We don't know why they've taken so long, but I have a feeling it wasn't because they decided to take a six-year nap," He paused, giving Jon a serious look, "They must be doing something far worse than what they've been doing already and you and I both know it can't mean anything good."

Sighing in frustration, Edd gave Jon one last look before walking away from him, heading toward the elevator to return to the courtyard.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Little Edric is so cute ❤️❤️❤️

I feel bad for Annalys tho.
She literally wants to reunite with Lyanna and Rickard so bad and she can't😭😭

Ngl tho, it may not have seemed like it but Annalys had a pretty strong bond with Rickard.

OMG THE LAST CHAPTER THO!

Some of you think I've forgotten about the main threat that's been shown for this entire series, but you're wrong. I haven't. I myself know what's been happening at the Wall while Annalys was fighting in the South but my dumbass didn't realize that it isn't fair to you guys.

I wanted to wait for the last chapters of this act to mention it ALL but now, I've changed my mind.

You may have thought everything was normal back when Olyvar was briefly at the Wall, but it wasn't. Jon just kept it from him. 😬

Viserion has been resurrected by the Night King years ago, yet for some reason, he still hasn't headed South. 🤷🏻‍♀️Why do you think that is?

I'll just say, tho, he's up to something...